bornofstone (bornofstone) wrote in summerview, @ 2019-03-10 09:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, grayson brutus, player: declan, znerissa drake |
Grayson and Nerissa
Late February
The Gate
PG-13
Complete |
It was cold, damp, and foggy. Miserable and biting to the core as winds swept from the water and right through his body with vengeance. It felt like home. In so many ways, Grayson had learned that his life in England would never be replicated off the island and across the pond. Customs and expectations were different, no matter which side of the divide one stood on. This though, the temperamental weather that stood up resilient and unforgiving against man’s greatest accomplishments was familiar. For better or worse. Not that there was a risk of him catching a common cold and being laid up with sniffles, as Aoife called them. After a long discussion on how he did not need warming layers, thank you very much, the witch had relented and merely informed him his fashion sense was terrible. It was something that still made him chuckle. After all, his wool coat was a purchase of hers, as she refused to be seen in public with him otherwise. He missed the friendship, though the woman wrote. Letters, as a promise to make communication simple for his elderly mind. She was cheerful. What he no longer had to miss was his brother. And that was why he was stood on the bridge and looking up at the gate. Perhaps he should have come about this with a bit of a plan. Grayson did not even know if there was a schedule he should have known about. What days his brother was here and what days he was at the bar. If there was a set time slot he filled. Or, more importantly, what even the protocol would have been to calling him down. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he looked up at the night sky. The full moon was on the way, and the brightness of the night glowed. On a clear night, he was sure the man would be able to make out any shaped up top. His eye and the fog meant it was all cloudy. Gray rubbed the outside of his forefinger against the tip of his nose and sniffed into the air. A heavy exhale followed and his breath joined the air in a puff. He had been stood out there for a solid ten minutes at that point, contemplating the options before him. To approach and knock or simply try and pass. Musing on the height of the gate and if they had gargoyles aside from he and Zander, would they stay perched atop the gate and watch. As much as he felt pained and cold from the loss of his family, the ache was also pulsing from the part of him that missed having a dedicated home to protect. The guardian in him was not one that simply lay down and watched as the world passed over when his deed was done. St. Patrick’s was enough to help. Watching the old cathedral was a bit of an honour most days, as it was such a revered location. Hell, the gargoyles were even tended to and cleaned with reverence normally shown only to the statues of saints and other religious figures. He was power washed the other day. Which was a sensation that even in rock form the man found both alarming and thrilling. He imagined that was what a car felt like going through a car wash. It was wonderful. But that did not make him feel like it was home. He was brought out of his musing when he noticed a light in the shape of a door opening. He froze for a moment before stepping forward, but not entirely out of the fog. “Hullo?” He called. He tugged the lobe of his ear and looked down the bridge as if the empty space would coach him through this. “I was wondering if Zander was on duty.” --- Patrol was fun. Nerissa would make her rounds, no complaints, she actually liked nights like this - they were the kind that made her wish she could fly like her mate could; it was beautiful art, practically alive with raw energy. The sky above had a black velvet quality, like the air had been thickened. It was actually somewhat amazing, the way that sky was speckled with stars and perfectly cloudless. The benefits of living on an island and not in a thriving metropolis, she guessed. She was waiting for her patrol buddy to show up - since she was always on the schedule with someone else - when she noticed that someone was out there on the bridge. A gargoyle in fact, one with an English accent - who wasn’t Zander, and wasn’t Callum, and wow. Process of elimination (unless this was another cousin who had popped up, but Nerissa doubted it). “Nope, not tonight,” she replied, tying her hair up into a ponytail as she took a few steps forward; she grinned, and the venom coating her fangs had a way of catching the moonlight. “Are you Grayson?” Then, before he could panic and assume she was some random stalker, she added, “I’m Nerissa. I’ve been wanting to meet you.” --- Gray squinted in the dark and turned his better eye to the person stepping forward. It was a female of sorts. The voice only confirmed it. He felt his shoulders droop slightly at the fact that he had, indeed, managed to pick a time that his brother was not available. Or, perhaps it was for the better. Maybe he would be free and they could actually talk and get to know each other all over again rather than Grayson knowing he was at the guardhouse and that was it. He looked back up and noticed the bared fang and venom, but rather than feel anything relating to fear, he felt more… tired of it. He was not in the mood to deal with someone playing the dominance or scare tactic gain. So he turned his head so the heavily scarred side of his face looked at her instead and he arched his brow showing he was not baited into a reaction. But then she introduced herself as the one specific lady that Zander had mentioned. The one who had somehow managed to make his brother act like he was more than the stone statue they were for a few hours every day. Curious. Grayson did not really know what he was expecting, so to think she was not what he was expecting was a bit off the mark. Still, he blinked and tilted his head slightly and let out a curious, “Huh,” of a breath. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised my brother needed to tell someone about me,” He replied easily and he let the jaw muscles unclench from his held stern expression. He had, after all, been interested in getting to know this mysterious woman. Though he was not sure Zander would like to have them meet unsupervised. Then again, Gray rarely worried about what Zander wanted, so he smirked. “Sorry if I caused a bit of a stir a few weeks back.” -- “It was a welcome stir, no need to apologize,” Nerissa assured - and oh damn, she was practically bursting with excitement to get to meet Zander’s brother. Her venomous teeth were simply a part of her nature - sometimes she smiled like she was the wolf watching dinner, but in this case, it was all one big happy. “Zander had really been missing his family. He protects the town, and he’s got me, but there’s a certain void only other gargoyles can fill.” She understood that - and she knew her mate intimately, in more ways than one. His elation, and shock and surprise, at coming across not only Grayson but Callum too had been shared by Ness as well. Stepping even further forward, she extended her hand for a proper shake in greeting. “I’m so glad you’re here! You and Callum. I’ve got two others to try to get to the spa - I convinced Zander once, I’ll be convincing both you hot dudes eventually too.” Hey, what was wrong with a little mani-pedi pampering? Like, come on, look at your feet, Grayson! -- He hummed and nodded with a slight head bob. He would really hope Zander was happy to see him. It would be awkward to hear that his brother was not excited and Grayson had come back and tracked his cranky backside down across the ocean for nothing. Not that he thought that was at all possible. He and Zander had been very close, and that seemed to still be the case the few times they got together since his arrival. “That and he does not exactly play well with the other children,” Grayson offered in a lighter tone now. She was not a threat. Not trying to play the big boss game with him. And his posture relaxed as his shoulders drooped and hands unclenched in his pockets. The man shifted weight to one of his hips and smirked. Then she started… talking. That was not the issue so much as the non sequitur he was facing. First he was wrapping his head around the fact that their cousin was there only to be blindsided by the offer to go to a spa? His mouth formed noiseless vowels as he tried to get some form of response. His eyes squinted and his head tilted at a slight angle with a face that was purely befuddled. Grayson looked over his shoulder as if the silent, foggy night would give some answer as to what just happened. Or even who the hot guys were. He logically could assign one of the multiples as his brother. They were together. So, he figured he would take it one baby step at a time. Starting with the pressing matter. “Callum,” he repeated with a voice that was reasonably suckerpunched. He had not been in Atlantic City much, so it was not at all shocking that he had not heard. Without the mobile he was sure Aoife was yelling at him to get still, he had no real contact to his brother. “As in our cousin is on the island as well?” He swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. The spa, whatever that was, comment would have to wait. --- Aw shiiiiiiit, was she bearing good news? And/or shocking news? Nerissa had no idea that Zander hadn’t told Grayson about Callum, or that Grayson and Callum hadn’t come across each other yet. Geez, way to go - she just let her excitement run away from her for a minute there. “Uh, yeah, he’s here - I ran into him at the liquor store,” she said. “I bought him some booze and snacks. Nice guy. Quiet, like y’all tend to be.” Even Zander wasn’t overly talkative, but that was simply part of his personality - he’d just rather listen than yakkity yak most of the time. “I feel awkward explaining how he’s alive - though he didn’t really go into detail anyway - so I’ll let you both have that conversation.” It was probably a family thing, yeah? She wasn’t officially family yet - not like she had any right to get in the middle of shit. “But right now, we can just chat a little? Me and you. Want to come on patrol with me?” she asked, motioning ahead of them. “We’ll get a head start and I can show you the route, in case you ever want to sign up in the future.” --- Grayson took a deep inhale and closed his eyes. Okay. So at least for a short while in his absence, his brother was not the only gargoyle. He still had company. Family, even. That was what was important. Even as he felt the gut-punch dissipate.It was slow, however. A sucking wind pulling out of his chest as he exhaled. He would take this all in due time. And there was no need to simply fall into frenzy because of something out of his control. He would find Callum, and they would be better after. He opened his eyes, only