#danbreyweek2019

[danbreyweek]

Danbrey Week 2019 | October 20-26

Day 1: Pumpkin Patch | Haunted House

Day 2: Lodge | Forest

Day 3: Bonfires | Movie Nights

Day 4: Sylvain | Earth

Day 5: Hot Springs | Cold Nights

Day 6: Sweaters | Costumes

Day 7: Home | Abroad

[skip-to-my-lup]

Expectations

Danbrey Week Day 4: Sylvain | Earth

"Hey, Aubrey?" Alexandra asks one day.

She seems a little embarrassed from the way that she can't look Aubrey in the eyes. Instead, she looks between Aubrey's shoulder and the rest of their party nearby. They are sitting around a campfire, Janelle cooking something while Dani laughs at something Thacker is saying.

Aubrey is supposed to be heading towards the forest in search of more firewood. In all honesty it's hard to look away from Dani’s smile to meet Alexandra's eyes. But, whatever is going on seems to be important, so she tears her gaze away.

"Yes, Alexandra?"

"Can I… talk to you privately for a bit? I… have a message from Sylvain for you."

It's been a while since Sylvain has wanted to speak with her. The last time was to chastise her for creating a few too many pudding cup trees. Which, admittedly, was becoming sort of an excessive thing now. She'd just given her a slight slap on the wrist and limited her on creating too many new species.

Aubrey has been pretty good about this, but she wonders if this has anything to do with creating a herd of binicorn a few days ago.

"Sure," she says as she pushes away from the tree she'd been leaning against. She leads Alexandra toward the forest. As she turns, she catches Dani's eye. Her girlfriend raises an eyebrow, but Aubrey waves her off. Whatever it is Sylvain has to say, she's pretty sure it can't be too bad.

Once they come to a stop, well outside of their campsite's earshot, Alexandra begins fidgeting with her hands. Obviously whatever she has to say is pretty important.

Aubrey tries to lighten the mood some.

"So… What's up Buttercup?"

That gets a small smile out of Alexandra.

"Promise you won't get mad?"

"I can't promise something like that. But, I can promise to stay calm."

"I guess that's good enough," Alexandra mutters. "It's just… Sylvain wanted me to tell you something, but I'm not sure if you're going to take it well? And Sylvain sometimes has a weird sense of humor so—"

"Whoa, whoa." Aubrey places a hand on Alexandra's shoulder. "I'm sure whatever it is, I can handle it. And I'd never shoot the messenger."

Alexandra's eyebrows knit together. "Is that an Earth idiom?"

"Yeah. Sometimes kings on Earth would kill messengers if they delivered them bad news. The phrase mostly means that I won't bet mad at you for whatever Sylvain wants you to tell me."

"Oh. Okay." Alexandra takes a breath. "Alright. Okay. Well... Sylvain thinks it's about time for you to make a flower crown for Dani."

Aubrey blinks. "Are flower crowns special or something?"

Alexandra splutters. "Are they-- Are they important?!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Aubrey watches as Alexandra does her best to calm herself down. Whatever the meaning, it must be something pretty dang important.

"I can see she wanted me to tell you about this." Alexandra sits down on the ground with a groan. A lot of her restless energy escapes by the time she relaxes against a tree. Though, from the way she bounces her knee, Aubrey’s pretty sure she’s still nervous.

"Generally speaking, how do relationships... evolve on Earth?"

"Well…” Aubrey sits across from her. “Usually two people decide they like each other and start dating. Then, when they think that they want to be with each other forever, one of them asks the other officially if they want to get married. Then, the couple is engaged until they get married and then they just kinda... stick with each other for the rest of their lives."

"I see," Alexandra nods. "Is there like a specific thing you do to officially ask the question of marriage?"

"Well, everyone is different. But, a lot of people get a ring, give a heartfelt speech, get down on one knee, and ask the question. Sometimes it's in front of people they care about and sometimes it's in private. Then, while they're engaged, the person who said yes wears that ring."

"The flower crown is kind of like that."

Aubrey pauses. "Like the engagement ring?"

“Yes, Alexandra says.” When someone wants to be with their partner for the rest of their days, they make them a flower crown. They usually only wear it for about a week. But sometimes couples press a few of the flowers and wear them as pendants to show everyone else that they are betrothed to each other. 

“I think it’s pretty presumptuous for Sylvain to want me to tell you about it, though.” Alexandra sighs. “But, she seems to think you need to know what Dani might expect eventually. And... Apparently she’s right since it appears that those expectations are different from yours.”

"Oh,"Aubrey says.

If she's being honest, she hasn't thought that far ahead, yet. It took so long for the two of them to decide on a label, the thought of deciding when their forever might start is daunting to say the least. Is this something that Dani has thought about? How long is too long before they decide? What—

"Aubrey. Aubrey please don't freak out," Alexandria says, carefully. She places a hesitant hand on Aubrey's knee. "Sylvain didn't mean like right now. She just thought it was something you should know about is all."

Aubrey lets out a sigh of relief.

Good.

She has time.

It's some years later. Dani and Aubrey have spent a lot of time in both Earth and Sylvain, but most of their days are spent in Dani’s world, helping to restore it..

It's fall on Earth. Oddly enough, now that the weather patterns are evened out some, Sylvain seems to be a season behind Earth at any given time. It's wild whenever they stay for extended amounts of time. Because either they have a super long season, or they have a drastic shift of climate. Either way, it always takes Aubrey a while to get used to the temperature changes.

Aubrey is glad they're visiting now, though. It's the perfect weather to be outside during the day, and the forest is so pretty with a canopy and carpet of multicolored leaves. And Dani's delight in crunching them beneath her shoes certainly helps, too.

Most everyone is back at the lodge this time around. Normally they'd be spread out pretty far, what with Duck doing his part to help restore Earth and all. But, Aubrey asked everyone to come home this evening specifically because...

Because she really wants them there after she asks Dani to marry her.

Ever since that day, years ago, when Alexandria had explained their engagement tradition, Aubrey hasn't really stopped thinking about it. Everytime that their eyes have met over a campfire, after a particularly sweet kiss, even after a terrible fight that Aubrey thinks will surely be the end of their relationship...

She can't help but think of spending the rest of her life with Dani.

So, she did some planning. She had Thacker and Mama work on getting Duck and Minerva home. She worked on weaving with Janelle's bemused help. She snuck off in the middle of the night and met with Jake who'd helped her get flowers. And she planted the crown out in the forest in a place that she could easily lead Dani...

It's going to be perfect.

Aubrey smiles as they near a clearing behind the lodge. She's pretty sure Jake is staked out somewhere nearby. She didn't ask him to document this, but she's pretty sure she'll appreciate it later if he does.

They're about a yard away from where the crown is hung on a beautiful birch tree. She's nervous, but she takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. She can do this! She's practiced the words so many times. All she has to do is--

"Aubrey?" Dani asks, voice soft. She comes to a stop, forcing Aubrey to a halt, too.

"Yes?"

