out of the shadows

[veelawren]

That’s the best part The outside is new. But now it reflects, what’s already in you. Couldn’t change that if I wanted to And I…do not.

[veelaebony]

veelawren​:

It was easy to spot Ebony, a bright burst of color against a backdrop of gray, and while her method of joining him was slower, it was far more graceful. “Gee thanks,” Wren said wryly at the advice she offered him too late, before he added, “Show off,” and flashed a grin. Her question took him by surprise, but then he remembered what she’d said about her parents not liking her power. Her parents really sounded like shit people, to the point it was surprising Ebony turned out to be quite the opposite. Or maybe that was because they were such shit people. “Nope. And you shouldn’t either,” he told her. “I mean, obviously around humans I’d care,” he added. Wren was flippant but he wasn’t stupid. “And I can see the advantage of not letting people you see. Bet you can do a lot of sneaking this way, huh?” Wren wondered if that would be helpful for the revolution. It maybe shouldn’t have been a surprise to hear Ebony thinking along the same lines. Wren grinned. He was nervous at the thought of actually trying to get better with his power, but the idea of doing it with Ebony didn’t sound quite as bad. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

Ebony laughed at Wren, a slight flush on her cheeks about being called a show off. That was new. She smiled at what he said, similar to what Briar had said about her power too. “Obviously,” she agreed. Wren wasn’t the reckless spirit he liked people to think he was. Ebony liked that about him. Somehow he managed to be thoughtful while still having a freedom to his actions that was at least somewhat to the privilege he had as being the nephew of Primrose. Except they’d learned that he wasn’t as privileged as either thought he was. Disconcerting. “A little,” she admitted with a sheepish smile. There had seen some sneaking. Ebony’s smile grew when he agreed with her idea. “Wonderful! I think it’ll be fun. Maybe between the pair of us we can figure out more about our powers.” Wren might know more about his than she knew about hers but he’d also said he didn’t do much so maybe not. “And we can do more challenging levels of the game,” she added. Since he liked the game and obviously had already tried to make it more challenging she figured he’d like that.  

[veelaebony]

veelawren​:

bertienotbotts​:

When Wren followed Ebony into the shadows, and even now standing here with her, it didn’t occur to him that he’d actually stepped into her own private sanctuary. Likewise, he didn’t think too hard on the fact she’d shared her private game with him. Just like her power, it wasn’t something that struck Wren as something she ought to be embarrassed about – so he simply assumed she wasn’t. His smile grew when Ebony agreed they could try the game out, watching as she demonstrated how it worked. It was hard to tell a new shadow from the one they were in with the way the colors were muted outside the pair of them, but Wren could just make out the outline of the shadow Ebony stepped into. Carefully Wren followed her, smiling when he stopped next to her without leaving the shadows. “Am I a natural or what?” He asked her with a cheeky grin before looking around to find a new shadow. He walked to the edge of the one they were in and spotted the shadow of a figure walking. He grinned at Ebony. “Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. I wait for the bloke to get close, step into his shadow, and then pop out into that one over there before he moves too far away.” Wren figured he’d have a window of a couple seconds. He didn’t wait for Ebony’s approval because the bloke had about reached them.Instead he stepped out, only for the man to shift in a way that left Wren outside the shadow. All at once color returned to the world and he smacked into the bloke. “Whoops! Sorry ‘bout that!” Wren gave the startled bloke an irreverent two-fingered salute and then slid back into the shadows, finding the pulse of Ebony’s magic easier this time now he knew what he was looking for. He popped back into the shadow he’d been shooting for and looked for Ebony, laughing all the while. 

Ebony giggled at his comment about being a natural. Somehow it wasn’t surprising when Wren decided to take her game and make it way more complicated. Before she could say anything he was off and all she could do was watch. A few times she’d walked in someone’s shadow but people were too unpredictable and she usually avoided it. Still it was somewhat of a surprise when Wren wasn’t successful. That didn’t stop him. Ebony watched in amazement the quick exchange. It was like Wren never worried about anything. Only now she knew that wasn’t true. It was odd to know something so personal about another. Especially when that other was Wren. Or maybe it was just that they were sharing a space that had only been hers up till now. Ebony carefully made her way to the burst of color that was Wren. “People are way too unpredictable to use,”  she told him despite him already learning that for himself. “You really don’t care who sees you use it, do you?” She was still amazed at that. Ebony hardly ever used her power on purpose and never so openly like Wren had just done. “Maybe we can help each other with our powers? I don’t use mine enough and you said you didn’t work on yours either. Now that we know what we know it might be good to get better.” She wasn’t sure if she could be heard in the shadows, she’d never tried to be, but just in case she decided not to mention the revolution by name. Safer that way.

