2 Jan 2023, 22:03
Two Lifetimes
The Adventure Begins @Simon Kincaid
Not surprisingly, AngelFyre had not slept. All she could think about was that she was going to get to see Simon today. Yes, it had only been less than 3 days, but it was too much time in her estimation. She had not gotten to be with him on Christmas day, but they had video chatted and talked and connected via technology so she was not as desperately lonely for him as she could have otherwise been. She and her family had boarded their British Airways flight out of Edinburgh at 6:00 am and were just about to land at London Heathrow now. They had made good time. Her father had told her last night to tell Simon to meet them at the British Airways gate where their flight would take off from; destination - Vienna.
Simon had never flown before, well, not in anything so safe as an airplane, that is, so she had made certain he knew to get to the airport EARLY for security purposes. Also, because it was an international flight, it takes longer to check in overall than for a domestic flight. This was an occasion where it paid off for both of them that they were insomniacs. Getting to the airport early for him was not near the hassle her folks imagined it would be, but that was okay. It was just all part of the adventure!
Her heart started thrumming as she looked out her window and down at the London cityscape. She smiled elatedly as she saw the Millennium Footbridge and thought of of their heart lock attached to it. She turned to her side and patted her Grandma Ruth's hand excitedly. "There it is Grandma Ruth! There is the bridge I told you about. Somewhere close to the middle of the span is a lock with my name and Simon's name engraved upon it. How wonderful is that?" She pressed herself as far back into her seat as she could so that Grandma Ruth, smiling widely, could lean over and look at it, too. "On a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to say, my darling girl, that rates 9 wonderfuls easily, maybe even 10," and she chuckled as she leaned back into her own seat "That boy is a keeper, but I suspect he feels the same about you. And he would not be wrong," she said as she took AngelFyre's hand in both of her her own. "I am glad to have more time to get to know him."
Her words were not spoken with any degree of sadness or melancholy. In fact, quite the opposite. She sounded positively energized. Still, when AngelFyre first heard them, the tears did spring to her eyes. They both knew this winter break would likely be the last time Grandma Ruth would ever see Simon... and by extension, AngelFyre, if the doctors were to be believed. AngelFyre hoped they were wrong, but she knew she did not want the last of her precious time with this beautiful woman to be filled with worry and sadness of things to come. Simon loved to say 'Carpe Diem' and if ever there was a trip for such, this one was it. AngelFyre was determined to seize a lot of diems between now and returning back to Hogwarts.
It would be the stuff of memories.
There was a dinging throughout the cabin and the seat belt sign came on above their heads. AngelFyre could hear the hydraulics rumbling and banging from the belly of the beast. Then the floor vibrated, accompanied by a mechanical whine as the wheels were coming out for their landing. Flight attendants were making one last pass through, checking that seat belts were latched closed. Soon there would be that (hopefully) gentle bounce, maybe two, as the back wheels touched down first before the cockpit wheel.
Pulling up to the gate, she scanned the windows, with just a light degree of hope. She knew he would not be there. They were to meet at the gate heading to Vienna, in the international terminal, but a lonely heart yearns for its mate and will look for it always. At least hers always would.
May it ever be so.
Last edited by AngelFyre McCubbin on 5 Jan 2023, 20:01, edited 2 times in total.
The magic is real.
3 Jan 2023, 04:27
Two Lifetimes
At the gate and ready for @AngelFyre McCubbin
"You're going to have the most wonderful time, my Soon-to-be Skiing Simon," Aunt Maggie said with the brightest of smiles, as if she knew that was a stretch even for her. "Do call at least once so I don't miss you too much and send me so many pics that I'll be insanely jealous!" he enveloped her into a hug, grateful to have spent the last couple days with her and able to catch up. "Thank you for letting me go," he told her.
First was the queue for the security screening, and Simon stood with his Post Office PASS Card photo identification and his ticket in hand, patiently waiting as the line slowly dwindled down until he finally reached an agent.
With the help of the internet, Simon was able to research ahead of time what items to take in his carry-on and which should remain in his checked luggage. His bags were the right size and he had even checked out the airport's website's "How to: Get Through Security at Hethrow" section.
So when he arrived at Airport Security, he didn't have to remove anything from his pockets since his his cellphone and his watch was already in his pockets. He listened to the agent tell the travelers about large electrical items needing to be kept out and separate but that didn't apply to him. Once again he found himself waiting in a queue only this time it was for the body scanners. Simon stepped inside, placed his hands as they told them, and just was about to step all the way out when BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Hold up," an agent said as he put his hand up in a "STOP" motion to Simon. "Shoes off. Got a belt on you or any jewelry? A watch? Phone?" He rambled off what was probably commonly forgotten items. Simon slipped off his shoes and shook his head at the man's list, as he had none of those items on him. The man motioned him back through the scanner. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! it went again. Simon glanced over to the man who held his hand up again in that authoritative way. It wasn't like Simon was trying to jump ship out of there.
A woman at a computer screen called the man over and he went to talk to her in hushed whispers and it seemed they were quite concerned over something that the computer was telling them. "Again," the man instructed Simon and he, now a bit hesitantly, stepped back into the scanner and placed his hands in the right position, spaced his legs out as he was supposed to. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
By now two other security agents were there and they were all mumbling and looking at the computer screen. One brought out a handheld screening wand and approached Simon. "Sir, I haven't anything but myself and these clothes. ...Is there a problem?" Would they let him continue on? Oh, they HAD to let him through. He needed to get to the departure gate for his flight to Austria to meet up with AngelFyre for their Winter Holiday. What exactly had gone wrong?
The man waved the wand around him, sometimes a little close and sometimes further back but it didn't make any sounds at all. Two more had joined at the security desk, a man and a woman, only they weren't wearing Airport Security vests but rather medic shirts. After speaking with the others for a brief moment, they came over to Simon. "Please, sit," they said to him.
