odds of even | claire

[rhys alexander greyback]

my dagger and swagger are useless
in the face of the mirror

January 9, 2026
Claire Evangeline Slater

Rhys leaned on his walking stick, this staff he'd had at his side to balance himself ever since this affliction had come over him. Despite all of his time on the island, he hadn't yet found a way to rid of it. It was worse than any curse he'd ever been hit within his line of work, and he included the one that had very nearly killed him once. He didn't need the walking stick, he was very balanced, and now that it had been almost a week, he'd almost grown accustomed to it. By his guess, he was probably even taller than his brothers now as well. Still, when people bumped into him, or he bumped into an item, she tended to drift a bit. The walking stick just helped him feel a bit grounded. Now they were at the safehouse, and much to his chagrin, it was actually the village he had grown up in for some time. It wasn't that he didn't visit often, but he did travel a lot for work. Other Heliopath members were walking around. He hadn't been the only one that been afflicted, as it were, though they were all still trying to decipher exactly what had happened to them and also gathered to discuss what they had learned.

Eeva's words still went through his mind, the "Wyrdness" she had called it. Some children's story that was remarkably similar to what they saw on this island. Other members had explored various areas of the island while Rhys himself had focused near the volcano and Bianca while Levi and Eeva had explored the statues on the border. He knew that others had explored as well, but he hadn't heard if they found anything of interest. He hung back toward the wall. Floating made him tower a bit as he was already tall, and this way, he felt at least a tiny bit less awkward. But as he had been staring at the room in front of him, still processing the past ten days, he felt something or someone bump into him, which pushed him into the small couch that was next to him. "Ouch--watch it." He snapped at the culprit, and he turned and saw familiar blonde hair again. This was becoming annoying, yes he and Claire had grown closer over the past six or seventh months since his recruitment, but now it was just getting ridiculous. "For Merlin's sake, Claire. That's the fifth time today." He used the walking stick to push against the floor near the base of the couch and distance himself from it.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

THE ISLAND HAD FOUND ITS WAY TO THE TOP OF Claire's shit-list. She'd only gone initially to escape her desk duty and border patrol. Any task force would have been acceptable, but she had not expected such a decision to be so monumentally cursed. Every time Claire walked, she went in the wrong direction. It had been small at first, almost unnoticeable. The odd wrong turn, but eventually she'd find her way. It was dizziness, an after-effect of the odd mist on the island. Something to be studied. Soon enough, though, Claire had not been able to ignore the chronic misdirection.

She was furious at first. At the audacity of her luck, and the frustrating reoccurrence of her losing her way. Then she was just concerned, consumed with worry that it would never leave her. Nobody knew what it meant, to be afflicted as so many were becoming. She was too embarrassed to tell her boss, or even Finn - her border patrol partner. So she stumbled around the Ministry and the Heliopath base like a blind little fawn on fresh legs.

A shoulder collided with her own suddenly. So lost in thought that she'd forgotten to think more about where she was going. This, of course, meant that she was hideously off course. She stumbled, dizzy and confused as she lifted her hands blindly to steady herself. Her head turning furiously only to find Rhys glaring down at her. "Oh, as if!" She snapped defensively, reaching to shove his arm away from her but missing terribly. "You're been doddering all over the place like a little moon calf all day." Claire's lip curled and she lifted her hand petulantly to shove him once more, this time hitting that god awful staff he was carrying around everywhere and inadvertently knocking it from his grip. 

rhys alexander greyback

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[rhys alexander greyback]

my dagger and swagger are useless
in the face of the mirror

January 9, 2026
Claire Evangeline Slater

Rhys was literally floating, Claire was a magnet for anything that wasn’t air, and many other side effects littered their headquarters. If he was being honest, Rhys would have almost preferred the last curse he’d taken to the chest that could’ve killed him. It was amazing how one took the little things for granted--like your feet touching the floor or feeling the terrain beneath one’s boots. It didn’t take much to put Rhys in a foul mood, but this had left him in a bad mood for far too long now.

