ᴡᴇ ᴘɪʟʟᴀɢᴇ, ᴡᴇ (plunder) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-10-05 13:11:00 |
|
|||
Needless to say, Killian felt a bit guilty that the various tricks and baubles he borrowed from Regina didn’t really do much to solve Thalia’s tree problem - apparently the answer originated in her dreamworld, and it was the only viable solution. Unfortunately, sometimes it happened like that. Nothing would have removed the Dark One’s curse from him either, save for Excalibur gutting him and breaking the awful spell once and for all. Still, he’d promised Thalia that he would be there for her if she in fact woke up as a tree - and Killian hadn’t disappointed. He supposed she was still on the mend from the experience, and he couldn’t blame her for that. Things were beginning to come together in terms of arranging the nursery for Regina’s niece - who she and Killian would adopt to raise as their own daughter. It was a rather whimsical room, soft colours inspired by the sea with the constellations twinkling on the ceiling - for his little starfish, there were also lovely sketches and stencils on the walls reminiscent of that particular nickname. Kenzi bought the crib, which Killian had put together. On a break from putting the finishing touches there, he’d scrubbed up, changed clothes, and decided to pay Thalia a visit. First, he stopped to get a bouquet of flowers - nothing that would stink up her flat, but a nice arrangement of cheerful, classy daisies and carnations which had a light clove scent rather than anything overwhelming. Arriving at her building, he went to the right door and knocked, hoping she was home. *** Thalia was indeed home; in fact, since becoming human again, she hadn’t left the apartment much, aside from going on runs late at night. It was weird: physically, she felt amazing; the best she’d ever felt. Being healed by the mythical Golden Fleece would probably do that to a person. But mentally and emotionally, she was exhausted. After the stillness and quiet of being a tree, everything seemed too loud and chaotic. She knew that she was going to have to go back out into the real world at one point, but she just wasn’t ready for it yet. She was in the midst of yet another Law & Order marathon when there was a knock on the door, and she brought up the security feed. Most people didn’t know where the daughter of Lorelei Grace lived, but she stayed cautious all the same. She’d once opened the door to bunch of camera flashes going off in her face, and she’d learned her lesson since. Seeing that it was just Killian, however, she got up and padded over to let him in. Although she was staying home, she did make sure she showered every day and kept herself more or less groomed. She’d look different from what he remembered, though: her hair was short now, short enough to rise up in dark spikes, and she favoured dark t-shirts and ripped jeans now. “Hey,” she said as she opened the door. The sass was still very much there, though. “You look like you’re ready for a date.” *** “Do I?” Killian chuckled, glancing down at his attire - jeans and a rather handsome Irish fisherman’s sweater, a leather jacket thrown over that. You couldn’t get him out of the jacket, it just wasn’t possible. But he supposed that carrying flowers invoked date vibes anyway. “If you want to be seen in public with me, love, I’m alright with that. I thought I’d check on you though - here, just something to brighten up your spirits.” He handed her the flowers, noting the change in hairstyle - but that probably wasn’t the only thing about Thalia that had changed. Could she even think as herself while she was a tree? That must have been a bit terrifying, to wonder if you’d ever be human again. *** “You're pretty good-looking for an older dude, but I'm not gonna risk getting sent a poisonous apple by your evil queen,” Thalia told him, though she accepted the flowers. “Thanks, though. Come on in.” She moved aside to let him pass, revealing the giant hole in the carpet where her tree had stood. Fortunately, being a magical tree meant being fairly self-contained, which was good for her downstairs neighbors. Otherwise, it would've been even more of a disaster than it had been. *** Ah yes, a memory to last a lifetime - that crater wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, though perhaps it added something to the ambiance of the place? “A case of ass warts seems to be her favourite threat,” Killian stated cheerfully, referring to his Queen’s methods of exacting revenge - though he was sure she had a poisoned, blood-red apple somewhere in her magical lair. “But I don’t think you’ve any reason to worry, my dear. How are you faring?” he wanted to know, as he took a seat on the couch. Things were downright mad here in Orange County sometimes, and even if he couldn’t have fixed the tree snafu he could at least be there in the aftermath. It was important to have support - certainly helped him, when he’d died and was wrenched back into the land of the living. Not an easy transition, he would argue. *** Thalia wished she could be brave and stalwart like her dream self, but while she may look more like her now, she certainly didn't feel like her. The Thalia Grace of her dreams could take down a bunch of harpies without breaking a sweat. The real Thalia felt exhausted just thinking about making food. “I've definitely had better days,” she said, making a face. “And I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around it. I mean, I turned into a tree. Who does that?” *** “If it helps, that’s honestly not the oddest thing to have happened around here. Odd, to be certain, but not the oddest. I’m actually not even sure what that would be,” Killian mused, scratching his cheek and dragging fingers through the scruff on his face. They were all too jaded to judge on an oddity scale, by this point. “I lost my left hand because of the dreams, and If anyone says to me, ‘at least you didn’t die,’ I can always point out that I in fact did.” He glanced around the flat, taking it all in - mostly, everything seemed clean and not in disarray. Thalia herself was put together. She looked tired though, very weary. The rugged old sea dog wanted to be of use - since he couldn’t before, why not now. “When was the last time you ate?