Realistic or Modern Spellbound

[xrakkax]

“Really?” Granya looked up. The idea someone would take the time to come over to craft, when they could be doing anything else, had truly touched her. It was too much feeling to say. She looked up at Theo.

“As long as school get done.” Theo shrugged. “And not stay up so late.”

“Then, noon to dinner?” Grany asked, hoping he may have forgotten about her chores.

“No, three to dinner. You chores, Shchenok.” Theo didn’t skip a beat.

Well, you couldn’t get everything you wanted. Granya happily looked back at Willow, “We make purses, and maybe dresses to sell.”

Granya went on about all kinds of things they could make. All while still on the project of her wallet. The talk didn’t stop, even as they were clearing the table for the cake and presents. Granya was practically being hush into silence while her candles were being lit. Molly tried hiding her snorts of laughter when Amalia put her hand over the young woman's mouth and started singing despite the muffle of Granya’s indignation. The struggle to talk eventually ceased and she joined in the song.

“Fwoo!” The fire of Granya’s candles vanished in thin wisps of white.

Cheers were had all around. Amalia began slicing up the vanilla cake they made. Being cooks, it was a pretty fancy one too. Recently Granya had been all about ‘Game of Thrones’. So the cousins baked her a ‘Happy Name Day’ cake fashioned after House Stark.

The cake, while fancy, tasted delicious. As good as Willow’s amazing cupcakes. They each had much to eat so far, but by the end of it, whether from Micha or Theo taking extras, the remaining cake fit in a mid sized tupperware container.

“Presents!” Micha practically sang, bringing Granya over to the couch.

First Amalia handed her the gift she and Micha picked out. Granya pulled out a mason jar full of round hard biscuits. They smelled of peanut butter. “Oh you made them?”

“Da.” Amalia nodded, smiling.

“Thank you Тетя Amalia and Дядя Micha.” Granya set that aside.

Next Jovan handed her a foot long bag. “This is for playing outside.” He said, giving her a stern look of affection.

Granya excitedly pulled out an inflatable ball folded flat. It likely would get as large as her torso. The hide was tough, hard to puncture. “Whoa, thank you, ДядяJovan, I love it.” She wouldn’t worry about this popping if it fell into brambles.

"There is another present in there, Shchenok." Natalia smiled.

Granya rifled around and pulled out a gift card to Steam. "Oh yay! Thank you Тетя Natalia!"

While Molly had only known Granya little while, and had less interaction than Willow, she knew ‘crafts’ and that was enough. Her gift was an assortment of air dry clay. This earned her a happy reception which was all Molly could hope for, seeing as she guessed her ass off.

Theo handed her a box of several beads. They were mismatched. Some small, some big. But even so, they seemed to make a big impact. Granya whispered, “You found them. . .”

“Took while too.” Theo chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “They were in dirty wet drain. Caught in old shoe.” There was a murmur of sympathetic ‘aw’ when Granya gave him a hug.

“What is it?” Molly asked Micha.

“Her mother’s beads.” He told her in quiet. “Kids broke her mother’s feather, string, bead thing, for her hair. These beads fell into a drain and she lost them.”

Molly mouthed, ‘Oh I see’.

“Thank you, Дядя.” Granay murmured, almost moved to tears. She went to sit down and carefully set her odd number of beads aside in their box.

Theo gestured to Willow to go next.

 

[Soliloquy]

It was settled then, she'd stop by from three to dinner and distract Granya from not going on the hunt. It'd be fun, no doubt and Willow enjoyed the chance to bond more with her. Maybe even give Theo a break from having to entertain her so he could do something for himself if needed.

There was a sense of joy as the family and girls sang their hearts out. Not some dreary rendition of the song where people felt obligated to sing but didn't truly want to. No, in this room everyone wanted sweet Granya to have only the best and happiest of birthdays. The cake was delicious but nothing less could be expected when Micha or Amalia were in the kitchen working their culinary magic. Enough that Willow even indulged in a second half piece for good measure.

The gifts before her were all enjoyed in their own way. Either picked out thoughtfully or laboriously, they all were earning smiles. The beads in particular made Willow also get close to tearing up, hearing Micha and remembering seeing them in the old photos. He was truly an amazing man and she felt her heart growing as he embraced his niece. It was a rough act to follow, but she handed over the long thin box, wrapped silver just like the last gift she had given.

Inside the gift was a white gold necklace with a long raven feather that dangles from it. Although not originally on the jewelry, Willow had carefully embedded a small ruby gem at the base of the feather.

"I thought it'd be nice to have a little piece of Finn if he ever can't be around, and one that doesn't involve plucking the poor thing again," she explained, adding in a quieter time. "And a ruby to remind yourself that you're always a good friend, even if a mistake is made."

 

[xrakkax]

“Oh, Willow.” Granya held the endearing trinket delicately to admire it.

So many thoughtful gifts! And two that truly reached her heart in these dark days. Granya accepted the gift with awe and adoration. She put on the necklace and decided that this would be a stable of her outfit. Just like the coat. And maybe, one day, she might assemble the accessory her mother had once worn and wear that too. Theo had brought her one step closer to it. Granya would become a walking charm bracelet.

