woe is me

‘‘ ah, i’m glad … and here you have her business card — she’s typically available at all hours. ’’ theresia’s smile widened, just a fraction. ‘‘ and i did hear good things; i think you recommended a couple books to my uncle’s friend. i’ll admit … i was curious. ’’

       What a delight, to return to the spotlight - metaphorical and not so much - where unfamiliar faces called her name. She had missed the recognition greatly.  ❛ Pleasure is all mine. ❜ She returned with a bow of her head, her smile bright and warm as ever.  ❛ Miss–? ❜

despite the — end of her medical career, auburn could not deny that there had been a time in her life when she had liked it. those who knew her would say  obviously  because she had spent years on the study of medicine. had it been just an impulse, the way many things she did were, she would not have endured. there were days when she considered to go back to living patients, only to remind herself of the  mess  she had caused when she had stopped being all right, the last time. no, everyone would be better off if she stuck to the same small circle of — patients she had had for centuries now. with the occasional exception; she could not  not  help others, after all. ‘‘ tea would be  lovely, ’’ she responded as her eyes scanned their surroundings. ‘‘ and there’s a café, not far from here. but … where are my manners? dr auburn vohon, i work at the clinic. ’’ as a forensic scientist, true, but that typically unsettled people unnecessarily.

“ah yes—that is what i’m known for, i suppose.” it threw him off sometimes when people recognized him outside of the places he was critiquing, but it did happen. he offered her a smile and a slight bow. “ms. weaver, i would argue the pleasure is all mine. and welcome to new haven, as well. how has this place been for you so far?”

“ they all warned us about times like this. ” —— @woesday​ 

‘ ‘ history does have a tragic tendency to repeat itself, ’ ’ auburn began as she stirred her drink with far more force than necessary. she did not add how she felt about it, the way her face looked as if she had bitten into a lemon the same way another might bite into an apple should illustrate things nicely. ‘ ‘ so here we go. again. maybe this time, there’ll be a better punchline. ’ ’

‘ ‘ so we meet again. ’ ’ theresia’s voice was upbeat as she clung to the box she was carrying and her face mirrored the smile in her voice. ‘ ‘ fate is once more working in mysterious ways. ’ ’

@woesday​  / sc.

open curtains / closed blinds  ;   stray dog / house cat ;   people / pets ;   outside / inside   ;  half-empty / half-full  ;   tv / radio   ;   sing / dance   ;  shoes / sandals   ;   cash / credit  ; hike / drive / fly  ; casual / elegant ; center / corner ;   sword / shield   ; airplane / boat   ;  fizzy / flat ;   garnished / plain   ; extra salt / extra pepper  ;   spicy / mild ;  record player / digital media   ;   opaque / transparent ;   white lies / complete truth  ;   blunt / subtle   ;  loud / silent  ;  books / music  ;   familiar / new   ; youth / experience ; spoon / fork & knife;  knife / baseball bat  ;  space / ocean   ;   bow & arrow / blow dart   ;   love at first sight / slow burn ;  freckles / dimples  ;   long lashes / long fingers   ;  soft lips / sensitive neck ;  stubble / thick hair  ; slow dance / intimate conversation.

‘‘ my … business associate asked me to stop by and ask if you’re interested in some kind of cooperation. she runs a café … and a restaurant, but her current  vision  is centred around the café. if you’re  not  interested at all, i can skip it and just buy some books. ’’

fay had chosen this bookstore for its distance to her school and the consequential lack of  classmates  she could encounter. there was always a risk she might run into richard, but fate would have to have a sick sense of humour to do this to her today. ‘‘ i might, in fact, require some assistance, ’’ she said slowly, choosing her words with her typical caution, ‘‘ we are supposed to read a book for school. which is  not  what i need help with. but we  do  need a specific edition and … the edition we have in the library at home is … outdated. ’’

‘‘ you do look a little pale, ’’ auburn noted as she shifted her weight to her other foot, weighing her options despite already knowing the result. she had set the stethoscope aside years ago and had only taken it back out for … family and friends, so to speak, but this did not change much. she could change all she wanted, she could not fully shed her skin; she  was  a doctor. ‘‘ allow me to walk you to a café, just to make sure that it was really just a harmless scare. ’’

‘‘ i know someone who knows the owner, ’’ eleanor responded with a grin and a shrug. what  exactly  it was that linked theresia to one freya rosen was beyond her, and she was not inclined to ask. she would leave her daughter her secrets, just like she kept her own tucked away. ‘‘ she spoke highly of it, so i went to give the macaroons a try. they were heavenly. ’’

‘‘ i could recommend you five within walking distance, but i suppose what  you  are looking for is the newly opened café, just a three minute walk away from here. ’’ eleanor averted her gaze — sharp, focused — from the woman and mentioned towards the corner, only a few hundred metres down the street. ‘‘ roque, deux. it’s still a secret, but it won’t stay that way. ’’

fay was almost self-conscious as she patted her braid softly, making sure that nothing had come undone during her brisk walk to the new bookstore. it had been, like so many things in the recent past, a recommendation. ‘‘ thank you, that’s very kind of you, ’’ fay said quietly, calmly. there was no need to let a stranger know that sometimes, it felt a bit silly. it was not really like her to  enhance  her appearance, she left that to others.

dion was shaken out of his thoughts by a voice and he turned—a woman. he gave her a shrewd look and tried to access the part of his brain dedicated to remembering faces (an important asset for an immortal) before he hummed. “well, no worries there. i don’t beleive we have ever met. the name’s dion elwell.”

someone stumbling against her caused auburn to halt and turn, dark eyes flickering around as she took in the situation. someone had stumbled against her — it did not happen often. she was tall and she had been told that she cut quite the figure when she was out and about on new haven’s streets. and even if it were not for her height, her hair tended to alert people before they walked into her. so someone stumbling into her was unusual to say the least. ‘‘ no need to worry about me, but are you all right, miss? ’’ auburn inquired, fingers curling into her ponytail.