i'm why we have the rules

Rod carefully balanced the small carrier on his lap as the kitten inside mewed in complaint again. “I know,” he told her quietly. “I know, Kiara, just hang on there.” Eden had picked her out at the shelter and had named her after the The Lion King 2 character the same afternoon. He looked up as his name was called by one of the technicians and went into the room with a quiet thank you. He carefully set Kiara and her carrier onto the table as they waited for the vet.

@rodrikbarrett

As her session came to a close, Rod held her horse steady and lent a hand to help her down. She felt wobbly and sore, and a little ticked off she couldn’t take hand-written notes up on horseback. But being up there she could see why that was so. It was an interesting session that she really enjoyed, but probably would never do again. She pulled a small notepad from her back pocket and a pen from her front left pocket, and put pen to paper. “So Rodrik, tell me how you got into hippotherapy, if you will? Was your coordination poor as a kid?”

Rod offered the woman a smile as his other hand stayed still on the reins, even when she was down. He motioned for her to follow him as he led the horse to the stables. “No, it- Well, yes it was,” he admitted with a small chuckle. “Yes. I think I’m lucky I’m a fae or I would have died a long while ago. But that wasn’t anything to do with it. I actually went first into drama. I ’knew Shakespeare and went into Broadway, but cameras and phones really tanked my career. But I had always had an interest in people and animals. I wanted to understand and to help, and the more I could work with animals, the better it would be. So I found this a while back.”

“Oh fun, I’ve built… I think… six buildings in California. Maybe eight. I presume she is healthy now?” she asked, features darkening through her brows knitting and a slight frown. “Oh, he could kick your ass, sweetheart. I’m sorry, but he’s… built like a bull, should I say.” She didn’t want to get into detail, so she left it at that as he wrote his info down, then Charlie smiled at his obvious compliment. “I could, babe,” she said with the raise of her left eyebrow. She listened thoughtfully as – Rod – went on. “How do animals help therapize children? Through relaxation? Nurturing?” She was genuinely asking. She knew what hippotherapy was, but just the dictionary definition. “I dunno, its the most stable place for me, hon. There are people here, you know? As you said, about your niece. But there’s… so much more out there, as well. And I’ve lived a long damn time but still have only seen a fraction of it. It’s a wonder, is all I’m saying.” She didn’t mean to get so philosophical, but he had asked, right?

“She is, thankfully. We even found her mom in town.” Rod laughed heartily and nodded his head. “Alright, that’s fair. That’s fair. Honestly, a lot of dudes could kick my ass and I am aware of that fact. I  am immortal with no survival skills.” It was a great exaggeration but given that it sounded funny, he was, of course, going to say it. It was how he’d made it on Broadway, after all, by being as dramatic as he could possibly be. He handed the photo back to her and said, “Yeah, they relax them and make them feel safe. Typically it helps them open up and talk to me. It also gives them something to do, you know, brushing the horses and stuff. I also run a small theater for them so they can act and have a distraction from everything going on.” He nodded his head as he thought about it. Lethe seemed to fit the bill. It really seemed safe and secure, which wasn’t something you could say about a lot of places.”I agree, completely. I’ve experienced a lot but nowhere near what I can and what I will. It’s pretty fucking cool. But you’re right; Lethe feels really stable. It’ll be good for the whole family and I can see how it’s good for you too.”

Ramsey chuckled as she stood up to address the new visitor in the alley. “ Well I do love this little trash panda, but not in a romantic way. He’s sort of my free range pet who wont come out of the dumpster. “ She laughed. “ Um- yeah okay. Can I see your credentials” She asked tilting her head and giving him a half smile, before moving out of the way “ Whats your name?”

Rod grinned and shook his head, coming to kneel beside her at the dumpster. “Rodrik. Rod. What about you?” He made as if to pat his pockets then snapped his fingers and shook his head in mock despair. “Damn. I forgot my ID at home. I am a hippotherapist though, uh, I use horses to help people through stuff. I have... A lot of animals at the ranch. It escalated. I couldn’t say no to the animals, my niece wanted more, and I couldn’t say no to her either so here we are.” 

