Fate's Tangled Thread [Rhys]

[juniper minerva mcgonagall]

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November 16th, 2023
First Task of the Triwizard Tournament

The champions for the Triwizard Tournament had been announced only two weeks prior, and while the chosen Hogwarts student was a member of the Weasley family, it was the Durmstrang champion that had drawn the most attention from she and Rhys. He was a Greyback. And proudly wearing the name too. The late evening edition of the Daily Prophet that had been sent out to all of its readers the second the announcement had been made had, quite frankly, shocked Juniper to her core. Despite her department having their hands in everything tournament related for months now, she had never had access to the roster of students being brought by the other two schools. For safety reasons, of course. Now she wished she had known, because she could have given Rhys a heads up. They had planned to attend the first task as it was, and now there were more stakes involved in it.

Rhys had managed to meet Elias Greyback, his newest half-brother, in the run up to the first task of the tournament. Juniper hadn’t wanted to pry too much as there was an obvious amount of excitement and intrigue involved for all parties. She would get the details eventually. All in all, it was a great distraction from the hell known as her job and the rest of the year. Everything since the accident had gone…better. She was still trying to navigate what this renewed relationship with Rhys was, and what they were considered. Dating again, yes. But it felt different because there were boundaries that hadn’t previously existed. Almost more adultlike than when they had been living with one another, as strange as that sounded. Her parents weren’t too happy about it still, but the alternative was admitting that their older daughter was a floozy. At least Juniper kept to one person when she wanted to commit.

”Got us some popcorn,” she said before throwing a piece in her mouth and chewing at the styrofoamy kernel as she found Rhys after buying the snack. She held out the paper box to him as they walked. Their seats were supposedly in a decent spot, high up to see whatever the task was below, but enough that they could see the entire…whatever this was. She’d heard whispers while in line for the popcorn that it was some sort of maze. How unoriginal. Everyone knew the final task of the last tournament was a maze. Repeating seemed sort of silly. ”I’ll try to hold off my coworkers from asking any questions that are too personal. Marina, she’s the gossipy one that talks while we’re working on exam questions, is definitely going to try to sit next to us…” Which was the one downfall of having tickets from work. Being seated next to all of her coworkers. ”You have permission to tell her to fuck off. I can’t say it yet because I still need a job through the end of the year, but yeah…” Juniper immediately occupied her self-imposed silence with another piece of popcorn. It was still overly chewy.

link to the first task for those interested

rhys alexander greyback ● 511 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

fear leads to anxiety

don't know what's inside of me

November 16, 2023
juniper minerva mcgonagall

In the past six months, Rhys had almost died, lost his best friend, reconnected with his ex, who he still loved, and surprisingly—learned of another half-sibling. Elias Greyback. That wasn’t even the most remarkable thing. Weeks after an unofficial Greyback meet and greet in Hogsmeade, Elias was announced as the Durmstrang Champion. With all the post-accident events, Rhys wondered for a moment if he had actually not survived because very rarely did his life go like this without the other shoe dropping quickly. Of course, he spoke to Juniper about it, even if only briefly. Aside from the walls still remaining, Rhys didn’t feel he could form the right words into the right sentences to describe how he felt.

And it was all terribly exciting. Even sitting in the stands, Rhys felt jittery. The students were seated elsewhere, or he would have found Max and their other siblings and sat together, with Juniper as well, of course. While seated alone, Rhys looked around. It was impossible not to with all the noise and people everywhere. Nobody paid him any mind or any attention or cared about the distinctive blue shade of his eyes so associated with his father. Their focus was on the Headmaster and the Champions.

Juniper returned, announcing she had brought popcorn. Rhys felt too nervous to eat anything, which was remarkable as anyone could tell you he was never not hungry. But he managed a slight grin. Things had been good—great, actually. The normal disagreement arose occasionally, but nothing to the levels they had reached before. No Rhys walking out in the middle of her sentence, determined to drink as much whiskey as possible before midnight, or Juniper snapping about something she’d bottled up. And no Rhys missing her birthday for the third straight year (which had just passed). As she held out the box, Rhys took it and grabbed a few kernels merely to distract himself.

