Shop Staff
Three Broomsticks Bartender
Werewolf
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21 years old
Ilvermorny Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Danielle 'Dani' Carson on Aug 12, 2016 7:33:48 GMT
Dani really didn’t know how she had ended up at the front door of the Ashland house. Apparition probably. It was too far to have walked. But she didn’t remember doing it. She remembered opening her eyes to the mess of her apartment, getting dressed, patching herself up. Well, starting to patch herself up. She had only gotten through the worst of the injuries (thank Merlin the scratching had been limited to a small patch on her shoulder this time) when the shouting started out in the hallway. It wasn’t unusual for some of her neighbors to get into fights, but this time it sounded like more and more voices were joining in. And then someone had started yelling about werewolves. Dani had tugged on a hoodie and opened the door at that point, heart slamming in her chest and a nasty bruise still coloring one side of her pale face. It seemed half the building was in the hallway raging about the Prophet. It had taken Dani a minute to drag the story out of an older woman standing nearby. Werewolves had attacked Godric’s Hollow during the night. Several of them. Apparently the injuries were quite severe. Someone had started cursing werewolves at that point, and then a man down the hall was yelling about ‘killing the filthy beasts.’ A large number of the residents had loudly agreed with him. It was like watching the terrifying birth of a lynch mob. If they were to find out what Dani was, there was a very real chance of her getting seriously hurt here. Maybe even killed. She had slipped back into her apartment, and the next thing she knew she was standing on the Ashland porch banging on the door. Her heartbeat had become a deafening roar in her ears as she waited anxiously for someone to answer. Meg was on shift at the pub today (she had insisted, what with the full moon and all), but she shouldn’t have left for work just yet. Hopefully. It was only as the door swung open that it occurred to Dani she had no idea what she was going to say if it wasn’t Meg standing there. Hell, she didn’t know what to say if it was. She didn’t even know why she was here. She just knew she was scared and this was the first safe place to come to mind. The only place, really. She probably looked quite the sight standing there in her sweat pants and tank top and unzipped hoodie that had been tugged on so fast it was hanging a little lopsided. Not to mention her bruised and terribly pale face framed by some of her hair falling out of the messy bun she had hastily tossed it into. She hadn’t even thought to throw on shoes over her sock-covered feet. Then again, maybe there wasn’t much time to process how ridiculous she looked. The door was barely even open before Dani was through it, locking her arms around Meg’s neck in a desperate hug. It didn’t matter that the gesture made her sore muscles scream in agony. There were too many emotions flooding in all at once, and she needed an anchor before she imploded. She couldn’t decide which was worse – that people like her had created such carnage or how quickly her neighbors had begun crying for their blood. Dani held on tightly for a long moment, probably long enough to seriously worry Meg (assuming Dani just turning up like this hadn’t already accomplished that), before suddenly pulling back. “Have you seen the Prophet?” Meg probably hadn’t needed to. Her brother worked at the hospital. He would’ve been called in after something like this, right? “Werewolves. They attacked Godric’s Hollow. A group of them. They killed people. They made people like me.” It was honestly a tossup at this point as to which fate was worse. “And now there’s people yelling about killing werewolves, and the Ministry already hates us…” She trailed off abruptly, her eyes widening as if something had just hit her. Her shaking hand reached up on top of her head to hold back the bangs that had fallen into her face. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe they should put us all away.” Look what a group of people like her had done when left unchecked. The ones last night had wrecked who knew how many lives. Dani herself had almost killed her own brother. But if there were no more werewolves loose, there would be no one left to spread the disease. Maybe locking them up really was the safest plan. The idea would probably horrify Dani in a few hours, but in her current state, it sounded almost logical. Meg Ashland(OOC - You keep saying you like the angst, so I gave you some more to play with. Sorry, not sorry.) |
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Shop Staff
Bartender at the Three Broomsticks
Lab Assistant
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24 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Meg Ashland on Aug 17, 2016 18:40:50 GMT
Meg woke up tired. Now that she knew the reason why Dani always wanted her to work certain shifts, she'd been up all night worrying about it. Unable to sleep, Meg alternated between her garden, the couch, and her bed all night, always keeping an eye on the big pale moon in the sky. She hoped Dani would be okay this time; she'd hurt herself so badly last time. Meg comforted herself enough with thoughts that if Dani did get hurt, she could bug Theo into fixing it, and eventually she drifted away on the shallowest level of sleep for a few hours. She woke up groggy and irritated and still worried - but work was calling, so she dragged herself out of bed.
