(no subject)

[not_lugosi]

A week to go, a week to go... That's the refrain that's been echoing through Bela's head all day. A week to go until her "one year to go" countdown.

She can't take much more of this, except she can and she will. She simply doesn't want to. The fucking door to Milliways finally showed up earlier tonight, and she slipped in to claim her usual booth. She's in black yoga pants and a blue cami; she hasn't left her flat in the last few days. Her leather jacket tops off her outfit, its pockets loaded down with the accouterments one needs to fight off demons of various walks of un-life.

She's on her second martini, but what the hell (no pun intended)? Come say hi.

Comments

[hadyougoing]

Eventually, one Ava (in gray sweatpants and oversize purple sweater, as well as ubiquitous silver headband and clown nose necklace) wanders by, and smiles brightly.

"Hey Bela!"

She's carrying a Scrabble box.

[not_lugosi]

"Hi Ava," she says, her smile bright and not a bit forced. At least, that's how it looks anyway!

Oh God, is that a board game? Is that... a clown nose?

She's not sure which is more disturbing.

"How's it going?"

[hadyougoing]

It's three clown noses, actually.

This week at the office has been a little insane.

"It's good." She yawns. "I'm taking kind of a quiet night-- you know, ideally. But now that I've said that, it's my own freaking fault if we get invaded by ..."

A beat.

"I don't know, geese. Mean geese."

[not_lugosi]

"I think we could handle mean geese. Unless they were giant and fanged or something."

She motions to the booth across from her. "Come have a drink with me. It sounds like you deserve one."

[hadyougoing]

Ava smiles, sliding into the booth, and sets down the Scrabble.

"A drink sounds like a grrrrrreat idea."

And since she's opened this conversation with attack-by-geese, it's not like her mental faculties can get any more impaired.

"So how are you?"

[not_lugosi]

"I'm okay," she lies, because damn it, she's just now getting a buzz. "And I'm getting even better."

She raises her glass to Ava.

"What's with the necklace? New style?"

[hadyougoing]

"I defeated them in battle," Ava giggles.

"Ever since I reached a truce with the minotaur in the file room, the whole place has been overrun with demon clowns. It's kind of a problem."

[not_lugosi]

"Demon clowns?"

Ugh...

[hadyougoing]

"Demon clowns," Ava says perkily.

"So it's not really a big deal ... I can just tell them to rip their own hearts out through their throats, which weirdly seems to make anatomical sense with them. Mostly it works out okay."

[walksthebounds]

Jamie is staring wistfully at the martini from the next table. Bar still won't give him any. He's nearly sixteen now! Or four hundred, depending on how you look at it, and either way, it's hardly fair.

[not_lugosi]

She raises her glass to him. That was probably a mean thing to do. Oops.

"Jamie, right? Have any marshmallows on you tonight?"

[walksthebounds]

- they've met before!

She has a name!

That . . . Jamie can't remember for the life of him.

"No marshmallows," he says, apologetically, "and apparently no memory either - you've got me, and I know we've met, but your name's gone straight out of my head." He puts his hands together, comically plaintive. "Sorry, I'm awful, forgive me in advance?"

[not_lugosi]

"No worries. It's been a long time."

She has an excellent memory, is all.

"I'm Bela."

[walksthebounds]

Jamie taps the side of his head with his forefinger.

"I've got it now," he promises, and grins. "Pleased to meet you again, Bela. Hope you've at least become a marshmallow convert, since last time?"

[not_lugosi]

"I think they are an acceptable form of killing yourself with pure sweet, yes."

[walksthebounds]

"I don't tend to go as far as the suicide-by-marshmallow," Jamie remarks, "but it would be a hell of a way to go."

Jamie would prefer not suicide-by-anything if he can help it!

[not_lugosi]

"There are worse ways," she says, and if her smile falters just a bit, it snaps right back into place.

"So I can't remember your story. I mean, where you're from, what you do, the whole spiel."

[isaysimplewords]

Cal does not require an invitation from the narrative to invade Bela's space the moment he spots her. Especially since he hasn't seen her since she left his world to go back home.

So, Bela now has a Cal to go with that martini. One who is glancing at her neck as he sits, saying,

"Hey, Isabella."

[not_lugosi]

"Hey, Cal," she says, and her tensed shoulders visibly relax.

She sets down her glass (she's on her third martini, but not acting like it) and wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a most welcome kiss hello.

"I can't believe it's been so long since I last saw you. It feels like months. Look!" She points to her neck. "All gone. Magical cosmetic surgery. It's ancient history."

She's over the vampire bite. She has way more pressing matters on her mind.

[isaysimplewords]

Cal takes a close look and grins.

"Good," he says. "Glad to hear it.

"So how are you, other than that?"

[not_lugosi]

She could lie, but he'll see right through it. He knows her too well by now.

"I'm okay. Ish. Better, now that I'm here."

[isaysimplewords]

He gives her a gentle squeeze and kisses her temple.

"Anything in particular?" he asks.

He thinks he might know the answer to that, but it could always be something else. Bela's life is hardly a quiet one.

[not_lugosi]

She doesn't respond for a moment. Then she takes a drink of her martini.

"It's a week until it's one year to go. I can't- I'd like to stop thinking about it, but it's not easy."

[isaysimplewords]

"That's probably not the way to do it," Cal says with a glance at the glass in her hand, which itself is probably not the way to answer, but he doesn't know what else to say. It isn't a matter of encouragement, not right now. All the encouragement in the world won't change the timeline.

[not_lugosi]

"I know."

She rests her head on his shoulder.

"I've got nothing. No leads. I'm thinking about summoning the Crossroads Demon again because there's- nothing."

Except D'Hoffryn's offer. She's not quite sure how to broach that particular subject.