lonely shade of blue | sienna

[rhys alexander greyback]

she's like the mystery unsaid
chasing every rose

with a daydream in her hand

January 13, 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

Rhys looked down and brushed away some crumbs he had missed on the front of his shirt, the last of the cookies that had been left on his doorstep again by Vasilia. Honestly, if it weren’t for his constant trips to the island and his work, he certainly would have gained a few pounds, but he figured being a werewolf on top of all that helped his metabolism. He had been home a couple of days, pretty sure he would never have to go back to that place and a couple of days since he’d finally been able to feel normal-ish again. The whole experience of “floating” or whatever that was had been annoying, unsettling, and disconcerting. It had lasted just over a week, and he had never been so happy to feel the dirt beneath his boots. Truly, he had just felt disconnected from the ground (obviously) and from just everything because of that mechanism. It had messed with his mind more than he cared to admit. More cookies on his doorstep had brought some comfort—and he’d made sure to send a message using his phone to thank her once again.

Still, not everything was back to normal. Rhys’ sleep schedule had been disrupted, and he made his way to his usual supplier of potions and things—plus, he was sure Sienna had questions about the island. Jamie had asked him about possible potion ingredients, but he’d discouraged it. It wasn’t a place he wanted anyone to go. Walking in, there was nobody in the lobby browsing for anything, and he didn’t see Sienna right away, so he figured she might be in the back. So along with the sleeping and calming draughts he would request, he needed the usual potions for Maria. All this Island business had ruined his regular schedule of stopping by and checking on her. Rhys shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and slowly walked to the back. ”Sienna?” If his sister was here, then he would only get the sleeping draughts, as he still hadn’t found a way to tell her about Maria yet.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

13 January 2026

Despite the fact that she and Rhys had regularly scheduled appointments, Sienna always seemed to find herself unprepared for his visits. The full moon was always the busiest time of month for her – it had been almost a year since Rhys had become the first test subject after Jamie, and six months since the trials had opened for other werewolves to also begin taking Aware Wolf instead of the Wolfsbane Potion. That meant calculating and planning regular doses for every subject, scheduling interviews to discuss the effects afterwards, then spending the rest of the month making the necessary adjustments to their dosage to try for a better result. It was a lot of information to receive all at once – but Si really couldn’t complain. Every month was a wave of new data to analyze, and that meant every month brought her closer to the desired outcome. A fully functional Aware Wolf Potion, a simplified brewing process, and the opportunity to give more and more werewolves the opportunity for a less painful transformation.

Still, despite finding a recipe that seemed to more or less work, Si’s ambitions meant that she was constantly searching for ways to make the potion more convenient. And that was the reason she was startled by the sound of Rhys’s voice this month. She’d been toying with ideas to improve on one of the Wolfsbane’s biggest inconveniences – namely, that it couldn’t be taken with anything or it would lose its potency. Rhys had been suffering through the testing process longest, so Si was determined to make this breakthrough for him. That was the reason she had enough bottles of whiskey in the backroom that she could probably start her own bar, since she’d been experimenting with adding Aware Wolf to a shot since Halloween. But it wasn’t ready yet. Other subjects had already taken their doses with pumpkin juice and water with limited success, but whiskey had a more complicated chemical composition and Si wasn’t satisfied with the results yet to try giving it to anyone.

So when she heard Rhys’s voice, and took a quick look around the room – well, he probably wouldn’t believe that she had suddenly developed a drinking problem. “Um, one moment! Don’t come in!” Sienna called out, hastily sliding out her wand from her sleeve and Vanishing every bottle in sight. Once she was sure they were all gone, she quickly crossed the room and opened the door separating the potioneer’s workspace from the storefront to find Rhys on the other side. Si was out-of-breath from the last-minute rush and she couldn’t even imagine what he must think she had been doing. “You’re…early,” she observed, although she stepped aside to let him inside before scanning the room to ensure nothing else would ruin her surprise.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

she's like the mystery unsaid
chasing every rose

with a daydream in her hand

January 13, 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

Rhys stopped walking as he heard Sienna’s muffled voice through from one of the back rooms. The doors were open, and he was curious what she was working on that he shouldn't see. His mind went to the potions. After many months of him testing and recounting his experiences in detail, other werewolves also signed up. Maybe she was working on their notes or even speaking to one of them, and he didn’t want to intrude on their privacy. Rhys remembered how much he had to open up and how difficult it had been, the difference being that he and Sienna had become friends over time which had helped the experience. Rhys looked around as he waited. The shop looked the same as it did every time he came in—though he figured there might be some decoration up closer to Valentine’s day if Christmas had been any indication of Sienna’s exuberance for the holidays.

