Silent is the sinner

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Date | Tuesday, the 21th of December 2021 Time | Midday has just about rolled by - 14:14 Place / Area | Larger, commocally acclaimed desperatment store near the end of the central pedestrian street, Aston, Gaia. Outfit | Sleek designe, brown winter coat and a pair of warm, chic winter boots with a high heel.

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Rockin’ around the Christmas tree was playing throughout the entire floor of the department store from cleverly hidden speakers every which way so there was no way of escaping the looping playlist of cheery holiday music. Maeve Poe wasn’t someone who particularly minded it. She liked the season and whatever came with it. The warmth. The gift-giving and receiving. The time with family. That last one especially! However like everything else in her life; this year was just… different. More numb rather than pleasantly relaxed, although the two things looked scarily similar from the outside.

The human let a sigh slip through her routinely painted lips while her eyes search from one box of Lego sets to the next on the tall wall of shelves in front of her. Cogwheels and gears were visibly turning inside her head as she tried to come to a decision. Which one would her brother like the most? Which one did he already have? Did he even like playing with this sort of thing anymore? It was only a matter of time before Jonathan Poe would turn thirteen and then he’d officially be a teenager. They suddenly seemed to grow up so fast - all of them. Way too fast!
Standing up on her toes and reaching up, she picked one off the shelves and stood steadily back down on the chunky heels of her boots with a faint clank. This one looked promising. And more importantly, it looked challenging enough for the book smart boy. But then there was also.. Maeve had barely made a move to reach her other hand out to grab another box set, when the screen right next to her abruptly started the obnoxious and overly energetic advertisement back up, blasting sound. If anything drowned out the department store music and the constant murmuring of people doing their last minute Christmas shopping like her, it was these things. And it felt like they had perfected the amount of seconds between the advert had ended and when it began again, because even though it had played multiple times while she had stood there, it always caught her ever so slightly off guard. Automatically it drew her attention to it. Again. It was getting quite… distracting. Annoying, actually.

Surprisingly, she didn’t think too much of her surroundings when she instead directed her reaching hand to the screen and placed it over the top edge as if it was a tablet, she could carry and move. Of course her hand just rested there. Discreet tension appeared in her face. Clenched back teeth and furrowed brows. And then the screen went silent. The video still played as it should but at last she didn’t continue to have to listen to it. But she hadn’t simply turned the volume all the way down. She had managed to actually change the factor of it that was ‘sound’ into the thing directly opposite; ‘silence’. In all honestly, she hadn’t expected it to work. It very rarely worked the way she intended. The possibility of her having changed any other factor of it was larger than the chance of winning the lottery. At least, that was how it felt to her. So you couldn’t blame her for the little spark of satisfaction, that pulled a smile onto her lips when she removed her hand from the screen again.
I am enough, I have gotten as far as I can, one step at a time.
Maybe dr. Addington wasn’t entirely wrong about her being on the right track to take some of the lost control back. It being a different control from the lost one but control in some way. One step at a time..

There were a million other places that he should be but here, he still didn't understand this world correctly. It didn't make sense, and he didn't understand how Cecilia, how Irina and Nia had made their world work around it. How had they adapted so well to its cruelty, brutality? Tyler was more than freaked out, and Nia had sent him down to get some air. It was hard enough to see Cecilia look like nothing had happened, like everything was fine and this just was a small bump on the road. Tyler still wasn't sure what was going to happen, even with all the people who had gathered in worry had tried to explain it to him. One person he had been surprised not being there was his and Cecilia's other cousin. Well, Tyler hadn't put anything supernatural over what had happened to Maeve this year, over all it was an event the family wouldn't just forget. And as he had moved back to Aston, he had realized so as well, how heavy the darkness of the region was weighing down on his family.

Tyler breathed out looking at the Christmas lighted streets. Odd, usually at this time his parents would've planned going to Bulgaria for the Holidays. Mostly because his mother just adored the country she had lived in for so many years - and it had become a tradition. But it was just one of the many things that were so different this year. After him and Jessica had gotten their divorce and she desperately tried to keep their kids from him, still meaning he was mental - he would have thought so too if he was in her shoes. But he missed his two children. Hoped if he just gave Jessica space, that she would come around and at least let him visit. Luckily, Tyler was a rather patient man.