“Oh, girl I was in the army with turned out to be Tilda Ballantine, a witch. She grew up here so she recommended it to me when she found out I was a lich. We were in an explosion and I… well, wasn’t scratched.” Henri shrugged as if it were as normal as the Sunday paper. “You’re a fairy?” she asked, grin widening across her features. “I’m kidding I’m kidding. Don’t wanna hurt any straight man’s image.” She snorted at his explanation. “If I’d have used the mace, you’d have bawled your eyes out, pretty boy. I didn’t scare you nearly as much as it woulda hurt. When you take criminology courses they ask for volunteers that wanna test it out. The minimal amount of mace, and it still hurts for hours, son.” 

“Well, hey, thank you for your service then.” Rod offered her an appreciative smile that quickly went to a grin that feigned wounded as he threw his hands up. “Wow. Fairy? Also, no straight man’s image here. No part of me is straight, alright? Pansexual and fucking proud. Talk to me when you sleep with a famous playwright of the same gender,” he shot back playfully, deciding then and there that he had found a new friend. “You know, I do make it a habit to avoid mace. It just doesn’t sound like a good time, y’know?” 

“New? You travel far?” she asked, easily pulling a ballpoint pen from her pocket–she came prepared, duh. “I’m Charlie, he’s Greys–Grey. Wyatt Grey. That’s what he goes by nowadays,” she said, forcing herself not to call him by her love name for him. She first put the polaroid gently between her lips, held the camera in her left hand, and handed the pen over with her right. When he took the pen, she easily took the photo from her mouth and handed it over to him. “Actually, yes. But I’m stronger than him,” she smirked. “So I’m interested to know, what does a good looking guy like you do to end up in a dump like this? Are you being punished? Surely you’ll leave when the winter comes around?”

“All over,” Rod said honestly. “This time from the Bay area. My niece was getting treatment.” A shadow crossed briefly over his face, the memory of Eden’s illness and the terror he and Nolyn had shared returning to him in that moment. God, it had been... It was something that he never wanted to talk about again. “Grey. that’s a badass name. He sounds like someone I might be scared of,” he said with a grin. He scrawled his name on the bottom of the photo, adding his number below it. He took a second to appreciate the old-fashioned writing that easily expressed his age. From the way she spoke about herself and her partner, he guessed they might be as well though. He handed the photograph back. “You seem like you could kick anyone’s ass so I’m not surprised.” He grinned at her words, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Nah, no. We’ll be here a while. My niece needs stability, my brother found his old girlfriend, my niece’s mom actually, and nothing could make me leave that kid. Besides, I’ve got a fucking sweet setup, really. A ranch over at the edge of town, lots of space, tons of animals. I’m a hippotherapist, so I basically help people - mostly kids- work through trauma with horses and other animals. I take it this isn’t your favorite place though?”

When: Mid-morning, 16 August, 2020 Where: Some backwoodsy place near the Barrett property  Who:  @rodrikbarrett​

Space. A thing too many people couldn’t afford, and had just forgot how to have, in this age of cities crammed to bursting and manicured parks. The rise of industry had seen the end of wildness. Fionn would know. He’d watched it happen. Like sitting in on your own vivisection. That’s how it had felt, no word of a lie. Perhaps he wasn’t tied to that world, not like some were; he’d known nymphs, seen them wither and fade as their trees were cut and their rivers poisoned. Maybe that was the particular curse of being a fae thing in a time that didn’t much care for magic: lasting, to see all you knew fall away. The free, fenceless world had been his home, after his own threw him aside. Seemed to be getting smaller every day, now. 

Not that Fionn liked to think too much about such things. 

