âWell that embarrassment, that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid, that just proves youâre not the same person you used to be. Youâre smarter, youâre kinder, youâre stronger, and youâre not done growing yet. None of us are.â
- Lie Ren from RWBY
it was a good day and diego was doing his best to enjoy it with some of his favorite people. while he aimed to be optimistic, internally he tended to worry about everything but especially at events like the present one. all he could do was hope things continued to go well. âi think it's good for all of us to get out and soak in some vitamin d. i even got mi abuela to come out which never happens.â he nodded in her direction. âand i think we both know she would've wanted us to be out and about living life.â as hard as it might be sometimes and diego knew it was significantly worse for xander.
FabiĂĄn had been babbling up at Xander, who placed his pacifier back in his mouth much to his delight as he grabbed at his father's hand. Xander's gaze had gone to when Diego's abuela was, using his free hand to bring up one of his son's to wave. He bit back a sigh knowing exactly who Diego meant, "Yeah...she would," he mumbled nodding, taking a breath he cracked a smile, "Speaking of living life, happy your abuela is getting some sun, but does mean you might not get to enjoy the eye candy today as much," he playfully teased. He understood the position Diego was in, but was also worried over how much stress it brought him.
scout waved to her brother and beamed with excitement when she saw her nephew "are you telling me that we could create a baby speedboat and you're only telling me this now? you want to go kick your feet buddy, hell yeah"
Xander laughed glancing down at his son who was happily squealing at the excitement that Scout had. "Think that's a yes to the speed boat, or I guess a floaty in this case. We can go snag a tube," he'd given her a brief once over, "You put sunscreen on right? I don't need to have you limping back to the Commune looking like a lobster."
Xander was bouncing FabiĂĄn on his knee as he sat next to Diego. Every now and then his eyes flickered to Cal and Zarina who were holding his other children. Turning back to Diego he gave a sheepish smile, âSorry man totally zoned out. I umâŚI haven't really been going to stuff much sinceâŚyou know. Not sure it was a good idea to bring the kidsâŚ,â trailing off his arm tightened slightly around his son's waist. Despite the amount of people here to help him he was still anxious he was making the wrong decision as a father, even if Lia had been supportive.Â
Xander was holding Fabian close to his chest, grateful that Lia could have a small break from the triplets. His other two were currently with their godparents, as much as he loves his kids even he knew trying to juggle all three alone was a plan destined for disaster. Seeing Scout he gave a small wave, âHey you, your nephew might not be old enough to swim but we could let him kick his feet a little,â he said.Â
"they won't stop" he shook his head "They're so loud. Why are they always so loud?" The question wasn't directed at Xander in particular, more just a verbalization of his thoughts
Xander swallowed and nodded, opening his mouth to speak and freezing when he heard his own name outside. Closing his eyes he refused to look towards the window, before opening them and looking back at Jeremy. "I got a headphone splitter and dvd player, it won't make them go away but better to listen to something else," he offered.
"Xander!" Karma exclaimed happily, giving him a big wave back before making her way over and giving him a long, enthusiastic hug. "Thank you! Tee bee aitch, I did very little of the actual cleaning up. But I did contribute a lot in terms of morale and good vibes." Letting go of him, she took a step back and gestured toward the back room. "I'm doing inventory after the last event. Wanna keep me company? If it doesn't get too late we can totes grab a bite to eat before heading back to the commune together."
Xander grunted at the hug before wrapping his arms around her and squeezing back. "So Neptune pretty much did it all while you cheered him on?" he asked, a teasing on his face as he followed after her. "You need help, might be quicker if we're both doing it. I do inventory with commune supplies," he offered.
"It's not that I don't trust everyone here; I just worry," Babs gave Xander a small smile. "Simon has been my only family for so long, the idea of losing him really scares me. But I think he might like a little company next time he picks up a project. I can float it by him. Lord knows I'm not very good at helping with my weak arms and I'm barely 5'5 on a good day."
