Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[_gallifrog_]

Today seemed to be the day for impromptu speeches, first Elliott and now Rinaa. And just like her father Rinaa could indeed give a speech and hold a crowd. Even though she hadn't started singing yet the others in the audience knew that what they were seeing and hearing was not only special, but deeply personal. Even the smug teenagers had fallen quiet, sensing that while they may have forced Rinaa into doing this, it was going to happen on her own terms. It wasn't surprising to John, Chas, Elliott or Jay that Rinaa would praise Cal and Cliff for being the people they were. But revealing herself as being terminally ill to the entire audience was something none of them saw coming. It was a brave move, completely deliberate and drove the point home about Cliff's skill, but Jay couldn't help but think that there was another reason for mentioning it.

The backing had a few bars of piano intro for which Rinaa stayed silent and motionless, counting herself in. As soon as the first word passed through her lips it was clear that Rinaa had a distinctive voice, far louder and powerful than anybody would expect just looking at the girl. But it was more than just powerful, the thing that really captured the audience was it's raw emotional depth, every word coming from somewhere deep within in, the place behind her usually controlled facade where the true ,turbulent emotions lay. Throughout the song her voice was filled with an overwhelming sadness, soul-crushing tiredness, and a sense of complete loss and hopelessness that seemed to penetrate into the very soul of the listener- the emotions Rinaa felt on a daily basis and couldn't (or wouldn't convey)

It was clear from even the verse of lyrics (I know I'm not perfect/You know I'm not easy to love) that the words of the song were a direct metaphor for Rinaa's life and emotional state. Singing it here and now was a message. The song was the story of a person lost, struggling with themselves and those around them, unable to properly connect withe people around them and at the same time unable to fight their inner demons, looking desperately for a way out, trying to make amends, but unsure if it was even worth it. As she sang Rinaa seemed to inhabit the whole stage, her body language as well as her voice conveying the central message of the song. For most of it her eyes remained closed as she sand, only opening and bearing straight down on the audience when she delivered one particular set of lyrics, the lines that, in her mind were the most meaningful.

"When you face down on the floor
And your back's against the wall
You're about to lose it all
You're about to lose it all
You don't recognize yourself
Trying to be someone else"​

The song seemed to stretch on for far longer than three and a half minutes, the whole audience completely under the spell of the music, just watching and listening as Rinaa poured everything she had into the one song, bearing a part of her soul that up until then nobody in her extended family in this timeline had properly seen, saying through song the things she could never say through regular words.

Spoiler: The song Rinaa sings

I found this song a while back and could link so many of the lyrics to Rinaa

 

[MzHyde]

Kay and Fia, like the rest of the wedding guests and brides, listened on as Rinaa began to sing after her heart felt speech that rendered everyone absolutely silent. Kay particularly picked up on the piano introduction, instantly getting interested even more so. The moment Rinaa started singing, both girls could hear the rawness in her voice and the pure emotion that just blew both of them away. Fia couldn't believe that Rinaa was so convinced she was nowhere near as good as herself, because as far as Fia was concerned she was. Fia barely sang despite being able to, she was always more about the playing aspect of music, rather than the singing.

The lyrics hit home with both of them truly, because they could how deeply personal they were and what she was conveying to everyone. They could see early on in the song that Rinaa really wasn't joking when she said it's not your typical song to sing at a wedding, but it was also clear that she needed to get it out of her system and have it out there. As the lyrics went on, both of them wished that Rinaa's timeline versions of them could hear this and possibly change their opinion on the teenager. It made them both see even more just how different they were and how much emotional damage their counter parts had done to the poor girl. It honestly broke both of their hearts, Kay feeling a bit more emotional over it than Fia due to her hormones.

(The link didn't work )

 

[_gallifrog_]

The others could only gape at the spectacle before them. Rinaa had always made a point of downplaying her singing abilities, suggesting that everybody was making a big deal out of nothing in her timeline, claiming that what she did was just messing around. Leah did the same as Fia could testify to, refusing to tell any family members where she was playing, what she was singing or when. But that was a complete lie for both girls and the real reason Rinaa did this became clear as soon as she opened her mouth. The sheer raw emotion she managed to convey was beyond anything John, Chas, Jay and Elliott had ever seen and as they let the music wash through them, they could all begin to get a feeling of how Rinaa had felt every day of her life, the raw pain audible in her voice. This was a girl who had been broken at every turn.

