MEA CULPA.

it was rather an impulse decision to offer for her shop to put up a stand of their own , yet here she was , sitting behind the wooden construction and underneath a royal purple parasol. still , she found herself rather enjoying the interactions with all of the inhabitants of marrow - including the new ones ( and the returned ones , though she was still equal parts confused and concerned about it ). the stool kali was seated on was borrowed from the twisted ridge , as they had the barstools of the proper height. it will be a long day . and perhaps an even longer night ahead.

still ... she was excited.

the town needed festivity after all the trauma it's been through in the recent months , and what better way to start healing than to throw a massive event commemorating life and unity ? after all , they were all together in this ... odd times , odd mess , after all. " if you're looking the purge negativity , many will recommend common sage grown on the salty rocks , but ... honesty just sprinkling some salt on the openings of doors and windows and chanting 'begone , heathen ' to any and all minor inconveniences is , in fact , a valid coping mechanism. " kali softly chuckled , the pulled a card.

ah.

" you got the moon this time. a feeling , or deeper knowledge still hidden from you , will soon come to light. " she hummed , adding. " not a bad card. " it could've been worse. it could've been the tower.

ian doesn’t believe in the supernatural; he’s a man of god and science, for starters, so he doesn’t believe in anything that could not be explained scientifically nor stated in the bible.

but what’s happening in the marrow… what’s happened to him and his husband, has ian second guessing the way he’s been perceiving the world. there’s no explanation for a sudden resuscitation after months without any lasting brain damage. even the lazarus effect was known to happen ten minutes after initial cessation of CPR—few hours at most.

so today he decided to fuck it (excuse his language) and try out something he’s never done before.

”a deeper knowledge… ” he crosses his legs, humming thoughtfully. the only hidden knowledge ian currently takes interest in discovering is the explanation behind everything. “what would the tower mean?”

Wasn't excessive thirst one of diabetes signs? Perhaps a thorough medical check up was necessary. He made a mental note to book an appointment without telling his husband about it, not wanting to worry him further.

He drank another cup of water before following his spouse's example and laid on his back, facing the ceiling before turning his head to the side, looking at the taut back of his husband the stretch of his pale neck. A slight dull ache pulsed in his mouth, making him run his tongue along the edges of his teeth and his gums. Hmm, he should probably include a dental appointment too...

a scoff escapes his lips, but not unkindly. it’s the type of scoff that ian lets out whenever his husband starts acting silly or simply oblivious, like when he repeatedly sent himself to the ER during ian’s residency days just so they could meet again—or when he cracks a lame joke while ian‘s nerves was getting the best of him.

it reminds him of how easy it was for simeon to worm himself into his heart and how he used to be so scared of it—still, even now.

especially now.

in the end ian will always fall for his guilt; and so he opted on turning to face his husband, eyes still shut.

an appreciative nod, and ian leans down slightly to give maze a hearty pat. perhaps its the loneliness, or perhaps its just maze, because ian’s been thinking of adopting a dog lately. at least until his husband woke up from the dead.

a wry smile creeps up upon his lips at the inquiry, head shaking as he glanced towards the sky. "that obvious, huh?"

a beat passes, then: ”how do you—“ deal with this? ian wants to ask. how do you deal with watching the people you helped bury walking around among us without a care in the world?

so instead he rephrases it into something like “i held his hand that night.” he begins. “rigor mortis already set in, so it was cold and stiff—dead, obviously.” he chuckles. “and just this morning i woke up to him holding my hand in his sleep.”