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Fantasy St. George's School for Young Hunters (closed)

May was glad for the comfort, and he squeezed Alex's hand back as he stared down at the floor of the truck.

"I. I didn't think she would say things so bluntly," he admitted.


Agni was glad that Devon had said that, because it gave him an excuse to complain.

"It is exactly like that," he groaned, leaning back against the counter and relaxing a bit. "Most of those people have absolutely no leadership ability whatsoever, they just inherited their positions. Henrietta and I did as well, but she at least cares about the consequences of her actions."

It was probably inappropriate to be complaining like this, but.

"I tried to learn more about the world by leaving the island so that I could better understand how things work, and it was a little helpful. I learned how to run a household, and a country is basically just... a very, very large household, I suppose. Although it involves less cooking."

He scrunched up his nose, because cooking was his most hated duty. He couldn't taste anything, and the slightest mistake could make a dish unpalatable. He was fine if he followed recipes judiciously, usually. He found he was much better at baking than actually cooking.

The girls had liked his food, though sometimes they complained it was too bland. He had been told 'if it says one clove of garlic, add three', but he was certain that was too much garlic. You couldn't just change ingredient amounts like that, it was dangerous.

"Ever since the issue with the vote was settled, I have been fighting with one of the representatives to cut his housing allowance so we can fix the roads in the mountains. He claims he needs his indoor pool for the sake of his mental health. We live on an island! There is an ocean!"

He threw his hands up in the air in frustration, then realized exactly what he had just done and cleared his throat. He straightened his posture, his cheeks turning red.

"I, er, I apologize. That was inappropriate of me. But yes, I understand petty squabbles and power grabbing."

He went quiet for a moment, tapping his fingers against the counter.

"They seem to care for you a lot. All of you," he said quietly. "The household elders, that is. It is good that they were willing to fight for your wellfair. I may have been... premature in my unfavorable opinions when I first met you all."
 
Claudios very much wanted to sneak out. He wasn't sure what to do. He most certainly had not expected this when he had picked at Winona's and Vlad's relationship. Crying was not something he knew how to handle--especially not when it was two of the most dry-eyed people he knew.

But then Winona addressed him. He cleared his throat, but his voice still squeaked in an undignified manner when he said, "Yes, of course."

He frowned. He almost said that Devon had stopped texting him after Christmas, but he figured that wasn't exactly helpful. So Claudios just nodded.


Devon smiled a little to himself. Well, it was good to know it was not just vampires. It was inter-dimensional pseudodeities as well.

"Yeah, probably less cooking," Devon agreed wisely. Man, running an island sounded exhausting.

"An indoor pool?!" Devon asked, mirroring Agni's exhaspiration. "For his mental health on an island. Dang, think I can convince Vlad I need an indoor pool for my mental health?"

Vlad would probably give him a membership to a gym with a pool.

Devon chuckled a little at Agni's sudden embarrassment. "No worries. Nothing wrong with expressing your feelings."

He cocked his head, a slight smile playing over his mouth. "Yeah, they do. More than anyone else in my life, anyway." He paused, deciding to ignore Agni's admission that he had a poor opinion of them at the start. "You know, Bram and Vlad care about you, too. It may take a little time to build, but I bet you ten dollars they will fight for your well-being just as much. I mean, you didn't hear them. If Bram had had his way, he would have fought the entire Council for May. And Vlad would never admit it, but he was prepared to help. If you let them--or," he amended wryly, "even if you don't--they'll start deeply caring about you, too. It just takes a little time to earn their trust. Right now they're just trying to figure you out. My first few months here was a little rocky, believe it or not. But you'll mesh with the rest of us eventually, and you'll have Bram and Vlad mothering you just as much as they do us."


Outside, a car door slammed and three pairs of feet approached. The door unlocked itself and swung inward just as Bram approached. "No, the goal is one trip," he was staying as he stepped inside, at least thirteen bags of groceries in his arms. Vlad made him use the reusable bags, but that just meant he could get more in them. "That way you don't have to come back--"

He froze as his gaze landed on Winona and Vlad, and he just nearly dropped all the bags on the floor in the hallway before storming into the living room. "What the hell happened?" Spotting Claudios trying to make himself smaller, Bram rounded on him. "Listen here, you plague-ridden bloody pile of silver shit--"

"Abraham," Vlad sighed, hoping to cut off the tapestry of Dutch, vampire, and English curses Bram was weaving.

But Bram was this close to grabbing Claudios von Batts and shaking him. Vlad was the sort of person who bottled up everything and then would cry like maybe once a year. Winona was also not the sort of person to cry and hold tightly to Vlad. So something had happened that made Vlad's eyes red and had Win gripping him in an awkward hug. And Bram's money was on Von Batts.

"The hell did you do to my vampires you son of a--"

"It wasn't his fault," Vlad said.

"Don't lie to me, Vladimir," Bram snapped.

"Ok, it wasn't mostly his fault," Vlad said.

Bram broke off his glare and dropped to his knees next to Winona and Vlad and pulled them both into a hug. Vlad sank into the hug, allowing a few more tears to leak from his eyes. Bram wouldn't say anything about the wet spot on his shirt.

For his part, Bram realized he had just walked from one heartache to another. "Fu--"

"Abraham."

"--uuudge," Bram groaned, drawing the word out.

Vlad sighed. More bad news, then.

"Is that a knife in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" Bram whispered to distract Vlad.

"Knife."

Bram snorted. "Can we throw Von Batts out?"

"Abraham," Vlad sighed.

It seemed Vlad could only manage one-word answers at the moment, but Bram figured he couldn't judge too harshly. He shifted to that Vlad was sandwiched between himself and Winona on the couch. He draped his arm over Vlad's and Winona's shoulders so he could rub her back soothingly. He didn't like how much Vlad was leaning on him or Win's red eyes and snotty nose.

"Somebody tell me what the hell happened or I'll use more colorful words," Bram threatened.

"Is there ice cream in that?" Vlad asked.

"Boys!" Bram shouted. "Can you put away the frozens?"

"I honestly am at a loss," Von Batts admitted.

"No wonder the Council sucks so much since you run it."

"I'm not sure what more you want from me," Von Batts said, his tone defensive.

"Do you say that to the unfortunate women you sleep with, too?"

"Abraham!" Vlad said as Claudios' facial muscles got more of a workout in a few seconds than they had all year.

"I want you to not be a dick. What'd you do to them? The only thing stopping me from strangling you with my bare hands is Vlad's head on my arm, so start talking."

Claudios floundered. "Well, I merely asked why Vladimir was angry with Winona and then--"

"Oh." Bram lifted his eyebrows and glanced at Winona and Vlad. "Fixed?"

"More or less," Vlad said.

"Wow, we should have had this idiot over sooner."

Claudios relaxed slightly as Bram leaned back into the couch. It seemed Abraham Leeuwen was not about to murder him, and once again, he was not sure why.
 
Winona felt exhausted. And something else, too- Not quite 'safe', because that wasn't really an emotion Winona knew how to feel yet, or at least identify. But she wasn't in any physical danger, and the uncomfortable knot of emotions that had been living beneath her ribs once she had realized that Vlad was unhappy with her had loosened and almost entirely dissolved with the knowledge that he wasn't anymore.

She felt tired, like she could fall asleep right where she was- And not toss restlessly from dreams she could never quite recall, or wake with a start in half an hour to panic that she'd left her back exposed to danger. Maybe.... She could ask Vlad if he would stay if she slept for awhile? The truck pulled into the driveway, a noise that felt faraway but comforting nonetheless. Vlad would probably say yes, she thought, but the idea of asking felt intrusive somehow-

The feeling of contented relief that had been settling over her shattered with Bram's booming accusations.

"M'fine, m'fine," she protested adamantly, trying to right herself and scramble away from Vlad and the display of vulnerability. She didn't make it very far before Bram had wrapped them both in his arms and she went a bit limp.

"S'not a big deal," she muttered. Why did it need to be such a big deal? Over his shoulder she could see the rest of them in the hallway- Alex was staring into the room with obvious surprise and curiosity, but he had the good sense to look away before she met his eyes. He was suddenly very interested in juggling the groceries he had taken from Bram.

"Yeah, we're on it," he called back in response to Bram's request. Maybe put away the rest of the items, too, he thought for good measure. Plus there was still the soda in the back seat- Alex had intentionally put it there, even if it was a bit awkward for him and May to sit with it at their feet, so that Bram wouldn't see it when he assessed how much he could carry.

"It's not a big deal," Winona repeated mulishly, a bit more articulated this time. She shifted again, curling up on the couch so that her head was pressed up against Vlad's thigh, like a cat pretending to be uninterested in the activities of its human but wanting the company nonetheless.
 
Agni went still, his eyes widening in surprise before he quickly looked back at the table.

"I-- That may not be wise," he said quickly, feeling very flustered. "I am not-- I am not experience in these kinds of relationships. Human relationships, I mean. Vampire relationships? I do not-- I do not have many friends."

Ok, he was just making himself out to be a loser now.

"I mean. My kind don't have families. I am not entirely sure how to be cared about, in that sense. I have a feeling I would be quite bad at it."

He said it without a hint of awareness, like that was a normal thing to say. But really, it was always strange going from spending time with May and Henrietta to spending time with other humans and guardians. People who just treated him like a person - like somebody who could be cared about - were rare. It would take a lot of getting used to.

Luckily, it seemed like the other group was home, so he could get out of this conversation.

May had come in with Alex and nodded, saluting Bram. It was easier to be upbeat and happy than to process everything that happened, so he nodded as he grabbed the bags of frozen vegetables and popsicles for the kitchen.

