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windpeakofficial · 4 years

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CAMELIA WINDPEAK || INTO THE WILDWOODS

- in which camelia goes on a planned expedition to open up the secrets beyond rovar's gap.

(i wrote this at 2 last night and i am REALLY rusty im sorry lol)

| ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 10:30 AM || DUNDULL, JORVIK ] | ❆ |

The sun struggled to shine through the thick, frosted over window panes of Dundull Stables.

Last night had marked one of the first harsh frosts to come this season. Sure, southwestern Jorvik had pretty simple winters, especially compared to the northeastern territories, or Camelia's hometown of Beauvista. Still, however, a chill managed to creep its way through a loose board in the barn - accompanying the sounds of mucking, horses making conversation, and the looming echo of the kitchen's radio playing "Walking in a Winter Wonderland."

As Camelia adjusted the girth of her treeless saddle, she received a calm nudge in her side from Pepper. Turning to face her, she received a face full of mare stare and a snort - causing her to giggle. "Don't you ever like anything on your back?" She chuckled, slipping a light brown bosal over Pepper's ears and mounting.

Before the team knew it, they were already on the way to Mistfall's Ranger camp.

Cam knew that it would only be fair if she brought this specific mount out for the trip into the Wildwoods. Being a retired Jorvik Ranger horse from right here in Dundull, she knew that Pepper would not only appreciate the gesture, but also guide her from years of taking the trails. She had received an invite from Alonso about a month ago, asking if she wanted to come and help out. Happy to oblige, and possibly find a few secrets, she agreed and booked a stall to board in.

| ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 11:00 AM || MISTFALL RANGER STATION, JORVIK ] | ❆ |

Coming up the hill to the station, she could already see 4-5 rangers come into view, one of them being a happy, waving Alonso. Though excited to meet everyone, she couldn't help but be apprehensive. How couldn't she be, really, considering that they were going into an area that hadn't been explored for years and she was doing it with none other than a bunch of strangers.

Waving happily, she dismounted and led her mare to the newly-lit campfire. Breathing in the scent of marshmallows, she grinned and introduced herself. Everyone seemed fairly sweet ( except for that Nova chick, no clue what her problem was ) yet something just felt... off. Rowan Allaway - but what really bugged her was the fact that she couldn't figure out why. They were just different, mysterious, confusing.. too much that could be feared, she supposed. They said that they'd "heard things about her" and that if they're true, she'd be useful... Regardless, she dropped the topic once she saw a familiar haflinger and its' rider approaching them.

Rania. That put her at ease. She smiled at her warm greeting, replied happily, and before they knew it they were off.

Cam heard everyone chatter amongst themselves and eachother until she became fairly certain that she was being ignored. She didn't know why, really, but it didn't matter. She had already zoned out - the only thing her subconscious picked up was the rambunctious stories that Rowan was telling and the occasional remark from Alonso, Rania or Yousef. She felt magic teeming stronger and stronger as they got closer to the passage.

"Camelia?" A voice called out, shaking her from her thoughts. "Can you join us for a group picture before we head in?" Rowan beams and her stomach churns uncomfortably. Her mouth twists into a smile.

"Sure, I'd be happy to."

| ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 11:30 AM || ROVAR'S GAP, JORVIK ] | ❆ |

Pepper nervously stepped up the hill, ears partially pinned in an uncomfortable listening position. She spooked when Astrid let out a loud gasp, stepping aside a few hoofbeats.

"Sorry everyone, she's a little on edge." Cam apologized "Astrid, is everything okay?"

"It grabbed me! It reached out and GRABBED me!" The ranger practically screamed. Cam's gut did flip-flops. There is definitely magic here. She sensed it.

The rest bickered back and forth, forcing Cam to try and focus back into reality even though her soul was trying to comprehend the magic. "Not now, Cam. Not now" she mumbled, sighing as she watched Yousef gallop away with Astrid and her steed in tow. Rania looked at her quizzically.

"What do you make of all this?" She asked softly, causing Cam to gulp.

"I- think there's a lot more to this place than what meets the eye." She blinked, urging Pepper up the mountain, still bothered by the underlying power.

As the team of two headed near the top of the hill, they fell back. This gave Cam some time to pull out her camera and sneak some photos of the beautiful landscape. Despite the fear factor, it was gorgeous nonetheless. Beauty carved out by the hand of Aideen herself and- what was that Enitan was saying up ahead?

"Enitan, what were you saying?" She trotted up to the group, slipping her camera back into her saddlebag. "Sorry, I was lost in the landscape."

This caused the man to chuckle "The deer, Camelia, it's very special. It watches over the woods." This also caused Tiera to laugh. What was up with awkward laughter today?

"It's a genetic effect called leicism, though sometimes certain environmental elements come into play - like radiation! Enitan, where do you come up with these stories?" She bickered, causing Enitan to sigh and look toward the gap that Rowan was standing in.

Woah.

Cam and Pepper were speechless. Their hearts pounded in an almost perfect sync. This was a large valley with trees that touched the skies. They went on for miles, fresh breeze flowing through with hints of magic. It was stunning. The grasses grew wild, yet kept a manageable length. This place was truly a wonder.

