Who needs alcohol [Aerick]

[Deleted]

October 2, 2025
@aerick

It was a very rough morning. Clodagh had, thankfully, managed to lock herself in her room before turning into a mouse. Then, nothing. No memories until she "woke up". And she'd woken up with quite the bang. She'd thought that she'd sealed all the ways under her dresser but apparently not, because when she'd transformed she'd been under it. That did NOT help the fog her head was always in after turning back into a human. So, after banging her head violently against the dresser, knocking it over, and getting Ophelia's help in getting out... Clodagh had finally managed to  get out into the living room. Progress.

She hadn't made it far though. Clodagh lay on her back, arms and legs sprawled out, an ice pack balanced precariously on her head, and eyes trained on the ceiling. Trying to rewire, as she put it. It's about the closest thing to explain what it  felt like. She imagined Animagus felt this whenever they transformed. All their senses changing, converting to something else. Human replaced with animal. Only, it happened in an instance for them. For Clodagh... it took around an hour. Sometimes longer when she jumbled her head up worse, like this morning. It'd been about half an hour since transforming and she still felt more mouse then human, but she could feel basic motor functions returning. 

Clodagh heard something move and turned her head, jolted actually. She was still very jumpy. The ice pack fell off her head. Oh, Ophelia. Clodagh's saint of a room mate, setting a cup of coffee on the floor, close to her hand. Though, to be honest, Clodagh didn't really seem to understand yet what it was Ophelia had put in the cup. She stared at it with suspicion and confusion. Didn't move to take it yet as her brain tried to decide if the contents were food or not. It smelled good, whatever it was.

Clodagh was still processing her rediscovery of coffee, when there was a knock at the door. Clo jerked again, rolling onto her side and staring wide eyed at the door. What was that?! Her eyes frantically searched for Ophelia, who must have stepped into another room after dropping off the coffee... "O-" She started, trying to find the right words. God, why was english so hard? "O-oph...." Nope, that wasn't happening. Hopefully Ophelia heard the door herself. Clodagh just flopped back onto the floor, face first this time. The floor was nice. Comfortable. this particular rug was quick squishy and felt very comforting on her face, though it tickled. Blindly she reached out for the ice pack, hand fumbling until she found it, dragging it over to where she'd moved in her momentary panic, and dropped it onto the back of her head. If you didn't know what Clodagh was going through you might assume she was having the hangover from hell.

(eeeeeh, Clodagh needed Ophie's help, got Lisa's permission beforehand XD)

[Deleted]

Aerick had awoken far earlier than he would like, but when he saw the name on his cell phone, all grumblings of getting his normal beauty sleep went out the window. Ophelia was Clodagh’s roommate, and while he didn’t know the young woman very well, she worked at Saint Mungo’s, which meant she couldn’t be fully incompetent at knowing if something was off with her roommate or not. So he had answered, and quickly agreed to head over to their apartment, throwing his black leather jacket over the t-shirt he slept in and jeans he’d quickly done the smell test on to make sure they were clean.

Arriving, he was greeted by Ophelia, who was far too bubbly for this early in the morning, before she went to work at the hospital, and he made his way through the kitchen to the living room, where Clodagh was. She certainly looked as if she had been partying all night - ice pack on the back of her head, coffee cup still steaming nearby. He begrudgingly admitted to himself that Ophelia at least had some common sense, before taking a seat on the armchair next to the couch, draping his jacket over the arm. “Rough night?” he asked with a small smirk. “Ophelia had to go into the hospital, so she called me. Hope that’s okay with you,” he added, unable to help the tenderness that crept into his voice.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

October 2, 2025
@aerick

Clodagh clearly didn't know Ophelia had called Aerick. Or that it was Aerick at the door. Some might even wonder if, in her current mouse brain haze, if she'd recognize Aerick at all. She would. Though again, her brain was still processing normal human life at the moment so it might take her brain a moment to make the right connections. Clodagh let out a little grumble of discomfort as her head continued to throb, though the ice helped. There was some chatter by the door, probably Ophelia answering the door and talking to whoever was there. Clodagh didn't concern herself with it. She turned her head just a little, to give the cup another scrutinizing stare, then closed her eyes. She should be hungry. But she wasn't. Her taste buds were all out of whack, somewhere between a mouse's and a humans and all together unable to settle on either.

