Aaron had woken up two hours early to set it up. He only ran into a couple of hiccups, but he had it programmed with about 60 minutes to spare, which was exactly what he needed.
He carefully climbed back into bed and studied his wife’s face. Mona was a pretty motionless sleeper, as were most vampires. Sometimes she had, as she did now, a small crease in between her eyebrows when she dreamed. He gently pressed his thumb to her head to smooth it out, and Mona instinctively snuggled into Aaron’s side, draping her arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer. He smiled into her hair and held her close. She smelled like a fresh summer’s day: like fresh baked bread and lemongrass. He wrapped a finger lazily around one of her dark curls as he waited for his plan to unfold.
As the light steadily crept into the room, he felt Mona stir, squinting her eyes as a mortal would if the sun was waking them up. He smiled slightly as he saw Mona have the same thought and her eyes shot open with a start, but Aaron held her fast.
“Amore mio what-“ she said in panic before she caught his smiling face. He wasn’t panicking.
“Good morning,” he said softly, brushing a thumb across her cheek.
Mona’s head knocked to the side. The turn of phrase wasn’t unusual, but the room steadily growing lighter was. Aaron’s heart was steady, and he knew Mona was listening to it to gauge her own reaction to the situation.
“Look,” Aaron prompted, snuggling deeper into the pillows and pulling his wife with him. She went easily, though a confused expression still painted her face.
She looked out, though their clock reflected the late hour of sunset, a…sunrise? Was coming through their blacked out window.
She watched with wide eyes, looking at her husband.
“Aaron what is-“
“Shh,” he said whispered, “just enjoy it, Mona.”
She cautiously looked back out to the room. It was slowly but surely getting lighter. The warm orange and yellow light engulfed their room, filling the space with soft light.
Aaron looked at her as she watched. He had tested out when it had first came, and his reaction was much the same. Mona watched with a reverent silence, eyes wide. He could see red tears creeping into the corners, and Aaron kissed them away.
“How?” She whispered, taking it in.
Aaron grinned then. “Technologies come a long away.” He gestured to the window. “It’s not the real thing, but it’s pretty damn close, I think.” He explained, “a simulator, I was able to program it to reflect the live feed from the news station. It’s a delay, of course, but this was this morning’s sunrise.” He gestured to the room, “it will reflect each days sunrise when we get up in the evening,” he paused as she took in his words.
He brushed some hair away from her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I know how much you miss it,”
“I love you,” she whispered in reply, snuggling into him. He wrapped her in his arms.
“Ti amo,” he replied.
They spent the rest of early evening bathed in sunlight, falling in and out of sleep.
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Aaron wasn’t exactly surprised to see Teale come into his room with a forlorn expression, but it had been a few weeks since it had happened.
Teale looked pensive, as if she were a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Aaron closed the book he was reading and regarded her, a sympathetic smile on his face.
“Outside?”
Teale nodded, playing with the hem of her shirt.
Aaron slid out of his nest of pillows and blew out the candle that was on his nightstand: no need to catch the house on fire while he and Teale were cleaning up, and he wasn’t sure how long they’d be gone. He wasn’t terribly worried about his home catching fire nowadays, what with the advances in fire systems, but old habits die hard.
Aaron considered Teale as she lead the way to the backyard. She had come a long way since he first found her in that alley, draining that random man far too close to the mortals for comfort.
For the past couple of months, Aaron felt comfortable enough to let Teale go hunting on her own; she had far more control than she had, and was on a pretty good no-kill streak. Looks like they had to reset the tracker this evening, Aaron mused, as they rounded the corner.
Not one, but two bodies lay on the grass.
Aaron let out a whistle as Teale tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
“I’m sorry,” she said “I got carried away and I’m not sure what happened.”
Aaron shrugged, crouching down before digging in the men’s pockets for some ids. He and Teale would make it look like what happened to them was accident closer to their home. Which, Aaron realized, it kind of was.
“It happens,” he consoled. “It takes practice, and you were doing well. It’s okay to slip up every now and again”
Teale’s brow furrowed. “I thought I’d be better at it by now, is all.”
Again, Aaron shrugged as he picked up one man, and motioned for Teale to do the same.
“It’s easier when you’re not starving,” Aaron replied. “Next time you’re hungry, let me know and we can go together. I’ll show you a trick a learned about 50 years ago.”
Teale let out a shaky breath and nodded as she picked up the other man. Then she followed Aaron into the night.
Bruce and Aaron
Aaron smothered a laugh as Bruce stepped out into the night where Aaron was waiting for him. He looked positively uncomfortable in the garb that Aaron had provided.
“This is stupid.” Bruce grunted, brushing the feather of his face.
“That’s what you get for not coming with me to the store.” Aaron shrugged. “You could’ve had some onus on your regala.”
“Regala this is not,” Bruce replied as they walked up the path to the entrance. “This is cheap fiber and synthetic dyes. I’d rather just wear my clothes.”
“Yes, well.” Aaron shrugged again. “We fit in,” he said, sweeping his hand across the crowd that was filing into the renaissance festival. Mortals were filing into the venue, for the extended hours of this particular fest.
“Why do you even like these things?” Bruce sniffed.
Aaron grinned, fixing his own lapel. “Unlike you and Mona, I didn’t get to experience it. So this is the closest I can get.”
Bruce rolled his eyes. “I can assure this is nothing like the real thing.”
“Of that I have no doubt,” Aaron conceded, “but I like the joust,”
At this, Bruce’s eyebrows shot up, “A joust? A real one?”
Aaron nodded, “Well, they don’t use real weapons for battle, but the weapons are metal and the chance of being hurt is very real.”
Bruce pursed his lips, though there was a bit of a bounce in his step. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
As Zarrus laid back on the bed to think, he couldn’t get that stanza out of his head. As the rest of group went about their ways for the afternoon, Zarrus took the opportunity to be alone with his thoughts.
A storm was coming, as Handler mentioned, and he feared his friends were going to be caught in the middle of it.
The Silent Master, was acceptance, as KC inferred.
The problem was, is Zarrus couldn’t accept it. In looking back at his past, he couldn’t analyze it without a hot iron poking at his heart. Layla and Anri would be here right now if it wasn’t for Laban. He was funneling out assets to Ilmater knows where, and ignored the Illness that had taken hold of the Temple until it was too late.
Until they were gone.
Zarrus had proof then. It wasn’t strong proof, but it was enough that the Ilmateri should’ve continued to look deeper. It should’ve put Laban on some sort of probation. But he wasn’t, and Zarrus didn’t keep the letter he had found, that suggested some air of mishandling. He wasn’t sure what had happened to it, but he had a suspicion that Laban could have had something to do with that, too.
In the years leading up to his excommunication, he felt the eyes of the Mothers and Fathers of the Temple looked at him with sympathy, some of them even had the weight of pity. They tried to reason with him: It was Ilmater’s will to call back Layla and Anri; why would the Exalted Sufferer of Baldur’s Gate ever do such a thing, he’s a just leader steward; it couldn’t have been prevented. Zarrus understood that they were coming from a place of love, and he also understood that they would never take him seriously, and that was the worst of all.
Zarrus pressed his palms into his eyes until he saw white, shaking off the memory.
It had been years since his excommunication, and he knew deep in his bones, from his horns to his tail, that Laban was up to something nefarious. He was always keeping his eye on the next step up, the next position past his own station. Nothing inherently wrong with that, Zarrus reasoned, but Zarrus also knew that Laban would do anything to give his ambitions a leg up, even if that meant betraying the Temple, and betraying Ilmater.
Ilmater.
