Put on a Smile, Pretend Everything is Alright [Rhys]

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

October 5, 2025
rhys alexander greyback

Vasilia had been feeling... down. She should be happy. Ilija was back. The "family" was back together. But that only made her feel worse. Being bedridden for a week had already made her feel pretty pathetic. Then to have your "big brother" come rushing in, as if he knew what was best. Like a knight in shining armor to save the day. Only, the knight only came rushing in when it was most convenient and when the princess had already done everything. Just came in to take all the credit and act like he knew better the entire time. Dammit. She was so sick of it. She tried so... so hard. To be a fraction as good as her brothers. They had magic though. Things she had to slave over they could do with the wave of a wand. And after her collapse she felt like she'd lost all the progress she'd made. Everything she'd worked so hard for just came crashing down around her. 

Vasilia didn't get depressed often, but when she did, she got very depressed. It was almost as if she bottled up all the negative emotions. And when the lid finally came off, it didn't go back on easily. So, in a very surprising turn of events, she wasn't working at the pub tonight. In fact, she was at another pub just down the road. Sitting in a corner booth, elbow on a table and head in her hand as she stared at the pint glass in front of her. It as half empty, hinting that she hadn't just gotten there, but she hadn't had enough yet to be drunk. In her other hand was her phone, the screen bright as a call came in front her mother. IT was the fourth call this evening. She didn't answer it, instead just setting the phone down on the table and turning her head so that her forehead was  against her palm. She closed her eyes. 

[rhys alexander greyback]

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Just the one, two of us who's counting on

That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again

October 5, 2025
vasilia abigail fortescue

Rhys checked his phone again, he had started getting irritated the previous day when there had been no response but now the closer he got to the full moon the more he felt like throwing the damn phone across the room. Fine. He figured he could settle himself with a drink but he wasn’t feeling like his usual routine that night, plus there were plenty of other pubs he could frequent due to his mood. The Violet Hound wasn’t a place he went to for the kind of fun and trouble he was used to before the full moon. Though the next time he saw her he’d never let her know that she had aggravated him as that only seemed to give her some kind of thrill. He decided on another nearby pub, he went in here ever so often. The important thing was they had whiskey, that was all he really cared about at the moment.

He approached the bar and the bartender asked what he wanted and he ordered a double shot immediately. When it was put in front of him Rhys threw it back before the bartender could turn around, and when he looked back the man was giving him a curious look though Rhys returned it with one of his own. Who was he to judge? ’Another one?’ He asked and Rhys shook his head no and just asked for whiskey on the rocks. Looking around while he waited he noted the pub wasn’t terribly full but he did a double take when he spotted red hair in the corner, at first he wasn’t sure if it was her (seeing as she worked in a different pub) but the tattoos on her arm gave her away. The bartender put the drink in front of him and Rhys nodded grabbing the glass and slowly walking over.

She wasn’t looking at him or anything specifically, so he cleared his throat to announce himself. ”This seat taken?” She looked about as good in a mood as he was, which surprised him. She was usually so calm and happy.

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

October 5, 2025
rhys alexander greyback

The phone buzzed for an annoyingly long couple seconds, before finally going still, the call being forwarded to her voicemail. She was tempted to turn it off then, but didn't want to, just in case there was some emergency at the Violet Hound. She just wanted her family to leave her alone for the night. Let her wallow in her self pity, so that she could bottle everything back up tomorrow and pretend everything was okay. Pretend that it didn't hurt every single time Ilija shut her down from getting close to him. Pretend she didn't want to flinch every time he used that icy tone, as if she was a stranger. As if it didn't hurt whenever she saw Felix worry. Just pretend that she was always happy, like everyone thought. Just one night, that's what she needed to get "back to normal".

She didn't open her eyes yet, just let out a slow breath. It was only when someone cleared their throat and spoke and she stirred, opening her eyes and raising her head. To her surprise, there was Rhys Greyback. They'd formed a friendship at the Violet Hound, but she rarely saw him away from the pub. Well... her pub. So this was an interesting surprise. Immediately she sat up, raising her head from her palm and forcing herself to smile. "Please, take it. I'd never turn down the company." To be honest... she was actually relieved it was Rhys. He wasn't an overly talkative or "happy" person. So at least she didn't have to worry about his personality making her feel even more depressed and worthless.

