To Vanilla- it has taken me SO LONG to update this, it sucks! I've been scrapping and rewriting this SO MANY TIMES, but I've got there! Ish. And that's a no to your theory, but the reveal shall happen... next chapter. Maybe. Dun dun duuuhhh. And I love writing Isa/Nidas, they're such a fun, stupid pairing! I literally have notes on possible interactions for them titled 'Two Halves of a Whole Dumbass'
"So, what you're saying is that you want me to make you a relatively illegal communication something or other so you can secretly talk to one of the species that has hated imps for longer than recorded history just because we're faaaaar better than them?"
"I don't know if that's true-"
"It is, I said it is."
"But yes." Bibi pressed her lips together. Nidas squinted at her suspiciously. "Uh, please." She added. He hummed dubiously, pursing his lips.
"Aaaand why haven't you asked me this sooner?"
"W-what?" Bibi stared at him. Nidas grinned broadly, eyes dancing with mischief, cheeky yellow-orange flames in his hair. Laughter bubbled behind her.
"Nidas, ya dick. Don't be horrible." Isa put an arm around her daughter, blowing a raspberry on her cheek. Bibi recoiled instantly, protesting wordlessly. Isa smiled lopsidedly, messing her hair. "Ta answer ya question, yes he can 'n' he's pretendin' ta be disappointed ya didn't ask him ta do somethin' illegal sooner."
"I live for the illegal life." Nidas confirmed, nodding seriously. Isa reached out and flicked him in the head and he snickered. "Give me a quarter, I'll have them done for you. You can stop looking at me like I'm crazy as well, by the way."
"That's just her general look towards ya."
"No, no," Bibi shook her head, "I genuinely thought you were going to tell me off." Nidas blinked at her. He glanced at his wife, brow raised, and then back to Bibi. A split second later, he cracked up laughing. His humour spread to Bibi, settling her nerves and drawing out giggles of her own.
"Aw, Bibi!" He eventually managed, holding his arms out. "Never, never!" He squished her in a hug, kissed her forehead. "My kids are too awesome to tell off!" He beamed proudly. Isa cleared her throat, glaring at him. Nidas stuck his tongue out at her, rocking from side to side with Bibi still in his hold and laughing.
"Mama?"
"Yes, Char?"
"I wanna meet Bibi's girlfriend."
"Um…" Isa replied brilliantly, looking to Bibi's scarlet face. "Not yet, Char. She's not allowed over."
"Why?"
"She's a fairy."
"Why?"
"Why are you an imp?" Okia interrupted, smirking. Char wrinkled his nose at her. He smacked a hand on his chest, proudly sitting up straighter.
"'Cos I'm awesome!" He declared, grinning.
"And I'm a troll." Okia rolled her eyes.
"Smell like one." Char shot back.
"Will ya'll just eat ya food?" Isa sighed, pushing Char's bowl closer to him. He giggled and dunked his spoon into the stew. Bibi helped herself to a slice of bread, squishing it in her hand and dipping it into her stew. A tap on her head, she looked up. Nidas grinned at her.
"Shift over." He wiggled between her and Okia, jostling the latter as she hurriedly rescued her bowl. Isa handed him a bowl of stew. They sat around the hearth, their dinner gently simmering in the pot. "So," he said, stealing Bibi's spoon, "what's this about your girlfriend?"
"Nothing!" Bibi spluttered, making grabs for her spoon.
"Wanna meet her!" Char beamed, throwing his hand- and spoon- up. Stew splattered on his head, but his smile didn't falter. Isa was sipping at her meal, flicking her little finger and cleaning his head. "Papi, wanna meet her!"
"Not yet, mijo."
"Why?"
"Illegal."
"You said your life illegal!" Char threw his spoon. Okia caught it before it hit her face. Nidas was watching Char carefully.
"Noooo, I said I live for- Isa, your son is incredibly nosy."
"Your son." She replied evenly. Char looked from one to the other, pouting at them both.
"I am favourite!" He insisted. "Spoon!" He held his hand out to Okia, waggling his fingers and grabbing for the utensil.
"You're not the favourite," she said, "I am."