Zarrus had asked his god, point blank, if he knew about Laban. And his god affirmed that he did.
So why wasn’t anything happening?
It’s not the way of the gods to meddle directly in the affairs on the material plane. Zarrus knew this. It’s often why gods chose mortals to act as levers, imbuing power to them to serve their causes.
Zarrus couldn’t let go of his anger toward Laban, not yet. Not when there was so much that could be happening, and so much at stake.
Aaron would be lying to himself if he said that he didn’t like the hunt. It was in his nature, and he wasn’t egotistical enough to think it wasn’t in his DNA to enjoy it. That being said, blood bags were way more convenient; easier to get, less messy, and he could mix a cocktail as he is often want to do.
But every so often, Aaron dolled himself up, and let himself enjoy his nature.
Summer was melting into fall, and the days were slowly, but mercifully, getting shorter. The college students were back in town for the start of the semester, and late night parties were picking up as upperclassmen showed out to the new freshmen.
Mona was on holiday in Europe, and Bruce didn’t have a phone, so Aaron had absolutely no idea where he was, though he had a hunch he may have been in Greenland. Teale was in New York, so Aaron was flying solo this evening. Not that he minded.
As the moon rose, Aaron poured one half of the aforementioned blood bags into his carbonator and ran a hand through his hair. He found it amusing how longer hair on men had come back into vogue these days, and he considered tying it back before shaking it out again, letting it fall where it liked. He brushed his teeth and unbuttoned the top few clasps of his shirt. By the looks of it, Aaron was ambiguously college aged, though he hardly ever had to worry about being turned away at a party.
Aaron downed his drink before heading out into the night.
______________________________________________________________
It wasn’t hard to find a party. Honestly, it would’ve been harder to not find a party. Aaron simply strolled the neighborhoods near one of the universities until he found one that seemed promising. A house nestled in between the others was absolutely bustling with activity. Students floated in, out, and around the building. Aaron could immediately smell the alcohol, and it didn’t take supernatural hearing to hear the thump of the music that echoed throughout the home. Aaron whistled softly as he scooped up a discarded solo cup off of the ground and followed behind a gaggle of girls who were making their way to the backyard of the home. Nothing in the rules that said he had to be invited to an outdoor party; that was strictly reserved for residencies. One of the girls glanced behind her at Aaron, and did what can only be described as a double take.
“Hi,” she smiled, tapping her friend’s arm beside her as she gave him a drawn out once over. “Who do you know here?”
Aaron smiled easily, as he did so many times before. “Oh,” he said, craning his neck around them to feign interest in the party beyond. “I’m friends with John, he’s in there somewhere.” If Aaron had learned anything, it was that there was always someone named John.
The girl nodded emphatically as the group made their way into the backyard. “And what do you study?”
“History,” Aaron replied, “Yourself?”
The girl giggled, pleased with herself that she was holding conversation with him. “Biology,” she answered, biting her lip as she not-so-subtely tried to shoo her friends away.
She could do the job, Aaron had decided, but the amount of alcohol in her system would’ve dulled the taste that Aaron was after. And besides, if he went with the first human that he interacted with every time, he would be home well before sunrise.
And where was the fun in that?
“Cool.” Aaron replied, tipping his head. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, indicating to his empty cup. “I need a refill.” He felt her practically deflate behind him as he made his way deeper into the party. He moved through the crowd easily, taking in the smell as he did so. He wanted someone perhaps a little intoxicated, preferably had had a meal within four hours, and wasn’t enthralled in someone else. Aaron took a deep breath through his nose as he let his instincts take over.
Too drunk; hadn’t eaten anything but coffee and a banana about ten hours ago.
Diabetic; Aaron’s personal preference, but was engaged in full conversation with a group of people.
Sweet; but definitely pregnant.
Aaron opened his eyes as he locked on his chosen target. A little tipsy, smelled like they had heightened blood sugar. He could tell that they had recently eaten something sweet, perhaps pancakes. Regardless, they smelled incredibly tasty, and Aaron felt his mouth start to water as he strolled up to the cooler that had jungle juice in it.
“Need a refill?” the human said, a shy smile on his face.
“Please,” Aaron nodded, handing his empty cup over. The boy looked up and blinked at Aaron. He was tan, and had chocolate long hair that framed his face well. His nose was roman, and his lips were thin. His brown eyes blinked again behind his glasses. Aaron inwardly laughed as he imagined this guy’s brain short-circuit.
“Y-Yeah, ‘course” he said again, taking the cup and filling it, before handing it back. Aaron intentionally let their fingers brush against one another as he took the cup with the smile.
“Thank you,” Aaron replied, making a show of checking him out. He nodded toward the house, “This your party?”
The guy shook his head and shrugged. “No?” he said, the word lilting at the end as if he wasn’t sure. “I live here,” he clarified, “But it’s my roommates’ party.”
“I see,” Aaron smiled, to which the guy returned it. “I’m Aaron,” he said, reaching out his hand.
“Dominic,” he replied. Aaron let his hand linger on Dominic’s a little too long, until Dominic pulled it away, blood rushing to his face. He cleared his throat. “So uh…what do you study?”
Aaron laughed. “History,” he replied, leaning over just a touch more than necessary. “Are you on drink duty all night, or can I convince you to step away for a moment?”
This is where Aaron was thankful for the natural allure that vampires have developed. He had evolved to smell good, he had evolved to take up space, to demand attention by a human. To draw them in. He didn’t have to do a lot of extra work. Of course, he could, if he desired. But he was hungry, and he was burning nightlight.
More blood rose to Dominic’s face, and he wordlessly dropped the ladle he was holding and pressed his hand into Aaron’s open one, letting himself be led away from the drink station. Aaron led them around the corner of the house, next to a side door, and pressed Dominic against the house gently. He could keep him there, if he wanted, but he found that blood always tasted better when it wasn’t taken forcefully.
“You okay?” Aaron asked softly, leaning into Dominic while one hand was placed on the house paneling beside him, the other gently bringing his chin up.
“Yes,” Dominic said immediately, flushing. “I just don’t uhm, normally do this.”
“Hook up with guys?” Aaron prompted. Dominic laughed, pulling Aaron’s hand down and lacing their fingers together.
“Hook up at all,”
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Aaron promised, gently stroking his meal’s chin. He paused before inclining his neck softly, brushing his nose against Dominic’s. “Is this okay?” He asked.
Wordlessly, Domenic closed the gap between them, humming lightly. He tasted like maple syrup, confirming Aaron’s suspicions about the pancakes. As if plucking cords on a guitar, Aaron lightly played with Dominic’s pant loops. Dominic paused, and so did Aaron.
“This is just, uh,” Dominic breathed unevenly. “A little compromising of a hiding spot,”
Aaron grinned, looping his fingers through Dominic’s pant loops.
Exactly what he’d been waiting for.
“Are you inviting me in? He asked, pushing the bangs back from Dominic’s face.
“Hell yeah I am,” Dominic confirmed, using his free hand to turn the knob of the door behind him, taking Aaron’s hand in the other.
His turn to be led, then.
The party inside was just as uproarious as it was on the outside. The lights were dark, the music was thumping, and laughter was trilling.
Dominic lead Aaron throughout the house, leading him up the stairs, and through a previously closed bedroom door. It was a tidy room; decorated on a college budget, but it was clean as Domenic pulled Aaron towards the made bed. Aaron’s knees caught himself on the edge of it as Dominic laid beneath him, eyes bright as he waited for Aaron to make his next move.