Claire stumbled a bit as Rhys put his hand on the wall as if he would tumble out of the air. He rolled his eyes as his other hand held on for dear life to the walking stick he’d adopted. ”At least I’m not floundering around like a blind hippogriff.” She moved to slap him on the arm, which itself was not unusual since their school days where he always had something to say whether she wanted to hear it or not. But this time, she managed to miss him completely and knock over the walking stick, Rhys had learned that his balance was not the same, so he didn’t dare risk reaching for it and let it fall to the ground. ”Really—and you call yourself an Auror.” Rhys shook his head and leaned against the wall instead. ”I’d ask you to get that for me, but I’d rather not risk being impaled.”

Crossing his arms, he felt immensely frustrated. How the hell was he supposed to go back to work like this or resume his normal life? Merlin—if Maria ever saw him like this, either he died from absolute embarrassment, or she did from laughter. ”What’s wrong with you anyway?”

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

THEY QUICKLY ADOPTED A FAMILIAR DEFENSIVE stance. Like old times, fighting over petty subjects of superiority. The endless discussion of House pride, and self-importance. Claire was already edge, so afraid of being discovered as a useless, directionless oaf. She saw Rhys's annoyance and paired it with scorn. "I-" She huffed indignantly, deeply offended by the notion that she ever floundered. "I think you should spend a little less time watching what I'm doing and do some real work." She hissed at him, lip curled.

"Shut up!" She snapped at him, her eyes pinned to the staff she'd toppled accidentally. Claire knew she was making too many mistakes, but the idea of going to her superior and admitting the fault felt like a fate worse than death. Telling Rhys came in at a short second, but then again he wasn't acting very typically himself. Her eyes cut to him sharply, teeth grinding. "Don't tempt me," She warned him, eyes narrowing dangerously. She knew what he meant, but Claire thought that was unlikely as it was her chief intention at that very moment.

Claire meant to turn to him furiously, but turned away instead. Throwing her arms out in almighty frustration as she exclaimed, "What's wrong with you?!" Though it fell a little short with her back turned. "I have- vertigo... that's all." She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut at the ridiculousness of it once said aloud. Her eyes cast skyward as she thought of all the prayers and repenting she might do if only to feel a little like her old self once again. "What's with the stupid staff?" She turned her head, scowling at Rhys over her shoulder. 

rhys alexander greyback

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[rhys alexander greyback]

my dagger and swagger are useless
in the face of the mirror

January 9, 2026
Claire Evangeline Slater

This was normal for them. The bickering, the fighting, the insults, and the name-calling. Really, it was their way of showing they cared because if they didn’t—why bother at all? One should probably be concerned if suddenly Rhys was being far too nice, which meant to check for curses or cut him off from the whiskey. Rhys’ eyes narrowed as he looked at Claire. He wasn’t going to move from his spot even though he felt strangely lost and alone, a foot up off the floor with that stick. ”I am working.” Rhys snapped back. ”I just spent a week in that place.” And he still had to go back. He wasn’t about to exist like this longer than he needed to.

Claire turned away from him and his eyebrows raised in a mix of concern and confusion. It was like she was confunded or something, but he gave her an incredulous look at her question. ”Really? You hadn’t noticed?” His sarcasm was evident but mainly because of the obviousness of his affliction and the fact that she wasn’t even looking at him. ”Merlin Claire, you were more coordinated after that bottle of wine and bottle of whiskey.” He recalled their previous summer and his initial recruitment. It had been an unexpected turn of events on many fronts, though it was just something to hang over Claire’s head when he felt like pestering her.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

THE TRUTH WAS, CLAIRE DID FEEL TERRIBLY sorry for Rhys's poor luck. While she had only been delegated a cursory job at the Island upon its initial appearance, Rhys was a Cursebreaker. It seemed as if every Cursebreaker in the nation had been deployed to the trippy little rock. He had come back with a 'quirk' of his own, much like many who ventured onto its shores and meddled with its aura. He floated. She had noticed far quicker than should have been normal, given her lack of focus and direction, but it was incredibly difficult to miss when noted.

