Better late than never

DATE | 28th of March
LOCATION | The road where both Ayah and Ace lives
WEATHER | Bright and sunny
TIME | Early afternoon
TOPIC FOR | @Ace
OUTFIT | Link
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It had been a few days since her and Hope had talked and shared some things that were somewhat nice to get off her chest. And she was just on her way home after having been on her daily afternoon walk. She had seen Ace was home, and she had thought for the past few days that they needed to talk about Hope really. Not that she was like mad about it, it was just a part of her that wondered why he hadn't mentioned it to her, even if she had put the pieces of the puzzle together herself. Well, she was quickly pushed out of her thoughts when she noticed someone following her. She had that person one time before, was it last month or so, when she had helped some human girl not ending up as the demon's dessert. Somehow she hadn't noticed him till now, but he was for sure trailing her, and therefor she wasn't going to her own house, and turned down towards Ace's house and knocked on the door, her heart was speeding up because she could feel the demon coming in closer. "Come on, open up," she hissed a little bit, knocking a bit more, which perhaps just caught her as someone who didn't have somewhere to go, and well Timothy did like a challenge or two.

Ace for once had a day off from the hospital and had been arranging his storage of bloodbags, now that he had time. Sorted them by date and species. It had taken quite a while, but it was so satisfying when it was done. He heard someone knock on the door, which made him furrow his brows. He stood still for a second to listen and smell who it was. When he picked up who it was, he put the last three bags down and exited his cooling room. “Coming,” he mumbled before his brows furrowed even further as he sensed another guest. The door knocked again, and he opened it only a second later. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her close, and if things went as planned, he would shut the door in the face of the demon. “And who’s your friend?”

She exhaled a little bit when he opened the door and got a hold by the wrist to pull her close, and closed the door. Ayah gasped for a second, she hated that she rarely knew just how she would respond to situations like that. "Some demon I crossed path with last month, stole his dessert - I think he believes I owe him one," she spoke almost out of breath looking to the side as the door opened. "Okay, that was rather rude sir. Do you always just close your door in other people's heads?" The demon asked, then looking towards the fairy with his smart ass grin, fully aware that he should not piss anyone off - his father always told him to behave, but it wasn't like Timothy ever had listened.

Ace furrowed his brows while looking at her. “You what?” he almost hissed at her. Now it wasn’t because he disliked what she had done, but more the fact that she had gotten a target on her back. The door opened and Ace’s face turned stone cold and emotionless, turning his head up to look at the young demon. “Yes,” he responded and with no hesitation he grabbed the edge of the door and smacked it close again. “Has he been stalking you ever since?” he said looking at Ayah with furrowed brows.

The door was closed as fast as it was opened, you could almost her the sound of it hitting the demon's head, then Ayah turned her head towards Ace again. "I haven't seen him since, but I have been fairly occupied with other things," she sighed a little bit as the door once again opened, and the demon this time took another step in. "First thing, ouch. Second, even more rude, third - no I don't have more, I was just going to have a little chat with the missy there, and then I will be out of your hair. No reason to throw around doors even though you - does he always look like a grumpy cat or is it his natural expression?" Timothy looked towards Ayah for a second then looking at Ace again trying to stand a bit taller.

Ace nodded his head to the side as he thought it wasn’t as bad as if the demon had followed her for a whole month.  Ace’s eyes rolled as he heard the door open, and he turned his head towards he uninvited demon. He started rambling about how that had hurt and how it was even more rude. Ace didn’t care for one moment how that man felt. Then he proceeded to ramble and as the last thing comment on how Ace looked grumpy. He let go of Ayah and stepped over to the demon. He didn’t care that the demon was a little taller, he just cared for this dude to get out of their hair immediately. There was after all a reason why Ayah had knocked on his door like a maniac. She hadn’t felt safe, and he wasn’t having it. Ace therefore simply went to grab the demon by the throat, to lift him from the ground and throw him off his property. “Now stay away from my property,” he hissed before he closed the door again. “And who was his dessert?” he asked Ayah, not moving from the door and not letting go of the door handle.