And then it started to pour.

| ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 12:30 PM || WILDER’S VERGE, JORVIK ] | ❆ |

Pepper was almost eye to eye with Dellingr, keeping it together only through the bond they shared. One thing she had to say about that horse, he wouldn't leave Rania if his life depended on it. He pranced through the mud, huffing and puffing through the lowering temperatures.

CRACK!

Pepper leapt back what could've been called a foot. She exhaled heavily, watching Shay gallop away without his rider.

Cam blinked, exhaling with the same volume of her horse. She held Pepper's reins tightly and walked carefully toward a dazed Rowan.

"Someone's gotta go after Shay before he hurts himself!" And as soon as you both made eye contact, you knew who it was going to be.

Thunder boomed as Pepper tried her best to find her footing, huffing and puffing, snorting for the horse to calm down. Camelia's eyes blurred from the bitter wind hitting her face. As they neared the steed, the girl stood out of her saddle, leaning toward Shay until she managed to catch his headstall between her fingers, pulling back and letting out a pronounced "HO! EASY!"

The bridle slipped out of her hands, forcing her to find her seat again before Shay came to a sliding stop about twenty-five feet in front of them. Without hesitation, the tattered woman dismounted and began to step toward the panicked horse, humming softly. All of a sudden it was just her, this horse, and the world. She silently thanked Rhiannon for training her in the gift of wind whispering and soul riding in the back of her mind.

She loved the way the magic felt. It coursed through her veins like life blood, and everything felt so loud. Colors were brighter, feelings were stronger, and every sense she had was awake and vibrant. Before she knew it, her hand instinctually stroked his muzzle. She turned around and walked back to the gang, Irish cob in tow.

"Thanks for bringing him back to me, Camelia. He's a real beaut, but he's still learning the ropes." Rowan smiled. Cam felt an exhausted smile bubble to the surface of her mind, tired from the power she used in front of this unknowing, motley crew, but still being careful. Maybe they weren't so bad.

Enitan mumbled to himself "I think this forest doesn't want us here. It seems.. angry." A visible chill ran down his spine, either from the low temperatures or the fact that he was just.. scared.

"Stop getting yourselves all worked up." Rowan sighs "Nature holds no grudges, it only acts on its' own behalf."

Cam performed the most overly exaggerated eyeroll ever, stifling a laugh when she heard Tiera giggle. Nobody said a word and they continued on their hack, though Cam reached over and tapped Enitan on the leg, nodding understandingly at him.

She hadn't really realized this, but the rain had stopped completely. All that she recalled was that she felt the sun beaming on her skin when she was calming Shay. Who knows what happened, really. Magical properties were a fairly large gray area in Jorvik.

| ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 1:00 PM || REDWOOD POINT RANGER STATION, JORVIK ] | ❆ |

Cam smiled fondly as they reached the abandoned lodge. She could tell this was a really cozy place at one point, though quite frankly, she also figured that there was a 99% chance that there were 1-3 dead people inside. Who knows, though!

Everyone was given their individual tasks, and Cam quickly volunteered to fix the paddock. She had done it several other times when working at other places, and it was quite easy as long as you had a couple nails on hand.

One fence, three fence, brown fence ... brown fence. She was done! She quickly slid her helmet back and wiped some sweat off of her brow. Hearing a twig snap and, assuming it was Pepper, she turned with a friendly greeting.

"Hey, Pepper, I'm done a-"

Oh.

It was Enitan's deer.

That had to be what it was.

It had a sleek build covered in vines and glowing blue flowers. At the base of its neck emerged a proud, bright white coat with shiny, hollow looking baby blue eyes that strikingly resembled Rania's. Was it blind? You know what, that doesn't matter right now.

Cam reached out and slid her hand down its wet nose. The creature sniffed curiously, making her giggle, and galloped off. She let out a delayed flinch and looked over to her mare, as if to confirm "Did that just happen?"

Yes, that just happened. She guessed she would just- go back to the station, then. Wordlessly, she slid onto Pepper's back and trotted back to Rowan and the cabin. As she approached them, they gave her a peculiar look.

"Is everything okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." They squinted. Cam internally argued with herself, trying to figure out if she should tell them or not - or rather, if they'd believe her.

"Nope, it's all good. The fence is in tip top shape." She smiled, putting on a facade. This is a discussion to have with Enitan, she decided.

"Alright, well, you should get some rest. You look dog tired." Rowan chuckles warmly. She grimaced internally at the thought of napping at the cabin. Hopefully someone brought something a bit more comfortable than the old sleeping bag she used in her junior year of high school. Nevertheless, she nodded and left to untack Pepper.

| ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 3:45 PM || REDWOOD POINT RANGER STATION, JORVIK ] | ❆ |

Sighing to herself, Camelia turns Pepper out to pasture with the other horses. Grinning wildly, she watches them bounce and play with each other. The sun is already setting due to the season, so she seeks shelter inside the stable and begins to prepare a stall for her trusty mare. She feels her expression soften and, out of habit, begins to hum the same tune she did earlier.

