I don't believe in magic, but I believe in him (Noah)

[Deleted]

May 15th, 2026

Her father had cancelled on dinner. That on it's own was quite special since the two had decided to finally work out the difficulties of their relationship and well, cancelling wasn't going to help in gaining her trust and he knew that. He wouldn't cancel dinner for just anything so when he had, Xantha had instantly been wary. His explanation had set her world on fire in a very metaphorical sense. Her sisters school had been the target of some kind of terrorist attack and was burning down. Xantha had instantly accepted it and rushed out of her tiny appartment in hopes of seeing something on the news. Her father wouldn't lie about something like that, not with how he'd sounded in telling her. She'd heard it all in his voice, regret and fear of not losing one but both daughters. So she'd promised they could reschedule and had rushed out.

Yet no news channels seemed to cover the event anywhere she looked and at long last she started to doubt herself and what she'd heard. She was in distress and she needed the one person she'd found herself trusting more than anybody despite herself. She needed Emrys. So she'd rushed over to his place for what was probably the first or second time since he'd allowed her access. She didn't want to intrude and usually always called him first but she'd forgotten her phone was almost out of battery when she'd rushed out to hopefully find some news on her sister and by now her phone had died. There was no way in hell she was going home to pick up a charger when the odds were that Emrys had one at his place. Surely he'd understand if she told him, but at this point she knew it wasn't impossible she'd just throw herself into his arms and melt away in his embrace to distract herself from the utter fear and confusion about what was going on until her phone would eventually ring again with news from her dad. Provided of course, that she'd get her phone hooked up to a charger before getting distracted.

So she was let up to the penthouse and she let herself in, not fully sure if she expected to find him in the company of another. It hardly mattered to her if he did, since she had never cared about how many people he was with. It wasn't relevant to their relationship. Yet when she practically stormed in to find another man there, with an instrument she felt all intelligence fade from her brain in a single heartbeat. He had clothes on so either Emrys hadn't gotten around to undressing him yet or something else was going on that confused her. "Have you seen Emrys?" She managed after a moment of awkward silence as she tried desperately to keep herself together. She bit her lips and cursed softly as she felt a tear flush down her face with all the held back fear. Unable to hold it in, she exploded emotionally. "My dad just told me my sisters school is on fire and I forgot my charger and I just really need to see my friend because I was hoping he could keep my mind off things until my dad calls again...." She said in rush of words. "I can leave if you two are.... busy." She managed, but she knew that she'd completely break down if she had to leave now. She never tried to ask too much because she was scared to get hurt. This would be one hell of a time to truly feel the pain of that rejection.

@noah

[Deleted]

May 15, 2026
@xantha

Of course Noah knew what was was going on. Both his younger siblings were still Hogwarts students, after all. His mother had called to tell him as soon as it'd gotten out. Noah had already been at Emrys' place when the news hit, and while he was extremely worried, he chose not to act. There was nothing he even could do. Hogwarts was literally on fire. What was he supposed to do about that? Let the authorities resolve it, that's what. Stay out of the way so they could do their job. It didn't much help settle his worries though. So, laying on one of the couches of Emrys' penthouse, he held his phone above his head and scrolled the news t hat was rolling in. Keeping as up to date as possible. Thankfully, he'd just gotten word from his mother that both his siblings were safe. It put most of his worries at ease. Call him selfish, but he cared more about their wellbeing than anyone else at Hogwarts.

After hearing the news from his mother, he sighed, setting his phone aside and sitting up. He got up and retrieved one of Emrys' guitars, bringing it back to the couch and starting to strum. It was one of his own songs he'd been working on. So far he liked it, but it was driving him a little crazy that he couldn't figure out how to get around making the song a duet. There were parts that simply didn't suit his voice and his rewrites hadn't made it any better... yet. But he'd figure it out. Or he'd just give it to the label for someone else. Everyone knew Erik Esper didn't do collars, after all. It wasn't like he could use the song if he couldn't figure out how to make it work for one voice.

He was mid strum when the door open. He didn't look up, as it had to be Emrys. Charlotta, but Emrys wasn't here, so why would she be here unless she was trying to find his very elusive best friend? Though, the person that spoke was definitely NOT either of the Holopainens. The hell? He raised his eyes from the guitar and stared, almost in shock, as a blonde girl stood there. Alone. No Emrys. "Who are you?" he asked without hesitation. How had she gotten in? Had Emrys given someone else full access? He hadn't heard anything like that.

