Best Friends (Anna’s House)

[Anna]

It was very clear to Anna that something had changed. It was true that it was hard to read tone in texts, but Anna was getting very good at reading Elyse and her patterns. It was quite astonishing given how long they had been friends, but the pair had just clicked. It was a natural friendship and Anna was glad for that. It had really made her feel welcome and Moscow and had integrated her into Kallisti. 

Anna was sure Elyse was glad too. Their becoming friends had happened just before the issue with Elyse’s father had started. It had been a quick descent from the happy wolf girl to the brooding, depressed one. Then there had been the issue with Mae. Anna could tell Elyse and Mae were getting along fine, and Anna held no grudge against her friend’s ex-girlfriend, but it hadn’t helped Elyse either. Elyse had felt comfortable telling Anna of her thoughts of self-harm and Anna had done her part to quell that. The pair had daily talks - over the phone if it couldn’t be in person. Anna was sure that had helped keep her demons somewhat at bay. 

Anna’s wallet buzzed and she checked to see a message from Elyse. That was a relief. She hadn’t heard from her friend since she had sent the texts earlier that day. 

On my way to your place. I might be there awhile. I hope that isn’t inconvenient.

Anna frowned. Elyse had been in this kick for a bit - always thinking she was a burden. Anna knew where it came from though. As long as you need. My home is always open to you.”

Anna looked around. She had started cleaning when Elyse had told her she might be coming over. She hoped the organized space would help a little. She sat on her couch and wondered what had happened. She was worried about her friend.

[Elyse]

After lunch, Elyse bid Hayden a farewell, telling him she would let him know when she was at Anna’s and that she was going to turn her wallet off, and then went to check on Marta. The girl was concerned, and Elyse was grateful. She made sure Marta had a ride home. The girl had contacted Ricky and everything was all set. Elyse then checked in with Carmen and told her that the Atharim heat was no longer on her. Carmen knew the situation and knew what that meant, so when Elyse took another personal day, she was understanding. Elyse apologized profusely for the many absences she’d had over the week, and told her that soon, she’d be a lot more consistent.

Then Elyse headed to Anna’s. Their friendship was still new, but it had felt like they had known each other for so long. The two women had just connected in a way that Elyse had never connected with anyone before. Still, it was new enough that Elyse hadn’t yet been to Anna’s house. Elyse took out her phone and sent Hayden a message.

At Anna’s safe. Thanks for everything Hayden. Wallet is going off - need to disconnect a bit.

She also sent one to Nox. She knew he wouldn’t check for awhile, but given the day, she didn’t want him to be worried if he found she wasn’t at his place.

Hey Nox. I’m at Anna’s - probably there all night. Don’t want you to worry. I’m fine - well - im not - but I will be. Turning off my wallet. If you need me - contact Anna.

She turned her wallet off after the message sent and knocked on the door. Her friend answered quickly, expecting her and invited her in.

”Hey!” Anna had a bright smile on her face. ”Want the tour - or just want to sit down and talk?”

Elyse matched Anna’s smile. Her ability to bring Elyse some calm is part of what made them good friends. ”Tour later…let’s just sit for a bit.” Anna nodded and led her to the couch.

[Anna]

Annaed Elyse to the couch and sat her down before heading to the kitchen. Elyse didn’t look great. She was definitely upset. That was normal for now, but they was a haunted look in her eyes that told Anna something had changed. ”Anything to drink? Coffee, water, coke?”

”Coke sounds good!” Elyse said from the other room.

Anna grabbed two cokes and popped them open before heading back to the living room and handing Elyse her drink. Both women took a drink and sat the cans on the table. Anna sat right next to Elyse - close enough that they were touching. Elyse shifted slightly, but in a way that told Anna the other woman appreciated the closeness.

Anna put a tentative hand on Elyse’s knee. ”What’s wrong, Elyse?” Anna asked.

”I don’t…”

Elyse was going to stall, offering up some reason to not say it. Anna knew she would eventually, but she sensed more than this. Anna had to push because Elyse needed her to. ”No, Elyse. Tell me what’s wrong.” Anna interrupted.

