#para;

The shopkeeper’s tone did not sound pleased. As Andy rounded the corner towards the front, she saw a young girl standing there with a pinched expression. Andy didn’t give a damn if this girl had actually committed petty theft. Who was she to judge? Stealing was how she and Alex had made a living anyway. 

In an attempt to get closer in case she needed to diffuse the situation, Andy began to loiter at a neighboring end cap, looking over the variety of multivitamins. The shopkeeper continued asking for the girl to empty her pockets, and Andy felt a surge of frustration. She thought about the woman who had intervened when Andy had gotten caught, and how she had lied through her teeth– something about being her’s and Alex’s older sister, and that they would never steal. 

She bit the inside of her cheek before turning around, staring down the man. “Why are you harassing my sister? She didn’t steal anything.” They could pass as siblings– both wearing a smattering of freckles and red hair, even if the stranger’s was cropped short. 

—

All Ren wanted to do was try. Try using that money thing that Emilio kept going on about, try buying something for a change instead of only ever fishing for not so moldy things in between banana peels and god knows what else found its way into a Wicked’s Rest dumpster. The nymph had been excited even. A chance to test out her newly acquired skills in friendliness. 

Apparently the shopkeeper didn’t care for the tactic. The man took one look at Ren’s raggedy outfit, listened to her sad excuse for a compliment, and mistook the ‘smile’ for a strange grimace. Put it all together and there you have it. A kid who was up to no good. The little redhead had spent a decent amount of time trying to decipher which of the snacks in the aisle was the exact kind Van had supplied her with the other night, which one had the strangely sweet and sour flavor. The one they said was fruit flavored but certainly was not. The shopkeep took this deliberation time as another act of delinquency. 

So he started yelling. 

All at once Ren was so small again. Was being chided for something she hadn’t even done. At first she tried to protest. Be open to conversation as it were. But that only raised his voice and added more fire to his tone until– 

Sister?? Her mouth must have dropped open. Ren felt like words were coming up, protest, but something caught her. The other girl’s look. It was similar enough to her own, but– there was no fae tug. Did she know something Ren did not? Had she been watching the nymph? How long had she– Was any of this even possible– 

Oh. It was… probably a lie. But… why? 

— 

The man glared at the two, cheeks rouge from the obvious discontent. 

I don’t give a shit if she’s your sister. She stole. 

Andy looked at the girl again, brow raised. She didn’t look like a thief, but most people didn’t. Andy stopped herself from telling the man that she didn’t care if something was stolen, because that would potentially only make things worse, and she doubted that was what they needed anyway. 

“You’re mistaken. She didn’t steal a damn thing.” Andy stepped closer to the girl, putting herself between the two. The man smelled like overly saturated cologne and it hurt her nose. “What do you think she stole? What did she take?” 

The man stammered, the red deepening across the bridge of his nose and across his cheekbones. 

Well I– I don’t know, but I saw her put something in her pocket! 

If it were Alex, Andy would have dug into her pockets for her, but this was a stranger. A stranger that Andy was pretending to be the sister of. She looked over at the girl. “You didn’t steal anything, so you don’t need to show him the inside of your pockets if you don’t want to, but if it’ll get you,” she looked back to the man, frown deepening, “back the hell off, then is that what she needs to do to get you to lay off?” 

—

It made no sense. Absolutely none of it did. The stranger who kind of looked like Ren insisting she was related, or the shop owner’s need to see the inside of her pockets. There was a stagnant hesitation as Ren processed through all that was being said. As the shock of being screamed at like she was back at the compound wore back into a dull ache rather than a paralyzing poison. Shaking hands (the only part of her that wasn’t stone still) moved from her sides to reverse the nearly empty pockets in both Emilio’s second jacket that he’d given her, and the shorts she’d pulled from a dumpster outside of some big box store. 

Crumpled papers with unsatisfactory drawings, a wadded up ten dollar bill, some coins that were not even American currency, a tiny vial of holy water that Emilio had left in the jacket by accident, and lint. Nothing special. Nothing to be accused over. Nothing they even sold in the store. Luckily, Ren didn’t keep her knives in her pockets. No, those were in the sleeves. Safely tucked away where they didn’t even leave a bulge or anything. 

Ren had been trying so hard to be a statue she’d forgotten to breathe entirely. Now, she could go without inhaling for a bit longer than the average kid her size, but the hungry gasp she tried to hide still wouldn’t go unnoticed. Still, she couldn’t speak, so she just had to let the stranger do it for her. 

