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 Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:23 pm
She didn't want to be bothered at all.
Upon arriving home she'd held on to Unwelcome for just a while if the lovely rook allowed it, stroking through her feathers and trying to hold back every little bit of emotion she'd let show. Oh it hurt, it was going to hurt for a while. But it wasn't until she gave the pale lady a message to hand back to the twins that she finally let her leave, walking out with her perched on her hand before letting her flutter away. It didn't matter which one got it, they would tell the other, wouldn't they? Or so she assumed...
Please give me a week to myself
I need some time
-Rosa
It had seemed to work too, because here she was on the night of day three, alone. Alone with as many bottles of wine as she could afford to splurge on. It wasn't even good wine, just something that she could drink enough of to forget for a while. There was already a bottle on the floor, empty and forgotten, and half of one still sitting on the table as she leaned back. That wonderful dull buzz, the one that made her just feel so empty and relaxed, had just started up. Hell, she felt like she could just float on out of the chair, up up and away from every little problem in the world. But soon enough she remembered those faces. Those hurt, hurt faces of two people she cared very much about. This wouldn't do at all.
Picking up the bottle again, she took another heavy swig despite the protest in her stomach. She didn't often like drinking her problems away, but it seemed it just needed to come to that for once. Finally setting the glass back down, she laid her head on the table across her arm, staring at the flickering coals in her forge. How much longer until she felt human again, until she could just completely forget how much she hurt, how much she'd hurt them?
It didn't even pass her mind that someone might object to her shutting him out of her life for a week, or that he'd even attempt to come and find out what was the matter.
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:24 pm
When she goes to take that bottle again, someone grabs her by the wrist: the hand is calloused, the skin rough, and the firm grip should be achingly familiar. Gently but insistently, Last will work the bottle out of her grip and put it out of reach, a good arm's length across the table. As if he's always been here, as if he ain't never left, he keeps hold of her hand in both of his and then crouches on the floor beside her chair, breathing long and low with her hand held against his cheek and just taking in the feel of her closeness. "I cain't stand it," he tells her, in a soft voice, low and apologetic, "I cain't just watch you do this to yourself, when you don't got nobody as gonna stop you. It ain't gonna help."
Crouching there beside her chair, he doesn't look near as confident as he sounds. His shoulders are hunched, his whole body braced like he's prepared to be shouted away, because he don't quite understand what's going on or why she's so hurt. For all he knows, she could tell him to get lost, that since he violated her request he might as well not ever come back, but he couldn't stay away no longer.
His clothing ain't nearly so dapper as normal; he looks like he just pulled on whatever was nearest without any consideration for whether or not it went together or matched or was clean. There's actual stubble on his cheeks and chin, enough so he looks almost unfamiliar, and someone's blacked one of his eyes for him, somehow, somewhere. He don't seem to notice and probably doesn't care, not so long as he can still (kinda) see her out of both eyes and so long as he can hold her hand until she shakes him off.
Unwanted, still halfway in the door that Last had jiggered open, paces quietly inside to touch noses with Aelius in silence. Like his Chosen he is almost cautious, even less certain about the events of recent days then Last is.
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:25 pm
She lets him, if only because she can't quite feel the bottle in her hand and might as well just drop it, though sighs heavily with a tone of annoyance. She wants more wine, and she's being denied it, considering it has been paid for with her own coin, and this is her shop, she wants to snap at him about it. But when your head's all blurry and you don't seem to care anymore, words just don't connect. "It's been helpin' jus' fine." There's already a slight slur to her words, though she doesn't seem to be bothered for the moment to need to look at who's come to interrupt her, instead using her other hand to rub the bridge of her nose, trying to focus just a little more. "At leas' th' wine works better than workin'. Why y' here 'nyway? Diddyer stupid a** brother demand y' ignore 'vrythin'?" It's a good sign that things haven't gone well in the past few days if he has no indication otherwise, and more specifically that things between her and First of all people have soured.
It isn't until she takes another slow sigh, numbness tingling her fingertips along with the warmth from his cheek, that she finally looks him over, her own face rather exhausted. She hasn't really slept as much as passed out in a chair or atop her bed the past few days, or felt much like cleaning up between them. The usual occasional smudges of soot on her skin have turned to black patches, and it's hard to tell if she's got dark circles under her eyes or if it's just more of the grime. More than likely, if she were to take a bath, the water would end up as black as the pits of hell. Such a shame really.
But even whilst inebriated, there's no doubt there's a certain pang of concern at his own state. While occasionally ruffled, she can't recall a time she's seen him this disheveled. She shifts in her chair to turn more towards him, running her other hand across his jaw so gently, as if she'd end up leaving bruises if she wasn't, finding the prickle of his stubble at the least amusing. Indeed, what would poor Last look like with a beard? The thought draws just the slightest of grins and a snort of amused laughter, though her hand settles on his other cheek, looking over his black eye with a frown. "You look awful."
