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contemporarybardess · 11 days

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PARTIES: @contemporarybardess, @realmackross TIMING: Sometime in the spring SUMMARY: Elora & Mack have a Twilight themed date night where some secrets are revealed... WARNINGS: Just a soft thread with a sire and a zombie! ♥

It had been a while since Mackenzie had gotten to do anything just fun and cute with Elora. In fact, it had felt like it had been months. And she knew it probably had to do something with the fact that the two still didn’t live together, but Mack just wasn’t ready. The one year anniversary of Brody’s death had literally just passed, and she still couldn’t bring herself to fully commit every part of her life to Elora; though she clearly wasn’t going to tell Elora that. She loved the woman with most of her heart, but moving on still felt wrong.

However, tonight, she was going to make it a point to spend time with her girlfriend, and she knew just the place to go…

“I really hope you like sparkly vampires. It’s the only thing showing, and I thought that if we got bored of seeing Robert Pattison’s sparkling peeled potato skin, we could just make out.” Mackenzie looked over at Elora with a hopeful grin as she shut off the engine on her Mini Cooper. The first movie hadn’t quite started yet, so there was still time for concessions, bathroom breaks, and finding a spot in the grass up front with the blankets she brought, if Elora didn’t want to stay in the car the whole time.

—

Finally, just a cozy date night watching a cheesy vampire movie with her girlfriend. No violence. No cosmic bullshit cutting in. Just Elora and Mackenzie…and the other people watching the Twilight marathon, of course. While she always got butterflies whenever she saw her still, quality alone time that wasn’t interrupted was rare. They both had very…busy and eventful lives after all.

“Well I used to have a crush on that sparkly potato skin when I was younger. But I’d never turn down a makeout session, you know that.” It was a bit embarrassing to admit she was a recovering Twihard, but she also knew pretty much every girl went through that phase at one point or another.

“Y’know, I was expecting a better turnout” she said, looking out at the crowd of people. The turnout seemed decent, but definitely didn’t seem to match the fervor the online petition had implied would be present. “I guess not everyone can tough it out through all the movies, eh? Can’t blame them, I’m not so sure we’ll make it either.” She was hoping that they’d get too tired to give Mack an excuse to spend the night at Elora’s place. Or for Elora to spend the night at Mack’s. Either way, they hadn’t had much time co-habitating and she definitely wanted to make it happen. It just felt more cozy and couple-y.

—

When Mack had heard that Elora had a crush on Edward Cullen, a wide grin spread across her cheeks, “Wait…what? Were you a Twihard, Elora Spiros?” Mackenzie had never really gotten the appeal of the movies, at least not when they had first released, considering she was only ten years old. But by the time she had turned thirteen, it was all she could talk about. She had caught the tail end of the obsession, but it didn’t matter. The pasty sparkly vampires and werewolf who wore jorts had their hooks in her heart, and she wanted more. It would take another year or so for her to actually grow out of it, but rumor has it, there’s still some of Mackenzie Ross’s (TwihardGirlie98) fanfic still floating around the internet today.

“I…Okay, I’ll admit it. I was a Twihard, too. But like at the tailend of the hype, because I was ten when the first movie came out, and my parents wouldn’t let me read the books until I was a little older…” If she could blush, she would, “Who was your favorite character?” This date was already so telling, but she loved it. It made her feel so much closer to Elora. Something she needed out of fear that they might have been drifting apart.

“You know, I’m surprised too, but it’s probably because everyone and their mother and brother own all the movies and don’t want to be bothered by sitting in a car for three years just to see Edward Cullen sparkle and brood on the big screen.” Mack laughed softly. “Besides, I would rather us not make it…if you catch my drift…” She grinned coyly at Elora.

—

With mock embarrassment, Elora put her hands up and said “Guilty as charged! Me and pretty much everyone else I went to middle school with.” She then caught herself, as she technically didn’t go to school with any of them. “Well, the girls who were the same age as me, I should say. It was like some hive mind virus that targeted tween girls specifically. It was sort of some weird fever dream we all woke up out of years later.” All of her Twilight merch was long gone now, burned up with pretty much everything else, but she hung on to a lot of her New Moon T-shirts until well after her teenage years. Those times were fun to look back on, even if they did make her cringe more than anything.

