Tanis yawned.
“Get some sleep. Who knows how long we’ve been awake.” Emily leaned forward to pull off Tanis’ boots.
“Where’s the bathroom?”
Emily cocked her head. “Huh, I don’t know.” She stood. “I’m going to go ask and also see about getting you some food. Don’t let Ian’s and my weirdness here fuck up your schedule. You still have to do the normal human stuff.”
Tanis finished kicking off her pants and slid under the covers. She already looked half asleep. Emily turned down the lantern by the bed and padded to the door, opening it softly.
“Hey baby?” Tanis’ voice was small.
“Yeah?”
“Will you cuddle me for a little while when you get back? Even if you can’t sleep?”
“Of course. I will find a bathroom for you and then come back for snuggles.”
There was no answer. Emily shut the door carefully behind her and wandered down the hall. She stopped at a room she remembered, pushing the half-open door.
“Devora?” Emily’s voice echoed into an empty room. Even the siren’s sound-proofing was gone. Emily felt sad. She made herself hold onto the feeling, the hollow beneath her ribs, just for a moment. It was something she’d taught the kids.
Leaning against the door frame, she remembered Ian and Tank’s sceptical teenage faces.
“But why relish bummers?” A seventeen-year-old Ian scoffed, folding lanky brown arms he wouldn’t grow into for a year.
“Dude.” Tank shook sun-bleached hair from his eyes in a way that settled it right back in his face. “Feeling shit and giving a shit is our humanity.”
“You’re a hippie.”
“Your moustache sucks.”
Emily had stepped in before it escalated. “Tank’s right. Be Folk, use what skills and powers you get from that, but keep your humanity too.”
“Fine.” Ian shoved Tank, who giggled.
“If you feel bad about your moustache, take a moment to contemplate that.” He dodged another shove. “Your feelings of facial hair inadequacy mean you’re human!”
Emily laughed, remembering how Tank had tripped over his own feet dancing out of Ian’s grasp.
“Ah, human laughter.”
Emily turned to the voice behind her.
“Or not human.” The sphinx sat, twitching her tail.
“Appreciate you noticing. Hey, speaking of humans, do you know if there are like, bathrooms?” Emily held up her hand. “No riddles, don’t be a dick. I’m asking for a friend.”
The sphinx sighed dramatically. “Fine. You’re no fun.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Well, your ‘friend’ will find that there is one conveniently located next to their room.”
“Lady, I don’t want to use the bathroom for fun. I’ve done my time and I’m good Also, how do you even know where the room is?”
“I’m a sphinx. I know lots of things.” She stood with a stretch that unsheathed her claws and padded off, adding over her shoulder, “and the hare sent me to tell you.”
Emily watched the sphinx disappear around a bend before heading back to let Tanis know she didn’t have to worry about wetting the bed. She let her feet guide her back, running her hand against the wall and thinking of the invisible wards and sigils hidden within the plaster. After everybody had grouped into the three trailers and abandoned the rest to dust, Emily taught the kids basic wards, not telling them she was learning while they did it too. Between the Hare and a surprisingly robust selection of library books, they’d freshened up the paint in colours the kids chose, hiding a layer of protection beneath the bright coats. Emily didn’t know if things like that had any real power in the mundane world, but they all felt better afterwards, which was more important.
“Hey babe, turns out it’s right next—” Emily opened the door while talking, stopping when she saw her girlfriend’s soft, sleeping face. Tanis was curled up like she did when she was fully sacked out, the blankets clutched up against her chest. Emily smiled. Tanis was a world-class blanket thief. Getting up in the middle of the night meant a quiet struggle trying to reclaim the covers she’d carelessly abandoned before she could get back into bed.
Her smile faded. She’d known Tanis was half-asleep already but still let herself get caught up in memories and wandering instead of coming right back. Just because she was used to the timeless nothingness of the Sidhe didn’t mean Tanis was. Emily took off her shoes, stumbling once into the footboard and jostling the bed. She froze, but Tanis just tightened her grip on the blankets, a small line between her eyebrows. Carefully, Emily climbed onto the bed, on top of the covers, cradling Tanis’ sleeping form and wrapping her arm around her. She felt Tanis tense then relax against her with a soft exhale. It felt like home.
***
The hare brought them breakfast on a wheeled cart pulled, somehow, by his assistants. He came through the door while Tanis was still under the covers, rubbing her eyes. He had apparently made plans while Tanis slept and Emily stared out the window, trying to figure out what was so off-putting about the winter garden’s night sky.
“I’m coming with you.” The hare shooed his assistants from the covered dishes like flies. “Girls, go get Ian.” The sprites flew off.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” Emily poured coffee for Tanis and fit the mug into her sleep-fumbling hands.
Ian strode in with the hare’s assistants in his wake. He dove at the food like he actually needed it to survive, pausing briefly only to ask if there was enough to share. Tanis was waking up and starting to look annoyed at the amount of people in the small room. She tucked the covers more tightly around her legs. Emily stared down the hare, who still hadn’t answered her question.