“Thank you all, thank you so much.” Granya poured all her sentiment in those two words as she could, and offered the most sincere smile she could muster.

Theo, ever attuned to his niece, pat her shoulder and said, “Alright, Shchenok, you can go.”

Granya wiped away a tear that threatened to drop. She sniffed and took her gifts with her to her room. But not before saying warm good byes. Theo and Willow even got a hug. They heard excited muffled noises from her room. Granya couldn’t wait to tell her friends what her sixteenth birthday had been; a night to remember.

Out in the living room the family cleared the mess from the gift unwrapping. They set up music for dancing and for karaoke. Everyone got a turn, although they did their best to beg Molly not to sing. She did anyway, of course, just to enjoy the bellow and watch their faces twist in horror. Micha still walked with her to her car despite it.

There was no way Theo would allow Willow to be driven home with Molly tonight. Or really any night he could take her home himself. It got harder to let her go too. This particular night Theo got lost in his kiss and found they were not so much going into the apartment as they were making out in front of it. Maybe it was her thoughtfulness that shined brightly that night. Maybe it was the clear difference in quality of character from the other women. There was one other possibility, but Theo rather liked to believe he used the head on his shoulders to think. Whatever the reason Theo caught himself and finally said goodnight.

The following stretch of time that Jovan and Micha went hunting, the staff were truly grateful for extra hands! The bar had been basically shut down though. That cut down on some patrons, making it slightly easier to handle.

While the pub navigated the loss of a cook and a bartender, Granya had gained a crafting partner! Every day she saw Willow coming up the drive she practically jumped up and down. And she knew when she came, because after school and house work, she would stare out the window. Sometimes Shale sat on her head or her back because of how still she was being. Finn didn’t like Shale, so that didn’t always go well. Granya paid them no mind. She was just happy to have Willow come and craft with her. They made all kinds of trinkets and Willow even got a cut from the sales they made. The price for some of these handcrafted items were nothing to sneeze at. And people were willing to pay that pretty penny. The other person who enjoyed the company was Theo. Although Willow drove to them and he didn’t take her home, he could feel the electricity between them when they kissed goodbye after dinner.

Finally the day came when Micha and Jovan drove around the back of the pub one Thursday morning. This day was another half day. They needed the time to stock the freezers without getting in the cooks path. The pub doors would open around noon. Although the schedule for the Old Bear was not always predictable, they had no problem filling tables.

Molly had come with Willow just about when they finished stacking the last hunk of meat in the freezer. That morning Molly peeled away the wax hiding the forest within. Willow got the first look at the impressive bush. To be fair to Micha, Molly did brush it with a tiny eyelash comb. But that was it. Miss Uni had grown to her full glory. Perhaps even past her last time it made this kind of appearance across the pale carpet of Molly’s forehead.

This would be it. The test of his true nature. Molly didn’t stop to talk or chat on the way. She walked in straight to Micha to say hello. With every ounce of serious, no nonsense in her tone, “Good morning, Micha. Welcome back.” She flashed a devilish grin. “How was your trip?”

Micha chuckled, looking at her head. “Was fine.” He thought it was a fake. Everyone did, so Molly didn’t let that mark against him. “What is this? Being Frida Kahlo? For late Halloween?” Micha boldly poked the middle. “Good job too.”

“Oh it’s real.” Molly said, locking his eyes with hers. “It’s very much my own body’s creation.”

After the initial spoff and disbelief, Micha began to realize she wasn’t kidding. “Oh.” He blinked, taking an observation of the unique, bushy, caterpillar-like growth.

Jovan came up from behind. “What is on face? You need cream?”

That made it hard for Molly not to laugh. She snorted to keep her face fierce and still. “Nope. It’s my unibrow.”

Amalia had no care whatsoever. All she said was, “Make sure it trimmed, or get it a hairnet.”

That too almost broke Molly’s resolve not to laugh. Theo made it a little easier to keep it together when he turned around on his way in and yelped, “OH GOD!” At first she thought he was serious, but then he started chuckling and said, “I will get used to, Da?”

Micha hadn’t yet given his full reaction. He stammered, “V-very. . .” Micha couldn’t find a word. Really, her whole self needed a word he couldn’t find. "You pull off." He decided to say.

 

[Soliloquy]

The gift was an absolute success and Willow couldn't have been more thrilled. She was slowly making the connection with Granya that the young girl deserved. The fact that she immediately put the necklace on touched her heart, beaming back at the appreciation Granya gave the entire group. After she left the room continued on with their own festivity, and while they were enjoyable and a good night to be had, it wasn't nearly as impressionable as the gratitude that had shone in the birthday girls eyes. Thankfully if there was one thing that Theo was good at, it was impressions, that night leaving the biggest one right across her lips for a new record for the two of them.