If this was the emotion she put into any song relevant to her life, then it certainly explained why she wouldn't want to sing near family (both in this timeline and her own). It wasn't a wedding song, but that didn't matter to Cal and Cliff at that moment in time. It was quite clear, even if she hadn't said it beforehand that this was a song for the ears of the versions of them in her timeline. The whole song was part an apology, an admission that she wasn't perfect that some things were her fault, partly an explanation of what had made her the way she was and one hundred percent at conveying the message across to this timeline's versions of everybody. It was heartbreaking in a way, the admissions of a child who hadn't received the love she craved as a child and was now wondering if it was even deserved. There was a direct reference to her time travelling, which was an apology to the Chas, Cliff and Cal in her timeline (the people who didn't know why and where she had gone) as well as her doing whatever she could to drown out her problems and keep the dark side at bay and the most heart-breaking part of all, that she wanted to love them, after everything she'd been through she still wanted to be a part of it.

The other guests picked up on the fact that not only were they watching an incredible singer, they were witnessing something they didn't fully understand and more than likely never would. There were tears in the audience, both from the general watchers and Rinaa's extended family, namely Cal, Cliff, Elliott, Chas, (none of whom started full on bawling, it was the kind of crying where eyes and noses get blocked and blurry) and even Jay (whose eyes had turned an unreadable colour and whose tears seemed to match the colour of her eyes thanks to the lights strung up). "Bloody. Hells." was all John could think to say on the matter, whatever they'd been expecting it wasn't this. There was no going back from this, this one song had changed everything and Rinaa knew it, which was why she'd picked it after all.

If there had been a stunned silence after Moya, Fia and Charie's earlier performance, the stunned silence after Rinaa's song seemed to go on for a couple of minutes,but in reality was only a couple of seconds as people checked that yes, they had just witnessed that. The applause was thunderous and Rinaa took it all in, tilting her head upwards, her own tears glinting in the corner of her eyes.

 

[MzHyde]

When Rinaa finished singing, Kay had to wipe from under her eyes a little bit as she felt her eyes getting damp from the build up of tears that didn't fall except for a couple, which she had dabbed away during the performance that Rinaa gave them all. Fia was just awe struck and had her mouth agape slightly from the shock over what they all just witnessed. When John reacted with just those two simple words, both of them just nodded slowly in agreement. "can say that again" Kay commented in a slightly hushed tone of disbelief after what felt like forever of not being able to talk.

They couldn't even applaud because they were still comprehending what they just saw and listened to, if it wasn't for the shock they would have been applauded with everyone else. "She is never allowed to downplay her abilities of singing from now on and I hope someone caught that on camera to prove it to her that she's better than she thinks she is" Fia remarked. Kay had to agree with that statement made by Fia, knowing she was 100% correct in saying that. "I agree with you Fia" Kay replied.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay, Elliott, Chas, John, Cal and Cliff all joined in the applause, albeit a good ten seconds after everybody else as they were still in shock, trying to wrap their heads around it. The others nodded in agreement with Fia, none of them had thought to film it, being too bust being shocked that a) Finaa was going to sing and b) trying to comprehend just how talented she actually was. But if John had to put money on it, he'd say that one of the other teenagers would have, considering they spent about half an hour persuading her to get up on stage and show off. "Very much with you on that."

Jay shook her head, not just in surprise. "I think it's more complicated than her not having faith in her abilities. I'm nearly certain she knows just how damn good she is, it's about self preservation, suppressing the things that would remind family of Elliott. Make it seem insignificant and people simply don't bother to go any further. And as well, think about it, if she sings every other song with that much emotion in it, there's no hiding anything in that is there? It's an outlet for her emotions, a performance like that is a level of soul bearing beyond anything else she does. and when you are hurt before like that, well it's not surprising you'd do what you could to make sure it doesn't happen again."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia was glad that she wasn't the only person who bought what she did as she heard both Kay and John agree with her. Though when Jay went into more detail with her theory and saying it was probably more than just downplaying her talents, both girls listened to her and thinking it did make sense. Kay could understand the thinking behind it, and why Rinaa would think downplaying her talents was easier than being fully truthful with her feelings to people. Fia couldn't fully understand it herself, she did think what Jay said made sense, but she also couldn't fully get why someone would just dismiss their talents instead of owning that one thing they knew they was good at.