A stall door closes and she doesn't bother to look, until she hears a familiar voice that could light up a room.

"Cam?" Rania questions "I recognize your humming. Is that you?"

Cam nods instinctually before snapping into reality and correcting herself "Oh! Yes, Rania, it's me. Do you need any help?"

"No," the dark haired girl grins softly "I just had a feeling, you know-"

"A feeling?" Cam blinks. "What kind of feeling?"

"Well, the rangers' exploration is over, but... I've a feeling yours isn't?" Her grin turns into a smile. "I felt what you did with that horse. I might not have been able to see it, but Aideen willing I felt it."

Cam trails off, just saying that the "humming" was merely something she's tried with other wild horses and it seemed to calm them. Rania clearly didn't buy it, but she knew that she could grill Cam on it later.

"Regardless," Rania taps the door of Dellingr's stall "what do you say you and I do a little exploring?"

Cam's face explodes from Rania's contagious grin.

And that's exactly what those two girls did, too. They wandered all over the woodlands with their mounts, taking pictures and describing landmarks.

FIN. 2161 WORDS.

| ❆ | [ 11 / 11 / 2020 || 6:30 PM || WILDWOODS, JORVIK ] | ❆ |

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lickstynine · 5 years

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Misadventures of Kit: Chapter Twenty-Six

I was planning to save this one for tomorrow, but Tumblr is a glitchy dumpster fire that posted it when I hit “QUEUE,” so here you go

written with @ocsickficsideblog

Alistair stomped out of the shopping centre, texting Taddy to come take him home. He was pretty sure he was allowed to do that - they’d probably be shoe shopping for ages. The chauffeur showed up quite promptly, as he’d just dropped off Reggie at a nearby café.

“Afternoon, sir.”

“Hey,” Alistair mumbled, not even bothering to correct the sir. “Just take me fucking home.”

“Is your celibate home under renovations?” Taddy asked, already taking off towards Alistair’s crappy block of flats. The drive wasn’t long at all - the walk had only taken ages because Kit had the pace of an old woman with a cane.

Taddy’s reply almost raised a snort from Alistair, through he kept having to swipe tears away with his fists. He curled up in a corner of the car, biting his nails.

“I don’t remember shopping being that torturous.” Taddy mused, “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know. I have a toxic personality. I once heard a shrink say that to my mother.” Alistair sighed.

“The same mother who would ruin the life of anyone who disagreed with her?”

“I always fuck everything up for the people I love,” Alistair mumbled. “She hates me too. Kit would rather be with her because I just fucking upset him and get on his nerves…” Alistair was way beyond holding back tears now. Taddy gently patted his shoulder.

“Master Kit won't stay mad. As petty as he is, he isn't very good at holding grudges. Except with that Mister Toby. Quite an odd case there.”

“That’s because it’s with Jules,” Alistair mumbled. “Nobody wants him hurt like that.”

“And Master Julius wishes well for you, too. He's probably expecting you, isn't he?” Taddy prompted.

“Probably. I just...I hate fighting with Kit,” Alistair mumbled. “That girl called me a fuck-up.”

“Miss Siofra? She is a bit… Crass. Master Kit was musing the other day about how he 'seems to attract heathens’.” Taddy almost unconsciously mimicked Kit's accent when quoting him - nothing Kit said sounded right without the comically posh intonation.

That made Alistair smile a bit, but he was still crying. “I don’t want to get between him and her. But she doesn’t like me.” He didn’t actually know that, but he was too emotional to be rational at the moment. “And I get anxious when Kit is off somewhere alone. I know it’s stupid, I’ve been told - but I can’t fucking help it. I fucking found him half-dead on my bathroom floor a few weeks ago!”

Taddy cringed - as oblivious as he'd been at the time, he still felt like a guilty accomplice. “I know. I worry too. I'm glad he's staying with you and Master Julius for now. Master Reginald has been… temperamental… as of late.”

Alistair pulled a face. “Ugh, yuck. He has?”

“Well, he's always temperamental, but moreso lately. I think it's the divorce.” Taddy said.

“He’s getting divorced again? Shocker.”

Taddy chuckled. “At his last wedding, one of the aunts gifted him a portrait of Henry VIII. It took him three days to figure out why everyone else laughed when he unwrapped it.”

Alistair grinned. “Good God, I’m glad Kit takes after his mum.”

Taddy nodded, pulling up in front of Alistair's block of flats. “Tell Master Julius I said hello.”

“Will do. Thanks for picking me up,” Alistair said. Taddy waved and drove off.

Back in the chaos of the shopping center, Siofra was still fuming. Her anger for Alistair was mostly gone, but she couldn't find Kit, and it was getting frustrating. She'd shamelessly barged into the men's room to look for him, but only found a terrified and confused teenage boy. In a less crowded place, Finny could maybe have tracked him. As it was, though, all Siofra could do was keep stomping around the shops, phone in hand as she fruitlessly rang Kit's cell.