“I knew it! You totally seem like the type! No offense, of course. Nobody’s immune from the Twilight phenomenon, not even the infallible Ms. Mackenzie Ross.” She thought about Mack’s question for a little while. There were so many characters, but not many that were particularly good or likable. “I like the dad. What was his name? Charlie? He had a good head on his shoulders and only wanted what was best for Bella. Took the whole existence of vampires and werewolves surprisingly well. I mean, mildly freaked out of course, but didn’t get hung up on it too much! The real question is…Team Jacob or Team Edward?”

“I wouldn’t mind cutting out early either” Elora said, knowing fully well what her girlfriend had in mind. It had been a while since they had a chill night just to themselves, and while watching bad vampire romance was a good date night it wasn’t quite what Elora had wanted. “Let’s at least make it to the baseball scene from the first movie. After that everything goes downhill anyway”.

—

Mack laughed at Elora. She knew exactly what the other woman was talking about though, because she had witnessed its phenomena, even growing up on movie sets. She could remember the adults on set talking about it and trying to ask them what they were talking about. Even some of her younger co-stars had been allowed to bask in the glory of its success, but Mack had been left on the sidelines, until she wasn’t anymore and her room was plastered from head-to-toe. But the real height of her obsession came, when she was allowed to attend the Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 premiere. She hadn’t recalled the memory until now, sitting next to her girlfriend while having this conversation, and she honestly wasn’t quite sure if she had wanted to admit it out of the fear of being teased for eternity by Elora, “Yeah, yeah…the dad was cool. Nice guy in real life too. And you’re right. He did keep a pretty level head. You know…he kind of reminds me of Kaden. Have you two met? He wouldn’t get the reference, but if you ever meet him, tell me he doesn’t remind you of Charlie.”

Mackenzie was trying to stall, but it was getting harder and harder, because even she wanted to laugh at herself and the situation, “Oh come on…why did you have to ask me that?” She paused thinking, before finally giving the redhead an answer, “So I was Team Edward all the way growing up, but there is some bias because I had worked on a movie with Robert before, but now that I’m an actual member of the undead, I’m gonna have to go Team Jacob. Who wouldn’t love a nice, warm fuzzy werewolf to snuggle up to on cold, winter nights. Any chance you might be able to grow some fur? Perpetually cold dead girl over here.” She let out a snort, before playfully nudging her girlfriend to let her know she was kidding.

“Totally fine with waiting for the baseball scene. It’s like the best part of the movie, but I have a tiny bit of embarrassing information to share, and I don’t know if it will make you want to cut out sooner or not leave at all…” Mackenzie forced down the nerves that had formed in her throat as she pulled out her phone and searched online for something. When she finally found it, she quickly handed off her phone to Elora and turned away from the window. It was a video of a little Mackenzie at the Breaking Dawn Part 1 premiere answering everybody’s favorite question – the one Elora had just asked. And as she heard her voice fill the car, she couldn’t help but put her head down in embarrassment.

—

She wasn’t sure why, but Elora’s eyes widened a bit when Mack mentioned Charlie being a nice guy in real life as well as on screen. Sure, she was a major celebrity who had met pretty much all of the huge A-listers already, but did she really mean to tell her she’d met the Charlie Swan?

“Man, I’ll never get over you just knowing people. It must be so cool to know what people are like off camera. Well…the ones who are nice at least” She had heard talk of a Kaden in town, but had never gotten the pleasure of actually meeting him. “Nah, I’ve never met him. Nice guy then, I’m assuming? It’s nice to see decent guys around here, they aren’t super common.” It was true. There a lot of shady folks hanging around here, so knowing who was friend or foe was very important information to have.

“Well I’m glad you finally came around to the side of reason! Jacob was so much better for her, I can’t believe she went with the crusty vampire man instead.” She laughed a bit at the fur comment, knowing that feathers just wouldn’t fill the same purpose for her. “I mean, there technically is a way I can make myself warm, it would just be very painful for me and probably burn you to a crisp. So…sorry but your dreams of a furnace girlfriend are going to have to be put on the back burner.”

She couldn’t help but crack a smile as she saw a young Mack, fully human and full of life, giving her interview. She was so young then, she always found it interesting seeing people she met as adults when they were children. “That’s adorable! You were so excited for the sparkly man! Also…really puts into perspective how long you’ve been a star for. I guess being a fan girl is a little different when you know the people personally, huh?”

