those who can't fight, think

“So you have family here. That’s nice” she mentioned with a genuine-looking smile, keeping to herself what she truly thought about family-related issues. Aeryn practically lit up when she spoke of Egypt and what she loved about its ancient history as well as the cultural heritage that still fascinated many, as it obviously did her. “Well, since you’re an anthropologist I can see why Ancient Egypt would be your favorite” she mentioned as a soft smile crossed her lips briefly. Nat didn’t know that was the field of study of the girl and there was always some reassurance in learning more about those around her. “Yes, I do like history. I’ve always found very interesting the various uprisings of the so-called ‘Barbarian’ groups against the Roman Empire. The Germanic Cherusci, Brittonic tribes, Thervingi Goths and Visigoths” she mentioned, only to name a few of her favorites.

“Ooh, les revolutions. That’s fun, too. The mighty getting overthrown, the sacking of Rome” she nodded. She didn’t know too much about what Nat’s favorite was, but she knew enough, in her opinion. They came upon another intersection and Aeryn pointed to the left. “I’m going this way. I think this is where we part ways. Maybe we can make a habit of walking a few times a week, to get to know each other better. It seems only beneficial, since we work so closely.” She hoped it wasn’t obvious she was trying to make another friend. 

Naomi frowns, “hey now, Layla and I are both in a place right now where we can afford to splurge a little. Not a lot but, you know. Enough.” Back when Layla was first born, the cost of Naomi’s therapy and baby expenses made things tight. But now that she’s going once a week and they’re back in Lethe, costs have been cut almost in half. “Not just bracelets, you should know how to dodge and block too. After the parade fiasco, I want to make sure my people have all the defenses they can possibly get…and we can work on a costume idea.” Hard work this past year put her in control of her magic like she’s never been before. Naomi felt comfortable passing on her knowledge of combat magic to others, especially if it would help keep them safe. “Right? I’m tear up just thinking about it,” the witch chuckles, sliding a crescent moon shaped pendent into the middle of her bracelet. 

“Hey that’s perfect for you, you already have all the clothes,” Naomi snorts. Likely they could go through Aeryn’s closet and find most of what they needed. “We could go to that little shopping plaza and look. I’m sure they’ll have something.” If not they could always order them online. “How’s the bracelet coming?” 

“Okay, that sounds like a plan! Schooling is in session. Or rather, will be.” She grinned at her friend and the baby, working away. “Yeah! I’d make a sexy black female Indiana Jones,” she said, new to tooting her own horn. Somethings she could be self confident about, like her schoolwork, but not usually her looks or magic. This was where Naomi came in. She helped Aeryn with parts of her life that didn’t usually seem to fit right, and made them feel better. “Oh! Bracelets, not necklaces, bracelets. I’m done, then. Help me tie it off?” 

Harris watched her intently trying to see how she responded to him. He always liked conversations to be cordial, but if he could get a rise out of people, he was not one to pass up on any bit of fun he could have. “ Well aren’t you a saint. Pretty face and good heart. Hard to come by” He replied as he took a drag off the cigarette before glancing back to her. He had already slid the lighter in his pocket and assumed she was not gonna ask for it. “ Cause society seems to only make large pockets on men’s pants. You should take that up with the clothing industry, if it’s an issue “ He didn’t care about keeping some sort of gender roles in place. He had a bit of an old soul cause of when he grew up but gender dynamic speaking he was thoroughly modern. Especially considering Penny and Lennox were the ones who were the ones who wore the pants in the family. “ They are hideous. Fashion from the 1980′s is from a watercolor nightmare. A lot has changed over the years though. Give it time it always changes”

She sighed after everything was put in her pockets and stood up, stretching her back and placing her hands on her hips. “Believe me, mister, I have written essays and letters. And yes, they are hideous, but they serve a purpose and are very functional. Why can’t people overlook that?” She swung her hips to the side and looked up at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “How old would that make you?” she asked nosily, her bad habits getting the better of herself. 

Naomi shrugs and leans back one arm, watching in amusement as her friend physically shields herself from the mental image of a threesome with the Stewart twins. Eh. Hugh wouldn’t have gone for it anyway. She’s not his type. “So I guess it’s just a matter of time before you wear him down then,” Naomi teases, smiling over at her friend. If there’s one thing Aeryn knows how to do well, it’s workmanship. Even when assisting Naomi on errands she handled it as if she were really Naomi’s assistant. 