It was nearly an hour later before she gave up. Siofra didn't know how she could've misplaced Kit - he wasn't in any shape to sprint away, and she hadn't been far behind him. Yet two laps around the shopping center had produced nothing but frustration. She thunked down on a bench, scowling at her phone. “I ought to go on the bloody intercom and call him like a lost toddler.” She muttered. Finny rested his chin sympathetically on her leg, and she ruffled his ears with her free hand. “We've gotten quite the blooming workout today, haven't we?”

Finny didn't respond of course, and Siofra looked back at her cell. It was nearly dead - she couldn't keep spamming Kit in hopes of a reply. But she could call someone else.

Alistair jumped when his phone started ringing, fumbling with it. “Hello?”

“Where did you get off to?” Siofra didn't sound angry, just tired and worried.

“Home… I thought that’d be better. Where’s Kit?” He paused, sighing. “Sorry. I know I’m a fuck-up, I’ll try harder. Put Kit on, I need to apologise.”

“What are you on about? I didn't say you were a fuck-up. I said you fucked up.” Siofra huffed. “That's not the point, though. I can't put Kit on. His skinny arse teleported to who the hell knows where. I was hopin’ you might be the who in hell who knows. Bloody fuck, I'm not even makin’ sense. I can't find your idiot cousin. I was gonna ask you to come back inside an’ help me look, but…” She sighed.

“I’m coming,” Alistair said at once. “Hang on, I’ll run back. It’s not that far when you’re not dragging Kit along. Okay, where have you looked?”

“Everywhere! I've walked the place end to fuckin’ end! He's not hard to miss, an’ 'e certainly ain't fast. Did 'e catch a breeze and drift up into the fuckin’ rafters?” Siofra actually looked up at the ceiling out of sheer desperation.

“You’ve checked all the bookshop? Every little corner?” Alistair was panting as he ran back through the streets.

“I asked the girl by the door if she'd seen 'im. He's not exactly inconspicuous.”

“Where the fuck has he gone..? This is all my fault!” Alistair wailed. “What if he’s been kidnapped?”

“He has 'is phone. I doubt 'e's been snatched, 'e’s just… hiding.” Siofra was trying to stay calm - the absolute last thing she wanted was to deal with another one of Alistair's fits - but his words made her worry. Kit was right at the intersection of nonthreatening and visibly wealthy.

“Hang on, let me think… Where did he used to hide when we were kids?” Alistair mumbled. Kit had always gone for a closet, or his bedroom if he was close enough. He just wanted a door to lock between him and the rest of the world. “You checked all the toilets?”

Siofra couldn't help laughing. “All the ones I could find. Some'o the lads weren't too happy to see me.”

“Um… he ran off in the direction of the food court. He’s not fast, like you said. Maybe he’s holed up around there somewhere.”

“I mean, I've circled the place like a fuckin’ vulture, but I'll try again. We can't keep talkin’, my phone's almost dead. Meet at the food court.” Siofra instructed. She hung up, shoving her phone in her pocket and hurrying off towards the familiar smell of grease and indecision.

Alistair joined her when he arrived, pink-cheeked and bending sideways, clutching at the stitch in his tummy from the running. “Any luck?”

“Nope.” Siofra scowled. “Where the hell did he go? Is there some liquor store down the road I don’t know about?”

“Not that I know of. Are you sure you checked every corner of the bookshop? Because that’s where he usually hides - around the books.”

Siofra shrugged. “I didn’t scour the place, I asked the gal at the door if she’d seen him. How do you miss three feet of red hair and ten pounds of gold?”

“She could have. I’m looking in there,” Alistair said. “Come with me, you’ve got a sharp eye.”

“If ya think it’s worth a shot.” Siofra would’ve checked the roof at this point if she knew a way up. She gently tugged Finny’s leash, and the dog stopped sniffing a trash can to follow them.

The bookshop was uncharacteristically crowded, but it quickly became clear why - the newest volume of a popular young adult series had been released, and there were a handful of signed copies mixed in at random like golden tickets. Teen girls were shoving at each other, desperately trying to peer through the shrink-wrap, as if they’d be able to see the signature before buying and unwrapping it. Siofra groaned in annoyance.

“What the fuck is all this?”

“New book out. That one with the sorcerer’s daughter and the vampire hunter or something? I don’t know, I just skim read it.”

“You read it?” Siofra snorted.

“Jules read it. I just skimmed it because I hoped it’d have gory vampire bits. Which it didn’t.” Alistair tried to fight through the sea of teenagers to look in every quiet corner of the shop. “Come on, it’s so crowded in here that girl at the front could have easily missed Kit.”

Siofra nodded, scouring the fantasy and historical fiction sections with a sharp eye. Finny sniffed around curiously, but didn’t seem to find anything. Alistair prowled about frustratedly, checking round every bookcase. He thumped on the bathroom doors in frustration. “Oi! You in there, Kit?”

There was a tiny yelp of surprise from inside. “...Al?”

“Kit! Oh thank God, we’ve been looking for you everywhere!” He quickly called to Siofra to tell her, then hurried back to the door. “Let me in…”

“Yea, hold on.” After a moment, the lock clicked, and the door opened a sliver. Kit stepped back right away, staring at his shoes. He knew he looked a mess, and he wasn’t proud of it. His hair was a disheveled mess - he’d pulled his scarf over it to draw less attention - and his eyes were ringed with smeared mascara.