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow. She ought to have the ingredients for grilled cheese, at least. Killian made good grilled cheeses - it was official big brother food, when he cooked it for Kenzi. *** “Let’s not get into a competition of who has it worst,” Thalia suggested. “Because we’d just both come out losers.” She leaned back against the couch as she considered his question. When was the last time she’d eaten? It must’ve been recently, because she wasn’t starving. Hungry, maybe, if she thought about it. But she couldn’t remember if she’d eaten before or after her shower, or if that had been today or yesterday… “Uh…” She made a face, then looked at him from the corner of her eyes, hopeful. “You bring any food?” *** They’d both come out losers. What an astounding sentiment, should be on a greeting card or a fortune cookie somewhere. Killian snorted in amusement (you couldn’t take the sass away from this one either, it was ingrained into his very being). “Inspirational, love. All I was trying to say was that you’re in good company. People here understand trauma, and what it takes to overcome it. Eating’s a fine start though, so let’s see - “ Did it look like he brought food, honestly? Speaking of fortune cookies, it wasn’t like he came here laden down with greasy Chinese takeaway bags. Unfortunately. “I didn’t bring anything, but I’m a decent hunter and gatherer,” the Captain winked, heading into the kitchen. “I’m quite sure you’ve got the stuff for grilled cheese. I’ll see what else. So just get comfy and I’ll fix you something.” *** “I honestly haven't checked my fridge in a while, but worse comes to worst, we can order something,” Thalia said, shifting on the couch to face him while he worked. The refrigerator was actually quite well-stocked with to-go options, thanks to Annabeth. Neither of them cooked, really, so that kept them from starving. “You know,” Thalia continued after a few minutes, “when I was looking for a new PI, it was down to you and this other dude. I'm glad I picked you because I doubt he even knew what a kitchen looked like.” Nor was he likely to have had the dreams. And to Killian’s point, it was nice to know she wasn't alone in this. Even if the dreams made losers out of all of them. *** Being the fine scrounger he was, Killian did in fact come up with butter, cheese, bread, a tomato, slices of bacon - all things which would make for a good enough sandwich. He also found a decent supply of fruit in the fridge, berries and things, so he could put together a salad that was sprinkled with sugar and tasted good without tasting like it was too healthy. Thalia looked like she could use a decent sandwich anyway. “I’m glad you picked me too - that I happen to be a good cook sort of adds bonus points, hm?” he said as he sliced into the tomato, preparing the pan with a pat of butter to get the sandwich sizzling. The fact that Thalia was also looking for her brother hit home for him, in a way that caused the ache about missing Liam to flare up - but that just made him all the more determined to find Jason, whatever there was to be found. He hadn’t failed yet, with any case, and he didn’t intend to start now. Not with this. “Nothing wrong with letting friends take care of you for a bit, though I do happen to know that you’re a stalwart lady and you’re going to be alright overall.” *** Thalia certainly liked to think of herself as such, but it was nice to hear someone else say it. “I'm definitely not averse to letting someone make me a sandwich,” she admitted. Especially when the smells coming from the kitchen were so delicious. Her stomach growled loudly, making her realize that maybe she hadn't eaten in a while after all. “I know I'm going to have to get back out there,” she added after a moment. “ I'm already going stir-crazy here. But I just can't public yet.” Publicing was a lot like adulting, except way more exhausting. *** At least she knew she had to get back up on the horse, so to speak? But like Killian said, Miss Thalia was a brave lass. Things would be alright, they always were somehow - even if it took a bit to get there. Sometimes, something as simple as a grilled cheese could help too. Killian flipped it onto a plate, all nice and golden brown, then mixed up a quick fruit salad for the lady also. “You will when you’re ready,” he said matter-of-factly. For him, he was the type of person who couldn’t be pushed into doing anything - he had to come around on his own time, in his own head. Those he surrounded himself with tended to be similar in their stubbornness. Now with everything set, he tucked a bottled water into his pocket and balanced the plate on his good hand, bringing everything over. “And you’re going to eat every bite,” the Captain prescribed, with one of those crooked smiles. *** “Aye aye, sir,” Thalia said smartly, even throwing in a salute. Having spent time in an arboreal state hadn’t taken away any of her spirit, which was how she knew she was going to be all right. She took the sandwich with both hands and took a bite out of it, her eyes closing to better appreciate the explosion of flavours in her mouth. “Mm. Gan I ‘ire you to geeb googing fuh me?” she asked around a mouthful of sandwich. She swallowed. “‘Cause this is really good.” *** Well, he wasn’t sure what googing was, but alright. “Perhaps,” Killian snickered, settling on the sofa with a few berries of his own - just something to snack on, so Thalia wasn’t hoovering food by herself. “I might even put on an apron and a chef’s hat.” ‘Twas really the bacon that made the whole sandwich, you know - couldn’t go wrong with bacon. Or Thalia just hadn’t eaten something of substance in awhile, that too. “Once you’ve got your mouth not so busy, you can update me on other life happenings - namely, the fellow you’re sweet on and all that.” Ah, young love. What a beautiful and confusing thing it was. Though one could argue it was also confusing when you were older too. *** Thalia started to smile even before he finished his words. Young love indeed. “Yeah, we’re gonna give it a try,” she said, though it was painfully clear to anyone who wasn't her that it wasn't just a trial thing to her. This was important. “We just have to...you know, not witness any crimes or turn into a tree or whatever before we actually get together. We haven't really had a good history of that.” *** “Seems simple enough, doesn’t it?” Killian teased - for here, where they lived, unfortunately that was probably something to be wary of. That you’d turn into a tree especially. But he assumed that Thalia’s would-be suitor was understanding of her plantlike predicament. There were just some things that you couldn’t help - it came with the territory of building a life in this particular neck of madness. “I’m rooting for the both of you, I’ll have you know.” Yes, a pirate in their corner - part PI and chef, mostly pirate. Those two lucky darlings indeed. *** Thalia laughed at the way he phrased his encouragement. “That's sweet,” she said, but she felt warm and fuzzy inside. She may have lost her brother, but sometimes she felt like she'd gained one, too. |