tartarus [sienna/rhys]

[EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK]

Late August 2026

After days of uncompromising heat, Rob should have been grateful for the rain that had blanketed London the past twenty four hours. But it only matched his dark mood, the depths of which he'd been lost in since he'd broken up with Lyra two days ago. He hadn't moved much from the sofa, eyes glazed as he stared unseeing at the telly that he'd had on constantly to drown out the silence of the flat. He'd gotten used to Lyra's constant pottering around, her sudden bursts of thought that she simply had to speak aloud no matter where she was.

Missing her was blue, like a puncture on his soul. Rob felt empty and broken, and had barely been able to eat. Anger had given way to desolation, and while Rob still stood by his arguments, he now thought perhaps he had overreacted. But it didn't matter now - surely Lyra was loving her freedom to do as she pleased. To duel to her hearts content, to flirt and win over those who had backed her. Rob growled without meaning to. Thinking along those lines made him even more desolate.

There was a gentle tapping on the window in the kitchen, and Rob slowly twisted his head to look at the handsome brown owl there. It took all of his strength just to rearrange his splayed limbs so they could hold his weight, and sulked over to the window, throwing it open and taking the letter from the leg of the owl. He considered tossing it to the side with his other mail that he hadn't bothered to open, but there was a certain heft to this official looking envelope. With a frown, he tore it open, and something metallic clinked onto the counter top. A medal? Rob glanced over the contents of the letter. Apparently, he and Sienna had been awarded an Order of Merlin, Second Class for their contributions to Aware Wolf. But rather than feeling proud, Rob felt even more empty. Lyra's life could have been so much easier with Aware Wolf. He remembered her trepidation around the product, but he hadn't forced it on her.

Tossing the letter to the side, Rob shuffled back to the sofa to resume his silent vigil in front of the television.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Late August 2026

“Gargoyles, I’m ready for the weekend,” Si complained as she shut the door and leaned against it with a groan. There was nobody there to hear her except her cat, who blinked at her slowly before curling up and going back to sleep. Si rolled her eyes but didn't bother her anymore, craning her neck instead to see if Hel was home. Sienna could see a light from under Hel’s door that suggested her roommate was indeed there, although maybe watching a show on her laptop or listening to some music. At any rate, Si dropped her bag onto the couch and stumbled to the kitchen. She hunted through the fridge for a while before shrugging and pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice. There was an open bottle of wine on the counter, and it was ridiculously tempting, but…full moon season was coming up and that was always the busiest time for the potioneers of Slug and Jigger’s. Si would definitely be working late tonight.

Aware Wolf had gotten big, and fast. After a year of trials, and even longer under R&D, the potion had finally been approved and the patents had been accepted. That meant they could sell it at the apothecary, and at St. Mungo’s, and even stock the shelves of the werewolf clinic in Horizont Alley. That meant more werewolves could take it than the few who’d signed waivers and joined the testing process. That meant Aware Wolf could make a real difference in the lives of the United Kingdom’s werewolf population…but it also meant an insane amount of work for its two creators. And, Sienna reminded herself, she still had to get Rhys a gift. Probably a bottle of whiskey, definitely with a note that said something like ‘Thanks for believing in us and agreeing to the possibility of maybe growing a third eye back when we weren’t sure what it would do.’ He’d been there since the very beginning, and none of their success now would have been possible without him.

Si spotted the precarious pile of letters on the end table, and sighed a little. The post must’ve come while she was out, and she was tempted to just leave it for another day. But no, she could practically hear Rob’s voice in her head telling her to check for something interesting or important. The man loved getting the post more than should be socially acceptable, and Sienna had missed things before because she’d been too lazy to check. So Si waved her wand lazily and watched the pile of letters zoom into her lap. One felt much bulkier than the others, so she frowned a little as she pulled it out of the pile and cut it open neatly. She wrinkled her nose in confusion at the gold medal that slid out, then scanned the letter. Letting out a startled and delighted scream, Si shot to her feet and ignored the meow of complaint from her cat. “Heleen!” she shrieked, waving the letter around excitedly as she rushed to give her roommate the good news. Then she immediately called Rob, making a small ‘tsk’ sound as the call went immediately to voicemail. “Call me back right away!” she squealed as she left a message, then shot him a text.

