Fighting words and pregnancy worries [for Amelie]

[aoife_coombs]

 It was weeks ago when Aoife had promised to come up with a schedule for the garden and its volunteers and even though she hadn't been to the gardens ever since (and seeing him in Watersong barely counted), she still felt a bit bad about not delivering. All of the ideas were in her head, they'd just had to be put down on paper. 
And that's where Amelie came in. If they could focus long enough anyway, with that big cloud of Moira's pregnancy hanging over them. 

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[ameliecoombs]

Amelie's laying on Aoife's bed on her stomach with her ankles crossed in the air, kicking her bare feet back and forth. She feels like they're 13 years old again, hiding out in Aoife's room telling secrets.

"Whose do you think it is?" She asks, with a surreptitious glance towards the door to make sure it's definitely shut and locked.

She was meant to be helping Aoife with her schedule, but all she could think about was her future niece or nephew, and how the hell they were going to work it out.

[aoife_coombs]

She doesn't wants to answer that question.

"I think it's best if we start by making three different categories ..let me get my laptop." Spelling control makes life so much easier.

"I heard some people say she befriended James Thornton." So, there it is. "After all they've been through. But she wouldn't do that to u- she wouldn't do that. Maybe it's something that happened while she was gone. We should be careful, maybe it's not completely human? Maybe ..it wasn't planned so ..she should be careful."

[ameliecoombs]

The idea of James Thornton is more intriguing than it has any right to be - she's already pondered that one once before.

"What, you think she's going to give birth to some weird thing with tentacles? Please." It's probably naive, the way she's so ready to write off different beings as non existent, given what she is and what she knows.

[aoife_coombs]

"I don't know what Moira has been through, but there were implications about another dimension or at least a more magical world. If a hydra can be real, so can women being picked to impregnate as well."

She blushes. "Either way, it's terrible. She's young and alone and ..mother will have a stroke."

[ameliecoombs]

She shakes her head and throws a pillow at Aoife's head, if nothing else than to lighten the mood.

"She's not alone, she has us. No matter what happens or..." she stifles a laugh, "comes out. I'm kidding. But in all seriousness - we have to keep this to us. For now, at least. Mother will go crazy."

She remembers the way Moira had refused to tell her who the father was and she sighs. The last thing they need to do is give Moira another reason not to trust them.

[aoife_coombs]

"And friends." She punches the pillow away. "I mean ..besides y- whatever. We can't do anything about it anyway. And why do you think I'll tell mother? You two always thought I was the tattle-tale."

This is going completely wrong. Aoife takes a deep breath and throws the pillow at her sister. "We're sisters. It's going to be okay. Do you think she'll marry the guy?"

[ameliecoombs]

One day, she will cure Aoife of this habit of starting a sentence and then stopping. It grinds on her nerves knowing that even around her, her sister is so determined to be perfect all the time and can't even just say what she's thinking.

"I never said you'd tell her, I was just stating the obvious." She shrugs at the second question, and makes a half hearted attempt at reaching over to at least open the bloody schedule on Aoife's laptop, mainly to stall for time. "I don't know. She won't even tell us who he is, how'm I supposed to know whether it's one she's serious about?"

[aoife_coombs]

She points at the laptop. "I just put down some words, mostly. Most of it is all still stuck in my head. You know how I am. Writers bl-"

No, there's no need to lie to her closest sister. "I just hate all the stupid correcting red lines. And ever since that stupid update there are green ones as well. Because I can't even make a proper sentence, it seems."

Aoife rubs her eyes. "Maybe I should get one of those speaking-into-typing programs?"

[ameliecoombs]

This has been something Aoife has struggled with since they were kids, and immediately, Amelie stops laughing about alien babies and puts on her serious face.

"Fuck the lines, Iffy. I can show you. Besides, who cares what it looks like in the beginning, we can always fix it later if we need to." The idea of some kind of recorder isn't bad - she pockets it away for a future date, and for now sets on proof reading what Aoife has so far. It doesn't take long until the page is rid of squiggly coloured lines, and she sits back and indicates for Aoife to take the reigns again. "This time, when they show up, we'll kill them together, and you'll know how, okay?"

[aoife_coombs]

She smiles. "I'm only going to allow that nickname in private. I met a weather witch on the beach and we had a quick agreement how people that botch up your name aren't worth your time."

So maybe all this stuff makes her nervous, but Amelie likes hearing her talk about other people. "Her name was Genevieve. I think she used a storm to clear the beach for herself. She's from New Orleans. Staying with family. Do we know a Shea Cooper?"

