thebrightsidc

[thebrightsidc]

Dessa landed shortly after he did, unsure if the ground beneath them was a comfort or disappointment, the feeling of soaring so natural and missed more than she'd realized. She was more focused on the worry at hand, though, not taking a breath until the shape was revealed.

"I wanted to come," she reminded him gently, taking a deep breath of her own and letting it out. Taking a few small steps forward, she reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder, hoping the touch could ease some of his own anxiety and sadness.

They didn't have any answers, but at least they were looking. At least they were still here, and neither of them would give up. No matter how long it took. "We'll find them. Maybe not tonight, and maybe not tomorrow. But we will find them."

Steeling himself, Terence took the lead and dove down through the branches, leaves whipping at his face until he broke through the lower branches and had to pull up sharply to keep him from colliding with the forest floor.

Letting his feet touch down, he hurried over to the lump he had noticed and reached out a shaking hand to brush the leaves off... uncovering a knotted log, tiny white mushrooms dotting the damp surface.

Relief and frustration surged through him at once. Relief that this was just a rotting log under the leaves, frustration that they still didn't have any answers, turning into a swirling mix that presented itself in tears.

Knees sinking into the dirt, Terence pressed the heels of his hands to his face and tried to swallow down the sob.

What was he doing? How selfish could he be? People were missing and he was throwing a pity party for himself?

"Sorry, Dess," he finally choked. "I dragged you out here for nothing."

[thebrightsidc]

Dessa knew that fairies had differences, of course ; her closest friends all held different talents than herself and each other, but they still had plenty of similarities. It had never really occurred to her that not only could fairies outside of Pixie Hollow lead entirely different lives, they also functioned in entirely different ways. Was it like . . . species of animals? Maybe Fawn would know something about it, then.

She didn't know what to expect, but she could never have predicted what happened before her eyes. Suddenly, pixie dust and light yielding seemed almost boring, compared to the art that had unfolded before her. Mouth agape, her eyes raked over the changed outfit, the tiara, trying to make sense of the blue light. How did she do that?

A handful of seconds passed before Dessa realized she was only standing and staring, rendered speechless after her friend's display. "That's . . . wow," she finally spoke, hands moving as she tried to put it into words, to find one that could sum up her surprise and awe. "Beautiful. Spectacular. Show stopping. I had no idea."

" yeah — you know. . . " bloom gestured dismissively , the other having no idea what she was talking about becoming crystal clear . the disconnect between their fae talents was distinct enough for bloom to know that talking back and forth about it would do nothing for either of them — questions needing answers but those very answers only leading to more questions . sighing , bloom disregarded her closet, turning to dessa ; " i'm just gonna show you . "

was this the most brilliant idea bloom had ever had ?? not exactly , but the fairy wasn't notorious for her intelligence ; beauty , charisma and determination ( born of sheer stubbornness ) her strongest assets .

though a little embarrassed by the theatrics being confined to the small space of her room , bloom lifts her hands above their head , cradling them and willing a small orb of gold-hued magic to sprout above her curved palms . closing her eyes in concentration , her brows scrunched , she then crosses her wrists above her head , pointer and middle extending as the other fingers fold towards her palm — and in a wave of twinkling , blue magic that washes over her like an ocean's tide ; bloom transforms .

long gone is her dress and cardigan , replaced instead with a glittering blue two piece outfit , teal and almost translucent wings brimmed with gold fluttering from her spine , a sparkling broach sprouting above her sternum with a tiara of shared hue appearing atop her head . gloves had crept from pointed fingers down the length of her forearms , a luminescent light pulsing around her that only fades once she is in her full fae-form . blinking open her eyes , she puts a hand on her hip and uses the other to gesture to herself — parroting her own words with slow , drawled speech ; " seeeee ?? transfoooooorm . "

[thebrightsidc]

There were many things about Evermore Dessa appreciated, though she had always longed to go back home. She had hoped that maybe that was what had happened to their friends, and maybe they would follow soon after, though she knew that some of them had built lives here.

She had too, but it didn't feel like where she belonged. She had friends, but she was still a fairy in a town of humans, and it wasn't where she was meant to be. It wasn't safe. There were too many decisions to make... too many questions.

She halted hearing Terence speak again, her eyes widening.

"A body? You don't think...?" But she couldn't even bring herself to say it, floating slowly towards the ground, waiting for him to follow or lead the way, afraid of what they could find.

Terence nodded back, determination written in every line of his face as he angled back toward the ground and dove.