It didn’t take long for a door to open, and Sienna looked as though she had just sprinted. She seemed alone, and Rhys gave her an apprehensive look. She accused him of being early, and Rhys looked at his watch. He typically was either on time or late but never early. ”No, I’m not.” Sienna moved, and Rhys walked past her inspecting the room through his peripheral vision, a habit from his work and one he typically kept under control but ever since he had returned from the island, it was as though he was in a state of hypervigilance. It wasn’t completely unfamiliar, but he hadn't felt this anxious even after his last couple of severe work accidents. Then again, he thought about his exhaustion and wondered if that made it worse as much as his current slight hangover was affecting his mood. Satisfied that no mysterious fog would creep out of the floorboards, he took his usual seat.

”Would you happen to have a hangover potion handy?” He requested, the cookies he had eaten had helped but unfortunately had not cured his headache. ”Or those pills—what were they called? The muggle ones?” Rhys concentrated. He knew it started with the letter ‘A’ but couldn’t think of the correct letter combination to fit the vague memory in his mind. Rhys slouched in his chair a bit, shifting his feet slightly against the wooden floorboards as if to make sure they were still there. ”I need some sleeping draughts too.” It wasn’t often he requested them, but this time he needed them in addition to what he usually picked up. Rhys kept looking around him as he fidgeted a bit in his chair, basically looking anywhere but Sienna though he paused when he looked down and realized he still had crumbs on his shirt. Brushing them off, he saw there were no more and he looked at Sienna.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Sienna scrutinized Rhys carefully as he walked past her into the backroom. Every time he came to visit her, he always looked tired and a little stressed. When they had first met each other, around this time last year, Si had wondered if it was a byproduct of his transformation. It wouldn’t have been surprising, considering he had always come in shortly after the full moon and that was always a trying time for werewolves. Having so much exposure to Rob through Slug and Jigger’s meant she could observe that easily enough – missing work because of the full moon, walking around like a zombie afterwards. But then she’d started to see Rhys later in the month, or sometimes in situations unrelated to the full moon at all. And he always looked the same. Tired, restless, closed-off. Between that and some of the deeper conversations they’d had, Si wasn’t so sure that supplying him with Calming Draughts every month wasn’t doing anything except putting a tiny Band-Aid over a much larger wound.

So she watched with concern as he inspected the room before apprehensively taking a seat. He must have just finished a curse-breaking job, Si reassured herself as the comparison to a spooked animal entered her mind. That was why he was so jumpy. She raised an eyebrow as Rhys got right down to business, making a small list of what he needed. Potions for a hangover, sleeping draughts, and for once Sienna wasn’t tempted to smile at his attempt to recall what aspirin was. Sienna slowly moved to close the door and walk to her usual seat, the desk separating her and Rhys as it always did whenever they had Aware Wolf business to discuss. She didn’t say anything for a moment, only continuing to thoughtfully take in his restless movements as he fidgeted in his chair. Finally she chose to give him a small teasing smile – if only because she knew accusing him of not taking care of himself wasn’t going to do anything at all.

“That’s odd, I don’t think I heard a ‘please’ or a ‘hello’ or a ‘how are you’ in your list,” Si commented dryly, leaning back in her chair. She didn’t move right away to open any desk drawers or fetch the potions he’d listed. He clearly didn’t look okay, but Si suspected that he would actually listen less after he’d gotten what he came for. “I’m starting to question how hard it is to be a curse-breaker, and how many of your assignments are just looking for gold at the bottom of a pint.” Everything was said in a teasing tone, but there were undoubtedly underlying questions that Sienna would prefer not to have to ask directly. But mostly she hoped he understood that while Sienna was willing to give him whatever he needed to stay functioning, it wouldn’t come without questions.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