”Great…” Nobody had ever told Rhys he looked approachable, so perhaps that would be of benefit for now. Picking up one more stale kernel, he returned the box to Juniper. ”Does she gossip about all her coworkers' rude boyfriends?” He wondered. Would it be better or worse for Juniper at work if Rhys was polite versus entirely rude? ”I don’t want to make things harder for you.” Rhys admitted. Even if she still planned to leave. Those old feelings trickled in, wondering what the gossip in the Ministry about him would be where Juniper’s entirely family also worked.

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”Err…yeah she sort of does. Basically imagine my sister, just can’t keep guys around as long as she can,” Juniper explained. Merlin, the imagery there was disgusting, but it was unfortunately true. Something about office workers and wanting to sleep with their colleagues. At least Marina seemed to get out of their department and sleep around the other ones, unlike her sister. It was beyond gross at this point, yet she marched on despite the rest of the family telling her so. Personally, Juniper knew that she would never understand. Supposedly it had been the same at school. It honestly put Dolohov to shame in a field where shame was not a thing. Their respective body counts made her want to vomit.

”It’s alright. They already think you’re the worst person in the world,” she said without realizing the implications of her words. ”I never said anything, they just saw how I was after…” Puffy-eyed and sleep deprived. And definitely a little frazzled in the weeks immediately following the break-up. Still, Juniper was certain she’d had the most successful and positive relationship out of her unmarried coworkers. Just because there was a year pause in between didn’t mean she wasn’t taking it seriously.

And quite frankly, Marina had no ground to stand on. Juniper hadn’t taken these tickets so that she could have social hour while watching, It was for the two of them to spend time together and see how the newest Greyback faired. ”Anyways…they’re supposedly good seats. If it’s a maze again like I’ve heard, then we should have a decent view from that high up.” Getting up there was going to be a task worthy of the tournament in itself. Throwing another couple pieces of popcorn in her mouth as they walked, she slipped her free hand into Rhys’s. Despite everything that happened, and the reason she had broken up with him, it all seemed so stupid now. Better communication could have gotten them through it. She was sure of that now.

rhys alexander greyback ● 335 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

fear leads to anxiety

don't know what's inside of me

November 16, 2023
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys tried not to cringe at the thought. Every Christmas for five years, Rhys and the rest of Juniper’s family had to endure whatever the oldest McGongall brought to the table in terms of anctics or men. Or both. He couldn’t imagine having a coworker like that, but Cursebreaker training would have definitely weeded her out. Rhys felt certain of that. But in the Ministry, that wasn’t likely. ”And to think I wanted to work there…” Rhys muttered. He still remembered applying for various Law Enforcement openings and the feeling of that rejection but in hindsight, he probably would have hated all of it.

Juniper’s response gave him pause. He’d meant it as a joke but…is that what they really thought of him? ”Erm—right…” Rhys felt a shift in his mood, involuntary as his mind wandered to connected thoughts. Would they think him the worst if they knew that Juniper had dumped him? Or did they assume that Rhys was in the wrong simply because it was him? And if her coworkers thought that little of him, he could only imagine what her family might’ve thought. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Her parents had been nothing but kind to Rhys since he first met them, and he’d missed having a drink with her dad and trading work stories.

He realized he’d been on auto-pilot for a few moments, missing a part of her whatever the last thing she said was. But Juniper’s hand slipped into his. He wondered if Juniper had any idea how easily she grounded him and always had over the years. As they made their way to their seats, there was a pause to allow people to move into their rows before Rhys and Juniper could sit. He took the moment to look into the distance and try and spot his brother or any other familiar faces. ”I’d forgotten your Aunt retired.” Rhys commented, only now remembering the brief glimpse he’d taken of the Prophet article early in the year. He’d seen it late since he’d worked so much. ”I was worried she would’ve thrown me out.” The last part he said probably a little too flatly, he still wondered how much her who family hated him now.

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Rhys wasn’t missing much by avoiding the Ministry. Personally, she thought that anyone that managed to make it through life and be happy with their non-government career was far more successful than the stuff she was doing. Someone had to do it, of course, but the whole idea of it was starting to wear thin on her. And extremely fast at that. For example, her gossipy coworkers. Now that she had blabbed to him about what their opinions on him were, she felt like she had to do some serious damage control. There was absolutely nothing healthy about that (though the way their relationship had ended hadn’t been either, so her coworkers weren’t completely in the wrong). ”Sorry…it’s just that they don’t know you, and from an outside perspective, obviously they would take my side even if I didn’t say anything to them.” Realistically, she didn’t want that. But gossips were going to gossip. With how her life was normally impervious to that sort of thing, when they finally got their nasty little hands on the details, they went with it.

