Who: Sage and Ty When: early afternoon, Tuesday, July 3 Where: Sage’s house Status: Complete
Ty had the day off from his new part-time gig at the vet’s office, and Jared had plans for the afternoon, so it seemed like a good time to go talk to one of the people Ty wanted to talk to. Out of all of them, he felt the most concern about Sage -- he’d seemed so young and terrified the entire time they’d been Over There. Ty didn’t exactly feel like he’d closely bonded with anyone in their awful situation, but he still felt a responsibility for some of them, and Sage was one of them. Besides that, Ty was pretty sure the younger man would talk to him about anything that might have changed about him since they’d gotten back.
It was easy to figure out where Sage was, Ty just had to think about him and there it was in his mind. That was still weird but starting to feel more natural, the longer he was back in town. Sage was at a house in a neighborhood, and he didn’t wander anywhere else while Ty got ready and got into his car. It wasn’t a long drive over there, and as he pulled up he was pleased to see that Sage was outside on the front porch, a guitar in his lap. Ty parked and got out, giving him a wan smile as he approached, sure that Sage couldn’t be too surprised to see him. “Hey there,” he greeted.
Sage was finally starting to feel a little bit more like himself. Things weren’t perfect by any means—he still couldn’t handle wandering around outside at night, and he still had nightmares that ended with him curled up on the floor of his closet, often with some large, blunt object for protection—but his days were starting to feel normal. He felt best when the sun was shining, when he could feel its warmth on his skin, and when the light bled in even when he closed his eyes. He wasn’t much of an outdoorsman, but that’s where he wanted to be. No one was going to whine about him making noise in the middle of the afternoon, especially on his acoustic, and if he felt the urge to play, he was going to take it.
He’d been moving through old, familiar music when he felt it, like one magnet drawing closer to another. It took only a moment’s pause for him to figure out who it was. This ability they had to know where the others were wasn’t something he’d done much with, but he found it comforting, even if he never used it. They were out there, just like him, surviving. And if they could do it, so could he. He’d felt weak in that other place, ill equipped to handle what was thrown at him and broken from the start, but being back was different. He’d been an outcast before, called a liar and a murderer for years. This felt like more of the same. Those close to him would believe what he was willing to tell them, if anything. The rest could all go to hell.
Sage would have never approached Ty prior to getting trapped with him. He’d been a cop, and his experiences with them had been poor. Now he felt a bit like he owed him his life, or at least his sanity. Ty’d had the unique ability of making him feel safe when that hadn’t felt possible. Without that, he was sure he would have cracked. As ashamed as he was for his behavior over there, he would never turn Ty away. Not for anything. Sage set his guitar aside as Ty walked up towards the house. “Hey,” he said, moving to stand. “Everything okay?”
The instant concern was kind of sweet and Ty smiled faintly as he mounted the porch steps. Everyone over there had been terrified, it would’ve been impossible not to be, but watching all of them handle it in their own ways had been interesting. Sage had been refreshingly honest about being scared, a young man with no training and none of the arrogant confidence that some of the others had shown, thrust into an impossible situation that almost surely would have killed him if they all hadn’t been lucky enough to have somewhere to shelter. Ty had been most glad to feel that he had made it out. And now look at him sitting with a guitar and fresh hair, clean and healthy and alive. “Everything’s good, yeah,” Ty told Sage. He arched an eyebrow in a silent question and spread his arms a bit to offer a hug.
