pretend it's a seed.

"Wine for you, then," she announced, taking the two glasses from the counter and handing Dot one of them. Atta didn't think her sister had ever willingly asked her how work had been going, but she supposed it was a good thing she had, especially if she was wanting to know the truth about what she did every day. "Actually, it's complicated, right now," she admitted. "We hare warehouses off the island, and they've always been more difficult to manage, especially when the borders were closed. But, now that they're open, naturally, Hopper wants something to do with them." She hated having to bring his name up anytime in conversation, but especially now, when she was trying to keep spirits high. "I'm hoping other things are keeping him busy enough, for now, so I have time to prepare. I think we'll be fine: I've been in contact with the managers of the warehouses, and he hasn't tried to threaten them, or anything, so." Atta paused, feeling sheepish in offering the truth to her sister for the first time. @nohousedog

Buster stuck to the sidelines of the conversation, being nothing more than a bartender as the women did some much-needed catching up. He knew his place that night for maybe the only time in his life. Most of the time he would find a way anywhere he wasn't wanted but when it came to social aspects he preferred to stay quiet. Instead, Buster continued the meal that was to be served and kept his ears open to the chat going on behind him. It wasn't a secret that things had been all quiet on the Hopper front which was as much of a relief as a cause for alarm. Whatever he had coming was to be discovered soon enough but at least Buster tried to use the time to prepare for the future now that he had a family to protect.

"Dinner is served," the man eventually announced, coming over to the ladies with their plates balancing on his arm. That came as the perfect opportunity to slip in his thoughts on the matter while Dot probably didn't want to hear them he wanted to make his intentions clear. "When he comes back we'll be ready." That being the tip of the iceberg for what Buster wanted to prepare for Hopper's inevitable return. "Atta's got my entire crew in the palm of her hand, just like my dog, they like her more than me," he laughed as if it was a surprise they preferred his wife. He was smart enough of a man to know when he'd gotten something worth holding onto and Atta was a one-of-a-kind woman. "Can't blame them when the other option is me." Maybe then he could find mutual ground with Dot if she knew he understood the gem he'd found in her sister. @blueberrydot

Taking her usual seat at her sister’s table, she offers a small thank you as her own plate is set in front of her. “Well, I uhm, I’m glad for that at least, I guess,” she responds to the man she normally tried so hard to completely avoid and ignore. It’s the one thing Dot supposes he arguably is indeed good for having in their lives - his support against the terrifying mafia man that had been threatening and looming over their heads for so long. Even if the thought of just what Buster and his supposed crew do that made them suitable for challenging Hopper made her uncomfortable, it was better to have that in their corner than nothing. There’s more she should say, literally anything to fill in the silence that surrounded the trio, but she has no clue what it should be - so instead she turns to her sister, mouth open ever so slightly like she’s trying to speak but just nothing’s coming out and hopes that Atta can redirect the entire conversation. @attaant

"I'll get the door," she called behind to Buster at the stove, knowing exactly who was at her front steps. It was with a smile and a breath of relief that she actually showed up that Atta opened the door for her sister. Her grin faltered, though, as it seemed Dot couldn't even manage more than a sentence without making a dig at her husband's presence--Atta thought she'd mentioned that it would be the three of them. "I think it can still be a cake for two, right? We'll just forget to leave out a third fork." Atta's arms wrapped tightly around her sister as she set the dessert down, eager to squeeze in a hug after one of the lengthiest periods of absence between the two. "I missed you," she told her, "I want to hear all about your first few weeks. We'll hang out, just us, after dinner?" Atta asked quietly, hoping the offer was one Dot had wanted to hear. @nohousedog

A family wasn't something he'd ever had or understood. In fact, most of his life had been spent detesting the very thought and gathering who felt like nowhere could be home for them. Maybe that was why it had initially been so strange falling into a routine with Atta, never expecting to fall in love but certainly not get married. One woman, one woman who accidentally stumbled into his life, had changed everything. He felt like he was becoming a joke to the old version of himself after everything he used to hate had become his normal. Now every night he went home to someone, kicked off his shoes at the door, and sat at a dining room table to enjoy a meal with his wife. Bennett had miraculously turned into the very thing he said he never would. Still, this new life wasn't one he wanted to alter in any way. It was kept quiet from his co-workers, his contentment with this white picket fence lifestyle but Buster knew they could see the changes in him.