So, he made his way over towards the lego. Because he knew last time he had been around Sylvia was obsessed with this new friends lego or what it was called. So, he wanted to see if there was anything left. It was last minute. And yes, Cecilia had cursed at him for weeks to get it done... and yet, here he was. Last minute. He was dressed in a pair of black trousers and a larger marine blue sweatshirt, a jacket over that was opened, he had forgotten to close it when he had made it out the door. His mind to conflicted to even make sense of a normal task.

Something caught his eye. A familiar figure that was somewhat at the same time like a ghost. Trying to turn some sort of toy off, he couldn't see from where he was standing. Well good, then he wasn't the only one in the family out on last minute shopping. He hadn't seen much to her since she had gotten out, not that he had seen much of his family till around September. And he had been around, but he was also rather good at knowing when he had overstayed his welcome. And what good was he if he wasn't dealing with his own shit before trying to be there for someone else? He had gotten over the scare Quentin had imprinted in his mind, even if it was disrupted by what had happened to Cecilia. "Is it now that I shout Mae-day?" He asked from distance before approaching his cousin with his hands in his jacket pockets. "Last minute shopping too?" He asked even if it was obvious.

Cecilia and Maeve had always had their nickname game being rather strong, and what else could you do than being the annoying older brother who just wanted a seat at the table? At least till he had gotten his own life together it hadn't mattered too much that Cecilia and Maeve had gotten so close after Ce moved to Aston. But he chose not to call out the nickname, mainly, because even if it was nice to forget about the chaos for a second - he still was very much reminded of Cecilia just by looking at Maeve. Reminded that once again he could do nothing to help, because he couldn't understand this world yet. He tried, he really did try his best. Now, to the buying Christmas presents, he knew he wasn't really always the first out. Him and Cecilia had never been good at buying presents on time- mostly right before they left for Bulgaria - or like, he had been used to Jessica buying them for him because he was so busy, so it was weird for him to be out and needing to do it himself. But Maeve, Maeve always seemed to be onto speed with getting it done. So therefor he was surprised to see her here, then again with everything that had happened - he wasn't really judging much of her behavior. He chuckled softly as she rattled the box, before shortly moving his eyes over the shelves.

It was first as she commented on having trouble picking which one she should get, that he turned his eyes back to her. For Jonatthan. "I see," he breathed out. It was always something getting presents for children, one part of him wanted to buy the entire shop. You’re the architect! Which do you think? Tyler narrowed his eyes a little bit, pressing his brows together to show off his best possible dramatic thinking expression, as he tabbed his lower lip a little bit. "Good choices, hmm," he breathed out, licking his lips a little bit. "I would go with," he pointed at the NASA Apollo 1 craft one. "Clearly the coolest," he chuckled a little and breathed out.

"So, you phone stopped working or are did you just chose to ignore every call and message you get?" He asked addressing the elephant in the room, both of them knew it would be brought up at some point. Now, he had been the lucky one, getting a few messages here and there if he had texted about something. But he knew Ethan had tried to call Maeve, he knew Cecilia had went into a state of: if she wants anything to do with me, she can call herself. It had been a bit tense on the family front, at least on that side of the family. Tyler was still adjusting to having so much family here in town.

Him pointing had Maeve instinctively turn the box in the winning hand to look at it - she might’ve already forgotten what she had been holding in which hand - and looking at the spacecraft on the cover again, with the additional Lego figures and all, she felt the effects of another person’s opinion settle her own into firm agreement. “You think so? Hm,” she asked, not really being in a need of an answer as she soon after added: “This one it is then.” Definitely the coolest, yea. If anything, Jonathan would’ve probably been happy with either one. He was a good kid. “Thanks, Ty,” she happily expressed, locking eyes with him for a moment and smiling brightly before turning back towards the shelve to put the discarded choice back.