“Uh huh,” the witch raises her brow, pausing in her bracelet making it send Aeryn a pointed look. “You have the money, babe. And if you don’t let me get it for you, my treat.” This is where Naomi’s skills lied; in persuasion. She’s the type of friend who’ll say, ‘get the dress!’ even when really they shouldn’t. Impulse control is nonexistent in this witch’s case, and maybe that’s because she’s just used to getting what she wants. Naomi beams, clapping her hands together, “perfect, it’s settled then. You and me, sometime this month for sure. Oh! We could do a spooky Halloween training session, it’s basically our night to shine.” Halloween is actually Naomi’s favorite holiday, the rest of them just…suck. All the excitement really seems to rile Layla up, who’s no letting out delighted shrieks of laughter and clapping her hands together. “See? Even Layla’s excited about it. Isn’t that right LayLay?” Naomi coos, tickling the baby’s belly, which earns a couple more giggles. “I don’t know what to dress her up as yet,” the witch wonders aloud, tilting her head towards Layla. “I thought about putting her into this cute little strawberry costume I found online. I mean, she eats them so much she practically is one and I find that amusing.” 

“Oh my God you have a baby! No way am I letting you treat me.” She shook her head calmly, then grinned when Naomi perked up. “Training session? About the bracelets? Okay but you need to help me come up with a costume because that is not my forte.” Aeryn had never been into dressing up, instead she was into comfortable, reliable, modest clothes. “Oh my God kids as fruit is so adorable you should do it.” Suddenly, an idea hit her. “Indiana Jones!” She then burst out laughing. “I’m sure I have the majority of the clothes, maybe just need to buy his pants and hat. Oh my gosh this will be fun, won’t it Layla?”

Rod offered the woman a smile as his other hand stayed still on the reins, even when she was down. He motioned for her to follow him as he led the horse to the stables. “No, it- Well, yes it was,” he admitted with a small chuckle. “Yes. I think I’m lucky I’m a fae or I would have died a long while ago. But that wasn’t anything to do with it. I actually went first into drama. I ’knew Shakespeare and went into Broadway, but cameras and phones really tanked my career. But I had always had an interest in people and animals. I wanted to understand and to help, and the more I could work with animals, the better it would be. So I found this a while back.”

“So it comes from a want to do good,” she echoed, looking down at her paper and scribbling notes that only she could read (on purpose). “Does your brother agree with what you do? Does he believe it helps others? Would he ever consider putting his daughter in one of your sessions?” she asked nosily. “Yeah, I don’t see any careers in Lethe in drama unless you’re like a high school teacher.” She flicked her pen on the paper for a few seconds, thinking to herself. “Have you considered doing that? Or are you swamped enough with this hippotherapy? How busy are your days usually?” She wanted to know the percentage of people in town who used his services, but of course he wouldn’t have an exact number so she could do the calculations herself another time. “What makes horses the ideal animal? Surely dogs are more common? Oh, there goes one now.” She waved to a mutt as it trotted around the barn.

“Whoa, watch out folks,” Naomi says a little louder, looking around her as if someone was about to get hurt. “She’s broken free and she’s angry, the woman who deserves it all!” The witch yells, chuckling when a couple people look over. After a once over, everyone concludes she’s only being dramatic. Layla, on the other hand, has began giggling and cheering along by clapping her hands together. Yes, as if Naomi needed more incentive to be noisy and dramatic. Having a child is pure joy for that reason. Naomi snorts, “Now you’re just picturing Hugh and I getting it on, aren’t you? Yeah, it’s weird to think about. Also though, what would a threesome be like?” At this point she’s just trying to bother Aeryn, and yes, it’s working. She’s still laughing when she begins to agree with her friend. “No, no, he should still give you the opportunity to prove yourself, age or not. Maybe ask him to give you a task that’s a little less important on his plate, one he could ‘easily fix’ if you ‘mess it up.’” Naomi does air quotes, rolling her eyes. “I mean we both know you won’t mess up though.” 

