Post by No Face on Nov 25, 2019 20:42:02 GMT -5
To him, it seemed like forever... The seconds, then a minute.... He took it as long as he could stand it. Holding his breath, trapping himself under the water. He sat up suddenly, splashing water all over the bathroom. It was loud, that splash, and he vaulted out of the tub... He doubled over, hands on his knees, and breathed heavily. Trying to stem the panic that rose from it. The feeling of nausea from it..
Avery said, "It was good of you. Ethan needs--"
The splash might as well have been cold water thrown on the moment. It shattered, brittle, under the sound, and Avery shoved off from the wall by the curtain. "Ethan!"
The moment was gone. And everything painfully tensed at the sound. For a moment, her heart clenched at a terrible thought. Had something snuck its way into the house? Were they under attack?
She couldn’t get up from the couch. It was an impossible task to head towards the bathroom on her own. And asking for help would only slow Avery down from what needed to be done. Which was check on Ethan.
“Go.” Aurelia insisted.
Ethan shouted back through the door, in German... He defaulted to German when he was upset or pissed off... "I'm fine! Give me a minute... Let me clean up the mess..."
Avery slid to a halt not far past Aurelia's sofa, tense and ready and stopped by that I'm fine! but not in any way able to relax right away. It was the wrong night for that. "What in God's name!" he called--jerkily making himself move again--at a walk this time--to the washroom door so that he didn't have to shout.
Ethan ground his teeth in the washroom.. He was still doubled over. "I almost got sick in the tub, I jumped out... I got water everywhere... I'm sorry. I'll clean it up."
"You're--ill?" A moment of weakness came and went. Avery Flynn, wondering when he'd reach the limit of things he could smoothly juggle: an unnatural thing.
"I -almost- was," he said. It was quiet. "Give me a few minutes okay? I'll be out. I'll explain."
Seconds passed with Avery just poised there. Then he nodded, drew away from the door, back into the humble sitting room, sighing. "You know," he mused, "Felix thinks we'd make great hermits."
“You wouldn’t last a day.” She smiled at him. But it wasn’t the same smile as before. This one didn’t reach her eyes the way the first few did. The tension was still there.
Aurelia wanted to relax. But she didn’t. Because of Ethan’s demon and its constant awareness. It was that moment she realized that until they could wall that thing away… she could, and wouldn’t, be able to relax in his presence.
Rather than going back to the window right away--which is where he should be, as the only one capable of being on watch--Avery sank down on the rug right next to Aurelia's sofa, one knee up and laughed a little at her observation, if weakly. "I know. I know...."
"It is a nice idea.” She mused. Aurelia looked at him softly as she smiled. “Maybe, one day, you and Felix can have the best of both worlds. A warm, cozy, quiet place to come home to. One with a garden and a workshop. Somewhere secluded but close enough to visit the thrum of life. A place to both rest and stretch your wings.”
Ethan would be silent in the bathroom.. Use most of the towels. He cleaned up all of the water. He came out of the bathroom with his shirt unbuttoned and his pants all the way on. He didn't have the socks or Felix's boots... None of the clothes fit him. He was too big through the shoulders, his legs a little too long. To Avery he said as he braided his hair, "How much of my father's abuse do you know about?" he asked.
"That's--we're working on that, actually...." He smiled oddly. "Not sure how I feel about hocus-pocusing to work from India everyday, but--"
The door opened; Ethan emerged.
At least his pants were all the way on.
Avery got slowly to his feet, reaching over to pat Aurelia gently on the arm for reasons he could not explain.
Ethan just came right out with a question. Avery looked him up and down anyway. "You being almost sick has to do with that? Are you all right now?"
Her hand rested over his in response to the pat but didn’t try to trap him there. It was a quick, light touch. Why? Aurelia didn’t know. It had felt like the right. And she had wanted to. So, she did. Her life was usually simple like that.
Usually.
Green eyes blinked at Ethan, wondering why he hadn’t finished dressing himself. And then she wondered at the strangeness of his question. No. Not strangeness. But its delivery had been odd. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the two men, letting them take lead of the conversation.
