Morey Makes... A Mess
Takes Place: March 27th, 2022 @ the Opening Day of the Farmer’s Market
Starring: @sebastian-morey @elliot-morey @mads-morey @gem-morey @devyn-morey
the thread where Dian’s public return makes a splash...
[tw: violence, fire, blood mentions, general family drama]
Sebastian Morey:
Let it be known - Sebastian was furious.
He'd been furious. He'd let that anger simmer and rise, and simmer and rise and simmer and rise again time after time. With every text. Every mention of Dian. Every dumb decision. For a while... it had softened - but he'd found that anger return once more after it was mentioned that Dian would be working the farmer's market stand. It had hit him immediately - that red hot boil under his skin that made him push away from the dinner table with a muttered excuse of not feeling well before he'd cooled off in his room.
Sebastian thought he'd let it simmer again. Decided it wasn't worth his time and that he'd simply ignore Dian. He couldn't man the stand the whole time anyways, right? He just wouldn't see him. At least...that was Sebastian figured.
That spike of irritation that raised the hairs on the back of his neck as he approached the booth told him otherwise. It was on sight - that anger flooding to the surface again the second he laid eyes on his brother for the first time in months. Fingers curled tightly into his palm as a derisive sniff was the only immediate greeting to his 'long lost' brother.
"...Ah - Dian. How very thoughtful of you to show your face, figlio di puttana codardo."
Dian Morey:
Dian had finally settled and got back to his book. The constant throng of the late afternoon customers didn't bother him as much as they did earlier. He could get used to the noise. The rush of life, the scandalized side looks.
All was well.
That was until Sebastian’s hot blooded reaction to the sight of him put him on edge. They hadn't seen each other in months. Seb made it clear how he felt and Dian didn't want to push him. He'd been through a lot and his elder brother was kind of an arse. He understood the anger his middle brother felt. Though he was never sure how to make it up to him. Or if he'd ever get the chance to.
He could only pick out a few of the words he'd said, as Dian was not fluent in Italian... He looked up from the pages and shot him a confused look. And then against his own best interest he couldn't help but quip back, "That's not a very nice thing to say about our mother."
Sebastian Morey:
His knuckle cracked - the sound almost too loud in an already busy market area, but Sebastian could still feel the way his fingers continued to tense against his palm. There was a difference between being angry at a person and yelling at them through a screen. Being mad at them at a distance - and finally being mad at them in person.
It felt like all of that anger he'd never fully gotten to express was crashing back to the surface like a tsunami's wave, tearing through any good intention or desire for reconciliation.
And for Dian to have the audacity to be smart with him? Oh, it only ignited that explosive wick at both ends. His jaw set tightly as he strode forward - closing the distance between them as a scoff slipped from his lips. "Oh you think you're so fucking funny, don't you?" Sebastian asked, glaring daggers towards his brother as he stepped into the man's space - not caring if that heated Italian tone brought on looks. "This entire time that's all you've been capable of, isn't it? Trading the good son and brother career for being a lousy fuckin' comedian instead, huh."
Elliot Morey:
You know sometimes being able to hear ghosts sucked, sometimes though it was a good thing, especially when you found out there was a scuffle going on at the Morey stand and two of his brothers were yelling. So Yup Elliot headed straight there.
Dian Morey:
Dian could hear Sebastian's blood pressure raise with his comments. The should be steady thrum of a heart turned to high volume whooshes. He knew it was a mistake as soon as he uttered it. Sebastian used to appreciate a sarcastic remark, but now maybe wasn't the time. Dian had to stop hanging out with Mads so much...
Dian didn't bother to back away from Sebastian as he closed the space between them. Not for any macho reasons, just that he didn't think he'd hit him. Even if he did, would it hurt? Despite his stoic outwardly appearance. The words thrown with such vitriol did hurt. Not the flesh, like some would assume Sebastian was going to. But somewhere deeper. The black cavern Dian once called a heart. The good son and brother. That's what he was. That's all he was before and he resented it then. He was good because that's all he could be for them. He wasn't special. Until the day he died.