[rhys alexander greyback]

template by punki of adoxography

Just the one, two of us who's counting on

That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again

October 5, 2025
vasilia abigail fortescue

She seemed surprised to see him, but he figured as much. The likelihood they would see each other at a pub that wasn’t hers was pretty slim, but yet here they were. Her demeanor was different than what he was used to, so he wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d told him to go away but at the same time, she didn’t seem the type. Plus, he knew what drinking your feelings away looked like. He sat down setting his glass of whiskey in front of him, she had her own drink and he tried to remember if he’d ever seen her drink. Some bartenders participated, the ones that could hold their liquor well and work, but he usually saw her running around too much to join them in a glass or a shot of something usually.

”You look like me whenever I come sit at the bar.” He commented, drinking some of his whiskey. She’d spotted him right away when they first met. ‘The weight of the world on your shoulders’ she had said and she had been right despite what he maybe have thought at the time. It had been an interesting few weeks. Vasilia sitting in front of him reminded him of how he’d randomly ran into her brother not a week before. Six years had gone by since he’d seen his old school friend and while it had bothered him at first, he understood now why. But again he had promised not to speak of it to anyone let alone his sister. Normally he didn’t feel particularly social the times around the full moon, but she hardly gave him the urge to be snippy or throw around his attitude. ”I recommend whiskey.” He spoke, beer never quite did it for him when he was in a mood.

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

October 5, 2025
rhys alexander greyback

Usually, Vas was the one mentioning when people seemed down, and tried to help cheer them up in some way. It was her nature. So it was a bit odd that someone was talking to her now, when she was the down one. "I don't-" she started to protest immediately, trying to sound like her usual self, but realized how pathetic the lie was. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Is it that obvious?" Well, it was a good thing she was her, dodging her family then. The last thing she needed as them asking questions and trying to figure out why she was depressed. The last thing she wanted was to try to talk to them about it. Especially considering the source of her depression was so closed off she felt like even more of an idiot for feeling depressed to begin with.

She eyed her glass when he mentioned whiskey., then reached for it. She didn't drink immediately though, just stared down at the liquid. "Oh, there's whiskey in here. And hard cider." About two glasses this size would get her drunk. The amount of alcohol in it was plenty. Clearly she'd thought her drink through tonight. She definitely intended on getting a little drunk. She took a long drink. the cider helped with the burn of the whiskey, but she'd told the bartender to make it strong, so it burned more then a fireball hard cider normally would. She set her glass back down on the table. "How've you been?" she asked. Since he was joining her, might as well carry a conversation. And she'd much rather talk about how he'd been and why he was drinking tonight over why she was here.

[rhys alexander greyback]

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Just the one, two of us who's counting on

That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again

October 5, 2025
vasilia abigail fortescue

She tried to protest but Rhys kept the look on his face. It took one to know one, after all. She was sulking about something and he wondered what it would take to get someone normally so positive looking so down. Then again, he knew the energy it took to push out thoughts and feelings that weighed you down and he was still testy most of the time. ”I spend a lot of time in bars...I know the look.” It wasn’t something he ever liked to admit, it made it sound like he had a problem and though he could admit that there were better ways of handling himself this was what worked for him and had ever since he’d left school. ”Its not a bad thing. We just have those days.” Well Rhys had a lot of those days, it was just his existence now with very few outlets for him to take. Again, it reminded him of how he ended up here but his routine had been so rudely disrupted now.

Whiskey and hard cider, well she must have been having quite the day. Though it was probably just personal preference, Rhys wasn’t a fan of mixed drinks or anything that wasn’t straight liquor at this point. As was usual, she asked how he was—that part was never knew but he never had a ton to tell her in terms of what he actually carried around. He and Ilija had talked about that, they were the oldest of their siblings and with that came a certain mindset, it was hard to explain but more of just a behavior. Rhys shrugged looking back at his own glass. ”Little run down.” That was true, he never slept well in general let alone near the full moon. ”Days before the full moon are always a bit rough.” And even with the Aware Wolf potion, he always wondered if it was worth the cost. The nightmares.

