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[faerietothe-otherside]

There was a sort of comfort in the fact that Amrita couldn't stop herself from crying, either. Rangi knew how many people had loved Mason, she knew how many other people had cried over him. She'd sat with his mother and cried with her for days, but then, suddenly, it was as if the world had started moving on, and Rangi didn't know how. She was being left behind, in a world devoid of Mason, the one light in her life. Her world had become dark.

She didn't know Amrita well but she suddenly wished she did. She wished she could share their pain, the pain over a loss so suddenly and tragic. Shakily, she reached out for the other girl, hoping she understood the gesture. She wanted to hold her, to be held, to be close to someone, to know she wasn't so alone in all this. She wanted to know that she'd be alright, even if she didn't feel it at all.

"I'm sorry," she found herself saying, not truly sure why. Maybe she was sorry for causing such trouble, for breaking down on someone who was virtually a stranger. Or maybe she was sorry that Amrita understood her pain, in some way. Maybe she was sorry they'd both lost something irreplaceable. Maybe she was just sorry for everything. But it was the only thing she knew how to be, right now. "I'm so sorry." It was the only thing she knew how to feel right now.

In Amrita's eyes, Rangi fell to the ground in slow motion. All the young witch could do was extend a hand, but it was too late. Amrita watched terrified as Rangi laid in the ground and she couldn't help the way all the wildflowers around them died. She wanted to stop, to stop causing trouble to Rangi, but she couldn't control her powers. That's why she had ventured into the forest so often these past few days. It was the only place she could fully let go without worrying about the consequences. But now wasn't the time for the witch to break down, it wasn't the time, it wasn't appropriate. And yet little by little tears fell down her cheeks as Rangi cried. Her own eyes widened as she saw Rangi break down, and her lips trembled in empathy. Her entire body shook in recognition because Amrita too felt the wave that brought the fae down to the floor.

"I'm sorry." It was such a silly thing. To know that her words could never be enough to undo the damage to undo the sadness she felt. She could sense it, and yet she could only whispers apologies. I loved him. There was something so sharp about that past tense, and all Amrita could do was crouch down and sit on the ground near Rangi. All Amrita could do was show the other that she was not alone, not in her grief, and not tonight. "I know." Because she did. She didn't doubt Rangi's words at all. Was it okay to say that Mason knew too? Amrita was so scared, so damn scared of pushing Rangi further the edge, so she kept quiet.

Tears continued to fall as she sat in silence and let Rangi express her feelings. Amrita opened her mouth to speak then closed it, then after a few seconds she spoke, voice trembling. "I can't believe it either." She sniffled as quietly as she could still worried of burdening the other. "I'll stay with you..." Her words a mere whisper. She didn't want to leave Rangi alone like this.

[faerietothe-otherside]

Rang was quiet because, no, there wasn't anything anyone could do. Unless they could go back in time and stop this all from happening. Rangi wouldn't even entertain the idea of raising the dead, but time travel could work. If it had never happened in the first place, than order was still maintained, or whatever. "Shakespeare," she said after a moment, meeting his gaze but not his smile, fake or not. "Shakespeare said that." Honestly, she'd trade him in a heartbeat to not have to sleep, to not have stupid, prophetic dreams, to not have to worry about where she might wake up. But everyone had their own problems, didn't they? Just because she wanted to not sleep didn't mean he had the same feeling about it.

"A soft shake is fine," she shrugged, "sometimes I don't wake up right away. Maybe try and get me to sit down first if that does happen, so I don't fall over or something." It had happened before, being woken suddenly often surprised her, made her trip or jolt or twitch. She chuckled, rolled her eyes. "You're a good friend, you know," she said as she listened to his off-key harmonica tunes. "We are friends, right?"

Ralph sighed, meeting her eye with something of a gentle shrug. "I hear ya, boss. Things just don't feel right, do they? Anythin' I can do to help? I know that's a bullshit question. I do. People ask it all the time when they don't mean it, but I do." Looking up, he tried to smile, but really, for all his efforts to remain chipper, he knew he was just avoiding his own inevitable crash soon to come. "Well, you're not sleepin' on the ground. I don't needa sleep. Between you and me, though, I do sometimes, ya dig it? Sleep perchance to dream. Do you know who said that? Feel like it was in a TV commercial or some shit. Corn Flakes?" He flashed a smile, but it was unclear if he was being genuine or not.