And then he realized he'd give anything to go back to how it was.
But it was too late now. The damage was done, he could only pay reparations for the errors he made after falling from grace.
"I'd give anything to go back, Seb! I'd trade it all back if I could be the same as before. But that's not something I can fix. I'm fucking here because I am trying. What else do you want from me, Sebastian?" Dian wasn't too concerned with his volume, he kept it level. He was always one of the cool headed ones.
Mads Morey:
Mads had been watching from the sidelines, debating on interrupting, but ultimately was deciding to let his brothers hash things out. It's what it took for him to forgive Dian.
That is, until Dian got dangerously close to outing himself as a vampire.
I'd give anything to be the same as before. Sure, this could be interpreted as, like, before being traumatized by what happened, but if Dian wasn't careful and if Seb kept on like this, Mads feared the worst. That the secret the seven brothers were holding from their parents would be revealed to their entire town.
Mads closed some of the distance between them and tried to talk Seb, the angrier of the two, down.
"Seb, please," Mads hissed, his voice low. "Not here. I know you're angry but can't you two fight somewhere less public?"
His eyes scanned the crowd forming around them, searching for fingers typing on cell phones.
Sebastian Morey:
What else did he want from Dian?
Transparency. From the beginning. For the future. That's all he wanted. To be told. To not have been sitting in the dark. Dian hadn't even had the audacity to tell them he was doing this himself. He couldn't text. Never seemingly could manage that one single word that would have let them know he was okay. That was all he ever fucking wanted but evidently even that small shred of respect was too much for Dian to handle. His tongue was forming around another biting remark when he felt the presence beside him, bristling as Mads' voice interrupted his thoughts before could voice them.
It was purely gut reaction that had Sebastian immediately turning on his other brother and taking that anger out on him instead, shoving him away roughly. "Was I fuckin' asking you, Mads?" He snapped, glaring angrily between the pair of them. "If he gave a shit about less public he wouldn't have shown up out of the blue now after months when the whole fuckin' town thinks he's dead or missing." Something Sebastian was sure someone was bound to notice - oh wait they already did!
"And if he gave a shit about us he would have done everything differently!"
Gem Morey:
The farmer's market wasn't exactly his favourite Swynlake event. He found the whole thing a little...trite. (Though, pie eating was obviously always a good thing.) But, Mama loved it and usually the whole family got together to help man the booth. Most Sundays, Gem only came for his allotted shift, put in his time, punched his card--and then dipped. On opening day, though, he had told Mama he would come for the entire time. Mostly because it would make her happy, but also because he knew that Dian was gonna be there and that this was probably going to happen.
Not like Gem knew how to stop it, as Mads tried to cut in and then Seb, face twisted with rage, pushed him off again. Gem didn't want to get too close. He hated fighting, it always stressed him out. And if he got in Seb's circle, with Seb as pissed as he was--
It wouldn't be good for anyone. So, instead, he stayed at the corner of the booth, his jaw clenched and nails biting into his palms.
"Seb," Gem warned, his voice low. His own blood was rushing hot.
Dian Morey:
Dian wanted to respond. To tell Sebastian that they were all he gave a shit about. That when he thought he was dying he thought of them. That when he did die, he dreamt of them and the precious memories they had ran like a movie reel through his subconsciousness. He would tell him that if he would just give him a chance, he'd spend the rest of his life trying to make up for those months of pain.
But Sebastian wouldn't hear it. He would shove Mads, scare Gem... Dian couldn't let that continue. His mind went to damage control. He looked around at the prying eyes. He had to trust that even in his anger, Seb wouldn't air his dirty laundry. So he focused on remaining calm. Being calm was about the only thing he could think to do to cool the inferno behind him that was easily twenty degrees hotter than before. Mads wouldn't butt in anymore, trusting his big brother to handle it. But Gem? He'd take it upon himself to diffuse the situation at the risk of his own safety.