It just showed what a different upbringing they really had. She had her moments of hiding how she felt and putting it into music, but she had never downplayed the rest of her talents for the sake of self preservation either. "I guess that makes sense" Fia replied. "It does make sense. I get it anyway as the moment you let someone in on one thing you know you're good at, you feel vulnerable and convinced it will open any little crack you have in that mental armour to the rest of your feelings and anxieties" Kay added. Fia then understood it just that bit more with Kay's extra explanation. By this point unborn Fia was beginning to kick again making Kay rub her stomach lightly in her seat.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay could tell that Fia didn't understand what she was trying to say. It wasn't an easy concept to explain, especially to somebody who never had to hide any fundamental part of themselves to the extent that Rinaa did. Kay understood it much better and Jay could see that Kay's extra explanation did indeed help Fia to sort of wrap her head around it. "It's also the thing of if you let one person see said cracks and the anxieties and fears beneath them, then said person abuses it, how can you show them again without fear of history repeating itself?"

Rinaa meanwhile had hopped off the stage, putting the mic back, running one hand through her newly cut hair, though raking was a more apt word as the motion made the hair stand on end in uneven spikes. She didn't want to head back to the family and extended family members, knowing that they'd want to talk about what they'd just experienced. She had nothing against praise, and unlike in her timeline when the family found out, here it had been on her own terms and her own choice. But she wasn't ready for a dissection just yet, so she headed back to the bar group.

"Do you require any more proof of my talents tonight?" She asked with a slight smile in her voice. "We've done light and sound systems, dancing AND singing, should I go back to the boat and get the guitar while we're at it? Or maybe we really just need to organise the very traditional wedding game of plas-ball? Or how many shots I can down in thirty seconds?"

 

[MzHyde]

Fia listened to what Chas added to the conversation and explanation, nodding at his words. She managed to understand it by putting it in the context of when she was 9 years old and found out what she was, after having it kept from her for all that time. It really helped as that discovery is what made the cracks and distrust of her mother begin to form and drew her closer to John, despite it being a joint decision at the time, she put all the blame on Kay because it was Kay that was the phoenix and not John. She just found it easier to blame her mother and not try and understand it. She was only a child at the time so it was partly expected that she had reacted the way she did, even if it wasn't entirely the right way to react.

"I kind of understand that, at I understand it enough to get what everyone is saying anyway" Fia replied honestly. She saw how Rinaa decided to go back to the bar lot and avoid the extended family at all costs for the time being, which she couldn't blame her for doing. "Glad we could explain it well enough to make it understandable" Kay told her, giving her hand a squeeze with her free hand. Fia smiled slightly at the action, the action just making her so much more glad that she decided to stay and make an effort to get close to her mother once more, even if it was her younger self. Kay only truly understood everything because of what she had gone through as a kid through to her adulthood, especially as it taken her so long to even tell John about the things she had kept locked away in her memory. She still found it slightly ironic that it was John was more open with her before she was with him about things, when he was probably more closed up than she was with so many things.

 

[_gallifrog_]

After hearing Rinaa sing John was could safely say that he simultaneously understood both more and less about Rinaa. John had a better grasp of just what kind of state she was in emotionally, but he couldn't understand why she had chosen to come back at all, why bother to get know all of them and Elliott? Why not just fuck off into the stars and live the rest of her life there? There had to be an endgame to this, but he had no idea what, which was pretty terrifying in a way. This was somebody who was a capable of far more than they knew.

He could see things in her that he knew were also present in him, and there were parallels between their lives that couldn't be ignored (maybe, thought, that was why he'd been the one to try with her) Even if she didn't want it John did have sympathy for her. What she had gone through (and was still suffering the after effects of) was the kind of abuse that nobody should be put through. There was no doubt that was an incredibly tough person, but that came at a price- her mental health. She'd admitted to suffering with depression for most of her life, as well as serious self doubt and the belief that she was both broken and a monster. All this had led to her turning her suicidal, something that struck a chord with john. He'd been there and even gone through with it. It wasn't something you came out of easily.

Rinaa didn't get up and sing again (or make any impromptu speeches) nor did anybody else in the audience for that matter. Having already succeeded twice the group decided not to push their luck and spent the rest of the evening chatting, drinking, occasionally dancing and telling amusing anecdotes (which was exactly what everybody else was doing). Jay, Lock and Conrad, along with Elliott were trading stories of things done in their past, John and Chas were doing the same, having meandered from Chas' wedding, to John's sister's wedding, to John's niece and from there they had lost all semblance of a related chain and were just bouncing from one anecdote to another, which included Chas' gap year and how he'd deliberately gone to places with no phone signal so John couldn't contact him and how whenever he did get within range he'd have the strangest missed messages. A few hours passed and people began to tap out, as despite what Cal and Cliff had joked about, people did actually know their alcohol limits and weren't going to make fools of themselves.