she's like the mystery unsaid
chasing every rose

with a daydream in her hand

January 13, 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

Rhys looked at Sienna and thought back through his words. He supposed she was right though he was only now annoyed that she was choosing now of all times to comment on his manners. Rhys had never been one for small talk, but she was a good friend, so he indulged more than he would most people though not to the extent of other close friends. Also, he wasn’t particularly in the mood as he had just wanted to go home and try to rid himself of the memories of that place. He let out a small but frustrating sigh. ”Sorry.” Rhys sat up more a bit in his chair. ”It’s been a long month. How have things been for you?” He was trying to be as nice as he could without sounding patronizing though he quickly rolled his eyes and looked away—crossing his arms at her subsequent comment.

”Anyone that says they didn’t have a pint after getting off that godforsaken Island is lying.” Rhys responded sarcastically. While it was normal to find Rhys in a surly mood, it had been a while since it had been this bad. While he knew Sienna meant well, she did comment on his drinking now and then, though most of his friends seemed to, and he could ignore it most days. The stress of keeping Maria a secret from his family, and surviving that Island on bank or Order business, and the temporary side effect he had experience there—it had been a lot. Rhys leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, and ran his hands over his tired face. ”I’m sorry Si—I just haven’t been able to sleep much lately.” He admitted.

His mind wandered over the events of the past few weeks. How quickly it had gone from a stressful Christmas to a relatively relaxed and enjoyable New Year’s Eve and then going to the Island the very next day and only being home for two days over a period of almost two weeks. The thought of all that had him wishing there was a pint in front of him.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Most of her conversations with Rhys centered around the werewolf’s life – Aware Wolf was usually at the top of the priority list, although Sienna had also recently taken an interest in this mystery woman Rhys was maybe (definitely) interested in. Just because he couldn’t see it didn’t mean she, or anyone else, couldn’t. At any rate, that usually meant that they didn’t talk about her life much, and honestly – Si didn’t mind that. She was a private person, and her life had become an open display since she’d started to date Gus. She loved him so much that she was willing to change her life to accommodate those changes…but they were taking a toll on her, and she’d struggled to talk to anyone, even Gus, about it. So the question was usually a routine one in conversations – how are things – but Si only shrugged slightly, unenthusiastically, as she felt the corner of her lips turn down. “Things have been better,” she admitted the uncomfortable truth, before letting the subject go and turning back to Rhys’s life.

His mention of the island was intriguing, if only because details in the Prophet had been incredibly vague and she didn’t know anyone else who had gone. Sienna watched Rhys sink into his chair, leaning forward as he placed his head in his hands – and she felt her resolve melt a little. He really did look terrible, and she knew there was very little she could do for him. “Rhys,” she began softly, “I really think it’s time to think about seeing a Healer at St. Mungo’s. You can’t go on like this.” She could keep supplying him with Calming Draughts, but it was a short-term solution and they’d already gone on this way for a year. And surprising him with a whisky shot of Aware Wolf wasn’t going to solve any problems, either. Still, Si got up and slowly unlocked one of her drawers, pulling out the half-full bottle of aspirin and a potion she always set aside for Rhys’s visits. She didn’t return to her side of the desk, however, instead choosing to pull Rob’s chair over from his desk so she could sit next to Rhys. Si knew he could be skittish about physical contact, but – well, part of her role in this friendship was to encourage him to do things that weren’t part of his normal set of behaviors. So she leaned forward to give him a warm hug, lingering for a moment before pulling away. Then she nudged the aspirin towards him and leaned back in her chair. “Do you want to talk about it?” she suggested, leaving her question open to interpretation.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

she's like the mystery unsaid
chasing every rose

with a daydream in her hand

January 13, 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

Even in his current state, Rhys noted her answer and wondered what that meant. Sienna knew far more about Rhys than he did of her, he realized. Though it was probably just the nature of their working relationship that had turned into a friendship. Regardless of all that, Rhys knew that he trusted her more than most at perhaps as much as some of his closest friends. The details he had revealed about himself had required that level of trust, and though he’d never admit it out loud—it had been good to get it off his chest. Rob also fell in that category. However, there was more understanding between the men as they both suffered from the same monthly ailment. Rhys wanted to pry, if only to take the attention off himself, but he didn’t have the energy for even that.

