i'm like a bird, i only fly away

[decohere]

Who: Ava & OTA
When: End of December
Warnings: Village discussions likely

i. you're beautiful, that's for sure

Do Not Disturb.

The sign is posted outside their cabin door the day they return and remains through the end of the year, to discourage any well-meaning visitors from bringing any extra stress. She takes great care in securing an environment that Peter can feel safe to recover in, until he's ready to face anyone else.

(text if needed -ava)

ii. you'll never, ever fade

Though she doesn't leave the room much herself, she does occasionally convince herself of the need for fresh air, to walk off the anxiety around the sports deck. She isn't paying much attention to where she's going though, eyes fixed on the stars.

iii. you're lovely, but it's not for sure

She can be found sometimes at the cafe, staring into her cup of tea or preparing a platter to bring back to the room.

iv. that i won't ever change

Toward the end of the week she's got a large pile of dirty clothes she's sorting through in the laundry room, separating the lights (mostly hers) from the darks (mostly Peter's). She has a small pile of things she's pulling out of the pockets, after making the mistake of having washed her pens one time too many. She finds the number badge, and clutches tightly to it.

v. and though my love is rare

And in the middle of one afternoon she's completely passed out in a library armchair, too many late nights watching guard over her husband sleep catching up with her. Jurassic Park lays open on the floor by her feet.

vi. and though my love is true

wildcard me

Comments

1/13, text.

[decrypter]

I think he was very pleased with the story.

[happy birthday to Helena, she got the best gift a writer could ask for, and that is the audience liking your work.]

[decohere]

oh! i was wondering how that went.

am i still next on the list?

[decrypter]

Yes! Of course!

I'll want to show you what's happened to it as well. There's a reason I said I think he's pleased, but it's easier if you see the manuscript now.

[decohere]

[she knows how hard Helena has been working on this book, how much it took to overcome her writers block and all the doubts she had about writing again. knew how nervous she was about the Captain liking it, and Ava's happy to share in that excitement. when everything else has felt so increasingly hopeless. a friend getting to be proud of her accomplishment is the sort of thing that reminds her that there's still reasons to keep going.]

now im curious. want me to come by? i was going to stop by anyway. made something for you.

[decrypter]

Please do, I'll be waiting. And now you have me quite curious myself.

[it's been a journey to get here. from forcing out one or two words at a time to realizing that there was a whole story there, making it work, finding a way to blend her poetry and prose and carry on with creation, even as the world might want to break her spirit. but she'd done it. and more than that, the man she intended it for found it favorable. the joy from the accomplishment and the feedback is all she needs today. their world might be threatened, she might still be scared, but it was why it was so important to have it done and finished. because then she could say, I did.

she hopes he knows that if he ever wants to reread it, she won't mind if he just plucks it up to do so. and maybe one day, when they've settled, she'll get someone to type up a copy in an alphabet the sighted use.]

[decohere]

[Ava shows up about fifteen minutes later, balancing a tray in her grasp as she knockknocks with her knee. it's a sliced apple charcuterie board, arranged more with accessibility in mind rather than aesthetics. organized with different types of apples, little dishes full of melted caramel and chocolate, peanut butter and honey. toppings such as cereals and nuts and marshmallows. and of course bits of sliced cheeses and crackers. tucked under her arm is a bottle of champagne. helena is 21 now, right?]

Happy birthday! [why is almost everyone she knows a Capricorn...]

[decrypter]

Thank you! It hardly feels real that I made it again...

[she's beaming as she lets Ava in. something smells nice - it's the chocolate - and she's put on one of her nicer dresses for the day, because when it is your birthday, you can wear something lovely and need no special occasion for it.

now that Ava's here, she can go to her side of the cabin to retrieve the manuscript - book now, she supposes - from her belongings where she had set it aside to get dressed and ready for company.]

[decohere]

[again, and perhaps the last. for them both, for them all. but for now she wants to forget all that; just celebrate what they have. a measure of years forward rather than the ticktock of whatever is left.]

Hard to believe how much time has passed.

[she curiously watches as Helena goes to retrieve the book, and then glances around the rest of the room.]

Here, may I put this on the table? It's a tray of sliced apples, and things to dip in them. And a bottle of champagne, hah. Did you manage to keep that promise?