"Nobody forced you," She muttered, squinting at him childishly, though it was a struggle to maintain. She did feel bad for him, in actuality. Claire couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would be. Most of all, the mortification of people knowing about it. Her own 'quirk' was carefully shelved in the very deepest recesses of her conscience, though it was a difficult ruse to maintain. More than once she had almost blurted it out to Rhys, as if it would make him feel better about his own affliction. She had bitten her tongue every time, he would make terrible fun of her.

She swung around without reason, her frustration building so high she stomped her foot like a child throwing a tantrum. With her back to Rhys she braced her hands on her hips angrily, she acted as if nothing was amiss while considering how she might turn back towards him without ending up throwing herself out the nearest window accidentally. "I noticed," She turned her head to glare at him, twisting her torso to be sure he got the full affect. "Your head has finally gotten so big and full of hot air that it's pulling you off the ground, you airhead." She spat, narrowing her eyes at him.

They were both overworked and out of sorts, it was making them bitter. Luckily, it was such a familiar pattern that there would be no hard feelings once the dust settled. The two were too familiar with such a snapping routine, even under unique circumstances. Claire reached out and grabbed the front of Rhys's shirt without thinking about it. She used it to turn herself back around as she glared at him, pulling him close so that she could hiss at him, "Shut up." Claire did not like to be reminded of her poor decisions, but they'd both made a few that night. "I hope you float away from every bottle of whiskey you see for the next week," She grumbled at him, letting go of his shirt and smoothing out the wrinkles with a furious smirk. 

rhys alexander greyback

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[rhys alexander greyback]

my dagger and swagger are useless
in the face of the mirror

January 9, 2026
Claire Evangeline Slater

Rhys glared for a moment and then rolled his eyes. Claire got off lucky in his book. Here he was hiding in the shadows of the back and corners of rooms so people wouldn’t look at him with a lingering stare. People staring at him for a second too long wasn’t something new. His first few years at school had been defined by it as he’d walked around kept his head low, avoiding the corridors where his bullies would torment him whenever given a chance, and constantly being five minutes late to Charms.

While the bank had mandated his presence on the island, he’d also stayed for Heliopath work. Kill two birds with one stone, as they say, though the birds he’d seen on the island were far different than anything on the mainland. Claire turned as Rhys could feel the frustration emanating off her, though the stomping of her foot was hard to ignore. Around them, most people didn’t look twice as Rhys and Claire constantly bickering was normal now. She remarked on the capacity of his head to fill with steam, and Rhys glared in return, his jaw clenching.

It wasn’t the first, and it wouldn’t be the last time Claire had pushed a button or two, it easy to coax Rhys’ anger out of him on a normal day—let alone when stress was high and nerves were frazzled. She grabbed his shirt and pulled herself close while he instinctively grabbed the couch next to them to brace himself from inadvertently moving. ”Finally.” He said, scoffing slightly. ”Do you know how difficult it is to have a conversation with the back of your head?” She had been turned around for most of this interaction, and it was Rhys’ job to be observant. It could literally mean life or death in his field. And it had taken him a day or two, but he’d noticed something was different with Claire, and it wasn’t his imagination.