Oh. God. Was she.... Was she about to cry? Like any sane man, he did NOT know how to handle tears. He looked a bit like a deer in headlights, unsure what to do or how to react. Thankfully he didn't have to ask what was wrong, as she seemed quite willing to offer up the information herself, explaining her sister's school was burning. "Oh, yeah, Hogwarts." He started to answer, though thinking as she mentioned a charger. "Like a phone charger? There's probably one up on the loft." If there was one around here, that's where he'd guess. Emrys didn't do muggle tech too much. Just his phone, really.

Though, there was the obvious jump to conclusions EVERYONE got when they saw Noah at Emrys' place, or saw the pair hanging out together. They must be "together". The way Emrys was with other people. Noah frowned. "I don't sleep with Emrys. We're friends. Just friends."

[Deleted]

Xantha easily rolled her slightly puffy red eyes as he asked who she was. "I could easily ask you the same thing, as Emrys isn't exactly liberal in sharing information about his life." Xantha said with a slightly wary undertone to her voice. She did not need to get in a fight now and the situation currently did make her feel ever so slightly hostile towards people she didn't know. Yet he looked almost confused and well, it probably meant that he knew Emrys a lot better than she did. Figured. She had no idea how many people had a key to his place, although she did figure that it wasn't a lot of them. He didn't seem like the person that wanted people to just walk in whenever they wanted. Most people wouldn't take too kindly to walking in on his various antics after all. She knew what to expect, so she actually almost never even tried. She had wondered in the deep silence of her mind the first time she came over if the key would even fit. It had and he hadn't changed the locks since then, although that first visit had been the only prior occassion in which he hadn't invited her or joined her prior to getting here.

It would seem he knew the name of her sisters school, which was already a lot more than Xantha had ever really found out. Guess it was a lot easier when one wasn't estranged from their sister with a father that was about as elusive as Emrys was, especially in terms of information. He offered a potential location for a charger and Xantha nodded a little tensely, figuring that Emrys wouldn't be up there. If he was, no doubt the man would have mentioned it, right? She rushed up the stairs almost instantly and after having grabbed a charger she went back downstairs and plugged it in. She watched in relief at the sign it was charging and turned her attention back to the stranger. She looked at him curiously for a moment. "You know people there?" She asked, a gentle tone to her voice that most certainly wasn't normal for her, but Noah naturally wouldn't exactly know that. She just figured it might be hard on him too, if he did know people there. Or maybe he'd even be able to get information easier than she could. She depended on her father. "Do they know what caused it? Last I heard from my dad was just that it was burning."

He claimed he did not sleep with Emrys and Xantha raised a sceptical brow. Just friends just didn't seem like something that Emrys did. "That's about as likely as winning the lottery without buying a ticket." She said dryly. "But I'll just pretend I belive you and Emrys isn't the guy I thought he was." She frowned slightly as she pulled her nose up in a mix of confusion and distaste. "That's kind of disappointing." She muttered to herself, wondering if this was the sign she needed to run off before he got back and found her here with his supposed platonic friend. It just felt all kinds of weird and this wasn't the time she wanted to get confused by this matter. She walked over to the sofa and sat down, her hands in her hair as she wiped furiously at her eyes. It was stress. She was tearing up because of stress, quite clearly. She glanced at Noah. "Do you know if Emrys has tissues? I have a cold." She lied easily, knowing that she was going to start sniffling any moment now.

@noah

[Deleted]

May 15, 2026
@xantha

Noah raised an eyebrows at her comeback and folded his arms on top of the guitar on his lap. He asked first, plus he’d also gotten here first. Noah reached for his phone, glancing down as he quickly sent a text to Emrys rhat read “your blonde friend is here.” He wasn’t sure when emrys would be back but at least his friend should know. It probably wouldn’t narrow it down too much, considering how many emrys slept with. But the fact they could get in the building might narrow it down considerably. He didn’t really feel much like responding to her words though, despite the snippiness in her words.

She’d scurried up the stairs and emrys watched her back as she disappeared, before leaned back into the couch and strumming the guitar some more. This was obviously a situation he didn’t feel comfortable in, so it was probably best to let her be until Emrys got there. However long that may be. To his surprise rhough she came back down and after plugging in her phone, sat on the couch. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes as he played. ”My siblings are still students.” he answered. Though as to how the fire started… he shrugged, pausing his playing for a moment. ”No. There isn’t much news out about it yet. But it sounds like the ministry is already on site and handling it.” he was still worried… but at least his siblings were safe already.

