Maybe I'm hiding behind metaphor // Maybe my heart needs to break to be sure // One day I'll wear it all on my sleeve // The insignificant with the sacred unique
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LYMANTRIA LUNA KHAN
Nicknames: Ly, but only to a select group of people
Birthday: Feb. 17, 1996
Magic status: Gifted, an illusionist who is out and pretty public about her magic
Nationality: Never really lived in one place for long, but her passport says Hungarian
Ethnicity: Romani
Accent: Eastern European
Height: 5’7
Build: Slender, with soft curves
Complexion: Medium-toned skin
Eye color: a warm dark brown
Hair color/length/style: a dark brown, almost black; soft waves, very thick; comes nearly to her elbows; she has long, thick bangs; her hair is usually down and she will wear scarves or flowers in it
Tattoos/piercings/daily jewelry: almost always has long dangling earrings; wears necklaces and bracelets a lot; has a tattoo of a dragonfly on her torso; tattoo of meg’s initials on her ring finger uwu
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Occupation: light technician at Pixie’s
What would you find if you Googled them?: You make find her name on an old announcement for the performing troupe she was in as a kid, if you ding really deep; nothing recent, though
What natives would know about them: she’s worked at Pixie’s for a few years, and the Court before that, usually in the background so unless you’re a regular, you probably wouldn’t recognize her
Social Media: littlemoth (instagram); no twitter
Other: married to Megara Creon <3; sporadically hangs out with Berlioz Bonfamille
I know we'll never grow old together
'Cause you'll never grow old to me
You're the pink in my cheeks
And I'm scared 'cause that means
I'm a little bit soft
sitting on her back porch, Lymantria thinks about how far she’s come...
feat @itsbeenareal--slice
After dinner, Lymantria washed the dishes. Meg dried them. It was summer, so they kept the window open. Lymantria remembered a song she’d once heard on a radio commercial, and she sang it and Megara snorted. They did not say much else, till the dishes were done, and Meg suggested that maybe they ought to sit outside for a bit.
It was summer, after all, and neither of them had work tonight, and the air was warm and thick, and it was the sort of evening for sitting out back on the porch.
They grabbed bottles of soda and went out to the back. Ash followed at their heels and Lymantria giggled and apologized when she shut the door on the cat.
You spoil that cat, teased Meg.
Just wait till we have kids, Lymantria replied.
It was not the first time they’d talked about children. Once upon a time, Lymantria could not imagine the possibility of a family, not when her own had been so terrible, not when she had herself to take care of. But lately, the idea was not so unappealing. In fact, it sort of thrilled her.
Not quite yet, though. She and Megara needed some time to just be with one another. One day, they’d talk more seriously about whether they would adopt or if one of them would carry a child. But right now, they talked in hypotheticals, and linked their pinkies together as they watched the setting sun.
It was a quiet life, the life the two of them had together. And after demon deals and a childhood in the spotlight, that was exactly what the two of them needed. Perhaps in her youth, Lymantria might’ve craved that spotlight, might’ve desired to be the center of attention once again. But she’d learned that her magic was not the only special thing about her. She’d had to lose it all to realize that, but now she knew that while her magic was wonderful and lovely, there was so much else about her that was just as worthy of love.
We should start a garden, Lymantria said.
You’ve said that every month.
I’m serious this time.
In August, it would be a year. A year since they got married and a year since everything changed.
Well, that was not quite the truth — everything had slowly been changing before. It was just that moment when it all felt real, where Lymantria felt like she’d finally become the person that she was supposed to be and finally became the person worthy of loving Meg. (And it was funny, because she’d actually been that person all along).
Sometimes, she felt like she’d done everything she’d thought she’d ever do in her life. When she’d come to Swynlake, she had been 20 and so angry and so sad at the same time. She’d been sullen and lonely — and so had Megara. And they’d found each other and those secrets that they kept, the skeletons they’d hid in their closets, had all gotten out. Six years ago, Lymantria did not think she would ever have a future. And now, her future sat right next to her.