“Well?” Emily poured herself a mug of coffee pointed at the hare with it. “We are grateful to you for bringing us food, you’re wonderful, now tell me why you think you’re travelling with us.”
The hare dismissed his assistants and closed the door. “I have a confession to make.” He lifted his nose up, whiskers twitching. “I am unfulfilled as a scientist.”
Emily snorted. “That’s it?”
“That’s a lot!” The hare laid his ears back. “I’ve run out of things to document here, you saw my backlog of unused film. If I accompany you three, then I will most certainly encounter all sorts of things and people. Besides,” he sniffed, “I know a lot more about the expanses of the Sidhe than you.”
“He has a point.” Tanis reached for the bread and jam, but couldn’t quite reach it from the bed.
Emily made a plate for her, adding sausages. “He does. I apologise, hare.”
“Good, it’s settled then. We will leave this evening.”
“Whoa, for where?” Ian spoke with his mouth full. Emily glared at him and he hastily swallowed before adding, “did you find out where Abby’s forest is?”
“No, but I know someone who might know.”
“No. No way.” Emily shook her head vehemently. “I have been down this path with you before.”
The hare spread his paws, exasperated. “There’s no proof the bear died.”
“Other than the giant pool of blood and no body, totally.” Emily folded her arms. “I’m sure Crawburn probably just sauntered off and was never heard from again for personal reasons.”
“It’s possible!” The hare hunched his scruff. “But, despite your objections, it would be in Abby’s best interest that we leave as soon as possible.”
Tanis raised her hand. “Okay. Wow. How about all of you leave, except Emily, so I can put some pants on and talk this over with her.” She frowned at Ian, who had a mouthful of food and looked sad. “Take your plate with you, it’s fine.”
As soon as Ian closed the door, Tanis pointed at Emily. “I really, really have to pee, but you need to explain the bear.”
“He was a guide that the hare knew, one day in the forest we woke up and he was gone.” Emily looked at her reflection in her coffee cup as she spoke.
“Other than the blood.”
“Yeah, other than the blood.”
Tanis did a little hop as she finished pulling on her pants. “Good god, Emily.”
Though it felt flippant, and a lie, Emily could only shrug in response.
***
When Tanis came back from the bathroom, Emily had made the bed and changed into the clothes from the sprites’ village. She’d kept the worn, braided leather belt she had worn with her jeans, but it still sort of worked.
“What I don’t get is why they installed one of those Japanese talking toilets. It’s really out of place that uses kerosene lanterns for light.” Tanis shook her head, then looked again at Emily. “How did you fit those into your little bag?”
Emily blushed. “I snuck them into your backpack.” She awkwardly smoothed her tunic. “Do I look stupid?”
Tanis smiled, eyes crinkling against the lines from the sheets embossed on her face. “You look great.”
They poured more coffee and sat next to each other on the bed, trying not to spill as they leaned into each other.
“We don’t really have a choice, do we?” Tanis leaned forward to grab her plate. Setting it carefully on her knees, she speared a sausage and looked at is suspiciously for a second before biting in. “Should I wonder what this is?”
“No, we don’t really have a choice and meat is meat but I do not think you need to worry that what you’re eating used to talk, or anything.”
“Super reassuring on both ends.”
“Yeah, well.” Emily stared into the dark mirror of her mug. “However duplicitous the hare may be about the edges of things, he doesn’t outright lie. If he says he’ll take us to people who can tell us about Abby, then he will.”
“He’ll just make sure he gets something out of it too.”
“Exactly. Look at how smart you are.” Emily sipped her coffee while Tanis wiped her plate with the last hunk of bread. “It’s funny. When I first came to the Sidhe, I slept pretty much until I was told I didn’t have to.”
“So, you think maybe I don’t have to?”
“I don’t know, your body seemed to shut down pretty naturally. Maybe though, what a person can do here is only what they think they can do, but like, within bounds.”
There was a knock on the door. Emily jumped up to open it, almost spilling Tanis’ coffee and plate. “Shit, sorry.”
“No bigs. Poor Ian, I didn’t mean to leave him out there for so long. I mostly wanted the hare out.”
Ian lounged against the door frame. “So, are we going today, did you guys decide?” He gestured with a plate that looked like it had been licked clean.
“Yeah, little choice, really.”
He nodded, his face very serious. “We should do the Three Musketeers thing, but first, let’s address what you’re wearing.”
“No, let’s not and these are my Sidhe travelling clothes, shut up pre-emptively.” Emily made a face while Tanis bounced on the bed behind her, threatening her coffee further. She leaned over, stretching out her arm and slapped her free hand on top of Ian’s.
“You are such a grump, let’s do this!”
Bullied by the others, Emily added her hand to theirs and chanted, “all for one and one for all!”
This post is part of The Consoling Divide – Serialised. See the archive and overall content warnings here, and find more of my writing here. I’m over on both Comradery and Patreon, if you feel like supporting my creative endeavours. If you’d like to subscribe to this story, here’s a handy email box for you: