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Winter is coming! That means the nights are getting longer, and thus the hours during which Alex is active. She's in the living room, lounging on the couch with her laptop propped up on her knees, chewing on her lip as she types rapidly on the keyboard. One might think she's typing with Celerity, but the truth is that she's just an incredibly typist.
When they're on their way to the places that Jack and Ziv like to hang out together, it's a good thing to stop by and see if Jack is, in fact, available. Some people might text. Ziv probably did, but then decided to stop by anyway?? Look, this is a premise for a scene, don't look at it too closely. They've got their brand new pink leather biker jacket on over a black t-shirt with hot pink text on the front reading QUEER AS FUCK, black skinny jeans, and their new fave ankle boots. They've got Aaron by the hand and lead him up to the adorable little house that the Disaster Darklings & Co live in.
And then they knock! On the door! "If he's not home, we can just walk on to Maddy's together, I imagine." Their backpack is hanging off their back, too, like the good NUMTOT that they are.
"I mean. If he didn't respond to your text, he's probably out and busy." Which beats the alternative which is home and busy and about to be interrupted by knocking. Which is to say, Aaron looks at it more closely. In any event, Aaron idles alongside Ziv with one hand in theirs and the other stuffed casually into his jacket pocket, his vibrant and lovely Luxcrafted rainbow kippah atop his head.
Alex pauses at the sound of the knock on the door, hits a few keystrokes on her laptop, and peers at the faces of the two strangers who she can view through the camera she no doubt set up shortly after moving in. At least they don't look like immediate danger. Or sales people. Well, actually, Aaron might kind of look like a sales person, but they don't usually come around this late.
She closes the laptop, sets it on the coffee table, and gets up to answer the door. That's how it is that the door opens enough to reveal a woman with dark skin and an expansive mass of curls, dressed in yoga pants, a tank top, and a cropped hoodie, who peers at them curiously with her green eyes.
There's something eerily perfect about her features. Inhuman symmetry, teeth that are too pristinely white, and no trace of tiny flaws or blemishes. It's something that probably wouldn't stand out to most people, but certainly would to some.
"Hello. Can I help you?" she asks.
"Maybe! I don't know. I'm being one of Those Friends, which Jack usually likes." And so Ziv sticks the tip of their tongue out at Aaron, which happens just as Alex opens the door. So: the non-salespeople at the front door, standing there, with Ziv sticking their tongue up at Aaron. Pthbt.
They turn their face toward Alex, then, and blink twice. "Oh! Hi, um. You're not Jack." Beat. "Err. Is... Jack... home? We were going... to Maddy's, and thought -- he might like to come with us?" Look, they know the motley lives here. There's a certain amount of logic in this.
Aaron doesn't have a horse in this particular race, and so he just puts on a pleasant and unassuming smile and bobs his head in greeting. Hi!
"Not the last time I checked," Alex replies with a smile. "I'm Alex, Jack's roommate. Unfortunately, he's not in at the moment." She pauses and looks from Ziv to Aaron again, then the smile returns, less simply polite and now more genuine. "I haven't been to Maddy's in too long, though I do enjoy watching the city go by outside the window while I sip a cup of coffee."
There's no city outside Maddy's windows, and she doesn't drink coffee. Not any more, at least. Instead, she's testing, because as friendly a person as she can be, she's still cautious. Or paranoid.
The Siren looks kind of confused at the 'city' comment, and blinks back at Alex. "Uhhh... maybe it's a different place than the one we go to, that Maddy's is outside the city. Nice little trip for an evening, thoug." The sleek androgyne's face splits into the winningest smile, which is very winning. Not inhumanly perfect, just super approachable. Supernaturally so, in fact. "Right, well, maybe we'll run into him on our way there. I haven't had tiramisu pancakes in about an age."
That statement makes Aaron suspicious, and he begins peering past Alex to make certain there's no signs of forced entry and foul play going on inside. This is Lux's home, too, after all. He doesn't see anything, of course, but he's clearly a little on his guard now where he wasn't just a moment ago. His turn to poke his suspicions with a trick, "I thought Jack lived alone."