—

Mackenzie had learned early on that celebrities were just people. It had come after an embarrassing moment on one of the first sets she had worked on, when she had gotten so nervous to be around one of the leading stars that she started to cry. It had stopped production, but the person she was working with had been patient with her and had spoken to her in a way that reassured her that everything was okay, and to remember that even the biggest Hollywood stars were just people and this was just a job, and at the end of the day they were all just friends having fun together. Of course, that worked until Mack grew older and started to realize that not all actors felt the same way; some who thought they hung the moon. But at the end of the day, Mack had learned to be kind and humble, and whenever there was someone feeling nervous, she was going to treat them with the same respect she had learned as a child, “At the end of the day, they’re all just people. Even the ones who think they’re God’s greatest gift to man.” She smiled warmly at Elora, before changing the subject to Kaden, “But yeah, if you want me to introduce you to him sometime, just let me know.”

Elora’s comment about Edward and Jacob made Mack laugh, “Crusty vampire man. That’s so accurate it hurts though. That’s why there’s fanfiction. So all your literary and movie dreams come true, when the plot doesn’t go the way you want it to.” She couldn’t believe she had just admitted that either. This trip to Twilight was proving to be more embarrassing for Mack than anything else, but she wouldn’t have it any other way, “You know, that's a shame though that you’d burn me to a crisp. I guess I’ll just stick with my fifteen heated blankets.” She was being serious too. “You heard me.”

It was a relief when the video was over, and Mack could put her phone away. If Elora wanted more, she could google it for herself, “Yeah…mention that, and I’ll disown you, Elora Spiros.” She was joking of course. “I mean, I’ll be honest – despite what I told you earlier, I still bragged to the few friends that I had that I knew Edward Cullen. I couldn’t help myself though. I was young and dumb.”

Looking up, Mackenzie noticed the movie was about to start, “Did you want anything, before this thing starts?” She was honestly looking forward more to the makeout sesh and what might follow then watching a movie about sparkly vampires.

—

“Yeah, everyone’s just another person. It’s just that some people need to be reminded that they’re only people.” Elora knew all too well what some members of the rich and powerful thought of themselves. Some people thought themselves to be gods of some degree, and demanded they be treated as such. “I’d like that. The more friends the better in this town, that’s for sure.”

Elora knew about fanfiction all too well. She had written some herself, mostly when she was a teenager through her early 20s. It’s not a phase of her life she’s proud of, but if Mack was willing to show an embarrassing moment from her past then Elora figured she should be too. “Well, since we’re sharing. I know quite a bit about fanfiction and writing the ending I want. I actually used to post on AO3 a lot…I kind of had a problem actually. I just had a lot of my own ideas on what the canon should be so I wrote it into existence!” She knew there were a lot of fanfiction writers out there so saying she wrote wasn’t the most embarrassing thing in the world. However, she would fight tooth and nail to stop Mack from actually reading what she wrote. Her screenname wasn’t exactly easy to guess.

“How could you NOT brag?! I don’t care how famous you are, every girl that age had the hots for Mr. Pattinson. And now he’s off being Batman, times really have changed.” She thought, thinking about how his acting skills really did have a huge glow up after the Twilight movies wrapped. He was a good actor when he wasn’t sparkling like a diamond.

“We can just share some popcorn. I don’t want to eat too much, especially if we have…y’know…plans for after this.” The baseball scene couldn’t come fast enough. Although Elora had to admit she’d probably genuinely enjoy watching the movie up until that point.

—

“I’m not like that am I?” Mackenzie looked at Elora. She had come to this town hoping and praying she wouldn’t be recognized, but knew she probably would. Of course, the mansion out on World’s End Isle probably didn’t make her seem very humble or down-to-Earth, but Mackenzie tried to be. She really did. “I just…I don’t want to be perceived as an asshole.” Now, she was paranoid. Did Elora ever think of her that way?

Mack’s smile had dropped as she worried, until Elora had brought up AO3 and fanfiction, “Wait…what?! You wrote fanfiction? I want to read it! I showed you my embarrassing red carpet video, and look, I’ll even tell you my screenname, because I’m sure my stuff is still out there, if you tell me yours or at least share some of your fanfiction!” Her sad face turned to one of a puppy dog pout, she wanted to see this fanfiction dammit!

“I mean, I guess you have a point, and he really did glow up, didn’t he. Now, he’s got a kid. Good for him, you know? But if you think this is going to take my mind off of you admitting that you wrote fanfiction, you’re wrong.” It was hard talking about anything else now. “Look, I’ll go get the popcorn and soda…” She paused thinking on Elora’s words with a grin, “And nothing else…and while I’m gone, you can pull up AO3…accidentally leave your phone on the dash, and I can be all…whoops! What is this?!” Mackenzie put the puppy dog pout on and stared at her girlfriend.

