“Hey, are you ok?” Elizabeth asked, placing her hand on Farah’s shoulder, in concern. She didn't have to be magic to know when someone was stuck in their own head. And given what Farah had already told her… That was not necessarily a good thing.
“The library? Yeah, it's still open.” she nodded, raising a brow slightly. “Do you want to go and check it out for a bit?” she asked. Though she hoped Farah wouldn't mind if she got cleaned up a little before they left.
Farah jumped at Elizabeth’s hand on her shoulder. It wasn’t like her to be surprised or caught off guard. But when she was stuck in her memories, reliving them repeatedly as if it was the present moment, she could get so detached that she wouldn’t notice a hand waving before her own eyes.
“Yes. Fine. Me. I am. I’m fine,” Farah replied, cutting up her words awkwardly in a way that made it obvious that she was, in fact, not fine at all.
“Yes, can we?” she asked. She desperately sought a chance of scenery. As lovely as the garden was (and Farah knew it was truly lovely), it brought up too many thoughts, too many emotions, and certainly much too many memories.
Elizabeth frowned gently and shook her head. “Let's go back inside.” she suggested, not commenting on Farah’s obvious distress yet. They still didn't know each other very well yet, so she didn't think Farah would be comfortable talking about… all that with her right now.
“Sure. We can go.” she nodded. “Umm, just let me change out of my yoga pants first.” she smiled, trying to lighten the mood a little. “I won't take long.”
Farah nodded. "Thank you. I'm sorry for spoiling the mood. Your garden is very lovely." The look behind her eyes said that she meant her words in earnest.
She nodded again at Elizabeth's words. Her nose wrinkled a bit, something that happened when she was confused or thinking hard about something. "I'm sorry…" she said quietly, blushing as she asked the clarifying question. "What are yoga pants?" Gods, you're helpless, she thought to herself.
Elizabeth shook her head and gently patted Farah’s shoulder. “No. It's ok.” she assured. “I get that way too sometimes. But I'm glad you like it.” she added just as sincerely with a soft smile.
She tried not to laugh at the question but smiled a bit wider. “You don't have to apologize.” she assured. “But these are yoga pants.” she said, patting her thigh. “Comfortable, breathable, and very casual. Great for working out or lounging around. Personally, I don't think they're very… suitable for going out unless you don't have anything to wear.” she explained.
Farah appreciated that Elizabeth wasn't laughing, though she could feel the amusement rolling off of the woman in waves. "Oh…" She looked at the attire before realizing she'd been staring for much too long and quickly looked away. "I don't have very many clothes here, but none of them resemble your… yoga pants," she contributed with a small smile.
Elizabeth smirked as Farah stared. “Don't worry. They do look pretty hot, don't they.” she assured teasingly as she looked away. “Well, if you need some more clothes, we can go shopping later.” she offered, smiling back.
Farah immediately turned pink. She hadn't meant to stare. She was looking at the fabric. For a moment, she almost summoned a chill breeze to come through the house and cool down her face. Her cheeks were flaming.
"Thank you for the kind offer, but I have everything I need currently," she said, politely declining. She didn't need Elizabeth spending any money on her. And if the other woman did, Farah would find a way to pay back her kindness. She was too noble to have any sort of debt hanging over her head.
“Are you sure?” Elizabeth asked, raising a brow. “Can you magically change your clothes or something? Cause normally people don't have just one outfit.” she informed. Though if Farah’s Otherworld was similar to this one then that was probably a constant for her too.
Farah couldn't resist a bit of a smirk. "Just go change out of your… yoga pants." She had been planning to use her magic and change into something more suitable once Elizabeth had left the room. Her battalion uniform wasn't exactly something that she wanted to wear around in the First World public.
Elizabeth chuckled, catching sight of the smirk, and nodded. “Alright. I’m going.” she said heading toward her bedroom since they had already made it back into the apartment. Though Liz couldn't help feeling a little… playful as she pulled her shirt off and let the door close behind her, giving Farah a glimpse of her bare, toned, back.
Farah's mouth dropped open slightly. My, this woman is daring… she thought to herself, a small smirk reappearing on her lips. And she looks damn good.
Once the door was shut, the fairy breathed slowly to settle herself before using her magic. "What is it that First Worlders normally wear?" she whispered to herself, trying to come up with something suitable but not anything that would stand out too much.
Her eyes eventually began to glow silver-blue again as she channeled her magic, and in a moment, her battalion uniform was gone and replaced with a silky, rose-colored button-up, black pants, and boots. Her ponytail was still intact, but Farah approached the nearest mirror she could find in the house, which she saw in the bathroom, and her lithe fingers began to work her hair into more of an updo.
Once she was finished, Farah studied her own appearance and determined that she looked good enough for the little outing they were planning. She went back into the living room, seated herself elegantly on one of Elizabeth's chairs, and waited patiently for the other woman to reemerge.
Elizabeth giggled softly as she finished stripping, having enjoyed the little indulgence in her old flirtatious habits. I haven't done something like that in years. she smirked.
It didn't take her long to pick out a pair of dark-washed skinny jeans and a cute but stylish shirt. Not necessarily one that she would wear to work but that was still appropriate to wear to go to where she worked without embarrassing herself or her coworkers.
She nodded at her reflection and walked out of her room. “Wow! I guess you can magically change your clothes.” she commented when she saw Farah’s new outfit.
