Hi! I know things are a bit crazy right now, but would you mind explaining lamp-gate? Most of the other -gates I've got a pretty clear picture of, but this one I've somehow missed. Best I've got is it's somehow to do with lampshading, but no idea of the actual details
Oh no worries! So unfortunately I was not present live during s15 airing, but from what I have gathered, why lamp/lampgate has to do with that scene in 15x10 The Heroes' Journey, when Dean goes to Garth to get his cavities filled. He hallucinates/has this dream sequence where he tap dances to "Let's Misbehave" by Cole Porter which apparently has a ton of LGBTQ+ lore attached to it (via @deanwasalwaysbi). Definitely read through that post which goes into a lot more detail.
The long and short of it is that the lamp is theorized to be a stand-in for Cas especially since at the very end of that episode he is looking at Garth and Bess dancing in their living room and is like "I always thought I'd be good at dancing" or something similar.
From there, my understanding is that fandom did lamp=light and looking back on various episodes, there are lighting shifts whenever Cas is mentioned in the context of Dean. Off the top of my head, an example is at the end of 13x05 Advanced Thanatology when Dean gets a call from Cas saying he's alive and his face both figuratively and literally lights up.
There are also often instances of Cas standing under lamp posts which are supposed to symbolize a halo since we don't see actual halos in the spnverse.
Additionally in Dean's room in the bunker, there is furniture doubling at times, can't quite remember the specifics right now, but there are times when there are 2 table lamps/end tables and times where there are not. I believe in the finale everything is doubled and in comparison the absence of Cas is LOUD especially when taken with the insane number of empty beer and liquor bottles littering the place. (Don't take my word for this though because I've seen the finale exactly once.)
I hope that helps but anyone else can add on too!!
We got half the people saying the characters like Bix were lacking agency compared to S1 and half the people saying the main character Cassian was lacking agency compared to S1 interspersed with people saying the deaths are random and are only there to propel someone else forward. It’s almost like we got a theme.
Hello sunshines! Cannot believe we've reached the finale! I'm on vacay, and I get to experience the finale in this miraculous place (what a quote pun) tomorrow since I never watch live ugh
I'm so, so, SO grateful for this season, because overall, it was (and still will be after tonight) very pleasant thing to watch, experience and f e e l. In addition to that, I got to freak about it with amazing, cheering up, fascinating people.
I could never wish for more. I got to meet a lot of non-polish, and few cutest polish tho! blarkes. I've learned SO MUCH from you all, and my skills have improved A LOT. I got more confident with my English writing, my speaking and socializing. I got more interested in other people’s stories and got more curious about the whole world. I got bigger, less of my surrounding’s perspective. My mind is bigger because of y’all so thank you so much for this change.
I am grateful for Gabriel as my next favorite character of the 100 which HOPEFULLY survives to the 7th season. (Also gabtavia as my next favorite ship, I will go down with it.) I am grateful for amazing plotline for both bellarke, Clarke, Murphy, OCTAVIA. May we meet again Kane and Abby. Or just Kane.
Cannot wait for post season crying/drinking on blarke wine club this Friday! Sending all of you love and happiness!
Tagged tonight by: @bellarkesgodson @nightbleeder @notsoplatonicsoulmates @clakregriffin @thehundredtimesobsessed @shaeheda @clarkgriffon @octaviadblake @johnmurphysass @catastrophic-chloe @disasterbiclarke @sallysimpsons @clarkesgrfin @yourereallyhere @famousflowermagazine @talistheintrovert @hostagetakerandhistraitor @buttered-rice1 @clarkeplease you guys are the most beautiful beings on earth and beyond!
Also if you haven’t done your bellarke fam gratitude day and saying huge thank you for being in this fandom! You may not know me well but I am grateful for each and one of you for being the lights in the fandom tunnel!
So what you're saying is, I'm your brand of heroin? | Noah & Reza
About three things Noah was absolutely positive.......
Toweling off his hair a little more Noah looked in the mirror for one last time checking to make sure he was presentable. If this was any normal night he’d be most likely be naked by now, obviously company warranted proper clothes. Or at least a pair of basketball shorts and a muscle tee. Hanging up his towel in his bathroom, Noah padded back across his room human ears pricked for the doorbell. He’d told Reza he could come over like an hour ago though maybe it took more time for the kid to get here than 30 minutes. Shrugging it off Noah went to scoop up the little foster pup from his position snoozing on his bed figuring it was best to just move everyone downstairs to wait. And of course it was only when he was halfway down the stairs did he hear it the faint chime of the doorbell that was only installed for Noah’s benefit, the little pup tucked under his arm starting to stir from all the noise. “Coming!” the boy called out as he ran down the last of the stairs Kea already beating him to the door “Back,” he commanded looking straight at her expecting her to do as she was told. And she did paws moving back a few steps, tail still wagging profusely. “Good girl” He praised before going for the door and opening it wide upon Reza. “Hello hello, long time no see.”
Reza would never admit to it but he'd shown up to Noah's house at the exact time given -- half an hour from their conversation-- and then proceeded to loiter around for another half hour. Mostly to avoid any unbearable situations, like accidentally disrupting Noah's shower early, but also because he didn't want to seem too eager. Which he was. Hanging around in that smelly hole of a basement he called home got lonely. Way lonely and cuddling it up with a dog was without a doubt the perfect solution. Talking to Noah didn't make things worse, either, since the older boy seemed to exist purely to spread positivity and kindness; something Reza really was lacking in his life at the moment. If only his traitorous thoughts would stop making him feel like hanging out with an admittedly handsome friend was in some way betrayal to a dead person. And really, person was a stretch. Jittery hands finally knocked on the door and Reza could immediately smell the mixed scent of dog, fresh shampoo and something his nose told him was Noah. "Hey," he greeted with a touch less enthusiasm, smile getting lost as his gaze quickly turned to the ground. "Thanks for letting me come over." Reza shifted on the doorstep, shrugging off his jacket as soon as he did to avoid it getting covered in dog hairs because no way was he not getting on his knees to pet the gorgeous dog wagging its tail, leaving him in the traditional black, skinny jeans and an even darker T-shirt (a personal favorite decorated with a sleeping cat and the words 'not today'). A sensation he knew by now, but was no less uncomfortable, told him that he couldn't pass the doorstep just yet. Noah hadn't explicitly invited him in which meant... yeah.
Moving away from the entrance so Reza could pass through Noah went to stand next to Kea happy she was waiting patiently. “It’s totally no problem dude.” He brushed off the gratitude smiling at the boy, because it really was no problem. “Plus you caught us on a quiet night, most of the time there’s at least 3 extra people milling about the kitchen eating our food, isn’t that right?” Noah cooed down at the little pup in his arms, his little snout giving a rather large yawn that made Noah’s heart practically melt in his chest. God he love puppies so much. Glancing back over at the kid he noticed he’s gotten rid of his jacket, a funny shirt and his general punk skinny jeans look underneath. And Noah would be lying if he didn’t feel that tingle, that small little wolf inside of him kinda wondering what all those clothes would look like on the floor. But he pushed that down. God. He really needed to get laid sometime soon so that shit stopped happening with his fucking friends. Shaking off the inner turmoil though Noah cocked his head at the boy outside. “So what are you a vampire now?” Noah teased looking at Reza standing stock still on the doorway. Most of his regular friends would have barged in by now, but then again Reza was not a normal friend, and maybe he just was super polite, yea maybe that was it. “Come on get in here before Kea explodes from excitement.” Noah said before turning and walking towards the couch making it plainly clear the Reza should come inside now. Oh and shut the door behind him too.
Reza quickly began to fidget, weighing the option of just turning on his heel and walking the other way because this was just... the worst. The puppy yawned with excitement and Reza decided to stay, if only for the dog. Something shifted in Noah's eyes for a second, pupils darkening and for a moment Reza wondered if it was realization dawning behind his eyes. Did Reza's reluctance -- or inability-- to enter somehow out him as a vampire? Holy... “So what are you a vampire now?” A... a joke? Noah was joking. Obviously. He didn't know, how could he. The offer to step inside was accepted without hesitation, Reza shuffling inside with an awkward laugh. "A vampire. Yeah, for sure. I'm the one creeping outside your window every night." Cringing at himself, Reza simply turned all his attention to the dog instead of trying to fix that mess of a sentence. He was greeted vigorously by the door, a genuine laugh slipping past his lips as paws scrabbled for Reza, tongue slobbering towards his face. "Hey, there, girl How are you? You are absolutely gorgeous," he cooed, the built up tension and nervousness easing slightly as his cold fingers wrapped into the soft fur.