But he hadn’t asked, knowing very well she would never tell him if there was. The mental image of reaching for his precious whiskey and never reaching it was a dark one, the stuff of nightmares, really. How dare she put that thought into a universe that never decidedly let him have a win. While she let go of his shirt, he shook his head slightly, his stare never leaving her. ”Yes, I’m sure the Ministry will have a wonderful time explaining how their favorite Auror assigned to Border Patrol was caught patrolling the outskirts of Russia.” Rhys’ eyes narrowed. Even if Rhys’…issue was more visible, it was all unspoken. Others had come back in different states. Some were perfectly fine for the most part and others with ‘side effects’, but nobody cared to speak it out loud. And Rhys would rather every bottle of whiskey float away from him than admit out loud how much he missed his feet touching the ground.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

LEVERAGING RHYS'S OBSCENELY TIGHT SHIRT TO help herself, Claire glared at him without letting go. They'd have to argue while stationary, she reasoned, because if he stormed off she'd certainly never find him again that week. His face was twisted in his own anger, and Claire latched on to it to bleed her frustration.

"Oh, please!" Claire scoffed, coughing a hard laugh right into his face as she released his shirt to gesture towards the ceiling dramatically. "We all know how familiar you are with the back of a woman's head." It was a cheap shot, but she hadn't the capacity to take it back. 

Jinxing his alcohol dependency, Claire knew she'd lit a fire. His face slackening in outrage before he fired back in earnest. She reared back, blinking rapidly with a tight lipped mouth. Nobody really knew the details of Claire's sudden oddities, but Rhys was her friend. As much as she'd like to hide it from him he wasn't as airheaded as she made him out to be.

"You seem awfully concerned about where I'm going to end up," She hissed, prodding his chest with a pointed finger. "I think you should be a little more worried about how Gringott's will feel when they're peeling you off the chandelier!" She crossed her arms with a huff, an idea taking shape in her mind as she thought of how she might get to her next destination. Rhys's shirt was looking like a pretty good anchor right about then. 

rhys alexander greyback

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[rhys alexander greyback]

my dagger and swagger are useless
in the face of the mirror

January 9, 2026
Claire Evangeline Slater

She was hitting all the nerves today. Which meant she was just as annoyed as he was—she’d used the same tactic in school when Rhys would correct her essay for Ancient Runes, and she’d get upset that she was wrong. But Rhys had put up with far worse during his years at Hogwarts—Claire’s petty insults tended to not even sting. Rhys scoffed and shook his head, gritting his teeth as he glanced away for a moment. Always the comment on his life and his choices and the very things that had nothing to do with her nor did it interfere with her life. But, it wouldn't be Claire if she didn’t offer an opinion.

”Better than living a repressed life—are you done pestering me yet?” At this point, Rhys was glancing around to see if he could find another corner to sulk in before he left-back for the island. That damn island and its mysteries and magic that now levitated him off the ground. The island he’d gone back to because of Heliopath. The same Helipath that Claire had recruited him into. ”This is all your fault, you know?” Rhys complained, and then Claire jabbed her finger into his chest. He was irritated and knew there was whiskey somewhere in this safe house. He didn’t even care if people saw him in his current condition. His anger overrode all of that.

”The goblins won’t care as long as I get gold off the damn thing.” Which was actually the truth. That was all they wanted, and they didn’t really care how or where it was done. Only Gringotts’ legal seemed to keep the goblins in check as much as they did the Cursebreakers. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he put his hand on the chair next to him and pushed on it, so his back hit the wall and put some distance between him and Claire. ”Don’t you have something to do that doesn’t involve bothering me?”

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

IT WAS A FAMILIAR BACK AND FORTH, unfortunately. Claire felt herself falling into that age old rhythm. Each barb an inch lower than the last, traded back and forth with Rhys until somebody was hexed or slapped with a stinging jinx that left either a little worse for wear. Luckily, it was a shallow sort of argument, one Claire often found herself indulging in like some kind of twisted rage therapy. It certainly took her mind off being lost as she reared back and spat her retort at him.

"Oh... we're all a bit repressed," Claire began with a vicious curl of her lip. "Especially compared to you're-you're sexual hit-list." She hissed the latter at him with narrowed eyes of abject disgust. Speak none of her own name on said hit-list, that was an encounter they had both agreed to scrub from the roster. "I dread to think what you consider well balanced." She scoffed derisively, rolling her eyes dramatically, though her face was flushed with embarrassment. She wasn't repressed...