They took his temperature, his pulse, felt his forehead. They asked him some questions to test his memory and examined his skin color and pupil dilation. "Could someone please explain what is going on?" Simon finally asked them.
"Our airport utilizes infrared technology to spot abnormal temperatures with thermal cameras on the metal detector. Yours was quite low and now on further examination, so is your pulse and you seem rather pale. Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Simon was rather relieved to hear that nothing big was wrong and all this was just his normally abnormal self. "I feel fine, really. I'm excited about my trip to Austria." The smile alone seemed to put the medics at ease. "Please eat something, just to be sure you're not a little faint?" They gave him a box of apple juice and a cookie sealed in cellophane. "First time on a plane?" He nodded. "Yea, first time on a plane," he answered them and the two exchanged looks like they deemed it all just nerves. "Safe Travels, Mr. Kincaid," the one said and Simon was finally granted his freedom.
With that, he hurried to the departure lounge and found his flight number on the flight information board. So far it was on time. Too bad these boards didn't show arrivals as well, so now that he was at the right gate and found a comfy seat, he plugged his phone in and searched out the incoming flights from Edinburgh, keeping track of AngelFyre and her family's flight so he would know when they arrived.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
5 Jan 2023, 21:36
Two Lifetimes
What a ride it will be, @Simon Kincaid
Surprisingly, and happily so, their flight reached the gate just shy of 15 minutes early. Grandma Ruth was amazed, especially since it was the holiday season, but all AngelFyre had on her lovesick mind was that it was 15 minutes sooner she would get to see her other half. They deplaned before her mother and father did, and AngelFyre immediately texted Simon to let him know they had arrived and would meet up with him soon.
She waved as she saw her parents emerge from the gangway. Then just at that moment, from behind her, she heard some beeping and a woman's voice saying, "Coming through. Step off, please, step off!" AngelFyre turned to see the transport her father had requested for Grandma Ruth before they left from Edinburgh. A huge smile lit up her face. "Now THAT is service... and great timing, too, " she enthused.
It was decided that AngelFyre and her father would walk to the next gate and her mother would ride with Grandma Ruth. Less than 2 minutes later she was waving to both as they rode off, and she and her father headed out on foot. As they walked, AngelFyre tried to text Simon to let him know her mother and Grandma Ruth would be there before she and her father would, but she WAS on her way. "Tried to text" being the operative phrase because she had not mastered the art of walking and texting at all. After running into her third, very annoyed, human being, she apologized profusely and asked her father to stop for a moment while she finished her texts.
AngelFyre
G.R. & Mom coming to you now on transport.
AngelFyre
Daddy and I close behind. See you soon.
AngelFyre
I love you. Cannot wait to hold you!!!!
***************
Less than 30 minutes later, she was exactly where she wanted to be... in his arms. As with their former reunions, she most wanted to simply hold him and to be held. They were silent for the longest time, but she smiled as his grip got stronger, drawing her ever closer to him. When they finally pulled back, but were still clinging to each other, Simon rested his forehead against hers. It was one of her favorite things he did as she imagined it must look as sweet as it felt, if anyone may be looking, and without even checking, she knew her father would be looking. What she would not see, however, was the warm smile that would cross his countenance as he, once again, found himself having to make peace with the undeniable fact that his little girl was definitely growing up.
"I missed you so much, even if it was only three days," and she chuckled softly into the crook of his neck. Lacing her fingers with his, she tip-toed and whispered in his ear, "Merry Christmas, love. I hope this was a happy surprise," and she finally stepped away from him with a glint in her eye while still holding his hand, so that her father could greet him.
"Nice to see you, Simon. Happy Christmas, lad" her father offered as he put his hand out to shake Simon's. "Hope you had no trouble getting checked in at the gate? It can be a hassle at times."
**********
The two boarded and stowed their carry ons in the overhead compartments. When they took their seats, AngelFyre made certain to let Simon have the window seat since this would be his first plane flight ever. She found she did not care since she would rather look at him anyway. The window seat would have been wasted on her quite honestly.
"May I just say, the amount of coordination this took in order to surprise you was immense. I loved her after my summer trip with you, but I cannot sing Aunt Maggie's praises enough. It was like dealing with an older, excitable sister. I just adore her," and AngelFyre simply beamed while tenderly squeezing his hand. "And for the record, she was invited, too, but she said she had some important baking function coming up at the turn of the new year." Then somewhat solemnly, but not overly so, she added "I so wish she and Grandma Ruth would have had the chance to meet one another. It would have been one, big, ridiculously happy family get together, but you should know, Grandma Ruth has already made it plain that she wants time with you."
She looked at Simon for a few seconds and once again her breath was taken away. Even after close to a year the boy could still make her knees knock together. She laughed as a gentle tease crossed her mind. "I have never known her to be a cougar, but she has commented more than once how attractive you are," she goaded him with as a sparkle danced in her eyes. "If I were you, I would show up wearing my runnin' shoes," and she began to laugh.
They had taxied onto the runway and the pilot had come on the intercom to say they were next in queue to take off. She linked her arm through his and looked over his shoulder and out the window as best she could. "Here we go, love. It is going to be a great ride."
The magic is real.
10 Jan 2023, 16:41
Two Lifetimes
Into Vienna with @AngelFyre McCubbin and family
AngelFyre
G.R. & Mom coming to you now on transport.
Simon
Great, but where are you???
AngelFyre
Daddy and I close behind. See you soon.
Simon
Okay, but hurry up!
AngelFyre
I love you. Cannot wait to hold you!!!!
Simon
I cannot wait....more! Oh, I see youuu!!!!
Before he had received the last test, both AngelFyre's mother and Grandma Ruth had arrived to the gate. He came to Grandma Ruth's side and gave her a warm hug, full of love and no apprehension because he too wouldn't make any time she had left be full of sadness. He had a lot of experience working with the elders within his Church. "It's so good to see you again," he said to her and helped her up and off the transport while the man went to get their luggage. Simon then came over to AngelFyre's mother and also gave her a hug. "Thank you for inviting me along on your vacation." He had never been outside of England with the exception of Hogwarts and visiting them at their home. This would be something new for the city boy.