Sadly she didn’t even get as far as do finish the task, before a bomb was dropped on her. A heavy one, at that. Horribly heavy and it showed. She froze up where she stood and whatever joy she had displayed beforehand had been wiped away from her face. She had her side turned to Tyler but he would still be able to see it. And if not; he’d feel the change of air around her. Slowly she balanced the boxset and pushed it properly against the ones behind it while she on the inside was starting to feel choked. Not on the verge of tears, no, but as if her throat literally tied knots so she wouldn’t be able to breath. And her cheeks tensed up, forcing worth those recognizable dimples of hers. She felt very much put on the spot all of the sudden. How did he..?
Carefully she finally turned to actually look at him, her lips pressing themselves tightly against each other and there was no way she could hide the lamentable look in her eyes. She tried but everyone knew that Maeve Poe was incapable of wearing her emotions on the inside. Her only escape was blinking and looking a little away from him. Attempting to pull a little at the corners of her mouth. “It’s nothing. I’ve just been busy,” she lied surprisingly calm-voiced as she luckily was ignorant to what had currently happened. “And I haven’t been ignoring every one. Only..” She paused for a second, as if she didn’t want to have to admit the following. It’s was so pitiful. And she wasn’t pitiful!... She licked her lips. “Only Ethan. But that’s a long story that I don’t want to get into.”
With a shake on her head, she took in a deep breath and look back at Tyler with recollected composure. “I haven’t been avoid you on purpose. Say, have you been trying to get a hold on me?” With that question, she curled the Lego set under one arm and started digging her hand into the pocket of her coat to fish out her phone. It had been off for the time, she had spent at the psychologist’s office but had she perhaps forgotten to turn it back on? It could explain the bump in. And, of course, the bomb dropped just now.

But no. Her phone was turned on and there was no sign of a missed call from Tyler. Not even a text, so his confrontation had to have another meaning. One she had initially feared before forcing herself to think of other reasons. On that part, Maeve hadn’t really changed that much since being kick-dropped through the supernatural veil.

He nodded a little, people could get busy. It wasn't like he didn't buy it as a normal excuse, but he also knew there was more to it than that. Even if he wasn't the one she ignored. But as  she said, she only ignored Ethan. He had heard about that, how could he not have heard about that. "You don't need to dive into it," he also gladly pointed out, because right now, it wasn't about Ethan - he wasn't going to place himself between whatever happened between the two. Tyler shook his head a little bit, "no, but Ethan tried - I left my apartment in such hurry, I didn't get my phone with me," he mumbled a little. Yesterday had been hectic, today as well. But well, yes of course she found her phone to get the confirmation on whether he had called or texted her. "Let's just pay for that and get it wrapped in, I will explain after -" he took a sharper breath in and nodded to the side. It wasn't like he wanted to freak Maeve out more than he already could have done. And news like this wasn't something to be taken in at a simple toy store. "My apartment is just four minutes away from here, and I was going to grab a few things either way befo - yeah," he cut himself a little bit off and scratched his neck. "Maybe we can grab a quick cup of coffee, tea?" He suggested.

Not that Tyler found himself in the shoes of someone who had time to sit down and drink a cuppa' with his cousin this evening. If anything, he wanted to rush back to Cecilia, but he also knew she would be heavily guarded with people worried sick about her - and yes, he was closer to Cecilia than many of them, but most if not all of them had more say about this supernatural mess. "If you have time of course," he breathed out adding, "it won't be more than a quick cup, I have places to be as well so," Tyler gave Maeve a brief smile. Clearly there was something she didn't know, and even if Tyler could hold his emotions somewhat under control, he wasn't nearly as good at hiding them away as Cecilia was.

Ethan had tried? Oh, right. He had called. Just the other day. And she hadn’t hesitated for long before declining and putting away her phone, screen down. Forgetting about it again in a deranged attempt to not allow for the hurt feelings to possibly emerge. It was better to not deal with it. She furrowed her perfectly shaped brows. However, she was suddenly getting rather worried because Tyler was somehow making it sound like it wasn’t just Ethan who had wanted to get in contact with her that night. That he had just been the only one making the call on behalf of the others. It didn’t make her feel any better or less nervous, when he, in a way, started to hurry her along. Telling her, that he’d explain. So there was something! That choking sensation she had had before was gone again but the bad mojo in her stomach could easily make up for it.
“Right. I have time. But explain what?” Watching him with a clearly confused look, she stuffed her phone back in her pocket and got a better grip of the Lego set. She tried getting something from his face, but she got nothing. Nothing specific. He would maybe be happy to know, that her mind hadn’t automatically gone to the worse outcome, but who were to say it wasn’t getting there? He then smiled and the ridge between her brows only grew deeper and curled clutching at the ends.