"Roger dodger," he said, making sure not to look at Win as he went to the refrigerator. Agni frowned as he looked at the number of bags, getting curious as he went over to peek over May's shoulder.

"Surely you don't need that many frozen sweets," he said, a little aghast. May huffed and hip-checked him, since his hands were full.

"Don't complain about ice cream, you nerd. More ice cream is a good thing."

Agni scrunched up his nose, clearly not quite agreeing to that, but he wasn't about to start arguing.
 
Devon snorted. "Join the club. None of us are particularly good at being cared about, either." He smiled. "And they're just people relationships. You'll get used to them."

Devon hurried out at the sound of the others arriving and began gathering the dropped bags. He spared a glance into the living room but quickly hurried off. He didn't need that, clearly. He wasn't the one who needed the attention.




Bram leaned back into the couch. "So... did we talk about the home?"

Vlad nodded.

"We're all good?"

Vlad nodded again.

Bram turned to Von Batts. "Anything else you needed?"

Claudios hesitated. "Your father--"

"No longer a problem," Bram said firmly. "The Guild has him in their Eastern European holding cells."

Claudios grunted. He wasn't about to pretend for Bram's sake that the Guild wouldn't use Jurriaan Leeuwen's knowledge in their own endeavors. Claudios would be surprised if the man wasn't loose within the year. He just hoped that nearly killing his own son had tempered his desire to go after Winona and Devon.

"Welp," Bram said, standing. Claudios rose quickly as well. "Guess that's all then. Don't let the door hit you on your way out--oh. Hey! Devon!"

Devon poked his head in the living room. "Um... yeah?"

Bram waved him over, and Devon slunk to his side, not really sure what was going on. Bram rested his hands on his shoulders. "Devon was my right-hand man in Transylvania. Without him by my side, I wouldn't have been able to keep everyone safe. You should be proud of him."

Devon felt heat spread across his cheeks at the praise. He looked up at his father. The man looked like he wasn't sure what his face should be doing. Devon deflated a little. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting.

"You should be proud of him," Bram repeated, emphasizing each word as if perhaps he thought Claudios von Batts had forgotten how to speak English.

"Oh, yes, I am," Claudios said. Then he reached out and patted Devon on the head like he was ten. "Good job. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," Devon said, not really sure what to say.

Claudios adjusted his suit, carefully avoiding Bram's glare. "Well, I'll be going. Looks like you have... groceries to handle."

The door opened when he approached and slammed loudly, nearly catching his rear end.

Bram said something in Dutch that sounded like a curse. This was confirmed by Vlad's, "Abraham" from the couch.

"You have no legs to stand on, Mr. Slam the Door."

"That was the house."

"Bullshit," Bram said. "This house isn't old enough to be acting on it's own. It was responding to you." Bram suddenly grabbed Devon in a headlock, and the teen shrieked. "Whatever, I'm proud of you, you little punk."

"Let me go!" Devon yelled as Bram gave him a noogie.

Devon continued to complain loudly as Bram pulled him into a fierce hug. "Ugh, stop! I'm not a little kid!"

"You'll be a little kid until you're like 100," Bram said before finally releasing him.

"You messed up my hair!" Devon complained.

"Come here," Vlad said from the couch.

Devon crouched and allowed Vlad to smooth his hair and clothes. Vlad paused and looked into his eyes for a second before giving him a soft proud smile. Devon felt warmth spread over his face again.

"Alright, stop, Mom," he said, straightening. But Devon reached over and squeezed Winona's shoulder. Today wasn't so bad after all.

"Well, Vlad is clearly trapped and can't help," Bram said, looking pointedly at Vlad's hand, which was gently stroking Winona's short hair.

"Not true," Vlad said, shifting.

"No, stay. We got this."

Vlad made a face at the direct command but that was the only protest he mustered. "Wait, what did the doctor say?"

Bram pulled the sticky note from his pocket and passed it to Vlad. "You'll keep this safer than I will. We'll talk later, okay? You keep watch over Winona. But with your eyes closed. You haven't slept in like two years."

Satisfied that Vlad would stay put for at least the time being, Bram strode into the kitchen. "Alright, we got everything organized? I'm going to cook tonight. What are we hankering for?"
 
The past two days had been... A lot. Winona had slept a lot, which was probably good, even if it was a bit strange to have a lump on the couch that occasionally peered out from the blankets with her blurry eyes to look around the room and make sure someone else was still there. Vlad and Bram had been having a lot of quiet conversations about what paths they should start for researching May's... 'condition', but didn't seem to have reached anything more definitive than 'everywhere'. Everyone had been trying to give May space, and Alex and Devon had self appointed themselves to make things seem as normal as possible. Agni was probably weirded out by the whole thing- They weren't really doing a great job at giving him a regular 'person' experience, even by their own skewed standards.

Maria had called Vlad last night, suggesting she could take Winona 'out for breakfast to discuss some guidelines', which Alex felt... A bit guilty about? He knew he'd been the one to ask his aunt for advise on how to help Winona in the first place, but.... Maria wouldn't offer if she didn't think she could help. And Vlad wouldn't accept if he didn't think the same. He was pretty sure, at least.

She'd shown up that morning behind the wheel of black Prius, which had been surreal. Alex could count on his fingers the number of times he'd seen his aunt in a car, and he'd never seen her drive. It would have made more sense to him that Maria was planning on transforming into a hawk and carrying Winona in her talons to their destination, than that she might drive them.

There was really no way to be sure when they'd be back- Maria had said 'breakfast' but he could remember days when he'd been stressed and overwhelmed as his child and his aunt had picked up for a simple task, and they'd spent the day in a museum or walking through the streets of some town he didn't know, until he'd felt ready to face his life again. And wondering about them was really just stalling on his own objective for the day.

He took a deep breath and knocked on May's door, his hand pushing it open slightly.

"Umm hey," he said. "It's me." Which was obvious, he supposed.

"You can totally say 'no' and I'll understand and leave you alone," he prefaced. "But umm- Well. I thought... Maybe we should talk?"

He pushed his hair out of his face and behind his ears awkwardly.

"I mean I want to respect your space and all but I feel like it gets weirder the longer we don't talk about it, you know? So... Would now be a good time?"

----

Winona got out of the car once it had parked along the curb, with a white styrofoam box that presumably carried leftovers, and a paper bag imprinted with the logo of a local cafe. Maria carried a to-go cup with the same logo, steam still rising from the whole in the lid. Once inside Winona put the box into the fridge and set the bag on the counter, before frowning at it. "Can I take these to my room?," she asked.

Maria raised an eyebrow. "I bought them for you, you may treat them as any other belonging- Are you normally allowed muffins in your room?"

Maria glanced over at Bram and Vlad, who were presumably interested in a report on more than muffins.

"They don't need to be put in the fridge and I will eat them before they grow mold and I will eat them on a plate," Winona rattled off, which Maria assumed were the prerequisites for having food in her room.

"Winona," Maria prompted firmly. "You said you would think about it on the drive here, and now you have to decide: Would you like to be here and help me tell Bram and Vlad what we talked about, or would you prefer I do that alone?"

Winona shifted uncomfortably. "Umm..."

"I have already agreed not to share the things that you asked me to keep between us, as they represent no current danger to yourself or to others," Maria said seriously, and Winona flinched, looking annoyed at Maria for having even admitted the existence of such things in the first place. "I will abide by that."

Winona paused a bit longer, looking between Maria and her guardians before deciding, "I.... Want you to do it. I want to sleep."

"Okay," Maria said. "Take a plate for your muffins." Winona did so, darting another furtive look between the adults before fleeing up the stairs.

Once they'd heard her door shut, Maria sighed and turned back to Vlad and Bram.

"Well, I think it went about as well as it could," she announced. "If that makes you feel any better."
 
May had been trying his best to go about things as normal.

It... was a lot easier than he thought it should have been. He was certain, in some way, that knowing that his impending death was much sooner than he had expected would rattle him. It would change things in some way, making the future seem scary.

It didn't. Maybe he had just been living with the knowledge of his own fate for so long that he'd grown accustomed to it, but while everyone around him was worried and whispering in hushed tones, he just felt... the same as always. Maybe a little more anxious, but not really. His lack of reaction only served to make him feel like the strange one, and it had bothered him a little. He had tried his best to be as outspoken and bright as usual, but even he knew he was a little more withdrawn.

He hadn't spent so much time holed away in his room since he'd moved into the townhouse, so he was expecting Alex to come to his door sooner or later. He was still spending time with him, and they'd watched an old movie together the night before (while May went on and on and on about the special effects and what the blood was made of and how they did the monster scenes) but he knew that he had been off.

Still, he put on his brightest smile as he opened the door.

His room was a little less messy than his room had been at Gabriel's, if only because there was a higher chance of somebody coming in here, and his dirty clothes were at least in the laundry basket rather than strewn about all over the floors. His bed, though, was a neon nest of blankets, because making a bed that you were going to sleep in again was stupid and May was an adult so he didn't have to do it.

He still did sometimes because he could feel Vlad's stare of parental disapproval, but he didn't have to.

Books on all kinds of rocks and magic and wellness lined the large sticker-covered bookshelf, and the walls were covered in posters of obscure indie movies and old japanese tokusatsu shows. Madam Zilla the godzilla plush was rested against a very large pillow shaped like Ultraman's head, both set on the bed near the headboard. Most of his action figure collection had stayed back on Domina, because he had limited wall space, but a few were displayed on floating wall shelves along with cool rocks and fun crystals he'd collected over the years. Going back home had given him an excuse to bring stuff back, and his room felt more like his room than it had in ages.

