Smol Gathering - OTA

[londoncallingmods]

The weather this weekend wasn't worth getting excited over, but it was fair enough to justify some time out and about. Stores were packed with new stock, cafes were brimming with life, and as always, London herself was buzzing with activity.

In South London Pop Brixton was celebrating its second birthday, offering up DJs and live performances, along side plenty of food and drink vendors. Though if your mouth's watering and that's a tube trip too far, you could always head on over to Westfield Shepherd's Bush, where you'd find a fun food truck festival. For those looking to fill up with girl power rather than pudding, you could always head over to the Powerpuff Girls pop up shop. As always, there was no shortage of things to do this weekend.

The news was still packed with election chatter, and talk of the concert for Manchester, but if you took a peek at twitter, you might find a little conspiracy brewing all about one Finlay Flynn- Who's management was currently fighting rumors about his disappearance. Little theories kept popping up, showing how his twitter feed seemed slightly off, or how filming for his BBC 3 show had been suspiciously delayed. There were youtube videos discussing it, threads on various online forums, all chattering about how the actor who was so often spotted on the tube or in pubs was suddenly absent. A silly little bit of internet crazy for most- But an unsettling reminder of his absence to those in the know.

Still, London stopped for nobody, and the city was in full bloom, just as it was every weekend.

(OTA! As always the GP will be open for at least a week, so tag in, tag others, and check back often!)

Comments

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin drew away slightly, hunching over his drink.

"I don't want to go home, Pip," he insisted quietly, pushing his shaggy hair back and out of his face. "I want to be here."

[pippa_flynn]

"You want to sit in a dodgy bar in a part of town you never go to? Alright...but then I must insist you tell me where you've been. You look like you've been on a bender, but if you'd been in the clubs it would have been on Twitter and there's been no sign of you," she said, calm and even as she stirred her drink with the straw but did not sip it.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin was quiet for a long moment, staring deep into his glass as though trying to see the future in a pint of beer- But eventually he looked over at Pippa.

"I don't know where I've been," he said honestly. "Don't know how long I was gone, or what happened, I just- I feel like something happened. I remember vibrations and light, but it's all muffled, and when I try and focus on it, I feel this pit of dread in my gut."

He shifted in his seat a little, slumping into the corner, his head resting against the wall.

"I don't know if I've blocked it out or someone's blocked it out for me- But if those memories are hiding inside me somewhere, I'm not sure I want to dig them up, Pip."

[pippa_flynn]

Pippa frowned and huffed a small sigh.

"You've been gone a week, Fin," she said. "I can understand not wanting to remember, but be real...you can't hide here forever. If nothing else that bastard fae is really worried about you. He came to see me. He's a fright."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"He'll only panic more when I tell him I don't even know where I've been," Fin replied, squirming again as though his back was sore.

"God, I feel like I've been sleeping on a bed of thorns or something," he complained.

[pippa_flynn]

"Maybe a doctor first wouldn't be beyond reason..." she suggested gently. "At least that Hex boy."

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin looked unsure, then sighed.

"Yeah, I guess. ...I dunno. Hex sometimes has a hard time being around my magic," he admitted.

[pippa_flynn]

"I'll be with you. I'll wring his neck if need be," she said with confidence. Every day her power grew stronger and she gained more control. But her true strength came from her position as big sister, not queen.

"Do you know his number? I'll ring him."

[prince_of_nymphs]

Without thinking, Fin fished his phone from his pocket, forgetting for a moment that it was broken.

"I... I don't, actually. Not off the top of my head, Pip," the young fae admitted, rubbing his face with both hands and pushing his hair back. He could fix this, he could make it so everything was at it had been, and let this experience scab right over. With any luck it would fade, rather than scar.

Brave face in place, he knocked back the rest of his beer and found a smile good enough to pass as genuine.

"You're right, you know? I should just go home. Let's just... Let's keep this between us for now, alright? I'll think of something to tell Will, to tell everyone, okay? No one needs to know what happened- I mean, I don't, right?"

