Lay You To Rest

Rangi Hira. 29. Mortician. Local cryptid and local cryptid hunter. Bury her? I barely know her. Live each day like it's your last.

[itsronniebish]

"I'm glad that you clocked that you smell like booze and not that I accused you of pretty obviously drunk texting," Ronnie said, sighing, She softened at the sound of Rangi's laugh, though it didn't matter when Rangi mentioned that she'd apparently almost fucking drowned. Something inside Ronnie's chest went cold, catching itself in her throat and making her feel choked. "What? What are you talking about? Drowning? What the fuck, Rangi?"

Ronnie didn't pull away as Rangi's arms wrapped around her, keeping her steady. She swallowed, something tight in her throat. "I'm not going to fall," she muttered. She made no move to lean away. It'd be a later problem, she figured, finding all the alcohol. Of course Rangi wasn't going to make things easy for her, but, really, when had Ronnie ever returned the favor? It'd be easier to just wait Rangi out, wait for her to fall asleep, and go from there. It didn't matter if her tolerance was through the roof; Ronnie was fairly certain she'd pass out eventually, and Ronnie would be able to clean up.

It was just a waiting game for now. A sad, familiar waiting game, Rangi leaning in too close as Ronnie looked down at her. She was sorry. The words just didn't seem do anything. They weren't enough. Honestly, they'd probably never be enough, and that was just something she'd have to learn to be okay with. "How can I show you I'm sorry?" She asked.

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Whatever," Rangi grumbled, waving a dismissive hand. "Not like I was texting anyone else so how would they know?" Her face contorted a little as she looked back at Ronnie, unsure why she was suddenly so worried, why her voice had risen in pitch. "It was fine, obviously. Charlie jumped in a dragged me out. During the-- the surfing competition. It was fun till I fell off my board." And then she had just let the current take her, fully ready to let it sweep her out into the ocean forever. She didn't say that, though, already knowing exactly what Ronnie would say if she did. Probably the same thing Charlie had. That's not good, Rangi.

Rangi didn't bother replying to Ronnie, just watched her eyes, watched the way she looked at her, the way didn't move away from her grip, or even try to push her back. It hurt, seeing the want in her eyes, knowing Ronnie felt something too, but refused to admit it. Really, Rangi didn't think there was a way for her to really show her that she was sorry, not without saying words she knew she never would. Either to admit she did, or say that she didn't, so that Rangi could move on. Instead, it was always just couldn't.

Rangi pressed in closer. She was feeling selfish and maybe a little cruel. "Stop talking," she muttered, still tipsy and dizzy with it, as she leaned in close enough that she could feel Ronnie's breath on her face.

[acostacowgirl]

"It... checks out that I do not own a television?" Lara asked, raising an eyebrow. "You are checking me out that I do not own a television?" Her tone was deadpan, completely serious, but she was joking, in her own way. It was, in part, an effort to make the banshee a little more comfortable when she realized that Lara was just teasing her.

Lara just shrugged. "I have made my peace." There wasn't anything that she could do anymore. She'd been completely changed, and the only way out was through. Adaptation, learning to deal with it. In a lot of ways, perhaps it was a comfort. There was no more promise of a get out of jail free card. There was simply doing, and hoping for the best. "Most people are only given one life," Lara told her seriously. "They get no starting over. It is only about making the best of what is already there. You will not always be messing things up. This is just a season."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Yes," Rangi stated. Then, "No! I--" but one look at Lara told Rangi that it was the other woman's attempt at joking. She furrowed her brow. "Funny." She rolled her eyes and took another long sip of her coffee in an attempt to hide the small smile on her lips, though. It was nice to know Lara actually liked her, if even just a little bit, even if it was out of obligation.

"How long has it been?" Rangi asked, tentative. "If you don't wanna talk about it though, um, we don't have to." She just kinda wanted to know more about Lara, especially if they kept running into each other like this. "Well, yeah, but..." Rangi just shrugged again. "Fae do." She did. Even if she didn't, well. She wasn't really sure that would make her feel any more inclined to keep the life she did have. "This season has lasted, like, my whole life. I couldn't even be born right. My parents were expecting another pixie or a siren, like all their other kids, and look how I turned out."

[kenxmatsui]

"Do you also remember calling me a cold-blooded killer?" Ken asked. "That tends to shape a conversation. Seemed fairly convinced of it too, so why are you expecting anything different now?" He gave a sharp, humourless laugh, gaze settling on her for a long moment before he continued. "This moral high ground you're trying to occupy is baseless. It doesn't suit you." He took a step forward, deliberate but not threatening. "Tell me, did writing my name down make you feel better? Justified? You nearly got your wish."

He laughed again. "Sympathy? For you?" The amusement disappeared as quickly as it came. "No. We're well past that." Patience dipped dangerously thin now as every word scraped against nerves already frayed by hunger and agitation sitting beneath his skin. "You have a habit of saying provocative things, then acting shocked when people react. You told me to make you move. I did." His head tilted just slightly. "Do you want to keep testing where my line is?"