But that had been two days ago, and she hadn’t seen or heard from Rob since then. Now, Sienna was used to covering for him at the apothecary during the full moon, but that wasn’t the case here and that meant she was worried. And desperate to see whether he’d gotten the news. An Order of Merlin for significant contributions to wizarding society. Because of Aware Wolf! Because of their teamwork and hard work and all those long nights agonizing over the process of inventing a potion! But Si was worried now, because it was strange for Rob to stay out of contact for so long. Something had to be wrong, so she Apparated to his apartment and tried knocking. No answer. Fine, she had a key for emergency situations and an Order of Merlin of any class certainly counted as one. She let herself in but stopped short after crossing the threshold. Merlin, it looked like a hurricane had hit and left behind a mess. The television was on, and Rob’s stock-still figure was sat in front of it like it had just told him his grandma died. “Rob!” she called out, although her earlier excitement was tinged with concern now at the worrying scene. Si forced a bright smile on her face as she moved to stand in front of her partner, blocking his view of the television (although his glassy eyes told her he wasn’t watching anyway). “Don’t tell me I actually checked the post before you for once,” she teased, although the smile fell off her face and the letter hung limply in her hand as she studied his complete lack of reaction. “Merlin, Rob…what's going on?”

EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK

[EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK]

The past two days had passed in a blur, the difference between light and dark lost on Rob. It was like he had ceased to exist, but simply was drifting along, buffeted by the winds of change. Life without Lyra was not a life at all, though the constant buzzing in Rob’s head didn’t allow him to think much on his decision. The reality was that he’d needed to do so - she hadn’t taken his worries seriously. Now they both had to face the consequences. And while Rob was suffering, maybe Lyra would have some sense knocked into her. In the meantime, this mindless, droning, not-quite-existence would be the way forward.

There was an insistent knocking on the door, but Rob didn’t get up. Whoever it was would get tired and go away eventually. He didn’t have the energy to deal with people. He hadn’t even been going into the apothecary, which he did feel a bit guilty about. He’d avoided everyone and everything, instead wallowing in a distant world of desperation. He vaguely realised that someone was unlocking the door rather than retreating, but still, Rob didn’t move. He remained staring glumly at the telly, lost in the buzzing of his mind.

Sienna burst through the doorway and after a few moments, Rob looked over at her with the same vacant stare. Her words took longer than usual to process in his head, and his lips turned downwards slightly. The excitement seemed to drain out of her as she realised that something was very, very wrong. Sienna’s usual teasing manner fell flat as Rob said nothing in response. Sienna’s smile - that beautiful smile that had enraptured Rob for so long before Lyra had been flung haphazardly into his life - slid off her face and concern replaced it. A letter hung limply in Sienna’s hand, and Rob glanced briefly at it, knowing that he didn’t care about the contents.

”Lyra and I split up.” Even speaking the words aloud now, it didn’t seem real. It was too painful. While Rob knew in his mind that it was the right thing to do, it was still as heartbreaking as ever. Tears pricked at the back of his eyes and Rob set his jaw, determined not to cry in front of the girl he had once loved.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

Rob didn’t need to speak to inform Sienna that something was very, very wrong – because this lifeless figure slumped on the couch, that usual spark in his eyes extinguished as he stared vaguely into the empty space in front of him? That wasn’t her partner. Rob was always full of life, dimples on clear display as he dazzled everyone around him with his easy smile and passion for everything he did. Working at an apothecary had its obvious drawbacks – long hours spent alone in the back, hunched over a cauldron while attempting to decipher a sloppy recipe or deliver a particularly complicated order for a picky client. But Rob had always made it easier, playing music for them to nod along to while they worked and making jokes about all their regulars that passed through every week. And Aware Wolf would have been an insurmountable goal to tackle alone, but their partnership and the heaps of talent between them had made it possible. More than possible – a reality.