Farah looked over her shoulder and grinned as she rose to her feet. "Indeed I can. There are plenty of practical uses for magic." Her eyes swept over Elizabeth's new clothes as well. "And you look splendid yourself, darling."
“So I see.” Elizabeth said, matching Farah’s smile. “I know I do but thank you for saying it, sweetheart.” she replied with a brief giggle as she struck a pose. “Are you ready to see where I work?”
Farah blushed again at being called 'sweetheart,' just like she had earlier. But she laughed at Elizabeth's pose before nodding her agreement. "Yes, I'd love to. Though… what exactly is it that you do?"
Elizabeth smiled at Farah’s blush and hearing her laugh. “Oh, little things really.” she admitted as she grabbed her keys. “I help put books back on their shelves, clean up a little, and I've helped people borrow out a book or two before.” she shrugged, though she had to admit that learning the library’s organizational system had not been an easy task.
Farah nodded as she listened. Alfea's library was a vast array of books ranging on every magical topic in the Otherworld from alchemy to channeling to potion-making to runes. And Farah had read nearly all of them. Even most of the headmistress's personal library. Farah cursed mentally for thinking of Rosalind again, and she tried to dismiss the woman from her mind not for the first time today. "Sounds simple enough," she remarked.
Elizabeth shrugged again and nodded. “It is mostly easy. There are some difficulties but nothing compared to what I've had to do before.” she admitted though that was probably overstating it. “I mean that it's a very nice and mostly calming change of pace for me. But no job is without it's challenges.”
Farah nodded. "It sounds perfect," she agreed, stepping out the door and back into the outside air. Just being outdoors again made the fairy smile. Outside was closer to nature. Closer to magic and conduits and channeling. Though she could channel anywhere, magical conduits made it easier to do so. Like the Stone Circle at Alfea. Her smile faded yet again at the thought of Alfea and the Otherworld. Gods, would you stop? she thought to herself, shaking her head to again clear memories from it.
“Yeah.” Elizabeth nodded. “It's usually pretty calming most days but still gives me something to focus on so I don't get lost in my thoughts too much.” she said, keeping the conversation going until she noticed Farah’s expression change. “Am I boring you or is there something else on your mind?” she asked, a little concerned.
Farah was pulled from her stupor at Elizabeth's words. A look of soft shock replaced the forlorn expression she'd just had, and she quickly fell into an apology. "Oh, no. Of course not. You're not boring me in the slightest. I was just thinking. I'm sorry."
“It's ok. You don't have to apologize.” Elizabeth assured gently, still concerned for her new friend. “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, partly out of curiosity but also remembering that talking about things can help a person.
"No," Farah answered easily. "It's alright. I tend to get lost in my own thoughts from time to time. With being a mind fairy and all," she whispered the last part with a brief wink. Really, it was the effect Rosalind had left on her mind after being so close to her for so long. Farah feared she would never outlive the memories and ghosts that haunted her every step.
Elizabeth gave a soft laugh at the whispered secret and nodded. “I guess that's fair. I know what it's like to get lost in your thoughts,” she said sincerely. Though she was sure that Farah felt that she wasn't completely convinced that that was all it was. Occasionally, at work, she had skimmed some books on PTSD but still couldn't say for certain that she had it personally… But she was starting to wonder if a toxic relationship could cause it too.
Farah offered a fleeting smile. “Yes… I really understand. My thoughts, should I linger on them for too long, can consume me if I’m not careful. And I can feel emotions of others around me as if they are my own… I’m an empath, though it’s usually more of a curse than a blessing if I’m being honest.”
Elizabeth let out a thoughtful hum and nodded. “I guess I can see that. The burden of power. It always sounds hard and I remember the little ways that affected James because of his rank. I was just a Lieutenant so I guess I never felt like I had that much authority but…” she paused and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I didn't mean to make it about me. I was just trying to say that I can relate a little.”
Farah shook her head quickly. "No, not at all. I understand, Elizabeth, I do." The fairy had to physically bite her tongue to keep from continuing, knowing that if she did, it would only lead to more traumatic memories that she had no desire to revisit over and over for hours on end. But Elizabeth was sharing personal emotions with her – well, even if she didn't, Farah would've felt them anyway – so it was the least she could do to share some more with her.
"I suppose we're yet again similar. I'm not sure entirely how your First World army rankings go, but I was directly under Rosalind's orders. So… I don't think she ever felt a 'burden' of power. Power was something she sought after, the only thing she sought after. As I said, the woman is a godsdammed zealot."
“Thanks,” Elizabeth said with a small smile. She briefly thought about wrapping her arm around Farah’s shoulder but decided against it. She didn't want the fairy to be uncomfortable around her, especially with her… “bad” relationship history.
“Yeah. From what you told me about her… Sounds like she was drunk on power and enjoyed controlling everything. Calling her a zealot might actually be putting it lightly.” she shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck.
"That's exactly her," Farah agreed curtly. The bitterness in her tone wasn't directed at the woman she was speaking to but at the woman they were speaking of.
Then, a wistful emotion clouded her eyes, and without realizing it, she lifted her left hand up so her tattoo was visible. It was a solid line on her index finger, above her knuckle, then three dots closer to her fingertips.
"But there were some people in the Otherworld who made the horrors worth it," she murmured, studying the ink on her skin.