Up they climbed, and after a while Juniper started to feel the burn in her thighs. She was definitely out of shape. ”Yep, and she’s driving my parents mad by coming over for tea whenever they’re home.” On one hand, good for her. Juniper’s namesake deserved it after the career she’d had at Hogwarts. ”Thrown you out of school? Or from the family dinners? Because you’ve always been in a safer position compared to what my sister has brought home…” They really didn’t need to get into that again. Rhys had witnessed it firsthand several times, each time sadder and sadder. ”Merlin, I’m pretty sure she’s the reason you were allowed in school to begin with.” There weren’t too many witches or wizards out there that could afford the protections that her Aunt Minerva could to Hogwarts. Even in her old age.

rhys alexander greyback ● 323 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

fear leads to anxiety

don't know what's inside of me

November 16, 2023
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys made a non-committal noise, indicating he was listening but didn’t have any kind of verbal response. It was a shock to the system. The idea that Juniper was back in his life had pushed all other considerations out of the way. Just Rhys Greyback, werewolf and Fenrir’s son hurting somebody else that day. Naturally, he kept these thoughts to himself. Even Saff had given him an earful after the breakup. After some time, Rhys got over that feeling of betrayal because she was Juniper’s best friend as well, and he’d finally convinced himself she would not let him fall into a bottomless pit the next time they worked in Egypt.

”I meant here.” Rhys clarified. In his mind was an image of Rhys and Juniper walking along the grounds as they used to and the Headmistress throwing him out for some reason or another. Or because she was also on that list of people who ‘hated’ him due to the breakup. A faint knot of jealousy formed in his stomach. It must have been nice to have so many people jump to your defense at such a time. Rhys had Nell and his much younger siblings. It was hardly a fair battle.

But Juniper had a point. Werewolves at Hogwarts must have ruffled many feathers, let alone a Greyback. Clearing his throat, Rhys suddenly felt awful for thinking any ill thoughts toward the former Headmistress. ”Speaking of…” Rhys realized he’d never asked after her family. ”How are your parents?” And by extension, her older brother and sister, not that either probably cared how Rhys was doing. Craning his neck a bit, Rhys looked up past Juniper and the shoulder of the person in front of her. Merlin, how high did these stands go?

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”I mean, I don’t think she would? Maybe scoff at the idea, but I think if there was any sort of ire, it would be directed at me…” And then an earful from her parents would follow. It was more of a defense mechanism from her family than actually being angry with her. They only saw the absolute best and worst that came from Rhys, and as much as she tried not to unload her problems onto others (because she didn’t want to same done to her), there were still a few times following the break-up where she may have said certain things she wished she hadn’t. Once her parents figured what was going on here, she was sure they would want to talk. But all of this was part of growing and understanding what she wanted in life. At least, that was going to be her argument. Not that she felt like she owed it to them. ”Don’t worry. It’ll be fine,” Juniper followed up with, though she mostly said to ease her own worries about what her family’s perception of this would be. At the end of the day, she knew it was because they held her to a higher standard than her sister and that it was all out of concern.

”They’re doing well…sort of having the same issue I’ve been having when it comes to dealing with all of this,” she gestured at the tournament around them. ”You wouldn’t believe how many people seem to forget that you can’t just charm muggle objects or use magic out in the open when they come to events like this. Supposedly they’ve been prepping for every sort of possible accident that could happen.” Around Hogsmeade and Hogwarts, things would be fine. But elsewhere, with the influx of travelers in London and the surrounding magical communities, they were definitely going to be tested. And she thought she had it bad being forced to work outside of her normal scope. Quadrupling down on protections and whatnot had to be so much worse. ”Were you planning on seeing Max while we’re here?” she asked since they were on the topic of families.

rhys alexander greyback ● 360 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

fear leads to anxiety

don't know what's inside of me

November 16, 2023
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Merlin, he couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in his gut and the accompanying anxiety. Ever since Juniper had come to his flat to stay for “a few days”, all he’d worried about was what she thought of him. The rest hadn’t crossed his mind. He did have to say he missed the conversations with her father. And then those nights after spending time with her family, Rhys would wonder how different his life would have been had Fenrir been someone more like Liam McGonagall. Juniper reassured him, and he merely nodded for a lack of knowing what to say.

