#˗ˏˋ conversations ⟶ ❛ aiyla baysal ❜

[altanonder]

Aiyla & Altan; @aiylabaysal location: aiyla's home

The tradition of bringing one of their homeland's dishes had been started by Aiyla, and Altan was still touched at how welcome it had made him feel when he'd first moved back to Lunar Cove. With so much destroyed, and the damage to the Emerald Hotel unmistakable, Altan knew there wasn't much he could do to ease the burden that had been placed upon his friends, but he figured that perhaps it might be comforting for her to have some attempt at normalcy. "I can't promise it's going to live up to the one my grandmother used to make, but I brought you Fırında sütlaç. She used to swear it was its own form of magic, and I can personally attest that I fully believe it's true." It'd been one of the many recipes she had taught him in the year he'd lived in Amasya, but perhaps one of the more nostalgic ones given how often his own mother had made it for him after a rough day. Holding out the dish, alongside a thermos, he gestured towards her door, "I also brought some coffee too, in case you're in the mood for a visitor."

[altanonder]

His steps slowed as he saw Aiyla approaching him, although he'd enjoyed the various activities that had been set out for them, he was afraid that things had soured slightly. The original intent for bonding felt like it had gone slightly astray by the various competitions, even if he was proud that the witches had managed to stick together. Returning her smile with one of his own, he took the offered fruit, "Teşekkürler" His head shook, waving away her concern, "You don't have anything to apologize for, at least no more than I do - Rangi acted of her own accord. But I am sorry it escalated the way it did, I never meant to make the Sirens feel powerless or to cause you more problems." He knew there wasn't much he could do to resolve the issue - that ultimately it would fall on Poppy and Aiyla's shoulders, but he wished that he hadn't added onto their responsibilities.

Aiyla & Altan @altanonder

Bogged down with all the expectations and tasks to do, Aiyla had barely a moment to breathe, let alone reach out to Altan, so when she finally had time to herself and he was a few steps away, it was a moment she knew she had to seize. Strolling up to him she greeted him by pulling a fresh peach from her lunch bag and extending it to him, "Selam," she greeted with a tentative smile, her eyes sweeping over the bruise, Aiyla frowned, her head tilting to examine his face with sincere concern, "I'm so sorry, Altan," she shook her head with upset. "There is no excuse for this," she gestured to his face, "a lot has been going on, and with the Sirens it was," she sighed not sure what to say, looking up at him her expression full of sorrow, regret and lingering frustration that she had not known how to address.

[altanonder]

There were traditions that his family still followed, rituals as sacred as they had been since before they'd moved across the world. As a child, he hadn't fully understood the importance of keeping them alive, but as he'd settled into adulthood and visited his homeland, the more he did to cultivate those memories. It helped to have people in Lunar Cove who shared similarities in culture, even if they hadn't grown up in the same parts of Türkiye. There were still things to learn from them and stories to share. "Do you celebrate still?" While his family had adapted some of the traditions, Altan thought the spirit of the holiday was more important now than ever - a coming together of community, with the reminder of generosity and responsibility to others. Maybe it could even symbolize a shift in their own fortunes, especially given the sacrifices everyone he knew had already had to make throughout the past year.

So much seemed to have slipped beneath their radar, the safety that had always been associated with Lunar Cove taken for granted. It wasn't just Silas, but Lorelai too - people within their midst who they ought to have been able to trust but had betrayed them and caused so much harm. "Hearing about everything... it was hard to believe when my parents first started telling me about what was happening in town. I'm sorry you had to suffer through it all. I can't imagine the pain you've gone through." He hated the thought that he wasn't surprised by anything that Aiyla said, that the same fear and worries were present in so many others he'd talked to. But the suffering in her words was hard to listen to, especially when the feeling of one of their own being harmed was one he could understand, the loss of first Poppy and then Alyssa felt even despite the distance between him and the coven. "I wish none of you had to endure that, I'm sorry you don't have the option to leave anymore either."

There was a clear implication in her words, as much said in the silence that followed. Although he could understand why even voicing the thought was taboo. Believing that they hadn't wormed out the person responsible for so much betrayal was a thought that he likely wouldn't get rid of until peace had returned, even though he hated suspecting people who were most likely completely innocent. "I wonder what their aim is - besides causing hurt. Maybe understanding that would help us get to the root of it."

Aiyla liked the hopeful phrasing. She wanted to hold onto it, but with an exhale, she knew each day was just another day between now and when The Catalyst, Silas, or someone else would come and tear down all they had been rebuilding. "I think that's all we can hope for, one moment between the terrible things. I know it might be naive, but I hope it lasts for a while. This calm after another storm." Aiyla took another bite, a warm smile as she giggled happily. She had so many fond memories of home. Between Istanbul and Bordeaux Aiyla had always considered herself a proud Turkish woman from France. Both places a part of her upbringing in equal measure. Summers spent in Turkey with her extended family, spending warm days escaping the heat inside the Hagia Sophia, shopping the Grand Bazzar, celebrating Eid Al Ada with her sister by wearing their best clothes- the prayers she knew even now. Aiyla took another bite, and her memory could only smell the rich and vibrant perfume her mother and sister wore on special occasions.

