#xolo plot

[bumblingbrujo]

Human Again || Cassie, Iann, & Miguel

Addie stretches her baby witch magic and fixes her uncle. 

@ianncardero, @cassiegermaine

Iann ended up staying the night at Miguel's, since the Inn was pretty quiet right now and Freddie was there to look after it. Which wasn't bad; he just roved through Miguel's kitchen, ate his food, used his shower, wore his clothes. Let the dogs follow around as they pleased. But sleep didn't come easily. Whenever Iann drifted, images of a giant golden xolo-esque dog invaded his dreams. And since Iann hardly ever remembered his dreams, he startled awake every single time. "Dammit..." Iann said, shifting and grumbling before drifting again. The golden dog loomed around the edges of his semi-lucid mind - but it was washed over by bright energetic pink, and the scent of strawberries and then -- "Addie. Miguel - we should - we should go see Addie, huh? What time is it..." Iann looked at his watch, then got up. "Seven am? Good enough. Let's go pick up coffee and a hot chocolate for Pegs and then head over there."

Miguel hadn’t slept well either. Maybe it was just the fact that he was a dog. But everything was loud. Everything smelled too much. The word was harsh and sharp against him and he couldn’t block it out. When Iann woke up he got up easily and followed after him. Molly curled up in her bed. It didn’t seem like she would be joining them. The van was becoming all to familiar to Miguel’s dog body. And he settled in easily for the ride.

Iann stopped first at the coffee shop on the way; and given the time of day and the look on Iann's face, the barista knew his order by heart - large coffee and an extra-large hot cocoa with whip and chocolate curls. He gave Miguel a pat on the head, then said sorry for petting his brother, and got them to Cassie's place. Iann texted her first - [TXT] HEY I'm outside your place. Me and Miguel. He's a dog. Open up. - and then hopped up the stoop and waited for Cassie to open the door. Ringing the doorbell or knocking might wake Addie up, and he didn't want to off the kid's schedule.

Cassie was up anyways, because much to her dismay the toddler was an early riser. But it was still weird to be getting a buzz from her phone this early in the morning. When Cassie saw it was from Iann, she frowned deeply, wondering if she’d forgotten something they planned together. It didn’t exactly seem like it. Cassie rubbed her eyes, still in her pajamas when she opened the door. She peeked out seeing Iann standing right there, Cassie startled back a step, “Oh Jesus. What’s going on? I know about Miguel being a dog. Did you find something out?” Her gaze drifted and she pointed, eyebrow raising slightly, “Hot chocolate?”

"Oh right. And here he is," Iann said, presenting Miguel and letting the dog-brother trot inside. "I have an idea. Well I had a dream, but I don't really remember the dream anymore or why I felt the need to come over here..." He handed the hot chocolate to Cassie as he shrugged off his jacket, taking himself into her living room. "...but it occurred to me that maybe - like because you're a wolf, right? And sometimes wolves can communicate with like fairy familiars and the like. I figured maybe if you turned into a wolf, you could talk with Miguel, hm? Although I'm not sure if Miguel has anything any more figured out than I do..." Iann scratched at his chin, unsure where he was going with this. "Addie around?"

Cassie frowned slightly as Iann started to ramble on about a dream. She was having trouble following this particular train of thought, but she let him and Miguel inside anyways. When Iann explained part of the plan Cassie winced slightly, “I mean, I guess I could do that.” It was just so…early. “But who’s to say it’d work? It’s not like I understand the dogs or anything.” Iann made it sound easy, for god sakes. She sighed and gave a quick shrug looking down somewhat guiltily at Miguel, “We can try.” When Iann inquired about Addie she motioned, “She’s in the kitchen, eating cream of wheat. I’ll be amazed if she didn’t dump it all over the floor. In the two minutes I stepped away.”

It was early, Cassie was right. And Iann hadn't gotten a lot of sleep last night, so he was a little discombobulated himself. He drank some more of his coffee, listening to Cassie cast her typical doubt - but for once in this case, Iann agreed with her. "I suppose that's true..." Iann said, in grudging but truthful agreement. He shook his head. "Well, let's go say good morning to Addie then, she's already awake huh? Besides, I have her hope chest in my van still. I'm pretty sure this curse on Miguel was the last of its tricks....you think it's okay for me to give it back to her?" Iann blinked and snapped his fingers. "Hey! Is that cat familiar around? Maybe it can take a look at the hope chest, you know. One final spot check."