Oh right, her parents’ department would incredibly busy with so many wizarding people concentrated in one place. ”Have there been many incidents?” That meant the Obliviators were out in full force as well. Rhys supposed he really never thought how much went into an international event like this. Again, Rhys peered over Juniper’s shoulder. ”This is worse than walking up to the Astronomy Tower…” He muttered under his breath. Then again, he wasn’t in his best shape post-accident whereas he’d been in the best shape of his life before.

”After the task, I think. She wasn’t sure if they’d make the students sit all together or not.” It would be easy to find his way to Elias. Already, it had been easy to spot the fiery red hair of the Hogwarts Champion’s family. Not that Rhys would make too much of a fuss, he wasn’t interested in more stares than he might receive already. ”I told Elias we’d be here.”

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In terms of incidents, there hadn’t been any that she knew about that weren’t already public knowledge. Whether or not they actually existed, too. Juniper was under the impression that the Ministry made up fake stories of silly, absent-minded witches and wizards to sell to the Daily Prophet as a warning of sorts. Once those popped up into the newspaper, which quite literally everyone read, then the general public became more aware of what they were doing while traveling. That was her own conspiracy theory, of course. ”I don’t think so? But you know how people are…”

Trying to concentrate on climbing the stairs and talking at the same time was really difficult. Her legs weren’t exactly the longest in the world, and she was starting to wonder if these special seats provided by work were actually worth it. ”You’re telling me,” Juniper exhaled, which came more as a gasp for air. Merlin, her legs were burning with every step. ”You’d think they would have brooms to take you up or something.” Literally anything, actually. Magic had infinite possibilities after all. She could think of any number of spells that could quickly bring people up to their higher seats. ”I think we’re almost…there…” she added while trying to look at the ticket she’d been given. They were in row HHHH, which wasn’t the tippy-top, but also not too low that they couldn’t see. Currently, they were at…FF. Maybe they did still have a ways to go.

Distracting the climb with talks about Rhys’s family provided useful. It was easier to listen to him and walk than the alternative. Concerning Max, it made sense that she would have to be with the students. School spirit, or whatever. Off in the distance, Juniper could already the shimmering blue blazers of the Beauxbatons students, and it was unclear if they were charmed to be that distracting, or if the French kids actually sparkled like that normally. ”Did you want me to go with you? Or was it meant to be more of a family thing…” she huffed. Row AAA passed by slowly.

rhys alexander greyback ● 349 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

fear leads to anxiety

don't know what's inside of me

November 16, 2023
juniper minerva mcgonagall

When it came to international relations, often no news was good news. Or at least it meant it was easy enough to sweep under the rug. The smallest of things could cause panic, especially with all that occurred that year. The stories that came out of the school and what had happened at King’s Cross left people shaken. And Merlin knew Rhys could only do so much to hide or suppress his reaction to specific triggers. What they were wasn’t always clear, aside from something far too loud when he wasn’t focused. It was an exhausting existence at times.

The walk to their seats reminded Rhys how he wasn’t in the same physical shape as before. In the mirror, he didn’t look all that different, at least not dramatically. Though his skin showed the years of various injuries, including his most recent, which stood out the most, except against his werewolf bite scar. Looking over Juniper’s shoulder, he couldn’t stop himself from sighing. ”Bloody hell…” He muttered. It was a shame they couldn’t apparate or portkey to their row. The people in front of them seemed equally, if not more, exasperated.

Rhys paused. He honestly hadn’t thought about it. Not that he assumed Juni would sit behind while he ran off, but he supposed he’d never not pictured her there. ”Well—yes.” He paused again. It wasn’t odd for Rhys to sort of disassociate when thinking, and when it came to the pair, like that year apart hadn’t occurred. He didn’t doubt how he felt. ”Max asks for you, forgets to ask how I’m doing.” Not that Rhys wasn’t used to feeling like chopped liver. ”And Elias wants to meet you. You’re my family.” He spoke candidly, even slightly offhandedly, as he looked down. He watched his step so he didn’t step on Juniper or slip and fall down the countless number of steps or into the people behind them as he spoke. This sort of multitasking made Cursebreaking seem like a breeze.