Sitting up properly, then, Ralph allowed his features to harden into a picture of sincerity. He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, of course I can. No trouble at all, ya dig it? I'll stand guard all night if you want me to," he smiled. "If you get up, I'll give ya a good shake. Unless there's somethin' else you prefer. I'm open to suggestions, boss." He gave a soft hum. "Any requests? I can do 'Piano Man' or 'Bobby McGee.' Oh! Or 'Love me Do!'" He started up an only slightly off-key rendition of the famous riff.

[faerietothe-otherside]

It threw her, a bit, to hear him simply accept her anger and still apologize. For him to take responsibility for his actions and how they hurt others. Not that most people she knew here didn't do that, but it was still surprising all the same. She furrowed her brow and turned away, trying to hide the hint of admiration she felt. It was nice to know there were still decent-ish people in the world, after everything. She toed at one of the logs on the ground. "Well, great," she said finally, "apology accepted or whatever." It still didn't make her feel any less terrible, though, and she wondered if there ever would be anything that could. Leaning down, she picked up some of the sticks and started making a little tent out of them. "Maybe you should practice more, then," she said, "you have to set up a little area for the fire to catch. Put the tinder under these sticks, they help protect it from wind and stuff while the flame is getting started."

He'd been aiming for apologetic, although clearly that wasn't translating and Altan wondered if there was anything he could do that wouldn't anger Rangi further. Maybe it was a hopeless cause, and the best he could hope for from this 'bonding' exercise was to avoid getting another black eye. "I wasn't asking for an apology - nor do I feel like you owe me one, I just wanted to offer you my own." With a friend, he might've argued that he didn't entirely see the difference between the two words, but obviously, there was more nuance there when it came to her, and he did his best to decipher what it might be. "Alright, I'm sorry for my thoughtlessness - I should have considered how my abilities would affect them, and I didn't, I'll do better in the future." He caught the pack of tinder, considering it for a moment before gathering up some logs and hoping he wouldn't make too big of a fool of himself in the process of trying to light them. "That works for me. I'd offer to do it all on my own, but it's been a while since I've done anything involving survival skills, so we might be here for a lot longer if I did."

[faerietothe-otherside]

Rangi didn't really want to do this, but what choice did she have? Mason's family was more family to her than her own parents, at this rate. She'd only met Dhruv once, at the funeral, but from what she did see, he was a fine guy. Probably a good person. She hadn't really been focused on that, though. And now here she was, agreeing to meet up because he'd found something of Mason's that was meant for her. And she really didn't want to do this. She knew it was going to make her cry and she was so damn tired of crying all the time.

She gave a thin-lipped smile back and waved. "Hey." Really, Rangi would take any excuse to make herself busy, to keep her mind off things, but this was something that was doing the opposite. "No, no, it's all fine. So, uh, how've things been? How is Matua?"

for: @faerietothe-otherside

Grief was strange thing, it lingered in ways no one would expect and occurred in ways no one saw coming. Try as he might to ease the load his aunt and grandparents were carrying, Dhruv knew this was not something he could fix, not something that needed an answer or a solution, just time. He helped where he could, but mostly gave them enough space while he got settled back into this town. His own life a jumble of things, but all he could do was move forward and try to wrap his head around everything that happened, which proved particularly difficult when cleaning out his cousin's room. To think he'd never speak to them again was an unbelievably thought, the stuff he found, tucked away in safe little corners, proof of life that Mason led only saddened him.

Reaching out to Rangi had many reasons, after he was made aware of how much she had meant to not just Mason but the entire family, Dhruv wanted to make sure she received this finding personally and also to see how she was doing after the camp retreat, he missed theecent in betweenhis moving but from what he heard, it felt like a good thing in disguise. "Hey," he greeted her with a small smile and a wave. "Thanks for meeting me. Hope I'm not keeping you from anything?"

[faerietothe-otherside]

It was so strange. Rangi remembered how she'd been found by Leyla in similar circumstances-- she'd somehow walked from the hospital, barefoot, after carrying Aiyla there. That was the first time Rangi had really felt afraid, terrified, but not for herself-- for someone else. For someone she cared about. Someone she needed. She'd imagined coming upon Aiyla's dead body time after time, dreamt it, woken up terrified of it. None of it had compared to the real thing, to actually having watched Mason's life slip away in her arms. She could have never imagined how terrible something like that was. And now, it was all she saw. In every body she dressed and every face she pulled a white sheet over.

Did Rangi know what was best for her? Really? She didn't think so. She didn't know and that was really all the answer she needed. All Rangi wanted was to not be such a burden on people. The closer she got to them, the more trouble she caused.

