Who: Lina & Alecto What: Talks about dating and relationships When: Recently Where: The Hanged Man Rating/Warnings: Lina pulls out a joint, but that's it Status: Complete!
Lina couldn’t live here, not when all the merchandise was begging to be eaten and drank - The Hanged Man always smelled delicious, and she had managed to coax Hawke into frying up some fried green tomatoes (more a southern staple) for her. Provided she supplied the goods, anyway, and they came out delicious. A little remoulade sauce on the side - a mix of mayonnaise and ketchup with a dash of spicy seasoning - and it was right out of her childhood from her bayou home.
Once it was plated she went up a level to Alecto’s ‘apartment.’ There were a couple tavern rooms for rent, typically for tourists who wanted something different than staying at a Disney resort, but hers was a special one. Meant for a dwarf with legendary chest hair the owner was enamored with, apparently, but there was a magician from the School of Hoggywarts currently occupying it.
“Open up, it’s me, coming by to say hi,” she announced. “Let me see your horribly named rabbit you brought to life from a napkin.”
Alecto liked living above the Hanged Man, but she knew it wasn’t a forever thing. Even if it had gone on longer than she expected. It was probably because she’d gotten attached somehow to Hawke and Isabela. Not to mention Dog. It was troubling, really. She didn’t even mean to do it. Dog was easily forgiven, though.
The sound of a voice outside her door, however, made her look up from her seat. She got up slowly and made her way to the door, opening it. Seeing Lina on the other side, she smiled before stepping back and letting her in, eyeing the plate of food in her hand. “He is an aptly named rabbit that was brought to life from a napkin. I don’t want him setting his sights too high.”
Alecto could eye the goods on the plate, but did that mean Lina would be kind enough to share? Ha. Ha. No, of course not, because she was a selfish little oinker and hoarded the goods on her plate like she hoarded treasure. “Damn, ready to use that thing to just wipe up spilled milk whenever a mess happens, eh? Poor thing. Hi, by the way.”
Don’t mind her chowing down on those freshly battered tomatoes, she was a little shameless in the art of shoveling food in the facehole. And man, they were good. “I was in the area dropping off some stuff from Rom’s store and got pickish. Next time I’ll bring the baby to make you all uncomfortable in your own home. She’s mobile.”
And would probably chase the rabbit.
“If the spill’s his fault…” She shrugged. Not that she would ever do that. Stupid rabbit. She’d blame Gourry later for his hand in this. Not that he really had anything to do with it, but that hadn’t stopped Alecto from blaming people for stupid things before. “Not sure how well soggy rabbit would be for the general living area. Especially if it’s milk.” She watched her for a moment before saying. “Hi back.”
It wasn’t really a problem for her to have other people eat in front of her. She’d lived with her brother and the twins. It happened a lot. Also Gourry at a ridiculous amount of food. She still had no idea where the hell it all went. Did he have a hollow leg? Probably. But the mention of the baby made her freeze. Yes, she’d also been around babies, but those were her nieces, so it wasn’t as weird for her (even if it had still been really weird before she’d gotten used to it). “Sounds...interesting.” Yep. Good work there, Alecto. Very good work. Way to sound like a normal person.
“So what brings you all the way up to me? Outside of threatening me with your baby and insulting Napkin’s name.”
Lina got comfy on one of the seats surrounding the table meant for a mini-feast - Hawke had it specially made, meant to resemble the very one his platonic dwarven lover once sat at. “Gourry and I went for a drink the other night,” she answered, waggling those ginger brows playfully. “Congrats on a date with the lunkhead, by the way? He’s kind of special, isn’t he.”
Special in the head, anyway. But to his merit the man had a heart of gold, and was overall so good natured and easy to get along with provided you had the patience. Sometimes she didn’t. Sometimes she thought about beating him over the head with a stool with some of the shit he said, though some would argue that’s how she showed affection in regards to someone who was easily her best friend.
“And not always understanding certain cues.”
Had Alecto been the blushing sort, she probably would have at that moment. Instead she just sighed before sitting at the table. It made sense that he would talk to people about these things. “He's something, all right.” Alecto was still trying to figure out what that something was. Or at least why she was currently in this place.
“He doesn't seem to understand a lot of things.” She sighed again, pressing her hand to her forehead. “I tried to tell him he was hot and he asked if he had a temperature. Merlin’s tits.” Because these phrases seemed to be leaking into her general speech. “He is a lot more dense than the people I usually...well.” She'd only dated one person that was actually dating and not trying to get things out of.
“It's going to be a very blunt sort of existence.”
Lina understood the feeling in a less conventional way - all she’d known about being involved with Gourry had to do with, uh, what was dreamt. “Of course he asked if he had a temperature,” she deadpanned with a roll of her eyes. “If you’re looking for someone who understands social context and cues, he’s not the best candidate in that department. You’ll have to be blunt, and sometimes a little hostile for him to get it.”