The last text was received when he was hugging AngelFyre's mother and he didn't glance at it until after their brief introduction was complete. It was then that he read what she had sent him and glanced up to see her and her father walking their direction. Of course, he took off, running probably a little too fast than a thirteen-year-old boy should and might have caused a little suspicion, but this wasn't the time or the place to worry about such precautions. He practically tackled her into his arms, but in a way that enveloped her in and was soft and secure from the start.
"It was the best of surprises," he said to her with a big smile now that she was right where she needed to be - back by his side. He squeezed her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss one before addressing her father. "Happy Christmas, Sir! I'm very thankful that you've invited me along on this trip," he said, reaching out to shake the man's hand firmly. There was no longer and sort of hesitancy toward any of her family.
He sat on the plane and while he tried his best to be 'cool' about it all, he was looking over everything. He had shut and opened and shut and opened the overhead compartments a time over and when he sat down, he fiddled with the seat belt, took out the emergency landing pamphlet, examined the buttons (and resisted the urge to push them) above them. He also looked out that little window probably a couple dozen times. Of course, all that was done while still stealing more glances over at AngelFyre than anything else. Even the experience of being in a plane for the first time wouldn't overshadow her.
His head rested on the back of the chair when she spoke of Grandma Ruth and he laughed. He knew there were some similarities between himself, Simon Ezra Kincaid, and her former husband Ezra but he was confident that he would be perfectly safe with the woman and knew it was all just a joke. "I've got two pairs of trainers packed."
There were so many crazy sounds from the plane. If one had been a frequent flyer, they probably would have ignored most of them but every little mechanical slide and click, rattle and engine, was heard by Simon and there were times, he had to admit, that he would glance over to AngelFyre or the other passengers to see if it was anything to be concerned about. Nope, seemed normal.
As they began to take off down the runway, picking up speed, he brought his arm back around her, as if indicating she could stay right where she was in her wanting to be right behind him. He not only didn't mind, but welcomed the closeness between them.
They passed London Heathrow by way of the runway and soon after he felt the plane smoothed out as they no longer were on wheels but in flight. He glanced to AngelFyre and smiled to her because that right there was just amazing that something so big, with so much on board, could fly.
Houses, highways, cars, and small water reservoirs and ponds could be seen below, with blue skies and clouds above. He didn't see all the skyscrapers of the City from their view and so this was a good way to start off a vacation to something new - to something different.
The view was nice and enjoyable, but his favorite part was as they entered the clouds and you could sometimes still see the view but other times it was obstructed in the fog-like sensation. At least, he thought that was his favorite. Still, higher and higher the plane went until they were level with the clouds and then finally above them! Could there be a more surreal and peaceful sight in the world? "That's amazing," he said, watching as the clouds just rolled across the horizon like ocean waves.
They were about twenty minutes into a 2-hour and five-minute flight. "Think what it would be like to fly one of these things," he remarked. Being the passenger was amazing but it must seem more so when you're the one at the controls. That feeling was only intensified as the countryside that could be seen through the cloud cover began to transform into tall mountains with white caps.
The flight was too short, but he got the most out of it and selfishly hogged the window seat. He didn't get distracted by the water or the pretzels and Simon figured on the way home he could let AngelFyre take the view if she wished. As they touched down onto the ground once more and bumped along the runway, he took AngelFyre's hand into his own and squeezed it three times.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
13 Jan 2023, 02:55
Two Lifetimes
Touchdown, But Still a Ways to Go @Simon Kincaid
AngelFyre enjoyed seeing the absolute wonder in Simon as he explored everything around him. She loved that. Even though he had now been attending a school of magic for 21/2 years of his relatively short life, he could still manage to find, and be at least momentarily captivated by, something as seemingly mundane as an airplane flight. She would have understood his fascination had the boy never mastered riding a broom or had to dodge a whomping willow tree while riding said broom, but here he was, just as fascinated by everything going on around him as she had been her first time on a plane... before the world of magic became reality.
This was a true gift Simon held and she reveled in coming face to face at times with his inner child and curious mind. That spark of never settling but always questioning.... always seeking... would take them far together, she was certain of it. His mind was a beautiful thing to his girlfriend and she relished it more than she had probably ever let on to him.
She laughed inwardly when they hit a little turbulence and he nonchalantly checked out the reactions of those around him, herself included. She had thought to tell him about the things he would hear and feel, but she honestly wanted him to experience it through his own filters and not hers. Had she reason to believe he might be frightened or in any way bothered by anything they would experience, she would have of course warned him, but like his mother before him, Simon, too, had the heart of a brave lion. She was just ecstatic to be able to share it with him.
As she watched him looking out the thimble-sized window at the clouds engulfing the plane, she had time to think how much had changed in the past 11 1/2 months of her life, and how 90% of those changes she could safely attribute to the boy sitting in the seat next to her. They had already been through so much together and done so much together, and this was just the beginning for them. It crossed her mind for about the millionth time to wonder whether they were destined to burn hot for a time and ultimately peter out, but then her answer came when he turned his gaze away from the window after they had climbed above the clouds and had reached their cruising altitude. It was a perspective on things like nothing else he would see in this lifetime, unless he became an astronaut, so when he turned to her and said, "That's amazing," followed shortly by "Think what it would be like to fly one of these things,", something turned and clicked into place in her mind, locking her doubt away. Simon would always be curious and challenging, and a source of a light in her life.
She hoped to be the same for him.
******************
Seven hours later, their little motley crew was pulling into the driveway of the house her folks had rented for the week. It was just beautiful from the outside and even moreso on the inside. The caretaking service had been instructed to leave lights burning as it might be dark upon their arrival. It was definitely dark. It was a 5 bedroom, 7 bath home. Technically, it was a 5 full bath and 2 half bath home, she reminded herself. Her father had rented it hoping Aunt Maggie might be able to join them, but that had turned out not to be possible. AngelFyre had excitedly told Simon on the plane ride absolutely everything she could think of about the place, the resort, and the things they would get to do for the next week. Personally, she was most excited about the in house hot tub and sauna. After playing in the cold snow it was nice to know that down to the bone warmth would not be hard to come by.