Several cups of coffee helped, along with a refreshing shower. Meg was in the midst of drying her hair when a resounding knock came at her door. She had a vague recollection of the same thing happening just a few days ago, but it felt more like a dream than anything. She'd woken up to that knock, but then heard Theo's voice out in the hall handling it so she'd gone back to sleep. No one was getting up for this knock. As far as she knew, everyone was home but she was the only one wide awake. She ran out of the bathroom and to the front door, wrenching it open before anymore grumpy Ashlands were produced. Meg could barely handle herself in the mornings.
As soon as the door was open, Meg was caught in an embrace. She had to lean her head back a bit to see it was Dani wrapped around her neck. Meg gasped and hugged her back, gingerly; was she hurt? Her face looked bruised. "Dani! Did something happen? Are you okay?" She was standing, that was good. Dani pulled back and Meg searched her face as the girl talked. The Prophet? "No," Meg shook her head, but Dani quickly filled her in. Oh, gods. Meg gasped again, slapping her hand over her mouth. How awful. "Oh gods, that's terrible!" But what did this have to do with Dani? Not for a nanosecond did it cross Meg's mind that she would be involved. The very thought was monstrous. Dani quickly revealed what had her so shaken up, and to Meg it was almost even worse. "Oh, honey, they're not gonna let that happen, they can't...," As Meg sussed out exactly who 'they' could be, and what exactly they weren't going to let happen, Dani said something that shushed her right up. Meg's mouth went thin as she looked upon her new friend. "Don't say that. You know that's not right. They can't help it, they didn't mean to." Meg couldn't know that for sure, but surely werewolves would have no reason to organize an attack? Since Dani was the only one she knew, Meg based all of her wolfish opinions on the girl. If anything, werewolves seemed like a frightened people eager to keep their heads down. "Do you want some tea? Let's have some tea." Tea always fixed things.
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Shop Staff
Three Broomsticks Bartender
Werewolf
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21 years old
Ilvermorny Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Danielle 'Dani' Carson on Aug 17, 2016 21:48:39 GMT
Meg seemed pretty surprised, which made perfect sense. But then she was hugging back, albeit gently. The questions came rapid fire in typically concerned Meg fashion. Dani forced herself to shake her head, although she wasn’t really sure which question she was answering. Maybe both. No, nothing had actually happened to her yet. And no, she wasn’t okay. Not at all. Her eyes were closed as tightly as she could get them as if that would somehow block out the rest of the world. She didn’t want to let go. As utterly ridiculous as it sounded, she felt just the tiniest fraction safer holding on to Meg. Like maybe somehow that would make everything okay.
But she had to let go to see Meg’s face as she rushed through an explanation. She needed to see how the other bartender would react. If she would pull away when faced with the true horrors werewolves were capable of. But while Meg was definitely horrified, she was still trying to reassure Dani. It didn’t help much. Dani was too upset for that. Meg always wanted to see the good in people, but people weren’t always good. Sometimes they did terrible things. Especially when they got scared. And people were definitely scared of werewolves right now. “If a dog becomes dangerous, you put it down. That’s how people see us, Meg. Like animals. If they think we’re a threat…” She didn’t want to think about that. About what the Ministry might do once this dust had settled.
Dani was a little taken aback at how fiercely Meg responded. Did she really not understand? “That’s the problem! We can’t control it! That’s how people get hurt! Good people! People like my brother! We can’t stop ourselves! At least if we were locked up, we couldn’t hurt anyone else!” Her voice had been rising, but now it dropped abruptly to a whisper. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” That was the werewolf’s real curse. Not the transforming, although that was definitely painful. Not even hurting themselves, as horrific as that could be. No, the real curse, at least for the ones who thought as Dani did, was the terror of knowing there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop themselves from hurting people. All it would take was one failed safeguard and the person they loved most could be dead. Dani pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes until she saw stars. She wasn’t going to cry. Absolutely was not. But she didn’t know what to think right now. On the one hand, she was terrified that the world was finally turning completely on people like her. On the other hand, part of her couldn’t help feeling like maybe they deserved it.
The question of tea made her freeze as she reverted briefly to the Dani of a few weeks ago. The one who shied away from any attempt Meg made to get close. Almost like a wounded animal. Dani was dangerous. Couldn’t Meg see that? And even if she wasn’t, it wasn’t safe to be around a werewolf right now. Not with how fiercely people were reacting against them. What about Meg’s family? Dani didn’t want to wake them up. She certainly didn’t want them overhearing this conversation and figuring out what she was. But if she left now, she didn’t have anywhere to go except back to her tiny apartment. And there was a very real possibility her angry neighbors were still gathered in the hallway. No way in hell would Dani feel safe there right now. So what to do? She fidgeted on the porch, torn between staying and running. All risks aside, being here with Meg would feel far safer than her apartment right now. So finally Dani managed a small nod. “Okay,” she said, her voice strained and small. Tea probably wouldn’t fix much in the long run. In the grand scheme of things, it was a ridiculously insignificant solution. But maybe it would help somehow. At the very least, Dani wouldn’t be alone with her own demons.