Maybe being back in Lethe wasn’t all bad. She got to spend time with her friends again, some that she had grown up with, others she met later in life. It felt nice to be around people who felt like family. The witch sighs, tilting her head a little as she continues weaving beads into her bracelet. “Really?” Yeah she’s a little surprised Aeryn’s asking for help, normally she doesn’t accept Naomi’s offers to help with magic. The question has the witch sitting up now, eyes brightening a little. “I’d love to. It’s pretty simple, actually, my cousin and I were just messing around a few weeks ago and came across something that actually works. All you need is a few simple ingredients any apothecary would have.” In fact, the very shop she used to help run sold the very ingredients. Now she supposed they’d have to go to Krule & Co. “We can pick them up sometime this week if you’ve got time. Maybe I can get you a proper witch kit as well, all the essentials.” Obviously she’s been dying to do this. 

“With you and both of them? Please God no!” Aeryn pulled her hands over her eyes and groaned into them, trying to get the picture out of her head. She shook her head afterwards as if to shake the image away. “I’ve asked him before, but I’m nothing if not consistent.” After the gears had shifted back to the bracelets and magic, Aeryn nodded in agreement. “As if I have the money,” she joked, but she made enough to buy simple herbs and gems if needed. “Oh, okay. I guess if its the essentials I should... give it a shot?” She smiled at Naomi’s excitement, and couldn’t help but feel a little ready to do it herself. Her siblings were better witches than her, but by the time she came along her father had so many mouths to feed after the death of his wife that he didn’t have time to teach the youngest Shephard of the house. She got along well enough with her siblings, but Holden the most (like a mother to her, really, thanks to the big age difference), but she became a lich when Aeryn was still young, before she could hone her abilities. Therefore Aeryn had sort of given up on being a strong witch since then, only doing the bare minimum to help study or clean or other necessary parts of life, but nothing too extreme. It was obvious that Naomi loved being a witch though, and was dying to share that part of her life with Aeryn. So she smiled in excitement and curiosity, wondering what hell they’d get up to.

“Oh. Shit…maybe I was thinking of sociology…” Naomi trails off, half listening to Aeryn’s rant about what anthropology is and isn’t. It all kind of makes sense, but most of it goes over Naomi’s head. All these ‘ologies’ and science shit just didn’t mix well with her. A left brain-er, that’s who she is. “Anyway, you’re too smart for me. You’re obviously too smart for the people at the diner. No offense to the people at the diner. Even though that kinda was offensive,” she grimaces, realizing she’s called everyone at the diner ‘dumb.’

“Well I hope so, I was sleeping with one of them,” the witch snorts, shaking her head. “The fun one, not party pooper. No but I could tell them apart, they’re very different. The only time I couldn’t was when Hal pretended to be Hugh. He does a great impression of his brother.” Damn. Now she wanted to FaceTime Hal and make him do his impression of Hugh. It’s hilarious and always kills. Layla finishes her strawberry then, and reaches over to tug on Naomi’s sleeve for another. “Be careful Lay,” she says before handing the early one-year-old her new strawberry. “You’re calling him a party pooper and you want overtime? Your both nerds,” Naomi chuckles. “But he should trust you more. You’re you, how could he not?” 

Part of her wants to go talk to Hugh herself, but again that’s very strong, ‘mom’ vibes and she didn’t want to overstep. Instead she brushes it off, smiling towards her friend. “Bracelets! And you know, Layla can actually have them, I just have to choke proof it first. Adam and I worked on something, we figured it’d be easier than trying to keep them away from her.” Weirdly, Layla’s obsessed with jewelry. Naomi enjoys it, even hopes one day Layla might want to take after her. The thought brings a smile to her lips anyway. “Did I tell you we’ve been enchanting some of the jewelry?”

“Full offense to the people at the diner. Screw them.” She grinned open-mouthed, genuinely happy to spend today with her friend. She didn’t have a potty mouth, so she considered herself the ‘PG’ or ‘PG-13′ version of Naomi. They were both mixed race, witches, fairly young... they had a lot in common even though, on first appearances, it would seem like they were two opposites of a spectrum. But thankfully Naomi saw through the clouds, along with Aeryn, and they could cherish their friendship together. “Ewwwwww!” she screeched, startling Layla. Aeryn began to laugh at the reaction and scrunched up her nose. They were twins, of course she couldn’t unsee it. Hal Stewart, twin to Hugh Stewart! Gross! “I agree, maybe I’m too young and naive in his eyes. I know I’m young but I won’t learn if I’m not given the tasks!” She sounded exasperated but was more frustrated and annoyed and impatient than anything. She was ready to workaholic with Hugh Stewart, but he wouldn’t let her. Sometimes she asked Maya if she could steal some of her work, usually homework, and Maya was always happy to oblige. 