For a moment, Rangi didn't understand what was happening when the ground began to rumble under her feet. It was only for a few moments, but Rangi's confused mind and bleary state made her stumble, heel catching a root. She collapsed to the ground, unwilling and unwanting to catch herself. The apology slipped in one ear and out the other. Rangi didn't care. She could leave her there for all Rangi cared. She could open a hole in the earth and let it swallow her up. When Rangi looked back up to the other girl, it was through a tunnel of tears. "I loved him," she croaked. They were the only words that would come out of her mouth. She hadn't told anyone that. Maybe it wasn't a romantic love, maybe it wasn't the kind of love people thought of when they said the word, but Rangi had loved them so much it felt as if when they'd died, her heart had died with them. She put her head in her hands. "And now their gone. Just-- gone."

I'm not your responsibility. For some reason that sentence took the air out of Amrita's lungs. It was weird, so weird for something to affect her so deeply, but she was out of sorts. And upon listening to Rangi, an unsettling realization dawned on her. No one was her responsibility, the thought left her feeling empty and friendless. "I don't mind." Her voice was soft, but shook as Amrita's eyes searched for whatever Rangi was looking at. I don't mind helping, she wanted to say. Please let me help. The words died at the back of her throat as Amrita took a step closer to Rangi. She was so scared the other woman would somehow vanish from her view or get injured. An irrational concern seeing as there were no threats around them, but Amrita could not settle.

"Will you let me help you?" Again, her voice was soft and small. She wanted to beg, to beg to be useful for someone. "Or... am I crossing a line? Sorry. You know what's best for you." I'll be okay. A pout formed in Amrita's lips and for a second she felt tears prick her eyelash, but she kept them at bay. The mention of Mason completely shattered any amount of self control she had, and suddenly the ground beneath them shook for a few seconds. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" It took a lot of concentration to ensure the ground beneath Rangi didn't hurt them, but once Amrita's nerves settled, she nodded. "Yes. I knew Mason... not for long, but I knew him." The young witch wanted to add that they hadn't needed much time to leave an impact on her, but it felt fruitless to do so. Amrita knew how Mason spoke of Rangi, and had seen them interact in the events of the town. She feared her words belittling or even coming across as a comparison because she knew, she understood that even when she felt sad, it could not compare to the utter heartbreak those truly close to him felt. And that too left her feeling empty. The realization and reminder that she wasn't close to anyone. In the midst of the grief, Amrita realized she was a deeply selfish grotesque person.

"You knew them too." It wasn't a question, Amrita knew better than to even frame it as one.

[faerietothe-otherside]

"I feel like shit anyway," Rangi stated, pulling her knees up to her chest. She kind of hated this whole thing, this whole week, but this moment, right here? She didn't mind. She didn't hate this. Ralph was a strange guy, but he wasn't mean and he wasn't cruel, at least not to Rangi. He was fun to keep around and he made her laugh, and he was a pretty decent employee. What more could she ask for? "Don't beat yourself up too much. At least we're not sleeping on the ground, right?"

She rolled her eyes but felt the smallest chuckle leave her throat in a huff of air at the theatrics. Her body stilled after a moment, though, and she looked away, as if ashamed of what she was about to ask. "Can you...stay up with me?" She wrapped her arms around her shins and gave a shrug, as if trying to be nonchalant. "Make sure I don't, you know...wander off in the night?" Sleepwalking had become a major issue for her since Mason's passing and she hadn't taken the time to figure anything out on how to curb it, how to help herself. In fact, she'd mostly just ignored it, and let herself wake up in strange places, covered in mud or dirt or asphalt, before dragging herself home for a hot shower and then off to work. "You can keep playing your harmonica, too, if you want."

Ralph shrugged his shoulders, meeting her eye with a weak smile. "Suit yourself, boss. But you're gonna wake up tomorrow mornin' feelin' like shit, ya dig it? Wet hair makes ya sick," he said matter-of-factly, repeating an oft-told wives tale from his youth. His own more scientific training appeared to matter very little to what he did or did not choose to believe. "Not a fan of the jamboree, huh? I feel ya. I'm sorry we didn't get somethin' nicer, pal. I shoulda tried harder," he replied, pursing up his lips. "Hey! I'm hit!"

The pebble struck him in the knee, and he made a show of sprawling backward as if struck by something larger. Pretending to collapse, he poked up open eye. "Sure I can. Am I annoyin' you? It's the harmonica, ain't it?"

