annie

“Come on, I mean, when was the last time you even went out with someone that wasn’t for work?” Her ears perked at the sound of Enid’s voice just as she had crossed the threshold of the cafe. 

“No, and that is final, young lady,” Larissa heard you deadpan at the small blonde right in front of you, feet planted as you went in line for your first coffee of the day.

From where she stood, she saw Enid, with her big puppy dog eyes, give you a pursed lip look with matching furrowed brows. To the blind watcher, it would appear that she was cross and offended, but having known and partially raised her as your own, you knew better that this was simply her trying to win you over so she could have it her way. To you, you’d have thought that if she had ears and a tail out right now, they’d be downcast. Larissa didn’t have it in her heart to feel bad about the face she made when she heard you say ‘no’, partly since she saw it in the same light you did. 

“I wasn’t even doing anything.” She grumbled, and from a distance, a taller blonde clad in a grey suit ensemble caught her eye. 

“I don’t need help with my love life, pup.” While you were too busy rambling on a monologue, Enid had already locked eyes with a certain blonde lady in grey wool and an elaborate hairdo. 

Larissa gave the younger girl a smaller wave as she received a fanged smile, suddenly feeling conscious about her appearance as it was only You, her, and Enid inside the Weathervane at that moment. Seeing Enid with you just a few paces in front reminded her of the younger blonde’s question the other week. A question that left her utterly flushed and delusional, if she were to say so herself. 

“Please? It’s been years since I last saw her with anyone, and I know she isn’t dating anyone because if she was then she’d tell me. Oh, I swear if she was and I didn’t know about it, I’m seriously gonna wolf-out on her!” Enid was about to go on a ramble until Larissa, whose cheeks were just as red as her lipstick, placed a hand on her shoulder. 

She gives the girl a soft look, “Just a second, Enid. I didn’t exactly get what you said, could you repeat it for me, dear?” 

“Uhm,” The girl froze for a moment, choosing to give the principal a sheepish smile, “Could you take y/n out on a date? Just a simple wine-and-dine, or whatever you oldies do?” 

It took Larissa precisely a week and six hours before she could make up her mind about that question. To say that it left her feeling flustered at the thought of taking you to a restaurant around Burlington with a forest view as you sat across from her, laughing at one of her jokes would be an understatement. Maybe she’d order some fish and the perfect wine to go with it, blushing when you complimented her choices after drinking the wine that she picked. She thought about you and her gazing into each other’s eyes before walking down to the park with you in her arms then kissing you under the moonlight. She thought about it many, many, many times before she concluded with an answer to Enid’s question. 

Something she never realized that after gaining someone she’d think she grew to love as a daughter, was she gained someone who thawed the icy walls of her once cold and perfectly defended heart. If there was anything Larissa imagined she’d turn towards as she turned her back from the piles of paperwork and correspondences, it would have been you. 

You were still rambling as you reached the counter, the same amount of time it took for Larissa to get out of her head and finally line up behind you and Enid. Tyler wasn’t in for the day, as you’ve heard a while ago when a customer asked for his whereabouts, so you took your time to stare at the menu before acknowledging the person behind the counter. As you were occupied with the menu, Enid took that chance to slip just near Larissa from behind you, scootching to her side before leaning up to her ear. 

“Are you here to take her out? Because if you are, I’d gladly go and leave you alone.” She whispers with enough casualness as if Larissa were simply a year above her. 

She was about to give her an answer, one that was sure to prompt the girl to leave the cafe, until she overheard the girl at the counter.

“Welcome to Weathervane! How may I help you, pretty lady?” Hearing the low register of her voice brought you away from your reverie. 

In front of you was a girl, no younger than Enid, you had presumed. To the untrained eye, she looked mature with her polished makeup and red lipstick, but spending most of your 24/7 with teenagers who look like they should be teaching the class instead of participating in it has sharpened your vision to know that this girl was around Enid’s age. With almost white hair and a grey shirt, she reminded you of a certain tall, snow-haired woman who had the power to make you tremble with only a touch of a finger. Someone who made you feel safe, appreciated, and definitely the one you wanted to hear calling you a pretty lady.