His simple explanation hung in the air between them, and Si sighed heavily as she moved to sit on the cushion beside him. Morgana’s staff, break-ups were the worst. It felt like both ages had passed and yet no time at all since her last break-up, when she’d spent her evenings crying over Gus and her days monotonously working at the apothecary and trying to forget about him. And her lips pulled into a frown at the thought that Rob had been processing his own alone. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t say anything else for a while, instead just slipping her hand into his and squeezing tightly so he knew he didn’t have to be alone, at least for that moment. It was his instinct to pull away – a byproduct of that werewolf attack that had convinced Rob for so long that he was a monster and therefore a danger to people. Si knew, when they’d first started Aware Wolf, that it had been with different motivations in mind. Somewhere along the way, she hoped it had turned into something with less self-loathing for him.

Finally, after a little longer sitting in silence, Sienna sighed slightly again as she chose her next words carefully. She tilted her head so she could look at him, even if he was turned away, and her voice was earnest as she spoke. “But Rob, this thing,” Si began, turning the heavy medal over in her free hand before letting it drop to the cushion next to her, “This is so much bigger than just us. This is for all those werewolves that never had steady access to Wolfsbane, right?” They’d gone over its flaws so many times – how expensive the potion was, how many doses it required for the full week before the full moon. It wasn’t easily accessible, or easy to make at all, and that made so many lives more difficult as werewolves struggled to balance their limitations with the normal life they deserved. Si didn't have to be a werewolf to want to help, and potions was more than just a job for her. But they’d gone over it so many times that Sienna didn’t need to say it again now. Instead, she pulled out her phone as she pointed out, “This award isn’t the end of it either, we’re not nearly done yet. And they still need you. And…you know who we have to call first, right?” Si knew about Rob's tendencies to withdraw from the world, and if past experience wasn't enough to teach her that then the last two days had certainly shown it. But it wasn't healthy, and it wasn't right. They'd just accomplished their biggest dream, a time where they should be celebrating and planning for what would come next. And it was a shame to see Rob missing it all. She unlocked her phone and pulled up the contact that she had saved as ‘Grumpy.’ Their first test subject and, really, the only reason they’d been able to turn their idea into a potion. He deserved to know first, and he might be a better source of comfort than Si anyway - given the complicated history between her and Rob.

EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK

[EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK]

Was Sienna an apparition? Rob almost would have believed it, yet he realised his mind couldn't conjure up a single happy thought, and therefore his friend's appearance in his living room had to be a reality. He'd been so caught up in the sullen way of the world, Rob had completely blanked the reason why Sienna could be here. She didn't know Lyra at all, and therefore couldn't know about their split. That was taking up his entire mind, having kept Rob sedentary on the couch, only moving for toilet breaks and when his stomach growled so incessantly, he stuffed a bit of toast down his throat.

Glancing up, Rob's mournful eyes met Sienna's. Yet she held no pity for him, nor did she have the patience for his sadness. In a way, she was so like Heleen, but so different as well. After a long moment, Sienna voiced her sorrow, curling into his side and taking his hand. She said nothing more, and nor did Rob. There wasn't anything left to say. They'd known each other for years, a relationship that had morphed into a beautiful and successful partnership. Rob didn't need Sienna to speak to know that she too understood. After all, she'd gone through the same thing months and months ago.

At last, Sienna broke the silence, and Rob looked up to see her bright eyes trained on him. He couldn't muster the energy for whatever she was saying, but it drifted through his mind as if by accident. He was confused for a moment, before he realised that she held a letter in her hand, and remembered the news he'd gotten. They'd been awarded for their work on Aware Wolf. Something that ordinarily would have brought him such joy and pride was like a drop in the ocean of pain and he was drowning. Rob swallowed, finding his voice. "It... doesn't feel real," said Rob, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Nothing feels real, Si," he added after a moment, meeting her gaze again. "I never though... this would happen." He sighed, running his fingers through his mussed hair.

It was like Sienna was slowly dripping life back into him. Though his cheeks didn't flood with colour, Rob was aware for the first time of what a mess he must have looked. "How will we keep production speeds up?" asked Rob after a moment, shifting slightly away from Sienna. He frowned at her intention - Rob knew she wanted to call Rhys. Another friend of his, but one that had suffered nearly as much as him. "There will still be pain, but not because of the transformation," said Rob at long last. With a faint squeeze, Rob dropped Sienna's hand and rose from the sofa. "Call him. Let me shower. We can... we can talk," said Rob, even though he wanted to wallow and be sad, he knew he had to do this. If not for himself, then for Sienna and Rhys.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee
rhys alexander greyback (I imagine can just be like rhys got the call and we jump ahead to le pub?)