Goodbye kisses were getting longer and harder to end, or so it felt. It was nice to have more time with Theo, from the time he was off work until after dinner. On one night in particular when she had to force herself to get into her car, there was a fleeting thought of not having to go back to her apartment. It was a ridiculous thought, though. They were still in the infancy of getting to know each other, and while perhaps one day soon a night over would take place, the long-term arrangement she imagined in her mind would not be so soon. If this truly was the real deal, there was no point in rushing it.


Willow was grateful she had a chance to see the brow beast before the others were around. It allowed her to try and adjust so that when they were at the pub she wouldn't burst out laughing or lose her cool. "I don't remember it being so...angry," she had commented on their drive over, highly grateful that she wasn't in Micha's place. "I just hope it doesn't try to bite him if he messes up."

She kept a step back as the great reveal was happening, arms crossed and keeping her lips pursed tightly. The others weren't making it very easy, so she finally found a use for all those years of theater training. The idea of a hair net was ridiculous, but somehow also something she could see Molly doing to just prove a point. Lord bless that poor man for thinking he was going to have an easy time chasing after her. He seemed to have a relatively calm response, if you asked her, although the next face to appear wasn't quite as kind.

Sadie had, once again, neglected to remember the time she was supposed to show up for work. As was her frequented pose, she was sprawled across an armchair, eyes glued on her phone and numb to the world when Molly and Willow had walked in. The loud commotion drew her attention though, making her way toward the kitchen area that she seemed to lurk in too often. Catching sight of Molly, she stopped dead in her tracks, mouth dropping open in clear disbelief.

"Oh fuck, you look like that one yellow guy on the muppet show," she incorrectly tried to reference Sesame Street, also doing nothing to mask her laughter. "Absolutely hideous. Are you having some sort of a breakdown or something?"

Willow's own distaste for Sadie had been swallowed down for the sake of the pub, but it was getting to be quite difficult to tolerate. Between constant little mistakes, slipping out for smoking breaks whenever she had a chance, and now this utter disregard for Molly's feelings, she was ready to give her a piece of her mind.

 

[xrakkax]

Everyone who teased so far Molly knew to be playful. Doubtless, Sadie did not intend to come off good-naturedly. Had Molly and Sadie been school kids, she’d have said ‘Ha ha, this is funny, yeah? I got another joke’ which, depending on how Sadie would respond, she’d follow with either ‘You’ or, better, ‘What do you call a woman with a black eye?’ and then Molly probably would have knocked her in the head and said ‘SADIE!’. It wasn’t so much that she valued Sadie’s opinion. No, in fact not at all. It was the build up over time of this self-righteous attitude who took it for granted that she could get away with disrespectful behavior. And. . .yeah Molly also still had trouble with her feelings over the curse of Miss Uni and her manly knuckled hands. But those were school days. And she had worked hard on keeping Righty and Lefty at her sides. Though Willow could see that old fire in her umber eyes burning.

This time, however, Molly didn’t need to take a shot. Verbally or otherwise. Molly and Willow weren’t the only ones to know Sadie meant every disrespect.

Micha shifted to one foot, crossed his arms, and evaluated Sadie with a judgmental eye, “Molly is ten even with unibrow.” He said, scoffing at Sadie. “The only time you a ten is before you turn eleven.”

Molly hadn’t expected that. Her brow popped in approval. "Dayum."

Amalia chuckled from where she was pouring their drinks for lunch before work. Beside her sat a metal container full of chunks of frozen water. “Hey Sadie.” Amalia took a handful more than normal and dropped it in Sadie’s cup. “I give extra ice cube for you burn.”

 

[Soliloquy]

A bemused grin was on Willow's face both for the fact that Micha had stood up for the woman he pined after, and also because of the look of disbelief on Sadie's face. She was a pretty girl and knew it, even if her personality was at most a four. Hearing the quip, even if it was well-deserved had her flustered, turning to likely stomp off and fume for a little. The call from Amalia stopped her, maybe hope she'd be the one defended now, only to get another Baranov comeback.

"W-whatever. I'm going to smoke," she murmured with a roll of her eyes so deep, she must have caught sight of her spine. She quickly passed the others and slipped out the backdoor, avoiding eye contact.

Willow let out a low whistle, unable to contain her joy at that point. "You two are brutal," she applauded Micha and Amalia. "Remind me not to get on either of your bad sides. Jeez."

 

[xrakkax]

Baranov pride shone bright in their grins. Micha allowed triumphant silence to stand. There was swagger in his step on the way back to the table where the others were gathering to eat. He pulled out Molly’s chair for her like always. Molly chuckled, knowing just how he must view himself: a badass walkin’ away from an explosion. A video on YouTube came to mind. Lonley Island’s song ‘Cool Guys Don’t Look At Explosions’. All Micha needed were diamond-covered boots and a jumpsuit of glittery rhinestones.

Molly took her seat and gave a look of genuine appreciation to Micha, and smirked when he tried to play off like he was too cool to make it a thing. The lad had proved he could look past the one brow. Molly, in the end, would shave it. For more substantial reasons than fashion. To be honest, it got itchy and sweaty, and it was a bitch to keep combed. If you rock a unibrow, you got to put the effort in yourself. No, Molly would hit up the threaders at the Mall to handle this beast and stick to the occasional pluck.

