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[faerietothe-otherside]

"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."

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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.

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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?"

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"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.

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"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."

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"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."

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"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.

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Rangi had been on autopilot ever since that day. That night. That moment. She wasn't sure she even registered time passing anymore. It was just get up, go to work, go home. Monotony at its finest. She didn't want to talk to anyone or do anything or go anywhere. She wanted to crawl up into her bed, under her blankets, and hide away from the world. But she had a job and she had people that relied on her and so she set her alarm every night and got up every morning.

Except today broke her routine wide open. She'd been dreaming, she remembered as much. But even if she knew she was dreaming, it wasn't as if that would save her from sleepwalking anyway. Nothing really could.

Instead, she heard someone calling her name, and it echoed through her dream and she watched as the ground beneath her fell away, and so did the person sitting next to her, sipping nonchalantly on boba tea. Rangi reached out, because she wanted to hold on just a little longer. She wanted to stay in that place just a little longer. She wanted to be in her dreams where Mason was there with her, and not back in the stark, cold reality where they had died and Rangi was left standing in the middle of the forest, barefoot, staring over at someone through the dark who she barely recognized.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her voice sounding distant even to her own ears, "where am I?"

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Amrita knew that walking around the forest at night time wasn't the smartest move. But old habits die hard, and the young witch had been practicing some of her skills on her own when she passed out due to exhaustion. Apparently, having a duplicate across town studying for a class, and overexerting herself with earth manipulation wasn't a good combination. So, Amrita woke up hours later, when the moon was shining brightly on the night sky. Thankfully it wasn't a full moon, if it was, she would've probably climbed up a tree and called it a day. Instead, she walked determined to get out of Echo Acres and into Shadow Lake. Animals followed her without her really asking them to, but she heard a branch snap in half. A squirrel wasn't heavy enough to do that, so she turned to see a rather dazed Rangi venturing deeper into the forest. They appeared to be going on opposite directions. "Rangi?" Amrita called out, remembering the few times they crossed paths at the hospital or during the masquerade ball. "Are you okay? It's dangerous if you go deeper." The young witch began walking towards the fae wanting to verify if she was okay.

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"No judgement here," Rangi said back, smiling, "sometimes you just want something a lil sweet. I get it. I have a sweet tooth." She had a major sweet tooth, really. It was a problem sometimes, considering she liked to think she was a healthy person. She'd grown up with local caught fish and locally farmed vegetables and backyard fruits. But still she'd always craved the overly sugary, imported and processed candies at the corner store. Rangi couldn't help but laugh. "It'd also be a lie, and I can't lie," she nodded, feeling her cheeks warm a little. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to flatter me." She swirled her drink and took another long sip. "But if you are, it's working."

Ronnie grinned. "I was just thinking that. Most nights around here are definitely hold the tonic kind of nights." The bartender was quick with their drinks, and Ronnie twirled the ice around before taking a drink. "I'd probably order just vodka, but I want a little something extra every now and then, you know?" She started laughing. It's not that it was funny. Because the constant threat of death in this town wasn't funny. But laughing seemed like the best option in the face of fuck all. "God, I don't think I'd believe you. I've been to enough already to know that shit's, like, almost always like that." She sort of smirked at the offered hand before taking it and giving it a firm shake. "That's a pretty name. Which, like, duh. Look at you. I'm Ronnie. It's really nice to meet you, Rangi."

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Of all the things Rangi had expected when coming face to face with Song, this was not one of them. She didn't like small spaces, and she definitely didn't like being in small spaces with someone who was her ex. Still, she noted how he avoided touching her. He was at least always good about that part. Not everyone realized how jarring it was to see flashes of death just from a brush against someone. "Ah," she said simply, then raised a brow, "I guess the closet is a good place to do that, but if you really wanted to avoid them, you could just...not be here," she pointed out, "at the hospital."

"Something like that," He admitted, peering back around the corner only to mutter a curse under his breath. "Come here," He said, grabbing onto the edge of her sleeve as he led them into the nearby maintenance closet, shutting the door behind them before his cousin rounded the corner. While he had been gone for months and, Rangi and him hadn't exactly been interacting much in the weeks before he had been taken, he knew enough not to grab a banshee's hand after everything he been through. But, the fabric of her sleeve seemed safe enough and, when they were out of the hall, he let go. His own hand swinging back to his side as he let out a small sigh of relief. "I'm avoiding my cousin," He explained as he glanced around to see that he had in fact pulled her into a closet of all places.

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"To be fair, I have you saved in my phone as hot juice girl, is that any better?" Rangi said. And, well, she couldn't lie. Rangi shook her head, a little too eagerly, considering a moment ago she'd been ready to tell off whoever was about to sit there. Her mind had already been completely changed.