Alex gives Ziv a crooked, kind of apologetic smile. "Sorry, can't blame me for being too cautious, can you? I have to admit that except if I was in the right mood, the tiramisu is too sweet for me. The bewitched, though? That's the right amount of sweet." She can name menu items, so that's probably a good thing. "Not that I've been able to eat anything there for a while."
She shakes her head as she responds to Aaron. "Not hardly. Anyway, I think Jack is probably going to be home pretty soon, if you wanted to come in and wait. I wasn't doing anything that can't wait"
"I appreciate caution," Ziv agrees, still holding on to Aaron's hand, and offering a smile right back to Alex. Though, of course, Ziv is one of the more credulous Lost that have ever existed, at least as far as it comes to friends of friends. "I love tiramisu in general, so, you know." Their shoulders roll contentedly, and they absently tug on the bottom hem of the New Favorite Pink Jacket.
They give Aaron a little glance out of the corners of their eyes. "I would like that, if it's not an imposition?"
Aaron remains vaguely suspect now, but that's the nature of all golden retrievers. Once they're suspect, they're suspect. Until someone scritches their butt, anyway. "Sure, sounds fine." Aaron shrugs back to Ziv in response to the glance, his smile returning good naturedly. The Bima smile.
Alex nods and steps back to open the door the rest of the way, opening onto the well illumined entryway of the house and the warmth inside. "Come on in, then. Can I get you anything?" Not that she actually knows what's in the fridge, on account of not eating, to offer as refreshment.
They lean in and smooch Aaron's cheek, reassuringly. Surely this is fine. They have heard of Alex. I think. Probably. They step in through the doorway, letting go of Aaron's hand just for the moment. "My name's Ziv, by the way. Ziv Altshul. This is Aaron Cohen. Jack and I hang out and gossip about, like, everything, all the time." A pause, and they offer, shrugging out of their backpack and jacket, "Water is fine!"
"Water would be great, thank you." Aaron follows Ziv inside, looming like the proverbial bear jew. Complete with beard. He peers about the interior once inside, still checking for confirmation that all is indeed well. It seems to be putting his suspicions to rest, at least.
"Alex Shaw," Alex introduces. She had already given her first name, but that's it. "My pronouns are she/her. I'm one of the people who lives here who isn't dating anyone else who lives here." She smiles at that, like the fact that this might have to be clarified amuses her. "Although people at conventions used to assume that Mearcstapa and I were a couple. Which at least meant gross men hitting on me slightly less often."
She pauses to consider Aaron for the briefest moment before she says, "now I remember where you're familiar from. I didn't really follow the court case, but I guess you're walking around, so that's something, at least. Two waters, coming right up." And she doesn't actually ask questions, or try to continue that line of conversation. "You want to come into the kitchen, or go to the living room? It's all the same to me."
"Oh! My pronouns are they/them, though I'll accept she, or neopronouns. Basically anything except he. My genderfluid does not include much testosterone." They unzip the ankles of their boots and step out, setting them inside the doorway, because no one wants the sludge of a November Philly sidewalk tracked through their home. Their socks are purple and have little gold hearts on them. Of course they are.
Ziv listens to the explanation of how Alex is, or is not, connected in to the big polycule. "Ah, so you're one of the people whose bedroom is on the other side of the house," they answer sagely, jacket over their arm. "Whatever's more comfortable," they answer, flashing another smile at her and not even touching the court case stuff. "Not being hit on by gross men at conventions is A++."
"It was dismissed with prejudice. Hopefully I can get the next justice department to look into the corruption in PPD wrapped up in all of this. So I wasn't even acquitted. My indictment was voided." Aaron shares this news with a small smile. A major victory in a battle he never should have had to fight.
"He/him for me. Token cisgay, here."
Alex, barefoot, gestures for the others to follow her as she pads toward the kitchen ."Good to know. They/them for Ziv, and he/him for Aaron. I'm one of those weird cisgays too, so I suppose that makes two of us. We might have to battle to the death because there can only be one token cisgay, right? " She pauses and adds, "although technically I'm dead, so I guess you've already won."
When they get to the kitchen she pours a couple of glasses of ice water and brings them to the table. "I live in the basement, actually. Rather than the other side of the house."