Rhys may have not had the same skill for seeing when someone needed a friend or someone to talk to as Vas did but anyone that hid themselves in the corner of a pub with a drink that had whiskey in it wasn’t here because they were in a good mood. ”Bad day?” He asked, he wasn’t ever one to pry as he didn’t like it when people did it with him but he’d ask anyway, she was always happy to let him talk.

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

October 5, 2025
rhys alexander greyback

Vasilia brush her hair onto one shoulder, sighing as he admitted knowing the look. She could force on a smile. Pretend she was fine. She knew she could. But right now... she was just so damn tired. Too emotionally drained to want to try. To be honest though, she always felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. While Rhys knew she owned the pub, he didn't really know everything she did. How she'd had the burden of two shops on her shoulders, and culinary school, and her father's illness, her own collapse, and now her brother being back. "Yeah well... usually I'm a lot better at handling it." If she kept moving, kept busy, she didn't have time to think about all the weight on her shoulders. It was how she'd been functioning for months. Now, the exhaustion had just caught up with her.

Even depressed, Vas was a foody. So of course she'd gone with a mixed drink. Though it was 99% alcoholic. She'd mixed whiskey and hard cider after all. Combining alcohols could really hit you hard, because it would have a higher alcohol content. Plus, she liked the taste. The whiskey complimented the hard cider. She took another drink as he spoke, nodding just a little. No surprise. Despite not being a witch, or a werewolf, she knew that the approaching full moon made most werewolves pretty moody. "Well, hopefully the whiskey helps take the edge off." She hadn't asked what he was drinking, but considering she'd served him drinks quite a few times... She knew what his choice of poison was. He never ordered anything but whiskey.

As he mentioned a bad day she let out a sigh, closing her eyes. "Bad month, actually," she answered, opening her eyes and staring at her drink. She usually wasn't one to divert her gaze so much, but she felt like if she did meet people's gazes right now they'd see just how much of a pathetic mess she felt. "Just the first day I managed to get away from my family. They've been a bit over protective all month." As if on queue, her phone started to vibrate again. The caller ID read "Mum". Vas just flipped the phone over so that the screen was out of sight. Clearly she had no desire to answer the call.

[rhys alexander greyback]

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Just the one, two of us who's counting on

That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again

October 5, 2025
vasilia abigail fortescue

It was an interesting parallel. Rhys had just seen Ilija who he’d known since he was eleven and he’d always been this friendly, personable and talkative person. A smile on his face and friendly demeanor, but the man he’d seen just recently had changed. He understood why but it was hard to tell himself it was even the same person the more he thought about. Vasilia was much the same, friendly and quick to smile and say something kind or start a conversation. The impression he got was much different this time, but as she stated it just wasn’t a good day for it. Some days took more energy to carry whatever was there and some days you just didn’t have the strength. It only went to show him that even the people that seemed the happiest and smiled the most still had their own personal battles, though less public than someone like him.

”I hope so too.” He agreed, it probably wouldn’t but he could just drink himself to sleep as had been a routine for many years and especially before Maria. ”Usually takes a few glasses.” Or a bottle or two, but bragging about being able to drink that much whiskey didn’t have the same effect at twenty five as it did sixteen. Rhys was curious, he’d been in the pub not that long ago and she’d seemed okay though again she was probably just smiling for the world. And despite his own unique family situation they all tended to behave the same, they were protective when they needed to be and even when they weren’t. ”Mine likes to do the same, especially with my work.” He remembered when he’d gotten pretty badly injured once and the hovering that ensued afterwards. Though he couldn’t help but hover over his younger siblings and making sure they were okay. Though Dahlia had no problem tell him to go away. ”Something happen?” He wondered if she would tell him, they got along well enough and had become friends but really he was just a guy that was at the bar a lot though a thought did re-enter his mind. ”Is it because Ilija is back?” She knew that he was a Curse Breaker and would have known him, though he wasn’t sure to what extent. Rhys glanced at her vibrating phone as she flipped it over wondering how often she had just let it ring like that.

