|
Seeing as she's made plans to meet with Charlie, Annie's gone home after class instead of Maddy's or one of the communal Hollows. Right now she's sprawled on her back on the couch, legs hooked over the end as she plays on her switch. Dressed in a tanktop and jean cutoffs, because it's too damn hot for anything else.
As usual, Charlie arrives about 20 minutes early. She kills time doing this or that until the time comes and she knocks softly on the door. She is inexplicably not hot despite her still wearing her jacket and long pants. That or she's just forcing it. It's a mystery.
"Annie, it's, um, it's me!"
The door opens after a couple of minutes, revealing a smiling Annie. "Hey, Charlie. Please, come in. Can I get you anything to drink?" Beat. "Shoes off at the door, please."
"I'd love some water with ice if it, um, isn't too much of a problem," Charlie says, kicking off her sneakers. "How have you been? Feels like its been forever since we, um, last talked. Sorry about that."
"It is no problem," Annie says over her shoulder as she heads into the kitchen. "We have been keeping the freezer stocked, what with the heat." There's a brief pause as the sound of various doors being opened and shut fills the gap. "I have been good, thank you. Busy with study and diplomatic missions, but such is life as a Spring Fairest. How are you and Wren doing?"
"We moved in together!" Charlie says, her expression calling to mind an especially friendly golden retriever. "It's so wonderful getting to go to bed and wake up next to her. I've had way less nightmares. We're even thinking about getting a pet."
"Waking up next to your partner is pretty great, yeah," Annie agrees emerging from the kitchen with a glass of iced water in each hand, passing one to Charlie before leading the way over to the seating area. "Do you have any particular sort of pet in mind that you would like to get?"
"Not really," Charlie admits. "I didn't have any pets growing up so I just know that I like furry things from meeting other people's pets. We're thinking about maybe getting a pet from Over There though. Keeping it in my hollow."
"Fair enough," Annie shrugs one shoulder. "I would like a pet myself, but the lease on this apartment does not allow them so I would likely need to get one from Over There and spin a Hollow to keep it in."
"Having a hollow is nice if you ever feel like you need to get away from the world. I recommend it for that. And if you need help finding a pet, I can do my best. I get pretty lucky with hedge stuff," Charlie says, deftly dodging complimenting herself.
"You know, if you are consistently lucky with something, most people would consider that a sign of you being good at it," Annie points out, carefully not actually calling Charlie out on the evasion.
"I'm not a hedge ranger or anything. I just get lucky and tend to run into reasonable hedge things I can talk my way through. I promise you, I'm nothing special," Charlie says, shrinking into herself.
"Fair enough," Annie shrugs one shoulder. "You are special to me, though, even if you are only a page still. I count myself lucky to be your friend, after all."
Charlie shrinks into herself further. Compliments are hard to deal with. "I'm, um, really not someone you should feel lucky about knowing. I'm really average."
Annie considers Charlie for a long moment, then. "How is the flower shop going?" She asks eventually. "Have you sold anything especially pretty recently?"
"Especially pretty?" Charlie asks, perking back up. "I think I put together a nice little bouquet for a guy for his wife's birthday the other day. He wanted lots of reds and oranges and yellows and it came out pretty well." She whips out her phone and flips over to a picture of said bouquet and hands it over. "Here, if you wanna see."
Annie takes the phone, tilting it so that she can see properly. "That is amazing. I love the way the colours flow into each other."
"Flower arranging is really fun," Charlie says, downing her ice water, "if you ever want, you could swing by the shop when I'm working and I could give you a crash course."
"Sure thing. What times are your shifts?"
Charlie gives times. She works irregular hours. 3 or 4 all day shifts randomly scattered about the week. But she knows her schedule a while in advance as she's the only employee other than the older couple who own the store.
"I will try to swing by on [date], then, if I am not too swamped by classwork," Annie says with a smile.
Charlie nods, a large smile on her face. "I could give you a course on flower language too!"
She pauses and looks around conspiratorially for listening devices. "Was flower language a thing, um, before you, um, were Taken?"
There are no listening devices present. Beyond Charlie and Annie's phones. Or at least none visible, anyway. "Not as such? Plant symbolism existed, but it was not so organised or so thorough in my time."
"It's a neat wormhole to fall down. Learning about how you can use pretty things to send prettier messages. Or to insult someone." Charlie pauses. "Do you know Alex? She's a spring I think. Fey-touched?"
"I do, if we are thinking of the same one. Friends with Mearcstapa?"
"Yes, her! When we first met, she got me flowers that in one interpretation read as an insult. It was funny," Charlie says, giggling slightly.
"Oh? What was the intended interpretation, since I assume it was not that," Annie grins at Charlie.
"Friendship." Charlie pauses. "Um. Can I tell you a thing and have you promise not to tell anyone else?"
"I promise not to repeat to anyone the thing Charlie Miller is about to tell me, unless I deem it necessary for the security of the Freehold as a whole." Because escape clauses are important.
Charlie doesn't seal it. That'd be all kinds of rude. "I, um, I have a crush on Alex I think. She's really really pretty. And nice and gives good hugs and is just- I don't know. Great?" She opens her mouth and all of that comes pouring out.