Alistair felt awful when he saw the state Kit was in. He immediately hugged him tight. “I’m sorry!”

Kit groaned at his cousin’s crushing grip. “It’s not your fault. I… I was getting overwhelmed, and I didn’t say anything.”

“Well, if you agree to try to tell me when you feel like that, I’ll try to stop being so full on sometimes,” Alistair mumbled.

Kit nodded. “I just… I’m nervous about the party, and it’s loud and crowded here, and we discussed the complaining beforehand, so when you started, I just… It got to be too much.” Kit had honestly been properly pissed in the moment, and he was still slightly ticked, but not enough to be bothered. At this point, he was just tired, defeated, and miserable.

“Sorry. I guess we sort of have different ideas about when teasing goes over into complaining.” Alistair assumed if he wasn’t serious, it didn’t really count as complaining. But he hadn’t really taken into account that only he could really know whether he was serious about something or not.

“Yeah.” Kit nodded limply. He nearly jumped out of his skin when there was a banging on the door.

“Oi! How long are we gonna spend on bog confessionals?”

Alistair rolled his eyes. “She’s a charmer,” he said, but playfully. “Let’s go.”

“I can’t go out looking like this.” Kit went over to the sink, dampening a paper towel to wipe the smeared makeup off his face.

“I’ll redo your face,” Alistair said, as a peace offering.

“I don’t have my mascara with me.” Kit sighed, trying to clean up his raccoon eyes.

“I’ve got eyeliner. Will that do?”

“I… I don’t usually wear eyeliner. Do you think that would look okay?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll do it all fancy,” Alistair said.

“Fuckin’ hell, we’re havin’ a beauty salon now?” Siofra cried, loud even through the door.

“Pretty much,” Alistair called back. “Two minutes.”

“Fuck this, I’m gettin’ a coffee. Find me when you’re done, if the screamin’ girls don’t eat ya first.” Siofra went off to the café attached to the bookstore, Finny following loyally.

Alistair rolled his eyes, gripping Kit’s chin carefully. “Stay still. Fancy shit is harder to get even.”

Kit was dutifully still, allowing Alistair to move him like a mannequin. Alistair pressed very lightly with his black eye pencil, making a soft grey line around Kit’s eyes that emphasised their shape. The older boy waited for him to finish, then turned to look in the mirror. “What do you think?”

“It looks good on you. Everything does.”

“Mm, most things.” Kit amended. “There are some old photographs of me that I’m quite glad I cannot find.” He pulled a comb from his pocket, smoothing his hair back down in the mirror.

“Why? What were you wearing?” Alistair asked, looking amused.

“You don’t need to know.” Kit smirked, walking out of the bathroom. He was drawing the eyes of quite a few thirsty teenage girls, and he shifted awkwardly on his feet as he looked for Siofra.

Alistair grinned. “Watch out they don’t swarm like piranha, Kit…”

“I’ve always hated fish.” Kit stared at the ground as he walked, trying to avoid the gaze of the girls tactlessly shoving themselves in his way. Alistair led him along, not above elbowing them out the way if he had to. Kit mumbled something about that being rude, but didn’t actually make his cousin stop. Siofra was just around the corner in the café, but to Kit’s horror, there was another familiar red-headed figure at a table by the window.

Alistair felt Kit stiffen beside him. “What is it?” he asked, looking up - then he spotted him too. “Shit!”

“Al… we can’t go over there.” Kit mumbled, pulling his scarf up around his face.

“Where’s your phone? I’ll send Siofra a message,” Alistair mumbled.

Kit handed it over, shuffling nervously where he stood. “She’s going to think I’m an idiot.”

“No she won’t.” He paused as he tapped out the hasty message. “Does she know what he does to you?”

“...sort of.”

“How much is sort of? Will she understand why we need her to leave?”

Kit chewed nervously at his lip; he hadn’t told Siofra that much, just that his father was awful like Alistair’s parents. He had no way of knowing how seriously she’d taken him, or if she realized how wretched the Renfrews were. “I hope.”

Alistair sent the message, simply telling her to meet them outside right now, it was important. He ducked his head, wishing he had a scarf for his bright hair too. Luckily, the girls weren’t interested in him - he didn’t look nearly as expensive or pretty as Kit. Siofra felt her phone buzz, and she checked the text, stuffing the bagel she’d impulse-bought in her mouth to grab her coffee.

“C’mon, Finny,” She mumbled through the dense bread, “We gotta go, apparently.” Like Alistair, she had no qualms about shoving her way through the hormonal parasites, and she nearly spit out her bagel to yell at a girl who jostled her coffee. Just the muffled angry noise she made seemed to be enough, seeing as the girl ran off into the crowd. Before long, she was outside the shop to meet the boys.

Alistair ran to her at once, feeling uneasy the moment he took his eye off the café. “We need to go, we can’t stick around this area.”