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

October 5, 2025
rhys alexander greyback

Vasilia offered a sympathetic smile as he answered. Not being a werewolf herself meant it was hard to imagine just how difficult the full moon was. But she would at least try. She saw how draining it was on people. Saw how it affected them. It wasn't something she would wish on anyone. Your body betraying you once a month. Losing complete control. Of course, there were potions or something that helped with that (don't ask her specifics, she didn't know since she didn't go to Hogwarts), but that didn't mean it wasn't still hard on people. "Well, if you need company for those glasses, I'm here." She wasn't planning on going home anytime soon anyway. And drinking alone was pretty pathetic. At least like this they would have a drinking companion that wouldn't judge them.

Rhys hadn't mentioned his family much in their friendship. Mostly offhanded comments here and there. It was probably difficult to bring them up, considering they were connected because of Fenrir Greyback. "That's because you cruse breakers are daredevils." She commented, both as a joke and quite serious. They were an adventurous and brave lot. It wasn't uncommon for curse breakers to get pretty badly injured. It was a common occupational hazard.

As he asked if something happened she pursed her lips tightly and stared down at her drink. She didn't really want to admit what had happened. It made her feel weak and pathetic. But yet.. He was a friend. "I collapsed a few weeks ago." She tried to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal. "My family's been treating me like porcelain ever since." At the mention of Ilija though... she grimaced. She loved her older brother, but he was very much an "absentee" in her life. And yet he'd just appeared back in their lives. To save the day. To do what she'd been trying, desperately, to do for months. "....." She kept her gaze down cast for several more moments, before raising her glass and down the rest of the drink. Apparently it hadn't been well mixed, because much of the whisky at settled at the bottom. She shuddered a little at the burn, then set the glass back down. "Back to save the day," she finally muttered under her breath. She put her elbows on the table and leaned her forhead against the palms of her head, her face only a few inches above the table. "I've been trying so hard to keep my family from falling apart. So that my parents and Felix don't have to worry. And now Ilija just comes in and.... He can fix everything like it's nothing. Like everything I've been doing has been useless and worthless and not goddamn good enough..." She didn't voice her troubles like this. It was definitely the alcohol loosening her tongue, but she also just desperately needed to get the feelings out. The feelings in inadequacy. Those feelings of never being good enough.

[rhys alexander greyback]

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Just the one, two of us who's counting on

That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again

October 5, 2025
vasilia abigail fortescue

He supposed this was typical--them across from each other and Rhys with whiskey in front of him. Though this time was purely a social visit versus her on the job. It had been a go-to place when he'd felt the need to drink, which was more often than he cared to admit out loud since everybody had their opinion of that particular habit of his already. If they only knew his life and the thoughts in his head he so desperately wished to calm. And Maria ignoring him only added to his mood. His patience was even less (if possible) around this time. It didn't seem to matter how many years passed or how many full moons or what potion he did or didn't try. It wasn't any easier to control. People knew of the physical transformation at the full moon, but nobody talked about the mental transformation that preceded that and the recovery after. Rhys managed a weak smile, it took energy to pretend, and he didn't quite have it. Honestly, he was a bit surprised he had sat down, but there was something off about her today that he'd never seen before. It wasn't out of obligation, but he had wanted to check on her.

Rhys thought and then nodded. He'd never used that term for them though some personalities in his field were certainly in that category. "I prefer adventurous." He jokingly corrected. But it was a field where he wasn't sure if that was the last job if he was being very blunt and plain. Any number of things could take him out. Rhys thought about when he'd seen his sister before she'd started her school year. She'd asked if he had to go back so soon. "I think my sisters like that I'm home." He spoke though he was still thinking. "Well, except for one of them since I was supposed to be training her." Dahlia had been locked out of the UK, and her training had been put on hold, though for other reasons as well. He guessed that made two adventurous Greybacks now.

Vas didn't answer him right away though her expression told him that there was something, though not what. She didn't look at him. Her hazel eyes didn't meet his blue ones like they normally did when she was asking him the same question. However, when she did answer him, his face shifted from a serious to a sympathetic--well, more a mix of worried and surprised. "I had no idea--are you okay?" He asked quickly but then stopped himself from further interrogating her. Merlin knew how often she was asked that in a day by her family. The interesting part, however, was the obvious shift when he mentioned her brother--his friend. It was...unexpected, as much as it was how quickly she had drunk the rest of her drink. Rhys' expression went back to a serious one, with a little bit of concern in his furrowed brows. He thought about the conversation he'd had with him not that long ago. It was clear to him that his family still had no idea of the truth, and it wasn't his place to say anything. But her words still hit a nerve with him, and his expression softened. 'Useless' and 'worthless'. He knew what that felt like.