Looking up from his hands, he shook his head ‘No’. There wasn’t anything they could do for him and would likely just blame his lycanthropy for the problem. Not to mention the experimental potion he was taking rather than the traditional Wolfsbane. ”How are they supposed to help me?” He asked softly. His energy at the moment was diverted to not snapping at someone who was trying to be helpful, but who could help him? Rhys put his face back in his hands, finding some comfort in the dark that closing his eyes brought. It was almost peaceful not being able to see, although he looked up and opened his eyes when he felt someone touch him. Sienna gave him a hug, and habitually Rhys tensed up for a split second before relaxing. Even he had to admit, a hug was nice sometimes—though he avoided them so often, he never knew when he actually needed them.

Rhys gave a half-hearted grin and picked up the aspirin bottle opening it and taking two pills out—taking them quickly without water. But he didn’t answer her right away. Even if he had wanted to talk, where did he begin? ”I don’t want to talk about the Island.” For now, that was an off-limits topic as he hadn’t quite processed the entirety of what he had experienced there. It was such a simple thing, as simple as a curse one might put on someone for a few moments, but it had been extended to over a week. ”I’ve just had a lot on my mind outside of that.” Rhys fiddled a bit with the Aspirin bottle but stopped and let out a heavy sigh. ”Si—I know you’re trying to help. You know I appreciate that, but honestly, I just want to stop by the pub and go home.” Rhys admitted. He had gotten better about eating actual food in terms of self-care, but he wanted to sleep.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Sienna had been keeping an insane pace at the apothecary lately, and she knew that it was only half-necessary. After all, she didn’t work alone and Rob was more than capable of doing his share of the work (and sometimes a little more if necessary). Aware Wolf kept them both busy, especially around the full moon. That was when they needed to coordinate getting every werewolf the correct dosage of Aware Wolf, tracking their transformation and receiving all the data to analyze afterwards. Then they would make small changes to the potion and try again. And naturally Rob had his own transformation to go through.

But even with all that, Sienna had been maintaining a brutal schedule at work. She would arrive early, stay late, and come in on the weekends if necessary. Si…just needed that right now. Anything to keep her mind off the breakup. She wasn’t going to do the same thing as last time, shut herself off at home without talking to anybody. That hadn’t been constructive, and she suspected it was part of the reason it had taken her so long to get over Gus in the first place. They had agreed that the breakup needed to happen, that life was just pulling them in such different directions. There wasn’t any point in wondering if things could have been different, lying awake at night overthinking it all. So Sienna hadn’t been spending many nights alone, not when she knew her patterns and there was such easy access to all the pubs in Diagon and Horizont from the apothecary. It was the sort of distraction she needed right now...and she could see why Gus drowned himself in this lifestyle, because it was easier to get lost in other people rather than dwell over everything that had happened. It wasn't going to last forever, but...it was enough for now.

She wasn’t sure she was ready to share any of that with Rhys, if only because she never had in the past. And anyway, whenever the werewolf was ready to share a moment of vulnerability…well, those moments were rare, so they couldn’t be ignored. Si sighed slightly at Rhys’s question, asking how the Healers could help him. “I want to be here for you, Rhys,” she said, matching his soft tone with her own. “But I…I’m going through my own things right now, and it’s not healthy for me to keep filling that role. I will always be here, but they have people at St. Mungo’s who really know what they’re doing. It’s worth giving them a chance.” It was a big subject to tackle, and one that required a lot of delicacy. Si wasn’t expecting to change his mind today, or even at all, but maybe…just to get him thinking. His next comments were predictable, but Sienna refrained from saying so because she knew Rhys didn’t like the idea that he was predictable. “A lot on your mind?” she probed, unwilling to fully let the subject go. If Rhys went to go drink himself into oblivion, it was like hitting reset. She didn’t want to start from scratch again.

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

she's like the mystery unsaid
chasing every rose

with a daydream in her hand

January 13, 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

Sienna seemed as tired as he was, or at least he recognized that she was carrying something. It took one to know one, and it was what he saw as he looked in the mirror at his own dreary expression and slumped shoulders. But her confirmation of that made him look away in thought. Deep down, he knew she was right. He wasn’t in a good place at all. Rhys was hardly sleeping. He drank most of the time, and even when he did manage to sleep, he was awoken with nightmares of Fenrir and the island. It was wearing on him, and he wondered how long one could last like this before they cracked. And Rhys knew that he was already broken—adding more cracks to that was not ideal. Rhys shook his head slightly from side to side, but not to say no, but he wasn’t even sure where to start. Even though he’d just stated that he didn’t’ want to talk about the island—part of him needed to shed that weight he carried.

