Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott nodded at Fia's comment. "Maybe I'll explain it some time" he told her, genuinely meaning it, he'd told some of the stories to John and Chas, mainly if he noticed just how similar they were to the mythology and legends of Earth. He decided to give a bit of an explanation of the very basics of Attili mythology, for Kay's benefit particularly as the others already knew what he was going to say. "But obviously, like any culture there are a lot of stories and interpretations of said stories. Plus the whole thing about Attili mythology is that there is no magic in it, even though there are various creatures that sound far too like demons to be a coincidence, according to John anyway, and I agree with that" the last part was added when he could see that John was about to make some kind of protest. "Instead it's focused on people who had extraordinarily potent birth powers. There's stories of MindWalkers who could warp reality itself into what they saw in their minds along with all typical kinds of crazy shit, battles, family feuds and grand thefts that you'd see in any culture."

"And what mythology isn't complete without some amazing heist stories?" John smirked to which Elliott and Quincenti nodded. "True that, the theft stories are often the best stories. You should hear A.J. when he gets started on the Gaelic mythology, he's very proud of being Irish. Medh of Connaught and the great Ulster bull heist being a particular favourite. I did mention that he, his sister and the older brother Martín come from a long line of Celtic warriors? Apparently they go right back to Cú Chulainn." John raised an eyebrow, impressed by what Elliott was saying, he knew they were descended from warriors, but not which one. In the magical community it was well known that the Irish bloodlines were some of the strongest in the world when it came to magic, witchcraft and druidry. In Ireland the Downworld was said to be one step closer to the normal world, lurking right on the boundaries of belief. "If that's indeed true then then they've got some seriously potent warrior blood in them, potentailly some magical bloodlines too." "They grew up in the warrior tradition, but a family feud forced them to England and they decided to use their skills to set up a restaurant, gain connections in the warrior, magic and Downworlder circles and make their own crew."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia smiled and nodded, knowing that she heard that line so many times but this time she actually believed he would tell her. There was just something in his tone that made her believe he wasn't just saying it to get her to back down on the subject. She figured the other times she tried asking that he and everyone else thought she might be too young to understand the intricacies of the stories, but she was a quick study and was reading books at a far higher skill level than she should be able to from a young age. She listened to the brief explanation, sensing it was mostly for Kay's benefit than everyone else's, but she took interest in what he had to say.

Kay found it all interesting what Elliott was saying, glad that he managed to continue talking before John could butt in with any kind of protest of his initial comments. She seemed to remember briefly about AJ and his siblings being descended from warriors but only vaguely remembering it. She found it more interesting about which one they were descended from. Fia too found it interesting as she did spend a lot of time researching many origins of magic from many many places, so knew of the name Elliott was referring to. "they get so much cooler the more I learn" she commented, with Kay nodding in agreement. "something tells me if Fia was left alone with them she'd never leave and constantly be asking them a million questions" Kay smirked.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"The twins are pretty awesome, if sometimes a bit metal" Elliott agreed, a note of fondness in his voice. From day one of meeting them he'd really liked them and found them to be genuinely interesting and skilled people. A.J. had freaked out briefly when he found out Elliott's alien heritage, and there had been a slightly awkward patch when both twins had a thing for Elliott at the same time, but now that the rocky patch was over, they were firm friends. The restaurant (and sublevels) were an excellent hang out space, and as Kay could testify the burgers were something else. "Marty puts up with a lot of hit from them, but at the end of the day, he's their big brother and the restaurant is in his name so it's all good."

John nodded in agreement with Kay's statement. "She's not the only one with questions." "And lets hope these questions aren't just 'did you know me mate Brendan, the one with the holy water turning to alcohol schtick who slowly drank himself to death?' eh?" Elliott smirked, while John rolled his eyes. "Brendan was a great lad for a piss-up." He declared solemnly, Brendan was one of the people john had always gotten along with (despite his love of natty knitwear). "Anyway Fia, if you want to find out more from them, the easiest way to do it is to volunteer to wait tables or work in the kitchen at the restaurant. Pays pretty well and you find out all kinds of stuff. Plus they know people who know people, is ya know what I mean?" He finished with an over the top wink.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded once more hearing Elliott talk so fondly of the twins and their big brother. She always knew he respected them greatly and thought of them as close friends, yet it always made her happy to see Elliott speak of people so fondly and in a positive nature. She smirked when Elliott then called out John's very possible questions for the twins and Marty about his friend who was long with them. As he told her if she truly wanted to know more it was best to volunteer waitressing for them in their restaurant, she did seriously start it was a possible route to take. "that I do" she replied with a knowing smile.