"I thought you were implying you were a vampire," offers Ziv, adding, "I didn't want to assume that was what you were getting at. Maybe you just have celiac or ... an allergy or something and that's why you couldn't eat at Maddy's." They pad after her, giggling at the idea of a fight. "Aaron is good at fighting, too, so... that's probably a good thing that he already won?" They pic a spot at the table and slide into their chair, setting their backpack and jacket next to said chair. "Jack said you were really good with computers."
"I only fight over things I care about. So if it comes to blows, you can have it." Aaron is still more of a lover than a fighter, yet. He's just getting better at both! He searches about for a place to sit, unslings his backpack, and settles it into his lap. In it, wearing a little helmet and goggles, is the cutest-ugliest little mutt ever. Quiet as a mouse, and peering about inquisitive. Aaron lets him out of the bag, removes his headware, and sets the pupper free to begin sniffing around for the disaster darlings, his step-humans.
"I did have access to Maddy's before I was a vampire," Alex confesses as she slides into a chair and pulls one leg up so that her knee is against her chest, foot on the to of the chair. "I was Fae-Touched before I got embraced. It's kind of a--" she cuts off into a delighted squeal.
"Ohmygodyouhaveadoginthere!"
And then Ziv blinks a few times at Alex. "Oh, you're the -- " But then Alex realizes that Chewie is in the backpack, and the Siren giggles, folding their hands over the lower half of their face. It's a shame that no one here can actually see the neon flickers in Ziv's eyes when their eyes literally glitter. "Alex Shaw, please meet Chewy Cohen."
"Chewda Maccabee Cohen, to be fair. Chewie to his friends. Which is everyone with meat and pets." Chewie clearly knows his way around the house and trots off towards the kitchen to check for his food bowls. He used to be a frequent houseguest here, once upon a time. Eventually he trots back out to come over and check on Alex with all the due hesitance of an animal around a vampire. But his tail wiggles all the same. "Chewie and I met in Torah study. He has very strong opinions that they should involve more chimken." Aaron looks down at the scraggly little mutt and gets all gooey-voiced, "Don't you, little buddy. Yes you do."
Alex, surprisingly, does not really creep out pups much. Or people any more. Fortunately for her, and for Chewy. "Pleased to meet you, Chewy," as she leans down to give due affection in the form of scritches. "What a cutie pie! Have you met Moss yet? Or are you in for a treat?"
"Moss?" Ziv asks, propping their heels on the rungs of the chair. "I don't think I have met Moss. Who's been holding out on me?" Their dark eyes narrow playfully, and they watch Chewie pap pap pap around the floor, leaning to rest their head on Aaron's shoulder. "I can't disagree with him. Torah study would be way more interesting with more chimken."
Chewie has a tiny pink tongue and likes to use it. Alex will shortly be covered in licks. Particularly her hands. He's a lovey little guy, clearly. "If he starts to bother you, let me know, and I can bag him back up. He's happy in there, most times. Toasty warm, with treats and no need to use his little hopsticks to locomote." Aaron slips his arm around Ziv's shoulder so they can rest against him, quite content with that state of affairs. "Haven't met Moss, personally. Don't know if Chewie has, either. It's been a while since the triad dogwatched for me."
"He's no bother," Alex says while giggling at the ferocious licking her hands are getting. "I'll confess that I don't know what Torah study is usually like, but I got forced to go to Bible study when I was a kid, and if it's anything like that, it could be improved with some chimken nuggers for sure." She glances up. "Moss is the new dog in the house. She's very sweet." She looks back down. "Just like you, huh Chewy? How do you do around other dogs?"
The happiest time in the life of a Ziv is when they are leaning against one of their partners, and with Aaron's arm around their shoulder, they are content as can be. Feet tucked up on the rungs of the chair, one hand resting on Aaron's knee. "I dunno. I haven't heard of Moss, I don't thiiiink? I dunno. Sometimes I'm a little bit of a flake." Which covers for the player forgetting which character knows what. "But! Chewy is a big sweetheart, so I'm sure he'll do well." A glittering of their eyes. "Torah study is like a ... lively and structured argument with a fixed topic that ... we pretend to honor. It's not much like the Bible studies I've ... been subjected to."
