Born to be Mild

"he...well. he hit me now and again. just when i refused to be a good and quiet wife, just - fucking arm candy," it was the way it was worded, just, as if that was a justifiable reason for raising a hand to the women one was married to. there was the other reason, to, one ophelia didn't want to speak out loud ; no child had come from the marriage. no heir to the demirci tech conglomerate.

at some point, her hands begun to tremble, still picking at the the corners where small scabs and skin reddened from her ministrations. "i didn't have anybody, at that time. i tried to...tell mom but she just...asked me what i was doing wrong?"

ophelia had told herself to stop crying over it. that tears wouldn't help, and they didn't but...now? recalling the worst part of her life to thaddeus? she could feel the pressure behind her eyes, the building in her chest.

"but then hal came to visit, and he was so nice to me, thad. he looked at me as a whole person, not a - not a fucking object to be placed on a shelf and admired!" the tears began to fall now, dark eyes not looking up, never looking up. "we started sleeping together. it made my life easier, you know? bearable, at least. when i finally...got a divorce, i did so with the idea that hal would be on the other side. that i could be - happy,"

the word is spoken with a pathetically wet laugh.

"i'm going to tell you some things," she began, testing the waters with her words. preparing thaddeus, or at least trying to soften the blows that were going to come.

"and they're not - they're not nice, and it's all a little fucked up, but i -" ophelia swallowed around her words.

"if i don't tell you, then i'm going to completely fucking lose it, thad," all of it had been left in the dark, fermenting for so long that in its over ripeness, it had neared an exploding point. the state of the apartment was just one step before it, after all. the final stage was...well. who knew. ophelia was trying to stop it getting to that point.

“Whatever you need to tell me, it is going to be okay.  I am here for you.”

As she instructed him to sit down, he calmly eased himself down onto the sofa as his blue eyes remained on his younger sister.  Right now, he was very nervous but tried to remain still and not fidget, wanting to give Ophelia one hundred percent of his attention and let her know that everything would be fine.

Slowly breathing through his nostrils, he counted slowly as he tried to give her as much time she needed to process whatever she needed to tell him. Thaddeus reached over to gently place his hand on her leg.  “It’s okay, take as much time as you need.”

''Yeah, I know!'' He was only half-joking. He was aware that Thad enjoyed his time at work, even when he wasn't there, but he still hoped he was missed at least a little. They weren't best friends for nothing; their shared humor and fun conversations always made their time together enjoyable.

Theo chuckled at Norma's response. She was busy drawing, but not actually too busy to answer her father. That was just how she was, and Thad was obviously used to it. ''She did well,'' Theo said. ''Her teacher mentioned she's a quick learner and clearly enjoys it. I think some of the moms were flirting with me. Do they usually flirt with you when you go?'' He asked, curious to know if his best friend had met anyone interesting lately without directly asking.

“Glad to hear she did well.”  Thaddeus wasn’t exactly comfortable with Norma taking martial arts, but Ophelia insisted that he let her try different things out and she appeared to be a natural at the spot.  “Uh, wow.  You go man!”  His cheeks reddened as he quickly shook his head.  “No, they don’t.”  Honestly, a few did  hit on him.   However, it always went over his head.  He never picked up on subtle hints.  “But you’re the good looking one out of the two of us,” he chuckled.

"that'd be helpful, thankyou," she called back, finding a clean glass to get thaddeus a drink, and popping a few ice cubes it and a straw also. ophelia came back into the room after, handing the drink over with a smile and sitting on the couch. the air felt stagnant, the two of them being in the situation often - that is, ophelia unable to ask for help, and her elder brother only wanting to provide it.

"i..." she began, licking her lips and looking away from thad for a few moments, wringing her hands in her lap. nervous.

“Thank you,” he responded as he took the drink and had a sip.

“Uh no, what is going on?”  Their married lives seemed rather strange, neither one really knowing the other’s spouse or their families.  “If I met him, it was a very brief meeting,” he admitted.

Within Greywood's serene embrace, Polly sought refuge from the scandal that engulfed her following a highly publicized outing with another woman. Striding through the quaint town, Polly made her way to the local market to personally select her groceries, a task she rarely undertook. The prospect of handpicking fresh produce and discerning its quality left her contemplating out loud, considering whether the internet could offer guidance in this uncharted territory.

"I wonder how you know the veggies are still fresh." She muttered to herself as she entered the grocery store.

As he strolled down the aisle, he couldn't help overhearing someone mutter to themselves.  The woman looked rather new, he had never seen her in town before.