[rhys alexander greyback]

We'll fall blindly

through the fairy tale endings

Late August 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee
EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK

Rhys awoke abruptly at the sound of his phone buzzing against the wood of his coffee table. For a moment, he was in a daze, trying to remember where he was and what was happening. But the phone kept buzzing, and he grabbed it and answered it. ”Hello?” Rhys’ throat was dry, and he cleared it. ”No, I’m awake.” It took him an extra millisecond, but he recognized Sienna’s voice on the other end. Sitting up, he turned, so his feet were planted on the ground, and he rubbed his eyes as he responded with mere grunts rather than words. ”Alright.” She was asking him to meet her and Rob at a pub and, well, he wasn’t going to say no to that.

Hanging up the phone, he tossed it aside and let his eyes adjust to the incoming light of the window. What time was it? Immediately he could see a glass of whiskey on the table, still full. Odd. It wasn't like him to leave whiskey untouched before falling asleep somewhere in his flat. But then he remembered that he was absolutely exhausted. So exhausted that he hadn’t even had a nightmare in days, which, while a relief, only meant that he was that tired. Grabbing the glass, he drank the entirety of its contents before shuffling to his room for a quick shower and a fresh shirt.

Now that he felt almost human, he picked up his phone from the couch, seeing messages from various people. Nothing urgent. Maria reminded Rhys to pick up things from the shops before the week’s end. Vasilia checking in on him, Renfri asking for her flask back, and other sorts of messages. But he’d get to them later. For the next month, at least, he wasn’t due back at the bank. Exiting his flat, he apparated and appeared in front of the pub entering its doors and trying to see the familiar faces. So far, the only familiar faces he saw were the bartenders, who nodded, and Rhys nodded back before taking a seat at a table that would seat all of them. While he waited, he pulled out his phone and responded to messages, pausing at one of Maria’s because at the angle she had taken the picture—his daughter’s eyes were the same stormy blue of his own. Stormy and turbulent, and yet she’d only been on this planet almost a month, not a trouble in the world. Glancing up, he saw different blue eyes, Sienna’s, followed by Rob.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

There was a part of Sienna that wondered if she was making the right choice, pushing this now and forcing Rob to leave his flat for a while. He looked like he was in mourning, and what with breaking up after an intense relationship – well, Sienna understood the impulse to hide from the world. She also tended to push people away, and her impulse to keep secrets and avoid sharing about herself wasn’t something that could be changed so easily. But it was exactly the fact that she and Rob shared those bad habits that made her push so hard, because she knew it would be a long time before he started to do so for himself. And as he slowly came back to life, he asked good questions – about maintaining their production rate, scaling up the whole operation now that they’d suddenly become so well-known.

But those details would be for later, after they’d informed Rhys and had a proper celebration. It had also been some time since Sienna had heard from the cursebreaker, but that at least didn’t worry her for once. He’d just had a baby, so it was natural to drop off the face of the earth for a while. Still, managing these boys and their bad habits was like herding cats sometimes, definitely a full-time job, and Si sighed slightly as she entered the pub with Rob trailing behind her. She spotted Rhys almost immediately, looking at home at one of the tables although conspicuously without his trademark bottle of whiskey nearby. Sienna nudged Rob slightly to sit down while she went to the bar to order, balancing three shots in her hands as she eventually sat down across from Rhys. There was something bizarre about being the one pushing the others so hard to meet at the pub, but between Rob’s slouched posture and the lines of exhaustion in Rhys’s face – well, it wasn’t the most festive atmosphere...but they’d get there.