The spike in Sage’s nervousness dissipated as Ty spread his arms and Sage smiled back, going in for the hug. While he knew Ty had made it back, it was different to see him in person, alive and well. “Good. You never know around here,” he said with a little huff. Things had been relatively fine since he’d gotten back, the disturbances little more than annoyances on Sage’s danger meter, but he knew it was different for everyone. Just because there hadn’t been a town wide event didn’t mean things couldn’t suck. “I thought you got away from this place,” he said, gesturing to one of the other seats on the front porch. “What brought you back?”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Ty muttered with a faint chuckle as he lightly thumped Sage’s back before letting him go. He moved to sit down where Sage indicated and stretched his legs out to cross them at the ankle. The guitar made him think a bit wistfully of how nice it would’ve been to have music of any kind Over There, something actually creative to spend some of the empty hours on. Ty tried to dismiss the thought -- they were here, now, there was no sense in regretting anything that had happened there anymore. “The getting away was only temporary,” Ty explained. “Me and Jared went to Texas to get married -- all his family’s down there -- and then we did an RV road trip back as a honeymoon.” He couldn’t help but smile, always weirdly pleased to announce that he was married now. It definitely wasn’t something he’d ever thought he would say. “So this visit is way overdue, sorry ... I been thinking about you. How are you doing?”
“Congratulations,” Sage smiled, opting not to tell Ty that he’d already heard about the wedding. That made it sound like someone had been gossiping about him when that wasn’t at all the case. He also wasn’t sure now was the right time to tell Ty he was dating his boss. “I’m glad to hear things worked out. I remember you mentioning him over there. And I’m sure it was nice to get away for a bit, just the two of you.” If he’d known Ty a little better, he might have asked about where they stopped on their honeymoon, but he doubted he’d come out to talk to him about that. “Don’t be sorry. I can fend for myself much better here than there,” he said, running a hand through his hair. It was still so much shorter than he liked, but the action was reflexive. “I’m doing okay. Still getting my life back together, but it could be worse.” He could be dead.
“Oh I know you can,” Ty said with a huff and a chuckle. “Real life is kind of a cakewalk now.” At least as far as survival went -- there were no huge monsters trying to eat them on a day to day basis. The mental part wasn’t great though, and that had been what Ty really worried about with Sage. “It could definitely be worse. I’m working on doing the same thing ... got a part time job, me and Jared are looking for a house to buy ... He’d left town while I was gone.” Ty hated to think of the man he loved in such a despondent state, so he didn’t linger on that part. “Things are starting to shape up, but it’s not exactly easy, you know? I still get nightmares and shit.” He felt okay admitting that, and he got the sense that being honest with Sage would encourage him to do the same.
Sage wasn’t sure he’d ever call real life a cakewalk, but it was sure as hell better than what they’d had over there. He just had to tell his brain that on occasion. It was easy to get caught up in the memories, especially in the dark. “Yeah, the nightmares are real,” he muttered, tucking one leg under him. It was comforting to know he wasn’t the only one who still had them, though he wouldn’t wish them on anyone. “I’m glad you were able to track him down. Being gone so long really, I dunno… fucked things up.” He wasn’t sure why his parents had held on to as much of his stuff as they had, but he was glad for it. It would have broken his heart if they’d gotten around to selling his guitars. “I hear you’re doing something different now. No longer a cop, though probably always a cop.”
“Yeah, I had some help finding him,” Ty said with a sheepish little huff. “I couldn't even remember him when I got back. Or much of anything, for a few days. Luckily Grad-- ah, Sheriff Barrett still had his number.” He’d just been grateful that his memories had come back before Jared arrived back in Maine -- that would’ve sucked, especially for Jared. It had all been hard enough as it was. He nodded a bit at what Sage said and gave a small shrug. “Yeah, I got a job at the new vet’s office? Sometimes assistant, sometimes manning the desk, that sort of thing. I really thought about going back to police work, but ... I dunno that I’m ready to handle it again. Maybe in the future, but not right now.” That was a bit harder to own up to than his nightmares, like he was shirking his duty now or something. “It was a tough job even with my head on straight, you know?”
“Yeah, I woke up at the tunnel. No memory of who I was, not even my name, but… I still knew to run.” It was the only time he’d ever been back there in all the years that had passed and he hadn’t even been himself at the time. Some deep-seated fear had risen up, stronger than even his blocked out memories, and he’d only later realized the significance of it all. It was a memory Sage was happy to move on from, focusing instead on Ty’s new life. A little smile tugged at his lips as Ty mentioned the vet’s office and he debated telling him he knew before thinking better of it. He wasn’t sure Marsh would appreciate it, at least from a professional standpoint, though if things continued as they were, he was sure Ty would find out eventually. “I never liked the cops around here. I mean, I was a punk with a bad reputation, but… I wouldn’t want their job either. Dealing with the fallout. No real answers. You were one of the good ones.”