[veelaebony]

veelawren​:

Wren wasn’t sure what to do with that soft smile and thanks from Ebony. It left him feeling slightly off balance, or maybe that was just from being in the shadows. Only Wren didn’t really think it was; Ebony had a knack for making him feel off-kilter. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, ‘course,” Wren shrugged, trying his best to be casual, but his voice was softer too. He frowned at the next thing she said. Even before they were friends, Wren noticed Ebony. She stood out among the Veela, for what some thought were bad reasons, but Wren always just thought she marched to the beat of her own drum. Now he knew her better, he understood there was more to it than that. “That’s their loss then, isn’t it?” He said with a soft smile. He was surprised by her surprise when he said her magic was cool, listening with interest when she explained how it worked. As flashy as Wren’s own power was, it was also frustrating in that it always did something different depending on who was around. It occurred to him that maybe now he was spending more time with Ebony, he might be able to actually practice his own magic more. He laughed when she explained her game to him, his eyes lighting up. “Yeah? Can we try it?”

As she’d realized earlier at his house it was harder to not notice the softer aspects of Wren when he looked like he did right now. From his no gel hair to his causal attire everything seemed softer about him. Which made his soft voice that much harder to pretend not to notice. Maybe talking about her terrible parents wasn’t all bad.  While Ebony would have liked not constantly pointing. out to Wren  how much of a loser she was at least she wasn’t feeling odd about how soft he was. Especially in her super secret private space. Except he was giving her a soft smile and Ebony found it really hard to concentrate on anything else. Instead she rambled about her power. And he laughed. Only it wasn’t at her and Ebony couldn’t help noticing  how nice his laugh and the way his eyes seemed to light up was. Way nicer like this than all the times she’d seen him laughing with Arnet and Veela like him. She laughed when he asked if they could try it, surprised by how he seemed to think her silly game would be fun. “Yeah. You just pick the direction you wanna go and follow the shadows. It sounds easy but it can get a little tricky. That’s what makes it fun.” Ebony went first finding a shadow that was connected to theirs and stepping into it, careful not to let any part of her touch outside the shadow. “Like that.” 

[veelaebony]

veelawren​:

Wren frowned at Ebony’s point about her parents likelihood of making some sort of backhanded compliment that praised his own hair styling while also putting Ebony down. That did sound like the Veela thing to do. It also usually wasn’t the kind of thing Wren paid attention to, because he was always on the positive end of things. “Well anything bad they’d try to say about you would be wrong,” he told her quietly. “And it’s not like I’d just stand there and let them insult you,” he added. Wren was still new to the friends thing, but that couldn’t possibly be something a friend would do. Wren certainly wouldn’t. And putting down Ebony’s parents would be fun. Merlin knew they deserved it. But instead of just saying yes to her question, Wren paused. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. I mean, they’re going to see your hair eventually, but if you want to wait we can just hang out here a bit.” Wren looked around, taking a moment to actually appreciate how different everything looked like this. “It’s kinda cool in here.”

She smiled softly at him appreciative of his comment. But his addition surprised her and her smile grew. Wren would defend her to her parents? No one had ever defended her to them before. Maybe one of her school friends might have but she knew better than to bring humans to her house for their own safety. “Thank you,” she told him softly, clearly touched by that. Ebony even liked that he was willing to stay here instead of forcing her out there. Even if them both being in here was weird. “You might be surprised at how little they notice me,” she told him matter of factly before wishing she hadn’t. Ebony sometimes wondered if the reason her power was to fade into the shadows was because of them ignoring her. Which didn’t make sense, she knew, but it had still felt like that. Thankfully she had something else to think and talk about instead of her parents neglect. “You really think so?” Ebony was surprised. “It’s pretty convenient. There’s almost always some kind of shadow. Though you have to make sure the shadows connect if you want to stay invisible. I used to make a game of it, seeing how far I could get without leaving the shadows.” She’d never told anyone that. Wasn’t sure why she told Wren except maybe because he had said it was kinda cool.

[veelaebony]

veelawren​:

Ebony hid from her parents because she liked her hair? Oh. Because she thought they’d belittle her hair. In front of him. Wren frowned. There was a lot wrong with that, but the one part that felt strangest was the part that shouldn’t be weird at all. Of course everyone should care what Wren thought, but it was still odd to think that Ebony did. Usually it was amusing to see her blush, but usually it was from Wren’s teasing. He didn’t like this quite so much. Nor did he like being asked why he’d followed her. Wren looked around at her question. 

“It’s not all dark,” he pointed out, because if anything she seemed extra bright and vibrant against the muted backdrop. “And being superior isn’t fun without an audience.” That was true, though there was more to it, and for some reason Wren felt compelled to add, “And…we’re friends.” This was what friends did, right? Only Ebony had abandoned him just then, so maybe not. “Anyways, if your parents are as in the know as they claim to be they’ll know it’s the same as me and Thorn’s, and they’d be idiots to say anything negative about that. Especially with me there. I’d like to see them try, actually,” Wren added with a grin. Just because Thorn and Briar pointed out Wren had to be careful about speaking out against the games, didn’t mean he couldn’t put a couple of old prats in their place for trying to say something about his styling decisions.