Aeryn grinned at the idea that Layla could have her mediocre-at-best jewelry as soon as the end of the day. For how long? Her whole life? Until adolescence, when it broke? Until she had her own child and passed it down? Okay, Aeryn might be overstepping but it was a very nice picture, to be honest. “Can you teach me the enchantments?” she asked, eyes lighting up. Naomi knew Aeryn wasn’t a strong witch, and had wanted to teach her over the couple years of their friendship. Aeryn was always hesitant. But if it could help Layla keep her jewelry (that she was working very hard on, but didn’t want to admit to anyone), then she would love to enchant it herself, as the cherry on top.

“Nah I was talkin to the other angel behind you” Harris teased as he looked over at the young woman. He was a little thick headed at times but he had a way of looking at people and getting a feeling from them that told him a lot about their personality. For someone with only three emotions he certainly knew everyone else’s. “ My lucky day” He replied keeping the cigarette between his lips as he reached for the lighter. “Experiment huh?” He asked before being left empty handed as he stuff fell to the floor. He lit the cigarette as he watched the stuff tumble out of the pocket at first only reaching for the lighter instead of helping. There was a buried part of Harris that realized maybe this girl was too sweet to pocket something of hers but he still slid the lighter into his pocket before bending down to pick up a couple of the other items on the floor. “ Don’t believe in carryin stuff in a bag? “

‘Angel?’ she thought, but paid him no mind. Was that flirtatious? With her? She felt uncomfortable all of a sudden, like her shirt was too restrictive around her neck, but paid it no mind. Maybe he was looking to get a rise out of her, and she wouldn’t let it show. “Yes, to help others,” she muttered, flustered, not even aware of what they were talking about anymore as she tried to hurriedly put the things back into her pockets, no matter how disorganized it was. In the bathroom she could put it to her liking. She didn’t want him snooping or taking what was hers, but of course in the excitement she didn’t notice the lack of a very specific gray-colored lighter. “No, if I get a bag I’ll find new ways to fill it up day after day. It’ll get to be a mess. At least, I don’t believe in purses. Why can’t men have their own bags, huh?” she asked, looking up at the surprisingly taller man. She was taken aback and stepped away hesitantly. “The gender dynamic is reprehensible in this country and on Earth. It wasn’t always like this, you know! Fanny packs are useful to all genders but they ‘look hideous’?! Screw that.”

Naomi turns to the younger witch, eyes widening slightly. “How the frick do you even know this stuff? Oh wait, never mind. I forgot I’m talking to a ‘mind scientist,’” she chuckles. It’s true, the two of them have been quite busy. The move back to Lethe took up at least a month’s worth of time, getting settled, unpacking shit…then there was Layla who- oh! “And we have a mobile baby!” The witch is quick to lean forward on all fours, easily scooping the almost one-year-old into her arms. In seconds Naomi produces a small strawberry into Layla’s hands, something that should keep her busy for a couple of minutes. “Anyway, firstly; your is not ugly, but in fact you have the face of an angel,” Naomi points to her friend. “And secondly, I agree, your brain is way too big for just waiting tables. Aren’t you working for ‘Party Pooper’ Stewart now? We went to high school together.” The memory gets a chuckle out of Naomi, who’s now reminiscing as she ties off more blue beads to her necklace. Ah…high school. Truthfully she and Hugh don’t get along nearly as well as she and Hal do.

“Oh you poor, poor girl.” Naomi clicks her tongue, placing a hand on Aeryn’s shoulder. “Well this is the real deal right here, the good stuff. None of that iron on crap,” she says with a wave of her hand. “And I’m not selling these! I was thinking we could keep them. Or trade, I dunno. Something cute like that.” 