"Torah study is bickering bloodsport with a dash of theology tossed in to keep us honest. With coffee, bagels, and shmeer." Aaron grins at this description, truthful or not, and looks back down to Chewie, "As long as Moss isn't gigantic and likely to try and knock him over, he likes other dogs. Dogs that try to treat him like a little dog he tends to bite their noses. Usually deservedly. But he makes friends easily at the dog park." Aaron watches his pupper with affection, scrunching up his nose a bit. "He's a pretty mellow little dude, most of the time."
Oh hey look, the front door is opening! Whoever it is can't be seen, yet, but there's the sound of them kicking boots off in the entryway.
"Who - d'we have company?" It's Jack! And he's calling into the rest of the house, to whoever might be around to answer.
There are extra shoes in the entryway, so company is a good guess. Alex calls from the kitchen, "hey Jack! Back here! Ziv and Aaron stopped by!" This is when everyone will apparently find out for sure if anybody in the room is an enemy in a place they shouldn't be, but Alex doesn't seem to be too worried.
Returning to the conversation at hand she asks Aaron, "was that a description of Chewy, or a metaphorical description of you? But lively and structured argument sounds a lot more pleasant than just having someone make you read something you weren't all that interested in, and then lecture you about it in a way that makes you less interested still."
"Jaaaaaaack!" Ziv doesn't get up from their seat, because they have Aaron's arm around their shoulders and they are as comfy as can be under the circumstances (being that they aren't wearing a skirt and can't have a tail, which is when Zivs are most comfortable). They extend one of their hands toward Jack and wiggle their fingers at him in greeting, a bit like a grabby-hands. They keep their head on Aaron's shoulder, though. "We came by because we were on our way to Maddy's, but I met Alex, who is delightful." Their nose wrinkles up, a tiny smile. "And we have brought Chewy and are hearing about Moss."
Aaron rises from his seat when Jack arrives, because he's polite and that's what you do when someone enters the room. "Hey, Jack. Ziv's idea. Don't blame me." Aaron suckles a tooth and gets Chewie's attention then summons him over with a command. He scoops the little guy up just in case Jack isn't in the mood for being licked half to death by a tiny wiry haired mutt. "We take a different tack. It's probably one of our key differences with Christianity. Christian doctrine will tell you that the bible delivers an entirely accurate and singular account of its contents, whereas Jews tend to view it much more as allegory. And the message Torah has for us changes depending on what we bring to it. So that no reasoned view of Torah is wrong, and no reason view of Torah is entirely correct, either. Make up your own mind, but be a decent person while you're doing it. Pretty much."
"Alex is delightful," Jack agrees as he appears in the doorway to the kitchen. He's in black jeans and a black t-shirt under a green plaid flannel shirt, an easy smile on his face. "God I could go for some waffles right now, though, fuck...there's definitely worse surprises to come home to, don't worry," he tells Aaron, his smile widening. "Moss 's out back, if you wanna meet her - how's Chewy with bigger dogs?"
"That's what I was just asking," Alex laughs when Jack asks how Chewy does with other dogs. "If you all want to run off to Maddy's for waffles, which is what the original plan was for half the people in the room, I won't be insulted." She offers everyone one of her brilliant smiles and seems, genuinely, like she wouldn't be upset if she got ditched. But also not like she's in a hurry to be rid of people. "I do think, ultimately 'be a decent person while you're doing it' is a pretty solid basis for a faith. I wish fewer people lost sight of that message, whatever their faith is."
When Aaron gets up, Ziv does too, and pap pap paps barefoot across the room to offer Jack a hug of greeting. "Nope, it's totally my idea, I'm taking all the blame-slash-credit." They smile that nose-wrinkled little smile of theirs. "it is basically a structured argument. Sort of. It really depends. And ... well, I ironically don't have much to append to the rabbi's explanation." A sidelong glance and a small wink to Aaron. "I want to meet Moss!"