You raise your brow, “I’m flattered and simply too old for you, dear.” You didn’t mean for it to be louder than a murmur, and only tried to whisper it in Enid’s way, but the girl was more sensitive than you thought. 

She gave you a devilish smirk, “You know, I’m a firm believer of ‘the older, the better’.” She winks with her hand under her chin as she rests her elbow on the counter, “So, what can I get you?”

Unbeknownst to you, Larissa and Enid had heard the entire conversation from the back. Despite her stature and her aura, you had failed to realize that she was standing just behind you, trying her best to shield the fatal glare at the woman behind the counter. Enid, who had heard the entire exchange even without the help of her werewolf hearing, had almost let out a snarl out of discomfort.

You deadpan, but brush her off. “Enid, come here and tell me what you want. I can’t decide if I want an americano or a milkshake.”

Before Larissa could do anything as simple as open her mouth, she felt her entire body spring up and move forward as a slight pressure pushed her in your direction. It wasn’t enough for her to tumble straight into you, but it was perfectly calculated for her to grab hold of you for a bit of support. Suddenly, you felt a hand reach around your stomach with just a tiny bit of pressure. As smooth as one could and one does after being pushed by a snickering Enid, Larissa wrapped her arm around your waist, a grin mirroring the woman’s had been plastered onto her face. 

“Hello, my love.” She played it off by placing a soft kiss above your cheekbone. She didn’t mean for it to come out so seductively, but something about the way the girl’s smirk faltered when she heard the latter words made her heart swell in triumph.

You stood there frozen, both at the sudden sound of her chosen term of endearment and the hand around your midriff. You blinked once, then twice, before moving your gaze to the woman towering over the counter and your own stature. Before you know it, you’ve placed your left hand on the small of her back as you moved closer within her space. 

“Hello, Larissa.” You choose to grin lopsidedly with a furrowed brow. Whatever had prompted her to do so, you were sure she had her reasons. 

She moved her eyes away from you as she straightened her posture, then to the girl on the counter, who had her back ramrod straight and gazing anywhere but at the two of you. “One (drink of choice) and two hot chocolates, please.” 

Someone else must have captured the confused look on your face, because from the side, Enid was staring at you with a huge smile on her face. You met her gaze, opting to either be even more confused or simply enjoy the smile plastered on hers. You glanced at her, then at Larissa, then back at her again. 

Enid flashes you a grin wide enough to show her canines, “Just go with it,” she mouths, before going back into smooth conversation with a girl in black pigtails whose eyes were boring holes in the side of her principal’s face. Whether it was curiosity, amusement, or something else, Wednesday was more impressed that Enid’s plan was executed perfectly.

“She’s a real lucky lady to have someone as beautiful as you.” You heard from in front of you. You didn’t know if she was talking to Larissa or you, but considering how Larissa’s arm squeezed around your midsection, it was enough for you to start thinking of something to do. Before she could say anything, you had moved your hand to her chest, perfectly aligning with Larissa’s heart.

“If anything, I’m the lucky one. She’s the best thing that happened to me.” Feeling a bit bold, you stood on your toes and placed a soft kiss on Larissa’s cheek. 

You had to stifle a giggle at the sight of Larissa’s neck, ears, and cheeks go red from your remark. You two had participated in friendly and flirty banter over the years you’ve worked at Nevermore, going as far as to spend your evenings with each other as you worked on your respective paperwork, watched corny, cheap flicks on her bed, and even talk about everything and anything by the hearth of her office. It never went as far as today, but you couldn’t deny that it wasn’t entirely unwelcome. 

You weren’t bluffing. Larissa is the best thing that has happened to you. Before you met her, you were bouncing from job to job, pretending to be a normie just so you could save up to take Enid with you away from that horrid place you used to call home. You couldn’t blame your parents for all of it, after all, all they wanted was to have the perfect werewolf family. But after decades of tantalizing pressure and scrutiny from your mother, you had simply had enough, and you weren’t going to let her do the same to Enid. You were in such a dark place, one you thought you’d never crawl out of, until she offered you a job to teach whilst Enid boarded. Since then, you’d never been happier. 

