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Fiadh MacKenna
<txt> Have you eaten yet?
Darren Lynch
Earlier for breakfast. Do you need me to bring you something?
Fiadh MacKenna
<txt> The opposite. I cooked, and made too much for me. Thought we could catch up.
Darren Lynch
You're at the gallery or your apartment?
Fiadh MacKenna
<txt> The secret apartment behind the gallery. I've moved in for good now.
Darren Lynch
On my way.
Fiadh MacKenna
Fi's left the secret door slightly ajar, and inside, the place is decorated in ivory tones, with accents of yellow and green. (( https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f7/6b/e7/f76be7793435ea2bb171373665014342.jpg ))
Not many windows, being a secret apartment and all, but she's made it as warm and welcoming as you can without much natural light. Fi's in the kitchen, pulling something out of the oven. (( https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/colcannon-3-500x375.jpg ))
Darren Lynch
When Darren arrived he didn't look in the best of moods. Though it was hardly directed at her. A fresh new cut on his cheek in the shape of an X that had obviously been tended to medically but otherwise left out to breathe. Otherwise, he was in his typical outfit. "Fi?" he called as he stepped into her apartment, scanning the place with a raised brow and turning to close the door behind himself. "Well.. no one can say you're suffering back here. You've cleaned the place up nicely."
Fiadh MacKenna
She looks up at him and smiles. "If I'm to live in a cave, it'll be a cheery one, aye?" She gestures him over. "I remember you came over whenever Gram made this. I can't guarantee it'll be near as good as hers."
Darren Lynch
He stepped closer hands at his sides and looked down to the dish. "Made too much, hmm?" looking up at her.
Fiadh MacKenna
"What? Maybe I missed you a little bit." She looks up at him and winces. "I hope the other guy looks worse. What kind of weapon makes that kind of mark?"
Darren Lynch
He gives a soft huff through his nose and moves over to take off his coat, setting down his guns on top of it. "Me," he said. "I told you, spirits are dangerous..." he said without too much explanation up front.
Fiadh MacKenna
"I know. And I've been careful. Still..." She shivers. "At least none of the ones I've seen talk me into hurting m'self yet." She's quiet for a few moments. "Do you get the nightmares? Or do you grow out of them after a while?"
Darren Lynch
"Sometimes no matter how careful you are.." he said, obviously dealing with something for himself. He took a seat at the counter in one of the tall chairs as they spoke and looked up to her pausing for a moment. "Nightmares? I don' have nightmares. Not about spirits." he looked her over, "You're probably trying to process the stress Fi. It's all new, you know? You're a strong girl. You'll right yourself out eventually."
Fiadh MacKenna
"It's...it's a lot to process." She pulls out two bowls, serving him a large portion of the colcannon. "I haven't just been here hiding, at least. When I'm not working on art I'm working on an online class." She gives an embarrassed smile. "I know art front to back, but business running I'm a wee bit fuzzy on. I want to do a good job for you." She serves herself some then pauses, turns and grabs some whiskey, and pours him some. She pours herself a small bit.
Darren Lynch
"Like I said before... Jo and I grew up with this. It was every day, learning the ins and outs. You're at a disadvantage that you're learning it all at once without any protection in the mean time. But I'll do everything I can to teach you. To keep you safe. What did Killy say?"
He looked to the whiskey as she set it down and then nodded in thanks, sliding his glass closer. "Well aren't we jus' a pair? I've been working on sorting out the business side myself. Been at the gallery studying at night. But if we're both lookin' into it we should be covered, aye?" He rise and move around into the kitchen, around her and dishing up.
Fiadh MacKenna
"He told me the signs to watch out for for spirits, and in the case of the..." She trails off a moment. "The bad wolves, run like hell. That my parkour will give me an edge, hopefully." She smiles at him. "I'm pretty shit at showing gratitude, but I know you're putting a lot out there to give me this opportunity. So I figure I'll do a really good job of it, at least." She takes a sip of the whiskey...then discreetly pushes it away after barely more than a taste. She turns back to the fridge and grabs a can of Sprite, then grabs a second one, which she puts over near his side. She opens hers and takes a sip.
Darren Lynch
He sets his plate down, watching her as she goes on, "I want it for you too Fi. You deserve a chance at makin' a life for yourself. It's not all about me." The lack of a proper sip got a raised brow. "Trying not to drink?"
Fiadh MacKenna
She gives a one shouldered shrug. "What's the bloody use in getting fucked up, if I see things stone sober? If I'm going to have the stupid nightmares I'd rather not wake up with a blinding headache on top of 'em." She smiles. "Doing like you said, righting myself out. First few days were still pretty rough. I was well on my way to being an alcoholic."