"That's rich," Claire barked a laugh. "How is this my fault?" She shook her head at him, thinking of his unflinching audacity. Which Claire felt sure knew no bounds. Finger barely pulled from his chest before she felt him shift in retreat. Her panic mounted, flushed with anger she couldn't remember which direction she'd originally come from. "They paying you to redecorate now, how noble!" Claire couldn't help but comment meanly, but the insult felt dully when she reached for him blindly and found the air empty as she watched him push on a nearby chair and launch himself into a far away orbit. 

"Rhys!" She practically screeched, stumbling a step forward. One moment he was standing in front of her just out of reach, the next thing Claire turned inadvertently and marched into the opposite wall. "Rhys- get back here!" She told him helplessly, palming the wall with frantic fingers as she wheeled her head around once, twice before she found where he was again. "You've got me all flustered and now I can't-" The confession died on her lips. "Dammit." She ground her teeth until her jaw creaked. "I'll wring your helium neck!"

rhys alexander greyback

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[rhys alexander greyback]

my dagger and swagger are useless
in the face of the mirror

January 9, 2026
Claire Evangeline Slater

Rhys' eyebrows rose, mainly at the audacity of her statement. Jokes about his ‘sexual hit-list’ were overdone and boring by this point. As if he hadn’t heard that comment since he was a trainee, Renfri made that no-so-subtle observation. Though the irony that Claire of people had brought it up, perhaps she’d forgotten what had occurred not six months prior. ”I’m guessing someone is upset they aren’t higher on the list? We all know how competitive you are.” Rhys mocked, eyes narrowing mischievously at his target. ”Or did you finally have that portion of your brain obliviated? They must have accidentally taken away your personality as well.”

The thing with Rhys is that he had quite a thick skin and even more over the years. However, had this been almost anyone other than Claire throwing these increasingly hostile remarks toward him, he’d likely already have them by the neck against the wall. Rhys may have let much of what the world said and thought of him roll off, but he had a temper behind it. Shaking his head, Rhys couldn’t believe she couldn't see it. ”You—“ He spoke sharply. ”—convinced me to join your little group. And now I’m stuck like this.” As Rhys opened his mouth to add additional comments to accuse (jokingly—somewhat) Claire of using whiskey and other tactics to recruit him, he stopped.

Instead, he was distracted by the look of pure distress on her face. Well, at least what he could see when she was facing him. She held onto the wall across the room as if she would otherwise fall off the face of the Earth. Though from what Rhys had observed, that was likely a distinct possibility. At this point, his anger faded just enough for him to control his face slightly to suppress a laugh. None of what happened to either of them was funny, but when Claire fell off her high horse, she always fell indelicately and with about as much grace as a blind troll. ”You’d have to get over here first.” Rhys taunted, crossing his arms and smirking.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

AS AN AUROR CLAIRE LIKED TO THINK SHE HAD a keen awareness. She could interrogate criminals, pull confessions out of the most stubborn of assailants. And yet, she had not prepared herself for Rhys' cruel reminder of her past... mistake. Her eyes widened, her nostrils flaring with panic as he lashed out and reminded her very abruptly of her own place on his prolific 'sexual hit-list'. Her hand immediately reached up as if to cover his mouth, but she slapped her hand against his ear instead. An open palm smack that stung the skin.

"Shut up!" She snapped viciously, going pale around the mouth with mortification. She had already warned him that their drunken foray was scrubbed clean from the records. The fact that he would so readily use it against her made her feel as equally vicious. And yet, when she pulled back and folded her arms crossly, she found herself asking impulsively. "I mean- what do you mean-" She stumbled over her words in humiliation and unhelpful challenge. "Where exactly am I on your list?!" She demanded suddenly. Her chin firmed in a mixture of horror and offence. And then the reality of knowing rushed over her and the blood immediately rushed into her flaming face, she waved her arms in immediate surrender. "Nevermind! Shut up! I don't want to know."