Though it felt like an eternity since you and Larissa locked eyes after your reply, she moved her face towards the girl again. Annoyance manifested in the form of a perfectly raised brow on Larissa’s face as she let her eyes rake over the girl’s figure, storm-blue eyes filled with such irritation that you’d think she had half a mind to smack the girl in place.

“Would you like me to repeat my order, or was that enough?” You were grateful for her hold around your waist, because if it weren’t for it, then you might have landed on your knees as they gave out from the vibrations of her low voice. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think she was close to growling at the girl. 

“Yes, ma’am. I apologize.” The girl let out in broken stutters, her hands trembling as she punched the codes on the machine. She almost let out a sob when Larissa wordlessly handed her a platinum black card. 

It was as if something within you snapped into place. There was something about Larissa being so overprotective, so possessive and jealous, that made you remember the fleeting glances and the small bouts of affection that you’ve been giving each other for the past three years. The sudden realization that you two had been tiptoeing at each other was now very present in your mind, and it made you feel queasy. 

Not a single thing was enough for you to distract yourself from Larissa’s proximity and her engulfing perfume. It wasn’t too overpowering, if anything, it was just right. A perfect harmony and balance between sandalwood and cinnamon mixed with the aroma of coffee beans from behind the counter and the persistent voice at the back of your mind saying She likes you, idiot!. It made you dizzy. In a good way? Maybe. 

It took you a moment to realize that Larissa had moved you both towards the other side of the counter; her arm was still on your waist, but her hand had moved towards the side of your waist. She kept it there as she cleared her throat. 

“She wasn’t bothering you too much, was she?” 

You brushed your knuckles over your cupid’s bow as you tried to force the laugh to stay in your throat, “She was just a kid, Larissa. Besides, I will admit, she looks exactly like my type.”

“Your type is… younger?” The amount of political correctness in her tone was almost enough for you to laugh at what she said. 

You shifted to lean on the counter, “Goodness no! I’m merely stating that she looks like the person I like, that’s all.” 

“I thought,” She stutters, eyes cast down, with her hand suddenly removed from your waist. “I apologize. I thought you were uncomfortable with her advances, and I…” she let out a small sigh, something similar to shame crept into her chest, “I merely wanted to help. Will you forgive me?” 

And when she received nothing but a raised brow from you with your arms crossing over your chest, she had the liberty to look ashamed and embarrassed. Her hands were in front of her, and her head uncharacteristically moved down to stare at the floor as if she were a kid being told off for doing something bad. 

But when she felt the tips of your fingers move her head upwards, she felt all the air in her lungs leave and linger between the two of you. With the absence of customers, and the barista moving to the backroom, there was nothing else there that could shield her from what was about to happen. 

“You need not apologize to me, my love.” You mirrored her tone from a few moments prior, “What you do need to do is take me out to dinner first.” 

She blinked once, once again, then a third time as she stared into your eyes. She felt her mouth open, only for her words to stop at her throat. 

“Cat got your tongue, dear?” You smirked at her. 

Larissa felt her mouth open once more, finally coming to her sense when she heard a slight giggle from your end. You couldn’t help it, she looked so similar to a fish out of water. To see the usually so composed principal be flustered and red all over you was not a sight to miss. 

“I think you broke her.” The sound of Enid’s voice was accompanied with a pale hand moving to break her stare. “Hello? Earth to Principal Weems?” 

She heard a laugh leave your lips, “Leave her alone, pup. Aren’t you and Wednesday on a date yourself?” Enid let out a broken sound, “It’s not good etiquette to leave your date by themselves, you know.” 

“I.. we.. we weren’t—!” Enid huffs, ignoring your knowing stare before stomping over to the pigtailed girl. With a hand pulling her towards the exit, the diner was finally void of people except the two of you. 

With your attention back to the silent beauty, you placed your hand on hers, taking it as you clutched them on your chest. “I didn’t break you, did I? You know, dinner is nice, but this little coffee date is nice too.” 

“No, I-uh..” She clears her throat, “I’ve been thinking of ways to ask you, and yet you just said it so casually.” 

She wasn’t upset, more so amused. How easily you could open up a topic that left her breathless and flustered for days on end was incredible to her. You were incredible to her. 

“So?” You prompted, hands breaking off from hers to grab your drink from the counter and stare at her. 