“So Micha, whatcha up to this Sunday?” Molly asked, as if it was just so casual.

Micha shrugged nonchalantly, “You want to know, eh?”

They would go back and forth, both trying to seem chill and ‘whatever’. Maybe this was some kind of powerplay. Who would break first and admit one liked the other. In any case they bantered that ping pong so hard the result couldn’t be guessed.

Theo felt the world right itself when he took his spot next to Willow. There would be no more textbooks on the table. Occasionally a folder, maybe, on a case he was working on, but mostly he got to give Willow his full attention. “Molly always had unibrow, eh?” He chuckled after swallowing some beef stroganoff.

 

[Soliloquy]

It had to be the weirdest love story she had ever witnessed in her life. A game of cat and mouse had gone on for about two months and now when it seemed like it was finally ending and the mouse let the cat win, the cat thought they'd act like there was never a game. It was almost frustrating, to the point Willow was ready to grab each of their faces and tell them to kiss and make up already. Still, it was cute and it was just how they were.

Theo's question earned a nod as she went after a couple of piping hot pirozhki, licking her fingers after adding them to her plate and regretting not just using the tongs. "It was a sore subject for a long time. Kids are mean," she explained, adding in a quieter tone. "And some never grow out of that, as you saw from our wonderful coworker." Then again, if Sadie overheard, it would only serve her right. You don't walk into a lions den and insult one of the cubs without getting a few bites.

"I was actually there the first time she waxed it one summer. Well, we tried to wax it. Let's just say there was more wax on our hands than her brow and I had a bald spot on my leg for a few weeks after," she chuckled at the thought.

 

[xrakkax]

Discreetly, Theo chuckled at the subtle poke Willow made about their less than savory staff member. Sadie artfully skirted Jovan’s temper so far. But just how long that would last, they did not know.

Theo had to agree with Willow about the tendency for children to bully, “Da, Granya tell me some mean things kids say online.” Theo could only imagine how that might be worse in-person at a school. Literally he could only imagine. And for that reason Theo said nothing other than that comment about children and poking fun.

Instead he got on the wagon about waxing. Theo shook his head. “I hear is painful too. No wax for me.” He sipped his kvas. “I leave that to others.” Just thinking of a hot, sticky goo clinging to hair, and ripping them from their tender roots made him shiver.

 

[Soliloquy]

She nodded somberly at the story of just how rude people could be when they were able to hide behind one screen or another. She hated the idea of someone being anything but pleasant to the young girl, but her disdain was distracted when Theo didn't give much reciprocation on the topic. Maybe he needed just a little boost so he'd open up like she was.

"I think I was pretty fortunate. The school I went to was anti-bullying so it was kept in check pretty well. Not just that but if anyone did try anything, Everest was quick to jump in," she decided not to leave anything to chance. "What about you? Or was Theo Al-Zakhar too handsome to be teased? A heartbreaker from day one?"

 

[xrakkax]

Theo flared his own hands, rising and lowering them in a display of self-showcase, “Heartbreaker.” He chuckled, holding back any elaboration.

Amalia’s ears perked, “Not in our house.”

A light gasp of mocking indignance escaped Theo. “So cruel.” he darted away from specifics and chose to make it ambiguous whether he spoke about school or the general children of the village of Okunevo. “Maybe not cousins. But I catch eye of pretty girls.”

“And pretty boys.” Amalia, a champion of dry humor, watched as her cousin sputtered at her implication. “Theo may shoot straight with bow, but maybe not with people?”

Theo knew it was in good fun, so he took no offense, “I straight shoot both ways.” He argued. “Unlike you.” The hint to which side Theo implied Amalia batted was not lost on them.

Amalia shrugged, “Girl or boy, I shoot where I want to shoot.” She grinned. “And I hit what I aim.”

“Ah!” Theo admitted defeat between who got the upperhand in their back and forth. “Touche.”

Molly, who hadn’t caught on to anything Willow had intended, providentially commented, “Oh I bet you’d be a heartbreaker all the way. You’d have been on the hot-100 list in high school. I bet you’d be top ten for sure.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Do Russian schools have those?”

“Have. . .?” Theo questioned.

“Hot-100 lists.” Molly said. “But I guess not, you don’t seem familiar with it.”

Theo chuckled hesitantly, “Heh, Da.”

 

[Soliloquy]

As amusing as it was to see the cousins going back and forth as Theo tried to flaunt his romantic abilities and Amalia quickly Charlie Browned him on the ground over it, Willow was mildly confounded. She didn't understand why it was so hard to get an answer, but with how good of a mood everyone was in, maybe it wasn't the best time to bring it up. That or maybe she was just trying to dig too deep too soon.

"I mean, to be fair, if Amalia had me in her scopes I think you'd have to pull all the moves to keep her away, Theo," she decided to join in the playful antics, keeping her own thoughts for another, more private time. One where there weren't so many chances for people to redirect the conversation. "I mean, hot-100 or not - which undoubtedly he would have been Molly - Amalia does have a certain confidence that can sweep someone off their feet. I'm sure it's the snake bites."