Ugh, she didn’t believe him. Of course not. Considering Emrys would sleep with anything they moved it wasn’t exactly surprising. Who would believe a sex addict would have platonic friends? Noah’s expression was dead serious as he spoke. ”Emrys isn’t my type.” While shy by nature, Noah was not shy about correcting people when it came to him and Emrys. He was actually quite blunt. They’d never slept together and Noah had absolutely no plans to change that. Ever.

Though as she sniffled, asking about tissues, he held back a flinch. He really didn’t want to deal with a crying girl. But he knew Emrys had tissues. Considering his activities. With a wave of his hand he summoned a box of tissues to the coffee table. It would happen to be right at the moment she wasn’t looking at the coffee table. ”there are more in the loft if you need,” he answered before bringing his hand back to the guitar string and plucking it.

[Deleted]

It seemed neither of them was overly enthusiastic about sharing much of their personal life. Or well, anything, as he wasn't sharing his name and she hadn't either. She wasn't one to trust and he .... was unknown. She paused for a moment as she noticed him texting and figured it was probably Emrys. Or possibly. She wasn't sure if she should even introduce herself as it was at best an introduction to a stranger and she wasn't quite in the state to deal with making friends. If one was even liberal enough to call it that.

The ministry was there and handling it? Well that was weird and exactly the kind of stuff that reminded her of her overly evasive father. Not the firefighters or paramedics but the ministry. As if a bunch of stuffy politicians in suits were best equipped to deal with a fire. No wonder this country was going to shit. "Do you know if they're okay yet?" She asked, hoping that his family was fine. Last thing she needed was to be around somebody that just lost family members. It would terrify her even more. If his siblings made it the odds that Xena had or would make it were much bigger as well. She wanted those odds stacked high in favour of her sister after all.

He mentioned Emrys wasn't his type and she felt even less at ease. Platonic friendships were not something she'd imagined Emrys to be capable of and while she realised that should not have worried her at all it only made her more concerned. She couldn't allow herself to develop feelings for him, even less so if he had more humanity than she thought he had. She liked him because it was easy to be around him. She had thought she always knew what to expect. She hadn't exactly asked him about it though, since she never really asked questions that she didn't want answered. It was that knowing nothing about her sister was worse than any possible outcome that allowed her to actually try and figure out the odds, or she'd have banished the entire thing from her mind hours ago. She vaguely nodded to his statement, clearly rather distracted. "To each their own, I guess." She replied, fully on autopilot. She was distracted.

She could have sworn she had not seen the tissues, though she clearly must have missed them earlier. Her brow furrowed slightly for a moment as she looked at the box before she simply grabbed one and dabbed at her eyes as inconspiciously as possible before wiping her nose slightly. It was stress, nothing more. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. She wasn't going to cry in front of a stranger, all she had to do was steel her nerves and prepare as if she was to go on stage in minutes. The usual calm took over and she felt most of the tension leave her body. Her eyes felt a lot less wet and she felt a lot more calm in seconds. She mentally went over one of the many dance routines she needed to have memorised for work. Muscle memory, and with the slightest twitch of her hand she mentally rehersed for a moment before exhaling slowly. Much better. "No, I'm fine. I'll just wait until I have some decent charge in my phone and head off. I'd personally prioritise a friend over a booty call in any sort of crisis so I presume Emrys would do the same. I'm sure I can find a different source of distraction to occupy me until news gets back." She mentioned, suddenly a lot more calm and collected. There was no way she was going to admit to him that she wasn't exactly here for the purpose of a booty call. Best if Emrys didn't know she'd been insane enough to seek him out in a moment of emotional distress. It seemed like a surefire way to get the locks changed on her.

@noah

[Deleted]

May 15, 2026
@xantha

Noah had no idea Emrys had given a muggle access to his pent house. If he had known this whole situation would probably be entirely different. But why would emrys do that? There were magical items in the pent house. Who would give a muggle access to those? So, Noah was operating entirely under the assumption that this woman was a witch or some other magic being. ”Yeah, they’re fine. My parents already let me know.” he paused and stopped playing the guitar, hesitating momentarily. She sounded like she didn’t know about her own sibling yet, otherwise the phone wouldn’t have been a big issue. ”Do you… want me to ask them about your sister?” he asked slowly. No doubt they were keeping tally of the students that were already accounted for.