Rhys drank more whiskey. "I'm sorry." He began. It sounded like a rough situation, even without all the details. He didn't understand it, but he did know what it was like to work yourself to the point of collapse, though while he had been running away from something, she had been running towards. "I'm sure they appreciate all that you do." Though collapsing...that was never a good sign, and he hoped as well that it wasn't something chronic. "He's been away a long time. I didn't even know he was coming back until a week ago. Curse Breakers...we aren't good with downtime." He had felt a bit lost being in a lockdown, let alone just completely not working anymore. "And as an older brother, we tend to forget our younger siblings aren't eleven anymore." He thought of his own family. "Not that it's an excuse..." He added. If Ilija was being pushy, that just didn't seem like the right approach to coming back. "I can always give him a kick if you need." Rhys smiled softly. He'd never really thought about what it might mean for Vas as the next oldest with Ilija away.

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

October 5, 2025
rhys alexander greyback

Vas smiled weakly as he corrected her. Adventurous was definitely a term she'd use for Curse Breakers. She didn't know everything that went into their job, but after interacting with so many she'd come to recognize they all shared some characteristics. They were all brave, and curious. But also cautious (because no doubt they wouldn't last long if they were reckless). And above all? Adventurous. WHile there was some work for curse breaking in the UK, there was a whole world out there. So the majority of curse breakers worked outside the country. Far from family, friends. Off chasing another adventure. "They probably don't see you that often when you're off working," she commented when he mentioned his sister's liking him being home. No doubt. THough, as he mentioned another "in training", she felt a hint of confusion. "You have another sister?" One she didn't know about? Because none of his sisters she did know were curse breakers.

Vasilia motioned for the bartender to bring her another drink. She was still having a hard time look at him, but her gaze did raise a little when she heard the tone he used when asking the question and saw the look on his face. A look similar, but thankfully not quite as intense, to the one her family kept giving her. "I'm fine," she answered quickly. She was very much in denial about how serious the incident had been. "Just... had a rough few days and it caught up to me." That was t he delusion she'd been trying to believe. That it had just been a accident after pushing herself too hard for a few days. Despite the healers telling her that this clearly wasn't something that happened overnight. She'd been wearing herself out for a long, long time and her body had just finally given out.

She really didn't want to make it sound like she hated her brother. She didn't. She loved him dearly. It was just hard to have someone come in and try to take control. It made her feel like she wasn't good enough. Her new drink showed up around that moment, the bartender taking her empty glass while there. She didn't drink immediately, but it was almost comforting knowing it was there. She didn't drink too often, at least not in excess. But when she was in this sort of mood.. Well, she probably wouldn't remember all of tonight tomorrow. With a sigh she raised her head from her palms so she could cross her arms on the table... and put her chin back on her arms. "I just... I don't understand why now." For some reason she didn't seem to understand that he'd come back in part because she'd collapsed. "He just... showed up one morning. And tries to act like there's nothing going on but I've been able to see something is up for seven years." Clearly even Vas hadn't known he was coming home until she'd seen him. "He treats me like a bloody stranger and I don't know why." She knew something was up. Had for years. He couldn't hide it from her. So knowing her brother was in agony, but refused to talk about it, or let her try to help him just... hurt. At his offer to kick Ilija Vas finally looked up at him, her head still on her arms and offered a small smile. "Thanks, I may take you up on that." She joked.

[rhys alexander greyback]

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Just the one, two of us who's counting on

That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again

October 5, 2025
vasilia abigail fortescue

Rhys nodded softly. It was true. As much as he had wanted to be around for his family, he actually physically wasn't. It was a strange disparity in who he was. He'd wanted nothing in his life except a family like everybody else, but he didn't even stick around for more than a few months at a time. "No, they don't. But for the most part they were in school anyway." So, that had worked out in a sense. Though Adrian moving around as he did, they seemed to see each other the least, and then Jamie graduated but was living in her own world as well, and he'd visit Max when he could. Rhys had his own moment of confusion but realized that many people might not have known Dahlia yet. "Yea, Dahlia. I met her last year when she showed up at the bank for training. She'd been in France this whole time." Fenrir sure loved to travel, it seemed. That had been an interesting meeting. Their overlap as siblings could be seen as remarkable at times as much as how they both had their father's eyes.