But that was never his responsibility. It was Dian's and he'd been doing a shitty job lately. "Look, Seb," he began evenly, keeping his hands and body language open. "I know I failed you. I am the one who fucked up. I'm here now because I am making an effort to get back to how things were. Mama asked me to come and I can't keep saying no to her. You don't have to accept my apology. I won't blame you if you don't. It's not going to change what happened. All I can do is change how I am handling it. I am trying, Sebastian, and I am sorry. You don't have to rope them into this." He nodded towards his brothers who were on high alert.
Elliot Morey:
Elliot wasn't quite sure of what type of scene he had stumbled onto, not with Sebastian fist clenched and Mads and Gem looking like they were stuck in the middle. Honestly he had never been happy with Dian's decision to rejoin society like this.
It was stupid and risky and slapped all of them in their faces. But Elli was also done being mad, done being upset. And this was so not the place.
Stepping beside Sebastian, Elliot tried to angle himself slightly in front of his brother. "È stupido lo sappiamo. Ma allontanati, Seb." Elliot spoke calmly switching to Italian so he could insult Dian and try to get Sebastian to walk away. Honestly though either one of them should but even as that thought entered his head, Elli knew he would be pissed if Dian just walked away too.
Sebastian Morey:
He heard Gem's warning - heard Elliot's quiet Italian as he stepped between the pair of them a bit, but Sebastian remained rigid, his chest heaving with an angry huff of a breath.
It wasn't fair that Dian could act this way and think everything would be fine. That he could just keep doing shit like that and that everyone would accept it and move on like he didn't fuck all of them over this entire time. Sebastian was still hurt by that. Still upset that their brother couldn't manage a single word to tell them he was okay. Didn't have the balls to tell his own parents he wasn't missing or gone forever. Couldn't show up to Christmas. Couldn't text a 'hey I'm coming to help today'. Nothing. Idiot. Idiot, idiot idiot.
Walk away, Seb.
A sigh slipped through his lips, a heavy thing that drew down Seb's shoulders a bit with it. Perhaps Elliot was right. It wasn't worth it, he knew that. Plus it would just get him more upset than he needed to be... Dian wasn't going to change. Wasn't going to say anything or do anything to make up for the hell he'd caused here. So what was the point? Sebastian couldn't do anything about it and...well, yeah. It was just best to walk away.
And yet... despite all of his morals. All of his fear... he still found himself turning back and throwing a slightly too solid punch at Dian's face (fueled by that vampire strength he hadn't realized he'd picked up).
Mads Morey:
"Fuck!" Mads exclaimed as Seb wound his fist back for a punch. He moved to step between them, for fear Seb's fist connecting with Dian's face and not actually DOING anything would out Dian-- but he was very much too slow.
Gem Morey:
It happened very quickly.
Fights always did. They happened in jail sometimes. People scuffling over shower tokens, over food, over a spot in the sunshine during their hour outside a day. Gem always hated them. It was the speed of them. Fists flying, shouting, the kind of thing that had always made him feel small.
The difference was: in prison, there had been a dampener on his magic. He could feel it burning under his skin but it could never come out. Sometimes, he screamed into his pillow, but most of the time, he had learned to just dig his nails into his palms until it stopped.
Seb's fist flew. Mads lunged forwards. Gem heard the sound of flesh being hit. His eyes squeezed tight and he felt his whole body tense as he flinched back.
A flame shot out of his hands, climbing up his arms in a column of fire. It only took the corner of the banner at the front of the stall to catch, the plastic eaten up quickly and the wood began to smoke--
Dian Morey:
Dian felt ashamed to have his brothers all trying to clean up his mess. Elliot seemingly calmed Seb down, the temperature lowered gradually... then within the blink of an eye, CRACK.
Sebastian had not been taking his allergy shots in the months he'd been absent. Who else would he trust to administer them? He'd contracted the strength of a vampire, or at least enough of it to break the jaw of one.