"Chewie's fine with big dogs as long as the big dogs aren't bullies. He's not a leg biter, or anything. He just doesn't like being reminded he fits in my backpack. Unless it's me putting him in the backpack." Aaron grins at this as Ziv heads off for a hug. "I wonder if we can work out a way for you to enjoy waffles again, Alex. That seems a horrible thing to lose in your life." Aaron seems to be behaving as though that's something he might actually be able to deliver on at some point. "I'll give it some thought."
"Heeyyy." Jack squeezes Ziv tight with a grin. "I wonder if Maddy's delivers..." He looks thoughtful for a moment after stepping out of Ziv's embrace.
"Yeah, Moss's pretty friendly when she's not hungry...lemme go get her. Time for her to come inside anyway, she's got a nice little house out there but it's not the same as indoors...be back in a sec!" And he pads through the kitchen on this way to the back of the house.
"Well..." Alex gets a thoughtful look. "I guess I actually can eat waffles again now. Without getting extremely ill as a result, even. Food doesn't really taste as good as it did when there was biological imperative behind it, though. Or it does, but that good taste doesn't bring the same pleasure. It's hard to explain. But I could have some waffles." She lets out a huh like she hadn't really been thinking about it. "Now I kind of want to."
"See, now that would be a service to the various communities from which we hail. Maddy's delivery," laughs Ziv, wrapping up Jack in a hug and then releasing him thereafter, heading back to their seat. "Missing out on waffles does seem like a whole... thing... to miss out on. If I didn't have tiramisu waffles in my life, I... would be sad!" There's the wash of rain-scent-on-cold-water that seems to occasionally accompany them. "... well! I mean. We can! I don't... think that dogs are barred from Maddy's, it's hardly a regular diner."
"See? Wow, I'm good. I just mused it into being. Good job, me." Aaron puffs up with faux pride, still grinning as he tends to do when around good people who aren't being awful to each other. "I get that. A lot of my experience of things has changed drastically since I went through my big change in being. And while the pleasure you experience might not be the same, I imagine the pleasure of the company will far outweigh any shortfall in the vanilla extract and carbohydrate rush." Aaron sets Chewie back down onto the floor, however. "Let's have him meet Moss first, though. I imagine Moss would feel a lot better meeting the smell that's been rubbing all over the furniture."
One of the great things about old houses is the lovely hardwood floors. One of the great things about hardwood floors is the clackclackclack of doggo feets as they trot across it. As a doggo is doing, coming from the back of the house.
"There's new people, and a dog, and they're friendly, and you can speak, kay?" Jack can be heard muttering softly to her. And there's a muffled noise back at him, like...maybe Moss can speak. Weird, amirite?
Of course, knowing there's new people and a dog and seeing there's new people and a dog are different things, and as this hedgebeast doggo appears in the doorway she just. Can't contain her excitement, blocking the entire doorway as her tail whips back and forth and she starts spinning in excited circles.
"Moss - let me through, please?" Jack says with a laugh, gently nudging her aside.
To Aaron (and to Alex, at the moment,) Moss is grey-brown with the whispy fur and tail of a lab, but the head and shape of a pit bull. Her tongue lolls out of her mouth as Jack moves her, and she rushes forward to snorfle at Chewie, curious and excited.
To Ziv, of course, the hedgebeast has grass and moss instead of fur, with spikey leaves sticking out of her ears and deep, dark green eyes.
"I'd be surprised if occasionally the actual patrons aren't dogs, soooo..." Alex shrugs. "Good chance that wouldn't be an issue, as long as the dogs don't break the rules either. Which is another point: the rules are fairly exacting, and they don't mention pets." She gets up from her chair. "Hi Moss!" she says cheerfully. "I would have let you inside if I knew you were out back, but I thought you were out with Jack. Sorry." She acts like she thinks the dog can understand her, too. "And you're probably not listening to me, because of the excitement."
"Oh!" Ziv's eyes widen quite a lot when Moss makes her appearance. Yep, they can clearly see her actual factual form. "Well, don't you have the most appropriate name," they laugh, and talk to the dog as if, indeed, they expect she can understand them. They hop down from their chair and hold out a hand toward the shaggy pup.