Rhys watched curiously as she ordered another drink. In his experience, bartenders tended to either have a tolerance much like his own or none at all, with very few in the middle. Rhys didn't hesitate to give her a little bit of a suspicious look. It sounded like when he insisted he was 'fine'. He felt concerned. It was almost an instinct as someone who was always trying to hide anything that might have challenged is his appearance of control. "Vas...are you sure you're okay?" There was still suspicion in his face but concern in his eyes. It may not have been a friendship of years as it was with Ilija, but they were friends nonetheless. It had always felt so...easy to talk to her.

Her next drink arrived. Rhys realized he'd neglected his own while they were talking and drank. He thought about what Sienna had told him when they'd spoken those months ago and how perceptive siblings could be even when he felt he had control. Is this how they felt when he came in from months away with his opinion on a situation? He supposed he'd never thought through what it might be like on their end. Still, six or seven years wasn't months. "Maybe he heard you weren't well?" It was a guess. "It's something that would bring me home." He admitted, drinking more whiskey. Family dynamics were interesting to him, he hadn't grown up with any siblings, but he still felt close to them. Still, he wondered how different it would be if he had. Especially now with one closer to his own age. She brought up how Ilija was hiding something and being distant, and Rhys looked down, opting to drink more whiskey than touch that subject with a ten-foot pole at the moment. It wasn't his place. "I imagine you've tried to talk to him?" He felt it was silly to ask. He was sure she might have when he popped back up.

He thought about the demeanor he had observed in him the other day. This wasn't the same man he'd last seen while they were training together. "He is different, isn't he?" Rhys' eyes looked down at his half glass of whiskey. At the time, he might have considered Ilija the closest thing he had to a brother. Then he pushed him out completely, though he wasn't actually family, so for his brother and sister, that would have been worse. Rhys half-grinned back. Sometimes a good kick seemed to fix things, whether it was a person or a stuck door while working. "I've known your brother since I was eleven. He means well, even if it may not show right now." He figured that part of him hadn't changed despite everything else. "But just say the word." Rhys felt sympathetic. It wasn't fun to work so hard and be blindsided off one's current track, to feel defeated in a way. "Doesn't seem like he gives you enough credit."

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

October 5, 2025
rhys alexander greyback

Vasilia didn't often think about Rhys' age, though when he mentioned his siblings being in school it brought it to mind. He was the same age as Ilija, so about four years older then her. Not that four years was really that much older. But she understood the concept of siblings being in school. Felix had just graduated. If anything she felt like she understood it better then most kids. Because she'd always been home when her siblings were off at school. She definitely felt like she'd missed out a lot in their lives during those years. Because she couldn't share the "Hogwarts Experience" with them. It made it hard to relate her own schooling years with them. While they'd been off learning magic she'd been at a muggle school. She really wasn't resentful (anymore) of not having magic. But it was still sad... That there was a part of them that she'd never be able to understand and experience. Though, he went on to explain his other sister. Dahlia. Interesting. Though.. was she surprised? Considering how many Greyback siblings there were before now. "Sounds like an interesting meeting." She didn't know what it was like to not know all your siblings. IT sounded like a very strange concept for her.

Rhys was pushing it. Giving her a concerned look, as if he could see right through her act, and asked if she was sure she was okay. Usually she was the one good at reading people. To be blunt, Rhys sort of sucked at it. But tonight he seemed to understand her on a level he never could before. Read her emotions the way she was usually reading him. She wanted to deny it. Admit that she was, indeed, fine. Only that look in his eyes made her swallow the lie. An almost resigned look was in her eyes as she offered the smallest smile. "I can handle it." She answers. At least, she believed she could. She'd been carrying the family for months. She'd be fine. She could do it. Because she had to.

