st_abby: (half_a_twin)
st_abby ([personal profile] st_abby) wrote in [community profile] strangetrip2017-05-28 12:14 am

[EP] The Worst Birthday

Of course, everybody had birthdays - even if they didn't know what day it was on the calendar, that didn't stop someone having them. Vax'ildan hadn't honestly thought much about it, until Joanna had got talking when to plant what one afternoon amongst the herbs in her garden. Seasons, months, weeks, days... They were different in this world from what Vax knew. Nevertheless, when he stopped to do a bit of his own math, he thought it must be very near his own birthday in Exandria.

Their birthday. His, by only a couple of minutes, and then Vex'ahlia's.

It seemed a stupid thing to get hung up about. But once it (she) had wormed its way into his brain, his heart, he couldn't get it (her) out, and it became a crushing reminder that Vex could be lost to him forever. He didn't have much in the way of distractions, and the more he tried to forget about it, the worse it had got until he sank into a drowning sulk. He avoided everyone and everything including his mirror-matched room, effectively vanishing for a few days on end, until gravely admitting that the only way out might very well be through.

Which is how he ended up sitting in the one corner of a booth in the cafe, armor exchanged for a simple sleeveless tunic and loose pants from Songrun, staring at the empty seat across from him with arms folded on the table in a bit of a hunch.

"Get us a drink," he told the passers-by mirthlessly, without so much as turning to look at them or stopping to count how many he'd had already. Did it matter? "It's our birthday."
st_oriedqueen: (reflecting (hair tied up))

[personal profile] st_oriedqueen 2017-06-01 11:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"Tequila isn't nice," Regina retorted and poured another round. "It's effective."

It did raise a good question, though, of why she'd stopped in the first place. She hadn't been obligated, or if she had, it was the sort of social obligation she'd regularly ignored. She shrugged, licked her hand and salted it, said, "I lost two soulmates and two sons. I understand," then slammed the shot before her heart could listen to what she'd said.
Edited 2017-06-01 23:33 (UTC)
st_oriedqueen: (hurt)

[personal profile] st_oriedqueen 2017-06-03 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
Regina extended her hand again, and noted with pleasure that despite the near-certainty of rejection, her fingers didn't tremble. She lay it in front of him, palm up and left the choice to him.

"You will always wait. You can't not. Some days its tolerable. Some days you forget for awhile. You learn to be as happy as you can, but you will never stop hoping the next face through the door is hers. And on the day that it is..." Her voice did tremble at the memory of Robin's arrival and then of finding Snow here. "Every second that you waited is instantly worth it and no number of months or years between you will matter. After comes the catching-up, the pouring out of hurt and the efforts to soothe, and the arguments, and you'll cherish it all."

By the time she'd finished speaking, tears glistened like jewels on her long black lashes but she didn't cry. Not today.
st_oriedqueen: (flawless bitches)

[personal profile] st_oriedqueen 2017-06-03 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Surprised and touched at the gesture, Regina unfolded her fingers to caress his cheek. If he permitted it, she would stroke his hair. Nothing sexual motivated the response. To the contrary, she was, as ever, cognizant that she was more than old enough to be his mother twice over.

"All you can do is live past the pain. It's possible. And on the days that it's not--" Regina found herself smiling, very nearly laughing at the completely ludicrous thing she was about to say. "I'll be here," she said and then snorted. "Somewhere, my stepdaughter just fell dead of laughter."