Sabrina and Nick discuss both of their plans
going forward.
⚠
nah
It wasn’t that Sabrina was putting off talking to Nick about this particular thing, but between school, other social commitments, and dodging Aidan’s persistence, getting around to talking to him about Beketh hadn’t been a high priority. She’d wanted to think about it some more herself, evaluating all of her options over joining or not. And there were still some other people that she wanted to discuss it with too. Mainly Bonnie, because out of everyone in Vallo, she was who Sabrina trusted the most in regards to opinions about the covens.
But it was probably time to finally talk to Nick and get his opinion on things. And this time she wasn’t asking if he wanted her to join too. Back in July, she’d been terrified of doing anything apart after everything they had learned. But now, Sabrina knew they didn’t need to do everything together. It was a lot better if they didn’t.
So she headed into Dorian’s after class, making sure everything seemed to be on the slower side before making her way back to Nick’s office. “Do you have a minute?” she asked as she closed the door behind her and dropped her bag off on the sofa where she usually did her studying.
"For you, Spellman, always," Nick said, looking up at his girlfriend and smiling at her as he leaned back into his chair to give her his full attention. "What's up?"
Nothing about her demeanor seemed particularly rushed or agitated, so he just waited for her to fill him in.
She plopped down onto the chair in front of his desk and leaned forward on it. “Morgaine reached out to me--the one on Beketh’s council. They’re extending another invite to me.” Just her.
“I think I want to take them up on it.” Sabrina sighed, thinking back to their world. “My experiences with the covens back home were...they were awful but I think they could be different here and I want to see what it could be like to be part of one that didn’t hate me from birth.”
That Beketh was still trying to recruit Sabrina wasn’t all that surprising, so Nick nodded along and then smiled as she said she wanted to take them up on it. He was in no rush to join a coven, if he even went down that path. But they had different goals, and Sabrina had been awfully active with that group before turning them down after the first invite.
“Good. You should then,” he replied. “If you don’t think they’ll burn you at the stake if you try to leave. But since even the Vorerra apparently don’t do that you’ll probably be fine.”
Sabrina snorted at that. “I’m not so sure about Vorerra not doing that.” She didn’t trust that there wasn’t stuff happening to the two who had apparently left, but they weren’t Outlanders so she doubted that they’d be letting them know anything anyway. “But Morgaine said it wasn’t difficult to “part ways” if eventually I decide it's not for me. Which, considering how long we live, might be a thing. And that I don’t have to keep any secrets from you about any of it, which was one of my concerns.” Because open communication was important to Sabrina and she wasn’t about to ruin that with the two of them when they’d been working so hard at it.
“Plus Ripley and any other kids we might eventually have won’t have to join either. I want them to have a choice.” The choice she hadn’t ever really had. Not between one father signing her name a day after she was born, being tried for not signing the book, and then being forced to do it so her entire town wasn’t massacred. Ripley would not endure any sort of pressure with a coven if Sabrina had anything to say about it.
Those were things that should have been standard, but had never been back home, so Nick understood Sabrina's concerns. It was just another showing of how Vallo differed and was giving them a say in their future, even.
"Valid," he said. "Especially for our future kids that aren't waiting 700 years." How many opportunities was he going to seize to bring up that busted timeline? As many as he could before she threatened to break up with him, probably.
"I'm also joining a coven… well a coven's class at least."
She stuck her tongue out at the seven hundred years comment--clearly turning eighteen didn’t mean much. One day she was going to figure out a good comeback to her busted timeline, but today was not that day. Instead she was going to focus on the rest of what he said.
“What class are you taking?” But also good. She knew Nick liked Dorian’s and was proud of what he was doing with it, but she also knew that he liked magic and learning and had hoped he’d get to the point where he wanted to do some of those again.
"Social Media basics from the coven you'd think I'd be least likely to interact with," he said, referencing Enki of course. "Figured it wouldn't hurt to learn and see if I want to do anything for Dorian's."
Of course, he'd probably end up paying someone to do that but right now it was more cost efficient to learn for himself.
Ah, right. Sabrina had seen that post on the network but hadn’t kept up with it. “I think that’s great. I’m sure they even have some marketing ideas to share with you.” Stuff that she would have no idea about using on instagram and things.