Noah raised an eyebrow at her response to his refusal of Emrys. Was she… upset that he didn’t have a physical relationship with Emrys? He wasn’t the best at reading people but usually people were more relieved when they found out the two weren’t physically involved. Had she been thinking of a threesome with him and Emrys? Noah shook his head and went back to his strumming, choosing to ignore the words.

Noah went back to his strumming, ignoring the girl as she dabbed at her eyes as she didn’t seem like the type who wanted the attention. She was here for Emrys, after all. Though as she spoke he paused and looked up from his guitar at her, an eyebrow raised. ”I’m not here for his moral support,” he answered calmly. ”Why would I come to Emrys for support? He’s a selfish bastard. He’s shit ar helping people.” No offense to Emrys, of course. You just couldn’t deny that Emrys wasn’t actually a great person.

[Deleted]

He said his siblings were fine and Xantha felt a moment of relief. The odds were a bit better if some people were already out at least. She considered for a moment as he offered to ask his parents about her sister. It would mean giving personal information, which she didn't want to do. On the other hand, it was her sister and there was nobody more important than her sister. She paused for a very short moment. "If it's not too much of a hassle. Her name is Xena." She figured that name wasn't exactly common so the odds of it being enough would have to do. Bless her parents for picking disgustingly special names for them for once.

He didn't give much of a reaction, although she likely wouldn't have noticed either way. Currently a threesome wasn't exactly on her mind and while he was certainly attractive Xantha would also have considered it a bit of a border to cross in terms of sleeping with a platonic friend of the guy that pretty much had her around as a convienent booty call. It was all sorts of messy that she did not want to get invested in at all. Best to let that kind of poison stay where it belonged.

She couldn't help but chuckle as he described Emrys as she knew him. Selfish and not really great at helping people. Well, the side of him she saw most. For just a brief moment she remembered that he definitively had indulged her a lot after she'd been stabbed. It wasn't quite moral support, but it was the closest thing she could expect. Clearly it was madness to be here, but she hadn't come looking for support, had she? She'd been here for a distraction. She smiled and shook her head. "I suppose that wouldn't make sense. I was hoping for a distraction far more than any kind of support. It's hard to overthink when your brain is otherwise occupied." She admitted with a casual shrug. It kept things simple, as it wasn't possible for her to overthink her feelings for Emrys around Emrys (or sort them out for that matter) so there was nothing to worry about. As soon as she stepped out of his life her concerns were occupied by affording rent and other utilities needed to survive as well as work and making sure she remained healthy enough to keep her job. Messy, but it made everything a lot more simple. As long as she didn't stop to think about how she really felt along the way.

@noah

[Deleted]

May 15, 2026
@xantha

Xena? That was an odd name, but who was he to say? There were a lot of very uncommon names in the magical world. It was a bit odd that he knew this girl's sister's name before he knew hers but he didn't really care. He doubted Emrys even knew the names of half the people he slept with. But considering she had a key he must at least know hers. He set his guitar down on the couch next to him and reached for his phone. He quickly sent a text to his mother, asking if she knew if a girl named "Xena" was among the evacuated students. Thankfully he'd convinced both his parents to get enchanted cell phones, so he never had to worry about them not being able to respond when they were visiting his siblings at Hogwarts or were somewhere else. "I'll let you know." It was around that point Emrys responded to his initial text and a texting exchange began between the two.

Noah leaned back against the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. He glanced at her over the top of his phone. She chuckled at his words but didn't deny them. He already knew he was spot on. Plus, obviously this girl didn't know Emrys well if she thought he'd choose Noah over a fling. Not that Noah minded that. They were best friends, but they didn't rely on each other in the way you might assume. Though, that wasn't to say if Noah literally had no one else to turn to that he didn't think Emrys would step up. After all, Emrys did quite a bit to help keep Noah's identity a secret from the press. He just didn't expect Emrys to do it unless it was literally no other option. "Well, Emrys is apparently good at distractions," he commented with a shrug. Not that he knew personally. "It's just temporary though, I hope you know that. It'll all come right back after. It's better to just deal with it when it happens then try to hide from it." He set his phone down and picked the guitar back up.

[Deleted]

He said he'd let her know in terms of hearing something about her sister. It made the waiting a little more sufferable. He seemed to be getting some texts at that point, which meant that Xantha took a moment to actually turn on her phone. It had like five percent battery by now since it wasn't exactly a quick charging phone but that was enough to at least turn it on so she could be called or receive texts herself. If her dad found Xena before his parents did, that was enough. If his parents found her first at least she could text her dad that she'd been found by others and was okay. "Thanks." She said, although she figured he knew she was grateful. It could take quite a while before any news came either way and waiting was best not done alone, even if he wasn't the company she'd chosen.