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Yeah, was I wrong about that?" Rangi snarked back. "Don't kid yourself. You acted like a dick long before I said that. And then you still proceeded to threaten to kill me, kinda proving my point, actually." To emphasize her point, she rolled her eyes. "It's not a moral high ground. It's common fucking decency. Which you have none of." She knew she wasn't a good person, but she wasn't about to agree with Ken on anything.

Her face paled a little at the mention. By now, she'd nearly forgotten. Avoiding her friend had helped with that. "I had to vote for someone," she finally muttered. Maybe she should've just voted herself. Then again, she was sure he'd just call her pathetic for doing that, instead.

"Sorry I don't expect people to shove me to the ground or threaten to kill me just because I hurt their damn feelings or some shit," she snarled back, still not moving. Her eyes narrowed. "Do you wanna keep seeing how far over your line you'll go before you actually become the monster you keep saying you're not?"

[efexumukoroxlc]

"You need one more finger," Efe teased, raising three fingers and flashing a smile. "I was a Scout for a little bit, but well...I guess it took up too much time with sports and school and all. And I could only really camp within the city limits, you know?" He rolled his shoulders. "She likes you, though. She says you're good at your job and very efficient. Which are really the two traits that are important to her." He offered a light laugh, but as Rangi's expression hardened, so did his own. Efe shook his head back and forth.

"I haven't, no. And I wouldn't! Don't worry. It's just that...some people who were exposed to it have been getting little cravings, I guess. But mind over matter, right?" He knew that was not at all how these things worked, but he thought if he insisted on it, perhaps it would come true.

"Ah, okay. Right. To tell you the truth, I could give or take our New England winters. Maybe we could get one year without a massive blizzard that shuts everything down. Hell," he sighed, rolling his shoulders. "That does sound nice, though. That's a nice way to describe it." Efe hummed, cracking a smile. "Oh, yea. Volunteering. Everyone wants a village. Have to be willing to be a villager. But I know. I know. Knowing better has never stopped me personally. Just be safe, okay?"

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Oh, shit," Rangi said, fixing her gesture, "like in Hunger Games." She beamed over at Efe. "You definitely strike me as the Scout type. Boy Scouts, right? That's what it's called? Is there a Girl Scouts? Or Non-binary Scouts? Wait! There's totally Girl Scouts, right? They're the ones that always swindle me into buying the most addictive cookies ever." Rangi gave an astute nod. "I am good at my job. I take pride in my work, even if everyone else thinks it's weird and creepy."

Rangi tried not to let the worry show too much on her face, but she nodded along with him anyway. "Yeah, I mean, addiction is a disease, so it's not really, um, that simple. But a good way to avoid it is to just not start in the first place, you know?" Which she was grateful he wasn't continuing to take it, at least.

"That would definitely be nice. Snow is not my friend." Then again, if it weren't for that stupid snow storm two years ago, she never would've really met Efe and gotten to actually know him. They never would've gone to the Valentine's Dance together. "Yeah, I will. You, too, okay? Even though you're the, like, fireman or whatever. You guys need to be safe, too."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"What is your deal with Dhruv?" Kiraz asked curiously. She couldn't exactly forget how Dhruv had beelined out of Shipfaced the moment he'd seen Rangi's face, and while Dhruv had told her a bit about Mason and what had gone down, a part of her wanted to hear Rangi's side of things from her own mouth. "I know some of it. I just was curious, I guess," She admitted. "Not really? I guess the way I see it, the truth was always there all along. It's not like ichor, where some person invented some concoction in a lab, you know? So, for me, I'd rather know as much as I can about, well, what I now am, but even with other species too, I mean, isn't it better to know why the things that genetically happen to us are happening? But, oh, I mean, there are plenty of published studies on it. I think K Labs even had some sort of gala or press junket after the fact or something? I wasn't in town at the time, but I was told there were some speeches given or something."

"True, and you love it, right? Being a Mortician?" She asked curiously. "Honestly, if I were going to go back to school, that would probably be the path I'd take. Either that or a scientist over at K Labs. But, for now, I don't know. I've been doing photography. I also spray paint portraits, so maybe I should start selling those."

"Yeah," She nodded. The corner of her lips tilted up ever so slightly as she gave Rangi a light smile. "Pro and cons for everything, and you say you're bad at naming things. Those are great names. Aklıma gelebilecek her türlü isimden çok daha iyi." It's far better than any names I could think of.

