It was September 2nd and I was in Niles visiting Caeden and Tanya. I hadn't told either of them about my argument with Jack, though they both new about my new place. Tanya was already talking about coming to visit for spring break. The school year hadn't even started yet and the girl was already planning for spring break. It was a little sad that my first thought was that she really had no other friends if she wanted to spend her whole spring break with someone invisible to 99% of the population. Don't get me wrong, I was flattered, but seriously? The girl needed friends.
On a similar subject, Caeden was officially dating Tanya now. I can't say I was shocked by the news, but I was pleasantly surprised by it... And of course I immediately found all of my blackmail photos of him as a baby to embarrass the crud out of him. To her credit, Tanya took it in stride. She laughed and thought it was cute, and the next day she brought over a shoebox full of her embarrassing baby pictures. So all in all, that went well.
I took great pride in my matchmaking between the two of them. Very much so. Like seriously, they were meant to be together. Aside from both believing in me - which is a valid comparison, no one really knew about me, so - Tanya was enough like me, that Caeden was comfortable enough around her. And they were both geek enough to be adorkable. And they were happy, which is the one thing I could ask for my little bro to be. I really hoped their relationship didn't end like most high school romances, though. That would be a major blow to what we all had going, so... Here's hoping.
We were at Wal-Mart getting last minute school supplies - well they were, I was talking a mile a minute, like usual, following in their wake. The best thing about being invisible - and the big sister if I'm being honest - was that, for the moment anyway, I didn't feel like a third wheel. Tanya had gotten a car since I'd been gone and had driven them there. I'd asked Caeden if he felt weird that his girlfriend was doing most of the driving. He'd admitted that it was a little weird, but that he didn't have to ask mom to pick her up was a bonus. I really couldn't argue with that logic, if I was being honest.
We were debating the merit of cheapo cardstock folders versus the plastic-coated, cooler, and frankly more expensive ones when Tanya noticed someone over my shoulder and called out a greeting. "Mrs. Goodman! What are you doing here?"
"It's Wal-Mart, and we're in Niles. Like one of my friends used to say, 'you can't go anywhere without seeing someone you know'. Of course she was referring to her family." I'd frozen. I knew that voice. Hell, I knew that quote. I knew it because I was the one who used to say it. I turned around to see Megan standing there with a half-filled shopping cart. How did Caeden not recognize her? She'd been over enough times that he should know who she was! Well... she did look different now... But still, he could have warned me.
I sort of tuned out to their conversation. All I really heard was that Megan was the choir teacher now. Well, that makes sense. And it also explained why she'd been at the school. Before I could even register what they were really talking about, the conversation was over and Megan has disappeared into the next aisle over. I just stared at where she'd been for I don't know how long until Caeden shook my arm, which woke me up enough to realize I'd been staring. "Tori?"
"What? Yeah. What?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I punched him on the arm. "Why didn't you tell me Megan was a teacher at Brandywine?"
Tanya scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Who's Megan?"
"That friend I told you about the first time I was here. Apparently, 'Mrs. Goodman' is one of my old friends." I shot a glance at Caeden. "And lover-boy here neglected to fill me in on that when I first came back."
"I didn't know she was your friend!" He ducked behind Tanya to avoid any more punches I may or may not have intended on bestowing onto my dear brother.
"Seriously? Dude, this is the one who I not only helped move, but who I had a garage sale with, helped move again and drove to work for a few months straight in horrible blizzards..." I stared at him like he'd said the stupidest thing ever... don't judge me. "How did you not connect the dots there?"
Caeden peeked out from behind his girlfriend, who for her part was doing a good job shielding him. "Her last name is different and she looks different."
"Yeah, she looks different, but it's still freaking Megan Coleman! Well, Megan Goodman, but still. You know what I mean." I noticed a little kid peeking down the aisle to see what the arguing was. Without thinking about it, I smiled. I was so used to smiling at people in general, kids specifically, from my former job - as well as genuinely wanting to see kids smile - that it was second nature to smile at them, even when I knew they couldn't see me.
