Aya (missbegotten) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2023-10-16 20:27:00 |
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Entry tags: | #july 2018, aidan, amelia, aya, max, ruby |
Who: Amelia, Ruby, Aidan, Max & Aya
Where: The O'Reilly home
When: Sunday night 7/8
Status Complete, part 2/2
If Aidan had realized Amelia worked in the police station, he might’ve kept his mouth shut, but he was pleasantly high and assumed a Lucas that had turned to them for help would keep her mouth shut, especially if she could benefit from it. He shot a glare at Aya as she insulted him, but softened under the praise. He wasn’t usually one to brag about what he could do, and the complement meant a lot since Aya wasn’t one to flatter. “The catch was being hungover for a solid year while I worked on perfecting it,” Aidan said. “No catch now. Just work on my end. It’s like brewing anything else, but with an extra step at the end.” He’d taken the project on so that his father wouldn’t literally drink himself to death. That it had become a primary source of income for them was pure luck.
“We’ll grab a bottle before we go then,” Ruby smiled, nudging Amelia. She didn’t know if Amelia wanted one for herself, but even if she didn’t, then she could bring it back for Jasper. If it worked, it was worth trying. It didn’t occur to her that this whole situation might be awkward for Amelia—she also tended to forget she worked at the police station. And for all she knew, Amelia might be of age to drink now, even though she hadn’t been a few months ago. It was sometimes hard to remember that. The more time she spent with her now, the less she associated her with the child she’d been last year. She knew they were the same and would never forget, but they sometimes felt like completely different people.
"Or two," Amelia interjected.. If they only got one they'd have to hide it from the people in their lives who drank alcohol like it was water, if they wanted any of it themselves, anyway. She had no idea The O'Reillys did actual business with it, picturing it more like a little hobby of Aidan's so she made sure to grin in a way that said she was joking - if he didn't have enough or if assuming they could have more was rude or something. "Wait, did you have a hangover for a full year non-stop? Or just every time you tried drinking?" The former was a possibility and Amelia kind of wished she didn't live in a world where it was. It sounded awful, she hadn't exactly had a hangover very often but the couple of times she had, she'd hated it so much.
“Two’s fine,” Aidan said, willing to part with a couple bottles for the girls who’d hung out with them. He doubted they had any idea how much he actually produced and that was fine with him. “Every time I tried drinking,” he clarified. “I’d basically wake up with a hangover, spend the day sober while attempting to get the magic right, then drink that night to see if it worked the next morning. It was a vicious cycle and I don’t recommend it to anyone,” he chuckled. He’d been uninterested in drinking for a while after that, but came back around. Not having a hangover definitely helped.
“I can’t imagine how you kept at it,” Ruby said. “Every time I have a hangover I think I’m never doing that again.” Maybe someday she’d do something so epically stupid that she’d truly swear off it, but she somehow doubted it. She needed something to occasionally get her through surviving in Point Pleasant and drinking was one of the easier options.
"I think my little brother might be a masochist," Max said lightly. "If it was me, it would have taken a decade." He did drink a lot, but rarely to the point where it made him sick, even when he didn't have access to Aidan's brew. Drinking to the point of a hangover every day sounded miserable.
"Are you?" Aya asked with a cock of her brow. "That's no fun, can't torment someone if they enjoy it." It was all light banter, but there was a hint of truth to it and the boys who knew her could see a little glint in her eyes. She'd never tormented them, maybe she'd never actually inflict pain on anyone, but she was pretty damn good at annoying them.
Amelia was having a hard time keeping up with what was a joke and what wasn't so she just studied everyone's reactions before glancing curiously at Aidan. She knew what a masochist was only from mentions in books and jokes but she knew it was a genuine thing and she wasn't sure she understood it.
“Maybe,” Aidan snickered. He’d never considered himself a masochist, but after spending the day almost drowning himself in an effort to sneak past a curse, he wasn’t sure he could say no. He’d been the one to inflict it upon himself, but he couldn’t say he’d enjoyed it. Not for the pain, at least. “I didn’t like being hungover, but… I think… the pain was worth it?” He could feel himself getting sucked towards the concept, trying to suss it out, something that was never going to work while high, especially with such a horrid example. “Wait, is that all we have to do? Tell you that we like it and then you’ll stop?” he grinned, poking at Aya.
Ruby watched the little group, trying to figure out the relationship between them all. Was Aya with Aidan? It seemed like a possibility, but occasionally they said or did things that made them seem more like siblings, though they clearly weren’t. The comfort between the three of them was enviable and it made her wish she had people in her life like that. Jasper came close, and more recently Amelia, but lately she could feel all her ties slipping between her fingers. “You can totally torment someone if they enjoy it,” she said lightly. “Then it’s a win-win.”
"No, then you're just giving them pleasure," Aya said but then she had to think about it because a masochist liked pain so it wasn't truly pleasure, it was still pain, but they enjoyed it. It was a little confusing. "I know you well enough to know that you'd be lying just to get out of it," she added to Aidan and poked him again, not willing to show that she was confused about any of it. "Especially since you just said as much!"