[faerietothe-otherside]

"What deal? There's no deal. We're not-- it's just whatever you know. That's all." Rangi didn't really wanna talk about it. Not with Dhruv and not with someone she didn't really know, not with anyone, really. Not even with herself. "I mean, I guess I'm more talking about the fact and not just, uh, the idea of it? Like the fact that someone can become a werewolf that way. No other species is like that, you know? Not that it's bad, it's just a little disconcerting." She just nodded. "I get that, wanting to know, I do. It's just that, for me, the knowing doesn't really change the idea that it's scary or different or worrying." She shrugged. "If they did, I wasn't aware. Not that I was really looking for it, I guess. I'm sure they did do something. Scientific papers aren't exactly accessible to everyone, public or not."

Rangi perked up a little more. "Yeah, I do. It's-- I actually feel like I'm helping. Like, a lot of people think that maybe being dead is already too late, but the dead deserve to be treated with respect, too." Curious, Rangi added, "well we are looking for a new morgue assistant."

Her face flushed a bit. "I mean, they're kinda, uh, basic names. But I guess I just wanted a little bit of home here." She blinked, feeling a little embarrassed. "Sorry, that was really beautiful sounding, but I don't speak that language. Turkish, right?"

[cantfightmoonlight]

"You are breathtaking when you blush," They noted, watching as the banshee before them tucked their head away. While Zeina moved to sit down on the other side of the headstone, folding their knees underneath them as their own gaze drifted from Rangi's to the name carved into stone, if only to offer Rangi a moment of reprieve from having to worry over what they might look like in someone else's eyes. "And you, my dear banshee, have nothing to apologize for. You were hardly even conscious. It was fate that brought you here. Do you know them?" They asked as they studied the name on the gravestone. Mason Mahir. "They have a pretty name. Very alliterative."

"Yes, well, I think that's why I'm here. You needed these," Z motioned to the shoes and the gloves, before adding softly under the breath, "And I was merely to be the messenger." When Rangi didn't take their outstretched hand, they nodded, remaining seated beside them in the cemetery as they answered softly, "Sort of? I was a banshee. A part of myself feels like I still am, even though I apparently died and was made a new. I thought I would've been able to predict it before it happened like-" Like they had been able to predict how they would inevitably die, for good. "But, I suppose that was in part fate too."

[faerietothe-otherside]

The compliment just made her blush more. Rangi cleared her throat, glancing back up. Usually her tan skin hid the blush well enough, but she supposed, even in the dark, it would be visible if it burned bright enough. Her eyes went back to the grave and she nodded. "He was my best friend," she muttered. If it was fate that brought her here, then maybe she wanted fate to stop doing whatever it was it was doing. She was getting tired of this.

"I, um, thanks. Again. I just..." Rangi looked back at the offered shoes. "I don't know if they'll fit?" Without meaning to, Rangi's face fell and her shoulder drooped. "So you're...a vampire now?" Well, at least eternity hadn't been taken away from her, like it had Lara. Rangi couldn't even imagine trying to grapple with the sudden curse of mortality, although, in her opinion, immortality was the real curse. "Can we do that? Banshees? Predict our own death?"

[efexumukoroxlc]

"Oh, wait, no...there's Haribo!" Efe smiled, shifting the bags around a bit. "Do you know they make all kinds of weird stuff actually? I don't even know if they bag them all. You ever go to one of those candy stores where you have to, like, scoop your own? There was one in Chicago. They have, like, peach frogs. And these salty pirate coins." He shook his head back and forth. "I didn't know that, though. That's interesting. I guess I've always popped two or three into my mouth at once. Kind of the fruit punch method." He laughed, ducking his head a bit, self-conscious about his own utter lack of smoothness or sauveness.

"No, no, I think you're right. I don't go that often myself, to be honest. I mostly watch whatever someone has playing at the station. We have Netflix now," Efe explained as he settled back into his seat. "But I'm really happy to be here with you."

Opening one of the bags, then, he popped a piece of candy into his mouth and extended it over. God, she looked so pretty, he thought, the flower in her hair, the way the colors complemented one another. He flicked his gaze up to the projector screen to avoid being caught staring for too long. "Oh, yeah, sure...Do you think we have a bigfoot around here...? I need to know where its habitat is so I can never, ever go there." He teased lightly. "Maybe I'd scope it out with you from...like, afar. With the keys in the ignition. But which one is mothman again? Remind me?" He ducked his head once more. "To tell you the truth, I didn't really grow up watching a ton of things. I snuck at friends houses and stuff, but my mom and dad were really big into...reading. And studying. Playing outside. If I did get to watch something, it was educational. I could maybe get a football game or two a month if I was really, really good."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Oh, perfect!" Rangi grabbed the bag of gummy bears and eagerly tore into them, plucking out a small handful. She offered some to Efe. "I did know that. They have a lot of very interesting candies, really, but I've always been a sucker for the classic gummy bear. Gummy worms aren't bad, either, though." As a kid, she liked pretending they were real worms, and would even wiggle them around before eating them sometimes. "I have! There's one in town, actually. You've never been? We should totally go sometime. I'll show you what's the best and how to get your money's worth. I know all the tips and tricks. If only they had a frequent flier card."