It hadn't all been good, knowing it was him that drove a wedge between the sisters. While he wanted to give Dot the time she needed to adjust to his addition she'd made it clear that she didn't believe his intentions. "Good, dinner's almost done," he chimed back from the stove as he smiled proudly down at his roast that had been smoking for the majority of the day. A good meal wouldn't convince her but he figured it never hurt to be well-fed, not to mention the fact he'd become quite obsessed with grilling and smoking since turning into a failed foster. When the younger Dreyfus entered her comment made it clear how she'd felt about Buster joining them that night. "Don't worry I'm just here to cook and then I've got to get back to the Junkyard anyway for a delivery," he replied holding up his hands in defense, giving his wife an unsaid acknowledging nod. That way the girls were still able to have their time alone but he at least put forward the effort in seeing her since the accident. "You want a drink?" The man offered Dot before pouring himself a glass of bourbon, Atta her current favorite wine, knowing they'd need it with the way things were starting. @blueberrydot

His mention of the Junkyard immediately had any tension that had been eased by her sister’s hug forming right back up in her shoulders. It was a reminder of exactly why it was that Dot was struggling so hard to trust him and welcome him into their family - his life of crime and the circle that he ran with, the trouble that he was involved in that felt all too familiar to the other man that had been slowly ruining the Dreyfus name. She doesn’t comment on it though, knowing that doing so would only start a legitimate fight - and that wasn’t something she wanted to deal with, not tonight. It was going to come eventually, she could practically feel it bubbling under the surface as they all tiptoed around each other, but not tonight. “Yeah, I’ll take a drink. Whatever Atta’s having is fine,” she agrees with a small nod, looking back to her sister and feeling so wrong for struggling with what else to say. “So, uhh, how’s work been?” It wasn’t the type of question she ever asked before, hardly getting involved in the business in any way at all, but it felt like a safe enough start. And it was at least a bit more personal than bringing up the weather, which had been her other option. @attaant

It was a strange ask, to be requesting shit on her brother-in-law to maybe tell her sister and get her to divorce him. At least, that's what Scamp figured she wanted, but that meant implicating himself and admitting to shit he'd done, too. "Honestly? I don't think he's deep in that shit anymore. Not as deep in it as he used to be, at least. Also, before you say never, did you ever think I would be working more for your sister than Hopper when we first met? No fucking way. But, again, you don't need to blindly trust the guy. Buster's a big boy, okay? I think he can handle you putting him through the ringer." Scamp let out a sigh, trying to be as objective as he could. "My advice? Ask him point-blank everything you want to know. If he's really trying to stick around, he'll answer. And, if you want me to fact-check after, I will."

All she could do was scoff and roll her eyes when he tried to get her to really believe that Buster had started backing away from his life of crime. It was a laughable thought, honestly, as far as Dot was concerned. Men like that didn’t change, just like she had said, and Scamp trying to use himself as an example of the opposite hardly proved anything. “But you aren’t like them, okay? Not yet at least. Twenty more years of working with Hopper and you probably would be - but you’re still young, you weren’t in as deep as he is. It’s easier for you to start working your way out. It’s easier for you to want to get out. But after a whole life of living like that? I’m sorry, but there’s no way he’s giving that all up just for my sister,” she argues, not believing for a second that she isn’t right. At the advice she’s given, a snort escapes her before she can stop it. “Ask him? Why? So he can lie and try to manipulate me into thinking he’s some kind of newfound saint? That he really loves Atta and is willing to turn it all around just for her? Like I said, I’m not buying it.”

Atta wasn't even going to mention him, so it came as another surprise that Dot herself was the one to bring up her husband, who was still very much in recovery from taking the shot that had nearly gone to her sister. It was the sorest spot of their relationship, and though she could gush about how heroic it had been, or how impressed she'd been by what he'd done for her, this certainly wasn't the time, nor the audience, to do that. "Yeah, he will," she confirmed simply, keeping it at that. Atta wasn't sure that the brunette cared to hear more than that, anyway. "So will Mavis, I think, thankfully. I mean, it's terrible, obviously, that she was hurt in the first place, but after all Myles has been through … I can't even think about if he lost someone so important to him." It was the first time she'd seen him happy, building a life for himself that didn't involve his brother, and Atta was simply thankful that it hadn't been ripped away. "I offered to let him stay over at the house, if he just needed some space, but I think he wants to stay here."

