little dark age

The barbs aren't as painful when they're coming from an exhausted professor with a vocabulary too big for his current state of mind. Asa wants to make fun of the 'mollycoddling', because christ, he hasn't heard that since London. In the early 1900s. "Your medication." He repeats to make sure he understands it. "Alright. How do we get more of it for you?"

They're close at this point and Asa fumbles for his keys. He stops though, in surprise. "...5? That's... I have 5 cats." He laughs in surprise. "Then you'll probably love them." He's still thinking about that. Felix has 5 cats at home? He can't be so stoic and cold all the time, then. Not around 5 cats. Asa grins to himself as he leads Felix to the small front walkway. The house itself is a beautiful dark green cottage with a rust orange door. There's beautiful, long flowering plants and a lush garden on either side of the steps, and a covered front porch with wooden patio furniture and a few cushions. A set of watercolors is still out with a glass of paint water and a sketchbook on a bench. He's unlocking the door, glancing back at Felix with a shy smile and helping him inside.

they both have 5 cats, and that somewhat makes felix feel...odd. like it's saying something about the deepness of their shared loneliness, and how they gravitate towards each other naturally because of it but...felix decides not to muse too much on it. instead, the witch just follows asa along as if in a dream, staring at the cottage they walk up to. the gardens are lush and fertile with plants he's never seen before, porch with furniture for more than one person. he wonders who the vampires sits with there, in the evenings, when the sun no longer burns his skin.

even the inside is decorated well, walls adorned with a variety of objects he can't help but want to nosey at. the whole place is cozy, and homely, a stark contrast to his own apartment, everything in shades of black and grey. the only thing that makes his own place look interesting is the extremely elaborate cat tree and various perches and ledges he has installed for them all, and the grand wall filled with vintage books. the moment the two are over the threshold however, they make themselves known - the cats, all skittering across the floor to greet asa. it is a sight felix knows well, and it makes him smile.

"nice house,"

dark eyes glanced down to where his friend was fiddling with tights that had laddered, annoyingly so by the sounds of it. felix was thankful he didn't have to wear them, as they did seem very uncomfortable. "consider a longer hem or trousers," it was something he had parroted at her time and time again, following the redhead in sneaking out.

“Oh, how long have you been in Greywood?  Do you like it here?”  He questioned, trying to gauge the man and of course make friendly conversation.  Although the other did not seem overly eager to be friendly.  “I get that, I’m not much into exercise.  Not really sure about swimming either, but I don’t  have much of a choice in that matter, I  just need to learn to get better.”

"odd," if they couldn't do it, maybe he could. maybe there was no fixing it at all. felix surmised he'd never know.

"not very long," a year at the most, as felix had simply come to greywood as he had no-where else to go. at his siblings request, he had left after the incident. "it's an acceptable place to live," the witch did like how everything a witch could need was catered for.

"i have a suggestion, though you may find it odd. have you thought about watching how fish swim? then trying to mimic their movements. or - even other sirens. surely they'd help you out,"

Asa's thrown out the mess and the cold last cup of what looks like plain espresso. It's pretty obvious Felix doesn't need any more of that. He's nervous to touch him after that, but once Felix is looking at him properly, he reaches a hand to his arm, leads him along.

"I know you're capable, Felix. I just... you look like hell, love." Asa finally says, a bit bluntly, which is rare for the librarian. But he has to be honest, so maybe Felix gets why he's concerned. "Have you... not slept? Have you eaten anything recently? Put anything in your body besides coffee?" He asks softly. "I've got a few things at my house... maybe I can make some tea, some soup." Asa is already figuring things out. His house would be better, closer. "Just... let me get some food in your stomach, alright? For my own peace of mind. Just hope you don't mind cats." He adds with a little smile.

his companion eventually speaks again, being blunt in a way that is both so like and so unlike him. felix's eyes narrow, a little of that sharpness returning to him as she counters with; "says the walking dead," though, asa doesn't look half as bad as some vampires. he could pass as human if you didn't look too hard.

the questions continue, each of them grating at felix. asa is insistent of trying to take care of him out of...what obligation? worried that felix will stop fucking him if he leaves him alone in a sleepless stupour? he grunts, says instead "my medication ran out," as if that'll explain it all.