She blinked a little bit as Ace suddenly with such grace grabbed the demon by the throat and showed him out the door, and threw him out like a bag of potatoes on the street, where Timothy at least was smart enough to just sit and curse by himself before he got up and walked away. Ayah then took a deeper breath in. Well, Alena had been a stranger at first but like many people Ayah met, she became friends rather quickly. "A human friend of mine - but I think it's the demon who also tried having my youngest sister and her friend for dinner last month," she took a sharper breath in. If she remembered correctly Mariella had told about a demon being loose who knew about where she worked. "Sorry for trouble" she apologized with a small warm smile.

The door was left alone, and he sensed that the demon finally gave up, which made Ace let go of the doorhandle and approach Ayah calmly. She explained that it was a human friend of hers, and she believed it was the same demon who had troubled her younger sister and her friend last month. “What was her name again?” he wondered, knowing it wasn’t Hope. He just tried to get a name and face on the family and acquaintances of the family. “Don’t worry. I’m always here to help,” he said and patted her on the shoulder as he passed her. “Tea?”

Ayah exhaled a little bit, letting her heart get some well deserved rest. Feeling like it had been on speed the past few weeks - if not entire month. "Mariella," she replied, still somewhere in her core wanting to call her Faith, but knowing as well Mariella would never come to respond to that name. Hoping it was obvious since it was last month that Mariella hadn't been affected by the events. And well, Mariella had Leon and of course her brothers as well - also being the one with the closest relation to her and her sisters mother, even if Juniper didn't remember them, Ella was still the one who got to see and talk to her most - because of the Blancards. It still reminded her that she wanted to address the fact that Hope had mentioned that she knew him rather well. Not that she had gotten into detail. Hope was a master of shifting the subject when she didn't want to talk to much about one thing. "Always tea," she exhaled and turned around as he passed her, and wanted to follow him to the kitchen. "You had the day off or just home early?" She wondered, it was still so odd living closely together again after so many years where they had been countries and even oceans apart. But distance had never been the issue with friendships, many people just seemed to believe so, of course these days it was easier to stay in touch. Ayah had however moved her just a few months ago in the new year wanting and needed a change. As Ace wouldn't mind pointing out she had a bad habit of putting a target on her back even if it was for the sake of being kind.

Ace nodded and mumbled the youngest sister’s name. Mariella. He went into the kitchen and filled the electric kettle with water and put it over to boil. While he listened to her, he found some cups for them. “Day off,” he responded and found his little case with different herbs that one could use for tea. He arranged the teabags and found some sugar, honey, and milk for her. “Self-service,” he mumbled and prepared his tea like he liked it with honey and milk as the last thing. “I’m in my cooling room,” he said before he left his cup and walked to the cooling room, which was between the living room and the kitchen, so he could easily listen and be a part of a conversation. He took the three last bags of blood and looked at them before he started to sort them. “Are you getting along with your family?” he wondered, speaking a little louder for her to hear I properly.

She nodded a little bit, then watching him arrange the tea bags and finding different things, and then make his own tea. Ayah didn't mind making her own stuff, sometimes it was nice as well making it for herself, knowing she had the freedom to do so. She stil remembered first when they had met after she had just gotten free from slavery, because she hadn't been wanting to take anything herself in the beginning always waiting for permission or something close to that. So, the self-service was actually one of the things down the line had helped her learning that it was okay to provide for herself. Then nodding to him as he mentioned he would be in the cooling room, just before she started making her tea. Was she getting along with her family? "Well yeah, or I try to make the effort you know," she clicked her tongue a little bit. "It's a bit different for all of us, our stories are all so different," she then added. Ace knew about the whole situation with the village where Ayah's believed back then parents alongside the entire village itself had been burned down. The people who had raised her and friends she had had since she got here around 700 years ago. It had been heart wrecking. So, from that to know your parents didn't remember you. "Me and Hope disagrees on a few things, but its not like we can't be in the room together despite of it - And Mariella is just sunshine in human form," she knew she had told about her sisters before. "I actually talked with Hope the other day, she knocked on my door -" she held her breath for a moment, not sure if she should say something or not. "She mentioned that she knew you - rather well," well it was truly all that Hope had said.