She smiled as he mentioned distractions. A bit of an amused and wistful smile all in all. "I do suppose so. Not just those, he's also an excellent liar when needed,but seems pretty straightforward most of the time. I like the fact he's a good liar though, it's a nice quality." Now that made very little sense but the fact he was a good liar was good because it meant she didn't have grounds to properly trust him. She trusted him with her life, easily, but not with her heart. Not that she trusted anybody at all with that particular organ, but Emrys had made it quite clear that she was a pleasant distraction to him, not a meaningful relationship. Had it been different, she no doubt would have fled the situation. "I know." She said simply as he reminded her it was all just temporary. "I knew from the start and if he wasn't so bloody good at what he did I'd have quit after the second time. The fun is just too good it seems, so I'm entertaining myself until he's bored of me. I have no illusion that he wants relationships of a romantic nature or that I'm anything more than entertainment to him. One day he'll get bored as men always seem to do and find somebody new to play with. That day I'll probably go to one of my other friends and entertain myself there in stead. It's best when neither side has anything to lose." She said with a careless little shrug, even if she felt the sinking in her stomach at admitting out loud that she knew this couldn't last. Lucky her, being such a good liar. By now even her parents belived her. Or well, her dad did, her mother had done so.

She glanced at the guitar as he picked it up and frowned slightly. "Wish I could dance, always helps me relax." She muttered, mostly to herself. Maybe there would be space if she moved some furniture but she didn't really want to inconvience Emrys with having to move it back later, or herself for that matter. Not to mention that it was more than a little rude to convert his home into a dancing studio for her sake. Maybe this meeting was better for her than she'd realised. At least his friend had confirmed what she had already suspected. No matter how fun this was, there was no future. Best to lock away her heart before she risked it getting hurt. It was something to at least think on while she waited, even if she hated every second of waiting for possible bad news.

@noah

[Deleted]

May 15, 2026
@xantha

Noah personally didn't know how bad the fire was, so he didn't know how long it might be before his mother got back to him. Unless she found this "Xena" quickly it might be a while. It did peak his curiosity though. A fire at Hogwarts? It was a castle. Made of stone. How was it "on fire"? Obviously it had to be a magical fire, that was the only logical answer, but that didn't answer how it started. No doubt it would be all over the news later this evening, or tomorrow morning. He'd have to keep an eye out for any more articles.

Noah, though he wouldn't deny having slept with someone casually, wasn't the same as Emrys. He didn't sleep around for the hell of it. He also knew that it was a horrible coping mechanism and did very little to actually resolve a person's concerns they were so desperately trying to hide from. As he mentioned Emrys being an excellent liar, he couldn't help but raise both eyebrows in surprise and confusion. "I don't think lying is a commendable personality trait," he started to answer. Though then heh ad to pause and think. Was Emrys a good liar? Maybe to some people. To others he literally couldn't get anything past them. "He's a good liar when you want to believe him," he finally answered. Still... why was that an attractive trait to her? "He's one of the most honest people you'll ever meet, if you let him." It was high praise, but it was true. Emrys was honest to himself, and his wants, desires, likes, and dislikes. Sure, Emrys threw out a lot of pretty words and innuendos but he meant every one.

Ugh, Noah didn't really like hearing people praise Emrys' prowess in bed. There really was no attraction between the two, so Noah didn't want to hear too much about it. But it seemed the girl at least understood most the situation. That Emrys didn't "get feelings", or stick around. He only stuck around until he got bored and then he moved on. He was honest about it though and was someone that made it clear from the beginning that he didn't want anything serious. Unfortunately some people didn't feel the same, and that was how Emrys had gotten himself into trouble multiple times. Though the remark about "all men" made Noah pause and frown. "Doesn't that make you the exact same as 'all men'?" he asked stoically. She said all men got bored and found someone new, as if to insult all men. But then went on to say she'd do the same thing. A bit hypocritical if you asked him.

He'd plucked a few notes when she mentioned dancing. "Then... do it? I won't stop you," was he answer, his tone making clear he didn't understand her hesitation if she wanted. Emrys had given the girl a key, so why should Noah stop her from doing what she pleased? No doubt Emrys trusted her. Plus Noah wasn't taking any more space then just one of the couches, its not like she'd be disturbing him or anything.