Maeve mustered through the foreboding which had attached itself to her with a deep breath of ‘fresh’, perfume-heavy and air-conditioned air. “I’ll go take care of this, so.. Wait here, okay? Or we can meet outside,” she then suggested back, looking around her to locate the nearest call-up desk; hopefully one that didn’t have a line the size of a full marathon and then let her attention return to Tyler for confirmation. The truth that she didn’t feel ling queuing with him right now. She knew herself too well to know, that she’d only get more and more anxious to know what he wanted to talk with her about and if anything it would only end up with them standing there, awkwardly in strained silence. So even if he had plans to go against her suggestion, she didn’t give him much of a choice. “I won’t take long.” And as soon as those words got over her tongue and then sent him a small, apologetic smile, she was off. Walked passed him with slightly joking steps which her thick heels on the hard vinyl floor made almost musical.

The line wasn’t bad. The department store had made calculations for the Christmas rush and the one at Maeve’s counted turned out to have masterly skills in the art of gift wrapping so not even that took long. It was long enough, though, for her to look at her call-list on her phone. Seeing that red-symbol outside of Bear. Did it taunt him just as much as it did her?
The gift was payed for and the fancy bag was handed and received. And quickly she found her way back to her cousin. Actually; when was the last time they had hung out? “Ehm, you lead way,” she greeted him, pulling a bit more chipper to not add to the heavy atmosphere he had managed to bring out. “I don’t think I’ve got the chance to see your place yet, let alone know the way there.” Which was wholeheartedly her own bloody fault!

He didn't really want to explain it here. Well, hell he was bad enough at being the one to explain it. Irina would be so so much better at it. Then again, he knew Irina and Maeve weren't close, so it would most likely just make the whole situation worse, and none of the two parts needed that extra tension to hit the iceberg. "We meet outside," he nodded before walking towards the doors, hell - maybe he could buy something online and have shipped to his kids, hoping it would be alright. He didn't really want more arguments with Jessica. Right now he just wished they could all just have a nice calm Christmas - was that too much to ask? The cold air reached him, making him take a deeper breath in and look around. Watching all the families walking together the children pointing at the windows, some of them arguing with their parents if they couldn't just go home already, making him chuckle a little bit while he waited.

Tyler turned his head towards Maeve as she came back out with the present paid and ready to go, he nodded. "Yes, just this way," he pointed in the direction that they were supposed to go. "At the moment I just have a two room apartment, which is fine. My girlfriend, Nia she is at --- she is a work right now - but sometimes she stays over as well," he nodded a little bit, which wasn't the complete truth. Nia was at her work place of course, but she wasn't working right now, she was looking after Cecilia. Like most people did right now, and boy, his sister hated that. Cecilia had never been one to take all the clingy when she just wanted to be strong and power through. "I moved there back in early Autumn, so its pretty new - and with work and all - yeah I haven't even had much time to invite anyone over for coffee - but then it's good we do it now," he pointed out with a confident nod as they headed down the snowy roads. It was quite different from the fancy house he had lived in, in the beginning of the year with Jessica and the kids back in East London. Away from this world. Away from the chaos. How things had changed. As they walked a little, as promised, it wasn't far away, and he could point at the building and find his keyring and unlocked the front door, "ladies first," he let her inside. "It's third floor, apartment to the left," he told her as they headed up the stairs. At least it was one of the more fancy old buildings, incredibly beautiful to look at despite so many other apartments were grey and boring. Well, of course Tyler had chosen the one that spoke to him the most.

Reaching the door he unlocked it and let her in. He had always been tidy, liking his place organized so it was easy to be somewhere without his mess of work - he had a small study corner for that were all his mess of drawings and things were. "Welcome to my small home," he locked the door after her, and took his jacket and shoes off and hang it. Then he walked to the kitchen which was only a few steps from the front door, and prepared the fancy coffee machine for two cups of coffee, "I can't remember, you take milk or sugar in your coffee?" He asked. There was a few pictures on the counter where the tv was placed, family pictures, then a picture with him and Nia. "Make yourself at home," he smiled finding some cups and put on the coffee, before turning towards her.