feeling marginally better and let his eyes graze over Nerissa’s features as she spoke. To them being quiet, he gave a huff of a laugh and a sad nod. That, they were. Quiet. “It’s part of being unseen, I guess. Silent and overlooked.” He gave a small smirk to himself and thought of all the times he had pulled Zander away from their perch to venture out into Oxford proper and experience the world. And all the resistance he put up for it. “They were better at it than I was, actually. No matter, I am sure there is some of it I will relate to, considering.” He arched the scarred eyebrow again, as if not sure how else to say he grasped how uncomfortable or weird it would have been for Callum to tell a stranger. And how it was equally as strange for her to tell him now. “I…” He paused and huffed out a breath that joined the fog in the air. “Have been told I am atrocious at small talk.” He finished. There was a smirk trying to peek through. It was something he heard with Aoife’s coven as well as at St. Patrick’s when they’d climb down at night to stop at street vendors. He had heard everything from you’re as friendly as an oubliette to even your silence has a British accent. He took no offense. Chuckled, even. “I was pondering doing just that,” he admitted lightly with the hint of shyness. He was born, quite literally, to protect. It would feel off to not continue to do so now. --- “No problem, I’m great at small talk,” Nerissa assured, as she began the familiar route - with a new gargoyle by her side, and Zander’s brother to boot. She couldn’t wait to tell him - he’d be pleased that she’d come across Grayson. But she was actually correct, small talk was a maze she navigated through with relative ease. She had to, in her line of work. “Like I said, I do the spa thing - I’m an esthetician, and I make most of my own products since the sea holds a lot of beauty and pampering benefits. But yeah, sometimes clients want small talk. Sometimes they’re nervous and it helps, or sometimes they just like to be pampered in silence.” So basically, she’d go with the flow. In addition to extracting beauty secrets from her home, the ocean, she was decent at reading people - when she felt like being social, anyway. “And you’ll be awesome at patrol, I’ll let the sheriff know you’re interested.” --- He nodded his head with a slight incline to say he was more than okay with the talking and walking together. Grayson was still grasping for straws, as it were, when it came to approaching new people. On average, it was stressful alone. Added in the fact that he was talking with one of the most important people in his brother’s life made it all the more real. Intimidating, even. So, he let her lead the way in both conversation and their direction. His hands fisted and were shoved into the pockets of his wool jacket and shoulders hunched up against the cold. He listened to her talk, still not at all understanding what that meant. It seemed Nerissa had assumed the man had any grasp of what self-care products meant. But he listened with his eyes trained on her brow rather than her eyes. He had been warned a few times that his eye contact often resembled that of “murder eyes,” which he needed to keep to a minimum. That was not easy, as his face was a resting state of zero. What he gathered was she… made things. With ocean stuff. And that somehow was the reason they went to a spa and people were inclined to talking. That did not explain anything. It also did not sell her idea of his going to said spa, either, as none of that sounded appealing. Of course, he knew to keep that to himself. So, he just nodded. Slowly. Then, when she finished, he looked forward and cleared his throat. “I did not understand any of what you just said.” While delivered in a deadpan manner, his lip quirked up. “Well, it is what we were born to do,” he replied honestly. “We stand along the rooftops of where we protect and watch. Sometimes, I wonder if there was too much desire to do that back home, and it made us forget why we do what we do.” He looked down and gave a sad smile at the ground. His clan was suspicious of humans. Some even hated them. Viciously. Grayson always wondered if that was not ironic, as they were tasked in the old days with protecting others, and not a location. That a disconnect happened along the way. And how he had tried to connect with that goal by walking around the campus. His actions were such a taboo, now, but it seemed that was now the way of life for what was left of their kind. “Zander had told me it was only us when I was last here. I went to all the churches in Atlantic City only to find carvings but no life. It’s strange.” --- Okay, whoooooa, so Nerissa guessed she had to back up the truck a little? It was actually kind of cute. “Right, so - a spa is where you go to condition the body, to get assistance in taking care of yourself?” she tried to explain more - and damnit, she’d get Grayson there eventually. Ness was very determined to help people overcome the stigmas of self-care and indulgence and pampering. “Like if you have dry skin.” Which you did, Grayson, she could tell already. She saw you. “Or want a massage, or a different kind of luxuriating bath. A lot of people use commercial products, things with a lot of junk in them, but mine are all made personally by me and are natural. But anywaaaay - “ She took in a deep breath, pulling her hoodie up over her ears - they were human meatsuit ears, they got cold easily. In sea serpent