Sookie's POV
The first few months back in this realm were stressful but amazing. My position with the council is perfect for me. I am able to listen to all of the humans present at the meetings and trials and I save us all a great deal of time by revealing everything, well almost everything. I also seem to have some of the same abilities as the Ancient Pythoness. I can tell when a person is being truthful and their general disposition and I can sense what is to come. The council members respect me and we all work well together.
I have had fun setting up and decorating three homes. I chose Texas, New York, and California as they are the states the council convenes in most. They are each incredibly different and I love them. In New York I have a penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park. I used bright bold colors, artwork from Faery, and some really beautiful black stained scrolled furniture that I fell in love with in Faery. My home in California is on the beach. It is more like a town home and nothing elaborate but it is breathtaking. I used only crisp clean colors here; sky blue, grass green, and cloud white. I barely have any furniture there yet, but hey I only need the sun when I am there, right? My home in Texas feels more like my Gran's home felt. It is a single story ranch home and it is huge. Everything about it is huge. The front door is even bigger than a front door need be. I have several acres of prairie land but I have no desire to do anything with it but enjoy the peace and solitude.
I use to try not to think about my life before Faery. As time passed it became easier to see and to feel those memories. I understand now they are apart of who I am and yet another step on my destined path. I can admit now that Eric will always have a piece of my heart and that the fault was not his alone. I know that I did not make it easy for him to talk to me and even though I am quite capable, I offered no solutions. I walked away because my warrior was choosing not to fight, for me.
I do not regret a moment we spent together. The entire direction of my life changed because of that time together and I am better for it now. I have not sought out my friends from those days but my hearing perks up when any of them are mentioned and I look forward to seeing them again…some day.
Rasa's POV
Bless the stars above; she returned. Twenty years passed before she felt ready to return to this realm. Admittedly, she did not know how much time had passed. One week in Faery is equivalent to a month passing on Earth. Indeed she felt as if she was gone long enough to attend college and in reality she was gone long enough for the world to have changed. The council awaited her return knowing that her destined place is with us.
She was quite a darling when she came to 'interview for the open position'. Her insight and way of thinking are far removed from any other member of the council making her point of view very valuable and often the most reasonable. It is really amazing how she seems to be able to find the middle ground in any situation. It took her several weeks to adjust to our constant state of travel. She eventually tumbled to the idea of multiple homes so that she could relax more in time off. Especially with her telepathy the hotel stays can be tiring and teleporting back and forth over long distances can be very tiring. Having multiple locations can create closer 'popping points' and give her access to her own space at more reasonable distances.
She has sat several meetings, two minor vampire trials in the North East, a national were convention, and we are scheduled to be at the vampire's annual summit in one month. She went unrecognized until the were convention. When the weres discovered that Sookie Stackhouse Brigant was a member of the council and would be involved in judging trials, every were that had any type of disagreement signed up to have their case decided by her. We were all really overwhelmed, especially Brock and Marius, by their trust and faith in her. She accepted it as the compliment it should be and presided over every trial with grace, compassion, and a firm hand. Out of thirty disputes that day she put only one were to death, he had murdered a child belonging to a rival pack. Sookie refused to hear his loud angry reasons. She carried out his sentence herself. She used her light to fill him with the fear that the poor child must have endured, she filled him with the heart ache of the child's parents, she filled him with the anger of the child's family, and then she ripped his heart from his chest as the child's light was ripped from this world. She narrated her execution and made it very clear that the death of innocents will never be tolerated or acceptable in any circumstances. She left that convention as the friend of every pack in North America, even the pack the errant were had belonged to.
I admired her from afar before she left but now I worship her. She is the embodiment of the humanity that was stripped from me thousands of years ago. I have slowly regained bits and pieces of my own but to bask in the warmth of her goodness all the time would be my dreams come true. I have waited to pursue her because I know she needed time to adjust to this world again but I can wait no longer. I want her to see me, know me, share with me, travel with me; love me.
I wait until after our regular weekly meeting. Our meeting went well and she was in good humor. As she is exiting the building with her ever present fae guards, I stop her.
"Sookie, may I speak with you?" I ask unsure of myself for the first time in at least 1500 years.
"Sure Rasa, what is it?" My name falls from her lips like a blessing.
"Well, I was wondering… I mean would you like…. You see I was going…." Stuttering like a damn fool.
"Are you trying to ask me out Rasa?" she asks with a wide smile and shining eyes.
"Yes, precisely, thank you." I blow out a very large and unnecessary breath.
She throws back her head and laughs. Tinkling laughter and sparkling eyes. I will gladly make of fool of myself more often if only to see her face like this. I tell her as much.
"Alright, well as much as I like the cat getting your tongue, your embarrassment is not necessary. I would really enjoy spending some time with you but I am hungry, so we must get dinner, or breakfast, or whatever we can find at this hour."
She said yes. I am in the clouds.
"I know this wonderful little Italian restaurant just a few blocks from here that stays open late and then what do you think of star gazing?" I did not know it was possible but her smile got bigger.
"I would love that!"