Ebony saw what he meant. Like this Wren practically glowed against the backdrop of the rest of the world. He’d probably love that if he saw himself in a mirror. Being in here alone she’d never noticed that her side of things were brighter and more vibrant. “Guess not,” she told him sheepishly wondering how she hadn’t ever noticed before given all the times she hid like this. She chuckled softly at his words about an audience. Except Wren always had an audience. But his comment about them being friends is what had her smiling. They were friends. Maybe  sharing this with him wasn’t so bad. But she did worry that somehow her abomination status would rub off on him. “You’ve met my parents, they are idiots,” Ebony told him. Which made her feel even more idiotic than them for wanting their approval and love. “They’re very good at the Veela compliment.” The insult wrapped up in language that made it seem almost a compliment was something they were really good at. “I’m sure whatever they said would be glowing praise for your efforts.” Which he really deserved because her hair was very amazing. But they’d still find a way to be awful to her. “So does this mean we’re going back?” As weird as it was to be here with Wren she wasn’t sure she was ready to go back.

[veelaebony]

veelawren​:

Maybe today didn’t have to be all heavy thoughts of rebellion and death forests after all – because there were Ebony’s parents walking toward them. The thought of running into them walking with Ebony in the middle of the Ruelle was even better than just seeing them at her house. Wren glanced over to flash her a grin – surely this would be even more fun for her than for him – only to see a look of panic on her face. Oh. Wren’s grin fell in an instant, replaced by concern before she faded away, disappearing into the shadows before his eyes.

Wren blinked. “What the–?” Did she really just leave him here? He glanced in the direction her parents were coming from; they hadn’t spotted Wren yet. He frowned at the shadows coming off the storefront they were in front of. Then he reached out with his magic. The first thing he sensed was Ebony’s heartbeat, faster than normal. Then he sensed her magic and focused in on it until he could feel a familiar tingling in his fingertips. He cast another glance at her parents, just as they were surely about to spot him, and then stepped toward the shadows where Ebony had disappeared.

The world around him turned gray and muted, except for Ebony who came into view all at once in vivid color. “What the hell, E?” Wren said as soon as he saw her. “You were just gonna leave me there?”

Ebony jumped when Wren joined her in the shadows. She knew about Wren’s power but she couldn’t have imagined him actually using it to use hers. “Wren?” What was he doing here? But his question caught up to her. She flushed in embarrassment. “Well they like you,” she said lamely. Ebony went to fiddle with her hair before remembering how nice it looked and stopping herself. “I’m sorry. I just… I really love my hair. I’m not ready for them to be awful about it. And they will. They’ll find some way to belittle me. I hate when they do that especially…especially in front of someone.” In front of Wren. Ebony blushed harder.

“I just panicked. This is sort of a reflex when I panic still. Besides you like being superior to people why would you want to be here in the dark?” Why was he here? Ebony had never shared this space with anyone before and it felt more intimate than Wren being in her room or her in his. Maybe intimate was the wrong word because it made her blush even more. She was going to be a tomato if she kept this up.

[veelawren]

Wren was still floored by everything Thorn and Briar had told them. There was a rebellion brewing. With the Veela and the Vila. And Thorn of all people was in charge of it. And apparently there was a death forest that was a very real risk if they got caught saying or doing things they shouldn’t. Wren couldn’t help the small part of him that wanted to go back to about two weeks earlier when nothing like this was on his mind. But there was a greater part of him that didn’t want to go back to that, to turning a blind eye people to like Arnet who hurt people for fun. Wren was ashamed he’d been that way for so long. It was a wonder Ebony even bothered to speak to him. 

He glanced over at her as they walked through the Ruelle, back to her parents’ house, neither of them saying much. For Wren’s part, his mind was spinning, and he was afraid to say much of anything while they were out in the open. Wren was so deep in thought he barely even noticed the strange looks they were getting. Wren still in his faded sweatshirt and jeans, no gel in his hair, carrying a shopping back with some hair products he’d insisted Ebony take with her. No excuse not to use them. Not to mention the Veela who was walking alongside him. While Wren was looking less put together than normal, Ebony was the opposite with her freshly styled-by-Wren hair. At least if you ignored the bloody bunny sweatshirt. They were an odd pair to say the least. Wren was looking forward to showing up at her parents’ house again. He was definitely hoping to get a look at their faces when she showed up with her purple hair, smooth and shiny as any Veela’s. Better, even, because Wren had done it.