Girlfriend?! Stays over? Wait, how long had it been since the divorce? Maeve had heard about it by the same time she had gotten the news of him moving to Aston which he reminded her happened earlier in the autumn months but in all honestly, she didn’t know very much about it. It was completely her own fault. She knew that. But she couldn’t help but feel it was very fast for Tyler to move on. Even partially move in with said girlfriend, as it sounded like. The astonishment was also something she couldn’t help but show very clearly on her face the moment he had dropped the information on her. Big brown eyes just kind of looking at him as they walked side by side. This Nia must be something else. And boy, did she hope this wasn’t a case of rebound haste. This man-child meant too much to her for her to think he deserved anything less than the real deal. And could she really talk? She hadn’t been married or even been with her last boyfriend for countless years but she had still jumped from him to the next in a matter of weeks… Maybe Tyler and Jessica’s marriage hadn’t been as enjoyable after all much like her and Graham’s relationship?
Maeve shook her head to dismiss the hidden apology in his words and finally seemed to be able to take her intrusive eyes away from him to look forward – and actually look where she was going. Following his pointed finger to the beautiful building. “Well, it is easier to go out for coffee here in the city centre rather than inviting people over to a small apartment,” she said with a light chuckle. Heck, she was sure they had already passed two coffee shops on that short distance so far.

There was this feeling in Tyler’s place, that most of all reminded her of a time way back when. Before any of them were the shining examples of adult as they were today. Back when they were teenagers hanging out in his room at his parents’ house. It didn’t look anything like that, as far as she could remember. But with the lack of wife and kids, it just felt very solely ‘Tyler’.
A bit distracted, she placed the bag with the present by the door and just as distractedly took off her coat and shoes to the best of her ability while scanning the open area of the living space. Leaning against the wall while balancing to take the heeled boots off. “It’s nice,” she complimented, not being a smartass about it, but there was always still innate cheek between the cousins. “Just black is fine for me.” She looked towards him in the kitchen for a moment as she took the first steps inside. “My doctor has finally allowed me to drink proper coffee again since I got off my medication in October. Before then I’d have to minimize and drink tea instead.” As she was talking, she had taken her eyes off of Tyler to instead explore the apartment. And as she automatically moved to the couch, she automatically found herself looking at the series of pictures he had on display. Only one person wasn’t recognisable but it wasn’t hard to guess who that might be. The happy motive had her unconsciously smiling. They did look adorable together..

“So, what’s this about? Is it about Cecilia and I? Because I just need some time and I promise to make things straight again.” With a collecting breath, Maeve moved away from the static memories on the TV counter and looked back at Tyler. She had been pretending but she didn’t doubt that even he was aware of the strain between Cecilia and her. It was so obvious. An it was dumb! So dumb! This was why it would make sense for this weird intervention to be about that. She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest to maybe feel a little …safer. She wasn’t exactly comfortable with that topic, after all.

Well he knew that is was easy to find a place to drink coffee in the city center, he just liked being home whenever he could. If Tyler could avoid going out he would, of course he could be lured out if asked but other than that, he trusted his good friend the coffee machine. He nodded when she told him just black was fine, "got it," he confirmed before taking her cup and hand it to her. Tyler himself enjoyed his coffee with a splash of milk. "Oh tea, trying to give back to your English roots," he teased a little, and headed to get the milk to put just a splash in before placing it back in the fridge again. Then he grabbed the cup and turned towards her, taking a sip of the hot brew. What's this about? Tyler dragged a deeper breath in and felt his heart almost skip by the thought. It had only been Yesterday he had heard about it, so everything was so new to him still, and he didn't completely understand everything. So, in some sense this was about them, because both of them were stubborn as hell and reacted to the other within seconds. It wasn't often you saw them on different sides of the coin, and right now Maeve's distance had just made Cecilia's guilt for feeling like she hadn't done good enough in finding Maeve spin in an evil circle where neither spoke. It was honestly one of the most horrible feelings in the world to be in a room like that, and it never lasted more than a few minutes before Cecilia had excused herself and walked out if Maeve hadn't.