"No, I am!" Nidas butted in, flashing a wonky grin at his wife. "Ain't that right, Isa?"
"No."
"Ouch." He sulked, the kids giggling at his misfortune. Isa smiled sweetly.
"Spoon!" Char repeated. Isa cleared his throat. "Uh, spoon pleeeeaaasssse!" Okia returned it, shaking her head. "Mama?"
"Yes, Char?"
"If Bibi's girlfriend not come here, we go see her?"
"Ask Bibi."
"Bibi-"
"No."
"Not let me finish!"
"No." Bibi repeated, crimson and trying to hide in her bowl. Nidas laughed, curling his fingers around the edge of her bowl and gently pushing it down. "Leave a message." She muttered.
"Aww, Bibi, it's OK! You should've seen how flustered your mama got when we first got together."
"Uh, says you." Isa said. "You set yaself on fire, like, eighty times in the space of a shift."
"Lies, it was quarter and only seventy-two times. Which doesn't count, because I'm perpetually on fire." He pointed at his head, soft yellow flames in his hair.
"I'm not talkin' 'bout ya head, Nidas, I'm talkin' 'bout the rest of ya."
"It's not my fault earth imps don't have fire-proof clothing." He defied. Isa hummed bemusedly. Nidas set his bowl down, scooting closer to her until their knees touched and grinning cheekily.
"Go away." She warned, pressing her spoon under his chin.
"Never. If it's death by spoon, it's death by spoon." He ducked his head, kissing her nose. "Bring it on, chica."
"Famous last words."
"They want to meet me?" Lody stared at her, dumbfounded. Bibi nodded, fumbling with a collection of wildflowers. Lody had been trying to teach her how to create a floral headpiece. Emphasis on trying. While Bibi squished stems and lost petals and swore profusely at the flowers' refusal to combine, Lody had crafted almost a dozen perfectly woven headpieces. Her only problem was she couldn't decide which to wear, changing them every so often.
Bibi cursed and the flowers fell apart in her hands. Lody poked her arm.
"Yes, they want to meet you. Char especially." She fidgeted restlessly, sifting through her mangled attempts. "He asked if you could visit. I don't think he's quite realised that Guard has increased since Mama-" Bibi froze, eyes widening. "Uuhhhhh, I mean-"
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine, we're all good-"
"Bibi…" Lody warned, arching a brow. "What happened?" Bibi hesitated, more stems turning to mush in her hands. Lody pursed her lips and Bibi hurriedly explained of Tavian and his Guards' interference in the village, searching for a border-crossing imp and her mother's reaction to them. Lody didn't interrupt, her expression carefully arranged as Bibi talked.
"So, yeah…" Bibi hunched her shoulders, wiping her hands restlessly on her trousers. "More Guard." She could feel the weight of Lody's gaze on the side of her face, choosing to focus on the messy remains of her headpiece attempts. It felt almost an eternity before Lody spoke up.
"Bibi, I would love to meet your siblings, maybe even your father. But your mother…" She trailed off, hesitating. Bibi sighed.
"I still don't know what she did. I don't know why the Fae are so scared of her."
"You said she washed your Guard from your village?" Lody removed her headpiece. Bibi nodded. Lody shook her head, taking up a silent debate with herself. Eventually she scowled. "Bibi, I mean you no upset, you know that. But your mother… she has left a dark spot in the history of Fae. She has abilities we do not speak of, her power is ruthless and she is… she was unrestrained. I'm… I'm sorry, but as annoying as your Guard are, they are doing what they believe is right and… and I agree with them." Lody looked at her, tears splashing onto her cheeks. "I'm sorry, but… if you knew the truth, you- you would understand." She finished quietly. Bibi regarded her for a moment. A part of her felt the need to get angry, to yell and defend her mother- that was her mama! She was mad and temperamental, but also fiercely protective and loving of her children, she would never do anything to hurt or endanger them.
But seeing Lody cry threw her off. Her temper wilted, tightening her voice. A maelstrom swirled inside her- the predicted anger, confusion, some sense of betrayal- what was Isa hiding?