[veelaebony]

For the first time in her entire life Ebony felt pretty. Maybe even beautiful. Her hair at least was beautiful. Hints of purple shimmering throughout as it moved. But her mind wasn’t on her hair. It was on rebellion and a death forest she’d never heard of. She wondered if her parents knew about the forest. Surely not, cause it seemed to her like the perfect spot to toss in a baby no one wanted. But maybe she was her mother’s punishment. A woman like Primrose might have found that a just punishment. No regard to what it would bel ike for the child. Or maybe it was a joint punishment. Her mum had to raise her while she had to be raised by her mum. Not to mention her dad. Ebony didn’t want to know what the forest was like. But she also didn’t want things to stay the same. They were awful. Thorn and Briar were giving them a chance to make it better. A chance they were taking.

Ebony looked over at Wren. He looked far more handsome like this. Not just the no gel in his hair and not trying so hard in general but the fact that he seemed lost in thought about everything they’d just found out. She definitely preferred it when Wren thought. Despite the heavy information sitting between them and the attention walking with Wren was getting her she nearly smiled. Spotting her parents coming up, thankfully not noticing her yet, kept her from smiling. Instead she panicked. Ebony didn’t want to see their reaction to her new hair or her walking with Wren. She didn’t think it’d be good. Maybe they could avoid her parents. Another look told her they were sure to see her soon. “Oh no,” she whispered, panicking. Without thinking Ebony did what she normally did when she panicked and faded into the shadows. Everything around her muted as if they were the ones fading into the shadows with only Ebony remaining in color. It was a familiar sensation. One that felt calming.

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌:

 Wren frowned. Ebony had a point. Wren would know better. Or he should. “I dunno…my parents are always telling me to be more like Thorn, so I’ve got to think she’s happy enough with him that she might at least listen. I don’t think he’d bother asking if there wasn’t any chance at all.” That didn’t necessarily mean there was a good chance of her listening, even. But Wren had to think there was even a glimmer of possibility. Why else would Thorn agree to ask?

It was easier to think about something Wren had more confidence could actually happen. He’d already turned people against Arnet with ease, and he hadn’t even really been trying. Surely it wouldn’t be that big of a leap to turn people against the Games. Especially if what Thorn had said was true, and there were more people who didn’t like them. He grinned at Ebony’s enthusiasm for his idea. Though it faded slightly when she said she didn’t think she could help. Or maybe it was because she sort of had a point. “Well, once I’ve got more people on board, you’ll be the person who knew what was cool before it was cool. Then people will start listening to you,” he told her, believing every word of it. He paused a moment, considering her question. “I dunno. I guess I can just start talking about how I don’t like? Call them boring. Maybe throw a bigger, better party whenever there’s some event about the Games going on? So people go to that instead, and see that they don’t need the Games to have a good time.”

It was surprising to hear that Wren’s parents were always telling him to be more like Thorn. She was pretty sure that her parents would love a kid like Wren. Or maybe not, he did have a Vila for a friend. That was pretty bad in most Veela’s eyes. Maybe it shouldn't have been surprising after all. But hearing that Wren didn’t think his cousin would bother asking if there wasn’t any chance made her feel better about the chances. “So hope’s not completely lost, that’s good.” Along with the human being free, Arnet being punished would be a great thing.

Also great was listening to Wren plan how to turn people against the games. It felt like he was doing what Briar told her to do, make sure her what she did made an impact. Wren would make an impact. Veela were already trying to replicate his hair. Why shouldn’t that power work on turning Veela away from the games? She chuckled at Wren’s words, feeling warm at how he seemed to really believe them. “I think turning me from outcast to cool might be even more than your popularity can tackle, I appreciate the sentiment though. The Games are way more important to get Veela to change their minds about.” She wouldn't die if no one but Wren liked her. People would die in the games. Did die. Before she had a chance to tell him how much she liked his idea of throwing a party to get Veela away from the Games they were interrupted.

Thorn had hesitated at the door, surprised to hear another voice inside. Wren having company wasn't anything new, him having company in his room was. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop but the mention of the games had him stopping from turning around and he motioned for Briar to listen too. Once he'd heard enough to realize they needed interrupting he’d been about to knock. Not fast enough because Wren was laying out a bloody plan with all the confidence he did everything. Fuck! Thorn knocked but he also didn’t wait till he got a response. Instead walking in on the pair, confident Briar would follow him. “Enough! You have no idea of the consequences you’d face if you did any of the things you're talking about.” Not exactly diplomatic but the idea of Wren being banished, or worse, by his mum worried him. On top of the worry that this whole plan would kill the rebellion when it was so close to happening.

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌:

Wren felt a small amount of relief in seeing the surprise he’d felt when Thorn told him how pointless so many things were was now reflected in Ebony’s face, too. So it wasn’t just him, then, who’d thought that surely there had to be some good reason for everything, even if he hadn’t known what that reason was. What he hadn’t considered, or maybe he didn’t want to, was what Ebony said when she finally spoke. Arnet’s going to get away with it. “No!” Wren blurted out, his heart sinking even as he said it. “Fuck,” he said a second later. “You really think – I mean maybe she’ll listen to Thorn,even if she doesn’t care…” But there wasn’t much conviction in his voice. Had Thorn promised to do Wren a favor he knew would never amount to anything?

