londoncallingrpg

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OTA

It had been a strange week. It was his season, and so it should have been full of joy- But this year it was different. The winds that sang his name were too cold, too sharp. The trees seemed dead rather than naked, and the chill that usually lit up his magic was heavy and without spark. Everything was slightly wrong, and the longer it lingered, the more uneasy the pixie became.

An awakening was approaching, something powerful and dark. Winter could feel it in his bones, tainting the world around him- Something was approaching this realm, though the pixie couldn't sense who or what. He was sensitive to the change though, maybe more sensitive than most, and it was slowly altering him, as things so often could.

Walking down the high street he kept one eye on his reflection in the shop windows, noting the way his wings showed occasionally, even though they were hidden- And freezing in place when he saw a familiar figure behind him.

Aspid's eyes were dark, and though Winter knew he wasn't in this world with him, he still tensed as the reflection of the dead wizard rested his hand on his shoulder, and leaned in to speak in his ear. The words he whispered were like a low hum, but Winter heard each one, his shoulders shaking as he closed his eyes.

"You're lying," the pixie said quietly. "You're a liar!" he shouted, turning his head and opening his eyes- Only to find the shadow of Aspid gone, and a small group of people staring at him as though he'd lost his mind.

Looking back in the shop window, Winter saw himself alone again- But changed. Taller still than his new height, with a sunken gaze and painfully thin body. He looked warped and dark, and though he wanted to believe it was an illusion, he couldn't help but fear it was a vision of the future Aspid's warning had painted for him.

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Winter flinched, drawing away, then going still.

"No," he said quietly. "No, I am not."

He wrapped his arms around himself, glancing around as though expecting to see someone else. To see a shadow of the past lurking.

Sunny fixed a glare on the people staring, the same sort of glare she'd directed at people staring at her dozens of times before. The truth that she would beat someone down if she had to must have shown in her eyes, because they started to wander away rather than try to figure out what the hell had just happened.

Sunny then proceeded to ignore them, focusing all her attention on Winter. "What happened?"

"Aspid was here," Winter whispered, as if the dead wizard might hear him. "He was speaking to me, telling lies."

He shivered then, looking at Sunny. "He was not in our realm, he was a shadow."

Sunny felt her blood run cold. That was twice in only a couple of months that Aspid had haunted people she loved, and if she didn't know that Willy had killed him, she might wonder if he was dead at all.

She cupped his face in her hand. "What did he say?" she murmured.

Winter looked uneasy, but eventually moved closer, leaning in to speak in her ear.

He whispered Aspid's warning of coming war and unrest between realms, the unravelling of magic between them- As though afraid to say it all too loudly. As if saying it too loudly might make it true.

Sunny listened silently, letting that sink in. She didn't say anything for the time being, turning her head to kiss his temple. I'm not going to let him hurt you.

Winter wrapped his arms around Sunny, holding her tight and letting himself be comforted by her presence

"The winds are all wrong," he said softly. "They carry something wicked. They're not my winds."

"Sh sh sh shhh..." Sunny put her arms around him in turn and rubbed his back. "It'll be all right. I'm not going to let him hurt you."

Winter nodded a little, resting his head on Sunny's shoulder and calming himself with slow breaths.

"I know, I know," Winter said quietly. "It's not only him I fear though, Sunny. Bad things are coming."

Sunny nodded, her hand continuing to move up and down. "Me neither," she admitted. She hesitated before she told him, "You're not the only person who's seen him in the last few months, and I can't help but wonder if it's connected."

"He can't come back," Winter whispered. "He can't. ...I wont let him. I'm free now. Free always."

"It wasn't really him," Sunny assured him softly. "Faizel saw him in the fog on Halloween, and we hunted him. It wasn't him at all, it was some kind of mist creature, but... the magic might be related."

"He never told me," Winter frowned, a touch angry that Faizel had kept such a thing from him.

"It could be his magic," he said after a moment. "Aspid's magic, or a shadow of it. An ember..."

Sunny kissed his forehead, as if trying to smooth that frown away. "He didn't want to scare you for no reason." Though the idea that Aspid's magic might be lingering on after the man's death was a little terrifying. "We didn't think it had anything to do with him."

Not impossible, though. Spells often lingered on after their caster died. She had no idea what the old man had set up before he was killed.

"I don't know what to do," Winter confessed, holding onto Sunny's sleeve when she kissed his forehead. "Should I tell brother Will? Should I tell Finlay?"

"I don't know what Fin could do, really," Sunny mused, much as she didn't want to admit it. "I think Willy is your best bet." And she managed to sound only a little reluctant when she said it.

She hated the fuck out of him, but she wasn't foolish enough to think that anything good would come out of putting her hate above big damn fairy magic.

Winter really, really didn't want to have that talk with Will. The fae could be somewhat intense when he was worried.

"I need cake," he said after a moment. "And coffee. ...We should have cake and coffee."

"Sounds like a good idea," Sunny agreed. Get sugar in him, then come up with a plan. But she wasn't about to let go of the idea of coming up with some sort of plan, even if it was just telling certain people about what happened.

Standing up straight again, Winter put his shoulders back and his chin up. Cake would fix things. ...Cake would make it better.

Raking his fingers through his hair, his white locks stood up slightly on end.

"I will treat you," he decided, a small sign of maturity.

Sunny pulled away from him, her smile showing she clearly approved of this. "I won't argue with you if you really want to."

"I do," Winter assured her, nodding and reaching for her hand.

Sunny slipped her hand into his, giving it a squeeze and him a little smile. "Such a thoughtful pixie."

"I am thoughtful," Winter agreed, looking pleased for a moment and then nodding.

"Come, cake awaits," he decided, starting to walk.

She laughed and walked with him, finding herself thinking back on where Winter had been just a year ago. In some ways, he was exactly the same, but in others... Sunny couldn't imagine Winter making a gesture like offering to pay for something for a friend. If anything, he'd have been trying to cajole her into buying.

That wasn't the whole of it, of course, but she was actually... kind of proud of him. "Don't let it go to your head," she teased.

"Where else would it go?" Winter asked, the question dead serious, despite being a bit silly.

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