Rhys suggested that Ilija had come home because he'd heard she was unwell. That was the story. She frowned, staring down at her new drink for a moment. After a moment she opted to take a drink, to have another moment to compose her thoughts. Only after setting the glass back down did she look up at him. Meeting his gaze. "Ilija likes our father far more then he likes me and his terminal diagnoses didn't even bring Ilija home." It was a bit... harsh. Especially for Vasilia. But she couldn't deny that. Why would he come home for her collapse when their father had been dying for months? When clearly he had a stronger relationship with their father, and trusted their father far more then her. Vasilia didn't even know if Rhys knew that the Fortescue patriarch was on his death bed. She'd never mentioned it to him, and she didn't know if Ilija had ever mentioned it. As he asked if she'd tried talking to Ilija she scoffed quietly and looked away. "Tried, and failed. It's like talking to a brick wall."

She held her glass in both hands, staring down at it again. Rhys had a good heart, though most people didn't seem able to see it. He tried to keep people at arms length too. Like Ilija. But they went about it different. Rhys came off as aggressive and blunt. Standoffish. Somehow Vas had found a way around those defenses though. Ilija though... He was cold, stoic. LIke an ice berg. "I don't expect him to be the same... I just... Is it so hard to want your brother sometimes..?"

[rhys alexander greyback]

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Just the one, two of us who's counting on

That never happens, I guess I'm dreaming again

October 5, 2025
vasilia abigail fortescue

Rhys knew what it was like to be an older brother, an older sibling, but he also knew what it felt like to be dismissed and not taken seriously. There was always the struggle within him to try and be there for his family and carve his own path forward just as he had grown accustomed to almost his entire life. Maybe it would have been different if he hadn't met Dahlia in that meeting room at Gringotts and instead as a child and the same with his other siblings. Rhys shrugged a little, it had only been interesting because of the remarkable coincidence and timing. "It was unexpected...but I wasn't surprised. I didn't meet Jamie until I was seventeen." He admitted, and then the other siblings appeared in his life later. The only shame was that Dahlia had never had the opportunity to meet Elias.

Far from being a 'people' person, Rhys typically recognized actions that he might have taken, at least the ones he was aware of. Insisting he was 'fine' was a common one, and Sienna had already tried to talk to him a few times about letting people in, mainly his siblings, about certain issues, but he pushed back. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle and nothing that they needed to be troubled with. Ever since he'd first step foot in the Violet Hound, Vas had begun to read him but hadn't said all the things he'd expected her to say. None of the things that his other friends told him on a repeating cycle, she'd had just talked to him. The effect of that was Rhys was accustomed to her usual happy and friendly self. This was very different, something he recognized a bit more even if it wasn't his skill. Part of him wanted to push for more of an answer, but he reminded himself of how annoyed he got when people pushed. Maybe it was best to leave it alone for now. "Ok." He responded softly.

She drank the new beverage that had been brought to her and only pausing a moment before she responded. Her tone was...surprising. This was definitely a side of her he hadn't ever encountered, and it did worry him as it might any friend, but he also knew that alcohol tended to make one's speech flow a lot more, so maybe that was the case as well. He shook his head, looking down at the table for a moment. He himself hadn't figured out what had brought his friend home or why he was acting the way he was, and he wondered if it was even the same boy he'd befriended at age eleven anymore. "I'm sorry about your father." He commented, the idea of a terminally ill parent wasn't a happy thought. Losing a parent wasn't easy, no matter how or why. Rhys drank more of his whiskey, taking this glass slow since he was more focused on his thoughts today. But he sat back in his seat when she said she had tried to speak to him. Rhys' face showed he was obviously in thought for a moment. But it was just a moment, and then he shook his head and shrugged. "He's changed. At least from when he last spoke to me six years ago."

Rhys finished off his glass and set it down on the old wooden table they were seated at, and he caught the bartender's glance over and nodded at him to bring another. It didn't seem right. It didn't seem like the man he'd known to be so dismissive. But knowing what he did, he supposed he couldn't blame him, but then his family was suffering for it. "You obviously work hard. He should acknowledge that." It was merely Rhys' opinion, but maybe it was just a habit from being an older brother. He remembered over the summer when he would talk to Jamie and about the progress of Aware Wolf, and he'd felt such pride that it was his sister that had worked on that. To give credit where credit was due, he felt it was important, but it was a concept he carried to heart since he was working so hard on his own image. To be Rhys and not Fenrir's son.