Sadie, who had slunk back to the table while everyone was talking to try and avoid further ridicule, seemed to be interested in the current topic at hand. She had picked up a couple pelmeni from the serving dish, looking about the table. "Sounds kind of outdated. Isn't just 'hot or not' basically the same thing? Pretty sure that's all over TikTok," she added, although no one had really requested her input.

 

[xrakkax]

“See? You lucky, Theo, that you meet her at Fun Shop.” Amalia took devilish amusement in her cousin’s scoffs for being at a loss for comebacks between her and Willow giving him a hard time.

Sadie’s interjection felt disjointed. They couldn’t tell if she felt confident to move in on their talk because of that tendency to take things for granted, or if she meant to try to act like what had happened was nothing. Either way, Micha just tossed her an uninterested glance. Amalia didn’t know about TikTok. Odds are she wouldn’t care if she did.

Theo gave a noncommittal shrug. “TikTok?” He was also not up to date on the kids new apps.

Molly had fiddled with it a little. “It’s just Vines, but with a few more bells and whistles.” She told them.

Jovan, who rather not engage with the drama, said, “Does TikTok have WorkOrNot? Because I want workers. Is time to let customer in.” He said, thumping his fist for attention.

The table got cleared, with notably little help from Sadie. Enough to get past Jovan. But the things people could get away with in regards to the Old Bears old bear were few, and Willow and Molly knew they may be in for a fight to get their way when Jovan came to the main hall of the restaurant to demand why there were turkeys in the kitchen and why the menus were switched out with temporary paper pamphelets.

“What is this?” Jovan flashed the menus. “Why food strange?”

Amalia pressed her lips together and raised her brows, not sure how well this was going to go. She came to Molly and Willows side, “Is Thanksgiving today.”

“Da? How nice.” Jovan dropped his brow to shadow his eyes in a dark, grim mood. Clearly he didn’t care. “We Russian, Amalia.”

“Well, American-Russian.” Molly pointed out tentatively. She chewed her lip, “Thing is, we thought, since next year Thanksgiving is during a Moon-Fishing trip, we could do it this year.”

Micha boldy pat his uncle on the shoulder and immediately regretted it from the look he got. “Heh, Дядя Jovan.” Rarely did Micha use the Russian term. Only in tough spots. “Is one day. . .”

Theo swallowed, “Just one. Only one, promise?” He got a nod from the girls.

Jovan glowered over them all. The eyes felt like they were piercing into their souls. Silently Jovan handed the paper menu to Willow. He raised a strong, thick finger. “One.”

 

[Soliloquy]

Willow wasn't familiar with the terms that were being used, although she knew it was at least an app. Molly seemed to have the more 'hip' understanding of what was going on with the world these days, whereas she was much more content with homesy hobbies like crafting or reading. She felt like an old soul just talking about this teeny bopper stuff, honestly.

But that could all wait because it was time to let people in before Jovan growled...more than he already would. While initially Willow had chatted with Molly and Amalia about her desire to surprise everyone else with a Thanksgiving dinner. She had thought of trying to cook it in her own apartment but there was barely room and then trying to move it somewhere they could all sit would be a headache. They then had asked if Amalia would be willing to talk Jovan into letting them use the pub's kitchen. One thing led to another over a few glasses of kvas and the idea expanded into bringing an American Thanksgiving to the patrons as well.

Now they were faced to face with the Old Bear himself, Willow offering a sheepish grin as they were questioned. "Just one," she nodded quickly to Theo, thinking if they could get away with it, it'd be all she could hope for. She took the menu from him, carefully printed with a cartoon turkey and everything, and fought the urge to jump up and down when he permitted their shenanigans. "Thank you, Jovan!" A small part of her hoped if it went well enough he'd let them do the same for future holidays - well maybe just one special dish for his sanity sake.

 

[xrakkax]

Despite the reservations Jovan had over the American style menu, the patrons were pleasantly surprised. They, of course, rather have their favorites also available. So, after a short back and forth with Theo, he took her suggestion of maybe having an American option for major holidays in addition to the regular menu to Jovan. It took a few days for Jovan to give his answer, but he ended up being okay with that idea. One optional American meal for major holidays. But that was as far as he was going to go.

Aside from another loss at the hospital on the thirtieth of November, the rest of the month went well. December meant the beginning of another month of preparation for holiday cheer. This time for a celebration Americans tended to get hyped over for the presents. Theo had many weeks to keep an eye out for a great Christmas present for Willow. He hoped to wiggle around for info all sneaky-like if he could. Their dates were helpful.

Sunday afternoon, on the third, Theo decided to see how much she’d talk if he took her to a new pizzeria. It had been food she’d liked before. Occasionally Theo liked to take her someplace with blindfolds. Sometimes at a cozy shop, sometimes they ended up on a moonlit dinner on a boat. She never knew which and he thought that was fun.

Theo blindfolded her that day too, right after they got out of work. They rode for a little bit and by the time they stopped Willow could smell the sauce. Theo got off the bike, helped her down, and pulled the blindfold to reveal the Chez Bippy pizza shop. Named after the bar from the movie ‘A Bronx Tale’.