It had struck him, though, as he smoked his way through these unfamiliar woods, wishing he had more than tobacco to keep him company. Perhaps it was all he’d been running from the past few days. His family, that is. A daughter he’d hoped to stay far away from, for her own sake. A nephew, a bloody nephew he hadn’t even known he’d had. News of his brother, his sister, and more besides. A gaggle of them. Christ. How? How was it, exactly, that they’d all turned up here? By chance? Seemed rather too fucking unlikely. And yet. Just his luck. 

The forest rustled, wavering in a heady summer wind. The kind that smelled like more storm. On another day, that would have sent his blood a-racing, giddy with the splendor of his season, his time. Now… well, he wasn’t in the fucking mood, was he? Huffing smoke, Fionn considered his options, his uncertain map. Heading back to that corpse-botherer wasn’t at all appealing. Nothing against the man, besides that they were family. And he lived too close to the dead. Where else? A snort, a clip, a clop, spun him round. Of all the things - he’d got his wish, hadn’t he? Company. A dappled grey mare, tramping through the ferns, ears flat. Too glossy to be wild. 

Just his luck. This looked like the start of an apology; he’d take it. “Lost, are we? You and I both,” Fionn smiled, slowly, steadily, as he offered out an open palm. Grimacing, at the stretch on his stitches. A soft-lipped mouth bumped at his fingers, then his shoulder, those deep, dark eyes blinking slowly, calmly. “You’re being missed, someplace,” Fionn ran his hands down her cheeks, her nose. Tried not to think too much about that, either. Nobody with any sense was missing him, not anywhere. “Want to see me home, hm? Show off your place, somewhere with a good, strong roof?” She did, it seemed. And he didn’t even have to ask her to take a knee and help him on, with all those stitches to mind. Settled in, bareback, a loose hand in her mane, he gave her speckled shoulder a pat. “Go on, then.” His ride started off through the trees, at a steady, rolling pace. Going noplace fast, but. At least he wouldn’t rip anything open on the way. 

The rain was just starting, in big, fat drops, when they stepped out into a broad, fine clearing, criss-crossed by neat fences, sprawling out around a farmhouse, some stables. She didn’t need any nudging on. Fionn let her set the route, firing off a swooping whistle as they came closer to the outbuildings. She wasn’t bothered by the racket. His creatures never were. Just people. “I’ve a horse, here,” he called, squinting through the drizzle. “She seems to think she’s yours…” Pity, really. She’d have made a lovely wild thing. At least she looked cared for, though. Loved, as she should be. “You missing a mare?” 

Rod had been inside with his niece when the storm hit. He needed to check on the animals, and he had anxiety punching through him during it. But he could hardly leave Eden alone. The moment that Nolyn got back, Rod kissed Eden on the cheek and clapped his brother on the shoulder in pure relief and looked at him for a long moment before running outside to check on the animals. And the barn door was open. Oh shit. Oh shit. 

After doing a quick headcount, he quickly moved outside to find the one missing horse, but, thankfully, he didn’t have to go far. “Oh thank god.” He reached out to run his hand over the fur on her cheek before pressing his head to her, breathing quietly in shaky relief. “Thank you.” He looked at the man with wide eyes as he shook his head slowly. “God, that- I was with my niece, I couldn’t leave her and-” He stopped himself, trying to stomp out the desire to explain himself. “Thank you, really. I was afraid she might be out there freaked out. She’s been calm through most of it, but, I haven’t had her that long so.. You just never know.”

She felt bad, but just made a silent face at the strange man with scary-blue eyes when he exclaimed and nearly jumped out of his skin. It was just mace…

“Well… shut up. I didn’t know the term lich, okay?” she whined. He stared at her continuously so she rolled her eyes. She had to start somewhere, right? In making friends, introducing herself, whatever. “I died in the 90′s, okay? I don’t even know what happened, I think I got hit by a train or a car, to be honest. I don’t have any scars, so I’m guessing blunt force trauma… anyway, yeah the not-aging thing was weird, but I didn’t know what the hell was going on with me. Now I have a word for it, a label, a reason. I can learn about werewolves and vampires and… what are you? Oh, I’m Henri. Sorry for almost making you cry.” 