“Okay, first of all, anthropology is nothing about the mind, its about ancient societies and humans and cultural developments overtime. Like evolution. Just because I’m good at math doesn’t have anything to do with anthropology anyways, its a social science,” she ended on a chuckle. Naomi was easy to surprise, and it made Aeryn feel special, involved, smart. She liked the positive confirmation, which she didn’t receive at home with one parent and a bunch of siblings. Sure she was the youngest, but her father was too busy to praise her. And everybody liked their fair share of praise, right? 

“Oh did you? How was he in high school? Could you tell the twins apart?” Aeryn didn’t know the other twin nearly as well as his councilman brother counterpart, but it wasn’t hard to pique her curiosity. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this.” She turned to Layla, wagging a finger at her, “Okay?” and smiled back at Naomi. “I agree he’s a bit of a party pooper. I wanted to work overtime and he won’t let me. I do have enough of a life outside of work, I can handle whatever he offers me. I just wish he trusted me a little more.” She wasn’t as bummed as she sounded, or rather her tone wasn’t as bummed as it could’ve been, she was just vaguely annoyed. 

Aeryn looked at the beads in Naomi’s hands. “I’d love to swap with you. Are we making bracelets or necklaces?” Her fingers thrummed on her knee as she sat criss-crossed, then she reached over towards Naomi, picking up a beautiful purple-and-blue flower. “Give this one to Layla when she’s old enough not to swallow these beads, yeah?” 

“Of course” Nat assured the girl with an easy smile “I don’t know if I’m much of a teacher, but I can try to show what I’ve learned”. She was too much of a perfectionist so who knew how we’ll Aeryn would fare with a teacher with a personality profile like hers. “Growing a familial circle?” she repeated the words with some puzzlement, looking over at the younger assistant. What did that even mean? Book and interest in history was something that they had in common and it was enough to spark a bit more interest in Aeryn. “Alright, what’s your favorite historical period?” Nat asked with a small smile. Everyone who enjoyed history had at least one favorite era or specific moment in time.

“Well, my sister is in town, but also reconnecting with old friends. I guess ‘familial’ was the wrong word. But its more than ‘acquaintances.’ Ah, semantics.” She shrugged, but smiled all the same. She was rather easy to smile, easygoing in general, even if she harbored some anxieties. She cleared her throat before answering Nat’s question, not knowing just how much she would speak but knowing it would be more than a sentence or two. “Ancient Egypt was pretty rad. What all they could accomplish, the pyramids, the Gods, the pharaohs, the beliefs... oh man. But as an anthropologist, most of us prefer old-timey periods. Like Mesopotamia or Babylon or Rome. But Egypt is mine. I have some very good memories studying about Ra, Set, Horus, Anubis, Bast, Nefertiti, Khufu... ah, and the artwork! The pictographs...” She realized finally that she was getting ahead of herself, she was hogging the conversation. “What about you! Do you like history? If not, what do you read or study or do for fun, besides cooking like a champ?” she perked up, smiling. 

As her session came to a close, Rod held her horse steady and lent a hand to help her down. She felt wobbly and sore, and a little ticked off she couldn’t take hand-written notes up on horseback. But being up there she could see why that was so. It was an interesting session that she really enjoyed, but probably would never do again. She pulled a small notepad from her back pocket and a pen from her front left pocket, and put pen to paper. “So Rodrik, tell me how you got into hippotherapy, if you will? Was your coordination poor as a kid?”

“Don’t worry, I believe it’s a requirement” Nat said with a light smile, holding up her own folder. There wasn’t a day she didn’t finish certain things at home, or stayed at the office longer than she should. It was the price of impressing Mr. Kozlov and staying in his good graces. “I’m a boring person, I don’t have that many hobbies” she admitted with a light chuckle. Martial arts and marksmanship were two of them, activities that grew on her thanks to her father. But that wasn’t the kind of thing this her was involved in, Natalia Starkova didn’t do the same things Natasha Rusakova had done. “I like baking when I have the time. French pastries are my favorites and I’ve gotten fairly good at it, if I do say so myself. Though I have to admit the chocolate croissant was difficult to master with all the work that goes into folding”.

