That’ll do

as I arrived I thought I saw you leaving, carrying your shoes

It leaned in on itself, all slumped roofline and sagging boards, the kind of place that smelled of damp wood and old secrets even before you crossed the doorframe. He hooked a thumb into his belt and clicked his tongue softly. This was what Aithne had secured? Dygra help her. ”Yeah, Aith, I think it’s gonna be fine.” Soren said, tail flicking behind him as he looked up at the tattered door to the old, old home. Aithne had been able to find a place for her — for them — and Soren was not about to rub mud in her face about it. 

Even if the steps were mostly covered in mud.

He stepped inside anyway.

The floorboards groaned under his weight in protest, a sound that earned a sharp, crooked grin back towards his best friend. Dust clung to the air, catching in thin shafts of light that slipped through cracked shutters. Cobwebs draped the corners like forgotten banners. ”There’s potential,” he conceded under his breath, tone reluctant. ”Especially once we clean it up a little and put those curtains up I was able to get.”

Soren

decided that once again I was just dreaming of bumping into you

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

Okay, but listen, Aithne has a plan.

The first step involves a deep clean, but that's not what they're here for today. No, she's here to share her vision with her best friend, and as she prances up the steps to the front entryway, stepping lightly around the mud and over the threshold, she practically vibrates with excitement. Sure, it's not the prettiest house on the block (yet). It's old, it's dilapidated, it's smelly, and it's muddy. But that's what it is now, not what it has the potential to be.

And as Soren recognizes that there's promise here, a satisfied smile curves Aithne's lips. "Exactly," she practically purrs. "Look, here's what I'm thinking -" she says as she darts ahead of Soren to gesture this way and that, explaining exactly how she envisions transforming the space. The bones, she insists, are decent. They might have to replace the roof at some point, but the floor is sound (albeit creaky), and the walls are sturdy. The kitchen has a little space that will become their eat-in dining nook, and it's open onto the living room. Small, but that's not a problem. They don't need that much space to be happy.

Then there are the bedrooms. One, with a north-facing window, will be Aithne's. She's already planned out where the furniture will go. The other, across the hall from the girl's, is darker, but that's the way Soren likes it. There's still a window, but it's not going to capture quite as much natural light thanks to the tree outside blocking the sun.

When she's finished her little tour, she spins in place and clasps her hands in front of her chest. "Seeeee?" she insists. "It's going to be perfect."

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.

as I arrived I thought I saw you leaving, carrying your shoes

Soren let her talk. He leaned against a questionable support beam with arms folded, tail flicking lazily as Aithne darted ahead of him, pointing and gesturing and seeing things that did not yet exist. His expression stayed very him with brows knit, mouth tilted into that familiar sharp line; but, his eyes tracked everything she indicated. The nook. The open space. The way the light moved, even filtered through grime and neglect.

When she mentioned the roof, he snorted quietly. "At some point, she says," he muttered, chuckling as he started already mentally cataloguing materials, labor, how long it would take them to get enough money to pay someone to fiz it before it became a real problem.

Pushing off the beam, finally, he followed her down the hall, boots scraping softly against the creaking floor. When she claimed the north-facing room, he nodded once, unsurprised. Of course she wanted the light. Of course she’d already placed furniture in her head. When she gestured to the darker room his tail stilled. "Hmm," He stepped inside, gaze sweeping the shadows. Private. A corner the world wouldn’t pry into so easily. "Yeah," he said after a moment. "That’ll do."

When she finished and spun toward him, practically glowing, his shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "You’re not wrong," he admitted, voice gruff. "It’s a mess. It’s going to be a lot of work. And if the roof caves in, I’m saying I told you so." His mouth twitched. "Buuuuuut," he drew the word out, reaching out to tap the wall with his knuckles, solid beneath the rot, "it’s got good bones. And it’s yours." His emerald gaze flicked back to her, steady and certain. "So yeah. Perfect enough"

Soren

decided that once again I was just dreaming of bumping into you

I salute you if you're much too much to handle

Soren's not excited like she is, but she knows better than to expect the same level of enthusiasm. Where she sees potential, he sees materials, labor, money. He sees all the things they decidedly don't have. What she sees is all the things that will come to be - because they will come. She's already decided, and her stubbornness makes the promise practically a law unto itself.

Dark eyes sparkle; a fanged grin flashes wide. "The roof won't cave in," she says in a tone that brokers no argument from the groaning wood above. She doesn't even spare it a glance. Instead, she busies herself with flicking a dead bug off the counter before hopping up to sit there, legs swinging against the crooked cabinets below. "I'm gonna have it all cleaned up before the season changes," she promises, ignoring that that means she has quite a lot of work to do in just a few days' time. "Then we can get to work."

Aithne

Minor powerplay allowed without permission.
Feel free to use force/magic on Aithne.

as I arrived I thought I saw you leaving, carrying your shoes

"Right," he said, dry. "Because roofs are famously afraid of you."

He crossed the room and leaned his hip against the counter beside her, knocking another dead bug off with the back of his knuckles without ceremony. His tail flicked once, thoughtful. His gaze drifted over the space again. Over the crooked cabinets, warped counters, over all the bones she’d sworn by. He could already feel the ache in his shoulders, the scrape of splinters, the long days ahead. Work he would do, but probably complain about. Loudly.

Then he looked at her properly, grin sharp but warm, emerald eyes steady. "We’ll make it hold. All of it. But now, I'm hungry. If you know what I mean."

FIN

Soren

decided that once again I was just dreaming of bumping into you