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At least she wasn’t the only one struggling here. If Rhys was winded, then she really had nothing to worry about. And the group slowly making their way up in front of them was absolutely struggling. Pretty soon here the two of them were going to have to attempt to pass. Because if they took any longer getting to their seats, they were going to completely miss the task. Row AAA changed to HHH as they fast approached the group above them. ”Excuse us…” Juniper let out a long breath while flashing a smile at the gaggle of old witches as they moved aside. Even picking up the pace a little made her legs feel heavier than they already were. Only twenty-six more steps to go. Unfortunately, looking up, it seemed like the incline became steeper. Because of course it would be.

Listening was easier as they climbed, and Rhys seemed to want her to meet Elias and see Max again. She felt a deep pang of guilt when he said she was his family. Even though she had left him because of her perceived imbalance in their relationship, she had still thought about that a lot. Rhys’s support system wasn’t anywhere close to as large as hers. When she left, she was ripping a chunk of that away from him. Thankfully Saff had stayed working with him, but that wasn’t possible anymore.

How did she even respond to the second half of his comment though? Especially while trying not to trip on these stairs? She knew what she would do in a normal situation, but that wasn’t possible right now. Stopping only briefly at SSS, Juniper briefly took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, ”Okay. If they let them, we could go to the Broomsticks?” She had no clue what the policy was currently, but with so many people here to watch, it seemed silly not to allow the students to go to Hogsmeade. This was very much a once in a lifetime experience for most of them.

rhys alexander greyback ● 341 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

fear leads to anxiety

don't know what's inside of me

November 16, 2023
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Passing the group in front of them felt like a milestone. Like lapping an opponent in a foot race. For a few moments at least, Rhys didn’t feel so tired. Even in this shape, Rhys couldn’t remember the last time he felt this worn out, but all the lingering anxiety of this tournament’s task with his half-brother and Juniper’s earlier statements didn’t help. Plus, for a good chunk of the night, Rhys had stared at the ceiling impatiently, waiting for sleep. Looking up just in time, Rhys stopped before colliding with Juniper. Since he was substantially taller, the shorter steps threw off his pace. But had Rhys lead, Juniper would have had to run to keep up.

He could feel his expression soften. ”I don’t see why they wouldn’t.” He was glad Juniper was here with him. The idea of sitting in these stands alone, assuming he could snag a ticket as family of sorts, was uncomfortable. Sitting surrounded by families and friends of the Champions and other spectators. After the initial breakup the previous year, Saffron had been his rock, and had Juni not gone to St. Mungos, Rhys wasn’t sure what things might have looked like. Behind him, Rhys heard the sound of feet echoing on the stairs.

”How many more miles do we have?” Rhys kept her hand in his, for now, or at least until they reached their seats. And as expected, those final steps felt more difficult than everything they had traversed. And out of the corner of his eye, he saw an arm waving frantically in the air at what he prayed was not their row, but Rhys knew he never had such luck. But his eyes landed on the figure next to that person. It was one of the lads from the Museum. Since Rhys was still getting to know everyone, having only worked for a few weeks, he wasn’t sure how to feel about this. ”Friend of yours?” Rhys asked, referring to the waiving hand. If it wasn’t their row, Rhys wouldn’t mention the other guy, but it felt like a coincidence in any case.

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”The task will be…halfway done…by the time…we get there…” Juniper huffed as her pace returned to normal after pacing the last group. Merlin, she really needed to sit. Hopefully she didn’t need to use the restroom at any point during this, because she was not doing this walk again. At all. Once she was on solid ground again, that was where she was staying. If that was to meet Max and Elias, then even better. ”Awesome.” Unless the Broomsticks was crowded, in which it would be nigh impossible to hear anything. The Hog’s Head was out of the question if Max joined them, unless they lifted their age requirement because of the tournament. A smart pub would.

To Rhys’s question about how much longer they had, Juniper grunted. Eyes refocusing on the row letters, she realized that they had finally entered the ones with four, meaning they were…close. Sort of. Did it even matter at this point? The exhaustion had set in, and every part of her lower body was on fire. She was not made for this at all.

Before she could answer that they were near their seats, Rhys said something about a friend of hers. The sinking feeling that it was Marina happened before she looked up and actually saw her coworker, hand waving and smiling like the office gossip that she was. Juniper immediately turned her tired frown into a fake smile and returned the wave. ”That’s Marina…I’ll uhh, well, you’ll see I guess.” Rhys’s poor ears were about to be bombarded with a mile-per-minute play-by-play of everything that popped into Marina’s head. The last few steps felt heavier than the other couple dozen they had already climbed. She had really hoped Marina wasn’t going to be there first so that they could at least have a few moments to catch their breath.