Larissa moved to do the same, before grabbing your free hand. She moved it closer to her lips, placing a well-thought-over mark of red lipstick just above your knuckles. 

“Are you free this weekend? Maybe I could take you to that one restaurant you’d been wanting to go to?” 

“That sounds lovely, dear.” You kept hold of her hand. “But, this counts as a date, no? I have yet to pay you back for this.” You said as you took a sip of your beverage. 

She grins, pulling you closer to shield you from the sudden cold as you step out of Weathervane’s doors. With both your hands still intertwined, she pulls you closer to place a soft kiss on your forehead. “No need to pay me back. You saying yes to dinner is already enough.” 

Larissa nuzzles into your hair before moving back properly and guiding you to one of the townsquare benches. The moment you two are seated, she moves into your space until there is quite literally none, with her legs grazing yours as you sat and sipped your beverages. 

“You mentioned that this girl was,” She paused, “your ‘type’? Care to elaborate?” 

You blink at her, a starstruck and indefinite amusement expressed on your face as you stared at her like she grew a second head. “You didn’t get what I said?” 

“Uhm, what was I supposed to get?” Larissa tilted her head, her eyes moving towards the center of the park and you could see the gears in her head turn as she tried to think about what happened a few minutes ago. 

Feeling a bit more courageous, you took hold of her chin with two fingers and tilted her to face you. “You didn’t see what she looked like?” 

Larissa stares into your eyes, recalling the moment. The girl reminded her more of someone but she wasn’t exactly familiar who. Her almost white hair, her grey buttoned shirt, and her red painted lips were familiar. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

“Oh.” She muttered. 

The red from her lips had matched the red on her cheeks and her ears, even more so when she heard a belly laugh leave your mouth. 

“You seriously didn’t realize then?” 

Larissa’s lips formed into a pout, her hands moving to cover and hide her face from your gaze as you leaned back and tried to stop your laughter. She felt stupid. Utterly and indefinitely stupid, especially at how long it took for her to notice. 

“Aw, don’t feel bad, dear.” You took her hands, or at least attempted, until she let you place them on your lap. 

“I didn’t really look at her properly.” She wasn’t exactly lying, she was way too focused on you to do so. 

You give her a big smile, “At least now you know you’re just my type.” 

She knows she shouldn’t have come out here, but here she was, by the bar with a drink in hand.

It hadn’t even been a day since she moved to Salisbury, away from the incorrigible stress of the streets of London. Brienne shifted in her seat, uncomfortably so. Her thoughts wandered, most of them focusing on the fact that she was supposed to be relaxing in her new home, alongside the unopened boxes of her treasured items.

She was supposed to be surrounded by the familiar smell of cardboard and tape, unfolding her duvet and foldable bed, ones she’d use just until she could go out and buy an actual bed. What she wasn’t supposed to do was sit here by the bar with gin in hand in the dark. Alas, of course the first thing that popped in her mind was to make friends, as that was what a colleague taught her first about moving into a new environment. So here she was, with one hand inside the pocket of a black and red bomber jacket she purchased during her first year as detective constable and the other hand playing with the rim of her glass.

A sip, a beat, then another sip, Brienne finally placed the half-empty glass onto the marble of the bar counter. A satisfying clink fell onto her ears despite the loudness of the dense air of hormones and drunk pheromones. She moved her hand over her now grown locks, they were just barely touching her shoulders and were long enough to be tied into a ponytail. A part of her wishes she never had to cut her hair, but alas, such was a requirement for her to reach where she was now.

She let her eyes wander. This wasn’t typically her crowd, especially so since she hadn’t drank a drop of alcohol since joining her colleagues at the bar just a few paces from the precinct. That was a week before she had to leave, her last day as a detective to be precise. That pub, Tyrion’s if she could recall it correctly, was nothing compared to this shithole of a room. It wasn’t the typical pub like she was used to, it was more of a club than a bar with the amount of neon lights amidst the brick and wood.

Apparently, living near the edge of the countryside meant so few escape routes from the sounds of cicadas and the sight of fireflies. The facade of city-living was truly what it was here, a facade. As shitty as the place was, she had to commend the bartender. The alcohol was better than at her local pub, one thing she’d never tell Jaime about once she finally settles in and remembers to catch him up as her duty of being his “best work partner”.