 

[Soliloquy]

The agreement for the holiday dish was a victory! Willow might have been a bit too enthusiastic once she heard the good news, already trying to sketch out what they'd do for different holidays in December and in 2018. This planning she kept to herself, less she anger Jovan more with her silly American traditions. It was a small desire of hers to have just a bit of home shared with her newfound pseudo family.

As the slight chill of winter in Texas fell upon them, it didn't seem to affect the growing warm bond between the two of them. Even when time was tight they were finding at least a little bit together here and there, which was at least something. Willow wondered if that slowing down the process of getting to know each other was for better or worse, and at this point was up in the air.

The blindfold dates were secretly her favorites, although she'd feign protest each time. It was almost as if she was given a chance to read his mind for even just a few moments, to see what his thoughts of her reflected in his date ideas. The thick scent of marinara made her grin as they stopped, eyes opened to show a cute pizzeria. "I love it," she said earnestly, taking his hand and entering.

Seated across from each other on a small table, it brought back memories of a date in a relatively familiar little Italy themed restaurant, also with someone who had the potential to court. With their pizza on the way and drink in hand, she decided it wouldn't take away from their moment to reminisce. "Before I left home for college the first time around I went out on the weirdest date. It was set up by our parents who wanted us to find someone from a 'similar background' to marry," her tone demonstrated just how preposterous it sounded now in hindsight. "We were supposed to go to some fancy joint but instead we fibbed and went for pizza. It looked a lot like this, actually."

 

[xrakkax]

Theo took a sip of the complimentary water, “Arranged dates?” He seemed to agree with the impression her tone gave with his own similar tone in his comment. As Willow talked of that night he merely enjoyed another moment of his Красивый reminiscing about these little memories of her past. “Oh, ha ha! That sound like you, Willow. Very fun.” Maybe this would be tucked in her mind library to be brought out when they were thinking back on how they met.

 

[Soliloquy]

Normally, in human conversation, if one party shares a story it's typical for the other to share a related, similar story. Apparently Theo didn't find this normal. The fact that he didn't or that he just wasn't going to reciprocate unprompted had been a slowly gnawing bother. Finally, Willow decided to speak on it.

"We have been seeing each other for nearly two months," she started slowly, building up to a perfectly healthy request. "We talk quite a bit during our dates and dinner, but I feel like I know almost nothing about you. I mean, I know plenty about Russia, and I know about work and the clinic, but I don't think I know a thing about your childhood or growing up. I mean, I learned more about Granya in a few minutes of looking at pictures that you'll tell me."

 

[xrakkax]

“Oh, eh, I so boring.” Theo tried to shrug it off like she wouldn’t find his past interesting, but the look on her face told him that wasn’t going to fly. His fingers found themselves busy by turning over his spoon and polishing it with his napkin. “Well, you know-- So my Mama is Russian, but my Otets-- my father--- was Romanian or Arabian. . .or something. We not sure.” Theo offered as something new, but when it was mentioned that was already known, he fished around for something else, “When I was four I found a rock shaped like Micha’s head.” Not good enough. “What you want to know? I--” Theo shifted in his seat. Maybe a bit of tit-for-tat would satisfy? “I did no go to school back home.” Theo rubbed his face, then scratched his chin. What else had she mentioned? Birthdays? What could he say about that? “Birthday tradition we begin only from seeing it here.” Theo felt pressure about matching her on the last that he wasn’t sure how to go about. “We not arrange dates in family.” He said finally. Somehow he thought none of what he did would really stop the questions about his family life growing up in Russia. And what he gave was barebones at most.

 

[Soliloquy]

She was getting scraps and she was looking for much, much more. He was uncomfortable with the spotlight on him but she was also very determined to get real responses. Taking a deep breath, she plunged in, this time pulling out the big guns. "Theo, I can't just not know things about you," she reached across the table, removing the spoon and taking his hand. "I need to know things about you, honest and real things. If there's no communication then all that we already have is for nothing."

 

[xrakkax]

“What you want me to say? Is cold, we fight bear, people die, and then we leave.” Theo exhaled exasperatedly. A silence lingered a moment before he looked back to Willow who took his hand. The agitation had all but gone from his face. It took courage to do what came next. And risk. Theo’s voice held back a sorrow he had not spoken of in years, and never to anyone outside of his immediate family.

“You want truth?” Theo flicked an annoyed glance at people who he saw were eavesdropping. He quieted his voice, speaking firmly, and honestly, but also with much pain, “Back there is lonely. Is dark. So much storm, so much life loss. Creatures try to kill and eat you all the time. People; they want to take freedom because they think they know how you to live you life. Friend turn on you. Family die at hand of enemy.” Theo frowned, his brows pushed together. He free hand ran over his mouth once. “My family we-- we leave behind hell hole. We break through surface, we breath fresh air, and come here to America where we can build life worth living.” He sighed, feeling this may have come off intense. Theo dropped his head, inhaling a steady breath. Eyes downcast. “Красивый, I don’t 'keep' good memories from you because I am being aloof. I just don’t have good memories to give. . .I know one day I tell you all of my past. I want to tell you all.” Theo looked back up at her. “But I. . .I don’t have strength right now.” All at once the weariness wrinkled the edges of his eyes. “One day. . .I promise.”