Kit nodded urgently, staying latched onto his cousin. His heart was pounding so hard, it seemed like he could feel it in teeth, and all the colour was gone from his face. He was breathing rapidly, and starting to wheeze because of it.

“Relax. We’re in public,” Siofra reassured him, “It’s not like you’re bleedin’ in a pool with a shark.”

“No, it is as close to that as is possible on land,” Alistair said, wrapping his arms around Kit, propping him up. “It’s okay, Kit, we’re going. Breathe…”

“I want to go home.” Kit mumbled, leaning against his cousin. Finny nosed his legs worriedly.

Alistair held Kit upright, struggling with him to get his phone out of his pocket. “Sure, we can go home. Siofra, you coming too?”

“I can, if ya want.” She was clearly talking to Kit more than Alistair.

“You… you don’t have to.” Kit sighed, “I’ve already wasted half your afternoon.”

Siofra rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t have wasted time lookin’ for ya if I didn’t like bein’ with ya, stupid. I’ll come with.”

“Can I ask you something first?” Alistair mumbled, blushing. He started pulling Kit away from the café, but he kept his eyes on Siofra. “Something dumb.”

“I expect everything you say to be dumb. What’s up?”

“Do you...despise me?” He frowned. “I was trying to word that to sound less dumb and it fucking backfired.”

Now Siofra snorted. “No. I think you’re a bit annoyin’. Bit of an idiot. But I don’t hate ya or nothin’.”

Alistair rolled his eyes. “Great. That’s generally the best I can hope for. You’re alright too. Good fun in small doses,” he said, smirking.

“So you can hold your women about as well as your liquor?” She grinned.

“Oh god, don’t bring that up,” Alistair groaned.

“Just drag your idiot out to the car.” Siofra laughed. “You did text the driver, right?”

“Yes, he’s over there. He can’t magically make a parking space materialise closer to the entrance.”

“Pity we can’t pay for that.” Kit mumbled, eliciting another snort from Siofra.

“Trust you to say that,” Alistair teased, getting into the car and hauling Kit after him. “Hi again, Taddy.”

“Afternoon, sir.” Taddy grinned. “So eager to see me again?”

“Oh yeah, I try to manoeuvre a chance encounter whenever possible.”

“As if. You try to not leave your flat whenever possible.” Kit teased. He was trying to be lighthearted like the others, but he was obviously still shaken.

Alistair wrapped an arm around him. “You alright?”

Kit sighed and shook his head. “No. I’m terrified.”

“It’s okay, he didn’t see you.”

“Not for now. For the party. I nearly had a heart attack back there. What am I going to do on Monday?” Kit groaned.

Alistair sighed, trying not to show he’d been worrying about that too. “We’ll figure it out. The house is fucking big enough, we’ll avoid him as much as possible.”

“How big is the place anyway?” Siofra asked.

“It’s gigantic, Siofra, trust me,” Alistair said.

“I've learned better than to trust guys who say that.” She grinned.

“Oh Jesus…” Alistair groaned.

“What were you expecting, Al?” Kit chuckled.

“Yeah, okay, I walked into that.”

Siofra laughed, and Finny barked, putting his front paws on Alistair's leg. Alistair leaned over and made a considerable fuss of him, as if he hadn’t seen him for weeks. Finny licked his face gleefully.

“Master Alistair, we try to keep it PG-13 in the car.” Taddy teased.

“Oh ha ha. You should be saying that to these two.” He nodded at Kit and Siofra, though they were merely sitting sedately together.

Siofra just rolled her eyes. Kit was half asleep on her shoulder, worn out from all the stress. Alistair stroked his hair in a similar way to how he’d stroked Finny. Siofra raised an eyebrow at him. “Tryna steal both'o my men, are ya?”

“Kit’s just as much mine,” Alistair said loftily. “Though I don’t want him for the same things you do. You can take charge of that side.”

“Really? I thought you noble folk were into that. Keepin’ pure blood pure an’ all that bullshit.” Siofra grinned.

“Our parents were worried about disabilities from inbred children. Though some of our older relatives married second and third cousins.”

Siofra scrunched her nose. “Jaysus… I was kiddin’.”

Alistair nodded. “Think of any disgusting and vile thing in the world, and I can almost guarantee it’s happened in our family.”

“Charming lot you are.”

“Aren’t we just?” Alistair sighed. “I wish Kit would cut them off too. Being poor and free is much better.”

Siofra shrugged. “I mean. I agree. But he's clearly got some sort'o hangup about it.”

“Mnn. I’m not sure what that is. Or maybe I’m thinking too deeply about it and he’s just a bloody snob,” Alistair said, giving Kit’s shoulder a pat. He shifted a little, but didn't sit up.

Siofra chuckled. “Probably just a snob.”

Alistair didn’t reply, sighing. He felt it was more than snobbery somehow, but he wasn’t sure if he was just being overprotective again. Finny seemed to pick up on Alistair’s concern and gave his cheek a slobbery kiss. Alistair laughed, reaching over to hug Finny properly. It was like hugging a giant stuffed animal, all soft fur and bright eyes. Finny climbed up into his lap, tail wagging enthusiastically. Alistair was positively flattened, but he hugged Finny happily. “Siofra, look!”

