[Log] Follow Through

[worthallthis]

Who: Winter and YOU
When: The month of July
Where: Locations in the prompts
Summary: Winter and co are moving! Plus the party thing
Warnings: Sadness probably


I. Christmas in July

This seems like a nice... last hurrah kind of thing. Winter isn't going to be working for ADI after July, so... might as well. Also, these things have a history of being bad, so it seems prudent to show up just in case anyone needs protection.

Instead, it's just. Cute. Winter decorates cookies carefully, mostly with his right hand as his left is still a little glitchy after the electricity snakes. He tries all the food, including the "frozen" hot chocolate, which gets a hand-waffly so-so rating from him, the hot cocoa aficionado. He looks for his gift-partner, someone else with the match to what he thinks might be a bookend, shaped like a bear's butt sticking out of a hole in a riverbank.

It's a nice time, really. A little sad, when he thinks about how these won't be his co-workers anymore in a couple weeks, but nice.


II. Last Days

Winter has officially put in his notice at ADI. He still does his patrols, but a little more slowly then usual. He spends his breaks tracking down people he likes or who he thinks aren't happy here to offer: "We've got a house. We're fixing it up. If you'd like to come stay there."

Or to say, "It's been good working with you." Even if sometimes maybe it wasn't that great. ADI is not an easy place to work, after all.

Or to promise, "We're gonna work on how to get you out," for those people who can't leave yet. Who have needs only ADI can meet.

On his very last day, he finds all his actual friends still at ADI and offers them a farewell brownie. "I'll still be around," he assures everyone, "just not on campus."


III. Construction Work

No longer does Winter spend his evenings after work haunting the gym or the shooting range. Instead, he's off campus, working on repairing a real fixer-upper of a house in a seedy part of down, which has been empty for years, and needs... a lot of work. He might be inside digging in a wall trying to put wiring back together mostly by guesswork and occasional diagrams on his phone. He might be on the roof replacing shingles or digging dead plants out of the foundation, in which case he might wave at a friend approaching or passing by.


IV. Personal Work

He hasn't moved out of ADI's apartment yet-- that's happening on his last day at ADI, July 31st-- so he goes back home to the apartment complex just before curfew for a long bath and to patch himself up from whatever cuts and scrapes he got during the day.

And he's still tinkering with his metal arm, trying to get it back up to full operation after Steele's snakes zapped it to hell and back. So he can be found, sometimes in the lobby taking advantage of the good light on a Saturday morning, and sometimes just at their kitchen table, with plates open and wires exposed and tools scattered around.

Comments

Re: last days.

[worthallthis]

Oof, he did not expect an immediate glomp like that. Thankfully, Rue is surprisingly unscary to him, and resting his cheek on their feathers isn't uncomfortable at all. "Yes," he promises, wriggling his arms around them, back. "Of course. Kate is staying, anyway, and we'll be seeing her a lot."

He squeezes a little, saying in a quieter but somehow harder voice, "We'll figure out a way to get you out. A way you can be safe."

[ruevealing]

Even after so little time spent in this place, Rue can barely believe how deep so many of their relationships have become. To have those who would have been strangers a year ago now saying they will fight for them, it is more touching than anything.

His voice softens, but the conviction in it is undeniable. This is a promise. Rue will not be left behind and forgotten again.

"You can not know how comforting such words are to me. But please, you must focus on your own safety for the time being. I shall be fine here, for however long I must remain."

[worthallthis]

Winter steps back, but keeps his hands on their fluffy shoulders. (Or forearms, if their shoulders are just too high for that.) "They should not trap you here just because you look different," he says, with steel in his voice. "It isn't right. Besides you're nicer to hug when you're fluffy like this. Not an illusion that isn't you."

[ruevealing]

It is just enough to make Rue laugh, just a light, musical trill of a sound, but even without a mouth, their expression is beaming.

"Not that there is anything wrong with hugging non-owlbears - believe me - but I do tend to agree. And I can not thank you enough, for seeing the real me and accepting me so easily. My own court could not do that, not even after a millennia spent in service to them, but here I have been surrounded by acceptance. No matter what happens, I will never forget your kindness, Winter."

[worthallthis]

Winter looks away, expression flickering to almost bashful. "It's nothin' but what you deserve," he says, voice lower and a little more natural in his embarrassment. "If nobody where you come from accepted you, then. They're idiots. You're the nicest person I think I've ever met."

Which is not saying a lot, given the people in his life before Gloucester.

[ruevealing]

"Truth be told, you are not the first to say such a thing to me. And for a very long time, I could not believe the words." Even when so much of their pasts remains a mystery to one another, Rue has a feeling that there is a part of Winter that would understand the difficulty of taking kindness at it's value.

"But I do now. I have been blessed to be surrounded by such warm, patient, kind people in this realm. I am grateful every single day to be away from my former court and instead here with you and everyone else."

[worthallthis]

He would indeed understand that difficulty. "Yeah, being here is. A lot better than being where I came from." Which, again, not saying much. He frankly doesn't know much about what happens in his universe after his point of exit, despite having so many people from his own future here. But he can't imagine it would be better than the family he's made here.

He quirks half a smile. "Even with the monsters and the fear entities and stupid avatars."

[ruevealing]

There is no stopping the amused trill of a laugh that falls from their beak at that.

"Indeed, even with monsters and entities and avatars. I wholeheartedly agree. Now, I have made you a small parting gift."

jebus so sorry I misplaced this...

[worthallthis]

Winter rears back a little, surprised. "What." A gift? "It's not my birthday." That's when you give gifts, right? Not just went someone leaves a job....

<3

[ruevealing]

"No, but even if I am sad to see you leave, this marks a very momentous day in your journey."

And it is silly maybe, but the gift that they present - perfectly wrapped in a beautiful matte polka dot pattern with matching bow - is a knitted sweater in soft blue.

"I thought that the blue would beautifully match your eyes. And that when the weather turns, you may get cold."

Re: <3

[worthallthis]

Like his birthday, Winter is careful in his unwrapping, not tearing the paper at all, finding the tapes seams and plucking them deftly up instead. Then he sets it aside and holds up the sweater.

"I do get cold," he agrees in a faint voice. It's very soft. He likes soft things (as evidenced by, y'know, liking Rue's feathers so much). And he's pretty much always in long sleeves except when on campus, thanks to the metal arm. So he has a lot of things like this.

He kind of hugs it up against his chest. "Thank you."

[ruevealing]

Rue has noticed. They always notice the clothes that people wear. But that doesn't stop them from preening happily at Winter's reaction. It makes everything worth it to know they could bring their friend a touch of joy in the midst of all this chaos.

"Think of it as a warm hug from me, anytime that you are chilly."

[worthallthis]

Then Rue will have noticed that Winter really has no sense of style beyond "layers" and "colors that look good with his eyes" so, again, they basically did perfectly. "I will. Though I had better still get those even if I don't see you here every day. I'll visit. And you'll visit. Once the house is presentable."

[ruevealing]

"Do not even fret over such a thing! I am happy to come over while it is in shambles as well, as long as I get to see you all."

Rue says as if they will not be the one fretting themself.

"Now, I will take one more hug and say I shall see you soon, not goodbye."

[worthallthis]

Winter sighs a little and tucks the sweater under one arm so he can step up for the requested hug. "You will see me again soon. I promise. I'll probably be all over town, anyway." Once the house is in decent shape, he'll have... a lot of time on his hands.