There was a pause, and the waitress appeared with another whiskey, and he nodded and smiled in thanks, he looked back across, and Vasilia was staring at her own drink, but when she spoke, he found himself taken aback. Letting out a quiet breath through his nose. 'Is it so hard to want your brother sometimes?' His jaw involuntarily clenched for a moment. Often Rhys had the personal and silent opinion that some of his friends took their siblings and family for granted, but that was from a place of the pure abandonment he had once felt. And when his brother had died the previous year, it had hit him like a train. Her tone and her words--there was a hint of some pain in them. The fact that Ilija hadn't been honest with them made it difficult for him to find the words to say next, if only they knew. Maybe they could understand, or at least try to. But it wasn't his place to tell that story, not one of that magnitude.

Rhys leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table. It wasn't enough to just say this wasn't 'right'. It bothered him for a reason. One reason being he realized it bothered him to see Vasilia as not her usual happy self. "I'm sorry, Vas....that doesn't sound easy." The second reason was Ilija pushed away an entire family when they were likely more than willing to support him. What Rhys would have given for that chance when he was young. "It sounds like he's pushing you away, all of us away, and I don't know why." Even knowing what he did couldn't explain his behavior.

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

October 5, 2025
rhys alexander greyback

Vasilia knew that the Greyback family was... complicated. Of course it was. Considering the father. As far as she knew too, none of them shared a mother. It was a sad family history, in Vasilia's mind. Though as Rhys mentioned not meeting Jamie, the next oldest (As far as she knew) until he was 17 she paused. There was a strange expression on her face as she processed that information. He hadn't known about any of his siblings until he was practically an adult? She was silent for a long moment. Her expression was a mix of surprise, and empathy. Rhys' personality didn't seem like the type to want people to be sorry for him. And yet.... She couldn't help but feel sad that he hadn't had the opportunity to know his siblings when he was younger. While her siblings were causing quite a bit of havoc in her life right now she still loved them. She wouldn't trade growing up with them. Rhys had missed that. "I'm glad you were able to find them. I can tell. You love your siblings, even if it took so long to find them." The way he spoke about them, and the way his siblings acted. She could tell. While a rather unusual lot, the Greybacks loved each other.

Thankfully Rhys didn't push the issue further. She didn't want to be coddled. She got enough of that from her family right now. She wanted to feel competent and useful again. Obviously though, that wasn't happening right now. Right now she just needed to drink her sorrows away and ignore her family for a while. A strange concept, ignoring her family. Normally Vas was bending over backwards for them. Just not tonight. Not when she was feeling like this.

Vasilia let out a slow breath as he apologized. It wasn't the first tiem someone had said that about her father. It was a pretty normal response. Still, it hurt to think about. Even after all these months. Knowing that he was dying, no matter what they did. There was no avoiding it. It was just... waiting. Until he passed. She released her glass so that she could clasp her hands together, gripping tightly until her knuckles turned white for a moment... Then relaxed. It was her way of swallowing the pain. She offered him a weak and forced smile. Trying to look like it didn't bother her anymore, when it clear did. "It's alright, it's a normal part of life." Or so she kept telling herself. As he mentioned Ilija changing she nodded in agreement and took another drink.

She frowned after a moment, thinking. She just wished that Ilija knew.. and understood what she'd been doing. That he hadn't been here when their dad got sick. Felix had been in school. She was the one that had to step up. She was the one that had to take on the burden of the family. She'd shouldered all the responsibilities. For the entire family. Because he wasn't here. As harsh as that sounded, it was true. "I have to," she whispered, gaze cast downward. If she didn't work as hard as she could... What would happen?

Vasilia took a long drink after those words. Words that she'd never dared to say aloud. The alcohol was really starting to hit her pretty hard. So, she leaned forward again, folding her arms on the table adn resting her chin on them, her head just a few inches off the table. She felt like Ilija had abandoned them. And she'd been left having to explain everything to Felix. Of being the oldest sibling. Of protecting and helping Felix. The way Ilija should have. When Felix came out as transgender, she'd been the one to try and help him even though she didn't know what to do and afraid of screwing everything up and hurting Felix somehow. And yet...? She still couldn't help but be worried about him. The same way she worried about Felix. "I hope he at least opens up to someone... I just want him to stop hurting so much."