Lion Heart

“I hope you’re right,” Lottie smiled. It was easier to move on from the comment rather than think longer about him than she needed to.

Lottie furrowed her brow and thought for a moment. “I don’t know why some people do it–but I know that for me–it makes me feel accomplished. Like, well, honestly–like I’ve accomplished more than what the cards I was dealt dictated I could accomplish.” That seemed like enough of an explanation. 

“Pet, I hope you don’t think you need to be smart to be interesting. Intelligence doesn’t make anyone more interesting than anyone else–if anything, it gives them more words to prove they’re not.”

-

“Oh yeah, I understand how it feels to be dealt a bad hand. I just tried not to lay down and give up for most of my life, and I think I’ve somehow managed to work the “bad hand”--” she air-quoted, “--in my favor... I’m still working on it, but it’s turned out alright so far, I reckon.” Ari blushed slightly at ‘tooting her own horn.’

Arabella took a sip of her delightfully fruity drink as she listened to Lottie. “Oh gosh no-- of course not!” she finally replied. “But thank you for saying that... I think I forget that sometimes.”

She downed the rest of her drink and smiled broadly in the direction of Lottie’s voice. “More please!” She held out her credit card for Lottie to take. “You can open a tab for me. I think I’ll stay awhile and keep you company if you want it.”

“Probably?” Claudia scoffs, before playfully elbowing Ari in the ribs. This feels like old time, the two of them, joking around alone, no one to interrupt them. “Alright, we can bake together. I wouldn’t mind it. It would be like “Bring your sister to work day” or some shite.” Softly, she laughs, rolling her eyes soon after. 

“And I know I’m why you moved here, silly. That’s why I felt the need to bring it up. I felt awful.” Which is rare on her behalf. She isn’t really one for feeling awful for others. While she does empathize, sometimes it doesn’t come easily.  “Anyways, when we’re done, you can have a whole cake to yourself. How’s that sound?”

-

“Even though I haven’t heard one, I accept your apology,” she nods matter-of-factly.

The hotel wasn’t too crowded or loud, so Ari was able to ask someone for directions and find the front desk without much fuss. She stood quietly by the counter with her cane folded up in her hands. When no one spoke out to her in the first few minutes, she decided to wait. There really was no need to demand that someone come attend to her needs immediately, so she answered emails instead while she waited.

“Fuck him.” Jude says gleefully and plops down on the chair next to Ari’s. “He was such an arse. I swear, he was always more bothered when I’d get sloshed than my own dad was: something about me disgracing our beautiful Cove with my swearing and ruckus.” She scoffs. “How terribly ambitious of me, right?”

“Oh, I’d love that. How long will you be here? You should have told me you were visiting.” 

----------------------------

“Noooo,” Ari exaggerates with good humor. “You? A disgrace to the Morgan family? Never. Although for the swearing bit, I’d wash your mouth with soap if I could. God knows I’ve tried.”

Awkwardly, Arabella stands from her seat to find the other one that was presumably across from her with her hands. She finds it and drags it in the direction of Jude. “Sit, sit,” she demands.

“Has Nimbus not mentioned that I’m living with her now? She’s been going on and on about it at home and to our friends, but then again, I didn’t expect you to be here although I think she’s mentioned you working here now. What can I say? I’m not as perfect as I seem.”

“He’s going to be bored with it.” Ev protests half-halfheartedly, but there’s pride in her voice too. It’s no secret that she dotes on her godson, and will brag about his cleverness to anyone who will listen. Not that she feels the need to with Ari.“We don’t have to go back though. Maybe we’ll find another gift in one of the other shops. ”

Evelyn laughs softly and nods in agreement. “Deal. It’s a few blocks down this way. Oh, remind me to play a song for you once we’re there.” There’s a pause. “Or maybe I should play it for you somewhere where we have room to dance; knowing you, you’ll probably want to figure out a routine right away.”

-----

Ari rubs Evie’s arm up and down to try and comfort her. “Exactly! I think he said something about needing a tie for some school project. Maybe we can both get him one.” Her voice is extra positive to encourage her dear friend.