 

[MzHyde]

Over the next few hours of talking, Fia and Kay listened to the stories that John and Chas told, laughing at the funny moments and just remaining silent at the serious moments. Fia found a lot of them highly interesting as some were ones she hadn't heard before and others she had heard but never tired of hearing them, finding them just as entertaining to listen to as she did the first time. Whereas it was mostly all first time hearings for Kay. Kay gave some of her own stories of her own antics and past, and Fia gave her own stories of non significant training days or hunts she did to remain involved. Some of the time she got up and danced some more, despite having sore feet, yet she couldn't help herself at times. There were times when she danced properly and other times she just danced like a idiot before coming back to join back in with the chats with her parents and godfather.

Kay remained seated the entire night, only getting up to get another drink when she wanted it. As people started to tap out, she looked out and saw the area get more and more spacious. She night time air cooling her skin, making her rub her arms lightly. Fia didn't feel the coolness, as she was slightly drunk but not so bad that a hangover would be unbearable the next morning and luckily for her she was proving to be her normal chirpy self when drunk, just slightly more giggly. Kay actually found it rather adorable in a strange way that her daughter was being the way she was. If people didn't know they'd barely be able to tell she was even remotely drunk. "I think we should get this one to bed soon" she said to John and Chas.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Rinaa did eventually join in with the other's reminiscing, unlike Fia almost all of the stories were new to her, and she was fascinated by them as they gave a real insight into everybody. With Fia's stories she did try to match them to her timeline out of force of habit, with, for the most part, very little success. She contributed some of her own stories from when she lived off world along with the weird and wonderful characters she'd met. She had drank significantly more than Rinaa, maybe a bit too much, but the only noticeable effects were that she was significantly more relaxed and open as the alcohol lowered her defences.

Elliott had managed to go the whole night without drinking alcohol, and Jay had done the exact opposite. Chas and John had both drunk moderately (by their standards), which meant that nobody in their group was in danger of an actual full-on hangover. John had kept a vague eye on Fia's drinking, but was determined to stay by his 'burn and learn' philosophy for this particular parenting moment (if it could even be called that). There was no better way for somebody to find their limits than to go completely past then and spend hours in misery the next day. It would make somebody think twice before doing it again.

At Kay's word he nodded. "Probably a good call, the whole thing seems to be winding down anyway." Matteo and his friends had left an hour or so ago, along with Moya. Most of Cliff's family were also gone, and Cal and Cliff were only staying around to see people off as they felt it was the right thing to do as they were hosting this thing. "Agreed, sleeping in a warm room sounds pretty attractive right now." "And I for one know I will actually manage to sleep a full night of four hours for like the first time in about six months." Rinaa added as the all started getting up.

 

[MzHyde]

When they all had their chats and had Rinaa join them willingly, she could tell that Rinaa found all their stories fascinating and was clearly learning about them all as people as she did so. She did the same thing when she first met John, Chas and Elliott and listened to the things they told her, so she recognised it in Rinaa. She also liked that Rinaa felt she could tell some of her own stories to them all, even if it was down to the alcohol lowering her defenses. Also like John, Kay had kept an eye on Fia's drinking, even if John had the philosophy of 'burn and learn' over it. She partly agreed with it, but if Fia had gotten ill from it she would have helped Fia out.

Kay then nodded when John agreed about getting Fia back to The House. She noticed that Matteo and the rest of Cliff's family had gone back a while ago and they were pretty much the last remaining people outside. She smiled at Chas' words definitely agreeing with that sentiment, and nodded at Rinaa's words. "I'd like to think we'll all sleep well tonight" she replied, "and I definitely want a warm bed right now, I'm getting goosebumps" she smirked. Fia just nodded in agreement to head back to The House to sleep, finding she was sleepy and wide awake in equal measure. "bed sounds good" she said, ever so slightly slurred but not much. "Come on you, let's get you back and into bed" Kay told Fia, helping Fia up, grabbing her shoes and violin for her in the process and thinking Fia walking up the stairs was quite possibly going to be an interesting thing to watch.

 

[_gallifrog_]

"Yeah, I one hundred percent agree. In fact tomorrow morning, I'm having a bloody lie in" Chas declared, he didn't usually have the time or the opportunity to do such a thing, and he had the distinct feeling that most people wouldn't be rising before midday tomorrow, so he was going to make the most of it. "And unless the world is ending, don't disturb me, as I'll probably murder you." It was of course joke, but Chas wanted to be sure he had gotten his point across. Jay smirked at the idea, a glint in her eye as she replied with "well, I do still owe you, so if you need help disposing of the body I'M your woman." "Of course you do." Elliott replied, but the words were said fondly. "Which comes as a surprise to nobody, but you've made your point Chas."

