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beep beep oh hey, a text message. Buncha terrible typos - someone must've been in a hurry.
anneliese hey this is billie i have something important i need to tell you in person. byouhavent had any bad luc k lately right??? youre not hurt or anything?
Anneliese blinks as she glances down at her phone. It's her one day off from both school and the bar, who could be texting her? Reading the message elicits a worried frown.
Um. Not especially. Why? Is everything okay?
Im not sure yet. But i think just some weird shit maybe is going down??? Can I come over?
Sure. You still have my address, right?
yeah I remember it. Was at the university library so Im nt far
Sure enough, she wasn't far - and in a few minutes, there's a frantic knock at Anneliese's door.
Okay.
Anneliese is quick to open the door, letting her obviously worried partner in. "Hey, Billie. Can I get you something to drink, or do we need to skip straight to whatever is disturbing you?"
Billie, red-faced as though she's been crying, moves to hug Anneliese but catches herself at the last moment and pauses with both arms out before quickly thrusting her hands back to her aides. She nods hurriedly as she steps inside. "Yeah. Uhh. Coke would be nice," she laughs nervously. "I feel like I say that to you all the time, now."
"I might work at a bar but people asking me for Cokes is not that unusual, I will have you know." Anneliese replies, in a - possibly unsuccessful - attempt to lighten the mood, confused as to why Billie is resisting the blatant desire to hug her. "Please, take a seat, I shall just be a minute."
Billie nods, forcing a laugh at Anneliese's comment, and makes her way to the couch - which she flops onto, and places her head into her hands to wait.
Anneliese casts a worried look at Billie as she heads into her kitchen area, returning a moment later with the requested Coke. "One Coke, as desired. Now please, what is bothering you?" She asks gently, going to pass Billie the drink before the glass bottle - Anneliese clearly prefers the taste of Mexican Coke - slips from her hand and falls to the floor.
Billie's eyes go wide and she scurries away from Anneliese as fast as she can, curling into a ball on the opposite end of the couch with her knees pressed to her chest. "Oh god, it's happening now. I shouldn't be herefuckfuckIshouldn'thavecome."
Anneliese just stares at Billie, entirely unsure why such a minor accident caused such a major reaction. "Apologies, but what is happening? I realise that my dropping the bottle at that exact moment was unfortunate, but such accidents do happen to the best of us occasionally."
"God, you're gonna think I'm a fuckin' crazy person, but I'm a jinx," Billie says. Her voice muffled by the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "I thought it only happened when I touched someone, but now I'm thinking it just happens to people whenever I'm around them."
A pause. "Please, I am sure that cannot be the case. We have been around each other plenty without such accidents occurring before, have we not?" What if it is not, though, Anneliese? What if the Gentry are targeting her because she is your primary emotional connection within the world of mortals? What then?
"... maybe. Or maybe you're just luckier than Jane - or maybe it just wasn't... working before, or whatever?"
Billie looks about like she's on the verge of tears again. "Like. She got hurt because of me - and I don't want that to happen to anyone else. Especially to you."
...Okay, screw this. Anneliese moves in to hug Billie. She might not be sure what exactly their relationship status is - much less what it will be after this - but she does know that she cares about Billie too much to just let her break down crying like this. "I can take care of myself, sweetheart. Whatever is going on, I am sure there is a way that we can stop it."
Billie flinches instinctively, attempting to pull away, but with nowhere left to go she falls into the hug and almost breaks down. She takes a few deep breaths and manages to pull herself together, blinking tears from her eyes.
"Just... please don't get hurt - and please don't hate me." Her voice goes deathly quiet when she utters the latter half of the sentence.
As she replays the last few words, making sure she'd heard them correctly, Anneliese blinks, before pulling back just enough to look Billie in the eyes. "Why would I hate you for something that is clearly none of your doing? I know we have not known each other long, but I did not think you would believe me to be the kind to behave in such a cruel way."
"I don't know," she mutters into her sleeve. "I guess I'm just used to... familiarity breeding resentment where I'm concerned. Like I... inflict my personality on people. It's one of the main reasons I was so eager to move out here."
Pause.
"... and that, combined with literally giving people bad luck. Just. Seems pretty easy to hate."
Oh, Billie... Anneliese kisses the other girl on the forehead. "I have no intention of beginning to resent you, believe me. You are one of the best things to happen to me in years." Centuries, more like, but Anneliese knows better than to admit that before she's had a chance to clear Billie knowing with the Freehold.
"Psssh," Billie tries to laugh, but it's interrupted by a little hiccup. Y'know, the kind you sometimes get after bunch of crying. "I'm sorry the past few years have been so rough for you, then."
I know, self-deprecating comments will fix it!
"Hey." Anneliese's voice is firm. "I know things have been hard for you, but that is not your fault, remember? You deserve better than small-minded shitheads destroying your self-esteem because you did not fit their miniscule little boxes." This is quite possibly the first time Billie has actually heard Anneliese curse out loud.
"Okay, that's fair. I appreciate you for saying it." The response is automatic - almost performative - as if it were a trained response. Then she abruptly changes the subject. "I... Guh. I've got the worst headache from crying, now. Do you have any painkillers, maybe?"
"Yeah, uh, just let me fetch them from the kitchen for you." Anneliese carefully disentangles herself from Billie before standing. "Be right back." After a moment, she emerges, bearing an unopened blister sheet of aspirin and a plastic bottle of water. Whether she's taking no chances or just humouring Billie is not clear.
"Thanks," Billie mumbles, reaching for the pills and water. She pops a pair into her mouth, and swallows. "For the Aspirin, but also for letting me come over and be a royal mess on your couch. It... means a lot."
"Hey, what else are vague complicated relationships for, if not venting emotional distress?" Anneliese sits on the couch next to Billie, leaning into the other girl casually. "Do you want to look into whatever might be causing this apparent jinx, or would you prefer to just cuddle for now?"
Billie offers another weak laugh - though at least this one doesn't sound forced. Progress! She leans into Anneliese, putting a head on her shoulder. "I think I've got a clear course of action for where to go to get help with the jinx, but... uhh. Cuddle and maybe watch something? Something comfort food-ish?"
"Comfort food it is." Anneliese retrieves her laptop, opening it and firing up Netflix. "Any requests for specific shows?"
She looks up at Anneliese from her shoulder resting place. She perks up just enough to give the other girl a very chaste kiss on the cheek.
"Have you ever watched Star Trek? I've been re-watching Next Gen for probably the fourth time... so, wanna maybe that?"
"Sounds good."
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