 

[Soliloquy]

Willow could feel her stomach churning to see how distraught he had become so quickly. What were just seen before as simply him brushing her inquiries off now properly revealed themselves to be a coping mechanism for so much pain radiating in his eyes. Chocolate eyes didn't stray from his face as he spoke, listening as he gave her just a glimpse into his battered and worn-down soul. It was enough to quiet her curiosity, or at least contain it to her own thoughts, for the time being.

Giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, she weakly smiled at him, trying so hard to convey her gratification for at least that to him through her eyes. "Thank you, Theo. I mean it - this means a lot to me. And I know that not all memories are good memories, but I would love to know about all of them, even the worst ones, when you're ready to tell me," she said gently, offering a truce to him, "But until then, we can focus on making good memories together, you and I."

 

[xrakkax]

“Thank you, Willow.” Theo murmured in sincerity. And just time too. Their food arrived. “Is not like Russian mafia, but deadly all same--”

The tray being placed in front of them lightly jittered, causing a brief clacking noise against the table top. Theo looked up at the pale face of Dave! Apparently he worked two jobs. The young man held up a grater and a block of cheese, “Would you like--” his voice cracked while his semi-wide eyes on Theo-- who once lived where people pelted uninvited guests with ice, and now seemed to have a past as deadly as the Russian mob-- “--ahem--would you like cheese?”

“Eh, no, is okay.” Theo offered a sheepish smile.

Dave was so grateful for the refusal he forgot to ask Willow and just walked away briskly. Both of them noticed that Dave had to ‘take his lunch’ while they were still meant to be his customers. A different waiter took their table. Theo thought it quite amusing. And also he felt maybe a little bad that Dave kept hearing them at the worst times.

The rest of the meal went well. Theo hoped what he had to say to Willow about the topic of whether Lyov or Granya were comfortable with at least Willow coming without calling ahead didn’t seem to derail their date either. It seemed the two were going to stick with the expectation of family and friends giving them a heads up. But, Theo said, in a playful way, if things worked out between him and Willow, calling ahead won’t be a policy for them if she wished it.

Between that day and the beginning of Moon-Fishing, Theo let them know another child had died from this strange sickness. They have so little information about it. Thankfully Theo would get as much understanding as he could, since they seemed to get his on his watch. Both a sad detail and a happy coincidence. There was a small part of him that wondered if he brought in some kind of contagious bacteria or virus. But no, that was not true. Theo was glad for Willows support in these times. It didn’t hit as hard as the first, but he did call her when it happened to express his sorrow.

Theo’s phone, though, was a tricky business. Balancing work and personal life turned out more difficult than expected. Occasionally he had to fudge and use Almaeri to charge his phone or keep it from dying just enough to tell Willow updates or to answer her. Sometimes he was in a position that did not allow this, so he had to let it die and meet the storm later if he forgot to check. The phone, or rather his efforts with it, had become an occasional point of contention.

Other than that, things went smoothly. Theo would be glad to know that Moon-Fishing had at least been stamped as a specifically ‘invite only’ situation early on. That took a load off his shoulders. When he did go on those trips, he thought of Willow. Theo thought of Willow a lot, really, but in the times he couldn’t do anything but think, he thought of her. Willow had tried to call him during these times. That just wasn’t going to work out. So Theo made it all glitchy and crackly. Calls and even texts were broken and useless on the sea.

So, Theo, when he came back to shore and headed home with the family, had thoughts of Willow dancing in his head. Sometimes more literal dancing. And he was eager to get the family inside the house and get in bed to call his lady love. Normally he called around noon. It varied, depending on what he needed to do beforehand.

The corolla rolled up the driveway and parked about in front of the door on that side. It was five or eight feet from the car so that Lyov could make it himself without too much trouble if he had to. Theo usually had to walk around to Granya’s side to help her out. She normally sat on the right behind shotgun. Sometimes laying down across the backseat. Today she was upright, although resting her head against the window. So Theo helped Lyov first.

As soon as Theo set Lyov up with his puzzle, he heard the sound of the broom fall by the door. Theo perked up and closed his left eye before he even felt Bandit call to him. Theo saw a familiar face parking a car on the street. Theo’s heart jumped, thinking of Granya still in the corolla. Bandit dutifully kept his eye on Willow while Theo swung his hand over the kitchen, dining room, and living room. Sage candles that were burning snuffed out and were neatly placed into drawers. A pelt of soft fur of a unique pattern folded up and slipped into the closet hidden behind a large painting of his parents wearing unique clothing. That painting too, changed. When before the clothes would have been an interest, now they seemed mundane and expected. Plants that hung, twisted and blue green, shrunk into their pots. All in time for Theo to jog to the car. He hoped to get Granya out before--

“Willow!” Theo exclaimed in forced delight. Granya wearily flicked her eyes up in surprise. Finn caw’d on her shoulder in distress. They were in a vulnerable position. Granya was too nauseous to come out of the car herself. Looking all pale, and sickly didn’t help to be casual. “Heh, why you come without call?”