Aelius touches noses back eagerly, nuzzling the younger buck with the slightest bit of affection. Ah, he could definitely use the company, his chosen's being stupid and thinking getting drunk will solve all her problems, but if it's any consolation, even he's not completely clear on whats happened. Someone hasn't wanted to talk about it at all.
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:09 pm
"Ain't talking to my brothers," he tells her quietly, without trying to figure out which of his brothers she's referring to, and the simple statement might be more worrisome then any other detail about his person. Family is .. all-consuming, to the Grimms. Last had always found it almost frightening that she'd grown up without siblings, had certainly been horrified that Rosalie had no family that she knew of. For him to quietly tell her that he isn't even speaking to the rest of his family --
"I din't see much use in lookin' dapper if I ain't got no lady to look dapper for," he continues, and when she touches him his eyes half-close and he sucks in a slow breath like he's waited for this the whole of his short life. "An' the only lady as I wanna look dapper for, well, she's the sort as can look like a queen e'en when she's all covered over with soot, so who's to say I oughta be dapper, anyways?"
He ain't missed how she looks, the dirt and the smudges and the redness in her eyes. It ain't been a good few days for her neither, and that only makes his heart beat faster and his gut turn over in painful twists. There's questions he's gonna have to ask, but he's not too sure he's gonna like the answers, so the words are sticking in his throat something fierce.
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:35 pm
That was a surprise. She sighs, thumbing over his cheeks with the slightest of smiles, though it started to fade the more as she thought over what's continued to occur for them for the past week or so. "N' even th' a*****e who shares yer face?" Oh that was a harsh one, and certainly help bringing it down to one out of two possible Grimms she wasn't fond of at the moment.
It takes her a few moments to actually piece together what he's said, though that face he makes only distracts her further. It hasn't been a good round for anyone apparently, regardless of whether or not they were involved in a trainwreck a few days prior. She almost considers leaning down to steal a kiss, just one, to see if it would help the both of them. Ah ******** it, why the hell not? "S' more yer eye th' worries me." She mumbles, leaning over slowly, breath already heavy with the scent of cheap wine.
It's soft, just a light touch of lips, and what was supposed to make her feel slightly better or buy her more time doesn't help at all. It only serves as a more powerful reminder of what she's been trying to deal with all this time, and just thinking of everything again makes the knife in her twist a little more. "I think...." She breathes, sitting back up a little more, "I need t' finish t' bottle."
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:06 pm
He flinches visibly at her first words, like it's him she's talking about. Ain't so hard to think that they've been together so long that they might start at some point to feel the other's guilt even where it don't make sense. But before he can say much, she's gone and kissed him and for just a moment his whole world's stopped and he knows it was good that he'd come back. He just sits still, real still, licking his lips and looking a little dazed, that it takes him a moment to come back to himself again.
When he does, he gets up with a speed that in her present condition he knows she can't match and snatches up the bottle, to set it on a high, high shelf, somewhere that she'd have to be sober to get at it. "No, you don't. I ain't havin' both .." He cuts himself off abruptly, stalking back towards her to cup her face in both hands and look down at her. "Rosalie," he says urgently, in a hurry to get the words out while he still can, before he chickens out. "What'd he do to you? Whatever he's done, he'll pay ferrit, I swear, only you gots to tell me."
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 3:43 pm
There's a noise of utter disappointment when he has to go and take it further away from her. She's got plenty of other bottles, oh yes, but none of them are open, and she really doesn't feel like dealing with them. For a moment she's about to complain, to just try and convince him that she really does need that bottle back, because everything's just hurting and maybe, just maybe, if she drinks enough she'll forget all about First and stop seeing the other twin on her Last's face.
And then he has to go and ask her about it.
She stiffens up a great deal, to the point where it's clear there's a number of things she just does not want to even bring up. Couldn't First just go and tell him what's happened? What he said? Well, maybe not. And if there's one thing wine is good at doing, it's making lips looser....And how is she going to say no to that face? With his hands cupping her cheeks like this?
"He's a damned idiot." She doesn't sound so strong now, not with the hurt just leaking out little by little, "Said a bunch of stupid things wi'out even thinking how I felt on 'em." She can't even meet Last's eyes, holding her breath for just a moment before it just all seems to spill out at once. "Does h' really jus' think I wuz takin' pity on 'im? That I wuz jus' pretendin' I wuz havin' a great time? 'Cuz 'pparently h' wuz jus' pretendin' t' be you n' thought h' wuz stealin' my time n'..." With every single word she just gets worse and worse, sharply inhaling and trying to hold it all in again and gather herself back up together as the tears well up in her eyes. "He's not gettin' between us, izzie...? 'C-Cause I.....I...!" She can't even seem to get the last bit out, choking up in a sob, tears starting to slip down her cheeks, welling up in tiny pools where they meet his fingers.
