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Tweak says, "HAIL ASGARDIA"

Clio | Κλειω (ephemerist) wrote in nevermore_logs,
@ 2021-07-11 13:21:00

Entry tags:

clio, saint patrick, will stutely

WHO: Clio, Will Stutely, Saint Patrick, Ella [npc]
WHEN: Saturday afternoon
WHERE: Clio's
WHAT: Patrick being a lovely
WARNINGS: NA

Clio had been prepping all morning, even though the barbecue wasn't until the evening. She had been busy making her German potato salad, and chopping veggies and fruit. She had already made three kinds of dip and was working on a fourth. When there was a knock at the door, her hands were covered in garlic and she turned to Will. "I wonder who that is, is isn't time yet! Hey, love, can you get that?" she asked, holding up her garlicky hands. "Unless it's a vampire, and then I would be very useful right now!"

Ella jumped off the little stool she was standing on while counting out carrots to make into carrot sticks. "A vampire! I want to help!" she shouted, grabbing Will's hand so they could answer the door together. Clio's laugh followed them as they headed to the door, and then Ella broke away from Will the second she could see that familiar shock of ginger hair through the frosted glass window at the front of the brownstone.

Ella threw the door open and launched herself into Patrick's arms. Patrick caught her expertly, well used to an Ella-rocket headed his way. "Hey, Ellabobella!" he said cheerfully, wrapping her up into his arms. He smiled over at Will as well. "Hi."

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sly_stutely
2021-07-11 02:40 am UTC (link)

It was nice. Saturday afternoon, the three of them working side-by-side in the kitchen. Clio was the one doing the work, really, though Ella was zealously putting the veggies in order; Will just did whatever they both told him to do and was well content.

It was a shame they couldn't just have this and skip the barbecue tonight. He knew that was a selfish thought. Ella had been looking forward to it all morning, and Clio... well. They were her family. Hardly her fault half of 'em were dirtbags.

The sound of the door made Will tense as if a current had passed through him. Apollo, he thought. Come around early to 'help'. Or Hermes, already looking to make himself at home. But Ella had already sprung up eagerly, so Will pushed down the thought, banishing the flicker of shadow from his expression as he let her lead him to the door.

He recognised the blurry figure in the window an instant after Ella did, and then his wariness vanished in truth, and he grinned as Ella flung herself at Patrick. "Ay up, Pat. Come on in, good to see you."

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	shamrocked_ 2021-07-11 03:42 am UTC (link)
	"Good to see you as well," Patrick said with a warm smile. Then, trying to be a little cagey for Ella's sake, he said, "saw the guest list for the barbecue and thought I should maybe come along too." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

sly_stutely
2021-07-11 04:59 am UTC (link)

He hadn't said anything to Patrick about it, though he'd known the saint would've come running if he'd been asked. Hadn't seemed fair to put him in that position, right after he'd asked Clio for space. Will knew Patrick was still in love with her, and he'd seen how hard her abduction had hit the man.

But of course Pat had come anyway, because Pat was a stand-up bloke – and he knew better than just about anybody how bad Hermes and Apollo could hurt Clio. Will gave him a grateful nod. "Appreciate that, mate. I know she will, too. Come through, she's in the kitchen."

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ephemerist
2021-07-11 06:01 am UTC (link)

"Yes, come into the kitchen, I'll show you my carrots!" Ella chirped, leading an amused Patrick behind her.

The second Clio spotted Patrick, she dropped the spatula she was holding and darted across the kitchen to hug him tightly. "Patrick!" she said, happily.

"Hey," Patrick wrapped her in a warm hug. "Thought I should be here. Because of your family."

"No," Clio murmured into his shoulder, "you should be here because you're my family." She was grateful though. So grateful she didn't know how to put it into words, that he would come to be with her to protect her from her brothers, even while he was still wrestling with his feelings for her.

Ella rolled her eyes and she looked sideways at Will. "He didn't even look at my carrots."

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sly_stutely
2021-07-11 06:42 am UTC (link)

It did him glad to see Clio's face brighten when she saw who'd arrived. There were precious few people she felt truly safe with right now – you and Patrick, Thalia and Calliope, she'd confided – and if there was one thing Clio deserved, it was to feel truly, uncomplicatedly safe. Will was hanging back a few steps, letting them have the moment, when Ella glanced across at him with such an eloquently dismissive eyeroll that he huffed a surprised laugh. "She's right, Pat, where're your priorities? There's carrots here need looking at."

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ephemerist
2021-07-11 08:41 am UTC (link)

"I'm sorry!" Patrick laughed, and once Clio released him, he made sure to admire Ella's carrots. "Oooh, very nice lines!"

"Mom is going to chop them up because I'm not allowed knives until I'm nine," Ella said, and Clio wheezed a laugh.

"NINE?!" she asked, incredulous. "Try twenty seven!"

"Twenty seven?!" Ella shot back, "That's older than WILL!" she stated, though Ella had managed to land on the youngest person in the room besides Ella herself.