Settling back into the seat, Rangi laughed softly. "Wow, Netflix? Welcome to the 21st century, I guess." She stuck her tongue out playfully before she felt her cheeks tinge. "I'm glad to be here, too. I sort of never thought you'd ask. Honestly, I sort of thought my feelings were one-sided." She paused, maybe even scooting a little closer. "I'm happy they're not." She was happy someone actually cared enough to admit they liked her.

Rangi exchanged her handful of gummy bears for the other candy Efe offered. Popped one in her mouth and turned back to the screen as well, pretending, for the moment, that she hadn't caught him staring. It wasn't as if she hadn't been staring, either. He looked really good in that shirt that was clearly not his own. She wondered which friend had picked it out for him and if they knew what they were doing, having it be a few sizes too small. "Are you offering to be my getaway car when I go Bigfoot hunting? I mean, Appalachia is known for all it's cryptids, right? I wonder if it's just a coincidence that the town full of supernaturals is so close by."

Rangi turned a little more to face him. "Really? I mean, I didn't watch much, either. My parents were...weird about human things. They still kinda are. Mostly I just liked playing outside, though." She tilted her head. "Sounds kinda strict. You turned out pretty good, though, if I can say."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"If you'd rather keep the hangover, you don't have to drink it," He offered, as he handed over the glass, sinking down onto the edge of the bed. "I could make you a Bloody Mary or something instead, but without this," He tilted his head back toward the glass now in Rangi's hand. "You're going to wind up feeling that hangover eventually." Though he was starting to wonder if she was like him in the sense that the hangover was part of the point.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked as he watched her set the drink aside to bury her face in her hands. "It's not like we've never kissed before, unless you've finally come to your senses and now find me truly and utterly repulsive," He attempted to joke as he watched her try to dissolve into the pillows beside him as he sat there, letting out a yawn of his own thanks to the lack of sleep on his part. Not that getting by without sleep wasn't something he'd long grown used to by now.

[faerietothe-otherside]

"No, no," Rangi grumbled, "I'd rather drink it." Well, at least it was true, despite the fact that she almost felt like she should keep it. Like she deserved it. Like it was fitting for doing what she did and being the way she was. Still, she sighed and swallowed as much of it as she could. "Do you think if I have a Bloody Mary after this, it'll cancel out?" It was half a joke. She didn't remember what was left at her house to drink.

Her face pinched up. "You know that's never going to happen. You are, objectively, attractive," she grunted, rubbing her eyes. "No, I-- I'm sorry because it was stupid and I was so drunk and I should've at least asked first." Her eyes peaked open, looking up at him. "Did you even sleep?"

[efexumukoroxlc]

Closed starter for @faerietothe-otherside Location: Sunset Drive In

"I wasn't sure what kind of candy you liked, so I got a spread." Efe returned from the snack bar with his hands perhaps overly full, two sodas in one arm while the other balanced a popcorn tub as well as three bags of sweets. Approaching the passenger side of his vehicle, he passed some of the food through the window, craning his head upward as an advertisement started up on the projector.

A dancing pretzel sang a jingle and hopped across the screen. "Oh! Should I have gotten pretzels?" This came as a joke, and he gave a soft laugh and started to move around toward the driver's seat.

Pausing for a moment, however, Efe seemed to grow some somewhat self-conscious upon catching his reflection in the vehicle's door, a proper mirror since he had gotten it washed for the occasion, of course. The button-down, something Efe did not typically wear outside his uniform, hugged his arms in the correct way. And that meant he was trying too hard and should not have let himself be talked into donning it.

Clearing his throat, though, he slid easily into the seat. "Have you seen these movies before? I used to think they were pretty scary." He smiled.

[faerietothe-otherside]

Most of the flowers that Efe had brought her were now (hopefully) safe in a vase on her counter at home, but she'd plucked one of them from the bunch and slid it behind her ear. It matched her outfit, after all, how could she not? And they were sweet and they smelled nice and they made something warm tickle her belly. The last time someone had gotten her flowers had been over two years ago now, and while Efe was nothing like him, she still sometimes saw the shape of his smile in Efe's.

"Gummy bears," Rangi stated, reaching out and taking what was offered anyway, "for future reference. Specifically the green and yellow ones, but I like the clear ones, too. Did you know they're pineapple flavor? And the green are strawberry, not the red." As the pretzel danced, Rangi laughed, but she wasn't really watching the screen. "I think popcorn is much more of a classic movie snack. Though, it's been ages since I've been. Drive-in or otherwise. So maybe that's changed."

She hadn't gone to the theater much as a kid, anyway. There'd only been one in town, and it usually only played movies that were out of date by about six months. Still, sitting alone in a dark theater had never seemed like the best use of her time, when she could've been spending it outside hunting down insects in the woods or swimming in the ocean.