Darren Lynch
He snorts softly, "That's impossible, we're Irish." he teased. He took a bite and shook his head. "If that's what you need it's the right thing to do. Can't imagine its easy though. How're you feeling? Withdrawals and all of it?"
Fiadh MacKenna
"I won't lie, me Gram got me through the worst of it. Didn't want you guys seeing me like that. Tough old bat held my hair back with one hand and drank her own whiskey with the other." She grins. "I'm past the worst of it now. Who'd have thought, me being the sober one?"(edited)
Darren Lynch
"Sobriety has its benefits." he said sipping his whiskey and then pausing, "I don' 'ave to drink while I'm 'ere. I'm not heartless."
Fiadh MacKenna
"Others drinkin don't bother me none. I promise." She sips her Sprite. "I could say something flowery about art being all the booze I need but I don't think I could keep a straight face." She shrugs. "I wasn't a raging alcoholic. Just kept a small buzz most of the time." She takes a bite of food. "How're Jo and Ru doing?"
Darren Lynch
He nodded, setting his glass down and picking up his fork, "Ru's fine. I suppose. Busy. Jo.... well I fucked up and she got hurt, so ... at the moment not so fuckin' good." he said with a frown and taking another bite.
Fiadh MacKenna
She frowns, looking at him. "You fucked up, or you blame yourself for something weird happening that you had no control over?"
Darren Lynch
He shook his head, "I dunno. Both? I should'a known a place like that would 'ave spirits. Doesn' help they're attracted to her like fucking flies on a body."
Fiadh MacKenna
"What sort of place?" She tilts her head slightly to one side.
Darren Lynch
"Took her on a date. One of those.. Infinity Mirror rooms. Rented the whole place out so it was jus' us."
Fiadh MacKenna
"Cash, I never figured you for a romantic." She smiles faintly. "I'm sorry it didn't go as planned. Unless you're leaving out stuff, though, it doesn't sound like any of the signs Killy told me to avoid. Maybe it was just bad luck, and you're beating yourself up because you're a protector and something got past you unexpected like."
Darren Lynch
He looked up with a tiny glare to say he wasn’t. Much like a teased brother who’d hear none of it. “Yeah well now she’s curled into a ball and I had to remove all the mirrors from her house so as she doesn’t have a fuckin mental break. So... some date that turned out to be.”
Fiadh MacKenna
The glare sparks an amused grin, but it falls away when he speaks about Jo. "She's a strong lass, this won't affect her long. Do ye think distraction might help? Because I could definitely come up with a few things an assistant could help me with. There's this cafe owner I met, works with a lot of artists in the city and has a friend who's an art historian. Seems like a few good friends to make, and I'd feel more comfortable if I had an extra person with me."
Darren Lynch
"Sure, give 'er a call." he said, taking another bite. "This is good by the way. You don't boast about bein' a good cook, but you should."
Fiadh MacKenna
She smiles at the compliment. "You don't grow up Brona MacKenna's granddaughter and not learn a thing or two in the kitchen." She hesitates for a moment. "Will she and I need...protection of some sort, going out?"
Darren Lynch
“Any place that’s known for somethin’ runs a risk. Think of energy and emotion in this world like dirt. The longer it rests in one place, the heavier a stain will be on the other side. Sometimes that’s good. Other times it’s not. And even too much of a good thing isn’t ideal. It’s about balance. Uratha are the forces against the veil. They protect that balance. Nurture it. Keep it healthy. So places like concert halls and galleries? Not necessarily bad. But a concert hall known for being too loud might have spirits that’ll get more energy from deafening you, see? Whatever created them, they want more of. So they’ll apply pressure. Make things happen.”
Fiadh MacKenna
"I keep worrying some will take up residence here on a more permanent basis. Try and affect me. Maybe it was a bad move, moving in here to the studio. At the time I thought it was a good idea to be close to my work."
Darren Lynch
He shook his head. “No. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen. If they do we’ll chase em out. Killy can help you there too. Spirits know the Uratha are their wardens. They tend not to try much nonsense around them unless they’re strong. And stronger spirits take a long time to come forward. They rarely appear out of nowhere.”
Fiadh MacKenna
"A small part of me wonders if it would make my art better." She shakes her head. "A small small part that I don't listen to...I know it'd be too dangerous. Anyway, even if I did let one stay, you lot are over often enough to discover it quickly."
