The Perk - Sunday late afternoon

[new_to_liirness]

Liir felt a curious case of deja vu. Here he was, after a great journey. After the loss of someone who meant so much to him.

Waiting in a cafe.

The differences, though, were important. For one, his hand was wrapped around the handle of the broom. For another, he knew that the person who meant so much would be back. And almost like history

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[a_no_brainer]

A left, and then a right, or was it the other way around? Glitch was scrambling, synapses still going in all directions as opposed to the ones he needed at the moment, and he was trying very hard to just be thankful that he wasn't being followed by something large and hungry.

It took him a little longer than expected to make his way to the Perk, but it wasn't for lack of wanting to be there.

He had to make sure Liir was back, and safe, and not eaten by anything that had once been on display.

All of that might be why he simply skipped the greeting once he got inside and went, instead, for a hug. Hugs were always good at the ends of thrilling adventures.

[a_no_brainer]

He gave Liir a Look.

"When you have to dress as a Longcoat, it is."

[new_to_liirness]

"What's a Longcoat? Other than a coat that happens to be, well, long?"

[a_no_brainer]

"When the Witch was in power, they were her enforcers."

Glitch looked thoughtful for a moment. Wasn't there something else they were talking about? Synapses were insistent that there was something, but couldn't quite bring it back to the front.

[new_to_liirness]

"Like the Gale Forcers, then," he said thoughtfully. "For the Wizard."

No, he really didn't like talking about the Witch without something in front of it to label it as not his Witch. It made him twitchy.

[a_no_brainer]

Glitch didn't entirely get the reference, but he nodded. A moment or two later, his synapses came back with the right information and he nodded again.

Then they came back with something a little more recent.

"Oh, how was your, uhm," he thought for another moment, "at where they sent you?"

[new_to_liirness]

"Why do you ask?"

He didn't want to talk about it, at least not if he could redirect the conversation.

[a_no_brainer]

Glitch raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you not want to tell me?"

[new_to_liirness]

"Because it will more than likely upset you."

Beat.

"And probably get me yelled at."

[a_no_brainer]

He considered it for a second.

"Well, I broke into a museum, so, I don't think I'd yell at you for anything."

Glitch wasn't going to say he wouldn't be upset.

[new_to_liirness]

"I sort of, um, ...had to defend myself. With, um..."

He wiggled his fingers. He felt embarrassed saying it. Why hadn't he just clubbed it to death or tricked it into running into a tree or something? Now that he thought of it, he'd come up with the silliest solution. Had he been insane?

[a_no_brainer]

Glitch had no idea what that meant, and it probably showed on his face.

"Defend yourself with what?"

He may have been confused, but he was also very concerned.

[new_to_liirness]

He was red. Wine red.

"Um, magic."

He didn't know if he should add--

"I couldn't think of anything else at the time."

Maybe it'd been Lulu blowing things up just before. It had been rather impressive.

[a_no_brainer]

Even after a few moments of letting his synapses absorb that, he still couldn't figure out why that would upset him.

"Did it work, at least? You didn't get hurt?"

[new_to_liirness]

He nodded.

"It worked," he said, but there was a brittleness to his smile.

"And it didn't hurt me, um, exactly. I'm just a bit on edge from it. Nothing to worry on. It was just silly, now that I think of it. Unnecessary, really."

He was, however, a teenager. And just as a young man will use his brand new driver's license to go get a jug of milk from the store three streets down, so did Liir use his newly found magic when there was probably a better way around the situation. At least, such had he started telling himself.

[a_no_brainer]

Glitch frowned.

"Would you have been hurt if you hadn't?"