“Ugh... you know what would look so good with the tie we haven’t bought yet? A full suit, and I know he’d look so handsome in it too,” she sighs. “I’m not sure if he’d want that though.”

Ari can both feel and hear Ev laugh, and it warms her heart a bit. “In my defense, anything can really make me dance, so maybe we should take the pastries back home and share them with Rory. We’ll be able to spread out and play your song as loud as we want. I suppose I can hold off as long as I’m allowed to eat at least one on the way.”

“Y’mean you don’t want to break out into a conga line in the aisles?” Shiv laughs. 

“Sea, is Éireannach mé. Is í an Ghaeilge mo chéad teanga i ndáiríre,” Shiv showed off a bit dusting off her Irish. “Aye, I’m from An Bun Beag in Donegal. I grew up actually speaking Irish–didn’t really learn English until I was older,” she shrugged. 

“Well–I was actually planning on cooking tonight and not ordering a take-away from the local Chinese restaurant. I figure they’re sick of hearing me on the line ordering the same combo,” she chuckled, “so I’m in search of some fresh veg and chicken for a big pot of soup.”

------------

“Maybe we should. Spice things up a bit,” Ari laughed.

Mesmerized by the sudden rapid-fire of Irish, all Arabella could do was look awestruck. She escaped the trance to reply, “My nanny used to say that she hated talking in English ‘cause she couldn’t really express herself fully like she could in French. Do you feel like that as well?”

Ari shook her head. “There’s no way they’re tired of your voice, and you bring in business. That’s a 2-in-1 deal, if you ask me -- but vegetables and chicken it is then!”

Lottie took Ari’s hand and matched strength with her handshake. It was a pub after all, not a board meeting–handshakes needn’t be formal.

“A good memory of uni–” Charlotte knew what her answer would be, but she’d not known Ari long enough to regale her with the tale of her trip to Coventry with Will, so she picked her second favorite memory instead. “I wasn’t having the easiest time adjusting to life away from my brothers until I met someone who was, well, an asshole–but the two of us just seemed to get one another. He was with me through a lot of difficult shit and I don’t know if he knows how important to me he is, but I still think of him as bein’ the best part of uni,” Charlotte smiled widely and sighed. “That’s sayin’ somethin’ since my career is now bein’ in uni forever,” she added.

“Aye, the tip isn’t important to me. I just like havin’ conversations with people. Gets me out of the house and keeps me busy. I’m one of them people that needs t’be busy all the time or I go mental,” she laughed. 

-

Ari grinned when she felt a firm squeeze of a handshake.

“Oh, I love that, not just one story but an entire person. I hope you get to tell him more often how much he means to you. I’m sure he’d say the same about you,” she replied. 

She tilted her head. “Why would anyone want to be in uni forever?-- although I’d like to go to uni one day, graduate all proper with those silly hats.”

“Well, I hope to always be able to say my mother raised me right, and I can’t stand to see anyone who asks for help not get it. I think if you’re there and you’ve got two good hands, there’s no reason not to help.” He shrugged slightly, hoping he didn’t jar her too badly with the movement.

“So we can be peas in a pod, then–I’ve only been back a month, myself, so I’m still getting my sea-legs back, so to speak. It can take some getting used to, the relative quiet and closeness of a town like this after somewhere so crowded and loud and overwhelming. Claudia… The name sounds familiar. She owns the…bakery?” His voice lilted up at the end, unsure.

“Will you have a dance studio here, then? I can’t say I know a great deal about it, but I don’t think there’s a lot of dancing to be had, here.” Freddie grinned widely at her. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Arabella. Ari. I’m happy to be here with you today.”

-

“I think your mum would be very proud that you’ve helped a blind person. Pretty sure you’ll be getting a medal in the mail any day now,” she teased. Whatever the intention was behind someone helping her when she asked, she appreciated it all the same. If they ended up being rude or just plain mean, she’d ask a friend of hers who practiced witchcraft to put a curse on their bloodline forever.