"I'm fine" he said softly. "So... As I told you... I'm not entirely sure what the deal is with the demon and water, but it is vulnerable to a lot of it... Going across the ocean is a big no no, I told you about that the first time... It leaves me weak and vulnerable for days if not weeks after... Torrential downpours, rivers, lakes-- it makes me sick, but doesn't necessarily weaken me... So tonight, I was already weak... And it was still down-pouring on me and I physically couldn't take it... It threatened to make me sick. It's a trick of the mind, I think... One of the things my father used to do to me was hold me down under the water to try and master the fear it triggered... So, now, when I am struggling... I try to keep myself under as long as possible. Brings a sense of calm, as crazy as that sounds... But I'm not okay yet. I'm still weak... And it overwhelmed me pretty fast."
Avery stared at him. Then his head twitched to the side and he squinted. "Being submerged leaves you vulnerable."
"And the demon too?" She asked.
"Yes," he said softly. He lowered himself down to sit in another place. His elbows rested on his knees. "I don't like feeling weak, but I'd rather be weak and in trusted company than not bring weak and out there and paranoid as hell."
"You have no idea what. It's like to not trust your own mind."
Ethan settled himself down.
And Avery was on him, stalking over, hands shooting out for the unbuttoned shirt to jerk him up so that he was face to face with Avery. "You'd do that here? NOW?!"
Her eyes went wide with surprise. It was the sort of reaction she’d expect from Felix. There was no way to reach them. Not without causing further injury – and that would only make things much worse.
“Avery!” She shouted; having only her words to try and make him heed sense.
"You said you wanted to take security measures... I did that to -help- you put them in place," he said. His tone was perfectly calm. He was neutral.
"You--!"
The sound of his name--and at the same time, Ethan's calm chipped an edge off of Avery's reaction.
It was also infuriating. He shoved Ethan back, releasing him, but stayed standing over him. "Let me get this straight. You do this thing, without telling me, that can make you ill and vulnerable, on a night when we've got an injured lady here, you unbound, my brother out there by himself, a possible host of traitor Frontiersmen hunting you, and Seth God knows where doing God knows what." At least he wasn't shouting. "Have you any sense?"
Avery’s control was nearing its reach. It was like a cup that continuously had water dripping into it. Little by little it was filling up. Closer and closer it came to the edge until it would eventually spill over. She could see that. She wondered if Ethan could as well.
She didn’t call him back. Nor did she interject into the conversation. But she was sitting up straighter now. The blanket fallen to her waist leaving her in the plain white over sized shirt they had found her. It hung off one shoulder, revealing a patch of purplish, reddish bruises that were so dark they were almost black. She had no idea what to do if they came to blows but was prepared for some sort of action should it happen.
He sat back in his chair and sighed. "Look. You don't trust me. -She- doesn't trust me. Hell, not even Seth trusts me... I'm a, danger to all of you and half of you have said so. So why -shouldn't- I weaken myself to whatever security measures you want to take? You either don't trust me, but want me to be defensive or offensive or you wanna trust me and be completely useless. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS."
"So choose and be done with it."
He didn't raise his voice, but there was a definitive hardening to his eyes and body language toward the end.
"How dare you," Avery hissed. "We helped you. No contract, no payment. We helped you. We're helping you again. Eddie didn't leave you in the rain; I didn't throw you out--no. How dare you act like this is easy for me? You said 'vulnerable.' How in Hell am I supposed to guess what to? And how in Hell do you claim to know what to, yourself, when you've said your memories can be sliced and folded like paper dolls!"
“I almost died trying to help you.” Aurelia snapped. She, most certainly, was not going to be calm about this. “I ran off to save you and it almost cost me my life."
That beautiful face balked at him as if he'd slapped her.
"And you're upset because I don't trust you? You have a demon inside you."