He’d already heard that everyone had woken up with no memory at first, but Ty still felt sympathy for the confusion and extended terror it probably caused Sage. At least Ty had been lucky enough to be picked up by someone who knew him, who got him connected with his people quickly. He wanted to ask how far and long Sage had wandered before he’d gotten help, but maybe it was best not to dwell on the scary shit that had worked out in the end. He had to chuckle at the compliment, feeling a bit of warm appreciation that Sage thought so. As a black man, he’d always tried his hardest to be the best, most fair cop he could be. “Thanks man. I think it was the no real answers that was the most maddening ... but now that I know way more than I did ...” Ty trailed off and shook his head. He knew there were unbelievable answers out there that he couldn’t put into reports, and that might’ve also driven him crazy. “So ... since we all woke up the same, I’m thinking some other things are the same too ... Have you noticed anything different about yourself, since you’ve been home? Besides like, the trauma.” Ty huffed softly.
Sage snorted in amusement, immediately nodding his head. “Yeah, it was pretty obvious something was wrong. I mean, not wrong. Different? Weird? Not normal by any means,” he said, still skirting around what had changed with him. “I talked to Jasper and I know he’s different, too. Different than me, though. He can find things. Anything he wants. Kind of like we can find each other, but his extends to everything else.” Maybe he shouldn’t be telling Ty that, but it wasn’t the sort of thing someone was going to pick Jasper up and experiment on. He could always lie and say Sage was making shit up. “What about you? What’s different?” He was sure there was something. He couldn’t imagine Ty knowing to bring it up otherwise.
Ty’s brows quirked up at the information about Jasper Lucas -- he hadn’t expected to get any word on that kid from anyone else, last he’d heard Jasper had told Greer that nothing had changed with him. He wasn’t shocked to hear that wasn’t true, but maybe it was something Jasper had discovered since his conversation with Greer. It was interesting as fuck to hear though, and he saw how that might be intensely useful. The analytical part of Ty’s mind didn’t miss that Sage didn’t really answer about himself, which was also interesting. “Well, uh ... I can’t feel pain anymore,” he offered, hoping it would prompt Sage to open up too. Ty gave a sheepish sort of smile. “No headaches, no pain from cuts, scrapes, burns, nothing. I’ve been experimenting a bit. I still feel like, temperature and pressure, but none of it hurts anymore. ... What about you?”
“Oh, that sucks,” Sage snickered before he realized how weird that might sound. “I mean, yay for no more headaches, but I could see it being problematic. If you, like, hurt yourself and didn’t know it.” He knew there were very real scenarios where such a skill could be both dangerous or useful, but all he could think about was how much he’d miss the sting of Marsh’s hand on his ass if such a thing happened to him. It made him more appreciative of his own weird skill, which was really only useful if he wanted to sneak around. A small part of him really wasn’t comfortable telling a former cop, but he reminded himself that this was Ty. He wasn’t going to get put back on some kind of watch list, unless he was already there. With his luck, they’d probably never taken him off. “I can make myself disappear. There’s some quirks to it. I’m still kind of figuring it out.”
Everybody’s first reactions seemed to be to worry about him, which was sweet and weirdly amusing at the same time. Ty understood that this new talent of his could be dangerous, but nobody else seemed to immediately see how cool it was at the same time. The things he could endure to save people and then turn around to get medical treatment? Maybe it was a good thing that he wasn’t going back to law enforcement right away. When Sage revealed what he could do, Ty’s brows inched higher. He didn’t immediately think of crime or Sage’s history, it was just his turn to have that knee-jerk ’awesome’ kind of reaction. “No shit,” he murmured with some admiration in his tone. “Like you just ... go completely invisible?”