Ari perked up at the mention of Freddie living in London. “You’re kidding! Where did you live before? --if that’s not too weird for me to ask.” 

She smiled when he mentioned the bakery. “Yeah, that’s her. She’s been mostly managing it on her own, bless her.”

She went quiet for a few seconds as she contemplated his question and as they navigated through the aisles. "Hmm, well actually, I’ve been visiting the schools ‘round here. Like you said, not much of a dancing lot, but I think we can revamp the performing arts programme or something. I wish I had an ‘in’ with the headmasters...” she trailed off wistfully. “Oh, I’m really happy to have met you too, Freddie! I think we’ll be best friends in no time -- two peas in a pod, like you said.”

“Nah, she’s pretty chill,” he says, watching her extend her hand toward the dog, loosening his clutch on her leash. Charlie jumps at the opportunity, her eager nose now bumping against the stranger’s palm. “Her name’s Charlie. She’s a little border collie, black and white―” Feeling an odd obligation to provide some sort of an explanation for what she looks like, Callum goes on to describe her color, then trails off awkwardly. “Ah. That’s not helpful, is it?”

“They’re fantastic,” Cal declares—without hesitation—when she brings up her shoes. He may be in a slump (for how long?), but that doesn’t mean he cannot appreciate good design when he sees it. “Love the jeweled heel, especially. A nice pop of bedazzlement. Not too overboard.”

----

“No, you’re thoughtful to describe her to me. I can see colors, some better than others. I used to be able to see too, so I can put it all together with the way she feels and how you describe her,” she reassures him.

Ari rubs the dog’s face fondly and carefully places a small kiss on her forehead. “Oops, I’ve just left a lipstick mark on her fur, haven’t I? Sorry...”

date: 7/09 time: 11:50AM location: along the beach status: @arabelladaviau​

It’s absurd how much time he spends wandering around the cove, familiarizing himself with a place that seems a great deal smaller than he remembers. True, he’s grown since then, but walking near the beach, close enough to admire the waves and far enough to avoid walking in the too hot sand, Tom thinks the place is a lot more vivid than he remembers. He steps aside as a bike shoots past him, ruffling his untidy hair, and he huffs in annoyance, turning on his heel to walk back towards the Raleigh. “What–” It’s not painful, he’s certainly taken worst hits, but he still doesn’t expect someone to be standing nearby. Tom attempts to reach out and steady them. “Apologies, I didn’t see anyone behind me.” Nor had he looked. He blinks for a moment. His ability to remember faces and names is… less than ideal, but he remembers her. A faint grin touches his lips, one he knows she can’t see and so he endeavors to say with some humor: “This is like old times, isn’t it? Although I wasn’t the one to knock you over in London. Nor do I recall exactly how it happened, only that we had half a dozen phone calls about it.”

------

Part of being “visually impaired” is that you have bruises and scrapes from running into things, and people are no exception. Normally, the swing of her long cane that aids her way is enough for people to jump out of the way, but this time, it was one of those poorly timed coincidences that ended in the stranger running straight into her. 

The impact is great enough for her to lose her balance, and Arabella gasps in fear that she is going to fall onto something painful. She squeezes her eyes shut and tenses her whole body for the second impact, but instead, she’s caught. The arms are strong and steady. She stands upright again and is able to pay attention to the stranger’s voice.

Her eyes, although covered by her heart-shaped sunglasses, grow wide, and she gasps excitedly, “Medic! Is that you? Is that really you?”

She laughs at the memory of the crowd she gathered when she fell pretty ungracefully in public. “I swear I fell plenty of times before, but for some reason and just that time, they were really worried about the first blind girl they’d ever seen,” she chuckles.

 “Oh, okay, great,” he said, glad he had been paying attention to some training he had on the job at some point. He certainly couldn’t have come up with that on his own.

Will shook his head. Then he said it out loud. “No, of course I don’t mind. Whatever you need to do to feel most comfortable,” he said and held his elbow out for her to take. “I promise not to let you trip over anything. Especially those gross protein bars.”