Rod grinned widely as he chuckled, though the truth was lich was a new term to him as well. “That’s pretty great to finally have a reason. I can’t imagine what not knowing must have been like. How’d you find your way here?” He really couldn’t imagine it; he had known what he was for his entire life. “I’m a fae, knew my whole life. My parents are fae, my brother, my little sister. Dunno what my niece is though could be anything.” He left out the part where he had yet to meet said younger sister. And it was exaggeration about Eden, she wouldn’t turn out to be anything but. “And, for the record, you did not almost make me cry. You made me shout. Huge difference.”

Fae’s stopped aging at certain points. Meredy happened to have a long while to go before she stopped, her parents had always looked fairly young too, and she had— she had brothers. She only knew them from pictures, they were out traveling about the world as she grew up. Still, her parents had spoken about them all too often. During those years, those horrible years, sometimes Meredy dreamed they could come and rescue their parents and their little sister. Then, their parents died. She stopped dreaming and took action. Still, ever running into them wasn’t something the girl ever planned for. “You’re him.” She spoke, not taking a moment to even be discreet. She glued their faces to her memory when she was young. Her parents ( their parents ) had said, You never know where you may find those boys. “You’re Rod.” She doubted he would even recognize her, had they even met before? Maybe when she was small… “I’m…” She struggled because should she have even opened her mouth to begin with? But— “My name is Meredy.” She spoke. 

Rod’s brows furrowed as his eyes focused on the young woman staring at him. The truth was, she looked familiar as if he was supposed to know who she was. But he couldn’t place her. Until she told him her name. It clicked instantly, and Rod jumped from the bed of his truck easily. “Meredy? Oh my god. Oh my god.” He moved closer, breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of her.  He had never met her in the flesh, had always felt horrible about it. But life had always been in the way and then... Then his parents had stopped responding. It wasn’t too alarming, they had all been alive too long to stay in constant touch, they always found their way back. But it had made it hard to find his way home for a visit. “Oh my god, what are you doing here? Oh my go- Are you okay?”

location: downtown Lethe time: 7:47pm date: August 2020 status: open

“Please don’t get splattered, I don’t have the supplies to clean blood off my shirt,” he says, yanking an individual back from the road before some car careens into them. Its not entirely their fault, the car should have stopped half a mile back, but said driver clearly has less control than a startled horse. A little bit their fault for not paying attention. The driver sticks a hand out the window as if sensing his initially thoughts, raising a finger to them as they continue driving, and Wesley watches it, bemused. He releases the person’s shirt a second later, stepping away and raising his brow. “Someone out there really doesn’t like you. Friend of yours?”

"I like to think," Rod answered easily, "that everyone is a friend of mine." He watched as the jackass drove away with a quirk of his eyebrow. "But you know, I should probably cross him off the list." He glanced at the guy with a grateful smile. That really had been closer than he would normally like to admit, and he could hardly help his family with a broken back. “Thanks though man. I’ve been alive way too long to go out like that without feeling like a complete dumbass. I’m Rod, by the way,” he offered, holding out his hand.

Nolyn grinned at his brother, then gestured Rod to follow him. “C’mon, few more boxes then a bit of furniture. We’ll have to go shopping once we settle in and figure out what we want, what the space looks like…” He knew he was rambling, so he walked through the open door to the truck in the driveway to pick up some boxes. This one was of books that belonged in the den downstairs. “Anyway, find any possible dames yet? You’re always on the prowl, little brother. Its a gift, I believe. Really.” That was why they had agreed in the first place that he would sleep above the garage. Just a little more privacy. They didn’t want to hinder Eden at all, nor Rod, so that was one of the reasons why they chose this property. They really lucked out. 