Elyse looked stunned by the interruption, but Anna didn’t see any hurt in her eyes. She saw understanding. Anna could see the tears forming in her friends eyes and braced herself, sure now that she knew what the answer to her own question was. Elyse confirmed it with two word. ”It’s done.”

Anna didn’t answer. She only wrapped her friend in a tight embrace. Peter Andersen was dead. In the space of a week, Elyse had lost both her parents. Even if her father had turned out to be a murderous piece of shit, Elyse had still loved him. It was hard to understand, but Elyse had confided in Anna - there were so many good memories of growing up with her parents that it was hard for the darkness to erase it all.

Elyse responded in kind, sobbing into Anna’s shoulder. Anna didn’t speak. She didn’t have to speak. The embrace said more than enough. Anna wouldn’t let go - not until Elyse wanted her to. Anna stroked Elyse’s hair and ran her hand up and down her back in comforting gestures. Anna also knew Nox had done the deed, and she wondered how Elyse felt about that. The whole situation had been completely fucked up. As for Anna, Nox had protected her best friend from her homicidal father. That was more than enough to earn her respect. She only hoped that Elyse would soon remember how strong she was, and that she could heal from the emotional damage she was going through.

[Elyse]

Elyse didn’t want to burden her friend with her troubles, so when Anna asked what was wrong, Elyse tried to deflect, but Anna would have none of it. The interruption had caught Elyse off guard, but she hadn’t been hurt by her words. Even if they had sounded harsh, Elyse understood the meaning. She was not a burden.

Deep down Elyse had known she wasn’t. She had come to Anna to process her emotions. Anna had even said that her home was always open. Elyse wasn’t a burden - especially not to Anna. Elyse simply told her ”It’s done,” and then was immediately wrapped in a hug from the other woman.

The tears that had not come before poured out now. She sobbed into Anna’s shoulder and Anna comforted. Anna didn’t speak and neither did Elyse. She wouldn’t have even spoken if she could through the sobs. She felt the pain of loss deep within her. She felt a great weight on her shoulders. Her line would end with her unless she had kids, and she didn’t know if she wanted kids or not. Even if she was no longer Atharim, and even if the general public didn’t know, she still held the legacy of her great-great-great grandfather. Even it the Atharim were no longer important to her, that was.

Elyse cried for what felt like an eternity before the sobs subsided. Anna was still there, holding her tight. No words had been said, but Elyse felt like they had an entire conversation with the embrace. Elyse didn’t let go, and Anna didn’t either. ”Im so confused, Anna. I don’t know how to feel about this. It’s all so overwhelming.”

[Anna]

Anna let her cry. Sometimes that’s just what someone needed to do. To say Elyse had a rough week would be an understatement. It wasn’t a situation Anna could even comprehend. Anna and her parents may have their own issues, but neither one of them would ever try to murder her. When her crying came to an end, Anna held on still. She would hold on until Elyse let go.

”Its okay to feel that way. A lot has happened to you. It’s going to take awhile for you to process this, I think,” she backed off a bit, still holding on to Elyse, but loving so she could look her friend in the eyes. ”May I offer some advice?” Elyse nodded and Anna continued. ”Dont be so hard on yourself because you’re confused and don’t know what to feel yet. I don’t think it’s possible for you not to be at this point. Recognize that this is gonna take time for your to sort out. Allow yourself to be upset. These feelings are all valid,” Anna gave her an encouraging smile. ”Remember you’re strong, and if you forget, let me know and I’ll pound it back into your head again.”

[Elyse]

Elyse laughed at Anna’s quip. Anna was a bright spot in an enormously bleak day. All joking aside, what Anna said meant a lot, and there was truth to what Anna had told her. Elyse needed to quit beating herself up for things she had no control over, and she needed to let herself grieve.

”Why are you so good to me, Anna?” she asked with a smile, knowing the answer.