She fidgets with the tassel of her hoodie. Opens her mouth a few times, and then takes a deep breath as she grasps both of Aubrey's hands in hers.

"Aubrey, we've been together for a few years now. During that time we've lived through the end of the world, twice." She laughs."And we've seen some pretty amazing things together. We've done some pretty amazing things together. And I don't think there's anyone else I'd rather spend that time with."

Dani takes a shaky step back. The moment that her knee touches the earth below, Aubrey feels tears spring up in her eyes, matching Dani's  own misty ones. She keeps hold of Aubey's left hand and reaches into the pocket of her hoodie to reveal a small wooden box.

"Aubrey Little? Would you mind traveling Sylvain and Earth as my wife someday?"

As she finishes that question, Dani pulls back the lid to reveal a black ring with a beautiful red stone in the center, wrapped in small black stones.

Aubrey isn't sure if she's going to laugh or cry.

"Can you  hold that thought for like two seconds?" Aubrey asks, stepping away from Dani.

Dani freezes, her face on the cusp of worry. "Aubrey--"

"Just. Just two seconds and I will be right back. I swear."

She doesn't given Dani a chance to respond. Instead she books it over to the birch tree. The flower crown is still there waiting for her. She's careful not to crush the delicate red teacup rose, yellow blackeyed susan, orange chrysanthemum, and baby's breath arrangement in her hand as she puts it behind her back and rushes to return to Dani.

As she gets closer, she notices that Dani hasn't left her position, though the worry and confusion is clear as day on her face.

"Okay, so, before I give you my answer I need to ask one more favor of you, okay?"

"Oh...okay?" Dani asks, unsure.

"Kneel down completely?"

She's fudging this part a bit. Janelle, who knew a whole lot more about Sylvain customs than poor Alexandria did, had told her that the recipient only kneeled if they were in agreeance. But, well, none of this had gone as planned!

And Dani'd asked first so, that had to give her some sort of pass right?

She comes to a stop before Dani. She's obviously very confused by all of this, but she humors Aubrey and settles down on both of her knees.

"Okay, so I ..." Most of her words have left her at this point. She had a script and everything!

Aubrey takes a deep breath, doing her best to not let her tears fall quite yet.

"Dani, these past few years have meant the world to me. I don't know how I would have survived any of this on my own and I just... I really love you."

She brings the crown out from behind her back and presents it to Dani.

"Will you accept this?"

Dani stares at the flowers, in shock for a good minute.

And then she falls onto her back, laughing.

It only takes a few moments before Aubrey flops down to laugh with her.

It takes some time before their laughter dies down. They're both a bit messy from rolling around in the leaves, but neither care too much. Eventually they both sit up, facing each other, tears staining their cheeks and matching smiles on each of their faces.

"I asked first, silly," Dani says eventually, bopping Aubrey's nose with the closed wooden box.

"Yes." Aubrey laughs. "And you?"

"I will accept it with love," Dani says, dipping her head.

Aubrey leans forward and places the crown on top of Dani's head. It's a bit messy now, but a little tweaking and the flowers sit how Aubrey had envisioned them, the reds, oranges, and yellows blending in prettily with Dani's blonde hair. She idly picks out a few twigs and leaves as she works.

Once Aubrey's hands still, Dani takes Aubrey's hand in her own and retrieves the ring from the box. She then slips the ring onto Aubrey's left hand. It matches her nails well. The nails that Dani---

"Wait is this why you insisted I paint my nails red two nights ago?"

"Maybe..."

Dani's laugh says something more like 'definitely.'

"Hey, you can't judge me for my wishful thinking if you insisted that you do my hair for me this morning."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Aubrey refuses to look at Dani.

Or at least tries to up until Dani cups her face and leans in to kiss her.

"We are such a mess," Dani says as she pulls away.

"Yes, you are!" A voice calls out from a nearby tree. Looking up Aubrey finds Jake holding a camcorder

Dani pulls away and splutters "J-Jake? What are you doing here?! I told you---"

"You both asked for my help. I didn't know exactly how this would shake out, but I knew, whatever happened, I had to record it for later."

He jumps down.

"Though it's kind of disappointing just how much money Duck is going to win."

Aubrey's blood runs cold.

"I'm sorry, what did you say, Jake?"

He freezes.

“Nothing?”

Aubey takes in a deep breath and does her best to keep her voice even.  “Try again.”

Jake deflates a bit. “Everyone has been wondering who would propose to who. So, when y'all invited everyone to come hang out this week… we figured it was time to put together some more concrete guesses… Duck’s the only one who got it 100% correct though…”

"You all were betting on us?!" Dani shrieks.

"I didn't bet," Jake says as convincingly as he can with his two best friends about to go on a murder spree.

Dani groans and leans forward into Aubrey's shoulder. The flowers smoosh against her face some.

Aubrey glares at Jake.

"If I see a single dollar exchanged tonight, it goes up in smoke, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am" Jake looks down at his phone. "You know, I'd better get back, and, uh, let Barclay know to start supper soon?”

“Jake—!” Aubrey calls.

He takes off as if Aubrey is at his feet, fire in hand. She is, decidedly, still sitting on the ground, but she certainly entertains the idea for later.

“I’m gonna murder him,” Dani says through gritted teeth.

Aubrey sighs and lays back down on the carpet of leaves. “Don’t do that. I doubt Sherriff Owens would actually let you get away with murder. And it’d be kind of hard traveling two words together as wives if one of us were in prison.”

Dani laughs. “I suppose you have a point.”

She lays down beside Aubrey, who has raised her left hand to look at the ring on her finger. She’d been so focused on asking Dani, she didn’t stop to think just how much the gesture would mean if it was her receiving it.

Dani raises her right hand and reaches across Aubrey to take hers. She holds it for a few moments before bringing it down to her lips and kissing it.

“I love you, Aubrey. And I can’t wait to spend forever with you.”

“Me too, Dani.” A grin breaks out across Aubrey’s face.

“Me, too.”

[adventuresloane]

Love Was a Kind of Emptiness

Read on AO3

Relationships: Dani & the Quell, Dani/Aubrey, Sylvain/the Quell

Rating: T

CW for body dysmorphia, disordered eating, heavy angst

For Danbrey Week 2019

"You're her."

This time, she didn't run. In the days since she had started following them, she had always skittered back into the woods whenever she got spotted. With how bone-pale she was, she shouldn't have been able to disappear into the black shadow that quickly. But she had slipped into the penumbra the way sugar in hot coffee dissolved to become a part of the amorphous dark.

Now she was still, and not. She was the potential for movement, like a frozen deer primed to spring away. Potential energy herself. Felt for miles around.

"And you're Dani," she responded. Her head inclined slowly and smoothly to one side, just a little. As always, a waist-length swath of straight and shiny black hair moved as one curtain. "Am I just 'her' now? What are my names, that you know of?"