“Now that’s the look of a new father,” Si commented with a smile as she slid a shot glass over to Rhys. She paused a moment before placing the third one in front of Rob, running a hand over his shoulder in sympathy and letting it linger there a moment before pulling away. “We’re, uh, here to celebrate,” Si explained as her worried gaze paused on Rob for a moment before glancing back at Rhys. There were a lot of big events happening this summer – Rhys’s new baby (and Sienna was dying to see pictures), his birthday (which he probably usually spent in pubs anyway), and now the fantastic news about Aware Wolf. Which Rhys still didn’t know about yet. It would just be easier to show him the letter, so Si carefully pulled the envelope out from her bag and slid it over for Rhys to look over. As for Rob’s news…he could share as much as he wanted at his own pace. It was never really something he and Sienna had talked about before, although on her end she’d always made a point of not discussing her relationships with Rob. And it’d been some time since she’d last seen Rhys – so there was plenty of catching up to do beyond the fun task of dissecting why relationships always seemed to fail. Sienna didn't want to be insensitive, wanted to give Rob the chance to process, but Merlin she was so excited it was everything not to vibrate in her seat. It was every potioneer's biggest dream to make a difference with their potions, and after so many years of hard work...was it wrong to acknowledge how far they'd come?

EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK
rhys alexander greyback

[EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK]

As if by some sort of unspoken promise, Rob rose from the sofa and promised Sienna he would take a shower. There hadn't been a specific moment in which the spell upon him broke him from his misery. In fact, he was most certainly not broken from his misery. His heart was heavy, his eyes stinging from unspent tears. But Rob knew that Sienna would help. Just as he had done for her all those months ago when she and Gus had broken up. Silently, Rob prayed that the destruction of his own relationship wasn't as permanent as the one between Si and Gus.

The hot water nearly scaled Rob as he stepped under the stream, letting rivulets drop down his chest. He closed his eyes, pressing his forearms and forehead to the wall. Lyra's betrayal stung still, and swum around his mind like a plague. But tiny bits were breaking through - Sienna was in his living room, they'd just won an award for their contribution to wizardkind. And, now that he thought about it, Rhys had just had a birthday. Rob had been too caught up in his own issues to even think of anyone else. He cringed, making quick work of the rest of his shower before changing into fresh clothes for the first time in three days and joining Sienna. A heavy weight rested on his shoulders still, but somehow he felt capable of facing the world.

Sienna and Rob pushed their way into the pub, escaping the torrential downpour of a summer in London. Rob shook his shaggy head, droplets flying every which way. Sienna spotted Rhys first, sitting by himself at a table. Rob tried to fix a grin on his face, but failed. He slouched over to the table, saying nothing as he let Sienna do the talking. The buzzing silence stretched between the two friends as Sienna went off to get drinks. She passed each boy a shot, and Rob sunk his immediately. "We'll need more," he said gruffly, rising abruptly from the table and heading towards the bar.

Rob was half tempted to ask to buy the whisky outright. He could certainly use it to dull his pain. Instead, he ordered three more double whiskies and a bottle of wine. Because why not? Rob returned to the table with his purchases just as Sienna passed Rhys the letter about the Order of Merlin. "Celebrate indeed," said a morose Rob, taking a long sip of his whisky and glaring down at the table. Why had he agreed to come out again? He glanced up at his two friends, both of whom were eyeing him warily. Rob swallowed his pride and his sour attitude. "Mate, happy birthday. And how is the little one?" asked Rob, not completely forcing the questions out. "Sorry I've been shit the past few days. Er... Lyra and I split up, actually," said Rob at last, his gaze falling once more to the table.

rhys alexander greyback
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[rhys alexander greyback]

We'll fall blindly

through the fairy tale endings

Late August 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee
EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK

Sienna sat down and pushed a shot in front of him. His eyes glanced down and then back up to her, a bit of suspicion in his eyes. Si had always been creative in finding ways to get Rhys to stop drinking, not that they ever worked. But now she was bringing him one. However, the expression on Rob’s face only added to his suspicion. To put it bluntly, he looked terrible and worse off than even Rhys was at that moment. However, the shot didn’t seem to be enough for Rob, and Rhys mentally agreed with his old friend. Plus, Maria had Charlotte, so Rhys wasn’t planning on being entirely purposefully sober if he could help it. But he didn’t know what they were celebrating. The only thing that came to mind was his birthday, but Rhys hardly ever made a spectacle of it. At least he let Vasilia do all that.

Rob returned with more whiskey and some wine, which would have to do, he supposed. And then the natural question—questions about his daughter. Rhys picked up his phone and opened it to the picture he’d been looking at before they arrived, not even realizing how his face and eyes changed and lit up. ”Good. Keeps me up all night, but it's okay.” He placed the phone on the table and pushed it toward them, looking at Rob after. Honestly, Rhys had never been one to put much emphasis on his birthday. It only created unmet expectations as a child, and he had kept that mindset since. But, it appeared that Rob had a good excuse to miss it. ”Sorry to hear it.” While Rob was a good friend of Rhys, he had also gotten to know Lyra a bit more. Another werewolf in the pack, but it explained why he looked to be in such a sorry state.