—

Elora felt her heart stop for a moment at Mack’s question. In truth, she was one of the realest and most down to earth people she had ever met. “Not at all!” She blurted out quickly. “Quite the opposite, actually. I’ve met some fairly well recognized bands and artists and there’s just so many pompous douches in the entertainment industry.” She then grabbed hold of Mack’s hand and looked into her eyes. “But not you. Never you.”

Elora’s panic soon gave way to embarrassment as it seemed Mack wouldn’t let her off the hook about her fanfic days. She wouldn’t mind sharing if it was any good. But making a fic where the Cullen clan enter the World Series of Poker and titling it “High Stakes” isn’t exactly the peak of literature. Still, Mack did have a point. If she could see a mildly embarrassing red carpet video, they could cringe at some bad fics together

“Fiiine, you win. But be nice! I was a teenager. I think…maybe early 20s. Either way, I’m a much better writer now!” She begrudgingly opened up to her old screenname on AO3 and set her phone on the dash, resigning herself to her fate. If she can love me after reading these she’ll love me through anything, she thought to herself with a smirk. She was starting to get peckish and hoped she’d come back with their popcorn soon.

—

Mackenzie had immediately felt relief at Elora’s words in regards to her fame and the way she had treated people. There had easily been the exceptions, like Jade. But even with Jade, Mack had originally tried to be nice. But the loving grip Elora had on Mack’s hand solidified just how right she had gotten it when she had chosen to start falling in love with this woman. Someone who had chosen to see the real Mackenzie Ross for more than just a celebrity.

A giddiness had taken over the young actress though when Elora finally agreed to let Mack see the fanfic, and like a child excited on Christmas morning, Mackenzie hurried off to get the popcorn.

And just like that she was back in a flash and right back in her seat next to Elora, “Here’s your popcorn. Now gimme gimme gimme!” She was impatient like a child until she noticed the phone sitting on the dash, and quickly pulled it back. For the next hour, Mackenzie was going to sit and read the beautiful works of art that her girlfriend had gifted to the world, while the inspiration for such works played in the background.

—

As her girlfriend scrolled through some of the worst fanfiction she can remember reading in a very long time, Elora simply tried to focus on the movie. It actually wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, there were some genuine sweet and entertaining moments. Nevertheless, it was still Twilight. The cheesiness would always be there to stop it from being more than just a guilty pleasure watch.

At long last the fated baseball scene ran its course, and the pair shot each other a knowing look as their deadline had finally arrived.

“Well,” Elora began, “Shall we head back to my place for a little night cap? Maybe we can do something less embarrassing than reading my old fics.”

—

Mackenzie had squealed with delight, throwing Elora a glance of genuine enjoyment every now and then, sometimes just stopping to catch the redhead in a moment of intrigue. God, she’s beautiful. The way the light from the screen accented the silhouette of her face and more had easily made Mackenzie ready to leave, and when the time had finally come, and Elora spoke, the zombie was in full agreement with the idea, “Babe, I might take inspiration from your old fics.”

Leaning over to give Elora her phone back, Mackenzie snuck in a quick kiss, before starting the engine of her Mini Cooper. Giving Edward and his ragtag team of vampires one last look, she peeled out of the parking lot with her girlfriend ready to go home and make a little magic of their own and the fifty things of glitter Mackenzie kept stashed in her bathroom for special occasions.

#macklora #realmackross #contemporarybardess

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contemporarybardess · 1 month

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PARTIES: @poisonousdelights & @contemporarybardess TIME: Beginning of March WHERE: The Sugar Pot SUMMARY: After Isa brings a sweet treat in for her coworkers her and Elora begin to talk about some uncomfortable topics. Elora lets some things slip about the shop and it's owner and soon after wishes she hadn't opened her mouth. WARNINGS: Alludes to substance abuse tw and drug abuse tw. Also alludes to parental death tw.

For as many times as the customers at The Sugar Pot had made her feel like a worthless human being, there were just as many times where Isa’s coworkers had made her feel the exact opposite. Alistair finding out the true nature of her incarceration had been the very thing to seal her love for the people that she worked with, the man having taken it in stride and not let it color his judgment of her. It was the acceptance, the way that he made her past seem like no big deal, that had made her walk into work the next day with her head held high and a renewed sense of pride.