[Deleted]

Stranger mentioned that he didn't think lying was a commendable personality trait and she smiled somewhat and shrugged. "Maybe not to some, but the ability to lie has saved my life more than once. I don't usually spend time in fancy neighbourhoods and penthouses where people care enough to bother finding out if you tell the truth. Where I come from a convincing lie means you last a little bit longer." She said with a simple shrug. Different worlds. He'd clearly grown up and lived in a better neighbourhood than she did. Feighning stupidity and lying convincingly were admirable traits since they increased the odds of survival by a very large margin. If somebody asked if you saw something and you saw every illicit detail lies were usually the only way to keep from ending up on the wrong side of a knife. She'd tried that once and was not about to repeat it. "Not to mention that Emrys is an excellent liar when required, in my personal experience. Some of us lie because it's easier and some only lie when they don't have another choice. Emrys seems to be the latter." She said with a shrug. It was the ability she admired, not by default the use. If he wanted to lie to her, maybe it would be a lot easier. Then again, maybe she brought out the absolute worst in him.

He was sharp enough and she smiled a small nearly angelic smile back at him, even if the devious glint in her eyes made it utterly unconvincing. "Oh I'm far worse. I'm a total disaster but on the other hand nothing but a product of the system. Emrys is the most honest person I've been with in my entire life. Every other significant man in my life did exactly the same but was dishonest about it. The main difference is that I just don't invest emotionally and wait for them to get bored and run along or until they break up because they feel they just don't want the same thing out of the relationship. It's probably for the better either way, as I can't afford the therapy I clearly desperately need." She said with a tone of amused sarcasm in her words. Yes, she knew that her rather large dose of trust issues would really benefit from therapy but on the other hand that would involve trusting said therapist and if one was unable to see the problem in that they truly were far beyond dense. Not to mention her rather pathological need to be right on that subject.

He seemed confused that she didn't just up and danced off into the sunset. It made her a little uncomfortable that he suggested she simply dance. "I don't do freestyling with an audience, even if they're not paying attention. It's part of that entire vulnerability thing I refuse to make my hands dirty on." She said and looked at her phone again. No messages yet. She sat with her phone in her hands for a moment as she considered texting Emrys to tell him she stopped by but it seemed like a horrible idea at this point. She should never have come here to begin with. She clearly needed more friends. She had no idea who else to talk to right now and this entire conversation gave her some serious doubts if it wasn't better to just run off and cut contact with Emrys before she got herself in too deep. She hated the very thought but it was too late to stop it. It was possible her heart was slowly falling for him, no matter how much she tried not to. "Do you have any idea when Emrys will be back?" She asked, figuring it best to see if she could sneak away after her phone got charged a little or if she was stuck on this ride now.

@noah

[Deleted]

May 15, 2026
@xantha

Noah frowned as she continued to praise the merits of being a good liar. Sure, Noah had some of the biggest lies secrets around, a lie that he put on to protect his identity. But that was very different then what seh was saying. He did it because he wasn't into music for the spotlight, and it was his way to retain some sort of normalcy in his life. She made it sound like lying was a matter of survival. "Doing something to survive doesn't mean it's a good trait, it just means you did what you had to," he answered slowly, her eyes steady on her as he spoke. "Trauma response behavior, despite how 'good' you get at it, is still trauma response." He finished, finally looking away from her and running a hand through his hair. "When Emrys lies it isn't to survive. It's to charm. He'll flatter you in whatever way he has to to get what he wants in the end. It's not for your benefit. It's for his." Again, Noah didn't pretend Emrys was a good person. Yet somehow they were still best friends. That as because despite knowing Emrys wasn't a good person, that didn't actually bother Noah. Emrys didn't need to be a good person.

This girl had a pretty face, and seemed to know it as she smiled at him. But Noah wasn't fooled. He knew plenty of people with pretty faces that weren't sweet or innocent. Her words earlier hinted at that. Clearly she was someone with a lot of men issues. "Right," he started to say, his voice slow as he tried to understand exactly what she was saying. "So instead of trying to find something better you're sticking around exactly what you've always experienced. The only difference being that you know this one will leave." He continued, still trying to figure out why exactly she seemed to think this was normal. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. What the hell kind of girl was Emrys sleeping with? "I think intentionally setting yourself up for abandonment will hurt just as much. Maybe worse, because it's your own creation." Yes, Emrys did abandon people. It was common. He got bored adn moved on to the next person. Noah supposed it was nice that this girl seemed to already understand that. But wasn't that sad to set yourself up for that situation?