[decrypter]

[she gestures that Ava can put it wherever she likes, her eyes alight over what her friend has brought. it's something she wouldn't have thought to make for herself, but knowing the two of them, it's absolutely perfect.]

I did! I'd like to think that somewhere, Demi's smiling over it. Thank you for bringing it all and making it - I can't think of a better way to celebrate.

[particularly when that celebration is with a friend.

but the book, she brings from where she had it. Ava would know that at the start it was nothing more than a sheaf of paper bound with twine, her best estimation at a book. now? now, it's changed. leather, ribbon, and her name in gold.

she offers it out for Ava to hold, her tone dropping into something softer.]

I woke up, and it had been returned, in this condition.

[she still can hardly believe it.]

[decohere]

I really enjoyed the time you taught me to notice the subtle differences in smells between varieties. [and she was one day hoping to have an orchard of her own, with Peter. and invite Helena over to sample all the different types. and to invite Fio over to experiment with all the desserts they could make, probably with Darcy's supervision. but now it's... unlikely. and all that's left is to make the most of what they do have.

she sets the tray and the bottle down, to free her hands for the book. she inspects the special details, can see why Helena was so excited by it] Oh... Oh wow. Guess he's your publisher now, huh. [she admires the binding, opening the book to flip through a few of the pages delicately.] First editions are always extra special.

[decrypter]

[the pages are fully in braille, but with Ava studying her pages before, there's patterns to notice, words that come out visually anyway. it's a fantasy story, one about magic and a journey.]

I'm published... [she tries the word out, and laughs, still beaming.] All the work's worth it, to be able to say that. And to be able to say someone liked what I wrote, and that it's all me in those pages. It almost feels silly to think I worried so much about being able to in the first place.

[decohere]

What an accomplishment. [grins as she tracing fingertips over the words. Helena's beaming is infectious]

Ah, worrying isn't silly, it just shows you've invested so much into it. But it's such a relief to realize there was nothing to worry about at all.

C'mon, let's properly celebrate.

[decrypter]

[she laughs and nods, coming to sit on the couch with more than enough room for Ava to sit next to her.]

Where should we start? You've given me so many options...

[decohere]

The champagne?

Oh, I forgot to bring cups...

[decrypter]

Oh, that doesn't matter. You're my friend, and I'm not sick, in case you're worried. Actually, I've never been sick here, now that I think about it.

[small blessings that the Captain never thought to care about the common cold, and that flu a while back skipped her completely.]

But I don't care if you don't.

[decohere]

Oh no, not worried about that.

Peter was such a grouchy baby when he was sick... it was cute. But he also would prefer not scooping me off the floor again. So we can take it easy.

Going to pop the cork now, okay? [gentle warning] One, two...

Three!

[decrypter]

[the sound of the cork gives her a little jolt, but she laughs immediately after. truly, a sound of celebration, and she claps for it.]

I know enough of drunkenness secondhand to be put off the idea for life. Easy is all I'll ever do with this.

[decohere]

[even anticipating the pop, Ava also glitches out in simultaneous jolt alongside Helena, managing to keep hold of the bottle and giggling with the clapping.]

Best approach. [it's usually only when she's hitting a low when she loses control over how much she indulges, and only results in her feeling worse.]

Here, birthday girl get the first sip! [offers the bottle out with a light tap of it against Helena's hand.]

[decrypter]

[taking the bottle, she's careful, head tilting a little as she hears the fizzing. it's as bubbly as new soda, so she knows she'll have to be careful with a sip. and for a single heartbeat, she feels the weight of two extra years as concretely as she feels the bottle in her hands. how marvelous, that she's been allowed to grow. that her mind stays moving forward. that she feels like she can breathe, be full of as many ideas as there are bubbles in this bottle.

she tilts the bottle to take a sip, and Ava will see her eyes widen when it hits her tongue. not a mouthful, that's too much, but enough to taste and understand.]

It's sweet and bitter at the same time...and so fizzy, it tastes like how sparkles are said to look.

[no wonder people love it for celebrations.]

[decohere]

It's fun, right? Some of the others taste awful, like something you clean with.

But I think this will pair well with the apples tartness.