— 

Andy watched the man’s expression devolve into something akin to embarrassment. Satisfaction colored her tone as she spoke. “See, there isn’t anything. I see the money she would have paid you with, but that’s it.” There were some other things, but those didn’t matter. Whatever the man thought he had seen wasn’t there. If the girl had pulled out something that she’d stolen, Andy would have had to dig for some excuse. 

It was clear that the situation had startled the girl and Andy felt a surge of guilt that she hadn’t intervened sooner. She had been in the other’s shoes more times than she could count. At least, until she’d gotten better at stealing. The man continued to stammer, throwing his hands in the air before turning around. The back of his neck was red, too, and Andy genuinely hoped he’d carry the embarrassment with him for the rest of the day. 

“Asshole,” Andy muttered under her breath as he went back to the register. She looked back at the girl who stood there as if some kind of statue. “You okay?” Andy tried her best to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “What did you need? I can get it for you.” The girl had money, but by the state of her, something told Andy that maybe it was all she had. “Some of this is buy one get one, anyway.” 

— 

“I uh–” One thing about Wicked’s Rest, for all its strangeness, for all the monsters it housed, there were so many people ready and willing to lend a hand. Ren had no idea the outside world would be like this. In fact, she had been brought up to believe almost the opposite. Darya had made her a perfect soldier, one who wouldn’t question orders or think too deeply about the fact that she was set out to kill her own kind. Each day out in the open was a test of her loyalty, because everything out here seemed to contradict the older woman’s teachings. 

“Was gummied worms.” It was probably a good thing that Ren had not spoken more than a few words to the shopkeeper, he might have noticed the thick accent that clung to every statement, and how she so often misused words, ordered them wrong, or applied suffixes that didn’t quite belong. “Soured ones.” 

The night with the others had been a whole different flavor of strange. If Ren hadn’t excused herself at ten to go walk Perro, she might have stayed the entire night. But instead, she returned to the sorry excuse for a shelter out in the woods. Dreams of citric acid covered sweets dancing like sugar plums around her head. A feeling of belonging she never dreamed of having. And the guilt that it inspired too. 

— 

“Gummied worms?” The girl had an accent that Andy didn’t recognize. It wasn’t her job to pick her apart, she decided. “Sour gummy worms… got it.” Andy offered the girl a smile, this time with it reaching her eyes, before she turned towards the aisle with the candy. “You should try peach rings, too. They’re good.” She plucked one of each from the shelf, dropping them into the basket next to her other items. “You have good taste, though. Candy is a good choice.” 

The girl was a little on the thinner side, and she reminded Andy of herself. It was like she was looking in a mirror from when she and Alex had gotten out of Lyon. Her stomach twisted slightly, but she kept smiling. “Do you need anything else?” Not everything was buy one get one, but it didn’t matter. Now that she was in a better position, she could help, and she wanted to. Especially after the bullshit with the shopkeeper. 

“No pressure, by the way.” Andy knew what it felt like to be offered help, even when you weren’t asking for it. It could be awkward, and the last thing that she wanted to do was make the girl feel guilty. “If you just want the candy, that’s okay, too.” She heard something from up front and the shopkeeper stared at them, a begrudging expression flickering across his features. Andy had to do everything in her power to not give him the bird.

—

At the repetition, Ren’s cheeks reddened just slightly. Almost hard to tell under all those freckles. She’d never seen anyone else with as many as she had. For a moment, it had the fae wondering if the ruse would have worked otherwise. Did normal humans look a lot like their siblings? Ren didn’t get enough of a chance around the other Adelskold kids to really tell. Everything was always kept at a distance. Everything here was so close and warm. 

Andy (not that Ren knew her name yet) was taller than her. By quite a bit. (To be fair, this wasn’t saying much. Most dogs would be taller than Ren if they stood on their hind legs.) She had her hair grown long in a way that would surely have annoyed the nymph. It was already too long for her liking. Something she’d have to figure out how to deal with sooner rather than later. Having a bit on top was fine during the winter, but now? It was too warm to have to contend with. 

“I do not think I need anything else. Was… craving? This is more than enough. Your kindness is remarkable.” Too many people offering her too many things. It was too much to process most of the time, right now, right after being verbally suckerpunched by the man who owned the store? It was worse. Awful. Ren was surprised she managed to say anything at all. 