“Yep,” Sage said, popping the P. He cast a glance down the street one way, then the other, then took a deep breath, feeling for the internal trigger he’d only recently discovered. He could tell the moment the invisibility kicked in based on Ty’s expression. “I’m still here. If you reach out, you can still touch me. You just can’t see me. Or my clothes. So it extends beyond just my skin.” Another deep breath and he let the skill drop, pleased to see his shoes scuffing the floor of the porch. The whole thing felt natural, except for a slight humming beneath his skin, a feeling he associated with fear. It came naturally when he was scared shitless, so turning it on when he wasn’t still felt kind of weird. “I can’t always control it. It happens a lot when I try to sleep, so not super convenient. But at least I can do it now with my eyes open.”
Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised by anything now, but Ty was startled when Sage vanished, even with a warning, and it showed clearly on his face. He almost did reach out toward the disembodied voice to touch him, but then he was back in a blink and that was just weird to experience, but really cool. “Wow,” he said, drawing the word out before it ended in a soft laugh. “Damn dude, that’s fucking wild. Pretty awesome though. Can you see yourself when you do it? Like your hands and body and stuff?” If not, how disorienting would that be? It probably made it hard to physically handle things and pick up objects ... but maybe not, maybe all that was still instinctual. Ty’s mind leapt to all the good work he could do if he could turn invisible, but he wasn’t going to start nudging Sage to be a superhero or anything.
Sage had to stop and think about that for a second, more used to checking that he could see himself when he wanted to re-appear than when he’d disappeared. “I think I can see myself,” he said with a little laugh. “I know I should know that, but when this started it only worked with my eyes closed. I only recently figured out how to do it with them open. If I’m under a blanket, like in a bed, the blanket doesn’t disappear. Just me. But if I’m holding a drink, the drink disappears. I’m sure I’d be a fascinating science experiment. Downside is it kind of hypes me up.” Downside was it came with six months of trauma to get it. Sage would easily trade in his super power if it meant he wasn’t scared of the fucking dark.
“Bet that was a trip to discover,” Ty murmured with a wan grin. Sage probably thought he was losing his mind at first -- that was what Ty would’ve thought, anyway. Just like he jumped straight to a brain tumor when he scraped his leg up pain-free. He was pretty impressed that Sage was learning to control it better, like it was a skill he could develop instead of just some weird effect he was saddled with. That was interesting, it made him wonder if his own ‘talent’ was something he could learn to turn off and on. He knew that would definitely make Jared feel better, he just had no idea where to start. How did one practice being in pain? He was quiet for a beat, then added, “Does knowing all this -- like that we’ve all developed something -- does it freak you out at all?”
“Oh, bad trip, for sure,” Sage nodded. “I was scared I was fading from existence. Or, worse, disappearing back into that other place. I spent about a week filming myself while I was asleep. I’d flicker on and off all night.” That had been key to figuring out there was a trigger, that he didn’t always disappear when he slept. And he never disappeared during sex, at least not so far. If he did, it was probably a bad sign. “I mean, yeah? It freaks me out. But on a scale of one to ten, it’s more like a three, with fog monsters at an eight and getting trapped in a parallel universe at a ten. Not that I want to start ranking traumatic events, but you know what I mean. I don’t think it’s gonna kill me, and that’s what matters.”
Ty was less concerned by the individual ‘powers’ they were all showing and more worried about what all of that might mean. Had they been infected by something from that other place? Would these abilities continue to grow and evolve into bad news for all of them? Would something else happen that dragged them all together like some kind of fucked up X-Men team? Ty didn’t have any of those answers and he knew Sage didn’t either. If the kid wasn’t worried about the bigger picture yet, Ty didn’t want to plant those concerns in his mind. They would all just have to see what happened. It was a shitty, powerless feeling, but it was what it was. They’d all gotten pretty used to feeling powerless, Ty suspected. “I don’t think it will either,” he told Sage with a little smile. “I know where you’re coming from -- Jared seems way more worried about it than I am. I feel like we’re all just so relieved to be home, this stuff feels like small potatoes. ... well, for some of us.” Ty frowned softly. “Poor Greer, she’s been getting visions of people’s deaths when she touches them. Not everyone all the time, but enough. I definitely wouldn’t want that one.”