“You know if you wanted to see me naked all you had to do was ask.” Noah quipped playfully over his shoulder as he walked over to the couch the little foster puppy in tow with him while Haukea stayed by the door. Blanching a little though at the realization of what he just said, to Reza, someone who thought he was weird for giving a compliment Noah instantly backtracked “And I swear that was totally a joke” He said turning around so Reza could see the seriousness in his eyes. Holding it for a moment Noah resumed his task, sitting down and making himself comfortable. That and reminding himself that Reza was not one of his bros. He didn’t get the humor and the subtle gay undertones that were a part of Noah’s everyday life with his friends. Looking over at Haukea though (as she totally ignored her training and jumped on Reza, hed had to go over that with her again) Noah realized again where he was failing “Oh my god. You’ve never met Haukea have you.” Noah asked over the side of the couch practically face palming himself “Wow. My total bad dude. So yea that’s Haukea, she loves long walkies and taking up half of whatever you are sitting on. So don’t say you weren’t warned” Noah grinned over at the pair happy that Kea might have have a part in making the poor kid smile.
"That's not what I..." Reza started defensively, cutting himself off short as he remembered that Noah liked his jokes a bit underneath the belt. So this was a joke. Obviously. Noah quickly confirmed that he hadn't been serious but Reza was still rigid as a stick. Man, this was exhausting, wading through weird hoops of compliments and sexual jokes delivered so casually that they made him sort of choke on his own spit. His attention turned back to the dog, a much safer area than pretty much all conversation with Noah, a smile returning to Reza's face. "She can take up all the space she wants." Nuzzling her head with his forehead before the dog bounded back to Noah, Reza stood up and brushed off his jeans. He felt pretty exposed wearing nothing but a T-shirt but putting on his jacket would make it seem like he was itching to leave right away. Hands in his pockets, Reza loitered over to the couch, glancing to the puppy joining Noah on the couch. "And, uh, who's that then?"
Ignoring the slightly awkward atmosphere that came about with his joke Noah focused on making himself more comfortable on the couch.Turning his back toward the armrest Noah spread his legs slightly placing the small pup on the space between his chest and his knees. Yea that was a lot more comfortable, though that still left Reza over by the door while Noah was taking up half the couch.. “You shouldn’t say that.” Noah replied to Reza with a playful shake of his head hoping the kid would get the memo that he could come into the living room. “Because next thing you know she’ll be pushing you out of a queen sized bed. Huh you little bed stealer ” He gave Haukea a nice head scratch as she passed already jumping up into her usual spot at Noah’s feet. But that’s not what Noah wanted. “Down.” Noah commanded with a finger snap the second her paws touched the couch. “Reza gets to chose where he sits first then you can squeeze your ass in whatever space is available” He told her as if she understood, but he guessed that was less for her benefit and more for Reza’s. Because while there were few of fluffy pillows strewn about the floor (from the last pack meeting), and a rather large looking armchair tucked in the corner (Cahill’s chair) Noah kinda wished Reza would sit with him on the couch. You know. Like Friends did. Looking down at the speckled puppy trying to find a good sport on his chest Noah huffed a little, the pups name a sore spot in his eyes “Well technically his name at the barn was Granite, but I’m not sure if I like that for him.” He frowned at the puppy slightly “Though I probably shouldn’t rename him if I’m fostering, don’t want to become too attached you know”
"I don't need..." A bed? Sleep? Not things you can say, Reza, "...that much space, to be honest. Perks of being a skinny, small guy." Usually, he was more comfortable curled up on the edge of a mattress, anyway. As Haukea was commanded to the floor, Reza frowned, her big, sad dog eyes tugging at his sympathy. Noah's following statement made him shift awkwardly as he wondered if Mister Big and Burly wanted Reza to squeeze into the couch with him. That plan had so many flaws, including but not exclusive to Reza's cold skin, Reza being that close to someone with a beating heart (blood bag or no, his gums still itched at the thought) and Reza being mildly terrified of the thought of human contact since... Yeah, Reza on the couch wasn't happening. "Aw, I don't have the heart to leave her on the floor," he excused himself, taking a seat crosslegged on a pillow facing Noah. It felt instantly more comfortable, perhaps in part because this was the similar set up he'd had with Heath while watching TV and no, comparing Noah to him in any way or form was not an option. "What if I rename him?" he blurted out to escape from pit in his head that had slowly cracked open, "that way it's not exactly yours but you get to call it something else?"
Noah couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at Reza chalking up the small pause in between his phrases as just the punk teen being awkward again. “Well the concept of not needing much space that has become completely foreign to me since puberty,” He admitted with a shrug ruffling the fluffy ears of the puppy in his lap. Watching closely as Haukea used her eyes Reza though Noah opened his mouth to say something but instantly shut it, knowing that he probably had fucked on on this one. Because offering couch space to Reza was too forward wasn’t it? It was too intimate and too. It was too much of what Noah liked and what Noah needed, and probably none what Reza needed. So taking the small sense of hurt and rejection and burying it deep down Noah just spread his legs out in front of him the pup in his lap nipping lightly at Noah’s leg as it moved. “Well your loss dude.” He joked out casually “Especially since she’s definitely manipulating you.” Noah looked over towards Haukea the lab smiling between both Noah and Reza almost happy she got her way. But he could never be mad at that face for long “Yea cuz you would have been just fine spread eagle over the top of us on the couch wouldn’t you?” He cooed as he gave her a couple good neck scratches with his outstretched hand. Feeling Granite start to puppy chew on his other hand Noah glanced over to Reza mulling his proposition over in his mind “I mean if you want to? I mean. I guess. I don’t know.” Noah rambled knowing he was making no sense whatsoever, “But I guess what I mean to say is If you feel like you have a good one I’m definitely open to it.
Reza watched the dog for a moment as it made itself comfortable, wondering if he was really that easily manipulated that a canine could overpower his will. No, this had been a decision based purely on not having to plop onto the sofa next to Noah. Reza wasn't the pushover he'd been -- how could he be considering what he'd become? Besides, that big ball of fluff wasn't capable of real manipulation, anyway. Brushing off the cord the statement had struck within him, Reza focused on the name-giving instead. "Hey, woah, I never said I had a good one. Just trying to be a problem solver." Leaning back, palms flat against the floor, he thought it over. A lot of names he'd have given his own pets came to mind but this was Noah. Maybe it didn't need to be too complicated, though... "I think, and don't cite me on this, that in Hebrew, Caleb means like, wolf or dog or something. So it's like naming your cat Cat."
“Well you’re in the Kalani household now kid, we expect perfection” Noah teased out towards Reza a sly grin on his face. It was hopefully taken as the joke it was, mostly because he really did appreciate the help however small. And he was glad reza was starting to get comfortable with him enough to suggest things. Contemplating the suggestion though Noah bit his lip slightly “You know I never thought about Caleb. I mean I usually name my animals funny things in Hawaiian and not funny things in Hebrew.” Noah smiled looking down at Haukea (aka little miss Snow White) fondly. Well that was before Granite puppy chewed at his fingers again bringing the older boy’s attention back to him “But maybe you could be the one that breaks the mold huh buddy.” He cooed moving his hands a bit so the pup had to move some to pin them. “So hebrew huh? Do you actually know the language or are you like a name researcher” He asked glancing over at Reza.
Reza felt immensely relieved that Noah liked the name, feeling pretty happy to have put something nice into this household. Even though it wasn't permanent but maybe the name would stick. Eyeing the dog with envy, knowing that there was no way he could take care of a dog -- not to mention a puppy-- Reza ripped himself out of those thoughts. Yes, having something to cuddle in the damp hole of a basement would make everything tremendously improved but he couldn't do that to the poor thing, bringing it into those living conditions. He didn't want to think about what else could go wrong, having a live animal around him at all times. The blood bags weren't necessarily going to be a plan forever. "Uh, neither? I do know some Arabic and the two are pretty similiar in a lot of ways so... I mean, I have researched names but like... only pet names since that was kinda all I wanted when I was younger. And now, too, I guess." He smiled, eyes flicking back to the puppy trying to devour Noah's hand and failing completely.
Glancing over toward Reza Noah could see his eyes on the pup, the longing almost palpable and Noah knew what he had to do next. Lifting Granite/Caleb off of his chest the older boy placed him on the floor in a small unceremonious gesture scooting the pup toward the boy “Here go terrorize your sister and Uncle Reza for a change.” He mock whispered to the pup as Haukea lifted her head from her spot, tail thumping against the ground in anticipation for puppy play time with her new little foster brother. Settling back into his dog free zone on the couch Noah scooted forward his head now resting on a pillow against the headrest, his long ass legs dangling slightly from the other end. “Thats pretty cool.” He commented though once Reza started talking about his language skills “I mean I’ve never tried Arabic, but I give you mad props for trying, cuz it looks hard as fuck.” Turning he resettled himself so he was facing Reza and not the ceiling “I do get the pet name thing though, cuz my dad was always asking me to name the strays left at his clinic. So I’d go online and take a few days to pick out like what I thought was the perfect name and he’d be like… you know you could have just picked something easy like Bob” Noah recalled with a smile, heart aching slightly at the fact that that was only a memory now.