“And now, give it up for our main performers this evening, Kingsland!”

Suddenly, the speakers of the pub echoed a familiar tune. She knew it was familiar because she had heard it from the radio just on the drive towards her house a few hours ago, and also a month ago when Podrick, a new constable, had blasted it from his laptop during a meeting. It wasn’t exactly a tune, more like the gruelling sound of an electric bass guitar amplified to the max volume as if the instrumentalist wanted even those outside the club to hear their tune. Brienne could feel the bassline in her chest, she was sure even her heart was beating to the beat of the first hi-hat that she heard.

A rock band? She expected something like a DJ or something else, but this was entirely different. At last, a reason to stay. Brienne shifted her seat so she could face the stage. This was one of the moments where she was incredibly thankful for her height, despite being seated, she was still tall enough to look over the heads of the forming crowd. Her eyes moved towards the four people on stage; two men, two women. All clad in black outfits, one more revealing than the other. The other three weren’t as noticeable, in fact she thought they blended in with the vibe of their song. The one she took notice of was definitely sticking out like a sore thumb, or rather a delicate flower amidst shrubbery.

She looked like she belonged in a ballet class, Brienne thought of how unique she stood next to her fellow performers. The woman, she imagined, was the embodiment of dichotomy. She, whose hands were busy strumming and plucking her black and white electric guitar, was wearing color amidst her neutral ensemble. Her red tank top took center stage just as she did when she stepped closer to the microphone and so did the tattoos on her arms. Ranging from tarot card and pagan illustrations to vines and line art, Brienne couldn’t take her eyes off of her arms and it definitely wasn’t because of how her biceps and triceps flexed as she strummed.

“Ooh baby, don’t you know I suffer? Ooh baby, could you hear me moan?”

Now that was interesting. Even her voice was like a thin sheet of snow on top of the gravel that was her distorted guitar. She recalled this song majorly sung in falsetto, but this low, sultry take was definitely easier to listen to.

“Oooh… You set my soul alight,” She could hear the crowd singing along, a thought in her head wondered if they were local performers at this pub or was it simply just stage presence.

“Supermassive Black Hole.” Brienne felt her breath leave her lungs as quickly as the fleeting eye contact she made with the woman before the crowd erupted at the short guitar solo. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, she didn’t miss the way the woman in red whispered the line as if she was whispering it to her directly. Ignoring the pulsing of her core, Brienne simply spread her legs wider until she was manspreading over the stool.

Applause and cheers took over the sheet of sultry and fatalness that she spread across the room. It didn’t even dawn on Brienne that their performance was already finished, not until she heard a different kind of song play from the speakers just by the bar counter. Her eyes moved from one end of the bar to the other, in search of the red beauty she wanted to admire until all details of her performance were etched until she grew blind.

After attempting to fish her pockets for cash, she sighed and took her phone from her pocket, 11:05pm on the timer with a couple of missed texts from her colleagues and family. Those could wait until tomorrow, maybe when she’d finally cleared her mind from the lady in red.

Brienne let out a small sigh, already pent up with the amount of girls—most of which she thought were too young to even be in this kind of pub—whom had walked past her with boys in their arms, engulfing the limited amount of oxygen with intoxicatingly pungent fumes of sweet, poisonous perfume. It took her a minute to fish out cash from her pocket, her train of thought running miles per hour at her repulsion of even thinking of coming to this place and the intention of finally leaving, until it was interrupted by a voice from the makeshift stage.

“Irene, could you get me a glass of water?”

Water? In a bar like this? Now that piqued Brienne’s interest. What kind of hooligan would order water at a bar? Her eyes slyly went to the frame of the woman who sat at the bar stool next to her, but thanks to the lack of luminescence, all she could make up was the outline of a sleeveless top and slacks.

“Sure thing, Dela. Lukewarm like always?”

Lukewarm too? This person is truly insane.

“I heard that. I have ears, you know.”

The speed of light was nothing to the speed of Brienne’s cheeks and ears flushing. That was supposed to be an inside thought!

“You really don’t have any filter, do you, lady?”