[pippa_flynn]

"You can't make it go away that easily," she said. Pippa sat her drink down untested and reached over to push a shaggy lock behind Fin's ear. She tried very hard to keep any impulse to boss him round tamped down tight.

"Let's get you home. A shower and your own clothes, your own bed, and a strong cup of tea and you'll feel better. Shall we go?"

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin was silent for a beat, but eventually nodded as he pulled out some cash to cover his tab.

"Yeah. ...Yeah, I should go home," he agreed quietly, leaning into Pip slightly and closing his eyes for just a moment.

[pippa_flynn]

Her magic reached out to him, wispy little tendrils that caressed and soothed him. Pippa put her arm around him to hold him close and after a moment she pressed a tender kiss to his temple.

"Then that's sorted. Let's go get a taxi before the paps show up and start barking questions," she said as she rose to her feet and coaxed him up. The bartender came over and snatched up the notes Fin had left and took away their glasses. For her part, Pip gently but surely steered Fin out of the bar and onto the street. In one hand she was already on her mobile. Uber was faster most of the time, but as luck would have it a taxi was rolling by and she waved at the driver who came to a slow stop.

"In you go, little brother," she said, feeling more and more confident that getting him out of the public and away from people in general was the right thing to do.

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin muttered in protest at being called 'little brother', but slumped easily into the soft seats.

"Let me see your phone," he insisted once Pippa was in as well. "I want to check my twitter."

[pippa_flynn]

Pippa gave the address to the driver while she fished out her phone and handed it over.

"Here you go," she said. "I hope you don't find anything to upset you. You don't need that right now."

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin shrugged, already logged in and combing through the conspiracy theories and the odd tweets sent from his account.

"Has... Has Winter been tweeting from my account? I'll murder the little glitter coated wanker."

[pippa_flynn]

"I don't know. Probably. It's kept the rumour mills busy. Less focused on you being entirely absent from this world," she replied. "I don't spend a lot of time looking at Twitter so I can't say for sure."

[prince_of_nymphs]

Fin hummed a little leaning against Pip and sighing. "I'm going to have to change all my passwords. Last thing I need is a pixie running my social media. He spent half of monday just tweeting photos of cows."

Sighing, he squirmed again, his back still aching and the headache he couldn't seem to shake creeping back in.

[pippa_flynn]

"Fin, are you alright? You keep fidgeting," she said. She sounded mildly annoyed, but it was only because concern was such an ill fit on her.

[prince_of_nymphs]

'I'm fine, like I said, my back's just sore," Fin assured her. "My head's not happy either, to be honest. I'm okay though Pip, just- I dunno. Recovering from whatever happened."

[pippa_flynn]

"You don't seem very upset. I think if I was gone from the world and turned up sore and sick I'd be...well, I'd be furious, to start with," she said, patting his leg lightly.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I don't feel anything yet, I'm still... I'm still processing it, I guess. I mean, I don't even know where I was or what happened, and I told you- I'm kinda afraid of remembering. I get the feeling I don't want to," Fin said quietly.

"I'd rather be numb than a wreck, Pip."

[pippa_flynn]

She rubbed him and patted him again, then reached her arm around to pull him close.

"I'm so glad you're back," she said softly, her whisper thick with emotion. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Fin."

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I'd never leave you, Pip. Not if I had any say in it," Fin promised quietly, putting an arm around her in return and kissing her cheek. "We're blood. Nothing's ever gonna come between us. Not even magical abductions, alright?"

[pippa_flynn]

"Alright," she said, pressing her forehead against him. She stayed that way for a long moment, just thankful to have him back.

But then she pulled back.

"I didn't know you knew anyone from Torchwood," she said.

[prince_of_nymphs]

"I... Oh, you mean Jack?" Fin asked, looking surprised, but Fin didn't move, staying close to Pip as he spoke.

"I don't know him through Torchwood, Pip. He's a friend, a good one."