So, of course she brought cupcakes.

There were half a dozen cupcakes from the Bread Cemetery in hand when she made her way behind the counter, a mental note in mind to hide away the chocolate for her boss and another for Tommy when he inevitably walked through the door that day. She did it almost immediately before she forgot and the two ended up with nothing later on. But the rest, the rest of them were free game. Isa opened the box as she walked up to Elora, a bright smile on her face as she held it out to her. “Pick one. Or two, I don’t mind. We just have to save one for Melody.”

Another day at The Sugar Pot, and another day of serving up smiles. At least, that’s what Elora would always say when she was on the job. In truth, customer service sucked. It definitely wasn’t awful, and her coworkers definitely made the experience much better. Sure there was some shady business done in the back which Elora largely ignored. She just had to keep head down and tell herself that Alistair always had a good justification for what went on back there.

As she locked eyes with Isa, carrying a container of cupcakes, her eyes lit up immediately.

“These are for us? That’s so sweet of you!” Elora said to her coworker before happily grabbing her favorite, red velvet. “Any particular occasion? Or just having a bit of a sweet tooth?” she asked, flashing a coy smile.

“Ahhh, of course. Melody works hard here, we definitely can’t leave her without one. These look great by the way, where did you get them?”

Immediately, the stop by the bakery and the spent cash that she probably should have held onto was worth it. The joy that just the sight of the cupcakes had brought to Elora was everything she had needed to tell her this was a good idea. “Maybe a bit of both. Definitely the sweet tooth but a small celebration for a victory I didn’t think I would ever get.” Isa was going to be tight lipped though. Even if Melody and Alistair accepted what had happened, that didn’t mean her coworkers would be comfortable with her situation if they didn’t already know. “Also, Alistair is a good man and I thought he deserved a cupcake. I didn’t want to play favorites though.”

She beamed at the mention of Melody’s work, nodding her head vigorously. “ Yes, yes she does. And she does such a good job. This place is perfect, don’t you think?” Maybe Isa was laying it on a little thick but she couldn’t help it. She felt like the shop was sent to her as some sort of savior, especially now that she wasn’t constantly worried that her boss would fire her over a charge that she didn’t deserve. “Oh, the Bread Bakery. You haven’t been? If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat because those are delicious.”

Elora nodded when she mentioned celebrating a victory as well as Alistair. Elora didn’t know much about Isa yet, but she was curious about the victory she was talking about. As for Alistair being a good man, she already knew the darker underlayer behind Alistair’s kind demeanor. She knew his help always came with a price. But instead, she opted not to say anything quite yet.

“Ah, well if I can benefit off of Alistair’s kindness even more, then I’ll happily do that! I’m sure he’ll love them.”

Elora took a bite of her cupcake and looked around the store, taking in the splendor of the meticulously decorated store around them. “It definitely is! Melody is a miracle worker, I swear. She really knows how to make a place feel nice and home-y.”

She’d ordered a few things from the bread bakery from time to time. She also knew Lil from her adventures in the haunted house. They had even offered her a job when she first came to town, which she turned down for another opportunity that didn’t pan out. Thankfully Alistair had stepped in and given her a job when she had needed it. She noticed he seemed to have a habit of doing this. “I’ve been there a few times, actually! Great place, never tried their cupcakes though. Glad to see they’re just as good as the rest of their baked goods. Really nice people that own the place too!”

As Elora finished her cupcake, she decided to finish getting everything set up for when customers start coming in. “So, I take it you like it here so far? Customer service isn’t too frustrating for you? ‘Cause I’ll be honest, I have my moments sometimes” she said, followed by a laugh to imply she was joking, even though she wasn’t. She hated customer service. But she also had bills.

“I don’t know how she does it all with having Tommy as well. Superhuman, I guess.” Leaning against the counter, arms stretched out over the top, Isa couldn’t stop the realization that it was actually possible to be a superhuman. Hell, she could turn into a snake, there was no telling if Melody could shift or not. Though she wasn’t quite sure how shifting could help someone run a store so the comment was a little skewed.

Thinking back to her experience at the bakery, she had to agree with the other girl. The people there had been nothing but nice if not a tiny bit strange. Or maybe the shop itself was a little strange. Either way, Isa enjoyed it. It was better than boring. “I heard you’re supposed to stay away from their bagels though. Not sure why but someone warned me against them before I even walked in the door so I just…didn’t get any. Not that I was there for them.” And nothing had seemed too off about them when her gaze had lingered on them a little longer than they should have. If people were warning against them though, she imagined the staff was used to a side eye or two toward the display.