Rod groaned, tilting his head back as he shuffled his feet towards the boxes. “Your big brother bossiness is stifling me,” he complained loudly, even as a grin found its way onto his face. He grabbed another box of books and rolled his eyes affectionately as he teased, “Uh, excuse you. Nobody says ‘dames’ anymore. Your age is showing.” It wasn’t true, of course, he had heard plenty of people still use the term and Rod knew many girls who liked the sound of it still. “Also, don’t slut-shame me, you big prude.” He followed Nolyn into the house and set the boxes in the den. He turned easily and went back into the truck, grabbing a box and passing it to his brother before picking another one up for himself. “But no, actually. Not yet. Been focused on getting us all moving, I guess. And also, not just dames, you know. I am an equal opportunities lover, I don’t go in boxes like all of this stuff.” Sometimes he had to wonder if Nolyn ever got tired of his constant banter, constant smart-ass responses. But he had to assume that his brother was used to it.

Location: Anywhere outside

Date: mid-August

Time: Around midnight

Status: open

She was enjoying her new job of being on the force, and as a lich she didn’t need to sleep, so why should she go home when the work was, well, at work? Henri finally closed down the computer some time after midnight and set out to go home, keys jangling before she buried them in her right pocket.

There was something about reading about the supernatural and things that go bump in the night. She knew she could kick ass, but she heard someone walking, but couldn’t tell what direction it was from. She refused to turn around, so she walked a little faster. Finally, abruptly, she turned around and raised her voice, probably too loud for the neighbors. “I have mace and I will shoot you in the face! I swear to God if you’re a werewolf or… wait. I can’t die. What the fuck?” Sure she knew she had pretty good luck, invincible was a good word for it, but immortal? She was in her fifties but still looked twenty-eight! She’d be like this forever? Apparently thats what liches were, and she had no other explanation for it so she just had to trust Odette and the other council members. 

"Oh, good God!” Rod jumped immediately, though he was a little irritated at himself right after. “You scared the absolute shit out of me,” he scolded breathlessly, settling a hand on his chest as he exhaled. “What in the fuck are you screaming for?” His voice was still loud, on edge, but he could feel laughter bubbling up as he realized there was no threat. The truth was that he had been exploring the town, anxious to know every inch of it. He’d been here for a few months, but not enough to really know it yet. 

He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her consideringly. She must be new, maybe even new to being supernatural in general. “Is that just now occurring to you?” he asked as his breathing returned to normal, a teasing tone appearing in his voice, even though he knew that a lot of people didn’t take kindly to being teased by strangers. He had never learned that lesson properly.

Brynn had heard of a new family in town, buying a ranch. No doubt they needed a few more hands. Her son was an adult but he still lived under her roof, and she was sure Javi wouldn’t mind the involuntary job–hell, or volunteer. No, that would be downright abuse. She pulled up near the sidewalk then sauntered towards the stranger. “I hear you’ll be having animals around here. Need any extra hands? You see my son thinks he can take a semester off school without getting a job or applying for a transfer out of Lethe–cold feet, I get it. But he needs to get his ass workin’ and what better way than breaking his back? No offense, sir. Oh, I’m Brynn! My son is Kane Harper,” she said, reaching a hand out to the man and stepping towards him. She didn’t usually introduce herself to new townsfolk, but two brothers and one daughter? What was the story there? She liked gossip though she feigned disinterest. Therefore this was a rare case of ‘you have something I need, or rather, my son needs, and I need to communicate this transaction that I want to take place.’

Between himself and Nolyn, they had managed to keep quite a bit of savings even with Eden’s illness. So hiring someone? He hadn’t thought about it yet, but he could. “How old is he?” Rod thought about it as he nodded his head consideringly. “You know what? Yeah, I can definitely find work for him. Horses take a lot and I don’t even know what else we’re going to end up with, honestly. I want to interview him, it’s hard work, and I need to know that he’ll do it.” He smiled at her before holding out his hand to shake, barely remembering to wipe it off first. “Nice to meet you Brynn. I’m Rod. You know, why don’t you and your son- and any other family- come for dinner with me and my family some time? I know it’s supposed to be safe here, but I’ll be honest, the rest of the world isn’t and my family is the most important thing in my life. I need to make sure I know who’s coming and going around here. I’m sure you understand.”