Dani couldn't answer that, and not only because of the way her jaw had begun to lock up in fear. She didn't know how. As far back as she remembered, everyone had been loathe to give a name to this, had acknowledged this at all only with reluctance. There were names she vaguely recalled seeing in schoolbooks, with Ancient Sylvan pronunciations she couldn't have wrapped her mouth around even if she did remember them well enough. These days, even after the crisis had been averted, still people spoke obliquely. The Quell. The Storm. Hardly names at all, really. They described something that one did, not something that one was.

Those titles had seemed appropriate enough when they were all simply talking about a natural force, something that acted, and acted violently. But that wasn't what stood before Dani now. This was a woman, just like her, and also not like her at all.

"I see," she said. Dani wasn't sure what she was responding to.

"You shouldn't be here." She surprised herself at the force of her own voice. She supposed that she had some practice in speaking with gods. Just that morning, she had talked the avatar of her planet's life force out of filling an old dried-up lake with maple syrup. But it was easy to forget with Aubrey. Aubrey, whom she knew as her love first and as Sylvain second, whose presence had felt as easy and natural as breath long before they had learned everything. It wasn't easy to forget when the waves of dark power radiating from this woman overtook her. Potential energy. A fault line, a land mine, a fragile slope before a landslide. She was all of these things and much more. Dani could feel it, and she wanted to run with all she had, but already her knees had ceased to bend.

"Yes I should. We have to talk."

"Why?"

"You..." The Quell hadn't made eye-contact all this time, something for which Dani would have been grateful if she were capable of feeling anything but anxiety at the moment. She had been focused on a spot somewhere just below Dani's eyes. Now she glanced away entirely. Her eyes flashed, and not in the way people normally talked about eyes flashing. Light glinted off them as though her gray irises were made of chrome. Or like there was lightning in them. "You are always with Her."

"No."

"You are Her companion."

"No. You're not getting near Aubrey."

"You couldn't stop me if I wanted to see Her, you know." The Quell still had her head cocked, out of...what? Curiosity? Scrutiny? Did she even have feelings? "You're afraid of me. Why?"

Dani couldn't bring herself to move her mouth, even if she had had a way to reply to that. She thought of the leveling of her world. For months now, she'd been traveling around to witness it. She'd seen forests of trees gone horizontal, prostrating toward the setting sun. She'd seen mountains smeared into flatlands as if they were wet clay under a thumb. Marshland where there had been fertile valleys.

And well before any of this, she'd seen, as a young child, the refugees surging through the gates of what was today the city of Chicane and what had then been the whole of Sylvain. People who had fled the other cities overtaken by the Quell's violence. She had watched them slump in, looking as though gravity affected them more than most, with their shoulders sagging and the very skin of their faces pulled down by frowns. Seeing them, she had felt dread for maybe the first time in her life--not for herself or out of fear of them, but at the idea that an entire existence could be so easily lost. Despite her parents' reassurances that their home was safe from the Storm, she still sat alone in her bedroom for ages, eyes closed, trying to imagine what it would be like if the whole house suddenly vanished with everything she'd ever known inside it, along with every other house on every other street she'd ever seen. She couldn't, back then.

"It's because you've seen what I can do."

"Stop it," Dani managed through tight teeth. This was too much. Her brimming brain could barely process the Quell's presence, let alone her words.

"What?" There was short pause before she shrugged. "I can't help that I get impressions of what you think and feel. I can do the same for everyone born on this planet. It's like asking me not to feel the wind."

And had she felt the desperation of those she had displaced? Had she felt the panic in the half-seconds before some had been utterly consumed by the Storm's madness? Had she done it all in spite of that?

"I do wish you wouldn't fear me, though." The Quell stepped closer again. There was a twinge of what might have been a smile on her face. The chuckle that came out of her sounded quiet and ragged as the crunch of dead leaves underfoot. Everything she said sounded like that. It was assault to Dani's ears. "You know, you're just as much my child as you are Hers."

"No." She forced just enough air through her slowly constricting chest to say it. At the Quell's words, anger had started up somewhere just behind her sternum and started to spread through her body like a drop of ink in water. The adrenaline was almost enough to break the hold her nerves had over her. "You just...you wreck."

"What of it?”

"I'm an artist." She pushed past the quiver in her voice, in her legs. "I create, just...just like Her and j-just like Aubrey. N...none of us are like you."

"Do not try to tell me about Her."

"Stay away from Aubrey."

"Don't tell me--"

It was only three words, but the three had been enough to knock her down. The quiet voice had exploded suddenly into a multitude. Some flat. Some screeching with static. Some so deep that they were more felt than heard. Some glitching and skipping like a scratched record. It hurt. Physically, it hurt. Dani felt the noise tear through her as it tore through the air, felt the cacophony.

Dani dropped to the ground, or, rather, her body finally went totally stiff and carried her down with it. She stared at the grass with her hands over her ears and her fingers in her hair, and she tried to regulate her breathing, but she hardly had control over even the expansion of her chest. She was a soul bumping around inside a sack. It felt as though she had pulled herself out of her limbs, that her consciousness had retreated to somewhere deep within the core of her body to protect itself.

"I'm sorry. I'm..." The Quell trailed off. Her voice had returned to normal, and yet had not. Her tone was more hushed. Frailer.

All the same, any sound right now made her shrivel deeper into herself. It was one more input out of far too many, and it made it harder to focus on regaining control of her body again.

And anyway, how dare she be sorry? There was plenty to be sorry for before now. So many lifetimes of things lost. Did she feel the weight of it? Did it bend her spine like a punishment, the way it did Dani's? Or was she even corporeal?

The color began to fade from her vision. By the time the mist had rolled in entirely, everything was blank and gray, blotting out the world. It wasn't too unusual--fog often rolled in among the trees of this forest. Except that this fog muffled not only her sight but her hearing. The whoosh of the wind in the leaves seemed less obtrusive now. Everything did. And while she likely should have been nervous, she couldn't help but be glad for this cloud cocooning her from her surroundings for awhile.

When she finally felt her heart beating rather than vibrating, she slowly glanced to her left to see the dark silhouette of a woman kneeling on the ground beside her. She, too, had not moved the whole time.

"Is that helping?" the Quell quietly asked. "Good," she said before Dani could reply. That should have made her angry, but she was too tired for anything beyond dull irritation now. Even the fear was muted.

"You would rather not speak out loud right now, I take it?"

Dani shook her head a little.

"May I say something, then?"

She waited for a long while before she shrugged. To her credit, the Quell waited for that.

"I..." She came to a halt. "I'm not good at apologizing."

Dani looked her way and felt her eyebrows raise before she could stop herself.

The Quell huffed and said quickly, "Thacker claimed that I shouldn't try to hold power over people or try making them afraid simply because I feel afraid, so I apologize that I did that to you. Is that right?"

She was too distracted to give an answer to that, as she questioned what could make the embodiment of destruction afraid.

"I've just missed Her," she murmured. The mist had nearly dissipated now, and Dani could see her arms crossed over her knees.