Cassie frowned slightly as Iann started to ramble on about a dream. She was having trouble following this particular train of thought, but she let him and Miguel inside anyways. When Iann explained part of the plan Cassie winced slightly, “I mean, I guess I could do that.” It was just so…early. “But who’s to say it’d work? It’s not like I understand the dogs or anything.” Iann made it sound easy, for god sakes. She sighed and gave a quick shrug looking down somewhat guiltily at Miguel, “We can try.” When Iann inquired about Addie she motioned, “She’s in the kitchen, eating cream of wheat. I’ll be amazed if she didn’t dump it all over the floor. In the two minutes I stepped away.”

Miguel thought about that for a moment. Maybe Cassie would be able to understand him as a wolf, maybe not. He was surprised that he has been able to communicate with the selfie. Wolves seemed easier than seals. But maybe just being in the same room was enough in a way. He didn’t think she would get much more by changing shape, not if she could read his body language with the attuned eye of a canid. He was tired and nervous and he wanted to be a biped again.

“This is the safest place for the chest at this point I’d say.” Cassie agreed, a sort of roundabout way of telling Iann to bring it back in from his van at somepoint. “You really think it was a just a one time trick? I think its better Miguel stays away from the chest from now on, don’t you?” That was really more rhetorical as Cassie headed back into the kitchen. The floor was clean, but the baby was not, and Cassie’s expression only fell slightly when she picked up a towel to start wiping away the smears of breakfast. “I don’t know about the cat. Maybe in Addie’s room? Addie where’s your kitty?”

Iann left Cassie and Miguel in the kitchen, heading to the van and returning with the hope chest. But he caught Cassie's last comment about Miguel staying away from the chest. "I think it's fine, I mean. So long as he doesn't try to touch it again, hm?" But as Iann put the chest down on the kitchen table, he watched Addie's face light up in delight. She wanted to touch it, it seemed, like she instantly recognized that it needed to be with her. And that was when it hit Iann - the dream, and the selkie's words: you must go back to the source. "Waitaminute. Ay dios mio, the solution's been here all along. It wasn't Melena, she wasn't the source of this magic. It's - well I hate to break it to you guys, but I think the source of the curse? Is Addie. I don't think she did it on purpose, but...I think she's maintaining it. That's why it hasn't broken yet, even though Melena's long dead. It's because of Addie's magic."

Miguel wagged his tail and stood close to where Addie was in her high chair. He loved his little niece and he wouldn’t even be surprised if she’s could fix this. Maybe he would be a little surprised. She was strong at magic but bad at directing it sometimes. Turning him back into a witch would be harder than levitating a cookie in any case.

While Iann was out retrieving the chest, Cassie finished up cleaning and kept simple albeit mostly one sided conversation going between her, Addie, and Miguel. The toddler’s eagerness over the hope chest, mostly unsurprising to Cassie. After all, the little red head had always happily claimed it as hers. Cassie’s brows furrowed in something like offence though as a new thought process came across Iann’s working mind. “What are you-“ She was about to start scolding him, shifting the blame on Addie, but then he explained better in his slightly delayed ‘Iann’ way. Cassie looked curiously between Addie and the Xolo dog. She hoisted the girl out of the high chair and placed her on the floor. “How about you go say hello to your Tio okay?” And Addie seemed to understand something, because she went right over to dog!Miguel and started patting his ears, laughing softly.

Miguel leaned into Addie’s pats. He could feel her magic. Which was different and refreshing than the rest of his time as a dog. He looked at Addie with sad eyes and tried to convey to her the big job that he needed her to do.

Iann watched with wide eyes, glancing at Cassie with a 'will this work?' look. Addie seemed to inherently recognize Miguel though, showing no fear as she toddled over and pet the witch. "Say Addie, this is Tio Miguel. He's very sad as a doggie. He wants to be grown up again...." Taking the hope chest, Iann gingerly placed it on the floor between the dog and the baby. "We want Tio Miguel, hm? We all want Tio Miguel. Go Adelita, let's see Tio Miguel!"