“Personally, I like the local garden vegetables myself or going to the farmer’s market where it is more fresh.”  He commented.  “However, you just need to look them over and maybe pick it up to check the firmness of it.”  Thaddeus explained with a soft smile.  “I just realized, I am being incredibly rude.  I just assumed you needed help and didn’t even offer my name.  I’m Thaddeus.”

the question burned her, accusatory in its nature, thaddeus seeing right through her lies. or...maybe not. giving her a chance to come clean. the grip on the door tightened, and she fell silent for a few moments. wondering whether or not to let her brother in, both figuratively and literally.

"sure," ophelia responded slowly. "but - it's a mess in here? i was just...trying to shift the bookcase and toppled it over so just - ignore it?"

the blonde opened the door wider.

As he entered, he swallowed thickly not fully believing her explanation but merely nodding.  “I can help you put it back up and get everything situated,” he offered.  Although strong in many ways, he looked at his sister and didn’t think she could lift the bookcase by herself.

“Water is fine,” he smiled as he stepped further into the apartment and looked around trying to see where he could help if she would only allow him.

Theo chose a table by the window and asked for some colored pencils. He was busy drawing with Norma when Thad arrived.

"Hey! We were waiting for you to order. Not too tired?" Theo asked, knowing Thad had been working and unsure how busy his day had been.

"Wasn't too boring without me?" He teased. @thad-spaulding

As he got off work, he made his way home and took a quick shower and got into some comfortable clothes before heading to the restaurant that Theo text to him.

“Always boring without you man,” he smile.

Thaddeus sat down across from his friend.  “How was practice today?”  He asked Norma.

“Dad, I’m busy.”

He lifted his eyes back up to his friend.  “How did she do?  Did she behave for you?”

Finch sighed as he looked at the building, before his eyes landed on the rigs inside the building. Pushing a hand through his hair, Finch took a deep breath before he walked into the building. He would be lying if he said he didn't miss this life. But he knew that with James in his life, he need to be in a somewhat stable job and James didn't need to worry if Finch would come home or not. Finch walked over to ladder truck and ran his fingers over it. Still, it was something he strived something, something he was good at. A noise behind him, causing Finch to jump a little. "Fuck." Finch muttered out as he turned around and notice a male standing next to the ambulance. "Shit, uh sorry." Finch smiled weakly as he rubbed the back of his neck a little. "Didn't uh..." Finch bit his lip a little as he tried to figure out what he was apologizing for. "The doors were opened. I was just curious."

@thad-spaulding

As he looked around, he heard someone say fuck causing him to jump back a little.  “Uh,” was all he could utter at first, unsure who this person was and their intentions.  “Oh, um.  Yeah, earlier we had washed the rigs.  There is one out right now, that’s why it is open.”  Thaddeus replied.  “Everything okay?”  He asked.  “You seem a bit, I dunno dazed.”

“Come on in, darling. Everything is ready.” Minho stepped away from the door to let Thaddeus into his home, still spacious and pristine as it always was, a perfect, impressive blend of hospital white, spaceship-like modern technology and unrestrained nature. It wasn’t the main door Minho had told Thad to come ringing to, main door meant going through the whole house and Minho’s house was too big to go through unnecessarily. It was one of the side doors, the one that would take them to Minho’s backyard quickly. 

“Are you ready, though?” He asked as he reached to wrap long fingers around Thad’s wrist to gently guide him around to where everything was waiting, ready for the ritual. Prior to Thaddeus arriving, Minho had let his wings out, feeling like being closer to how he truly looked like, who he truly was, would form a deeper connection to whatever magic he could still use in the human world. Long as they are, like a cape behind him dragging across the floor, he had to have them draped over the bend of his arm like fabric and they still got in the way, their ends easy to step or trip on. But Minho was an expert by now at evading his own burdens. After all, they made him beautiful - at least they did back home, on the fae-side. No one ever claimed beauty wasn’t also an inconvenience. He was rich and royal there, he did not need to lift a finger let alone a wing so he did not need them smaller or fully functional. 

The rest of him though was the usual, heavily glamoured Minho. Although Thaddeus was familiar with the fae, since both his deceased wife and lovely daughter were fae, Minho was very aware that there was no two identical faeries in the world. Kylee might’ve been less shocking for the human world, appearance-wise. Minho was not. Even Thaddeus who was obviously used to people from other worlds might have a hard time seeing Minho’s true appearance in full. Most people here, in the mortal realm, did.

It seemed strange seeing Minho more in his fae form, but it was a nice change.  Both were beautiful forms, but Thaddeus never got to see this side of his friend.  While they continued, it was a bit quiet between them.  All Thaddeus could  hear was the blood rushing in his ears and his heart thumping against his chest.