And if she felt any sympathy for the Quell in that moment, it left her like a dying breath when she thought of the tree that used to stand in the center of town when she was growing up. Itslong, willowy branches hung heavy with tear-shaped purple seed pods strung along them, she could sometimes see it from the window of her house waving at her in a strong wind. It had waved, too, when she had been kept at sword- and wand- and spear-point, backed up against Sylvain's gate. She'd seen the slow lift of the thread-like branches over the heads of the crowd gathered to see her disappeared for good. She didn't see her parents or her brother in the crowd. She hadn't known why, and she hadn't had much time to think about it before being shoved through the portal. Maybe they had just gotten lost in the throng. She hoped so. She hoped that they had at least shown up, that the moment she had been dragged from the house and arrested wasn't the last they had seen of her.

For the brief time between when she was brought into custody and when she was sentenced to banishment, they didn't really explain what it was, exactly, that had done her in--someone reporting her bad-mouthing the Minister of Preservation and his bad sideburns, is what she had always assumed, but it could have been something else. Maybe one of the new laws. There were new laws made all the time back in those days, so quickly that hardly anyone could keep track of them all. Ignorance of the law, naturally, was not considered an excuse.

"Sorry." The word was nearly soundless this time. Dani wasn't sure to whom she was speaking. The Quell's next sentence, though, was certainly directed at her. "How did you bear it?"

Stop asking leading questions, Dani thought at her in the most deliberate way she could manage. She focused on the words and her own aggravation, trying to keep the memory from creeping up on her. You know I can't help trying to think of the answer. It's not fair.

"I am not used to communicating with someone who can't hear my thoughts too. Even just speaking is still strange to me." She paused. "Your kind...Brightfangs, isn't that what you're called up here? You're some of the closest to Us, you know. To She and I both. I felt you come together in the soil from where I rested in the center of the planet, before you rose fully formed from the ground."

She didn't know what to think of that. Instead, she thought, My family used to tell me that. Though, to be honest, I'm still getting used to the term 'Brightfang' again. Humans called me a vampire for so long. And I think they thought we rose out of graves or something.

"Goodness," she said, with a soft sound that was suspiciously similar to a chuckle. She rubbed her foot through the grass but stopped just before the scrape of it became enough to bother Dani. "Was it difficult to put up with them? Humans, I mean."

No, she thought.

"That's not how you really feel. And don't be upset. I can't help it."

Dani felt herself frown. She wanted to think about anything else other than the early days in the lodge. Those memories came on anyway. She felt the approach of them the way one feels oncoming nausea, and she was back to the first moment that she had taken on a human form. She had looked down at herself, at this new body attached to her like a tick, and had not seen the familiar glow of her skin like the glow of the Crystal, and had felt blunt teeth behind her lips instead of the sharp points she had liked to tap her fingertips against, and it had felt too short and too warm and too much of everything after everything had already been too much.

She had cried, and sometimes she had screamed, and even though Mama never flinched while patiently waiting for her to calm each time, she had felt shame that only made the tears fall hotter onto the foreign flesh of that new body.

In the earliest days, she remembered wearing that form like an ill-fitting rubber suit. Maybe it wasn't as bad as she remembered, or maybe it was even worse. But looking back on it, she recalled hell. Everyone had said that there would be an adjustment period, and they had turned out to be right, but even two years on she had still felt how much it was not her own. This body needed food, and it felt a hunger that couldn't be satisfied by the hot springs or by Sylvain's light. At seventeen, she started skipping meals and would just wait to feel the scrape of pain deep in her belly, just so she could feel some measure of control over this form that she had been forced into. That was until Mama noticed and, after a drawn-out scolding, made her eat dinners with her for awhile. That might have saved her. She knew that, but still felt a twinge of bitterness nonetheless.

And if she were to be truly honest with herself, maybe some of it did have to do with how she thought about humans. She didn't particularly want to be one. There were their strange traditions, the rapid speed at which their lives progressed. Mama, at the start, trying to explain that humans assumed things like gender based on appearance--that while no one at the lodge would ever judge her for how she decided to look, Dani had to be prepared for strangers to do so, wrong as they were. And of course, everyone on Sylvain knew about the missing shard of the Crystal, but she had never really considered that if the piece were still where it belonged instead of on Earth, then she would still be where she belonged instead of on Earth. For the first months, on the rare occasion that she got out of the lodge or otherwise saw an unfamiliar human, she had to suppress the urge to hiss and show her now-blunted teeth. That instinct left her, slowly. Over time, the anger completely dissipated. Truly, it did, albeit more gradually than she would have liked to admit. But years later, she never stopped making excuses to stay and draw or garden whenever Jake asked her to hang out with him in downtown Kepler. Sometimes she looked sideways even at the humans she knew and trusted and loved, and she would feel only lonely looking at them, thinking that they would never quite comprehend what it was like. Not even Mama, and certainly not Jake's friends or the park rangers or Leo or Duck or Ned--

Ned.

Sometimes she had wondered whether she could trust Ned. Everyone had on some level, she guessed. Now, every night after Aubrey had gone to sleep beside her, she lay awake for awhile and shivered with the knowledge that she should never have wondered.

"You can't blame yourself for hating them.” The Quell had been quiet up until now. "You felt like they had taken your home from you. Like you wouldn't have been on Earth if it hadn't been for them destroying the Crystal." It wasn't a question.

I didn't hate them. I loved some of them. I love them now. She hoped the Quell felt a new force to her thoughts. What? Are you going to tell me that's how you felt, too? About Sylphs taking...Her away from you?

"I'm not saying it was right to think so." She stared at the ground. The mist circled her now, and her image wavered slightly. "But you tell me, mortal, what was I supposed to do when for centuries on end I had felt only Her absence? Of course I was going to want to feel anything else, even if it was anger, or hunger. What would I have done without anger, or hunger?"

It was still your decision to act on it.

"Was it?"

Before she could swallow it down, the thought of the sarcophagus bubbled up from her stomach. By the time she had emerged from that bright tomb, whatever small part of her had remained lucid felt only the fear. Felt her body hurtling unstoppably forward. And then there was the blood, and the bang, and the flesh giving way to her now sharp teeth. And through it all, hunger, hunger like an engine as she plowed into the man who had put himself in her way to save her, and not knowing what she had done, and then the terrible knowing after she had woken up again--

And then Aubrey. Aubrey being there even when Dani felt not all there herself, even when she couldn't bring herself to speak for hours on end. Aubrey never smothering her, but never far either. Aubrey warming her even when they were apart. Aubrey holding her when she finally broke and carefully kissing the tears from her cheeks. Aubrey murmuring against her skin, skin that had felt more sacred to her than it ever had before, because it had been touched in this way. Aubrey crying herself and still whispering to her, "You didn't kill him. I know that wasn't you."

Who are you, really?

For all the Quell claimed to know her mind, she apparently hadn't been expecting Dani to say that. It was some time before she answered, slowly, "I am this planet's force of destruction. I clear things away. It is Her role to create them."

That's what you do. Well, no, it's what you have done, I should say. Destroying, I mean. That doesn't have to be all of you. Wouldn't you rather be something else?

"What sort of a question is that?"