Dian grunted, enduring the pain. It would heal too fast for him to show any real reaction. Instead, he covered his face with the crook of his elbow just long enough for the bone to mend. Within those seconds, the blood stopped and the fire began. He wasn't worried about his face, he was worried about Gem. And the stall, but mostly his brother. He turned his attention back to Sebastian, the aggressor. "Are you happy now?" It was the only cross word he'd share to him. It was all that was needed.
Then, the first responder training went into good use. Dian pulled down the banner, keeping it away from the very flammable stand. He then searched for something to smother the flames with. "It's gonna be fine, just get some water or a tarp to cover it." He directed to the people closest to him, his voice was firm but still held the warmth it did all those months ago. He was different now, but the heart of the eldest Morey was still the same.
Devyn Morey:
It was about time for the shift change at Morey Makes, Devyn knowing that their fun in the sun was coming to an end. They'd gotten lots of trinkets, treasures, and tasty treats. Really, Devyn had made out of this experience pretty well! They were excited to see what sorts of things got put out over the next coming months if this was just the opening weekend!
They were counting the money left in their pocket as they walked back to the booth, not really paying attention to those around them. No, Devyn mostly just wanted to be sure that they had enough to buy a treat after the market closed at Chippamunka's. Maybe Anna would wanna share a milkshake, it'd be cute.
It wasn't the smell of smoke that alerted Devyn to the goings ons of his siblings, no, the fire had barely started by the time he arrived, but it was the way that Sebastian's momentum hadn't finished after colliding with Dian's face.
Devyn stopped, ten feet away from the rest of the family. Stunned, Devyn hesitated as they tried to figure out what exactly they should do in this situation. Had Dian said something? Had Seb come looking for a fight? What had Devyn missed while they were gallivanting around the market?
"What's going—?" Oh. There was the fire. Devyn blinked, watching Dian (flammable vampire Dian) grab the banner. Devyn tried to snatch the banner away from Dian, hoping Dian's sense of DANGER might kick in when he realized how stupid grabbing the fire was.
"Elli? Help?"
Elliot Morey:
People were running at the fire, which was stupid as fuck, Dian ordering people how to fight a fire also stupid as fuck. Everything was fucking stupid as fuck and Elliot wanted to scream. But he couldn't even if all of his brothers were stupid.
"Everyone back the hell up now!" Elliot commanded, the more people started to gather he sighed. "Mads, Papa, Mama make people step back. Wide circle if you can. No one comes near unless they have bucket of water or something we can smother the flames." Calling out the people with the booths closest he got them to pick up theirs and angle it away from the fire. To create distance so they wouldn't catch on fire either. This one could burn out if they kept it away from any fuel source. If they could get it smothered and out, they didn't need to call 999. "Mama get 999 on the line." Better safe than sorry.
"Devyn stay with Sebastian, or Sebastian get out of here and cool the fuck down."
"Gem, do you wanna get out of here with someone? Or do you want to help?"
Elliot stated turning to each person as he took charge of the scene moving to Dian next. "You're fucking flammable can you step the fuck back and let me handle this. Or go zoom and find me an extinguisher. You're a fucking Doctor not a firefighter idiot." Elliot stated moving to get any of the fuel out of the way as he tried to smother out any flames that got further than just the burning stand. He needed water or an extinguisher and not people playing fucking hero.
Mads Morey:
Mads liked to think he was, as a rule, proud of his younger brothers. However, he was incredibly proud of Elli right now. Hard to believe this was the kid he'd do jigsaw puzzles with until 6:00 in the morning on a school night.
Mads yelped as flames got spooky close to Dian, reaching forward to try and yank him back by his shirt.
"Abi, what the hell!? You're literally extra flammable." He hissed.
To the people standing near him, he called out while pointing at Elli, "Everyone listen to my brother! He knows what he's doing," and went to find a water source and something to transport it in.