"Enduring pain isn't the same as enjoying it," Amelia mused and hoped that made sense outside of her head. "Sometimes you just have to. If you get something good at the end, it makes it worth it more." She thought of all the crap she and her people had endured so far and definitely didn't want to steer the conversation in that direction so she quickly added: "Like you succeeding."
Aidan just grinned at Aya, unable to disagree with her when she was right—he’d happily lie to get out of her brand of torture. But she’d do the same. “See, that, there,” he said, waving a hand in Amelia’s direction. “That’s why. I don’t have to like being hungover to like what it got me. Working hard for a reward doesn’t mean you always like the work.” It was a lot nicer when you did, but he knew life didn’t usually work that way.
“Like school,” Ruby said, since that was the most relatable for her. She wanted to go to college so she could make a decent living, not because she was looking forward to four more years, or more, of lectures and tests. When she thought of it like that, it felt like a mountain worth of work and she wasn’t all that sure she wanted to climb. Probably because she was still at the bottom.
The last time Amelia had actually been to school, she'd enjoyed it so she couldn't relate, but she also knew Jasper hated it and it probably got worse and worse as you got older. She'd certainly put in the work even if she hadn't done it at school and it had been hard. So she nodded, glad she was making sense to them. "Yeah, you just take it one day at a time, it's all you can do."
"Like school," Max groaned. "Oh man, what a shit show high school was. I had some fun though, just never in class." He narrowed his eyes a little and looked between the two guests. "You're both out of high school, right?" he asked, not because he had any intentions with them but hanging out with highschoolers felt like an ultimate low and if Aidan was going to give them booze, it was better if they were at least college aged.
“Yeah,” Ruby snickered, amused that Max was only now asking that question, after sharing his drugs, after his brother had promised them alcohol. “I liked the social aspect of high school. Not so much the classes. Now it seems kind of like an infinite future of adulting.” She wasn’t quite there, but she could see it clearly enough. Freedom came with responsibilities that never ended.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Aidan said with a lazy smile. “Not that we’re great examples.” He knew their household was not the norm, that they functioned a bit more like a co-op than a house of fully independent adults, but it worked for them and that was the key. Other people may want more independence, but Aidan liked his family close.
"Hey, don't worry, kids," Max drawled playfully. "You too can grow up to be irresponsible jackasses if you put your heart into it." All the smoking had him thirsty so he grabbed the bottle of coke he'd been drinking from earlier and took a swig. "If you guys are thirsty, you need to get your own drinks from the kitchen," he told them. "I wasn't expecting company." His own soda was pretty flat and warm by now, so even if he hadn't been drinking from the bottle, he doubted anyone would want a sip. He'd been meaning to get a cooler in here, that'd have to go on the list of things to 'buy' the next time he went 'shopping' with Aidan and Aya.
Amelia was thirsty but she didn't really trust herself to go traipsing through a house that changed like it did, nor did she want to be a nuisance so she just smiled and shrugged, feeling a bit like a loser for not speaking up. But who the hell could she ask to do her a favor like that? Ruby didn't know the house either and these other people were strangers to her.
Ruby’s head lolled towards Amelia’s, a lazy smile on her face. “Thirsty?” she asked. “I could use some water. Though we might not make it back,” she told the others. “Depends on the house.” She liked to think they’d be accepted by now, but if they got lost again, she’d probably accept any bedroom to sleep in. “If we’re gone too long, someone come find us. Just so we’re not stuck in a craft room loop or some shit.”
Aidan snorted, unable to help it in his current state. “I think the house likes you now,” he smiled, and forced himself not to look at Aya. While there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t fuck with them again, he didn’t think she would, not now that they’d sung together. Chances were higher that she’d want them to find their way back.
"The house loves you, Aya," Max said teasingly. "You should go with them. Make sure they're safe." He grinned at her and cocked a brow, knowing this was within the limits of how much he was allowed to annoy her.
Aya smirked back at him, just a hint of hostility in her eyes before her gaze softened again as it landed on the girls. "The house will leave you alone," she said. "Actually, the house doesn't really do shit, I just like messing with people." She tilted her head and laughed lightly. "Don't be mad."
Amelia didn't really know what to believe here, the house having some kind of prankster character sounded ridiculous, but Aya having some weird power with the doors didn't sound any less so. Then again, everything in life was weird to her so she didn't really expect anything to make sense. "So you were tricking us earlier?" she asked, making sure she wasn't misunderstanding anything.
“It’s what she does,” Aidan smiled, idly playing with Aya’s hair. “Don’t take it personally.” If he’d known she was doing it to guests, he might have tried to stop her… maybe. But only because Amelia and Ruby seemed pretty cool, and they were guests. Tricking outsiders was generally a fun game otherwise. “We know you’re here now, so we won’t let you get lost again.” They didn’t have to trust him, but he meant it anyways.