Addie glanced between Iann and Cassie as they encouraged her. Her attention wavering back and forth much like a toddlers would. She muttered ‘Tio’ a few times, still petting the dog with one hand and trying to pry the chest open with her other, but the girls had coordination still wasn’t the best yet. Cassie took a deep breath trying to think of another way to get across what they needed from the little girl. “Addie, we have to find Tio-“ She covered her eyes and quickly removed her hands so Addie could see her again, “Where is he?” Addie blinked largely before laughing again and clapping her hands, “Here! Here Tio!”

Addie laughed and hugged her tio after she clapped, still laughing a little. She thunked her forehead into Miguel’s and the magic danced between them. In a moment he was on his knees. “Oh thank god.” He pulled his niece, the best niece ever, into a hug and felt reprieve at the feeling of his own magic, and the magic sense that flowed between them. Addie was a light in a dark place and holding the little witch calmed him down. “You did great brujita.”

It happened so fast, Iann felt like he blinked and missed it. But then that was tied to the nature of Addie's infant, uncontrolled powers - that raw energy in the babywitch that just made things...happen. She was like the genie from I Dream of Genie. And when Miguel actually spoke, though, Iann gave an un-ironic bark of triumph. He looked over at Cassie with huge eyes. "She did it. She did it, Miguel - how do you feel? Lemme take a look - " Iann said, ungracefully descending to his knees on the kitchen floor, to look poke at his brother. Look into his big dark eyes (Iann only realized then how much the dog-Miguel's eyes looked as warm and soft as the human-Miguel), check his pulse, etc - ironic considering Miguel was the doctor. "Still craving milkbones and the urge to lick your own butt?"

One moment Miguel was a dog, and then he wasn’t. Cassie blinked, staring between him and Addie for a few moments before she scoffed at Iann’s own probing questions. She waved Addie back over to her, lifting the girl into her arms and looking her over. “Good job baby. You’re so smart.” She wished she could ask the toddler how she managed it. But it had to be some sort of instinct or natural inclination. Either way Cassie was impressed, pleased, and just the slightest bit jealous. She turned back to Miguel, “You’re ok? What was that like? I mean, she just changed you, simple as that.”

Miguel let Addie go, looking a little sad as he did. And then he stumbled to his feet, one hand on Iann's shoulder to keep his balance. "I don't know. I couldn't feel magic the same way as a dog. I could feel a little of Addie's, maybe because it was the same magic that was upkeeping the spell..." He shook his head and got a little dizzy from the movement. The after taste of the curse was odd and clung to him in a bitter way, like dandelion leaves.

"She's tied to Melena's magic...in fact she's literally the only connection to that old bat's magic - no offense Pegs - and I don't know why I didn't think of it before. That she could break the curse," Iann chided himself, although why would he think of Addie. She was a baby. And even though he knew she had spurts of reactive magic, breaking a curse was far more complicated and advanced than moving cake. But every magical act had a cost. And maybe it was easier for a baby to work with an already established spell? Who knew. For now, Iann just held onto Miguel, dusting the smaller man off. "You want something? Water? Something delicious for a human palette?"

“No offense taken.” Cassie said flatly, except now she had other worries. The curse was connected to Addie. So that meant she’d never technically broken it? Cassie didn’t think it was over just because the toddler turned her Uncle from a dog back into a human. That was too easy, and if Melena’s tricks proved anything it was that they were irrational and multifaceted. Cassie chewed her lip, trying to push the thoughts away at the moment, “I can make breakfast.” Cassie offered. “If you’re hungry.”

Miguel made his way to the kitchen counter so he could lean on something a little sturdier. "I don't think I should put anything in my stomach yet," he said softly. "Thank you though, Cassie."

"Just siddown before you fall down," Iann said, hauling over one of Cassie's kitchen chairs and plonking Miguel in it. He leaned against the counter then, arms folded. "I'll take some coffee," he said hopefully to Cassie. "My coffee got cold. Then I might as well get Miguel home, I'm sure his dog wants to see him."