“How could I miss that fuckin’ sight?” She snorted.

“He really likes me, see!” Alistair said, sounding so delighted, like a tiny kid.

Siofra rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Yeah. And your stupid arse bought ‘im a collar worth four times more’n his furry purebred arse.”

“Oh, to Kit I spent the equivalent of a weekend bender. I’ve seen him buy a bottle of wine for almost three grand!”

“He what?” Even after seeing Kit drop thousands on jewelry, Siofra hadn't quite wrapped her head around how much and how freely he spent money. Unlike Alistair, she'd grown up in a functional middle class home and was used to sane people with budgets and normal jobs and cars that cost less than a small house.

“I told you, money isn’t scarce in our family. It’s something that’s always been there.”

Siofra shook her head. “That's fuckin’ wild… sure don't mind lettin’ him pay for shit, though.”

Taddy chuckled. “Then perhaps you can carry Sleeping Beauty upstairs.” he suggested, pulling up in front of Alistair's flat.

“Yeah, sure.” Siofra slid the shopping bags off her arm, holding them out to Finny. “Hold these, will ya?” He took the bag handles in his mouth, climbing out of the car after Siofra exited with Kit.

“Any reason why you entrusted the dog, lovely as he is, to carry your shit before me?” Alistair said.

“He's got more common sense.” Siofra replied. She carried Kit in her arms like knight holding a princess, not at all bothered by the weight.

“I could have carried Kit too. I’ve been carrying him since I could walk,” Alistair mumbled. It was actually only a slight exaggeration there.

Siofra shrugged. “He was already latched onto me. You can carry Finny if it makes ya feel better. They probably weigh about the same anyway.” She chuckled.

“I don’t want to disturb him. Look at the good job he’s doing,” Alistair said fondly.

Finny let out a muffled ruff, wagging his tail. Siofra just snickered.

“Should I tell Julie you're in love with my dog? I dunno how he'd feel about that sort'o threesome.”

“Gross! He’s used to me with dogs,” Alistair grumbled.

Siofra snorted so hard, Kit shifted in her arms. “Oh, so you can have a side fling with any bitch that suits ya?”

“That’s not what I meant! Didn’t they have that story at your high school, where the girl died from dog semen?”

“I mean, yeah, but nobody I knew was stupid enough to believe it.” Siofra rolled her eyes, shifting impatiently as she stood outside the flat. Even carrying Kit, she had outpaced Alistair going up the stairs. “Unlock the door before I kick it down.”

“Hang on a fucking second,” Alistair said, hurrying along the corridor and spotting the key in the lock.

Siofra sauntered inside at once, dumping Kit on the couch to take her bags from Finny. “Oi! Julie! Wanna see some expensive shiny shit?”

Julius came in from the kitchen, peeling off rubber gloves. “Ooh, yes please!”

Siofra was dumping jewelry on the table like a pirate showing off booty, and Finny ran around Julius's legs, barking happily. Kit seemed less pleased, stirring and groaning on the couch. Julius grinned, ruffling Finny’s fur. “Hello, sweetie! This is a fine welcome.” Finny jumped up on his chest, tail swishing.

Kit rubbed his eyes, sitting up with a tired sigh. “What circle of hell did I end up in?”

“The usual one,” Alistair said. Julius couldn’t greet him - Finny jumping had knocked him onto his bottom, and he was giggling beneath a mass of fur.

Kit just drooped back down on the couch. “I'll give each of you fifty quid right now to make it a quieter circle of hell.”

“Finny, hush.” Siofra quickly put a hand over the dog's mouth. He licked her.

“He’s such a sweetheart,” Julius said, clambering to his feet. Finny barked appreciatively, nosing Julius's hand. When he was done fussing over the dog, Siofra dragged him to the table to show off the matching jewelry she and Kit had gathered, all rubies and rose gold. Normally, Kit would have joined them, but he was already dozing off again.

Julius was an ideal audience for this, examining each piece of jewellery in awe. He ran his fingers over the bracelet and necklace and tried on the rings. Siofra’s hung off his little fingers, but Kit’s fit quite snugly. Kit didn't have bracelets or necklaces, since they'd be hidden by a suit, but he'd found some intricate rose gold collar pins, as well as a myriad of earrings. Once they'd gone through all of those, Siofra pulled out the dress to show Julius.

He gasped. “Oooh! It’s just the right shape for you!”

“Took fuckin’ ages to find the right one.” She huffed, but she was grinning.

“It’s beautiful,” Julius said, feeling the smooth material and swishing the skirt. Siofra puffed up her chest.

“Gonna be fun to go to a real bougie party. I’ve never been a proper guest before, just a performer…”

“Did you burst out of a cake and belly dance?” Alistair snorted.

Siofra rolled her eyes. “No, but that might pay better. If you used your three brain cells, you'd remember I have a band.”

“Hm. Less fun. But seriously, I wouldn’t get excited. Our family parties consist of people with too much money wasting it on fancy liquors that they puke up within two hours. Though it’s fun to fuck with people you have dirt on.”