Darren Lynch
“There’s always going to be spirits. Just don’t let em get too big. Don’t feed their greed. And if they mean you harm we get rid of em. Small ones that are just existing are fine. Spirits in and of themselves don’t have emotional motives. They just are. A spirit of murder isn’t evil. It was born because of the energy that supplied. It may want more murder because it makes it stronger but it has no wish besides that to kill anything. Spirits have a hierarchy among them. The strong eat the weak. They want energy to get stronger and not be eaten. It’s natural.”
Fiadh MacKenna
She nods. "I haven't seen anything particularly malicious so far. Perhaps a bit of luck left over. Just the nightmares, and the zoning out. Sometimes getting the urge to do something odd."
Darren Lynch
“What do you mean odd?” He asked, raising a brow.
Fiadh MacKenna
She shrugs. "Nothing...dangerous. Don't worry. It's...slowing down a bit. I only reorganized the kitchen three times."
January 27, 2021
Darren Lynch
His gaze narrowed on her suspiciously. "You've got compulsions? To clean?"
Fiadh MacKenna
"Once was to paint some strange shapes." She reaches up and rubs her forehead. "Just little urges. It took a few for me to realize it was likely just spirit fuckery and stop myself."
Darren Lynch
"I don' know if that's spirits or spiritual fuckery. You're part spirit now too you know."
Fiadh MacKenna
She laughs quietly. "Still odd to think about." She glances over to the curtain rod, where her crow spirit familiar is sitting. "Can it be useful for you? I feel like so far I'm just a liability with it. I'd rather be useful."
Darren Lynch
He looked over at the crow, clearly able to see it. "Don' know. What is it a spirit of?"
Fiadh MacKenna
She shakes her head. "I mean my whole change. She's a spirit of...lighthearted mischief, I think. Like coyote or the hare." She looks back at him. "Granted it's not like she speaks to me. That's frustrating. I can see them, and I have her. I feel like there's more...right underneath my fingers. I can almost understand, but not quite. If that makes sense."
Darren Lynch
He looks at the bird and back to her. "How do you know all that if you can't talk to 'er? Spirits aren't just born from a person becomin' a blooded. What type of essence does it go after? It's goin' to get weak or leave if you can't feed it."
Fiadh MacKenna
"I'll figure out soon, hopefully. Seems to be keeping together for now." She shrugs. "I feel a connection but not much else. The rest is just...a story I tell myself, I guess? Don't even really know if it's a she or not, I just fell into saying it."
Darren Lynch
"It's not easy, learning all this. Be easy on yourself. And it's a clever bird. They'll sometimes speak English for us. If you're extra kind to it. Otherwise you'll have to learn First Tongue."
Fiadh MacKenna
She nods. "That's what I mean. I feel like I can almost...almost understand it. But it's right at the tip o' my brain and it won't escape."
Darren Lynch
He stares at her for a moment. "Jus... gave you that too, did she?" he huffed, annoyed.
Fiadh MacKenna
She frowns. "Not yet. That's what's so annoying. If I didn't know it at all I could ignore it better."
Darren Lynch
He rolled his eyes gently, "Yeah, tha's annoying." He seemed bitter, though not with Fiadh. Taking the last bite of food and pushing his plate away. "Thank you, this was a good meal." Not ready to leave, but through eating.
Fiadh MacKenna
She smiles. "I'm glad you came over. I feel silly hiding away all these days. Everything was so tense and I felt so off..." She shakes her head. "First few days it felt like I had the flu or something."
Darren Lynch
"You don' 'ave to hide away if you're feeling a bit calmer. Just stick to public areas. Stay away from places for now, that might have dangerous spirits. You'll be fine."
Fiadh MacKenna
She nods. "I'll call Jo, see if she wants to go with me to meet the cafe owner. Perhaps start spreading the word about a gallery opening up soon." She smiles. "Any thought as to a name for it? The studio here is Wildfire, after my name, but the gallery is yours as much as it's mine."
Darren Lynch
He looked back, "I 'ave no idea. I'm still working on the ins and outs of it. Naming things isn't really my specialty." he rises, readying to go.
Fiadh MacKenna
"I'll think about it. Come up with a few ideas and we'll decide together." She stands up as well. "Perhaps soon the four of us will all get together, and have a night of fun, eh?"
Darren Lynch
He put on his jacket, "We're all going through some things right now Fi. Might be best to wait for a lil' while."
Fiadh MacKenna
"Seems like that's the best time to do something a little fun, when times are bad. Lighten the load, a bit."
Darren Lynch
He put his guns away, glancing up to her momentarily and then continuing, straightening his coat. "Have a good night Fi. I'll see you soon." And with that he'd head for the door.
Fiadh MacKenna
"See you later, Cash." She walks him to the door, then heads back inside after closing the secret door.
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