|
Annie is sitting on a bench in the Freehold Hollow, reading something on her phone as she waits for Charlie to arrive.
Charlie arrives soon after Annie does. When she sees her, she dashes over, wringing her hands. "I'm s-sorry I'm late!" she says, taking a seat on a nearby bench, "I wanted to be here sooner, but the bus was slow."
"That is okay," Annie says, locking her phone and putting it away. "Public transport in this city can be a nightmare." She smiles at Charlie. "You wanted to talk?"
"It's just been a while and I want to spend time with you. You're, um, one of my best friends," Charlie says, calming down a little, "plus, um, I wanted to thank you again for getting me and Wren together. We, um, swore an Oath recently."
Annie blushes slightly. "Thank you. You are one of my best friends too, Charlie, and I am sad that the crisis has hindered us spending time together." The news that the other Fairest and Wren swore an Oath together gets a blink out of her. "Really? Do you mind if I ask what it was about?"
"It was saying that we can't tell each other we don't love the other. I'm trying to, um, avoid the exact words? But, um, now we always know where the other is. So I can know she's not in any danger when she does her spy stuff," Charlie says, smiling, "we signed another one that means we have to ask the other before we take another partner, but I can get take an attack for her and heal myself with my powers. I'm much less worried about her now."
Annie arches one eyebrow slightly. "Is taking another partner something you are interested in?"
"I don't think so? I, um, don't know for sure but, um, I don't know if I'd be okay thinking of her with other people?" Charlie blushes a little, "especially if, um, she goes all the way with them."
"That is important information, even if it is not quite what I asked about," Annie says gently. "I doubt Wren would want you to feel obliged to be in an open relationship for her sake, though."
"Oh. I, um, I guess I could? I don't know if I could handle keeping two girlfriends happy," Charlie says, smiling nervously. Her face pales a little and she asks, "Can I, um, tell you something that you have to promise not to tell anyone else?"
"I promise not to share with anyone what you are about to tell me, unless I believe it to be a danger to the Freehold." Annie's expression is somewhat curious, as she looks Charlie in the eye.
"I, um, Wren and I... we kind of, um. Did it?" Charlie barely squeaks out. "It was, um. I don't know if I could handle her doing that with, um, someone else and then coming back to me."
"When you say the two of you did it, I assume you mean that to be understood as the popular euphemism?" Annie considers Charlie for a moment. "There is nothing wrong with being monogamous, Charlie."
Charlie nods. "I'm, um, I feel like I should be okay with it? Wren and I haven't really talked about it but, um, if it makes her happy I should be more okay with it. She deserves that for how much she's put up with me."
"Do you think she would be happy with you forcing yourself to accept her being with someone else as well as you?" Annie's voice is gentle. "She deserves to be happy, yes, but so do you, Charlie."
Charlie sighs. "She's too nice though. Sometimes I get the feeling she lies to me about stuff to avoid hurting me. And I know she's a winter, but it hurts to not know what she's feeling."
"Have you talked to her about this? It might be that she is lying to you because she wants a space where she can just be the loving girlfriend."
"I don't know how to tell her these things. I don't want to hurt her. And I don't want to prioritize myself of her. She deserves way better," Charlie says, folding in on herself.
Annie stands, moving over to hug Charlie gently. "If it were her sitting here, talking with me, she would likely be saying much the same, you do realise?"
Charlie hugs Annie back, her hug stronger than the last time they did. She's gained some muscle. "Thank you. I just... she'd be wrong though. Not to, um, insult her but... she thinks way too highly of me and way too, um, low of herself? I don't know why."
"Charlie, I do not want you to take this the wrong way, but you need to work on your self esteem, okay? You matter, in your own right, not merely as Wren's girlfriend."
Charlie sits forward, her hand tapping against her leg. She doesn't say anything for a while, the silence broken only by the sound of her fidgeting. She opens her mouth to speak a few times before closing it. Finally, she settles on saying, "Sorry. I'm sorry I'm putting all of this on you."
Annie sighs. "Charlie, if I did not wish to help you, I would not be here. You do not need to apologise for having feelings."
"I'm sorry for apologizing then," Charlie says, the irony not crossing her mind. "How have you been holding up?" she says, clumsily deflecting the attention away from herself. "Are you and Eugene doing well?"
Annie pauses for a second, but then accepts the deflection. "Good," she smiles. "Since the crisis blew up I have moved in with them, and we have talked about finding a place to be ours when the lease expires on their apartment."
"Wow! That's so great! I'm so happy for you!" Charlie says, holding her arms out to give a hug if Annie wants one, "are you two thinking about getting a place ironside or a hollow over here?"
Annie is more than happy to receive a hug from Charlie. "Both. Probably somewhere edging into the suburbs Ironside, since they want a space where they can see their patients and I want a space to practice my music without disturbing their patients, so."
"Well if you need any help on the hedge part, I can chip in! I'm okay with hedgespinning," Charlie says, squeezing Annie tight against herself, "I wouldn't exactly be any help with the ironside part though."
"The Ironside part is likely not for several months, so you are safe there," Annie chuckles. "As for the Hollow, Yu Jin and I need to talk more about what we would want out of one first, so." She shrugs slightly. "The offer of help is appreciated, though."