As Efe climbed back into the car, Rangi took a moment to admire the way his chosen shirt seemed much more fitting than anything else she'd seen him in. Not that she was staring, but, well, they were right there! She cleared her throat and looked up, setting the candy in the center console to be shared. Her own attire-- a nicer blouse, bright colors for summer, and a pleated skirt that reached mid thigh-- felt almost too casual now. She smoothed her hands down her thighs and nodded. "I'm a big Alien fan. And aliens in general. They fit in well with the cryptid crowd. You know, like bigfoot and mothman?" She had always been fascinated with that world, even if technically she was part of it. She was more than sure at least a few people out there considered banshees and the like cryptids. "What about you?"

[kenxmatsui]

His first instinct when she smacked his hand away was to tell her not to touch him. The words made it as far as his lips before escaping as a scoff as she swayed. His gaze lingered for a moment, watching as she nearly fell over. He never understood the appeal of voluntarily surrendering control like that. It was pathetic.

The mention of their last encounter drew another huff. It hadn't been one of his better moments, but then again, she hadn't exactly left the slate clean herself. "You seem to be remembering that conversation rather selectively," he said, tone flat. If empathy had been absent then, it certainly wasn't making an appearance tonight.

"What does that even mean?" Ken rolled his eyes at the nonsensical. "I'll pretend you making so little sense is because you're drunk, and not because you're actually this stupid. Doing you a kindness with that really." Feeling his temper scrape a little thinner, Ken knew he should walk away but his feet, however, stayed exactly where they were. "Last chance. Before I stop asking."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"I remember you being a fucking asshole the entire time," Rangi scoffed. "Does it make you feel powerful? Pushing other people around?" Sure, she was probably forgetting a few things that happened, and that maybe she had goaded him on a little bit, but in her mind, she'd been pretty out of it and vulnerable, and all he'd done was yell at her, call her pathetic, and shove her to the ground. Oh, and threaten to kill her. She wasn't forgetting that easily. Maybe that's why, when backed into writing a name down on a sheet of paper for a pointless vote, his name had been the only one that came to mind.

"It means you fucking suck." She rolled her eyes with great exaggeration. "I don't need your fucking sympathy. It's a little late for that." At his warning, she straightened herself up and folded her arms over her chest. "Make me. You didn't seem to have a problem doing it last time."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Yes. Why? What did you think he was getting up to?" She wondered curiously. "Right? I mean it's still a huge discovery and an amazing accomplishment on Dhruv's part, blah di dah dah, and all, but it does make a lot of sense, huh?" Kiraz nodded happily along, always glad to partake in a conversation about medical studies and new findings. "I'd say so, given that I'm living proof of just that," She pointed out as she flashed Rangi a grin, only for her smile to falter ever so slightly as she said, "Is it? The wolf bite is painful. This takes some of the pain out of it, hopefully helping the transition for those like me who did want to turn and, as for others, I get not wanting to be turned by accident, but the chances of that happening seem really low in the grand scheme of things, and realistically, you'd be more likely to be slobbered on with an open wound and turn rather than injected. But, now thanks to science, you have the awareness to be careful and protect yourself from that happening," She reasoned. "Just as vampires can better protect themselves from the toxics in the saliva, ya di yah dah."

"Fair. Delicate is probably a better word for it," She nodded, not having any contradictions there. She was a scientist at heart after all. Not a linguist, and at the end of the day, English wasn't even her first language. So whatever word Rangi settled on seemed about right to her.

"I could, but," She trailed off. Her gaze dipped as her shoulders lifted and fell once more. "I don't know if I want to? Sometimes, things happen, and it feels like the opportunity just passed, and sure, you can try to go back, but I feel like then it would sort of feel like some consolation prize, in a way. It's not like I'd be able to get those years back, so I think I'd rather pursue something else entirely than be constantly reminded of what I gave up, I guess," She explained. There was also the fact that she no longer really felt fit to be a doctor, given she had hardly lived her life by any code to not do harm these days. "Thanks. Me too. And yeah. It definitely seems like it does suck. The whole dying part, but I'm starting to think maybe every species has their own sucky parts and disadvantages," She admitted. "Thanks! It is a good name, isn't it?! And what does Tapu and Mana mean? I could say the same about me. But, now I'm out here being a photographer part-time, so I guess I'm just one of those rare right-and-left-brain people."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Honestly? I wasn't really sure. I...admittedly didn't think about it a lot." Mostly because Rangi didn't want to think about Dhruv a lot, and the painful relationship they'd found themselves in, a cycle of pain being passed back and forth between them as they were both reminded of-- and reminded by the other-- of the people they'd lost. "What? Oh. Yeah, he-- yeah. It's incredible, what he discovered." She nodded. "I just mean, like...it's kind of a little, uh, concerning, don't you think? To know that someone can become a werewolf without even being bitten. It's good knowledge, though, yeah. I think people should definitely be made aware of that. All of that."

