33 Apocalypse Ave, Tuesday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

It was October, even if the weather didn't match Tumblr's expectations of the month, and Kathy was getting into the spooky spirit. She'd decorated the living room with some window decals and a small stuffed bat for the cats to play with, there were a chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven and a bowl of ganache cooling on the counter for chocolate monster cookies, and two gallons of apple cider sat in the fridge, waiting to be mulled or spiked with cinnamon-flavored booze.

Now she was sprawled on the couch, playing through her repertoire of songs she'd learned on the guitar, and trying to figure out if she could learn to play Bad Moon Rising before it ceased being relevant. Hmm, maybe she should try to play something off of the Bad Seeds' Murder Ballads instead.

Comments

[rebelseekspizza]

"You're thinking about Anders," Dante announced.

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"You're invincible in the heat and cold both?" Kathy asked, all amusement.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Yep," Dante said. "Haven't you figured that out yet?"

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"I did," she said, grinning at him. "That's why it's only fair we make you go get the booze!"

Check and mate!

[rebelseekspizza]

"No, you just gotta grow a thicker skin," Dante said.

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"You like my skin just as it is," she reminded, glowing a little at the memory of a hotel room, a Sharpie, and several long hours together.

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Dante groaned, dropping his head melodramatically. "Should've known that'd come back to bite me in the ass."

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"Right?" Kathy agreed, still grinning fit to kill. "Absolutely should've. And yet, here we are. Me with my pretty skin, you with your order of booze to be picked up."

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"Still not happening," Dante said, sighing loudly. "Fucking brat."

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"Guess who I learned it from," she asked, batting her eyes at him.

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"Anders?" Dante tried.

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"Yeah, actually," she admitted with a soft laugh. "He was working on getting me bratty for about two years before you showed up."

God she loved that boy.

[rebelseekspizza]

"So I missed a time when you were innocent and he was still a dick?" Dante said, grinning. "Damn."

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"A couple of years, yeah," Kathy said. "Too bad you didn't show up earlier. You could have met me when I was nice."

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Dante snickered softly. "And Anders was still all bright-eyed and naive about shit?"

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"In his own way, yeah," Kathy said. "Same time, a little more jaded and mistrustful, because he'd just escaped the Circle and was watching over his shoulder every moment to get dragged back."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You know, I have trouble picturing that," Dante admitted. "He seems so casual about shit now, you know?"

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Kathy nodded. "I mean, he was never paranoid about it or anything," she said, "but I think something inside him has relaxed. Until Cassandra showed up, I don't think anyone from the Circle had even known about the island."

She'd missed the return of Alistair and Morrigan one Homecoming.

"And anyone who'd found out he was a mage just thought it was cool, not a danger. Years of being told that there was nothing wrong with you has that affect, I guess."

That was true for the three of them.

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Dante's mouth curved.

"I do remember him having trouble with that."

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"He never really bought into that idea anyway? That having magic was a curse or whatever? But he was more defensive about it, like he expected everyone to argue with him when he said it. Not having to fight every moment about whether or not he was worth something helped."

And even if they'd never become friends, never fallen in love, Kathy would have been grateful that he'd come to the island for that reason alone.

[rebelseekspizza]

"It fucking sucks he had to feel that way at all," Dante said quietly. "Getting treated like something different... something worse? It fucks you up."

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Kathy nodded. "That's something I never had to deal with," she said softly. "Not the way you two did."

Sure, there was sexism and racism, but it wasn't as targeted and specific as what they'd endured. It hadn't ground her down in the same way.

She almost reached over to brush his hand with hers, but refrained at the last moment, clutching her guitar instead.

[rebelseekspizza]

"He took it better than I did, seems like it," Dante offered. "And even then... you can either lay down and let it be the thing you are, or you can get pissed and kick back. We both got pissed."

And thank fuck for that.

"You guys got to see me coming out of that. Don't know if it's a good thing or not that I wasn't there to see him do it."

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"I don't...I don't know," Kathy said thoughtfully. "Maybe it would have hindered him. Maybe it would have helped you. Of everyone, I probably have the least idea how it would have shaken out."

[rebelseekspizza]

"What do you mean by that?" Dante asked.