Silas Rayner (middle) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2023-11-30 16:14:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | #july 2018, adalyn, adalyn x silas, silas |
Who: Silas and Addie
Where: The Rayner House
When: Morning, Tuesday, July 17th
Addie was still walking on a cloud when she and Nick returned home from Bangor. Her engagement ring was sparkly and full of promise, and it was difficult not to drag Nick back to bed and spend all day naked with him. But he had writing to do, and she had to get back to work too, so once she was showered and changed, she left Nick in the room to write and headed downstairs to the mortuary in the basement to find Silas. He had been covering for her while she had been out of town, and now she was hoping to give him a bit of a break and take over. Plus, she was dying to show her brother her ring.
She found him cleaning out one of the storage lockers in the morgue. “I’m hooooome,” she drawled, doing her best to sound like the little girl from Poltergeist. “How’d things go while i was away?”
"She's home!" Silas chimed in after her and raised his arms in only partially theatrical joy before leaning down to hug her. He'd sincerely expected her to burst in with a lot more noise since he knew what Nick had planned for her but she'd already sent him a picture of the ring with a whole lot of exclamation marks so the announcement itself was done. "Everything's fine, don't worry about that. You look a little more honest already," he said with a teasing lilt as he pulled back to look at her. "Future Mrs. Cooke." He'd been so happy when Nick told him his plans and he'd been right about just how happy it'd make his sister.
Addie grinned as they hugged and as soon as he pulled back from her, she lifted up her hand to show him the ring. Sure, she had already sent pictures of it to him the other night, but so what? "I was completely surprised," she said, still beaming. "You remember when I told you I proposed to him that one night? He told me that he wanted to say yes, but he had some loose ends to tie up before it could happen." Addie had been sure she had probably scared him off in some way or another when she had drunkenly started talking about babies and marriage, but apparently, that had only confirmed to Nick that they both wanted the same thing. "Isn't it gorgeous?" she asked of the ring.
Silas took her hand and peered at the ring, admiring it for a moment. "It's absolutely stunning," he agreed as he turned her hand a little this way and that for a better view. "I'm so happy for you, and him!" He'd been sure Addie would want to tell him and their dad in person so not only had the text message been a surprise, but the fact Edgar knew before she got home was a double one. "Have you talked to dad yet? He's pretty excited." Probably not if she just got home, Edgar had gone out early and as far as Silas knew, he hadn't come back yet. Silas was trying not to fret about him too much, he'd been cleared to drive but his coma had still not been explained and Silas couldn't help but worry that Edgar would keel over unexpectedly again.
She knew Silas would be happy for her. She and Nick had been dating long enough that both Silas and her father had already more or less accepted him into the family. The age difference didn't seem to matter to either of them, and for that she was grateful. "I was going to talk to him today," Addie said, lowering her hand. "I looked around for him before I came down here but he's not home." Like Silas, she worried about their dad being out and about too. A coma took a lot out of a person and it was like he woke up years ago. "How was he while I was gone? He keeps telling me he feels fine every time I ask but... you know how he is."
Silas was still admiring her ring, far nicer than worrying about Edgar. It did compliment her eyes, though in the current light the colors didn't look identical. "Hm?" he murmured when Addie lowered her hand, somewhat disappointed that she took away the more comfortable topic. "Oh he's... More like himself again?" That didn't mean much, Edgar rarely showed when he was hurting or sad, he kept things neat and tidy on the surface whether it was his health, his family or his business on the line. "It's hard to tell. He's keeping busy. Elijah is safe, he says, but he won't tell me where he is." He straightened up and gave her an empty smile. "So, all is back to normal it seems. Show me that ring again."
Addie lifted a brow, her heart skipping a beat in her chest. "Wait, he knows where Elijah is?" It was a topic she knew she would have to tell Nick about eventually, but she had hoped to avoid it for as long as possible. Knowing their dad knew where Elijah was was a bit startling and she temporarily forgot about her engagement ring. It was good that he was acting like himself again, but the fact that their "brother" was out running around somewhere was concerning. "How does... what does he mean Elijah is safe? How did he find him? Did he say anything?"
"No, sugar doll, he didn't say shit," Silas drawled tiredly. Edgar was weirdly good at dodging questions and slinking away when he didn't want to talk about things, throwing out random tidbits to distract them. Silas wished he understood that technique so he could use it himself but alas. "He's your dad too, help yourself to questioning him. He made it sound like he wasn't in trouble or causing trouble and that's all I got and honestly? That's more than I was expecting. Now. Ring, please?" He held out his hand a bit impatiently, giving her a little smile again. Maybe he should have waited to tell her, but she had asked and he didn't want to practice that question dodging on her of all people.
Exasperated, Addie sighed and lifted up her hand again for Silas to examine the ring. "You know, you're as good at dodging things as he is, you just do it a little differently." She knew that he could only tell her what Edgar had told him, but gods, the men in her family really hated talking about anything distressing. "I'll talk to him whenever he comes back home. I just... I need to tell Nick," she added in a slightly lower tone. Nick never came down here without buzzing at the top of the stairs first, so she wasn't all that worried he would overhear. But it was still a sensitive subject. "I can't marry him and then dump all the family secrets on him."
Silas didn't manage to hold back his expression of horror, shaking his head before he caught himself and regained his composure. "Addie, I don't think that's the best idea you've ever had, we can... he does not strictly need to know about our cannibalistic monster brother, you know?" Nick was very cool with a lot of things but even he had to have a limit. There was a big difference between fiction and reality and Elijah was very, uncomfortably real. Not that Silas had seen him in a while, he wasn't even sure if he was relieved or distressed about that, it was such a big and strange part of his life that he knew should horrify him but... dealing with Elijah sometimes had been more of a chore than a horror.
Silas's reaction was just about what Addie was expecting and she could understand his adversion to it. It wasn't like she wanted to vomit all of her family's deep dark secrets onto her future husband. It was possible Nick would flip out and leave her. But she also didn't want to start a life with him trying to keep things buried. "I don't want to lie about things," Addie said. "What if we get married and Elijah suddenly shows up and I have to explain it then? Just because dad says he's safe and okay doesn't mean he won't come back. Wouldn't you want to know if your future husband had a cannibalistic monster brother?"
"You know," Silas said, drawing the words out as he considered it. "I think not. Ignorance is bliss and I'll take all the bliss I can get at this point." Nick was probably not like that though, Nick finding out about the dark family secrets years down the line was probably not something they wanted to experience. He couldn't really imagine how he'd react, more accurately he couldn't imagine Nick reacting badly and getting angry with Addie but that was probably just wishful thinking. "To be fair, if it was me I could just say 'Oh my God, me too' and we'd bond over it."
Addie huffed with mild exasperation, but there was a hint of amusement in her expression. "I would rather tell him now and have him leave me then tell him in ten years and have him leave me then for not telling him now. But if you think I shouldn't... I guess I can leave it be. I just don't want him to find out some other way, you know? To me, that's got to be worse, right?" Maybe Nick would understand. He wrote about this stuff, after all. He traveled all over to find stories like the one the Rayner family had. And it wasn't like Elijah was in his room now, gnawing on a corpse's arm. Maybe Nick would find it fascinating.
"Think of it this way," Silas told her, grabbing her upper arms gently and giving her a solemn look. "Maybe... Maybe you'll be bored with him in ten years." His lips twitched into a crooked smile because he knew Addie wouldn't agree, but it was a joke of sorts, something to lighten the mood. "He'll be boring in eight years and you'll find someone even better? And he'll never have to know!" Silas didn't want that either, but he knew life had a way of twisting and turning in unpredictable ways so who was he to say what was to come. "I just really, really don't want you to scare him off right now."
The instinctive response was that no, absolutely not, she would never get bored with Nick. Would he get bored with her? Maybe, but Addie didn't think so. She felt the strength of his love for her every day and it definitely matched how she felt about him. "That's like the worst way to convince me not to tell him," Addie said with a roll of her eyes. "So I guess I'll wait for our ten year anniversary and see how bored I am before I tell Nick about my undead brother." But she also understood what he was saying. If she told Nick and he ran away she would be devastated. "I'll keep it to myself for now. I'll try, okay?"
Silas gave her a sympathetic pout and hugged her again briefly before returning to his stance of holding her by the arms again. "I know it's hard, I know it sucks," he murmured but did he really? He'd never been in love, he'd only had friends he needed to keep this secret from and that had been hard enough on its own. "I mean, just quietly gauge his tolerance for weird shit in the next couple of months before you make any rash decisions, that sounds doable, no?" He'd always known that romance might complicate things in the future but that had always been such an abstract and far away concept. Until now.
Addie nodded. "I'll just tell him about all the fucked up things that have happened and see what he says about it. I mean, he was here with the fog, you know? He has to know what was in it." Maybe Silas had a point. She should gauge Nick's reactions to things and if she felt comfortable with them, she'll tell him about Elijah. "But what if Elijah comes back?" she whispered, leaning in a bit. "Nick is practically living here. He's not stupid. What then?"
There was also a big difference between agreeing that the fog had been scary and accepting a brother in law who was a literal undead horror. Silas felt like squirming as Addie talked and he didn't do a great job of hiding it. "I'm a big fan of dealing with things as they happen and not deal in hypotheticals," he said, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "We've done a great job of hiding Elijah all these years, right?"
Throwing her head back, Addie released a soft yell of frustration. "Okay well, then I'll just deal with it as it happens. If it feels like the right time to tell Nick, I'm going to tell Nick. And yeah, I mean, we did a great job of hiding Elijah until, you know, he escaped and disappeared. Dad says he knows where Elijah is and he's safe, but how do we know he's not lying? He could be saying that so we don't worry and right now he's out there looking for our brother." She was starting to feel out of sorts about the whole thing because they didn't know what was going on and she was risking her future happiness on just hoping that their horror of a brother would stay gone and she'd never have to explain it to anyone.
"Well, he seems calmer?" Silas suggested futilely and he swore that sometimes he could see his whole life collapse right before his eyes, like a glimpse into a terrible future. He knew that was anxiety talking and that he needed to focus on the current moment and all that, but this was a terrible future that was looming far too close. "He was tired and miserable when Elijah was missing and now he's better." It didn't really have to mean much, their father was an expert in giving good face no matter the circumstances and Silas had done his best to learn from him.
Inhaling deep, Addie waited a moment before exhaling through her nose. Then she nodded. "Okay, fine. We'll just... give it some time and then go from there. But if I feel the time is right to tell Nick, I'm going to. He's going to be family and we have a very small family, Silas." With that said, Addie managed to smile before leaning in to hug him. "You're going to help me plan stuff, right? You know you've got impeccable taste and I'm a disaster of a woman."
"I do, and you are," Silas agreed as he hugged her back, only half joking. "We'll make sure you have a beautiful wedding." She was so small and now she was marrying someone who was even taller than Silas. "You know, with Nick becoming family, I'm no longer the tallest," he said with feigned shock. "That's going to take getting used to." He leaned back away from her and smiled. "So really, you have a very tall family, to be honest." He knew what she meant, of course. They'd lost people, it felt lonely in the house. Maybe Addie and Nick would have kids, everything would be loud and lively again. He kind of hoped they wouldn't move away. Was that weird?
Addie chuckled and looked up at Silas with a smile of her own. "You're right. I have a very tall family. My neck is going to be in constant pain, looking up at all three of you all of the time." Even before Nick came into her life, they had been a close family, despite the tragedies. Maybe now things could get back to normal-ish and the town "curse" would leave them alone. "I'm going to find you a man taller than you too, because the height difference is so sexy and you definitely need to experience it for yourself."
"Oh God no," Silas said with a bewildered laughter. "The last thing this family needs is more tall people. Plus, the last thing I want to do is look up to my lovers." He snort-laughed at his dumb joke and waved his hand dismissively. "I've never fallen for a man my height or taller, but who knows, there could always be a first. It's not like you had much choice in the matter," he added and patted Addie on the head with feigned condescension. "Shrimp."
Addie tried to imagine Silas dating a short guy and it made her giggle. Would it be as cute as her dating Nick? Probably. But she still thought her brother needed someone who could keep him on his toes... maybe help him lighten up a bit. She arched a brow suddenly and grinned. "Are you going to be my best man of honor?" Addie didn't think she and Nick would have a very big wedding party, but she wanted Silas standing up there with her. Nick might have wanted to ask Silas but she wasn't sure and since Silas was her brother, she kind of wanted to claim him for herself.
Silas could be absolutely self centered at times so it surprised him he hadn't even considered whether he'd be part of the whole affair. His brows rose and his eyes lit up and then he grinned broadly. "Darling, I'll be your bridesmaid if you want me to be," he said with a flourish, then tittered softly. "I would be so honored. Are you doing the whole traditional spiel? Dad walking you down the aisle and everything?" Oh he hoped so, they could really do with something beautiful and extravagant in their lives, everything had been so dreary.
!She didn't think Silas would say no, but he could be fickle sometimes so she never knew what he may want to do or not do. Addie was thrilled when he said yes, however, so she gripped his arms and bounced happily on her heels. "Yes! I mean, I definitely want dad to walk me down the aisle. I don't know how traditional it's going to be, or how big. We don't have a lot of family and Nick doesn't either, but... well, I told him I want a winter wedding, so it's going to be this winter." She grimaced playfully, eying Silas. "Do you think you can help me plan a wedding in five or six months?" If anyone could do it, Silas could. Plus, it meant he would have to stay in Point Pleasant even longer. She had no idea what his plans were and she had been too afraid to ask, scared he was planning on heading back to Bangor now that their dad was on the mend and Addie had Nick around.
"Can I?" Silas asked indignantly, even if he had absolutely zero experience with planning weddings. He'd planned all sorts of other things though, how hard could it be? Addie wasn't exactly some bridezilla - though she might become one for all he knew! - and Silas had great taste. Nana's gonna want to come," he said as he thought about who all they could invite. "Maybe even Aunt Rachel if you want more family, you never know. Have you told Nana Zoe yet? She's gonna scream." If he had to go pick their grandmother up from Bangor for this to work, he would. They had plenty of space for guests in the house if they got people coming from away and while weddings were expensive, he was sure they could swing a room or two at Juniper for those who weren't as close to them or weren't traveling alone. "Aunt Esther too, though she's gotten really frail lately..." He stopped himself and grinned at Addie. "IF you want a big wedding, of course. If you just want close family and friends we won't be calling everyone. Nana Zoe will come either way though. God she's gonna flip."
As Silas listed off various family members to invite, Addie realized this was exactly why she needed his help. Addie would have remembered Nana Zoe but she was picturing a very, very small crowd. It didn't occur to her that some family members who lived out of town would want to come. "I'll call Nana Zoe tonight," she said, aware that her Nana would be thrilled that Addie found a man who could tolerate Addie's morbidities. "We can figure out who to invite... I'm sure dad will have an opinion on family. I just want to make sure Nick gets a say about everything since it's his wedding too. I just don't even know where to start."
Silas was picturing a variety of ceremonies and parties, from plain to grand and as his mind roamed he suddenly got a little pang of grief. "Mom would flip," he said fondly. "Seeing her imp of a daughter actually pinned down a man." God he wished she could be there for the wedding, but that wasn't the first time he wished she was still around. "A good man too. Of course he'll have a say in things." It made him realize just how little he really knew about Nick though, like what family of his might come to the wedding. He really hadn't been pulling his weight as a protective big brother, that was for sure. But then that role had been meant for Elijah.
Addie had thought of her mother too, especially when Nick had proposed. She had been young when their mom died, but Addie still missed her every day and wished she was still around. But losing her mom and then Elijah, in a way, made her appreciate and love Silas and her dad even more. Nick fit in seamlessly and she hoped he loved her family as much as Addie did. Nick had lost his mother too, and she wasn't sure how much of his family would come all the way to Maine for a wedding. "Mom will be there," Addie said softly. "Remember how her favorite flowers were those... oh what were they called? Camellias? Maybe we can use those in the wedding." She had no idea if they were even available in the wintertime, but it never hurt to check.