”You’re my best friend, Elyse,” she said, with a smile.

Best friend. Not just friend. Elyse hadn’t expected the adjective, and it filled her heart with joy. ”Best friend?” she asked, almost disbelieving m.


”yeah! You’re the first one to really welcome me to Moscow and get me connected to the others at Kallisti. And this,” she pointed at the both of them. ”this is real special. My life is so much better because you’re in it.”

Elyse felt herself wanting to cry again, but she didn’t. She just pulled Anna close in a strong hug. It really did mean a lot to her that Anna felt so about her. They broke off the hug and Anna stood and pulled Elyse to her feet. ”Come - time for the tour.”

Anna gave Elyse the tour of her house. It had three bedrooms; one was Anna’s, another was a guest room, and the third acted as a workout space. It wasn’t an incredibly big house, but Elyse could tell Anna was proud of it. Anna then dug into her picked and handed Elyse a key.

”As I said - you’re welcome in my home anytime. I know you want your independence eventually. You’re welcome to live here until then if you wish, or you can stay in Nox’s building. No pressure. Either way, my door is always open to you. Day or night.”

Elyse hugged Anna again. It was such a simple thing. Plenty of people have others their house key, but it was usually a situation where they could get access if they locked themselves out or for something like housesitting if they were out of town. This was a different. It was a standing invite. It was proof that Elyse wasn’t a burden to her.

[Anna]

Anna smiled as Elyse hugged her again, returning it with fervor. Anna hadn’t thought it would be this big of a deal for Elyse, but it was, and Anna could tell that Elyse appreciated it very much. The pair went back to the living room and Anna sat down. Elyse lay down and put her head in Anna’s lap, looking up. ”This okay?” she asked.

Anna nodded. ”if you wanna talk, I’m okay with listening and offering advice. If you just want to lay down, that’s fine too. You going to work tonight?”

Elyse shook her head. ”I just can’t. I feel guilty about all the time I’ve been missing, and yes I know I shouldn’t. I’ve been working on that, she sighed. ”I do want to talk, Anna, but I need to think first. Tell me about you - anything new with Anna?”

Anna shrugged, ”Not too much. Case and I went on a non-date. Had a lot of fun actually until we saw a woman get attacked by a monster,” Elyse looked at her questioningly. ”Yeah - it looked human m, but was very pale. Long fingernails or claws. Eyes we black as the night sky.”

Elyse looked at her seriously. ”Dreykan,” she explained. ”Need blood to regulate their body temperature. With as cold as it’s been, they need to feed. I can’t imagine this was good for you to see. I’m sorry.”

”I wasn’t very well for awhile. She…didn’t make it,” Anna felt Elyse grab her hand. ”Cade definitely isn’t a believer though. Maybe he was just working through it.” Elyse looked a little skeptical at that.

[Elyse]

Cade would be meeting with Nox sometime relatively soon. Who knew what Nox was up to now. If Cade ever told Nox about his dreams though he would hear more about monsters from his brother.  There were two in them that Elyse had recognized and out of all of them, they were the two that Elyse was most scared of. It had to have been a shock for Anna to see that though.  Especially the death.

Death was something Elyse didn't want to talk about though. Instead she just closed her eyes as Anna stroked her hair. It was nice. Elyse had never thought of Anna in a romantic way, and even still she didn't, despite how intimate they were right now.  Anna had said Elyse was her best friend, and Elyse felt the same. She even interlaced her fingers with Anna's and it wasn't resisted.

"Anna, you going to work tonight?" Elyse asked, opening her eyes. Anna nodded. "You okay with me staying here while you're gone?"

"Of course - I gave you a key!"

Elyse smiled. "Of course," Elyse turned serious. "Anna, I"m the only one left now.  I have no family anymore." Anna squeezed her hand. "Yes - I know - you and Kallisti, but this is hard.  I loved them, and...it all ended so fast." A few tears fell and were wiped away by Anna's gentle hand. "I know now that my father was just a bad person, but I don't know if I should feel sad, angry, or relieved about his being gone. What should I be feeling Anna?"