"you know a part time job wouldn't be such a bad idea for you" Kay commented, thinking it would give her more chances to make friends and meet people, and she knew AJ and his team would keep an eye out Fia, keeping her safe. Fia was actually surprised by the (in her experience) change of mind that Kay had in saying doing something that required her being out of the apartment or The House was a good idea. She had spent ages trying to convince her parents of such a thing, and yet it seemed it took going back in time and having a conversation about Elliott's group of friends with her parents younger selves, is what it took to get Kay to agree to such a feat. "maybe, I'll think about it" Fia replied, playing it cool because of the other assassin in earshot.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John agreed with Kay, thinking for many of the same reasons as Kay that a part time job was a good idea for Fia. Their daughter had made it clear in her own way that she was cooped up in the apartment far too much of the time (which he suspected was more to do with Kay's paranoia than his). John had had a few part time jobs in his time, mainly doing casual labour on building sites or at the docks, the kind of jobs where he was paid cash in hand and nobody asked questions about his age. As a teenager he needed the money, his father sure as hell wasn't going to give him any, and John knew full well that sending his sister to university was a better investment. Working also got him out of the family apartment.

"Part time jobs aren't the worst thing you could do." Chas was also one to sing the benefits of a part time job as a teenager, he'd worked at cinema for quite a few years, the pay wasn't the greatest, but he got to see the films for free and got the leftover popcorn some nights. "Your cinema gig was one a' the best things that ever happened to us." John smirked. "Only cos I snuck you in far too often." "But you can't deny we had some good times there." "Yeah, true, especially that time a bunch of demons showed up and started creating carnage at a screening of 'The Exorcist'." Chas drawled sarcastically, at which John had the decency to wince slightly. "Fair point." "Point is A.J and co are chill. There's been a bit of talk for extending the business in order to get into the nightlife scene, the music circuit and the comedy circuit. Who knows, that could be a proper thing when you get back." Elliott told Fia, cutting over John and Chas' reminiscing, subtly talking about her timeline as opposed to the one they were in currently.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia knew it was definitely more of Kay's paranoia than John's for her being cooped up so much. It was why she snuck out on her own so much to defy Kay's over protective ess, she was also aware there were a few disagreements between Kay and John over the whole keeping Fia inside where in Kay's mind, she was safe. They both knew where Kay's paranoia came from and both understood it, but it didn't mean Fia particularly, liked it or agreed to it. Hearing John and Chas both say how part time jobs were a good thing, but her attention remained mostly on liott and what he had to say to her.

She smiled when Elliott made the very subtle reference to her timeline and nodded, "quite possibly. It would be nice to have something to do outside of all things demons and spooks and sort of taste normality and its not like they don't know who I am, so I'm not a utter stranger walking in asking for a job" she replied to him. Kay on the other hand had risen her eyebrow at the demons gate crashing a screening of the exorcist. "Wait... What?" she asked John and Chas, as Elliott spoke with Fia. "even the most mundane things end up not being that with you two" she smirked, thinking this was a reason to no doubt why her future self was always so worried about Fia bein gout on her own.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Future john had suffered from over protectiveness at first, but that was because as a baby, toddler and even a young child, Fia was either defenceless or what skills he did have wouldn't have been much use against the kinds of demons that had plagued John his whole life. As she got older, he was quick to recognise that she was far more capable than Kay was giving her credit for. His main argument was that if Fia didn't get out she'd spend the whole of her life being socially awkward and the longer they wrapped her in bubble wrap the worse it would get. Fia would have to face the real world at some point and it was better that it be sooner, when they could have some kind of control over it than later when Fia took matters into her hands and things blew out of proportion. He had suspicions that Fia was sneaking out, but said nothing, trusting her not to be too stupid.

Elliott nodded in agreement with Fia. A.J. and co would provide a slice of normal life, but could just as easily handle themselves if things went pear shaped. He also suspected they'd be biased towards family or close friends of the core crew. A few of Toby's friends worked in the restaurant in order to pay of their student loans and Kane, being the forward planner he was, had, at one point wondered if his kid cousins (who were only toddlers at the time) would also be able to get a job at A.J's if the place was still going when they were teenagers. They also knew that in her timeline Rinaa had found work there, so it could potentially a way to bring together Fia and her version of Leah. "True, true, they do far more extensive background checks of strangers than a typical restaurant would, but as they know you as being related to me, it'd be easier all round."