"There will be night skiing, kissing, cross country skiing, kissing, snowboarding, some more kissing, tobogganing , and no more kissing, unless you brought one of your Love coupons with you and know where a makeout corner happens to be," and she teasingly eyed him as she giggled and squeezed his hand. "There are even free concerts in the town square in the evenings. I have no idea how good or bad the music will be, but it will be fun to check it all out."
"Our whole week is not going to be at Wilder Kaiser, however. We will be driving back down to Vienna a couple of days before we head back home. Mom got all of us tickets to hear the Vienna Boys Choir. She did that on her own, but I thought it would really appeal to my handsome Choir boy."
She knew she must have been talking a mile a minute because she could see him working in overdrive to keep up with her. "I am just so excited... about everything. I am excited about this trip and that I get to spend it with you. I am excited that we both get to be with Grandma Ruth. I am excited that you and my Dad will get more time together," and then she flashed a small smile at him and the velocity of her words slowed down tremendously as she brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it.
"I am even excited to hear every detail of your meeting with Adrian. We have been so busy the last few days and I honestly wanted to be able to see you in person when you told me since you indicated went better this time around. I know here and now is neither the place nor the time, but can we make a date to talk about it later this evening? I really do want to hear everything and what you think it all means for your future," and because she found she was just so content with him by her side, even the thought of Adrian Hawthorne could not diminish everything she knew was awaiting them over the next week.
**************
After they had arrived and unpacked, it was a little late for exploring outside, so the ladies made their meal while Simon set the table and her father got a beautiful, roaring fire started. There was so much warmth and laughter as they all talked, and then they decided to play some Charades. It was Simon and AngelFyre up against the three adults. On the face of it, it did not look to be an even match, but AngelFyre knew her father and things went well for the magical duo. Iain McCubbin loved to try to stump people with his offerings for folks to act out, so AngelFyre had to laugh because she knew this night would probably be no different.
"So here is the deal, love o' my life. If I am the one up and acting something out for you, and it happens to be a book, wait a respectable amount of time if you cannot figure it out, look a little flustered, and then blurt out in a somewhat defeated tone, 'I don't know, love... the Dead Sea scrolls? the Dictionary? the Encyclopedia?' because it is likely to be one of the last two. Daddy always has one of us try to act those out. It is flipping hard. But it will be hilarious when you get it right," and she nudged his shoulder while laughing a little conspiratorially.
"And worry not. It is not cheating. I will fess up after he is momentarily crushed that we were not stumped and make him give us something we can actually act out. The look on his face will be priceless," and she nodded most emphatically at him. "We totally have this!"
Then looking to the three calves about to be led to their slaughter, she smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes rapidly at them. "Team SimFyre plans to end this evening victorious. Be prepared to eat... our... dust... Team Old...erm...Old Farts." She stumbled a bit on that name, but Grandma Ruth insisted that is what they be called and her parents just chuckled but did not veto it.
Turning to Simon, knowing she had to be blushing just a little, she winked at him and said to everyone, "Winners get to stay up and roast marshmallows in the fireplace. Now, let the reindeer games begin!"
The magic is real.
15 Jan 2023, 04:36
Two Lifetimes
A game of war charades with @AngelFyre McCubbin and family
Charades - a game of war where you had to silently act out a phrase or a topic while other members of your team tried to guess what that phrase was.
Simon got an easy one for his first round, The
in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. It took very little to act out and AngelFyre got it within the first two clues. The first was him making whiskers on his face, much like the sign language word for cat, and then acting as if he was putting on one of Grandpa Ezra's old imaginary hats. Easy peasy.Point for SimFyre!
The Elderly team got a difficult charade next, the Colossus of Rhodes, and as much as her mother tried her best to get across the idea of a gigantic 33 meter high bronze statue of the sun god Helios which stood by the harbor of that city from 280 B.C., she just failed and it was another loss among wonders of the ancient world. AngelFyre's father and grandmother had guessed things such as giant, ogre, gorilla, captain, Tarzan, hailing a taxi cab - nearly everything imaginable but the correct answer.
SimFyre, still in the lead.
Then it was AngelFyre's turn to act out one. It was a band name. All she had to do is act as though a crown was being placed on her head and Simon first spit out, "Queen!" but also had Prince in mind. Queen it was!
SimFyre 2, The Elderlies 0.
Their opponents got another in the place category the second time around but this one they got. Iain McCubbin was able to wordlessly describe the Louvre in Paris.
SimFyre 2, The Eldierlies 1.
The night progressed on and everyone enjoyed themselves. He could see where AngelFyre got her love of theatrics from (and he wouldn't want it any other way) and he was glad to have taken theater back at his muggle school. Everyone was in this to win it.
He kept waiting for the opportunity to, hopefully, put AngelFyre's plan to use on the stall on the one topic. It was his plan that if it were to come up, he would state it word for word as she had to him. It would be executed in a very convincing manner though, of course. That was the plan, anyway. He would deliver it in such a way that would convince the three eldest in the room of his words, but state them also in such a manner to amuse his girlfriend. Oh, what was he thinking??? Of course she was going to be amused. AngelFyre McCubbin found delight in a lot of things and that was one of a countless reasons he loved her so much.
Outside the snow fell in Austria but the family remained warm, with both the company of each other and the fireplace nearby.