”I just—I felt like I was doing better…and then I got sent to the island.” The end of the previous year had been surprisingly calm, at least on Rhys’ scale of events in his life. After the fight with Deva and then that party, things had begun to calm down, and he’d settled more into a routine he was comfortable with. ”One minute I’m at Vasilia’s New Year’s Eve party, and next thing I know, I’m on sobering up on a boat headed for the middle of the ocean.” Thankfully, he hadn’t drunk his usual amount and hangover potions, among others, fixed him right up. Plus, he knew Dahlia would be going, and he wasn’t going to let his sister go alone to such a place. The only good day he’d had was the full moon, ironically, but when that basket had been left on his doorstep. Something so simple had helped pick up the remnants of his spirit that day. Rhys sighed. Sienna was right—she wasn’t a psychiatrist even though he trusted her. ”I'm sorry Si, I know it's not fair to you."

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Sienna found herself getting lost in thought more often these days. It was her favorite coping mechanism, something she had begun to do subconsciously since her first year at Beauxbatons. As the years went by, as Sienna began to take on more independence and responsibility, the world could just be too much sometimes. Too many worries, too many expectations, too much pressure to become what other people needed you to be. It could be enough to lose yourself, be swept away by the flood. So Si had learned, perhaps incorrectly, that the best way to hold yourself together was by simply withdrawing completely. The wizarding world could be dangerous, after all, and its inhabitants could be at once strange and wonderful people. It was a new kind of danger, one that she had never had to face in the Muggle world before, and she didn’t always know how to cope with it. She didn’t always know who she could trust.

She was quiet for a few moments, absorbing both the new reality she was living in and the small breadcrumbs Rhys dropped about his experience with the island. It occurred to her that in the entire time she had known Rhys, he had always been in the more vulnerable position – maybe a little ironic, given his tendency to close himself off. It had been a necessity at the beginning, back when he was only a test subject and she was only a researcher. But as they had become friends, and even started to see each other outside of work and Aware Wolf, their dynamic had always been unequal. Had the last time Sienna shared something personal been that day they had spoken about their mothers? It wasn’t fair to Rhys. Si chewed her lip as she contemplated the thought, although her eyes flicked up to study Rhys as he sighed and said sorry.

“Don’t apologize,” she said heavily. She shook her head slightly. “That island sounds like a nightmare. I don’t think anyone who sets foot on it is going to walk away the same person.” It didn’t have to be a bad thing, really – change was inevitable, and sometimes things needed to get worse before they could get better. Sometimes that was the only way to see where you needed to grow. Still, seeing how battered Rhys looked had her convinced that there was nothing good about that island. Maybe it had been something different once, but every account she had heard seemed like it had warped into something that was only capable of hurting people. “And anyway,” she continued guiltily as she thought about her tendency towards keeping secrets, “how are you supposed to know if I don’t tell you?” She fidgeted with her hair, since there was nothing else handy. She always liked to keep her hands busy, even if it was only preserving ingredients or flipping through a notebook. “My boyfriend and I broke up,” she said abruptly, “and I know his habits, and how he likes to...indulge.” Her face burned with discomfort and shame, and she lowered her eyes to her hands. “And even if it isn’t true, knowing about the parade of people he’s probably with right now makes me feel like…just another number to him.”

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

she's like the mystery unsaid
chasing every rose

with a daydream in her hand

January 13, 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

Rhys sat up from his hunched-over position in his chair. It was a clear change in their dynamic, usually Rhys saying what’s on his mind and Sienna asking questions. But now, he felt more alert because of what she told him. Si had mentioned a boyfriend before Christmas when they were gift wrapping, but he’d never learned much else about him. ”Si—I’m sorry.” It explained her demeanor, and the weight of a breakup didn’t leave much room for worrying about someone else’s emotions. It also served as a no so gentle reminder to Rhys of why he stayed so unattached. The pain to one’s heart almost didn’t seem worth it in the end. Deva popped into Rhys’ mind, and a small wave of emotion went through his chest and made his heart feel like it was trying to flip over.