[faerietothe-otherside]

Rangi's fingered slipped through the nothingness where the image of Mason had been and her hand fell limply back to her side. The cold air around her didn't feel half as terrible as the emptiness inside of her chest and she hiccupped in a deep breath, shaking her head to try and clear it, to try and stifle the tears she knew were coming. "Nothing," she said back quickly, "nothing, you don't-- have to do anything. I'm not your responsibility. This isn't-- you shouldn't have to deal with this." With finding her barefoot in the middle of the forest, with picking her up off the ground after she'd slept walked again. It was no one's responsibility, yet since meeting him, Mason had always made sure to find Rangi went she wandered off like this. Now, she'd simply chased his shadow into the forest and maybe she'd meant to keep going, maybe she'd meant to never look back.

But Amrita had stopped her. Maybe that was a good thing. She rubbed the palm of her hand into her eyes. "Sorry, I just mean-- you don't have to do anything, I-- I'll be okay." She looked down at her feet, covered in mud and leaves. "From this, at least." It wasn't anything a hot shower couldn't wash away. She glanced back up at the other person. She recognized her. "You...knew Mason, right?"

It felt like a nightmare. Ever since getting the news Amrita had felt so out of sorts. Grief wasn't something she was familiar with. The first and only meeting with grief had been when she was maybe nine years old and her grandmother had passed. Amrita could barely remember the woman having only met her twice in her short life. Mason, however, she remembered as clear as day. It was weird. Why did this affect her so? Was he a friend? Yes. But Amrita had lost friends before due to distance, due to family matters. Still, it was different, and she had a hoarse voice to prove it. Nights blurred together spent in this very forest, using her magic until the point of exhaustion just to get some sleep.

Thankfully, Rangi hadn't found Amrita in the middle of her losing control of her powers. Instead Amrita had found Rangi before she ventured off too far. "You're in the forest of Echo Acres. You don't have to apologize." Rangi hadn't done anything wrong. From her naive understanding, the fae sleepwalked whether they wanted to or not. "Are your feet okay? I have some first aid stuff in my bag." She was unsure what to say or how to bring Rangi out of the daze she was still under. The question are you alright died in her lips. Now was not the time. Were any of them okay after Mason's passing? The whole town felt so... quiet. "I could walk you home if you wanted... or we could keep walking around? I don't know... I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

[faerietothe-otherside]

Rangi could already tell this was going to be a serious talk, but she'd still held onto that sliver of hope that maybe Aiyla really did just wanna swim. Alas, that wasn't the truth and Rangi almost regretted coming over here with her. She sunk into the water and let the waves toss her body around gently as she listened and tried not to let her anger cloud her judgement. It wasn't Aiyla she was mad at, it wasn't even Altan she was mad at-- okay, well, she was a little mad at him, actually, but it was justified, in her eyes. She understood all too well how it felt to be forced into something against your will, especially something you had no control over. And he'd done that to people Rangi cared about-- and Suresh.

Still, she waited for Aiyla to finish before standing back up out of the water and looking over at the other banshee. "Are you saying all this as my friend..." she started slowly, "or my queen?" She was quiet a moment. "Because, honestly, the answer is different depending on what you say."

She was relieved she followed her into the water, kicking her feet beneath the surface. Aiyla kept herself afloat and gave Rangi a pointed look, a small smile that did not give away the thought that went through her head. She sighed, "I wanted to spend time with you," she answered honestly, kicking up to float leisurely on her back. This event had been hell in a lot of ways, and in a lot of others, it had been illuminating, promising, "I'm going to level with you, Rangi, because you're my family, because I'm also your Queen, and because I love you," Aiyla said, her eyes closed as she floated on the surface, her body bobbing up and down in the waves. "This week has been unfair to a lot of us, to the Sirens and so many others," Aiyla sunk back to face Rangi, "Everyone is struggling with their own traumas and horrors. Things no one else is entitled to, like grief, heartbreak, and shame..."

Aiyla wasted no time, "You can't keep going like this," she softened, her concern pulling her closer to Rangi, "You know punching Altan was wrong, even if your intent was justifiable...for the Sirens," She paused to let the sentiment settle. She was sure it would come up at the next meeting, like everything else she softened, she'd found herself in a position she didn't like to be in, one that she had to face regardless. "He didn't deserve it no more than Billie, Suresh, or Nyra deserved to lose control over their bodies," Aiyla didn't pause to let her interject, not yet, "What he did was benighted...like many of the tactics some used for games, it wasn't what I expected when magic was allowable in these games. I expected vampires to use their speed to run bases, witches to use their magic to make themselves better, not everything else," Aiyla trod gently shaking her head, "I know why you did it; your anger and concern are justifiable," Aiyla's eyes swept over her face, "I was just as angry, but I can't lose myself like that... so I hold onto all my feelings, no matter how heavy, I swallow them. All my frustration, anger, and grief, and I felt it had no place to go. I still fear it has no place to go. But yours does," Aiyla gestured to herself, "It doesn't have to be Altan's face or some quip to Dilan-" She gave her a curious look as if to ask, why don't you want her on your team? She kept the tale of the barbeque to herself. She did not need to flame a fire already alive and well in Rangi. If anything, Aiyla wanted to give it a place to slumber, a place where Rangi could leave the weight of her grief and come out the other side lighter.