"You still won't tell me?" She asked stiffly, voice a little over a whisper. Lody shook her head again, pressing her lips together. Bibi looked down, her hands in her lap.
"I'm sorry, Bibi. I- I can't." Lody traced her fingers under her eyes, sniffing. "Maybe… maybe you need to ask her. Or… or maybe your father?"
"I- I don't know, they're…" Bibi sighed. "Mama and Papi are always open with us, but there's… there's one thing they won't talk to us about. Something happened with this human, just before they were exiled."
"What?"
"I don't know. Bad, whatever it was. Mama… Papi said Mama was never the same again." Lody began sorting through the floral headpieces distractedly.
"If your Guard came looking for a border-crosser and… and we're still going to meet-?"
"You're like the only moderately sane thing in my life, of course we are."
"Challenge accepted," Lody smiled, reaching across to grip Bibi's hand, "but maybe it's time you did ask them. You're marked with a Fae, after all, some things won't stay hidden for long."
So Bibi did ask.
She went for the safer option, just after she got home. Nidas was tinkering in his lean-to, humming to himself and picking at a bowl of wild berries. Bibi stood at his shoulder, trying to see what he was working on. Nidas glanced up, smiling and poking her cheek, turning her head away. He tried for a smile, berry juice purpling his teeth.
"That's disgusting." Bibi wrinkled her nose. He swallowed his mouthful.
"Nice though." He nodded at the bowl. "Try some." He stuck his tongue out, eyes sparkling cheekily as she saw that was stained a deep purple too. Bibi took one, finding it rather sweet and quite juicy. "Best berries or what?"
"Bit too sweet for me, Papi."
"Suit yourself." He shoved another handful in his mouth, picking at his project. "How was Lody?"
"I told her about Tavian." Bibi admitted. "Well, I said about Char wanting to meet her, but then about how the Guard had increased." Nidas nodded, fiddling with fine strands of copper. He kept helping himself to berries while Bibi hovered beside him. She had planned to just blurt out her question, but now she could not find the words. It wasn't long until his bowl was empty, but he didn't realise until his fingers scrapped the bottom of it.
"Ooohh," he pouted, "where'd they go?"
"I wonder." Bibi raised a brow at him. He made a face, running his tongue over his teeth. "Papi?"
"Mm?"
"Can I… ask you something?"
"Ooh, is it illegal?"
"Um… no?"
"Boo, go away."
"Papi."
"Mmmmm, I suppose so." He checked his bowl again, as if it had miraculously refilled and pouting more when he saw it hadn't. Bibi's gaze fell on his project. It looked like a scroll, made of fabric and interlaced with copper filaments, lined by bits of bronze. She saw another, slightly less finished, on his other side, two pink crystals on the fabric.
Nidas elbowed her. "Yes, they're for you and your girlfriend." He smiled lopsidedly. "What did you wanna ask?" Blurt time.
"Why are the Fae scared of Mama?"
His smile faded. He looked away, drumming his fingers on his project. Dark blue flames simmered in his hair.
"It's… not my place." He said quietly.
"Everyone says that." Bibi frowned. Nidas sighed.
"Bibi… it's… it's not an easy thing to talk about. I'd rather that if you did have to learn about it, it came from one of us, but… we were… not hoping exactly, but we didn't…" He faltered, running his hand over his jaw. "But you do have a Fae girlfriend," he said, more to himself than her, "and the Fae don't know-" He froze, staring at something past her. Cold prickled the back of Bibi's neck and she turned, heart sinking.
Isa stood in the doorway. A tray bearing Leo's lunch shook in her hands. Her markings flickered with a dull blue light. Nidas rose, gently taking the tray with one hand.
"Mama, I-" Nidas glanced back, giving the smallest shake of his head. Bibi bit her lip, staying quiet. Isa gripped Nidas's hand, her marks flickering more incessantly. Nidas bounced the tray on his fingers, a soft ball of fire carrying it to the table. He held Isa's hand in both of his, pressing his lips to her knuckles.