It was good that Nolyn trusted Rodrik with his life, and somehow his daughter’s life as well. He smiled as his baby brother pulled Eden from the floor and she giggled playfully. “Oh? Is this before or after you kidnap my daughter to buy a surplus of flea-riddled pets? Yes, I know you well enough,” he grinned. Yet somehow Nolyn knew they would be happy here, this was a place for them to be themselves. So what if they were an odd little family, they had love, and no matter how cheesy that sounded, love trumps all. He shook his head then went towards his daughter, scooping her up as she yelped with joy. “How many pets do you want? Four? Five? Ten? Twenty? Rod here is gonna spoil! You! Rotten!” he exclaimed, throwing her up into the air like a baby each time and catching her by the waist before letting her back down. She had a fun dad and an even more fun uncle, but it was basically a tie in Nolyn’s mind. “Baby, bring that box up to your playroom. You remember which it is, right? I want you to unpack a little,” he said, rubbing her back and guiding her towards the stairs. Eden nodded and made her way slowly up the stairs. Nolyn looked at his brother. “I think she’ll be happy here. I think we’ll be happy here. Your judgment was very good this time, Rod. Very good.”

Rodrik laughed loudly, rolling his eyes easily at his brother in return. “Oh please, you’ll love all of those “flea-riddled pets”, and by the way, that is so cruel to call them that. Rude. Eden, your daddy is being rude.” His eyes sparkled with mischief as he watched his older brother grab his niece, leaning against the wall easily. It was true; he entirely intended to spoil his niece rotten. She had pulled through something horrifying and he was never going to take the small girl for granted, never. No matter what she turned out to be in the end, whether she took after them or after her mother or neither, she was always going to be loved beyond anything else. He looked up at his brother before following them towards the stairs. “I think so too. I think... This place is going to be good for all three of us.” A silent you too hung in the air between them for a long moment. Nolyn had been a caregiver all of their lives, and sometimes Rod worried that he didn’t even know how to have anything for himself anymore. Maybe that was why he had Rod, to remind him that he was just a man underneath the older brother and father.

“Hey we spoke on the phone. I’m Shiloh, head of the animal shelter,” he began, coughing because of the dust and dirt and oh God this was why he never left the house. “You are Rodrik, yes? Interested in… I don’t remember, what it was now… everything?”

Rod grinned lightly and jumped easily off of his truck, landing in the dirt with a light thud. “That’s right,” he said cheerfully as he brushed off his hand on his T-Shirt before holding out his hand. “Sorry about all the... This,” he added, noticing the man cough with a slight line of concern appearing on his brow. “Are you alright?”

It seemed like a quiet night in Lethe but since she moved to the town, every night seemed rather quiet. Ramsey was still getting used to thing’s and it was strange for her to not feel like she was so clearly the odd man out. Her whole life she felt misplaced and the safety of the commune was no longer a sanctuary. She had to simply exist. It was why she had been just keeping to herself at first.  It was proven her first impressions weren’t always great and she really liked Lethe so far. It was also why she was currently talking to a raccoon that was under a dumpster. She was convinced it was the same one from behind her apartment and that it was following her. “ You have got to stop doing this. People are going to start talking” Ramsey chuckled as she tried to coax the trash panda out from it’s spot with some leftovers she was bringing home. “ We should stop meeting like this buddy”

Rod paused as he heard the words, his brow quirking slightly in amusement. He turned his head slowly towards the alley, seeing a blonde talking to something under the dumpster. An animal maybe? Probably. “Am I witnessing a secret love affair right now? Cuz I promise to keep it to my grave.” He moved closer slightly, not wanting to scare her to the probably-animal. “Need a hand? I’m pretty good at this stuff. Typically.”