Her vision had gone misty as her memories flooded her mind. She missed Turkey and France in immeasurable ways, but as she shared a meal with Altan she could feel a piece of her soothed with the reminder of home. "Thank you...Eid Al Adha is soon. My mother used to spend days preparing. My sister and I loved to shop for it." She added with a sad thoughtful smile. She nodded as he spoke, her chest tightening as he did. "It's so much, Altan." She began thoughtfully. "I've been on edge since Silas Chamberlain weaseled his slimy way into the city. He was right under our nose and he left thing in a terrible state."

She exhaled, remembering the pain he inflicted upon her with a shiver. "The horrors didn't stop, or really even start with him." She spoke quietly, "You'd missed a great deal and I'm thankful you did." Aiyla sat took a drink to collect herself. "Leading up to the Fae ball many of us were attacked...I knew when was attacked it was one of our own, a Faerie." Her brows furrowed, a pained expression dancing across her face. "That part was more painful than the iron blade at my wings." Aiyla spoke quieter than usual, the pained tone warbling her words. "I should have known it was a set up then. They've always been a head of us. I wonder if it was because Lorelai was our sheriff, or-" Aiyla couldn't bring herself to say it aloud, the thought someone else could have been betraying them. "It was terrible and impossible, Altan."

[altanonder]

The phrase reminded him of something his therapist would say, although he had to admit that it'd been helpful to view scars not as things that would be erased, but needed to be drawn around and filled in with more joy than what had once caused hurt. "I think there's some truth to that, we could dwell on what's happened and get stuck in the misery of it, or try to move forward. Maybe the summer will bring with it more things to be grateful for instead of more terror." Bites filled with memories of home and comfort warmed him, a reminder of those small things that would always bring him some sense of being grounded rather than the worry that came almost daily with the Catalyst still at large. "Of course, I'll make a copy of them for you - even if things don't always look up, at least we'll have delicious food to share in." For all the heartache that had followed him, Altan had to admit that those troubles that had seemed so immense when he was younger were no comparison to what his friends were facing now, and had he been at the masquerade ball (or truly any of the rest of what had befallen Lunar Cove,) he wasn't sure if he'd be holding up nearly as well. The most that he could do was remain strong and attempt to prepare for the very worst to happen once more. "Not at all times, but I think it's better to try and remain hopeful rather than taking things at their worst." It was a feat easier said than done, and he knew that losing hope was something that would happen to even the ones that held the most of it, especially if things were to continue as they had been. "As long as we keep reminding each other of that, I believe we'll be able to remind ourselves of what's worth fighting for." His eyebrows creased in worry, taking in the way that Aiyla's expression shifted, the heaviness that had rested on her shoulders when she'd first opened her door returning. "Sounds like you might need to get some of it off your chest. You don't have to worry about burdening me, I'm just lucky I wasn't there for the worst of it, seems the most I can do now is listen."

Aiyla nodded, a small bob of her head. She herself had her own methods for forgetting. "Maybe the only way we ever heal is if we grow around it." She repeated the same words she'd told to Billie not too long ago. She was still waiting on the growing part for all her grief. Some days it still felt so close to her that it would smother her if it could. She nodded, "It's springtime." She recalled, "The weather is warming up to my favorite time of the year. It makes me hopeful for some relief. Life keeps going on around us, even after tragedy. I think especially after a tragedy." Aiyla stopped in her steps. A Fae cursed to signal and find death, and she had not quite found the right words to say when she was met on the other side of what death left behind, living loved ones. She settled on a warm smile, "I think it's beautiful that tho life ends love continues. I'd love some of her recipes. Thank you." Aiyla warmed, she had small pieces of her sister like that. Pieces of her she wanted to share with the living people who she cared for, so in some ways Defne could live on in memory, in art and beauty and in the things that meant something to her. After Altan took a bite, Aiyla took hers. It was better than what even her mother had made for her whens he was a girl and for a short while all she did was eat. Slow savoring bites not realizing how hungry she was until she had eaten a fair amount of her bowl. She placed her spoon onto a napkin and took a small sip of her drink. "Are you truly this hopeful, Altan?" She asked, her eyes lifting to his face. "We do have good people, but I worry without hope they'll lose the desire to save this town...I do think if I dove into it all I m ay never stop talking." She frowned thinking of the recent attacks, the phantom ache of her own wings being sawed by iron and well as the brutal beating that Leyla was still healing from. She didn't think she could stop pouring with sadness if she begun to talk about it now.