Rearing back as if slapped, Claire was not prepared for the full force of Rhys's formidable temper when provoked. His lip pulled back and his stare searing. They were no longer bickering back and forth. The had moved onward, evolving toward a searing tension that could chill them into a stony silence. They rarely argued like this, but when they did, it usually meant the ice would not be broken for weeks on end. Neither willing to admit defeat. Claire was not about to change history. She jerked forward, her surprise burning off to an equal level of rage. "Oh please!" She crowed, blinking at him rapidly as she barked a mean laugh. "The Order has nothing to do with this- this- this is about dumb luck!" She told him pointedly, unwilling to add that she thought it had a lot to do with competence too. And how she worried they had both lost some of it in the process.

He pulled away from her without hesitation. Leaving Claire pawing at the air in panic. How dare he, she thought, telling him so as she found herself nose-to-nose with the nearest wall. "Rhys-" She tried to reason with him, but her voice was shrill and thready with alarm. Clearing it helplessly, she dug her nails into the paintwork and tried again. "This isn't funny- it's not funny, it's cruel." She accused him, her head turning finally to find him lounging across the room. "Come over here and help me, you big balloon!"

Turning, she leaned back against the wall and tried to visualise exactly where Rhys was without thinking about moving her legs. She took a step, turned left against her will and collided with a wooden table. The rim knocking against her thighs painfully. She grunted, grabbing it in retaliation and upturning the whole table in her angry frustration. "If you don't come and help me at once, I'm going to set the whole place alight and take you out with me." She turned her head to glare at him from across the room. 

rhys alexander greyback

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[rhys alexander greyback]

my dagger and swagger are useless
in the face of the mirror

January 9, 2026
Claire Evangeline Slater

Rhys winced at her strike to the side of his head. ”Merlin—“ Under his breath, he began to mutter a string of curses as his hand went to his ear. What in the world was her problem? Not even at their worst had they resorted to things like this. And especially back in their school days, the temptation to launch the heaviest Potions book at her head had crossed his mind several times. But Claire seemed to make up for every attack, physical or otherwise, by some display of…well, simply being herself. ”Are you sure?” Rhys taunted again. He knew that look, the way her eyes grew wide at the revelation she hadn’t won despite her insistence that her participation cease to exist as a fact.

And here, Rhys could push her buttons much like she knew when to push his. Years of timing had made their timing almost impeccable. ”I hate to see you so awfully disappointed.” Rhys surveyed her expression, his eyes a striking blue fueled by anger and audaciousness. He didn’t know what she would do with such a challenge. And in any case, he wasn’t stupid enough (at least at this moment) to let a drunken fling ruin a solid friendship. However, this business of his current condition was another topic entirely. No challenges were issued here, only blame that Rhys confidently placed on her.

He scoffed. ”Dumb luck…” Shaking his head Rhys found it impossible to resolve everything into two simple words. The rage coursed through him like a heat wave, and stringing sentences proved challenging. But Claire was nothing if not consistent. Was it cruel? Perhaps. Rhys shrugged nonchalantly from his comfortable spot across the room as Claire flailed like a mooncalf stuck on its back. ”Serves you right.” He commented, looking at his nails as if bored. The fighting was not new, but forgiving her, let alone apologizing, felt impossibly out of reach at this point. There was a higher chance Rhys was elected Minister of Magic.

But she caught his attention again. ’Big balloon.’ With narrowed eyes, he stared across the room. ”Well, that’s no way to ask for help.” It was probably wise to steer clear of the pair of short fuses going head to head at this level. He had no doubt her threat of arson was real, but Rhys would rather permanently hang upside down for the rest of his life than back down now. Rhys’s least charming trait was an unyielding stubbornness mainly fueled by his pride. Finally, he Rhys stepped—or floated, rather, toward Claire stopping just out of reach. ”You wouldn’t be fighting with a table if you could manage that.” In Rhys’ eyes, it was far more likely she’d set some neighboring structure on fire than the one they currently inhabited.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

IF CLAIRE HAD AN OUNCE OF COORDINATION TO her name she might have put her hands over her ears. Anything to drown out the cruel taunting of her friend. He had no shame, she had always known as much, but it had never been wielded so effectively against her. How could he be so crass about their misjudgment?, she wondered in horror. It was an equally embarrassing misstep, Claire reasoned. Unfortunately, Rhys was no stranger to shame, which worked in his favour and directly against hers.