form, she felt vibrations, her ‘ears’ actually inside her head by her jawbones. Her very large jawbones. “Yeah, before you and Callum arrived, Zander and I had been talking about searching for other gargoyles - I think it’d help him to...connect with others?” she glanced sideways at Grayson. “I mean. Like you said. As a gargoyle, I guess you can lose sight of why you do what you do. And he’s still understandably angry about what happened to the family.” She hoped that, with Grayson here, he could help his brother learn to let go of that anger. Nerissa didn’t want him to hang onto it forever, like a constant sensation of barbells sitting on his chest. --- “If you need help taking care of yourself,” he parroted incredulously. What sad life was there when someone needed to pay others as, presumably adults, to take care of themselves? Maybe Zander did have the right idea in having lower opinions on humans. If they needed a specialized place for their care and nurturing past the rearing age, they were less functional than expected. How did they ever become one of the dominant species on Earth? Her example did nothing to make the comment better. His lips pursed and brow furrowed at the topic of dry skin. He was made of stone. He knew more about dry skin than most, and he never felt the need to have that taken care of. And so he repeated, “Dry skin,” putting everything he thought about how ridiculous this all sounded into it. She explained more. He knew what a massage was, so at least there was that. However, he was not a fan of anyone touching him. The last time someone outside of his family (Aoife included in that) touched him, it was with a sledge hammer, and it did not end well. But he had tried, at least, to give his redheaded friend a shoulder rub once when he lived with her coven and it just seemed weirdly intimate to pay someone to do. But what did he know? He lived on a church for 49 years, after all. He looked down at her with what he hoped was a humored and light face. “I think I will stick to a bar of soap, hot water, and a proper toweling at the end of the day, love.” He was sure someone enjoyed that pampering. Maybe it was like reading was for him to others. All he knew was it seemed like far more contact than he would ever desire. “Not to pop your balloon, darling, but I took him into town as much as I could and it did nothing to help him open up to people,” Grayson replied with a smirk and an eyebrow arch before looking forward again. “Be pleased he does more than grunt.” And to her comment about him being angry, he gave a long pause before a hum of agreement. “He’s allowed that much. I won’t tell him he is wrong to feel however he does. Humans took everything from him so violently while he was just about defenseless. It’s more than just that. We were betrayed. By those we were there to watch over. Can you blame him for that anymore than blame me for being content with being alive again?” He continued to look forward. Vengeance and anger were dangerous to carry, but Gray understood his side as much as he did Nerissa’s. This was a bandaid over a much larger wound, his return. Gray’s only hope was to help him heal and prevent any action done in anger or rage. --- “Nah, I don’t blame him at all,” Nerissa said, and it wasn’t like she was a champion of humanity or anything - they were mostly useless and, at their best, dumb as shit. They were destructive and petty and a whole bunch of other terrible adjectives - but she didn’t care about them. She only cared about Zander, and his health. Cared about his family as much as she did her own family. “I just don’t want the anger to consume him. And hey, he opened up to me - so that’s all I ask. He doesn’t need to be Mr. Social. It’d be weird if he was,” she chuckled huskily. If she threw a party, like, once in a blue moon - then Zander had already demonstrated he would attend and be supportive. She didn’t ask for much, and she liked to think that they had a good rapport going. An understanding - that’s what loving relationships were all about, right? “You’re good people, Grayson, even if you have dry elbows,” she winked at him - but no worries, she wouldn’t send him spa coupons in the mail. Maybe. “I asked if Callum wanted to come to dinner some night - the offer’s extended to you as well. I’m usually a shitty cook, but I’m trying to not suck. Zander’s a lot better at it.” --- He nodded solemnly. That was all he needed to know about that subject. He understood. Zander and Grayson always had slightly opposing views on people and their lives in regard to their communities. Philosophical, perhaps, as they were never going to act on what they discussed, even if they could. But it was an opposing view they both acknowledged and respected. He was glad they never truly argued over that. He could handle a lot, after all. He did not want to handle that. He merely gave a hollow smile at the idea of Zander being social. No. that would be the sign something was off about him. Or that a changeling had come through. “He has always been delightfully my opposite in many ways, but the lack of social drive is one we share to varying degrees.” He arched his eyebrow at her when she mentioned his dry elbows. He was literally made of stone. What was she expecting? But he shook his head with a slightest hint of a smirk and not taking the bait on that one. “I appreciate that,” he replied. The tightness in his face and tone of voice had melted away as their conversation continued. Any