"Hey! Yeah, no, come on in," he said quickly, inviting Alex into the room and pulling out the rolling desk chair so he could sit.

Alex wanted to talk. Right. May grimaced, because he was kind of dreading this, but he couldn't turn Alex away.

"Right. No, you're right. I'm sorry. I've been kind of out of it the past few days, so it makes sense. You're worried, right? I promise, I'll be fine. I'm totally used to this sort of thing, so gimme a week and I promise I'll bounce right back. Sorry if I've kind of been a bummer in the meantime."



Over the past few days, Agni had managed to make himself more or less at home in the basement. He hadn't slept once since arriving, spending his nights sitting on the back porch quietly speaking into his bluetooth headset with Henrietta, and going over emails with text to speech. He was trying to relax a little, delegating work to the evening and night time, and spending the days attempting to understand what a normal family was.

It was... kind of difficult. The stench of anxiety and worry hung over the house like a cloud, and he didn't truly understand why.

He knew it had to do with the serpent and the eldest daughter. They were both out of sorts, and Agni had no idea why.

He imagined that it might have something to do with the alchemist's report on May's body, but he didn't know what it was, because nobody had told him. It was inappropriate to ask, so he'd just spent the days attempting to behave like normal.

Which meant he had spent the days meticulously cleaning the basement, making sure every surface was dust free and then meticulously placing clean object back exactly where he'd found it.

The elder vampire had told him he could make himself at home down there, but Agni wasn't entirely sure what 'at home' meant. On the mainland, he had stayed in a dorm room with one of the escorts at the shop, and he didn't have many worldly possessions to begin with. After wondering about it for several days (and googling what 'making yourself at home' meant so he was certain he had the definition right) he had made a list of things he would need and decided that he would ask about visiting a store... at some point.

Maybe.

He hadn't quite gotten up the nerve to leave the house yet, since this city was far more populous than Domina island. He didn't know any of these people, and without bravado lent by purpose, he wasn't ready to leave his comfort zone. The back yard was fine (especially since the neighbour's cat tended to roam at night, and would occasionally come to greet him) but anything else was... a bit much.

He had considered ordering on Amazon, but he hadn't gotten permission to have packages delivered, and asking for permission felt presumptuous.

It was... a conundrum.

It didn't help that he hadn't slept in over a month.

It wasn't yet to the point that his cognitive abilities were impaired, so he was planning to wait a little longer. Still, sometimes his thoughts would trail off, and it was a little difficult to focus on what the others were saying.

He knew he had to sleep soon, but he still had work to do. That took priority.

So in the meantime he busied himself with the kettle in the kitchen, his bag of tea-leaves clutched in one hand. The aroma helped to anchor him, and he squinted at the mug tree as he tried to figure out which one he could use for his drink.
 
Despite everything falling apart, Bram retained his optimism. Or, so he had thought.

He had come home from a late-night run to the grocery store to find Vlad seated at the kitchen table with two bottles of jenever open before him. His stash had disappeared after Devon had experimented with alcohol, and he had not been at all surprised to see it magically reappear. He knew he could have asked Vlad where it was, but so much had happened he hadn't felt like sitting down and enjoying a bottle.

Bram had immediately smelled a trap, but he sat down anyway and watched with amusement when Vlad clinked his bottle to his own and then swallowed down some of the jenever. He coughed and made a face, and Bram grinned. They had just sat there for a little while, Vlad taking sips and making a face each time; Bram chuckling and swigging his own. Bram wasn't about to play the guessing game to figure out what this was about, and Vlad would state his purpose eventually.

But Bram had not been prepared at all.

"We're going to talk about what happened," Vlad said, dropping all pretenses and using contractions like a normal person, "and you're not going to pretend like you're fine."

Bram had been stubborn--he was the happy, cheerful guy that everyone looked to to be fine, he was fine--but Vlad was more stubborn. Soon he was admitting that he was not fine, his own father had tried to murder his kids and had nearly killed him, May was dying and they didn't know what to do, Devon was trying so hard to be the good kid and that wasn't good for him, Winona still didn't think of herself as loved, Scarlet was gone, Alex was anxious, Agni was having a lot dumped on him in these first few days, and he was a terrible parent and he sucked at this dad thing and why had he thought he would be better than his father? Then he was crying and Vlad was hugging him.

They had stayed up the reminder of the night, drinking coffee, talking, and brainstorming. They hadn't really come up with anything, but Bram had felt a lot better.

Vlad, however, had been tense all morning. Bram wasn't really surprised. It had taken a lot for Vlad to agree to let Maria meddle. He was still furious with her for giving Winona magic without telling either of them, and Bram had never thought he would see the day when Vlad let someone on the Council help. Love did crazy things, Bram supposed.

So Bram just squeezed his friend's shoulder when he noticed Vlad's knuckles whitening on his coffee mug as Maria strode into their kitchen.

"Yes, you may," Vlad answered Winona. Once she was gone, he turned back to Maria, his expression shifting to the aloof one he used for non-family members. At least it was not the mocking smirk he reserved for the Council, Bram thought.

"How we feel about it is immaterial," Vlad said, refilling his coffee mug. "What transpired is far more important. Can I get you something to drink?"
 
"Umm," Alex agreed, taking a seat in the rolling chair. It spun a bit when he sat and he slowly swung back around to face May. Where May's feet would have dangled, Alex's more than reached the floor and he dug his heels into the carpet. He was wearing a pair of brightly polka-dotted socks that had appeared in his stocking over Christmas and he frowned down at them when May responded.

"Well- I mean, yeah, I'm worried," Alex admitted. He was very worried, as was pretty much everyone in the house. "But I'm not worried about your reaction? That seems.... Normal. I guess. Or at least- I think anyone would be a little subdued after getting that kind of news."

His frown deepened after a moment's consideration- He probably wouldn't have picked up on it if it wasn't for the last year of trying to decipher Winona.

"You don't need to bounce back in a week," he said firmly. "Or on any specific timeline. You know that right?," he said, a little worried. "Nobody expects you to like, perform cheerfulness for our sake. Like of course we want you to be your bouncy self," he clarified. "But only if you are feeling bouncy. There's no expectation of bouncing. I need to stop saying bounce, sorry," Alex cut himself off as he began to ramble.

----

"There's that charming pragmatism you are so known for," Maria said dryly, taking a seat in the living room. "No thank you," she said, declining Vlad's offer. "I cannot sustain an appetite like Annabelle, but this tea suits me fine," she said, raising her cup from the cafe and taking a drink.

"Here, catch," she said, after slipping her hand into her pocket and tossing them each a very small plastic bag, the kind used to hold seed beads or other small objects. "Keep it in your hand or your pocket while we talk," she instructed. She had one of her own and opened the bag, breathing into it to activate the charm and its siblings- Nickel sized discs of some hard waxy like substance, dried herbs pressed into one side and a symbol carved onto the other. "It's hard to have private conversations in a vampire's house," she reminded them. She meant no insult to Vlad's homemaking skills, but she doubted he'd lived in the townhouse long enough for it to have generated any magical soundproofing, and even if a human construction crew had done their best, there was three teen vampires whose vampiric abilities were growing in along with their fangs.

"She has agreed to live with you until she is at least eighteen," Maria announced, doing away with any suspense in favor of getting on with it. "Legally eighteen." Since Winona and Devon's official documents listed them as younger than they really were, Maria had anticipated Winona might try to find some wiggle room in that regard.

"She was a bit anxious about the inflexibility of that," Maria admitted. "It seemed futile to convince her it was about the spirit of the thing, so we came up with concrete caveats. So long as she lets you know ahead of time, she can leave to visit Emeline or the Yates. You can impose limits on the duration of those visits but she wants to have the option at least. Other people could be added to that list if you agree to them. Perhaps Scarlet, Dumont or even Von Batts. I don't think she wants to visit him, but I imagine she would be at least safe with him for as long as it take for him to call you in a panic."

"In terms of straight-up running away- She has agreed she will only consider it if she feels there is a clear and present danger, and she is unable to communicate with you." Winona had been about to spiral into a realm of 'but-what-if's and Maria had thought it best to cut it off at the head. "If she does, she needs to contact one of the three of us within two days to report on her location and condition. She is also aware that while I will not put a limit on her emergency card, transactions are recorded and that we will have access to the details. Additionally, I have set it so that you will both get an alert for any transaction over $300."

She'd given both Devon and Winona credit cards for emergency use after she'd helped them navigate that initial hoo-rah with the Council- It hadn't occurred to her that Winona didn't realize it was traceable.
 
May hesitated for a second, unsure.

"Well... I guess. To be honest, I hadn't really thought of it that way," he said slowly.

Alex was being very kind and understanding, and May felt like he was a little out of his depth. Or a lot out of his depth, really. He wasn't sure what the 'normal' reaction to this was supposed to be, but he was pretty sure this wasn't it. Maybe that was part of the problem. He had never been super good at communication, and he was kind of dense. Maybe... maybe he needed to stop assuming that everyone understood how he felt and actually explain things properly for once.

"I'm not really upset, is the thing," he said finally, flopping back onto the bed. "I want you to know I didn't keep this from you on purpose. I talked to Gabriel a few days ago, and he told me it was kind of a terrible thing to do. But I grew up with everyone important around me knowing that I would die young. I was always gonna die by twenty-five. That was just... It was common knowledge, and it was normal, you know? So when I met you guys, I kind of forgot that it isn't normal normal. I never brought it up because it didn't seem important. It's just... It's the way things are, you know?"