“Fuck,” Sage muttered. “I don’t know that I could handle that. Is she okay?” She’d seemed like a nice person, the kind Sage might’ve gotten to know under other circumstances. Now he wasn’t sure he wanted to go anywhere near her. He knew someday he’d die, but the thought of having someone see his death rattled him. He could only imagine what it must do to her. “I think being over there just changed us. Mentally, physically, psychically, or whatever. I don’t know if I want anyone running experiments on me to see why. I don’t think a normal doctor would have a clue where to start.” It occurred to him that Connor could probably discreetly check him out, make sure there wasn’t something horribly wrong that he was overlooking, but it didn’t seem necessary at the moment. “I know there are witches ‘round here. They might be able to help if we need it. Maybe.”
He shook his head a bit at the first question and murmured “I don’t think so.” Ty didn’t know her extremely well, obviously, and while she seemed tough and like she was functioning, he’d seen the weight in her eyes when he’d been talking to her. He hated to even imagine being burdened with that kind of knowledge. “I dunno, from what I hear ... I think this interdimensional shit is beyond our local witches,” Ty said. It was still a little weird to hear words like that come out of his mouth and know that he was really talking about real things. “But I’m with you on not being a guinea pig. I’m getting some tests done at the hospital just to satisfy Jared that I don’t have a brain tumor, but if they don’t find anything that’s as far as that’s going.” He knew he would still need to get routine scans and shit since he couldn’t feel any pain, but Ty wasn’t going to let anybody run experiments on him.
“Maybe she can learn to turn it off,” Sage said, though that seemed unlikely if touch was the trigger. It brought up more questions, like if it only happened with her hands, or if clothing protected her. Maybe gloves would help, but there was always the chance that she’d see the death of anyone close to her. He couldn’t imagine not being able to love on his friends. It had to be awful. “I think the inter-dimensional shit is beyond everyone,” he said with a little snort. “Let me know if they find anything. They ran some tests on me right after I got back, but I don’t think they even knew what to look for. And I didn’t even remember my own name, so I couldn’t tell ‘em.” It wouldn’t surprise him if they all had brain cancer, but he doubted it was that simple. If they had anything, it was more likely to be alien, with no treatment or cure.
Learning to turn “it” off would probably benefit all of them, if such a thing was even possible for everyone. Ty sure as hell didn’t know. The fast-healing part of his new powers -- a word that his brain never wanted to use for himself, it was too weird -- was pretty cool, but he knew everyone was worried about him hurting himself, or his appendix bursting without his knowledge or something like that. Ty didn’t know what the doctors would find, but his best guess was that they wouldn’t find a thing wrong with him. Whatever was happening wasn’t of this world and it probably didn’t show any symptoms. “I’ll keep you updated,” he told Sage with a little smile. “And you let me know if anything changes with you, yeah? I’m kind of trying to keep tabs on everyone, just in case ... in case it seems like it’s happening again, you know?” The tone in his voice revealed how he felt about that even being a possibility. He’d almost killed Jared once, Ty would toss himself into the ocean before he let it happen again.
The thought of it happening again was the kind of thing that kept Sage up at night. When paranoia began to take hold, when he thought something in the dark was watching him, he wondered if his mind was beginning to split. Was he sucking his loved ones dry again? He hadn’t noticed the first time and he was pretty sure the only reason they’d all survived was because he’d been living alone. It made him want to reconsider moving in with Austin, just in case. He’d be devastated if he killed his friends, if he killed anyone at all. “I know,” he said quietly. “There’s a lot about what happened that I don’t understand. Like, did being in that place cure us? And how did we get back? Did the ones that sent us there do something? How can we be sure that we’re not going to start leeching off people again? And if something does happen, who do we even tell?” He didn’t expect Ty to have the answers, but they were questions Sage had asked himself and Ty was one of the few people who might relate.