"And on a less illegal note Jay knows a hangover cure... concoction... thingy that actually works" Rinaa added shortly before she turned off down towards the boats, slinging the leather armour jacket over her shoulder. "Night then" "Yeah, night guys." Jay and Elliott called over their shoulders following the teenager to the boat. Both Rinaa and Jay had high alcohol tolerances which meant their balance wasn't affected and they could actually walk to the boats without fear of a sobering dip in the sea.

John led the way to The House as he always did. It wasn't like The House was simply going to up and vanish, but it was force of habit for John to lead the way. He pushed open the door, Chas shutting it behind him as he was the last through. The House was far warmer than outside, the temperature magically regulated. He hadn't noticed just how cold it had gotten outside as the night progressed and the hairs on the back of his neck bristled at the temperature change. "Night Chas" "Yeah, night guys."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay and Fia both smirked at Chas' words about the lie in and to not to disturb him, well and truly getting the point across. Neither of them would even dream of getting on his bad side, even with something as simple as disturbing him in the morning when he didn't want to be. They just smirked more when Jay joined in on the chatter, whilst seeing Elliott retort back at her fondly. When it came ti what Rinaa said, Kay smiled, "I guess we'll find out if Fia will need it tomorrow" she chuckled. Both girls said their goodnights to the three of them as they followed John back to The House as per usual.

Kay kept watch of Fia making sure she didn't just randomly fall over or anything, which she luckily didn't. Getting inside, Fia started walking up the stairs and unlike her normal skipping of every other step she held onto the bannister lightly and went up every single step normally, counting the steps as she went, without even saying goodnight to Chas. Kay watched her and had to stifle a chuckle as she said her own goodnight. "I'm wondering if she'll make it to her room or not or even realise I still have her things" she said to John. "I can hear you mum!" Fia called down before going back to counting the steps all the way up to the top of the stairs, where she walked to her room. "I totally got this!" She declared, pushing open her door only for her whole body to go forwards with the door and fall to the ground with a thud.

Kay glanced at John upon hearing the thud shortly after the declaration with a raised eyebrow before as quickly as she actually could headed upstairs to find Fia on the floor. "So you can walk all the way here but a door defeats you? That's just classic" Kay laughed, walking in and putting Fia's violin and shoes down.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John notice that Fia had adapted when walking up the stairs, instead of simply just taking every second step at speed, she was being precise and methodical. Which was a good thing. John being John had a couple of stories involving old mates, concrete steps and head injuries. Clearly Fia had more sense than that. He chuckled slightly at Kay's words as she gestured at him with the violin and shoes, it was a fair point after all. When Fia declared that she 'totally got this' John just shook his head, knowing that saying that was just asking for it. It was like saying 'things can't get any worse' when in a bad situation.

And sure enough Fia's words became a self fulfilling prophecy, he could tell by the slight scuff of the door, followed by a loud thump that Fia had fallen through the door and sniggered to himself. He rolled his eyes at Kay "her saying that was asking for it. The universe is funny like that." He then made his way up the stairs following Kay at a more leisurely pace. He wasn't smashed and so his coordination was good enough that he didn't fall over or fall through the door. "i would make a similar quip about being floored by a door, but Kay's already covered it." He didn't enter the room, just leaned in the doorway, his mostly black gear making him blend into the shadows of The House moreso than usual.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay thought up until now that Fia was actually doing pretty well at holding herself together. She had to smirk at his comment about her declaration just asking for it, unable to deny that whatsoever. "I can't deny that whatsoever" she replied to him as they headed to Fia's room together to find her on the floor. She also couldn't resist making the comment as she put Fia's belongings down for her, holding her hand out for their kid to help her up. Fia rolled her eyes at what they both said, taking Kay's hand and standing up again whilst being careful to not pull Kay down in the process.