He frowned, because he got the distinct feeling he was probably being a bummer. But he couldn't handle the way everyone around him was all sad and depressed about this.

"I realize now that I should have said something, but I just... Olivia wanted to kill me when I was a baby, to prevent the whole end of the world thing. But then Henri argued against that. She was six years old and she stood up to her mom for me, some random baby she'd just met. And Agni's grandpa, the old dragon, told Olivia to let it go. So then Olivia said ok, we'll let him live until he's ten, but then he'll be dangerous. So I grew up knowing that I'd die when I was ten. And it was kind of terrifying as a kid, but I just... got used to it. And then Henri stood up for me again, and she ousted her mom as representative, and set up the voting system instead, so I could stay alive a little longer, because she pretends to be grumpy but she's really nice underneath it all. So every few years it was like... Well I guess this one could be the last. And I just... got used to it? I mean I'm still alive, of course, and I like being alive, but like... This has always been on the table, even without the whole homunculus thing."

He trailed off for a second, staring up at the ceiling.

"Honestly, what's weird to me is that everyone's trying so hard to stop it. Vlad thinks I haven't seen his weird alchemy books, but like, I know he and Bram are doing all kinds of crazy research, and that they're trying to find some way to extend my life. And I know that you're gonna be sad, and Win and Devon'll probably be sad, but this is just... it's how things are."
 
Vlad glanced at Bram at Maria's comment, but Bram just shrugged. He had given his vampire a very firm talking to about how this was not going to be a pissing match or he was going to pull out a ruler for measuring purposes. Vlad had gone bright red at that and Bram had enjoyed a few moments of his friend's spluttering before saying he was kidding. Mostly.

Bram flopped into his armchair, and Vlad perched on the arm, sipping his coffee. Bram caught both bags and set one on his thigh and the other on Vlad's.

"Yeah, we usually lock ourselves in our tiny closet when we need to talk," Bram said, trying to dispell some of the tension.

Vlad listened intently, nodding at each stipulation Maria listed off. He had learned with Amya that kids often confided things in other adults that they didn't want to confide in their parents, but that didn't make it any easier. With Amya at least it had been one of the aunties in her pack. Maria had no familial connection to them, and he was certain that she would come calling for a return on the favor one of these days. Bram said he was just being paranoid, but trust was not exactly something Vlad had mastered.

Bram was starting to feel like he was reading the terms and conditions--and he never read those, much to Vlad's chagrin. But he was fairly sure Maria was not fey, so it should be fine.

"We really appreciate you going through that with Win," Bram said, figuring he might be the more diplomatic one for once. "But I think, when you offered to help, Vlad and I were hoping you might be able to talk through some things with her." He glanced at Vlad, who nodded. "We've all been through a traumatic few months and we thought she might be more comfortable talking through that with you since you are an adult she knows and trusts. We've looked for a therapist, but there really aren't a lot around here that know about the supernatural, let alone serve them."

There were a few, but nearly all of them worked for the Hunter's Guild, and Bram figured that was not the sort of help they were looking for.

"And is there anything else you have given Winona that her guardians should know about?" Vlad asked it as politely as possible, and Bram was impressed--he still swatted Vlad's leg, though.

Vlad showed no sign of regretting his question. He had not taken the bracelet off since Transylvania, even though Winona had long ago broken the link. It probably wasn't good for him--two very different vampires' magics rarely got along when they weren't linked by anything--but the anxiety that Winona would run off again and try to contact him through it would never leave him.
 
"Yeah, I figured," Alex said, when May clarified that he hadn't intentionally not told them about his impending expiration date. Or at least, he'd hoped so.

If he was being honest with himself- which he wasn't- he was a bit... Upset with May, for having kept it a secret.

On the practical side, it was time lost that they could have been researching and problem-solving. Less practically- What about the rest of them? Like, Winona was clearly attached to May, and was able to identify the ways he had been mistreated even when she could ignore the parallels in her own life. She advocated for him and got angry for him in ways she didn't seem to be capable of doing for herself yet, and suddenly she'd learned that her insistence that May should get to lead a normal, safe life didn't matter because he was dying anyways.

Hadn't May thought about how his death and having hidden it might affect her?

(Hadn't May thought about how it might affect Alex? Was he just a distraction? An experiment while May still had the time? Was their relationship even - )

Alex didn't let himself dwell on these concerns. He knew they were hyperbolic and unrealistic and stupid, especially concerned to what May was saying know.

"What," he said in equal shock and disgust. "That's awful!" Growing up with the knowledge that your body would eventually fail you and be possessed by a spirit bent on destroying the world was bad enough. Growing up knowing that your neighbors were going to kill you once you were ten was even worse. "I knew Olivia sucked, but wow- What a piece of work."

He had the inane thought that he should send Henri a fruit basket, before realizing that hardly scratched the surface. Maybe he could convince his parents to buy her a house or pay her tuition or something.

"Well, of course we're going to stop it," Alex said, surprised that the confidence of his voice felt genuine. "Vlad and Bram are practically experts at weird-magic-shit at this point, and they've got connections with like, half the supernatural world to ask for favors and research and possible leads. My family's got the other half covered, and Maria has finally agreed to digitizing her library- She's got materials from hundreds of time periods and cultures, I'm talking Maya codices and even a few pieces copied from the Xianyang archives," he said excitedly, though he supposed the solution to May's lifespan was unlikely to be found in Chinese philosophy from 2nd century BCE.

And that even if Maria had agreed to the digitization and to let Vlad and Bran have copies of things deemed relevant, she probably still didn't want people knowing too much about her collection.

"There's some pretty advanced text reading software that even has language recognition in it, I've been trying to find the one that will be easiest for me to update for our needs- But then we can search for certain keywords across all the different texts we can digitize. We'll find something, I'm sure."

_______


"Yes, we talked through a lot of things," Maria said, pausing as she considered how to best summarize and failing to come up with anything satisfactory. "Winona is- Well. 'Going though a lot' doesn't really cover it, does it," she mused. "From what I understand, she's been having a continual panic attack since she disobeyed you and went after Leeuwen Senior, and it really only ended once she was able to accept that you weren't going to punish her unduly for it. And that's just what's happened in the last month- There's a dozen plus years of fucked-up shit she's been though."

"The biggest problem- at least from what I can discern- is that she doesn't have to tools to handle what she is going through and been subjected to, or to try and communicate about it with others. Unfortunately, time and exposure to healthy interactions are probably the best solution to that, even if we can find her a therapist."

"She's shot down the idea of a therapist when I brought it up to her in the past, but I don't think I explained it very well," Maria admitted. "We revisited it, and she is... Willing to try it. I've seen a few over the years that might be appropriate, I'll see who's still practicing- and doing virtual visits- and give you their information. She did stipulate that anyone she sees has to be approved by Vlad first, though," Maria said, as though this were the most interesting revelation in the last few sentences.

She frowned at Vlad's rather blunt question, and sighed. "She still has the bracelet with my feather in it if she needs to escape something in a pinch, but no- I haven't given her anything else," she said, answering his question completely even when he really ought to have been more careful in the phrasing.

"I should apologize for that," she said regretfully. "It was my intention that she would feel safer and more secure- I did not anticipate she would actually use it. A misjudgement on my part, and not one I intend to make again." She narrowed her eyes at Vlad. "I know you are accustomed to seeing me treat with the other Councilors, but I am not actually offering my help as part of some elaborate scheme to undermine you in the future."
 
May chewed on his lower lip, fisting his hands into his bedspread. Alex was clearly very outraged on his behalf, and he appreciated it. He really did. It was just... strange.

"I... Thank you," he said quietly. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be crying about this or not. Would crying be normal? He mostly felt confused and overwhelmed, but so far he wasn't really feeling teary. He wasn't really feeling angry either. Just... tired.

"I just... Gabe said Olivia was terrible too, when I told him about this. But... I didn't think she was terrible, you know?" He hated how rough his voice came out, and he closed his eyes so he didn't have to see whatever expression was on Alex's face when he looked at him. "I just... I want to try and explain it, because I know that the way we see these things is different. Or, I've realized it, I guess. Other than you, Vlad, Bram, Win and Devon, the only friend I've ever had who wasn't from Domina was Gabe. And it took me a long time to explain this to him too, and I guess I just forgot that most people are... different. But I didn't think Olivia was some horrible evil woman. She was just the person in charge who was trying to make the best decision for everyone. She wasn't going after me, or being awful on purpose, it's just... the way things were."

He took in a shaky breath. While he had opened up to Gabriel about this, it had been a slow process over months of friendship. He'd never had to say it all out in one breath like this, never had to come out and explain it properly. He still didn't really want to. He wanted to keep acting like Alex and Bram and Vlad and everyone else were the odd ones for not understanding his position, rather than the other way around.

"Back home, things are different. Some things are just the way it is. Like me dying. I was born because people were trying to do something bad, right? So I need to make that right, and me dying is making that right. And Agni, Agni didn't even do anything but exist, but he's gotta die with me, because that's just how it is. We don't try to change it. It's like, it's what we were put here for, and it sucks, but it's just our lot in life. That's how everyone thinks."

It still made sense to him. Trying to extend his life had a very small chance of success, so why was everyone trying so hard for it? He'd known ever since he had first stabbed himself months ago and everyone had been terrified, as if his death was some horrible thing rather than something that was just meant to happen. People like Alex and Bram and Vlad didn't just take things as they were, they fought to get the outcome that they wanted. It was the complete opposite to everything May had ever known. He didn't completely understand it, and he didn't know how to feel that way himself, and a small part of him felt like he was failing them for it.