“Do you think she will be available on the other side?”  The human still did not fully comprehend how things worked with magic even though he lived in Greywood for nearly a decade.  A lot of things that seemed impossible in the mortal world outside the town, were possible here in this beautiful Colorado town.  “I brought a few of her items, not sure if you need them.”  It wasn’t anything much, a little jewelry and a picture of the two of them when she was pregnant with Norma.  “I’m really nervous, is that normal?”

"I use to do a lot of hiking back in the day." Charlie said softly as he shrugged. "Haven't been for awhile to be honest with you, but we can to go the bigger trail. I like a challenge."

“Are you sure, I don’t want to overwhelm you on your first day back to hiking.  It isn’t too difficult, just long.”  He stated, not wanting to push the other too hard.  “I am just happy to get some fresh air.  Might start mountain climbing again, but it has been about seven years since I summited a mountain.”

Lorelei had packed a basket of food and had picked some of the early blooming flowers from her garden, walking alone towards the coffee shop where her and Thad usually met on these days where they would go and talk about their lost friend and wife. These rare occasions were the only times she let the black in her wardrobe be seen, despite still keeping it cheerful as they weren't going there to be sad but to smile at memories. "Hey," she said as she saw his back towards her, putting a hand around his shoulders from behind as a surprise. Ever since she met him at dinner where Kylee had invited her over at, she had taken him as the brother she always wanted to know but didn't have (until recently when she once again found her real brother). "Did you get a coffee for me too?" she asked with a warm smile.

and then hal showed up, and the building blocks had been destroyed.

after the little interview, after playing it polite and professional, ophelia had never experienced the feeling of rage that came over her. once again, the blonde became locked in a past she couldn't change, thinking about how he hadn't waited. that ophelia had gone through a public divorce, her character questioned and lied about in magazines and blogs, that whatever money and assets she won had then needed to be sold for a lawyer and had done so completely alone.

there was nothing to do but scream and destroy - which she had done. even now, the apartment lay in disarray, empty bottles and a few smashed plates on the floor, pillows and throws places they shouldn't be. even the shelf where she kept her books lay on its front, contents kept in by virtue of its position.

a knock at the door interrupted what she was doing, sat on the floor re-watching pride & prejudice in her pjs, the same ones she'd been wearing for a week. it wasn't like ophelia had been going to work lately. fuck. - thaddeus, she forgot to text. rising up, she stepped over the mess, knowing that he'd have something to say about it. what excuse could she use? a break-in?

"oh. sorry - yeah, sorry! i forgot to text back and then i got busy -" the blonde opened the door a crack, giving thaddeus a sleepy smile. "no need to worry, thad,"

As he stood outside her apartment door, he wondered if he was going about this the right way.  However, all the missed calls and unanswered texts forced his hand to directly come to the source for an explanation.

When his sister opened the door just a crack, he sighed in relief just seeing her face.  “Is that all it is?  You got busy?”  He questioned his sister, trying to gauge whether she may be lying to him.  Unfortunately, he usually could not tell if someone was lying to him.  Thaddeus tended to see the good in everyone.

“May I please come in?  Catch up?  It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages and I dunno, I feel like something is off with you right now.” 

"Well we are busy all of the time and I just try not to think about that," she laughed as they watched the children play, "It's easier to manage if you don't think about it, I suppose. So did Norma start school this year then? That had to be hard on Dad. How are you doing with it?"

It was typical that someone in town knew the name. Usually it was her parents with as popular as they were but her brother was also very well known. "Yes, he's my brother. Honestly I'm supposed to be a part of that club too but I haven't been since the kids were born. Scheduled just get out of control, you know how it is."

"Mostly, they are for this," she shrugged and crossed her arms as they spoke. A subconscious need to protect herself, "Kids make friends everywhere they go so socializing them is easier than people think but as parents," she shrugged, "We forget to talk to other adults sometimes. It's nice to know we aren't alone out here."

“Completely understandable, I barely have time for the gardening club.  But I try to do at least two hours a week if I am able.”  Being a single parent was hard and although he had wonderful friends and an incredible sister, ultimately he was responsible for Norma and she took a huge portion of his time outside of his job.

It made sense, perhaps he would enjoy this place.  Being a nervous nelly, he wasn’t sure he would enjoy it.  However, he did it mainly for Norma so she could grow and be more social.  “So, what do you do for a living?  Been in Greywood your whole life?”  He questioned, trying to be social.