At Kay's quite loud remark of disbelief John and Chas looked at each other and smirked. "Do the honours, it's your fuck up after all John." "Well basic story is, this was back at a time when I was just gettin' into magic and still made rookie mistakes. That particular day I'd been summoning demons, needing information from them, as ya do" he shrugged, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "And didn't quite banish them back to hell properly. I was in the cinema both with Chas and they tracked me down there and crashed the film, bursting through the screen, the audience thought it was special effects, until they got covered in real blood. Long story short there was some smiting, throwing of holy water and in Chas' case he used a litter picker device to bash one's head in." "And surprisingly I didn't get fired as John did a Jedi mind thing on me boss."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded, glad that her assumption of his friends was indeed correct, as all she had to go on about them was the times Elliott had taken her there for food after a hard training day or if she really needed out of the apartment and she text him begging to have him get her out for a breather, which his future self did on occasion to help her out. It was those days that she really cherished with him and made her look up to him. She also knew if she told Kay that Elliott would be with her, Kay wouldn't protest or worry so much. "yeah which is also useful. And it has been a while since you took me for their burgers" she replied, subtly hinting he did it a few times.

Kay watched John and Chas look at each other when she questioned the topic that Chas brought up about his time having a part time job. She was glad that they decided to let her in on the story and explain what and how it went down, listening with interest. She smirked at his 'as yer do' comment before letting him continue on and sniggering at Chas being able to keep his job due to John mind wiping his boss. "such a typical story to come out of your mouth but it certainly paints a picture, that's for sure" she said smiling, just imagining it in her head and how it went down. She could hear just about what Fia said to Elliott and found it not surprising that Ell would have taken her there for the food, remembering just how good it was when she went that one time.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott found himself smiling when Fia confirmed that he did indeed bring her down to A.J's on a regular basis. AJ's crew had been his first proper long-term friends his own age that he'd made and he was happy to be able to infer from her statement that they were still friends in the future. He could see from her earlier words that Fia liked being there with them, even the crew counted more as his friends than her friends. "That's a job for future me." Elliott told her with a fond smile. "Besides I haven't had any of their burgers since two days before I left Earth and it'll be another week at least before we actually get back there." His face then took on a slightly more sheepish expression. "And when I do get back you can guarantee there's gonna be bitching about why they couldn't have come along for the ride and seen aliens. Toby sounded pissed about that the last time we got a message through from them on Attil." The franken-computer Jay had assembled in Cal and Cliff's kitchen wasn't strong enough to reach Earth, so she'd spent an afternoon hacking into Attili and other planets satellite relays and signal boosters as well as routing through a view jump gates. The delay time was horrendous, almost a full eighteen hours one way, but it gave her and Elliott a tiny sliver of contact with A.J's crew.

At first John had looked a bit sheepish, but once he got in to telling the story he quickly flicked back to his usual smirking self. Both he and Chas could see how interesting she found the story as well as the exact point when she wanted to put her head in her hands and sigh at John's idiocy. "That kind of shit is far too typical when John's around." "But the news coverage of the whole thing was hilarious, they didn't know whether to claim it was a student prank gone wrong or some kind of audience member who'd had a psychotice break." At Chas' last bit he rolled his eyes "And now that you've said that, I can't not do my impression of Luci" he smirked then adopted a completely different posture and a far posher British accent than his own, one that exactly matched that of the devil himself, Lucifer Morningstar, who John had ended up both working with and in bed with at various points in his life. The two got on surprisingly well whenever they ended up bumping paths, they slept around, drank around, did drugs, hated how humans could be so dull and generally left a trail of chaos wherever they went and both owed each other favours. The tone he took was slightly exasperated, and like almost all of his impressions was a spot on replica "Detective, I can't read minds I'm not Jedi." Chas smirked it, he'd crossed paths with Lucifer once and spent the whole time trying not to freak out the he was driving around the literal Prince of Darkness in his taxi. "That was spot on mate." "Of course it is, you can't spend as much time, doing the things I did with that guy and not be able to do an amazin' impression afterwards." John smirked, his tone making it clear that he fully intended for it to come out as sexual as it did.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded smiling, hearing the fondness in Elliott's tone when he replied to her. She could tell that he was happy he was still very much friends with the crew in her timeline which in return made her happy. She listened to him tell her when the last time was he had one of AJ's burgers before going on to say about how long it'd be at least until he could have another one. "I don't know your friends as well as you obviously, but yeah they will, I've witnessed them ragging on you before enough times to know that much is true" she smiled. "but if they do it shows they give a crap about you" she added, knowing that his crew and friends will be glad to see him back home, just like the rest of them.