“Sure.” Cassie said grabbing Iann’s travel mug and filling it with hot coffee from the pot on the stove. She’d already made some, but Iann arrived with the hot chocolate before she could pour her own cup. “Well, welcome back.” She smiled softly at Miguel, and her gaze shifted back to Iann, “I’ll return the hot chocolate mug later today. Are you gonna keep an eye on Miguel for a while?”

"Thanks," Iann said to Cassie, and then raised a questioning eyebrow at Miguel. "I dunno. Am I?" he asked his brother.

Miguel shrugged a little. He didn't think he needed watching. "I think I'll be fine after a nap, just get me home."

[bumblingbrujo]

Los Tres Hermanos || Lilo + Miguel + Iann || Chatzy Log

Iann and Miguel have a surprise for Lilo. 

@ianncardero @lilo-el-lobo

Iann "So? Did you call him?" Iann asked, as he barged into Miguel's place. Well he knocked first, but then just tried the front door and it opened for him, as Miguel was expecting him. And if they were going to be brothers or whatever, Iann figured barging in without waiting was par the course. As was, Iann belatedly realized, leaving the front door unlocked. Iann came over to the side window, peering through as if he could catch a glimpse of Lilo living his life. Iann had no issues with being a peeping tom. "Is he coming over? You realize this is going to be fucking nuts, right? If he reacts worse than I did, don't be surprised. Or upset."

Miguel made a small surprised gurgle noise and jumped a little as Iann opened the front door wide. "Yes, yes I called him. He seemed a little confused but he said he'd come over. I said it was neighbor stuff... that's not a lie right?" Miguel had nervously cleaned the whole house. The idea of telling someone you were long lost siblings going badly didn't occur to him until Iann had done it - but now it was all he could think about and he was worried. "Why would he take it worse?" Miguel asked sadly. "Of course I'll be upset if it goes badly. I like Lilo. I was devastated when I thought you didn't want to be my brother." He pouted a little, playing up the little brother thing just a bit. Though... he was the middle child. Technically. Of the three of them. Of the three brothers. Wow three brothers. It was so new and exciting and Miguel didn't know why everyone was taking it so badly.

Iann "No not a lie," Iann said with a slight smile at the smaller man. He did appreciate that at least, that Miguel wanted to let Lopez know as soon as possible. No lies from him, and he never felt upset about Miguel taking a while to come tell him either. Particularly as Iann didn't take it very well at all. He shrugged at Miguel's question. "Everyone's got their reasons, Miguel. Especially when it concerns family issues. You don't know what his life was like." None of them really knew what their lives were like, and yet here they were, thrown together by genetics and one horny fucker. He did note the pout though, and clapped Miguel's shoulder. "Place looks clean, smells like Pine Sol."

"I just want everything to be... okay, it doesn't have to be perfect, just not bad." At the clean comment Miguel scoffed. "What am I? A gringo? It smells like Fabuloso, not Pine Sol," he said 'Pine Sol' in the most white nasal American accent he could do. "I know where to get it in Washington even." Might as well start deflecting his feelings with humor. He stopped joking when he heard Lilo walking up the front steps. "Okay okay, be nice," he said pointedly at Iann.

"Fabulosooo," Iann sighed, chucking a fist into his open palm. "I knew it smelled familiar." Of course Miguel managed to find it here - but then when they heard the door, Iann held his hands up in deference. "I'll be super nice. So nice, I'll let you do all the talking, hm? I'll just stand behind you and glower."

Lilo walked up to the front door of his neighbor. Not suspecting anything life changing he has some makeshift Tupperware in hand. Had he suspected more for tonight he may have noticed the shifting body of Iann trying to get a look at him before, or Miguel's strange caginess. Lilo tried the door, unlocked of course, opening it more gently as he called out. "Oye! Amigo, we made some soup and had extra? You want soup? It's got kale and meat in it and stuff... soup stuff..." Lilo sniffed the air and blinked in confusion before even laying eyes on the other men there to greet him. "Sooo... neighbor stuff?"

Miguel glared quickly at Iann. "No. Glowering." Before he walked toward the door to greet Lilo. "Hey, amigo. Soup sounds great thank you." Cassie and Lilo had been spoiling him with leftovers, especially when they knew he was on call for the ER, which made his life so much easier. He loved his neighbors and he really didn't want to upset Lilo. "Yes well... a little more than neighbor stuff... magical neighbor stuff." He glanced again at Iann, he could expect no help from the gruff older man. "You might want to sit down for this. I mean it's not bad, but it's a lot to take in and... I don't want to upset you."