Reza accepted the pup trotting over with welcoming arms, chuckling as it stumbled over his legs. "Hey," he whispered to Caleb, scratching his head. "Hmm? Oh, it's easier when your parents speak the language. I mean, I'm rusty as fuck these days but..." Shrugging, Reza saved his fingers from the relentless puppy's chewing to pull down the collar of his shirt. "I kid myself that I'm keeping the language alive by getting tattoos in urdu, like my mom's name here. I also have a quote on my ribs but, uhm..." Reza let his shirt fall back over his collarbone, clearing his throat. "Yeah, you can just imagine that one. So, uh, Bob the dog. Doesn't have as good of a ring to it as Caleb the dog." Smooth transition there, big guy. Reza really did like talking about his tattoos but he wasn't going to start... stripping for Noah to show them off.
Looking at Reza Noah smiled a little glad that the Caleb was having a good time with his guest. “Yea i’ll bet” Noah mumbled out into the couch a little sad that his dad didn’t speak more Hawaiian to him, or that his mom completely forgot her Turkish due to being adopted young. Eye tracking Reza though he stared at deft fingers pulling down his shirt collar to show him his urdu tattoo, that was actually quite beautiful. Trying not to stare to hard though Noah focused on the symbolism of the tattoo and not the pale skin underneath especially when Reza started blushing about the quote on his ribs. “Dude don’t kid yourself.” Noah shook his head sitting up on the couch “I mean first thing I’m doing when I get off of football this year is go and get my family’s tribal pattern on my chest and shoulder in honor of my dad. So like I get it.” He grinned at the other boy before the light bulb went off in his head “Which speaking of, do you know any good artists that know about polynesian tattoos?” He asked Reza ears perking up slightly at the sound of the door opening. It was Charlie one of the pack members coming through the door. “Looking for extra poker chips?” Noah called out to him pre-empting the mans questioning. It was poker night for Cahill and his male pack members, and of course the Alpha would send someone else to collect the things Noah told him he should bring in the first place. Typical. Standing there like the lumberjack wonder he was Charlie looked a little confused, hand rubbing in his beard, before he nodded, eyes never straying from Reza “Up the stairs in the hall closet” Noah pointed, as if this was the most casual thing in the world to him. Slowly Charlie climbed the stairs leaving Reza and Noah back to their talking “Don’t mind him, that’s just Charlie, a friend of my Uncles” Noah said waving it off as it if was nothing.
Reza perked up when Noah asked about a tattoo artist, the thought of actually being able to give someone good advice on something he knew and knew well filling him with a euphoric purpose. "Dude, yeah! I've seen so many great tattoos when I've been browsing and--" The door slammed and Reza's newly found energy escaped his body like a deflating balloon. Someone was home? Reza hadn't been prepared for anyone other than Noah and some dogs. The very tall, very burly man that appeared in the door caused every muscle in Reza's body to tense, his fingers wrapping up in Caleb's fur. The fact that this bearded man wasn't moving his eyes off Reza's face despite how uncomfortable the vampire clearly looked wasn't helping the situation. Even when the freezing stare left him, Reza still sat completely still, almost inhumanly so, only snapping back to reality when Caleb started to squirm. "Hmm? Yeah, it's... fine. Just... fine." Caleb starting licking at Reza's hand, clearly sensing the discomfort. With his brain slowly calming down after the disheartening staring contest, Reza became acutely aware of the smell in the room that seemed to have intensified with Charlie's arrival. It was the same smell Reza had subconsciously started connecting to Noah, only much stronger. Was this... were the both of them not... human? Did Reza's nose know more than he did?
Smiling at the boy Noah tried to keep the conversation going, mistaking Reza’s silence for the possibility that he was just uncomfortable. Which Noah thought was fair enough, not everyone lived with such an open door policy as the Kalani Pack did after all, and that could be startling at first. Just all the people coming and going. “That’s good though,” Noah commented after Charlie bounded up the stairs “I mean I want to make sure it’s done, well, respectfully and as authentically as possible though so it’s like.” Noah shrugged “I almost feel like i should fly to Hawai’i and get to done there just to be safe or something”
"Yeah, mhm," Reza replied with disinterest, ears now perked for any sound from the broody Charlie. Something in him was tingling, telling him to run, probably just his paranoia but he was definitely on edge. "Hawaii sounds fun and--" Footsteps thumped back down the stairs and Reza tensed, with Caleb cuddling into his lap, probably expecting something dangerous to happen just because of Reza's reaction. Charlie appeared back downstairs and Reza's eyes locked onto the dogs, in the hopes of avoiding another staring contest. As soon as Charlie left, Reza could politely excuse himself and bolt. Even though he could already imagine Noah's big, sad eyes reacting to that announcement.
Watching Reza tense again as Charlie came back down the stairs Noah couldn’t help but be concerned. He didn’t know much about Charlie only that the 30-something man had swept in from Montana 5 years ago after his wife left him. Apparently she wasn’t a fan of werewolves, which was sad, but luckily Charlie found the right man to bring his car into for repairs. Funnily enough the rest was history. But that didn’t mean Noah felt as at ease around Charlie as he did other members of the pack. Charlie was. Well he was just Charlie. Stoic and obedient. Didn’t talk much. Which was a shame because he always looked like he had something to say under that rugged beard. Like he did right now standing at the bottom of the stairs a troubled look on his face. “Hey before I go,” Charlie paused coming a bit closer “Um did you happen to tell Cahill about this?” He asked swinging a finger in both of their directions. Glancing over the side of the couch to where Charlie was standing Noah gave a confused stare. “Tell Cahill what? About me having someone over?” He asked not really knowing what the big deal was about. He was 22 after all well past the age where he needed to tell Cahill about each and every one of his playdates “No I meant about you being here with” Charlie’s eyes flickered slightly toward Reza, giving Noah the all so subtle hint that it had something to do with the boy on the ground “I dont know what you’re-”” Noah until. Shit. Fuck. Did Charlie mean, no, he couldn’t be. Trying to stop his brain from exploding inside of his skull Noah stood hand in the air the a look of pure panic written all over his face “we’re totally not like dating or fucking if that’s what you mean I swear we’re just friends I mean I’m not even g-” “Stop,” Charlie stopped him with his free hand eyes wide “I totally did not mean that,” He clarified before his face soften “though If you were to be dating men now I would be totally fi-” Noah could feel all of the blood rush out of his body at that exact second. “Do not finish that sentence for the love of all that is holy,” He blurted over the top of Charlie, the look of panic still caught in his eyes. Because nope he was not doing this here, like this, in front of Reza ok. I mean not that he minded coming out to Reza since it seemed like the boy wouldn’t judge but just. Yea no, Nope. Not the time not the place “Just tell me what you meant before and we’ll consider everything good.” Noah continued lips pursed in a line now. But it was Charlie who now looked confused “You mean you can’t feel it?” Looking at Charlie and Noah couldn’t help but shake his head, an eyebrow raised to illustrate his own emotions on the subject “Feel what?” He asked turning to Reza wondering if the boy had any insight.
It was definitely time to freak out now, Reza decided, as Charlie asked his 'before I go' question. Really, it was some sort of miracle that Noah hadn't found him out yet, since Reza felt like he just radiated these awkward vibes of 'I'm not human.' Avoiding Charlie's accusing gaze, mind screaming fire and setting off every alarm, Reza couldn't help but wonder just how this very large man had deducted Reza's secret after being here for literally five minutes. It had to mean that he wasn't human and neither was Noah... Noah, who was now on his feet and Reza realized he hadn't been listening to what was transpiring, instead just preparing for imminent doom, but his friend (?) was blushing like crazy and maybe this wasn't about him being a vampire? Did Charlie think this was a... date? Noah was close to screaming now and Reza's muscles were all tensed for escape, his eyes starting to flit to the door. Charlie had made it clear that he wasn't showing an interest in Noah's love life. He was showing an interest in the vermin Noah had brought into their house. “Feel what?” Noah asked and as soon as his attention turned to Reza, the vampire was on the move, scrambling to his feet around the confused puppy and bolting to the door. He heard Charlie approaching before he saw him, barrelling into the muscular chest now blocking the door. His stance went defensive -- primal-- as Charlie growled deep from his throat. The other dogs whined at the sound and Reza could feel his eyes flashing red. Shit. “You let him invite you into his home. His den-” Charlie paused, taking a deep breath, his hackles coming down slightly. Reza didn't relax one bit. “You owe him an explanation. You owe him that much at least. And if you don’t tell him I will." Shoulders still hunched, eyes red and narrowed, Reza resisted the urge to hiss. He should just let him leave, this was completely unnecessary. "Just let me leave," he half-growled under his breath, for Charlie's ears only, voice almost pleading.