Chewie does that thing little dogs do when being snorfled by bigger dogs. He freezes, he makes himself big, and his tail wags 10,000 wags a minute. His little ears dart upwards, and his eyes get big and wide. Step wrong, and there will be snout biting. But so far, things seem to be going rather well, all things considered. Nobody's eaten Chewie yet, for example. "Oh my goodness, that is a lorge doggo. What a big lovey ball!" Aaron gets down on a knee to offer his hand out for sniffing, likewise. "Nice to meet you, Moss."
"HELLLOOOOOO!!!" Moss howls happily, and dances around the kitchen, alternating between play-bowing at Chewie and snorfling at Ziv and Aaron's hand. Both of them get covered in drool, though to Ziv it's sticky and saplike, and smells a little sweet, as sap tends to.
"I am Moss what is your name? And what is your name? You do not live here, I have not smelled you -" she stops, and sits back after she sniffs at Aaron's hand again. "No I have smelled you here. But not as much as I have smelled Jack and Alex and Mearcstapa and Lux and Asbolus...hellooooo Alex!" Moss play-bows at Chewie again, but doesn't try to talk to him.
Alex laughs softly at all the antics from Moss. "Hi Mossy. This is our life now," she says to Aaron and Ziv. "Exuberance aplenty, and a lot of licking. Fortunately for her, she's utterly charming." She laughs. "I'm going to go put my laptop away, and then I'll be ready to go out if we're going to do that. And won't have to worry about dogs getting to it, if we aren't." She departs to do just that!
"Oh... wow." Sticky, saplike, dog-licks! Fortunately Ziv is good at letting things like this not bother them. Make your jokes about being licked by Aaron here. Ha ha. "You are Moss, and I am Ziv." Their Spring Mantle flares around them, all floral and clean, cool water. "It's good to meet you. This is Aaron," they introduce, as if talking dogs are totally normal! They are, in Ziv's world, after all. "Sounds good, Alex!" And to Jack: "Where did you find her?"
"Moss, c'mere, Ziv's fine without being slobbered to death." Jack shakes his head, smiling at his doggo. "At one of the local shelters, poor thing. She was starving..." He reaches out to scritch Moss's spikey ears.
"Ziv. Ziv and Aaron! Hello! I am Moss, yes. Jack feeeeeeds me..." She turns to give Jack an absolutely adoring look. "And now this is my home! It is a nice home," she says with a contented huff.
Yep. The perfectly normal talking dog that happens to normal people in the normal course of their normal lives. "Nice to meet you, Moss. As Ziv says, I'm Aaron Cohen. It's very nice to meet you." He gives Moss a scritch behind the ears with his hand and pats her neck affectionately. Chewie, in the meantime, has stopped freezing and wagging and answers the play bows with little bows of his own. At least he hasn't tried to hump her yet. That would be awkward. "They seem to be getting along fine," Aaron observes. "Once they're settled a bit, we can probably leave them here and head out."
Alex comes back before long, having descended the stairs to put her laptop in the basement and then come back up in the process of taming her explosion of curls into pigtails. "Before we go out in public, even the quasi-public secrecy of Maddy's, can I be a bit rude and ask... what you both are?" Alex says, glancing at the two recent strangers, now acquaintances. "As much to avoid assumptions as anything else. It might be rude to just ask, but..." a shrug, and she finishes taming the first of the two pigtails and starts on the other.
They lean to ruffle Moss's, well, mossy ears, and then crouch down next to Chewie, lending their presence at the pup's level as a means of bolstering the tiny pup's courage. Not that Ziv is much help, with their noodly arms. "I think they're doing okay," they agree, smiling lopsidedly. When Alex asks her question, Ziv blinks slowly. "Lost," they offer politely. "I'm a Joyeux. I don't look much un-like some of the people who live here, at least, as far as I've seen and been told. It doesn't bother me to be asked, because ... " a gesture toward Jack.
Moss clearly wants to play with Chewie, but doesn't quite...seem to know how. As doglike as she is, an Actual Real Dog is making her curious and a little confused, especially because she can't just...talk to him.