"It's not entirely about that - but It's about Cecilia," he could feel the heaviness of his heart by the thought. Lucas had said she would be okay, Irina had said so, Nigel had agreed, Nia was positive as well - everyone even Cecilia was positive that everything would be fine - so why did he feel so god damn anxious about it? Well, for sure one of the reason was he didn't understand completely yet still what had happened, he had seen movies - werewolf movies, he had heard stories, terrible stories told by Quentin and that family about how werewolves tore everything and everyone apart - yet knowing he needed to not believe every single word Quentin had told him, it was still hard not to look at the fact of his sister had been attacked by one of those beasts. "She is okay, but she was out on call the other night - and was attacked by a werewolf under the full-moon - she was bitten," he pressed his brows a bit together, still feeling so weird saying those words. Werewolf, full-moon, bitten. It meant Cecilia was a werewolf now,  and somehow that was what sounded the most bizar to him. "Lucas, Irina, Evelina, Nigel, Ethan, Zoe - all of them are with her and has been with her - she has been in good hands, I just wanted you to know," he exhaled. Well, he didn't know if they were still with her. Lucas had taken her home earlier today, but people had stayed over. Worried. Well, of course they were worried - he was worried himself.

In a time where everything had seemed to just move too fast around her for her to catch up, it was an even stranger sensation when time suddenly seemed to slow down drastically. She could swear that even the words out of Tyler’s mouth was all distorted and deepened by being slowed down to much. Time was practically crawling. Horribly dragging it out all the while the real Maeve present already had heard the news and now had to process it in the middle of a slow-motion nightmare, that might as well have physically twisted her body into a spiral because she sure was feeling the same sea sick feeling that a circus funhouse provoked in the twisted mirror rooms. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, time resumed without giving her a chance to properly adjust.

The coffee cup had already been placed at her lips and was pouring that first careful sip of coffee into her mouth. She wouldn’t have been able to save it even if she tried, but the moment her mind returned to reality she lost control of, not only her pour which resulted in a too fast and too large gulp of steaming hot liquid swishing in and instantly burning her tongue, but also her semi-secure hold of the cup itself. Between that and the shock of burning in her mouth, she immediately fumbled with the cup and had nearly dropped it. Coffee had tipped over the edge and was now also scorching her delicate hands and lips and chin.
Miraculously, she saved the cup from meeting its demise on the apartment floor; she had even stopped coffee from spilling anywhere else than unto her except for a few drops by catching spilling coffee with her other hand – but at what cost? And yet, there weren’t even the slightest concern of herself. The unlucky areas stung, yes, but it was as if she didn’t actually feel the pain just yet. “What?!” she burst out loud. Her pretty, round face was instantly speckled with frightful worry and her eyes were much wider. “When did this happen?! Why haven’t I…!” Thoughts and words just fell out of her mouth and she couldn’t help but also let out an accusatory tone with everything. She knew she was a fault for not knowing this; for not picking on the phone when Ethan had called. This was what he had been trying to reach her for, right? But in the spur of the moment, she didn’t think righteously. With hastful steps, Maeve moved across the room, passed Tyler over to the kitchen to get rid of the carness in her hands. Putting the cup in the sink and shaking her hands dry and vaguely noticing the red areas on the back of them. No time to keep them under cool water, though!
“Where is she?” she demanded as soon as she turned back towards her cousin. There was desperation in her eyes. So much so that it wouldn’t be long before she’d be on the verge of tears from sheer strain. “The hospital? She must still be at the hospital if she was attacked just the other night, right?! I’ll get us a cab!” She was panicking. That was what this was. How could she not?! Not for one second did she think Cecilia was okay. She couldn’t be!.. She had almost twisted her ancle when she turned and walked towards the front door again. She reached for her boot with shaking hands and then… She stopped. And for a good while, she just stood still with the boot in hand. On her side of things, she was clenching her jaw very hard. Only when she finally moved around again to face Tyler, did she loosen it. Her expression had also changed against, excluding the anger and left only the vulnerability. “Would she even want to see me? Do I have the right?” She looked at him as with a cry of help. She was a mature, independent woman nearing her 28th birthday and yet… here she probably looked like a lost teenage girl. She sure felt like one. And… everyone would be there too. Other people she had avoided and people who would never take her side.