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	sly_stutely 2021-07-11 09:19 am UTC (link)
	The vehemence of the declaration, the perfectly affronted look on Ella's face— Will's deadpan expression didn't stand a chance. A deep laugh burst out of him, a full belly laugh that had him swiping tears from the corners of his eyes. "Oh no! Is it, duck?" he managed, gasping for breath. "Am I really that ancient?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ephemerist
2021-07-11 11:37 am UTC (link)

"You are, you lived in the ancient woods right?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Ah, the ancient woods. I also occasionally lived there." Patrick smiled and he gave Clio a one-armed hug. Then, even though they were mostly being silly and entertained by Ella, he made sure to mention, "I think I'm done with the distance thing."

Clio was unable to keep the look of relief off her face. "I got it," she assured him. "But I'm glad."

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	sly_stutely 2021-07-11 12:52 pm UTC (link)
	"Good to have you back, mate," Will smiled. "How's about a cuppa, before the boss puts us to work?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ephemerist
2021-07-11 01:04 pm UTC (link)

"Sounds amazing," Patrick nodded happily.

"So you're staying for the barbecue?" Ella asked and was excited when Patrick nodded. "Oh YAY! I have been planning a show. I think I'm going to sing some of the Amazing Showman songs because my voice is great." Whereas some kids would have been lying, Ella was the daughter of a muse and her voice was actually incredible. "Will you use a flashlight and be the spotlight for me? And Will, can you be a freak?"

Clio snorted so loudly it echoed. She turned around and gave Will a significant look, waiting to see what he would say to that.

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	sly_stutely 2021-07-11 01:24 pm UTC (link)
	Will held onto his straight face this time and rubbed his chin as though weighing up the request seriously. "Well, I can't say I've been a freak before. Is it hard?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ephemerist 2021-07-13 11:51 am UTC (link)
	"Are you sure?" Ella asked, sassy as ever. "Gotta be a better role than spotlight," Patrick winked. "Though I will gladly do my spotlight duty." Clio was fussing about making tea while the roles were discussed. "And who will you be playing, Ella?" "The showman, obviously," Ella explained patiently. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sly_stutely 2021-07-14 02:37 am UTC (link)
	"Obviously," Will echoed with a solemn nod, hiding a smile. Ella was a born showman. Showperson. Nobody who'd met her for more than a minute would be fool enough to cast her as anything but the ringmaster. "I s'pose that must make me General Tom Thumb, then." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shamrocked_
2021-07-14 08:32 am UTC (link)

"No, you're the bearded lady!" Ella informed him, and then she jumped up and raced up the stairs. "I'm going to find my costume!"

Clio turned around from her tea-making and she smirked at Will. "Solid casting. A+."

Patrick watched both of them as they looked at each other, such love in their eyes. He felt a twinge in his chest, which he pushed away. Time was, he though this would be his forever. And then tragic fate had taken Clio away from him. It hadn't even been either of their faults, they had just been different people by the time Clio had clawed herself out of the darkness she had been mired in after coming back to life nine months after dying. And Patrick refused to be the kind of man who took that out on someone he loved. Clio didn't owe him anything. And he wasn't going to stay away from her as some kind of sick punishment for moving on, as if she owed him a relationship.

It didn't mean it didn't hurt sometimes.

"Least she didn't make you Zendaya?" Patrick spoke up, trying his best to join in. "I wouldn't put it past her to put together some kind of trapeze and 'strongly suggest' you perform for everyone on it."

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	sly_stutely 2021-07-14 10:47 am UTC (link)
	Bearded lady. Yep. Of course it was the bearded lady. He'd bet she had a costume in mind and everything. Will shook his head, chuckling. "Spoken like a true veteran. Go on, what's she talked you into, then?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shamrocked_
2021-07-14 01:13 pm UTC (link)

"A little bit of everything," Patrick laughed. "When she was younger she wanted to put on a Little Bo Peep show and she made me be a sheep. I have been a tree, a polar bear, two and a half wise men... Oh, and once I was Jesus. And let me tell you that felt a little odd!"

Clio laughed and carried tea over to the both of them. "But it was hilarious. Even better because he was baby Jesus."

"She asked me how good I was at crying," Patrick chuckled.

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sly_stutely
2021-07-15 01:52 pm UTC (link)

"Making the baby Jesus cry?" Will laughed. "An' here I thought that was just an expression." As he moved to pull up a seat, he happened to catch the saint's eye and his hand paused on the back of the chair.

Clio was right, what she'd said: Patrick was family. Hell, he was only a few branches removed from the Merry Men's tree, being Aderyn's uncle. He'd been there for Ella from the day she was born and he'd been there for Clio when it counted. And they didn't really talk about it because you didn't, as blokes. Because drawing attention to the elephant in the room would do nowt but throw a spanner in the works of a perfectly good friendship and none of 'em wanted that.

But seeing Patrick's smile, a smile that didn't entirely manage to hide a wistful expression as much as it tried, Will hesitated. In a quieter voice, he added, "She's lucky to have you in her life." He swept a quick glance in Clio's direction, leaving the second part unspoken: They both are.

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