If only because Iann knew something that Lopez didn't, instead of glowering the human couldn't help smirking, just a bit smugly. He folded his arms, and sat on the armrest of the couch, and stared at the werewolf. "Hey pal," Iann said, not intending his greeting to sound like a taunt but...he really couldn't help himself.

Lilo frowned. Iann was looking smug, and if there was one thing he hated it was a smug Iann. The man was already too clever then he had a right to be and Lilo hated that it looked like the human knew something he didn't. "Okay..." To preserve the peace Lilo handed off the tub of still warm soup. He sat down on the couch, gently as if there might be something hiding in it that would bite at him. "Uhuh, hey," He eyed Iann, the pulling his face to one side. "So what kind of magical neighbor nonsense did you get the nice town doctor into anyway? And why's it involve all of us here?"

Miguel couldn't bring himself to sit on the couch with them.... with his brothers. Instead he stood in front of Lilo and wrung his hands. "Well, Iann didn't get me into it so much as, I got him into it. Or we're all in it and I just... figured it out uhm." He needed to stop stalling and just spit it out. So he closed his eyes tight and let it fly out of his mouth. "We're half brothers!  All of us. The three of us. We have the same dad. I found out with magic."

Iann was grinning so tightly his jaw was flexing and twitching, teeth clenched as he watched Lilo react to this. To add an extra measure, Iann unfolded his arms and spread his hands out. "This isn't a joke, no prank. Unless Miguel's lying or something - I haven't found a way to verify this claim, and he's the doctor and the witch, so. Hermano."

Lilo went to open his mouth, eyes darting from the grinning Iann to the hand wringing Miguel, then closed it and thought better of it. He sat for a while, letting the sudden shattering revelation settle in. He stared forward and shook his head. "I... I mean. No. That's" He shook his head, laughter spilling out in breathy awkward bursts. They said it wasn't a joke, but Lilo just couldn't manage to take it seriously. "Seriously? Guys? You call me over here, to what feels like a very weird and sad intervention at first with just two guys here. And tell me this?" He laughed again, head shaking as he moved to stand. "Okay, sure sure. Hermano, that I don't believe."

Lilo didn't believe them... and Miguel didn't know if that was better or worse than taking it badly. Maybe denial was a form of taking it badly. "No, Lilo. En serio." He sighed. "I started to suspect some things when a magical tome that's attuned to my family accepted Iann as one of its owners. I asked a blood witch to do a spell to let me find blood relatives and it said you two, and Addie of course, but less for her. And even then I wasn't sure, I thought the other witch might have messed up the strength and it was just showing me the closest Chicanos but... then I did a paternity test spell from my abuela." He put down the glass that Lilo had used the night he was drunk and talking about his feelings in Miguel's house. "I used my blood and your spit," he explained. "We're brothers. All of us."

Lilo shook his head, standing but shifting back and forth from his prosthetic. "Okay, hermano. I believe you." He looked at Miguel, taking his words more seriously. The doctor seemed adamant and animated as he spoke, and it was hard arguing against that kind of energy. "You, I can understand. Miguel. I can wrap my head around you and me, long lost finding each other here sure. But Iann?" His laughter pitched higher. "This guy?" His thumb gestured back to the couch. "I know this guy, known him for years. There's no way. I mean we can't be. I would have... I feel like I would have picked up on something. I mean look at him! He's gigantic! So tall" His hands gestured up and down wildly, as if measuring his fellow chicano in the air. "How is he related to us shorties, huh? Is his mother huge?"

Iann "You haven't known me for years, stop being dramatic," Iann said, standing up and scoffing at Lilo. "....okay you do kind of know me for a couple years, I guess, but not well, Not since - well - that time - you know what I mean," Iann waved a hand in the air, simultaneously calling up the past and dismissing it in one fell motion. Iann was so far highly amused at all of Lilo's confusion, and ironically he also agreed that yes - Miguel made sense for Iann too. But Lilo Lopez?? Then Lilo had to go talk smack about Mala and Iann's face got an immediate mottled red. "My mother was perfect!!" he hollered. "I can't help it if I got all the good genes."

