Page 20 of Forgotten Arcane

Coen

He nods, “I’ll meet you downstairs. Pyjama parties are more regular than you’d think around here. It’s pretty fucking awesome. Before Neith came back, we were a lot more separate and in our own space than we are now. She’s got no idea what she’s done for us as a family and team simply by just being here.”

I smile, “I’m not surprised. Neith has a way of bringing people together.”

“That’s true,” Van grins. “I still can’t get over how everyone is interconnected.”

“It’s pretty fucking crazy,” I agree. “I would wager that there was a reason that the Fates worked it out like they have.”

“There has to be,” he agrees. “I mean, I’m sure that there were plenty of times when it could have overlapped, and we could have realized sooner.”

I nod, “I know there were. There were actually several occasions when I was going to introduce you to Neith, but something always happened before I could. Like a really important job or she disappeared for a bit, and whenshe came back, I just wanted her to myself for a while. There was always a reason why I couldn’t, and then things got complicated, Dimitri started acting strange, and we finished at the Training Academy, and then Kylen got control over me, and it was the last thing on my mind.”

He nods, “Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Get changed and meet us downstairs, we’ll fill you in on what you’ve missed. Well, we’ll fill you in on the most important bits, and the rest will come with time. We’re working on the Hybrid case, you know that, yeah?”

I nod, “Yeah, I do. I’m actually really interested to get caught up on that. It’s crazy.”

Van’s eyebrows rise, “You have no idea. I’ll see you downstairs.”

“Thanks, man,” I reply.

It’s not until after he’s gone, and I’ve stared at my room for a few moments with a goofy smile on my face, that I realize that I don’t have pyjamas. I don’t even have anything that passes as pyjamas. I’ve got no sweatpants, no shorts, nothing.

Fuck.

It’s not a big deal, I know that. I know that none of them would call me out on it if I just went downstairs dressed as I am, but it matters to me. Not only that, but they’re all going to get angry again, and while I appreciate their anger on my behalf. I’m actually okay. Sure, there are a few things that I know will cause me issues, the sleeping thing for one. I have no idea when I’m going to get the herbs that I need to make the tea that allows me to sleep without nightmares. I don’t even know where we are. I have no idea if there’s a town nearby or even what part of the fucking country we’re in.

Huh, I guess that’s something else that I need to ask the guys about.

Despite the few issues that may come up, I never allowed Kylen to actually break me.

He treated me like shit, but I don’t want them to get pissed about everything that comes up that shows just how badly he treated me. It’s a waste of energy and time.

Although I do understand that they’re mad because they care.

I think I just want to fit in. That sounds ridiculous even to me as I think it. I know I fit in, it’s just going to take some time to relearn everything about everyone. A long time has passed since we were together as a team, and I really hope that it works as well as it did.

The spiral of thoughts that I started to tumble down comes to a stop as I remember that I haven’t just joined their team, I’ve been put on it by the Choosing as a Warrior Bonded member. I glance down at the design on my forearm.

I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, and I need to stop with all this unsure shit. I’m clearly a lot more tired than I thought I was. It’s the only time that I get mopey.

Is mopey the right word? Probably not.

Right, pyjamas. That’s the issue that I need to fix right now, and everything else can be dealt with a day at a time.

Walking over to my bag that I dropped by the door when we walked in, I pick it up and take it over to the bed to start rummaging through it. Surely there’s something in here that could pass for pyjamas? Or even just something that’s more comfy than wearing jeans.

Maybe I could cut up a pair of my jeans? I could turn them into a pair of shorts? Is that even comfy? I don’t think so actually.

Boxers?

That might not be appropriate, although knowing River if he’s wearing anything more than just boxers, I will be very surprised. I’m actually surprised that he lasted as long as he did at the Choosing having to wear clothes all of the time. River hates clothes, he thinks they’re too restricting.

Okay, so boxers are a last resort, although I always love how Neith looks at me when I’m in boxers.

Scissors, that’s what I need. The shorts are going to have to be my very bad first choice. Hopefully it will give everyone a laugh at least.

Rummaging through the drawer in the desk, I manage to find a pair of scissors and head back over to the bed, picking up my only other pair of jeans.

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