As they sat now, Lymantria stretched out a finger and flowers blossomed on the porch, white and pink blossoms that curled up and grew towards the setting sun. Then she made a face, and those flowers turned to vegetables — tomatoes and peppers and green beans. And then, they dissipated into a flock of white butterflies that took to the skies and vanished into the air.
This was her magic now — little flourishes to make Meg smile, little accents to entertain the crowd at Pixie’s. Sometimes it was bigger, as a surprise or when she wanted to make something beautiful. And that was all it needed to be.
We should go to the beach, said Meg. For a day trip or something.
I’d like that. Lymantria paused. Maybe we can go to Greece one day. Visit your family.
Yeah. Maybe.
Lymantria did not push. Both of their families were still touchy subjects. In the early days, Lymantria never wanted to bring up her mother or her brothers and Meg spoke so little about her own family that Lymantria knew not to ask more. But now they had each other, a family of their own, and talking about those in the past did not hurt so much, because they knew at least they had each other in the present. One day, maybe, they would visit the people they needed to visit. Or maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe those ghosts would stay ghosts, and they would grow green beans in their garden and Lymantria would count the bees.
She reached for Meg’s hand, intertwining their fingers together.
Remember to take the trash out, she reminded Meg.
Yeah.
Lymantria needed to gather the laundry to go to the laundromat. They needed to take some time on their next day off to fix the creaky step on the front porch. She needed to call Maui tomorrow. They needed to make an appointment for Ash at the vet. The day after next, they would go grocery shopping.
Lymantria loved the list. She kept it in her head, though sometimes she wrote it down. For her, this list of chores wasn’t just things to do — it was things to do with Meg, things that they needed to do, things that their home needed. She thought it was rather romantic, which Meg thought was a little silly outwardly, but once admitted it was cute that Lymantria thought so.
A bird flew from one tree to the next and let out a warble. Next door, Lymantria could see Dr. Tibbs flicker on a light. It was warm and a bit sticky. She pulled her legs close to her chest and took a sip of her soda, then looked at Megara. In the soft glow of the sunset, Meg’s eyes glimmered a bright green. In the summer, she always looked a bit more golden than usual and especially now, with the setting sun.
What are you looking at? Megara laughed.
At you, of course. She reached to touch Meg’s cheek. I’m so happy right now. I almost feel sad.
Don’t be sad.
But what if this ends? Lymantria said it in a whisper. I’m so scared it’ll end.
Megara took her hand and leaned forward so that their noses almost brushed.
And if it does? We’ll still have each other. No matter what. Maybe not in this house, or with this sunset. But I’m not going anywhere.
I know.
Nothing was forever, this Lymantria knew. Maybe the next day would be the same, and the one after that. But slowly things would change. Maybe they would move to a bigger house, or maybe out of Swynlake together. Maybe it would just be the two of them, or maybe they would welcome a new member of the family one day.
We’ll be okay, Lymantria. Megara kissed the back of her hand.
Even if it does end, Lymantria said. At least we have now.
Exactly.
They were both quiet, staring at the setting sun. Slowly, the sky turned from orange to red, till violet tinged the clouds and settled into a deep indigo. The stars flickered above and Lymantria tilted her head upwards to watch them, never once letting go of Megara’s hand.
Peri loved Pride, she loved planning it, she loved being part of it. And at the top of it. She loved when everyone at Pixie’s got into it. Ly helping with the lights as she ran and helped come up with pieces of the final event.
“Been stocked up for months. Gotta get it while its at a low price and not jacked up for Pride.” Peri teased. but she had bought lots of glitter and mini canons for all the employees again. They had enjoyed it last year too.
“I was hoping we could do something fun and different with rainbow lights but I don’t know what yet.”
--
“That could be fun,” mused Lymantria. “Maybe we could cast some sort of rainbow across the whole room? Or on the floor? Or maybe alternate — it might be fun to build it up towards the middle of the night and then with a particularly energetic song have it maybe arch over the room.”
It would take a bit of tinkering to work, but Lymantria could certainly bolster it with her magic.