Rangi gave a small shake of her head, although it was in agreement. "Right, no, that makes sense. I-- I get it. It's not quite the same, but I didn't start school in the mortuary science track." Another thing she'd done that had disappointed her parents. "No, I guess not. But if time is going to pass anyway, then why not do something with it?"

Truly, Rangi had to agree. Not being able to lie certainly sucked, but at least it wasn't dying or whatever. Even if her banshee-isms made her feel like wanting to die, sometimes. She would give anything to not have to death scream ever gain. "Pro and cons for everything, right?" She shrugged. "Well, mana is, like, energy. Like-- the supernatural energy within a being. And Tapu is a type of sacredness. Like, um-- think like, holy relics in a church or something. It's Māori."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Yeah... well, that was before," He muttered under his breath, not seeing a need to fill in the gaps as to what he meant when it came to before. Years before he'd been taken. Back when he hadn't been so fucked up in the head. Before everything had gone to shit... seemingly for the both of them.

He didn't say much as he watched her whine. His lips merely curved the slightest bit up as he carefully moved out from underneath her, replacing his spot with a pillow for her to cling to. He was only gone for a few moments, but when he returned, he sank into the edge of the bed, extending a beverage out toward her. It was a hangover potion he kept stocked in his fridge, courtesy of his siblings, not that he often drank them himself. He'd rather just drink some hair of the dog in the morning, combating a hangover by downing back even more liquor. But for Rangi, he figured it might help. "Here. Drink this," He told her softly as he extended it out to her. "It will help."

[faerietothe-otherside]

Groaning, Rangi buried her face back into the pillow and curled up in a tighter ball as she felt him rise out of the bed. She almost reached out for him but managed to have at least enough awareness of herself that she was able to restrain from it. When he returned, though, she peeked one eye open to look up at him and whatever he was offering her. Really, she kind of hoped it was maybe another shot of something-- tequila, vodka, hell she'd take gin, really-- but when the strange liquid came into view, her face scrunched up. "What is it?" she asked, sitting up just enough to reach for it. She eyed it warily, sniffed. Took a sip. "Ugh. Is this a hangover brew?"

Still, she took another sip. This certainly wasn't the first one of these she'd had, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. With each gulp, though, more and more of the previous night came back to her. The feelings of being unwanted, the bars, the stumbling around downtown, the showing up unannounced and out of her mind wasted here. The flirting, the touching, and, oh-- the kiss. Her face flushed bright red, as if she'd just come in from a long day out in the hot sun. "Oh, gods," she muttered, setting the drink aside and burying her face in her hands, "oh my god. Last night. I-- jesus. I'm so sorry."

[itsronniebish]

"The fucking smell," Ronnie muttered. "And the fact that you were drunk texting, and-- you know what? I've already-- fuck this." She looked away first. She couldn't bear to keep looking at Rangi while she was like that, so fucking unbothered. "Well, I don't want that. I don't know anybody who does. For you to lay there or suffer or-- Fuck, Rangi. Don't be-- Don't be fucking gross."

Ronnie frowned before quickly scrambling onto the bar and snatching the bottle out of Rangi's hand. She could have just jumped, but this kept Ronnie above Rangi, looking down at her and raising an eyebrow before downing the rest of the bottle. It wasn't great. She found herself wrinkling up her nose, but, triumphantly, she said, "There. Got it. Wanna tell me where there rest are?" Save Ronnie from having to hunt everything down.

"Well you should take it back! Or, fuck, at least know you don't have to. You don't owe me that. You don't owe me anything. I'm the one that hurt you." Her face crumbled a little bit before it tightened, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I am sorry. For all that... and for Addie, too, fuck it. It's kind of my responsibility to make sure she doesn't, like, be a bitch to my friends."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"You never complained about it before," Rangi huffed, blowing a puff of air against her palm and sniffing, as if to see if she, too, could smell the alcohol on her breath. She could. It was bitter and sweet. Red wine. The same bottle Ronnie had now just downed. Rangi tilted her head up to look at Ronnie on the counter, which just made her giggle, shrug. Ronnie was so short that even at this height, she was only a few inches above Rangi's eyeline. "Well, I mean, at least if I died here the cats wouldn't starve. Unlike if I'd drowned the other day or whatever." The admission was dropped quickly and with ease, no tightness to it all despite the it of it all.

Instead, Rangi's hands, unable to keep to themselves, snaked around Ronnie's waist and pulled her towards the edge of the counter. "Careful," she murmured, "you might fall and hit your head." Not that it mattered, since Ronnie was a vampire. She could get up and walk it off, unlike Rangi. At Ronnie's question, Rangi just shook her head. No, she wasn't going to just lead her to the rest of her alcohol, though, at the moment, she couldn't quite remember what was even left in the house. Surely there was a bottle of tequila somewhere, perhaps over by the couch. Maybe on her nightstand.