Tanya noticed that my attention had gone elsewhere and turned to see the little girl. She smiled and waved at her with Caeden coming out from behind her to do the same. "Hi. What's your name?"
"Callie. Was' your name?" Callie brought her hand up to her mouth and started biting her nails.
"I'm Tanya. Are you starting school this year?"
Callie nodded, but before either of them could say anything more, a woman who I assumed was Callie's mom walked over and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Hey! Why'd you wander off?" Callie pointed towards us with her unoccupied hand, causing the woman to take notice. She smiled apologetically at the teens who she could see. "I'm sorry if she bothered you."
"No! She was fine." Tanya smiled down at Callie who grinned back, revealing a few missing teeth.
The woman stood up, shifting her hand to Callie's, which simultaneously forced it away from the girl's mouth. Without saying anything else they walked away. Megan's appearance forgotten conveniently, Caeden and Tanya went back to their shopping. With me of course chattering away behind them. It wasn't until later that night with Caeden snoring away downstairs, that I realized that Callie had been looking at me when she'd asked what was 'your' name. And that she'd smiled before Tanya had said hi. She had seen me.
Faced with that realization, I left abruptly. I left a note of course, saying that I'd be back soon-ish. I wanted to go to Jack with this batch of awesomesauce, but he hadn't apologized yet, so he was out. I needed to gush to someone - that understood the significance. Sel would have been my second choice, but she was still at the sanctuary waiting for Jack to come out and face her. I know because she sent me an update a few days prior telling me that he had managed to sneak snacks in while she was asleep. Which had only served to piss her off again. No, if I knew her, she was gonna stay parked until his scrawny butt came out waving a white flag. And I was definitely not going back there until he finally got around to apologizing.
So I decided on Shady. From the times I'd hung out at Legends, I knew she was great at girl talk. Besides I was eager to tell Annie just how great the furniture went with my house. So less than an hour later I landed in front of Legends. Goliath was the bouncer again tonight and he nodded at me as he let me in. When I entered I immediately noted the fact that it was far more empty than the Solstice. I was still planning on staying far, far away for the next one. I scanned the rom for Shady's fiery mane and spotted it up near the stage. I wove my way between the tables until I got close. "Shady!"
At my call, she turned her head, a half smile on her face. "Story! Yer in fer a treat, I'm off the clock tonight!" She pulled out the nearest seat, gesturing for me to sit.
As I took the offered seat I noticed that her usual attire of waitress apron over a scarlet tank top had been replaced with something far more her speed. "I can see that. By the way, I love your jacket." She was wearing the same bottoms as always, but her top was now a strapless, sweet-heart green top that flared out at the waist. Over top of it she wore a dark leather jacket with 3/4 length sleeves and padding that made it look like modern day armor. Come to think of it, it probably was.
"Thank you. This is what I usually wear, when I'm not workin' 'ere." As she spoke a tall, thin, white shadow slid into the seat on her opposite side. She turned to the newcomer. "Hey, you finish the set?"
The newcomer smiled at her before propping their feet up on the far edge of the table. In a slightly hoarse voice they answered. "Yeah. We're gonna start up again in about 45 minutes or so." He - or she, I really couldn't tell - gestured towards me. "Who's this?"
"Right, introductions. M, this is Story Tale. She's the spirit of stories if 'er name didn't give that away" She gestured from me to the reclined figure. "Story, this is Mors. Mors is death." The way she said it made it sound all commonplace. It wasn't.
"Death?"
Mors threw his - or her - arm over the back of his - or her - chair. It looked like there was no meat of it whatsoever. Talk about skin and bones. "Yeah. I usually go by M, Mors or Death, but you can call me by whatever name you want."
Shady leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "M is basically any death deity you've ever 'eard of. Back when I was mortal I knew of 'im as Donn."
"You knew each other when you were mortal?" I thought I was the only one.
"Well, yea. I mean, warriors all know that death is an all too real possibility. Most warriors believe in 'im. After I died and came back immortal M was one of the first ones to help me up on my feet, so to speak."
"Wait a minute... Aren't, like, half of death deities female?" I couldn't stop the sentence from leaving my mouth.