It wasn't the familiar feeling of home that had drawn her to Aubrey at the very start, though that sensation would come in full force soon after. Instead, she had seen this woman walk in and immediately thought that she was seeing someone who knew herself. She took up space--not just with her wide stance and the thick poof of candy-red hair standing high on top of her head, but also with the way her voice filled the room without her trying, the heat of the flames she made filling every empty corner. She was utterly herself, and she wanted everyone to know about it, to see her. And Dani saw her, alright.

How comfortable she seemed in her own skin. It was sort of contagious. The more she was around Aubrey, the more she wanted to feel that way, too. At times, she almost did. That was usually when Aubrey would do things like kiss her all over under the covers and count out each one, claiming she was giving her a kiss for every one of her freckles. She would never reach the end of the count--they would both either dissolve into giggles or into sleep, but either way, Dani would be left grateful for her form, for the freckles that covered it.

She had also thought, at first, that Aubrey would be the last person capable of understanding what foreignness felt like. It appeared that she, the traveling entertainer, could make a home anywhere she pleased, could be comfortable anywhere. And anyway, she just felt so familiar. Dani eventually found herself to be wrong about many things, of course. The knowledge of all she had gotten wrong started with the night that Aubrey sat on the bed, hands folded between her knees, speaking quietly about her mother and the empty lot where her house had been.

And it turned out that she didn't know herself as well as Dani had assumed, either. She didn't know how good she was. She spent so much time worrying about how her fire could destroy that sometimes she hardly seemed to see how much light she gave off. Dani wasn't sure how best to make her see it. She tried to show her anyway, where she could.

The Quell cut in, "Well, of course She was full of light. She is the Life-Giver. She is not capable of making anything that is not beautiful."

Sylvain is inside her, but Aubrey is herself. She's all human. She thought a bit more. Humans are all so different. They're kind of...flexible, I would say. They have to spend a lot of time thinking about the kind of people they want to be. I don't think that's a bad thing.

The Quell let out a hum.

By the way, is that really what you think now?

"What? Oh, about the beauty of the surface, you mean."

Yeah. You think so? After all you did to it?

The Quell faced the sky, eyes wide open. "I believe...before, I simply rolled over the surface of this planet. I saw all of it as only obstacles. Now that I'm made to just...just be, I see that it was all Hers. I was so busy searching for Her that I could not see Her in everything she had done, in front of me."

Dani hated to admit how much she understood.

"I...I feel ashamed." Her head snapped in Dani's direction as if she had just recalled something. Then she sighed once more. "You still don't want me to see Her."

"No, I don't." Dani finally managed to speak aloud, albeit shakily. "And I...I don't forgive you either, yet."

"I see."

"But I might, sometime. She might."

The Quell smiled, really, for the first time. "Then I will speak to you again."

I didn't say I wanted that, she thought. Talking to her, Dani found, was still sort of exhausting.

"You didn't have to." She did not move, but the long shadow of a tree stretched to blanket her, and she seemed to have never been there to begin with.

[skip-to-my-lup]

Take My Hand

Danbrey Week Day 1: Pumpkin Patch or Haunted House

"I really don't think this is a good idea, Aubrey," Dani says as she stares up at the decrepit house in front of their small group.  

"It'll be fine," Aubrey says, waving a hand in front of herself, dismissively. "It's probably just an abomination that's pretending to be a ghost or something."

"If it's an abomination then shouldn't Ned and Duck be here to help instead of us? No offense, Jake." 

"None taken" He shrugs. "Mama said we just needed to get in, get info, and get out so that y'all could go in later and fight whatever is in there. So, as long as we don't stick around too long we'll be fine. 

"You don't know that," Dani says, annoyed.

"Hey, hey. Don't worry!" Aubrey slings an arm around Dani. "I'm here. I'll protect you and make sure you're safe!" 

Dani turns to her and laughs, smiling softly at her. "You're going to protect us with your big big muscles?" 

"Well I don't have a lot of those, but I do have a lot of magic!" Aubrey snaps a finger and a flash of flames flies from her fingertips into the air. "And, if all else fails, we can always run away." 

Jake makes an overly exaggerated face. "Can you two stop flirting for, like, two minutes?" 

Aubrey immediately pulls away from Dani, face flushed. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." 

"We're just friends, Jake," Dani says, looking anywhere, but at Aubrey.

Jake rolls his eyes.  "Whatever. C'mon, we're not going to find out anything out here." 

He then turns to the decaying house and starts leading their trio towards the front door. 

Aubrey has to admit, something feels a bit off. Usually, Mama gave them instructions in person, but Jake had been the one to tell her this time around. He then told her that he'd called Duck and Ned and they were both busy so the three of them had to go instead. Which was fine... 

Except that now she has to pretend like she is a professional to impress Dani. 

As a pretending professional, she should probably be leading them, but Jake knows more than either she or Dani do about this situation, so that wouldn't make sense.  But, maybe the next time she has a chance she could show off. 

Yeah! 

Aubrey picks up the pace so that she can be close behind Jake. 

It is somewhat dangerous getting to the front of the house. The ground is torn up and chunks of concrete are overgrown with grass. The steps up to the front porch aren't much better. One of the steps is caved in and another looks like it might crumble at any moment. 

Jake goes to the door and tries to open it, but finds it locked. He curses under his breath and then turns to Aubrey and Dani. "Do either of you know how to pick locks?" 

"I do!" Aubrey says, rushing forward. She reaches into the black fanny pack she'd brought along and digs out a few of her make-shift lock picking devices. She squats down in front of the door and makes quick work of the lock and, before she knows it, the door is swinging in. 

Jake lets out a low whistle. 

"That was fast," Dani says, impressed. Though there is a tinge of concern in her eyes. "How'd you learn to do it so fast?" 

Oh right. Picking locks isn't a common skill. Especially for law-abiding citizens.

"Would you believe me if I said it was for magic tricks?"

"I wouldn't," Jake says. "I was around Hollis long enough to recognize the difference."

Aubrey laughs awkwardly. Neither of them really needs to know about some of the lengths she had to go following the night she left her house. 

"Anyways, haunted house anyone?" She said as she pushed the door open. 

There is no light inside, but what light shines in from the windows reveals the hallmarks of an abandoned house. Unknown debris, litters the entryway. Broken furniture is upended in what was once the living room. And, to top it all off, graffiti covers every available space on the wall.

"You know what? I'm good," Dani says.

Jake groans "C'mon, Dani! It'll be fine." 

He walks into the house, dragging Dani behind him. Aubrey brings up the rear, the floorboards creaking loudly as they venture inside. 

"It was going to be, but you've jinxed us Jake!" Aubrey admonishes. She reaches over and knocks on the wood exposed on a nearby wall. "Gosh. How many times do I have to tell you to not do that kind of stuff?" 

Aubrey is about to take a step, but there is an answering knock further inside the house. All three of them freeze in place. 

"You know what?" Aubrey says, voice much higher than usual. "I think Dani has a point." 

"I told you!"

The girls turn around just as the door slams shut behind them. 