“Oh, could you teach me sometime? I found some old friends in town and it’d be great to impress them with something. I’m already subscribing to cooking blogs for recipes and things like that. I never really cared for myself, usually eating ramen or something, but now that I’m growing a familial circle... I want to do better, for them and for me.” She was hopeful the werewolf would be down to teach her, but didn’t know if she was being domineering or not. While she studied anthropology, her own social skills could use a little more tact. “Apart from cookbooks I like to read textbooks and history books. Not a lot of fiction, but some here and there.”

Nina can’t help the way her brows lift, a genuine laugh barking from her. “Mr. Stewart is dignified enough to have a proper assistant now, hm? Makes him no better at his job, I see.” The witch mutters a few more accusatory words under her breath, flexing her ankle. “Oh, please. I hardly intend to cause violence. I’m not one of the pub rabble-rousers from around this town. I merely have some… advice. About how to properly represent people.” Agitation sinks into her tone, but she tries to right it. She’s not such a monster that she’ll attack his tiny secretary. No, her qualms are with Hugh. Not this skittish girl. “Well, it would seem I did a number on my ankle.” Nina is about to plunge into further explanation when the hospital is brought up. She can’t help but laugh, reeling back. “No, no. I will not be going to a hospital. I mean, really, what is this town good for if I have to go to a bloody hospital? Don’t you know any fae folk? Have some healing salves? There must be some sort of witch directory. Why have a councilperson otherwise? I mean, really.” Catching herself, Nina sighs. “But you are not the cause of this town’s ridiculous organizational issues. I am fine and appreciate your concern. The address of Mr. Stewart’s office would also be appreciated.”

“Y-You don’t think he’s...? Oh, okay,” she sounded like her own person had been wounded, her own character. She looked up to Hugh Stewart, that was all. “Okay, I can give you his work number then...” She paused a moment. “Oh, my childhood friend Maya. She’s a fae. She works at the councilman’s chambers, too, actually. Two birds one stone?” She already pulled her phone out and dialed the number of the taxi service (which was underused since most people walked or had bikes or vehicles; the buses were slow as well, so this was the best way to get to the town hall). “I hope you don’t mind yellow taxicabs... kidding, they’re blue.”

“And I told you then it is not your job. Though I appreciate your gesture, but it’s not a priority.” Hugh points out. On the job, he sometimes forgets to pick up food or drinks due to his schedule, and he appreciates Aeryn looking out for him and his nutrition intake. Nevertheless, he tries not to make a habit out of it. “Nope. I am a crazy person with no life outside of work– don’t be like me.” He deadpans, studying his stubborn assistant intently. He admits his defeat with an exhausted sigh. “I can’t stop you from sitting there and ordering some early breakfast, but no work.” He compromises. “It’s a… report on the number of new arrivals and returns to Lethe in the last six months. Trying to propose an increased budget and staff for processing applications.” It wasn’t like his agenda was secret in the Council. Some of his senior staff have already been briefed. “Anyway, I’m more curious to hear about your plan, Ms. Shepherd. Do you have any specific career goal?” He is trying to be considerate but he is not used to being considerate, even to those who he actually gives a shit about. He wonders if it comes across as interrogative or invasive.

“Don’t call yourself crazy; you’re brilliant. Being a councilman is a lot of responsibility, even if the town is quote-unquote ‘small.’ The arrivals and budgets are really important, there’s been a lot more arrivals since I’ve been here--two years--since the previous, was it, five years? Are you looking into the why, or is that not a priority? Like why so many supernaturals need a safe haven, or do you not care because you just want them to find shelter from humans, that’s the priority?” She wasn’t usually so talkative, so maybe her being sleep deprived and high on endorphins from her run made her more extroverted. Who’da thought? “I can help. Processing, I mean. Like if you don’t want me breathing down your neck I can juggle both! If you’d have me. I told you I don’t sleep much either.” She grinned widely as if she were proud of that fact. 

Her eyes widened at his question. “Oh, you don’t wanna hear about my plans. That would take too long and it’s a work in progress and really just gibberish at this point. I guess I wanna stay in Lethe or look for other communities, maybe study them around the continent or even world-wide, I dunno. I want to be like Aliza Mor when I grow up.” She smiled genuinely, even though she knew she couldn’t live as long as the lamia. And for that she was envious; alas she was a mere mortal who was already 1/5 done with her life.