A Trail of Broken Glass (Teddy)

[Deleted]

It felt like an escape. She'd jad quote the confrontation with her father at the police station and after quote the heavy battle of words she'd been released. She'd called a new friend of hers, a kind and gentle man with a strong appetite for liquor. Not that she minded all that much, she could see the appeal. She'd asked him to keep her company for a while, her head swimming and beyond worried her dad would have her tailed to discover where she lived now. Or worse, to make sure she wouldn't be doing anything illegal. It irked her and she felt extremely exposed, as if a nerve had been laid bare to the unfirgiving chill of winter.

His roommate was out, which was probably for the best. Xantha didn't really want to deal with people currently, except perhaps those she chose. Emrys, Teddy, Mavis... the list seemed to be growing. She was eager to write her old school friend Vasilia, as the girl had been older and wiser and would hopefully have some sort of insight on how to proceed. She felt lost for tje first time in years and too young to cope with all of it alone. How she longed for the once comforting presence of what her father had been, but it was clear that future had been lost the moment he'd cheated on their mother and left.

She absently rubbed her arms, as if to ward off a chill that had settled in her bones. "Thanks for having me." She said, smiling with a slightly distracted smile. It wasn't all bad, she had to remind herself. Maybe she'd be able to figure out where her sister went to school and visit her. She looked over at Teddy. "Got something to drink? I mean like tea, since I usually avoid alcohol." She admitted with a chuckle. "Although today's mess invites drinking, so maybe some alcohol wouldn't be much of a bad idea." She mused for a moment as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Oh how she longed to dance or just move to get it all out of her system. She could still feel the metal of the cuffs as if they were still digging in her wrists. Quote the metaphor for her feelings about the cops it seemed. She really needed to get her brain on a different track here!

@edward

[Deleted]

@xantha

while teddy hadn't known xantha for very long, it seemed that there had been a build up of mutual trust between them. he was glad for it though, because she'd called him when she'd needed someone to be there and if that's what he could be to his friend tonight, then that's what he'd be. ilija was out, which was something that teddy was glad about. he didn't think he'd want to put the added stress onto ili of having a muggle in the house during the evening and possibly into the night.

astras however was thrilled at the prospect of another guest in the house and the black lab had done nothing but sit with a tennis ball in his mouth and stare at xantha with an intensity unlike any other. he chuckled a little at the sight of his dog and he shook his head a little as he knelt at the fireplace in his living room. normally, he'd wave his wand and it would be burning within seconds but he didn't usually have a muggle within view. he lived in a mainly muggle village but it hadn't been a problem yet. it's what blinds and curtains were for and luckily there was more than enough space between his house and the houses next to him.

he watched as the flames started to catch on the pieces of wood he'd stacked and he turned to her when she thanked him for letting her stay there. he hadn't asked her yet what had happened that was that bad it had ended with her being in the police station but he didn't want to pry. he shook his head a little as he reached down to clap his hand down astras's back. "i have coffee. and i think there's some tea bags somewhere in the cupboard." he said as he motioned for her to follow him through the house to the kitchen. "there might be some coke or something too." he wasn't actually sure what was in his fridge. she'd been lucky to catch him when he'd been at home. he'd taken to working longer than normal hours since he'd left the order. "and there's never a shortage of alcohol here." he said with a chuckle as he waved to one of the cupboards they passed.

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Xantha wasn't one to drink anything but water most days. She usually just stuck to water and healthy food, but right now she was stressed out, angry and a little confused. She hadn't seen her dad in five years and yet he'd been there out of the blue. She hadn't heard anything from her sister about the fact her dad had been hired in London but the contact between her and Xena had also been dwindling over the years. The distance didn't exactly help on that front and Xantha had been angry and had hardly ever properly reached out. She'd been concerned with surving more than anything and from time to time her father had completely disappeared for her thoughts for months on end. He wasn't a part of it, so sometimes it was hard to miss what he should have been to her.

He lit the hearth and she followed him to the kitchen, not paying much attention to the dog. She was a little surprised that he didn't seem too bothered by the cat smell that was sure to be all over her. She lived with one and even if Spot was a menace she loved him dearly. He could pretty much do no wrong in her mind. She wasn't really much of a dog person herself but she figured that as long as the dog didn't start doing weird things she wouldn't mind him. He mentioned coffee and possible tea bags as they walked to the kitchen as well as soda pop. "I don't really drink soft drinks." She said with a slight smile. "Too much sugar. It's mostly just water and tea. Sometimes like sports drinks during or after a show." She said, hovering just a little bit. He mentioned there never being a shortage of alchol and she smiled slightly. "Good, if I do decide to drink I'm sure I'll be drunk before the first bottle of anything runs out." She said with a slight smile. She never drank, so she had no tolerance at all. She was more the type to take good care of her body, especially since that was vital in keeping her income.

She sighed as she walked over to Teddy, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Sorry to encroach on your night... It's just... complicated." She said lamely before pulling back and looking up at him. "My useless dad is back in London. He abandoned me five years ago and I guess I just expected I wouldn't see him or hear from him again until my mom died. I was not ready for that confrontation." She admitted, feeling her eyes fill up. She bit the inside of her cheek and turned away, wiping at her eyes. She was not going to cry over this! She had never needed him and that wasn't going to change just because he happened to be back in London. He'd never bothered to try before, so why would he now?

@edward

[Deleted]

@xantha

mostly water. he could remember a time when he'd drunk mostly water and pumpkin juice, not that he'd be telling xan that. he wasn't sure if it was a popular drink in the muggle world and since he'd never heard it, he was going to go with no. but there had been a time when his cupboard weren't stocked with the alcohol they were, a time when he did drink less than he did now and a time when he paid a little more attention to what he was drinking but those days were long gone now. they felt like the distant past and it was one he was getting further and further away with every glass he drank. "well i have plenty of water." he said with a grin as he flicked the lights on in the kitchen so they could see their way around.

he did notice that while astras had done nothing but stare at xan while they'd been in the lounge, now they were in the kitchen the dog was nowhere to be sean. it was rare that he moved anywhere but the living room when the fire was on. it was his favourite place to lay and there were times teddy had worried about him burning himself because of how close he loved to lay to it. he glanced to the cabinet that held most of the alcohol he had and he did wonder which she would pick if given the chance. there was nothing in there that could give him away as a wizard, that was put away in case of situations just like this.

"well if you do decide, pick your poison. they're all there to be drunk." he said as he flicked the kettle on. it was strange doing it all by hand, normally he could do everything with a wave of his wand and he usually did when he was feeling sorry for himself or tired from a long day of work. it was quite nice though, going through the motions. he turned towards her as she walked over to him and he felt her head rest on his shoulder. he brought his hand up to wrap it around her shoulders and he hugged her against his side gently, feeling that she could use the comfort. he listened to her as she explained some of what had happened that night and in the past and he frowned a little, his hand squeezing her small shoulder softly.

"you'll be ready next time." he said softly as he lowered his head a little so their faces were closer. he knew it wouldn't seem like it but he did believe that. the shock of seeing her dad and being thrown by the surprise wouldn't happen the next time she saw him and she'd be better equipped to handle it, and have a few choice words to say if she thought about it. he saw her turn her face and watched her wipe his eyes and he shifted a little, wrapping both of his arms around her and pulling her close. "i'll pretend you aren't crying if you don't hold it in." he knew he was the pot calling the kettle black with what he'd just said but he'd always been much better at giving advice than he had been at listening to it.

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On average, Xantha took extremely well to change. She was the type to go with the flow and not worry too much about the details. She'd been forced to deal with a lot of changes over the years, most of them big and out of her control. Her mother getting sick, the neighbours being murdered, her father cheating and him moving out, her mother landing in a care facility and her sister being torn away from her to live with her dad. He hadn't wanted her around though so she'd adjusted to living on the streets. She'd always managed to make things work for herself, although at times it had been very difficult. To think something as simple as this was making her feel so broken also came with a sense of anger. How dare he? But also, how dare she let it affect her so. She'd long since made up her mind, or that was what she told herself. If he didn't care about her, she certainly didn't care about him. Yet evidence currently seemed to suggest that she did care, and that bothered her. With him being back in London it was a matter of time before she'd encounter him again, especially in her neighbourhood. He'd never been there for her but this time it seemed he'd bailed her out. She hated every second of it.

Teddy offered her water or alcohol, all bought to be consumed. A part of her didn't like the idea of drinking his hard earned money away, since she knew alcohol was very expensive. It was one of those things that kept some of the people she'd met on the streets on the streets. What little they had was spent on keeping themselves in a near constant stupor rather than at times food or anything else that might keep them off te streets. Theft and violence were common themes and her and Mavis had been some of the few kids that actually still had hopes of making it out. Xantha really hoped that Mae would make it, although she didn't dare believe she might. With the hospital bills she was covering for her mother it seemed there was very little left at the end of the month and the debt was still racking up. Her mother couldn't work and Xantha refused to give up her passion. If she was going to earn minimum wage she was going to do it while doing something she loved, the risks be damned.

Teddy wrapped an arm around her and hugged her close to him, drawing out a small smile from her lips. At least she didn't have to feel so lonely now. Between the many people she had keeping her company different nights it was easy not to feel alone, although she still felt isolated most of the time. She didn't want anybody to cheat on her again so she didn't ask anybody to be faithful to her. She didn't do relationships but slept around quite a lot regardless. Some she trusted with her life, others were good company. None had her heart, as it was something she refused to give. Even if she ever were to fall in love she was certain that she wouldn't allow herself the risk of having her heart broken. She looked at the liquor cabinet thoughtfully for a moment. One time, maybe she'd indulge one time. He said she'd be ready next time and she pursed her lips for a moment as she considered it. "Maybe." She said doubtfully. She had a lot of unprocessed feelings about the entire situation. "But I doubt it. He's a perfect liar." She said, although she refused to elaborate on that.

He pulled her closer and he burried her face in his chest and smiled, hidden from his view. He'd pretend she wasn't crying if she just let it out. It was a tempting offer but she didn't want to cry. Her father hardly deserved such a strong response. All things considered she'd rather forget. She took just a moment to exist in his embrace before she broke free and stepped back, shrugging slightly as she opened the liquor cabinet. She didn't really look as she grabbed one of the bottles and brought it over to Teddy. "He doesn't deserve it so I won't." She said with a grim determination shining in her eyes. "Why don't you pour both of us a glass and we can drink that up as we entertain each other?" She said with a mischievous grin on her face. She wanted to forget the evening and not worry about her dad till the morning began. Or later, if it could be helped.

@edward

[Deleted]

@xantha

it seemed there was a lot more to the story than zan wanted to let on but he wasn't one to pry and press people for what they didn't want to talk about. he was the same, he did much prefer to be the one listening to people rather than talking to people about what he was feeling or what he was going through. he'd always been like that. for as long as he could remember he'd cared more about helping other people than himself and he'd never grown out of it. for years he'd always been calm in the face of grief, always searching for the right words to say, never trying to diminish what someone was feeling or to try and tell them it would all get better. he was a realist, he knew it didn't. he was twenty six years old and still felt the loss of his parents strongly and he'd never known them. there were cracks in his armor beginning to show and while he could feel them, he fought against them. tipping a bottle to his lips instead of opening his mouth because he was certain that his family still expected him to be calm. though he hadn't been the last time he'd spoken to his god father.

"if you know he's a liar. you're already one step ahead." well that was his opinion anyway. it meant there was an instant curiosity about whatever someone said. if you knew they were prone to stretch the truth you could question, wonder and investigate it. if there was a truth coming from the mouth of a liar in his experience usually the opposite was the truth. he pulled her a little closer to him and he felt her bury her face into his chest and he just held her close to him. he touched his hand to the back of her lightly as he rested his chin gently against her head. she was just the right size to tuck into him and it did make holding her a little easier than holding someone usually was.

he felt her pull away slowly and he loosened his hold on her so she could move out of his embrace. her father might not deserve the tears but he could guess that she needed them. he wouldn't say anything else on it though. there was no point in repeating himself. that's something that annoyed him, when people kept pushing the one thing and didn't listen to what someone actually wanted. he reached out to take the bottle into his hand and he nodded slightly. "that i can help with." he said as he want to the cabinet that held his glasses and he pulled two out, opening the top of the bottle and pouring the rich liquid into them. "are you a neat or on the rocks kind of woman?" he said as he set the glasses down on the bench and crossed to his freezer so he could pull the ice tray out.

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She could count on Teddy to remind her that she had an advantage in the situation still, despite everything that was going on. She knew he was a liar, she knew and quite keenly remembered he'd walked out on her and her mother and sister. She knew he'd left her with nothing when he'd chosen to bring home her sister but not her. She knew all of it so she knew better than to just... trust him. That was all on him, as she'd tried so hard to find a reason to trust him when she was younger and all she'd ended up with was more pain the moment he'd said she wasn't welcome to live with him and his new family. She hated how much he still managed to rattle her despite all of that. It just seemed wrong somehow, like she shouldn't be impacted by him at all.

She asked if she was an on the rocks or neat kind of woman and she pulled a face as she considered that. "I have no idea. I'm a 'stay healthy, drink water' kind of woman most of the time. I don't really drink a lot, if at all. I either can't afford it financially or I can't afford it in terms of health. So I barely know what the difference between the two is. You pick between them, but I'll likely be halfway down to wasted from a single glass if that stuff is as strong as it smells." She said with half a chuckle as her eyes widened slightly in disbelief that people would drink that in larger quantities. That was mental at best. Especially for somebody that was as concerned about her physical health as she normally tended to be.

@edward