"Oh ha ha you two. Neither of you are funny by the way, hope you know that" Fia said heading to her bed and flipping down on top of it. Kay just shook her head smirking at the retort, knowing she was just saying that because a) she was drunk and b) her ego probably just got a little bit dented. "Sure kiddo, sure" Kay just remarked back, walking back to John in the doorway. "Get some sleep Fia" she said once more, as Fia just waved her arm lazily as if to usher them away from her room, "close the door please" Fia then called out to them mid yawn as she was starting to fall asleep now she was on her comfortable bed. Kay pulled the door closed after Fia requested it to be shut, before looking at John, "now we've dealt with our darling daughter, we can finally head to bed ourselves" she sighed with relief, putting on a slightly more sarcastic but fond tone for her description of Fia and emphasis on the word 'finally'.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John just rolled his eyes at Fia's words, sensing that there was no heart or effort behind them, that the teenager was far more interested in sleeping. "Well unfortunately for you, humour or lack thereof is hereditary." John retorted before Fia attempted to dismiss them from her room with a hand gesture, the thought 'rude, this is MY house after house' came into his head, but it was meant in a fond way. He pushed off the door frame as Kay left, shutting the door behind them. He could easily pick up on all the various tones in Kay's voice she spoke about Fia. Despite whatever worries they both had about parenting, it was clear to John that Kay was more of a natural parent than he'd been. "Finally" he sighed as he made his way back downstairs.

"She could be a lot worse though and she actually listened on not going overboard with drinking" He added as they made their way towards the bedroom where he had to resist the temptation to just throw himself face down on it, taking up as much of the bed as possible and passing out. After drinking it was pretty much a guarantee that John would crash out wherever he wanted, in positions that shouldn't be comfortable, yet somehow were. He didn't bother to get properly undressed, just shrugged off his black trench coat, kicked off his shoes, then half threw himself back on the bed.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay had to smirk at the hereditary comment that John made as she left the room, letting John close the door behind her. When it came to parenting she didn't even think about whether she was more of a natural at it than him or she ever thought before. She just saw herself as being a decent human being, rather than being a good parent. "That's true, at least we can take that from this, that our kid does actually listen to us" she agreed as she went downstairs with him to their room, walking in and thinking 'hello my dear friend' when she looked at the bed. Unlike John, she actually got undressed, putting on her usual sleep shirt and getting into bed, whilst she still could have the space to do so, smirking at the way he just flopped down onto the bed.

The moment her body and head hit he mattress and pillow a content sigh escaped her mouth. She glanced over at him and just smiled before staring up at the ceiling. She knew she should have removed all her makeup but she just couldn't be bothered, deciding she would do it in the morning of whenever she decided to get up. "As good as today has been I'm so glad to be in bed" she smiled whilst half chuckling, placing one hand under her pillow as she got comfortable. She could feel sleep trying to take over her as she started to close her eyes. With a yawn, she spoke one last time, "night John" before she drifted off to a deep sleep.

Back upstairs in Fia's room it took her a grand total of 40 seconds to fall asleep face first on her bed, still in her dress, one arm hanging off the side, legs sprawled out in different directions. She went into such a deep sleep that nothing would wake her during the night, no matter how loud it was.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John barely heard what Kay said, he was already falling asleep, not bothering to make himself comfortable, one leg and arm hanging off the side. Earlier in the evening it had crossed his mind (quite a few times to be exact) that if Kay hadn't been pregnant the evening would have also ended with them in bed (but under totally different circumstances). It hadn't escaped his attention that various other guests did exactly that, including Cliff's eldest brother, who made it no secret that he was willing to hook-up with pretty much anybody close to his age. This had also been John's modus operandi for years, which was why he picked up on it so easily. Which had lead to an even weirder thought, if Kay hadn't been around he'd probably have shagged Benji.

Chas was also out quickly, just looking at the bed had reminded him how tired he actually was and how old he was getting given that a bed was managing to look that attractive. True to her word Rinaa sprawled on the sofa bed of the houseboat and was asleep within minutes and didn't wake for a straight for hours. She had no nightmares either, for the first time in about three weeks. Using alcohol to suppress nightmares was hit and miss, sometimes she'd drink so much her sleep would consist of inky blackness, but other times it would make the nightmares even worse. Sleeping pills worked, until she began to build up an immunity to them , so an uninterrupted nights sleep was a miracle for her. Most of Matteo's friends ended up bunking on the living room floor, which wasn't too unusual.

As they'd predicted the night before, everybody who could sleep in chose to do exactly that, and when they did awake there were some particularly nasty hangovers and the high fashion of the night before was replaced by crumpled clothing and sweat pants.