[ameliecoombs]

She allows a quick, "But you're the one who used to botch it," which she knows will piss her sister off but she can't help it, before she nods. "Fine, fine. I'll refrain. New witch, huh? You mean like you?" She wracks her brain but for the life of her she's never heard of a Shea Cooper, and says so.

She thinks about a new witch clearing the skies, how she knows Aoife has that kind of power and more deep inside her, and she hugs a pillow to her chest, feeling not for the first time like she's the witch who lucked out in the powers department. Moira is good at everything she touches, and if Aoife could learn some control, she could bring the world to its knees, and all Amelie can do is scratch some drawings on the ground. She hates it.

[aoife_coombs]

"That doesn't count." She shows her tongue. "That was decades ago."

"Like me." Aoife closes the laptop, relieved that that's gone for now. "I think so, anyway. It was like she was wearing a little red flag I recognized, it was weird. But she was a bit all over the place, her mother couldn't teach her. They only do voudou there, can you believe it? Skulls, deaths, all of that stuff."

"Am?" She nudges her sister. "Cold, suddenly?"

[ameliecoombs]

She shakes it off, because she's taught herself a long time ago to be stronger for Aoife, to be the happy, loud one so that her sister doesn't have to be. She dons a bright smile instead.

"Really? Weird. Maybe you could teach each other, you know? You'd be good at that, and maybe it'd help you, too."

[aoife_coombs]

"Me? Teach?" Aoife bites her lip, bends over to take off her shoes. Anything to make clear they moved on. "I don't dare do more than make a little wind knot, she would be bored by the end of the week. I haven't called down thunder in forever and the rain is still touching me when I ..

I could offer it to her. Genevieve. I don't know if she'll take the offer though, she looked very ..how do you say it? Alone by choice. Solemn? Aloof?"

[ameliecoombs]

She laughs, and it's the last bit needed to shake her out of being maudlin.

"You know that's probably what everyone says about you, right? Aloof? Solemn? Maybe you just need to get to know her."

[aoife_coombs]

These are the things she can only share with her sisters. "Not even an arrogant bitch who lives on the family's money? Stuck up? something rammed up my butt? Nose to high up in the air?"
She has plenty of them on offer.

"No I meant more like ..someone going solo. Wanting to do everything alone. And she said she had planned it being that big, so maybe she's just like -" Aoife flicks her wrists: "La la, magic!"

[ameliecoombs]

She half expects to see the window explode as Aoife flicks her wrists, but that hasn't happen since they were kids, and she doesn't know why she almost flinches now. Aoife's powers have always frightened her a little, and before she knows what she's doing she can feel herself drawing out a tiny protection rune on the sheet with her finger.

"I don't think you're an arrogant stuck up bitch, and if anyone does think so, they can come and take it up with me. Plus, you never know until you ask her."

[aoife_coombs]

"God, I love you." The words stick to her teeth and Aoife is glad that they come out without a stutter, embarrassed about how emotional she is suddenly.

"I mean, I will. Of course. And I will be on the first row to see you take anyone on. The Amelie treatment."

[ameliecoombs]

She leans over to nudge her sister, glad that she either didn't notice or wasn't upset by her tiny freak out.

"Hey, I love you, too. And getting beat on by me if someone's mean to you is standard practice, you should know that by now."

[aoife_coombs]

"Oh, it has been ages since you had to do that! I don't know, maybe you're getting over it." If this is the best she can ever have, she's okay with it.

"Oooh, Aoife is being a mess again", Aoife makes her voice squeak. "What a bore!"

[ameliecoombs]

"You're not a mess. At least you're not giving birth to a tentacled, alien baby."

She slides off the bed and wanders around Aoife's room. She's feeling kind of restless; she's spent the last few days doing nothing but preparing for this new job, curriculums and lesson plans and god she could kill for some time doing something, anything else.

"Let's do something fun."

[aoife_coombs]

She hiccups a few giggles. "Don't say that to Moira, I don't want a frog for a sister."

"Do what? This is Siren Cove and it's too early for Watersong."

[ameliecoombs]

"I dont know, you're supposed to be the expert at things to do around here."

She pauses a second, and raises an eyebrow. "Don't tell Moira I said that. I'm just kidding, but I'm sure she's all... hormonal and won't take it that way."

[aoife_coombs]

"Expert? That's a silly lie. But it's Watersong or Apples and Eve's musical nights, you know it is dull as bricks here."

She grins. "I won't tell Moira a thing, dearest sister."