Elora couldn't have known how uncomfortable her question would make the lamia feel. Her smile faded a little as she thought back to how some of the customers could treat her, sure that the other was unaware of this because they didn’t work together too often. She started to pick at the ends of her fingers as nervous laughter bubbled to the surface. “It’s the worst part of the job, honestly. It wasn’t my first choice but…this place was the only job I could get when I was applying.” There were no indications of a joke as there was with Elora, but she shrugged it off as if it didn’t hurt to have people constantly glaring in her direction, some even refusing to let her help them. “I’m not well liked in this town. Which is why I owe a lot to Alistair.”

Elora couldn’t do much other than nod in agreement. She had never been a fan of children and the task of raising one always seemed like a massive undertaking she really wanted no part of. Melody did indeed seem almost superhuman in that respect.

Elora cocked her head at Isa’s comment about the bakery’s bagels. “What makes the bagels so bad? And why do they keep making them? Seems hard to mess up a bagel when you get so much else right.” She then shrugged her shoulders and continued setting up the register for the day. She hadn’t been inside the store very often, usually just to pick up an order very briefly. She wondered if there was more to the store than met the eye. Then she realized that of course there was more to the store than met the eye. That described pretty much every store in Wicked’s Rest, including this tea shop!

She could see Isa immediately become uncomfortable and felt a pit of guilt boring into her gut. She had clearly struck some sort of nerve, even if she was trying to play if off. She didn’t know much about the other woman, but she seemed kind enough. She couldn’t wrap her head around why so much of the town would ostracize her like that.

“I get it. I had a hard time finding a place to work too. I had a good one lined up, but it unfortunately fell through, and money was running out quick. Thankfully Alistair was able to take me in too. I don’t have any formal education, grew up way off the grid, and no other marketable skills. You can imagine that would make finding a job nearly impossible.” She then looked over at the girl, who so kindly brought cupcakes in for the other employees. “I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be well liked. I know we don’t know each other all that well but you seem very kind to me! Some people in this town are just…well..assholes. And others are really cagey and standoffish, for good reason I guess. What’s important is that the people who like you are the ones who matter. And so far it seems you at least have me and Alistair.

“I don’t know. Something about them being haunted and assaulting people? It was weird.” And she wouldn’t admit to keeping an eye on the baked goods the whole time she was getting those cupcakes. Isa didn’t truly believe things could be haunted but she’d enough weird things to think something else could be going on. Like a spellcaster playing a ‘fun’ joke on unsuspecting people. That’s what they did, after all.

It was a surprise to find that Elora had trouble with the job hunt as well but she supposed that she shouldn’t have been too shocked. Alistair really did take in the strays, didn’t they? They had said as much when they had discussed her own employment with her but it hadn’t registered until Isa heard Elora’s story. It only made her happier to be working with someone who cared so much for others that they would give second chances to those who needed it. “I guess we both owe a lot to them, huh?” She was also curious though, and not shy when it came to bringing up what she didn’t understand. “What does ‘off the grid’ mean? Was it bad?”

Her lips pressed together when Elora brought up the fact that she didn’t understand, confirmation that she had no clue about her past. The rumor mill must not have reached her yet or maybe this shop was immune to it all. She took a moment to think about whether she wanted to get into it or not. The last thing Isa wanted was for her coworker to feel uncomfortable with her but eventually she would hear it from a disgruntled customer who didn’t know how to keep their mouth shut. The best thing would be for Elora to hear it from her, right?

“So, a lot of people think I did something awful that I didn’t do. I mean, I went to prison because of it, they found me guilty, but I never did it. I wouldn’t have…” She sighed softly, her last moments with Ruth popping into her head. “I wouldn’t have hurt her. But they think I pushed a friend of mine off of a water tower one night.” She stopped there, not wanting to relive the night anymore than she had to. “Just bad circumstances, really.” At least Isa had Alistair, and Maggie. Maggie was all she would need in life. But…hopefully she could still have Elora on her side too.

After everything she’d endured over the past year or so, Elora could do nothing but roll her eyes at the notion of the bagels assaulting people.

“Killer pastries, color me shocked!” she said sarcastically. She was surprised the tea leaves in the shop weren’t sentient and bloodthirsty. Still, she found herself morbidly curious about visiting the bakery just to see if those claims were true. At this point she found the idea charming rather than terrifying.