"I feel like I'm doing a terrible job of explaining this, but I talked to Gabe and Henri and they both gave me some perspective, so I figured I needed to just try to make you understand. I really, really appreciate you guys all wanting to help me, but I don't... I don't know how to be helped. I've never, ever considered the possibility of the future changing, and I don't... I'm trying to get on board with this, but wanting to live, to decide the future for myself, it's terrifying. I don't know what I'm doing at all. You all think so differently than I do, and I don't know how to be like that."

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, and he wasn't sure if he was relieved or not that they came away dry.

"I'm sorry. I know this isn't what you wanted to talk about. But I just... I wanted you to know. I never wanted to lie, or hurt you, or anyone."

He closed his eyes again for a moment, then finally sat up. He looked at Alex, his teeth worrying his lower lip. He had kind of just admitted to being very messed up, and foolishly, he wondered if he had just signed the death warrant of his relationship. But if he didn't tell him, he wouldn't understand.

"I... I'm going to try, though. To change things, I mean. Or, to consider the possibility that they can change, I guess. I mean, if nothing else, the idea of reading your aunt's library is super cool."
 
Bram grimaced at the mention of Winona having panic attacks because she was afraid of retribution. That sort of thing wasn't something you punished. It came with a punishment already. The real hard part was getting her to see that the bad part had been her putting herself in danger, not her failure.

He understood that this was a long road, but he had hoped she at least wouldn't fear them. He didn't want his kids to be afraid of him. He would rather they defied him at every opportunity and flipped him off whenever he correct them than fear him. You weren't supposed to fear your parents. You weren't supposed to be afraid of what they would do if you made a mistake. You weren't supposed to flinch whenever they moved a little too quickly.

Bram glanced at Vlad, but his friend didn't seem inclined to fuss at Maria for her language. Maybe it was the cone of silence she had them in or whatever.

Vlad inclined his head. He had never liked the idea of therapists for himself--the idea of telling a relative stranger his innermost thoughts was a nightmare in and of itself--but he encouraged everyone else to go see one. Bram had gone to a Guild therapist for a little bit after a particularly nasty job, and that had seemed to help. Bram had then tried to get him to go, but Vlad had decided to just read a bunch of books on trauma instead. The most recent dealings was making him rethink his stance, even though he really didn't think a therapist would know what to do with him.

He was glad to hear Winona was open to it. They would have knowledge and tools that he and Bram did not. But when Maria revealed that all therapists needed to be Vlad-approved, Vlad pointed to himself, his eyebrows disappearing into his bangs. "Me?"

Snorting, Bram squeezed his knee.

Vlad's eyes unfocused as he realized that he had been given a very serious task that would require a lot of research. Had anyone written a book on choosing a therapist? The internet would probably have suggestions, but he trusted it about as much as he trusted gold jewelry that claimed to be silver-free. Could one interview a potential therapist?

Despite Vlad's slightly caustic phrasing, Maria deigned to answer. Bram eyed her for a moment. He didn't share Vlad's paranoia that Maria would come a-knocking with a request they couldn't turn down, but he didn't think she was doing this out of the kindness of her heart, either.

For his part, Vlad's eyebrows raised when Maria spoke. He had been prepared for either a lying denial or a haughty announcement that she did what she pleased. The last thing he had expected was an apology. How being able to exploit her own mental pliability would make Winona feel safe, Vlad wasn't sure, but it was perhaps a mistake he could forgive in time. He still couldn't get the whisper that Maria was slowly turning Winona into something she could use out of his head, however.

"Well then, let us remove all ambiguity, shall we?" Vlad said, setting his coffee mug on his coaster on the coffee table.

Bram blinked at him. He had rarely seen Vlad be anything but ambiguous with other vampires. It had always amused him because Vlad was rather blunt when his mask of calm and control slipped.

"Why are you offering your help, Maria?"
 
The lump in Alex's throat grew the more May talked, and he fought back the stinging sensation at the top of his nose that meant tears were on their way.

"No, you're doing a pretty decent job of explaining it," Alex said, which was the worst part. He could -unfortunately- understand how this made perfect sense to May.

"But like- Not to be wildly fatalistic, but 'dying' is the ultimate conclusion of what everyone is born to do," he pointed out. "And fighting that is more or less the norm. If I had cancer, would you expect that I should just lay down to die? Or would you encourage me to get chemo, to do what was possible to fight the disease," he argued. "If I had some supposedly uncurable illness- We would still try to solve it. Mom and Maria would be researching all the experimental treatments that were out there to decide which one to try first. Dad would be filling those weekly medication holders for me so that I would remember to take what medicine there was that would treat my symptoms."

He liked this metaphor, flawed as it was.

"You might have a mysterious disease with no known cure- But there's no known cure yet," he clarified. "The presumed conclusion is that it kills you," he said, managing not to stumble. "But that's because we don't have all the information yet. So we'll get more information, and see what we can do with it, and continue to reassess," he promised.

When May sat up, Alex left his own seat and joined him on the bed. He wrapped May in a tight hug, hooking his chin over the older boy's shoulder. "Hey- I wanted to know how you were feeling," he protested. "So this is actually exactly what I wanted to talk about."

He frowned slightly. "Full disclosure- It's pretty unlikely that we will be allowed into the collection itself. I've only been once and I didn't get to actually handle anything. It's all temperature controlled vaults, she has archival staff that do most of the maintenance and acquisitions."

Which made sense from a preservation standpoint, but was a bit of a bummer.

"But I bet we can go to her place! It's built into the Andes Mountains," he said excitedly. She refused to disclose where exactly, but he was pretty sure it was within Peru. "It's got huge windows everywhere, the view are gorgeous- The big main room even extends over the side of the mountain and the floor is made of glass!"

______

Maria laughed at Vlad's blunt question- Not exactly a happy, pealing sound, but it lacked the biting sting her laugh usually had.

"Yes, Winona asked much the same," she said. "I suppose 'Because Alex asked me to' no longer cuts it. I told her I had a variety of reasons."

Alex's request was one reason, simple as it was. She wanted to prove to him that she had his back, and helping his friends was a demonstrable way to do that. Especially when she stood to benefit in the long run.

"She and I had previously discussed the possibility that she may one day work for me doing... Odd jobs. Spying on the other Councilors, stealing things I cannot buy," Maria clarified. She was aware they did not think very well of her, and did not need imagining she had been planning to employ Winona in wet work. "That's the future she wants, so I tied it to her present- If she does not continue to live with you, if she does not pursue formalized education, then she will not be allowed to work for me. That her inability to understand people and their motivations makes her a danger on a mission that I will not abide. I will also ensure she cannot work pursue that line of career with anyone else, in the supernatural or mundane worlds. It is possible that I have given her a larger-than-accurate estimate of my influence," Maria admitted ruefully with a slight smile.

"I've also made clear that it is not a direct trade- If she follows through with what she and I have agreed to, she is in no way required to work for me, in any capacity. In fact, I am optimistic that if we can trick her into learning to be a person in pursuit of what she currently thinks she wants- That what she wants will change. No matter the outcome, it benefits me. Either Winona is a stable, healthy enough individual to help me work towards my goals, or she is not working against me."

Maria sighed.

"You want honesty, not just believability, so I will tell you my full motivations," she allowed. She took another sip of her tea, stalling slightly. She spoke of this rarely, and twice in one day with different people was likely a record.

"I was young once," she said. "Older than Winona is- both in actual years and in comparative maturity- when everything I had known fell apart around me. The world changed, and it kept changing, and I... Did not take it well." An understatement. "I know what it is to be so angry and afraid that it eclipses everything else. I am offering help to Winona in whatever form I hope she might take it, because when help was offered to me- I did not recognize it as such, and spat it back at those who would give it. If I can prevent her from making the same mistakes I did, perhaps I can be forgiven," she said, her voice not hiding her regrets.
 
"No!" May exclaimed, horrified at the thought of Alex getting sick and not getting treated. "I mean, that feels... different."

Saying it out loud, he realized it sounded like a very weak excuse, and he cringed a little. But the more Alex tried to explain it, the easier it was to understand. He'd never viewed his condition like an illness before - it was just the way he was. He had more than made his peace with dying, but hearing Alex describe it as taking steps to delay the inevitable somehow made it a lot easier to digest. Wanting to live was a monumentous and terrifying thing, but trying to ease the symptoms and maybe live a little longer, day by day, was easier.

He wrapped his arms around Alex tightly, burying his face into his shoulder.

"You're the best at hugs," he mumbled. "And you're good at making me feel better, too. When you explain it like that, it doesn't feel so... impossible."

But then Alex was talking about going to Peru, and May had to pull back for a second, his eyes wide.

"Ok, when you said some of it was digitized, I imagined like... Stealing Agni's iPad and looking at files on the couch. Not going to Peru. I mean, that sounds cool as hell and I am totally down to see mountains. The only mountains I've ever seen are the ones at home, and when we went to Vlad's fancy castle, which had the whole Brams evil dad trying to kill us put a bummer on the experience. But only if your aunt is ok with it. I mean, is that like... a thing you can ask? To just visit like that? I don't want to impose or be rude or anything," he said quickly, because he couldn't imagine just... up and leaving the country on a whim. He had saved up from his job for years before he left Domina island for the first time, and even then he had been visiting Gabe, and eventually ended up staying with him. Having the resources to just take trips whenever they wanted was something that he didn't think he'd ever get used to.

Peru, though. That was a lot warmer than Transylvania.