It was a very enjoyable evening, but he was also looking forward to talking with her when the evening was over. Perhaps they could somehow work it out that she could stay with him or he with her. He wanted to tell her all about not only the Adrian encounter, but also about some of the time he spent with Aunt Maggie's boyfriend. There was also a Christmas present to give. They would get this time together, he was certain - she was eager to hear about it all and she was an insomniac like he was. Right now it was fun to enjoy the time with her parents and Grandma Ruth.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
3 Feb 2023, 00:54
Two Lifetimes
In Cycle Pedia@Simon Kincaid
It was an early case of game on as Team SimFyre battled it out with Team Old Farts. Simon simply could not bring himself to call them by that name, so they began to refer to them as "The Elderlies". Leave it to Grandma Ruth to find a bridge too far for her normally nonplussed dhampir.
The youngsters had started out strong and their lead only grew. AngelFyre was particularly excited to get Frank Sinatra in the category of person to act out for her fellow. She guided him through the normal categorization, had him realize he was looking for a person, two words, and then she settled immediately on the first word and raised one finger to further indicate he was looking for a one syllable word. She smiled at him and then tugged her ear and began to bounce step in place with excitement as she heard him say in his beautiful British accent, "Sounds like...." and then she took a fistful of her hair and pulled it, rather harshly, three times. Without any hesitation he blurted out, "Yank! Sounds like yank..." and within seconds he was grinning like crazy before jumping up to sing in a mic he was definitely not holding at the time, "He did it, hizzzzzzz waaaaa-aaaaaay! Give it up for Frank Sinatra, ladies and gents!" AngelFyre literally squealed with delight at the presentation of his answer and jumped right into his arms, giggling like crazy. "That was brilliantly done, love!" and after he gave her a tight squeeze, he set her down and she turned her gaze to their opponents sitting across from them, all of whom were smiling and just shaking their heads.
Her father looked over to Simon and asked with degrees of both awe and feigned suspicion, "Och, lad! How did you get Frank Sinatra from her pulling her hair?" AngelFyre fielded that one before Simon had a chance. Looking over at Simon with a good deal of seriousness, she said openly to him, "I think we should tell them now. We were going to tell them tomorrow anyway. Might as well get it over with, yeah?" she asked as her head bobbed up and down in a quick nod.
Simon, totally clueless as to what nonsense his girl was up to now, took in a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair after giving her a quick wink out of their sight line, cluing her in to the fact that he was up for whatever silliness may lie ahead. What a guy!
Turning to face her parents and Grandma Ruth, AngelFyre declared quite convincingly, "ESP, Daddy. In addition to being a wizard, we have found out in the last few months that Simon can also read minds. The Ministry of Magic has put him through a rigorous battery of tests and they declared their official findings only a couple of weeks ago. We did not want any of you uncomfortable around him, so we actually thought for a time not to tell you, but that would not be fair to any of you. So from now on, you will have to guard your thoughts when around him. The best way to do that, he was told, was to have those around him wear tin foil hats."
The room was dead silent for about 10 seconds before she busted loose with, "Gotcha!" The relief on their faces was priceless.
"And anyway, what do you mean by asking him how he got it after just a few quick yanks of my hair. Sheesh! It is a couple of little things known as talent, Daddy" and she pointed to herself most immodestly, suppressing a grin, "and extraordinary smarts, of course!" and she pointed to Simon.
The game continued on for a couple of more rounds and AngelFyre was beginning to think that her father might have finally gotten the message about tossing in his two favorite offerings. History might be in the making, she thought to herself, and then during the last round, she unfolded her piece of paper to find that her father was most consistent after all. She looked over to him and he was quite smugly grinning like the Cheshire cat. She looked down at the piece of paper in her hand that had but one word written on it: Encyclopedia. She took in a hugely deep, overly exaggerated breath before turning to Simon. She nodded to her mother to turn over the hourglass timer and the race was on.
She once again got him through all of the categorizations so he knew quite soon he was looking for a one word book. All eyes were on her, so her family did not see the knowing glint of realization that sparked in Simon’s eyes as he moved forward in his seat, gleefully rubbing his hands together. She got him to one word, 6 syllables, and let him know she would be working on the first syllable.
She pretended to knock on a door and then played the part of the person who opened it, welcoming the door knocker inside with a sweeping gesture to come in. She did that a couple of times and Simon guessed things like door, entry, hello, but he never got close to saying “in” or ‘inside” which was, of course, part of their plan. She shot a quick glance to her father who was just beaming at his ability to stump everyone with this word. If AngelFyre and Simon did not get this one right, it left an opening for the Elderlies to sneak in a win, so her father was feeling particularly confident in the moment.
AngelFyre moved Simon along to the second and third syllables, combined, and did a sounds like gesture. She pretended to be riding a bicycle, but he guessed things like “running” and “peddling”, but never “cycle”. AngelFyre pretended to get agitated and shot a not so subtle glance at the timer. That is when Simon’s theatrics came into play, and the boy could not have been more masterful. He urged her to hurriedly try another syllable, to do anything different than what she was doing. Finally, with the perfect amount of exasperation and frustration in his voice, he ran his hand through his hair and delivered the line just as she had recited it to him and hour earlier.
“I don't know, love... the Dead Sea scrolls? The Dictionary? The Encyclopedia?” and as he uttered the last word, he fell back into the over stuffed chair with a deflated air of despondency.
“Time!” her mother shouted.
“Yes! Yes, love. Encyclopedia! You did it! We won!!! and she covered his handsome face in quick kisses, giggling the whole time. “No one has ever guessed Encyclopedia correctly, have they Daddy?” and she then ran over to her father to pat him on the shoulder. “I think it is fair to say that Dictionary and Encyclopedia may be put out to the game of Charades pasture in the future, what do you think, Daddy?”
Iain McCubbin looked to be in a little bit of shock, but he was slowly coming out of it. “Yes, yes. No more of either in the future,” he muttered with a grudging smile. Then he looked from Simon to AngelFyre and back to Simon. “I think there may be something to that ESP idea after all,” and he just shook his head and began to laugh.