Watching it all unfold like a bad horror film, Reza must have been supernatural with the way he moved Noah’s eyes barely registering he’d left before he was clashing at the door with Charlie. And Noah was up in an instant mind going straight to how he could de escalate the situation instead of anything else. Or rather just get Reza to somewhere safe and not staring down the barrel of 250 pounds of angry werewolf. Wedging himself in between the two men Noah kept his eyes on Charlie, hands reaching out behind him to start pushing Reza’s torso, hoping the other boy would get the hint that he needed to back away and back away now. “Stand Down Charlie” Noah growled out a certain venom to his words. In purer werewolf terms he was outranked for sure. But this was still his house, and Noah was. Well Noah was the punk ass kid who challenged his Alpha all the time, so he wasn’t going to let some lowly pack member try to tell him what was best for his world. Not now, not ever. “Noah” Charlie growled out as if to test his resolve. But noah was not backing down No sir. “Do not fucking Noah me right now. This is my house. I outrank you by default.” He was staring straight at Charlie now as if daring him to challenge his authority in his own fucking house. Luckily for all of them though Charlie had enough sense to know when he was beaten and silently looked away waiting for Noah to clean up the mess he’d just made. Taking a deep breath Noah kept his eyes on Charlie but spoke for the boy behind him. “Reza, if you need to leave the back slider is open. You can go down the porch, and take a right around the struts, there’s a gate to the drive way in that general direction. If you just need somewhere safe my room is at the top of the stairs 2nd door on the left. No one but me is allowed to be in there.” The last part was emphasized not for Reza’s benefit but for Charlie’s, as they all knew the house rules. Noah’s bedroom was off limits unless invited. Even for Cahill the alpha.
Noah's hand on his torso made Reza cringe away, his body still pulled taut like a string waiting to snap. A part of him wanted a fight, convinced he could at least get a few good hits -- or bites-- in, but Noah being in the way stopped him. It took his panicked and anger-run brain a moment to realize that Noah wasn't trying to defend Charlie; he was defending Reza. Deflating like a popped balloon, Reza took a few steps back, eyes fading back to brown. The word 'leave' snapped his attention because yes, yes Reza needed to leave. The primal part of his brain was still lit up like a Christmas tree and that scared whatever logic was left in his brain; no way did he want this situation to escalate. He backtracked a few more steps, feeling Charlie's gaze burning his face. "I'm sorry," he muttered under his breath, turning on his heel and bolting for the back slider. As soon as he burst outside into the fresh air, his head cleared, managing to work through some of what he'd just witnessed. Charlie was an... animal. A werewolf. Which had to mean that Noah was one, too. And Charlie could have killed him. But he didn't. Because of Noah. Noah had protected him, even after most likely realizing that Reza wasn't human either; that Reza had lied. Realizing that he was still sprinting, Reza slowed down, finally slumping down to the ground. He could still see the barnhouse in the distance but he couldn't find the strength to get up, mind still reeling. His secret was out to Noah. And Reza had no idea what would happen now.
I don’t even want a wedding at this point, TBcH. Nothing would make me cry harder than them playing Stammi Vicino right up until the last moment while the two just walk off into the sunset, happily in love.
Pre-finale: Fiona and Eloise discuss sheds, dead people, and their favourite all-Scribe boy band.
Eloise wasn't quite sure, thinking back on it, what had pushed her to suggest this 'friend date', of sorts. Ever since the dinner party, though, it had been obvious she couldn't get away with knowing Fiona only in a professional capacity. Nor did she want to, really. While Fiona probably didn't have many horrendous skeletons in her closet, as a person, she was no less fascinating for it. The only other medium she'd known was Raymond, and he'd had a very different manner about him. Not entirely unlike her in terms of cockiness and sass, mind - she wondered if they might have gotten along. Then again, he would have tried to seduce Fiona in a heartbeat. Eloise snorted to herself at the mental image of how that might have played out for him.
She arrived to the cafe they'd agreed on a few minutes ahead of time and dove straight for the most secluded, out-of-the-way table. Somewhere to people-watch from. She wondered if Fiona would have her usual entourage of dead people with her. At least hers wasn't comprised of a murderous-looking Chinese woman.
Fiona’s show had gone smoothly, it had been the best show so far in the year Samantha had declared. Although Samantha had not knowing of the ghost called Edgar that had been haunting Fiona. There were still bruises on her neck that had been covered up with makeup and the artist who covered it wondered if maybe Fiona was in an abusive relationship… not false in a sense but still. She arrived at the cafe wearing the same white blouse with the black bow tied at the middle of the collar but instead of the skirt she was wearing black jeans with glasses on. Her outfit revealed after peeling off the jacket to spot Eloise and wave. There were ghosts but not Edgar or Jai. Instead they had been replaced with Heidi and Josie. Jai had passed after tonight’s show, Edgar earlier during an exorcism. Heidi looked about 18 with her hair braided in pigtails, looked to be from the 1940’s as Josie was much more modern. Heidi’s death was from illness, Josie was… well… being pushed into ‘The Pit’. “Hey, Eloise, nice to see you.”
Eloise wheeled around at the familiar voice, milkshake in her hand. "Hey! Right over here, I've already got us a table. But I wasn't sure what you liked, so I didn't order anything for you." She gestured at the table she'd left her coat at and set her strawberry milkshake down on the table, then turned to size up Fiona properly. "You look really fancy," she said, not bothering to hide her reaction - and keeping her eyes on Fiona - was that a bowtie? - and not on the two ghosts hovering near her. Someone new this time - they really did come and go. "Do you always dress up for milkshakes, or is there a special occasion?" she asked, her tone light and teasing. She knew what this was like, after all, despite what she'd told Miles.
“Oh, kangaroo, thank you but this is laziness from not changing entirely after the show but I will take the compliment” she said with a small welcoming smile. Fiona sat down to look around the place to then let her eyes focus on the two ghosts standing by the table. “Is that your girlfriend?” Josie asked cross armed and grinning, Fiona raised both brows, “Take a look around” she said with a wave her hand. It wasn’t uncommon for her to speak to them now that it was just them… in a public setting and not attempting to have a dinner party pretending to be normal or semi-normal. The waitress came by with a slight perplexed look on her face until she realized who it was, “Peanut butter milkshake, please.” Ever so polite and waited until the waitress left. “Sorry about that, new pair of ghosts. The others know better to wait” she said shrugging her shoulders.
Eloise concealed her snort behind a slurp of her drink. She kept her eyes on Fiona for the most part, but they darted to and fro, ostensibly taking in the place and the other customers there, really to steal a better look at her company. The one with a vicarious interest in Fiona's love life was a woman, and the painful angle of her neck, vertebrae here and more broken bones protruding there, were just one of the clues that she had not gone peacefully. "Don't worry about it," she smiled at Fiona. "You're not even the first medium I've met, actually. I'm aware they pretty much come with the job." She looked around and lowered her voice, leaning in a little. "You know, I've always wondered about that. It's more than just mediums that can see ghosts, right? But they only flock to you." Mara, certainly. Bugbear, definitely. The undead, from what she knew of. Whatever Mai was, to have seen them and yet set off Qianneng's shifter senses all the same.
Fiona watched Eloise while listening, intrigued on which medium the other woman had met. Fiona had little experience with mediums, the most she had encountered had happened to be hacks making the profession look nothing but a fake. “I hope they weren’t as charming as me” she said in light jest as she nodded her head. The tadbit of information of others seeing ghost was true but Fiona didn’t know the extent of it only to vampires apparently. “Mediums are like a lighthouse in the dark helping to guide them home” she said matter of factly as she leaned back as the waitress settled the milkshake on the table. “Thank you” Fiona said. Josie poked her head through the table, “Hey-yo! There’s a phone number in the men’s bathroom for a good time. How rude is that?!” Josie said to look at Fiona and then Eloise waiting for a response.