“Oh, I totally agree! I love the bees. You get me!” Annie said enthusiastically. “I could totally see, like, some cute little flower boxes for your windows. Or maybe you could save the bees in your backyard, you know?” She tilted her head and gave a little giggle, typing something into her phone. “Great. Well, I’ll send someone over next week. I might be harder to reach, ‘cause my due date’s coming up, but I will try my very best. Don’t even worry about a thing, ‘kay?”
--
Lymantria blinked. She felt like this woman had not really listened to what she said. She wanted to talk about native plants and how it was good to foster biodiversity, but the woman kept talking and suddenly, Lymantria was reminded of how very pregnant she was.
Oh, that could be it. She was probably just worried about her child and that’s why she was not listening.
So, Lymantria nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “I will not worry. I am sure your people can handle this.”
While Lymantria did not usually like crows, she did like this time of year: Pride Month.
It was something she did not even realize was a thing when she was growing up, and it was only when she came to Swynlake that she realized how important it really was. Her first year, she’d quietly stayed on the outskirts of a few of the events, too nervous to participate. But slowly, she’d grown more confident and put herself out there more — and now, she helped Peri to run the final big event of the month.
And it was pretty exciting.
“Are we all stocked up on the glitter?” she teased, walking into Peri’s office. She knew that Peri absolutely had enough glitter to load up into the cannon.
Annie cringed. This part was always so awkward. Some people just did not even know! It was kind of sad, really, but someone had to break the news to them. It was like explaining to a girl that the reason she didn’t make ADPi was because she didn’t even know how bad her own roots were (well, probably other reasons, too, but that was the most fixable).
Anyway, Lymantria’s lawn was just like Brittany M.’s shitty dye job. It just needed a little workshopping.
“Well– it’s just, you know, when you don’t take care of your lawn, it affects the value of everyone’s property. It makes the whole neighborhood look kind of… you know.” Annie gestured vaguely for Lymantria to fill in the blank. “Don’t worry, though, we’ll take care of it. I know you probably have a busy schedule.”
--
Lymantria blinked. She tilted her head. She blinked again, as Annie talked. She didn’t really know anything about the property value of the area, and to be honest, she didn’t even really care to. But if it was something affecting other people… well, Lymantria did feel bad if that was the case.
“What exactly would they do?” she asked. “There are some flowers I let grow, because they attract butterflies and bees. And it’s important to save the bees.” She nodded. “But I suppose clearing some of the weeds would be alright…”
Annie couldn’t quite get a read on Lymantria’s expression. She seemed… surprised that so many people were involved. Maybe a little intimidated? Well, she was certainly shy, there was no doubt about that. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want friends. Didn’t everybody want that?
“Well, then, you’re in luck. It’s a great group of people. Just you wait,” Annie said, flashing an encouraging smile. “In the meantime, I’d really love some people over to help you out with your lawn. What does your schedule look like this week? You don’t have to be home, but it’s probably better if you are.”
--
“My lawn?” Lymantria repeated. She vaguely remembered Annie mentioning something like that early on in the conversation, but she hadn’t realized that had been an offer. But Lymantria tilted her head, a mite puzzled. “What does… it need help with?”
You see, Lymantria rather liked her lawn. It had wildflowers that attracted all sorts of wonderful insects. The back garden was more overgrown than the front, but she was still quite fond of both of them.
“I work nights, but I am around during the days,” she said slowly. “But what is wrong with it?”
Tibbs smiled softly, glad at least that Lymantria had those things to remember her father by. Fond memories that she could hold onto, even through the sadness. Tibbs wasn’t sure he really had anything like that from his own father, who had been more of an authoritian figure in the household than an actual dad. He had taught his son a lot, certainly, but Tibbs could count on one hand the number of times they had shared anything meaningful.
Which was exactly what he didn’t want to happen with himself and his daughter. He looked at Tabitha now as she looked back at Lymantria, hoping that he was doing the right thing with her. They didn’t get to spend much time with each other, but he did the best he could with the time he had, or so he thought. Trying to make the most of it, to make sure he was present, things that his father had never really done for him.
“I think it’s cool,” Tibby grinned. “Way better than my name.”