As Aaron leaned down and resumed kissing his meal, he couldn’t help but think of his wife. Long ago, before science had invented blood storage in the mid-1900’s, he and Mona had l established their boundaries when it came to acquiring a fresh meal. It was next to impossible to get a human to willingly let a vampire get close to their neck without a little seduction. There was always the femoral artery, which arguably had a better blood flow, but that was impossible without seduction. Nothing ever went further than kissing, and Aaron and Mona had complete trust in each other in this regard.
While nothing ever went further, Aaron did often have to play it up a bit.
As he kissed Dominic, he let his hands play with the button on Dominic's jeans, while Dominic’s hands laced through Aaron’s hair. Aarons smiled against the warm skin as his kisses migrated to Dominic’s chin. Aaron undid the first two buttons of Dominic’s shirt, and a small moan escaped Dominic’s lips. As Aaron’s lips met Dominic’s jaw, he gave him a little, non piercing bite.
“You like this?” Aaron asked softly against his neck. He felt Dominic nod against him, and he kept planting kisses down his neck until he reached his destination; the carotid artery. Aaron could practically see the blood pumping through the skin, faster as Dominic’s heart rate increased with their exploits. Aaron pulled his hand up to cradle the side of Dominic’s head before biting down.
Flesh pierced so easily, Aaron mused, it was like cutting through butter. He heard Dominic gasp lightly before arching into Aaron, eager to get closer. Aaron knew that the side effect of a vampire bite was like ecstasy to humans; it’s often why they didn’t pull away once bitten. While all part of the natural design, he couldn’t help but wonder why more didn’t pull away. It was so antithetical to the human fight or flight response. He couldn’t really remember what went through his mind as he was bitten as a human. Perhaps the bite overwhelmed the human nervous system to such a degree that it confused the brain, making it think that it wasn’t actually losing any blood. Aaron made a mental note to look into the literature later.
As the blood poured into his mouth, Aaron’s grip around Dominic tightened. It was warm, and had an undertone of sweetness on account of his high blood sugar along with a hint of whatever liquor he had been drinking. The flavors danced beautifully on Aaron’s tongue, and it was delicious. There truly was nothing like it right from the source, and Aaron understood why some vampires never switched to bags. It was akin to comparing whole milk to skim; both did the job, but one was so much richer and much more satisfying.
Aaron kept tabs on Dominic’s blood flow, and stopped when he sensed that he was about a pint and a half in. It took him a long time to get the timing right, and a lot of unfortunate souls along the way. Luckily for Dominic, tonight was not one of those nights.
As he came up for air, Aaron bit his thumb and allowed a drop of his own blood the drip onto the damage his teeth had caused. He rubbed the blood in gently, and the marks quickly sealed over, leaving only a slight red, irritated mark as evidence. Dominic, on the edge of passing out, moaned softly.
Aaron cupped his cheeks in his hands before coaxing Dominic to make eye contact with him. Aaron connected to his mind, and smiled as Dominic’s eyes glazed over, ready to hear any instructions that Aaron had for him.
“We had a great time,” Aaron soothed, and Dominic nodded. “You don’t remember my name or my face, but you’ll wake up feeling a little hung over, and a little embarrassed that you got carried away, but ultimately proud of yourself,” he instructed. “You’ll get up and get a smoothie that has a lot of antioxidants and iron it, a lot of kale.” Again, Dominic nodded. Satisfied, Aaron rolled up off the bed, and watched as Dominic rolled over, breathing deeply as he slept.
Aaron collected the blood on the corner of his mouth as he headed home, full and happy.
Addy has had a chance to join the Hunters of Artemis, and this is that
Obviously we did not proof read who do you think I am
The first time Artemis visited Addy, she was 13.
It was only her second summer at Camp, and while she hadn’t actually had any of the infamous demigod dreams up until this point, she knew immediately that she was in one when she woke up in a field, under a tree, with no shoes.
Addy sat up and blinked, rubbing her eyes before looking around. Not too far off, on a stone, was a girl her age, dark hair in a pony tail, and a dainty silver ringlet on top of her head. It looked like she was carving something out of wood.
Addy stood warily.
“Having a restful sleep?” The girl asked, still concentrated on her task. Addy looked behind her, to nobody, and pointed at herself.
“Me?” She replied. The girl laughed.
“Yes, Adeline, you.”
Addy bit her lip, “I think so.” She paused. “Can I ask who you are?”
The girl nodded, waving for Addy to come closer.
“I have a lot of names,” she said, “though my brother would call me Doofus, probably.”
Addy wasn’t sure she should laugh, so she didn’t. “Do you…” she trailed off, “want me to call you that?”
The girl blinked and looked at Addy. Then she laughed. “Oh that’s funny,” she giggled. “No, you may call me Artemis.”
It was Andy’s turn to blink, “Artemis like the-“
“Yes,” Artemis smiled, putting her hand up, “but such formalities are unnecessary here. I’m in your dream, after all.”
Addy looked around, “and why is that?”
“To offer you a position,” Artemis supplied, “as a Hunter,”
“Oh,” Addy said with surprise. Of course she had learned of the Hunters of Artemis is Chiron’s classes. They had even come to Camp the previous summer. They were all nice and cool and capable.
“But I’m 13?” Addy replied with a lilt at the end, as if it was a question.
Artemis simply nodded, going back to her carving.
“This I know,” she said. “But most of my Hunters are, though some are older, and some are younger. It just depends on when they join.”
Why would Artemis ask Addy to be a Hunter? She wasn’t particularly good at strategy or fighting or even Capture the Flag.
As if reading her mind, Artemis spoke up.
“You’re quite skilled with the bow,” she said matter of factly. Addy flushed and shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ear
“It’s about the only thing I’m good at.” she replied.
Artemis looked up from her carving then, right into Addy’s eyes.
“That’s not true.” She said with such a definitive tone that Addy was almost inclined to believe it. “You have quite a knack for the healing side of my brother’s patronage.” She continued, “having you in the fold would be an asset.”
Addy rubbed her arm, “Thank you,”
There was a pause before Addy spoke up again, “Do I…need to answer right now?” She asked.
Artemis shook her head, standing from her spot on the stone she was sitting. While she was physically shorter than Addy, she felt so much older.
“No,” Artemis said softly, before placing the carved item into Addy’s hand, closing her hand around the trinket. “But think about it,”
When Addy woke up the next morning, there was a wooden crescent moon in her hand.
——
The second time Artemis had visited Addy, she was 17.
It was the same field, and the same dream, with the same shoeless Addy. While she hadn’t been here in years, Addy knew what this place was. She sat up and sure enough, on the rock, as if she had never left, was Artemis. Addy got up and dusted herself off, before bowing at the not-so-twelve-year-old.
“Lady Artemis,” Addy greeted.
Artemis inclined her head towards her with a nod, “Addy,” she replied.
“It’s good to see you,” Addy offered. And it was.
“I have to admit,” Artemis said, scooting over on the rock to allow Addy to sit. “I thought you would have taken the oath by now,”
Addy allowed herself to smile.
“I have thought about it,” Addy replied, “especially when Kai is annoying me.”
Artemis wrinkled her nose. “Right, Demeter’s son,” she continued. “If I recall correctly, you didn’t seem to like him at first”
Addy smiled, “He grew on me,” she said fondly, and let out a little laugh, “kind of like a weed”
“Indeed,” Artemis replied.
The two sat in silence for a couple of moments, looking at the vast fields of the dreamscape.
“There’s still time, you know,” Artemis offered, “the Hunt still stands.”
Addy nodded, “I know, Lady Artemis.” She folded her hands. “I just also know that I’m not sure if I can make a decision right now,” she admitted. “Forever’s an awful long time.”