"He was an arrogant bastard, actually," Eloise responded cheerfully, not about to be put off by dead people from enjoying her milkshake, so she took a hearty sip. "As a matter of fact, he's Nigel's brother. Though I get the impression they don't get along. And don't tell Nigel I mentioned him." She winced. "In fact, don't mention me to Nigel at all." Of course, now that she'd asked her not to, she'd all but made sure Fiona would. Damn it. She plunged past it, eager for a change of topic. "And that must be nice - I mean, kind of a strong sense of purpose, isn't it? Not everyone can say their profession is literally tied to the mystery of life and death." She kept her expression cheerfully neutral at the ghost's wailing. No mediumship abilities here, no siree.
“I think Nigel mentioned growing up with mediums but I’ll refrain from mentioning him” There was a lot of things she didn’t share. It was not to say that Fiona didn’t trust the exorcist but he was loud and blunt and Fiona wasn’t sure how much alcohol would be suffice for an apology. “It’s… a job, I like it but not everyone agrees. It can be exhausting but rewarding” she was not going to give the spiel on how her parents had cut her off. “So, kangaroo, tell me a little about yourself.”
Eloise raised an eyebrow. "About myself?" That had been a little abrupt - enough to suggest it might have been a sore topic of sorts. She wouldn't even have noticed if it weren't for Raymond Walsh on her mind, and the recollection of how overly willing he had been to talk about himself and his profession for what seemed like hours on end. Still, she wasn't going to push, and only shrugged instead. "Sure thing. What's there to tell? I mean, you already know where I live and who I work for," she joked, patting a lock of hair out of her face.
“And you seem to enjoy pranks or jokes, don’t know which yet” Fiona said bringing her hands together. She had not flinch when Josie had asked for attention but her eyes veered towards the ghost. Fiona took a sip of her milkshake and as a test Josie’s finger came to push Eloise’s milkshake one inch away. “Stop it” Fiona said to the ghost. Instead Josie sat besides Eloise with the huffing of a just scolded child to then take her index finger to hover over Eloise, “I’m not touching her. Not touching her” and behind them a puff of fire was seen briefly. A grease fire ceased within a second and Heidi shouting, “SORRY!” as she returned to her place near them. Fiona smiled despite the chaos, “Have you always lived in Ashkent Creek?”
Eloise blinked, watching the interplay, as much as she pretended to only see Fiona. She had to fight the impulse to squirm as a ghost plopped herself down next to her unceremoniously, and then- was that a a fire? She watched it play out and then get handled again with wide eyes. "I have.... no, I have not," she answered a little mechanically, fascinated by what she was seeing. Her eyes focused on Fiona again, and her hand tightened around her glass defensively. "I only moved here about half a year ago. Feels a lot longer. Is that... them?" she asked in feigned ignorance, jerking her head in the direction of the chaos and the newly-extinguished grease fire. "Are they always so... unruly?"
Fiona remained calm as possible, sipping on the peanut butter milkshake to see Eloise tense before the fire began. Understandable, people were disturbed by what was not seen but once it was asked if they had caused the fire it made Fiona wonder. No, no way… maybe? She shook her head to lift her hand, “No, no, no. They can’t fires but it could be panic from being in there at the moment” insisting that it would be fine. Heidi was far too cautious but probably thought she had. “I am not touching her” Josie repeated in a whisper. “Death is a difficult process at times. Some take it better than others. Half a year, huh?”
"...Yeah. Half a year." Eloise really needed to stop being distracted and focus on the conversation, but it wasn't every day you got to see two rambunctious ghosts in a semi-crowded cafe. She leaned back in her chair and rested an arm on the back of her seat, incidentally driving her elbow through Josie's sternum in the process. It felt cold, but she pretended not to notice. "What about you?" she asked Fiona attentively, meeting her eyes over the milkshake. "You give the impression of someone who's traveled a lot. You must have all sorts of stories to tell."
The most distracted Fiona had ever been was when was when she had swapped powers with a warden. The silence was daunting as she had lived all her life with someone whispering in her ear. Josie shuddered when the hand went through her, “RUDE!” the ghost shouted with a scoff and her hand moving to knock over Eloise’s milkshake but the medium’s hand reached out to take a firm hold as her eyes focused on Eloise with a small smile. “Two years, traveled while established here but moved about the good U S of A” she remarked. “Odd jobs here and there but Ashkent Creek has a way of tying you to here.” Heidi was standing by the table, “I would like to go back to the hat factory if that’s alright, ma’am.”
Eloise couldn't help the reflex - she flinched at the loud voice in her ear, and her hand jerked for her milkshake the same moment as the ghost did. Her hand met Fiona's, as she too had reached out to steady it. Crap. Eloise chuckled sheepishly and closed her fingers around it more tightly, then pulled it decisively towards herself, keeping her elbows to herself now. "Um, that's mine," she told Fiona teasingly and nodding towards the peanut butter milkshake. "You can order another, if you really want to. So when did you first start seeing ghosts? Must have been weird, right? What's it like? Is it just voices in your head, or can you actually see them?"
Fiona’s eyebrows rose when their hands met and it was not some kind of romantic moment between the two. The medium had noted the flinch causing Fiona to tilt her head to the side, “As far as I can remember. How long have you been hearing them?” she said lowly. It wasn’t as if Eloise wasn’t trying to act coy, the mentioning of other creatures seeing ghosts and how quick she was to react. “It’s okay, kangaroo, I can understand wanting to keep certain things under wraps” her fingers relinquished the milkshake to lean back. “Oooooh, she can see me?” Josie asked as her leaned her face close to Eloise. Fiona scooted to the side to let Heidi sit. “Don’t make assumptions, Josie, it’s rude” Fiona said in a hushed tone.
Eloise nervously brushed her hair behind her ear, keeping her eyes trained on Fiona. She hunched her shoulders in a show of sudden self-consciousness and took a slurp of her milkshake to give herself time to think, and not focus on the ghost's face inches from hers. This wasn't going to change - every time she met Fiona in person was going to be like this, a swarm of obnoxious ghosts just hovering around. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to let her know... except she wouldn't be telling just her, she'd be telling the ghosts, too, and they had exactly zero reason to respect her privacy. At the same time, she didn't want to have to keep up this exhausting charade every time. "Maybe we should go somewhere else," she said weakly, and nodded at the other customers. "This is a little too public, don't you think?"
“Of course” Fiona said in an understanding tone with her head tilted slightly to the side as she reached into her purse to pay and tip for the milkshakes before sliding out of the booth. The medium waited for Eloise to do the same as they began to exit the cafe, hastily she put on her coat as an extra layer to protect her from the winter cold in Maine. “You lead, kangaroo. I’ll follow.”
Eloise led them away from the cafe and toward the Common, where she picked a path away from prying ears, frowning as she chewed on her lip in thought. Fiona and the two ghosts were trailing behind her, and she slowed down to let them catch up. "Alright," she said firmly, braced herself, and squarely met the gaze of the pigtailed ghost. She looked dreadfully unwell, but at least she had no grievous gaping wounds. She could appreciate that. "So what's your name? If we're going to talk, you might as well introduce yourself properly."
Heidi's eyes veered between Fiona and Eloise before her mouth opened, “Heidi. Ms. Fiona promised she’d find where my family ended after my death” she felt the need to include. “Josie, was pushed into the Pit” she said shrugging her shoulders. Fiona pressed her lips together watching the two, her fingers curled into the pockets of her jacket.
"The Pit?" Eloise repeated in concern, glancing at the other ghost, but decided not to ask, for once. She looked at Fiona then. "Your new friends are a lot more polite than the previous ones you had. They haven't tried to go snooping through my things even once yet," she said pointedly.
Fiona thought about apologizing but again she really couldn’t control the ghosts, instead she shrugged. “When you only have so many things to do, they get restless. It’s why they go into haunting people because it gives them a purpose” strange analogy but true. Again considering Eloise maybe had some minor experience with ghosts this was something she might be used to unless this was all brand new. “There are some wards we can use, no salt or iron required.”
"I don't mind the odd ghost. I'm just not used to having them in packs ," Eloise said, and smiled sheepishly at the transparent figures. "No offense. So, cards on the table." She crossed her arms, looking at Fiona curiously. "You didn't know?"
“No idea, again it was the strangest dinner party I’ve ever attended… scratch that, it was the first. Social gatherings that aren’t one-on-one are stressful because I get get distracted” Fiona shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t make it a habit to ask people what they are, they can become easily offended” she remembered how Miles reacted, he had never offered to exchange of what he was but she let it be and decided he was safe by her boundaries.
Eloise stiffened just a little, but hid it quickly. No reason Fiona couldn't think she was just another someone with medium abilities. "I probably don't need to say it, but I'd rather keep this between us. You know." She shrugged and gave a sheepish smile. "And I'm sorry that dinner party turned out so weird. That kind of social gathering isn't my usual thing either. Feels too... high-end and grown-up, you know?"