Then, a voice. Somewhere in her mind, the human part of her leapt with excitement. The mouse part was very, very confused. Either way, Clodagh's head jerked as she was startled, her eyes opening and head turning to find the owner of the voice. The ice pack fell off her head again as she stared at Aerick. There was recognition in her eyes, but the was also confusion. When he got there, how he got there, why he got there. Instead, she tried to focus on him. The way he sat there, the little smirk on his lips, and the words he said. The words were the hardest part to comprehend. Ugh. She knew what he was saying, because she knew she knew this language, but there was that part of her that was absolutely convinced this was gibberish. Several painfully confused seconds past before her brain finally made the right connection and his words were no longer gibberish. "Okay." Was all she could muster. It wasn't in a bad way though, just more that was the only english her mind seemed capable of spitting out at that exact moment. She dropped her head back onto the floor and closed her eyes again. It was... oddly comforting having him close. She felt safe. Safer then unusual when this whole "rewiring" happened.

[Deleted]

Aerick held back a chuckle out of respect for Clodagh. She was clearly suffering, but she just looked hopelessly adorable as she slumped back down on the floor. “Alright, first things first, let’s get you a little more comfortable,” he decided, standing up from his chair and crossing the small distance to her. Ever so gently, he crouched down and scooped her up in his arms. She was lighter than he expected, and momentarily felt concern for her health. He then remembered the amount of food she had wolfed down when they’d gone to breakfast and realized the only way she was ever going to be healthy again was if this stupid curse was broken. He had in passing, mentioned the affliction to Elaine; surely she had someone in her crew that understood voodoo, and could possibly help?

Pushing Elaine from his thoughts - there would be time enough for that later - Aerick gently set Clodagh on the couch. He moved a throw pillow onto his lap and settled Clo’s head on top of it. “There, that’s better,” he said with a small smile, putting the ice pack over her forehead and eyes. He reached for the remote control and turned on the television; he had been surprised that Ophelia had a television, being a witch, but she had babbled on about her Muggleborn mother so he supposed it made sense. He turned the volume down low so that it wouldn’t bother Clo’s ears. He didn’t mind the silence; he usually enjoyed when times were more quiet after all. So whenever Clo was ready to talk, he’d wait for that moment.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

October 2, 2025
@aerick

Aerick was speaking again and Clo opened her eyes to stare at him. As if it would somehow help her brain process the words he was saying faster. It really didn't, but it was instinctual to look at him when he spoke. She just couldn't help it. She blinked several times, in slight confusion as he got up. Her brain only finished deciphering and understanding his words around the time scooped her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing. Her eyes went wide and she let out a soft, surprised sound. The couch, where he set her, was much more comfortable. As was the pillow under her head. If she'd been sound of mind she would have probably been blushing at how close he was, and the pillow being the only thing separating her and him. But, thankfully, mouse brain was still half in affect and she didn't seem nearly as self conscious as she normally would. If she had, she would have been mortified by what she did next.

She rolled onto her side, curling up into an almost ball. Her head was turned turned him, and had moved to the edge of the pillow, her nose almost touching the fabric of his shirt. All instinctive. She knew she trusted him wholeheartedly, despite the jumbled mess of a brain she currently had. She closed her eyes again, comforted by the closeness. She mumbled something, it sounded similar to "thanks" but it was muffled by her position and her inability to form english sentences at the moment.

[Deleted]

Aerick looked down at Clodagh with faint amusement - he imagined if she was in her right state of mind she would be blushing a brilliant shade of fuschia. At least her current state allowed her to relax a little as he made her comfortable. He drew a sharp intake as she curled into the fetal position, her nose just inches from his abdomen. “You’re welcome,” he breathed softly, gently letting his arm rest on her stomach. Propping his head up with his other hand, Aerick tried to focus his attention on the television, something that was proving a little more difficult than he anticipated.