It took everything in him not to let out a yelp of joy at the air hitting his face, hair streaming back from his forehead as he skimmed the tops of the trees, slowing to part the branches and squint down at the forest floor.

Evermore had always felt safe, he mused, suddenly realizing that this whole event was starting to shatter that illusion for him. Spiderweb cracks in the life he was building here that Terence wasn't sure he'd be able to keep up with.

Something caught his eye as he circled a large pine.

"There's something down there," he called to Dessa, pursing his lips as he tried to make it out in the dark.

"It could just be a pile of leaves but it also could be a body."

[thebrightsidc]

"Oh, no, they're much safer than they used to be," she assured him, though if she was being honest... she hadn't even considered a gas leak until now. Her eyes scanned the room, hopefully discreetly, wondering if they had a carbon monoxide alarm. "We won't be in here much longer, anyway, and it's an open room. We're fine."

Fraser nodded until it looked like a malfunction in the man, like something had broken and he was unable to stop. "We're fine. And the heater is probably modern, too. So we don't have to worry about gas leaks or anything." Okay, now he was making it worse and usually Fraser was good about not doing that but he felt comfortable voicing his concerns with Dessa. For better or worse.

[thebrightsidc]

"We're fine," Dessa repeated, unsure if she was trying to reassure him or herself. She had been extra jumpy lately, after... everything, but she didn't want to worry Fraser more. "You're right, it's so cold outside today, of course they're turning the heat on."

closed: fraser williams & dessa iri ( @thebrightsidc ) location: the lucky cat cafe

"No, no, no, it's fine. Just the heater kicking on now that it's getting colder earlier." Right? Fraser was used to convincing himself things were fine, but it was always a little bit different when there was someone else around that had the same fears he did. "I'm pretty sure we're fine."

[thebrightsidc]

"Transformation?" Dessa repeated, shaking her head ; it was different than what she was used to, back at home they never had to worry about anyone seeing their wings, everyone had them so they were almost always there, even if she was just walking around. But it wasn't much of a transformation, it was a relatively simple act, and quick, too. `

If Bloom was confused about the wing situation, Dessa took that and doubled it with her friend's reaction to pixie dust. She wasn't sure if basically human was an insult, it felt like one, but she brushed over it, more focused on her question. "We don't need pixie dust for our talents, it just helps us take flight. Or, well . . . stay in the air." Her lips turned into a small frown, almost little more than a pout. "I thought all fairies used pixie dust. How do you fly?"

" you. . . think of them , and they're there . you don't have to do like , a whole transformation thing ?? " a tinge of jealousy pricked at bloom's tongue as she turned to face the mirror , holding the garment up against her frame , swaying side to side to gauge how the fabric would move on her body when they eventually left the confines of her home .

brows suddenly furrowed at the confession , head turning to look at dessa with perplexity . " you can't . " she echoed , pitch lifting at the end to communicate an uncertainty with what the other fae was saying . pixie dust — she had never heard of that before . " odd , " bloom offered as a response , a scrunch of her nose , disposing of the dress disapprovingly by tossing it without care onto her bed . " so , besides your abilities , you're basically human . " returning to her closet , she hummed , continuing her investigation of both her clothes and the pixie . " do your powers even work without this dust of yours or , are those null and void , too ?? "

[thebrightsidc]

"I'm good," she promised, maybe a bit too quickly to be convincing, but it didn't matter how worried she was. They came out here for a reason, and she didn't want to turn around until they found something or at least exhausted all options they could think of. For their friends.

Allowing herself to float lower, as slowly as possible, she nodded, an affirmation to him and herself. "You're right, we need to get closer."

Pursing his lips, Terence brought himself to a halt, hanging in the air with his feet towards the ground. He crossed his arms, squinting down into the trees still.

"I'm a little nervous to get down on the ground," he admitted, chuckling. "Maybe if we get closer, we can still stay above the trees without actually setting down."

He turned to look at his companion, a frown creasing his brow.

"You good, Dess? I won't drag you anywhere you don't want to go."

[thebrightsidc]

Rosetta could be dramatic, Dessa would be the first to admit it, but this... was something else. She looked genuinely horrified, and she had a feeling if something was causing this much dread in her friend it was big, and it was bad. For her, she was so used to freaking out over even the smallest things, but Rosetta? Rosetta wasn't like that. "You were home?" She repeated, the words reshaped into a question, brown eyes wide as they searched her face. "It's what, Rose? What is happening at home?"