"Yes," he said. The calm was back. "Thank you for the reminder. I was not acutely aware of that before." it was completely void of emotion. He didn't look at her. He looked at Avery. "Vulnerable is -vulnerable-... It means I'm weak to attack and so is he. I'm easier to kill, so is he... But I have a certain level of trust that you won't do that because my entire time of the last 3 years has been trying to find a goddamn way to save my family from suffering the same way I have... I'm trying to take him to the damn grave with me, Avery. It does me no good if I'm dead. Therefore, I consider making myself vulnerable a level of trust... What is it you want from me?" he asked. "I can't run in circles screaming. I can't be left alone--my demon alienates me when I'm left alone. You want me to sit in a corner and cry? To sleep? To get my strength back up? For what purpose? WHAT IS IT YOU WANT ME TO DO?"
Astonished, in exasperation Avery cried, "You're out of your mind!"
Her eyes blazed with anger. Anger at his obvious dismissal of her life; as if it was a minor foot note in some story. At his complete lack of thoughtfulness of what his actions might have cost her and Avery. She had helped him. Risked her life for him. Was still risking her life, Avery's, and Felix's, and Eddie's lives... and still offering help and this…
…. This was how he chose to repay that help.
She snarled lowly under her breath.
"No," he said very softly. "For once, I'm -not-... But I do genuinely want to know. What is it you want me to do?" he asked.
Avery stared at him. Biting back some of the words that wanted to come felt like swallowing razorblades. He put a hand to his head. "Good God, you've got me so turned around I want you to communicate better and shut up at the same time."
“Your demon, and what it can do, complicates everything. As long as it is aware and has the potential to run amuck with your mind… I cannot trust you. I would be an idiot if I did.” She sighed. “This entire situation is proof enough as to why I shouldn’t. You have to accept that.”
The anger was fading, and exhaustion started to take its place. Would this night ever end?
“Avery can’t tell you what to do, Ethan.” She said, allowing weariness to fill her voice. “He can’t tell you and neither can I. You must decide for yourself what it is that you want to do.”
He shook his head. "No." he gestured to Avery to sit. "Stop being mad at me... And sit down.... I'll tell you everything that's happened since I called you to tell you about the Vessel."
Avery stared at him. Stop being mad at me. He had to bite his tongue. But it was not Avery's way to lose his cool--not often, at any rate. His whole body was tensed for a fight, or to at least slap some sense into Ethan.
He didn't move.
"I can and will tell you want to do: You will finish getting dressed. You will be ready to go when Felix gets back. We'll be getting out of here when that happens. You will not make yourself sick, or weak so that somebody has to help you walk, okay? You will communicate your ideas, should you have any, to me, instead of taking measures I don't understand while I'm trying to manage a hydra of a situation!"
Eddie was still there, but he hung back at the doorway, out of sight and out of mind, watching and ready.
The smile was slight... As if he'd been waiting for an order... That smile was probably infuriating in some way-- but he nodded. "Yessir," he said softly. He turned to walk past Avery and stopped beside Aurelia on the sofa. "I do appreciate your sacrifice... Your willingness to help me... Both times. Before and after he returned my memories... I don't hold it against you that you don't trust me... But it's counter-productive to remind me I have a demon in me. It's not like I haven't been aware of that every day for almost ten years now..... Its not as simple as you think."
"Ethan--You're talking about 'appreciating her sacrifice.' She was nearly killed. Look at her! You have a demon in you. You have a demon in you. You have a demon in you! You might be tired of knowing it, but it's still new to the rest of us. We have to decide how to treat you. We want to treat you as a person--that's why we're helping you! But if that thing's in your mind, yes! We will point it out, because we need to process that." Avery stood stiffly, trying to remember who he was. They had to make it until Felix got back. He couldn't have stopped Ethan if he stormed off, and he wasn't willing to write him off.
But he didn't remember Ethan being this awful the last time they'd seen him.
"You have a demon in you. It's relevant. If that's you hearing me, you need to apologize to Miss Dumitru right now and hope to God she forgives you for your behavior."
"I do appreciate your sacrifice.”
