jekyll & hide | vasilia

[rhys alexander greyback]

pleasure is a kind of pain

have i had enough?

August 26, 2027
vasilia abigail fortescue

Rhys felt terrible. Not in the sense that he’d done something wrong, but he just felt exhausted and with the urge to sleep for a few days and be left entirely alone. He wasn’t supposed to work on his birthday, but the full moon had been the week before, which had shifted everything. Quite inconvenient, to say the least—well, for other people anyway. Rhys didn’t care if he worked on his birthday, Christmas, or any holiday, though he didn’t dare miss his daughter’s first birthday. And Vasilia had been so excited to celebrate Rhys’ birthday, and he would indulge her just as he had done the year before.

He let the water run down his face, hoping it would wake him up. He probably looked about as good as he felt, but he’d muster through somehow. He always did in the end. But sometimes, Rhys was weary, even if he didn’t say it. It typically showed when he would finally snap over nothing, his irritability at a point where he just had to be left alone. But he hadn’t always been like this. It just felt like it. As he dressed and buttoned up his shirt, he saw messages on his phone screen. Vasilia asked where he was, and then he paused—or rather, his heart paused for a moment.

Somewhere between the time he’d first gotten a mobile device and the spiral into meeting Maria, Juniper had reappeared in his life. So, he had her number, but he’d completely forgotten. A heavy feeling grew in his chest, and as he chewed on the inside of his lip, brow furrowed, he finally swiped to clear the notification. It wasn’t something he would look at now. She had messaged him a few days prior, but he hardly checked his phone while working. Taking a deep breath, he tried to settle his nerves. He put his phone in his pocket and grabbed his things to head out.

But his nerves still felt a tad frayed, aside from the unexpected message this past job had been a nightmare. Idiot trainees caused a domino effect of things. They were lucky to have completed the job, and Rhys still felt sore despite the healing potions for taking an enchanted beam to the side and barely dodging a stone hitting his head. One trainee had been knocked unconscious by a wall, and Rhys didn’t want to think about it anymore. He wished he could think of it. Now all he thought about was why his ex-girlfriend was messaging him. It always left him terribly unbalanced.

Rhys appeared in front of the ice cream shop and walked around to the side to reach Vasilia’s apartment. If she wasn’t there as she told him, she would be he knew to check the bar. Part of him was hopeful she was there as he wanted nothing more than a glass of whiskey at the moment. But he took another breath and mustered up what energy he had as he knocked on the door.

template by vee

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

August 26, 2027
rhys alexander greyback

Vasilia had become quite used to Rhys' mood swings, as natural as every other aspect of his personality. While it was something that had bothered Vas initially, and caused some friction between the two, Vas had become quite adept at handling it. It was a part of Rhys, and just like every other aspect of him, he wouldn't he him without it. Sure, it could still be frustrating from time to time, it hadn't been an issue (at least in Vas' mind) for quite some time. Recently though, she felt like he'd been even moodier then before. She'd wondered if it was simply because of the opening of the university and the changed it brought to the curse breakers training (and thus caused headaches n Rhys' life as a mentor to those aspiring for the career). But there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that it was something else. Like a ghost hair, you could feel it but when you turned to look, or reached to grab it you came out empty handed.

Dwelling on those feelings did little good, however. So, Vasilia focused on something she could control. Her own work. It was August, and so it was time to switch to an autumn menu at the pub. Vasilia, someone her prided herself when it came to her taste, was always striving to keep the Violet Hound a place that was welcoming to regulars and new comers. Enough change to keep those that wanted something new returning, but stable enough for those that preferred stability and routine. With Rhys' birthday yesterday she hadn't been able to really focus on the menu change (as she'd been far to preoccupied ensuring Rhys had an amazing birthday).

Vasilia, seeking ideas, had taken to reading several food critic articles to see what was trending in the culinary world. She'd been so wrapped up in her reading that she'd almost missed the knock at the door. Realizing it could only be one person she immediately got up from the kitchen counter that was covered in the culinary magazines (a normal sight for Vas, she didn't seem to be the most organized when working. Her work space was often a chaotic mess that made little sense to anyone but herself), and hurried to the door, opening it with a warm smile. "Morning." she ushered him in. "Want me to put on some coffee?" she asked, noticing just how exhausted he looked.

[rhys alexander greyback]

pleasure is a kind of pain

have i had enough?