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Shop Staff
Bartender at the Three Broomsticks
Lab Assistant
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24 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Meg Ashland on Sept 5, 2016 5:06:28 GMT
Dani had every right to be upset. Meg was pretty terrified herself, and she didn't have half the reason to feel that way that Dani did. Surely she didn't mean the things she was saying. They were pretty awful, but she was upset and angry and hurt and probably a lot of other unnamed things. She wasn't in her right mind. "Stop it," Meg said, reaching out to grab her hand; she'd drag her back down to Earth if she had to. "You're not an animal, Dani. You are a human. You have just as much right to be safe as anyone else. They can't treat you like that, they'd never let that happen." Meg didn't know at all what she was actually saying. In all honesty, Dani's worries sounded sort of exactly like the 'preventive measures' the Ministry sometimes grew infamous for over the years. But they didn't do that anymore. That all died with You-Know-Who. Meg would believe that adamantly until she saw differently; she had her own agitations the Ministry but surely they wouldn't put down innocent people. She had to make Dani believe that too. If things turned out differently, like Dani said...well, they'd get there when they got there.
Dani turned to her own idea, of just locking all the werewolves up instead of wiping them out, but Meg still didn't like her saying that one bit. "Please stop." Meg chewed nervously at her lip. She wanted to make Dani a promise, but what could she promise? She couldn't promise that Dani wasn't going to hurt anyone...because she had, even if she hadn't meant it. She couldn't promise that she herself wasn't going to get hurt, either...because if it really came down to it, who was Meg against the entire Ministry and even world at large? She needed something concrete, something real, to promise - something to concentrate on besides her impending doom. "We're gonna get you that potion, Dani. You're not gonna hurt anyone. No one's gonna hurt you. You're innocent." Dani might have something to say about that, too, but Meg was sure it would be better than having her talk about being put down or getting caged up like an animal.
Having some tea would be helpful, too. Meg looked imploringly at Dani, waiting for her to say yes. The girl finally agreed and Meg tugged her inside toward the kitchen. "At any rate you're safe here. You can stay here as long as you want. I'm supposed to go to work, but...I can owl in."
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Shop Staff
Three Broomsticks Bartender
Werewolf
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21 years old
Ilvermorny Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Danielle 'Dani' Carson on Sept 7, 2016 7:53:48 GMT
The feeling of a hand in hers drew Dani up short, an anchor holding her mind in this moment. Her abrupt silence gave Meg space to jump in. The comforting words sounded just almost reasonably, but Dani was too wound up for them to sink in completely. “And what if it can’t go both ways? What if not everybody gets to be safe? One way or another, somebody is going to get hurt. That’s just how this works. And that can either be me, or it can be someone else. But if I have to choose between protecting myself or everyone else… That’s not even a choice.” Not for Dani, anyway. She would destroy herself in a heartbeat to save the people she cared about.
Meg’s plea caused Dani to flinch a little as it suddenly struck her just how much she was dumping on Meg. Of course the other girl didn’t want to be dealing with all of this. Dani pulled back a bit, tugging her hand slightly in Meg’s while stopping just shy of actually disentangling it. But before she could apologize, Meg was already moving ahead. And apparently she hadn’t meant her interruption the way Dani had taken it because she was making all sorts of promises now, promises that couldn’t be kept. Dani shook her head as her vision began to dance and blur. “You can’t promise that. Not any of it. My parents made the same promises, and they couldn’t keep any of them. I did hurt someone, and I got hurt too. And wolfsbane? What are you going to do, steal it? There’s no way we could afford it, not even together.” She reached up to wipe fiercely at her flooded eyes with her free hand, completely oblivious to the fact she had just said ‘we.’ It said a lot about how far they had come in such a short time that Dani was starting to assume Meg would figure into her future somehow.