“Well hey, if you say you didn’t do it, I believe you.” She said thoughtfully. People in this town tended to assume the worst in people. Oftentimes these assumptions were correct, but could still lead to some false beliefs of guilt.

“More than anything else, I believe Alistair is a good judge of character. In spite of their own…complexities. If they believe you’re a good person, then so do I!””

The girl’s sarcastic response did help relieve some of the tension that Isa was now feeling as the conversation geared towards her uncomfortable past. She gave a hesitant laugh, still waiting for the shoe to drop but somehow it didn’t. It amazed her that she was starting to meet more and more people around this town that didn’t hate her for the things that happened to Ruth and she couldn’t help but feel a little choked up

But she pushed it back knowing it would be a little strange for her to cry in front of someone just because they said they believed her. It wasn’t something she was able to do the night before but at least she’d been online when she was talking to Alistair. Needless to say, her heart and good mood soared to new levels. “I appreciate that so much, Elora. I can’t believe how…accepting everyone is at this shop.” And she couldn’t. It was the weirdest thing to go from being so hated to being so accepted in the span of twenty-four hours.

But something did catch her attention. Isa wasn’t as focused on her own issues once Elora brought up their boss and their issues. The curiosity got the better of her. “What do you mean when you say complexities?”

Regardless of what Isa may or may not have been guilty of, Elora was hardly in a place to judge. She thought back to her old colony. Her friends, her father and mother. Their images ripped through her brain again, sending shockwaves, causing her to tense her face and clench her fist a bit. She composed herself quickly thereafter. Now was not the time for another breakdown.

“We all have skeletons in our closet. Nothing’s black and white, I think anybody here can tell you that. What really matters is what you’ve done since your past.” she said with a casual shrug of the shoulders. “Besides, the official record doesn’t tell even half the truth most of the time. If you say you’re innocent, then I believe it until I have a reason not to.”

Elora paused a bit at Isa’s question, not sure exactly how to proceed. Her first meeting with Alistair told her all she really needed to know about them. She had just assumed that Isa was at least somewhat filled in on what they really does behind the scenes. But now it seemed that the woman was oblivious to that, that Alistair was simply a kindly blind tea shop manager handing out jobs to supernatural orphans.

“You know…complexities. Their…” Elora contemplated lying, which she was horrible at.The only time she’s able to convince people of anything other than the truth is when she compels them to believe it. And she was certainly not about to break her “no powers unless absolutely necessary” rule for something relatively minor such as this. “Well you know, Their little shady side business they run in the back.” she said simply, hoping the other woman would leave it at that.

She saw the way Elora had disappeared somewhere else, somewhere that wasn’t as nice as the tea shop with their cupcakes and the beautiful aromas floating through the air. There was definitely something upsetting about the place she had gone judging by the look on her face but Isa wasn’t going to push it. It was uncomfortable enough talking about a bad instance in the past when everybody already knew about it, she couldn’t imagine being coaxed into talking about her secrets when she was new to town. But something did happen. That much was confirmed when the other girl spoke up once more. “Yea, I guess we do. Just call this the shop of misfit toys.”

It was so refreshing and the lamia was so relieved until she saw Elora hesitate to answer her question. What could the kind person who had given her a second chance at laugh be doing that could qualify as a complexity. Frowning while she waited for her coworker to keep going, Isa allowed so many things to run through her mind. There was so much she was learning about this town that she hadn’t previously known about so the wildest thoughts kept coming to mind.

“Shady side business…?” Oh, that did not sound good. Oh, no…what kind of shady side business? “Please tell me they’re not doing anything illegal.” Because she was still on probation. If her probation officer came by and found out her boss was doing something that could land them in jail she would most certainly head back there herself and Isa really didn’t want to have to quit her job. No one else would take her. “What exactly are they doing?”

“Shop of misfit toys is pretty accurate! I feel like the jack in the box with the broken spring.” Elora said with a smirk. She knew that she didn’t have many other opportunities for employment, same as Isa, so was grateful for what she could get. And, after all, Alistair and Melody were very good to her.