Artemis smiled slightly, “I’m well aware.”
Addy nodded, “And I’ve kind of been looking at schools for next year with Oscar and Kai and I were thinking about next steps and there’s just,” Addy paused, “a lot to think about.”
Artemis nodded again, “I understand,” she assured. “But while the offer stands now, it may not stand later,” she said, looking at Addy.
Addy nodded, “Yes ma’am.”
Artemis nodded once more, seemingly satisfied with Addy’s answer.
“Very well,” she said. “Thank you for keeping my token, I’m very proud of that one.”
Before Addy could respond, she woke up to her alarm.
——
The final time Artemis had visited Addy, she was 22.
Artemis was still in the field, and still on that rock when Addy approached her.
“Lady Artemis,” she greeted.
“So I suppose you’ve decided,” she said by way of greeting, gesturing to Addy’s hand, where an engagement ring was sitting.
“I have,” Addy confirmed, sitting down as Artemis moved aside. “I’m sorry to disappoint you,”
Artemis shook her head, “I am saddened, but not disappointed,” she assured.
She paused. “I do not hate men, as so many like to believe,” she continued. “But it is my duty to protect my maidens, and all maidens.”
Addy nodded in understanding, “and I’m sure the Hunters know how fiercely you fight for them,”
Artemis smiled at that, then looked at Addy’s ring. “Are you pleased with it?”
Addy held out her hand to the light to look more closely at the ring, smile on her face.
“Yes,” she affirmed, “he did a good job. I think Marcie and Gloria helped him with it,”
Artemis nodded in approval. “As they should.”
Addy nodded, “Though,” she said, “we do want kids.” She looked at Artemis, “and as the goddess of childbirth, I will be praying for your guidance, if you’ll allow me.”
Artemis smiled, placing a hand on Addy’s cheek. “I will be listening.”
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As the group made their way steadily back to Baldur’s Gate, Zarrus couldn’t stop his mind from wandering back to the dream.
It felt so real, and so familiar. The garden, the monastery towers, the council members, even Laban. Perhaps it felt so familiar because he had lived it, or at least, part of it.
He had been excommunicated before, and he wouldn’t put execution past Laban if it served his means.
Ilmater though, that’s what jostled Zarrus to his core.
The isolation was immediate, and it was nothing that Zarrus had ever felt. In that moment, a candle had been blown out so suddenly, and so coldly. It wasn’t gradual, it just was-as if Ilmater had never been there. There was an ache that Zarrus couldn’t name, like when he had broken his arm when he was young and the dull pain lingered while it healed. But that ache he had felt in his soul, and no amount of chewing medicinal herbs would make it subside.
It cold and enduring, and he never wanted to feel it again.
When they had figured out the trap they were weaved in, of course it made sense that Ilmater wouldn’t leave him. Of course, regardless of the Church and regardless of those who led it, Ilmater endured, it was ludicrous to even think otherwise.
And yet, Zarrus had. Even if it was fleeting in a dream-Zarrus had thought Ilmater was gone to him.
Did that make him unworthy? Did that mean that it could actually happen, not in a dream?
Zarrus tried to push the possibility away from his mind, but it kept cropping up like an unwanted weed.
No-it couldn’t happen. Even if it could, it wouldn’t. Ilmater is the most forgiving of the pantheon, surely other followers had stumbled in their faith. It was embedded into The Prayers of Repent, Zarrus reasoned. It was accounted for, and acknowledged. Mortals would always stumble.
And Zarrus had met him. Not in the ideal situation either time-but Ilmater was always there. Always welcoming, and always comforting.
No, Zarrus’s faith in Ilmater would not falter, and Ilmater would not abandon Zarrus.
It wasn’t often that Tally felt truly alone anymore. Usually she was always there, in the back her mind, her soul, like a weighted blanket. Sometimes (maybe most of the time) it was comfortable, welcome even. Other times (more often recently) it was suffocating, and Tally wanted nothing more than to be able to rip it off of herself.
It wasn’t often that Tally was alone, but when the blanket was lifted, she took advantage. She wasn’t sure if Penny was hanging out in whatever plane she was from, or if she had other souls to attend to, or how long she was going to be gone for, but Tally never wasted any of it.
So when that blanket fell back onto her, Tally sucked her teeth as she continued her reading, trying her best to focus on the words in front of her.
It wasn’t long until Penny manifested next to Tally, sitting on the bed and swinging her legs. Her hair was long and brown, the same way it had always been. She was Tally’s age; she was always Tally’s age. Tally wondered if she did that on purpose, or if it was unconscious on Penny’s part. Penny looked like any other teenager, and if other people could see her, they wouldn’t be able to pick her out of a crowd. Tally often wondered what Penny actually looked like.
“Whatcha reading?” Penny asked, lazily glancing over Tally’s shoulder. Tally shrugged into Penny’s eye-line, though she knew it didn’t really make a difference. She could almost feel Penny frown as Tally turned the page.
“History,” Tally replied shortly. It wasn’t technically a lie, but she also didn’t have the energy to make up some excuse as to why she had picked this particular book. She had a lot of homework to stay on top of, and Myrddin Wyllt’s teachers weren’t exactly accommodating. But it wasn’t like she had made it easy for herself either.
As the book started to float towards Penny, Tally snatched it out of the air.
“Dude,” she said, glaring at the entity.
Penny’s eyebrow arched and she frowned more deeply. She flicked her hand and the book flew out of Tally’s and into hers.
As Penny looked at the book, her gaze turned from slightly annoyed and amused to a dark glower.
“What the fuck,” Penny paused, “is this?”
Tally crossed her arms after she stood from the desk. “You’re ancient,” she replied, “you can read.”
Penny smiled tightly, before blinking and setting the book a flame. Tally would have been worried about the fire alarms of the dorms going off, but Penny’s black flames only burned what she wanted them to.
Tally swallowed but stood her ground and Penny hopped up off the bed and sauntered over, that thin smile pressed into her face. She was as tall as Tally, and Tally wondered if that was in purpose too.
“Find anything interesting in that history book, Tally?” Penny asked, punctuating her name in a way that made Tally’s skin crawl. Tally didn’t bother trying to move out of the way, Penny was faster. They both knew that.
Tally shrugged. “Some stuff.” She said, following Penny with her eyes until she stopped right in front her.
“Please share.” Penny prompted, leaning in. Tally swallowed again.
“Found some interesting stuff on beneficiaries,” she said, meeting Penny’s eyes. Her pupils immediately blacked over, leaving no whites nor iris to them. Her true eyes.
Penny leaned in closer, Tally could see the black flames start steaming off of Penny. Had she been corporeal, her clothes would’ve caught.
“What,” Penny asked slowly, “do you think you’re doing?”
“Weighing my options,” Tally replied through gritted teeth. She saw Penny’s jaw tighten further.
“And why would you do that?”
Tally lip curled. It was moments like these that she cursed her younger self. How could she have been so stupid? Sure, she didn’t know what she was doing, but what 15 year old does? Had she just looked at her other options instead of at Penny, who by happenstance came into her life, she might be a very different place.
“Maybe I’d like to look at a future that doesn’t involve you, Penny.” she shot back, punctuating her name the same Penny had.
Suddenly Penny’s hand was on Tally’s jaw. Tally knew that with just a slight press of her finger, Tally’s jaw would snap. Tally tried to pull her jaw away instinctively, but Penny’s hand wouldn’t allow it.
“You’d be dead if it weren’t for me.” Penny snarled. A real snarl, that came from that back of her throat. “You’d be nothing.” She yanked Tally’s face towards hers. “I own you. Got it?”