’Juniper! I didn’t think you were going to make it! It starts in like, five minutes, you know? I was just telling our neighbors here-‘ Juniper tuned out the rest, her fake smile still plastered on her face as she turned to look over her shoulder at Rhys as they finally go to their row. She contemplated for a moment to try and make him sit next to her coworker but knew he would want to focus on how Elias was doing. ’-so is this Rhys? Hi! Nice to meet you finally!’ Juniper only managed to nod her head as she stepped to the side to allow her coworker’s hand wave aggressively at him. Merlin, she fucking hated this woman.

rhys alexander greyback ● 427 ● Song by Artist

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[rhys alexander greyback]

fear leads to anxiety

don't know what's inside of me

November 16, 2023
juniper minerva mcgonagall

Rhys let his mind wander to the thought of a little family get-together after the task. Regardless of how Elias performed, there was still something to celebrate. His stomach fluttered, as it did with such things. Or perhaps Rhys was simply starving after walking so many steps. Not that he’d say anything. It wasn’t like he’d dismissed Juniper’s idea of bringing snacks as ridiculous earlier. Juniper didn’t offer much warning as she shared her coworker's name, and they finally reached their seats. Juniper was small, so Marina’s energy and lack of awareness for personal space made Rhys feel like he was sitting beside her.

With whatever energy remained, Rhys offered his friendliest expression (whatever that looked like) to acknowledge the woman. ”Likewise.” Before he could relax, another voice called his name. The nasal voice was hard to tune out, even among the crowd. ”Rhys!” He tried his best to look surprised at seeing his colleague here, of all places. ”Hey, Ioan.” Rhys quickly looked at Juniper to explain. ”He works at the museum.” The other Welshman was a fairly thin man, though not lacking in confidence. While he worked on assisting with the artifacts, he was not nor had he ever been a trained Cursebreaker. Not that it stopped him from trying to boss them all around simply because he memorized a few facts from a book.

Before Rhys could introduce Juniper, Ioan beat him to the punch. ”This the wife then?” Ioan stuck his hand past Marina to Juniper. ”No! They’re not married—I told you, remember.” Marina corrected him as if she were correcting something simple. ”Oh right, well, nice to meet you. I’m sure Rhys has told you all about us at Merlin’s!” Ioan beamed, and Rhys was only grateful for the crowd around them so maybe he could pretend he didn’t hear them. He could only offer an awkward smile, letting his hand rest casually on Juniper’s leg. The stairs, the crowd, their coworkers, and everything was a bit overwhelming for Rhys. But he was here for his brother. Glancing forward, he strained to see if perhaps the task would start soon.

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Being steamrolled by fast talkers was one of her worst flaws. It wasn’t that she was a doormat – far from it, actually – but trying to find the time and the edge to sneak a word in was difficult. If anything, she had regressed since school. Back then, she would have had no problem cutting in and being seen as ‘rude’. Sometimes it was necessary. But now? Not with her coworkers, despite desperately wanting to. The real problem with Marina though, was that she was unshakable and never shut up. Today, it looked like they were stuck with her.

Before Rhys could respond with more than a single word, the man that was sitting next to Marina leaned forward in his seat and was saying something to him. His name was Ioan, and she realized now that this was Marina’s latest, and longest, catch. It had definitely been a surprise when things lasted more than a few months. To be fair, Juniper couldn’t even remember how long this guy had made it. There was a very high chance Marina was seeing other people, because the amount of shitty gossip she dealt out made it seem that way. Despite all of their own problems, that was one thing she had never worried about with Rhys.

She smiled awkwardly at Ioan as she shook his hand, biting her tongue to not say anything smarmy about the ‘married’ comment. Maybe in a different timeline where Rhys had scaled back his work and started at the museum a lot sooner. Right now it was more about carefully building it back to where it had been, without the bad of course. ”Quite a bit, actually. We went a few years ago and I thought we were going to be stuck there all weekend with how excited he was.” The problem with interacting with the other couple was that it was only going to make them want to talk more.

She could see Marina start to open her mouth again to say something, but a roar of the crowd covered it. Looking down at the field area, it seemed like things were starting in a minute or two. ”Thank Merlin…” she whispered up to Rhys, as the noise around them made it impossible to hear anyone else.

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