Lilo threw up his hands, shoulders following suit. "I'm not saying anything bad about your Mama. I was just wondering if she was also six foot maybe."

Iann pointed a finger. "You just watch it Lopez or you'll get six feet up your ass."

Miguel had thought that Lilo and Iann got along. But apparently that wasn't super correct. He glanced between the two of them and had a selfish thought about how it would probably be okay if they both liked him but didn't get along with each other. He sighed and shook his head. "Already fighting like siblings I see," he tried to force the mood to be light, even though they looked ready to pitch two fits. "I would have been tall if I was cis," he mumbled softly, more to himself than to Lilo, but the wolf would hear him. "Okay okay okay," Miguel said as he put his hands up too, but he put his hands up between the other two. "Stop."

Lilo jutted up his chin just a bit, an ingrained reaction to Iann's tone. "You just try it culero. Try it. I would like to see." He was prepared to stare Iann down, but Miguel was being much more practical and calm. It shamed Lilo into backing down slightly, head nodding in agreement to stop. Picking up partly on Miguel's admission. He looked more thoughtful, a look that belied his concern but not that it was more directly related to being the shortest cis-man in the group of brothers than anything else. Concerns could be petty.

"Okay we're all brothers and I think it's great and I like you both a lot. I'd like it if you'd get along with each other but I'd settle for you not fighting until you get out of my house,” Miguel warned them. 

Iann was all smiles and terse cheer when Miguel intervened, and he shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Who's fighting? We're just having a nice talk," Iann stated, giving Lilo a wink over Miguel's head. "So what do we do now? Have a beer and...make it official?"

Lilo settled down, wanting to sit. It was actually starting to sink in that he had more brothers, of course he did, but- "Oooh wow. This is real? This is really real, huh?" He breathed out, eyes widened, head shaking. He took a long look at Miguel. No longer using his easy irritation at Iann distract him. "We're related? We are like that joke, about chicanos not being all related but now are all related and oooh wow. This is exciting? It feels exciting? But also maybe making me a little dizzy-sick. Sick and dizzy" His eyes darted to Iann, stomach threatening to flip.

Miguel chuckled a little. Lilo was so sweet, and relief was washing through him, making him a little giddy. "You sit, Lilo. I'll get you a water. Iann and I can have the beer." He bumped Iann's shoulder on the way to the kitchen.

Iann "That's a joke?" Iann piped up, looking to Miguel for confirmation. If it was, it certainly wasn't one Iann had heard, oddly enough...but not really that oddly. Iann lived a large part of his life white-passing and code-switching depending on the company. "Why don't you take a seat, guey. Before you upchuck kale meat soup all over Miguel's nice clean floor."

Lilo first reaction was to glare at Iann's suggestiong, and stay standing just to spite him. Some part of this announcement felt like it flung him back into childhood, when he was a lonely moody teen just finding his standing and dealing with his mom having more kids with a step-dad he hated. Lilo hated this feeling, but not upchucking kale soup was good advice. He sat. "Ay, thanks Miguel. A big water if you got it..."

Miguel just laughed some more, grinning even, two brothers and they were all joking and grumbly but they were there, with Miguel. "I mean, you know how we joked about the gringos mistaking us for each other just because we're chicano? Kind of like that I'm assuming." Miguel shrugged. "Just cleaned," he said with a nod. "With fabuloso," he added with a smirk. He got the water for Lilo (a big water) first and handed it to him.

Iann returned to the couch armrest, watching as Miguel returned. The grin on the witch's face, Iann had no idea what to do with it. Granted, at least Lilo handled the news better than Iann did...so far anyway. Iann guessed that Lopez would have his meltdown later, once it all sunk in. For now the werewolf would just keep face. "Ah, I gotcha. Gringos," Iann said, taking the beer. He didn't drink immediately, and just fiddled with the label, thinking about Miguel so tastefully saying 'the other witch' when he explained the spell. Ciara, of course - Miguel told Iann, but maybe Lilo had never met Ciara. Why would he. But Iann's thoughts were digressing. "So...what now?" he asked, looking up between the two of them, suddenly serious and grim.