Her shaking only increased as her breath failed her over and over. Rosetta had never had a panic attack in her life and now that she was feeling what it was like....she didn't know how people had them frequently. Looking into Dessa's face was a cruel kind of torture. She missed her so bad but how could she tell her their home was...gone? "I was....I was home, Dess. I saw Pixie Hollow....that was where I was....and it's....it's..." She couldn't say it out loud. If it was out loud, it was too real. Another wave of tears hit her hard. "I...it's...."

[thebrightsidc]

[thebrightsidc]

Dessa took his hand in hers, one last deep breath before she willed herself to do this, no backing out now.

And it didn't seem so bad, yet. No one ogling at them from the ground as far as she could tell, no feeling they were being watched. It actually felt... freeing, in a way she hadn't experienced since her life in Evermore began.

"Good call," she shouted back, not too worried someone on the ground would hear her now that they were flying up and away from the town. It was pretty dark, anyway.

Which was also a downside. "I can't see anything," she called out to him, realizing that if one of their friends were hidden below she wouldn't really be able to make them out. She should have thought to bring binoculars...

Terence stretched out his hand, offering an open palm to his companion.

"I think I've got like an hour of flight time, so we should get started!"

The night air kissed Terence's face, blowing golden strands back from his face as he turned his eyes towards the sky.

This was joy, he thought, then immediately felt guilty. The whole reason they were out here tonight was to search for their missing friends. Would Zarina even consider him a friend? Probably not.

"Let's start over the woods," he called to Dessa, tilting his shoulders just a hair to bank away from town.

The streetlights flashed by, giving way to the darkness of the forest, leaves rustling with the air displaced from their passing.

"It's so dark," he murmured to himself, squinting into the leaves.

[thebrightsidc]

I could write a whole book about you 💛

[thebrightsidc]

It wasn't that she was expecting Rosetta to act... relieved. She had no idea what she had been through. But Dessa wasn't expecting her to be panicking, and she could feel her own chest tightening as she pulled away enough to look at her face. There was a sense of dread in her words that immediately told her this was serious. "What do you mean?" She questioned, keeping her voice soft; she didn't want to add to the anxiety her friend was feeling. "What kind of danger?"

this was the first time it what felt like months where she didn't feel like she was about to inhale smoke. it was all so strange. one day she woke up in neverland and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. when she flew to pixie hollow to see what the fussing she was doing was for all she could see was fire. large flames consuming her home, all she had ever known. no matter what she tried to do to help nothing would stop the spreading of it and she thought she was going to die there. now she was just....back in evermore. she hadn't even realized she was shaking until she was in dessa's embrace. "no...this isn't right..." she mumbled, the panic in her voice rising. "we can't be here. we need to go home. it's....it's....im danger..."

[thebrightsidc]

It was probably the worst duo to be taking to the sky on their own; if Talia was there, or Sylvie, or Fawn, Vidia or even Rosetta... all of them would likely have a little more confidence about this than she was guessing she and Terence had combined. Maybe one of them would be able to offer real reassurance. But it also made Dessa feel better in a way, that he understood the nerves, and he would be careful too.

"Strange, isn't it?" She agreed with a nod, the whole thing felt weird.

Her feet remained planted on the sidewalk, unable to find the courage in her to follow him, frozen in place... until he looked down, smiling. It was enough to snap her out of her thoughts, get her head back into the game.

And she had to admit, as her feet left the ground... it was a feeling she missed so deeply, a part of her she'd had to push down for so long, that she found herself smiling, too, momentarily overtaken with the joy. "I feel like it's been years," she breathed, her heart fluttering with the breeze.

Terence smiled at her offer.

"I've got plenty, thanks Dess," he replied, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder as much to reassure her as him. He rolled back his shoulders again, trying to disperse some of the tension.

"Feels weird to try flying without the equipment, you know?" he joked, gesturing over his shoulder. Taking one last deep breath, he crouched slightly, then pushed and shot up a fair bit faster than he was anticipating.

He swallowed his yelp, feeling like a new sparrowman again, struggling to get used to his own limbs. Squeezing his arms to his sides and straightening his legs, he managed to regain some control, looking down at Dessa on the sidewalk.

He beckoned, a grin spreading across his face. Despite the dire circumstances, despite the danger they might be facing if someone saw them, there was something just so right about taking to the air again.

[thebrightsidc]

LOCATION: wherever you want bestie FOR: @rosettafleur

It felt like much longer than two months. Dessa was pretty sure if they were gone any longer, she was going to start sprouting gray hairs. She barely wasted any time looking Rosetta over, just ensuring she was in one piece and didn't seem to be sporting any wounds before pulling her into a tight embrace. "Oh, Rosie," she whispered, relief flooding her voice, "don't you ever leave us again."