"It's my job to carry it, to give you a place to unburden yourself...I can take it, Rangi, but I can't take watching you self-destruct around yourself, slipping away from who you are. Grief will swallow you whole, and I can't allow that...I won't lose you to it." Aiyla concluded gently, her hands reaching out for Rangi to take.

[faerietothe-otherside]

Rangi had been more than happy to simply let the air mattress they'd "won" drift along the river current all night, but at the instance of some other more right minded individuals, she'd had Ralph help her drag it to the bank earlier that evening so that she didn't end up drifting all the way into the ocean. Still, she didn't think she would've minded that. At least it would be quiet out there. Silent. She could be alone with her own misery, no one trying to cheer her up and tell her things were gonna get better when they damn well knew that was a lie.

She poked one eye open and glanced over at Ralph, who was still whistling into his harmonica as the moon grew brighter in the sky. "Don't really care if it's wet," she answered, splayed out on the mattress, staring up at the sky. Her hair was still wet from her earlier swim but it felt nice in the cool, open air of the campsite. "I don't think I'd get much sleep either way." After a moment, she sat up suddenly and chucked a little pebble at Ralph. "Hey, um, can you do me a favor?"

Closed starter for @faerietothe-otherside Location: The Campgrounds

Sitting with his back pressed against a tree, Ralph blew a few mournful notes on his harmonica, the sound drifting onto the breeze and mingling with the chatter of the other campsites. He had hoped for the disco-tent; distracting himself with flashing lights and the pulse of his mind's music could dull any darker thought. And similar endeavors had been serving him well for the last few weeks, as if he really could survive on the steady rush of nonstop stimuli.

"It dryin' off yet? I got a waterbed of my own, but I'd hate for ya to have to sleep on somethin' swampy, boss," he called out. "I mean, I'm a city boy at heart and all, but I watched a lotta Westerns and read a lotta boys magazines, ya dig it? I can rough it. But no one wants to sleep on somethin' swampy."

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Thrilled wasn't exactly the word Rangi would've used when she found out who she'd been partnered with, but she also was smart enough to understand that it wasn't an accident. The witch had been on the blunt end of Rangi's fist during the sporting events, and while Rangi wasn't usually a righteous or angry person, it was all she'd been able to feel in that moment, and most of that week. And most of that month. Most of the time since she'd watched her best friend die in her own arms. "Don't," she warned her, tone low, "don't do the whole--" she gestured at his face-- "sad puppy routine. I'm not sorry I hit you. You deserved it. Billie and Nyra and, fuck, even Suresh didn't deserve what you did. It wasn't just carelessness, it was thoughtlessness." She shuffled some of the stuff around that had been placed out for them to complete their "survival" exercise with, before picking up the pack full of tinder and tossing it to him. "Now, we're gonna do our silly little bonding exercise and then we're gonna leave and hopefully never talk to each other again. Sound good?" And maybe her anger wasn't exactly being directed to the right place, but where else was she supposed to put it? She didn't know.

Rangi + Altan; @faerietothe-otherside pairing event: survival tasks

Altan knew that the dodgeball game had gone a bit beyond friendly competition on all sides, even though he hadn't been expecting the tension to simmer over as much as it had. While his eye was mostly healed, it still stung that he'd angered someone enough to warrant a punch in the first place. He approached Rangi with some trepidation, unsure if pairing the two of them to brave it through the wilderness was really the way to rebuild trust. While there wasn't much ill will on his end, he wasn't sure how Rangi felt - and subjecting her to a whole day in the company of someone she disliked enough to punch felt cruel. But he figured the best he could do to alleviate the situation of a bit of tension was to apologize for his part, even if Rangi wasn't ready to accept it. "Hey, I'm sorry you got stuck with me - and for what happened at the dodgeball game. I didn't intend to hurt anyone's feelings or make them feel out of control, I was just thinking about what I could use to our advantage, and I was careless."

[faerietothe-otherside]

Rangi wasn't exactly in the mood to be social, but that had sort of been the theme of this week. Why the town leaders had decided to do this ridiculous trust event now, after everything that had happened, escaped Rangi-- but she wasn't going to be the one to say anything about it. She didn't like confronting people...usually.