------- ----------- -------
Thirty minutes later, permission had been granted for the two to stay up and roast marshmallows as “The Elderlies” all went to bed. It had been a terrific day, but AngelFyre had been aching for almost the whole of it to have Simon all to herself. They both ran off to their rooms and changed into their pajamas and agreed to meet back in front of the fireplace ASAP. She knew Simon would not eat any marshmallows, and she was not a fan of them, really, herself, but she did love popcorn. Whatever else would happen that night was not going to happen without popcorn.
As she raced to her room, a sneaky little thought hit her, and she was just bold enough, and thought Simon might be as well, to go for it. She quickly changed and hurried to the room that would have been Aunt Maggie’s if she had come with them. AngelFyre unceremoniously stripped the bedding off, gathered every pillow both on the bed and in the armoir, and then went back to her own room to gather up those pillows and comforters. She also grabbed the extra blankets and then made her way down to the living room fireplace. If he was already there, he would have seen two long legs making their way to him buried beneath a mountain of warm, alpine bedding.
He hurried over to her and grabbed everything from the top of the mound until he could finally see her laughing eyes. “We, Mr. Kincaid, are going to make a toasty, comfy palette in front of the fire. If you are up for it, I thought we would see if we can get away with staying here together all night. I originally thought we could make a pillow fort, but if either of my parents came down and saw that, it might not go over so well. If they come down and see us together, but out in the open, with nothing to hide, they are much less likely to get snippy. If you do not want to risk it, I completely understand. I brought my alarm clock just in case though,” and she smiled while closing the distance between them. “I want to hear everything about everything I have missed while not with you the last three days. I promise you no detail will be too mundane or insignificant.”
Reaching for his hand, she guided him a few steps over to the Christmas tree and stopped before it. “I brought this, too,” and she reached into the aromatic, dark green pine needles for the fresh sprig of mistletoe she had hidden there earlier for this very occasion. She looked down and toyed with it for a few seconds, and then coyly looked to him, locking her gaze to his as she lifted it above their heads. “Care to kiss your girl beneath the mistletoe, love?” she whispered. “I hear it is tradition, you know.”
The magic is real.
3 Feb 2023, 16:10
Two Lifetimes
Kisses, random musings, and marshmallows with @AngelFyre McCubbin
With the game over and the evening winding down, Simon changed into his normal pajamas which often was a plain colored tshirt with checkered plaid flannel pants. Today that was a more Christmasy festive theme of black and red pants and a black tshirt. The boy had to have owned eat least 7 plain black tshirts.
When he got into the living room area, he made sure that the fire was still strong and went ahead to the kitchen to gather up the marshmallows, as well as getting a tall thermal mug of water for himself and one full of hot chocolate for his girl and arrived not too much longer before she had. At least, he thought that was her...
How someone of her stature was able to carry so much was beyond him and he laughed as he helped her set it down. "You do realize you could have called me to come help you," he whispered, knowing that she probably made at least three attempts to pick it all up before being successful. It would have been a little amusing to see but he loved how much thought she had put into this plan of hers. Although, that alone didn't surprise him. Big or small, AngelFyre was always one to execute out her plans to perfection.
He pulled her closer to him, and followed her lead as she moved closer toward but was careful not to bump either of them into the Christmas Tree and he smiled as his arms wrapped around her. Together time with Grandma Ruth, her mother, and her father - it was nice; together time with just he and AngelFyre - it was much better. No offense to the elderlies.
He was rather surprised by the mistletoe. He thought she would forever ban such a thing from their vocabulary, let alone their lives after their one discussion but it was nice to know it was making a reappearance to redeem itself. "May your father not come out here," he whispered very softly since she was less than two inches from him. "I read in one of the books in the Hospital Wing while there on my healing internship that mistletoe is thought to increase human fertility, has been used as a treatment for many ailments, and it is thought that kissing under the mistletoe increases the possibility of marriage in the upcoming year. I know you already think my timeline is a little accelerated." Simon gently swayed her back and forth as he spoke, his hands resting somewhat between the small of her back and her hips.
Now of course the boy was kidding! He was here 13 and she only 12. Kidding now - ...but in five years time this sort of thing certainly would be within the realm of his thinking. It would be within his realm of thinking in four years. "But I digress from the point, do I not?" he asked and he leaned in so that they could share that kiss underneath the mistletoe. The poor girl couldn't hold it there forever.
They then took to making their makeshift comfy place for the evening, wanting to be close enough to the fire to feel it's warmth without being close at all to pose a fire hazard. They were not only smart kids, but both had scouting within their backgrounds and so they had it perfected in no time. There was lots of comfort below, a blanket for above, but the best would be what rested between. They settled in and he placed their mugs down close and prepared her stick for her marshmallow. "You make one for me and I'll make one for you," he said. Yes, he would eat his. Even if it killed him. Which it wouldn't, of course!
She wanted to know about his Christmas. He told her of catching up Aunt Maggie on some of the new spells he learned and about the healing internship. He had a nice dinner with her and her boyfriend, Mark Prescott and how he showed Simon his camera and taught him some about photography. A new hobby and interested had been sparked in the dhampir. Maybe it had something to do with controlling light, who knew. After that, they went to the church to help set up for their Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, and then held it. It was a candlelit vigil and he sang with the Children's Choir. He got to meet up with all the regulars: Gabe, Oliver, Mia Anderson, Olivia, Charlotte.
He met up with them a few more times throughout the days back in London. He also mentioned how he met up with Clair and went to the Lights Festival that he attended on his first day back when he met up with "You-Know-Who." No, the boy hadn't met Voldemort, of course, but rather referred to his first reference of his father, Adrian Hawthorne, as such. He knew that subject was a little heated, so he'd save that for the end. He told her of cookie baking, meal making, the big lunch that Aunt Maggie has for the seniors of the Church at her home, a pick up soccer game because the hockey rink was closed, and taking a present to the older librarian that was head of his Youth Book Club. He knew though, that the most time would be dedicated to the meeting with his father.