Mors nodded, cool as a cucumber. "Yeah. I'm them too. I'm sure you noticed my androgyny." A small joking smile appeared on his - or her lips.
"So does that make you a guy? Sorry if that sounds offensive."
Mors laughed, which immediately made me feel better. "I don't care if people think I'm a guy or a girl. I really don't. It actually makes my job easier."
"But which do you prefer?"
He - or she - shrugged. "Either... neither. Whichever you feel more comfortable calling me. That's why I go by Mors. It's a female name, but the romans always thought I was a guy, so all the drawings were of guys, while all the literature spoke of me like a girl. It's the closest to how I am."
"So... what I'm hearing is, you don't give a shit?"
"Exactly."
"Lies you tell." I shook my head while the two of them laughed.
Shady waved her hand at me. "So what brings you this way Story?"
"Oh yeah! So I was visiting with my believers back home."
"Yeah." She was nodding along in that way that shows that people are really listening, but want you to get on with it. Shady wasn't the most patient person ever, but she was willing to listen.
"And we were at Wal-Mart - they were getting school supplies 'cause schools about to start - when this little girl walked over to us. I think she saw me."
"Really? That's awesome!"
"But, I didn't feel her belief in me though, so I'm not sure if she did see me."
"Some little kids can see most of us without consciously believing." Mors chimed in from where he - or she - sat. "Same thing happens with some people who are really old. Though they see me more often than anyone else." He - or she - shrugged again before swinging his - or her - feet down and standing up all in one smooth movement. "I'm gonna go get a drink, anyone want anything?"
"Diet Dr. Pepper for me."
"Got it." Mors turned his - or her - head to Shady. "Collins, Sour or the Green Fairy?"
"You know me well, my friend." She rested her head on her hand while she pondered. "I'm thinkin' Sour tonight."
"Whiskey Sour it is." Mors waved a little as he - or she walked towards the bar to get the requested drinks.
After he - or she - was gone, I turned to give Shady a look. "What the hell are Collins and the Green Fairy?"
"What?" Her outraged look made me feel like I should have known the answer without asking.
"Hey, I wasn't even 20 when I died! I've never had anything alcoholic to drink in my life. Sue me."
She pursed her lips and shook her head in disappointment, but decided enlighten me anyway. "Tom Collins is the basic Collins, which is a type of highball..." At my blank look she elaborated. "A tall drink. I personally prefer the John Collins myself, which is the Collins version of Whiskey Sour, which I'm havin' tonight. Same glass, one less ingredient."
"So what the hell is the Green Fairy? Is it some fae drink?" I honestly had no idea. I'd been by far the most tame of my friends... and that was saying something because I'm bat-shit-crazy.
"Absinthe. Green Fairy is another name for it." She said it like it was nothing.
"Absinthe?! Isn't that illegal in the U.S.?"
She lifted an eyebrow at me, giving her 'are you serious' face. "We don't really follow the laws of any country, if you hadn't noticed. And no, it's not. The absinthe ban in America was lifted over a decade ago."
"Oh, well... good to know." The jukebox song ended and for a second all was silent. If you overlooked the general din of the hundred plus immortals, that is. I looked over towards the jukebox to see that the line was only a few bodies long. "Hey, I'm gonna go pick a song or two. I'll be right back." She made a gesture that basically read 'that's fine by me' and I went and got in line. One full song later I was up at the box and ready to pick a song. I started skimming through the selections and eventually landed on one that I can honestly say, I am in love with. I hit play and strode back to my seat.
A minute or so later, Mors came back with our drinks. He - or she - set my drink down in front of me before handing Shady her orangey brown drink. Her whiskey sour, I assumed. As I previously noted, I have no knowledge of alcohol whatsoever. All I know is that beer smells horrible and therefore I shall never drink it. Ever. When Mors sat back down I noticed that his - or her - drink was clear. "What are you drinking?"
He - or she (I really needed to decide what I was going to refer to him - or her - as) - held it up a little to emphasize it. "Sprite."
I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I would have thought you'd be going hard liquor like Irish over here." Shady made a sound of protest before taking a sip of her drink, therefor proving my point.