"Shit. Jake, we have to find another way out—" Aubrey cuts herself off as she finds one Mr. Coolice missing from their party. "Jake?"

Dani immediately glues herself to Aubrey's side, threading her hand tightly in her own. So tightly Aubrey's pretty sure that she is going to lose feeling. "Don't you dare let go of me, Aubrey Little." 

"Y-yes, ma'am." 

"M-m-maybe there's a back door?" Dani says as bravely as she can. 

"Good. Good idea."

Neither girl moves an inch. The house hadn't looked that spooky to Aubrey before, but the fact that Jake is now missing colors everything at least two shades creepier. The once merely broken chairs have become destroyed. The worn wood looks as though it would crumble at any moment. And, no matter where she looks, every shadow looks as though there is something waiting to eat the two of them alive.

But, at the same time, Dani is shaking something awful, obviously frightened out of her wits. And who knows what kind of dangers lurk in this house. They have to get out as fast as they can so they can come back with help. And, if Dani doesn't have the strength, then Aubrey would have to.

After an embarrassing amount of time, Aubrey take a few steps into the house. The floorboards creak, but thankfully nothing jumps out at them. Maybe they're safe so long as they stick together? 

She hopes so. 

Dani follows easily enough, but her shaking doesn’t cease. Aubrey's heart seizes knowing how scared her…friend must be. She hates it. So, for better or worse, she shifts Dani's hold to her other hand and brings that arm around her shoulders, sheltering her from whatever dangers might be lurking. 

As they walk further into the house, noises come from above. Dani presses herself further into Dani's side. Floorboards creak and moans echo above, each one more frightening than the next. Aubrey's steps are cautious and she looks in every corner of the room before bringing herself and Dani past the living room.  

As they move further she notices two doors beside each other, both are missing, revealing one set of stairs that go up and one that goes down. The stairs going up (like hell she'd be leaving the first floor) and going down (again, hell to the fucking no) look rotten. 

They need to find an exit on the first floor. Most of the windows are boarded up, though. She could try to burn the wood off, but the liklihood of the hosgoing up in flames is very high. The few windows that aren't don't budge when Aubrey tries them.

Across from the stairs is the kitchen. There are no appliances left, but there is a door on the other side of the room. Relief floods over Aubrey at the sight. They walk carefully forward and, once they are within arm's reach, Aubrey reaches for the door and pulls.

It opens.

"Oh thank god," Aubrey says aloud. 

Dani lets out a sigh of relief.

Aubrey expects a backyard to be on the other side of the door as she pushes it out. But, instead, a cramped pantry and another door greets her. There are empty cans of who knows what strewn about and a couple of lawn chairs. From the lingering scents she'd almost bet that a few teens come out here to smoke pot sometimes. 

Which has to mean it’s safe here, right?

The moment she steps into the small room, though, a cacophony of sounds erupt.

"BEGONE!" A voice, very suspiciously like that of one Ned "Prankster" Chicane bellows both from the small room as well as from a room above. 

Dani lets out a shriek and buries her face in Aubrey's chest. Aubrey, on the other hand, begins to look around with a critical eye. It’s hard to see without any windows to let light in, so she pulls out her phone and shines its flashlight around. There has to be something…

As her light passes over the doorway back into the small kitchen, she finds a small walkie-talkie wedged between the pantry's shelving unit. She wrenches it out of the wall and finds some sort of wire attached to the door handle and the push-to-talk button. It is lax now, but she is pretty sure that when the door had been shut it had been taught enough to allow the party on the other end to hear when they'd approached the door.

"What?" Dani asks, her hold going lax as curiosity takes hold of her.

The walkie-talkie comes to life again.

"RUN! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" 

And, yup, that is definitely Ned "about-to-be-dead" Chicane.

Aubrey pushes the button.

"I think you and Jake had better run before we find you," Aubrey says in the lowest tone her voice can comfortably carry. 

She takes a lot more satisfaction in how quickly two sets of feet scramble down the stairs than she probably should.

But, who cares, they deserve it. 

[skip-to-my-lup]

On the Road, Chapter 1

Danbrey Week Day 7: Home | Abroad

They are back at the lodge, only Thacker is missing having decided to stay in Sylvain this time around, and she and Dani are having a pretty bad fight. Normally they’d keep their disagreements to themselves, but this time around they don’t bother stepping nearly far enough away to keep it private. Dani goes off upstairs to go to bed early and Aubrey decides to let off some steam by walking around.

She’s walking through the main lobby, in pursuit of her jacket, when Duck stands abruptly from where he’d been sitting in front of the fire. He looks like he wants to have some sort of conversation, but Aubrey is not in a good place to be good company for him so she waves him off, grabs her jacket, and slams the front door of the lodge.

Aubrey pauses a moment to take in the late autumnal air. It’s crisp and helps clear her head some. She knows that they’ll make up in the morning, but it always sucks when they can’t agree. Or when Dani can’t compromise. Or when she can’t just shut her own damn m—

The lodge door swinging back open nearly startles Aubrey out of her skin.

Her nerves are shot. So, she steps back and both of her hands blaze, immediately on the defense. It takes her a moment to process Duck pausing in the doorway for a moment and then pushing forward, shutting the door as he joins Aubrey out on the porch.

“C’mon Aubrey, let’s put those out and have a talk.”

Aubrey lets out a breath and the fire leaves her hands. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for.” He goes over to the swinging bench suspended on a couple of the awning’s beams. The beams creak a bit as he sits, but they hold true. He pats the open space beside him. “Now, c’mon. What’s gotten into you two?”

Aubrey shakes her head at the seat and starts pacing the length of the porch. She couldn’t sit still even if she tried. She doesn’t ignore his question, though.

“Just disagreeing on stuff.”

“Like…”

“Like the stupidest shit.” Aubrey groans. “She wants to go see Ned’s statue tomorrow, but I promised Jake we’d go hang out with him tomorrow. And, for some dumb reason, we can’t apparnetly do both!”

Duck hums.

Aubrey continues.

“And then the next day we’re supposed to go visit Barclay and Stern out at their new house, but she thinks that we should stay at the lodge and visit with Mama and you guys. Which, no offense, I’d love to, but Barclay and Stern are apparently leaving for some trip the next day so if we want to see them we have to do it tomorrow. And we didn’t see them last year so I know Barclay’s pretty sad about that.

“And I know we promised Alexandra we’d go to like a pumpkin patch or something while she’s here. She’s a teenager, but she hasn’t had a lot of fun as a kid so I can’t just let her down like that. I think Dani is fine with that plan, but I think I heard Mama was planning the bonfire that night and I don’t know if I’ll have the energy for both. And I really don’t want to—”

“Disappoint Mama,” Duck says, completing her sentence.

“Exactly!” Aubrey exclaims, pointing at Duck, glad that someone finally gets what she’s saying. “Dani doesn’t want to either so we’re probably going to split up who goes where so that we can make sure that we go to both.”

“How long are you two gonna be here in Kepler?”

Aubrey pauses. “A week I think?”

“And then what do the two of you got going on when you get back?”