Another sliced tomato was picked up, and she smeared it with the massive dollop of remoulade sauce on the side of the plate. “But he likes you, a lot. And you obviously like him too. Gourry’s one of the best guys I’ve known across all the lifetimes I’m stuck with him in, and he’s generally the same across the board - stupidest dude in all the worlds but hell, you’ll never see a deadlier man with a sword.”
Honestly, Alecto probably had to be frank with what she wanted out of this tango with Gourry. He wasn’t going to get the hints. “If you want things move to the next step, might as well flat out tell him ‘let me be your girlfriend, you dumbass.’”
Alecto had a feeling it was going to be something like that. She'd always thought boys were stupid before, but Gourry took the cake when it came to stupidity. Only it somehow made him that much more endearing. It was fucking annoying. Mostly because she didn't like feeling things. Especially not for people. But here she was. Stupid oaf.
“He said that?” Because she was about as used to people liking her as she was to liking them. She was still trying to figure herself out...or really, she was casually standing in her own way and trying to figure out how not to feel weird about what she wanted. It was difficult when she couldn't make it feel any less weird.
“I…” She frowned slightly. There weren't a lot of people she was entirely honest with. Not that she could say she was exactly entirely honest with anyone. But Lina, Hawke, and Isabela seemed to be able to sniff out bullshit better than most people. “Feel weird. In general.” Because it was easy to say without really saying anything.
“Yep, he definitely did,” she assured, and it wasn’t like she was really stepping on toes for saying that, was she? They’d gone on a date, smooched around some, it was obvious. No one went on a date with some smoochies involved for a ‘friends and benefits’ sort of thing. Sex typically always came way before that, and Gourry wasn’t a ‘diddling with no strings’ (he hated the world, she was gonna milk it) type. “But it’s okay to feel weird, you know. Just...don’t let it hold you back, either.”
It’s not that she had an infinite well of wisdom when it came to dating, either, but she was a little more experienced than she cared to be. “And if you want something - or hell, in this case, someone - you should go for it. Don’t over think.”
Lina hadn’t since Xelloss. That ordeal left her raw, but she wouldn’t simmer in it. And then Pete fell into her lap, and she wanted him, and they went for it even if they’d both been burned in similar ways by people they loved. There were no regrets.
Alecto felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, but she fought against it. Yes, she knew that there really wasn’t a need to hide these things, but she was also really bad at not doing what she normally did in these times. It’s awkward. It was stupid anyway because she knew he liked her. He’d been kind of obvious about that part. She was just really bad about the whole showing what she was feeling thing. “I don’t…” She ran her fingers over the top of the table. She shrugged. “I dunno. I guess it doesn’t matter.” But she did over think. Most of that was whether or not it was a good idea. Mostly because she wasn’t exactly great at any of this stuff.
“Ugh. He’s annoyingly nice. Which is stupid to find annoying...and isn’t really annoying, but…” A sigh. “I am not a nice person. I don’t know why I keep getting feels for stupid nice people.” What kind of weird fluke was that? “I would probably kill everyone that tried to make him upset, though. So probably no one should do that because it would give me away.” There were spells she probably shouldn’t use, but she would if anyone tried anything. “It’s like having a very giant, but not exactly intelligent dog. Except they are a person and...it’s stupid. This whole thing is stupid.” If she weren’t currently sitting at a table, she’d probably dramatically flop into a seat.
“Why is this happening?”
Part of Lina understood, completely. At least the part of her that existed elsewhere, the part of her that traveled side by side with the moron. Feed a dog for three days and you get attached. “He grows on you,” she smirked a little. “Like a fungus. He makes it hard to hate him even when he does or says something stupid. Guess that’s part of the charm with Gourry. Loyal to a fault, and will follow those he loves even into the abyss.”
It had happened to them - she had chosen him over the world, cast the forbidden spell, and instead of letting her go he had chased her into the Sea of Chaos and was the mortal who grabbed the Lord of Nightmares. He brought her back. But that was another life, another world, time and space. Here she had Pete, and she wouldn’t trade him for anyone. Him over the world; that was the man she would choose and had chosen.
“Don’t get tangled up on the reasons. If being around him makes you happy - makes you both happy - then what the hell, right?”
It was hard to hate him. It was hard to do anything but keep thinking he was great. Even if he was stupid. Ridiculously terrible. But here she was. Stuck with him somehow.