He shook his head at Ebony’s questions. “I asked the same thing. Thorn gave me some bullshit answer about how he and Briar have said something but even the son of the leader has to watch what he says.” Wren scoffed. “I don’t get why he cares so much whether or not his mum approves if he doesn’t actually agree with anything she’s doing. But just because he won’t say anything doesn’t mean I can’t. It worked with Arnet, didn’t it? No one’s talking to him now, just because I decided he’s not cool anymore.” Maybe that was an exaggeration, but Wren had certainly done a number on Arnet’s reputation. “So what if I just start talking about how the Games are stupid? Boring. Not cool. Maybe people will stop caring about them. It’s not like Aunt Prim expects much from me anyways so it’s not like she can get that angry just ‘cause I’m talking about the Games.”

Ebony shrugged her shoulders because she had no idea. “You’d know better than I would if she’d listen to Thorn. I’ve never even met her.” A Veela who could just dismiss a child she’d never even met as an abomination was probably capable of a lot. Including ignoring her own son. “Would Thorn even bother asking her if he knew what she was going to say?” Maybe there was some hope and she was just being pessimistic. It just didn’t seem like there was.

It was another surprise to learn that Thorn had told Wren almost exactly what Briar had told her. She’d thought it was aimed at her specifically. Maybe even her and Briar. After all one was an abomination and the other a former human. Not exactly high on the popularity chain with Veelas. But Thorn was Primrose’s son. Did he really have to be careful too? When Wren mentioned Thorn caring about his mum’s approval it was easy for Ebony to decide maybe that was what had Thorn being careful. Even though she knew just how far a mum might go, after all she was always surprised her own hadn't left her to die in some alley. But she also knew what it was like to not want disapproval even from parents like that. She knew Wren was exaggerating a little, maybe even being a little arrogant,  but she also knew how easily he seemed to be able to get people to do what he was doing. “You could start a trend against the games. That would. be amazing! And a good use of your trend starting power.” Maybe it was a stretch to go from clothes to shunning the games but what would it hurt to try? “I don’t think I can help. No one listens to me. Plus I'm not you. She’d kick me out for sure. But I think it's awesome that you wanna do this.” Ebony felt bad about not being able to help but proud of Wren for taking a stand so publicly. “How do you go about making something uncool? It’s not like with Arnet where you can just publicly humlate someone. The games aren’t someone.“

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌:

Wren met Ebony’s eyes when she said it wasn’t just a dumb bird. It sure felt dumb just then. Or maybe he was just overthinking this. Which was something Wren really wished he could stop doing. He gave her a small, appreciative smile, struck by the thought that he hadn’t given her a choice when he asked about her Stubby poster. At least he’d taken her to meet him. Though that had just left Wren with a new concern for Stubby. And for Rich.

“I don’t know,” Wren frowned when Ebony asked if she thought his aunt would do anything. “Thorn said there are guidelines but he wasn’t sure how much help they’d actually be. But he also said he thought Arnet should be punished and Rich’s bloke should be released, so maybe he’ll be able to convince her of it.” What harm did freeing one player cause? “…Thorn also said there’s not a point to the Games,” Wren added after a moment’s pause, because that part of their conversation was also weighing heavily on him. Wren had never enjoyed the Games. But even when he’d questioned what Arnet was trying to convince him to do to humans, even when he’d questioned the purpose of the Games themselves, he’d always thought there was just some greater reason he didn’t understand Same with – “Or the feud between us and the Vila. He said his mum doesn’t have a good reason for them except – just cruelty. And a reason to have parties, I guess.”

Ebony was surprised by what Wren was telling her. She’d never understood the point of the games but she thought there had to be one. It seemed far too cruel a thing to not have a point of some kind. Even a dumb one. But it was an even bigger surprise to find there wasn’t a point to the feud. No lives were lost, as far as she knew, but there’d been plenty of Veela who’d been shunned for being too friendly with Vila. While Ebony knew a lot about Veela cruelty, including their leader’s willingness to be, she was still shocked to hear how cruel Primrose might be. Was. After all, Thorn was her son, he’d know how cruel his mother could be.

A chilling thought came to Ebony and she couldn’t stop herself from speaking it. “Arnet’s going to get away with it, then. That poor human won’t be saved. That’s terrible!” She knew Briar had told her she should be proud to be a Veela and how there was so much to be proud of but right at that moment she didn’t see any reason to be. “I don’t understand. Why doesn’t Thorn tell Veela that? I know Briar told me that not everyone accepts our opinion of the games and how I needed to be careful of who I spoke to but I don’t understand why he isn’t. Why isn't he doing something if he knows this?”

Maybe that was harsh to Thorn. Especially since she didn’t know what that something Thorn should be doing was. “This is so unfair," she added sounding as defeated as she felt. Maybe she should hold on to the hope she just had but Thorn’s words didn't leave room for much.