She cast a disaparaging look up to her father, who shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t look at me, I didn’t choose it.”
“We’re gonna come out again tomorrow and try to look for planets,” Tibby said, turning back to Lymantria. “If you wanna join us.”
“You’d be more than welcome.” Tibbs added.
Lymantria thought of her father now.
Actually, that was perhaps inaccurate. She was thinking of her father, yes, but she was also thinking of herself as a little girl. She’d idolized her father. To her, he could do nothing wrong. (That made his death all the more painful, and her own fallout from it hit even harder). She remembered when he told stories and she had no doubt that they were true.
“I would like that very much,” said Lymantria. She smiled, her lips pressed together. “If I am not imposing, of course.”
And she thought now, not of her father, or of herself as a little girl, but of a little girl she did not know. One perhaps she might know in the future. A girl who was more so the vague concept of a girl, one with Meg’s sharp green eyes, who might one day stare up at the stars with Lymantria.
The thought of that made her blush. She was glad it was dark and no one could see.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said. “I’ll bring out some cookies and we can have a little picnic.”
Annie thought Lymantria was asking because she was worried she would be the only member. And Annie certainly did not want her to think that! SSHIIT was a team effort, and Lymantria would be in good company if she joined! Still, Annie decided to exaggerate, just a little bit. To really sell it.
“Oh, almost everyone in the neighborhood! It’s a great way to meet people and make friends,” Annie promised. She assumed that was what Lymantria wanted– what everyone wanted!
--
Lymantria’s eyes widened, but otherwise her face did not move. While she had slowly eased her way into saying hello to neighbors, she still did not talk to many of them except for Dr. Tibbs and his daughter. She talked to them a fair bit, sometimes popping over for tea or chatting when they were both out in their gardens at the same time. Sometimes they’d both get back in the wee hours of the morning after an overnight shift and wordlessly wave to each other and then walk down the street in tandem.
“Oh, I, uh, don’t know many other people in the neighborhood,” she confessed, twirling a strand of her hair. “Only Dr. Tibbs next door.”
Meg had offered a while ago to cook for Vanessa and get her out of the college food and fast food life she was currently living in. Also it let her flex her old recipes from her Yia Yia and make her Greek roots proud (to be honest, she’d been a bit home sick lately and felt like she needed to get back towards to a few things she used to like before she cut that part of her life out).
So, she pulled the spanakopita, flaky crust, steam and all out of the oven and set it out to cool as the lamb continued to cook. She shooed Ash away from the kitchen counter as she stared at the various items coming to rest on the counter. “Off the counter when we have company.” She murmured but she still smiled as the cat curled itself around her legs.
As the knock on the door came, she called back to where Ly was, “I’ll grab it!” She gave one more glance to the timer before heading over to the door and opening it to reveal their guest for the night. “Ah, there’s the little astronaut.” She teased, obviously just prodding at their very talented and smart friend they’d taken under their queer wings.
Lymantria wasn’t sure where all this strange maternal energy she’d been flooded with lately had come from, but she thought this dinner was a lovely idea. There was also something very romantic about Megara making food and also something very cozy about using Meg’s leftover filo to make baklava.
Of course, now that meant leaving it in the oven while she went out in the backyard and picked some flowers for the dinner table. She could use her magic to make them a little centerpiece, but the wildflowers were in a beautiful bloom and she thought there was something charming about that.
The doorbell rang and by the time Lymantria walked up, Megara had answered it and the gangly sorceress was looking around their house. Ash hid behind the couch, but poked her head out curiously.
“Hello,” said Lymantria, smiling. She’d met Vanessa through Berlioz and at first had been a little put off by her brashness. But Meg clearly saw something in her and after she’d shown up at Pixies a few times and they worked together more, Lymantria grew to have a soft spot for her.
“Wow, all this for me?” Vanessa blurted out. “This is — thanks.” Her cheeks colored a slight pink. “I, uh, brought a bottle of wine?” She swung her backpack around and unzipped it, revealing a bottle. “Don’t they say not to show up to a party empty handed?”