"I don't drink a lot." Mors then followed Shady's lead and took a sip for him - or her - self.
"M gets drunk easy."
"And I am a very loud drunk at that. Besides, tonight we're playing so I can't be drinking, now can I?"
I took a sip of my pop myself, murmuring into the rim as I did. "Sunny does."
"He's not supposed to." Shady glanced over towards a table a little ways away. I followed her gaze and saw said immortal sitting next to the drummer who was all but knocking drinks away from him.
"Yeah, I heard about that." Mors called my attention back to him - or her. "I'm sorry for him. He has a hard time with the concept of 'no'. Doesn't know how to accept it or give it."
"Oh yeah, trust me, I noticed." I was still a little miffed about it, honestly. I mean, take a hint, seriously. Maybe if that Owen guy hadn't interrupted, then I wouldn't still be mad. Then I would have gotten it out of my system, but... You know that's always happened. Every time I get to the point where I'm thinking that I'm gonna punch this mofo in their face, someone interrupts and it dies down. Which is why I've never been in a fight. Ever. Still not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
"Still, we're trying to cap his ego." Mors looked over towards their table.
The drummer had once again taken a drink out of Sunny's hands and was glaring at him. "Hey, so who is she anyway?" I was curious about the one woman who Sunny wasn't hitting on.
"Oh, that's Gaia." Mors said it like it was no big deal. It so was. I don't care if I'm immortal now, and I don't care if I'm best friends with one of the Guardians. Hearing that the stories I'd devoured my whole life were real was always going to be epic.
"Gaia? As in the earth Titaness? Grecian mythology, Gaia?" I stared at the short girl next to the glowing immortal. Aside from the flowers, I'd never have guessed.
"Sort of. They got a few things wrong of course, but yeah, that's her." Shady had by now downed half of her glass but still seemed as sober as me. Lucky.
"She's the spirit of Spring." Mors said from behind his - or her - glass.
"Like how Jack's the spirit of Winter?"
He - or she - nodded. "Yep. As far as I know they're on good terms. Except for the years that he blows up unexpected snowstorms after spring's started on the calendar."
Just then the opening chords to P!nk's Raise Your Glass rang out and a wicked smile erupted over my face. My song was playing. I hurriedly took a gulp of my pop so there would be less chance of sloshing later and began dancing in my seat to the music. And of course I was singing along. "Right, right, turn off the light. We're gonna loose our minds tonight. What's the dealio?" I was bobbing back and fourth and having a grand time. I struck a pose on the line "Why so serious?" and of course I held up my glass in time with "So raise your glass if you are wrong, in all the right ways." Amid my hair flying every which way from my... well, I call it dancing - though I know I can't dance to save my life - I caught Mors and Shady shooting each other a look.
Shady then looked at me. "I take it this is the song you requested?"
I didn't answer, instead I kept singing. Loudly. "Wish you'd just freak out. Freak out already. Can't stop comin' in hot, I should be locked up right on the spot. It's so on right now, so fuckin' on right now." By now the nearby tables were watching me make a fool of myself. Oh well, who gives a shit? However, I did notice that Gaia - who had started watching me - was jiving along too. Awe-some-sauce. "All my underdogs, we will never be, never be, anything but loud and nitty gritty, dirty little freaks! Won't you come on and, come on and, raise! Your! Glass!" I saw more than a few glasses raised among the crowd and many near our table. And I swear on the lines "We can always party on our own." a few others sang along as well. And most of them weren't even the drunks! Though few were in key. Shady was now dancing along with me, while Mors sat smiling and bobbing his - or her - head. And on the last 'raise your glass' the number of previous glasses had doubled. Apparently, making a fool of yourself is pretty awesome when many people do it together. I sat back, breathing hard and laughing with a smile tearing apart my face. Who says you need alcohol to have a good time?
-
After I left Legends I went back to Niles for around a week. The first week of school excitement that Caeden and Tanya were sporting had rubbed off on me. Can you blame me though, with the past few days I'd just had? Caeden was ecstatic about being an upperclassmen. Tanya, however, was the only senior I'd ever seen who didn't have senioritis.