“Well, Janelle said something about us going to visit some village to see what the capital can do for them. Then probably some studying and meetings with diplomats. You know, the usual.”

Duck nods. “When’s the last time either of you took a vacation?”

“What’s that?” Aubrey laughs at her own joke. There’s way too much to do to take a break.

Duck doesn’t laugh, though.

Her laughter dies quickly enough.

“You know I don’t normally pry into other people’s business, but never taking time off can’t be good for either of you. And I really don’t think that the fighting you two do is unrelated to all of this.”

Aubrey feels tired all of a sudden, so she walks over to sit beside Duck. The rafters creak, but it holds steady. She still can’t keep completely still, though, so she pushes off and starts moving the bench back and forth. Duck picks up his feet and lets her got at it.

“I know you’re right, but it doesn’t feel like we’re going to really get a chance to. There’s so much that we have to do—”

“Who says you have to figure this out on your own? I’m pretty sure we could all work to get you some time off while you’re here in Kepler. Minerva and I could take Alexandra to Al’s Pumpkin Patch. And, if you’re worried about not getting to see everyone, I could make a few calls and get everyone here to see y’all off.”

“But—”

“Nope.” Duck puts his feet on the ground, bringing the swing to a halt. “You and Dani are getting out of town for a whole week. You have tomorrow to get your shit together and see whoever you want to, but if I catch you in Kepler the rest of the week I’m calling Sheriff Owen’s on your ass to chase you out of town.”

He stands up.

“Mama, Minerva, and I’ll set up the details. Now, get upstairs, tell Dani about what’s going on, and I’ll see you in the lobby tomorrow morning.”

“Duck, neither of us have any money—”

He waves a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Now get before I make you.”

Aubrey has half a mind to test him, but she’s pretty sure Duck means business. So, she stands and goes upstairs, no more questions asked.

[skip-to-my-lup]

Taking a Break

Danbrey Week Day 6: Sweaters | Costumes

It's been about a year since the almost end of the world.

The town of Kepler, West Virginia has been slowly, but surely, recovering from the scars the Reconciliation group  left behind. The General Store has reopened, the Pizza Hut finally put a sign back up, Amnesty Lodge has had decent enough crowds, and The Hornet's Nest is reopening on Halloween with a costume party for the town's adult crowd to attend.

There were a lot of details that probably went into it, permits, people donating their time to rebuild, a sheriff begrudgingly helping with said permits, but Dani didn't really know all of that first hand. No, what Dani knew was that she and Aubrey were expected to go to this party, along with everyone else from the Lodge, and they were going to be required to dress up and neither of them had a costume.

A detail Aubrey neglected to tell her about until the day before.

"I can't believe we have to drive a whole-ass hour and a half, last minute, to go find a costume," Dani mutters as Aubrey turns onto the highway to start their journey.

"We could have just gone with my idea and worn blue shirts with a sign that says 'I'm blue—'"

"That's a dumb costume, even for you."

"Well, then why didn't you just go as a vampire? I could go as a god and--"

"Feels a bit like appropriation, but okay, go off I guess."

"How can you say that when Stern is literally going as Bigfoot?”

"Because he's dating Bigfoot and Barclay said it was fine. I say it's not, so I'd hope you'd respect me enough not to"

"Of course I do!" Aubrey says at a decibel far too high for such a small space. "That's why I'm driving an hour and a half one way to get a freaking couple's costume with you!"

Dani goes quiet, a bit chagrined from Aubrey's statement.

"Sorry," she says, looking out the passenger window at the mismatched trees flying past them.

They'd been fighting an awful lot lately. She wasn't exactly sure why. Maybe it was all of the stress that came with sudden surge of politics in Sylvain. Or maybe it was because Mama'd given Aubrey a letter her father had left for her. Or maybe it was because Dani's reunion with her family hadn't gone smoothly. Or—

"No." Aubrey lets out a short breath. "No, don't apologize. I shouldn't have yelled. It's not your fault or anything. I'm just…"

"Stressed?"

Aubrey laughs.

"We probably need to take a break or something," Dani muses.

She nearly slams her head into the glass when Aubrey swerves the truck onto the side of the road and then parks it.

"Jesus, Aubrey!" Dani looks around wildly for whatever might have caused her girlfriend to swerve. "Was it a deer? Or a tire?"

"No."

Aubrey's strangled tone catches Dani's attention. She's gripping the steering wheel so tightly Dani isn't sure if she's going to accidentally rip it off or something. Aubrey's eyes are trained on the road ahead. They’re hard to make out, but Dani's pretty sure she sees them shimmer a bit.

"Aubrey what's wrong?"

Silence is her only response.

"Did I say something wrong?" Dani asks. "If you don't want to take a break then you don't have to. But I think we could both use it. Especially away from Alexandria. I love that girl like a little sister, but I swear she's glued to your hip or something."

"Can you—" Aubrey clears her throat. "Can you clarify what you mean by 'a break'?"

"Sure?" Dani's pretty sure it's straight forward, but perhaps it means something else for her. "I mean like us spending some time, just us, somewhere. Maybe it's selfish of me to want that, but I don't think we've had any 'just us' time until today.

"Oh," Aubrey says, the tension falling off of her almost immediately. "I thought…"

"Thought what?"

"It's… nothing."

Dani crosses her arms.

"Aubrey, it was obviously something. It really upset you."

"Well… For me 'take a break', in a relationship context, usually means that a couple wants to 'break up.' Y'know… like end their relationship?"

"Oh, honey, of course I don't want to do that," Dani says, leaning across the middle of the seat to plant a kiss on Aubrey's cheek. "I'm sorry I scared you like that."

Aubrey picks up one of Dani's hands  and kisses it. "It's okay. We talked about it and now we understand each other!"

"Yeah."

Dani unbuckles her seatbelt and moves to the middle seat so that she can be closer to Aubrey, buckling the center seatbelt as an afterthought. Aubrey signals her return to traffic once she’s settled. And then they’re back on the road.

They stay like that for a while, Dani resting on Aubrey's shoulder as her girlfriend holds her hand with her right hand and drives with the left. Dani starts dozing after a while, but Aubrey speaking again pulls her out of her almost-asleep state.

"Hey, Dani?"

"Yeah?"

"How much trouble would we be in if we didn't come back to Amnesty Lodge until after the Hornet's Halloween party?"

"If we do it without telling someone, probably a lot. If we call Mama, probably not at all."

"Cool… cool.. "

She falls silent for a bit, though Dani stays awake this time.

"Hey, Dani?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Do you wanna stay the night in a motel after we get our costumes?"

Dani smiles as she leans up and kisses Aubrey's cheek.

"I like that plan a lot." She pauses. "Though I don't know if I have enough money for that."

"That's okay. Duck slipped me some cash before we left."

Dani arches an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Aubrey opens her mouth, but then looks quizzically at the road as she second-guesses her answer.

"Gas? I think? I don't know, he didn't really say anything besides 'have fun and stay safe.' So, that probably means to use the money however we want to as long as we're having fun and staying safe right?"