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:47 pm
"Hey, hey, hey --" His voice is low and hoarse, and he can't entirely hide the relief that creeps around the edges of it. And maybe that relief's .. wrong, for this moment in time, maybe it's not what she would be expecting, but he can't help it. He tilts her face up to his and he bends down and he kisses at the corners of her eyes, over and over, then her cheeks, her nose, the corners of her soft lips. "He ain't, he ain't, oh, hell, we're all damn fools -- where am I, Rosa, think 'bout it, I'm here with you even tho' you tol' me not to be, do you call that gettin' a-tween? I'm yours, Rosa, you knows it, and you knows I love you." He knows that maybe what he ought to do is let her cry; Jay told him that once, that when a gel's crying you just got to hold her and pet her hair and maybe say 'there, there,' but you're not supposed to say anything else until she's done.
But he can't help it, he's almost choking on relief with a big side helping of guilt. Because -- well -- what was he supposed to think? First comes back, not saying a word but to utter (and only deep in his cups!) that it was all his fault, that he'd never touch her again; then the note from Rosalie, saying she couldn't see either of them, and even careful questioning of Wellie'd only led to her hunched over, saying 'ow, ow, ow' like something had gone wrong. To think that it was just something that First said .. well, he means it. He really does.
They're all three of them fools.
So he kisses her and kisses her, the words tumbling out of him, and he slips his hands from her face and curls his arms around her so that she's pressed against his chest. "It's okay .. it's okay."
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 9:11 pm
She's not exactly sure what to think of his relief. Why in the world is he relieved or all things? But at the least she's soothed just a little by those soft kisses, the ones that feel so warm and just tingle for a few moments after his lips leave her skin. What had he even thought had happened? "T-Then you'd best tell 'm that 'er else he'll never believe me." She chokes just a little, unable to stop that tiny little smile that always comes out whenever he tells her he loves her, no matter how upset and hurt she still is. "N' that I'm th' one who wants t' steal his time, he's got it all wrong. N' that he owes me 'nother day out. T' hell if Raj shows up 'gain. She can slap me fer it next time, n' then go ******** 'rself." Such harsh words, but at least a little more of the story's come out. It would be quite easy to assume what could have happened now knowing all parties involved. Considering everything that's happened, things probably did not go well, and likely all three of them are unhappily licking their wounds. But perhaps more interesting is that the smith seems willing to have a do-over, and is insisting on it. She wants this, and screw any gypsies who get in the way, be they best friends or not. And one does not simply tell the blacksmith no. Each of those kisses only soothes her more, until she's more than calmed down to just be held and soothed. Oh it still hurts, there's no doubt about that, but she's been able to have a good cry about it and be reassured that indeed, everything First has said was stupid and she has every right to be upset. It takes a long while before she finally speaks again, preferring that comfortable silence they always seem to slip into. "...'s he okay..?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2014 6:48 pm
He holds her good and snug against his body, petting his hair, grateful that in and around her complaints he’s able to figure out a little more of what happened. They were out on a date, he knew that much, and Rajani had shown up — and things had somehow gone downhill from there. First had said something about not being in the way, had gotten slapped, and had then (presumably) run off. Last can only imagine how awkward the whole mess had gotten, and he finds himself thinking bleakly that it’s probably for the best that he didn’t try and seek out Rajani to see if she knew what happened. Oh, she’d have known, that’s for sure, but what sort of answer would she have given him? By the time they get around to a point where Rosalie’s asking him a question she actually expects an answer to, Last’s not entirely surprised at the question she’s chosen and has had a moment to prepare. That don’t make it easy .. A silence stretches after her question, one long enough that it’s likely she’ll suspect the answer before it even comes. “ .. I ain’t gonna make no habit of lyin’ to you,” he says, soft and low, “he ain’t, and he ain’t gonna be for a while.” His arms slip from around her, and he goes back to crouching down in front of her chair, holding both her hands in his own. “I ain’t nivir seen him like this,” he admits, and his voice is a bit hoarse. “But since he come back from fightin’ with Raj that first time, only been one person I ever seen that he likes well enough to make him forget he were hurt.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:26 am
Even if she's making such demands and complaints at the moment, it's likely once she sobers up from her bottle and a half that she'll be far more reluctant to bring up the subject again, even if it's Last at her side. She doesn't like bringing things up when she's still hurting, when everyone's still hurting, and frankly she still wants her bottle back to nurse her wounds. Even so, eventually she's going to have to seek out either Raj or First, but it really will depend on what kind of answer she gains from Last.