"cease this mollycoddling at once," there's only exhaustion in his voice. then silence. then, a little while after;

"i have 5 cats,"

"Felix... what's going on?" Asa asks, meeting those eyes. He can see he hasn't slept - and christ, even when Asa is hungry for blood, he rarely looks like this. Those pink tired eyes and he looks shaky. "Have you had any water recently?" The librarian is eyeing the empty cups a little nervously. He's already trying to figure out a plan. Food and water would be best. Maybe some kind of pain medication? Would ibuprofen be helpful?

He's picking up some of the empty cups, old napkins. Tucking them together so he can throw them away, cleaning up Felix's space. "Alright, well. Let's leave together, yeah? I'll help you get home." He knows something's wrong. Maybe Felix won't tell him what... but he needs to make sure he doesn't end up face down in a ditch somewhere. He's already moving to Felix's side, a hand gingerly on his arm to make sure he can get up.

even through the thickness of his greatcoat, the cold hand on his arm immediately shocks him to life, entire body jerking out of its sleep-addled stupor to glare at asa. "why are you touching me?" the question is filled with considerably less venom than it usually would be, brain later catching up with what was said to him. leaving together - ah. right.

"i can walk, you know," as if to demonstrate such a thing, felix scrapes the chair he's in backwards, putting a large distance between himself and the table and filling the immediate area with the screech of it against the floor. the witch stands, pulling his coat tighter across himself, as if to make himself seem more intimdating.

it falls flat when he stifles a yawn, and rubs an eye afterwards.

"i don't need help," yet, felix allows himself to be ushered out.

he could tell him he's good. he's more than good, he's the best, and that's why this isn't easy to get rid of. that felix can raise the fucking dead, that's how good he is, able to give life and taketh it away like a fucking god!

felix licks his lips, dark eyes blazing as he forces it all down, back into its bottle. "no," the witch said. "simply put, there are very few witches who've done what i have. any records of it do not exist easily in greywood and searching abroad is difficult since i don't have the contacts. therefore, i am using this artefacts test certain things, experiment, you might say,"

The little glances and the copier room forays have continued, and Asa finds himself closing up the library and staring at his phone. Thumb hovering over the little keyboard on his smart phone as he debates jotting out a message to Felix. Hoping he's having a good night. No, that's silly. There's got to be something he could ask to give him a reason for texting. Some made-up reason...

The doors are locked, the lights turned out. And it's actually a bit cool outside. Asa walks in the lantern lights down the main road. He finally relents, tucks his phone into the pocket of his slacks. Stupid. So stupid.

But it seems fate has a funny way of helping out. A few minutes later, Asa's standing in the Blue Frog Café waiting for his little bit of caffeine when he realizes Felix is here, too. Sitting in a corner. He grabs up the shot of espresso and tries to find a way to not look awkward walking over. Fails, badly.

But Felix looks... "Hullo, love." Asa murmurs, a hand on the seat opposite Felix, not daring to sit just yet. "You alright?" I was thinking about you. "...How long have you been here, exactly?"

it's been a few days though, that's mainly down to felix himself - the witch hasn't been sleeping. the bloody sleeping tablets have run out and the dispensary has a shortage yet, without them, he cannot doze off. the nightmares still plague him, their visions visceral, and the witch thinks it has something to do with the curse attached to his arm. that's why he's sat in this garish cafe, a large cup in front of him filled with nothing but shots of espresso...

felix doesn't seem to notice a familiar figure, eyes trained on the table, expressions somewhat blank when asa speaks up. there was little reaction, not an ignorance - as if he wasn't heard before felix blinks and looks up. the whites of his eyes are tinged pink from broken blood vessels, fingers trembling where they rest on his legs.

his mouth opens, nothing comes out. what's he even trying to say? what did asa even say? felix's brain is dredging through sludge to find and form something. anything.

"just leaving," the amount of cups near the full one says that he's clearly been here a while.

there was nobody for felix to invite round, so he had to be content in his own company. he clicked his tongue as she put the flask back away, wishing instead the two of them were slightly buzzed in order to get through this boring ordeal but, alas. amy offered gum, he obliged, chewing on the stick and disliking its minty flavour. "i could go for lunch," he agrees with a hum, still trying to focus on what he was doing to little avail. "i can't stand another half-hour of this,"

he licks his lips and stops at the sudden admittance that he was considering putting a stop to their arrangements. it goes against moral grounds. "a vampire is talking to me about moral grounds?" felix spat out, so suddenly angry at perhaps being told no. if this stopped, he'd have to find someone else, and that would take time he didn't have. fear made him act like a cornered rat, ready to lash out ay anyone. "i use them in rituals. sometimes they do not go correctly, and the amount of energy destroys the objects in question. that is all," it is a good enough description of what does actually happen.

