Instructions for Dancing
The ride back to the Cession is relatively quiet. Everyone is exhausted and the majority of them haven't slept in days. Those who are able to, take turns driving while the others catch up on sleep. They stop only for necessities and manage to avoid unwanted attention with the help of Tally's sight and Nicte's lighter.
Somewhere around hour 15 Raelle insists on taking a shift in the driver's seat. Scylla isn't happy about it. The dark circles under Raelle's eyes and the visible slump in her shoulders tell Scylla everything she needs to know about how tired Raelle's body is. She voices her concern quietly with a tug to Raelle's hand and a whispered offer, "Let me drive, you need sleep, love".
Raelle's face lights up at the new term of endearment but it's not enough to deter her. In reality, she hasn't been able to sleep more than 15 minutes at a time since they got on the bus and all she can think about it getting them all to the safety of the Cession as quickly as possible. Once everyone is safe, then she'll rest.
She leans over and kisses Scylla softly, cradling her chin between her thumb and forefinger, and grazing their noses lightly together. "I love you and thank you for the concern, but you've already put in a 6 hour shift. Fair's fair", Raelle quips while sliding out of their row seat as Tally pulls over to make the exchange.
Scylla sends one last pleading look in Raelle's direction before she resigns to the fact that Rae is both stalwart and determined and it's one of the many things she loves about her.
While she could be taking the opportunity to catch up on some sleep herself, Scylla insists on staying awake to keep Raelle company. They both know it's more about Scylla's need to watch over and protect Raelle than it is about keeping her company but they're both content to leave the words unsaid.
In an effort to keep Raelle awake, Scylla regales her with stories from the time they'd spent apart. She recounts the best memories she could conjure from her time spent with Willa and finally gets a chance to explain how her and Anacostia had shifted from enemies to allies to friends over many months. She tells Raelle her favourite story about Edwin playing baseball with Tiffany in the backyard, all the while proudly bragging to her that his own little girl had hit a ball clear across 4 neighbours' yards when she was just 5 years old. Raelle insists that he embellished that one a bit but Scylla suspects she's just being modest. Either way, the blush that creeps across Raelle's cheeks from the embarrassment is endearing and Scylla makes a mental note that teasing Raelle about this may be fun in the future.
Raelle doesn't talk much herself during the drive but listens intently. Her throat is still raw from the amount of power she'd had to put into the work needed to stop Penelope and the Witch Plague. Luckily, she knows there will be time to tell Scylla all of her own stories later. Right now she's more than content to just enjoy the sound of Scylla's voice as it fills the air around her. She had missed that voice terribly.
They are almost 17 hours into the trip when Raelle begins trying to stifle a series of yawns and Scylla has to swallow down a wave of panic thinking about how little sleep she's actually had in the last week.
Scylla turns in her seat to look at Quinn in the row across from her, relieved to find her awake. Quinn seems to understand her pleading eyes and knows what she's asking without having to say the words.
"Alright kid, you're done. Give me my seat back", Quinn's voice is gentle but the hand that comes to rest on Raelle's shoulder as she says it leaves no room for argument.
Raelle sighs and begins to slowly pull the vehicle over as Scylla finishes the tail end of her story about finding Nicte's journals in the cabin in the woods and how the notes inspired her trick with the security guards.
Quinn smiles to herself just thinking about Scylla's first demonstration of the work and how absolutely absurd and whimsical it all was. She can't help but ask Raelle, "Has Scylla told you yet about how she made everyone waltz in the middle of town? In broad daylight no less? Now, that's a story worth hearing."
Raelle's eyebrows furrow in understandable confusion while Scylla slides out from their front row seat to let Raelle shuffle in closest to the window. Raelle drops down onto the seat with a soft thud, convinced now more than ever that she must actually be delirious from lack of sleep. There's no way she just heard Quinn say that Scylla created a dance mob in the town square. That sounds completely insane, even for them.
The impish grin and quiet chuckle that Scylla lets out as she slides back into the seat beside her, tells Raelle that she has, in fact, heard Quinn correctly though.
"It wasn't everyone", Scylla clarifies. "Only about 20 people. Sadly the dog didn't dance. That would have been more impressive."
Quinn lets out a hearty laugh from the seat in front of them as she pulls back onto the highway to take them the rest of the way home.
Scylla reaches for Raelle's hand and interlocks their fingers as the blonde continues to try to figure out this inside joke that she and Quinn seem to be sharing. Raelle's tired eyes are barely more than slits at this point and her eyebrows are all scrunched up in utter confusion and Scylla finds it absolutely adorable. She can't resist ghosting a kiss across Raelle's lips before finally taking pity on her and connecting some of the dots. "Morrigan's Whisper; the work with the crows, that's how it started. That was the first test."
Scylla's blue eyes are sparkling and playfully mischievous and Raelle marvels at how beautiful it is to see her looking so free. The time in the Cession has done her good and it warms her heart to see that her and Quinn get along so well. She still has absolutely no fucking clue what they're talking about though.
"You tested Morrigan's Whisper with dancing? Like actual dancing? In the middle of town? With a bunch of random people?", Raelle asks incredulously with one eyebrow quirked. She's still not 100% convinced that she isn't actually the butt of some elaborate joke these two have cooked up. Scylla just continues to smile and nod though and Raelle can't do much more than shake her head; endlessly amused at how weird and wonderful her girlfriend actually is.
"How do you come up with this stuff?" Raelle asks, chuckling at the mental image of people spontaneously breaking into a dance routine while taking their dog for a morning walk.
"You", is Scylla's simple response as she raises her hand to brush back a string of wavy blonde hair from Raelle's face before leaning in to kiss her again, just because she can.
"Me?" Raelle's confusion is back in full force by the time Scylla pulls back from the kiss.
"Yep. I like doing everything because of you", Scylla answers with a sly smile, knowing full well that there's more to the story that she could share but knowing that it's best to wait until her and Raelle are alone.
Raelle can't help but smile big at Scylla's response that echoes her own words from their past. Despite the time spent apart and the distance they'd endured, she hadn't forgotten a single moment of their time spent together and apparently neither had Scylla.
"You're cute but you're crazy, you know that?", Raelle teases as she finally stops fighting her exhaustion and rests her head on Scylla's shoulder.
"Still think I'm sexy weird?" Scylla asks as she rests her head on top of Raelle's. Her voice is both playful and hopeful at the same time.
"Very. My girlfriend is nothing if not very sexy and very weird." Raelle laughs before adding, "Thankfully some things never change."
Scylla smiles to herself and kisses the soft blonde locks on top of Raelle's head, stopping for a heartbeat just to breathe her in before whispering an "I love you" that only Raelle can hear.
Raelle nuzzles closer into Scylla's neck and cradles their joined hands in her lap before tracing a heart onto Scylla's palm with the tip of her finger. Scylla can feel Raelle smiling, even if she can't see it.
For what feels like the hundredth time in the last 24 hours, Scylla is overcome with waves of gratitude. Raelle is safe; Raelle is happy and Raelle is hers. Again. Finally. After months of heart wrenching separation and both physical and emotional distance, they are together again and permanently this time. There is nothing more comforting in the world than knowing that the next time they lay down to sleep, it will be with Raelle's arms wrapped around her. She's never felt so blessed and so grateful for anything in her entire life.