Tally met Penny’s black gaze again, and decided, not for the first time, to not pick this fight. Yet.
“Got it.” Tally grunted out.
Penny held Tally’s gaze for a moment, before her eyes returned to normal, and released Tally’s jaw before giving her a light tap on the cheek.
“Good,” she said brightly. “Now get to class.”
Tally shrugged on her jacket and left her dorm, Penny in the door. Though she knew she wouldn’t be alone for long.
Zarrus wasn’t really sure what he was looking for, just that he had to find something. Something had to be in this office that proved his hunch correct. The majority of him hoped he was right; that there was a reason he was in Laban’s office, snooping. Another, smaller part, hoped that he was wrong. He had hoped that the letter he found two years ago had been, somehow, a figment of his imagination. That Laban actually had no idea what he was talking about when he brought his accusation to the High Priest.
The letter. The letter that Zarrus stupidly didn’t hold onto after the investigation was complete. He’s not sure what happened to it. The only evidence that he had the Illness wasn’t dealt with in a timely manner. Zarrus kicked his younger self for not keeping it after Labon’s ordination into Cardinal.
Since that day, Laban and Zarrus’s relationship had been…tenuous at best, and aggravated at worst. Zarrus still wasn’t ordained, but he was close. Maybe when he was a Priest he would have more sway; he would buy his time, gather more evidence that maybe he couldn’t reach as a monkling and–
“Tremain.”
A cool voice rocketed Zarrus out of his thoughts. His head jolted up, papers in hand.
Zarrus immediately recognized that this was not a good look.
“Cardinal Laban I-”
Laban held up a hand in silence. “What, pray tell, are you doing in here?”
Zarrus remained silent, clenching his jaw. It was clear what he was doing. He knew it, and he knew that Laban knew it.
“I see.” Laban said with a slow nod, steepling his fingers together, that, misinterpreted, could qualify as threatening. “You know,” he continued, walking through the office until he was leaning over his own desk, “Snooping through a Cardinal’s private office is frowned upon by the conclave.” He paused, waiting for Zarrus to continue. When he didn’t, Laban pressed, “What were you looking for, Zarrus?”
Zarrus met Laban’s eyes with his own. Laban’s mouth pressed into a thin smile of acknowledgement.
“I see.” He said simply, straightening up. He waved his hand dismissively. “Get out.”
Zarrus swallowed before walking around the desk to the door. “Yes, Cardinal,” He replied through gritted teeth.
“Oh,” Laban continued, turning around to look at Zarrus. “Not of my office. Of the temple.”
Zarrus’s eyes widened while Laban’s shined with something that Zarrus couldn’t name. Hatred? Pleasure? Vindication? It didn’t matter.
“Wha-” Zarrus started, but Laban cut him off.
“You’re not fit to be a Priest of Ilmater.” He continued as he began to tidy up the papers on his desk.
Zarrus let out a shaky breath as Laban’s words sank in. An order to vacate his spot at the Temple meant-
“You, Zarrus Tremain, are hereby excommunicated from the Temple of Ilmater. You have one hour to gather your things,” the cardinal said, looking at Zarrus, that same thin and tight smile across his lips as he regarded the blue tiefling. “And get out of my temple.”
Zarrus felt his stomach jump up into his throat and back down again. He felt like he would puke and pass out at the same time. Most betraying, he felt tears prick in his eyes as he tried to slow his shallow breathing. He swallowed. No. He wouldn’t let Laban have the satisfaction. He was a Cardinal, and had the jurisdiction to excommunicate him, but he wasn’t Ilmater.
Ilmater knew the truth. Zarrus knew that in his bones.
It’s just that Zarrus didn’t know what that truth was yet.
He blinked back tears and squared his shoulders before nodding curtly.
“Justice endures.” Zarrus said, just loud enough for Cardinal Laban to hear, before disappearing down the corridor.
Time had gotten away from Aaron. In his defense, time didn’t really mean anything to him anymore. Five years felt like one; ten like two. Time stopped meaning so much when you yourself stopped aging, and so you stop keeping track.
Also, he had been working. Both his human job as a contract coder and continuing his work of helping newly-turned vampires not go on a killing rampage while helping them adjust to their new eternal lives.
Regardless, it was time to make a trip to visit family.
His family was buried together in a nice little historic cemetery near the middle of the Jamestown District. Aaron always made sure that there was money in the city’s coffers to aid in the upkeep of the cemetery and keep it well kept.
The surrounding historic Jamestown had a quaint walking tour led by the local historical society which ended at his desired location; the cemetery, and Aaron always took the time to meander with the last group of the day, right as the sun was setting. He liked to make sure they had their facts straight, and it was nice to see the young tour guides take an interest in the history of the town.
This particular tour guide was bubbly and well informed. Her chestnut hair in a high ponytail bobbing along as she earnestly told fun facts interspersed with the historical facts. She was engaging, and the people on the tour (mostly middle aged folks), were intently listening.
The tour guide, who introduced herself as Samantha at the beginning of the tour, brought the group to a stop in front of the cemetery.
“Jamestown Church” Samantha began, “was constructed from brick in 1639 and is one of the oldest surviving remnants built by Europeans in the original thirteen colonies.”
She went on as Aaron studied the church. He and his family would go there for services when he was a boy, sometimes three times a week. His family was buried in the graveyard on the grounds. He was never one for religion, especially now. Though he did find himself reminiscing about playing on the grounds and through the pews with his older brothers.
Because it had not been an active church since the 1890’s, Aaron had no issues being able to step foot on the grounds, which he was thankful for.
The tour group wound its way deeper into the cemetery and through the headstones as Samantha gave facts on each of them, until they stopped at a headstone that Aaron immediately recognized.
It was his.
Or rather, his family’s.
He had paid for a nicer tombstone that had all of their names and dates engraved on it, replacing the one that church provided when the last member, Samuel, was buried there. Aaron, of course, was not in the ground, but it had been assumed that he had been taken by coyotes or a mountain lion when he was turned. Aaron’s name was the first added to the tombstone by his father, more of a symbolic gesture than anything, but Aaron appreciated it.
“And that ends our tour” she paused, “On a personal note,” Samantha grinned, “This tombstone, the Shepard’s, are my ancestors.” Aaron blinked. “Samuel Shepard is my 5th great grandfather.”
Aaron blinked again and stared at this human girl. She couldn’t have been more than 17, doing this summer job for extra money. She had the subtle jaw line that reminded him of Samuel, though clearly her other features were from her mother’s ancestry. But her eyes were the same light brown of his brother’s.
Had he really been away for long enough that he didn’t know that he had a surviving niece? Was he even sure that Samuel had a family? He must've; or maybe just had too good of a time in a brothel? Aaron needed to dig into this when he returned home to Chicago.
As the tour group dispersed, Aaron approached Samantha.
“Wonderful tour,” He said earnestly, holding out a $100 bill as a tip. Samantha’s eyes widened.
“Oh,” she said, shaking her hand, “this is too much of a tip I can’t-”
“Take it,” Aaron said, putting it in her hand, “I insist.”
“Well thank you,” She said, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
“It must be something to know your family is buried here,” Aaron mused.
She nodded with a grin. “Yeah it’s neat,” she continued. “I really only started reading about them after my dad did one of those ancestry DNA tests and found out we had ancestors buried here. They evidently used to have a farm on the outskirts of town.”
“Very neat,” Aaron nodded. “Nice headstone,” he said, tilting his head.
Samantha nodded again, “Yeah, the historical society got a huge anonymous donation like 100 years ago to clean up the cemetery and replace some of the headstones, the Shepards included.” She shrugged, “Hope they like it.”