It was like a physical blow. The cavalier tone to his voice. That disgusting slight smile on his face when he spoke. As if her life were something to be taken so lightly. As if what she had done didn’t matter to him so long as the Flynn brothers were there. She wanted to leave. Storm out and wash her hands of this boy… for he surely did not conduct himself as a man. But she couldn’t.
Because she had paid a terrible price in helping Ethan that night.
And that price was what kept her rooted on the couch.
“How dare you -” She hissed.
It was all Aurelia would get out before Avery’s outburst. One that filled her with gratitude and appreciation. It helped calm the offensive anger that surged through her tired bones.
He sighed. "My apologies, Miss," he told her. He very suddenly looked tired and defeated... It sounded genuinely apologetic. Then he turned to walk away... To go back to the bathroom to put on the boots and finish getting dressed.
"That’s all you have to say?” She practically shouted as the anger returned when he turned away. Unable to chase after him, which was even more infuriating, all Aurelia had was her words. “You stand there with… that disgusting smile on your face… as if that is appropriate… as if that suddenly makes everything better… and say you ‘appreciate’ my ‘sacrifice’.” She could feel her voice crack and go horse. And still she yelled.
“Now you just walk away as if none of that matters. How dare you! After everything we’ve been through to help you! Everything I’ve been through to help you! This is how you choose repay my ‘sacrifice’?” She said the word like it was a dirty insult it was.
“This is how you choose to conduct yourself to the only people willing to protect you?”
Her body was trembling. The outburst pulled a ragging, choking cough that left her gagging on the couch. Her face went red as she gasped for air.
"How-" the word choked off and she was forced to stop shouting. Her body trembled with anger, exertion, exhaustion, pain. So, so much pain.
And Ethan had turned away as if none of that mattered.
Eddie had started to come back in, arms full of clothes he hoped to help Aurelia into for more warmth when it was time to move--but he stopped dead at the end of the sofa as she got going.
Avery, too, was taken aback. He couldn't even register that that much strength was a cracking good sign for the health of her lungs! ... because he was horrified by how out of control all of this was, and it was getting worse.
Then he was there, trying to help her, saying, "Eddie--get her water--" and trying to calm her down. "Leave him--leave it--Felix will be back soon--"
Please, God; let Felix be back soon.
He walked away... He closed the door to the bathroom. He wouldn't come back out for a while.
Avery said, "It was good of you. Ethan needs--"
The splash might as well have been cold water thrown on the moment. It shattered, brittle, under the sound, and Avery shoved off from the wall by the curtain. "Ethan!"
The moment was gone. And everything painfully tensed at the sound. For a moment, her heart clenched at a terrible thought. Had something snuck its way into the house? Were they under attack?
She couldn’t get up from the couch. It was an impossible task to head towards the bathroom on her own. And asking for help would only slow Avery down from what needed to be done. Which was check on Ethan.
“Go.” Aurelia insisted.
Ethan shouted back through the door, in German... He defaulted to German when he was upset or pissed off... "I'm fine! Give me a minute... Let me clean up the mess..."
Avery slid to a halt not far past Aurelia's sofa, tense and ready and stopped by that I'm fine! but not in any way able to relax right away. It was the wrong night for that. "What in God's name!" he called--jerkily making himself move again--at a walk this time--to the washroom door so that he didn't have to shout.
Ethan ground his teeth in the washroom.. He was still doubled over. "I almost got sick in the tub, I jumped out... I got water everywhere... I'm sorry. I'll clean it up."
"You're--ill?" A moment of weakness came and went. Avery Flynn, wondering when he'd reach the limit of things he could smoothly juggle: an unnatural thing.
"I -almost- was," he said. It was quiet. "Give me a few minutes okay? I'll be out. I'll explain."
Seconds passed with Avery just poised there. Then he nodded, drew away from the door, back into the humble sitting room, sighing. "You know," he mused, "Felix thinks we'd make great hermits."
“You wouldn’t last a day.” She smiled at him. But it wasn’t the same smile as before. This one didn’t reach her eyes the way the first few did. The tension was still there.