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌:

Did he know what she meant? Wren wasn’t so sure that he did, but what he was sure of was that he didn’t want to linger on the subject of the stuffed bird he slept with. He wasn’t even sure why he did. He should have thrown that old thing out by now. But he knew he wouldn’t, even after the profound embarrassment of Ebony having found it. And now she was asking questions about it. What was Wren supposed to say to that? That the bird’s name was Benjamin the Bluejay? It was, but Wren didn’t want to have to say that out loud. 

It was a relief when Ebony tacked on that he didn’t have to talk about it. “Great! I don’t. I mean, there’s nothing to talk about. It’s just a dumb bird.” Was it weird that Wren felt guilty about saying that in Benjamin’s hearing? No matter – best to move on from the subject all together. “Oh! So I talked to Thorn about Rich’s player. He said he’s gonna talk to his mum about it,can you believe it? He didn’t even give me a hard time about it.”

“It doesn’t seem like a dumb bird, but it’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it,”  she told him. It was a little disappointing that he didn’t. But maybe she couldn’t blame him. If she’d known he was coming over she’d probably have taken down her Stubby poster, or transfixed it, something. Which was why she didn’t pursue the bird any further, letting him change the subject.

Ebony still couldn’t believe what happened to that player, even from Arnet. It seemed he was capable of a lot lower than she’d thought. Which made her think about the sort of warning Briar had given her. Maybe Briar knew better what he was capable of. Still this felt like the sort of thing everyone should reject no matter their views on the games. “Good! I’m so glad he’s going to talk to her. Do you think she’ll do anything? I mean, she has to right? It feels illegal or something what he did.” It had to matter. She hoped. “I’m glad he didn't give you a lecture about hanging out with a Vila,” she added. Maybe what Wren had to say had been too shocking to Thorn, it sure was to her, still.

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌:

“Oi! I have no dirt!” Wren retorted, though the words were softened as he found himself letting out a laugh when she grabbed at one of his pillows and started whacking him back. Wren fended her off as best he could, surprised by how much fun he was having. “Hey, watch the face!” He laughed as her pillow caught him square in the face – at least until he realized what she was doing. 

“Wait, don’t –” Wren was too slow, though, for once the pillow was out of his face he saw Ebony holding his stuffed bird up high above her head. Shit! Suddenly Wren’s neck felt very hot. “It’s not of myself,” he mumbled, unable to meet her gaze. “It’s just – a bird that looks like me.” Which didn’t sound a whole lot better. He snatched it back when she offered it to him, quickly turning and stuffing it behind another pillow. Wren wasn’t supposed to be embarrassed by anything, because he didn’t do anything embarrassing. If anything, he was the bloke who decided what embarrassing was. Apparently at some point he’d decided still sleeping with a stuffed bird was embarrassing, but continued doing it anyways. And now Ebony knew. He didn’t have to hide it? Wren looked up at her with his skepticism written all over his face. “Yeah, well…can’t make it too easy for ya, can I?”

It wasn’t as much fun once Wren got embarrassed about it. Which he clearly was despite how odd it seemed for Wren to be embarrassed about anything he did. Not that his answer about it being a bird that looked like him wasn’t funny, and kinda cute. But Ebony didn’t laugh because she did feel bad for making him feel embarrassed. Even if it was nice to know it was an emotion he was capable of. She shook her head at his answer, and the skepticism on his face. “You know what I meant,” she told him simply. Ebony had a feeling that if she said the word embarrassed he’d pretend he hadn’t been.

“Does the bird have a name?” Maybe if she got him to talk about his bird he’d feel less embarrassed about it. She was tempted to pull it out from behind the pillow he'd hidden it behind but she decided not to. Ebony also decided not to ask if he slept with the bird or not. It kind of seemed like he did. That felt very innocent and sweet. Also cute. The number of times she was thinking something about Wren was cute was starting to make her feel awkward. “If you don’t wanna talk about your bird we don't have to,” she added trying to not think about her own awkwardness. Maybe she could ignore it and it’d go away. Again.

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌:

Wren was glad when Ebony hopped up onto his bed and made herself comfortable next to him, only because it confirmed that her being there wasn’t weird, and there was obviously no reason for Wren to have even worried about that in the first place. So it was easy to cast that aside and push the box of Pixie Puffs closer to her as she reached for a handful of her own. Though that worry was quickly replaced by another at her question. Shit! Had she seen that? She must have. Not enough to know it was the old, tattered stuffed bluejay his parents had given him after he turned into a bird for the first time. 

“What?” Wren tried for an easy laugh even as he shifted so he was leaning against the pillow he’d shoved the stuffed bluejay behind. “It’s noth–” But Wren didn’t get a chance to finish before she was actually reaching for it. “Oi!” Wren moved quickly, doing his best to block her arm before she could get it behind his pillow and knocking over the box of pixie puffs in the process, but the sound wasn’t enough to distract him from grabbing a smaller pillow next to him and trying to whack her softly with it. “Mind your business, ya snoop!”