Kay was about to say that she quickly and early on realised that that kind of crap happens regularly but John continued the story in some way by explaining about the fact it ended up on the news and she could easily imagine how flustered the stations must have been in trying to report it but not knowing what to classify the attack under. She wondered how talking about a jedi could make him think someone but she listened to the impression, and having never met Lucifer or really knowing it was the Lucifer Morningstar he was referring to, she couldn't say if the impression was good or not, but trusted Chas' review. With the insinuation that he had done many things with the bloke, including sexual activities she just rolled her eyes with a 'of course' smirk on her face, not in the least bit surprised.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott smiled at Fia's comments, A.J, Saoirse, Scott, Toby, Kane and Marty were all good, solid people. He did regret just fucking off without warning, he, along with the crew had been making plans for how to approach going back to Attil, but after Jay hacked into the WatchTower and Elliott broke into it, they realised that the original plan wouldn't be enough. Elliott now regretted that he didn't bring AJ and co along (it would have been nice to have his friends at the wedding), but he knew eventually they'd stop being mad at him. As Fia said, they were like that because they cared. "You're right on that, they're doing it cos they care give. They're all amazing people, and that opinion only grows the more you get to know them. Plus they always have food, unlike John's apartment."

John heard that remark from Elliott and smirked, knowing he couldn't deny it, when Elliott or Chas weren't around on a regular basis the apartment had nothing edible or in date. He also noticed Kay's smirk and the lack of surprise at what he'd just said. He made a mental note to never let either Kay or Fia within fifteen miles of Lucifer, he'd know exactly what they were just by looking at them. After all, Lucifer had once been an angel (Samael being his former name) so he'd almost certainly have lived at the same time as phoenix kind.

At some point in the conversation, the other assassin had vanished from the doorway. John only realised this when the dogs bounded out of it, making a beeline for Fia and Elliott. They were followed closely by Matteo, his friends, Charlie, Alex and a whole load of baggage. "Fia! Mind doing us a favour and keeping an eye on these three for the next six or seven hours while we're gone?" Matteo asked, already knowing the answer to his question.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded and smiled, she hoped that she could know them all more, deciding that she would actually get future Elliott's help in getting herself a part time job at the restaurant. She figured it was the best way to get to know people and start her own proper circle of friends if she could, especially as now she's gotten this time's Kay and John's permission and agreement. She chuckled at the statement about there never being food in the apartment chuckling, "it gets better for a while in the future, but then I think that's down to Kay and the fact I'm around more than anything. Can't let a young child go hungry after all" she smirked.

When the dogs came bounding out with everyone else and the baggage, Fia braced herself incase she got pounced on, looking up at Matteo as he asked in her mind, the most stupidest question ever. "of course I can! They'll be in good hands!" she replied to him, deciding to not give a smart ass reply like 'does a bear shit in the woods? Of course I will'. She gave each of the dogs a head scratch as she replied to Matteo, knowing that she'd be fine looking after the three dogs and she remembered enough of the trails if shhe decided to take them for a walk, but she'd probably take them to the beach or something later.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott wasn't surprised that food situation would get better after Fia was born. John's apartment only had no food when it was just him in it, this was mainly because he spent quite a lot of time heading to some far flung corner of Great Britain and would rather come back to an empty fridge than one filled with rotten food. Another factor was that when living alone, self care wasn't exactly high on John's list of priorities. That changed when there was a kid living with him, adults could take care of themselves they had their own money and could buy their own damn food as far as John was concerned. But kids were different and John wasn't the kind of person to let a kid starve, least of all his own kid. "That makes sense. According to Chas the same thing happened when I was taken in" the cabbie nodded in confirmation as Elliott continued "but once I became independent and an adult with my own money and started doing my own travels then it was back to old habits for him. I have to admit it was an unconventional way of getting me to stand on my own two feet." John smirked at that, with a face that quite clearly said 'See! There is a method to my madness'.

The dogs didn't actually jump on her, settling for rubbing themselves up against her leg, in the process giving Fia's legs a coating of dog hair. "I thought as much, and I wouldn't normally ask such a clearly stupid question when I already know the answer" Matteo grinned back "but you're still a guest and apparently these things called 'manners' are important and I have to use them." He aggressively air quoted around the word 'manners' to emphasise the fact that he had only asked the question because his parents were making him ask instead of just assuming. "You gonna come down to the harbour and tearfully wave us off?" One of the others smirked, hefting their backpack higher on their back.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded, hearing the story from Chas before that John was the same with Elliott, as well as from John when she would complain about no food in the kitchen (even if there was plenty in but nothing she wanted). She noticed John's smug smirk at what Elliott said, making her roll her eyes. "I've heard that one and similar." she replied. "mostly things like 'if you want shit like ice cream get it yourself. I ain't paying for it.' Jokes on him though, mum gets it for me'" she said mimicking John's future self, and smirking afterwards.