Aurelia wanted to relax. But she didn’t. Because of Ethan’s demon and its constant awareness. It was that moment she realized that until they could wall that thing away… she could, and wouldn’t, be able to relax in his presence.
Rather than going back to the window right away--which is where he should be, as the only one capable of being on watch--Avery sank down on the rug right next to Aurelia's sofa, one knee up and laughed a little at her observation, if weakly. "I know. I know...."
"It is a nice idea.” She mused. Aurelia looked at him softly as she smiled. “Maybe, one day, you and Felix can have the best of both worlds. A warm, cozy, quiet place to come home to. One with a garden and a workshop. Somewhere secluded but close enough to visit the thrum of life. A place to both rest and stretch your wings.”
Ethan would be silent in the bathroom.. Use most of the towels. He cleaned up all of the water. He came out of the bathroom with his shirt unbuttoned and his pants all the way on. He didn't have the socks or Felix's boots... None of the clothes fit him. He was too big through the shoulders, his legs a little too long. To Avery he said as he braided his hair, "How much of my father's abuse do you know about?" he asked.
"That's--we're working on that, actually...." He smiled oddly. "Not sure how I feel about hocus-pocusing to work from India everyday, but--"
The door opened; Ethan emerged.
At least his pants were all the way on.
Avery got slowly to his feet, reaching over to pat Aurelia gently on the arm for reasons he could not explain.
Ethan just came right out with a question. Avery looked him up and down anyway. "You being almost sick has to do with that? Are you all right now?"
Her hand rested over his in response to the pat but didn’t try to trap him there. It was a quick, light touch. Why? Aurelia didn’t know. It had felt like the right. And she had wanted to. So, she did. Her life was usually simple like that.
Usually.
Green eyes blinked at Ethan, wondering why he hadn’t finished dressing himself. And then she wondered at the strangeness of his question. No. Not strangeness. But its delivery had been odd. Her eyes flickered back and forth between the two men, letting them take lead of the conversation.
"I'm fine" he said softly. "So... As I told you... I'm not entirely sure what the deal is with the demon and water, but it is vulnerable to a lot of it... Going across the ocean is a big no no, I told you about that the first time... It leaves me weak and vulnerable for days if not weeks after... Torrential downpours, rivers, lakes-- it makes me sick, but doesn't necessarily weaken me... So tonight, I was already weak... And it was still down-pouring on me and I physically couldn't take it... It threatened to make me sick. It's a trick of the mind, I think... One of the things my father used to do to me was hold me down under the water to try and master the fear it triggered... So, now, when I am struggling... I try to keep myself under as long as possible. Brings a sense of calm, as crazy as that sounds... But I'm not okay yet. I'm still weak... And it overwhelmed me pretty fast."
Avery stared at him. Then his head twitched to the side and he squinted. "Being submerged leaves you vulnerable."
"And the demon too?" She asked.
"Yes," he said softly. He lowered himself down to sit in another place. His elbows rested on his knees. "I don't like feeling weak, but I'd rather be weak and in trusted company than not bring weak and out there and paranoid as hell."
"You have no idea what. It's like to not trust your own mind."
Ethan settled himself down.
And Avery was on him, stalking over, hands shooting out for the unbuttoned shirt to jerk him up so that he was face to face with Avery. "You'd do that here? NOW?!"
Her eyes went wide with surprise. It was the sort of reaction she’d expect from Felix. There was no way to reach them. Not without causing further injury – and that would only make things much worse.
“Avery!” She shouted; having only her words to try and make him heed sense.
"You said you wanted to take security measures... I did that to -help- you put them in place," he said. His tone was perfectly calm. He was neutral.
"You--!"
The sound of his name--and at the same time, Ethan's calm chipped an edge off of Avery's reaction.
It was also infuriating. He shoved Ethan back, releasing him, but stayed standing over him. "Let me get this straight. You do this thing, without telling me, that can make you ill and vulnerable, on a night when we've got an injured lady here, you unbound, my brother out there by himself, a possible host of traitor Frontiersmen hunting you, and Seth God knows where doing God knows what." At least he wasn't shouting. "Have you any sense?"