Unfortunately, Rhys wasn’t one for too many words, let alone figuring out what to say to console his friend. It didn’t feel that long ago that he was learning about Sienna and her breakup as well. It happened to all of them at some point, it seemed. Though Rob had helped Rhys get properly wasted when he was certain Vasilia had dumped him, numbing all that pain for that moment. ”It’s a good thing whiskey exists.” Rhys pushed one of the glasses in front of Rob before looking back to Sienna. ”What are we celebrating anyway?” Celebrating seemed at odds with Rob’s state, but Rhys made a note to talk to him more later.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

It was the way of the world – good news and bad news usually happened in pairs, and the whiplash could be enough to send you reeling if you weren’t careful. It had always been like that in Sienna’s life too, and she’d decided a long time ago to focus on the good and pretend the bad hadn’t happened. It wasn’t quite healthy, wasn’t quite mature, but it worked. Got her through the day-to-day, at least, and she could be grateful enough for that not to question the system much. Rob looked dead to the world, and although he’d slowly started to come back to life…well, it would be a long time before he was anywhere near okay. And somehow Sienna had become the unofficial therapist for many of her friends, listening intently as they worked through their problems – but she didn’t want to hear Rob talk about Lyra. Didn’t want to dwell much on yet another failed relationship.

Instead she let herself enjoy the way Rhys seemed to glow as he thought about his new daughter and scrolled through pictures on his phone. Sienna snatched it up as Rhys slid it across the table before Rob could move, cooing over the little baby with the same shade of startling blue eyes as her father. “I should start charging you for these Calming Draughts,” Sienna decided as she kept her eyes glued to the phone. She certainly made enough of them for Rhys on a monthly basis, although after the charged conversation they’d had about their mothers all those months ago…it had opened a new chapter in their friendship. Helped Si realize how his early memories had shaped Rhys, and what fueled him. So she supposed she could cut him a break, now that he’d found his new purpose and all. “But, I’ll settle for an introduction. What’s her name?”

Naturally, the proposed solution to all of Rob’s woes was whiskey, but for once Sienna didn’t fight Rhys on it. She wanted to celebrate properly tonight, and didn’t much care for responsible thoughts like minding her limits. Not tonight. Instead she took Rhys’s question as an opportunity to let herself smile and show just a fraction of the excitement that had been her constant companion these last two days. Her imagination had run wild with the implications of what the award would mean, both for them as potioneers and for werewolf society as a whole. “Aware Wolf,” Si responded eagerly, “And winning an Order of Merlin.” She bumped Rob’s shoulder with her own and slowly slid Rhys’s phone back across the table towards him. She picked up one of the glasses Rob had ordered, although the excitement to spill all the news kept her from focusing on it too much. “It’ll be brilliant, think how many werewolves this can reach now,” Si gushed, her eyes faraway and alight with all the possibilities.

EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK
rhys alexander greyback

[EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK]

Rob struggled to muster the energy to be excited for Rhys' new addition, but Sienna graciously managed that all on her own. Rhys wasn't a man of many words, but still managed a feeble apology. He knew that Rhys had been warming to Lyra, a herculean task in its own right, with both so stubborn, only to have the news of their split. Rob remained silent for some time, only nodding in agreement to Rhys' typical solution. Rob suspected that all the whisky in the world wouldn't be able to fix his troubles, but it was better to be numb than in pain.

Sienna piped up eagerly as to why they were celebrating, and Rob let her steer the conversation. He managed a half smile that looked a bit more like a grimace than anything. He wondered if he should have ordered prosecco instead of the wine, since they were celebrating. But that was in the past now. Sienna was bright and vibrant and Rob found himself staring at her rather longer than he should have. There was just something incredibly special about her. How could she be so lovely and happy all the time? At least Rob's sour mood would never have any effect on her.

"I can't believe we won an award for it," said Rob at last, taking a deep drink of whisky. "Really, it was your brain child, I just helped a bit. You deserve the award and so much more," said Rob. "We're hoping to penetrate the market and do some guerilla tactics, we've been speaking to Blishwick about it. If there's anyone who knows how to market a product, it's that man," said Rob, finding his voice more and more the more alcohol he consumed. "Thanks to you, mate. We couldn't have done anything without you being our test subject. All that pain and agony for a real breakthrough."

rhys alexander greyback
Sienna Aurélie Linslee

[rhys alexander greyback]

We'll fall blindly

through the fairy tale endings

Late August 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee
EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK

Rhys was briefly reminded of his existence after that last conversation—or fight, rather, with Deva. The subsequent days he’d spent in a drunken haze that culminated in blacking out and waking up, ironically, in Vasilia’s flat. She’d taken pity on him. All he could do was wonder was what he’d done to deserve such kindness. Such things were painful, even for those who didn’t wear their hearts on their sleeves. Sienna grabbed his phone quickly at the photos he was amassing of his daughter. Half of it was the disbelief he still had at fatherhood and how such a thing could ever happen to him. Well, most were not actually surprised that he was now a father, but Rhys was still in shock at how things were changing for him. And in a good way.

”Charlotte…” Rhys spoke, a small grin creeping onto his face unknowingly. ”After my mother.” His eyes connected with Sienna’s for a second before he looked away. They’d had that conversation long ago about family and their early lives. Things Rhys rarely shared with anyone, really. Still, he knew they hadn’t invited him here to celebrate the changes in Rhys’ life, and he gave both his friends a curious look as they mentioned Aware Wolf. But then his eyes grew wide for a moment in shock. ”An Order of Merlin?” Rhys repeated. That was honestly the last thing he expected, not that it wasn’t deserving, but those weren’t handed out all that often.

Well, that was something Rhys could drink to, and for once, Sienna probably agreed. Well, if all the pain and suffering and nightmares had helped create something worthy of this award, then Rhys was glad he could help. He drank about half his glass, telling himself it was to celebrate, but the burn felt nice. Unfortunately, he’d been drinking far less than usual, which was also adding to his weariness. ”I just—congratulations.” Rhys grinned. Of course, he had to tell his siblings about it and Vasilia—though he was sure it would end up in the paper. Looking at both Sienna and then Rob, he spoke again. ”I didn’t do a lot—you both did the real work.” And that was true. All Rhys had to do was drink a potion and write down some things.

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[Sienna Aurélie Linslee]

It wasn’t quite the same festive atmosphere that Si had seen in this pub before (their last New Year’s party had been on another level), but the intimate conversation almost made it better. Rhys and Rob had become two of the people Sienna saw most, thanks to the apothecary and their work together on Aware Wolf. And with Rhys, even if it had started as a simple research relationship (with plenty of uncomfortable medical questionnares), it was easy to decide that they’d crossed into friendship territory a long time ago. Understanding dawned on Si’s face as Rhys took his phone back and explained his daughter’s name. It had been hard to hear what he remembered of his mother and how she’d been taken away, and even harder to admit her own turbulent family history. And the agonizing awareness that she would never have any memories of her mother, or know anything about her besides what little her dad was willing to share.

But it had brought the two closer, and now it was quite exciting to think that they had a friendship that existed outside the apothecary too (even if Rhys could be a total grinch when he didn’t want to wear a Christmas sweater). “I bet she’d love that,” Si said, matching Rhys’s smile with one of her own. She could have spent the rest of the night cooing over baby pictures (and that was a tempting thought), but she found her gaze sliding from Rhys to Rob (and lingering far longer than it should) as Rhys spluttered his congratulations for their award. He did have a point, at least – Rob and Si were a killer team, and it’d always been that way. Even at Beauxbatons, when Si had worked so hard to impress Rob and show she wasn’t only his little sister’s friend. “A bit?” Si repeated with an incredulous smile at Rob. “Like you haven’t taught me most of what I know about potions. And put yourself in more danger by actually trying our first batch. Remember it sparked a little? Like a 'tub of electricity.'” She accompanied the last statement with air quotes and a smile. Once she got started, the compliments flowed easily from Si. Rob was always so hard on himself, and he needed someone to remind him sometimes how brightly she shined. And Sienna had always been eager to do that for him.