 

[MzHyde]

John wasn't the only one who was thinking that the night would have ended in a totally different manner on the bed of Kay wasn't pregnant. Kay was also thinking it and was actually mentally cursing the fact she was pregnant internally for the first time since becoming pregnant. She crazily missed being that intimate with John, even if it did lead to her current situation and actually couldn't wait until this pregnancy was over. She glanced over at him one more time when he didn't respond and saw he was pretty much already out like a light which made her smile fondly at him. "I really do love you" she whispered at him before falling asleep herself.

Her own night was relatively peaceful with no real frightening images of warrior phoenix's giving her vague warnings or Fia dead on top of cars, it didn't even lead to nice dreams of what their lives were going to be like in the near future. This time she just had memories of herself and Sam being dreamt up, of times when Sam would force her to do stupid shit like do photos in a photo booth, force her into stupid costumes at Sam's birthday/Halloween parties, as well as times at university in art classes. The memories soon moved forward to when she first met John, how things were so snarky between them and keeping each other at arm's length before that night in this House which naturally lead to dirty dreams about the two of them.

As morning came round, it took quite a while before Kay stirred awake, and yet again in her usual manner of not wanting to be awake, turning onto her side facing John and pulling her pillow right into her before finally admitting defeat and waking up. She did however enjoy her lay in before eventually seeing the others and seeing that Fia did indeed have a hang over. Kay was also glad that she packed her comfortable clothing that she bought on Attil a while ago, not even caring that it wasn't her usual grunge/punk attire, but instead the distressed jeans and 'iced coffee' slogan hoodie. She even out her hair up into a messy sidebraid and managed to remove last night's make up and moisturise her face. The fact that others were dressed similarly made her just that bit more comfortable in what she was wearing.

 

[_gallifrog_]

At some point John had managed to completely rotate over in his sleep and face plant on the bed, so he was greeted by the smell of stale alcohol on his breath when he roused from his unconsciousness. Not the nicest of smells which caused him to groan and roll over, very nearly, but not quite fall out of the bed. He managed to catch himself in time and sit up, running a hand through his hair. A quick glance at his watch revealed that it was far later than usual, which was no surprise given that the wedding had lasted int the early hours of the morning. He didn't bother to change out of the clothes he'd slept it, just pulled on the tan trench coat and was, apart from a slight redness in his irises and a distinct smell of alcohol, his usual scruffy self.

Chas had taken a lie in, yet still managed to be up before John and Kay and had parked himself in a hammock on the front decking, looking completely at ease in a baggy hoodie and old trousers, nodding at the others as they arrived. "Mornin'. Hangover cure in the kitchen, and if you feel like a laugh, have a look in on Matteo, he got totally shit-faced last night, so now has the hangover from hell and apparently made a complete tit of himself and is regretting it." John smirked "there's always one, at least it wasn't this one."

In the kitchen they were greeted by a bizarre sight, yet one that made complete sense when one knew the people. Elliott was making breakfast using a various wedding leftovers, while Jay had raided the kitchen for all kinds of ingredients and was performing what looked like alchemy, but was actually the hangover cure she'd developed years ago. Rinaa was deconstructing what could potentially be a blender, the pieces spread across the table. The teenager was dressed in cargo trousers that had a military look to them, as well as a faded t-shirt that had quite clearly suffered from acid damage. Moya had her feet propped up on the table, and was passing Rinaa tools and screws.

 

[MzHyde]

Fia joined up with John and Kay eventually sporting her own casual wear of denim shorts, vest and sneakers, along with tired eyes and a hangover. Kay smirked initially seeing both John and Fia looking a little worse for wear whilst inside feeling smug that she wasn't like them. When they reached Chas Kay nodded back in greeting to him, listening to what he was saying and thought Matteo's look just be amusing if Chas is making a point to single him out in his morning greetings. She smirked at John's reply about Fia whilst Fia groaned. "At least when I did make a fool out of myself or was when I reached my room" Fia commented before elaborating for Chas' sake, "I opened my door and went flying onto the floor in the process" she k we she was drunk but she wasn't so bad she didn't remember what had gone on the night before.