She almost spilled her coffee rushed to her feet with such speed that even Tyler felt dizzy by the thought. Now he wasn't really the best to be sitting here giving the further information, it wasn't his field and especially not with everything that had been going on with Maeve. Now he didn't know every single thing, but he could imagine sudden changes and things happening to the people you loved, weren't really a good cocktail mixed with own trauma. Tyler remained seated not wanting to add to the rushed movements, because well he had seen Cecilia, looked into her big brown eyes and seen she was going to be fine. Well, of course Maeve couldn't say the same, but it also was the main reason why he didn't rush, he knew Cecilia was in good hands that she was as close to find as she possibly could be.

"Lucas was going to take her home here around now," he informed looking up at the watch hanging just next to the fridge before looking towards Maeve again. "Maeve - Maeve, we will just drive there, I still have a car," he remained calm in the exploding chaos that unfolded, at least being the older brother had always been the perks of keeping his cool in the normal more human situations. Not freaking out with her, but also letting her process what he had told her. Finally he got up as she seemed to slow a little bit down, placing the cup on the coffee table and walked towards his cousin. Tyler didn't know if Cecilia would be happy to see Maeve, the two of them had been avoiding each other for so long, yet he knew Cecilia would appreciate the effort. "Maybe just seeing you will just  be able to pull a little smile on her face, and sometimes that is all we need. No one says you need to talk about everything or anything at all - we are family, we will work it out," he gave Maeve a slight smile and placed his hand on her left shoulder giving it a softer squeeze.

He had a car? Ah. Yes. Of course. She hadn’t really thought of that, but of course he did. Of course. How was he able to stay so calm, though?! Was it just because he had already confirmed the well-being of his sister? Another question should perhaps be, why she was freaking out as much as she did. She wouldn’t see it yet, but it was something else, something much more selfish, that was mixing in with the bomb-dropping. It was that entitled tingle of jealousy that was ultimately fuelling her emotional whiplash. It always had, really. It clouded a person’s rational thinking which frankly, was probably only human to do.  People with this flaw would tell themselves that, at least, since science hadn’t come out with an article in the weekend magazine, stating it as the truth.
Looking at Tyler, as he moved closer and took the role of her conscious and positive thinking, Maeve started blinking more frequently. Tears were slowly starting to well up in her eyes and she was desperately trying to remove them from her eyesight so she wouldn’t be looking at Tyler through a blurry watery filter. Her efforts, however, didn’t work as well at keeping them from just escaping her eyes instead of drying up as one got loose and speeded down her cheek, nearly reaching the side of her mouth, before a swift hand was raised and quickly dried it off. “Mh hmm,” she hummed a bit shaken up while also giving him a slight nod with the head. She wasn’t so sure if he actually believed him but it made her feel somewhat better to hear him say it. She moved her hand cross her body to place it on top of the hand of his that laid on her shoulder. God, she was pathetic!

She sniffled loudly and looked down, now feeling the hurt feelings seep through the surface as she muttered: “God!” Frustration. The thing present in her voice together with the insecurities were frustration. “I just can’t believe anyone didn’t make more of an effort in letting me now this! I know I haven’t been easy to reach but it’s not like there haven’t been reasons for that. It didn’t mean that I didn’t care anymore.” A phone call. A singular phone call. That was the effort that had been put into letting her know. Not a drive-by her place - heck, Tyler had a car! And Lucas; they were supposed to be close. Unlike the others, he had been made very well aware of her interest in Cecilia despite him not having been allowed - and not wanted to - be the middle man of communication. It stung. It really did. Worse than a bee-sting. Worse than the pitiful burns on her hands. She let go of the boot, she’d been holding in a limb arm down her side, not even flinching or noting the loud sound of the heavy heel hitting the wooden floor. Her other hand moved crossed body again, just time to grab around the elbow of the opposite arm. She was still not looking at her cousin. Probably because of underlying shame of feeling his angry and hurt when it wasn’t about her in the end. She wanted to tell herself that but a bigger part felt like she had the right for this too.