"Wait, if it's mountains, is it cold? Because I loved Vlad's fancy castle, but I'm pretty sure the temperature was in, like, the single digits, and Alex I don't know if I can do that again. Don't tell him I said this, but even with his heated floors I was freezing my damn nuts off. I thought they'd crawl up so high I'd never see them again."



They had been speaking for a while.

Agni had stayed in the kitchen, because he wasn't entirely sure if he was allowed into the living room while the elders were discussing things. He could feel the taste of magic sealing the room off from his ears, spicy like the chilli peppers May had given him once, with a minty aftertaste. He didn't bother with it, because the last time he had tried to interact with vampiric energy he'd had a stuffy nose for the rest of the day, after he stopped sneezing. But he was... curious.

He also had nothing else to do, as it was pushing five pm in Domina, and Henrietta would be done working for the day. He could catch up on emails, but it was a bit embarrassing to need his device to dictate to him while everyone else was awake and active. He was fairly certain that most people his age were far better at reading than he was, and he was maybe a touch self conscious.

He had already done a quick clean, wiping down the counters and doing the morning dishes, so he was just on the verge of antsy. It wasn't soon enough to start making lunch preparations...

He chanced a glance up the stairs where the Eldest daughter had gone. She had a room to herself, if he remembered correctly. She had been very hostile to him since he arrived, and honestly he found her intimidating. The serpent and his consort were probably having one of their 'super cuddle sessions' as May put it...

He checked the kettle, then the cupboard. After grabbing some Lavender tea, he prepared five cups, and then began the balancing act of carrying them up the stairs. If he grew a few extra fingers to help with the task, well. Nobody was watching.

He left two outside the serpent's door after a quick knock, and did the same to the Eldest daughter. Then he glanced to Devon's room and knocked, waiting awkwardly with the remaining two cups. Devon had definitely been the friendliest so far, and the most helpful. It was quite possible that he would know the answer to Agni's amazon conundrum.
 
As much as Bram wanted to trust and like Maria, he did not like the sound of Winona working for her. He understood the logic behind it, but he had never let logic dictate whether or not he liked something.

He glanced at Vlad, sensing the "I told you so" without his vampire verbalizing it. But Vlad was too busy watching Maria to spare Bram a glance.

Bram was not above tricking or guilting people into taking care of themselves. He currently had Vlad guilted into drinking blood consistently as a good example for the younger vampires (though that was falling away as he hyperfocused on May).

At Maria's mention of her world crumbling and spitting in the face of aid, Bram did catch Vlad's eye. "Yeah, that's something we can understand."

Vlad's demeanor cracked and he let out a huff that may have had a chuckle in it. But he finally relaxed from his ramrod-straight posture and leaned on Bram. Bram squeezed his knee again.

"Thank you for your honesty," Vlad said, the stiffness gone from his voice. "And we do appreciate your assistance."

"Yeah, it's good for her to have someone to talk to who is not either of us," Bram added.




The previous night, Devon had sneaked downstairs for a snack. He was hungry a lot these days, and he was never sure if it was blood or food he wanted. He'd been planning to figure it out in the kitchen, but he had flipped on the light to discover the shorter of his parental unit perched at the kitchen table with alcohol in front of him and his noise-cancelling headphones on. Vlad sitting in the dark was nothing new--he was a vampire--but sitting in the dark with alcohol was more shocking than Devon had been prepared for. Vlad had recovered first and pulled his headphones down.

Devon had stammered something about being thirsty, but Vlad had smiled and said he was perfectly welcome to get a snack. Sheepishly, Devon had pulled open the refrigerator and decided it was a sandwich he wanted. While he made it, Vlad had spoken.

"How are you?"

"Fine," Devon said, the word as automatic as breathing.

Vlad had been silent, his disbelief palpable. He would do that, just sit there, waiting for the other person to be honest, but Devon twisted his mouth in stubbornness. He wasn't going to cave. Bram and Vlad had enough to deal with. May was dying, Win was having panic attacks, Alex was a ball of anxiety, Scarlet had ditched, and Agni was like a fish someone had told to start assembling airplanes. His problems were minor. It didn't matter that he was struggling with school or hadn't made any friends or anything else. Besides, even though he knew Bram and Vlad wouldn't love him any less if he were flawed, he hadn't convinced himself yet. Sometimes he wanted to scream and throw things at the wall, but what if they tried to pawn him off on someone else because he had gotten to be too much?

"Devon, you are allowed to express your thoughts," Vlad had said gently.

Devon finished making his sandwich and glanced at Vlad. "I'm just hungry. What are you listening to? A book?"

"Music, actually." He had heard the frown in the elder vampire's voice without looking at him. "You are changing the subject."

Devon put the ingredients away and cleaned up the bit of mustard on the counter before gathering up his sandwich. He paused by Vlad and bent down to hug him. "I'm fine, really."

His eyes had snagged on Vlad's phone screen, which showed his paused music. "That's not classical."

Upon moving in with them, Devon had realized Bram and Vlad weren't the intimidating people they pretended to be. Playing Mario Cart had proved that a thousand times over. He was used to Bram being surprisingly gentle and Vlad surprisingly nonconforming, but he had not been prepared for the guilty smile that crossed Vlad's face.

"I don't always listen to classical," Vlad had admitted, though Devon was pretty sure he had witnessed a long lecture about how Mozart was good for developing brains and classic rock brought up resting heart rate or something. Maybe Vlad just hadn't wanted to listen to classic rock. "Sometimes, I need music to scream to."

Devon had taken the headphones, and Vlad had restarted the song for him. He had stood there, transfixed. "Her voice is amazing," he said as the song changed.

"I am about 90% sure she is at least part siren."

After a bit of pestering, Vlad had shared his secret Spotify playlist with him, and Devon had spent the night and morning listening to Vlad's music to scream to. He was trying not to think about Vlad's parting, "If you ever want to talk, you would not be burdening me. I'm here for you." He knew Vlad meant it, but he also knew that adding his troubles wasn't the helpful thing to do. Especially when his problems were minor.

At the knock on the door, Devon stopped staring at the ceiling and swung off his bed. Pulling open the door, he slid his headphones off. He glanced at the tea and then back at Agni. Agni seemed to like him, which had surprised Devon. He had just tried to be kind, like Bram had said to be. Agni was alright, once he got over being a bit stuffy.

"Hey, Agni." Devon glanced back inside the room he shared with Alex. Alex's side was meticulously neat, of course, but his had a pile of clothes, an unmade bed, and markers dumped on the floor. Oh well. "You, uh, wanna come in?"
 
Alex's heart thumped loudly at May's praise for his hugs, and for the older boy's nearness. He hoped it wasn't obvious, but May's head was against his chest so- He hoped it was at least endearing.

"I mean, we would ask first, but I assume it's fine- Probably necessary actually. Even the digitized files would probably be stored locally," he mused, thinking about the massive undertaking of digitizing Maria's archives and the security risks- There were certainly things she didn't want other to have access to. Or even know that she had access to.

She'd been so resistant to doing anything with her collection other than add to it, and he wondered what had changed. He wasn't naive enough to believe it was only because he had asked. But whatever it was she wanted- Well, she'd ask him if she needed help.

"She wants me to be more involved in... Her business," Alex admitted. "So I'm probably going to be spending more time with her anyways, and I know she prefers working from her own home than from Mom and Dad's place, so."

He chuckled.

"Yeah, it's not as warm as the latitude would suggest," he confessed. Mountains would do that. "But we could take trips to lots of warmer places! The beach, the rainforest," he suggested, naming places he had fond memories of visiting as a kid when they'd stayed at his aunt's place. "And I suspect her place is kept warmer than it would be without magical means- She and Dad lived in a pretty warm climate originally, so I think she's much more like you than Vlad when it comes to her comfort."

"Uh- Come in," he said when there was a knock at the door, a little embarrassed to be caught cuddling- Bram would probably coo at how cute they were being if it was him knocking, and Winona would give him a very dry blank look that he couldn't quite interpret. But whoever it was must already been gone, because no on answered and no one entered.

"Weird," Alex said.

_____

Maria was clearly expecting resistance to the idea that she might actually want to help Winona for Winona's own sake, and seemed surprised not to get it.

"Yes, well," she said. Personally, she thought that Winona spoke to her more honestly than she spoke to Bram and Vlad because Bram and Vlad treated her like a person, and Winona had a hard time figuring out how to interact with them in a way they would approve.

Maria had been careful to treat Winona as Winona was familiar with- As an investment. Winona knew she could tell things to Maria, and receive nothing more than bland reactions. Bram and Vlad were.... Much more chancy. But someone needed to treat Winona like a person if she was ever going to learn to be one, so Maria wasn't about to suggest that their youngest daughter would disclose more to them if they hid their reactions to the abuse she'd been through and treated her as an object whose utility was their primary interest. She didn't think they'd take the suggestion well regardless.

"It's a credit to how beneficial you have been to her, that she talks at all," Maria told them instead. The girl Maria had sent Alex to befriend had barely communicated at all. Alex's descriptions had made Maria suspect Winona was little more than a well-trained feral child.

"She's recovering at a remarkable rate, even if it doesn't seem that way- The brain is a remarkable organ, especially one with the elasticity of a human adolescent and the healing factor of a vampire. I suspect that if she was only one or the other, she may not have made the progress she has. She certainly would not have done so without your assistance."

This was dangerously close to praise, and Maria changed course.

"She does seem to harbor a lot of anxiety about your upcoming move, and unfortunateIy I don't think you can fully alleviate that," she admitted. "Her past 'moving' experiences have been... Extremely negative." Another understatement.