She hadn’t really had anyone that was particularly loyal to her before. She’d just been loyal to a madman. One who wanted to kill a lot of people and probably wasn’t overly concerned if any of his followers died. So long as he got what he wanted. She was frustrated most of the time with the way things were in her dreams. But it wasn’t because she was a bad guy. Just because she was stupid and blind about it. The torturing children did sort of bother her, though. That wasn’t exactly something she could overlook. She just tried not to think about it too closely.
“Yeah. I guess so.” She shrugged again. “I just don’t want to mess it up.”
That’s when Lina set the plate down, reached to grab her shoulders, abruptly shook Alecto, and then smacked her face a little bit like she either needed to wake up or sober up. “Hey, quit talking like that - doubting yourself is for pussies, Alecto. You’re not going to mess it up, but you’re probably going to make mistakes down the line, the both of you. And in the end if you two like each other enough, you’ll still be with one another despite it. Am I going to have to get you to smoke some pot with me to have you go with the flow?? Because I have a joint.”
What? She did. Pete sometimes still craved cigarettes, and she had her stone moments, and the two of them met in the middle and would light up a doobie and mellow out and it was swell.
Alecto caught herself before she returned the favour. Really, she’d considered a few spells also. But she refrained. At least until after a little bit had passed. Then she reached for a fork and stabbed her hand...sort of lightly. What? Lina started it. Alecto was absolutely an adult. Obviously.
“I have never learned going with the flow. Okay, maybe I did, but that was in situations that didn’t involve emotions. Emotions are meant to be smothered and killed like the evil bastards they are.” She shrugged. “Which might be a little overkill.” She slid down in her seat. “The dreams only added to that. It’s even worse there. Rich people are stupid.” Which was the fact. Being a pureblood did not help it. “It’s been a long time since I have smoked anything.”
Ow. Fine, stab. Because the next jab was Lina smacking her right in the tit, shamelessly. It was all out of love and friendship, whatever people call it these days. “You need to quit over thinking your feelings and your dreams and live a little dangerously - come on, here.”
Yep, you’re damn right that was a doobie she pulled out. It was meant for later but it looked like Alecto could use some of that herbal remedy, and with a snap of her fingers the sorceress generated a flame at the tip of her nail to light it. Puffpuff, then whoosh in an exhale. “Keeping yourself wrapped in a steel bubble’s no way to go about things. It’s risky putting yourself out there. Sometimes you get burned, and sometimes it’s worth it. Go on. Take a hit. Not too deep unless you want to cough up a lung.”
Alecto held her boob protectively. “Ow. I need that, thank you.” For what? Well, she didn’t really suppose she needed it. But now she was pretty sure she was going to text Gourry after this for...reasons. Reasons like ‘your bff hit me in the boob, now make it better’. “It’s easier to fly on a motorcycle.” She shrugged. “But fine. I’ll do my best.” But she was far more used to being hyperaware of her emotions and controlling them before they got in the way. She’d just...have to...not do that. Somehow.
Alecto paused for a moment to stare at the flame. She could make fire with her wand, but she hadn’t managed wandless or wordless magic. She was a little bummed about that. It just meant serious practice. “At least the steel bubble is stronger than the soap bubble.” She wasn’t sure the being burned thing being worth it was exactly true. Okay, she’d gotten a semi-nice first dating situation out of it, but now she side-eyed her feelings more. Boys were dumb. But she was trying not to think about that. She sighed for a moment before taking the proffered doobie. “I know how to smoke. I was in boarding school once. Things happened.” Truthfully, she’d done it since then, but then she had to not do that once she joined the policing side of town. Or at least she couldn’t very often. She took a hit before handing it back. Today was one of those every so often sort of days. “Things Happened: The Alecto Carrow Story.”
“Do I want to know what things did happen,” snickered the redhead, bringing her legs up on the chair to fold them Indian style - she was small enough to fold like a pretzel on it. “But, you know, as a disclaimer, whatever happens, try not to break his heart or anything?” Lina pinched the joint between her fingers. “I always remember him boasting about him playing the role of ‘protector’ over me in the dreams, but in truth I think I was always a little more protective over him.”
Gourry really was the dumb dog she never realized she wanted around. And she hoped things progressed well for them, whatever direction it went - she was rooting for the two. “He doesn’t talk about his personal life much but he’s been through a lot. All he’s had before meeting any of us were his dogs and bitch cat.”
“I’m pretty sure you could make an educated guess and do a pretty good job of figuring it out.” She tried not to laugh, but it failed. “It was a co-ed boarding school so Amycus and I could go to one place. We got ourselves into trouble too often and so...boarding school.” She made a gesture like it was the most obvious next step. “I guess we did grow up a little there, but I didn't get any less morbid.” The old ladies with ridiculous amounts of money kept trying to make things weird, so she had to find a way to fight back against their cheek pinching and talk of her eventual marriage with lots of babies. No kid wants to think of having kids. Or at least she hadn't.