"Yes!" She practically screamed, but it did nothing to halt his digging. Making Claire all the more red as she became incensed, narrowing her eyes as they snarled at one and other. "Oh, you'd know all about my disappointment!" She fired back, spitting with flaming disgust. She couldn't recall much of their tryst, it was locked away behind a wall of expensive wine and whiskey. But, better he think it was terrible. Perhaps that would hurt him just enough to prompt a quick retreat.

And retreat he did, leaving Claire in the dust. She'd forgotten to consider this avenue when she'd started to bicker with him. Now she was well and truly trounced. Too angry to find her feet, it meant she needed to calm down or force his childish hand. If she had the ability, she might have stomped her feet and thrown a First Year level tantrum. Thankfully, she was quite out of sorts. "How on earth does this serve me anything?" Claire squawked, wishing she could turn and give him her most withering of stares. "You're being utterly ridiculous..."

Flipping the table on end gave Claire great satisfaction. She watched everything scatter, the legs sticking up in the air and felt a fizz of rage dissipate just a little bit. Giving her just enough room to breathe before her head exploded. "I'm not looking for a lesson in manners, Rhys." She grumbled over her shoulder, using the table leg to turn herself so that she could glare at him head on. "Just come over here so that we can both leave," She tried to reason with him, but it was difficult as she stood in the wake of her own storm, splintered wood and all. "I'd hate to spend a second more with you than strictly necessary right now." She huffed, her stare verging on desperate. "I have work to do, and you're annoying me." Claire swung a leg out and kicked a large glass paperweight with the intention of sending it into the opposite wall. Instead, she sent it whizzing across the room and straight into Rhys's crotch. 

rhys alexander greyback

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[rhys alexander greyback]

my dagger and swagger are useless
in the face of the mirror

January 9, 2026
Claire Evangeline Slater

”Yes, well, silk sheets aren’t for everyone, are they?” Rhys knew very well what Claire was implying. But he wouldn’t let her see his reactions if he could help it. Not that he had to try very hard when she was facing a different direction most of the time. ”I’ll happily change them upon request.” Rhys offered, continuing to taunt her from afar in his safe little corner of the room. It was probably best that it was just them left here. They really did not need an audience for this. But he’d also observed other conversations and arguments where he watched their fellow Order members slowly scoot away to an exit.

And from this angle, Rhys couldn’t tell you who was winning in the fight for balance, but the table appeared to have the upper hand for a moment. If you had told the longtime friends ten years ago, they would end up in such a predicament—well, Rhys and Claire would have agreed for once and said it was a ridiculous thought. His eyes settled on a table leg that had broken from the table. It looked like Claire finally had the upper hand, but he was wary to see if she would somehow throw it or the rest of the table at him.

”Me? You’re the one who—“ Rhys’ brain stopped, and his thought process disappeared immediately. Despite the point of impact, Rhys felt like the wind had gotten knocked out of him, and his body began to curl up as he held onto the side of the couch. ”Merlin—what the hell—“ Rhys closed his eyes, creases appearing on his forehead as he waited for the sudden nausea to pass. Opening his eyes, he glared at Claire across the room. ”That was uncalled for.” It was supposed to be a war of words, and Rhys was tempted to hex her, so not only did she walk the wrong way, but bats might follow her for a day or two. Aside from the physical violence, Claire wasn’t likely to hit the broadside of a barn with an Unforgivable Curse at this rate.

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