“What sort of dirt?” Siofra looked almost devilish as she grinned, leaning close like they were kids gossiping in school.

“Oh god, our family has some big-ass skeletons in the closet,” Alistair said. “You think me almost burning down my school was big? That was just like page twelve on the family newspaper. We’ve got bigamy, hidden children, secret abortions, affairs that were found out through the mutual sharing of STDs… I could go on.”

As horrified as she was, Siofra couldn’t stop grinning. “I kind of want you to.” Morbid curiosity was getting the better of her, and she couldn’t help wanting to know more.

“Let me find a good one… Oh, Great-Uncle Austin bought a studded diamond necklace for a quarter of a million just so he could strangle his mistress with it. She was pregnant and was going to reveal it to the family. He said he wanted to leave the diamond imprints on her neck so she’d be scarred forever with her greed.”

“He didn’t! You’re making this up, Star,” Julius said, horrified. He certainly hoped Alistair was making it up.

“I swear to god I’m not. That’s a favourite story to tell. He bought himself the best lawyer in the country and only got a seven year sentence for manslaughter. Don’t ask me how. You know how lawyers twist the case,” Alistair said.

“Jesus fuckin’ christ…” Siofra shook her head slowly. “Rich people are somethin’ else…”

Kit was stirring again on the couch, mumbling quietly in his sleep. Siofra turned to look at him. “Is there a pea in princess’s mattress?”

Alistair snorted. “Maybe there’s a disturbance in the force when I talk about our family.”

Siofra snickered as well. “If there was a force, your family would be the fuckin’ Sith lords.”

“The Sith are way too cool to be our family. All they do is sit and drink and...abuse their kids, it seems. And wives.”

“Charming bunch’o bastards.” Siofra muttered, “We could always poison the punch.”

“I expect Kit will be downing it, but I’m all for it if we can hold him back.”

Siofra snickered. “Temptin’, but I don’t think we can get our hands on that much poison by Monday.” She looked over into the living room when Kit let out a loud snore, and guffawed as he snorted and toppled right off the couch.

Alistair laughed too, going to haul him up. “Kit! Go to bed if you’re gonna sleep.”

The older boy groaned dramatically, holding his arms out for Alistair. “Carry me?”

Alistair rolled his eyes, but scooped Kit up into his arms without hesitation. Though Kit had put on a little weight with his new diet, Alistair still worried about how easily he could haul Kit around. This was his older cousin, two years his senior and a couple of inches taller - they should be around a similar weight at the very least.

Kit leaned against him at once, happy to leech off Alistair’s warmth. He kicked off his boots when dumped on the bed, and started to peel off all of his layers. After tossing both of his coats aside, he gave up, flopping onto the covers with his jumper still on. “Can I have my good blanket?”

“Yeah, of course. Shouldn’t you take your jumper off first? You’ll be roasting.”

“No I won’t. I’m cold.” Kit mumbled, climbing under the blanket as soon as Alistair plugged it in.

“Fine, whatever. Do you want me to stay with you?” Alistair asked.

Kit nodded, reaching his arms out of his blanket. “Please?”

Alistair grinned, clambering onto the bed and rewrapping the blanket around them both. He teased his cousin about it, but Alistair actually really liked it when Kit blatantly asked for his help like that. Few people had ever really needed Alistair in his life, and it felt good to know that Kit did want him around. Now that he was both warm and comfortable, it didn’t take Kit long to drift back off to sleep, snoring into Alistair’s chest. The younger boy was effectively pinned, boiling hot and uncomfortable, but he sat where he was for Kit. He knew he needed sleep.

Back in the living room, Siofra had commandeered Kit’s credit card so she could continue searching for shoes online. She and Julius were looking at Julius’s laptop, twenty different tabs with various shops open, and Finny sitting at their feet. It took over an hour of shopping, but they eventually found a stunning pair of red satin shoes with intricate rose gold heels (not “rose gold” fabric, but actual metal). Siofra quickly clicked on the listing, but nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the price: ₤1550.

“Mary, mother’o whores! You could buy a beater car for that!” She yelled, nearly waking up Kit in the process.

Alistair couldn’t exactly yell out, so he sent Siofra a text: Keep your foghorn gob shut, Kit is sleeping.

I’ll shove my foghorn foot up your ass. Siofra messaged back, though she did quiet down, still staring at the screen in horror. “What the fuck…”

“Kit would buy those for you,” Julius said. “He’s always very generous. Sometimes he gets us takeaways without even asking. The good kind too, that comes in fancy packages instead of polystyrene.”

“I was gonna spend a couple hundred without feelin’ bad, but… shit. That’s a few months‘o rent.” Siofra sighed, tapping her nails on the sleek black credit card.

“His father does own an island though. And he’s not a very nice man. I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over spending his money.”

Siofra pursed her lips, nodding thoughtfully. “Good point. I’m done feelin’ bad.” She added the shoes to her cart and clicked on the checkout.

#misadventures of Kit #chapter twenty-six #angst #drama of the big gay #kit #raycraft #siofra #rafferty #alistair #julius #ocsickficsideblog #collab

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