Xander gave her a sympathetic smile and a nod, "It's a lot of strangers to suddenly get use to being around, I get it," it was even more common for people who actually lived in the Commune, he'd gotten use to helping people adjust. "How about we grab some snacks and we can pitch the idea to him together, food is usually a good bribe on anyone."
"I can't open it. I'm not supposed to. I'm sorry. " Jeremy shook his head, speaking to the creatures that were standing outside of one of the windows, wearing the faces of two of his long dead friends. He was quiet for a moment, before shaking his head again "No no no." he started pacing a little "No you're not - you're dead. I watched. D-E-A- dead"
It's not the first time Xander has had to check on Jeremy, he never minded but it gotten harder after Minnie had passed. It wasn't just Jeremy's friends asking to be let in after that. He'd been worried about him during the brief time he'd moved out. "Jer? Hey it's Xander," he said slowly walking towards him, one hand up, "You with me?"
"Well, I am flattered and honoured and it really is very good to see you," Karma replied with a bright smile as she made her way to the bar with Xander in tow, a slight skip to her step. Setting the bottle down on the bar, she vaulted over the counter effortlessly and landed on the other side. "You are, in fact, looking at the expert," she confirmed, striking a dramatic pose with an exaggerated flourish before grinning and clapping her hands together. "So, what kind of drinks do you like? Sweet? Tangy? Creamy?"
It still felt a little surreal to be at Minnie's Dancehall without flinching, but Xander had gotten better about it since Karma's birthday. Though whether that first day had been help with alcohol he wasn't sure. Still having Babs and Julie also made him want to avoid dragging them down with his own grief. Glancing around and spotting Karma he gave a small wave, "Hey, the floor looks good. You guys did a good job cleaning up after the festival."
"As okay as one can," Babs sighed. "I'm mostly worried about Simon. I appreciate that he's a handyman, but he's always getting cuts and bruises. They like to do home improvement stuff around our place too and even then, something happens. I just worry about what could possible happen if something gets infected. I love how hands on he is, of course. It's one of his best qualities, always wanting to help others, you know?"
Xander winced in sympathy, it wasn't that many years ago he'd been in a similar position. Glancing down at his own hands and the various scars that littered them from all the years being the Commune's handyman. "He's sweet, I'm glad you have him," he said genuinely, "Knightley and Zarina are pretty good at keeping us patched up, but I can come over next time he has a project? Don't mind being his assistant for a day," he said chuckling.
Karma loved her birthday. She had not always loved her birthday, but from her sixteenth one and onward, Neptune had always made sure to make it a day that lived up to her particular brand of chaotic fun. He had told her he was taking care of the guest list, and while she had expected Xander to be invited, she had not expected him to comeâespecially with where it was being hosted. "Hey, I didn't think I'd see you today," she greeted, reaching out to to give him a tight hug. She briefly squeezed his hand before grinning at him and taking the bottle. "Ah, alcohol science! My favourite. Come, come, the bar is well-stocked with mixers. I'll show you how it's done."
Xander caught the brief look of surprise and had to try not to wince, he did feel a little guilty with how many people he knew now that worked at the dance hall. "Well it's your birthday...didn't want to miss it you know?" he said giving her a small grin back. Vaguely he thought he heard a noise from with Knightley or Zarina at the term alcohol science but he was already following behind her. "You the expert then?" he quipped, "Or is this how Frankenstein's fireball is made?"
"Yeah! I liked seeing everyone's stuff before the dance. It was really nice." She grinned before gently pushing him. "Oh great, I better get working on some toddler leashes then, because lord knows we don't need one of them running into one of those weird portals I keep hearing about." Babs shook her head. "No; I was just out for a walk since the weather was nice. I often feel like I have way too much free time now, actually."