Finally Aerick settled in, and let Clodagh sleep. An hour passed, and then another. Aerick checked the time on his watch; he had the night off so he didn’t really have to be anywhere, but he wasn’t sure if he should wake Clo or not so that her sleep schedule didn’t get even more messed up than it already was. When he had decided to just let her sleep to her hearts’ content, he felt her begin to stir. “Good morning sunshine, feeling better?” he said, looking down at her with a grin. He doubted that Clodagh remembered when he came into the flat, let alone falling asleep on him. Not that he really minded, but she had that adorable awkwardness about her, and he waited to see just what her response would be.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

October 2, 2025
@aerick

Clodagh didn't mean to fall asleep. She hadn't realized just how exhausted she was though. She also seemed to underestimate just how comfortable and safe Aerick made her feel. Safe enough that she could fall asleep. With her current mental rewiring, she was in an extremely vulnerable position. There were few people she would trust in this situation. Ophelia, of course. And... Aerick.

Clodagh's sleep cycle was pretty... messed up. Because if she didn't get enough sleep in one state, she couldn't promise she'd get it in the next. And something she'd learned very quickly after losing track of time when a mouse was that apparently her mouse self didn't like to sleep. Definitely didn't help her jumpiness at all.

Eventually though, she stirred. She was still very tired, but her head felt right. Normal. Her eyes fluttered. THen, a voice. Very close. Familiar, comfortable. Aerick. In the fog of waking up she almost seemed to not realize how unusual it was for him to be there. No, there was that momentary contentment of hearing his voice. Then, everything seemed to catch up to her.

WAIT.

Clodagh's eyes flew open. Why was Aerick here?! Instead of seeing him though, she just saw fabric. Another half second of confusion. You could practically see the wheels in her head turning, processing the situation. The reddening of her cheeks announced her sudden comprehension of the situation. Imediately she moved to sit up. Her entire face was a lovely beat red. "Aerick- I.... what.... when...." She shut up. Her mind was trying to go three different directions all at once.

[Deleted]

It said a lot that Aerick could contain his amusement when Clodagh woke from her slumber, to realize she had been curled up on his lap for several hours. “I’m guessing you don’t remember much from this morning then,” he said with a smirk. He reached out and clasped onto her hand, holding it in both of his. “Hey, you’re alright, you’re safe,” he told her, squeezing her hand lightly to emphasize the point.

Still unsure if Clo was going to bolt or not, Aerick held onto her hand as he began to recount the tale. “You were quite disoriented this morning. Ophelia was here earlier taking care of you, but she had to go to work. I guess you mumbled my name, and she dug through your phone to get in touch with me to ask if I could come over and stay with you. Since I’m off tonight, I figured why not?” He paused, and smiled. “You have a good roommate there, really looking out for you.” He didn’t know Ophelia well at all, but she seemed like a kind human. “Are you hungry? Is there anything I can get you?” he asked her, scanning her face for some type of reaction other than pure embarrassment. He didn’t think there was anything to be embarrassed by to be honest, but Clo was a little more socially awkward than he was.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

October 2, 2025
@aerick

It wasn't that Clodagh wasn't happy to see Aerick. She was always happy to see him. His presence always set loose a bunch of butterflies in her chest. While they hadn't talked about it since she came back, she still had some pretty strong feelings for him. Before she'd left, they'd been "dating" after all. Those feelings were still there. But she was far to shy and awkward to bring it up first. Not only that, Aerick hadn't mentioned it either, so like hell she'd ask first. He was an attractive guy. No doubt he had plenty of other, more respectable suitors then her. And yet, here he was. In the flat she shared with Ophelia. Having let her fall asleep on his lap... Thankfully she couldn't turn any redder. "What? This... this morning?!" GOD WHAT DID SHE DO?! Now she looked absolutely mortified. What was he referring to?! What had she done?! Though, he caught her hand, holding onto her. She had very much been considering running away, though her escape route was not effectively cut off.

His words were... reassuring. The intense blush in her face faded, just a touch, though she was still an unnatural shade of red as she tried to smile just a little. Thankfully, he went on to elaborate how he'd gotten here. So... It was much more harmless then any of the wild thoughts her mind had almost jumped to. Ophelia had called him over to keep an eye on her, basically. That was... embarrassing. That she needed a baby sitter. She looked away. This morning was.... well, bits and pieces. Fragments. Though, after a moment the pain her head almost seemed to fill in the blanks. She must have bonked her head really hard that morning. That'd also explain why it took her so long to orient herself. She looked back at him. He was smiling, and it was contagious. Though her own smile was much smaller. "I didn't... do anything weird... did I?" She had to ask. Because... well she wouldn't put it past herself. Especially when she was dissociating.