Of all the times for Fia to weak black clothing, it was when the dogs decided to give her a fur coat on her jeans, but for some reason she didn't mind it too much as she knew she had a clothes lint roller in her room that she could use later on. She smiled at Matteo's reply knowing that it was totally his parents who would make him ask such a thing just from the wording alone. "ah.. The old manners line." she chuckled before turning to his mate that spoke up, "sure but I ain't getting teary for you lot! You'll think I like you or something stupid like that!" she joked, her amusement showing in her eyes.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott smirked when Fia quoted the John she knew from her timeline, he'd never heard John say anything like that around him, but that could be to do with the fact that Elliott didn't have a massive sweet tooth like Fia did. He didn't give a reply as by now Matteo and co had appeared and the topic had been changed to parents forcing you to use manners in a situation where it really wasn't necessary. John smirked at just how hairy Fia's jeans were getting, he always suspected that dogs knew what fabrics hair would show up on and deliberately shed on them. It was the only logical explanation. "Yup, that line exists right across the universe, on all the planets, stations and starcraft."

At Fia's teasing comment, the others responded in they only way they could, taking over the top, dramatic offence saying things like 'how dare you not miss us fabulous people, after everything we've done for you?" "Rude!" "You wound me" (the last one being accompanied by a gesture of clutching at where their heart would be as if it was bleeding out, the banter easily flowing between them. They would miss having Fia around, she really fit in well with the group. Charlie and Alex gave each other identical sighs and looks of 'here we go again' before heading down towards the beach. Everybody ended up trooping down to see them off (it wasn't like the others had anything else on their agendas anyway).

Reaching the harbour they were met by the sight of Quincenti readying the boat, running fuel checks, making sure there were no leaks, and that if it came to it, they had enough emergency equipment on board for their small party. She was being helped by Rinaa, who was sporting a new waterproof bandage around her wrist. As they drew closer it became clear that this was indeed Rinaa and not Sykes, the eyes were back to their normal green and the dogs didn't react to her scent like they did with Sykes. "I hope her precognition hasn't picked up anything." Jay muttered darkly to Elliott, who could only just nod. Jay couldn't say if the other assassin would keep the time travelling secret out of the goodness of her heart. The other teenagers saw nothing amiss with the situation. "Artemis! You came to see us off then? We thought you weren't gonna show!" one of the girls called out, to which Rinaa smirked "Of course I was gonna show, have to say my goodbyes at some point!" she called back. Her tone may have matched the usual relaxed one she had with Matteo's group of friends, and she may look happy, but it was all a front for their benefit, Inside Rinaa was an eaten mess of anxiety, sadness, fear and worry about what Sykes could have said or done when Rinaa was blacked out.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia laughed at the faked shocked and wounded expressions on all of their faces, as well as at the remarks that she got in return. She would actually miss the lot of them as she did find they were great fun and cool to be around. She also appreciated how much they just accepted her into the group and made her feel welcome to their group. "yeah yeah, I know. I'm such a heartless soul!" Fia joked more, smirking at the sighs from Charlie and Alex. She guided the dogs with her and the rest of the group down to where their boat was ready and waiting for them, whilst having the final checks made by both Quincenti and Rinaa.

As they drew closer she noticed it was actually Rinaa this time, and she also noted how the dogs didn't react to her like they did with Sykes, which gave Fia the extra bit of reassurance of which one of the two she was staring at. She was surprised to see her there, thinking she would have spent the majority of the day in the woods letting Sykes be in control the whole time, but it seemed she was wrong and did it a good thing that Sykes would let her say her goodbyes. "have a safe trip guys" she finally said, showing that yes, she did actually like them all.