Rangi turned in her chair a little more to face Elif, tapping her fingers lightly against her beer mug. "Well, it's a Thursday night, my cold locker is full of bodies, and the town is being tortured by the ex-Sheriff, so-- I thought it was time to kick back, have a beer, and pretend like everything is fine." Sometimes Rangi really hated not being able to lie, though at the moment her incapability to lie wasn't just because she was a fae. Rangi pressed her lips together, shaking her head. "Can we pretend I didn't say that? I'm already three beers in, you should catch up so the stupid things I say don't sound stupid anymore."

"Is that my nickname now?" Elif's brow curved up. The corner of her lips lifting into a smile as she found herself teasing, "And here I thought I'd get a nickname that was little more fun or sexy. But, I guess juice girl works. Even if it does make me sound like the person working behind the counter rather than drinking said juice. This seat isn't taken is it?" She asked, tilting her head towards the chair she had already begun to pull out.

"I remember," A smile found its way to the corner of her lips as she gave Rangi a drawn out nod. Her eyes remaining locked onto the brunette before her as she ordered from the bartender as well, "I'll have what she's having. So, what brings you out tonight anyways?" She asked curiously. Elif was practically always out. It was how she knew Tom, the bartender, by name and by other things. She liked the noise of an open bar. She liked the muffled chatted murmuring on in the background. She'd like when you occasionally picked up on bits and pieces of other's conversations and had to try to discern what they had been talking about. She liked focusing on things outside of herself. A want that seemed to grow more and more prevalent every day with the dark cloud that seemed to be lingering over the town these days. And Rangi being easy on the eyes didn't exactly hurt either.

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Rangi couldn't help but let out a watery laugh. Of course Mason wouldn't let something like that slip, especially in their home. Especially with their mother in the other room. "Oh, fu-- I mean, fudge. Matua, sorry." She looked over at Mason, then, raising a brow before she remembered, gaze falling to the cut badly dressed on her leg. She didn't keep a lot of first aid supplies in her own house, so she'd wrapped it at work with some of the dressing gauze they kept. It made a really bad band-aid, but she'd forgotten about it until this moment. "It's, um--" and it wasn't that she wanted to lie to them, but the truth seemed so much more intense than she was willing to get into right now. "A cut. From an iron knife." Which was probably why it hadn't healed itself already. Stupid iron.

"I gotchu, I gotchu, I ain't going anywhere," he reassured her, a long exhale escaping as they wrapped arms around her. Sleepwalking didn't sound nor look like a fun time, to be caught in such a trance, be a point between half-awake and half-asleep till something shook one out or something pulled them further in, that line of unknown never sat well with them. But it wasn't like there was a way to have her go through such a thing either given that it was a species liked thing.

"You got nothing to apologise for! But you did say a bad word babe, so gonna ask you put a dollar in the jar," he joked trying to lighten the situation. Sleep walking may have be the one to catch their attention at first sight, but what retained it was the way she limped as she walked closer, the uneven gait causing their brows to crease together, "Why are you limping? Rangi what happened?"

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"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.

"Hey," Leyla reached out and gave Rangi's sleeve a light tug. "Don't do that. You got there. That's all that matters. I mean I didn't. M-my- my dear friend was attacked out in the street and they had time to- they had time to do that-" She said, motioning up to what was left of the blood still smeared against the side of her café. "And where was I? You were there," She reiterated. "I know it might not seem like it, but for me, that is more than enough. That's more than I can say about pretty much everyone else. You were there and I can't imagine what anyone would do without you. Now, let's go inside. Please?" She held out her arms wide to give Rangi a hug, but only if she wanted one.

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Rangi felt like she could relate to that on some level, even if it made her feel sick to admit it. While her parents hadn't thrown her out in any capacity, the constant reminder that they would have much preferred a child who wasn't a banshee always made Rangi feel unwanted. Like if another child came along who was a pixie or a siren, Rangi would be nothing to them. And she'd never met a single one of her siblings, her parents didn't even really keep photos of them. (Mostly because 3 of the 5 children had been born before the invention of the camera, though.)

Rangi shrugged. "I left my phone at home," she said, trying to break the tension and keep herself from ruining the moment. "So, even if I had wanted to, it wasn't like I could call anyone." And, really, she wasn't sure she'd trusted anyone else to get Aiyla to safety. It was a strange realization to come to, but she couldn't deny it. Even before Aiyla had told Rangi it was another fae who had attacked her, something inside of Rangi had gripped her like a cold hand around her heart and told her that she had to do this. That she was the only one who could do this. It had to be her. Only her.