"The first time at the Light Festival was....interesting," he paused, preparing himself as he was finally getting to the biggest subject at hand. "He came," that was a good place to start since he didn't show his face all the times they were supposed to have met over the Summer. "And he started with that wordplay he seems to delight in so much," Simon shook his head. "I told him to stop. I didn't want to keep questioning every line, every word he said. Talking is for communicating and he seems to sometimes try and bypass that. I mean, if I wanted a mystery then I'd just push him aside and never try to know the man, you know? It'd be all the same except I had a face to put with the mystery."
"Anyways, things I found out.... he believes, despite not knowing of my existance that I wouldn't have other possible siblings out there that he doesn't know about. I guess I take that as he was faithful to my mother and not very lucky with other female prospects? Maybe I'll have to show him a thing or two about catching the girl," and he flashed AngelFyre a wide cheesy smile so she knew he was kidding. He was kidding! He then looked forward and thought about what else was said that evening. "He asked about my mum. I think he actually seemed a little - remorseful? Solemn? It's a little hard to tell because he lacks expression. Anyway, and then he was asking about me being in London which - maybe it's because I'm sort of misleading him but it felt a little off. Like, like he was gathering information or had been gathering information. He referred to Aunt Maggie as 'Margaret' like she was looked up on an online phone directory or something. I think that's really all he asked of me."
"I asked him about why my mum left him. He said that his lifestyle was not conventional and that she didn't want to be in 'his world.' When I asked what his world encompassed, he said 'It's easier to show than explain.' We then went on to establish how certain 'mythological creatures' were real to get a baseline to establish how we were both talking about vampires here and he made a slight joke about mermaids, enough of a joke that he smiled. He actually can smile," Simon said as he looked over to AngelFyre, surprised still at that.
"We then did some word play about questions and about asking questions to get answers or asking questions to get lies and he said he wouldn't gain anything by lying to me but didn't necessarily say he wouldn't....." he sighed. That man could be so frustrating. "I decided to begin by using your help and seeing if he would lie. I asked him about the first two meetings and he admitted to being there but not showing. I guess in my mind that meant he'd be answering all other questions honestly," whether that was true or not. "Anyways, he once was human....although I don't know the details of his turning. It doesn't seem as though he hunts humans for blood because he said it would be dangerous for his kind and risk exposure. He claimed to have turned not one human into a vampire which I found rather surprising and he stated that his job was a leader and a pastor for his community." Which was quite odd considering how Simon had said that he would consider being a religious leader if the Catholic Church allowed priests to marry, but alas, he loved the fairer gender too much. "He said he lived in England and that he has a family but not in the conventional sense, as he said. He implied again it was easier to show than explain and then - and then he invited me to visit him."
When he was all finished, he looked over to her, feeling as though he had taken up a lot of their time and felt selfish for that. They even had exchanged marshmallows by now and they were on their third. (He ate the first two, even and was preparing for another!) "What about you? Able to get some cuddles in with Hilary? See Ainsley? ...And uh, I guess, that other one?" He didn't want to dull the mood, but he also didn't want to say Kendric's name.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
9 Feb 2023, 04:40
Two Lifetimes
Answers Lead to More Questions @Simon Kincaid
A warm flush washed over her as Simon lowered his voice to a whisper and she could feel his hands on her hips, swaying her gently. Everything he did anymore made her tingle... all over... whenever he touched her... and she really, realllly liked the feeling.
She tilted her head as her eyes first focused on that deliciously plump bottom lip of his, and she arched her brow at him, holding back her smile as he told her all about what he had learned of mistletoe. She chuckled softly when he finished, her gaze now moving from his lips to his gorgeous eyes, made even moreso with the reflections of flickering flames dancing within them. "If I were a betting type, I would bet that factoid number 3 may have a direct correlation to, and be a direct result of, factoid number 1," and she sighed dramatically. "Mm-hmm. It is true. You cannot deny you do not have an accelerated timeline, and even though you may have digressed from my original intent here," and she teasingly began to lower her hand holding the mistletoe over their heads, "you have brought up some points worth some serious consid-...." and before she could finish her sentence, Simon had deftly reached for her hand, his fingers easily wrapping around her wrist as he guided her hand back into standard mistletoe kissing position... but his lips? Ohhh, his lips were cemented to hers before their hands were over their heads.
Ever so much more tingling.
A few breathless, lip devouring moments later, focus was turned to nesting materials. In no time at all, they had their little cozy badger den for two all set up. She was tickled that Simon had already gotten their drinks and marshmallows, but she kissed his cheek quickly before she went to get the popcorn and the old fashioned popper. She was almost as excited about the popper as she was about the popcorn itself.
They soon settled comfortably before the roaring fire, and affixed marshmallows onto sticks for the other. AngelFyre knew Simon would not like marshmallows, and she really did not either, so she was surprised when he valiantly decided to participate and partake himself. What a trooper! She had him go first in filling her in on what had gone on in his last three days without her. She listened very astutely to every word he uttered, fascinated by anything he had to say to her, patiently waiting for him, however, to get to the meeting with his "father".
All the while he was telling her everything, he would every now and again make a marshmallow stick for her to burn in the fire. She did the same for him, only with a tiny modification he did not notice because he was too focused on his storytelling. She knew Simon detested sweets... he truly did... so why he had agreed to eat marshmallows was beyond her. She wanted a nice evening with him and did not want him feeling queasy from his mainline sugar fix, so she had taken one jumbo marshmallow and had torn it into three puffy globs. She smiled to herself as she did not think he had even noticed her clever little ruse, which was the point really. He, on the other hand, was about to put jumbo marshmallow number three onto a stick for her and she called game, set, and match silently in that moment. Still listening to him, she just could not abide another marshmallow and thought he would appreciate the break, too, so she casually reached over and took the stick and marshmallow bag from his hands while he was still talking.
By the time he had started telling her about the meet up on the 23rd with Adrian, AngelFyre was laser focused on his every utterance. She not only listened to every intonation he made while telling her of their meeting, she watched him like a guard on prisoner suicide watch, which is to say... carefully.