—-

Andy noticed the way that the girl looked at her, but she didn’t comment on it. There was something familiar in her expression, but Andy wasn’t sure what its name was. Not admiration, that was for sure. Andy wasn’t the kind of person to be admired. 

“Remarkable?” Andy bobbed her head before letting out another laugh. “I’m not sure about that.” Her gaze cut to the shopkeeper who was watching them from the corner of his eye– it was obvious by his body language. She made a show of dropping another item into her basket before turning fully towards the kid. Andy silently wondered how old she was. She looked to be about Alex’s age which made Andy’s chest tighten. The question of whether or not this kid was a con artist came to mind, as Andy had taken that approach more than once, but there was a genuinity that was absent. Even if she were a con-artist, Andy wasn’t sure she cared. 

“So that’s it, then? Sour gummies? Nothing to drink?” Andy had half a mind to ask if she needed toiletries, by the state of her, but she didn’t want to assume. Too much too quick, and the kid might tuck tail and run. If it hadn’t been for Alex standing behind her, Andy probably would have, too. 

—

Even if the girl didn’t think so, Ren saw it as admirable. The young nymph wished things like this came easy. A smile, confidence to fight on someone’s behalf, rather than just fighting them. A certain familiarity to this whole schtick that she could never really master. Not with a hundred years, or however long it took for something to finally get the better of her. Nymphs were supposed to live a long time. That was the whole point of Darya’s experiment. A longer lasting warden. Someone who could fight things from the inside out, and keep doing it as long as she didn’t die. 

What Emilio, Nora, Van, Thea, Gael, and even Cass taught her, is that you need people around you to keep you alive. Even if doing so goes directly against what you were programmed for. The unknown redhead was in there too. Giving just a little bit of sunshine to make the flowers bloom. 

“I am fine with water I have, but you are kind for asking this.” Maybe she should have been suspicious. Maybe she should have stopped to think, but Ren had a habit of taking most things at face value. And right now, there was a kind woman who was doing more than her share of being helpful. The kind of thing you do to try and make friends. “Let us just leave as soon as we can, yes?” 

—

“Water, sure.” Andy wanted the girl to ask for more, but she knew the feeling– of asking too much, of taking too much and how the guilt would cause you to erode. Andy didn’t want to drive off the girl before she could truly help her. “You just stay put, I’ll go and pay, okay?” She gave the girl a small smile before heading towards the register, grabbing two bottles of water from the nearby drink fridge. 

After she’d paid for the items as well as gotten fifty dollars cash back, Andy stuffed the bill into the bag, beneath the items she’d purchased so that the girl wouldn’t see it till she was long gone, and returned to her side. “Here you go.” She handed off the bag with a small smile before motioning for the redhead to follow her outside. 

“My name is Andy, by the way.” The girl hadn’t asked, but she still felt the need to supply it. She looked towards her jeep before glancing back down at the kid. “Sorry you had to deal with that shithead to begin with.” Andy frowned slightly as she looked back inside to the store where the man was watching them through the window. After being noticed, he immediately looked away. Rolling her eyes, Andy let out a sigh. “I don’t think he’ll give you any more issues.” She twisted her own bag of goodies around her fingers, letting the bag spin one direction and then the opposite. 

It hurt how much of herself she saw in the girl. Was this how small she had looked? How much more pity would this girl be given? Although, Andy wasn’t sure that her assistance had been out of pity, but instead out of reflection. “Figure it might be overkill, asking if you need a ride anywhere.” For how careful she usually was, one might point out this was out of character, but she just hoped that if this kid did have a sibling somewhere out there, they might appreciate someone looking out for her. Andy knew that she’d be grateful for anyone that decided to help Alex. “I hope you like the peach rings, though. They’re good.” 

—

If Ren had blinked in the time between when Andy stepped in for her, it’d have been a miracle. The wide eyed stare had barely left the other red head the entire time, and yet somehow she missed the secret transaction stowed away in the plastic bag that’d been handed over. Just like that. Ren hadn’t done anything to deserve this. Just… got yelled at. Which as far as she was concerned, was a pretty rote thing to happen in her life. Adults yelled, she stood still until it was over, and hopefully it’d be okay. 