He nodded as she explained that she was trying. That was at least something. He listened to how everyone had their different stories. Hope had already explained how they had all been scattered in the timeline, which of course meant that they all had different stories. Especially since he knew that not all of them remembered each other. She mentioned Hope and he paused for a moment with a bag of blood in his hands. As soon as she talked about the youngest sister, he could continue with sorting the bags. But once again, he stopped when she mentioned that Hope and she had talked. What had they talked about? He put the last bag on its place before he exited the cooling room and closed it right and got back to the kettle. A genuine chuckle left him as the words rather well left her. A little smile stayed on his lips. God, damn it hope. “Well, that is also very true,” he said and nodded a little, forcing the fat smile off his own face. “She didn’t say anything else?” he wondered. He didn’t want to get between the two sisters, but if Hope hadn’t said anything else, would there be a reason to it? Didn’t she want Ayah to know that the two of them were seeing each other?

At least he didn't lie and said no, but in the end it wasn't like she was stupid for anything. But she had no idea just how well, or if either of the two would ever come to the open part. It was a process. Not one she was going to put herself in. "No not much," Ayah replied truthfully. "She is just about as secretive about this stuff as you are," she added shaking her head a little bit, knowing Ace had had known for longer than Hope. But it also explained Hopes reaction that one afternoon, the tension in the car when she had realized. Making Ayah stand here feeling sort of like a fool for being the last one to know. Then again now, she was just the person who knew a lot and couldn't really do anything about any of it. "Why didn't you say anything when you saw the picture?" Ayah then wondered, knowing Ace was a very private person, and their view of family was in some ways different.

Ace nodded with a smile that clearly wasn’t that happy about how much Hope hadn’t been saying, looking away for a moment, thinking about why she hadn’t said a thing. He was about to be upset about it, but a genuine smile and chuckle left him. Something rare. He picked up the kettle, shaking his head a little, “Yeah, she is,” he agreed, licking his lips, almost licking away the smile. He then started to pour each of them a cup of tea. He looked directly at her as she talked to him again. He rolled his shoulders back, straightened up before he put the kettle away. “If I told you that I knew Hope, you would ask how I knew her… And I don’t want to say something that isn’t alright with her,” he explained before he itched his shoulder a little. “I was supposed to talk to her about it, but life gets in the way sometimes,” he tried to explain himself.

It was perhaps a complicated matter. When your friend was seeing your older sister you just had gotten back into your life. Then again she had no idea where they were playing at, and she felt like her hands were a little bit tied out of the sudden. Because what could she allow herself to say and not to say. "It's okay," Ayah assured ace with a more tender smile. "Life has a way of getting in our way most of the time, its just how it is," she added with a little nod. "Besides, its your lives. Neither of you have to share anything if you don't want to," even if it felt like she gave them free space to walk all over her, it was also true. She wasn't going to force them into spilling everything, Hope had just slowly started opening up to her, and she wasn't going to force speed that process. Knowing from herself just how hard it could be to fully open up, even if most people saw her s such an opened person. "How is Prim doing?" She wondered. It was a while since she last had seen Primrose, but she had heard that she was in town or at least in the region.

Ace pulled on a short smile as she said it was okay, and that she knew life could get in the way. “True,” he said and shrugged his head to the side, “But she’s also your sister, and I would understand if you want to make sure she’s okay, as well as I am your friend and don’t want me to do something stupid,” he said and raised his brows shortly as if he underlined what he was saying.
He looked directly up at Ayah as she asked about his daughter. He shook his head a little, “Well, life never really gives her any rest, if I have to be honest,” he said and licked his teeth a little. “It has been quite rough,” he said and scratched his forehead a little, “She’s finding her lost children, and even though it’s good and all, it still brings up bad memories,” he said and pressed his lips together into a thin line. There was a difference in Hope and Primrose and the relation between them. Hope was a new relationship, that could be cut off, Primrose was stuck with having him as her father, and he was certain that sharing this information wouldn’t be hurtful in any end.

