Ignas

“A magical drink that make’s all the words in my ethics textbook go into my brain?” Nora tried, watching the others face for a reaction. She adored Ignas, if she was honest. He was sweet, fun, and safe, if nothing else. Nora was back on her own, single and studying and keeping herself out of trouble. “I missed you, Igs. How are you?” 

-

“I take it that studying isn’t going very well right now?” Ignas made a face. He barely finished high school and he never even tried to get into college so he couldn’t say he could relate at all. “Maybe a break will do you some good.” He suggested, giving her a little shrug. “I missed you too, Aster. I’m alright. Business is picking up again, so..” he trailed off, giving her another shrug. “What’s been going on with you? Ya know... besides studying?”

Jackson had been somewhat busy since the incident on the island. He was trying to make himself useful due to the fact that the people there didn’t seem to judge him from his own past misdeeds. He owed it to everyone there, even if they didn’t actually know his history. As a result he was a bit more tired than normal. He needed a way to unwind and his usual way to do so was by drinking. 

Once he entered On the Rocks, Jackson was taken by surprise by how busy the bar was. He debated whether or not to leave, but the shifter really needed a drink and didn’t feel like being alone either. He took a seat at the bar and looked beyond the counter to see what beer was available. “ Oh hey” He noted before looking at the other male with a nod. “ Whatever beer is on tap. “ He answered before looking around. “ It’s kind of wild in here today”

-

“You got it!” Ignas tapped his hands against the counter before pushing himself away and turning to grab a glass. “Oh yeah.. It’s kind of nice. I’m glad to see everyone out and about again.” He said as he slid the glass over to the other. “How ya holdin’ up?”

Ignas couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever felt so nervous about something as he gently knocked on the Aster’s door. He and Marina had become great friends, he helped her find Nora during the attack, and he even stayed the night at their apartment that night just to make sure they were okay. Ignas hadn’t seen them much since then, but he and Marina agreed to go out together. She said it was a thank you for helping them, but Ignas kind of missed seeing her around, so of course he’d said yes.

“Hey,” Ignas greeted her with a smile as she opened the door.

The island was finally beginning to get back to normal after the attack. Everything that had been damaged was either already rebuilt or not terribly far from being finished. Of course, the residents of the island were still trying to get through their own traumas, but most had recovered from their injuries and were finally starting to fall back into their routines. This was the first time in months Ignas had seen On the Rocks this packed. Despite the rush, he was thankful for some form of normalcy back in his life. 

“What can I get started for ya?” Ignas asked as he leaned against the counter as the other sat down at the bar.

Charlie nodded when he mentioned Alex’s sisters, glad they seemed to be okay since there were his siblings and they seemed to care about their brother at least. Plus she knew Alex had worried about them that night, so it was good to know they’d all been safe. When Ignas motioned to her arm and asked about Alex she stayed quiet for a moment, unsure of how to answer. Anything like that. If Ignas thought a single gunshot wound was bad… this didn’t even hokd a candle to what’d happened to Alex. But while she was…friends with Ignas, she didn’t exactly want to explain everything to him. “Worse.” was all she said, shifting on the spot before she grabbed for the drink he’d finished making for her, taking a long drink and welcoming the burn from the alcohol. “But we’ll be fine. He’s…pretty much healed.” Which explained enough too, she figured, given everyone knew creatures like shapeshifters could heal themselves, so if he was still healing…

-

Worse. Ignas rose his brows as he heard her say it, surprised that Marina hadn’t said anything to him about it. Did she know? Ignas decided to put his questions aside for now even though he desperately wanted to ask more about what the hell happened to the both of them. “A bit jealous of those shifters..” He breathed, wanting to lighten the mood just a bit even he meant it. He’d always thought shifters had it a bit easier than witches... even if they did have their own rumors spread about them. “At least the coven is okay.”

Charlie resisted quipping back with a lucky you. There was no changing things or pretending it didn’t happen. She just….had to live with it. But at least some people got away from it relatively unscathed–like him. So she just nodded, not meeting his eyes as she felt him pausing, knowing he was probably putting two and two together and realizing she’d murdered someone (more than one someone, really). It was when he mentioned Alex’s sisters that Charlie finally looked up, raising an eyebrow, “Didn’t realize you knew them.” She wondered if Alex knew that little tidbit- she’d mention it to him later. “He…..yeah. He was with me.” 