Xander stumbled back good naturally when she shoved him, chuckling before pausing as her words registered. Glancing to the side and knocking on some wood on a nearby bench. "I just hope they're less chaotic than my siblings were. Lia's daughter Juniper can be goofy but she's a sweetheart and at least stays close." Nodding his head in understanding he rubbed at his arm, "You've been settling ok though? Town is mostly cleared from flooding so there's still stuff to do if you need help finding something?"
SUMMARY:
It's the millionth time Xander has to tell someone about Minnie.
TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Mentions of death
XANDER was pushing the stroller, grateful again that he and Lia had managed to find and repair one big enough for all three of their kids. "Luna is out cold, I swear he spends more time sleeping than-" he cut himself off while talking to Karma frozen as he stared at a blonde. For almost months after Halloween he had nightmares about it, saw her outside when the urge was too strong and he needed to see her face again, afraid he'd forget it otherwise. Still seeing her in the day was new and it wasn't until he felt Karma squeeze his arm in confusion that he was now able to jostle himself out of his stupor. Looking closer as she spoke to some man holdingâŚducks? His brow furrowed but now he could see past the similarities, unable to stop himself before blurting out, "Julie?!"
After their meeting at town hall, JULIE had offered to walk with Zel to the fire station while she figured out where to go next. It had been over a decade since she had been in Huntsville, but the more they saw of it, the more she remembered. She had been in the middle of explaining where she thought the old Davenport house was when she heard someone call her name. Spinning around, it took a couple of seconds for her to find the source of the voice, and a few seconds more to place the face it belonged to. "Xander?" she asked, briefly excusing herself from Zel before slowly stepping closer. As she approached, she watched the woman that he was with squeeze his arm and say something to him before walking ahead with the stroller, leaving the two of them by themselves. "You're⌠You're here. You're here! And you're a dad? Wait, does that mean my aunt is here too?"
Whoever Julie was with had walked over a bit after she'd rushed over, giving an awkward nod in greeting. XANDER had barely registered him before he mumbled something about seeing her later and he like Karma had left them to their mini reunion. Xander felt a tight smile form on his face letting out laugh, a mix of surprise and genuine relief, "Uh yeahâŚI'm a dad, triplets if you can believe it." Aunt. The word hit him like a ton of bricks and whatever smile or relief he'd felt at seeing her was squashed. There was always a mix of relief and dread when someone you recognized arrived in town. Swallowing, he couldn't meet her gaze, "I uhâŚBabs got here not that long after HalloweenâŚMinnie isâŚMinnie uhâŚ," bringing a hand up to grip his other wrist, thumb rubbing at his arm in anxiety. Why did it always seem to fall on him to relay this? "Minnie passed away on HalloweenâŚthere was an earthquake and she saved our friendâŚbut sheâŚshe didn't make itâŚ.Julie I'm so sorryâŚ." There's guilt in his voice, guilt over grabbing Lia when Minnie had shoved her, guilt over leaving her there even if she's already been gone, guilt over it not having been him.
JULIE was honestly relieved to see Xander. She already felt bad for asking Zel to take a detour into Huntsville in the first place, but she would have felt even worse if she had gotten them both stuck here for who knows how long, and it turned out that the people she was looking for weren't even here. She was surprised but equally relieved to hear that Babs had also made it into town, but any happiness or hopefulness she felt in that moment was quickly extinguished when his next words registered with her. She didn't make it. "She⌠She didn't make it..?" She felt a hitch in her breath, dropping her gaze to the ground as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes, a soft sniffle leaving her before she looked back up. "Wow, well, okay, this feels eeriely familiar," she stated with a short laugh, completely devoid of any humour. "My⌠My grandparents⌠Her parents⌠They told me she passed away years ago. That's why I never came back. I can't believe I missed her by⌠By six monthsâŚ"
XANDER felt his jaw clench at the mention of Minnie's parents, "They said thatâŚ," there's disbelief mixed with equal parts rage he rarely ever exhibits. It's hard not to feel bitter against them, hard not to blame them even a little for losing Minnie. "It's not your faultâŚyou didn't know," he said softly. Pausing his brow furrowed as he looked at her, "Wait, how did you find out that they weren't telling the truth?"