This week had apparently brought out her mean side and she was being unfair to a lot of people, she knew that-- but she didn't care. She just didn't care. And she'd been "happily" enjoying her "water" in her water bottle when Aiyla appeared in front of her, hand extended. The other banshee didn't linger long and headed towards the water and for a long moment, Rangi wanted to just stay put and not follow-- but another, bigger part of her, felt like she had to follow. She wanted to follow her. Because it was Aiyla.

Slowly, she waded into the water, her bottle abandoned on the sand, and sank into the waves, watching the other woman closely and eyeing her extended palm. She took it and squeezed, knowing what the gesture was even without the words to go with it. "Did you just wanna get me wet or was there something more to this?" she asked after a moment.

RANGI & AIYLA Free day at the beach early in the day @faerietothe-otherside

Aiyla had been waiting for the right moment to speak to Rangi; so much had happened, and with so much grief on her shoulders, she did not intend to add to it, but instead give Rangi a place to lay it down, if only for a moment. Finding her on the beach, Aiyla wiggled her fingers invitingly. "Come on, we're going swimming." She beamed towards the water, ambling slowly for Rangi to catch up. Once they had waded in waist-deep, Aiyla dove under a crashing wave before resurfacing, holding her hand out for Rangi to take.

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"It's my guilty pleasure," Rangi admitted, "indulging in a nice, sweet treat after a rough day. Nothing better." She gave a laugh, leaning against the bar and putting her chin in her palm as she watched the other girl, all big, brown eyes and soft, sweet smiles. Clearly she was flirting, but Rangi was okay with that. More than okay with it, actually. Sometimes she just wanted to let loose and forget. Not everything had to be so serious, right? She licked her lips and leaned in a little closer when Ronnie did, putting a hand up to her mouth as if she were going to whisper a secret back to Ronnie. "Oh, it's definitely working," she told her, winking. "Especially if this sweet thing you have in mind has anything to do with you."

"Do you?" Ronnie asked. "Good to know. I think everybody deserves a little something sweet every now and then, right? Like, that's what makes live worth living, the sweet treats along the way." She took a sip of her drink. "You can't lie? Good to know. Just so that if I ask you something, I know you're not just trying to spare my feelings." She smiled wider. "Like that. So it's working?" She bit her lip, resting one hand against the bar while she leaned against it. "I am trying to flatter you, but it's all true. Scout's honor." She leans in conspiratorially. "Okay, I wasn't actually a scout... Former cheerleader's honor? And I'm flirting a little bit, too. Is that also working? Because if you want something... sweet, I have something in mind."

[faerietothe-otherside]

Out of pity or some other sort of condolences, one of the nurses at the ER had given Rangi a coupon for a free muffin from Sucre. And, really, it was a nice gesture, because she knew she hadn't been feeding herself properly ever since that day. And maybe a muffin wasn't the most nutritional thing but it was better than the nothing she'd been having for breakfast, lunch and dinner the past few days.

She'd been standing in line staring blankly up at the menu for a few minutes when a familiar voice cut through her head. She turned to see Briar there, heading towards her, and the hairs on her arms stood on end. It was hard to forget, screaming for someone, but she hadn't seen Briar since the incident. She didn't know much about what had happened, only that a curse had come to claim one of the coven members. Why did it have to be her? Rangi could still remember the look in Briar's eyes as her mother died beneath her hands. How many more times would Rangi have to watch someone die under her own hands? "I'm...alive," she said, "guess that's more than some can say." She didn't move to meet Briar, though. She was afraid to touch her. She was afraid of a lot, now. "But what about you? Are you adjusting okay?" Dying and becoming something else wasn't anything Rangi could even imagine, let alone losing something from that.

@faerietothe-othersidef

Briar traveled to Celestial Hills at a minimum of three times a week. Yoga, the best fresh baked bread in the entire town, and the coffee alone kept the witch on that side of town. This time it was yoga, a practice she had taken up again after the most recent tragedies in their little haven that was feeling less and less safe these days. She couldn't control it, and she couldn't stop worrying about her inability to control it, so she took to yoga in search of some calm of her mind. And when that wasn't enough she would slip into Sucre to purchase fresh bread and head on her way. At least that had been the plan until a familiar flash of dark hair caught her attention and had her stuttering in step.