Kay just watched on as the teenagers said all their goodbyes and as Rinaa helped Quincenti out with the boat. She did overhear what Jay said but made no reaction to it as it was clear it was meant for Elliott's ears.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott and Jay both heard the double meaning in Rinaa's words. After this day she would never see Matteo's friends again, she'd be dead before the opportunity ever arose to see them again. If she didn't say goodbye properly now, she'd never have the chance. Rinaa wanted closure with Matteo's friends, she genuinely liked them and had immensely enjoyed the times she spent hanging out with them. The second meaning wasn't lost on Matteo's friends either and as a result Rinaa ended up getting a hug from everybody, before being dragged into a bone crushing hug. Had Sykes been in control she would have gone mental, the wolf went into what could only be described as a mid-level panic attack when a person touched her, flashing back to her days as a lab mutt.

"We will, and if it goes to shit, we can all swim and get a few extra days holiday out of it" one person called back in response to Fia's parting words. "Have a great life you guys." Rinaa smiled before adding"And in advance, good luck on exams, college apps, accommodation searching and the like, I know you'll all be amazing." She added, and genuinely meant it from the bottom of her heart. Matteo's friends had so much potential and life in them, they would go on to change the world in their own, small and subtle ways and the world would be a better place for it. "Are you getting all sentimental on us?" Saf teased, to which Rinaa shrugged. "A little bit yeah, but that never hurt anyone."

With all the baggage loaded Rinaa jumped off the boat and onto the boardwalk, but not before the other assassin stuck out a hand and ruffled Rinaa's hair slightly, a gesture that surprised and annoyed Jay. "I know this doesn't mean anything coming from me, our old times mean nothing these days, but she's a good kid this one. You're doing right and proud by each other, remember that this next while and trust your instincts, not your hearts." Quincenti called over, addressing jay in their native tongue, with something in her tone that made Jay understand that her words were genuine. "Thanks..... I think." It was a strange for a compliment, and Jay couldn't help but wonder if there was a warning in it. The redhead was a precog after all. "Yeah.... well until we meet again." The other assassin shrugged awkwardly before deciding that something needed to be done to maintain the balance, so she followed up her words with an incredibly rude gesture, before shifting the motorboat into gear. Jay responded in kind with an even ruder gesture and the parting shot they had was a boatful of waving teenagers, Charlie and Alex sitting and waving normally and Quincenti steering one handed, the other arm raised aloft in the air, her middle finger pointed skywards.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia nodded smiling at the reply she got given, a slight snigger escaping her in the process. She also noticed the double meaning in Rinaa's comment, knowing exactly why she picked that wording instead of just something along the lines of what she herself said. It was clear that that everyone who heard the speech Rinaa said at the wedding would probably have realised why she chose the words she did to say in this moment. Though it was the next lot of words she added after that made Fia raise an eyebrow but still understood it. She just found it was an unusual thing to say from one teenager to another. She kept back when the big group hug happened, staying by the dogs to make sure none of them tried to run off, though she didn't suspect they would.

When Quincenti actually said nice things about Rinaa to Jay, both Kay and Fia found that the most intriguing and they both could see that Jay didn't particularly like Quincenti ruffling Rinaa's hair either. When they both got passed the pleasantries and went back to giving each other rude gestures, they thought it was much more in character for the two of them. Fia waved to the teenagers and everyone else normally, unlike the ones on the boat waving manically. Kay gave them a wave goodbye to be polite, as she was glad that they included Fia into their little group for the last few days. When the boat got far enough away that they weren't really seen Kay turned to Fia, "so how you going to entertain the dogs for the next few hours?" she asked, "might just relax for a bit, maybe take them to the beach later" Fia replied with a shrug.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott was just as bemused by the exchange between the two as Jay was, but his face showed it more noticeably. The eyes were said to be the window to the soul, but in Jay's case they were the window to her emotions, they changed in colour and sometimes even in pattern according to her emotion. Most of the changes weren't noticeable, only a privileged few with years of experience behind them could decipher them. Jay had glared at the other assassin wen she ruffled Rinaa's hair, not liking it at all. If it hadn't been for the others hanging around she would have punched the other woman. "What was that about?" Elliott asked softly, taking Jay's hand in his. The assassin shrugged then sighed in annoyance, even if she and Quincenti had parted with insults, they felt strangely half hearted to her. "I don't know. And that's worrying. She's no fool that one, and no matter how much I enjoy finding things to insult her about, there's no denying she's incredibly smart AND a precog on top of that. She must have sought Rinaa out alone and at a time when she wasn't under Syke's control, she deliberately left the house before everybody else." Jay replied, casting her eyes back to the boat which was just leaving the harbour, rounding the headland and vanishing out of sight. Rinaa was watching the boat go, her hands shoved in the pocket of her trousers.