That shift to hide it was enough to have her giving into her daring impulse and go for it. Especially once he actually tried to block her. Ebony didn't think he’d be hitting her with a pillow if it was dirty clothes. All his efforts to keep her from discovering whatever was under the pillow just drove her to find out. “Friends share all the embarrassing dirt,” she tried to say but she wasn't sure how much actually got out because she was laughing too hard. Ebony grabbed a small pillow of her own to try and fend off his attacks. All that worry about her hair was long gone as she enjoyed the mild pillow fight they were engaged in.

In fact she almost forgot why they’d started lightly whacking each other with pillows. It was a flash of blue under the pillow Wren had been guarding that reminded her. In an effort to distract him she tossed her pillow at his face and lunged for the pillow. “Ha!” She called out her victory, the blue object held above her head for a moment in triumph before she noticed what it was. Slowly she brought it back down. A stuffed bird? “You have a stuffed animal of yourself,” she asked him, her smile softer now. That was a lot cuter than a life size poster of a rock star. But she could see why he might be embarrassed about still having a stuffed animal so she gave it back to him, handling it carefully. “Sorry. But you didn’t have to hide it.”

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌:

“Live up to it?” Wren gave her a quizzical look in the mirror. “Nah, E, you’re already there. It’s just now the outside matches what’s inside.” He grinned. Maybe that was superficial of him, but what was the harm in spending some time to feel good about how you looked? Ebony hadn’t looked bad before – she was a Veela, no matter what other people might try to say, which meant it was impossible for her to look bad – but the purple suited her. 

His grin widened when she finally dared to touch it, a soft chuckle escaping even as his eyes flickered down at the next thing she said. But he recovered quickly. “Keep up the compliments and I’ll keep working for free,” he teased with another wink. 

He was glad when she agreed as eagerly as he did to shift away from his bathroom once things got weird again, though her question surprised him. Wren shrugged. “Sure. It’s here or we go back downstairs to my kitchen, which you didn’t seem to like very much. Plus who knows who could show up.” Without waiting for an answer – because Wren couldn’t imagine Ebony would want to go back down to his kitchen that he hated and risk running into any of his family members – he grabbed the box of pixie puffs and flopped onto his hastily-made bed, taking care to shove the stuffed bird a bit farther under the pillows, as discreetly as he could. “You can sit wherever you want,” he told her as he settled into his own spot, sitting cross-legged on his bed. There was a chair with a couple of jackets thrown over it and the stoll from the bathroom if she felt weird about sitting on his bed with him. But Wren didn’t see why it should be weird, nor did he want to linger on that thought very long. Instead he helped himself to a handful of pixie puff.

That ‘who knows who could show up’ was enough to have her fine with eating wherever as long as it wasn’t the kitchen. Ebony would feel weird if his parents came home. They probably didn’t know he was hanging around her, nor would they like it. She didn't want him to get into trouble. She also didn't want him to stop being her friend. Keeping away from the parents seemed like the best option. Ebony hesitated for a moment, catching him shoving something under the pillows and wondering about it, before deciding to go ahead and sit on his bed. She’d sat on people’s beds plenty of times at school. And he'd sat on hers. Well laid but he'd been on hers. It wasn't weird at all. Not unless she made it weird.

Determined not to make it weird she made herself comfortable beside him. The lure of pixie puffs right out of the box helped too. Her cauldron cake was forgotten as she helped herself to a handful of his cereal. “Soooo,” she asked drawing out the word, “What were you shoving under your pillow?  Dirty clothes or maybe some embarrassing thing you don’t want anyone to see, like a life-size poster of your favorite boy-bander?” Sure Wren seeing Stubby’s poster had led to her actually meeting him, even though she was still undecided if that was a good thing or not, it had still been embarrassing. If he had something like that the least he could do was come clean. Not waiting for an answer, and feeling daring and cheeky thanks to her hair, she went for the pillow to find out for herself. She was gonna be really upset at this sudden boldness if it turned out it was dirty clothes.

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌

Wren’s smile softened at Ebony’s words. It still baffled him that as a Veela, she thought she couldn’t look just as good as any of the rest of them. But after hearing her talking about his aunt and the way she viewed her magic, the fact that no one had ever taught her the most basic hair care techniques that all Veela should know, he was realizing that maybe she had lots of reasons she thought she was different. But she didn’t need to hear that from him. So Wren just smiled when she said she liked the color. “I thought it suited you. Makes you look edgy,” he added with a wink. 

“And it is soft. You can touch it, you know, it won’t hurt it,” Wren couldn’t help teasing as he moved to stand behind her again so he could demonstrate, fluffing it a touch. “And you can so do this on your own, I’m gonna teach you remember? Or I’ll just do it myself,” he added with a grin when she said she’d let him do whatever he wanted to it. “Don’t let me forget to give you some conditioner to take with you, by the way.” Wren’s hand moved from her hair to her shoulder again. “Seriously, you look amazing. This has gotta be my best work yet.” He smiled at her in the mirror, then suddenly felt awkward.