It’s not until her sister keeps going, this time about Mavis and Myles, that she’s really brought back to being fully alert and paying attention. “Wait Mavis was hurt?” is the first thing out of her mouth as she sits forward and sets her glass down on the table in front of them. No one had told her about the older girl being involved in the attack and Dot had been too nervous about seeing Buster to go anywhere near the room holding everyone that had been injured. A wave of guilt washed over her for having been so sucked into her own issues that she hadn’t thought to see who else might have been hurt, but she tries her best to stifle it, knowing there’s nothing she could really do now. “Is she going to be okay? Was anyone else hurt? That we know, I mean. I.. I only knew about Buster - no one told me about anyone else.” Then again, she hadn’t really spoken to anyone to have been told about them in the first place. It was also a bit telling, the amount of concern she had for Mavis, a girl she barely knew other than through stories Myles had told her, compared to what she’d shown for the man who had quite literally taken a bullet to save her life. But that’s not something Dot was going to think too hard on.

It was important for Dot to know just how deep their relationship went for her to understand just how he'd seen the man change over the years, in part because of her sister. "I've known your sister a long time, too, and I would've warned her about him if I thought she should be concerned. I promise, I would've. The thing that's different about Buster and Hopper is, with Buster, he'll do pretty much anything for the people he cares about. He's one of the most loyal people I know. And I think, uh, he kinda proved that to you, y'know, taking the hit. I don't think he would've done that for you if he didn't seriously care about you and Atta."

“Right, yeah. He took a bullet for me - so now I need to just blindly trust him and everything he does? He can just keep digging himself deeper into our lives and I’m just supposed to accept it? Forget the fact that he’s like a decade older than Atta and that she only just met him less than a year ago?” she shoots off her list of questions, voice getting louder with each one until she’s practically shouting. It’s not right or fair to take any of this out on Scamp, but who else is there for her to talk to? Certainly not her sister, considering the older girl was at the center of the whole situation, and it’s not like Dot had many other people in her life that knew the truth about everything. “I just - I thought she was trying to get out of this life of crime we’ve been stuck in. I thought that she hated everything Hopper made her do and what it all stood for. And now… now she’s just married and falling in love with some other guy that’s just going to drag her even further down into it all. Which he will. As much as you might say he cares for us, he’ll never change from that. Men like that never do.”

They hadn't met under normal circumstances, most relationships begin on a date and not marriage like his with Atta had. It wasn't how he'd expected to fall in love either, but he wouldn't complain with the cards he was dealt. There was someone else Buster had been trying to prove his loyalty to since their first meeting and that was none other than Dot. It wouldn't be something that happened overnight, he understood her desire to be protective of her sister in the same way the man was too. That didn't mean Dot fell through the cracks and she was considered family in the same way as his wife. He hadn't thought twice before using himself as a shield to protect the younger girl. Whether it had been her or her elder sister, Buster would've put himself in harm's way instead of them all the same. "As fine as one can be right now, I assume," he hummed in response to her. It wasn't worth either of them pretending what happened hadn't taken a toll while still having a silent agreeance to hold their own. The sight of the bottle brought a smile to his lips as Buster went to pour himself a glass. "Now we're talkin'." He poured some on ice, pushing one of the glasses over with his own, nodding for her to take. "You probably need it as much as I do right now." Even if it was Buster who took the physical brunt of the day, he knew it hadn't taken the weight of the situation off the other's shoulders. Dot had been through enough to not be a stranger to these sorts of things but that didn't necessarily make them easier to swallow. "Doesn't hurt to take the edge off," the man said before taking his first sip into its numbing escape.

With a nod, she confirmed her sister's question, having just seen the man who'd made this place his second home. He was the reason they'd come here; Atta wasn't sure how she'd ever be able to thank him for their safety, especially when she felt like she'd hardly done anything for him to deserve it. "He is, his girlfriend, Mavis, was hurt, though. I don't know if she's officially his girlfriend, but it kind of sounds like she is," Atta explained with a shrug. As long as they were happy, she wasn't going to question it. She hardly had her own relationship figured out. She could tell Dot was struggling, but trying to be strong--the last thing she wanted was to push too hard in the opposite direction. "Do you want any of this?" she asked, holding up the bottle of wine. "I was kind of thinking we could hang out, just the two of us … if you're feeling up for it, that is. I wouldn't blame you if you just wanted to go to bed, either."