Jay walked over to the teenager, pulling Elliott along with her. "So what was that all about? And don't say nothing, we both know you can lie better than that." Rinaa gave a flicker of an amused smile at the last part of the sentence, finding it so quintessentially Jay. "Quin's not stupid, she can sense timeline discord when it's related to her, just like you can. In my timeline you two both go through some serious shit together and become friends again, but it's different to when you were kids. She's been a pretty important figure in my life since I was about fifteen. I didn't get to say a proper goodbye in my timeline, so in a way, this some messed up kind of closure." She spoke quietly, with an edge of sadness in her voice.

John turned away from Elliott, Jay and Rinaa over to where Kay, Fia and the dogs were. "Some advice, take a ball or two or six if you do go to the beach, trust me, they'll love it." Benji told Fia, reaching down to rub Koso in the sweet spot between the ears.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia looked up at Benji when he spoke up, realising he was next to her and the dogs. "right, I'll make a note of that" she said smiling, looking down and giving the other two some attention. "any other words of wisdom I should take note of whilst you're here to hand it out?" she smirked, looking back up at Benji. She was half glancing across at Elliott, Jay and Rinaa as she was always the curious type, but knew she would never pry because she didn't want to risk a bust up between herself and Rinaa. Kay just watched on as Fia and Benji spoke about the dogs and what would make them happy whilst Matteo was gone.

Kay then looked at John, "so what is our plan for the last day here?" she asked him, genuiny curious to if anyone had any ideas or if she should go with Fia and the dogs to keep an eye on her kid. "it'd be pretty stupid of us to just waste it doing nothing after all" she then added, knowing that it would be a long time before they get to just kick back and relax the calm atmosphere once they start heading back to Attil before heading back to Earth. She wanted to make the most of the happy and positive feelings they all had gotten out of being here on Cliff's home before it came time to being all serious and tensed up yet again with getting Elliott out of Attil.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay raised an eyebrow in surprise at what Rinaa said, she really didn't think that anything could heal the scars between her and Quin and bring them back together, but evidently something did happen that resulted in just that. She could see in the slump in Rinaa's shoulders and the sadness in her voice that she wasn't lying, Quin had meant something to the teenager. "Huh, didn't think that was possible." Jay remarked thoughtfully, putting an arm around the teenager's shoulders, something she didn't normally do, but it was obvious Rinaa needed it. "Well it is and considering the second thing you two did after meeting was try to kill each other, is it really SO implausible that you and her could make it work?" Rinaa replied, a very slight smirk playing across her face, to which Elliott chuckled. "The kid has a point there." He told Jay, before turning to Rinaa. "And it's not messed up to get closure like that y'know? It mightn't be normal, but so little is these days."

Benji smiled at her question before replying in a lightly teasing tone. "I'll have you know I am fountain of dog related wisdom, given that I take care of them when Mattie isn't around. One, the best beach for catch would be that way" he gestured at a set of low sand dunes and ridges "just over the sandhills, stick to the ones by the sea, they're firmer to walk on. Two, avoid the ones without seagrass, they're prone to collapsing. Three, dog shit bags are on the hooks next to the fridge and four, just dump the shit on the pile of horse manure near the stables, it makes excellent fertiliser."

John pondered Kay's remark, as fun as going dog walking with Fia would be, he felt the teenager would get more out of it if she was alone, a sort of private moment with them to say goodbye and enjoy herself in the process. "Oh definitely, I want to make the most of it, but I haven't gone a real plan. A bit of walking, just to see a bit more of the place. More swimming on my part at least, there's some cliffs ideal for jumping off further along. And If people are willing to drag themselves out of bed at an unearthly hour, going down to the harbour tomorrow morning and seeing if this sunrise is as good as Elliott makes it look"

 

[MzHyde]

Fia could tell that the moment Benji smiled, she was going to get a barrage of tips from him. She listened to the tips, and as he spoke of the sand dunes for playing catch, she made sure to take extra note on it, looking at where he was gesturing, logging it into her memory. She made notes of where the poop bags were and what to do with said dog poop when she got back with it. "right, got it" she replied, knowing she wouldn't forget any of what Benji told her. "thanks Benji" she said grateful for the advice and suggestions. She wanted to do good by the dogs and Cliff's family to show she could handle the dogs on her own, as well as make the most of the time she had left with them. She knew by the morning, it was going to be ridiculously difficult to leave them but she kept telling herself she had her own one waiting for her to come home to him.