Anywho, that all died down once the weekend came, so I hightailed it home. It was still beyond cool to be able to say that and mean my own place. On the way back I made a detour to the Meramec Caverns and sat through a few of the light shows. After the shows I went a little farther in, to an unexplored area and found a good handful or two of gems and crystals and whatever, throwing them into my bag to use for jewelry later. Better to take them from the source than from the gift shop... which I had been considering. Hey, look, we've already established that I'm no saint. Technically, I don't exist anymore, so why not? But yeah, my conscience stopped me before I could so much as touch one of the ones with price tags.
So I left the caverns - which were a famous Jesse James hideout is you weren't aware - and headed back to my place. Once I hit the outskirts of the park I did a little more exploring. Honestly, I was killing time. I just felt like wandering for no reason. You know that feeling of wanting to do something but not knowing what? Yeah that was me. After a few hours of aimless wandering I finally landed on my roof. I went down into my room first and set my bag inside the doorway before heading down to the living room... Where I stopped in my tracks.
I stopped because there was a figure standing in the middle of the room with his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. Irritation flared up in me as I watched my former roommate look around at my house, appraising it. I folded my arms as I stepped down the last few stairs. "What are you doing here, Jack?" He turned around, his blue eyes wide and - for once - no smile on his face. I winced as I saw the bruises on his face and his partially swollen eye. "Ooo, what happened?"
He shrugged. "Sel was waiting." He glanced around the living room again. "It really is nice. Mother Nature did a great job."
"How'd you find the place?" I felt a little bad that he'd taken a beating from the lillend, but as I understood things, it had happened before.
"Sel showed me the way." He pulled his left hand out of his pocket and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "She already went back." He paced back and fourth slightly, restless on his feet.
I stepped farther into the room and leaned against the nearest armchair. "So, what're you doing here?" He didn't answer at first, but when he did he was staring at the floor and mumbled. "Huh?"
He rolled his head back and sighed. "I'm sorry. Okay?" He held his arms out in a what are you gonna do gesture. "I came to apologize for the blizzard. And slicking the floor. And blowing your art around." He gestured at said pieces as he said that line. "I'm sorry for freaking out."
"You forgot making my room colder."
He rolled his eyes in response. "I'm sorry for making your room more sub-zero than usual. I'm sorry, okay?" He shoved his hands back in his pocket. "You could have told me earlier."
"And if I had, you would have sulked and given me the silent treatment, and I still would have had to fight my way through a blizzard, slide across the floor and deal with everything else... And you still would have probably gotten a whooping from Sel." I'd ticked off the strikes on my fingers as I'd spoken. "Jack, I know you, and this was better for everyone involved." My irritation, though dimmed, was still there. "Plus I knew that this way you'd get over it faster." It was my turn to shrug.
He rolled his eyes again but didn't object. "Anyway, I probably would have been here a week or so sooner but I was trying to avoid Sel." He gestured to his face, a small smirk appearing. "You see how well that worked out."
I finally cracked a smile, his apology had been accepted. I chuckled a little as I went closer to take a better look at his injuries wich were already half-healed. "Looks like she did a number on you."
"Sort of." He shrugged again before narrowing his eyes at me. "And she made a point to say the last punch was for you." He said pointedly.
I raised my hands in defense. "What can I say? I was still pissed at the time. But I did tell her not to maul you, if that makes you feel better." He laughed at that and I was glad to see his smile. I'd never admit it to him, but the one thing I'd been missing about living at the sanctuary was that laugh. It just made your day better to hear it. "Hey, so how long have you been here?"
"About a half an hour." He pointed out the eastern window. "I saw you flying around and thought I'd be safer if I waited for you in here."
I cocked my eyebrow at him. "Safer?"
He shot me a look. "The evidence of Sel's anger is written all over my face... How was I supposed to know if you'd do the same? Or worse?"
"I'm offended. I'd never beat you up no matter how much you deserve it from time to time." He shot me another look and I shrugged. "Okay, so I punch you I the arm from time to time. What can I say, I'm one of the guys for a reason." He shook his head but smiled, laughing. Yeah, I'd definitely missed that.