Rangi's face screwed up for a moment, unsure of what to say except, "I'm not doing it cause I owe you? I'm just...doing it because I-- because I care--" well, she couldn't say it, now could she? Ronnie had run off on her last time she had. She didn't want her to leave again. So she just left it there. Instead, she leaned in closer. "If you're sorry then--" her breath was heavy and she furrowed her brows-- "act like it."

[gazingatmestarry-eyed]

Gently, Charlie reassured Rangi. "You ain't gotta be sorry." It's what friends were for, and as far as she could tell Rangi was about the best one she had in Lunar Cove. "We'll be there soon." She promised Rangi while also promising herself she'd finally buy a car.

It was a juggle getting inside. From finding Rangi's keys, to unlocking the door and keeping the cats in. Charlie thought they'd made it successfully when Rangi bent over to pet her cats. "Oooof!" The siren struggled to hold her friend up. Slowly, she lowered Rangi to the ground before letting go. With a long exhale she stood up. "Just stay right there, okay Legs? I'll be right back."

She'd been over before. It was easy to find the kettle, dry clothes and blankets. Food was harder as the fridge's main staple was wine, but she left that to figure out after she situated Rangi. "Okay. Time to get up. Here," Charlie bent down and offered up her hands. "Let's go.." She guided Rangi the best she could into her room where she left dry clothes for her and an extra blanket out. "Change into somethin' dry while I finish your tea, okay? Be careful, please." The last thing she needed was for Rangi to bump her head, which is why she hurried back.

"You decent?!" She asked from the door.

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Still..." Rangi mumbled but didn't finish the thought, too preoccupied already. She just nodded as Charlie headed off to who knew where-- not Rangi-- and let the two cats rub against her legs and arms, pulling Tapu into her embrace and nuzzling the cat's head. In her state, he was so soft and pliant, like a pillow, and she wanted to fall asleep right there.

But then Charlie returned and Rangi looked up at her, eyes glassy, reluctant to let go of her cat. His weight in her arms felt like a balm, like an anchor. She let him go, though, and reached up for Charlie's hands. It took her a minute to stand, legs like jello as they wobbled, much akin to a baby deer's. "Sure," she nodded again, stumbling into the room and over to her bed, where there were some warm clothes laid out. Rangi picked at them for a moment, watching the cats crawl all around the bed now, having followed her inside. Mana gave a quiet, almost pitiful meow and Rangi reached out, scratching her chin. It was almost as if they could sense what had happened-- what had almost happened.

"Sorry," she murmured under her breath, "I wasn't tryna leave you guys or anything." Though, it begged the question-- if something did happen to her, who would take care of them?

A knock at the door returned her to her thoughts and Rangi remembered she was supposed to be getting dressed. "Like, in general or right now?" She giggled, tired. Then. "One sec." She tugged her wet bathing suit off and switched it out for the clothes, warm and soft and comfortable, before going back over to the bedroom door and pulling it open. "Ta-da."

[acostacowgirl]

Lara hummed. "Then if that is what you want." She grabbed a coffee mug and the pot, setting it on the table for Rangi while she ate in case she wanted some. At the explanation of who this Gordon Ramsey was, she could only nod. "I do not own a television," she stated. What need did she have of one? There were far better things to do, in her mind, than watch an angry British man yell at people all day. There was work to be done, and far better ways to relax. "If he is famous for yelling at bad cooking, then I cannot imagine how that is entertainment," she added.

"I would lie, but I don't do that often, not even now that I can. Life, I am afraid, is often an ache. But that means that you are living still. Should the aching cease, should you find yourself... numb, then there is more to worry for then just the ache." Lara busied herself with work putting things away in the kitchen, or moving them towards the table so that Rangi might have more if she'd like it.

At her next question, Lara just stilled. "No. My parents were human. This was not... the first life I have had."

[faerietothe-otherside]

Rangi nodded, as if that made it final. "It is." Now she just had to figure out what she would cook again. Not spaghetti. (Anything but spaghetti). She glanced at Lara, then around the small room, as if she might somehow find the answer in the kitchen. Well, she half did. "Yeah, that...that checks out, too." Lara didn't seem like the kind of person to enjoy television. Rangi snorted. "Some people like that, watching people yell at each other. I never really got the appeal either."

Well. That wasn't exactly what Rangi wanted to hear, even if it was the truth, even if she knew it was the truth and that lying about all that was a disservice. Still, she sighed again. Grabbed the coffee pot and poured a glass, not drinking it yet, but wrapping her hands around the warming cup.

And now, it would be her last life. Rangi bit her lip. "Sorry. I-- sorry." She hadn't meant to bring up things that hurt to remember. Quietly, around the cup in her hands, she muttered, "This is my first life ever. And I already feel like I'm just messing everything up, all the time. I-- sometimes I just think that maybe starting over would be easier." Death, after all, didn't have to be the end for a fae, even if they chose it for themselves.