“Oh well um…” Elora hesitated at Isa’s question. Illegal seemed like an understatement for what went on in that back room. “Nothing very bad, honestly.” Depended on your outlook. “You know he was a pharmacist before he lost his sight, right? Well he’s still in the business of healing people. Just uses more unconventional means to do it, sort of like herbal remedies!” Sort of like them, but also nothing like them at all. “It’s a tea shop after all, we have plenty of material. And no, I don’t think that counts as illegal since it technically isn’t practicing medicine.” Another half truth. Murder certainly wasn’t practicing medicine.

“I’m just, yknow, not into all that new age healing shit. I’d much rather rely on more traditional medicine, but to each their own!” She looked over to Isa, hoping she hadn’t caused her too much worry. “Sorry, didn’t mean to freak you out too much!”

“Only if I can be the boat that won’t float.” It was a joke but a halfhearted one at that. It’s how Isa felt sometimes, always drowning. Or at least struggling not to sink below the surface. Suddenly she was wondering how this happy conversation had turned so depressing.

Even as Elora tried to explain what she meant, the lamia had a gut feeling that the explanation given wasn’t exactly what was going on in the back. It was plausible, yes, and Isa had no problem with Alistair trying to heal people but the shakiness of Elora’s words made her doubt their truthfulness. It was all very sketchy but she wasn’t about to come right out and say that.

Maybe it was better that Isa knew nothing about it all. Maybe that’s how it should be since she was already in trouble with the law around here. If she stayed out of whatever Alistair was doing in that back room then she couldn’t be seen as an accomplice, right? But then there was the explanation that was given and how Elora made a point to say herbal remedies. Why did that sound like something she needed to look into? No, she didn’t have any ailments herself, which she was very thankful for, but it all gave the impression that her boss might know where to start when it came to her unique issues. Spellcasters used that stuff, right? Maybe they could point her in the direction of a market where she could run into some…

“No…you didn’t freak me out too badly. I’m still on probation so being involved with a business that’s doing illegal things wouldn’t have been a good thing. But it makes sense.” She still looked doubtful as Isa gazed up at her coworker but she hoped that Elora would believe that she’d dropped the subject. She had, at least for now. “I shouldn’t be worried, right? It’s just herbs?”

Elora couldn’t help but feel as though her explanation was rather shaky, but Isa certainly didn’t lead on to that suspicion as she breathed a sigh of relief. Alistair the herbalist she recited in her head. It had a nice ring to it, she had to admit.

“Yeah, you know Al.” Why did she call them Al? “Always looking for ways to promote his tea and healing properties. But yes, completely legal herbs only. The fun ones you have to go under the bridge in Deersprings at…uh, nevermind. You’re on probation, probably not a good idea to tell you.”

Elora couldn’t help but grow increasingly curious about the nature of her alleged crime, but knew better than to pry. Some skeletons are better left in their closets, locked away safely where nobody can set them free. Elora began to feel that the long the conversation continued the more likely she was to let something slip that she wasn’t supposed to. She decided to cut the interaction short by making herself busy.

“Oh wow, I just realized there’s a whole case of jasmine tea leaves in back that I haven’t stocked yet. I should probably get on that. Okay, back to work!” She said, halfheartedly clapping her hands, hoping that would be enough signal to end the conversation and get back to work.

“Fun herbs?” Oh how she missed fun herbs. One day, a day when she was no longer being held back by an angry man who didn’t like her just because he had to test her every now and then, she would be able to let loose and enjoy those fun herbs once more. Maybe she’d go to…Al, as Elora called them, then since they apparently knew where the good stuff was.,,if that's what they were actually doing. Isa wanted so badly to believe that but deep down she somehow knew that there was more to this that Elora wasn’t telling her. It made her nervous but what else could she do?

For some reason she also thought that her coworker was keeping secrets about herself as well. She wasn’t one to pry into people’s business, Isa always wanted to extend that courtesy since she wanted that respect in return, but she couldn’t help but wonder what was going on there. Elora was new to town but in her experience the newbies were the ones with the most sordid pasts. She had said she was a misfit toy, after all.

Both of these suspicions seemed more plausible when Elora tried to scurry off, most likely to get away from a coworker who didn’t seem too convinced about the legality of this business. It only made her more curious about it all but the lamia decided to keep quiet as she nodded. “You know what? I told Alistair I would clean the dispensers so I should probably get on that.” She gave a halfhearted smile before she turned to start on her task but her mind was racing with what this could all possibly mean. What was Alistair really doing in that back room? How did Elora get involved with it all? And was she possibly in danger of going back to prison because of it?

Fuck, she hoped not.

#wickedswriting #Elora x Isa #Dirty Laundry

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