Hurt and frustration had been what Simon had walked away with from previous encounters, but she could see it written all over his face now... the great thawing had begun. Her love was on the path to something more sinister, though he could not be persuaded otherwise. AngelFyre could see that Simon had been charmed. Maybe just a fraction of an amount, but it was enough.
Her heart stopped beating and dropped to her stomach when Simon told her Adrian's response to the question about what his world encompassed was to say, "It is easier to show than to explain." Her fingers squeezed her pillow so tightly that she was surprised she had not ripped a hole, or 10, into the pillow casing. This was the beginning of it all. This would be her losing a part of him to that... that "man".
What good was being a Seer if her power to see changed nothing? The two lovebirds were sitting in front of a wonderfully toasty fire, blanketed up, shoulder to shoulder, yet AngelFyre could not remember ever feeling so cold. She wanted to do nothing more than scream and cry right then, but she knew the icy brittleness of even her thoughts and emotions in that moment would shatter into a million pieces if she but uttered a word. The feeling was only amplified when Simon told her that Adrian had a family, somewhere in England, "but not in the conventional sense."
Her eyes had never left him, but her vision was not truly focused on him any longer, or on anything, really. She was silently trying to process it all and live up to the promise she had made to him in Hogsmeade. She may not like his decision to see this through, but she would always have his back.
After dropping the bombshell about being asked to visit, Simon casually moved on to asking her about her holiday. "We will come back to that in a bit. I have questions."
She cleared her throat and just went to the heart of it. " These are just a few of the things I want to know. First one is obvious, but let us start with a baseline shall we? You plan to take him up on this offer, I presume? Of course you do. That is my quota of stupid questions for the night," and she could hear her voice pitch getting higher as she was trying so hard not to cry.
"When? And does Aunt Maggie know? Simon, you have got to let her know about all of this now. You cannot go off alone without her knowing. I... I cannot abide such a thing. I just cannot, and truly love...neither could you. Lying is not your nature, mo chridhe." (my heart)
She moved closer to him and linked her arm through his and stretched out alongside him."Out of curiosity, what was his reasoning for showing the first two times but not engaging with you? And where in England? Is it a... a... a medieval village? she whispered, fear gripping her. "His family, Simon... it has to be more vampires, right? What do they call a grouping of vampires? A nest? A coven? A pathway to Hell?" She felt him tense up and she silently squeezed his arm by way of an apology.
And at that AngelFyre could contain it no longer and quietly began to cry while leaning her head on his shoulder and staring into the fire. A silent prayer immediately came to mind.
Please God, please watch over him and keep him safe. Most of all, just please bring him back to me. Always bring him back to me.
The magic is real.
10 Feb 2023, 15:04
Two Lifetimes
Deeper into the conversation with @AngelFyre McCubbin
When it came to any discussion that included his father as the subject that meant the discussion would never be easy. He wanted to breeze right over it and get to her early days of the holiday but realistically he knew that wasn't going to happen. He didn't blame her at all. In fact, she took it far better than he ever would. If the situation were reversed, he would be absolutely livid with her wanting to pursue something that could potentially (and most likely inevitably) be so dangerous.
She began by asking if he planned on visiting his father. To be honest, the 'unconventional lifestyle' appealed to him at the first mention. Didn't everyone sort of delight in the oddity of life? If everything was so straight-lined then it became mundane and the promise of something unconventional meant new or exciting. Plus, it was his father's ways of living - a vampire's way of living. No, vampires. Plural. There were more than one. This was perhaps a way that Simon could explore that whole other part of who he was.
"Aunt Maggie will know," he said quietly, but had already given that some thought. Aunt Maggie was the best when it came to many things - selfless acts, a pure heart, baking, loving him - but even with her somewhat lack of being a parent in the sense that she was far too trusting of a guardian due to not really being a parent but an aunt, he still couldn't see her allowing him to venture off to visit his father, Adrian Hawthorne. This was the man/vampire who unsettled her mother enough that she cut off contact with him and broke off a quick relationship, wanting to never see him again. This was a man who his mother had decided to not let it be known that she was pregnant with his child, thinking that the child was better off not knowing him and the other way around. This was a man that Aunt Maggie now knew to be a vampire, because her sister, her nephew's mother - was not, and therefore her nephew being a dhampir (half vampire) must have a father as such.
She would have to know - eventually. There was going to come a time when he couldn't logically be away, nor did he want to hide it from her. But the very first initial contact? That he was hoping to just say that he wanted to visit a friend. She'd allow that. She had before - when he had visited Paige Chase's hometown, Clair Fernandez's farm, AngelFyre's home. Surely he'd be given the green light. It wouldn't really be LYING. It was just not presenting the full truth.
Still, it didn't feel right.
Simon moved onto the next questions. "He said he followed me the first two times because he was being cautious. He wanted to see if he could trust me." Even Simon could see the irony there as it was he who needed to see if he could trust Adrian Hawthorne. "He didn't say where he lived, only that it was England and his town is one I've never heard of. My letters I've written to him were sent care of his name at the Babilstow Delivery Office in Babilstow, England but I looked it up on the internet and nothing comes up for either. I'd say it doesn't exist and yet my letters go to him. I can't explain that."
Which was peculiar. Google had everything these days, even if it lacked much information. One would think he would find it somewhere on a map, or a review of the Babilstow Delivery Office. There were no cafes or businesses of any sort, or mention of a bus stop let alone a railway station. Even google would give information about places like Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire which was a beautifully isolated beach that was only reachable after about a half-mile trek over cliffs. Still - nothing on Babilstow.
"And yea, I assume it's more vampires, this family, he speaks of...." which made it a little more appealing. Whether she liked it or not, this was half of who he was and he so desperately thirsted to find out more about that other half - even if just to better understand. "I'm not looking to be a part of their nest or their coven, or whatever they call their grouping. I just want to see."
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)