August 26, 2027
vasilia abigail fortescue

It took a moment for the door to open. Rhys could picture his girlfriend tripping over herself (and perhaps furniture) when the noise grabbed her attention. It was endearing, really. She was excitable in an innocent way, but Rhys appreciated it. Looking back, he supposed that was his style, just like when he’d sat down and taste-tested frosting samples that one year. If his trainees ever got word of that, they likely wouldn’t believe it. Or maybe they would and never let him live it down. There was nothing wrong with letting a trainee get knocked over by a harmless but charmed wooden beam to teach them to pay attention.

Rhys gave her that notable half grin of his. He’d done his best to take a deep breath and prepare himself for social interactions. Now, he wasn’t always successful, but it was better than what he used to do. Most of their fights (well, probably all of them) were fights that Rhys started. His temper would get the best of him, or he was in a bad mood and became snippy. Afterward was spent kicking himself and then diving into a bottle of whiskey at some other pub, usually with Rob. But sometimes, he just shook his head. It didn’t use to be this bad. Even with Juniper, he’d still been moody, temperamental, and closed off but never enough to cause significant problems. Well, he wasn’t sure since she just up and left him one day.

That message was still on his mind. She hadn’t texted him on his birthday in years, and this was certainly out of the blue. ”Morning.” Rhys responded, walking in, and after she closed the door, he slipped an arm loosely around her and pulled her toward him. Gently, of course. He’d only had to carry her out of the pub twice. ”Coffee sounds nice.” He responded before leaning down to kiss her. Despite his mood, he had missed her, of course. Rhys always missed her when he was away for that long of a time. It was nice to have his little family to come home to. Plus, he knew he had to muster up the energy, and later he could spend the rest of the day with a bottle of whiskey.

template by vee

[vasilia abigail fortescue]

August 26, 2027
rhys alexander greyback

Vasilia grinned up at him, moving in close as he reached out to wrap an arm around her waist. She felt like she'd always been an affectionate person before, and not one to shy away from showing affection through physical touch, but she particularly loved the way Rhys' arm fit so well around her waist. She wrapped her own arms around his waist and raised on her tip toes just a touch to meet the kiss. Morning kisses were another thing she'd learn to greatly love. Her usual grin returned after the kiss as she pulled away. "I'll put some on now," she answered, quickly moving to the kitchen to the coffee maker.

"Sorry for the mess, I got a bit distracted this morning," she commented over her shoulder as she worked. She made sure to get down two mugs, because everyone knew Vas practically survived on coffee. As the coffee brewed she moved to the counter, quickly swiping up all the magazines into a stack, though it resembled more like a pile. Again, she wasn't the most organized of people. Thank heavens she wasn't in a field where her organizational skills her much needed.

[rhys alexander greyback]

pleasure is a kind of pain

have i had enough?

August 26, 2027
vasilia abigail fortescue

Reluctantly, Rhys loosened his arm and let Vasilia walk away to brew coffee. People were naturally confused with Rhys. One moment, he was losing his mind because he was stuck in a crowd, people bumping into him. Or even people sitting too close made felt suffocating. And yet nothing about standing close to a woman at a pub threatened him. He’d always chalked it up to just a comfort level. His friends hardly received adverse reactions, and when dating Juniper, Rhys felt calm and comfortable. Much like how Vasilia made him feel now, but there was still more to it than that. As Maria could attest, there was a part of Rhys that very much craved that physical contact.


The full moon had passed the week before, but he still felt agitated. Usually, it was easy for Rhys to approach Vas while she was preparing coffee, for example, and slip his arm around her waist again and make her forget what she was doing. Rhys didn’t much feel like talking, but Vas’ headstrong ways would probably keep brushing him off until she’d done everything she wanted to for his birthday. ”Seems fine to me.” Rhys hardly kept his flat immaculate. Especially with a child running around. He took time to reorganize his bookshelf, putting anything valuable or dangerous on the higher shelves that Charlotte couldn’t reach. Merlin help him if she learned to climb.

And Vasilia never stopped, so naturally, her path sometimes looked like a force of nature passed through. Rhys picked up one of the magazines farthest from the pile. A food magazine, he wasn’t surprised. ”Menu changes?” It was that time of year, wasn’t it? Rhys never knew exactly when things happened, but at least the gist of it. Or he tried to remember since other things typically took over in his mind, or he wasn’t around long enough to commit these things to memory.

template by vee