JULIE felt the anger coming from him, remembered the first time she had ever experienced the same feeling about her grandparents, and how quickly everything in her life had changed after that. "I, uhm," she said, scrambling to pull a folded document out of her pocket and handing it to him. "I was getting my stuff from their place and found this is the safe. I put together the truth myself after that. I⌠I never confronted them about it, I didn't want to see them, I just came straight here. Or well, I hitchhiked. I don't have a car."
XANDER took the document slowly unfolding it, running his name over Minnie's old legal name. Technically they'd never made it official outside of Huntsville, but that didn't matter now really. She was Minnie and always would be. Glancing up at Julie his brow furrowed again, "You hitchhiked? JesusâŚwhen's the last time you ate something I meanâŚ," he was giving her a brief once over. That knee jerk reaction to check on others kicking in, "Have they filled you in at all about what happened here? Why we weren't ever able to contact you?"
JULIE couldn't imagine what Xander was going through. She only knew what she had been through herself, both the first time she thought that Minnie had died and what she was going through now, but she had barely spent any time with her aunt. Not the way that Xander had. "Yeah, uhm, Zel," she gestured vaguely in the direction that they had gone, "picked me up a while back. They're cool, and I've been fed, I promise. He has family who went missing in this area and offered to take me through Huntsville on the way. But, uhm⌠Yeah, we've been to town hall, so we know the situation. At least the basics." She grimaced slightly. "I feel bad that they got stuck here because of me."
XANDER shook his head, "It's not your fault, trust me you're not the first group to come looking for someone. Do you know his family's names? I might be able to help track them down if they're still in town," he offered. He was quick to jump to being helpful, his grip on his arm loosening slightly. Hesitating as he met her gaze again, "I umâŚcan IâŚcan I hug you? I am sorry you're trapped here but ummâŚit's really good to see you Julie," he admitted if a little guilty.
It was subtle, but JULIE did brighten slightly when he asked if he could hug her, nodding her head before wrapping her arms around him. "It's really good to see you too, Xander," she said, holding on to him for a moment before eventually stepping back. "Well, couldn't hurt, could it? Uhm, it's his cousin, his cousin's wife, their children, and the wife's sister. If I'm remembering correctly. Their names are DJ and Dahlia Cruz-Dutton, and, uhm⌠What was it now⌠Eva! Eva Cruz."
XANDER pulled Julie close, giving her a tight hug and for a brief second, it felt like he was hugging someone else. He swallowed hard and blinked back any tears, not wanting her to see the effect it had on him. Giving her a small squeeze before letting go and clearing his throat. He was grateful for the topic, something else to focus on as his brow furrowed. A small flush on his cheeks, "This fucking townâŚ," he grumbled slightly exasperated at it all, "Well the good news is I do know them and they are here. He's headed the right way, Dahlia is sure to spot him by the fire station. Um..and me and Eva dated for a year, were still friendly," quick to add the last bit. Even if things hadn't worked out her still valued her friendship and hoped she felt the same. "They have a house but Eva moved into the Commune. I was living there too just moved out for my kids birth," though he and Lia had been talking about when and if moving back was in the cards. Adding Julie now into the mix had him hesitating even more so.