The nymph mechanically followed Andy (That was her name, she had offered it, something Ren hadn’t even considered doing. All those tips on how to be friendly seemed so far away when things like this happened.) out into the parking lot. Quite like a lost puppy might, upon being offered a scrap of a meal. Only, the puppy didn’t believe it deserved the things it was getting. Driven on by a bodily instinct that superseded the mental blocks placed ahead of it. “Ren.” Squeaked out. Barely audible. Tiny in the way that the entomid always felt. 

“I do not need… ride.” For the first time Ren’s gaze flickered away. Drifting to the jeep that wasn’t unlike some of the few cars that made their way deep enough into the compound for Ren to see. A big practical thing that could just as easily drive off the paved streets as it could on them. “I do not know how… to fully express how kind this is.” The bag in her hand rustled, and her lips attempted something that was almost a smile. “This was not something you needed to do.” 

— 

“Ren? I like that name. It’s nice.” Andy understood the shock after being accused of something. It had happened with her parents, and the multiple run-ins with store owners like the asshole back inside. She wanted to give her time to process.

Andy shrugged, her smile still present. “No problem, no ride, then.” If she were in Ren’s shoes, she probably wouldn’t take it either. Especially not in a town like Wicked’s Rest. “You don’t need to worry about it.” She neglected to explain how somebody had done the same thing for her. Even if it hadn’t happened that way, Andy would have stepped in anyway. She knew that she didn’t need to identify with whoever was in trouble, not always. “Ehh, the guy needed to be taken down a peg, it wasn’t an issue at all.” 

She looked towards her jeep, then down at the bag that Ren held. She hoped that she wouldn’t dig in and find the fifty dollar bill until long after she was gone. The last thing she needed was for the girl to try and give it back. Andy let out a soft sigh. “Stay safe, yeah?” Andy wasn’t sure if she would ever run into Ren again. The town was small, but not that small. “And just… if anyone starts anything like that with you again, hold onto what’s true, you know?” Even if it’s not, Andy wanted to say. 

—

Something closer to an actual smile graced Ren’s lips for just a moment. That warm sort of feeling filled her chest again and she found herself glancing down at the ground rather than look Andy in the eye as she fiddled with the bag in her hands. Still too frazzled to realize it was probably a lot heavier than it should have been. The tiny girl wanted to speak up. Wanted to properly express what all this meant to her, but that would require words she just wasn’t capable of arranging adequately. 

After twenty minutes of heading in one direction through the common, she opened her bright blue lollipop and shoved it into her mouth after finding a bench to sit on. Van watched as people walked by all living quite normal lives. She wondered what it was like to exist without uncertainty. Unfortunately for her, before she could ponder it any longer, something brushed up against her leg. She quickly reached down to swat away whatever bug it was, but her hand came into contact with something furry instead. Before she could get a good look at it, it had disappeared. As soon as she looked up, she noticed somebody heading her way. 

She wasn’t sure what it was, but the overwhelming urge to blurt something out– true or not, overcame her. “The woman behind you uses q-tips to clean between her toes!” Van shouted, clasping her hands over her mouth almost immediately afterwards. What the hell was that? 

— 

There they were, minding their own business barbecue sauce all over their tiddies (though that was due to a misfortune mishap with a burrito experiment and not the fault of the park goers that particular day), and along came a string of words Teddy truly never expected to hear in that order. While their lips formed a purse, their head whipped around. Looking first to the q-tip abuser in question, then back at the one who had spouted this accusation like it was a fire hydrant exploding under pressure. The demon blinked the surprise away and settled into the meaning of the phrase. 

“Well, better a q-tip than like, fingers right?” Everyone had little weird things they did. The lady who allegedly had fastidious phalange routines, and the strange young girl who decided it was time to share that information. 

Seemingly to her own surprise. Teddy squinted, watching the way Van (not that they knew her name) held hands over her mouth. As if she hadn’t meant to say it. As if something was driving her to gossip. The demon’s head tilted as if the weight of the metaphorical book of supernatural phenomena physically took a toll on their noggin as they searched through it. Not really noticing that the girl was getting closer to them. 

—

Van carried herself in a way that could be reminiscent of a child that knew they’d done something terrible but had tried to cover it up anyway. Her head was bowed and her hands were clasped over her mouth still. She stared at the ground, the overwhelming urge to throw something about the person in front of her into the void now, too. 