"Oh, I love that idea," Silas said and he would make it work somehow, even if he had to grow the damn things himself. "And yeah, she'll be there either way," he added since they knew pretty well that death wasn't the end of things. How their mother had moved on or where to was a mystery but he liked to think she was either a happy spirit or part of the great cosmos now. "So, I don't want to overwhelm you so here is what we'll do. Start making a list soon, just a little idea-diary of things you'd like. Ask Nick what he would like and then we'll compare books and make this wedding the most fabulous this side of the Atlantic."
Death definitely wasn't the end and Addie hoped that her mom was happy and not stuck on some other horrible plane in this place. She had felt plenty of spirits in the Rayner home, but she had never felt her mother, which was both a consolation and also a little depressing. "I'll make a list," Addie promised. She was only ever really organized when it came to work, but she could do this! And she had Nick and Silas to keep her on track if she started to unravel. "Thank you," she said, leaning in to hug him again. "You're my favorite fully alive, non-people eating brother."
"Oh, stop!" Silas said coquettishly, waving his hand dismissively before embracing Addie fully. "And you are my favorite sister, number one in a tough competition." Addie's joke did remind him that she might spill their secret to Nick - who in turn might finally crack and flee. What would he even do with the information if he did? People wouldn't believe him and Elijah wasn't in the house anymore, even if his room was still fully ready for him in the basement and odd as could be. Best case scenario, Nick would prove himself to be good family and keep the secret with him. Silas just didn't think he deserved the burden. "Oh! Are you taking his last name?" he asked. "Partially or fully?" Addie not being a Rayner anymore was a little depressing, come to think of it.
If Addie knew that Elijah was gone-gone, she would just leave the past alone. But Elijah was still out there and who knew if and when he would find his way home. It still worried her, but she had promised Silas she would wait, so... she would wait. Thankfully Silas's question drew her thoughts back to reality and she smiled brightly. "I thought I'd hyphenate! Rayner-Cooke. If we have kids, I have no idea how it'll work, but... taking a man's last name seems so old fashioned, doesn't it? But at the same time, I want to. Does that make me a bad feminist?" Addie was only mostly teasing. She didn't want to lose her own identity, but she was a romantic at heart and she was looking forward to sharing Nick's last name.
"Honestly, our name is far superior, he should take up Rayner," Silas said with a smirk. "But no, it doesn't make you a bad feminist, not if you're doing what you want. Or is that not how it works?" He knew there were a lot of different feminist theories though he couldn't name them, so there were probably some ladies out there who thought it was terribly sexist or something. None of that was a concern to Addie, she wasn't here to please random strangers. "Nick Rayner has a good ring to it though."
Addie laughed. "It does, but he's a writer. I think his readers know him as Cooke. It's fine, though. I'll make sure everyone in the world knows that he's mine." As far as Addie knew, no one in town was hung up on Nick, so really it was all in good fun. She felt pretty secure in their relationship anyway, and she knew Nick loved her. Addie peered around Silas toward the storage locker he had been cleaning. "Want some help down here? I can take over if you want a break. You've been carrying the load while I've been out of town."
"I have," Silas agreed dramatically. "But I'm okay unless you're dying to busy yourself with something other than wedding plans and telling friends and relatives." He knew he wouldn't want to be cleaning if he'd just gotten engaged, he'd be looking for venues and calculating the perfect date. "Thankfully I'm quite load bearing." he smirked and gestured to the room around them. "As you can see, no emergencies, nothing that requires your immediate attention."
It did seem like Silas had things under control and wasn't overwhelmed with anything, so Addie let some of the guilt of being gone for a couple of days slide. "I'm going to see if I can track down dad," she said after a moment of thought. "I want to show him the ring and everything." She wasn't quite ready to jump into wedding plans, though she supposed she ought to start thinking about them if she wanted to get married by the end of the year. "But scream up at me if you need help, okay? I can keep an ear out for the phones and stuff too."
"Oh! Yes," Silas exclaimed, turning around and doing a quick scan around the area before spotting the phone. "You are on phone duty," he murmured as he turned around and gave it to her. "Hello, operator!" That was his least favorite part of working alone. The switch between a dirty job and the professional customer front he had to put up - plus taking off the gloves and all that hassle. "If it keeps on being slow today I might clean Elijah's room," he said and glanced toward the door. "It's been a while since anyone's been in there. I have my own phone on me if you need something and don't feel like running down here."