[altanonder]

His lips quirked up in a smile, head shaking slightly as he responded, "As much as I'd like to say seeing a therapist would help everyone, I doubt they could offer much in this entire scenario." He hadn't witnessed most of the destructive events that had fallen over Lunar Cove firsthand, but he could see what the aftermath had been and how drastically it had changed life in the little town that had once been so safe. But he knew it must have been especially overwhelming to suddenly find oneself in a position of power without having been prepared for the responsibility. "I think that's a perfectly normal reaction, I hope we'll all have a bit of time to recover before something else happens." It might be a foolish wish, but amongst so many of his friends, he'd noticed how their spirits had sunk bit by bit, with there seeming to be little he could do to pull them out of it. "Ahh... she passed a couple years ago." He interjected quickly, before Aiyla could get much further on making good on the idea of putting together a bouquet of flowers. "But she made sure I learned some of the more important recipes firsthand and wrote down the rest. I can share the recipe with you if you like, she'd have loved it being passed around." While he knew some families were protective over their cookbooks, his grandmother had always loved imparting her knowledge onto others, and he was grateful for the fond memories he had to remember her by, even as he'd watched her grow weaker throughout their last couple of months together. "I think we've got some good people on our side already, and we can all help lift each other up when one of us needs it the most." His head tilted as he took a bite of the pudding, "Whichever one you want to share, I'm happy to listen, but you don't need to go over all the details if you don't want to. But you know I'd never say no to more tea and food."

"Worried like, go see a shrink, Aiyla. worried?" She questioned a brief smile, "It seems it would be easier if I'm being honest." She filled her cheeks with air, considering her words before rushing into them as she often did. Exhaling, "I only mean it is tiring to care so much all the time. To go from reacting from one horrible event into another." To be literally chasing death, or was death chasing her? The age-old question of what came first, the Banshee or death? She'd easily slip into the philosophical if she didn't have company to keep. She smiled warmly as he spoke of his grandmother, "Oh, you'll have to take her some flowers from my garden as a thank you." She offered already pulling a vase out to send them in, a brief pang followed the sentiment as she had no family of her own here. No one to pass recipes down to, no family to call on for coffee and company. They'd all been left in a life that felt like it was never meant to be hers, or in a grave thanks to her. Aiyla couldn't face it, so she threw herself into other things, into flowers and thank you cards for a grandmother who passed down her wisdom to a grandson who then had been kind enough to share some small piece of it with Aiyla. "I should encourage you to leave harder, but I think it'll be good for the town to have people here. People who love it and see value in what it means to so many people like us." She raised her cup taking a sip and gave him a nod, "It has been rough, Altan." She admitted, "I could give you the short version or the detailed one, the the later might call for more tea and food at some point."

[altanonder]

With as much destruction as Lunar Cove had seen, Altan wouldn't have judged anyone for hitting their breaking point. There were too many losses, too much to process, even if he hadn't been personally affected by the Masquerade Party. As interwoven as their town was, the ramifications were still there, and so many people whom he loved were still reeling. "Can't blame you for that, I think most everyone's in the same boat, I'd probably be more worried if you were perfectly unaffected." Stepping into the warm light of Aiyla's kitchen, he did his best to maintain the normalcy that she'd set out for, even if they both knew that it wasn't entirely honest. "I don't know about that, any praise should be delivered to my grandmother, the recipe is all hers. But thank you." He was lucky enough to still have his family close by, but he entirely understood the sentiment. Having someone else nearby to help bridge that gap had been something he'd lacked in California, and now that he was back, he was grateful that they were able to partake in this tradition together. "I'm afraid I've settled for being a permanent resident of Lunar Cove, for better or worse. I've done enough running, it's time I offered what little help I can." Most likely, his presence wouldn't change anything besides being a boost of morale to his friends, but if there was even a slight chance that he didn't have to hear about someone's untimely death, he would take it. "Afiyet olsun." Raising his cup in acknowledgment, he mimicked her words. "How've you been? If there's anything I can do besides come around with some comfort food, please let me know."

Aiyla swung the door open wide, inviting him in and taking the thermos as she did. "You're too kind." She admitted a warm smile that had not quite reached her eyes. "Come to the kitchen, I can use the company or I'll likely slip into insanity." She pulled out two coffee mugs for them, followed by two glasses of water and squares of lokum that she sat neatly at the table. "I think you must make it better than I can. It smells wonderful." Her stomach growled and so she set out two bowls and spoons for them as well to share in coffee and a meal with her neighbor. Someone who had offered her a piece of a home that she'd felt so far away from since running away all those years ago. "I should tell you to run away before things got worse- but, " She spoke while filling his cup with the coffee and Fırında sütlaç for them to share, "then I'd have no one to share this with, and I fear I may miss these moments too much. Don't let that change how you think of me." She smiled, "Afiyet olsun." She said, may what you eat bring well-being. If it was as magic as he claimed, Aiyla had no doubt about it.