She blinked once. She blinked twice. Brienne took five seconds, five-and-a-quarter if she was being exact, to take a breath in and face the woman fully. It was the woman in red. It didn’t take her much to face her, all she had to do was twist her upper body, albeit with a bit of restraint from the difference of the woman’s soothing perfume from the poisonous cloud of hormones behind them.

She clears her throat, “I apologize. I fear my alcohol tolerance has lessened since I last went to a pub, forgive me for my slip of tongue.”

“I’d let you slip your tongue anytime, lady.” Thanks to the light near the bar finally being lit, Brienne had no guard against the blush that crept from hearing the muttering from the woman.

“Sorry, what?” She stutters.

The woman lets out a chuckle, “Nothing, nothing. Just asking what’s a lady like you doing in a place like this?”

“Are you assuming I’m too old for pubs?” It was Brienne’s turn to get cocky. The woman raises her brow, a motion so obvious that Brienne was thankful it was noticeable even with the void of proper lighting. “I’m assuming that you’re more posh considering your accent and way of speaking, but to answer your question, no.”

“What’s wrong with my way of speaking?” She had her chin up as if challenging her to defy and answer incorrectly. With one elbow on the back of her stool with her hand on her thigh, Brienne slowly attempted to lean back as the woman grabbed her glass of water from the bartender.

She stares at Brienne after taking a sip, “Nothing’s wrong with it, but it does stick out in a place like this. So, care to tell?”

Brienne didn’t know what was so captivating about this woman. Must it be the tattoos on her arms? Or could it be the fact that she had been the object of Brienne’s focus during the remainder of her evening? Or maybe it was because she ordered a glass of water? She wasn’t one for meet-cutes and sudden attractions to strangers, in fact she hated it. But something was different about this one.

Something about her told Brienne that there was nothing to be wary of. So against her duty and her morals and decades of working as a Detective, she decided to be truthful for once. “I just moved here and thought I should go and make friends.”

She squinted when the woman threw her head back with a laugh, “What are you, kindergarten?” Something about the way she said the sentence made it impossible for Brienne not to laugh along with her.

If this was her usual setting, she probably would have cussed her out and stormed out of the bar. She’d beeline towards the alcohol store, buy herself a bottle (or two) of whiskey and drink her sorrows in the confines of her own home. The way she said it made it seem as if the whole thing was stupid, and it was. Brienne couldn’t deny how stupid it was that she went to the bar of all places.

“I know! How stupid, right?” She had a grin on her face, oh she was definitely tipsy now.

After a beat, she signaled a refill to the bartender before moving to lean over the counter with her arms crossed. “So, you perform?”

The woman smiles, as if the word ‘perform’ was a serotonin trigger. “Yep! My band and I perform here during Wednesdays. Tell me, how’d we do?”

The blonde furrows her brow to convey her ‘thinking’. “Hmm, I dunno. I’m not exactly a fan of rock music.” Her lips pursed, partly from her little act and to stop herself from smiling at the pout that formed on the woman’s face.

“Really, now?” The woman shrieks, which causes Brienne to break her facade with an incredulous laugh. “I’m kidding. It was great, to sing whilst playing the guitar takes much effort. I applaud you.”

The woman leans back, mirroring Brienne’s stance moments prior. “Huh, you’re one hell of a critic, lady. Here I thought I might have some convincing to do tonight.”

Brienne let out another laugh, a genuine laugh, something she hadn’t done so even in the midst of working with the people she deemed were worthy enough for her to sacrifice her life for. The way this woman, albeit only meeting her for a few minutes, managed to do something not even Jaime could do: Make her belly laugh. Before she could continue the conversation, a voice from behind her called the attention of the woman.

“Coming, Nadine!” She calls out, moving to signal something to the bartender.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to impose on your goal of making friends.” The woman slips from the bar stool. “Goodluck, my lady.” She comically bows before heading into the crowd of people.

Brienne, usually indistractable, calls out towards her before she merges with the crowd: “Wait, I didn’t get your name!”

The woman, whom she heard of as Dela, froze in her place. It was enough for Brienne to start a train of thoughts that filled with her feeling as if she overstepped, only to be flashed with a blinding smile.

“It’s Adelaide, my lady!” She replies with the same amount of volume before finally disappearing.