“No problem, kangaroo. Outing someone is not my thing” especially considering the awkward conversation with Brett about the shed. “It wasn’t the high-end or the adult part. I think it was because we’ve all never hung out together before and then I didn’t expect to see Miles” her tone didn’t indicate being bothered by the other scribe. Fiona uttered his name so casually as if she had said his name a thousand times and probably had.
Eloise nodded, relief filling her at Fiona being understanding. Then she winced as she abruptly remembered what else she'd wanted to talk to Fiona about. She glanced awkwardly at the ghosts, but there was nothing else for it, really. "...Right. Speaking of Miles..." She cleared her throat and kept walking as she looked Fiona in the eye. "There's something I should clear up. Since it's come to my attention that Miles is... a lot less discreet than I would have hoped, given his position." That was a diplomatic way to put it, surely.
“Is this about the shed? Because I am not one to kinkshame anyone” Fiona was quick to respond. Brett and Eloise were free to do whatever they wanted as long as no one got hurt as far as she was concerned. Thankfully when it came to the subject of Miles it didn’t end with ‘and you…’ because Fiona was in no shape or form ready to discuss that with anyone.
Eloise rolled her eyes so hard they might have gone on to discover the Americas of her eyesockets, and groaned. She stepped closer to Fiona, lowering her voice. "Alright, look, here's the thing. It's not like that . They were talking about something and Miles jumped to conclusions. And then Brett didn't realise what kind of conclusions he'd jumped to, and unwittingly affirmed them without meaning to. You know how he is. You know how both of them are. And then... and then I kept going with it for a while because, frankly - I mean, I've never even kissed anyone - it was hilarious, and because I didn't want him digging deeper into what had actually happened. Which was... personal, but nothing like that. I thought Miles would just draw his conclusions and drop it, but boy, was I wrong about that." She looked desperately up into Fiona's eyes, searching for understanding there. "Is this making sense yet?"
Fiona had briefly tensed at Eloise’s behavior which was unusual for the other woman never seemed quite as serious but then the story loomed over causing Fiona’s lips to press together. A lump in her throat was felt but then laughter came out causing Fiona to slap a hand over her mouth. Heidi had looked perplexed as Josie was giggling. “Of course he would, that pervert!” she said snickering underneath her breath. “Oh, kangaroo… I’m sorry… I didn’t know.”
Eloise couldn't hold back her own snicker, her laughter echoing Fiona's. "Hey, you haven't done anything wrong. Unlike a certain professor who kept egging me about it at every opportunity, then promised me he wouldn't tell anyone, then apparently told it all to you. Honestly, his overactive imagination would better be served writing some kind of... I don't know. Pubescent fanfiction." She lowered her voice even more, erupting into outright snickering. "I mean, the best part is, we never even said anything that isn't true. But his mind just ran away with it anyway. You can't tell him, though, because then he'll start actually digging. And I mean, I didn't expect it to go that far, but it's easier to just let him think we're dating. Plus it's kind of fun to mess with him, don't you think?" Despite the twinkle in her eye, she watched Fiona attentively. She still didn't fully understand what kind of relationship the medium had with him, but maybe she could be counted on as an accomplice. A better one than Miles, at any rate.
Fiona clapped her hands together in delight of all of this. It sounded like Miles with his fantastical way of telling a story. Of course he would embellish it to his own tastes. The medium lifted her hands up in the air in defense, declaring herself innocent of any of it. “That’s how he is, he made his bed you better let him lie in it” she wished no harm on him but it indeed was something he would have to suffer. “Oh my goodness, just continue it… also apologize to Brett for me, I must’ve given him a heart attack” she nearly gasped at the thought but chuckled anyway.
Eloise giggled into her hands. "I know, I'm so sorry for him. He messaged me in this panic. Still, at least you actually tried to give him the 'safe, sane and consensual' talk - that's more than Miles ever did. To be honest, Miles is horrible, but I wouldn't have him any other way." Grinning, she shook her head at Fiona. "What did he say to you, anyway? I almost shudder to think." She then nodded at the ghosts. "Oh, and by the way, the vow of secrecy goes for the two of you, too!"
“Aw, poor Brett!” Fiona said to pout her lower lip in response to his panic of her questioning. “Oh god, Miles” Fiona then rolled her eyes to then drop her head to squeeze the bridge of her nose. “Not a word!” Josie said, “I don’t comprehend what is happening” Heidi said quickly. “He mentioned whips, chains and the shed. He made it seem that underneath Brett’s puppy dog exterior was this dominating presence. I grew concerned because I told him that there was no way that was Brett considering our first conversations. Some people don’t need that.”
Eloise folded her arms over her stomach and had to struggle not to double over. "Oh no, you've definitely got him pegged correctly. Puppy dog through and through," she said fondly. "I think he's been on like maybe one date in the past few years. Possibly in his life." She straightened up again, wiping away tears. "See, though, now we definitely know he's been embellishing it, because I just know I never mentioned whips or chains, and Brett doesn't lie to people. " She turned to the ghost - Heidi - not wanting her to feel left out. Her eyes lingered on the outdated attire for a moment. "This guy I know thinks me and a friend are involved." She made quote signs around the word. "We're not. But don't tell him that, if you see him." Smiling and relieved to have that cleared up, she turned to Fiona again. "What were your first conversations with him like, then? If it's not too personal."
Heidi watched the whole thing wide-eyed and when Eloise explained her mouth opened. “Oh. OH!” she said to gasp and then Rosie giggled in response. Fiona smiled on how Eloise was quick to at the least let the ghost feel like she was a part of something after maybe watching the world pass them by. “First conversations with Miles?” Fiona clicked her tongue to the roof of her mouth in thought as she kept moving forward, “Miles is smart but he’s a bit smug. I tried to not be his friend-” tried not being his anything. It was supposed to end quickly, nothing special but things changed. “But he has this way about him, half of the time I think he finds me infuriating which was a bonus at first but then I find myself wanting him to like me… as a person” quick to say it. “It’s not like Brett, you or Leroy. It’s like Miles makes his mind about you the moment he sees you and it’s hard to know what that conclusion is.” “Does someone have a crush?” Josie said to make kissy noises. Fiona swatted the air, “No but I respect him.”
Eloise raised an eyebrow at her. "...Well, I did mean Brett, actually, and what you talked about to make you think he wasn't that kind of person, but... go on about Miles, by all means." She lightly elbowed Josie. "I'm sure it's nothing like that," she grinned in response, her eyes teasing as she watched Fiona. "But you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'd be a hypocrite to fish for information now, after everything."
“She probably respects his body” Josie whispered while snickering. Fiona laughed, she tilted her head down to avoid exposing a possible blush. Fiona was an experienced liar but her body could betray her if she wasn’t careful. “Brett was sweet but sad…” her voice trailed, nodding slowly in remembrance of their first face-to-face encounter. “We talked about how not everyone needs to have physical contact to have meaningful relationships. It’s perfectly fine if that’s not within their needs.”
Eloise was the one to blush now - her relationship with Brett hardly wanted for physical contact, after all, even if it wasn't the kind Miles would envision in his dirty little brain. "That's true," she said a little stiffly, picking at the hem of her sleeve. Distraction, distraction... "Actually, he said something to me I was wondering about. You're looking to learn Latin, right?"
“Yes, well not looking to since I have to” Fiona looked forward as she was suddenly reminded of the encounter with the poltergeist. By now the pain of the bruises on her neck and back were tolerable, forgotten even, until she sat or moved to liven up the pain. “I’ve training with Rebecca to be an exorcist. I’ve gotten lucky with my talents for so long” that was a good enough excuse Fiona thought. Nothing to do with Rebecca having limited time only.
Eloise found herself briefly lost for words, their previous topic of conversation forgotten "...An exorcist?" That wasn't an answer she'd expected. She exchanged glances with the two ghosts, and raised an eyebrow. "But... why? What does that have to do with getting lucky?"
Fiona paused to blink as she looked at Eloise feeling like there was a slight criticism for what she was doing. “Because I talking to them isn’t enough sometimes, pardon me saying,” she regarded the two other ghosts who merely nodded since they had known Fiona had declared them ‘safe’. There were also other reasons, like the thing harboring future pain and hurt inside of Rebecca. The same thing that gave Miles night terrors. Fiona’s face which was usually accompanied by a smile was serious suddenly “I’ve been on my own for a long time and it’s time I learn a thing or two.”