"I guess?" Dani laughs. "Did he want any change?"

"No. Definitely said keep whatever's left over. Despite the fact that we weren’t supposed to be there long enough to use all of it."

"We could save whatever's left over for the next time we visit…"

"You're right. Which means you should hold onto my wallet 'cause I was definitely thinking about getting some toys for Dr. Harris Bonkers."

"I'll guard it with my life."

Aubrey laughs.

Quite a few miles go by before Aubrey picks up Dani's hand again and brushes her lips over her knuckles.

"I love you, Dani."

"I love you, too, Aubrey," Dani says, pulling Aubrey's hand to her so that she can reciprocate the gesture.

Dani won't remember what costumes they chose, a witch and a fairy, for very long. But what she will remember is how nice it is to spend time with Aubrey away from everyone else. She knows it won't always be feasible…

But she's looking forward to the next chance they get.

[skip-to-my-lup]

Warming Up

Danbrey Week Day 5: Hot Drinks | Cold Nights

Aubrey regrets not dressing warmer.

It's the end of November. Fall is on its last leg and the wind is cutting through the thin flannel jacket that she is wearing under her vest as she follows behind Dani in the forest.

There's a bit of snow underfoot. Not enough to hinder their trek, but the darkness above and the snow below don't help how the cold she feels. She could light a fire in her hands to warm herself, and light the way a bit better, but Dani's been quiet. And Aubrey isn't sure what starting a fire will do to improve the serious aura around Dani.

So, she stuffs her hands into deeper into her jean pockets, says nothing, and follows closely behind.

Dani's been pretty quiet lately. They'd been steadily flirting more and more since Aubrey had arrived at Amnesty Lodge. But, all of a sudden, Dani had stopped completely. Aubrey tried to flirt like usual, but no matter how funny or witty she tries to be… Dani just clams up, changes the subject, or even exits the room entirely... leaving Aubrey to wonder what she'd done wrong.

This had been going on for about a week now. And then, all of a sudden after dinner tonight, Dani asked if she'd be willing to go with her for a walk. Aubrey tried her best to not agree too quickly, but there was no way in hell she would have said no. Not if it meant that she might have a chance to find out what had happened between them.

All in all, it doesn't take too long before they come to a crest on the hill. The tree line stops a bit afterwards and, beyond, is a small glade surrounded by trees. In the center, there's a pile of blankets, a couple of thermoses, and a picnic basket waiting for them.

Dani continues to lead Aubrey forward until she comes to a stop before the pile of goodies. She doesn't say anything as she lays a blanket out on the ground, covering the frosted ground. She then turns to Aubrey, another blanket hand. She hesitates for a moment, before nervously wrapping her in the blanket.

It's a heavy blanket. A bit scratchy, but helps immediately. Aubrey expects Dani to pull away and sit on the ground, but, instead, she pauses. With hands on either shoulder she stares at Aubrey, as if searching for something.

"I'm…" She says, breaking the brittle silence surrounding them. "I'm sorry I've been kind of… off lately. I've had a lot on my mind, and I wanted to figure a couple of things out before I talked to you about them."

"That's okay!" Aubrey says, voice a bit too loud. Her hands itch to rest on Dani's, but she isn't sure if that's okay right now. "There's no pressure. Not from me anyways."

"I really appreciate that." Dani smiles. "Do you want to sit? I asked Barclay to make hot cider for us. He threw in some snacks too."

"Sure."

"O-okay."

Dani doesn't move to sit down and her hands leave their posts. Aubrey almost moves to sit, but there an intensity in Dani’s eyes. A look that says that she’s trying to gather the courage to say something.

So, she stays still, despite how difficult that is for her.

After the silence drags out a bit too long, Dani takes in a deep breath,And then  speaks.

"I… I think I really like you Aubrey. As more than a friend."

Heat rushes to Aubrey's cheeks.

"You don't have to say anything, and that doesn't have to... change anything," Dani continues. "But, I wanted my feelings to be clear. With how dangerous everything is…"

She trails off, looking to the trees beyond. Aubrey isn’t sure what she sees. But, if she has to guess, it’s an imagined abomination

"I guess I  just don't think it's right to stay silent anymore,” Dani says. "You don't have to reciprocate or anything, I just knew I'd regret it if I didn't make myself clear."

Dani takes her hands away, and Aubrey can't say she likes how the cold seems to seep into those two spots. Dani sinks to the ground, covering her crossed legs the moment she is settled.

Aubrey can't find the energy to move for a few moments.

She'd been hoping that the flirting had, in fact, been a mutual affair. And, despite how many times Jake, Barclay, or anyone else teased her about how they should just 'date already', she'd never believed any of them. Now, faced with Dani's confession, she's stuck just standing here in shock, clutching the blanket tightly to herself.

How is this even possible?

Aubrey looks down. Dani's unscrewed the cap of one of the thermoses, but instead of pouring a cup or drinking directly from it, she just sits there, staring at the steam.

Lost in thought.

"If you'd prefer to go back to the lodge… that's okay, too," Dani says after a while, though she doesn't look up to meet Aubrey's gaze. "I understand that this is a lot. And I've had more time to think—"

"No."

Dani looks up when the word crawls out of Aubrey's rough throat and resonates throughout the glade.

"I… I want to stay." Aubrey folds her legs and lands unceremoniously onto the hard ground, matching Dani’s crossed legs. She stays facing Dani, holding her gaze along the way. "I've been thinking about it a lot, too. I just… I didn't think you liked me back. It.. It took me by surprise."

A small 'oh' forms on Dani's lips.

"I like you more than a friend, too." Aubrey reaches out to Dani and covers her occupied hands. The heat from the thermos warms her own. "I don't know what that means in Sylvain, but I'd love, more than anything really, to be your girlfriend. If you'll have me."

Dani's eyes go wide and she tries to form words, but none make it past her lips. After a while, she closes her mouth and shifts the thermos to one hand. She reaches forward to cups Aubrey's face. The stars shimmer in her eyes as she does all she can to hold in her tears  

"I'd love nothing more," Dani says eventually, her voice just as raw as Aubrey's. "So long as you'll have me, too."

Aubrey leans into the touch, but separates the hand that had followed Dani's so that she can cup her face as well. Her hand seeks out the hair peeking out below Dani's oversized hat at the back of her head and gently pulls her forward.

Dani eagerly leans forward and uses her own hand to guide Aubrey's to the side a little. Their lips meet and Aubrey finds that she likes how soft and warm her lips are. She wants to stay like this forever, but she has so much to say to her… to her girlfriend.

As they pull apart, though, she leans forward and rests her forehead against the yarn-covered forehead before her. All of those words disappear just as fast as her breath does in the cold night air.

And, despite the chill, she finds herself warmer than she ever has been before.

[skip-to-my-lup]

Danbrey week anyone?

Danbrey Week Interest Check

Looking to see if there's any interest in a Danbrey week later this year!

I'm thinking of running a Danbrey Week later this year. If you're interested please let me know!