They were covered in a sauce, and it smelt like barbecue. “THEY LIKE TO MAKE OUT WITH BARBECUE SAUCES WHEN THEY FEEL LONELY!” The words left Van and she felt her own astonishment rise in her. Her voice came out muffled, despite the volume at which she spoke. She was closer to them now, and she shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure–” 

The woman who she had accused of using q-tips was seemingly still upset about the sudden burst of misinformation, and the woman’s hand connected with Van’s shoulder, sending her hands first to barbecue lover. She did her best to avoid grabbing onto their chest, but grabbed their arm instead. “Sorry– sorry, I’m sorry.” Anxiety swelled in her chest and she turned around to glare at the woman who was now retreating, but not before hearing her say something about the person she was passing. Something about being married to pickles? Van looked over at the individual next to her with a mortified expression. 

—

A hearty chuckle rumbled out of the demon’s chest, clearly amused by all of these goings ons. Teddy beamed, and played their part. Or at least they planned to. Planned to pipe out a Romeo and Juliette worthy tragedy of barbecues lost and carnitas trapped within thin tortilla blankets. Instead, a staggered shout erupted about their new companion. “This one puts her hands in the cheese bar at the grocery store! Wiggles her fingies all up in the burrata!!” 

Just as Van had, Teddy’s eyes widened. Hands raced to clasp over their mouth, though with a little more glee than horror. Their mind filtered through a thousand things that could cause such an outburst, and settled on something that was ‘contagious’ but all together not that bad. A little fun even. “Did– Did you–” Between fits of giggles Ted tried their best to question patient zero. “Hehuehuh– Did you happen–to see a fuzzy little–” 

The moment Teddy made line of sight with another stranger another bout of gossip came tumbling out. “That man has a very personal relationship with his bird Kevin!” 

— 

“I don’t do that!” Somebody walked by them with a narrowed expression and Van shook her head, a nervous laugh leaving her. “I don’t do that, they’re–” She continued shaking her head before looking back to the person standing next to her. 

“Did I what? Fuzzy what?” She thought about the way her fingers had brushed against something, but she wasn’t quite sure if it was fuzzy or not, just that it had felt weird. Before she could actually think about whether or not anything had happened prior to the rumors spinning off her tongue, she caught eye contact with somebody who was walking their dog. 

“That woman’s dog hates him because he gives him dry kibble!” The dog looked mortified, which she didn’t think could be possible. The owner looked displeased at the sudden outburst. “I’m sorry, this– I don’t know what’s happening.” She looked at the owner pleadingly but they rushed past. Van looked back to the person next to her. “What is going on!” 

— 

Oh the poor kid– Teddy tried their best to aim their laughter inward. To make it seem like they were giggling at the situation as a whole rather than at the expense of the girl herself. “The dog farts in her owner's face because of the kibble thing!” Teddy shouted. “And they LIKE it.” They followed up. If the dog and its owner were briskly walking away before, they were jogging now. Almost at a sprint. Probably for the best. If either came in contact with the shouters, they might find themselves in a similar scenario. 

“Ahhuhah– No, no, you’re okay hun. It’s–” Okay, breathe Jones. This is serious. Not just seriously funny. “It’s not you that’s doing– THAT OLD LADY ORGANIZES HER SOCKS BY STANK.” Well there went Teddy’s composure. To onlookers, they might assume the pair was just two young dumb idiots being silly (or under the influence, but hey, the former was nicer to assume). Teddy was a bit too old to be called a kid anymore, but that didn’t mean they weren’t childish. 

“It’ll pass, you just gotta ride it out.” 

—

Van watched in horror as the dog and its owner practically ran away from them. She was disgusted by what her company had said. She winced at the thought, then looked over at them as they began to laugh. Were they laughing at her, or at the person running? She wasn’t sure. She felt uneasy. It was a permanent feeling now, she realized. 

Then, they interrupted their laughter by spewing more lies. Or, she thought these were lies. Van looked over at the old woman, before she was speaking on behalf of things she had no clue about, too. “That woman wishes that her grandkids would leave her alone because they only ever ask for money!” The old lady’s brows narrowed and she shuffled away.

“What will pass!?” Van asked. The urge to reach out and shake them took hold, but she fought it off, knowing that grabbing people randomly was fucked up. She inhaled through her nose and tightened her jaw. She didn’t like saying things about people, especially in public. It was terrible for her anxiety. A child and his mother walked by and Van practically screamed after them. “THAT MOM THINKS THAT HER CHILD WAS UGLY AS A BABY!!!” 