It wasn't hard to come to the conclusion that there had to be more to this - ghost encounter gone wrong? - but judging by the look on Fiona's face, it wasn't something she liked talking about. Eloise nodded in understanding. "That's heavy, and probably won't be easy, but I'm sure you can handle it. I hope it goes well." She paused briefly before choosing to answer the confession with one of her own. "I am... actually kind of thinking of a career change too, as it happens..." she muttered, lowering her eyes. So far, only Brett knew.
Hoping it went well wasn’t enough, it had to go well. Fiona had been going on instinct all of her life when suddenly that wouldn’t be enough to maybe stop the biggest and baddest thing she had seemed to have heard about when it came to ghosts and poltergeist. Charm and wit apparently only got you so far. Fiona’s eyebrows rose at Eloise’s sudden shy demeanor which in the medium’s perspective didn’t suit the blonde one bit. “What’s that, kangaroo?” she asked in a curious but soothing tone.
Eloise hesitated - Brett had been nothing but supportive, but of course he had been. And what if she told Fiona, and somehow Miles found out? Or anyone else? It didn't even have to be on purpose. Losing nerve, losing nerve, lost it. "......But I'm still making up my mind, so I'd rather... think about it a bit more, before going around telling people, you know?" Her smile turned embarrassed. "Point is, I can relate, and more power to you."
Fiona felt disappointed for a brief moment but brushed it off. Eloise didn’t owe her anything and it would be wrong to attempt to get the blonde to confess to whatever it was that she was carrying about. In fact Fiona hadn’t told Eloise that one of the ghosts that happened to be at the dinner happy was her father’s or that she had undergone the brutality of a poltergeist and somehow managed to survive. Instead she offered the other woman a smile, “C’mon, let’s discuss how further we’re going to torture poor Miles into believing what else is in the shed.”
Eloise grinned, eagerly embracing the change of subject. "I'm all for it," she responded, taking Fiona aside. "Now, see, I had this idea about rubber ducks..."
The Talk had been overdue for a while now, but with Brett finally picking up the pieces of himself, the time comes for them to figure out where things stand between them, and discuss elopement pans.
Brett leaned back on the sofa, running a hand through his hair and tugging a few strands. He felt unsteady in every way, not just physically. His emotions had never felt so fragile before, as if one little thing would tip him over the edge into uncontrollable tears again. He shut his eyes for the briefest of moments, taking in some shaky breaths as he waited for Eloise to come back from the kitchen with her coffee. He just needed to breathe.
"You should take a break, you know," Eloise told him casually, her eyes thoughtful as she brushed her hair. "Just... disconnect from everyone's problems for a while. Don't you think?"
His eyes opened when he felt Eloise pressing against his legs, watching as she brushed through her hair. "I think I do need a break..." But if he did, would everything just go wrong again? Would he be left on his own in an empty house?
Eloise raised an eyebrow at him through her hair, then pushed it out of the way to reach for her coffee and take a heartening sip. She wiped at the whipped cream on her upper lip with the back of her hand, then pointed out, "I'm hearing a 'but' there. What's wrong? I'm sure the other Scribes will manage. Miles seems to have rather risen to the task lately."
"Miles is a good scribe. So is Declan. They know about... I told them about my mother. They sat with me when I broke down in the HQ." Brett let his eyes wander to her face. "I don't want to be in the house of my own. That's the 'but.'"
Eloise set down her coffee slowly. So that was it - she'd known it was coming, but it felt strange, finding out about it in retrospect. "I'm glad they were there, when it happened," she muttered, looking away thoughtfully. Maybe with his colleagues and friends now in the loop, he could begin healing properly. And oh, how she wished she could just take the week off now and drag him away to Egypt or New Zealand or Wales and not look back on the town for days, but that wasn't going to happen, not with her still having a job afterward - and whatever half-serious conversations they'd had about her becoming a Scribe, as eager as Brett seemed to get her fired so she would turn to Scribing, it was not the kind of decision to be made impulsively. Eloise sighed, reaching over to pat his knee reassuringly. "I'll be home as much as I can, okay?" Damn, she wished Qianneng were still here. "And by the way, taking a break doesn't mean staying holed up in here, either. Meet up with people you find interesting. Have coffee with someone. Go to the zoo." She smiled. "You know, things normal people do when they have a few days off. Maybe I could even convince you to set foot in the cinema for once."
Brett rested his hand over hers, squeezing it gently. "I don't know. Maybe I should. I plan to just... Rest. Try and... Rest. I think I've done enough for a lifetime..." Brett gave her a small smile. "Maybe I will set foot in your cinema."
Eloise nodded emphatically. "Catching up on your sleep sounds like a good idea, too. Not that I'm a great example of that right now." She lifted the coffee to her lips to take another deep gulp and twisted her face at the bitter taste. More milk. "Do you like looking at old things? Because we've got a lot of interesting stuff in storage at the cinema. I should start offering professional tours." It relieved her to see him smiling a bit, even if it felt fragile and brittle. So her own smile faded a little, her expression turning serious as she kept her hand in his. "You're going to be okay, alright?" she promised him, her voice earnest.
"You are not a good example of that at all." Brett had to laugh when she asked if he liked looking at old things. Had she never listened to him talk about Latin and books being better than digital ebook readers? "Of course I like old things, Elly." Brett ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it lightly. "I hope so."
She rolled her eyes, but was relieved that his tone was more hopeful than she'd heard it in months. "I don't mean old languages, I mean, like, old stuff. Old movie equipment and film and projectors and stuff like that. Things you'd find in a junkyard as soon as in a museum," she explained to him, pulling her feet up to the couch as she sipped her coffee, resting an arm across his knee. "Plus... I keep getting the feeling the place is bigger than it's supposed to be," she said eerily, lowering her voice. "There's old rooms and passageways there and even a basement. Who knows - might even be a secret catacomb down there!"
Secret catacombs were no surprise to Brett. They had their own in Scribe HQ after all. Miles went down there a lot. He ran his fingers over her arm as she spoke. "I would be happy to come and find some secret passages and set up the old projector, maybe."
Eloise beamed at him. "Great! I'll take photos. It'll be like tourism without having to go anywhere." She glanced at the time on her phone, sighed, and gave her hair a few more quick sweeps with the brush. "Aw, I don't have a lot of time. How does it look from the back?" she asked, turning her head and feeling self-consciously at the strands she couldn't see. "I can't show up to work looking like something tried to nest on me."
"I really need to take you on a real history tour someday," Brett told her, shaking his head. Imagine how excited Eloise would be if they explored some old ruins somewhere. Full of history and adventures of gone days. He took the brush from her, running it through her hair lightly a few times before he shrugged. "Looks fine to me. But I'm not a great judge of hair brushing."
Eloise could only barely hold back her laughter at that. "Trust me, I can tell," she smirked with a heavy glance at his own messy hair. "But I really need to let you and your hair be, so I won't say anything." She nodded in gratitude and pulled her hair back to tie it back with a rubber band, running her hands over it to make sure no locks were sticking up. "What kind of history tour are you thinking of, anyway?" she asked, her eyes glinting curiously at him. "Museums are a bit dry, don't you think?"
Brett moved his hands up to his hair, patting it down. "It's just easier to... not bother with my appearance," Brett admitted, moving his hands back down to rest in his lap. He watched her curiously as she tied her hair up. He liked it down, loose, but he supposed you wouldn't want hair in the popcorn. "Actual history, not a museum. Looking at ruins. Temples. That sort of history tour."
Eloise perked up, her eyes positively lighting up on fire. "Ruins? Temples? Oooh, what if they're haunted ? Maybe I could capture a ghost on film," she grinned. "You've still got your ghost-be-gone charm with you, right? Who knows what angry spirits dwell in places like that!" She plopped back down on the seat next to him, arms around her knees as she watched him hungrily. "So what, here, in Ashkent Creek? Or somewhere else?" Her eyes widened. "Maybe we could go to Egypt and explore the catacombs! There's bound to be a lot of places there people can't get to because they have a problem with walls. Unless Ancient Egyptians knew about Mara, or built them in such a way as to keep the ghosts in. Do you know if they did that?" She was fairly chattering but she couldn't stop herself. There was too much to get carried away with to stop that easily.
Brett couldn't help but find himself enthralled by her enthusiasm. That was him months ago, talking about Egyptian phoenixes with all the animation that she had. He hadn't been this enthused about something in a long time. "It is highly likely that there are ghosts hanging around these places, especially if they are places where bad things happened, such as maybe sacrifices." He smiled at her. "Maybe we should go to Egypt, explore catacombs and pyramids. I don't know if they salt-lined their pyramids."