"Moss, will you be good and not tear this place apart while we're gone? I think someone should be home soon..." Jack absently looks at his phone like he's maybe missed a text or something. "You can show Chewie all your favorite toys...oh and I've got some dog treats, she...doesn't really care about them. But they're the same ones you gave us when we were dogsitting Chewie...?" He says this last to Aaron, going over to one of the cupboards in the kitchen.
"I'm a Hairy Wizard," Aaron intones in his best Hagrid impression, "minus all the transphobia." Aaron lifts a hand and, after a bit of concentration, conjures a ball of light and energy into his palm. It crackles briefly before extinguishing. A perfectly harmless parlor trick, but demonstration enough. "I'm still somewhat new to all of this. But, like you, I was sort of paranormal adjacent before all of this ... happened." He gestures about himself, as though that was explanatory. It decidedly is not. "Don't fill him up with dog treats, but a few won't hurt him," Aaron asks of Jack. "But he could do with a snack before we head out, sure."
"Oh!" Alex exclaims in delight. "You're Spring!" She beams brightly and presses her hands together in front of her in delight. "I was Spring before I was made a vampire. Fae-touched, not Lost. I'm pretty sure the Lost can't become vampires. You should probably know that I'm actually sworn to the Freehold again." Some of which Aaron just suggested at. She smiles at him and says, "were you? Interesting! I hope your transition was more pleasant than mine was. And more consensual, if that's even a thing for wizards." Then she realizes a question she's curious about was prompted and she asks Jack, "what does Moss like as treats?"
Ziv kneels on the ground by Moss, and pat-pat their hands on the floor, play-bowing to Chewy as they have many times before. This is both genuinely playing with the little dog as well as allowing a demonstration for Moss. See, this is how you play with a little dog. They pause, looking up at Alex and winking at her. "I do actually know that you're one of Ari's," they assure. "It's not often that there's a vampire who holds an Oath with the Freehold. I just didn't have a face to put to the name." And while they chat, they play with Chewy, at least except when they're briefly distracted by Aaron's little demonstration, which makes them give a sort of besotted look at said wizard.
Jack leans against the doorway, watching the further introductions with a quiet smile on his face.
"Yeah, Ziv and I are work buddies...kinda? I guess? Oh fuck, Ziv are you my work spouse?" He chuckles. "Moss's diet's...Glamour, pretty much. Goblin fruit, now and again. Not that she knows that, she tries to eat everything..." He shakes his head and gives the hedgebeastie another scritch under her bright yellow harness, and offers Chewie a treat.
"I think the best description for what I experienced was The Illusion Of Choice. It's a long, difficult to believe tale that is all tied up with my arrest and all of that. But generally speaking when the divine tells you to punch the darkness, you punch the darkness." Aaron's shoulder shrugs in a semi-helpless manner. It's all behind him now. "I wouldn't call the road I've walked easy, but I would absolutely call it worthwhile. So there's that, I guess." Chewie noms down the treat Jack offers with gusto. His little jaws work fast and furious, smacking open and closed noisily. "I have no idea what glamour is, but hedgefruits sound tasty. Sort of."
"That it's worthwhile is more than I could say," Alex says with a pained smile. "So I'm glad for you in that. If I'd had a choice I'd have declined, and if I could go back I would. No amount of newfound personal power is worth all this, to me. There's not much I can do, though." She shrugs. "Shall we get going?" She gives Ziv a smile. "I never want to just assume people know who I am. That feels so arrogant."
When Jack asks that question, Ziv pauses in the playing with the pup and stares at Jack. "... oh, shit," they laugh. "You are. That's hilarious." Why it's hilarious isn't explained, but twinks are generally not compatible, so, there is that. They return to their feet (because Ziv will never 'straighten up') and pick up their coat and their backpack. "Glamour is the, eh. Energy we use? We literally convert emotions from humans into ... well. What fuels our magic." Here, Aaron, have one more Arcane beat, apparently. "And I wouldn't recommend eating goblin fruit if you're not one of us. The results might be -- erratic."
"Though Sage and I are going to try growing weed in the Hedge and see what happens." Oh, Ziv. Another smile to Alex, then. "Well, I do know who you are, but no one told me you were also awesome. We should, in fact, get going."
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