He gestured around the living room. "So, how long did it take Mother Nature to build it?"
"Not long. Less than a day. It took a few hours to get this part done." I glanced around at the increasing familiarity that was my house. "I personally think she could have worked faster, but she didn't want to 'strain the tree' - which she 'woke up' by the way." At Jack's skeptical look, I elaborated. "It's partially sentient now - or so she's told me. It will respond to whatever I need it to do, but can't talk or anything." I cocked my head. "Though that would be cool." I'm not gonna lie, if my house could talk to me, I'd flip my shit... in a good way. "Anyway. Come on, I'll give you the tour."
I led him around the first floor and the rest of the main building before leading him to he first of the rope bridges pain gaps been the main part and the others. Well, they weren't really rope bridges, I mean they were vines and branches and living parts of the trees, but they looked like rope bridges. So anyway, we crossed the first one to what was basically a guest house. Living room and bathroom on the first floor and bedroom on the second. Seraphina had grown this one a little differently, since the staircase only went up one floor. There weren't as many bells and whistles here, but hey, it was the guest house. I'd displayed a few of my pieces here too, on the walls.
Next I led him over to Del's nest, as I was calling it. Jack had come to the same conclusion as I had, that Del might just be a little more social now that he had another place to crash. Last I led him to my studio, which I had just finished setting up before my jaunt to Niles, but which I hadn't properly used yet. It was around the same size as my living room, maybe a little bigger. I'd wanted enough room so I could have multiple projects strewn about without them piling up on top of each other. The center of the room was devoid of the tree trunk, this room having been built differently than the others. This one Seraphina had grown the tree outward as needed. There was a counter or ledge or whatever running around the entirety of the room, save where the doorway was of course. Most of my supplies were organized according to whatever they were used for at intervals around the room, but the few that could be used for anything - and were - were near the doorway, in what I considered the miscellaneous pile.
I'd always wanted a studio of my own. When I'd still been mortal I'd wanted it to be a room with nothing but windows, so there'd be lots of natural light and so I could paint whatever was outside, without actually being outside. Especially if the weather was crappy. I could just imagine sitting in a room filled with sunlight, surrounded by easels with half painted scenes, partially sketched ideas and general chaos that is art. I'd always been obsessed with windows and light, because our house had been really dark and somewhat gloomy unless you were sitting right next to a window. Not to mention my attic bedroom had sported one window down it's entire thirty foot length... and it'd been at the top of my stairs, so the light didn't reach far. I'd always wanted a skylight in my room, but our house had never liked skylights. Every one we'd ever had leaked and generally gave us a giant headache. So I'd never gotten one.
But now I had my own place and I had windows everywhere. I loved everything feeling open and airy and... not closed off. There were no doors - except for the bathrooms - just doorways. The windows were open permanently - I really had to think up a solution for any storms or anything - as were the doorways. And because I was high enough above the main canopy of the forest, there was sunlight to spare. And the best part was, it was mine, so I could have it exactly the way I wanted it.
After we left my studio we went back to my living room for comfy chairs to sit on. I looked over at Jack, who had propped his staff near the doorway back when he'd first gotten here. "So, what do you think?"
"It's cool. Different from what I'm used to - and definitely different from Niles - but cool." He was right on both accounts. My abode was as different from the sanctuary as the Workshop was from the Warren.
"I've always wanted to build my own place. I've been planning my dream house since I was twelve." Twelve was when I'd seen the first part of what I'd always wanted in my home no matter what. We'd gone on vacation to Hawaii where we'd stayed at the condo that my grandma used to rent every summer. I think that was the last year she rented it, come to think of it. But anyway, the condo had two floors, the first had the entryway, the kitchen, one bathroom, the living room and the lanai - which is the Hawaiian version of a patio/porch/balcony. The second floor had all the bedrooms and the other bathroom. One bedroom in particular looked over the living room, was directly over the kitchen, and had a clear railing for safety reasons. Ever since I'd seen that, I'd always wanted a similar situation in my dream home. A room over the kitchen with overlooked a two-story living room.