Ty had asked himself all those same questions and more, and his weary expression as Sage listed them off said as much. All of it starting over was probably his biggest fear. Would anyone be able to stop them again? What if they retained their memories of last time and went after Jules Cooper immediately? Ty could only hope they started to recognize the signs before they really lost their minds. He knew he made a point to notice Jared’s energy levels. “I wish I knew any of that,” he told Sage with a wan smile. “But I dunno if we’ll ever get any satisfactory answers. Just gotta ... keep taking it a day at a time, I guess. Put our lives back together.” Ty felt like he was well on his way, it was just the mental part that was going to take some more work. Wanting to pull them into a lighter place, he nodded at Sage’s guitar. “So you told me you were a musician ... now do I get to actually hear something?”
The mental part of rebuilding was the hardest part for Sage, and his struggle to pull himself back together held back every other piece. He’d finally started moving forward, very tentatively, but was still worried it wouldn’t pan out as planned. Everything hinged on his ability to get and keep a job. At least Nate knew what he was getting into in hiring him back on. And it helped that being in Dragonfly functioned like some kind of upper, though he’d yet to see if he crashed the moment his shift ended. That was the hurdle that scared him the most. Ty was right in turning the conversation towards Sage’s music if he wanted something lighter. It immediately tugged a smile onto Sage’s lips. “Sure,” he said, picking up his guitar. His fingers slid along the strings, the instrument a comfort to him even when he wasn’t actually playing it. “I haven’t written much since I got back. And what I have is kinda emo. Any requests?”
It was always kind of nice to see people practicing their passions, and Ty could tell that Sage really loved the guitar once he’d picked it up. He gave the younger man an easy grin and he leaned back further in his chair. “Aw man, that’s always a tough question,” he chuckled. “You’re more into rock and roll, right? You know any Metallica? Tool? Or was all that before your time? I feel older all the time, man.” Ty laughed softly again. “Just play me one of your favorites, whatever it is. Yours or somebody else’s.” Ty was curious about how good he actually was, but that smile he suddenly had made Sage’s skill not at all important.
“Dude, give me some credit,” Sage laughed, already beginning to tune his guitar to the song he planned to play. “I know Metallica. I’d whip out Master of Puppets or Enter Sandman if I was on my electric, but the neighbors aren’t super fond of the noise.” He knew, as they’d complained to his parents plenty of times over the years. The apartment had been even more strict about the noise level, so he only really rocked out at Austin’s place these days. Maybe someday he’d have his own house and a room he could blast away in, but it was mostly a dream these days. “I don’t know Tool well enough to play it off hand, but you should know this one. Maybe next time I’ll play you something of mine.” He liked playing his own music, but the song he had in his head right now wasn’t quite ready to be shared. Instead he started with the opening chords of Nothing Else Matters, comfortable sinking into an old favorite.
Ty was glad he wasn’t being told he should check into the closest nursing home -- he knew Sage was out of his teenage years, but not by too much, and Ty didn’t exactly keep up with the latest music trends. He was actually more of a rap and R&B guy, but those songs were hard to recreate on a guitar. Jared probably would’ve had some better suggestions. Ty immediately recognized the song though, and he grinned and even sang the chorus a bit when Sage got to it. Not with any real effort, but some rocking-out faces as Sage reached the more intense parts. He was surprisingly good, and as the song went on Ty felt like he understood him a bit better in a weird way. It was funny how music could do that. He also found himself grateful that Sage had survived, because God knew the world needed more creatives in it. When he finished up, Ty gave some lowkey applause and a whistle of appreciation. “Damn, you’re good, dude! Makes me wish you had one of those over there.”
Playing almost always made Sage feel good, even when the songs were sad or depressing. It provided an outlet for his emotions, one that was creative instead of destructive. There was a darkness to the song that Sage connected with and it flowed from him easily. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t his song. Those felt too personal at the moment anyways. Compliments following his playing always received the same sort of response—a bashful grin and his fingers through his hair, as if he needed to hide. “Thanks, man,” he smiled. “I missed it over there. Not sure I would’ve played if I could’ve, but it keeps me sane.” He opted not to tell Ty that he was the first person he’d played for since returning home, but it was still a big step for him. It had been a no pressure situation, where Ty had little to low expectations, at least from Sage’s perspective. It had been easy, like getting back on a bike, and the relief he felt was overwhelming.