And to add to it all, he seemed like a type. Though at this, Rhys felt his body slide down a small amount in his chair as if trying to hide from view. If he was being honest, it was probably exactly what he would do after a breakup, only with the inclusion of a lot of whiskey. He didn’t answer right away, and he wondered if he should. Is that how Deva felt? Like just a number? Well, not that it mattered anymore. Still, he fought the exhaustion in his body and mind to try and think of some comforting words for his friend. ”I don’t think you’re just a number to him.” Rhys began. It was as if he knew what he wanted to say but wanted to make sure he said it correctly—typically a struggle for him. ”I think regardless of what happened or why it happened, you still mean a lot to him.”

Rhys let out a sigh, his thoughts still lingering on his own life. Deva finally moved on from him, leaving him a bottle of whiskey for the void and Maria and her pregnancy—well, he felt that it almost ensured he’d say single while he focused on that. ”Well, you’re welcome to join me at the pub if you need to take your mind off things.” It was an invitation but one as a friend. Rhys found that lately, stopping by there to drink or even have a meal helped him get out of his head at times. Or at least it was a perk of being a regular as well to see a friendly face.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

It felt difficult to admit what she was feeling out-loud, if only because she hadn’t done so yet. It felt like she couldn’t turn to her usual sources of comfort to talk and cry her way through the break-up – Camila would have been her first choice to discuss such a heavy emotional problem, but it didn’t feel like the right topic when she was also good friends with Gus. In another scenario, Si might have brought it up with Rob, since they’d been friends for a long time and saw each other every day for work. But, she thought with flushed cheeks, he wasn’t the right person to talk to about this either. Not with their complicated history when it came to her break-ups with Gus, and the attraction she’d been fighting since her school days.

In all honesty, Rhys might not be the right person either -- he wasn’t the most in-touch person with his emotions, and he had enough on his plate without taking on other people’s problems too. But they’d been friends for long enough that they could be comfortable with each other, and Si could appreciate how hard he was trying to say the right thing. Still, she felt hot tears prickling at the corner of her eyes, and she hastily brought a hand up to wipe them away before she began to cry. Sienna had done a fairly good job of not crying at work, trying to keep her emotions contained until late at night when she was alone at home. She was determined to continue on with her life, and not allow the break-up to freeze everything like it had last time. Back then, she had been paralyzed for months while she struggled to understand what she was feeling and how to move on. This time she was better prepared, but there was a sense of finality this time. It was really it – they’d tried again, and life had just gotten in the way.

“I know that,” she said, her voice thick with the effort of keeping her sadness and embarrassment contained. “I still care so much for him, and he’ll always mean something different to me. And I know that goes both ways, and it wasn’t nothing for him, but…it doesn’t change how I feel. Or what I see.” It was hard to convince her heart of one thing when every newspaper and gossip column and even her own knowledge of Gus screamed something else at her. They would always be good friends, best friends, but for now Sienna was avoiding any mention of his name or seeing him in a casual setting. She wasn’t ready to see him yet, how he was handling the break-up (if he was doing better than she was), or how little it had taken him to move on from her. She was torn out of those depressing thoughts by Rhys’s offer to join him at the pub. A refusal was on the tip of her tongue, but Sienna reconsidered before she said anything. She needed a drink with a friend desperately, to get out of her own head and stay grounded in reality. And as for not enabling Rhys’s bad habits…well, she thought of the bottles of whisky she’d Vanished and the reason she’d been so disorganized when Rhys had shown up unexpectedly. That ship had already sailed. So she nodded and said moodily, “Yeah, the pub sounds perfect. Sounds like we could both use a drink.”

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

she's like the mystery unsaid
chasing every rose

with a daydream in her hand

January 13, 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

Breakups. It wasn’t something Rhys enjoyed, not that he knew anyone that did, but he avoided them actively. His choice of lifestyle regarding dating pretty much revolved around avoiding the connections that caused such pain when broken. And as much as he didn’t like seeing Sienna in obvious pain, he could hardly offer up much advice. Again Deva appeared in his mind, and what he’d said was drawn from that experience. No matter what happened on that front, he’d never regard Deva as one of those girls from the pub, one he’d likely never speak to or see again after a night. And as much as he’d pushed her away and they’d hurt one another, she was still special to him. That last night before Christmas was still fresh in his mind. Maybe that had been a final breakup of some sorts.