Perhaps Noah was a hopeless romantic. He knew his dating preference was different than Emrys'. Noah didn't do flings, or one night stands. He wasn't interested in the short term pleasure. He wanted to have an actual connection with people. He also didn't understand how people could just casually sleep together and not eventually form feelings for the other.

Noah covered a yawn and leaned the guitar against teh side of the couch. He lay back, stretching out until he was completely on his back and clasped his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes, not really that interested if she did or didn't start to dance. Perhaps he'd take a nap while he waited on word from his mother. "Suit yourself," he answered lazily as she refused. As she asked about Emrys though he opened an eye and looked at her, before closing it again. "He's just wrapping up a photoshoot. He probably won't be long if he just apparates back. He knows your're here. Sort of. I couldn't exactly tell him your name since you never introduced yourself."

[Deleted]

Oh yeah, the boy was one of those fancy educated ones. Made sense considering he was friends with a superstar. Doing whatever needed in order to survive was considered bad manners but the high and mighty always knew better. What was next? She'd be in a much better situation if only she'd allow people to walk all over her more? He didn't understand her life any more than Emrys did, but at least Emrys adjusted. He didn't lie to her father for his own sake, although it most certainly had to be a little beneficial to him in some way. When she'd called him after getting stabbed he could have easily said he was busy and left her to her own devices. It was in that evening that she'd seen a different side to Emrys. One that suggested the spoiled star was more than capable of saving his own ass in her situation if he really had to. He had lied to her father effortlessly on her behalf, even if there was little to no benefit for him. Unless keeping her alive counted, but she doubted that. She knew she was very much replaceable. She was tempted to tell the man that she was flattered he claimed that saving her life was beneficial to Emrys, but she didn't exactly want the world to know. So she shrugged his words off and figured he was likely right up to some point. Every word he said did made it quite a bit more clear that this was a mistake.

He suggested setting herself up for pain would only make it hurt more because it was her fault. "Not just Emrys, mind you. All of them. It doesn't hurt more though. There's this odd thing where knowing what to expect and chasing that safety hurts a lot less than opening up and trusting somebody so much that when it turns out you were wrong your entire world is turned upside down and your heart shatters into so many pieces that there is nothing left to break. You pick up the dust, add glue and mold it into a shape resembling a heart and keep telling yourself it's close enough to feel something again. None of the pieces are in the right place of course and so it's barely functional, but it helps to pretend. With a heart that fragile it's about the same as blowing dust into the wind. If you don't shield yourself excessively, there's nothing left to recover." She didn't offer up her heart in a relationship because all they had to do was blow on it and it would be gone. It was far too great a risk to take.

The man looked like he was about to take a nap and she kind of wanted to violently attack him. Not that she ever would, but he was annoying and his reminder she hadn't introduced herself tasted like acid. So he was going to make a point of that and had already told Emrys she was here. No escape this time it seemed. She had absolutely no clue what he meant with apparating but maybe he was just in a cult. Stranger things had happened, especially since he was good friends with a guy that never seemed to shake his vampire stage persona. He was just missing the black robes and innane babbling in latin. "I was hoping to keep it that way." She muttered tersely. "But since you asked twice, it's Xantha. I normally make people ask three times but you get a discount for being friends with Emrys." She said and walked over to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. She was stressed and totally freaking out on the inside, even if she hid it better than expected. She grabbed the glass and filled it but clumsily ended up dropping it when she bumped into something. With a curse she grabbed a towel and began picking up the shards from between the water. She just hoped Emrys wasn't too attached to the glass.

@noah

[Deleted]

May 15, 2026
@xantha

Noah was sure there were moments when Emrys was capable of being selfless and actually doing something for another person. But that didn't mean he would believe someone if they ever told him Emrys had displayed that side either. Emrys was a selfish person and Noah would have to see it to believe otherwise. It also was no secret that Noah had a much stronger moral compass then his best friend. So, of course, he didn't condone Emrys' more questionable actions. He didn't stop Emrys either, though.

Noah stared at her as she seemed convinced that she wouldn't get hurt by her actions. His expression was unreadable and still, though his thoughts were one of disbelief. Throughout this conversation it had already been made clear that she was clearly a troubled girl, but even more so then he'd thought before her response. "Holding your hand over a candle will hurt the same, regardless of if you knew the flame was there before or not," he answered simply. The girl seemed quite.... unique to say the least. At least Emrys' playboy actions were because he had an extremely unhealthy sexual appetite and got easily bored. It wasn't because someone hurt him so he decided to let people keep hurting him. But at least now he understood why she was hear to see Emrys. If there was someone that was incapable of forming a romantic attachment and truly stay a "friends with benefits", it was Emrys.