He mentioned food and she had to think. Finally she nodded. She was. Especially after the stress of transforming. Though his offer to get something was very sweet, it was also unexpected. Though... also normal. Breakfast was the most common meal they'd shared. "Um... We can fix something here? I... I went grocery shopping yesterday."

[Deleted]

Aerick’s smile never left his face. Clodagh, doing something weird? He felt that was relatively normal, but it was what he liked about her. “Nothing weirder than usual,” he teased, bending down and taking a loose strand of Clo’s hair in between his fingers, before letting it drop back down. “Plus, if you had tried to do something...weird, I would have stopped you,” he added, reminding her that Ophelia had entrusted her care to him. Aerick did a lot of shady things, but he would never, ever do that to Clodagh.

“Breakfast it is. Pancakes or waffles?” Aerick asked, crossing over to the kitchen and opening one of the cabinets. After a few more tries, he found the pancake/waffle mix and held it up to Clodagh. “Or we can do something lighter, like fruit and yogurt or something,” he added as an alternative, though that didn’t really excite her. He held a lot of pride in his pancake making skills, so he hoped she would also choose pancakes so he could show off. Just a little.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

October 2, 2025
@aerick

Clodagh felt a little insulted by the comment of "weirder then normal", as it insinuated that she did weird things often! She opened her mouth to protest, and thoroughly plead her case that she didn't do weird things normally... when her common sense caught up with her. Immediately she closed her mouth and pursed her lips tightly together. Okay, maybe she did to a lot of "weird" stuff. And no doubt if she had tried to argue that point, he'd be able to point out a number of "weird" things she'd done. No doubt he had a list a mile long. Finally, she smiled sheepishly.

Though as he reached out and took a lock of her hair between his fingers... she stopped breathing. She went absolutely still, eyes widening just a little. Only he'd ever made her heart flutter like this over the littlest of things, stealing the breath from her. Again, she 100% believed his feelings had changed for her during her absence, but hers hadn't changed for him. And yet? She wouldn't be the first to bring it up. She couldn't handle that sort of rejection. She tried to make herself smile again, but it came out very small, and her cheeks remained the rosy tint. "Thank you...." she finally mustered to say as he pulled away, moving to the kitchen. As that was the only moment her lungs decided to start working again and let her draw breath.

She sat on the couch for a moment, trying to calm her racing heart, as he rummaged through the cabinets. Finally though she got up, stumbling a little as she followed up. "Um... pancakes probably. I don't know where the waffle maker is." She was sure Ophelia had one... somewhere. She hurried into the kitchen to start fishing out a mixing bowl, and pan. Though, before setting them down, she turned to him. "Um... Aerick? I.... I'm sorry. You had to see that. I... I mean I told you it was bad but-" she swallowed hard. It wasn't the curse that stopped her from continuing this time, but her own inadequacy as a human being. She pursed her lips tightly, gaze cast downward, but finally, and it must have been a miracle, she managed to look up and actually look at him. She wasn't much for making eye contact when she was feeling uncomfortable so the eye contact right now was a rare treat. "Thank you. For helping." Somehow she'd manage to get the words out sounding quite confident (well... Confident for Clo).

Though, her confidence deflated after the moment and she quickly looked away, moving to set the pan and bowl down on the counter. "Um... so... what do we need?"

[Deleted]

Aerick could see Clodagh was ready to protest her odd quirks, then seemed to think better of it. He turned a chortle into a cough and turned away so she couldn’t see his smile. He for one thought Clo’s quirks were endearing and he liked them very much. He liked her very much as well...but there was the whole Purifiers affiliation he had, and her curse. Sure he was currently a bartender who worked nights, so mornings were more his thing anyway, but he didn’t plan on being a bartender forever. He’d like to be able to enjoy the nights, with Clodagh if possible. Elaine had mentioned a voodoo priestess had just come over from New Orleans though, and he was hopeful she would be able to help. Whatever the cost may be, Aerick would gladly pay it. “Don’t mention it, I’ve seen weirder working at Club Indigo,” he told her gently. He moved to kiss her forehead then thought better of it; he didn’t know how she’d react if he tried to do that. It had been awhile since they had dated after all.