------------

When Ari reached forward a bit more, she felt a slight nudge from his arm. She took it gently as they began to move towards the till.

“Thank you so very much, you’re very kind to protect the blind from those horrible things,” she exaggerated. She stifled a giggle before asking, “What should I call our brave hero?”

Claudia’s face scrunches into a frown and then she sighs, shoulders rising and falling dramatically as she does. Sometimes Arabella says things that make her want to face palm or cover her face, and right now, is one of those ‘sometimes’ moments. “No,” she says defensively, “I was going to say that we needed to spend more time together, you little punk.” She pats Arabella’s shoulder before she turns to face her, even though he sister cannot see her. “We haven’t spent time together in what feels like millions of years. I miss you, even though we live together.” 

---------------------

“Who’s fault is that?” Ari retorts back childishly. “I moved out here to spend more time with you and Rory, and we haven’t had a proper chat in ages!”

Ari knows full well that Claudia has been busy taking care of her, Rory, and the bakery, but she was always honest about her feelings with Cloud even when they were a bit irrational. Ari can never stay mad at her anyways, even if Ari has been itching to go shopping with her sister or just bad mouth their mum over some tea.

@arabelladaviau​

It’s been years since she’s seen her but Ari’s isn’t a face that Jude would forget or overlook, not even in the hustle and bustle of a busy morning at Sweet William’s. Once she receives her order, Jude approaches Ari’s table (grateful that the clacking of her shoes has probably alerted Ari to her presence, she’d hate to alarm her) and says, “Hey. Last I heard, they never caught who decided to outfit the former mayor’s ice statue in La Perla. Think he’s still pissed about it?”

----------------

Ari reaches out towards the table and feels a thick booklet beneath her fingers which she immediately assumes is a menu of some sort. She picks it up to make use of her idle hands, although she knows full well she can’t read from it.

There is a rush of footsteps and a familiar voice -- a voice of a friend from a very long time ago.

She can’t help but giggle at the mention of their prank as children. “He’s definitely still a big ol’ crank. Claudia always says the ugly frown wrinkles on his forehead are deeper from the stress we caused him,” she laughs.

Freddie can’t help but smile back; the woman has an infectious energy, and he’s always had a soft spot for people with a good sense of humor. Making friends seems so much easier now that he was back as an adult–it’s something of a relief. “What brings you here from London, then? I can help you with the rest of your shopping, if you like, and you can tell me the story. Only if you want to share, of course.” He offers her his elbow, just in case she takes him up on his offer.

---------

“You’re awfully sweet, and I’ll take you up on that offer.” She adjusts her purse to her right shoulder. She reaches out with her left hand, and she’s surprised to find his elbow already extended. 

Arabella clears her throat dramatically, as if she’s about to launch into her entire life’s story. “Well, my sister actually moved to the Cove a few years ago, and I still lived in London because of work and well, my life was there... I’ve just been fortunate enough to rely on some talented instructors and other business partners to manage my dance studio recently, and it gave me the chance to move in with Claudia -- that’s my sister --” 

She abruptly stops talking and a blush creeps into her cheeks. “Oh no... I haven’t even told you my name, have I?” She visibly cringes before adding, “I’m Arabella, but everybody calls me Ari.”

“Well, I’ll be your friend. The name’s Charlotte. You can call me Lottie,” she grinned, leaning one elbow on the bar to get closer to the woman in front of her–with all the background noise, Charlotte was starting to struggle to hear herself think.

“Well, I wouldn’t say uni was full of all good memories,” Charlotte said playfully, “in fact, a fair few I’d love to forget–but, that’s a work in progress.”

Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh when the woman mentioned tipping. “This one’s on the house,” she smirked, “I don’t get to say that very often–it’s fun.”

-------------

Ari grinned, “And I’m Arabella but everybody calls me Ari.” She stuck her hand out for a handshake, although she wondered briefly if that was too formal.

Arabella could tell that Lottie was either leaning towards her or speaking louder because she could hear her a bit better over the usual bar noise. “Well, then... please share a good memory if you’d like to,” she replied.