-

Ignas nodded, a curiosity burning inside him as he listens to her speak, though he was trying not to be such a busy body anymore. “Yeah. Marina came into the bar. Met Nora the night of the attack.” He gave a little shrug as though it was no big deal. Obviously, Charlie had been through the worse parts of the attack, and he didn’t want to bring up anything that could be… too much. “And uh… he got anything like that?” He asked, nodding down at her arm as he finished up her drink and passed it to her.

Charlie glanced down at the bandage still wrapped around her arm before she shrugged, “I’d say you should see the other guy, but all’s you’d see is a corpse.” She looked up at him as she said it, no trace of sarcasm on her face as she met his eyes. She’d fought off hunters before in her life, but she’d never killed anyone. And now she’d killed twice… She let out a breath, trying to push the memories away as she nodded towards him. “How about you? Were…you there?”

-

Ignas felt himself slow his movements as he made her drink, hearing her say he’d only find a corpse. He swallowed hard, remembering how close he’d come to killing hunters when he was younger. It was one of the reasons he was excommunicated from his old coven. He’d come close to killing them but he... didn’t. Somehow. “No. I wasn’t.” He paused, watching her for a moment. “Funny, though, I was with Marina- your boyfriend’s sister- looking for Nora... your boyfriend’s other sister.” He spoke like she wouldn’t have any idea of who they were. “I was surprised he wasn’t with them, but I assume he was with you? I’d hope he was with you.”

In the days that’d followed the attack, Charlie stayed home with Alex, practically at his side 24/7 while they both recuperated. And while he was pretty much completely (physically) healed, Charlie still had a small bandage wrapped around her bicep, bruises now an ugly faded green and yellow on various parts of her body. She tried her best to ignore it all though, and as Alex went to go visit his sisters, she decided she should get out a bit too. But since she couldn’t go to work at the bakery just yet, she instead went to another place she tended to frequent: the bar.

When she walked in she was actually pretty relieved that it was basically empty since she was still admittedly a little on edge around people again. And when she heard the exclamation she looked over, giving the man behind the bar a little smile, “Yeah, yeah. You’re still stuck with me annoying you for the foreseeable future.” she responded, walking over to the bar and sitting across from him. “Give me the strongest thing you got. Surprise me.”

-

“You’ve got it, Charles!” Ignas was quick to begin making her drink, eyeing the bandage wrapped around her arm as he did so. “You alright though?” He nodded at her arm. Ignas may joke about it, but he knew the severity of the situation of the whole thing. It was hard to see the town left in the state it was in, and even harder to see the people he cared for so hurt and shaken up.

A small smile tugged on her lips at the nickname. It was remarkable how one word could bring her so much comfort, the little, playful reminder that he had her back. She was so used to watching her own back, and watching out for others, it was nice to have someone look out for her. “You too, Iggy.” Her own nickname for him. She couldn’t remember how it started, she might’ve just said it initially to see if it would get a reaction out of him and it stuck. 

She pulled out her phone from her pocket as he spoke, wondering the exact same thing. Marina froze in her tracks when she saw Nora’s name pop up on her phone, a bright, relieved smile broke out on her face when she saw the words ‘I’m okay.’ 

“Oh thank god.” She held onto his arm gently as she sighed in relief, afraid her knees might give out from under her with the surge in emotion, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. “Yeah.” She glanced up at Ignas, her relieved grin almost splitting her face in half, “She’s okay. She’s looking for a place to duck into right now.” She typed out a quick response, trying to figure out where her sister generally was. She took a deep breath, releasing some of the panic she’d been holding in her chest, leaning slightly against him as she watched the three dots that told her Nora was typing, and mumbled to reassure herself, “She’s okay.”

-

“Good.” Ignas nodded, not exactly sure how to comfort her (or anyone really), so he let her hold onto him and lean against him, all the while still looking around them to make sure there wasn’t anything harmful nearby. All he knew was the island was under attack. He didn’t know by who or where they were, so he was trying to stay as alert as possible. “Can you see her location?” He asked, wanting nothing more than to find Nora and get the girls and himself somewhere safe as soon as possible, which was something new for Ignas. He hadn’t looked out for anyone other than himself since before his little brother was killed, and even then, he wasn’t great at it, believing if he wasn’t so selfish, maybe his brother would still be there.