Kay let John ponder how to spend the rest of the day whilst they had it on the island before listening to his options he came up with. She smirked at the last suggestion, knowing damn well that she would be classed as 'people whho would drag themselves out of bed at an unearthly hour' as she wasn't exactly known for being a morning person. "mind if I join you for all of that? Even if it means watching on for some of it, I don't mind. I'll go stir crazy if I stay indoors doing nothing" she told him, knowing she would get incredibly bored if she was on rest duty for the rest of their time here. If she was going to rest, she would rather do it on the beach and sunbathe or in front of an incredible view. "and yes, I'm sure I can manage actually waking up in the morning to watch a sunrise" she smirked, deciding to get in first before some smart ass comment was made about her lack of being a morning person.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Benji nodded with a smile. He had no doubts that Fia would be god at lookig after the dogs. Usually the responsibility would be put on him, his parents or the siblings still on the island, but it was clear to them all that Fia had really bonded with the dogs. She wouldn't have the chance to play and care for the trio again for quite a while. "Eh, any time. And besides, with these guys, it's not rocket science, chances are it'll be them who decided where you go and what you do anyway. And if they get massively covered in sand, you aren't expected to groom them and remove it, that whole being a guest thing, but I'm telling you do it anyway."

John had no problem with Kay going along with him. She'd said before that she'd lose her mind sitting around doing nothing (though that was mainly in context to being put under house arrest in The House). The island was incredible and as they'd said earlier it would be at least a couple of years before they came back again. And besides, Kay knew her limits when it came to walking and exerting herself, John trusted her to speak up if something was wrong or she felt so tired that she thought her legs would fall off. "Not at all, Chas'll be coming too no doubt." "Obviously." The cabbie nodded, knowing he wouldn't be imposing on them. "I intend to make the most of this last day." At the next part they both smirked. "Well if Fia can do it, there's no reason you can't, she's the worst of us all at actually getting up at a normal hour when there aren't dogs around. So I'm gonna hold you to that."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia listened and chuckled at what Benji said next, feeling it was so typical of him even thiugh she had only known him for a few days. "right can't be giving me only the fun parts of the dog sitting job now can we?" she joked back. She didn't mind the idea of grooming the dogs and removing all the sand from their fur if truth was told, as she had done worse with Max. The fact that he was a stray, she had a much harder time grooming him to a decent state before getting him to the vets and spending what money she did have getting him vaccinated and tended to. So in her eyes getting sand out of fur was not such a big deal, or at least couldn't be any worse of than tending to matted golden curly fur on a small dog that wanted to wriggle and lick her face constantly out of appreciation of being found.

Kay nodded, glad that she wasn't being treated like she could break any minute just because she was pregnant and getting progressively heavily so with every few days, it seemed. She knew when she would have had enough and would need to rest for a bit and wouldn't have any qualms in telling John as such either. With John remarking back about her ability to get up in the morning, she just smirked back. "Didn't expect you not to hold me to that, and as much as I will possibly regret saying this tomorrow morning, you are more than welcome to get me up if I don't get up on my own" she quipped back with a smile. She really did want to see the sunrise for herself before going back to Attil, and if that John dragging her out of bed to do so, then so be it.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Certainly not." Bneji replied with an easy grin."If you'd come here in storm season, we'd have been putting all you lot to work, and I don't just mean in terms of looking after the dogs and horses. Storm season is hell on water worlds like this one, and there's always something that unexpectedly needs to be done. All of you would lot would be helping with flood defences, flood prevention stuff, clearing debris, moving the boats to the boat sheds, re-waterproofing the horse stables and other outbuildings, mending nets" he counted off the jobs on his fingers, before sparing Fia the full list." And basically any other job that needs to done. Guests have a much tougher time in winter, which explains why we rarely get any." He added with a smirk. "And if the dogs do decide to head further along the coast, keep and eye out for the offshore breakwater walls. You can't really miss the big curved concrete structure rising from the sea." Cliff had explained on the way over that the part of the island where her family lived was generally the sheltered side during storms, but the weather systems could be more often than not extremely unpredictable, so they'd built a series of breakwater walls around this island to slow down the impact of large waves.

"Well you've committed fully now by giving me permission." John smirked, now that he had permission there was nothing Kay could do or say to stop herself from being woken up at an extremely early hour of the morning. "An' besides, you can just go right back to bed after viewin' it anyway." He added. While Kay might be able to do such a thing, John knew that once he'd gotten up and walked around for a bit, he would be too awake to go back to sleep again and would probably end up spending the early hours of the morning with whoever was up as opposed to going back to bed with Kay. "If we're all gonna do this, we should try and get Fia along as well." Chas suggested.