Sebastian Morey:
Honestly he hadn't been sure what came over him. Yes he was mad, yes he was upset but it didn't ever tend to stray into violence - and the reminder of why easily hit him with dread as the dominos fell over one by one.
Sebastian should have known the violence might trigger some kind of flighty response in Gem. He knew better. He always knew better - and so the sudden leap of flames burned a pit into his stomach quicker than it did the banner. The worry and concern knotting in his gut as he glanced down at his throbbing hand and tried to flex his fingers with a wince.
Are you happy now.
His lip twitched as he finally cradled his hand to his chest, his gaze slipping up to quickly glance between his brothers - the fire - the parentals.
If he stared too long, the flames that leapt up and licked at the wood seemed to turn into rubble. Smoke transforming into dust. Are you happy now echoing but not in Dian's voice but Giuseppe's.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling worse now than he had before as he took a few steps back. The heat that coated the back of his neck had nothing to do with the flames as he looked around and noticed the people all turning and looking this way. He back pedaled a bit more with a soft shake of his head - it would only be worse for him to stay.
So he quickly excused himself in soft Italian and pushed through the crowd behind him so that he could slink off away from the mess he'd caused before he made it worse.
Gem Morey:
Gem couldn’t move. He watched as Dian ripped down the banner, but it was too late, the rest of the booth had already caught flame. One of Mama’s crochets disintegrated. Devyn’s painting. All the wooden figurines. The jars of jam popped and shattered, spraying glass.
Elliot was shouting. Mads ran to get help. Seb ran.
And Gem stood there, watching the flames eating up everything, including his freedom. His hands were shaking, though no one could see it, because they were still covered in flame. He couldn’t put them out. And he was afraid to move, if he tried to shake it out—he could just spill fire across the ground—the booth next door.
There was more shouting through the crowd as a group of firefighters pushed through. “Out of the way!” the one in front called. He came to a stop next to Elliot, putting a hand on his shoulder, holding firmly.
“What is going on here?”
Even as he asked, the rest of the team began unrolling the fire hose to hook up to the nearest hydrant.
Devyn Morey:
Devyn stared at Elli, knowing that their firefighter brother was the best for directing this situation. He ignored Dian and Mads, only shooting Gem a sad look as he chased after Seb.
He'd catch up with Gem later. Elli gave him a job for now.
Elliot Morey:
Seb ran, Dev followed, Mads left like a god damn idiot and Elliot wanted to scream. Gem stood there and considering the look on his face Elliot wasn't sure that he had heard him and all the fear and panic swelled in Elliot's chest because he couldn't do anything. He didn't have his gear, he only had what around him.
He needed to get the fire out before something worse happened, before there was more damage, before one of his stupid brothers get themselves hurt. Tom's hand on his shoulder centered him, focused him out of the panic of having to handle this himself. This was why fire fighters worked in teams. They needed the back up.
They had the gear and for a second Elliot could relax until he surveyed the scene to relay details. "The booth caught fire, an accident with my brother, but it's been contained. My parents are trying to manage crowd control. No injuries noted everyone was far enough away." Elli knew he had some licks of burns but they were nothing but first degree from him getting too close. "Separated the booths to contain the fire. Can you handle it from here?" Elliot asked looking up at his fellow firefighters taking a deep breath. The booth was actually the easy part of this, Elliot wanted to get to Gem, if Dev was with Seb and Mads was who know where and well Dian couldn't do it that was for sure. "My brother's also on fire but I want to try talking to him but yeah... be on stand by." Elliot didn't know if he could help, he kind of doubted he would, but he didn't want to douse his brother just yet if it could be prevented.
"Hey Gem. Can you focus on me."
Dian Morey:
Dian stood back and watched the chaos ensue. Flames licked the wood of the stall, sending ash into the air. The same ash fell from Dian's hand. Tendrils of flame kissed his palm when he tried to stop the spread. His stone skin turned to dust at the heat, but the fresh wound was healing over with a speed that unsettled his medical mind. Grey, charred skin being taken over by the tan flesh of his hand.