Noah was quite comfortable on the couch. He'd napped on it a number of times before. Part of him was actually nervous about falling asleep with a virtual stranger in Emrys' apartment. BUt he'd trusted the girl with a key. If there was one thing Noah trusted Emrys' judgement on, it was people that got a key to the apartment. Emrys didn't give people a key easily. HE had to absolutely trust them to give them access to his home. "I didn't ask, I was simply stating a fact," he answered lazily, eyes still closed. Xantha was her name though. Definitely seemed to fit with the name she'd shared earlier of her sister. X in general was not a common letter for names but didn't sound too different for the wizarding world.

Suddenly there was a loud sound of shattering glass. Noah's eyes opened and he sat up, startled. He looked over just to see her grabbing a towel and cursing as she set to gathering up the pieces. He let out a slow breath to calm his racing nerves adn ran a hand through his hair. Why was she picking it up by hand? He got to his feet, crossing over to the kitchen. "Here, let me," he offered. He pulled out his wand from his pocket (a bad place to keep a wand, he knew). With a wave of his wand the glass seemed to shiver, before gathering itself together and reassembling itself.

[Deleted]

TW: vomit.

Was Xantha messed up in the head? Without a doubt. Did she mind it herself? Only occasionally. She was well aware of the many failings of her mind but it was a totally different thing between admitting it to herself and to the rest of the world. They were at least likely to listen, which was problematic in a way. If only she could admit it and not need to deal with the implications of that, her life would have been much simpler. He did the smart thing where he mentioned that holding ones hand over a candle would hurt regardless of knowing the flame was there. She smiled a bit of a sarcastic smile. "And that's why they invented heat proof gloves." She stated as if that solved the entire problem.

It was the moment he walked over when she dropped the glass that she wasn't aware her life was going to change, forever. He said to let him, grabbed a fancy stick and waved it about. Then the glass repaired itself. She blinked a few times as her brain squirmed in hopes of finding a way out of what she'd just seen. That was nothing short of impossible. She felt her stomach cramp up as the realisation began to hit. Magic wasn't real, except it was. She remembered being little and her sister dropping her favourite glass and screaming. The glance bounced on the floor in the most impossible ways but survived. She'd told her mother, but she'd been told it must have been a stroke of luck, or she remembered the wrong glass falling.

She remembered many tiny incidents similar to that where her parents had explained away the most insane and impossible things because those things simply couldn't be. She felt sick. Her parents had been gaslighting her, knowingly or not, for the first eleven or so years of her sisters life. Right up until she started that boarding school and her dad left and everything became a mess. She felt dizzy and sick. She looked down at her hands and realised she was shaking. She bit her lip as she looked over at Noah for a moment, shocked and without a doubt pale as a sheet. "My sister is a witch and I think I need to throw up." With that she darted upright and hung over the sink, emptying the contents of her stomach. The combination of all the various implications of that knowledge was just overwhelming her.

A short summary? Her dad left her behind because she wasn't magical but he clearly knew about Xena being magical. Emrys was likely a real vampire. Her mother knew her sister was a witch and never mentioned it either. Emrys was friends with this guy, a wizard? Warlock? What were male witches called? Did that mean that Emrys was also capable of performing magic? Was her mother in law a witch? Apart from evil step witch, the capable of performing actual magic witch? Was she allowed to know about this near cultist thing or had her mom not known? If her mom didn't know, did that mean her father was a witch too? Was witch even the appropriate term?

She felt even more dizzy. She took a small step back and sank down to the floor. At least there was nothing left to throw out. The pictures moved.... It wasn't advanced technology, was it? She glanced at Noah almost with a slow set of somebody overwhelmed and very sick. "They didn't.." But she couldn't manage to finish the sentence. Her mouth felt dry as she slowly came to wonder how many people in her life knew about magic. So many people that she never asked what school they went to. So many people that had just a few screws loose. "I need a drink." She said a bit weakly, speaking mostly to herself. She meant water of course because this seemed like the worst possible moment to get drunk. Maybe it was better to leave before Emrys got back, but she had no clue how to even walk right now. She just needed a few minutes.

@noah