Anna looked away in thought. "I'm not sure, but maybe all of them are valid. You cared for your parents, but because of how things went, you're angry too.  You're relieved because it's over. Maybe you don't need to feel one of them.  Maybe you need to feel all of them.  That's probably super confusing and not a help, but it's what I think. There isn't anything wrong with you for having multiple emotions at once, but I can understand why it would make things harder to deal with.  Which emotion is the strongest right now?"

Elyse nodded and thought about that.  It was incredibly simple, but it made sense.  She thought about Anna's question. "I think it's the sadness right now - you think I should just focus on one and work my way through it?"

Anna shrugged. "I'm no therapist, but that's what I would do."

Elyse laughed, Anna's line about being a therapist reminded her of Hayden. "Sorry - Nox sent someone to talk to me after I started the self harm thoughts.  He says that a lot."

Elyse didn't elaborate on his therapy techniques, but it got her to thinking about something that had been on her mind. "Hey, I have a strange question to ask you if that's okay?" Anna agreed. "I'll preface this by saying it's not a proposition, it's just something I've wondered about. Would you ever sleep with me?" It was something she had thought about since before they became friends. Even now that they were friends, it was a thought that hadn't gone away.  She found herself comfortable enough to ask it, even as she hoped that it didn't make Anna uncomfortable.

[Anna]

Anna wasn’t phased by Elyse’s question. Some people would be, but Anna was actually pretty open about sex. She didn’t go around screaming about it to everyone, but when people asked about it she was more than willing to talk about it. Elyse was kind of a different situation though considering their friendship. Anna had definitely thought about it. Elyse was very attractive.

”Thats a little more complicated than a yes or no,” Anna said as Elyse looked at her questioningly. ”It mostly comes down to just being honest about expectations though. Firstly - I’m attracted to men and women, but I have no romantic interest in women. I enjoy sex with women - it’s fun. Women can do a lot of things better than men can, but a committed relationship is a no for me. It would just be a fun time. Secondly, my friendship with you comes first - won’t ever do it if we’re drunk or not in places where we can make good decisions.” Anna gave her a serious look - this wouldn’t happen tonight. Not that Anna thought it would. Elyse had said this wasn’t a proposition, but still it needed to be said. ”I’ve slept with friends before - and we’ve all understood these expectations. Mostly, I don’t want things to get weird between us. Oh and if I’m in a relationship, it’s a no.” she was still hoping things would work out with Cade. ”So yes - I would - but we’d have to both agree to that and set limits. Make sense?”

[Elyse]

Elyse listened to her parameters. They all made sense. It had only been a curiosity - not that she would refuse if Anna was up for it. They worked at a place that sold sex and Anna and Elyse had never really talked about it. She didn’t even know that Anna was bisexual - at least physically she was. It was kind of different hearing that she was only romantically interested in men though.

”Understood,” Elyse said a smile on her face before she switched gears. ”Fun fact - did you know I’m a direct descendant of Hans Christian Andersen?”

Anna’s eyes widened. ”The guy who wrote The Little Mermaid and all those Fairy Tales? Really?”

Elyse nodded with a smile. ”Yeah - officially he died childless. In truth he had an illegitimate son who was my great great grandfather. Hans was the first to join the Atharim in my family. It makes me a little sad for leaving, but there isn’t a place for me there anymore,” she sighed. ”I might have to go to Denmark soon - I’ll inherit the house and all the stuff there. Within it are three books - the manuscripts for his three books of Fairy Tales. If I keep anything - it will be those.”

The two women went into more chats, talking about work, ideas for their upcoming dance, and just normal things. Eventually Anna had to go to work. She gave Elyse a hug and headed out. Elyse moved to the guest room and turned her wallet on, responding to any messages she had received. Her mind went to Sage. She owed him now, and she had no idea what his price would be. She debated whether to send him a message now or wait for him to send her one. She doubted he would forget, and she wanted to pay him. She finally decided it would bug her until she found out.