what I do on Saturday

[merlinianblood]

Seated on one of the couches in the Kashtta's lounge is Dave, who is currently reading up on some magical history.

The book on the table in front of him is really, really large, and extremely old.

Seated on the nearby couch is Gilderoy, who just can't seem to figure out how the remote works. He's familiar with television, of course, but as far as he'

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[fellfrommyheart]

Dylan has to admit, part of her is dreading this conversation. Her time spent at home never seems to leave her head. She feels sad, awkward and good at the same time, with a dozen more emotions thrown in the mix as well.

But she needs to talk to someone about it and Fletcher's probably one of the only people she has left she can trust. He'll understand, at least. Or so she hopes.

She meets Fletcher on the way as he's just managing to flee from the park.

"What happened?" she asks with a curious head tilt.

[knowmycall]

"My sword is possessed," he says, grabbing her hand and leading her away. "I'll explain on the walk as soon as we're away from the park."

Except then he abruptly stops and looks at her.

And then he hugs her. Tightly.

"Welcome back, by the way."

[fellfrommyheart]

"Oh.." Dylan raises her eyebrows at that as she's suddenly pulled along. She actually thinks that's pretty cool. But then.. she remembers, the tree. And as deranged as she might be, she manages to put two and two together. "Maybe the Rift.. uhmm, changed it," she utters.

And then the hug totally catches her off guard. Not that she doesn't like it, just that she doesn't really get them that often.

So she stands rather awkwardly in a rather lung crushing hold for a few moments before she finally hugs back.

"Ummm.. thanks.." she murmurs with a faint smile.

[knowmycall]

He suspects the Rift has everything to do with it, as it does with many things.

Eventually, Fletcher pulls away, looking slightly sheepish. "Right. We should go. D'you want to go anywhere specific, or...? In case you wanted to talk. In the interest of privacy and such, y'know."

[fellfrommyheart]

Dylan is probably looking just as awkward and sheepish. She begins to wring her hands as soon as he pulls away. She's silent for a few moments, thinking.

"I.. don't mind," she utters with a loose shrug of her shoulders. Where's quiet in Chicago? "Where ever... um,"

".. The other you didn't really... know about this," she says, biting down on her lower lip, "I don't.. think.."

[knowmycall]

"Ah, finally something I have over him."

Really, he's beginning to get tired of everyone comparing him to the other him.

"There's a bookstore about a block away. It's an old place and there's barely anyone ever in there. How's that sound?"

[fellfrommyheart]

Dylan raises her eyebrows, still biting down on her lip. It’s a silent way of saying sorry, really. She doesn’t mean to constantly compare him. It’s just taking a while to get used to the fact that there’s two of him. With time, she hopes, it’ll fade.

“That.. sounds okay,” she says with a nod and a faint smile. “Umm, you lead.. the way, I guess,”

And she’s just going to quietly run through her head just what she’s going to say. Even though part of her knows it’ll come out like a mess, as usual.

[knowmycall]

It's not just Dylan; it's everyone. He's less annoyed with her than he is with other people, probably because she's her and everyone else isn't.

Logic.

He leads the way, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. It's a little difficult with the sword strapped to his back, but he's sure the people around here have seen weirder.

Once they reach the store, he opens the door and motions for her to go in first.

[fellfrommyheart]

Usually her best way to look inconspicuous is to just be herself. No one pays attention to the crazy archangel wandering about, not paying attention to anything that's going on about her. So she's just going to do that as she trots along at his side.

And then she smiles faint, wandering inside and... going straight to look for children's books - if there is any.

She's hit with a sudden feeling. How normal this feels. She forgets about why they're really here and it's nice because it's so... normal.

"I wish I could do normal things... all the time," she utters, "I want to, again," she pauses, "That's why I went home, I don't like being me any more,"

[knowmycall]

The store is, thankfully, as empty as it usually is. Fletcher nods at the cashier as they walk past-this is a hangout of sorts, for him-and follows Dylan into the children's books section, where he promptly sits, cross-legged, on the floor.

He blinks up at her.

"Why don't you like being you?"

[fellfrommyheart]

Dylan doesn’t look at him at first. She just stands, staring at the books. “Because..”

She trails off for a few moments and starts wringing her hands again, “Because I’m a bad person. Because… I kill people… and I always thought.. I thought that.. it would make me a good person… because.. I thought, well, that… I was doing the right thing…”

She turns her head to look at him sheepishly, brow furrowed in sadness, “I never wanted to be an archangel,” she says, “I.. wanted to make things right, but I didn’t want.. to be who I am now,”

“That’s why… I went, well… home,” she says, picking up a copy of Alice in Wonderland. She liked this one when she was little, “I wanted.. to.. I don’t know.. be normal, be better.. change,”

[knowmycall]

"Oh, sweetheart." Fletcher's heart drops as she speaks. He knows how she feels, straight down to his core-he remembers the conversation he had with his mother when he was sixteen, remembers crying for hours because he didn't want anything to do with his Calling.

And he remembers what she said as clearly as the day she said it. He carries her words close to his heart; always has.

He pats the floor next to him. "C'mere, sit."

[fellfrommyheart]

Dylan could only wish she'd had her mother to offer her any kind words when she got her wings. And her Father couldn't bear to help her, he'd didn't want to know just what his child would turn out like after everything that had happened.

There were points in her life when she was glad. She was stronger, faster, she'd make things right, get revenge. But she looks back and for the last twenty years, she sees nothing but a rather sad and lonely life. No friends, no family, nothing.

She hesitates for a moment, before quietly sitting down next to him. She stares down at the book in her hands.

[knowmycall]

Fletch slips the sword off of his back before Dylan sits, setting it down across the aisle. Once she's down, he carefully slips an arm around her shoulders.

"No one asks for their Calling. I've never actually met someone who liked the destiny they were handed-even the ones who we think have it easier, like Angels of Knowledge and Healers. And I always thought that wasn't the case, because I come from a family of AoK's and I never saw them dealing with the things I dealt with. And I kinda hated them for it, for a while. But what it boils down to is... pretty basic, actually. No one likes bein' told what to do

[fellfrommyheart]

Dylan listens quietly, still staring down on the book. It's easier to focus that way. Her own father is an Angel of Knowledge, and yes - she does always think he has it so much easier. But.. she never thought to ask him what he thought of it. She feels a small smile wobble at her lips in agreement, 'No one likes being told what to do.And then she hears the question. She looks up at him, frowning at first - and then there's almost a look of fear on her face

[knowmycall]

His grip on Dylan's shoulders tightens as she tells her story. Something about it resonates deep in his chest and he has to bite back anger and sadness all at once, has to swallow it down so it sits, like a rock, in his stomach.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. So, so sorry. That's-" He takes a breath, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Don't y'still love your mother? She's not with you anymore, but... y'must still love her. Her memory."