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Why are you apologizing for being a banshee?" Zeina's voice was no more than a soft and melodic hum as their gaze locked onto the banshee across from them. They could practically feel their heartstrings tug as they were greeted with a mumbled out sorry. They watched as the fae before them sunk onto the ground and they found their own feet instinctively stepping forwards.

Zeina didn't say anything. Not at first, but they did slip off their shoes in front of Rangi, followed by the gloves on their hands. They only wore them these days because they happened to make one hell of a fashion statement, and they were quite fond of them, having grown far too accustomed to wearing them over the years. But it seemed like the gloves might've found a better home from the looks of it. Resting the gloves carefully on top of the shoes, making sure not to touch the other, Z took a step back of their own before they sank to their knees beside the other fae and motioned with a tilt of their head towards the gift they laid out before them. "A gift. For you. The shoes might be a little small, but they'll at least be something to get you home. Though I could always give you a ride too if you prefer. And as for the gloves, you don't have to take them if you don't want to," They promised her. Their voice dipped back into a whisper as the smallest glint danced across their eyes. "But, they are exquisitely made and will prevent any unwanted visions if you'd like a hand up," Zeina offered, extending out their hand toward the other. "Unless that is, death doesn't scare you, and in that case," They wiggled their fingers over at her as they assured her, "You're welcome to sneak a peek into my past, if you'd like. But no pressure one way or another."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"I..." Well, really, she didn't know, except that Rangi had been apologizing for that since the day she'd found out she was one. Her cheeks burned and she tucked her head away, embarrassed. She just barely managed to choke back another apology, choosing instead to curl her knees to her chest and blink away the harsh sting in her eyes. The gravestone in front of her came into view as she did so. Mason Mahir. Oh, well, that explained why she was here. Too much at once, tugging her in different directions. A broken heart, wound reopened time and time again because she just couldn't help herself, could she?

When the other person-- the possible other banshee, but she wasn't letting herself hope again, not anymore, not after so much time alone-- sat beside her, Rangi startled, unwrapping her arms and sitting up. "Oh." She looked down at the offered pieces of clothing. "Thanks." She didn't think she'd use either, but the gesture was nice. She just...felt too ashamed of it. Of still not being able to stop herself whenever she got like this.

Instead of saying anything back to words she only half registered, Rangi just looked at the other woman. "Are you...?" Like me. Please, please, please, she didn't say.

[efexumukoroxlc]

Efe flashed a soft, albeit somewhat embarrassed, smile. "I know! But I, uh...I don't do it that much really. And I could stop if I wanted to. There's just been a lot going on with everything." He cleared his throat. "Don't tell my mom, though, okay? She'd be really, really mad." A weak shrug rolled through his shoulders. After a beat, though, he spoke up again in a quiet voice. "It's actually helping me not be sick. I don't know if...the ichor everyone's talking about kind of got into my system a little. So I'm just...biding my time it until it passes." He was not sure it ever would. "Nothing to worry about, though!"

Ducking his head, then, Efe gave a laugh. "Yeah. You're...uh, from a proper warm climate, right? I mean, I think! I don't actually...what's the weather like there, huh?" He pursed his mouth, offering a hurried nod. "I'm enjoying seeing everyone. And uh...yeah, I'm on break. But you're not a bother. I'm happy to see you. Have you been...uh, drinking? It's important to stay hydrated with this heat and all."

[faerietothe-otherside]

Rangi held up two fingers, pressed together. She'd seen it in a movie before. "Scout's honor," she smiled. "Besides, I don't leave my morgue often so I don't see your mom around much, anyway." This was a tease, too, light and easy, like everything seemed to be with Efe. Though her features immediately turned taught and stressed at the mention of ichor. She remembered from last year, last time, when the humans were given a choice, apparently, to take it or not. Efe had taken it. Now, there was a wolf who had also taken it and had become a frothing, horrid creature, his life torn from him. Rangi paled a little. "You're not-- you haven't taken it again, right?"

The change of topic was not unwelcome, even if she gave one last wary glance about it. "I do, yeah. Temperate is the proper word, I think. But it's warm, usually. It's nice. We got our fair share of rain and cold, though, in winter. Which is opposite to here. Sometimes I still forget that." Despite standing outside in the current June, which was summer here but not there. She shrugged. "Nowhere near as hot as Australia, thank the gods, but it's nice. Like-- like fresh sheets from the dryer warm." She nodded. "Oh, are you working the festival? Yeah, that makes sense for you." Another lighthearted chuckle. "I'm happy to see you, too." She blushed, luckily it blended in with the flush of her already red cheeks. Her eyes went down to the bottle on her hip. "Umm, yeah. It's-- it's a festival, you know? Who doesn't wanna drink? I promise I'm staying hydrated, too! I know the dangers of heatstroke. I've seen my fair share of those on my table to know better. And I can't lie."