"You're OK," he said softly, "I'm here." She mumbled incoherently, bowing her head. Bibi took a step back- should she leave? She hadn't seen her mother like for quite some time. She remembered giving her space, leaving her with Nidas, winters ago. At the time, she hadn't thought anything of it, too young to understand.
"Can't." Isa croaked.
"I know." Nidas assured, squeezing her hand. Pastel pink flames flickered in his hair. "You don't have to." Isa jolted to retreat, stricken. Nidas didn't let her go, gently pulling her back. "Not here," he said, "he's not here."
"Bibi…"
"She's safe. See?" Nidas smiled over his shoulder at his daughter. "She's not going anywhere." He promised, looking back to his wife. Isa was watching Bibi past him, brow furrowed as if she couldn't quite work out what she was seeing. "Bibi," Nidas prompted without taking his eyes from Isa, "tell her you're here."
"I'm… I'm here, Mama."
"Say you're alright."
"I'm alright."
"See?" Nidas smiled again, kissed Isa's hand. Her other hand came up, shaking, and Nidas took it. "Want to know something? She's not alright." He whispered. "She's half left." Isa blinked at him. His grin broadened mischievously. Bibi felt the mood change in the room instantly. Isa snorted, shaking her head. Her markings stopped flickering and she smiled weakly.
"Idiot." She chided lightly.
"You love me."
"No choice."
"I'm the best choice." He turned her left hand gently, tapping the mark that bound them on the inside of her wrist. "See, fate says I'm the best choice, so deal." He stuck his tongue out. Isa stared at him.
"How… how many berries did you eat?" She asked. Nidas turned to Bibi, his tongue so richly purple with berry, it was almost black. Bibi found herself laughing. He yelped as Isa's grip increased suddenly on his hand, but she was smiling. "Those were to share."
"I did share. Bibi, did you or did you not have berries?"
"I had one."
"See, there. I shared." Isa rolled her eyes. Nidas tutted, taking her face in his hands and peppering kisses over her cheeks, nose, forehead. "Love you, love you, love you, love you." He said between each one, giving her the giggles. He blew a raspberry on her cheek. She caught her hand under his chin, pushing his head away playfully.
"You're disgustin'." She said, wiping at her face.
"Oh, please," Nidas rolled his eyes, "you're no better."
"Better than you, but that's not hard."
"I'm beginning to question fate." He muttered, still having his head tipped back. He reached out with his hands, cheekily squishing her face between his palms. "I love you too, Nidas." He said in what he thought passed as an imitation of his wife. Isa ducked, darting around him. Bibi noticed she had taken hold of his hand, tucked behind her back.
Isa's smile faltered as she looked at her daughter, returning a moment later, albeit sadly. Bibi wrung her hands.
"Mama, I'm-"
"It's… it's OK, Bibi." Isa nodded. Nidas turned around, looping his arms around her neck from behind. Isa held onto his forearm. "Ya were bound ta ask at some point," Isa continued, "don't get upset over me, I'm… I'm alright now." When Bibi didn't look convinced, Isa's expression softened. She gently pulled away from Nidas, approaching her daughter carefully. Her arms shifted, as if to hug Bibi, but hesitated. Bibi hunched her shoulders.
"Can… can I know?" She asked. Her mother's marks glowed. With a clench of her fists, they dimmed slightly to a barely noticeable simmer. Nidas's hand was warm on the small of her back, she could see his sad smile from the corner of her eye.
"It's OK." He said. Isa looked to his pink fire, drawing in a deep breath. She shook her hands, wiping them on her shirt. "It's OK," Nidas repeated, "it wasn't your fault."
"What wasn't?" Bibi quizzed. Nidas motioned to her- give her a minute.
It took a little longer than a minute for Isa to compose herself. She didn't quite look at Bibi as she began to haltingly explain, staring off at something past her shoulder or at the floor. She gripped Nidas's hand the whole time, her anchor to reality, to now. He did not intervene with her story beyond mumbled encouragement or reassurances, laying a kiss on her fingers or her cheek each time she faltered.
Later, Bibi could not recall how long she had stood and listened to her mother. At points, she thought the disturbing recollections would never end, but they did. And now she knew.
Now she knew the truth.
And she wished she didn't.