"Logically she knows that this will be different. She even said that she knows you wouldn't kennel her or drug her- And that she wouldn't let you if you tried," Maria said, proud but with a hint of sadness. "But emotionally, she associates moving with confinement and extra punishment, and it always was always preceded or followed by a disruption to her 'family' unit," Maria said, grimacing at the word 'family'. Winona's attachment to the vampires who had mistreated her was awful enough, but they'd thoroughly tainted the concept of family for her as well. "So if she seems less than enthusiastic- Well. She's willing to do it, just not willing to pretend she loves it." Which was a healthy compromise, in Maria's opinion.
 
Alex was surprisingly warm and comfortable, and May settled against him, enjoying the feeling. Hugs like this were nice. He was a pretty tactile person, but moments like this still felt... special. Meaningful. He made a small, contented noise deep in his chest, feeling exhausted but genuinely relaxed for the first time in ages.

"You know, I don't actually know what your aunt does, besides being shady and mysterious and kind of scary. Like the morally ambiguous witch in a movie who gives people what they want, but with an extremely specific cost for it," he mused. He had a feeling Maria could probably out-word the fae some days, though she didn't seem the type to play awful tricks on people just for the sake of being a jerk.

He realized a second later that it was probably mysterious for a reason, and tilted his head up so he could look at Alex.

"I mean, you don't have to tell me or anything. I know your family is all rich and powerful and probably have their fingers in every pie ever," he added, hoping Alex wouldn't feel pressured to share super secret family business.

He knew just enough about Gabe's business to know that the vast majority of it was technically legal, at least going by human terms. If there were suspicious things going on behind the scenes, May decided he would just stick his fingers in his ears and not look.

The prospect of the beach definitely distracted him from those thoughts, though, and his eyes went wide as he thought of a rainforest.

"I have definitely never been to a rainforest," he admitted. "I mean, we have the forest back home on the mountain, but it's not really the same."

The mountain back home was far from the mountains that Vlads castle resided in, but it was tall and wild enough to play around in during the summers.

"Actually, it gets pretty chilly in the winter on the mountain back home, too. Sometimes it drops to, like, ten celsius," he said with a shiver. "Not a lot of people live up there, though."

He went quiet for a moment, thinking wistfully about his home. He was pretty sure Alex had read the tourist brochures, but as warm and pleasant as Domina's climate was, the island's chilliness to outsiders had put a strict damper on the tourism industry.

"We didn't really get the chance to go up the mountain when we were there," May said with a sigh. "Most people live in Domina City anyways, because it's big and convenient, but there are some little towns further up the mountain that are fun to visit. Well, I say towns, but they're not really like the towns on the mainland. Coldriver village has about forty people, and Wolfsridge, where the local werewolf pack lives, has about 100?"

It could be more or less by now. He hadn't visited either place in years. He wondered if the old granny in Coldriver who gave him home-made caramels was still around.

"To be honest, it was really hard to get used to the cities here. I mean, I thought the city back home was big, and there's about nine, ten thousand people there. Gabe took me to New York last year because he had some business there, and I felt like an alien or something. I'd never seen so many people in one place before."

He remembered standing in the airport, frozen in awe before Gabe dragged him down into the streets. He had stopped every few minutes just to stare at everyone bustling around him, unable to really fathom it.

"Honestly, I think that's why I like living in the townhouse more than I liked Gabe's place. He's in that fancy uptown neighbourhood where theres people everywhere, and I never actually know how to talk to rich people."

He looked up at the knock on the door, his eyes narrowing before he waved it off.

"If it was important, they'll come back. I'm comfy and don't wanna move, so let's just ignore it."



Agni was feeling a little jittery as he waited for Devon to open the door, then stepped inside. He eyed the headphones, curious. Music was one thing that humans had gotten very right, and he enjoyed it a lot in his spare time. But it would be rude to ask, right? Or was that another misconception? He found he had a lot of misconceptions lately.

Realizing that he was just standing there, he cleared his throat and offered the cup of tea.

"It's not quite lunch time, yet, so I thought you might like some refreshments," he said awkwardly, then winced. He was so bad at this. He wished that talking to people came as easily to him as it did to May. He fidgeted for a moment, because he wasn't entirely sure what else wa appropriate to say, but after a few seconds of hesitation he found his shoulders drooping a bit.

"Well, that, and I'm not entirely sure how to interact with... The serpent's consort's... Aunt? I believe?" The word pitched up at the end like a question, but so far Devon hadn't really judged Agni for not understanding human things, so... "I still have a hard time remembering what the different relatives are called. An older female who isn't the mother or the grandmother is usually an aunt, right?"
 
Bram raised his eyebrows. That sounded like a compliment. Was that a compliment? We’re they in the compliment territory now? He regarded it suspiciously as vampire compliments often hid insults. But Vlad had an arched eyebrow, so it must have been a compliment.

Vlad’s eyebrows lowered into a grimace as Maria said Winona knew they wouldn’t kennel her. He knew the people who had done this to Winona were all dead and revenge did nothing, but he still would like to fill them full of knives. How could people do that to a child? What was so broken in people that they were capable of such a thing?

Bram snorted. “Well pretending to love it is not something we expect.” He jerked his thumb at Vlad. “This one has been moaning since I suggested it.”

Vlad did not feel the need to defend himself. Moving his family magic was going to be such a pain. Certain pieces of furniture would need to be moved and loaded in certain orders. Which made him think. “We could give her a task pertaining to the move. It would give her some responsibility and control.”

Bram nodded thoughtfully. “Like you’re going to have Agni help you organize your magic furniture?”

Vlad nodded. “I have no doubt it will not assuage her concerns entirely, but it may alleviate some of her fears.” He flicked his eyes to Maria. “What do you think?”

Bram blinked. Oh, he was asking someone else’s opinion now? Was he ok? Had someone stolen his vampire and replaced him with a double?

Bram patted Vlad’s knee to let him know he was proud of him.




Devon took the tea automatically. He blinked it the cup and then at Agni. He grinned. Refreshments, huh?

“Thanks, Agni.” Devon took a sip to show he was truly grateful and sat on the edge of his bed.

He was about to ask Agni what he could do for him when the other boy spoke. He smiled at the admission, but that slid away at the confusing train of possessive nouns. The serpent’s consort’s aunt? Devon was fairly used to Agni’s aversion to names and subsequent use of titles, but he had to parse that one out. The serpent was May, then his consort was… Alex? Devon barely suppressed a snort. So the aunt was Maria.

Devon hesitated, but then he pictured Agni asking Vlad if Bram was his consort and Bram having an aneurism when Vlad deadpanned the affirmative. Maybe he should clarify. He was having a hard enough time keeping a straight face.

“Yeah, adults you don’t know in your house can be awkward. Maria helped Bram and Vlad take on Winona and I. She’s alright. A little… serious, but a lot of older vampires are like that.” He took a sip from his tea, trying to be as casual as possible. He didn’t want Agni to think he was fussing at him or anything. “So, the term we would use for Alex is ‘May’s boyfriend’. Consort is like… royalty, I think? Like a queen has a consort? I’m honestly not sure, but boyfriend is the more common one.”
 
"She owns a telecommunication conglomerate. I think," Alex said. "But yes- She's also an actual witch, so."

He frowned, thinking on recent conversations he'd had with his parents and his aunt recently.

"Yeah, I think we've got fingers in too many pies, to be honest. I understand their reasons but- If we are going to be so rich and powerful, I think we need to be more responsible about it," he said hesitantly. It was the first time he'd vocalized the thought, but he was going to have to sound more confident if he wanted it to become reality. He understood that the Preserve was to be protected above all else but.... There had to be a way to maintain the power and wealth they needed, while promoting more ethical business practices. And maybe shutting down certain functions of business all together.

Alex chuckled a bit at the name of the town that the werewolves lived in, and wondered if all 100 residents were werewolves.

"Big cities can be a bit surreal," he agreed. He liked the townhouse and the area around it, too- Not as crowded as a city, but not as remote as his mother's house.

He laughed a bit louder when May said he had difficulty talking to rich people. "You're talking to me aren't you? Or have I just embarrassed myself in front of you so much, that you no longer worry about stocks and charcuterie," he teased.

-------

"I think that's a good idea," Maria agreed. "It would distract her from her concerns, and help satisfy her desire to be useful. I would suggest it not be something relating to magic, as she is still not fully in control of hers. And maybe nothing to do with safety, since I think she would fixate on it. And she needs to learn to relinquish those concerns over to the two of you. Maybe something mundane- packing up the kitchen, or labeling all the boxes. Planning the road trip stops if you are going to drive there."

Winona would probably be well suited to assessing the blueprints for sightlines and danger spots- And they'd end up with a windowless house to satisfy her paranoia.

"I hear you might be using fae to help in the construction?" Winona had seemed curious about them- Which Maria didn't approve of. "I'm not sure how much dealing you've had with them," she said hesitantly, not wanting to warn them of dangers they were already well aware of and come off condescending. "But I would keep her away from them. Devon and Agni, too. The fae like to collect... 'Unique things', and they struggle to conceptualize children as individuals rather than as things they can take and trade at whim."

Alex was ordinary enough to escape their attention, and May was hopefully old enough for them to know they would have to trick him or bargain with him directly. Or dangerous enough that they would steer clear of him.
 
Telecommunications. Huh. He wasn't really expecting that.

"See, I thought she just appeared in random CEO offices offering shady magic deals to make her money, but telecomunications makes a lot more sense," he said. "I mean, I like your aunt. And your parents. They're nice, they're just a little... scary."