Everyone scattered along the sidelines, familiar faces stood peering at the Morey spectacle. Elli was a hero, Dian always knew he could captivate a crowd. But now he was captivated. When did his little brother get so brave? And Gem, stood there engulfed in the flame. Dian's heart sank. He would blame himself. He would say he didn't, act like it didn't bother him, but he would. But the eldest, maybe not the wisest, brother... he knew who was really to blame.
Dian Morey (d. September 29, 2021) came back from the grave just to decimate his family along with countless others. It was his fault. He thought back to his conversation with Mads earlier. And in that moment, standing in the wake of ash and flame, Dian decided it would have been better if he hadn't returned at all.
Gem Morey:
Gem heard Elliot's voice. The flame was quiet. He saw through it. Flame was only loud when it was eating through something, but it wasn't eating through anything of Gem except his insides. And his shirt but whatever. He hadn't liked this shirt that much anyway. All he could hear was the rush-pounding of his own heart. He couldn't get it to quiet down. Cursed himself for not popping a Xanax, but he hadn't wanted to be high around his mama and papa. Not today. Stupidstupidstupid, said his heart. And his brother. Elliot said something too.
The thing was--if he could hear his brother that meant he was close.
Too close.
Gem stepped back and the fire leapt higher. "Don't--" he warned.
"Elli, if he can't--we're gonna have to spray him down before he catches something else on fire," came another firefighter's voice. The one who was friends with Elliot. Gem couldn't remember his name. Why would he know it?
Elliot Morey:
"Tom just wait! Please." Elliot begged barely giving him any time before he focused back on Gem. Elliot stayed where he was, holding out his hands to his brother. "Hey- hey, it's fine okay. You're not going to hurt me but I want to help you okay." Elliot started off. "I can get my jacket, I'll be fine." There was again no promises. Elli didn't know how Gem's fire worked, if his jacket would be enough. Not enough to touch him but enough for brief moments of the fire to pass by him.
"I'll back up okay. We can make a circle around you of foam. You won't set anything else on fire. Okay. We can do that. " Elliot was making a lot of promises, none that he knew if he could keep. But this was the reason he saw benefit in being a fire fighter. He would be able to help his family.
Gem Morey:
Elliot's words meant very little to him because he could hurt him. He could not mean to and he could still do it. It didn't matter that Elliot was a firefighter. He was still human. And Gem was an inferno. His breath caught and he tried to hold it, but it just burst from him again, his lungs squeezing, begging for more air. The fire was taking it all from him. The flames leapt higher as he tried to wrestle them down.
"Elliot, get back!" he heard Tom call. "NOW!"
The firefighters waited until Elliot tripped back and away before spraying the ground in front of Gem. He felt the drops pierce his skin like bullets. The flames fought back for a while, but eventually, they stopped. Leaving Gem standing there, soaked, in his charred clothing. He didn't know what to do. People were staring. The last time this had happened he'd been arrested.
No one looked like they were trying to arrest him now. The firefighters had moved on to the booth. It was his mama who called his name first, softly.
"Gem," she said. She didn't move towards him. Good. (It hurt.)
Gem shook his a little, like a wet dog. Then, he turned on his heel and left, weaving through the booths until he was free of the market.
Elliot Morey:
Elliot didn't want to get back, he wanted to barrel forward. To grab Gem and let him help him. But the fire burst higher and hot and closer and Elliot had no choice to back up and give space to the firefighters to work.
He watched Gem get soaked and he shouldn't do anything, he heard his mom's voice and continued do anything and when Gem ran, Elliot slumped to the ground looking at the chaos that was left in their wake. It was foolish to think this would have been anything but chaos.
Did he run after him? Would that be the wrong decision? It all felt like the wrong decision but with Gem's lead Elli knew he didn't have time to catch up.
Pushing himself to his feet he walked over to the firefighter in charge of the scene. At least he could help clean this up in some regard. It was their mess after all.