And Asa is on his knees, now, and looking up at the man who's taken him many times, touched him with their faces drawn down in concentration. Eye contact away and shifting. Focusing on other things. But his nearly black eyes stay trained on Felix this time, simply to see what it does. Perhaps he's feeling extra needy today. He's not sure what possesses him.

He doesn't answer. His cheek rests on the man's knee as he watches him with his unsettlingly dark gaze. One of his hands reaches to one of Felix's legs, to trace the inside from knee up towards his thigh. "Does that mean you'd like me get up?" He simply asks as his fingers spread and he squeezes his thigh over his pants.

But then the witch has to specify. Not for me, for others. Sure. Asa doesn't say anything about that. He just watches the other continue to scan pages and pages of the old book. And he sees Felix's tiny little smirk and he has his own growing in the quiet of the room. Every so often the copier makes its scanning noise, and a paper pops out.

Finally he stands himself up. He moves closer, to the desk with the computer. But instead of sitting on the tabletop again, or standing, he lets himself sink to his haunches in front of Felix. A hand sits on the man's knee, and he gazes up at him with his dark eyes. "I feel as though you must consider me a little bit charming." He protests - the perfect angle, looking up through his eyelashes as his hand squeezes the other's knee gingerly, fingers splaying just a bit. A larger smile forms and reaches his eyes.

felix hasn't known many vampires, and wonders if they all have eyes like that, completely void of light, eyes of predators and killers. it's interesting, or perhaps it's only asa. something is said to him, the hand on him carefully squeezing his knee but felix doesn't hear anything but the chugging of the copier-printer setup.

the witch swallows, caught out suddenly, not reply immediately. what did he say? think, trying to remember what words those lips made. the longer the silence stretches on, the worse it seems to be.

"you know what isn't charming? fishing for compliments," said as if to try and remind asa of his place in this. that really, they are barely friends.

A slight blush spread across his cheeks as he nodded, “yeah, I don’t know if I was good before I became a siren or not,” he commented.  “Just one big tail is a bit hard, you know, to um maneuver.”  The siren tried to explain, other sirens made it seem so easy, but he had a hard time figuring it out without falling to the side.  “Do you come out here a lot to swim?  You like it?”

“Cool name, nice to meet you.

"you've forgotten" he pointed out the obvious though, with confusion clear in his voice. how? felix found it very odd, and therefore very curious, suddenly not as miffed with the siren in the water with him. it sounded detrimental to the fact he was built for the ocean.

"not here, particularly. the indoor pool is still under repairs so i'm forced here," though felix was finding he preferred it.

Felix's sarcasm just makes Asa smirk. He's used to it - and he'd made the bad joke first anyways. Plus, it feels more like it's coming from a peer. Felix isn't exactly the type to go off socializing at parties either. At least, not to Asa's knowledge. He does wonder how that would be. Outside of the library for once, seeing Felix somewhere... normal. A bar or pub, a social event. Hm.

"Some?" He flushes, fingers gripping the table he's perched on a little tighter. How does he do that? It's wild how Felix can utterly ignore his existence and then shoot a few sideways compliments his way and Asa feels his chest pound. "'You aren't terrible' is certainly a compliment coming from you." He points out, though he's wordlessly thinking about how he's called him endearing. Charming. Silence for a second. "You think I'm charming?"

but this is his mess. he solves it, or he doesn't.

the witch falls silent again, another page turned as another loads up onto the computer for printing, listening to the cogs turn in asa's head as he really thinks about what's just been said to and about him. there's a smirk on his face, tiny, knowing it would be something like this. a part of felix just likes to see him squirm, really.

"i think your persistence and awkwardness could constitute for charming, yes," he hums in response. "not for me, for others," there it is, the compliment is only back-handed as usual.

needs must.

"isn't it a little odd? to be licking the trees like that. are you unwell?" felix needed her tears, and hoped she was the type to be easily frustrated.