Between his bartending job and working the facepainting booth at the carnival, Harley had decided not to take any more art commissions for a couple weeks. He was someone who usually kept really busy, so having the night off work left him without much to do. He had already explored every inch of the carnival and the thought of reading (whether it was a comic or the captions on a movie) just didn’t interest him at the moment. So he decided to visit On The Rocks and get a few drinks. 

While there were other customers in the bar, it wasn’t too busy yet. Many people were probably waiting until after the fireworks show to come in. Harley was easily able to carry on a conversation with the bartender, Ignas. They were talking for awhile before Harley heard a sudden noise, followed by a similar noise after it. Based off the shortness of the sound and the fact it repeated, he guessed it was the fireworks. Ignas’s words confirmed that, and Harley nodded. He was about to respond when he heard another firework go off at the same time the ground vibrated underneath him. It was subtle and Harley only felt it because he used that sense in a way hearing people didn’t. Confused, he looked around the bar and quickly noticed he wasn’t the only one that picked up on something.

That didn’t sound like fireworks.

“It didn’t feel like fireworks either.” Harley shook his head, still not fully aware what was happening. “What did it sound like?”

-

Ignas stared at his friend for a moment, trying to think of literally anything else to compare it to. “It sounded like-...” An explosion? No. It couldn’t be... right? “An.. explosion?” He laughed a little as he spoke, hoping it really was as ridiculous as it sounded when he said it out loud but that’s the only thing he could think to compare it to. 

If Ignas wasn’t at the bar, he was checking in with Marina and her sister or helping rebuild the docks. It wasn’t usually something he’d do but he grew to love the island and its community, so he wanted to help in some way. 

While Ignas was at the bar it was typically slow and when it wasn’t it had more of a somber tone from people simply trying to keep their minds off things. That night was particularly slow, so he sat on the counter as he watched the door, bored and desperate for someone to come in. The door slowly began to open, and he perked up, immediately recognizing it was Charlie coming in. “Charlotte! You’re alive!” He exclaimed. Of course, he knew but he hadn’t seen her since before the attack. 

She watched him, head tilting slightly in confusion as he searched his pockets. Marina’s features softened and her panic eased slightly at his words. As much as she wanted to tell him to stay there, be safe, her mouth just wouldn’t make the words. Selfishly, she didn’t want to be alone. She was terrified and Ignas seemed to be one of the few people on this island who made her feel at ease. Plus, she had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to dissuade him if she tried. 

So, she nodded, her little, grateful smile returning to her face for a moment. “Stick together.” The shifter repeated, “Yeah, okay.” She turned towards the door, but paused for a moment to look up at him and say, “Thank you. Really. You don’t have to, but-” She paused, words tricky from how shaken she was, “I’m really glad to have you here.”

When she faced the door, she took a breath to get herself ready to face the world outside again. A look of determination settled onto her features as well, she pressed on the door, muttering mostly to herself, “Let’s do this.”

Once they were outside, Marina scanned the area, trying to figure out where to go next. She could go away from the carnival, and the chaos the rallied around there, but the likelihood of her sister being there was slim. Nora was there buying snacks when everything went down, so she probably wouldn’t be much farther away from it than she was now. “This way,” She said, putting on a brave face as she walked back in the direction of the carnival. 

-

Ignas nodded as she pressed against the door to step out, and he followed close behind as he muttered, “You’re brave, Collins.” Collins. It was a nickname he’d given her when they first met at the bar. She’d asked for a Tom Collins, and he teased her for ordering it. They became friends rather quickly, but he’d never thought this friendship would be leading him into something like this just a few months later. But he cared about Nora, knowing she meant so much to Marina. And Marina was his first close friend on the island. 

Ignas followed her lead as they both made their way in the direction of the carnival, surveying the streets of the town to keep an eye out for hunters. It brought back somber memories for him. The last time he encountered hunters it’d cost him his coven and they’d killed his brother. He would do anything to keep Marina from losing Nora. “Any luck trying to get ahold of her yet?” 