But they hadn’t yet come far enough for Dani to just lie down whenever Meg insisted she was innocent in all this. “But I’m not innocent. I almost killed someone. And I can remember every single second of it! Every single scratch and bruise I gave my brother, I remember! And I could do it again. I have to literally spell myself into my apartment so I don’t accidentally kill someone. Because I would. I’m not innocent. I’m dangerous.” Speaking of dangerous, she was also getting dangerously close to dissolving into tears. Her hand shifted unconsciously, fingers lacing themselves through Meg’s as if drawing the strength to keep going. “I’m scared all the time. Of what I might do to people or to myself or how they would react if they found out. I’m scared, and I’m tired, and I’m tired of being tired, and I just want to go home.” Her hand tightened around Meg’s as a small sob shook her exhausted frame. She must look like a basket case breaking down on the front porch in her sweatshirt and sweatpants. But it had pretty much become a fact of Dani’s life that every full moon ended in tears. Worry and lack of sleep had worn her out, not to mention the bruises and exhausted muscles from the wolf going crazy all night, and she was too tired to fight it off any longer.
Dani let herself be led into the kitchen, too tired to do anything but follow meekly behind. Safe. Meg was saying she was safe. Dani wasn’t even sure she knew what safe felt like anymore. Still, the relative quiet of the Ashland house was better than her tiny apartment with its angry mob in the hallway. Meg’s offer to stay caused Dani to bite her lip hard. She really, really did not want to be alone right now. But neither could she bring herself to actually outright ask Meg to stay. What came out instead was a strained, “You don’t have to. I don’t want to get you in trouble.” Her hand had tightened around Meg’s though, silently begging not to be abandoned. Dani forced herself to relax her grip when she realized. She almost pulled away, but she couldn’t seem to make herself go through with it. “Sorry for making you deal with all this,” she mumbled, her gaze locked firmly on the ground. She could be a basket case and still feel guilty for infringing on Meg’s time. Actually, that was part of what made it so hard for Dani to ask for help. She always felt like she was wasting time people could be spending on more important matters.
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Shop Staff
Bartender at the Three Broomsticks
Lab Assistant
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24 years old
Hufflepuff Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Mego
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Post by Meg Ashland on Sept 11, 2016 21:03:53 GMT
"You don't have to choose," Meg shook her head firmly. She didn't like this, this feeling of being in over her head and not knowing what to say when her friend was so vehemently convinced of doing...something. Meg wasn't sure what exactly what it was Dani wanted to do to make this choice (or maybe she just didn't want to think, didn't want to be sure), but she didn't like the sound of any of it. "People do get hurt, that's true. It's all terrible and tragic and it's a total accident. But the world is better with you in it than without you, surely you can see that?" There was something Meg knew for sure. She thought everybody in the world had value - maybe even the bad guys. Certainly the girls who couldn't control when they hurt someone. Precautions could be taken and wounds remedied and Meg was just far too optimistic to agree with what Dani was saying. There had to be room enough in the world for them all to live safely and comfortably, just had to. Maybe it would be hard work to get there, but Meg was convinced it was there.
True, that was fatally idealistic of her to believe - just ideas and promises, and Dani said she couldn't make those. "Okay, no, I can't." Meg sighed exasperatedly, shaking her head again. "I can't stand against the whole Ministry. Or the whole world. But I can't just stand here and let it happen; or do the bloody work for them, for Merlin's sake. Neither can you! You're worth more than that, come on Dani." She shrugged off her point about wolfsbane, exactly what she meant when she said she wasn't going to just stand here and let all this happen. There was something they could do, small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but it would protect Dani and that was a goal they could, and should, both focus on. "Yeah, steal it, if that's what it takes. Or learn to make it. It's all plants, innit? We could grow it our bloody selves. What we're not going to do is stand here and let the world tear you down, because fuck that, we're gonna do whatever we can even if its small because you're worth it." Meg had to take a deep breath, her temper rising with her voice. "Okay?"
Dani was worth it, and she was innocent, no matter what she said. Meg was no longer holding back - not that she did much to begin with - she was going to get through to Dani one way or another. "You weren't in control of yourself. That's not you," Meg said firmly, locking her gaze on Dani. "You are innocent and you are obviously not dangerous because you're already taking precautions so you don't hurt people. We're going to keep doing that, and you'll see, I'm right." With her other hand, she patted the top of Dani's as her grip tightened. "I know, sweetie. It's okay to be scared. Other people are the problem, not you. Maybe it's better in America than it is here right now. Maybe you should write them." Meg knew this was a touchy subject, Dani's family. But damn...the way things sounded how they were about to go in England, maybe facing her family again would be easier than facing that impending mess.