Aaron nodded, “I’m sure that they do.” he promised before backing up. “I hope you have a great night, Samantha,” he said with a wave.
She gave a small one back, “Thanks, sir.” she said, before she turned back to the group, accepting any tips that they offered her.
Aaron nodded to himself as he walked down the historic cobbled stones. He made a mental note to start checking in on Samantha every so often, in the same way that he did with Samuel, all those years ago.
Aaron liked Forsaken Bluff. It was a mostly sleepy little town that suited Aaron just fine. Additionally, because the town catered to supernatural folk, they often had warm blood on hand. That always made his journey back from the California territory of Mexico easier. It wouldn’t be long before it became a state territory, Aaron reasoned; it had too much value as a resource haven for the Union not to take notice and ultimately grab it for itself.
His time in California was good; he and Bruce always had a good time. He also took the opportunity to get to know the other vampires in the area; one never knew when it would come in handy, and Aaron liked to keep tabs.
But it was time to head home. He had some affairs to attend to back in Jamestown. He needed to check on his younger brother, Samual. Though younger was a relative term at this point; Samual would be about 45 now, Aaron mused. Far older than Aaron himself would ever get. And “checking in” as Aaron saw it, was probably far more unsettling to a human than a vampire. Aaron loitered around his family’s farm, of which Samuel was now the owner. He would hang around for a couple days, watching his brother, before leaving a monetary gift on the doorstep before disappearing. Aaron never left a note, nor did he stick around to see Samuel find the envelope. He simply left, trusting that Samuel would do what he needed to do with the money.
Hopefully invest, Aaron thought to himself with a snort before entering the saloon. While the stock market was less than 20 years old, Aaron sensed that it was going to be quite popular, especially as his contacts in New York were involved in the original market in Holland.
“What will you have?” The bartender asked. She was tall and tan. Her blonde hair was bound at the nape of her neck, the scar on her lip bending with her smile.
“A glass of A-” Aaron smiled, taking a seat at the bar.
The bartender grimaced. “Sorry darling,” She apologized. “I’ve got AB+ and O-“.
“O is fine,” Aaron assured, waving his hand.
The woman nodded. “Want anything in that?”
“Uh,” Aaron mused, “Bourbon, if you don’t mind.”
“Make that two,” said a new voice to Aaron’s right. He looked over and smiled.
Vampires, generally, were beautiful; it was a natural part of their arsenal to catch prey. When turned, a human’s most attractive attributes were heightened, to better draw in their next meal. Aaron was used to seeing beautiful vampires.
But this woman was something else entirely.
Her deep, rich, dark hair was coiled elegantly on top of her head, with wind whipped strands framing her face. Her equally dark eyes drew Aaron in immediately, and he knew that those eyes had seen centuries of life already. Her lips…her lips were a soft pink and would no doubt gain some color with the blood cocktail that was placed in front of her and Aaron.
She was alluring.
“Hope you don’t mind that I swooped in,” she said, picking up her drink.
Aaron blinked, “No, of course not,” he assured, putting 2 half dollars on the counter. “My treat,”
She smiled, craning her head over to a quiet table in the back. “That’s kind of you,” She said softly. “Care to join me?”
Had Aaron had a heartbeat, it would’ve skipped several beats.
He picked up his own drink before following her to the table. He beat her to it and pulled her chair out for her, which she took, tucking the seat of her dress underneath her as she sat.
The other nice thing about Forsaken Bluff, Aaron mused, was that he could move as freely and quickly as he desired without fear of repercussions.
“What brings you to Forsaken Bluff?” the woman asked, taking a slow sip.
“Passing through,” Aaron supplied, “Coming from California, and you?”
“Heading to,” she said with a smile. ”meeting some acquaintances there,”
“Are you traveling alone?” Aaron asked, some concern in his voice.
She laughed. “Yes.” She paused, taking another sip. “It’s 1810, after all. And I can take care of myself,”
”Of that I have no doubt,” Aaron agreed. “Where is home?”
“Italy,” she said, glancing out the window, “have you been?”
“Not yet,” he admitted. “There’s so much to explore here,” he said, gesturing around, then grinned. “But I have time.”
She nodded. “Plenty of time.” She agreed, finishing her drink and offering her hand. “I’m Desdemona de Leon,” she introduced herself. “And you?”
“Aaron Shepard,” he replied, taking her hand and pressing his lips to the back of her hand. Her eyebrows rose in bemusement.
“A true American then,” she mused.
Aaron nodded. “Yes ma’am, born 15 years before the War, turned in 1781.”
“Oh very young,” Desdemona commented.
Aaron shrugged and smiled easily, “Plenty of time to explore,” he agreed. She smiled back. It was like the sunrise Aaron hadn’t hadn’t seen in 30 years.
“Well, Mr. Shepard,” She said, standing up. Aaron aimed to follow before she lifted up her hand, “Please, no need to rise on my accord.” She said, holding up a half dollar up. She smiled. “Your next drink is on me. Thank you for your company.”
Aaron nodded with a smile. “Will we meet again?” He asked, eyes meeting hers.
Her dark eyes met his and a smile played on her lips. She opened his palm and lightly placed the coin in it before curling her fingers over his to close around it.
“I’ll make sure of it.” She promised.
And then she was gone. And Aaron was out of breath.
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“Do you want to fight?”
Justin blinked, looking up from the sudoku puzzle he was working on, hair falling into his face.
“What?”
“Do you,” Tally repeated, pausing between the phrase, “want to fight?”
Justin shifted to face her from his spot on the couch, Archie snoozing lightly next to him. Cat and Guy were out doing something, and Tally had opted to work on her current case on his living room floor. Better floor-space, she had claimed the first time she had done so.
“Like, vocally, or physically?”
“Physically.” Tally said, jumping up and dusting off her jeans.
“Why?” he asked with a chuckle.
“Afraid I’ll beat you?” She challenged with a grin.
Justin scoffed, standing up. “You couldn’t beat me when we were teenagers, what makes you think you can beat me now?”
It was Tally’s turn to scoff. “Excuse you,” She corrected. “There were several times you and your buddies ‘tactically retreated’” she said, framing the last part in air quotes. “Also, you’re a teacher now.”
He laughed, “What is that supposed to mean?” He asked. “You don’t think I kept up with it?”
“There’s no way you are in the same shape.” She argued.
“And you are?”
Tally shrugged, “I fight more than you on the daily.” she said, gesturing down to the papers sprawled on the floor.
Justin shook his head. “C’mon,” he said, gesturing to the door.
“Oh are you running away?” Tally teased.
Justin smirked. “No,” he said as he opened the door. “I just don’t want to break a window. We’re going to the roof.”
Tally grinned, cracking her knuckles before following him out.
—----------------------------
“Did you forget that stint I did as Batman for a hot second?” Justin asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Tally rolled her neck in preparation.
Tally shrugged. “Lifetime ago, Juice,” she reasoned. “A lifetime.”
“So are there any ground rul-” Justin began to ask, before promptly ducking a swing from Tally. “-Hey!” he shouted, spinning around as Tally readjusted herself, grin on her face. Justin matched her grin with his own, “Guess not,”
Tally lunged again, this time with a roundhouse kick to Justin’s side, to which he blocked with his forearm. He responded with a punch of his own, to Tally’s cheek. She ducked under it and hit him with a gut punch. But Justin was anticipating it and blocked. He had fought Tally many times before, and she was still up to the same tricks.
“You’re predictable.” He said as she spun around him.