[thebrightsidc]

Dessa was petrified. This was the kind of bad idea she should be talking her friends out of, not actively signing herself up for... but the stakes were different. This wasn't a spontaneous adventure, this was about trying to find one of her missing best friends. And while she could do it alone and not drag Terence into a possible disaster, she also knew there was safety in numbers, and it wasn't fair to exclude him.

She was as careful as ever applying the dust. She had to admit that she missed flying; she didn't feel right without her wings. But while she was too nervous to take to the skies in a town filled with clumsies, that wasn't the main issue. Knowing that their pixie dust was limited, that if she ever needed to fly and she ran out she could never fly again... it was such a dreadful feeling, she hadn't so much as looked at her supply since arriving to town.

Now, standing outside of Terence's door, there was the usual mix of adrenaline and fear that followed any event out of the ordinary, but also a determination. They couldn't let this be for nothing. "Ready as I'll ever be," she nodded. "Don't you worry about that. There's still a decent amount left if you need some after this." Safely tucked into her bottom drawer.

@thebrightsidc

The blanket was dusty when Terence yanked it out from underneath his bed and unwrapped it. He coughed, waving a hand to disperse the cloud of particles, then unwrapped the shoe box. The glow was faint, but panic gripped him as he pulled open the lid and stared down at the green bag in the bottom of the cardboard square. A tiny dribble had leaked out of one of the seams, making the material glitter with its own internal glow. Terence was relieved it hadn't floated.

He ran his finger across the spill and swiped it on the back of his neck, his back twitching with the missing wings that had taken so long to adjust to. Flipping open the pouch, he sunk the measuring spoon he'd chosen from the kitchen into the shifting, glowing dust and held it up over his head. Holding his breath, he closed his eyes and tilted the spoon.

At first, it felt like a cool breeze playing along his skin, then he felt the tell-tale lightening of his limbs, lifting slightly off the carpet. Swallowing hard, he returned the bag to the box and wrapped the blanket around it again. That should be enough for an hour or so of flying here. Shoving the bundle back under his bed, Terence focused, bringing himself back to the floor and heading to the front door, pulling shoes and a jacket on for his nighttime excursion.

Dessa's knock brought a mixture of fear and relief into his throat, and he tried to smile when he opened the door.

"Hey. Did you have enough? Ready?"

[thebrightsidc]

She wasn't sure what she was expecting Talia to say, but there was something about the laugh, then the words that followed that tightened the muscles in her chest with dread. "Okay, you cannot say something like that and not tell me!" Dessa stared at the blonde with widened eyes, the cogs in her brain already spinning off their tracks as she tried to piece whatever it was together with the lack of hints she'd been given... there was nothing good. "Come on, Tal, you know that anything I could come up with myself has to be worse. I'll be relieved."

Talia eyed the mug before letting her shoulders droop in exhaustion, exhaling out a large breath. The pixie didn't have much of an apatite or a thirst for life since their fairies friends went missing. yes, even zarina though some stupid codfish seemed to think otherwise. Talia nodded taking in dessa's words. "you're right." she murmured softly, palms finally wrapping around the mug like an old friend as the memory of rose flittered through her mind. talia's thoughts were quickly interrupted by dessa's next line of questioning. biting her cheek before letting out a humorless laugh, now deciding she was actually thirsty to avoid answering. "I don't think you'd be happy with me if i told you."

[thebrightsidc]

It made her feel somehow better and worse to have Terence involved; Dessa always worried more over her friends than herself, which was saying something, as much as she worried about getting involved with... anything. It was the reason she was always tagging along on adventures she would rather avoid, just to make sure they were okay. On one hand, he could get hurt.

But on the other, she didn't particularly want to do this alone.

"I will be there," she promised. She had a sinking feeling they wouldn't find anything, at least anything good, but they would never know unless they tried. And she was not going to let her friends be out there somewhere, possibly lost, possibly hurt, without doing everything in her power to look for them.

One of their very first mornings in Evermore, Terence had taken his last bag of dust and buried it under his bed, enclosed in a shoebox with a blanket over top.

And he hadn't looked at it once.

Maybe that made him a bad dustkeeper, but once he'd determined that there wasn't any going back or finding more, a strange sort of peace had washed over him. He missed flying sometimes, sure, but the risk of being caught wasn't something he wanted to even test. But now, in the face of such a mystery and possible danger, the substance called to him in his head.

"Okay, yeah. I'll come with. I have a shift until four today. Meet at my place?"