Going to bed does sound like the better option of the two - because for all she wants to be near her sister, she doesn’t necessarily want to actually talk to the older girl. But that would be rude and it’s clear that Atta wants this, wants to spend time together like they used to before Buster swooped into their lives and decided to stay. “Yeah, I could drink a glass,” she finally agrees with a small nod, knowing that neither of them were likely going to stop with just one but not wanting to out herself or the blonde on that fact quite yet. It probably wasn’t healthy, the way they sometimes turned to alcohol to help them in tough times like this - but could they really be blamed? After all, they’d been through a lot these past few years. These last few months even: this island wide attack not even being in the top three worst situations.

As Atta pours them each their drink, she knows she needs to ask about Buster. Not because she actually really cares or even wants to know - but because it’s what’s expected of her. Because if she doesn’t she’s going to seem like a bratty little bitch that refuses to talk about him just because she’s upset. Or like she’s not beyond grateful and appreciative of the bullet he had quite literally taken in her place. So as she reaches to take her offered glass, bringing it to her lips for a hefty sip, Dot lets out a small breath of a sigh. “How’s he doing? He’ll be alright, right?” Even though she can’t bring herself to say his name, they both know exactly who she’s talking about.

The past few months had been the most trying between Atta and her sister--that much had not been a secret to anyone who knew the Dreyfuses. It was strange, and lonely, to spend what should've been a happy time in her life to remain with the man she married without Dot's support. But, like she had done in the past, Atta stayed firm in her decision, knowing that this was best for their family, even if her heart held a bit of bias for Buster after getting to know him. All she needed was this one life-saving instance to know that she'd been right, because if it weren't for him, Dot wouldn't be sitting in the lobby of the hotel now.

"We're going to stay here the night," she informed her as Atta took the armchair beside her, placing the bottle of wine Myles had given her and two glasses on the table between the two. "I know we don't have anything, but we can go home first thing in the morning. I just don't want to risk anything, going outside, if we don't have to, okay?" It might not have been what her sister particularly wanted, but it wasn't the first decision Atta had made without her, and it likely wouldn't be the last. "Myles said we can have the room next to him, and Buster will stay with the rest of the people who need medical." With a sigh, after taking care of business, it was only then that Atta could begin to work on uncorking the wine and focus on her sister. "You're sure you're okay, right? Even if you have a headache, or feel off, you can tell me."

Despite her annoyance lately at how many decisions keep getting made without her input or even a warning offered to her, Dot was actually okay with staying the night at the hotel. The last thing she wanted was to go back out into the open, where more hunters might be waiting. Of course, the logical part of her brain reminded her that if anywhere was going to be targeted actually, it would be the hotel, the known safe haven for magical creatures and beings. And if Hopper was the one behind the chaos at the festival then his next mark would surely be here… he’s shown before that he has no issue with aiming an attack at Hotel Transylvania. But she tried her best to shut those thoughts down. If everyone else said they were safe here, she’d just have to believe it. And it’s not like she’s really felt safe in her own home lately, anyway. So rather than fighting she just gives a small nod. “Okay. Is Myles here? Is he okay?” It’s not the person she should be asking about, considering Buster had been the one to save her life, but Molt’s the person she cared to know the answer for the most. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” Because she has no other choice but to be fine. It was the same thing that happened after the kidnapping - life had to just keep on going… whether she wanted it to or not.

⨯⨯⨯

Buster went into autopilot when the attack happened; nothing else mattered besides making sure his family was safe. Up until now, he hadn't a worry in the world besides where his next deal was coming from. As it turns out getting married changed a lot more than his marital status. Now he was sitting in a bed at the Hotel Transylvania with the worst back pain of his life waiting for his wife to bring him a few necessities from the Junkyard. While he'd also asked for someone to bring him a glass of whiskey Buster was beginning to think that request wouldn't be fulfilled. He was rummaging through some of the dresser drawers when he got a visitor, expecting it to be Atta but instead finding her younger sister at the door. "Dot, how you feelin'? You doin' alright?" While it had been he who took the shot aimed at her, he felt the need to make sure she was recovering well. "You don't imagine they hide liquor around here anywhere, do you? I don't know about you but I could use a drink."

DANIELLE ROSE RUSSELL.