He was willing to bet they could’ve talked Sage into playing something for them, during those interminable hours where nothing ever changed but the impossible threats passing by outside. Though he was sure they wouldn’t have been able to find an instrument that wasn’t rotted and useless. Ty tried to pull his thoughts away from that place, that part of his life was over now. It damn well better be, anyway. “I bet,” he murmured with a little smile. Ty didn’t have any hobbies like that, no passions that really kept him sane. He had Jared though, and that counted for a lot. And his family. So he was still pretty blessed, even with no real creative talent. He’d run dry of things to chat about and he’d gotten the information he’d come for, plus a bonus musical performance, so it seemed like time to go. Ty rubbed his hands on his jeans and moved to stand up. “Well I’ll get outta your hair, man,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Can I get your number? Just to check in now and then, y’know.”
There’d been no instruments over there, not even a rotting piano, and by the time Sage had gotten back the music in his head had gone so silent it scared him. It had been weeks before it came back and it didn’t matter that what he had now was dark and depressing because it was music and that would always be better than nothing at all. Maybe something good would even come of it. He’d just have to keep trying and find out. “You mean you don’t want to keep hunting me down?” Sage asked with a smile. Just because they could find each other whenever they wanted didn’t mean it was convenient. Sage took out his phone, happy to exchange phone numbers, just in case. “Sure, man. I hope to be out of here soon. And back at work tomorrow. Stop by Dragonfly sometime and I’ll buy you a drink.” Had he ever told Ty he was a bartender? Probably not. Sage never thought of it as his profession, even if it was where he made at least half of his income.
“Texting is usually faster,” Ty agreed with a little grin. It was kind of comforting to know that he could, but he didn’t want to have to physically go to Sage every time he wanted to talk to him, so they might as well be modern people about it. Once they had each other saved in their phones, Ty tucked his back into his pocket. “So you work at Dragonfly, then?” he asked. Sage had never explicitly said so until now, but Ty found that kind of interesting. He knew now that place was enchanted somehow, like the karaoke bar, he just didn’t have any details on how or by whom. “Me and Jared like that place, so I’m sure we’ll run into you there soon.”
“A spot just opened up, so yeah, got my old job back,” Sage smiled easily. “It’s just part time. I also teach piano and guitar. Drums. Pretty much anything the high school band teacher doesn’t teach.” He had no experience with wind instruments and didn’t plan to change that, though he supposed if someone wanted to throw enough money at him he’d try anything. “But yeah, I like Dragonfly. It’s a happy place,” he said with a little laugh. Now that he knew about magic, it felt so obvious to him, but he knew it wasn’t like that to everyone. He’d been going for years before he’d realized it had more than just a good vibe. “You’ll have to introduce me to Jared.”
“Nice man, congrats,” Ty said, giving a warm smile. He clapped Sage lightly on the back of the shoulder. Dragonfly was certainly a happy place, and if all of them needed more of anything right now, it was happiness. “And I definitely will, real soon. I think you two would get along.” It was hard not to get along with Jared, he was just that kind of guy. Even when they’d been partners out there enforcing the law, most everyone had been more relaxed around Jared than Ty. There could’ve been some racist reasons for that with some people, but he knew that his man just put off a good vibe the vast majority of the time. “You take it easy, okay? Text me if you need anything.” Ty moved to step off of the porch.
“Same to you,” Sage said, even if he couldn’t imagine a scenario where Ty would need his assistance with anything, ever. He’d felt put together over there, where everything was falling apart, and Sage was certain he was more put together here, his life already on a new path while Sage still struggled to find his. It wasn’t a contest though, and he knew they were different people entirely. Which was why he wished him the best and hoped to see him around. It would be nice to have a cop on his side, even a retired one.