She looked back at the box in her hands, ran her fingers over the diamond encrusted lid. She didn't realize her eyes were watery until she let out a short laugh and sniffled. "Fine," she said, but it was a gentle acceptance, a soft sound, "I'll accept it. I'll keep it safe." She would keep it safe, this symbol between them. This offering. This...gift of family. "To be fair, I wasn't really thinking. I promise I'm not normally the type to chase after bad guys." But Lorelai had taken everyone important from her and left her on the outside looking in, unable to do anything. Rangi wanted nothing more than to make her feel that helplessness, too.

"If I can't chase after her, though," she went on, setting the box aside so she could shift closer to Aiyla, "you can't either. You're-- and, I guess this might sound a little ridiculous, seeing as my parents are in town, but-- you're like family to me, too. I didn't have any other banshees around growing up, or even after I left home. You were the first one I met who looked me and just...understood." She was quiet for a moment. "I'd never felt that way before."

Aiyla nodded; she would have known. That was true, it was what they were wasn't it? Banshees, warning of death before it was too late to stop it- it felt painfully cruel that in her earliest years of figuring it all out that she'd never been able to save anyone. Only find them or wail for them. There was no heroes in the tale of them. She sighed, still. Rangi had carried her on her back to the hospital. Dripped in her blood and saved her life. It meant something to Aiyla. So much so that the moment Rangi suggested she couldn't accept the gift Aiyla placed her hands gently over the fellow Banshee's and shook her head.

Her throat was thick with emotion as it was and it took the Fae a moment to compose a sentence untarnished by the warble of grief to speak clearly. However, once she did it was with slow and quiet conviction. "I don't have any family anymore, Rangi." She explained solemnly and took her time. "My birth parents in this regeneration do not want me as I am. My sister, Defne was her name- she died saving my life. She risked herself, her safety for mine. You could have called an ambulance, called the paramedics, the firefighters anyone else and left me there for them to save. But you carried me, Rangi. You stayed not knowing if the danger had truly left and you-" Aiyla paused to regain her composure. "I don't take it lightly what you did for me. And Defne, she wouldn't either. The way I see it is you honored her life by protecting mine. So please accept this gift. Because while Defne is gone and my parents think me monstrous, I have family here with the Court. That is my family."

She removed her hands, "I want it to stay with the people who matter most to me and this way it does." She exhaled, "If it makes it easier to accept I can yell at you for chasing after the Catlyst and putting yourself in foolish danger." She smiled a sad smile, "It was reckless. You could have died, Rangi." She explained quietly. "Dieu merci....you did not." She kept her shoulders back, "We will get them. I won't give up until we do."

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"I don't think anyone likes feeling that way," Rangi said, though more and more lately, she'd found herself on the receiving end of the feeling. Always too late, always too weak. Her hands wrung together once again. "It's not like you could've known it would happen. You can't be on guard twenty-four seven. That'd be...a lot." Stressful, really. It wasn't something Rangi ever wanted to feel. Her brow raised. "Well, anyone who would leave you is either a fool or arrogant. I'll take what I can get."

Rangi couldn't help but laugh. She often held macabre humor but most of the doctors didn't appreciate it. Ralph was about the only one who did. "If you ever end up on my table, I'm going to bring you back to life just to kill you again myself."

Coping was the best Rangi could do, really. There wasn't much more to it, she thought. She'd never been good at dealing with things, anyway. But she was good at seeing things other's didn't, and she noticed the tension in JC's muscles and the way they twitched at the pain, or perhaps the irritation from the pain. "You shouldn't promise a fae things," she teased, though her voice was soft and, perhaps, carried a hint of worry. But his subsequent laughter made her smile, a little easier, and feel just a little bit warmer. She wished she could hold his hand, comfort him in a more tactile way than just silly words and lopsided smiles.

"Nothing better will come along," she stated.

JC grimaced, his lips tightening as the gravity of the situation settled once more over him. Tensing up, the wolf gave a tight nod. "Yeah. You're right...but all of us have brushed up against death these days, haven't we? I'm not trying to downplay it. I just don't...I guess I don't like feeling weak. I'm pretty embarrassed I let them get the jump on me." He sighed, pressing himself deeper into the bed as though he could sink into it completely. "I appreciate that, Rangi. Really. Sometimes I feel like all the non-wolves in this town could give or take me." He forced a smirk at his own expense.

"Ah, right, that makes sense," Júlio César replied. "Hope it'll be a long, long time before you see me down there, huh?" He was evidently trying to keep the conversation light, but maybe this joke was macabre. "Sorry."