Walking into the kitchen and seeing the varying sights before them, Fia wondered how Rinaa could be working on something already, even though she didn't k ow the time at all, and Kay was just enjoying the smells that Elliott was creating with the breakfasts he was cooking. She was so intrigued by the smells she couldn't help but walk over and check out what he was doing due to being the other cook in their weird family. "Smells good Ell" she said to him, making sure to stay out of his way. Fia saw the state of Matteo and totally sympathised with how he was feeling, as she sat down on an available chair holding her head. She knew it was down to a hangover but she also was convinced it was partly down to her falling onto the ground in her room.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott nodded at Kay's praise of his cooking, not taking his eyes of the food as he transferred some kind of chopped up veg into the pan. His hair was tied back into a bun at the back of his head, something John had never seen him do ever, until they came to Attil and it had been suggested as a disguise. It strangely suited him and John couldn't help but wonder if Jay had any influence in the bun making appearance today. "Good to hear, cos I'm basically just winging it, they've got all kinds of leftovers, along with spice and veg I don't recognise, so this is all experimental, yet this lot" he jerked his chin in direction of jay, then the two teenagers "are willing to try anything, and no doubt John is too." "Damn right I am, it looks far more tasty than the decimated Nutri-bullet over there." "In other words, breakfast is on me."

There was a groan from Matteo at that point. He'd been silent up until then, sprawled across the couch with an arm across his eyes. He looked particularly dreadful, not quite reanimated corpse level, but pretty damn close. His hair was a mess, his eyes were puffy, his head was spinning, his stomach was protesting at even the slightest thought of food and he was still in yesterday's shirt and formal trousers. "Shut up about food will you, and let me die in peace." he groaned, sounding even worse than he looked. "And for the record, I'd like to state that dying sucks." "Bad choice of words" Matteo winced, partially because of his slip up with his choice of words and partially because the light was hurting his eyes."But still, you get my point?"

"Which is that you made a massive tit of yourself and don't have the guts to try and fix it or at least talk about it and are gonna blame the hangover for everything, when deep down you know it's only partially to blame?" Rinaa retorted, swivelling in her chair and pointing a screwdriver at him, looking far more serious and threatening than she had any right to. "And don't even try to protest that, I've been exactly where you are right now, I know the signs."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay also thought the bun suited Elliott and she noticed how he was a lot more willing to do such things with his hair compared to before he came to Attil. When he jerked his head toward Jay and the teenagers, she glanced over then back at Elliott again. She smirked at the comments and nodded, "I'm up for trying it too as like I said, it smells good" she replied with a smile. When the groan came from Matteo she looked across at his sorry state and listened to him complaining, smirking greatly as Rinaa totally called him out on his behaviour the night before.

"So..how did he make an utter tit out of himself exactly?" Fia asked, piping up eventually, glad that there was someone looking a lot worse than she was and felt. "Gotta be worse than you doing a bloody Del Boy at the bar last night and falling passed your door to greet your floor last night, going by the looks of him" Kay commented, not sorry at all that she called out Fia. Fia looked at Kay and weakly gave her dagger eyes for saying it out loud before just resting back against the chair she was in. "Are you ever going to let me live that down?" Fia asked, "nope! Especially as we heard the thud from downstairs. And if I did, John probably wouldn't." Kay said smugly. For someone who had some interesting dreams last night, Kay was in a pretty good mood.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John also had to smirk at Matteo's state, it was pretty damn hilarious to John, not only did he look truly atrocious there was the whole thing of him making an utter tit of himself (and he knew he wasn't the only one intrigued about how exactly he'd managed to do that). Rinaa calling out Matteo was highly amusing to him and he leaned back against the counter to get a good view of Rinaa, the screwdriver and Matteo on the couch. She was commanding a surprising amount of authority in the room, and he had no doubt that she could go full on John Wick with a screwdriver. She even said she was talking from experience which lead to a whole host of questions about what she'd done or said while getting smashed.

The glint in Rinaa's eyes didn't go unnoticed by John when Fia was called out on her drunken antics. It would be a lie to say that Rinaa hadn't been hoping that Fia would get plastered and have to deal with the hangover from hell, while it was cruel, hungover people provided excellent entertainment, as Matteo was proving. "Nope, you aren't ever going to hear the end of this." He told Fia with a smirk, which everybody in the room knew was true, even the off-worlders, who had enough knowledge about John to know it was true.

"So Matteo, you gonna talk about it? Or remain in denial, forcing me and Nat to tell the story?" "Nat knows?" "Well as the most sober sibling, of course I know." Nat smirked, walking into the room. "And I've said your friend can borrow your clothes, no need to thank me" he gave a broad Cheshire cat grin, filled with the smugness that only an older who has the higher ground can emanate, before reaching over Elliott to grab a mug from the shelf. "Thanks Nat, really needed to hear that." Matteo groaned, meaning the exact opposite. Rinaa got up and slid a glass filled with a strange smoothie like concoction over to Matteo. "Drink up." Matteo eyed the contents of the glass suspiciously. "Hangover cure, just down it in as few gulps as possible, works better that way."