(Not so) quiet reminders of mortality
[Whew, sorry this took as long as it did. Between AGDQ last week and it being the start of the busy season at work, getting the story telling juices going took a moment.]
Time passed pretty peacefully in the Zest-Charm household. Finn had accepted that his mother was an elder, everyone was more than used to and accepting of Teddy's sweaty nature, and Oliver the cat was always around for pets and snuggles.
Johnny and Emilia traded jokes and mixology secrets.
And he tried to keep the paparazzi at bay in order to protect the kids.
And the trio of partners decided to take a Watcher imposed break from continuously serenading one another to work on some puzzles while the kids were at school. Johnny was less befuddled by them than last time.
The boys worked on their homework...
worked on their fitness...
and they worked (struggled) on their magic. Looks like Erick took Phoenix's advice to heart!
With prom still inexplicably gone [wn: please vote and comment on this if you can and haven't already], the teens also did what they could to fill their weekends.
Finn was more than happy to hang out with Erick Ember and paint. He was also close to mastering pottery... perhaps it's time to branch out to tattoo sketches?
He decided to give bowling a shot while out at the Sweat Shop (a teenage hangout with an arcade, dancing, bowling, and vending machines) with Jax's gamer club.
They were both hilariously bad at it which only served to push the two sweaty competitive boys even further.
After a lot of gutter balls, Teddy managed to get two lucky strikes before the set was ended. Jax raged and swore that he'd beat his boyfriend next time.
The Spice Festival also became a fun outing (that Finn went to as well, I swear) for the boys to hang out with friends, enjoy good food, and engage in a few friendly duels.
Teddy even spent a New Year's Eve with Erick and his family.
Winter was happy to meet him... but not terribly impressed with his competitive tips.
Life in the Zest-Ember household was full of love, light, and laughter.
The Watcher did not see that Emilia was hysterical until the dreaded notification came up. Darrel was distraught... she had asked him to not resurrect her when she passed, but this was not an old age death.
However, that agreement was with him, and not the kids.
Phoenix had a death flower and confidently presented it to Grim in order to spare his mother.
Emilia was grateful to be brought back, and Finn in particular was happy to not have lost his mom early.
The situation reminded Darrel that a trip to Newcrest was in order...
"It's good to see you again my friend; I'm glad that you decided to stick around."
It would be a few years before him and Johnny would be doing the same with Malcolm Landgraab, and he wondered if Emilia would consider the option herself.