Avery’s control was nearing its reach. It was like a cup that continuously had water dripping into it. Little by little it was filling up. Closer and closer it came to the edge until it would eventually spill over. She could see that. She wondered if Ethan could as well.
She didn’t call him back. Nor did she interject into the conversation. But she was sitting up straighter now. The blanket fallen to her waist leaving her in the plain white over sized shirt they had found her. It hung off one shoulder, revealing a patch of purplish, reddish bruises that were so dark they were almost black. She had no idea what to do if they came to blows but was prepared for some sort of action should it happen.
He sat back in his chair and sighed. "Look. You don't trust me. -She- doesn't trust me. Hell, not even Seth trusts me... I'm a, danger to all of you and half of you have said so. So why -shouldn't- I weaken myself to whatever security measures you want to take? You either don't trust me, but want me to be defensive or offensive or you wanna trust me and be completely useless. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS."
"So choose and be done with it."
He didn't raise his voice, but there was a definitive hardening to his eyes and body language toward the end.
"How dare you," Avery hissed. "We helped you. No contract, no payment. We helped you. We're helping you again. Eddie didn't leave you in the rain; I didn't throw you out--no. How dare you act like this is easy for me? You said 'vulnerable.' How in Hell am I supposed to guess what to? And how in Hell do you claim to know what to, yourself, when you've said your memories can be sliced and folded like paper dolls!"
“I almost died trying to help you.” Aurelia snapped. She, most certainly, was not going to be calm about this. “I ran off to save you and it almost cost me my life."
That beautiful face balked at him as if he'd slapped her.
"And you're upset because I don't trust you? You have a demon inside you."
"Yes," he said. The calm was back. "Thank you for the reminder. I was not acutely aware of that before." it was completely void of emotion. He didn't look at her. He looked at Avery. "Vulnerable is -vulnerable-... It means I'm weak to attack and so is he. I'm easier to kill, so is he... But I have a certain level of trust that you won't do that because my entire time of the last 3 years has been trying to find a goddamn way to save my family from suffering the same way I have... I'm trying to take him to the damn grave with me, Avery. It does me no good if I'm dead. Therefore, I consider making myself vulnerable a level of trust... What is it you want from me?" he asked. "I can't run in circles screaming. I can't be left alone--my demon alienates me when I'm left alone. You want me to sit in a corner and cry? To sleep? To get my strength back up? For what purpose? WHAT IS IT YOU WANT ME TO DO?"
Astonished, in exasperation Avery cried, "You're out of your mind!"
Her eyes blazed with anger. Anger at his obvious dismissal of her life; as if it was a minor foot note in some story. At his complete lack of thoughtfulness of what his actions might have cost her and Avery. She had helped him. Risked her life for him. Was still risking her life, Avery's, and Felix's, and Eddie's lives... and still offering help and this…
…. This was how he chose to repay that help.
She snarled lowly under her breath.
"No," he said very softly. "For once, I'm -not-... But I do genuinely want to know. What is it you want me to do?" he asked.
Avery stared at him. Biting back some of the words that wanted to come felt like swallowing razorblades. He put a hand to his head. "Good God, you've got me so turned around I want you to communicate better and shut up at the same time."
“Your demon, and what it can do, complicates everything. As long as it is aware and has the potential to run amuck with your mind… I cannot trust you. I would be an idiot if I did.” She sighed. “This entire situation is proof enough as to why I shouldn’t. You have to accept that.”
The anger was fading, and exhaustion started to take its place. Would this night ever end?
“Avery can’t tell you what to do, Ethan.” She said, allowing weariness to fill her voice. “He can’t tell you and neither can I. You must decide for yourself what it is that you want to do.”
He shook his head. "No." he gestured to Avery to sit. "Stop being mad at me... And sit down.... I'll tell you everything that's happened since I called you to tell you about the Vessel."
Avery stared at him. Stop being mad at me. He had to bite his tongue. But it was not Avery's way to lose his cool--not often, at any rate. His whole body was tensed for a fight, or to at least slap some sense into Ethan.
