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The Streets of Fandom, Wednesday Evening

So, Arden and Cal had been sending pics back and forth, Arden sharing as much of Daventry and the tournament as she could, Cal responding with pictures of the island and some of her favorite birds. (Yes, she had favorite birds around the island, don't ask, #JustSylphThings). About fifteen or so minutes ago, she'd sent a text asking him to go check on a specific bird that sometimes showed up in town.

Interestingly enough, a portal from Daventry just happened to open up in that exact same spot, and Arden stepped through, still dressed in her fantasy world finery, looking around to see if her ruse worked.

[While the text was to Cal, open post is open for other folks, whether they're also returning from Daventry or just happen to be out and about!]

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"That sounds like a great time overall. And Graham won? So now he's a real knight?" Cal asked.

Don't mind him reaching to take that suitcase away from your grasp, Arden. It would be ungentlemanly to make you pull it yourself.

And Arden managed to not embarrass herself by melting into puddle of charmed giggles at his courtesy, which she was calling a personal win for herself and also the concept of dignity in general.

"He's Sir Graham of Daventry now," Arden said with a smile that was mostly happy for him. "He'll be staying in Daventry to train up and go on quests and stuff. It's really important to him - he'll be following along in his father's footsteps."

Or, well, his father's capybara's footsteps.

"I'm glad he won, even though I know that means he won't be back here. I bet your support meant a lot," Cal said reassuringly. "And now you get to hear more stories about castles and magic the next time you talk to him."

"He said it did," Arden said. "I think he was really shaken up when one of the other Knight Hopefuls died on a quest. He promised that he wouldn't let me down, that he'd succeed...I'm not sure he was even talking to me right then, instead of a stand-in for someone else. But I told him that, win or lose, he couldn't let me down. You know? I don't think about him any differently now that he's got a 'Sir' in front of his name. I'm happy he achieved his dream, but that's not the same as being let down if he hadn't. Does that make sense?"

"Oh, I didn't realize this was the kind of thing where anyone had a chance of dying." Clearly he needed to brush up on his castle-and-magic-place knowledge. "I... probably know more about how he might have felt in that moment than how you feel, but I'm glad he had you there to care about him either way. You're a good friend, probably one he needed in that moment."

"I didn't either," Arden admitted. "I don't know if Graham did."

She tilted her head, looking a little thoughtful. "Do you think that helped him?" she asked softly. "Me saying that? Would it have helped you? Or should I maybe have just stuck with saying I knew he wouldn't?"

"Saying that you'd be there for him either way was definitely the right move," Cal said. "It's hard not to feel like you're letting everyone down if you fail, but it sounds like you made it more about just making sure he came back at all, since that wasn't a given. You made the right choice."

There was a long silence after that, a thoughtful, kind of melancholy one, Arden's arm brushing against his as they walked.

"I think - no, I know, really - that I have trouble linking failure with being let down just because...well, that's how I've felt my whole life. That by being a failure, by not being good enough, I was letting down the nice people who were trying to foster me. So I... don't think of it like that with other people." She, obviously was the exception. Obviously. "I can be disappointed if you don't do something, but that's more...on your behalf, I guess. But feeling like you let me down? That's not something you can do if you're trying really hard to succeed at something but don't make it, especially if I don't have a personal stake in whatever it is."

"It's hard when you're going towards something you've been training for for a big chunk of your life," Cal explained. "I'm assuming Graham has been preparing to be a knight for a while, it's not something he just decided to do overnight. So it's not just you he'd be letting down, it would be every single person that helped him along the way. It can feel overwhelming, and it's hard to convince yourself that friends don't have a personal stake in your success."

Arden paused a moment to look at him. She didn't have to ask if that was how he felt, it was pretty obvious what the answer was. So instead, she just fell back in step with him, only instead of their arms brushing together again, she tentatively placed her hand on his arm before sliding it down to take his, if he'd let her.

"I mean, I wanted him to succeed, of course," she murmured. "And I am happy for him. I don't mean to sound like I'm not. But more than anything, I just don't want him to feel like a disappointment if he didn't make it. Disappointed, of course, who wouldn't be. But not a disappointment. Like you said, it can feel overwhelming and it's easy to lose sight of what is actually happening."

Not that she was saying that bit for any kind of reason or anything. Like if maybe someone else nearby needed to hear it, too.

Cal hadn't been subtle, and he appreciated her words, and the ability to pretend they were meant for someone else. He took her hand, because it was a kind gesture that he appreciated, and gave it a soft squeeze to try to show he'd gotten the message. "That's the nice thing about meditation. It makes it easier to focus on what's actually happened and try to keep all the negativity at bay. Most of the time."

Just kind, friendly gestures over here! Nothing more than that, obviously! Just two friends being nice to one another!

"Maybe I should start pestering you for those meditation lessons then," she said softly. "Goddess knows I have my own troubles with negativity." She sighed. "I did sign up for the yoga class, though. That's supposed to help, too."

"I did too. I actually signed up for a bunch of things - yoga, paintball, the class about visiting Earth places, a class about magic, and Summer's class which sounds kind of like a cooking class, but more about how to not cook?" Cal said. "I don't know, it's Summer, so I figured it would be fun. I didn't get a chance to thank you for your message."