Much to his surprise, she didn’t refuse his invitation. Though at least he wouldn’t be sitting at the bar alone after this. Naturally, his first thoughts drifted to the Violet Hound, but he remembered the pestering as they wrapped Christmas presents. Then again, maybe she wouldn't be in the right mindset or mood for such things? But, it was the only solution he could offer at the moment and the only one he typically bothered with for himself. Rhys offered a small and sympathetic smile and a small sigh, even with his own sour mood still lingering. ”Do you have a pub you prefer?” It seemed polite to ask though he had his obvious suggestion ready if she asked him.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Sienna got pulled into her thoughts easily, and it could be an effort to drag herself back out again. She’d always had an overactive imagination, and while it had its uses – her innovation in potionmaking didn’t come from nowhere, after all – it had its clear downsides too. Mostly that she tended to make up worst-case scenarios in her head, and those nearly always tortured her more than whatever reality actually was. When things were good, when she was happy, it wasn’t such a big problem and she could forget her fears. But the moment things started to go wrong, every niggling insecurity and deep-seated fear came back to her in a rush. And then, then it felt like drowning. Like she’d never be able to see the surface again. Whenever that happened, Si would retreat into herself, go home and isolate -- she didn't like the people in her life to see her like this. She hated silence, hated being alone, but in self-punishing moments like this it felt like she deserved it. It didn't happen often, but it was hard to break the habit when it did.

But if there was anything, anything that could snap her out of her funk, it was Rhys’s unending ability to be so oblivious. He wasn’t unique in that sense, since people could be blind about their habits or what was going on in their lives. And he really was doing better! Sienna had seen enormous improvement from the Greyback when it came to confronting whatever his ‘situation’ with Vasilia was. (See, Sienna had even wrangled her name and some details from Rhys. Progress!) He was starting to realize what everyone around him had known for months, and there was a light at the end of the tunnel that this predictable habit of denial denial denial was going to end soon. But until then, there was a delicate game at play here – showing Rhys the obvious conclusion without spooking him. To that end, Sienna found herself using many of the same tools with Rhys as when she needed to coax her cat out from under the bed. She shot Rhys a look – an ‘are you kidding me’ look – at his question. As if he didn’t know exactly where he wanted to go. As if he didn’t realize what it would look like if they did go to the obvious place. Sienna ignored the impulse to bring her hand up to her temple to fight back the headache she usually got when Rhys was being as observant as a brick wall. Instead, she suggested in as casual a tone as she could muster, “How about the Fountain of Fair Fortune? It's close by in Horizont.”

rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

she's like the mystery unsaid
chasing every rose

with a daydream in her hand

January 13, 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

Sienna gave him a look, and Rhys frowned slightly, wondering why. It was his natural state to be defensive. There were a handful of topics she might ask or bring up. But, there were no questions. There were no statements, which Rhys found…odd. There was always something unless Sienna was off her game because of this recent breakup, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, she asked a question, her tone seeming as normal as he supposed it could be at the moment. There were a few pubs between Diagon Alley and Horizont Alley, though Rhys had to confess he spent most of his time in Horizont. The pub she mentioned was one that he used to frequent as much as he might, The Hog’s Head or the Leaky Cauldron in his rotation, but that had settled down as well, now that he thought about it.

Rhys shrugged slightly. ”Place is alright. If you wanted a bit of dinner, Violet Hound is a better choice.” He shifted in his chair since he’d begun to slouch a bit. Plus, he hadn’t been back there since the New Year’s Eve party that Vasilia had thrown. It was another reason he hated the island so much, for once he’d actually been having a good time and had felt some semblance of relaxation, and then he’d been called to work. It might be nice to drop by and say hello. As a regular, it would have been noticed he’d been gone for a couple weeks now. At this point, he was feeling more confident that she wasn’t going to ask or bring Vasilia up the way she had before Christmas. They were both sulking a bit for different reasons, and drinking would help.

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