He didn't move.
"I can and will tell you want to do: You will finish getting dressed. You will be ready to go when Felix gets back. We'll be getting out of here when that happens. You will not make yourself sick, or weak so that somebody has to help you walk, okay? You will communicate your ideas, should you have any, to me, instead of taking measures I don't understand while I'm trying to manage a hydra of a situation!"
Eddie was still there, but he hung back at the doorway, out of sight and out of mind, watching and ready.
The smile was slight... As if he'd been waiting for an order... That smile was probably infuriating in some way-- but he nodded. "Yessir," he said softly. He turned to walk past Avery and stopped beside Aurelia on the sofa. "I do appreciate your sacrifice... Your willingness to help me... Both times. Before and after he returned my memories... I don't hold it against you that you don't trust me... But it's counter-productive to remind me I have a demon in me. It's not like I haven't been aware of that every day for almost ten years now..... Its not as simple as you think."
"Ethan--You're talking about 'appreciating her sacrifice.' She was nearly killed. Look at her! You have a demon in you. You have a demon in you. You have a demon in you! You might be tired of knowing it, but it's still new to the rest of us. We have to decide how to treat you. We want to treat you as a person--that's why we're helping you! But if that thing's in your mind, yes! We will point it out, because we need to process that." Avery stood stiffly, trying to remember who he was. They had to make it until Felix got back. He couldn't have stopped Ethan if he stormed off, and he wasn't willing to write him off.
But he didn't remember Ethan being this awful the last time they'd seen him.
"You have a demon in you. It's relevant. If that's you hearing me, you need to apologize to Miss Dumitru right now and hope to God she forgives you for your behavior."
"I do appreciate your sacrifice.”
It was like a physical blow. The cavalier tone to his voice. That disgusting slight smile on his face when he spoke. As if her life were something to be taken so lightly. As if what she had done didn’t matter to him so long as the Flynn brothers were there. She wanted to leave. Storm out and wash her hands of this boy… for he surely did not conduct himself as a man. But she couldn’t.
Because she had paid a terrible price in helping Ethan that night.
And that price was what kept her rooted on the couch.
“How dare you -” She hissed.
It was all Aurelia would get out before Avery’s outburst. One that filled her with gratitude and appreciation. It helped calm the offensive anger that surged through her tired bones.
He sighed. "My apologies, Miss," he told her. He very suddenly looked tired and defeated... It sounded genuinely apologetic. Then he turned to walk away... To go back to the bathroom to put on the boots and finish getting dressed.
"That’s all you have to say?” She practically shouted as the anger returned when he turned away. Unable to chase after him, which was even more infuriating, all Aurelia had was her words. “You stand there with… that disgusting smile on your face… as if that is appropriate… as if that suddenly makes everything better… and say you ‘appreciate’ my ‘sacrifice’.” She could feel her voice crack and go horse. And still she yelled.
“Now you just walk away as if none of that matters. How dare you! After everything we’ve been through to help you! Everything I’ve been through to help you! This is how you choose repay my ‘sacrifice’?” She said the word like it was a dirty insult it was.
“This is how you choose to conduct yourself to the only people willing to protect you?”
Her body was trembling. The outburst pulled a ragging, choking cough that left her gagging on the couch. Her face went red as she gasped for air.
"How-" the word choked off and she was forced to stop shouting. Her body trembled with anger, exertion, exhaustion, pain. So, so much pain.
And Ethan had turned away as if none of that mattered.
Eddie had started to come back in, arms full of clothes he hoped to help Aurelia into for more warmth when it was time to move--but he stopped dead at the end of the sofa as she got going.
Avery, too, was taken aback. He couldn't even register that that much strength was a cracking good sign for the health of her lungs! ... because he was horrified by how out of control all of this was, and it was getting worse.
Then he was there, trying to help her, saying, "Eddie--get her water--" and trying to calm her down. "Leave him--leave it--Felix will be back soon--"
Please, God; let Felix be back soon.
He walked away... He closed the door to the bathroom. He wouldn't come back out for a while.