— 

The whole shebang was getting a bit too sour to be properly funny anymore. Teddy steeled themself, and tried their best not to look in any particular direction. Hoping that not seeing any new faces would quell the spell that had taken hold. Well. Not spell exactly. Effect was the better term. “It’s like– ahh fuck. You know the dancing plague in France or whatever?” There had been a recent entertaining video on youtube about it, maybe this kid would know. It was easier to explain it all away as a fluke of nature rather than something beyond the pale. 

The demon turned, taking a quick glance for the least populated area, and settled on a secret spot they’d found ages ago. It was not Teddy’s alone, but it was far more secluded than here. Beneath the weeping branches of an ancient willow, Teds beckoned the young woman to follow, as they kept a viscous tight lip seal on their rumor roosting tongue. “Under here. We can avoid people– Like Mr. Highwaisted pants over there, he thinks a flood is going to come and sweep us all away any–” A quick clasp and guilty expression and Teddy hoped she’d realize there was something else at play here. That it wasn’t just national shout obscene untruths day in the park. 

— 

“The dancing plague in France?” Van looked at them like they had three heads. What would she care about France for? And she wasn’t sure if that was even a real thing. There was no way somebody just danced and created a plague. Maybe she should have paid more attention in school to know that this was real. “Are you saying that this… we’re in a plague?” That didn’t seem right. 

Van watched as their head swiveled around, gaze pouring over the common. They then beckoned for her to follow, and though everything in her told her not to, she was doing so anyway. She thought about the number of things that had happened lately and she felt her stomach turn. “Why are we avoiding people?” It was obvious, even if she didn’t quite believe what was happening, despite it happening. She swallowed thickly, throat suddenly dry. She looked over at the man that her company began taunting, and winced as the man began to pull his pants up by his belt loop. “It’s because he stepped in gum on the way here and sold his shoes for fifty dollars.” Stupid. What even did that mean? What was she saying? 

“Is this like laughing gas? Only we’re telling lies? I haven’t even gone to the dentist in like, years. This isn’t possible.” 

— 

“Nah bad—” A pause, a second for composure. “Bad analogy. Forget it, unless I show you puppet history. It’s a whole thing.” Teddy never really knew where the line was with stuff like this. Did they play it close, acting as if they didn’t know, or did they sit and try to explain everything to someone who may or may not have any close calls with the stranger side of life, between fits of fancy falsehoods. The latter seemed a lot more complicated and this wasn’t exactly the daunting task Ted had set out to complete. 

They just wanted some ice cream to finish off what was a pretty decent lunch. Banana and barbecue carnitas burrito. A strange sweet and spicy mix that most would scoff at, and a very easy marker that whatever was spewing forth from their fables, was just that. Lies. The demon’s eating habits would make for excellent gossip with most offshoots from the badalisc line. Hell, Gabagool had chided the taller demon about it years ago. 

“Sort of works only on who you can see.” There was absolutely a sigh of relief when they realized the girl was following. No matter how sketchy it might have looked. It was probably better for both their physical (sorta, if someone got real mad) and emotional (mostly that one) safety that they ride it out amongst those who don’t give a shit. “Lying gas.” A good enough lie. Easier than the truth. “Yeah that’s it exactly. Must have been a leak. There’s a strange lab around here that experiments on all sorts of animals and people.” Was that the scuttlebad? Or was it just Teddy trying to make any of this sound convincing. Probably not the best thing that they weren’t a hundred percent sure. 

–-     

“Puppet history? What does Shane and Ryan have to do with any of this?” Clearly, Van had missed that episode. It didn’t matter, apparently, because her company was waving away the analogy altogether. Their expression was pinched as if they were trying to come up with an explanation they didn’t know how to approach and Van stood there in confusion as she almost always did. 

As Van listened to them explain that the rumors only spun off their tongues when setting their sights on a new victim, she tried her best to keep her eyes to the ground. She didn’t want to make up lies, and she wasn’t really sure why she was doing it to begin with! It was stupid and silly, but it could get somebody hurt if she didn’t watch out. People were sensitive. She knew that if she were on the other side of this, she would hold their comments to her chest like a second heart and let it plague her for days, maybe even weeks. 

