OTA - Good as New?

[prince_of_nymphs]

Less than three hours ago Tevaughn had come crashing into his life. He should have been reeling from it still, and yet- No, not so much. If anything, the world seemed a bit more stable now. Things that had seemed strange or unexplained now made sense. The troubles of his past had a new context, and Fin- Fin found himself feeling more like himself than he had ever had before. 

He was no longer cold, and though his heart was still filigree and enchanted, it no longer beat at random- It was steady, rhythmic and calm. The hate in his gut had been destroyed, and all seemed well. ...Everything had a price though, and this time the price had been something he was supposed to have surrendered a long time ago. Finlay Flynn was no longer mortal, undead or otherwise. Finlay Flynn was fae. Had always been fae- Only lost, then damaged, then nearly destroyed. 

His skin was warm to the touch now, though it was still ever so faintly blue in certain lights, as were the whites of his eyes. He seemed taller now too, as though his bones had been stretched out slightly, everything sharper, less delicate.

The strangest thing, however, was the buzzing feeling in his blood. Magic, Tevaughn had said. Too weak now to do anything, but something that would grow in time. It might take weeks, possibly years,  to come through, but- It was there. It was there, and it felt- It felt wonderful. It was like having something returned to him that he'd never even known he'd lost.

He knew he ought to go directly to Will, to hunt him down and tell him everything he'd missed- But for the first time in years, everything in the world just felt right, and Fin found himself sitting outside a cafe instead. No cigarette in hand, no pills or poisons, just a cup of coffee and an understanding that the world as he knew it was about to change quite drastically.

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[kersen]

It was not long past sunset, and so Kersen had only just emerged from his home. He was on his way to the bar, but was in no particular hurry. He was considering stopping for a cup of coffee (though every time he drank it he wondered what he was missing, how it used to taste before he was a vampire and everything he drank tasted so much less than it once had).

He spotted Fin outside the cafe, and was about to pause briefly to say hello, but found himself stopping even more abruptly in his tracks. He stared at him, speechless for the moment.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin could feel eyes on him, and his own moved to meet the watching pair.

He held Kersen's gaze for a long moment, before offering a faint smile- Or was it more of a smirk? It was hard to say.

"Rude to stare, Kersen," he said mildly.

[kersen]

Kersen blinked, and then slid into the chair next to him without invitation.

He wasn't subtle about leaning in a little to inhale his scent.

"What happened to you," he said softly.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"That is a very long story," Fin replied. "The short version, however, is my kin found me and... Fixed me, I suppose."

Fin didn't offer every detail, but he did quietly explain Tevaughn, his mixed blood, and the odd ritual that had left him in his current, more desirable, state.

"Explains a lot about my childhood really," he added thoughtfully.

[kersen]

"So this is... good," Kersen said, though he was finding Fin's new scent to be distracting. "I'm glad for you."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"...It's not bad," Fin allowed, not optimistic enough to label it as good just yet. "Is it that obvious I've changed? I feel slightly taller, like a found an extra inch..."

[kersen]

"Ah, yes I can see that," Kersen said after a moment, and looked a bit embarrassed. "But it isn't that. It's your scent. It's... different."

[phouka]

The Phouka was free but he wasn't taking to it well. Willy was quite understanding as he recalled Winter's first weeks of freedom. The Phouka felt lost and he'd started wearing soft colours, even grey, and Willy felt some measure of sympathy.

The flat had smelled strange, the Phouka had told him. There was no sign of Fin and a stain on the rug that hadn't been tidied or treated. So the pair set out to see if they could find him.

Willy's bond with Fin pulled at him and the Phouka's nose followed the strange scent on the air. He spied Fin before Willy did and he ran to him. THe smell was stronger and without a word the Phouka leaned over the man with his coffee and began to huff and breathe and inhale the scent of him. He was used to Fin having no scent at all and now he smelled...like home.

He pushed his nose in closer, against Fin's neck, and hot breath steamed the other man's skin.

Willy rushed up as well, watching the curious behaviour.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Oh, lovely to see you also, Phouka," Fin said, remaining still as the Phouka sniffed. "...Usually people buy me a drink first, but I admire your ambition, not many are bold enough to get right to the heavy petting," he added, finally lifting a hand to gently push the Phouka back a step.

"People are watching, Phouka," he scolded softly.

[phouka]

The Phouka took one more breath of him and then was easily pushed away. He turned to Willy and wore a grave look.

"He smells," he said simply.

Willy looked at the Phouka as if he'd said something just as rude as it sounded.

"We have found him now. Go home, Phouka. Or find Winter and go have fun. I will see you later."

The Phouka bowed his head in a courteous nod and gave Fin one more curious look before wandering off.

Willy sat down.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Charming, Phouka," Fin said flatly, eyeing the Phouka, then looking at Will.

"I was going to come find you," he admitted. "You missed quite a bit this afternoon."

[willysilver]

"I must have. The Phouka caught a scent in the flat. Apparently it's you," he replied, leaning back in the metal chair to let his legs stretch out before him. He was dressed as he always was, all in black, though today he looked a bit more punk than usual. Despite the lack of variety in the spectrum of his clothes, he did have enough to sport many different looks.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I met my grandfather today," Fin said. "Tevaughn. He- he's fae."

Fin hesitated a beat, then leaned in closer as he recapped the events of that afternoon. Everything from the accusations he'd hurled at the other fae, to the ritual performed to restore him. He left out very few details, and spoke softly, cautious not to be overheard.

"Did you know this?" he asked once he was through. "Did you know I was- Like you?"

[akatawitch]

Sunny was still not happy with Fin. It wasn't anger exactly, but she had been hurt and talking to him was not at the top of her list of priorities. So when she saw him, her intention had been to keep walking.

But when she looked at him...

Something had changed. She had no idea what, but it was significant enough that she found her feet moving toward him before she could really second-guess it.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin glanced her way, and smiled. That night was hazy, and he was in- Not good spirits, but... Calm spirits. If that was a thing one could be. He wasn't interested in dragging up anything that might spoil his mood.

"Hello Sunny. Do you want some coffee? Maybe tea?" he offered, gesturing at the empty seat beside him.

[akatawitch]

Well, he appeared to be sober this time, and that made a difference. She hoped. But still she hesitated for a moment before she sat down. "Hi, Fin. How are you?"

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I am... Exceptional," Fin replied, his voice rich and warm, vibrating with the truth of those words. "How are you? Well, I hope."

[akatawitch]

"I'm all right," Sunny admitted with a shrug. "I'm in that kind of state at the end of the year where there's stuff to do, but I've kind of stopped caring if it's my best and more that it just gets done."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"Oh, right. I suppose it's the end of the school year, isn't it," Fin replied.

[jageskro]

Jag, for his part, did have a cigarette in his hand as he stopped on the pavement, and smiled at the sight of his friend. "Fin! Hello," he told him, walking over to him and clasping a hand on his shoulder in greeting.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Looking up, Fin smiled, then gestured for Jag to join him.

"Hello, Jag. How are you?"

[jageskro]

"I'm good," Jag replied with a smile. He did look far less on edge than last time they'd seen each other, but that was more to do with the change in location than anything else having changed. "Are you waiting for someone?" he asked, gesturing at the other chair at the table.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"No, I'm not waiting on anyone. I just wanted to sit for a while," Fin confessed with a soft and warm smile.

[jageskro]

"Mind if I join you?" Jag asked, unhooking his bag full of gear from his shoulder.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin was certain he'd already silently invited the other man to sit, but nodded and did so again.

"Of course."