Alice

[mooningremus]

Remus had stayed in Willy's flat. Of course he had. Where else would he go? And honestly, Remus had been too poor and beaten down for too long to allow his pride to make him stupid. He'd managed to hold down a job at a bookshop, enough to buy groceries and the lease on the storage unit and start to save. Because he kept just assuming this would end. That Willy would come back and ask him to leave, or someone would show up demanding rent. But it had been months and neither of those things had happened yet.

He was also achingly lonely.

He had just opened the oven to check on a loaf of rosemary ciabatta, when he heard a sound behind him. And he turned just in time to see a woman stepping out of the floor length mirror.

His hand went to his wand instinctively.

Comments

[mooningremus]

"I've never been very confident of that for myself," Remus said honestly. "In any case, I do... miss him. If he's back he may want me to leave. I almost wish he would evict me because at least I'd see him again."

He still wore that ring Willy had given him. It was perhaps his most prized possession, aside from his wand.

[alice_fair]

Alice looked at him for a moment.

"But this is your home. What say does he have?" Alice asked.

[mooningremus]

"No, this is his home," said Remus, shaking his head.

[alice_fair]

She laughed, bright and warm.

"No it isn't," she smiled. "The magic here centers on you."

[mooningremus]

"Well magical energy doesn't pay rent," Remus said with a chuckle.

[alice_fair]

"What rent?" Alice asked. "Do wizards really not understand a claim? You can't feel it? This is your home, Remus. No one else has claim on it. Silly werewolf."

[mooningremus]

Remus wasn't sure how to explain it to her. Though also, he couldn't help but like the idea that in some way... this place was his. This was indeed thee first place that had felt like home in a long time. But...

"I would still prefer it with him in it," he said quietly.

[alice_fair]

"Foolish, foolish," she said tenderly, shaking her head. "You are in love. And unwisely."

[mooningremus]

"Yes, so he tells me," said Remus with a touch of irritation.

[alice_fair]

"But you didn't listen, did you? No one ever does, " she said, then sighed, "oh, love."

[mooningremus]

"I can't seem to control my heart," Remus said. "Not anymore than I can control him."

[alice_fair]

"You could more easily control the storm," she said as she smeared honey on more bread. "My boy, my sweet, grieve as if he's dead and let him go."

[mooningremus]

"I stopped looking for him, at least," Remus said. "So I guess I won't start again now."

Pause.

"Tell me more about the blonde."

[alice_fair]

"The blonde is a man who only learned of his fae heritage," she said. "Being with Willy has brought magic to the surface and I agreed to find him a teacher. I know little else, other than he's lovely to see, and sweet to chat with."

[mooningremus]

"Did they seem... romantic?" Remus asked, unable to help himself. "I mean, I know it's none of my business, Willy left me..."

[alice_fair]

"Would you enjoy being jealous?" she asked curiously.

[mooningremus]

"No, of course not," Remus sighed. "Point taken. But it's too late, I'm now imagining that Willy had fallen in love with some pretty blonde fae."

Remus was not pretty. At least, he couldn't see it in himself. He was self conscious about the scars on his face. And he still hadn't yet realized that he wasn't noticeably too thin anymore.

He idly turned the wolf ring round on his finger, an nervous habit.

[alice_fair]

"What has he done to make you love him so?" Alice asked.

[mooningremus]

"He showed me kindness when no one else did," Remus said quietly. "And he accepted me for what I am... more than I accept myself. And he's beautiful and talented and... I know he's not perfect. He can be strikingly thoughtless. But I feel how I feel."

[alice_fair]

"Strikingly thoughtless is the best description I've ever heard of Willy Silver," she said, happily taking one more slice of bread.

[mooningremus]

"But then, sometimes... he would really surprise me," said Remus. Wistfully. "He surprised me with a Christmas last year."

[alice_fair]

"How delightful," Alice smiled. "Odd, but wonderful. It will be a sweet memory to hold dear."

She wasn' trying to be cruel, but the sooner he realised he'd been a dalliance for the prince, the better.

[mooningremus]

"Right," said Remus, and stopped playing with the ring.

"I mean, you're right. He clearly has no interest in coming back here."

[alice_fair]

"There are many tales of mortals who taste the fae world and lament it's loss. My advice to you, Remus, is this. Do not let the absence of it drive you. You will go mad before the fae take mercy on you."

[mooningremus]

Remus truly didn't think it was because Willy was fae. But he didn't say that.

He just nodded. "It's all right, I'm accustomed to being alone."