“A strange lab?” Van’s brows furrowed and she started to look around, but caught herself and forced her gaze on an almost heart-shaped rock that was beneath the tree. “That doesn’t…” sound right, Van wanted to finish. But this town was strange, and she was beginning to accept that fact. “On animals and people? That’s fucked up. Can they just do that?” Now, she was a little pissed. “I feel like I should have signed paperwork? Do you think we can sue? This isn’t right.” She clasped her hands together, fingers pushing against one another in an anxious display of fidgeting. “What if they sue us?” The words came out in a whisper and she looked up at the stranger, worry etched into her features. 

—

Teddy quirked a brow, excited that there was another Watcher fan in town. But that was hardly the thing to stop on now, was it? Things got so complicated so quickly when they had to lie on the fly. The demon often preferred the truth, and now they were kind of wishing they’d just gone with it in the first place. 

Though– Maybe it was just that there were less people to gab about, but it seemed like the heaving waves of word vomit were slowing already. Teddy hardly felt the need to talk about Mr. Jenkin’s prized porcelain poodle collection. Thankfully everyone else had just been a stranger and not a customer or neighbor. They were more than sure the old man would not care for the accusation.  

“Ah yeah.” Tight lips pressed against one another, heavily considering the alternative to this outlandish lie. “Don’t think anyone is gonna sue us. Or that we can do much of anything about it. One of those….” Teddy trailed off into a sigh. “Look it’s not a lab, or anything like that but the real explanation sounds even weirder. Which is very Wicked’s Rest, but like, not government conspiracy shit. I just– don’t know if its something you’d wanna hear.” Some people didn’t take to the supernatural side of things very well. That being said, being in the dark in a town like this was probably more dangerous than actually facing half the creatures that ran around. 

— 

The stranger reassured her that they wouldn’t be sued and Van relaxed slightly. Her fingers continued to tap against one another in a pattern that was self-soothing. If she could focus on that, then maybe she wouldn’t need to think about the implications of spreading lies across town. What if these weren’t lies at all? What if she somehow had become adept to knowing people’s darkest secrets? What if the person in front of her really liked to make out with barbecue sauce? 

But then she thought about what they had said about her and it had been a blatant lie. Okay, so maybe not. She took a deep breath, trying to even out her thoughts. Van thought about the fact that this could have been a government conspiracy. That would make more sense than anything else. Maybe a truth serum gone wrong. They had those, right? She bit the inside of her cheek as she watched them. “What’s your name?” The question came quick, but she wanted to know what she was supposed to call her partner in crime. If they could even be considered that. “I’m Van, and not like the car. And I don’t want to lie anymore. That’s the truth.” She lied all the time. About how she was, as well as on the internet about who she was. Even if that confident persona was who she really wanted to be, did that matter? 

— 

Beneath the willow, a strange comfort began to pool around them. Partially because the effects of the scuttlebad were wearing off. And at least partially because of the strange runes Teddy began to inscribe in the dirt beside them. Nothing huge, Teds wasn’t sure they had the energy for that, or remembered all the words exactly right. And a ritual gone wrong would be just about the worst they could imagine right now. Van, (not like the car) as she explained, deserved better than that. 

“Teddy. You can call me Teddy. Or Teds, whatever you like honestly.” The demon offered a comforting smile, and nodded along with Van’s wish to remain truthful. A wonderful sentiment they wished more folks would adopt. “The lying should die down. Seems like it’s already starting. Look, you haven’t told me how I… dance on rooftops to Britney Spears or anything in a few minutes.” Though that might not be total fake gossip. 

“All of that–” Teddy gestured outward, waving their free hand towards the patch of grass they’d come from. “–was the result of a little creature called a scuttlebad.” Either Teds was about to sound insane, or it’d be a good little lesson. Who knew which it’d be? 

—  

“Teddy.” Van nodded. “Okay, Teddy. Teds, whatever I like.” She crossed her arms over her chest. She attempted to look bigger than she was, but she was still a pipsqueak next to this person. “Die down?” She blinked at them, still not quite understanding the science. “So it is… like uh..” she thought about it, trying to remember the side effects of laughing gas, but came up empty. 

“No, but you look like you would enjoy that.” She thought that maybe because she had already told a lie about them, that there was no more juice in it. Not that it made sense. She bit her bottom lip, worrying it between her teeth, and found herself deep in thought. Van was pulled out of those thoughts once Teddy explained that a… “What? A what?” She hadn’t ever heard of that name before. 