In the kitchen, Dani told her she didn't have to stay. She wasn't just going to leave the girl such a mess, all alone in her house. "It's fine, it's not a problem. I'll just write and tell them my arm is aching this morning or something. I can go in a little later." Dani mumbled something that made Meg smile sadly, and she pulled the girl into a hug. "Don't be sorry. We're friends. This is what friends do." Done with the hug, Meg pulled away to put the kettle on.
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Shop Staff
Three Broomsticks Bartender
Werewolf
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21 years old
Ilvermorny Alumnus
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PLAYED BY OOC NAME
PLAYED BY Ash
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Post by Danielle 'Dani' Carson on Sept 14, 2016 7:46:52 GMT
Meg said it wasn’t a choice, but she didn’t understand. It was most definitely a choice. Dani could either lock herself up where she would destroy herself or save her own body at the expense of hurting someone else. That was the price here. But she didn’t have the energy to argue that point anymore, not when Meg clearly wasn’t going to get it. Besides, Dani was too busy getting hung up on the next words out of Meg’s mouth. Better with her in it? How? “Maybe before. But now? I literally lose my mind and turn into a killer once a month. I hurt my own family. And now I’m bringing all my crap into your life. How does any of that make the world a better place? How has my baggage possibly made your life better?” Not that she was planning on removing herself from the equation. She just failed to see how anyone was better off for knowing her right now. Not with her current condition. When Dani looked in the mirror, especially around the full moon, she didn’t see a girl. She saw a monster. And it seemed so painfully obvious that she was having a hard time believing anyone could see something different.
It took Dani a second to realize Meg wasn’t mad at her so much as for her. She thought Dani was worth all that? That took some processing. For a moment Dani just stared, her watery eyes searching Meg’s as if for some kind of confirmation. Why? Why would she possibly be worth that? Patching up Dani’s cuts was one thing, but Meg actually sticking her neck out was a completely different matter. She sounded just like Dani’s family. That thought was both profoundly painful and exactly what Dani needed. It still didn’t make any sense though. Meg wasn’t Dani’s blood. Why would she possibly involve herself that deeply? Dani tried to protest, but she couldn’t seem to get a solid point out. “But you… I’m not…” Finally she gave up. She sighed heavily and wiped hard at her eyes as she took a few shaky breaths. “Okay,” she choked, letting her free hand fall to her side. It was more a weary surrender than an actual acceptance. But it was really the best Meg was going to get at this point.
The faith Meg had in Dani seemed to be endless as she continued insisting Dani was innocent. Dani didn’t have the energy to argue with her. She was just so damn tired. Meg said they would keep going, that things would be fine. “I don’t know how long I can keep doing this,” Dani admitted. “It’s too hard.” The agony, the self-inflicted injuries, the constant worry, the working herself into the ground to afford medical supplies. It was all so damn much, and she was only twenty-one, for Merlin’s sake! Not that she really had a choice here. Going back home definitely wasn’t on the table, no matter how much she wanted to. Dani shook her head. “Things aren’t there yet.” ‘There’ pretty much being when hell froze over. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to explain. “It’s not just about protecting them. Werewolf scratches, they scar. Forever. My brother… I don’t know how visible they’ll be, but… Even if he somehow could bring himself to look at me, I can’t look at him. Not when I did that to him.” Maybe someday the guilt wouldn’t be so heavy. But right now it was still pretty crushing.
It took most of Dani’s meager remaining energy not to sigh in relief when Meg insisted she could owl in to work. And then there was a hug. Dani rested her head wearily against Meg’s shoulder and locked her arms tightly around her friend’s waist as she soaked up the comfort, not caring one bit that her position was putting pressure on her bruised cheek and tugging painfully on her scratched shoulder. “I don’t deserve a friend like you.” She didn’t mean it in a self-deprecating way for once. Just that Meg was the best friend any person could possibly want. Plus she gave great hugs. And Dani was in desperate need of one right now. It didn’t last nearly as long as she would’ve liked. But by the time Meg let go, Dani’s anxiety had eased considerable. She pulled a chair out from the dining table and sat down as Meg began making tea. Once seated, she put a very tentative hand atop her shoulder, giving it a careful roll to test her range of motion. That was definitely going to be sore for a long time. How had she even managed to get her claws back there? Her face she remembered. She’d hit it on the edge of the coffee table when she upended it. Clearly she needed cushioning charms on more than just the walls. But right now she was too exhausted to care. A night of frenzied activity instead of sleep plus a mountain of emotional distress was not a good combination. Dani crossed her arms atop the kitchen table and put her head down on top of them, letting her eyes drift closed as she listened to Meg move around the kitchen. There was a very real possibility of her falling asleep sitting at this table. And somehow that didn’t bother Dani one bit.
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