Ruby thought she should have been annoyed, but she was high enough to be curious instead. “How’d you do it?” she asked, tilting her head back so she could see Aya. “It was so… fluid.”
That put a look of smug satisfaction on Aya's face and she didn't care if she was being manipulated or not, Ruby seemed earnest enough even if the boys were having a laugh. "I'll show you," she murmured and sat up, fixing her little dress as she stood up and then made her way over to the door. "I will take you to the kitchen in two seconds flat." She eyed the girls who didn't seem in any rush to get up and quirked a brow. "Or... more. Depending on you guys."
Amelia looked at her, then Ruby, then shrugged and slowly got up. Her head was swimming a bit but she felt warm and kind of happy now and she didn't think Aya would hurt them or make them get lost again. Was that naive? Possibly, she didn't really care though.
“Okay, okay,” Ruby smiled, rising to her feet. “I didn’t know we were going to get a demonstration.” As she made her way over to the door, she tried to remember what it looked like on the other side. They’d entered from the hallway, where Aidan had seen them and joined them. It had been nowhere near the kitchen, where they’d met Aya. But they’d also been lost in a maze of rooms that couldn’t possibly connect the way they did. “Ready when you are.”
"I am always ready," Aya announced haughtily, as if the girls could possibly know that. She wasn't hostile as she headed to the door though, her body language playful and a spring in her step.
"Don't take them outside the house," Max reminded her and it might have been stern if he wasn't feeling so floaty and giggly from the pot. "My sister will have your ass if you do."
Aya blew out air in huff and rolled her eyes at that. "Kitchen, and back," she said and gestured for them to lead the way as she opened the door. "Go on through." They could clearly see the hallway there for about two seconds and then it was gone, replaced with a view of the kitchen from the kitchen door.
Amelia stared at the door, then looked at Aya with some worry in her eyes. Was she like Jules? Could she go to other dimensions? How common was this? She wasn't about to back out though and she sure as hell wasn't going to let Ruby go in there alone.
Ruby knew about the portals Jules could open, but for some reason her brain didn’t make that connection. The kitchen wasn’t the same as another world, and she was way too curious to see it in action now that she knew who was doing it. One second the hallway was there, the next it was the kitchen. “Holy shit,” she laughed softly, and stepped through. Looking back, she could still see the inside of Max’s room with all the others watching. “That’s fucking awesome!”
Aidan watched the proceedings with a small smile on his face, willing to stay silent so long as Aya played nice. He didn’t think she’d do anything this time, more interested in showing off than playing tricks, but he knew with her anything was possible.
Amelia stepped in after her, half expecting Aya to trap them in the kitchen but it wasn't the worst place to be trapped so she wasn't scared, especially not when Aya sauntered in right after them and the bedroom disappeared from view behind them. She made a beeline to the fridge and opened it, pointing out all the things they had in there. Of course there was a lot of Aidan's brew, some sodas along with some healthier options she completely neglected.
"If you want something that's not here, I can go get it," Aya said smugly, loosened up a little by the pot and the admiration. "From wherever."
Ruby eyed the liquor, but grabbed a soda for herself. The O’Reillys had been pretty chill, but she didn’t know them well enough to take alcohol from their fridge. She popped open the soda as she turned back towards Aya. “I’m good, but when you say wherever, do you mean, like, anywhere? Can you just pop over to the grocery store whenever you like?” Not that she wanted to go to the grocery store, but it seemed like an acceptable location to ask about. If Aya could open a door to the grocery store, she could potentially go anywhere.
"Mmhmm," Aya murmured. "I'm not taking you with me, though." Everyone was so worried she was going to steal these girls away from the house and she really didn't need to hear that from them one more time. She liked fucking with people but sometimes it just wasn't worth the hassle and she absolutely left Aidan's sister alone. "And of course I wouldn't go there if it was closed," she added but in such an exaggerated tone that it was obviously a lie.
Amelia grabbed a soda too as she listened, not so interested in the grocery store as she was in Aya's ability. She wanted to ask if she was like Jules, but she had no idea how to even phrase the question.
“Oh, of course,” Ruby grinned. She normally tried to stay within the confines of the law, but with an ability like that it would be way too tempting to take advantage of it. “If you ever want a friend to go shopping with you, let me know,” she smiled at Aya as she moved back to stand next to the doorway, waiting for Aya to open it once more. If she’d had any doubts about the use of magic in the house, Aya’s abilities had wiped them away. She might not be a witch, but Ruby could fully believe that anything was possible after seeing magic like that.
Aya quirked a brow and considered it. It probably would be fun to go shopping with a girl, Ruby looked like she enjoyed dressing up, her hair was fun too so Aya might just take her up on it. "I'll find you," she said with a grin and then the doorway changed again from the view to the hall to Max's room. "I'm not going back in here so speak up if you want anything from the kitchen," Aya sing-songed and only gave the boys a second before she headed inside, letting the girls trail after her this time.