“This is new.” She smirked. “I've never had this moment. The don't hurt my friend and/or family or suffer the consequences.” At the very least, she'd always been on the other side. “Very informative.”
There was a lot of new since she'd gotten to the OC. “Well, I guess I sort of get that. Before I really only had Amycus.” But...well. “I still need to meet all of them. I can clearly be trusted with animals since this napkin hasn't turned back into a napkin yet.” She glanced over at his cage. “I blame Gourry for his continued existence. I was trying to be cool and impressive and then I ended up with a rabbit. I was all prepared to turn it back into a napkin and then he had to sit there and happily hold the dumb thing. Pretty sure he should never be allowed to hold or be around animals in my presence, but I guess I'll deal with it.”
Thing is, Gourry wouldn’t hurt a fly. She had seen him get distracted and follow fucking butterflies in their other lives - and she was sure he received ten points of physical damage every time he thought too hard. “First time for everything,” Lina smirked back, taking a puuuuuuuuuuuuff before passing the Mary Jane back. Greedy with food, generous with drugs. “You’ll live, though. I think he prefers the kind of magic that turns things into animals he can snuggle with over the abusive kind. Food, cuddly animals, and a whack on the hollow head every now and again are sure ways to get to his heart. I definitely think you got this.”
Napkin was cuuuuute, by the way. It reminded her of Zee’s many bunnies. She uncurled from the chair, waddled over, and crouched down to the rabbit’s level and poked at the cage. “And look, it’s poops look dangerously like cocoa puffs.”
“I guess so.” She shrugged. It was somewhat amusing for people to concern themselves about her when she’d never really been the sort to care. But that was neither here nor there. She sighed before taking another hit. “Yeah. I’m sort of avoiding the abusive magic right now. Like I guess if the person deserves it, maybe...because they are a fucking asshole.” But Gourry was pretty much safe from any Dark Magic adventures. “There’s a lot of parlour trick sort of shit. But then there’s useful shit like being able to make a trunk bigger on the inside and still light as a feather. I could put my whole life into the trunk at the end of the bed and it would still weigh nothing. Moving made easy. I feel like the fucking Wizard from The Sword and the Stone.” Except for she didn’t sing spells as she did them.
Alecto snorted lightly. “Yeah. You should definitely be careful about that. The milk might be brown, but that’s not because it’s chocolate milk.”
“Gross,” she said, wrinkling her nose and making a face in regards to the milk comment. “But hey, those tricks are the best kind - they’re functional. I used one to make Amelia’s diaper bag a breeze to carry.” Lina had honed those non-destructive skills nicely, though she already knew most of them. They were just more actively practiced during her pregnancy, not wanting any of the black magic she usually cast to jump start an already early labor. “But sometimes it’s nice to cut loose with those other ones, y’know?”
She stood up, turning to face her. “Next time I go out on a binge of thug-hunting, I’ll bring you with me. It’s my modern version of going after bandits to mirror what I did in the dreams - good source of income when you rob them blind, too.”
Alecto laughed at the response. She was truly an adult. Very much. “I like them pretty okay. I really don’t want to think about how moving would be if I didn’t have those spells to help me out.” It would be the worst if she was honest. “Yeah. It’s pretty okay. I’m working on combat magic some.”
Thug-hunting. Alecto smirked. “Speaking of. I met a guy that got stabbed by a guy who was trying to mug him and he acted like it was no big deal, so we scared the guy and I remembered you talking about the stealing from them stuff, so I did. It was great. I still kind of want to know what that guy’s secret is. He just did not care that he’d been stabbed.”
“Let me know if you want someone to practice with, I wouldn’t mind sparring with a little chaos,” Lina offered and went back to the table, joint picked up again. “But lookit you, I’m pretty proud. Hope he had something good on him, the jerkoff. Guessing you ran into one of the dreamers on the network if they didn’t care about being stabbed?”
Gee, must be a nice power.
There was a moment of consideration before she said, “Yep. You’re hired.” Not that she was exactly hired, but Alecto could always use practice. Some spells worked better than others for her, but that was because she’d done them more. “He was doing okay. Could have been more rich by the end of the night. But yeah. I’m pretty sure he was one. I asked him how he did that, but he never did tell me.” Now she wasn’t sure she’d ever know.
“But it was fun anyway to use my abilities. And also because of that scared little ‘I just pooped myself’ look he made. Worth it.”
“Gods, I love those looks,” came her stoned giggle, because she was always the giggly type at everything when she had a little THC in her system. “It’ll be a girl’s date between you and I.”
It’d probably make Gourry sweat (he was never a fan of the her bandit slaying ways, and she didn’t think he’d be too enthused about her taking his very likely girlfriend out on those shenanigans), but oh well.