"So I guess this is your dream house then, huh?"
"Oh, no. Not even close. My dream home was a veritable mansion with a gigantic yard, three or four floors, a game room, a theater, a huge dining room, a huge garage, and was really made for the wow factor."
"Wait a minute." He sat forward, holding his hands up to stop any comments I might have interjected. "Are you telling me you downsized? You?" He shot me a look riddled with skepticism. "After becoming an immortal? Knowing full well that we have the most extravagant houses in the world?"
I snorted. "I'd hardly call them the most extravagant."
He raised his eyebrows at me. "You've seen the Pole. You've seen the Tooth Palace. You've seen the Warren. You've seen Mother Nature's place. You've lived at my place." He ticked off his points on his fingers. "And you say they aren't extravagant?"
"Have you seen even one episode of 'Million Dollar Rooms'? 'Cause I have and those are the most extravagant homes on the planet. Immortals may have huge places, but we have t live with them for way longer... which tends to keep us from making them as gaudy as they could be. And you said it yourself, I've lived at your place. Which means I've already lived in one of the big places." I shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I was already coming to realize that I didn't want a gigantic, ostentatious house, that I really would prefer a cozy home, before I even met you. I just hadn't planned it out yet."
I looked around at the place that was as far from my dream home as anything I could have dreamed up before. "You know, I always wanted a tree house. Ever since I saw the Swiss family Robinsons when I was little. I'd planned a huge place with a different building for each room that my family could live in, with rope bridges and dumbwaiters and pulleys. A real pirate style place. Makeshift to the max." I'd actually forgotten about that time. "Of course I'd grown out of that phase like everyone else. Who'd have thought it would turn out to be the final draft?"
"Well, I'm glad you're happy with it." We sat in silence for a while before Jack voiced something that seemed to have been on his mind for a little while. "So, why'd you pick here for home base anyway?"
I knew what he was getting at. He knew I'd never been here when I'd been mortal. It was different from everything I'd ever known. Except that it wasn't. Though the area I'd grown up in had been mostly buildings that were in various states of disarray, and the spots without buildings had mostly been populated with fields and farmland... I'd always felt like I was living in a more or less wooded area. Maybe it had been the fast that there were a lot of trees on our street, maybe it was because my grandma's backyard was a mini forest, but I'd always felt like trees were home. I remember romping through the woods nearly every nice day after school. Climbing the trees that were climbable, hunting down wild daffodils, making walking staffs for myself because they were cool. There'd been one huge tree that had fallen over years before I'd found it - probably from a storm or one of the few tornados we'd actually had pass through - that was a blast to climb, until the last few years I was mortal. By then it had started rotting away to the point that the footing was too treacherous to test.
So, the redwoods were like an adult sized - no, immortal sized version of the woods I'd grown up in. It was natural for me to choose it for my home. Plus it was, as we've established, warmer. "The weather's less finicky than Niles, it's low risk," By that I meant that mortals would have a hard time stumbling upon it. "And I envied Maximum Ride greatly. Now that I have wings, why not go all the way and get myself a tree house?" My last statement had both of us giggling.
"Can't really argue with you there." He paused to catch his breath for a moment before posing another question. "So, why a guest house?"
I reached over and shoved him. "Unlike you, Mr. Anti-Social, I plan on having people come and visit. And those people need a place to stay. Which is why Del's got a nest over yonder." I gestured towards said nest.
"What if more than one person is visiting you at once?"
I gestured towards the trunk of the tree. "Then this bug guy will probably adjust itself. And if anything else, I've got plenty of floor space." I shot Jack a look. "This is something every girl learns when she attends or hosts a slumber party. How to fit multiple people into a limited amount of space is an art. Making sure everyone still has a clear path to the bathroom is a miracle that only a select few can perform... and by select few I mean the girls who had more than one sleep over."
Jack was shaking his head, and answered before I could ask. "Having a girl for a best friend is weird as hell."
"Same here but vice versa." To which we fist bumped. Yeah, it was good to be buds again.