"I don't do much, so if you ever need me, I'll be there to help." Charlie lets out a weary sigh. "I hope the Hue and Cry ends soon so I can go back to work. Or back to my apartment. Is that, um, selfish of me?"
"Yes and no? You are entitled to want to return home, Charlie." Annie shrugs. "Hopefully when Marjorie is woken from her coma she will have information that can be used to track down Robin."
"Oh! We woke her up!" Charlie chirps, "Did you not hear? I was part of the team that helped free her, but, um, I was just there in case Lux or Alain got hurt. I didn't really do much."
"No, I had not heard." Annie considers Charlie for a moment. "Did anyone get hurt in the process? Oneiromancy can be difficult, from what I have heard. I have never tried it, myself."
"No, we were all fine. We had some people there who were really good at it. Rosalyn and Alain, if you know either of them," Charlie says, perking up. "It's a really weird experience but it's useful to know, I think?"
"Oh, yes, I know Rosalyn. Do not think I have met Alain, though. Which court are they with?"
"Winter, I think. She's a dream expert from what I heard," Charlie says fondly, "She's also, um, really pretty but kind of in a scary way? Like it feels like she's always kinda watching you."
"Interesting. I look forward to meeting her, then," Annie smiles. "What was it like, going inside Marjorie's Bastion?"
"It was a lot less scary than I thought it would be. It was like a tea party but, um, she thought we were different people. She thought, um, that I was Robin. And that Rosalyn was a vampire." Charlie pauses, looking around conspiratorially. "Are vampires real?"
"They are, yes. They value their privacy as much as we do, though, so I would not advise talking about it too publicly." Annie shrugs slightly. "Some of them are rather cute, though."
"Should, um, should I be worried that there are vampires in Philly?" Charlie asks, nervously. "Do I need to start wearing my cross? Eating garlic?"
"I do not think so? I believe we have a truce with them, and if one of them decides to break it they will not receive any backing." Annie shrugs. "I have no idea whether garlic or religious symbols do anything to them, honestly."
"They aren't going to hurt, um, regular people, are they?" Charlie says, starting to calm down a little, "And, um, are other things like that real?"
"To answer your first question, I do not know. I have only met a few, and that in rather limited circumstances." Annie shrugs again. "For the second... define 'other things like that'?"
"Like, um, aliens or werewolves or, um, other stuff that I assumed wasn't real outside of the Hedge? Folklore stuff," Charlie tries to explain, hoping that that's the best way to explain it to someone over 400 years old.
"Oh. I do not know if aliens or werewolves are real or fiction, sorry." Annie takes a sip of her ever-present water bottle before continuing. "I have met a few mages, though, but I know barely anything more about them than I do vampires."
"Magi? Like the Three Wise Men?" Charlie asks, having never read a fantasy book in her life, "Should we talk to someone about, um, making a pamphlet about the other kinds of things that are real? I bet there are other people, um, who don't know about this."
"The who?" Annie looks entirely blank.
"In the bible? The Three Wise Men who bring gifts to the newborn Christ?" Charlie says, not understanding the confusion.
"...Charlie. I am Jewish. Those references will be lost on me."
"Oh, um, sorry, I'm still not used to having, um, friends who aren't, um, the same faith as me," Charlie says, looking sheepish. "I don't suppose you know anyone else in the Freehold who is, um, Christian?
"Christian? No, but I tend not to enquire into other people's faiths." Annie shrugs. "I know Mearcstapa was raised Jewish, but I do not think he is especially observant outside the holidays."
"Can I, um, ask you, um, kind of a personal question? Feel free to say no," Charlie asks, tapping on the arm rest of the bench in an erratic rhythm.
"You can ask, but I cannot promise an answer."
"How do you, um, deal with the fact there is a loving God but He lets," Charlie gestures vaguely Hedgeward, "all of that happen to us? Because it, um, it doesn't sit right with everything that I was taught."
"Because if there was not, we could not escape what was done, and forge new lives for ourselves." Annie sighs. "It is a hard question to grapple with, though. I can only give you the answers that make sense for me."
It's a bit before Charlie speaks and when she does, "Can I get a hug?" is the first thing that comes out of her mouth. "I, um, thank you for talking to me about this. It's something that weighs on me a lot."
"Of course," Annie says gently, hugging Charlie for as long as the other Fairest wants. "If you want, I can put you in contact with the people who helped me with that, when I made it back."
If it's allowed to go to Charlie's standards, it's a long tight hug with warmth unbecoming of a winter. "If they're okay with me not, um, being, um, Jewish I mean. From a basis of faith instead of religion, if, um, that makes sense."
"I do not think they would be, but I can ask if they have contacts who are Christian, if you would prefer that?"
"I would, if, um, that's not too much. I don't want to pressure you or, um, anything," Charlie says, smiling, "you're, um, a really great friend. I hope you know that."
"It is no trouble, Charlie," Annie says, rising. "I should be going, though. I have classes to attend, sadly."
"Good luck! I bet you'll do a great job," Charlie says, giving one last hug.
|