 

[Soliloquy]

Aside from a date that would serve to further scar that poor waiter, everything felt like it was going smoothly. There were expectations laid out for behavior and it would serve to hopefully help minimize further complications or emotional conversations in pizzerias for that matter. Everything felt as right as it could when the family's Moon Fishing trip came up. A few days off from work were always a welcomed occasion, although the trade that she lost time with Theo would likely take a few more months to get used to.

Things were caught up around the house; groceries stocked, everything clean and ready for the stretch of work ahead in the busy month of December. Willow even forced herself to get Christmas shopping out of the way, a task that took much longer that year given how long her list of those she had cared about had grown. She had decided that it didn't matter what Jovan might or might not protest, everyone was at least getting something.

She also broke down and took a a large stack of cash out of the now completely full flour jar to the bank. She gained a few questioning glances from the teller but an explanation of being a waitress seemed to quiet any further prying when her account went up by a few thousand dollars. There was still a nest - just in case - hidden in the kitchen, but common sense told her that if it was just sitting there she might as well put it in savings to get a bit of interest. More money was more money, especially since she was getting more and more determined to move out of her current apartment.

She was running out of things to do and the fact that she couldn't even speak to Theo was frankly driving her nuts. Poor Molly had been bothered enough and was enjoying sleeping in and long baths with her new bathroom television, so she was left to her own means. An unexpected distraction came in the mail, the day prior to the end of the Moon Fishing trip. A thick crimson envelope with black exquisite lettering addressed to herself. Frowning, she walked back to the apartment as she looked it over, no return address in the corner. It was quite the change from the normal black and white demand of bills, and walking in the door, she opened it to be further surprised.

Everest James Crosse and Eleanor Marie Blackthorne
respectfully request that you reserve the date
October 31st, 2018
and join them as they are united in marriage
​

The words elegantly danced along the coated card, although for the most part it was quite simple. No hearts or cute pictures, likely at the weight of the groom. Willow was admittedly a bit ashamed to realize that her brother was going to be married but she'd never met his apparent fiance. Everest had mentioned Ellie the last time they had a brief call, but that was well over a year ago. Probably not the best sister in the world to be refusing calls when he was just trying to keep contact.

Besides the card, which was placed on her fridge for the time being (she'd have to think on that a lot more in the future) there was also a hand written note and two long, thin ticket stubs. Willow looked at the note first: 'Ellie and I hope you can make it. Don't be afraid to call or text, stranger. Love you, Will - Ev. P.S. Merry Christmas, brat.' The final items in the envelope were two tickets to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert in Houston on December 21st. It was a group she had been obsessed with when she was younger and even went through a small period of time where she insisted she'd join them in their musical greatness. Apparently those were things he hadn't forgotten over the years, despite it being the better part of a decade since she'd last seen him.

Her excitement over the upcoming concert was hardly contained until the next day. A few texts and even a couple of calls were tried to give Theo the great news, all to no response. Thankfully she knew from the month prior they'd arrive home right around noon. Jumping in her car, she sped over to his house, taking a few corners rather haphazardly. She pulled up only a few minutes after they did, stuffing the tickets in her back pocket before heading up toward the front door. She was surprised to see that he was coming out to meet her, wondering if her muffler was getting too loud again that it announced her arrival so quickly. Her eyes drifted over toward the car, spotting Granya for a brief second before she shrunk back into that trench coat of hers, making Willow frown in confusion.

"I had tried but there was no answer," she said, partially true, and deciding that wasn't fair to him. "Well, no answer yesterday, I thought maybe your phone had died. Again." It wasn't the first time it had happened and was a reasonable assumption. Her gaze went back to the car, concern etched across her features. " I had a surprise I wanted to show you as soon as you were home, but...Is Granya okay?" She also wondered why she was still in the car when Theo had been in the house.

 

[xrakkax]

It being the first time, though the attempt in his mind to reach them to call ahead wasn’t as well-done as he would have liked, he tried to take it in stride. Especially when Willow had noticed Granya. Theo coughed and opened the door for his niece. “Is sometime seasick.” He explained while he took Granya’s hand to help her out. “Forgot medicine for trip by time we get out far.”

The young woman did her best not to look up. Neither did she talk. She did, however, make a ‘huhrk’ sound when he said the words ‘sea’. Her hand flung to her mouth. Granya’s cheeks burned red for the embarrassment that she nearly darted forward. But her gait was wonky and she caught herself against the threshold of the door. Against both Theo and Willow’s doubtless attempt to see to her wellbeing, she waved them off grumpily. Theo tried to steady her, but she wordlessly pushed off her uncles hands and ran to her room. Within moments they heard the toilet flush.

Theo rubbed the back of his neck, “Eh, she doesn’t mean anything by it.” He said, offering an apologetic smile to Willow. "Probably upset to be seen."