Anya's Room

[decemberfirst]

[aiden]

Ayden couldn’t believe what she was doing. Faolan was seated at her feet as she stood before Anya’s door. She had brushed him and given him a bath so he was presentable. His tongue was rolled out, draped over his jaw, making him look senseless. She sent him a mental order to shut his mouth and the dog obeyed.

She balled her hand into a fist and hammered it against her forehead three times before repeating the action against the door this time, looking down and waiting for Anya to answer the door.

[decemberfirst]

Anya sat on her bed, kicking her feet around out boredom. But her mind was elsewhere. She didn't know exactly what she was thinking about because every few seconds she'd start flipping through some of the memories she'd obtained from the people and objects she'd touched. Her clothes, her swords, David, and a bunch of other things. Nothing was all that interesting but it was enough to keep her attention.

But she was startled when she heard a knock at the door. Who could that be? No one ever bothered to come to her room unless it was her brother. But he'd just left so he couldn't be back so soon. She stood up and opened the door and she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise when she saw who it was.

"Ayden... um, hi...?"

[aiden]

“Hi Anya.”

Her face was beet red. It nearly matched her hair. She was embarrassed, and even a bit ashamed of herself for doing this, but she didn’t know who else she could go to. David and her grandfather were out of the question and Ayden didn’t exactly have a lot of friends.

“I just wanted to apologize again for freaking out at you. I hear everything everyone thinks and it can drive a person a little bonkers…but that’s no excuse.”

Faolan yipped and rubbed his head against her leg and she stared down at him, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“I know this is a strange request, but would you mind watching Faolan for a day or two? I know you probably think I’m insane and want to be as far away from me as possible, but I can pay you and I’ve told him to be on his ultimate best behavior so he shouldn’t be any trouble. He even agreed to do anything you’ve told him while you watch him. I really wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need someone to watch him.”

[decemberfirst]

Anya just listened while she explained and looked down at the dog when she asked if she'd watch him. "Sure, I'll watch Faolan," she nodded, then added quickly, "but you don't have to pay me."

And despite what Ayden may think, Anya was mad at her at all. Not that Anya was capable of being angry for more than a few moments. She'd tried holding grudges, but they never seemed to stick to her. She'd forget about them in minutes. But then she thought a moment. Why would Ayden need someone to watch Faolan? She usually just got David to watch the dog when she couldn't.

"But can I ask why you want me to watch him? I mean, David usually watches him, doesn't he?"

[aiden]

Ayden nodded. “Thank you.”

She wasn’t stupid enough to think that perhaps Anya wasn’t mad at her. Ayden didn’t need to be a telepath to know that. If she had a knife she could have sliced the tension between them. Ayden honestly couldn’t blame her. She was mad at herself.

Then the question came. Ayden knew it was going to come.

“David’s been a little occupied lately. On the days when Faolan’s supposed to be with him, he always ends up being with me. I understand that he’s going through some issues right now, but I just need a bit of alone time before I lose my mind.”

Ayden was going to thank Anya and leave, but she stopped herself.

“I know you’re mad at me, and I can’t blame you. I really am sorry that I…exploded seems to be the only proper word for it.”

[decemberfirst]

Anya thought a moment. She could tell by the way she said it that David must've been back on the revenge on Cain thing again. She sighed. She just guessed that getting him to open up to her the other day wasn't enough to keep the revenge away for long. But then she looked back and focused on Ayden again as she spoke. Before she could leave, Anya suddenly felt the need to respond.

"Actually... I'm not mad," she replied truthfully. She pulled her loose hair back behind her ear as she spoke. "I kind of think I'm incapable of being mad," she admitted. "I'm not a telepath, but I'm sort of similar to one. I know what it's like to be hit by too many memories and thoughts at one time... I was never mad at you."

[aiden]

Ayden was about to bid Faolan farewell when Anya spoke to her again. She couldn’t help but smile. “Well, I couldn’t have blamed you if you were.”

She knelt down next to Faolan and straightened out this collar and scratched behind his ears. “You remember everything I told you?” He barked and she smiled before pulling him into an embrace. “I’ll miss you. Now, you be good or you’ll be in trouble next time I see you. She’s the new boss of you for now so what she says goes.” She stood to leave, but Faolan caught her pantleg and pulled her back, nearly knocking her over. She glared at him. “Faolan, I don’t want our good bye to be me snapping at you.” He whined and released her before bounding behind Anya and sitting down. Ayden smiled weakly and bid them farewell before leaving.

[decemberfirst]

Anya smiled as the dog whined and sat behind her, still whimpering. And then Ayden was gone. She sighed and knelt down beside Faolan, running her hand through his thick fur and rubbing his head. "It's alright. She'll be back soon. And besides, we're gonna have some fun until she get's back."

She stood up again and headed for the front entrance, motioning for the dog to follow. Faolan did and his tongue was already out, excited to see what kind of game Anya was going to play with him. And Anya led him out into the front yard. "C'mon, boy, let's go find something fun to do."