Wren cleared his throat and took a step backwards. “Er – so snacks?”

Ebony laughed when Wren said it made her look edgy, that wink so normal she couldn’t feel weird despite the situation. “Guess I’ll have to start living up to that now that I look the part.” Of course, her idea of being edgy probably wouldn’t seem that way to Wren. Which was okay because for him they wouldn't be. For her though using her magic, learning how to be confident in her Veela-ness, ignoring what her parents said that was all edgy and new for her.

She looked sheepish at his teasing. Tentatively she reached up and touched the ends. Ebony honestly expected it to freak out the moment she touched it like some wild animal cornered. Instead, she was just met with hair far softer than hers had ever been. “Oh,” she breathed out with a smile. A smile that grew at Wren’s faith in her. Another laugh greeted his teasing about doing it himself. "Imagine that my very own hairstylist,” she teased him back. The light teasing seemed to give way to something else once again as her eyes caught his in the mirror. She blushed a little at his compliment all while reminding herself it was his own work he was complimenting. Yet that hand on her shoulder made her feel warm. Warm and awkward.

“Let’s,” she said, jumping at the idea of eating way too quick. Ebony led the way into his room, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror he had in there, her hair still looked amazing. Feeling weird about looking at herself so much she glanced around his room before looking at him quizzically. “Are we eating in here?” It all looked way too nice to eat on, even the carpet.

[veelaebony]

veelawren‌:

Wren couldn’t help thinking about that quiet way she’d answered him when he reminded her that she was a Veela and she had the hair to match – even if it didn’t always cooperate. What if she didn’t like what he’d done? Then she had very bad taste, clearly – and yet, Wren still couldn’t shake the slight current of worry that ran alongside his excitement as he waited for her to open her eyes and see what he’d done. 

Especially when she opened her eyes and just stared at the mirror. Oh, hell. Did she hate it? It was impossible to tell when she wasn’t saying anything, wasn’t doing anything except moving her hair and reaching up to touch it. Was that good? Or – ? “Yeah, ‘course it’s your hair,” Wren answered softly, still unsure if that was a good thing or not. “I can –” I can change it back, he almost offered, but then she was speaking again.

A slow smile spread across his lips as her eyes met his in the mirror, growing even wider when she called her hair beautiful. “I’m glad you like it,” Wren told her softly. Before he could say more, though, she was catching him by surprise, turning toward him and the next thing he knew her arms were around him and her face was in his sweatshirt. Oh. “Oh,” Wren breathed in surprised, his reaction coming a moment too slowly as he tentatively hugged her in return. It was only in that moment that it struck him just how few people he’d hugged. The next thing he noticed was that Ebony smelled like vanilla and coconut, but also something else that was very nice, and was definitely not in his shampoo. A few moments too late again, he realized what she’d said. “I – you’re welcome,” he murmured, tightening his arms around her just a touch. “You look great,” he added, pulling back so he could see better, grinning down at her. “You really like it?” He couldn’t help himself asking. “I can change it if you don’t.”

Ebony had never been much of a hugger. Her parents weren’t loving in any sense of the word. Hugs were especially off-limits. Slowly she’d gotten used to the casual displays of affection her friends at school engaged in. She didn’t realize how much she’d missed that till she was hugging Wren. Before she had a chance to think about what she was doing he was hugging her back. Any worries that might have been building melted away. He smelled really nice and when he tightened his arms around her she felt that warm, cozy feeling again. More so this time. So much so that she almost didn’t want him to pull away. But he was grinning at her and complimenting her in a much better way than earlier. No face-wise clause to be heard.

Not only was he complimenting her in a great way, or maybe complimenting his own handiwork but she’d take it, he was also checking to make sure she liked it. Wren was the hair expert, he said so himself, so for him to care what she thought meant a lot. “I really do, a lot. I never thought I could ever look like this.” A little too real of a confession and she looked down for a moment. But it was easy to find her smile again and look back up at him. “Purple is my favorite color, I’m glad you chose it. I mean I think I'd have liked the green too but I love it! It even looks soft!” She couldn't help the surprise in her voice because her hair had never looked like this. Ebony was pretty sure she'd been born with hair that was all tangly looking, even when it wasn't tangled.

“Even if I can’t get it to look like this on my own the color is great! It won’t matter.” She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to get her hair to look like this again. But she was also certain she wouldn’t mind it. Not with the purple peeking out. She’d put up with her wild, crazy hair getting into things just to keep it down so she could see the purple. Maybe she’d even start looking in the mirror more. Wren would probably get a kick out of that. “I will definitely let you do whatever you want with my hair, anytime,” she added, her smile still big. “Even condition it.”