“So that’s what the government is doing? They’re calling the lying gas scuttlebads?” That didn’t make sense. But she had to accept that this was the government, because the government lied to its people all the time! It made the most sense. “That’s fucked up. We should overthrow the company doing that. Making people lie about stupid things.” Not that she ever would, she was too much of a coward.

—

The demon’s face scrunched. Yeah they fucked up with the whole government thing. “No– just.. Okay ignore all that. No conspiracy shit that was— that wasn’t the right way to go about this. Not if you want the truth. I’m trying to not–” Teddy sighed, they were rambling. Nine times out of ten the demon came off as cool, calm, and collected. But that was when they were using practiced scripts or barely improvised offshoots. This was different. This was high energy when they were trying to be calm. Their free hand pinched the bridge of their nose, while the other finished up the ritual it was performing. The circle of runes in the dirt beside them lit up, and gave them a bit of an idea. 

Time for show and tell. 

“Okay so. I just thought big bad government shit would be… easier to digest? But it’s more complicated than that.” They paused, considering how to phrase the next bit. “It’s also a lot less sinister. At least as far as intent is involved.” That was a good thing, wasn’t it? Teddy continued, this time taking their fingers and weaving a smaller ritual in between them. One that was meant just to illuminate, one that could show a small image of something if Teddy wanted it to. 

“There’s our world, animals, plants, fungi, single celled organisms or whatever, right?” The dirt began to glow, a subtle golden shimmer at first, but then an almost hologram-like projection popped out. Something like you’d see on a 6th grade science chart. Kingdom Phylum Classy Order Fast Food whatever. “Well, if you’ve lived in Wicked’s Rest for any amount of time, I’m sure you’ve noticed some… stranger things going on, right?” God they hoped this wouldn’t freak them out. They were trying. 

—

Teddy was telling her to now ignore the conspiracy theories. That didn’t make any sense. Was Teddy backpedaling because they were a government tool? Van stared at him open-mouthed, not quite sure what to make of their sudden explanation. And then things were glowing. Okay, maybe totally a government drone. 

She watched in horror as Teddy began to explain through something Van couldn’t quite identify. The ground was glowing, and all of a sudden, images were spread thin in an holographic manner across the dirt. Van felt her stomach twist with uncertainty. Obviously this person had… something, some kind of projector. She looked around for it, but still, there was nothing to tell her that this person wasn’t doing these things themselves. 

“You’re lying again, And that–” She pointed to the ground, uncertainty layering over her like a second skin, “that’s a lie, too, right?” Van didn’t want to see any of this. Couldn’t, if she were going to have a sound peace of mind. She needed to go, like. Right now. “I– No. No, this. No.” She shook her head at them, hands pressed flat against the space between them as if she were stuck in some kind of box. “No. That’s not real, this isn’t real. It’s government lying gas. That’s– that makes more sense! Stop lying to me.” 

—

It wasn’t working. Teddy felt their stomach sink as her expression changed from one of confusion and maybe a little stress to one of fear and something else Teds couldn’t quite catch. She was backing away, and calling them a liar. The very thing they were trying not to be. The demon sank further into themself. Suddenly feeling rather small. On the surface keeping that even keel, but below it was turmoil. A not-so-fond remembrance of so many times they’d faced something similar. 

This wasn’t about Teddy, not exactly. Just their words. Their failed explanation. But still it pulled at them in the same way it always did. Whenever someone found out that Ted wasn’t worth being around. That they should be feared and reviled and all those wonderful things that reminded them they weren’t human enough, and weren’t demon enough. Too different. Too foreign. 

They bit back on their own feelings. Offering an apologetic smile and scooting back. Giving her some space. “Okay just–” Teddy had fucked up. “Sorry. Sorry, this is too hard to explain–” Nothing was going to fix this. At least, nothing they could offer right then. “I’ll just leave you alone. Be– Be safe okay?” The demon nodded, and began their exit. Turning only at the last second to peer over their shoulder. Hoping for any change. “If you do want to talk about it ever, come down to Mephisto’s Repository.”

—  

Somewhere very deep down, Van knew that Teddy was not lying. That this truth, no matter how vicious, was the kind that was irrefutable. But she wasn’t ready. Wasn’t ready to understand that the world so many others spoke of was true, and it was binding. 

The disappointment that flashed across their features made Van feel incredibly guilty, but if she focused on it for too long, it would eat her alive. She couldn’t have that, not right now. Not when she was so incredibly fragile.