Chapter Text
The first weeks after coming back from the Nightmare Kings’ forest are the worst. She’s still trying to put on a show, to convince everyone that she’s okay, so she makes out with Fabian until she abruptly has to be anywhere but here and goes to her room to cry. Fabian finds her an hour later and gives her a hug before gently suggesting that maybe they’d work better as friends.
They do, and Aelwyn realizes that maybe she doesn’t have to be the same person that she was before the forest, before everything.
Maybe she could be different, maybe she could be better.
Maybes are fine in practice but in reality she’s frozen on the stairs as Fig hands her a cookie and walks away.
“Why did you hand me this?” Aelwyn asks, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“Lydia made some, they’re really good.” Fig replies, stopping a few steps up the tower, looking back down at Aelwyn.
“Yes I’m sure they’re delightful, but why did you give one to me?”
Fig rolls her eyes. “Because I was on my way to give a few to Adaine and I passed you in the hall, it seemed like a nice thing to do. It’s not a prank or anything Aelwyn, chill out.” Fig resumes her way up the stairs.
Hmm. That’s a thought. Fig just gave her a cookie because she happened to see her, no expectations or hidden agendas, just Fig being… nice. Aelwyn’s not really used to the whole people being nice thing but if Fig says she’s just being nice Aelwyn should probably take her at her word, Adaine would be upset if she caused a disagreement so she just sits on the back porch of the manor and eats the cookie.
Jawbone gives her the name and number of a therapist in town who he thinks she'll like, but it’s ultimately her decision to call. After taking some time to make sure she’s not like, actively going to panic when she looks at the sticky note on her desk, she does call to make an appointment.
She asks Jawbone for a ride into town and even though he doesn’t ask where they’re going he starts driving there anyway.
“How’re you feeling, kiddo?” He asks as he picks her up after the first appointment. Her eyes are red from tears and she feels like someone reached into her chest and squeezed her heart. But it’s a little nice to be trying to make some progress, so she’ll put up with the heart-squeezing feeling for now.
“Like shit. How do I look?” She asks, buckling her seatbelt and glancing over at Jawbone in the driver's seat.
“To be honest you look kinda rough, Aelwyn.”
“Oh no. I’m heartbroken.” She deadpans back. There’s a ghost of a smile on Jawbone's face as he turns up the radio, some hard rock station blasting from the speakers. She reaches over to turn it back down without thinking and suddenly she stalls.
That was rude.
It’s Jawbone’s car, he should get to pick the music.
She waits for his inevitable blowup with bated breath.
He doesn’t say anything though, just reaching over to select a different station, classical music this time, and keeps the volume down low.
“Better?” He asks.
“I- yes, thank you. It was just very loud and I-”
“No need to explain, just let me know if it bothers you when the rest of the gang is here, okay? I’ll change it, no questions asked.”
“Thank… Thank you Jawbone.”
“Anytime kiddo.”
As they arrive back at the manor Jawbone holds the door open for her and she can already hear the noise from the bad kids filtering out. She recoils slightly, not wanting to go into the noise just yet. Jawbone sees this and closes the door softly.
“You still got a spell slot to teleport up to your room or do you need me to unlock the back so you can sneak in through the kitchen?”
“I’ll teleport, thanks Jawbone.”
“No problem, hey same time next week?”
Aelwyn nods and opens her mouth to respond before closing it. She knows how Jawbone remembers things, she knows the arcane calendar displayed with all the manor inhabitants schedules that’s hanging proudly in the kitchen.
Jawbone seems to sense this and waves a furry hand in front of his face. “No need to put it on the calendar kiddo, just put a purple dot on the day of your next appointment and I’ll know to check in with you. Sounds good?”
Aelwyn nods again before teleporting up to her room to parse through her overwhelming emotions in peace.