rigidness now was due to the biting wind that blew through the area. At the mention of her being a terrible cook, he choked down a laugh and looked over at her with humor pleading to escape from his eyes. His face, however, kept still. “After I came back, the coven I stayed with refused to let me in the kitchen without supervision for a month,” he told her. He then offered her the hint of a warm smile and a nod. “As for dinner, now that I am here full-time, just let me know when. I would like to have us all together. And I am sure Zander would not like knowing we met unsupervised.” The corner of his mouth quirked upward at the idea of that. The slight disappointment of not being there flashing over his brother’s face replaced by the slight worry as to what could have been said in his absence. “Do you have family here?” --- “I’ll definitely let ya know,” Nerissa promised, reptilian eyes flashing with glee - she didn’t have a forked tongue, not in this form, but she had a habit of poking the tip of it out the side of her mouth in a goofy smile when she was happy. “Big ol’ dinner it is.” She had enough room in her (and Zander’s - it was his too) cottage - they could all commune at the table and just enjoy a good meal together. One that she didn’t make. “But nah, no family of my own here,” she shrugged then. “They’re ‘under the sea’ - like, literally. Sea serpents live very far underwater. If you’ve heard of Atlantis, it’s a lot like that - it’s a whole community, these bustling cities waaaaay beneath the surface. I have to go back occasionally though, or else I’ll dry up on land, so I see them sometimes.” She didn’t really have the time to miss them, but that was okay - whenever she went back to her home, they had a nice get-together and then she fucked off without the chance to get annoyed by their quirks. Cool. --- He watched her as something of a mystery. She was animated. In ways Grayson was not prepared for. Or in a way he ever imagined his brother finding endearing. Perhaps that was the real proof of opposites attracting. He was not one to question it. They seemed happy. He was just curious seeing how this would play out in person. A soft grin flicked on his lips. “I look forward to it,” he replied honestly. Gray needed to see this bond himself. He needed to know this was real to believe it. No family. Perhaps that only added to their bond. Not that she seemed the sort to have issues meeting people. Not the same could be said about his brother. It was not hard to see who had started that first conversation. There was not much Grayson would bet on, as he was not a betting man, but there was something to be said about a wager on Nerissa being the instigator. But then his mind backtracked to the fact that she dried up on land and his head ticked to the side in thought. Gray’s eyes slowly blinked twice before turning to look down at the woman. “Do you travel to them, or is it easy for… travel…” His question came out slowly as the words slotted into place just before he spoke them. He had little understanding of the world around him now, and he was learning. He did love learning, after all. -- Ness stuck her hands into her pockets, bouncing a bit on her toes. The usual patrol route was coming to a close, though it had gone by quickly - probably the company contributed to that, since meeting Grayson was a brand-new thing and when she was out here she usually was with someone she knew. Snooze. “I do travel to them,” she nodded. “In sea serpent form. The human-looking skin is just so I can be on land. I’m really a giant snake when I take that form in the water. On land it’s a little unwieldy.” Possible for her to change into, but let’s just say it wasn’t the most comfortable thing. For anyone. She looked up and discovered they made a complete circle. “Well, so that’s the route, Mr. Grayson. Thanks for letting me pop your patrolling cherry.” -- As they had made their way around the path Nerissa brought him on, Gray had let his eyes wander across the scenery. The dark and foggy distance. The shapes of buildings and trees peaking their way into view through it. He could hear the waves, as he seemed to just about anywhere on the island. It was nice and relaxing. It had been a while since he last just walked for the sake of walking with someone. By himself, sure. That was normal, both before and after everyone. But the last time he did this was ages ago. Or felt like it. “I have a friend who would be elated to know sea serpents are real,” Grayson mused lightly. As someone who studied folklore, Aoife was constantly wanting to know about the world. And never failed to point out how he was the most bland of any supernatural being she could have befriended. She was not wrong. “But it is good you visit them.” The second comment was more to himself than anything. An observation. An agreement. When they stopped and she made her comment, Gray’s head tilted to the side and his eyes studied her. It was a phrase he had never heard before, and as far as he knew a cherry was something you could pop. So his brows lowered in confused before he closed his eyes and looked away. “I am sure that is a phrase I don’t understand. Have a good night, Nerissa. I’ll be at the Satyr.” The man backed up a pace and removed his hands from his pocket. He offered an open palm with fingers splayed as a quick wave before setting off into the night. He was not exactly sure what he had expected this evening. But he knew for certain that was not it. |