“And you have a blind spot,” She replied before her fist clipped his jaw. Justin let himself fall to the ground while hooking his leg around hers, causing her to stumble backwards.
“And you’re overconfident,” He quipped back with a grin as Tally righted herself. He had to admit, this was making the same adrenaline rush over him, just the way it did when he was still Foot. But this was…different. There was no looming doom about it, it felt almost like he was back training with this squadron, back with Carter, Miller, and Bauer. Justin had always found solace in training; it was the only thing he had to concentrate on in those moments. Back then, he didn’t have to think about missions, or lies, or feelings-he only had to think about his body, and the task at hand. Now, there is considerably less stress in his life. Well, there was still stress: lesson planning, curriculum navigation and general child welfare, but no one was going to die.
And that felt nice.
It was Justin’s turn to go for a kick to the ribs, which caught Tally off guard. She grunted when his shin collided with her side, but pivoted to spin so that she was behind him. She went for his kidneys,but Justin rolled away in time before spinning himself and almost landing a punch on her jaw.
“Okay,” Tally grinned, as she blocked it. “I admit it, you’re still in shape.”
Justin grinned back “Duh,” He said as he blocked her next hit. “Gotta keep this temple in shape.”
Tally danced back and laughed. “Finally leaning into the hot teacher of it all, huh?”
Justin shrugged, “I’m warming up to the idea.” he said, subconsciously reaching for the place that his throwing knives would have been in his previous life. He had suspected that Tally would have lunged again by now, but she was biding her time.
She had grown in her technique, he realized with a realization of pride.
Just then, she lunged.
Not too much growth then, he thought, as he promptly flipped her to the ground. He winced as he heard the air get knocked out of her
“Ouch-” She groaned as she rolled up, clutching her left hand.
“Shit-ouch, sorry,” Justin apologized, clocking Tally’s pinky, which was not at an angle a pinky should be at.
“Comes with the territory,” She winced, getting to her feet. The fight was over, they both concluded.
Justin took her hand gingerly to examine it. She winced. He pressed gently where the finger was bruising. Definitely broken, but not shattered.
“C’mon.” He said, leading her toward the roof door. “I’ve got some splints and can reset it for you.”
“You know I’ve broken this specific pinky like four times?” she asked as she trotted down the stairs in front of him, as he closed the door to the roof.
“You need some milk,” He chuckled as they entered his apartment. She shrugged and went to hit the coffee on while Justin went to get his first aid kit.
babygirl the way you forsake your happiness on your relentless quest to vengeance, your complicated relationship with gender and the way you're covered in blood have bewitched me body and soul
The alarm made an aggravating noise despite Lillian’s best effort to will it into silence. She rolled over and the snooze button, knowing that it was a fruitless endeavor. All too soon, it went off again and Lily sighed deeply, before sitting up and scrubbing her face.
“I need to stop agreeing to night shifts.” She mumbled to herself. She glanced at the clock. 2:00pm. Twelve hours ago she had crawled into bed, and now, so soon, she was crawling out of it. Only twelve hours, she reasoned, until she could crawl back into it.
This is why your friends don’t see you. She thought to herself as he brushed her teeth. And also why you can’t keep a partner, she ruminated. Her mind flitted to the woman she dated briefly, but never saw. That was a good fling, even if it only lasted about a month; it was good for Lily, she reasoned. It helped her get over the heartbreak of the year prior with a man who was a doctor at her hospital, and now has to see once a week. Don’t date your coworkers, she reminded herself. Don’t date doctors, especially.
“Okay,” she told herself, bouncing on the ball of her feet as she dug through her scrub drawer. “Pull it together. Get some coffee,” She perked up at that. Yes, some coffee would do her well. She’s been working like a dog for the past two weeks, and she deserved a treat. Lily pulled out her clogs, her sweet, worn, clogs. She needed new ones, but that was for another paycheck.
She shrugged on her shirt and assessed herself in the mirror. Bags under her eyes; classic. Obnoxious cat scrubs; classic. Greasy but passable hair; also classic. She patted some baking powder on her roots before pulling it back into a bun. She had tried a low-pony tail when she first started working on the children’s floor, but found very quickly that babies and young children love to grab hair. She did, however, pull out a couple of strands to frame her face. She forced herself into a smile, and almost convinced herself that she had some energy before grabbing her bag and heading out.
—————-
Thankfully, the coffee shop was on the way to the hospital, making it very popular with the hospital staff. The coffee shop knew this as well, which enticed them to operate on longer hours, which Lily very much appreciated. She also appreciated that it was local and not a chain, which helped her to not feel like a shell out. They didn’t even have a loyalty plan, but if they did, Lily would’ve racked up free drinks many times over.
She willed away the exhaustion as she waited in line, eyes lidded.
“Excuse me,” A voice said gently, but brightly, behind her. “I think you’re up.”
“Oh!” Lily started, then laughed in embarrassment, “Sorry, drifted off there for a second.” She apologized, as she stepped up to the counter. She grimaced at the cashier and placed her order.
“Make that two, please,” The same voice said behind her. “On me,”
Lily turned attention to her coffee patron and blinked. He was definitely handsome, definitely smiling very widely at her, and definitely buying her a coffee.
“Oh,” She said quickly, raising her card, “You don’t have to do that,”
“Can I not buy a coffee for an essential member of society?” He asked, teeth almost too bright. Almost. His blonde hair ruffled in the wind; which Lily found odd, because the windows weren’t open. She blinked.
“We’ll, when you put it that way.” She smiled, cursing herself that she didn’t actually wash her hair this morning. She had barely managed to get deodorant on. She also suddenly regretted being the “fun kids’ nurse’, with her loud scrubs as opposed to opting for the solid ones. She also regretted waiting to buy new clogs.
She shimmed down to the receiving end of the bar, tucking some hair behind her ear. He really was handsome, she admitted to herself. He was tall and athletic, with fluffy hair and well kempt light fuzz along his jawline. Lily wouldn’t go so far as to say it was a beard, but a hint of one that really worked for him. His eyes were green with flecks of brown and gold, and he had freckles spattering his nose.
“And who do I have the pleasure of addressing this coffee to?” The man asked as the barista slid the two drinks across the bar. The man took her’s before she could, and politely held it out to her.
“Oh, Lily.” She smiled as she took it. “And you are?” She prompted.
“Ap-“ He started, and then trailed off. “-erol” he grimaced.
“Aperol?” Lily asked in confusion, taking a sip of her drink.
“Aperol spritz” He continued. “Is my favorite drink.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, and we should get one later,” He smiled in embarrassment, taking a sip of his own coffee. “That is, if you’re up to it.”
Lily smiled. So he wasn’t actually handsome and suave, she mused. He was a dork.
“I’d love to,” She said. “If you tell me your name.”
“Right,” He laughed. “My name’s Matt.”
“Alright, Matt,” Lily said, holding her coffee out for a cheers, “It’s a date.” Matt touched there cups together, “But after this twelve hour shift,” she amended. “And then 8 hours after that so I can sleep. I’ve got the next two days off after tonight, we could do something then.”
“How about a breakfast date?” Matt suggested.
Lily wrinkled her nose. “How early were you thinking?”
“I’m an early riser,” He grinned, as if he was laughing at his own private joke. “So why don’t you pick a time?”
Lily chewed her lip. “Okay,” she said. “Saturday, here, at 10am? Aperol spritz in hand?”
“I’ll be here with bells on,” Matt grinned. “Have a good shift.”
Lily curtsied her scrubs. “Thank you, kind sir. And thanks for the coffee.”