"Okay. Are you worried about this affecting your relationship with Wren?" There's no judgement in Annie's voice.
"Um, yes and no? I told Wren about it and she seemed supportive but at the same time I don't know if I could handle Wren being with other people and Wren is doing her thing where she tries to remind me that she's bad for me even though that's complete horsepucky," Charlie says, a frustrated look on her face.
"Is there anyone in particular Wren has expressed interest in being with, or is this more of a generalised concern about how well you would cope with an actively polyamorous partner?"
"Just generally me. She's already too good for me, I just don't want her to realize it. Is that, um, selfish of me?" Charlie says quietly.
"Selfishness is not necessarily a bad thing, Charlie," Annie points out. "What makes you think she is too good for you?"
"She's so smart and brave and funny and gorgeous and has the cutest ears," Charlie explains, her anxious look undercut by the love that flits through her eyes with each example, "I'm just a scared nobody from a town no one has heard of." Beat. "Alex actually had heard of it."
"There is nothing wrong with being scared, Charlie. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is feeling fear and doing the thing anyway."
Charlie does the best glare she can muster. It's not great. Her natural fairest playmate style mixed with her fear of actually hurting Annie cause it to be more like a child's attempt to shoot laser beams than an actually good glare. "Brave people say that. You never see cowards like me saying that. It, um, feels a little condescending. Sorry."
Annie sighs, then. "I am not going to get angry at you for telling me that I am coming off condescending, Charlie." Beat. "I do worry that you are creating a negative feedback cycle for yourself, though. Defining yourself as a coward encourages you to let your fear control you."
"I'm sorry," Charlie says, making herself small again. "I know I need to be braver. It's just really hard. Sorry." It's impressive how good her brain is at picking out the wrong thing.
"Maybe try starting with relatively small things, then, and build up to the bigger ones? I was not born knowing how to play violin, after all."
"I've been trying," Charlie says, calming down. "It's just hard. I, um, I think I might be doing better but it's really really hard."
"Try celebrating the small victories, then? Do something you enjoy just for the sake of enjoying it."
"Oh! That's a good idea, thank you!" Charlie extends her arms for a hug.
Annie accepts the offered hug, letting Charlie hold her for as long as the other Fairest feels comfortable with it.
It's a long hug, Charlie squeezing tight. When she pulls back, she asks, "Do you ever get jealous of your partners?"
"I am not sure I understand the question, sorry. Could you clarify what the context for the jealousy is?"
"With them being with other people, I mean."
"Ah. Well, for the past few months my only partner has been Yu Jin, who is not seeing anyone else, so the question has been largely academic for me recently, sorry," Annie says. "Before that, though, my then-girlfriend had another partner, so. One of the active Joyeux at the time, Michelle Hawthorne - I do not know if you ever met her? - recommended that I be upfront with her about my being scared, and ask her to reassure me."
"You're the only Spring who I talk to, I think," Charlie says, "And, um, that's not a bad idea." Beat. "Is it possible for two people to date the same person and each other?"
"Oh, yes. Mearcstapa, Jack, and Lux are in a triad, and I do not know the precise links within the Direct Action motleycule, but I believe it is more of a web than a circle."
"Oh, isn't that Teagan's motley? They're nice. I made them a bouquet once," Charlie says, thinking through stuff. "I might bring that idea up to Wren. Us dating Alex in a... three person couple? Is there a term for that?"
"Triad is one of the most common ones," Annie says, a small smile playing about her face. "And yes, Direct Action is the motley Teagan is part of."
"Triad. It sounds cool. Thank you so much for putting up with me," Charlie says, offering another hug.
"It is no problem," Annie counters gently, accepting the hug. "I do not make a habit of inviting people I do not like into my home, after all."
Charlie beams at that. "Aw, that's so sweet of you to say. I hope you know you're always welcome at our place too. Especially since Wren has made the place look, um, nice."
"I would love to visit sometime," Annie smiles. "Maybe not immediately, because I am going to Dover tomorrow to try and restore Meriday Cypress to herself, but soon, at any rate."
"I'll pray for you to come home safe," Charlie says, smiling weakly. She thinks for a second before saying, "Oh! I can give you some help too!"
"Any help you can offer would be appreciated, Charlie. Thank you."
"I'm sorry, but that's all I can do without being there in person." Beat. "Wait, no! I could give you my goblin fruits. And if you bring everyone by the shop tomorrow before they go off, I can give them the same defense!"
"I will let them know, then," Annie says.
"Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you. I want to do all I can," Charlie says, determination in her eyes
"Of course," Annie smiles at the other woman. "Is there anything else you would like help with, though?"
"I don't think so! You helped me a ton with my feelings about Wren and Alex," Charlie says, wracking her brain.
"Okay. If you think of anything, let me know, though?"
"I will!" Charlie pauses. "I hope you know that you're one of my best friends in the whole world."
"That is a hefty compliment, Charlie. Thank you." There's a pause then, as she finishes her water glass. "If there is nothing else, though, I will walk you out." Beat. "Or at least to the door of my apartment."
"One last hug?" Charlie asks, standing and readying her hugging muscles.
Squish.
And with that Charlie waves and heads off, feeling happier and healthier than before. It's almost like talking to a Spring works.
|