Marina glanced up at him when he pulled her back. If anyone else were to do that, she would rip her arm away and fight them to the best of her ability, but with him, she knew he just wanted to help.  So she stood there, trembling a little from her distress, and nodded in response. “If I have to, yeah. Absolutely.” She gave him a small shrug and a small smile, as reassuring as she could muster. There was no second guessing for her. If Nora needed her, she’d go to hell and back for her. “I have one job, to protect her, and I’m failing.” Her little, sad smile, dropped softly as she spoke. She looked down at her wrist, then up at him, nodding gently as if to say, Let go. Please. “I’m sorry, I have to go.” 

-

Ignas watched her, his heart going out to her as he listened to her speak. He understood this all too well. He quickly glanced back at the bar and the few patrons behind him before looked back to Marina once more. “Fine.” Ignas let out a huff as he let go of her wrist. He quickly dug into his pocket and found his lighter, flicking the lid off and igniting it before closing it back and gripping it tight in his hand. “I’m coming with you.” He knew there was nothing he could do to stop her, so he decided he would go out with her. “But we have to stick together. Okay?” He asked as he rest his hand on the doorhandle at the bar’s exit, a look of determination on his face. 

While the carnival was still all the town could talk about, Ignas had already been and was honestly kind of over it by now. He was happy to work and catch up with the residents that frequented On the Rocks. 

Ignas was in the middle of wiping down the counter as he chatted away with Harley, a customer who came in earlier that night and they spent quite a bit of time talking while Ignas made drinks for other patrons. There was some form of normalcy falling back into Ignas’ life as he’d gotten past the anniversary of losing his brother and being excommunicated from his coven. However, he’d be lying if he said Harley mentions of his own brother didn’t bring about a tinge of sadness in him. 

But as the night went on and everyone was chatting away, the usual fireworks from the carnival began to sound. “There go the fireworks.” Ignas had become used to by now “Guess we might be getting more people in.” He added, knowing that some of the residents stopped by after their nights at the carnival. But seconds later. he heard something... else? His brows furrowed as he looked around at the other patrons, and the looks of confusion on their faces showed Ignas he wasn’t the only one thinking it was strange. He then turned to Harley. “That-... that didn’t sound like fireworks.” 

Marina shook her head, brows knit together in panic and worry. “I don’t-” Her breath caught in her throat. The feeling of nausea she felt running this way, searching for her little sister rose in her as the sirens outside seemed to make the world feel like it was closing in. “I don’t know.” She tried to catch her breath, but panic made it more than difficult. “I have to go find her.” The shifter’s hand dropped to his, giving it a gentle, thankful squeeze, before letting go. “Thank you for making sure I was safe, but I have to go. She might be in trouble.” She stepped back towards the door, mind already set on going back out into the chaos. 

-

Ignas’ brows furrowed as he watched her, listening to her, and hearing the panic rising in her voice. “Oh Marina...” He breathed, understanding all too well what that awful sinking feeling was like. His little brother was killed by hunters years ago, and he could never forget the panic and grief it caused. Ignas got a little lost in his head, only snapping out of it when Marina moved towards the door again. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Ignas moved towards her, gently grabbing her by the wrist and stopping her. “you’re not going out there alone... are you?”

Her breath caught in her throat as she was dragged into the doorway behind her. She hadn’t realized where she stopped, or who had grabbed her, and let out a surprised, “Oh fuck-” as she lost her footing. When Marina glanced up and saw him, she felt the fear melt away a little bit. 

“Oh my god- it’s you.” She huffed, placing her hand over her chest as if that would help ease the adrenaline that ran through her like an angry swarm of bees, and the other on his arm, gripping his sleeve gently as she tried to bring herself back to the present. “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s crazy out there, Igs. The carnival was on fire, people were trampling over each other. I think I heard some explosions that didn’t come from the fireworks and…” She had been walking home and decided to pass through the carnival for one last glance before it went away. She was a little over halfway through when the chaos erupted. “It all happened so fast.” She blinked a few times, trying to rid herself of the memory that seemed to be burned into the back of her eyelids. “Are you okay?” 

-