Addie took the phone with a grin. She didn't mind handling the phone calls. Hopefully there wouldn't be many today. She would much rather answer the phone, though, than clean Elijah's room. She had gone in there to play chess with him from time to time and being around her brother had always been unnerving. He might be gone now, somewhere safe according to their father, but she still didn't want to have to go into that room. "You clean whatever you want to clean. I guess it's probably good to have it ready if he ever comes back."
"Like he cares," Silas said with a wan smile and a sigh. It was more about keeping the house in good order. He couldn't imagine it ever belonging to anyone not in the family but who knew what the future held. Addie might have kids who didn't want to carry on the family tradition and one of the many things Edgar had taught him was how to keep old things pristine and valuable whether it was the hearse, the house or random knick knacks. "Do you have any plans with Nick tonight?" he asked to lighten the mood again. "It might be fun to actually go out to eat, like a mini celebration and just... honestly, getting out of the house."
Addie definitely wanted kids - or least a kid - and it never crossed her mind that they wouldn't have someone to take on the family business down the line. Retirement was so far away anyway and nothing could really drag her out of this place. She was grateful that Nick was willing to sleep over so much. It felt strange to not be in this house, ready to work at any given moment. "We don't have any plans," she said with a small shake of her head. "So a dinner celebration sounds amazing. Maybe we can go to The Boathouse? Something fancy!"
"That's exactly what I had in mind," Silas told her and it would be nice to dress up somewhat fancy, maybe even have some expensive wine for a change. He hadn't been doing much of anything fun lately so even a quick lunch at Moxie's would make a for a nice break in his routine. Dressing up and drinking wine sounded way more fun though and he was glad Addie agreed. It might even inspire some ideas for the wedding. "Is Nick with you? Or will he be joining us later?"
"Nick's upstairs working," Addie said, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet. She already had so much to look forward to, but a nice dinner out with Nick and her family sounded amazing. She didn't dress up much herself and it was nice to have a reason to. "I'm going to leave him be for a while. I don't want to take him out of his writer groove." She lifted the phone in her hand. "I'll keep this and go track down dad. I'll also call The Boathouse and call for a reservation tonight." She paused and arched a brow, a smile playing at her lips. "Do you have anyone you want to invite?"
Silas did, yes, but he also knew that nothing would come of it as Miles was just his friend despite how Silas felt about him, so he just gave Addie a somewhat flat look before moving on. "I'll take care of the reservations," he said. "Just go twirl around and enjoy being engaged." He ducked down to press a little kiss on the top of her head. "Don't throw off your man's groove. That just makes me think of that cartoon. Wrong lever!" He threw his arms up in a flourish and smiled. "We should get stoned and watch that again sometime."
The look he gave her made Addie curious more than anything else. Was there someone? If he wouldn't tell her, maybe she could find out some other way. She hadn't been lying when she told Nick she was more than willing to play matchmaker for Silas. She wanted him to be as happy as she was, and if he found someone here, he would definitely stay. "Nick's never seen me stoned," Addie whispered, her eyes wide. "Maybe he'd get stoned with us. I've never seen him stoned either! Let's do that." Addie hugged Silas again, holding him tight. "Love you."
Oh Nick was in for a treat if they all got stoned and Silas snickered at the thought, then realized he'd never seen Nick stoned either and that definitely had him curious now. "Love you too, squirrel," he said cheerfully and gave her a tight squeeze. "Mrs. Cooke." God that was weird. He preferred 'Nick Rayner' for sure. Maybe he could talk Nick into that, he was a pretty liberal and self assured man who probably didn't feel threatened by stupid social norms. "With a name like that you gotta get real good at cooking."
"I'm already amazing at cooking," Addie pointed out with a grin as she headed for the doors, phone in hand. She, of course, wanted to take Nick's name, but the thought of hypenating was definitely in her mind. They had to get to the wedding part first! Addie blew a kiss to her brother before slipping out of the room to head back upstairs. It was time to look for her dad and show off her ring again.