“We need flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, milk, one egg and butter,” Aerick told her when she asked, and he set to bustling around the kitchen to find the ingredients. From his limited interactions with Ophelia, he got the feeling she enjoyed baking, so he wasn’t entirely surprised to find everything he needed. With a wave of his wand, the butter melted to the right temperature. “Do you want to do the mixing while I heat up the pan?” he asked her, turning his attention to the pan and turning on the gas range. He put a slice of butter on the pan and waited for it to start to melt, knowing it would give their pancakes some extra buttery goodness.

@clodagh

[Deleted]

October 2, 2025
@aerick

Clodagh honestly didn't understand what Aerick saw in her. What kept him around, or made him come over without hesitation so early in the morning to watch over her. But she was grateful he did. It made those feeligns from last year stir, fluttering in her chest and wanting to escape. But she kept them back, because she'd left. They'd ended things between them when she left and he'd probably moved on. They hadn't actually talked about it but she wouldn't be surprised if he was dating someone. After all, had you seen him? Who wouldn't want to date him? He was handsome, charismatic, kind, and caring.

It had taken almost all of Clodagh's limited confidence to say those words, though she did muster to look back at him out of the corner of her eye when he responded, smiling just a little as he told her not to mention it. Though she was curious about the comment about seeing weirder those thoughts were forgotten when she saw him move... but then change course. As if he'd changed his mind. She let out a soft breath.

As he began to list ingredients though she immediately nodded, focusing on that and quickly moving to getting them out. He started to heat up the pan when he asked if she wanted to do the mixing. She blinked. "Oh, yeah, I can. It's just everything together right?" her words wouldn't be that reassuring for someone that cooked. Clearly she didn't cook often. Just in case she had been wrong about the order though she started with just the dry ingredients, measuring them out and mixing them in the bowl.

[Deleted]

Aerick smiled. “Yep, just everything mixed together in a bowl,” he confirmed. He never claimed to be a world-renowned chef, but his mother had always made him pancakes every Sunday morning growing up, and he had learned how to perfect the breakfast staple from her. He sliced off a piece of butter and added it to the pan, letting it sizzle before moving the melted butter around on the pan. Everything's better with some butter was a common saying in his household, and Aerick had to agree.

Once Clo had finished mixing, Aerick gave it a few quick turns to ensure there were no lumps, then added a bit more water. “Makes them a little thinner, but so much more delicious,” he told her with a small chuckle. He poured three small circles in the pan and inhaled; the mixture of pancake batter and butter smelled amazing. “How many do you want?” he asked, taking a spatula and flipping the pancakes over effortlessly, their undersides already a golden brown.  "Oh, I forgot to ask do you prefer honey or maple syrup with your pancakes?  Or just more butter?" he added, the last bit in a teasing tone.
 
@clodagh

[Deleted]

October 2, 2025
@aerick

Clodagh's upbringing was very average, in terms of familiar roles (as it was far from average in other areas). Her mother had been the primary cook. Many would assume that Clodagh, being the eldest daughter (despite being the second youngest of the children) would have been taught more culinary skills by her mother. But once you knew Clodagh? Well... Would you trust her in a kitchen? Clodagh was more uncoordinated then a newborn foal. She had an insanely high probability of burning or cutting herself. She was just that clumsy. But mixing ingredients like this was quite harmless and thankfully near impossible to mess up (but don't put too much faith in that statement. Clo had an uncanny ability to prove people wrong in the worst ways possible.). None the less she nodded as he confirmed, and went about working on the mixture. It looked... okay? At least it resembled pancake batter when she handed it over to Aerick for his inspection and he didn't reject it.

He started pouring and she couldn't help but peer over his shoulder to watch. He made it look so easy, and simple. "Um..... maybe two that size?" she answered, though not sounding too confident. Her appetite was usually off in the mornings, so it was sometimes difficult to decide how hungry she was. She knew she should eat about two, but whether she finished them would be the question. When it came to a topping though she starting blushing in embarrassment. She didn't know why she felt embarrassed about it. She'd liked it before the curse, so it definitely wasn't curse related. But still, it made her feel a bit... childish. So, blushing quite profusely she looked away. "Peanut butter," she answered. It definitely wasn't a common way to top pancakes. "Sometimes both peanut butter and syrup," she added, as if peanut butter alone wasn't strange enough.