There's a heavy sigh when she finally does get it out of him, obviously not pleased with it all. Oh it's at least partially her fault, that's what she gets for all things said and done, but even so it's going to be a while before he'll be ready to talk from the sound of it. "Fantastic." She groans, less than thrilled with it all, "Look wha' I've gon' n' done now. Just....." Just what? Her head's gone all foggy again for a second before she can seem to finish it. "Just make sure h' doesn't do anything he'll regret..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:38 am
Last nearly sighs at this, taking one of Rosalie’s hands in between his own to warm it: gods but he wishes he could change all of this, for all of them! If only things had been different — but he don’t even know what outcome he would have wished for, save that it were one that didn’t end with his brother not speaking to anyone, and his lover weeping. “It ain’t that,” he says softly, tugging her hand to try to get her to focus on him past the alcohol. “I ain’t blamin’ you an’ he ain’t neither. It ain’t that at all, and don’t you think it. Jest — lissen to me, Rosa, lissen, okay? Ever since he been hurt, and he were hurt bad, and that weren’t no one’s fault, ‘cept maybe the gods, but ever since then, he won’t talk to me about nothin’. This’s me, right? When we ain’t talked to nobody we’ve always talked to each other, only this time I ain’t been able to get him to say a word, and I cain’t make him so much’s smile.”
He’s whispering to her urgently now, trying to get her to understand, to really understand, how important what he’s trying to say is. This isn’t platitudes, this isn’t whispered nothings uttered to distract her. She has to listen. If she looks like she isn’t, he’ll only get more frantic.
“But when I come home, he wants to know how you been. What yer doin’. What y’said. And when you were about, you saw him smile, right?” He tugs her hand again, begging her to understand what he’s trying to imply .. that First may be wounded, but if anybody’s got some kind of cure, it may be her.
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 9:59 am
She wants to badly to just ignore it all, to just go back to drinking and forgetting. She doesn't, even in her dazed state, really want to talk about all this. But since he's begging, and since it's him, she really has no other choice to, does she? Even so, she's almost a little surprised, touched even, when the gears finally do start to turn. He won't talk to Last but maybe, just maybe he'll give her a chance again. Hell, maybe he is right. The three of them are a bunch of fools.
Even so, she can't help but feel a bit of doubt about it all. She could very well go and make things worse, and the last thing she wants happening is hearing that one of the brothers Grimm has stumbled upon something terrible, and that she'll receive details on the date for the funeral soon. Frankly, given the rockiness of her own friendship with Rajani, she's fairly sure there's even odds between her fixing this and driving First further down the drain of depression.
"Are y' even sure h'd want t' see me?" She's keeping her own voice hushed, as if there's someone lurking about trying to spy in. Perhaps it's just meekness, though she's certainly questioning how much good she could do. "I could only end up makin' it worse, y'know. I don't want t' hurt h'm worse." The very thought makes her words almost end up in a whisper, and she bites the tip of her tongue to try and will the tears welling up to dissipate. "T's only been a few days...Might be better t' let things settle a bit."
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 4:57 pm
Having said his piece — having uttered the unutterable — he hesitates now, unsure. He doesn’t know how to convince her, nor if there is a way around the alcohol and the aching and the tears. “Might,” he says finally, low. “Might not. Jest kip in mind, he’s with Jay now, and will do until we beg him back somehow.” With this bland offering of information, this horrifying mental tidbit, he stands up again and takes her by one hand, trying to coax her to her feet. “Here now. Ain’t naught neither’ve us can do now, so let’s have upstairs and get a wash in.”
He avoids talking about making things worse, not knowing how to address the possibility, not even able to face it. There isn’t a worse, not so he knows it, and ain’t no use speculating when it’s all he can do to stumble on as it is. Gels like being clean, even smithy gels like Rosalie, right? And anything he can make her think of that isn’t more crying or more drinking is worth trying.
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Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 5:22 pm
"Oh <********' hell." That was obviously not something she wanted to hear. Yes, indeed, the very mention of one person she did not very much like was enough to stop plans in their tracks. "Really? Really? You all thought Jacob would be a good choice?" Really it sounded like a terrible idea, drunk or not. What in the blazes had them decide that would help with getting First back on his feet?
"'M not dealin' with that if he's off with Jay. I'd rather get burned than have t' sit down for conversation with h'm 'gain." Oh there was still a rather sour taste in her mouth about the whole thing. Come to think of it she could likely just blame Jacob for the whole thing ever occurring. If he hadn't come to town, First would still be longing after Raj, she'd still be happily courting Last, and.....Huh. That outcome just didn't seem to sound quite right. It in fact seemed a little bit worse than what they were dealing with now, despite all the pain and heartache involved. The mention of getting cleaned up however, and in her case, likely going through several buckets of water, seems to be a welcome distraction. She felt absolutely filthy, probably because she was. "Fine. 'S long s' you help..." She's not so good on her feet as she finally gets up, swaying for a few moments before holding on tighter to his arm, laughing a little at how the room seems to keep moving.
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