Briar had known that there was no way to save her mother once the curse chose her. It didn't stop her from wishing people would try anyway. The horror of that day a permanent waking nightmare that found her at the oddest times. She blinked hard, pushing the imagery down, her teeth biting into the soft flesh of her cheeks. The only person to help despite the end being decided was before her now, Rangi. "Hey..." She said closing the space between them, the depth of her gratitude didn't seem like it would ever end. "It's been a while...is it stupid of me to ask how you are?"

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Sorry," Rangi mumbled to him, giving a half-hearted smile. "I'll buy you boba to make up for it." Honestly, she'd buy them the world if she could. Especially when they looked at her like that, with that knowing look. It wasn't hard to figure out where exactly she'd gotten stabbed with an iron knife. And, well, not even stabbed. It was just haphazardly thrown at her, because she wasn't a threat to any of them, and she should've known that from the start. Still, she hadn't been able to stop herself from going. She put her head in her hands a moment and nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah, you can," she murmured. She didn't want to look, didn't want to see the worry in their eyes. It was an iron wound, so no matter how much they were able to heal, it would scar. Not to mention how long she'd waited to take care of it. She sighed. "I know, I know, I'm stupid, it was stupid. I won't do it again, I promise." But maybe that was a lie, because her stomach churned, and she knew that, deep down, if anything happened to Mason again, she would do something stupid like that again. Of course she would.

"Ohhh caught yourself there," Mason laughed with a shake of their head, "Damn, I could've been richer." He did not recognise that word but it felt nice to hear her say it, could've guessed the language, asked her about it if she hadn't carried on to explain. And it was stupid for them to feel angry, it really wasn't anger, more of a concern mixed with low irritation which was not directed at her but the situation itself. Brows drew together as Mason looked at her with a deep frown, "And pray tell, dearest wife, how you crossed paths with an iron knife?" She couldn't lie and he hoped she wouldn't skirt on the truth either though, he could piece together how anyway. They all left to find that sheriff lady, Mason had given up their magic to be siphoned, he wasn't getting into the midst of that, he couldn't, not capable enough for it. But others were. Rangi certainly was. She tried to save them no less, but in turn got hurt.

"Iron," he repeated as shoulders slumped, expression now turning into a sad pout, "Rangi...you shouldn't have gone." Magic returned to them after a while of giving it away, he had it now. "I'm going to try and heal you," he stated before closing eyes to focus. This was one ability that he was good at, that and summoning Cap, but healing, he had honed in on and perfected over the years under their mother's guidance. Hands moved to hover over the wound, magic pulsing under their fingertips, "This might sting or tickle, or both? I dunno, but I hope it helps. Can I?" he asked before he touched her leg.

[faerietothe-otherside]

"It was the middle of the night!" Rangi argued. "And I woke up on my couch and needed to scream, I was more so trying to save my windows rather than remember to grab my phone." But Aiyla was right. She should have had her phone on her. What if she hadn't been strong enough to get her to the hospital? "I'll try and be better it about it," she relented after a moment, her voice quieter. "Just for you." She still didn't think she deserved the thanks, though. What was she supposed to do? Just ignore her instincts? She'd only done what anyone would have done, and she did a poor job at it, too.

"Next time? Oh, no, there won't be a next time for me. I don't even know why I went in the first place. I was just so--" Rangi shook her head, shrugged-- "everyone I cared about was inside that hotel. Everyone. And I had somehow ended up on the outside and there wasn't a single thing I could do to help. So when I heard the person who had done that was trying to run, that she was going to get away, I just..." Saw red. She'd never felt such anger before. It had seared through her veins and made her feel like lava. Rangi felt her heart seizing a little. She didn't like the thought of Aiyla going after the Catalyst and ending up a pile of blood in the street again. She chewed her lip. "Or you can just not go after her at all. Let the vampires and werewolves take care of it. They're the hearty ones, right? They can handle fights."

It was relief to know someone was there for her, in the ways that she needed. All Rangi had wanted growing up was someone who understood how she felt and why she felt the things she did. "Guess we're kinda alike in that way. It seems weird whenever I think about. My parents weren't exactly secretive about the fae stuff, but we didn't have a community there. And once they found out I was a banshee and not a siren or pixie, it was like...I wasn't even fae anymore, to them." Rangi didn't think she'd change herself for anything, not at this point, but she knew that, deep down, she wished she'd been born a siren or a pixie and not a banshee. She wished someone would've looked at her with pride and understanding instead of caution and disappointment. She reached out and took Aiyla's hands. "We have each other now," she repeated, "that's what matters most."