"I'm in the first three with you!" Arden said, grinning. And squeezing his hand for friendship reasons. "And don't worry about it. The important thing is that you found some you like. Oh! And that means you can come on the school trip with us!"

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't know if I'm an official student." Surely there was more to it than just taking classes. "What kind of a trip is it?"

Oh Cal. Sweet, darling, Cal. There really wasn't.

"I'm pretty sure the rule is that anyone taking or teaching a class can go," Arden said. "And you're taking five. That means you're invited. It'll be a lot more fun with you there, too."

...Was that the sound of a droid opening up ao3?

Look, he wasn't allowed to have nice things! This all sounded too good!

"You might be overestimating how much fun I am on trips, but I'm not going to tell you to stop," he teased. "I'll keep an eye out. And I do owe you some meditation lessons, so we can do that whenever you'd like."

Arden was pressing X to doubt that really hard.

She nudged him with her shoulder. "I'm sure you're plenty fun," she said. "Boring people don't end up flying on giant birds, you know?"

As for meditation... "You think sometime this weekend would work for lessons?"

"Absolutely. I don't have any grand plans except seeing what kind of food is at this picnic." How could he say no to free food? "Do you want to do it in the manor or outside somewhere? We should go wherever you'll feel more comfortable."

"Would you mind doing it on the rooftop?" Arden asked, eyes shining. "So we could be up high and looking down at everything...I think, especially for our first time, that would be so cool."

"That sounds very cool. I'll make sure to bring some blankets so we can be comfortable," Cal said.

This was all getting noted for BD's mental diary later.

So he could relate to Dean about these two absolute idiots.

"I'll bring water!" Arden said. "I'm pretty sure a nice cool bottle of water will be perfect once we've finished." Then she considered. "Wait. Do you get really thirsty, like, during?"

"Not usually. The whole point is to relax, so the water will be helpful afterward. It won't be strenuous, I promise," Cal said.

Dusk was falling, the sky painted in crimsons and golds as they walked down Loon Street, holding hands (in a friendly way), her dress rippling in the rising wind, Cal holding her suitcase with BD on his back. It's just...nice. Relaxing and calm and nice.

"You know," she said softly, "this is just...so normal. And that sounds maybe not great, but I mean it just the opposite. It's the kind of normal I never expected to have. Walking down the street with a cute guy and his adorable best friend, not having to be afraid that the Duskwatch is gonna drag me off and execute me because I didn't fake being human well enough..." She trailed off, sorting through her thoughts. "I'm not scared," she finally realized. "I mean, I probably will be if I think about it too hard, but right now? I'm not scared. That's beautiful."

For a moment, Cal let himself be a stupid guy and relish in the fact that Arden had called him cute, but he was able to quickly refocus on the real matter at hand. "You should never have to worry about that," he said, giving her hand a real squeeze. "I'm glad you're not scared, because you shouldn't have to be. I can't think of anyone here who would hurt you, and if anyone wants to try, they'll have to get through me. And everyone else in the Manor too," he added. "It's not right that people want to execute you for something you have no control over."

Something something pot kettle, yes.

"I don't want people getting hurt because of me," Arden admitted. "And I don't really know how to deal with that, you know? Callista always told me that if I ever got myself caught by the Duskwatch, she wouldn't lift a finger to help me. We've barely know each other for more than a few weeks--" Goddess, had it really only been that long? "--and you're already willing to stand between me and a death squad. I don't know how..."

How to process that. Not just that he might - that they all might - but once more putting into context how little Callista, Duke, or Grimm actually cared about her.

"But hey," she joked, turning away from that bleak thought to a differently bleak one, "just look at all we have in common."

Because yes, pot. She was, in fact, noting your hue.

Edited 2024-05-11 15:16 (UTC)

"I would do it because it's the right thing to do. I've been lucky to have people in my life who I know would have my back, and it's really unfair that you haven't." If he ever met this Callista person, he was going to make sure she regretted her actions. "But now you do, because that's how things are supposed to work. You find your people and you make things better together."

He did have to smile as he thought about all they had in common. Part of why he'd felt so alone was that there weren't many people still alive who had gone thought what he'd experienced. He didn't like that they were both afraid, but he felt a little less solitary right now. "I guess what we have in common makes up for the weird Earth stuff I don't know."

Oh, Cal honey. Just wait. You hadn't even begun to hate Callista. Just give it a few more weeks.

"Don't worry, there's still plenty of weird Earth stuff I don't know," she said. "And you'll get to be the one who runs after me with sunblock when I'm chasing off after some giant bird on...Keshak?"

Yes, she was pronouncing it 'Kesha' and adding a -k at the end. Look, he'd only mentioned it, like, once.

"Kashyyk. It's got more Ys than it should. It's a whole thing where I'm from," Cal explained. "First, we need to get you to recognize the difference between friendly bird and murder birds. Some of them are so angry."

"That does sound like an important distinction," Arden said, laughing. "Perhaps even something to focus on before I step foot on the planet. It will be very embarrassing to be taken out by a bird."

Especially as a sylph.

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The Streets of Fandom, Wednesday Evening

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