JULIE'S eyes widened and she immediately perked up when Xander confirmed that the Cruz-Duttons were, in fact, here in Huntsville. She supposed that did explain their sudden disappearance. She had felt bad about getting Zel and Ian stuck here, and while she still felt bad about that, at least they would have family. "Oh! Oh, that's great news. I mean, not great, obviously, it's not great that they're stuck here, but it's great that Zel and Ian will get to see them." She cleared her throat and offered him an apologetic smile before chuckling. "That's kind of an insane coincidence though. Like, out of all people who could have picked me up while I was hitchhiking, it's the relatives of someone you dated? That's wild." She looked behind Xander's shoulder, spotting the blonde he had been with pushing the stroller, not quite heading in their direction yet but seemingly slowly making her way there. "So, uhm⌠If you're normally at the commune, but not right now, then where are you staying? We were offered a place from the town hall but I was kind of waiting to see ifâŚ" The implication hung in the air between them. She had been waiting to see if she could stay with Minnie.
XANDER shook his head, "Something about this townâŚI swear it like draws people back together or something." Following her gaze he caught Karma's and gave her a small smile, motioning for her to rejoin them. "That's Karma," he said glancing back at Julie, "She lives at the Commune too and helps me with the kids, which is way too nice of her." What Julie was asking was clear to him, if it wasn't for the triplets he knew what decision he'd make in a heartbeat. He loved the Commune, still did after everything, and his family was there. He'd considered it when Barb had arrived but with Lia pregnant and his own mourning making decisions had been harder than he wanted to admit to. Still the triplets were here now, they were healthy and now Julie was here. He knew he needed to talk to Lia about what their next steps would be, they'd had a few discussions with Knightley and Zarina over it but nothing concrete. "With some friends, one of them is a doctor and the other is a pharmacist so made sense for me and Lia to move in to have the triplets, you know?" He didn't want to assume Knightley and Zarina would just let him move Julie in, even temporarily, but they'd known Minnie too. "We were headed back, come with? We can catch up and have dinner. Those two are probably gonna end up staying with their family tonight, so you should be with your too."
WHERE: Minnie's Dance Hall
WHO: Karma (@callofthxvoid)
Xander had been nervous as hell when Knightley had told him where Karma's birthday party was going to be. Neptune had rented it out for the day, inviting anyone who had been around Karma more than once. He'd been rubbing idly at his arm when he walked in with Knightley and Zarina, grateful that Lia had taken the kids for the day with Vero. He spotted the memorial for Minnie and swallowed, giving his two friends a nod to show he was ok. Spotting Karma he walked over giving her a small wave before holding out a bottle with a bow on it. "Hey happy birthday...I uh wasn't sure what to get you but figured it might be fun to mix this with stuff and see what we can make?"
"Yeah! Up until the lock down, everything was a lot of fun." She paused, giving him a sheepish look. "Well - I'm glad. I'm more than happy to be the fun aunt adjacent person when they're more mobile and have more fun running around and playing." She let out a soft chuckle. "There's always one baby that's like, an angel. I didn't think it would reflect in triplets, though. I figured once one of them was upset, it would waterfall across them all."
"I'm glad you guys managed to have some fun at least, least the ice festival was pretty good overall right?" Xander wanted to be optimistic. Hell he missed when he genuinely felt like that, so he was trying to get back to that, if not for himself then for everyone else around him. "I'm keeping you to that, sending them to you whenever they have zoomies," he teased before shrugging. "Not keeping you from anything am I? I was just kind of wandering today," he admitted.
"Well... Yeah, until we all got locked in overnight," Babs let out a sigh. Of course she had wanted to go to the ball with her boyfriend, though she wasn't sure if she regret that decision yet. "I've heard just one baby is a handful; I can't even imagine what three are like. I'd offer to help, but I'm still practically a baby myself, I never had to take care of anything smaller than me."
Xander winced recalling what it had been like to be locked into the bank overnight with Knightley. "I'm sorry, did you get to enjoy the festival at least?" A small part of him felt guilty for not having gone with her to the ball, but he still hadn't been able to walk into Minnie's Dance Hall, especially for an event he knew she'd have loved. A smile managed to form and he laughed, "I appreciate the attempt but we have plenty of help with them actually. You can just enjoy the fun parts when they get bigger if you want, Luna has been the easiest to handle, he just likes to sleep."