Miguel opened his own beer. He glanced at Iann and took a deep breath. "I have no idea."

Lilo shrugged, water in hand and threatening to spill on the freshly fabulos-ed floor. "I mean what now? What are we supposed to do? Go on a brother vacation? A brother journey to discover lost treasure? What should we do..." He paused to take a couple gulps of water. Wiping his lips with the back of his hand. "I mean... anybody actually know our dad. What he's like besides the fact that he gets around a lot..."

Iann "Who cares," Iann dismissed the dad question brusquely, then got up to look out one of Miguel's windows at the birds in the back yard. He took a swig of beer. "I guess we just go back to normal life. You tell Pegs, I tell...Bellamy, well. I've already told Bellamy. And Miguel - you tell that kid of yours at the University? Then that's that. What more is there for us to do, I don't - I don't think we need to find out more. " Iann glanced over at them both, then back out the window. "At least, I don't want to, personally."

Miguel pursed his lips. He already knew how Iann felt about it, but it sounded like Lilo was a little more on his page, a little more curious. It was odd, and Miguel wanted to know why it had played out the way it had. He was also a little surprised by how close Iann thought he was to Hawthorn, they may have been in the same coven but the only reason they were getting along was because the kid had a concussion and needed coven help, at least that was what Miguel had assumed. The idea was enough to send him into a spiral. He didn't have a fiancee or a best friend even, he had a coven member. There wasn't a way to tell Lilo that they could talk about it after Iann left, at least not a polite way. "We don't need to, but..."

"But it might be nice to know." Lilo finished for Miguel. Stopping to take another drink of water. "You can't tell me you are not at least a little bit curious. C'mon Iann! You're the human out of us. Aren't you worried about heart disease or baldness. Horrible things like that." He shrugged, unaware of Miguel's spiraling or the source of Iann's tetchiness about their shared father. "It's a fucking mystery. Three guys, all different, all in the same town. How does all of these coincidences not worry you?"

"Nope," Iann said firmly, but with that forced chipperness. He didn't want the beer anymore, but he dutifully chugged it so it wouldn't go to waste, and then went to Miguel's kitchen, seeking and finding the recycle bin. He returned, dry washing his hands. "Well, I'm going now. Surprise over. You two can sort whatever else you want, hm? I'll see you both around, I gotta, ah, I have things --" Iann looked at his watch (thank god he remembered to put it on this morning or he'd look pretty dumb looking at his wrist). "-- things I have to do, goodbye." Iann nodded at Miguel and headed out.

[bumblingbrujo]

The Dread Wolf || Self Para

The large tan ‘dog’ loped through Soapberry Springs. He was a little too big - and if a witch were to pass by he would feel a little too magic - to be a stray dog. That was fine, being mistaken for a familiar was easier in some ways. It meant no one would call the dog catcher, no one would come up to him with less than respect at the end of their foot. He could find Miguel with all of his senses behind a concrete wall, but he followed his nose to the more humble house in Holt. The only thing he could do when he got there was let out a coarse feral laugh, somewhere between a bark and human mirth. They were living right next to each other. Of course they were, his boys were shackled with a fate strong enough to hold Fenrir, the dread wolf. And it was finally catching up to them.

It was an easy matter to get closer, with all the dogs on this street, not many would notice one more coming or going. He ambled over to the back door and sat there, letting shimmering red threads that bound them all together bring back the information he needed.  Miguel still didn’t accept who he was, he was getting closer all the time, circling it like a vulture but one not hungry enough to land. It was frustrating because the large tan dog was ravenous, and tired of waiting. The witch would need to tap into his blood and find the potential there, or to stop boxing himself in. It was like he was doing magic with both hands behind his back. But all that needed to be unlocked before fate could continue. Miguel had to be the catalyst. The other two were necessary to complete the spell, but they couldn’t touch the ley lines, they couldn’t open the door. Miguel’s familiar, that annoying guardian, Molly, started barking from in the house and the golden eyes of the dog waiting outside flashed. The (many) dumb pets in the neighboring house barked in return. More waiting, it seemed, was the only thing he could do. But the time was almost there, so close he could almost taste it. The boys needed no more pushes from him, the universe was sure to sort out the rest so close to the finish line.