JC smiled softly. "I do. Alright. I take your word for it." Listening, he nodded along, folding his hands over his stomach, positioning them gently where they could not jostle his injuries. As she continued, however, his features began to harden, stiffening in annoyance or frustration at the situation in which they all found themselves. He spoke up weakly. "Coping is good. No one can ask you for more than that," he nodded. "And I'm sure. I'll be even better once I can hunt down the bastards who did this. And we will, you know. We will get them. One way or another. I promise."

Taken by surprise, perhaps, JC laughed, breaking some of this irritated spell. "Ah well, I'm glad I'm a good option until something better comes along."

[faerietothe-otherside]

"Song?" Rangi shouldn't have been surprised, really. She knew he was back in town, she'd seen him at the ball. She sort of wished she hadn't, the way he limped, the blood on his face, the arrow in his shoulder. Most everyone in town who knew of him and his family thought Song had simply left of his own accord, without a word. It wouldn't have been out of character, they whispered. He was just like that. Rangi had never truly believed it, but after years went by, what other choice did she have? And now he was here, standing in front of her, looking at her like that and she didn't know what to say. "In a hurry to be somewhere?" she blurted.

@faerietothe-otherside

"Fuck," He muttered under his breath as he caught the sight of his cousin headed down the hall. The last thing he wanted to do was having to make small talk with the slimy bastard who stole his job, so before they could lock eyes, he ducked around the corner nearly plowing down a young woman who worked there. "Shit, sorry," He muttered out, trying to steady her only for his gaze to fall down to hers and for him to immediately recognize her face. Shit. "Rangi?"

[faerietothe-otherside]

It was kind of incredible, actually, how well the other girl worked the bartender. It looked practiced, not that Rangi was judging. She'd swayed a bartender or two in her time, mostly when she'd been younger and traveling, and much more short on cash than her stable life here. Well, ex-stable life, she supposed. She swirled her finger around the top of her drink and waited for the other girl to turn to her. "Isn't every night a hold the tonic kind of night here?" she asked back, giving her a smile. At the mention of the ball, Rangi pressed her lips together and nodded, letting out a soft hum. "I sure was. I'd say I promise they're not all like that, but lately, who knows? I think I've seen you around a few times before, too, at some of these...town wide events," she said, holding out her hand, "You can call me Rangi."

Ronnie batted her eyelashes and put her hand over the bartender's, and, god, she was glad she hadn't seen Aaliyah around anywhere. "So, that's a vodka cran and a gin and tonic, hold the tonic," she said with a bright smile. "Thanks a million, you're a pal." She wasn't paying for either of those, but, really, it was some cheap gin, some cheap vodka, and some cheaper cranberry juice. Eclipse always looked busy every time she'd been inelegantly escorted out. They could spare a few drinks, she was sure.

"Hi," she said, turning to the girl next to her. "A hold the tonic kinda night, huh?" She could get that. Most nights felt like that. It was cool. It was fine. It wasn't like she had to worry about her liver anymore. "You were at the ball thingy, huh? I saw you when the masks came off." She'd been stumbling out of a hotel room just in time to witness the clusterfuck of it all. "And, uh, after. And around. I've seen you around."

[faerietothe-otherside]

Who: @cantfightmoonlight (Elif) Where: Bad Moon Brewery

Rangi was just really tired of screaming, really. Sure, it was a regular occurrence around the full moon each month, but those were expected. It was all the things in between that were making her feel as if her life were spiraling out of control. Well, that and the constant reminder that the people around her were always getting hurt and there was nothing she could do about it, whether she screamed or not.

It was nights like these, when she was tired but not tired enough to fall asleep and risk sleep walking again. Plus, it was getting warmer at night, and it was nights like these especially that made her feel just a little nostalgic for home. Monsoon and all. And, really, what was better on a warm night and on a sore throat than a craft, ice cold beer? Rangi couldn't really think of anything, save lemon tea, but that was the smart thing to do and Rangi didn't feel like being particularly smart tonight.

"Barkeep," she called out, patting the old wood top, "another." She laid down the ten dollar bill and slid it over to him, batting her eyelashes, knowing it would get her served first, much to the chagrin of the two guys at the end of the bar. All Rangi could do was smile back at them, the smirk hidden in her eyes. She heard the chair next to her scrape and she turned to tell whoever it was that that seat was taken-- it wasn't-- and that they'd be right back-- they wouldn't.

"Sorry, but that's-- juice girl?" She paused, her slightly inebriated mind trying to catch up to her lips as she recognized the person now sitting beside her. "Sorry, Elif. Right? We met at-- well...the juice bar."