“If you need to set up an insta, TikTok, Twitter and stuff before you go to it I can help with that part. The hard part is always coming up with the name and you want to try and get it to be the same across all platforms for easy cross promotion.” That’s what Maze had told her once at least. Sabrina just used her own accounts to post photos of them, her friends, and all of the animals. And to research spells and where to find ingredients in Vallo.
"They told me they'd help with all of that when I signed up, since this is the beginning beginners class," Nick said, falling just short of laughing at himself. "Honestly, Spellman. You know how hard it was to get me to use the network. This is… something else entirely."
He shrugged, and then added, "I'm not in a rush to join any coven, but some members of Saferra are going to use one of the lounges and I'm definitely for that." As long as Vorerra never asked to rent the space again, because Nick really didn't want a part of that anymore.
“I’m sure they’ll be able to explain it and show you in a way that makes sense. Plus you could always talk to my dad about it? Or Rory. I know he uses social media to promote Lux and he’s probably been doing it forever. But they might have some ideas for it beyond the beginners stuff.” Sabrina had no clue about any of that part of Lux or making drinks and she was good with staying out of it.
“That’s really good about Saferra booking the lounges to use though!” Anything that helped get Dorian’s name out there more was a good thing in her opinion. Well. If Nick got the help he needed.
Almost as if he could read her mind, he said, "I'm hiring new people. The budget will allow it and I know you want me here more and at work less…" Especially since she almost always kept a busy schedule, and their mornings together were too short, really.
"Though Gansey was telling me about the Great Library and offered to give me a tour so…"
“If you start ditching me for books you’re sleeping on the couch,” she teased, without any real heat to it. “I think you’ll like getting lost in that library.” And if it meant he wasn’t at work and was out doing new things and making more friends then Sabrina was all for it. She’d made a life for herself in Vallo and wanted Nick to have one as well.
“I just want you to be happy, Nick.” Happy. Healthy. Doing better than either of them had been only a few months ago. Sabrina knew they weren’t anywhere near that depressive state now, but she just wanted them to keep moving forward. Screw the fates they’d had dealt to them. “And while I know you like working here and building it up into something great, I know that’s not all you enjoy doing. You love books. You always liked learning. You haven’t really been able to do any of that.”
"I'm working on it," Nick said. For the most part, he was happy. It was just where he expected everything to eventually fall apart that needed some work. And even that had been called into question by the arrival of Ripley and the promise of a future where him and Sabrina and their daughter were happy.
"I love Dorian's. I love seeing it do well, especially since I took chances with it." Dorian's of Vallo was not the same gentlemen's club it had been back home, before or after Sabrina had forced the gender restriction to lift. "I love this place, even if Ripley and our previous zoo showed us we went too small."
That was fine, they could move later on. For now, with the animal situation under control, their place fit them perfectly.
Sometimes Sabrina missed their zoo, up until she got a chance to take a bath without the puppies following her into the bathroom, and then she remembered why it was better for them to have gone to different places. She still saw Grimm and Luci Jr most days anyway. She just didn’t need to take care of them 24/7.
“I think we went just right for what we need right now,” Sabrina told him. “Our current apartment was never supposed to be the forever one.” They’d needed to get out of the mortuary and it had been the best option. She loved it and what they had managed to do with it. Eventually she might want to be closer to the forest or at least have an area for a garden. And when Ripley came along it’d be nice to have space to build a treehouse or a playset of some kind.
“I’m just happy we’ve started really seeing a future here.” They had tried to but she knew her own depression had kept her from really believing they would get one.
"We're living it, Spellman. This is our future. We're building it now."
Which yes, meant he was working more hours than she might have liked. And if he was still doing that in a year he might not like it either. But for now? With goals he was working toward? Dorian's could help with that, and in turn, he could handle the time spent at the club, making sure it was profitable and growing.
But he was at a point where he felt okay about leaving unscheduled every now and then, so he asked, "Got dinner plans?"
He was right. They were building their future and every step forward definitely counted. His question threw her for a second though and Sabrina blinked. “I was just going to heat up leftovers back at the apartment but I’m open to other options.”
Especially if it involved eating with him.
"Well then, Spellman. Can I take you out to dinner tonight?" It was early enough that they wouldn't have to wait anywhere, which would get him back to the club in a timely fashion, but not without unexpected time with his girlfriend.
And that was the kind of life he wanted here, so why not take advantage of that now?
Sabrina beamed at that question. This was a really nice change and an opportunity she was not about to turn down. “Yes yes yes.”