if she'd been covered with glitter

[maleficum]

Comments

[geminated]

Josie's much better now?

[Everything bounces back to the median in the end. She'll leave out that Josie is dating the tribrid. She doesn't even know about Lizzie's own magical royalty boyfriend yet.

She should probably schedule an Auntie Liv FaceTime session and catch up with them, but that's a problem for future Liv. Current Liv is happily oblivious to the twins current problems right now.]

She got into Tulane. And Lizzie's going to NYU.

[drugdeals]

They're the overachieving twins of the family.

( Luke is in biochemistry, which, still pretty good! But, he still comes with the black sheep label. He and Liv seem to share and pass the label back and forth, but with, previously, only one relative to their name, neither was very concerned with it. )

Really, he's no longer a factor.

[geminated]

Yeah. Josie is ... well, she's much better at magic than she likes other people to think.

[But that being said, there's one thing they still have to cover.]

Do you want us to tell Jo?

[pricetags]

( On the one hand, Liv and Luke know and everything hasn't gone to shit - for Shephard. On the other, he hasn't gone into his own exploits, where he's been, what he does, or why. And does he want anyone in his family involved? Not that that's a guarantee. Everyone can keep to their corners, just with checking in with each other more. And that could be nice.

But, his name is recognizable and he's still on the run.

Is he worth knowing?

How long will this secret be kept? Alexander knows who she is. And Alys. Is this something he deserves? Will it put any of them in danger? )

Do you? My life's - your life's -- I mean, Luke, the guy was a real wad, but --

( "Maybe we weren't star-crossed--" )

But you'd find out. You never meet me, never connect again, and you could've made your mistake on your own. Sorry. Decision.

( Until Liv knocked some sense into him. )

[geminated]

Whatever you're up to can't be any worse than anything we've already been through.

[And the way she says that isn't as though she's tempting fate, but more a statement of fact. Their lives have been a shit show for so long nothing can really surprise them. And more to the point:]

And maybe you showing up actually did him a favor. Not that it can cure his terrible taste in men but better to know now than later when you're sharing an apartment and have to work out joint custody of your dog.

[pricetags]

( "We're cat people," Luke says, defiantly, possibly just to defy his sister's sound logic. )

Cat people are sociopaths.

( It's proven! (He's a cat person. Shush.)

"I hate both of you." )

He loves us. How about, we start easy. You two were in Baltimore for a meet-the-sister brunch?

[geminated]

Yeah.

[She glances down at her watch.]

I can crash in the city tonight. I just have to call Tyler and let him know I'll be back tomorrow.

[pricetags]

Who's Tyler?

( "Liv's common-law husband." Shepherd turns his head toward Liv at that. )

[geminated]

[Her nose wrinkles at that explanation but ... she's also not going to contradict it. (Honestly, that's progress.) She just grabs her phone and slides off the stool.]

I'll be right back.

[It'll give Luke and Shep some time to bond. And Liv some space to have a little tiny minor freak out. She heads away from the bar and steps outside for some fresh air, before placing her phone to her ear.

Ring ring Tyler phone.]

[recrudesce]

( Tyler always welcomes Liv's life or witch updates. It takes him out of the more library-focused side of his post at the Armory. He likes being more boots-on-the-ground, but sometimes he can't avoid the research elment. )

Hey, do we hate the guy?

[geminated]

Total garbage. But, oddly enough, that is not the news.

[She shifts to lean back against the wall of the restaurant, and since she doesn't know how to say this in a way that's delicate or less shocking than she's about to say it but it's either this or she doesn't talk about her feelings at all.

Tyler is probably used to it at this point, right?]

So remember all those dead siblings I have? One of them might be significantly less dead than we originally thought.

[recrudesce]

( Not the news, so there's news. He listens, expecting her brand of bluntness. She never fails to surprise him. )

Like in hiding?

[geminated]

I assume. We didn't really get around to the where he's been end of things. We were mostly all just shocked at his being alive. Or us, in his case.

[It's still a lot and she's not sure how to feel about it because while they have made progress in her being happy about things and life, it's still hard not to feel like the other shoe is going to drop at some point.]

And I'm mostly just trying to make it seem like I have my shit together.

[recrudesce]

You never lost your shit.

( Like the Armory grounds him, it grounds her, too. It gives her purpose beyond her family's legacy and worrying about her brother's moronic dating decisions. His words. Also sometimes they're her words, but it sounds nicer coming from her, doesn't it? )

So, this is a Baltimore coincidence. Well, I know he's not dating your brother so where does this trash bag fit into all of this?

[geminated]

Well, he kind of showed up just as we were figuring out that it was Shep and when we introduced him as our brother he was rightfully confused and he wound up being the focus of me trying to keep my shit together.

I did apologize, but he took Shep's sudden appearance as Luke not being completely honest and didn't seem willing to give him the time to explain and he left.

[She wrinkles her nose, not that he can see it.]

So him being trash might be a little my fault.

[recrudesce]

Sounds like he wasn't willing to hear your brother out. I'm going with, you can't make someone trash.

( They just are. )

Do you know what your brother is doing in Baltimore?

[geminated]

Not yet. He was on some kind of video call when I went up to him, but I don't know what it's for. We're going to have brunch so I'm sure Luke will handle interrogating him about where he's been and what he's doing here.

[They'll figure it out.]

But I just wanted to let you know I may be crashing here tonight.

[recrudesce]

Do you need backup?

( He, more than anyone, knows she can handle herself, but he has to offer. He also wants to. Save him from the books. )

[geminated]

[She knows that's why he's offering, and sometimes it's good that he does. It saves her the vulnerability of asking. She's also not necessarily opposed, though she hesitates.]

Maybe.

[It's not a yes, but it's not no either. And it will take him some time to get here.]

I don't want to spook him but I wouldn't say no if you wanted to drive out.

[recrudesce]

How about this, I'll book my own room. And I'll be there for you if you need me.

( Not when. She might not need him, but he is here to emotionally support her.

He also needs to bring the books. He'll at least have.... books. )

[geminated]

[She smirks.]

Text me when you get in and I'll let you know where we're at.

[She may come over and join him at the hotel anyway. It'll probably be better than sleeping on Luke's couch. But hopefully things with Shep will continue to go well.]

[recrudesce]

And, if you need more family time, I'll see you later.

( Without them. He too smiles, hanging up. He is ready for anything.

Unlike Shep, who at this moment is downing another shot.

"It's a fair question, Shep. I know what my sister and I have been doing all this time." )

[geminated]

[Look, he should know that Liv almost never needs more family time. Either she is done with them or they are done with her fairly quickly.

They avoid each other so they can keep loving each other.]

I also had that question. So if we've reached your turn to share, I'm ready to listen.

[pricetags]

You know this isn't fair, I don't have a long lost sibling to gang up on you guys with.

( He lets the low blow linger between the three of them, because it's as much his as it is theirs as he sighs and tilts his head back. His upper row of teeth run along his lower lip as he formulates what needs to be said.

What can be said?

"It can't be that bad." He exchanges a look with his sister. "Can it?" )

Look, I survived, but I - survived and, I thought nobody else did, so I got lost. I changed my name. I went South.

[geminated]

Okay. South. Then what?

[She tips her head to the side as she considers him.]

You met your little friends that were on that video call?