Lily walked out of the coffee shop, smile on her face. And, she was energized
“So,” Cat asked cautiously, turning to Tally, “Did the guys tell you all that?”
Tally shook her head, “Nope,” she said, popping her ‘p’. “I doubt they knew, to be honest. They were probably busy fixing their own personal timelines,”
“What I don’t understand,” Guy said, crossing his legs on the couch, “is why you need us in this timeline to stop us in the whacked timeline”
“Yeah I’m kind of fuzzy on that justification as well,” Justin added. “Can’t you just fly around and look for them without our help?”
“I could,” Renet started, “but I figured you would know yourselves the best, so you could help locate the not-yous faster,”
“But if they're in a different timeline we’d likely have different personalities and motives and junk,” Tally countered. “So we wouldn’t actually know what we were up to, because we’re essentially different people, right?”
“Was there like a turning event in not-us’s timeline?” Cat asked.
“If we’re going with the multiverse theory there could be infinite,” Guy replied. “So, yes. But also, no?”
“So Renet’s essentially back at stage one,” Justin supplied, “If she was aiming to get our help by asking us what our motives would be if we were not us-which we’re not. So,”
“The other thing is,” Renet added. “Is that we-”
“We?” Cat asked incredulously, crossing her arms, “This is definitely an ‘I’ moment,”
“-I,” Renet corrected with a sour look,”Don’t know where in their timeline they got pulled from. They could be your current age, or older or younger or like way older”
“How’s that?” Tally asked.
“Time is like a…” Renet trailed off, trying to find the correct words. “A weird, like, yarn ball?” She tried. “Realities and timelines can overlap and that makes it even messier when they interact. So-the not-yous could be any age when they were pulled from their reality into yours, I just don’t know.”
There was a long pause as the crew processed what had been presented to them.
Tally laughed. “In what way?” She asked, “It seems very much not our problem. We didn’t open a weird time hole in the yarn of existence.”
“But the wrong versions of us could make our lives a little messy,” Guy suggested.
“Oh shit,” Cat said, eyes widening in realization as she looked at the boys. “If any of the Foot see the not-yous around, they’ll know the you-yous aren’t-”
“Dead,” Justin said, with the same look of realization, looking at Tally. “So it is very much our problem.”
Tally scrubbed a hand over her face. “Let me call into work,” she mumbled, pulling out phone. “This might take a while.”
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Just wanted to play in space!! Idk how long it will be.
we post like MEN
“That’s not fair,” Tally pouted as the race came to an end. The camera zoomed in on Guy’s winning Koopa as the rest of the Crew’s characters lamented at their loss. “ That’s like the 5th game in a row. Did you mess with the controllers?”
“I did take them apart,” Guy conceded, “but I put them back together exactly the way they were.”
“Maybe you should just get good,” Justin suggested with a shrug, tossing some popcorn in her direction. Tally stuck her tongue out.
“Yo,” Cat chided, before taking the piece off of the floor and popping it in her mouth. “I just vacuumed,”
“Which you didn’t have to,” Guy assured, “We can clean our own apartment,” he said, gesturing to Justin, who nodded emphatically. To this, Cat shrugged.
“I got bored,” she replied as Tally stretched and got to her feet before going into the kitchen. This scenario was not an unusual one in Justin and Guy’s apartment. With each of their jobs keeping them busy, the Crew had decided that it was important to have a standing hangout, which was on Tuesdays. Of course, something could come up, but each of them tried to make it a priority, and as often as possible.
Ever since she moved out of the Lair, Tally found herself either there or here, in the boys’ apartment. She had to laugh at herself as she reached into the fridge for a soda; should she have even moved out in the first place? It was way cheaper to live with the turtles, and they were reluctant for her to go. And she was reluctant to leave. But Tally had told herself that it was something she needed to do, to ‘spread her wings’, or whatever. But going from the constant chaos of living with four people to suddenly living in a studio apartment by herself was…weird. Not unnerving, but weird. Maybe unnerving? But definitely weird.
Tally was brought out of her reverie by a yelp from Guy and a bright flash of light emitting from the living room.
“Did you blow up the TV?” she called, smile in her voice.
“Get in here,” Cat called back urgently. “Now.”
Tally immediately stood up straight and rounded the corner.
What she saw was her friends, standing at the ready. Cat, narrowed expression, remote in hand, ready to strike. Guy, on the floor as if he had been pushed back with a force, staring. Justin, with a sword that he had likely hidden somewhere stupid, at the ready. And a woman, dressed in a blue spacesuit, with a helmet and cape. Her Jetsons-cosplay had little watches studded throughout, all at different times. Her hands were up and her eyes were very wide in a clear -please don’t murder me- type of way. Well, one hand was up, the other held a staff, equally as blue and vibrant.
Just a regular Tuesday.
“I’m not here to hurt you!” The woman chirped in a rush. “I need your help!”
“Who are you?” Cat demanded, helping Guy up.
“And why are you in our living room-” Justin started, sword up.
“-dressed like a 50’s cosmonaut?” Guy finished.
“I’ll explain everything I just need-”
“Are you Renet?” Tally asked suddenly as she pieced it together. The woman, and the Crew, looked at Tally in bewilderment.
“Yes!” The woman-Renet-beamed.
“And who is Renet?” Justin asked, looking from Tally to the visitor. Tally shrugged.
“I’m not really sure,” she supplied. “I just remember the guys used to talk about-”
“The guys!” Renet squealed. “How is Mikey?”
Tally blinked. “Uh, he’s good.” she paused. “But, evidently she’s a time wizard?” she finished, her sentence lilting up at the end, as if she was unsure. Because she was.
“A what?” Justin asked with a blink.
“I prefer Timestress,” Renet interrupted. “But I’m still an apprentice so my actual title is-”
“Shut up,” Cat snapped, turning back to Tally. “What did the guys talk about?”
Tally shook her head, spreading her hands. “I dunno,” She continued. “It was something about a time wizard…different reality…timeline..thing? I’m not really sure. It happened before the guys and I met, but apparently there was a dragon-?”
“Yes!” Renet interrupted again, “Drako.” The Crew turned back toward the blue Timestress, and she grimaced. She paused, looking at them. “Oh, would you like me to-”
“Yes.” all four of them said at once.
Renet took a breath and nodded. “Okay, so long story short. A few years ago, I sort of kind of lost the Time Scepter-or it was stolen rather-by this dragon named Drako who totally hates my guts. And he stole it because he is power mad and yadi-yada-yada. All of this to say the turtles got involved because of the Battle Nexus Championship and then Drako got really mad about that and vowed revenge so he blasted the turtles through time and space to different realities but they got back and defeated Drako and restored their-your-timeline. Mostly.”
There was a pause.
“Mostly?” Guy asked hesitantly.
Renet sighed. “So the initial blast not only sent the guys into different realities and timelines but also left tears in a few others. So.” she continued, beginning to pace. She picked the popcorn bowl up off of the table and started speaking between bites. “Even though Drako is gone the tears were still left and Simultaneous-”
“Who?” Justin cut off.
“My boss.” Renet said with a dismissive hand.
“Right, the Time Wizard.” Cat deadpanned.
“Well he prefers Time Lord” Renet corrected. “But he got really mad obviously and put me on probation again which involved fixing the tears and I’m almost done but there is one that is still ripped.”
“Ours, I’m assuming.” Tally groaned, rubbing her eyes.
“But what’s that got to do with us?” Cat challenged, gesturing to the four of them. “Can’t you just wave your staff thing and fix it?”
“I have to be within so many feet of the target to send them back to their timeline.”
“And who are you dealing with, exactly?” Justin asked.
