"Why not?"
Jen smiled her beautiful, blinding white smile as she took one step forward. "Because I'll be honest."
Fae looked shocked for a gorgeous moment, and Tilly savored it before she fixed a blank expression on her face and pointedly turned back to Tilly, shoving a shoulder between her and Jen.
"Fix my light, or I want a new room."
And then she turned on her heel and went up the stairs.
Both Tilly and Jen watched silently, shoulder to shoulder as Jen handed her the pink cup.
"So that's your sister."
"Mhmm," she replied as she sipped the perfect honey lavender latte. She groaned. "Thank you for this."
"Thank you for not turning out like that," Jen pointed to the stairs Fae just vacated. Tilly's laughter bubbled out of her. "No, seriously. We would not have become friends. I'm allergic to asshole."
"You're kind of an asshole sometimes." Tilly bumped her shoulder with a smile.
She bumped back. "I am direct. And my assholery is rarely on behalf of myself."
She nodded thoughtfully. When Jen let her assholery out, it was usually for the good and defense of others. "That's true. You only show your asshole to assholes."
Jen turned fully to face Tilly with suppressed laughter in her eyes and her mouth barely holding in the sound.
"Yeah, that came out wrong."
Jen threw her head back and let out laughter that filled the foyer perfectly.
What a lovely healing thing when a friend's laughter can fill a space that holds anxiety.
"Wanna help me mentally redecorate the kitchen while I make us lobster mac and cheese?"
"I literally can not think of anything I would rather do right now."
The sound of loud bells clanging against one another made both women jump. Jen's arm swung out in front of Tilly in a natural move of protection as she looked around for the danger.
"It's the grandmother clock," Tilly said, gently pushing Jen's arm down.
"The what?"Tilly led her down the hallway to stand in front of the clock that now held a palm with stars bursting from it.
"That is an odd clock."
Tilly nodded silently as Jen inspected it closer, leaning in, looking at the symbols, turning her head this way and that, imagining she looked much the same as though they'd read the same script and were acting it out.
"Huh. A grandmother clock. Which I imagine does not tell time?"
"I think it might be related to tarot. See the hierophant?"
"I do not. I see a lot of symbols," Jen said, peering closer.
Odd. She could clearly see the hierophant.
"Well, it's usually charming sounding. That loud clanging of bells has been new since the festival." She thought of the tower and the hierophant.
Jen sighed. "The festival did earmark a shift for our town. Did you see the article in The Salem Settler about curfew?"
They talked about the rules that the new regime was putting into place as they walked to the kitchen. Tilly made them lunch as Jen arranged white and yellow daisies into various vases for the outdoor tables.