Mostly Alex's mom. She was too friendly. Nobody was that perky all the time.

He listened quietly as Alex explained his worries about his family's riches, leaning back against him.

"See, this is why you don't intimidate me even if you're rich," he explained with a grin. "Because you're nice. You're like the nicest guy in the world, and you care about us poors."

He smirked to show that the last part was a joke.

"Honestly, sometimes I think I'm so lucky to know you. I can't imagine how I would be handling everything that happened in the last year if you weren't here to keep me grounded."


Agni felt his cheeks colour a bit as Devon took a second to understand his sentence. Right. He was so used to putting labels on people that he forgot not everybody followed his internal logic.

He was gearing himself up to say Alex's name when Devon interjected, and he breathed out a small sigh of relief.

"I don't believe I've met her before," he said, a small frown coming to his face. "I know I should introduce myself, but she is... serious."

He decided on Devon's choice of word rather than 'unapproachable'. The tiger would want him to make connections with as many politically powerful people on the mainland as possible, but she was far, far better at it than he was. He found his eyebrows drawing together as Devon corrected his terminology, and couldn't help but groan. That was even more proof that he was not cut out for this.

"Words are hard," he grumbled. He had relaxed a bit since Devon had invited him in and taken the peace offering, and his shoulders slumped as he leaned against the doorframe. Somehow, these little conversations about meaningless things helped with his exhaustion. Being able to speak freely about his issues with the modern world with somebody considered his peer was new, but he kind of liked it.

Complaining about the little things made it easier to ignore the bigger concerns resting on his shoulders, like solving the financial situation for the island back home, and establishing positive connections with the vampire council, and saving the world from the brink of destruction. He would never ever say anything about his duty, because it was his responsibility and he would always take his responsibility seriously, but sometimes it was... a lot.

"The girls I used to live with said I talk funny. They would talk funny too if they had to learn words from a bunch of..." He trailed off, glancing back and forth uncomfortably as if looking for eavesdroppers. "Well. The other guardians are all so old. The rabbit taught me how to speak when I was young, and they used... I believe the serpent called it 'ye olde english'. I was so proud of knowing how to speak human language, and the serpent laughed at me all day."

There was a fondness in his voice at the old memory, back when a ten year old May had essentially taught him how to speak English from the ground up.

"But I will remember that. Boyfriend. That... only applies to men, correct? A girl would be a lady friend. Or a whore, although I do believe that one is only derogatory."
 
Bram glanced between Vlad and Maria, wondering if the world was quite ready for them to be cordial with one another. The Council wasn't, that was for sure.

Vlad's lip twitched, thinking of how Winona might label the boxes. He liked the idea so much that he might just give her the job so that he would get a little rush of joy when glancing at each box.

"Oh, our land isn't too far," Bram said easily. "Just about forty-five minutes. It backs up onto the mountains to satisfy Vlad's need to be above everyone else."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you, Maria, we shall take those suggestions into consideration."

Bram sighed. "Yeah, apparently Fae are the best when you want to integrate magic into your house so it can move and lock you in rooms and stuff."

Vlad frowned at his companion. "Abraham, it will be years before enough magic has built up to begin moving the floorplan."

He didn't add that he actually was not entirely sure how the magic would behave as this house would have his magic intertwined with Bram's not-magic as well as the energies of their charges. The house they lived in now did lock and unlock the front door, but they'd only been there for five years.

At Maria's warning Vlad carefully did not look at Bram. "Yes, we have had some dealings with them in the past, and we know what not to do."

Bram made a face. "When are you going to let that go?"

The answer was probably "never", so Vlad kept his mouth shut.

"We were in Prague," Bram explained for Maria's benefit, "Back in... was the Iron Curtain still up?"

"1967, and yes."

"Anyway, someone failed to tell me by some weird law of magic Scarlet is technically my firstborn, and you can kinda guess what happened." Bram held up his index finger. "But I was being very careful with my wording. I just didn't know I did technically have a firstborn child at that time, ok."

Hearing Bram confidently almost-bargain away his "currently living" firstborn had been like watching a bus come careening down a road, headed straight for a baby carriage. Vlaada supposed he should have told Bram that Scarlet was his under many magical laws, but he hadn't expected Bram to actually promise the Unseeley queen his extant firstborn. Because why the silver would he do that?

"There is a Court in Eastern Europe, so I am familiar with them," Vlad said. "And Bram has learned his lesson."

Bram sighed. "Yes, yes, let you do the talking."




Devon shrugged. "I mean... you don't have to introduce yourself. Especially if it makes you uncomfortable." He chuckled, nodding his head in agreement. "You could always ask Vlad to do it real quick, though, if you thought it was important."

Devon smiled, taking another sip of the tea Agni had brought him. "Yeah, words are hard. Spend enough time with Alex, Bram, and Vlad and your vocabulary will grow for sure."

Vlad and Alex could teach him big words, but Bram was the best with his four-letter words.

Devon chuckled. "No worries. Everyone has trouble with words. When Bram is really tired, he can't remember how to speak English, so. He starts speaking Dutch--and like, not modern Dutch."

Bram was teaching Devon Dutch, but modern Dutch and Ye Olde Dutch were pretty different.

"Win, May, and I are the only English-as-a-first language people here, I think." Devon paused. "Maybe Alex, too? I'm not sure if he grew up in a bilingual home or if they spoke Spanish only? You'd have to ask him. Anyway, language is hard, so no worries if you accidentally slip into Ye Olde English."

Devon smiled, thinking of a young May laughing his ass off over Agni speaking the king's English.

"Yeah, boyfriend is for guys. Girlfriend is for girls--oh, um." Devon winced. He wasn't as good at keeping a straight face as the others were. "Yeah, don't use the word 'whore'. It's a pretty rude word."

That and Vlad would sit him down, explain the etymology, and forbid him from using it. Getting the vocabulary lesson was the worst part--Devon was still horrified he now knew what "etymology" meant--and he had a sneaking suspicion that Vlad was fully aware of it. Devon was still shocked that Vlad knew the origins to the word "shit", and knowing it made it much less fun to say.
 
"Well, I wouldn't rule out the 'appearing in random CEO's offices and offering shady deals' thing," Alex allowed. "I just think most of the deals involve stocks and not magic. Though I wouldn't be surprised if she uses magic sometimes, too- She's always advised me to use every advantage I have against an opponent, so."

Alex beamed with May's praise, and his face went a bit pink. He knew he was probably too nice sometimes, and that one day it would likely get him in trouble. But if it made May feel comfortable around him.... Then it was a good thing, he thought.

"I'm not sure it's not the other way around," he admitted. "I feel like you keep me grounded- I'd probably be freaking out all the time if I wasn't trying so hard to impress you with how calm and collected I am! I'm glad it's working," he joked.

______

Maria's mouth twitched into what was almost a smile at the story of Bram's misfortune dealing with the Fae.

"Well, lucky for us that Scarlet still walks among the mortals," she said. "And perhaps- Lucky for the Fae as well. I have only met her briefly, but I imagine that she would have given whatever unfortunate Court took her plenty of reason to regret that action."

She furrowed her brow a bit as she thought.

"The two of you must be very tightly bound indeed, for Scarlet to be considered Bram's child as well," she said, considering this new revelation. Just as unusual to her was that Bram did not have any other 'children' that would be senior to Scarlet, considering how old he was, and her perception of his habits. "I don't think I had realized that. Does Von Batts know?"
 
May laughed out loud, a large grin coming to his face.

"Oh, its working so well, I promise. We're keeping each other grounded. Together, the two of us make a whole functioning person. It works great."


Agni looked at Devon as though he had suggested something completely unthinkable.

"I-- I'm supposed to introduce myself. I'm a representative. If I didn't introduce myself, that would be rude. And getting my elder to introduce me... That just seems irresponsible."

Devon was acting like it wasn't a big deal though. So far, he seemed to have a far better grasp of what was important and normal in this family than Agni did, so perhaps he should trust him.

"Although... I suppose if it's somebody who will be here often, it isn't important that I introduce myself right away," he reasoned, because going down and interrupting that conversation to make an awkward introduction was the last thing he wanted to do.

At least it seemed that his problems with language weren't going to make him look stupid. He was always a bit self conscious about that.

"My people don't really have a language. Or at least, nothing as complex as English. We mostly communicate through gestures and body language, and... feelings, I suppose. That's not really a thing humans can sense, though."

He frowned, curious if vampires could feel emotions and ambient energy the way his kind did. Vlad seemed to be very good at reading him, and the house had a tangible energy that he could interact with, though it made him sneeze and didn't really seem to like him poking at it.

"I understand being tired, though."

He hadn't really meant to say that part, but he was tired. At least the conversation with Devon was calm and relaxing enough that he wasn't having any trouble keeping his form straight.

He stared down at the cup of tea in his hands, feeling some tension slide from his shoulders. It was somehow gratifying to know that he wasn't the only one who experienced such bone-deep exhaustion that left him confused about which way was up and which was down. May told him he needed to sleep more, but sleeping meant that he wasn't able to interact with the human realm, and there were too many things for him to do to even consider it. Between work and all of the things that he was learning, sleep was at the bottom of his priority list. Maybe he could sneak a few hours at the end of the month, just long enough to refresh him so he could get back to work.

"Hmm, yes, I figured it was rude. Marnie, one of the girls I used to live with, used it to refer to herself, and said something about 'reclaiming slurs', but honestly, I haven't really figured out what she meant by that. I only use words like that if somebody asks me to. Keeping track of which words to use to refer to people can be... tough, though."
 
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