londoncallingrpg | OTA - Good as New?

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

akatawitch

Sunny's eyes drifted to one side. "Well, safer, and also God love them but they're the both of them lacking in basics of how to fly under the radar."

From:

prince_of_nymphs

"Quite," Fin agreed. "And poor Phouka. I don't think he's quite sure what to do with himself since Winter wished him free."

From:

akatawitch

"It's not surprising," Sunny murmured, idly tracing a finger over the table. "With kids, even the most coddled kids, there's still the expectation that you're going to be independent eventually. Even Winter, warped as his childhood was, knew that making his own way was how things should be. Phouka, was neither taught that nor, quite literally, made for it."

She'd had thought about things like this back when she'd been trying to sort out all of her feelings.

From:

prince_of_nymphs

"No, I suppose not," Fin agreed. "Sometimes I forget he's not human. ...Or fae. I look at him and I can't picture him as anything but one of us. I forget that he was- Well, quite literally built to serve. Will often speaks of it as if it's nothing, and I guess to him it's normal, but- I dunno. Makes me a bit... Uneasy. The idea of crafting life only to have it serve you. It feels wrong."

He sighed then, offering an awkward laugh. "And Winter, who I suppose knows more of serving than I do, means well, but he was always waiting to be freed, and I think he forgets how lost and uneasy he was when he first tasted freedom. He keeps expecting everything to be good and wonderful now, I think. ...At least that's the face he shows me."

From:

akatawitch

"It feels like freeing a plantation nigger without bothering with the forty acres and a mule," Sunny muttered sourly. "And then wondering why he just goes back to the cotton field."

She shook her head. Those words had popped out before she'd had time to edit them. "And yes, I know I'm reading too much into it because of how he looks. But the echoes are really uncomfortable."

From:

prince_of_nymphs

It was a somewhat American tinted view, but one Fin understood. After all, it wasn't as if those pasts didn't overlap considerably, even if they had taken slightly different turns on either side of the ocean. It was a comparison he'd mentally made himself, more than once.

"It's more than that though, I mean, his own kind as a whole have never known freedom. Freedom wasn't stolen from him, it just never existed- Which I'm not saying is better. If anything, I'd argue it's far worse. I imagine a slave, no matter how many generations in, had some flicker of hope, some story passed down about how free they'd once been. Phouka doesn't even have that. I wouldn't be shocked to learn he was the first of his kin to even consider wanting such a thing."

From:

akatawitch

"Well, he was also in a unique position to even consider wanting it." Sunny let out a long sigh through her nose. "I suppose the only thing for it, though, is to fill in gaps about how the world works and toss options at him until something sticks. Winter seems to have found dancing, and Phouka... well, his isn't a rebellious spirit, so at least there won't be much if any 'you're not my real dad' to wade through."

From:

prince_of_nymphs

"Thank god for that," Fin replied simply, not wanting to think about what life would be like if the pair of them were rebelling together.

From:

akatawitch

Sunny fought very hard to keep a straight face. "I know, considering you're totally their mom."

From:

prince_of_nymphs

"What? No I'm not," Fin huffed, scowling a bit. "Though someone in our house has to act like an adult..."

From:

akatawitch

"Making Winter eat his broccoli?" Sunny couldn't keep herself from grinning now.

From:

prince_of_nymphs

"Well he can't live on cake, despite his best efforts, and let's be honest, Will's not likely to step in and feed him a vegetable..." Fin countered, still pouting a little.

From:

akatawitch

Sunny only gestured with one hand as if to say, 'And you've made my point for me.'

From:

prince_of_nymphs

Fin sulked, slumping in his chair a bit.

"I certainly never signed up to be anyone's mum."

From:

akatawitch

Sunny didn't mean to, but she only laughed when Fin started sulking, throwing her head back and clapping her hands delightedly.

From:

prince_of_nymphs

It was lovely seeing Sunny smile, and Fin struggled to stay sullen in the face of her laughter.

"Oi, you better watch it. One wish and they could be living with you for a month," he cautioned playfully.

From:

akatawitch

"That wouldn't be fair to them or me and you wouldn't dare," Sunny said with complete certainty.

From:

prince_of_nymphs

"You don't know that. I might have a real wicked streak now," Fin countered. "Just imagine, a whole month of being woken by Winter Wisp... And he's a very early riser."