"And if they did, they haven't exactly been around to maintain the salt lines for a while now, have they?" Eloise pointed out, then sighed as she stretched back against the sofa. "I really do want to go somewhere, and soon," she muttered in a more sedate tone, staring ahead of herself. "I don't know when I'll be able to get free from work long enough to do that, though. I'm already not in the best graces because I keep taking days off to deal with town-wide disasters or injuries I can't show a doctor's slip for hiding from police," she said with a slight grin, tilting her head to look at him.
"Maybe you should just quit," Brett suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, you work for Fiona, don't you? She's a lot more lenient with time, I expect. She might be able to give you more work." Brett ran a hand through his hair, looking back at her. "We do get in a lot of trouble, don't we?"
Eloise propped her chin up with a hand, thinking. "I do, but it's not exactly a steady and reliable job, is it? She's, like, a celebrity. She could skip town any month and take her need for promo pictures with her. Besides, it's awkward to depend for your livelihood on someone you're friends with. You remember my big speech to you about freeloading, right?" she jokingly pointed out, but quieted down as she ran it through her head. In-between her two jobs, Latin, and the need to both kick back and relax as well as go out nights to feed every so often, something would have to give if she decided to truly start working to become a Scribe. Did Scribes-in-training get a stipend? She really needed to find out.
Brett sat up properly on the sofa, moving to sit directly beside her. "Whatever you decide, I'm behind you 100%, no matter what," Brett assured, her, nudging her with his shoulder lightly. "There's no harm in speaking to Fiona though. She's a good listener. She might be able to help you out in some other way." He leaned back against the sofa, twirling her hair around his fingers from the ponytail.
Eloise beamed at him in an almost exaggerated way. "Look at you, so supportive! When just a moment ago, you were egging me on into quitting my job so I could elope to Egypt with you without obstacle." She relaxed further against the back of the sofa, her shoulder against his, and tapped her fingers against each other. "Still, you're right. She's a good listener. Did you know she constantly has like two or three ghosts hanging out with her, though?" she asked, her eyes widening at him again. "They were even there when she came over for dinner. Imagine having to pretend nobody's there when there's two dead people, one of them with a grisly neck wound, hovering over you and making comments on what everyone is doing!" She gestured with her hands and leaned her head subtly into his fingers, not minding it in the slightest. It was an endearing habit, but she knew better than assume it was something that came natural to Brett, and could appreciate it for the affectionate gesture it was.
Brett chuckled lowly. "Well, I certainly wouldn't say no if you quit your job and eloped with me to Egypt, but I know better than that. You'll figure something out. You always do, Elly," Brett murmured, voice soft now. He kept his fingers in her hair, twisting strands around his fingers in an absent-minded way. "I know she's always surrounded by ghosts. When I first met her, they were making comments about me. It was interesting to hear. I am impressed that you didn't end up telling anyone you could see the ghosts at dinner. It must have taken a lot of restraint." He leaned his head against hers, hand still holding her hair.
Eloise smiled - such confidence in her! Even when she had not the faintest idea how to get herself a week off under her current working conditions, short of faking her own death. Which, honestly, probably wouldn't be all that difficult, but... no. She sighed, listening to Brett's side of it with interest. "You could hear them when you met her? This must have been during that time the moon went all crazy, right? When you had- well, you remember." When he'd had his father hanging about the house. Thank god that was no longer an issue. "Oh, it was a huge pain, but I'm used to it. Kind of made me nervous, until we finally got them out of the room. They were rude, too. Kept looking through our things to find out if we were..." She trailed off, her face turning thoughtful as she remembered that excruciating part of the conversation - and Brett's part in it.
Brett shook his head lightly. "No, she told me what they were saying. I asked her to tell me. I was interested. Not... I didn't hear them myself." He frowned then, glancing at her and hand stilling in her hair. "If we were what? What were they saying?"
"If we were, you know," Eloise rolled her eyes, hands lifting to make exaggerated air quotes, "a couple." She turned to look at him sheepishly. "What did you mean when you said you didn't know if we were dating, anyway? That's typically the sort of thing you're aware of." The irony of asking him that with his fingers still in her hair and with herself very much uncertain did not entirely escape her.
Brett moved his fingers again, thinking with the movement. "I'm not sure if we are dating. It's a very confusing concept and I'm sure if we researched it, it would be all the more confusing. So when I was asked, I wasn't sure." He paused for a moment before he spoke again, quietly. "I don't know what we are, but I know you are the most important person in my world. Whatever the label for that is, I don't know. What do you think? Are we dating? You're more culturally aware than I am."
Eloise could feel her face growing warm with something like embarrassment, touched by the heartfelt, honest way he spoke about it. Maybe him not being 'culturally aware' was a good thing - less layers of bullshit he could be compelled to hide behind, like the horror stories she'd heard of her friends and the boyfriends who would sooner subject themselves to thumbscrews than confess to having an 'emotion'. Were they dating? Damned if she could tell. She considered her gossiping friends, the endless and often confusing talk about one relationship after another, teasing each other about what boys they liked (and it was almost always boys). The questions they'd hurl at each other to try and tease out where things stood. All so confusing.
She sighed and turned to face Brett, her face uncertain but not unhappy in the least as she tugged his hand out of her hair to clasp it between both of her own instead, almost absently. "I don't have a better answer for that than you do. But it's... a really good answer, either way, so maybe I don't really need one." She gave him a small, sheepish grin. "I do know I'd probably have an issue with it if you suddenly started... I don't know... spending too much time with someone else," she shrugged vaguely, as if to indicate everything about them that she knew didn't quite fit into the neat little box labelled "just friends", certainly not into the "just" part of the label. "Which apparently counts for something. So I guess that's a 'sort of'. If you want to call it that." Oddly enough, she could imagine it if Brett suddenly started going on actual dates, Marley style, and not be bothered in the least, but him using someone else as a paper-thin excuse for a sleeping aid or mindlessly playing with someone else's hair? Perish the thought. And just when she thought she wasn't the possessive type.
There wasn't much to go on when it came to friends and their relationships that Brett knew about. The closest he knew about was Miles and he was a whole different ballgame most days, with his talking of sex potions and the like. This wasn't anything like that so he didn't know what it was, but he knew he felt happiest when they were together and when they were close. His breakdown and the build-up had certainly brought them closer together in terms of actual physical touching.
Brett squeezed her hand lightly as she held his with both of hers. "A sort-of." Brett nodded his head slowly. "I too would not really be happy if you started spending time like this with someone else. That's definitely a sort-of..."
Eloise smiled. "I'm glad we can agree on that!" she said, smug that her feelings of vague possessiveness, at least, were mutual. She let go of his hands to wrap her arms around him in a brief, heartfelt hug instead, tugging him closer. This had been the last thing she'd expected when she'd moved to Ashkent Creek, but really, compared to handless corpses, sea monsters and alghouls, it was hardly all that strange - even if it did feel hardest to wrap her head around. Whenever she'd entertained thoughts of a sort-of-relationship, she had not imagined it sneaking up on her like a bad case of foot fungus.
...But the ruminations were short-lived when she caught sight of her phone over his shoulder and pulled away with an alarmed squeak, grabbing her bag and looking hurriedly around for where she'd abandoned her scarf. "Okay, I have officially got to go. We'll talk about Egypt later, okay?"
Brett hugged her back tightly, resting his face against her shoulder. This all had happened so naturally with Eloise, everything flowing in a way that hadn't ever scared him or made him want to run away. He had grown to care for her so quickly but so contently too. He pulled away when she did, watching her rush around for her things for work. "I... yeah. Later." He pulled the blanket around himself, sinking into the sofa. He could already feel his heart getting heavy again at the thought of being alone with his thoughts.
Eloise looked up at the way his voice sounded, pausing in the middle of stuffing her brush into her handbag. It tore at her, to have to leave him when he was in such a fragile state, but the last thing she wanted to act like was some kind of substitute mother figure to him. (Or at least, act more like a substitute mother figure, and let it get to uncomfortable degrees.) "Hey," she said encouragingly, stepping up to him. "Take a nap, it'll be good for you," she commanded, pulling up the blanket to drop it playfully over his head. "I'll be back before you know it, okay?"
Brett smiled slightly as she put the blanket over his head. "I will be looking forward to it. Have a good day at work. Stay safe."
"I will, provided the popcorn cooperates," Eloise responded brightly, tugging the edge of the blanket up to peer at him again. She stopped for a moment, hands on his shoulders as she looked down at him. She didn't think this was going to feel any different to before, but maybe it was, just a little. She leaned in to give him another brief hug. "Love you, bye," she said with a smile, and then in a few moments she was out the door, her coat in tow and her spirits high despite the trying day she had had.
Brett savoured the hug, though it was brief. He knew he would eventually fall asleep but it wouldn't be easy. He watched her go out the door, hearing it shut behind her. "Love you too."