Ayah nodded a little bit, "we will figure out how to juggle every thing, one bridge at the time," she chuckled a little bit. Ayah after all lived in a world where Hope also just have told her she had been married to Jamie before, Mariella's adoptive brother - see just how complicated life was. She pushed that thought back, and focused on the conversation she had picked up about Primrose. It saddened the fairy to know that Primrose was having a hard time, even if there was good stuff, he was right many things brought up bad memories. And Primrose had been through a lot. The good with the bad, and the bad with the good - Ayah could relate to that. "I'm sorry - I hope she comes around to the other end of it without too much trouble," Ayah expressed with a softer expression. "Let me know if there is anything I can do," not that she was sure what it was. Well other than someone to talk to perhaps, not that Ayah had directly experienced what Primrose had, but the list of horrible things that Ayah had encountered in life should make her able to relate to at least some struggles, if it came to it.

Ace pulled a crooked smile, a smile that was almost a little pained, something people who knew him well would notice. A painful thought about losing his only daughter. A painful thought about how he knew he would tend to each of her kids to make sure they understood what was happening. Big, small, young, and old. He would take care of them all. “She will,” he assured Ayah, but just as much himself. “Thanks. I will,” he replied when she offered help. He truly appreciated it. They both knew that Ace would probably handle most of the things himself but having a magical source that you could rely on, was quite good. He knew Ayah’s moves as she knew his. Friendship did such things. Of course, Hope could help him too, but he didn’t know it turned too personal, or if the feelings between them would somehow end up walking on thin ice. Though both of them were stubborn, he didn’t want to risk losing Hope. After all, he wasn’t really the type to fall in love and loosing her in less than a year simply spread a cold feeling in his body. “Don’t forget your tea,” he cleared his throat before he made a toast with his own cup and took a sip of the still hot tea. “Are you still keeping in touch with Antionette?” he spoke softly over his cup before he took another sip.

Ayah looked towards the tea when he pointed it out, and reached for the cup to warm her hands on it. "Typical," she chuckled a little bit always having a habit of getting to much into the conversation and forget to finish her tea whenever he made it or she made it herself. It was different with coffee, she had gotten so used to mindlessly drink it without realizing sometimes till the cup was empty. "Time to time," she confessed and then took a smaller sip of the tea. "It's a few years ago since I last saw her, but I know she is close by - which seems smart with everything going on," not that Ayah personally was involved with any of those manners, but she did know people who were - like Ace himself was connected to his parents who were the first pureblood vampires. So many powerful families coming to the same region. "You will keep in touch with her?" Ayah then wondered, well it was easier to keep in touch with Antionette than the rest of her family, even if Ayah had happened to fall into the company of two other Sinclair's.

Ace gave her a light chuckle as she believed it was typical of him to remind her of drinking her tea. It might just be him, who didn’t think good tea should be wasted. He nodded a little as she mentioned that she kept in touch with Antionette from time to time. He nodded a little as Ayah updated him on Antionette. He looked up as she asked if he kept in touch. “Well, you know me, I keep in touch awfully,” he laughed a little of himself, “She’s better at keeping in touch than I am,” he explained. “It’s easier to keep in touch with Primrose and my coworkers, but,” he shrugged a little. Maybe he should make a specific friend list, so he didn’t forget to keep in touch with people who actually meant something to him. “And besides from the stupid demon – are you keeping yourself from drowning in troubles?” he wondered, raising a brow.

It was true, if anything Ace had never been good at staying in touch not that Ayah was extremely good at it either, but she was also the type of person who just stopped by and wanted to catch up. And she was good at vocalizing that she didn't like being alone for to long at the time, or not as good as she believed so herself, but it was another thing. "That is why you have me," she mused a little bit with a smaller chuckle. Antionette as well was perhaps better than the both of them to catch up, make a request for tea or something else. And of course Primrose and his co-workers were someone it was easier to keep in touch with than others. "Well, I try to," she replied to his last words. Not always as easy as she would admit. "I met an old friend of mine in the beginning of the month, who I've really missed -" her smile grew by the thought of Mateo being back in her life even if she hadn't seen him since. Well she hadn't reached out either and there had been so much going on with her family that she hadn't really had the time to, it didn't take the joy from being happy to have seen him and to know that he was okay. "Other than that, I'm getting by like I always do," she took another sip of her tea knowing it was a broad answer to the question.