Aiyla frowned, her brows creasing, "You should keep your phone on you, Rangi." She tilted her head, "Could I insist on that?" She half teased; they were still out there, and the idea of Ranji being caught in a dangerous situation, unable to call for help, to call anyone, made her stomach flip. She wanted her to be safe. She wanted the entire Court to be safe. Looking up at her, she smiled warmly, the tinge of sadness around the corner of her eyes, "Regardless, thank you." She said, knowing she'd never be able to say it enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It didn't seem like enough. Thank you wasn't enough, not for her life. This life that Aiyla wanted to last, unsure if she could mentally handle if she were to regenerate again, lose her life again.

Aiyla smiled when she accepted it. She knew Defne would want her to have it and would approve of the gift exchange. She might even have suggested more. Aiyla's head bobbed, "We need a plan next time. Going after the bad guys without one is asking for injury and I can not stand the idea of you hurt or worse...so next time a plan. Your safety is most important above all else." Aiyla took Rangi's hand in hers, "Okay, I won't run after them...not without a plan at least."

She smiled, "I'm in no hurry to die or end up hurt again." She answered honestly. Aiyla felt a great deal of warmth spread over her; the place she had found herself in Rangi's life had been one that Evelyn had filled for her, and knowing what it meant to her to have known another Banshee made knowing Rangi feel the same for her all the more impactful. Her mind was full of memory. She was silent a moment, squeezing her hand gently. "I didn't grow up with Fae. My first Banshee encounter wasn't until I was in my twenties." She sighed, "We have each other. It's hard not to feel like we got the short end of the stick. When we could have been sirens with an alluring voice or pixies with their luck- we got death harbinger. But, as awful as it is, I wouldn't give it up. We warn of death and maybe sometimes that means we can prevent it and that means something...and I'll always be here to see you. You're stuck with me until the end, Rangi."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"See, I definitely couldn't put you in my phone as that. Because as much as I love the Garbage disposal and as hot as you are, I feel like that would disrespectful," Rangi said, nodding to herself as if what she'd said was the most astute thing she could have. She nodded sagely. "Still very hot."

Rangi swirled her finger around the rim of her glass, catching some foam on her finger as she thought on Elif's compliment. "To be fair, I don't have a choice in it," she pointed out, "but if you think it's a good quality then, yeah, it's totally a me thing." And it wasn't as if she were dishonest, anyway. Rangi had never seen the point in it, though she often simply kept things to herself if she thought someone else might not like what she had to say. That certainly wasn't a problem now. She stuck her finger in her mouth as she watched, with wide eyes, as Elif downed an entire sixteen ounce in a few seconds. She barely even registered she was staring until she felt her mouth sagging open. Blinking, she cleared her throat. "Let's get you that last drink then," she said, tapping the bar to wave the bartender over.

"Okay, okay. I'll take it. I guess it could be worse. I could have been Hot Garbage," She teased, referencing how the smoothies they had both ordered last time had been called the 'garbage piles'. "But, hey, at least either way, I'm still hot right?" She teased, shooting Rangi a playful wink as she did.

"Oh," She pressed her lips together, giving Rangi small nod at the thought. "Yeah, um, thank will do it. And no, no, it's fine. You're fine. I promise. I actually really like how honest you are," She promised. "And you're right. Life is shit, so let's drink. Cheers," She lifted her drink up to the other. "To the hot girl I met at the Juice Bar and, oh well , I've never to a challenge before, so why stop now," A mischievous glint caught in her eyes as she sat up, scooting to the edge of her seat only to raised her glass and gulped down the contents all at once. Chugging it back until it was completely gone and the moment the empty glass hit the counter top, she was ordered another from the bartender. "Two down. One more to go until I'm at least caught up to you."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"I screamed," Rangi told her quietly. She could still feel it in her throat, her gut, her head. It burned and felt cold at the same time. Her eyes followed Leyla's gesture to the wall, half washed, half coated in blood. She looked back at Leyla and for the first time in days she felt something real and something heavy. "I thought she was dead." She'd only been there, only ended up there, because she'd done what banshees do best, and she'd screamed and she'd run, barefoot, hoping against hope that this time, this one time, she'd get there on time.

And yet, in a strange twist of fate, it hadn't even been Aiyla she'd screamed for. It had never been for her. And so she'd saved her. But what had that done? Where were they now? Were they really any closer to an answer, to the truth, to the end of all this torture?

Rangi looked at Leyla, confused for a moment. She was offering comfort. She didn't deserve this comfort, but there it was, waiting for her to accept. Rangi drew in a breath and closed her eyes and took the offer gratefully, leaning into the other fae, letting out the air in her lungs and the gentle sob stuck in her throat with it.