She nodded along as Rob started to explain some of the marketing tactics to Rhys, because she really didn’t know anything about it. But Rob seemed to, and Jimbo Blishwick definitely did. “I’m leaving the marketing to them, for the most part. Just had to veto the pink potion idea, you know how hard it is to add color?” Si shook her head and downed the rest of her drink. The backroom of Slug and Jigger’s had already turned into an unofficial bar while Sienna had worked out how to mix the potion with whiskey. That was a special favor for Rhys, and there was literally no way she’d put herself through it again because ‘pink was more eye-catching.’ The potion was already a deep shade of purple, which in Si’s opinion looked much more soothing. “Anyway, can we stop arguing about who did the real work and accept that everybody was an essential part of this operation?” Sienna accompanied that with a wide grin as she added, “This is the dream team. We're stuck with each other forever now.”

EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK
rhys alexander greyback

[EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK]

Rob let his mind drift as Sienna and Rhys spoke quietly about the baby. He thought he'd had everything figured out, or was at least on the way to it. But the disrespectful manner with which Lyra had completely disregarded his concern had shattered that image. With a grimace, Rob took a long drink and mumbled something about not being nearly as useful as Sienna had been.

"True. It was bloody awful," he conceded with a frown, remembering the jolts of electricity that leaped from his insides. "Got there in the end though." Rob was painfully aware of Sienna's eyes lingering on him, and he refused to meet her intense, electric gaze. If he did, he knew he would be in trouble as he always had been before. Forcing a smile onto his face, Rob motioned over his shoulder for the bartender to keep the drinks flowing. The more he drank, the more he would forget about the festering wound that had been his mate. "Do you reckon we can get people to do ridiculous things for us now that we're basically knighted?" asked Rob, finally meeting Sienna's eyes with a crooked grin. "Sir Rob has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" He smirked, shaking his head.

"It just feels so surreal. Like, you know my mum Si. But Rhys, she always thought I could do better. That I should do better. That I was wasting my time. Well, Jitske hasn't got an Order of Merlin any class," said Rob smugly. His relationship with his mother was a sore subject for Rob, and his older sister was no better. "I know as like... an adult... I shouldn't care so much but for some reason I do." He frowned, looking back down at the table. "She'll be even happier that it went to you, Si. She always did love you so much," he added, a bit more sharply than he ought to have.

Sienna Aurélie Linslee
rhys alexander greyback

[rhys alexander greyback]

We'll fall blindly

through the fairy tale endings

Late August 2026
Sienna Aurélie Linslee
EPKE ROBERTUS OPPEDYK

Rhys didn’t answer, only offering a slight grin. His experience over the summer as he recovered from that incident in the temple still haunted him slightly. The mere memory was enough to give him goosebumps still, and it left him fearful and yet yearning to see his mother again, even if it wasn’t real. But, he’d also not told anyone of what happened except for his sister Max. Rhys had briefly thought of telling Sienna. She knew so much about him and things he didn’t usually tell anyone, yet he’d stopped himself. Plus, this was hardly the occasion when they were supposed to be celebrating.

”Sparked?” Rhys asked with a concerned eyebrow raise. Considering the first potion he’d taken had hit him harder than he’d expected—Rhys could only imagine what the batches before that were like. That would have been enough to scare him away despite Rob asking for his help. A waitress came by the table with a fresh round of drinks, and Rhys hastily finished his glass to accommodate the new one. The decision to curb his whiskey intake while he had Charlotte had been an easy one, but it didn’t make it all that fun. Rhys simply caught up on days like this when she was with her mother. ”I am not calling you that.” Rhys clarified, his glass quickly half empty.

Rob spoke of his mother and family expectations. Things that Rhys knew nothing about, at least not in that same context. But it was always a challenge to push against what people expected of you or prove otherwise. But Sienna commented it was a group effort, though Rhys still disagreed. He was merely a test subject while Sienna and Rob had done all the hard work of creating and researching a potion. ”You could tell them it's ‘Sir Rob’ now.” Rhys suggested. Many of his friends had siblings, and he’d always been curious how none of them interacted in the same ways. Rhys still hardly felt that he’d played that much of a part in comparison, but he didn’t argue.

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