A quick check-in

The two bedroomed apartment was tiny and worn down, in that way you could only really find in Erast. There were no doubt rats in the walls and in the air hung a lingering scent of mold. It was far from an ideal living situation, but at least it was home, he had to give Aaron that much. It was still more than Acheron would have to offer. That didn’t make Aaron less of a piece of shit. But it was a roof over her head, it was running water, it was electricity. It was, as a home was supposed to be, relative safety.

He stood in the living room, his eyes scanning over the myriad of things decorating their walls. A testament to everything Lucy cared about. It was paintings, linoleum presses, vinyl covers, drawings. His eyes landed on the black cat on the couch. “Hello Aurelius,” he greeted the cat. It hissed at him in return. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” It wasn’t a very friendly cat. But then again, he supposed it had earned the right to not like people, all things considered. He moved to look out the window overlooking the dreary and rain drenched Baker Lane. Acheron wouldn’t be sticking around for long today. It was a quick check in as he did every few weeks. Aaron was out for the day, working the docks. Acheron would be gone by the time he came home.

“Ache, you know,” Lucy said as she entered the room, picking up black hair into a pony-tail. Acheron turned his attention towards her. She had cut bangs since he had last been here. She had gotten a new tattoo as well, a skull on her lower arm. “You could just crash on the couch until you found a place.” She paused in the middle of the room, looking him over. “Or not. It’s up to you. Just thought, you know, since you look like crap.” She moved over and sat down on the couch next to Aurelius, stroking the shiny black fur. The cat immediately started purring, pressing its forehead against the palm of her hand. “Where are you staying, anyways?”

Acheron watched the cat from his place by the window. The offer was a noble one and one he wouldn’t accept. He kept his distance, as was the only right thing to do. “Don’t go worrying about me, Luce,” he said, smiling at her as he leaned back against the wall as he met her gaze. “I’ve got something figured out.”

She eyed him with a skeptical glance, before shrugging and turning her attention back on the cat. “If you say so.” There was a beat of silence where the only sound was the light tapping of rain against the window and the purr of the cat. There had been a brief moment in time where Lucy had been crashing on his couch, but that was years ago, before she had met Aaron. Speaking of which, the faint bruising on her wrists had not gone unnoticed. She pulled down her sleeves when she noticed him eyeing them. She sighed, crossing her arms, sitting back on the couch. The cat shot her an accusatory glare as she had seized the petting. There was tension there, as both parties eyed the other. Even without powers like Acheron’s, her growing anger was obvious. A byproduct of a shitty life, mixed with a general sense of powerlessness. A bitter cocktail that Acheron knew only too well.

“You know,” she then said, finally. “I’ve noticed one of the pages in my diary is missing.”

A diversion for the real reason she was angry, with another also valid reason to be angry, Acheron supposed. He averted his gaze and shrugged. “Aaron, maybe?”

“Ache.” The warning was clear in her voice. Acheron met her gaze again with a sigh. “Don’t think that I don’t know. I’m not some powerless thing, fucker. I have powers too.” Lucy had mastered the sort of anger where she seemed calm, but she wasn’t really. And it could probably burn down half the city if she willed it too. Either way, Acheron deserved the scolding, he knew that. Even if he wasn’t the real reason for her anger this time. “And I know you’ve been meeting with him,” she continued, the last word coming out as if it was venom. The cat got up from the couch and left the room, Acheron traced it with his eyes until Lucy snapped his attention back. “And. Torture him all you want. I don’t care about him.” She said she didn’t, but Acheron knew that she did. “But touch my fucking stuff again and I’ll gorge your eyes out. Got that?”

This was not the first time Acheron had gotten a speech similar to this. And probably not the last time he would either. A good reason not to hold her up on her previous offer. While her anger was palpable, it was also short-lived. Another day, another crisis and all would be forgiven. Acheron shrugged and nodded. He pushed away from the wall. Everything looked to be in order here so there was no reason to stick around. He looked at Lucy, who looked at him in return. “I should get going.”

Lucy shrugged, wrapping her arms tighter around herself as she broke eye contact. “Do what you wanna do. I don’t care.” Acheron stood and watched her for a moment. She was still angry. And hurt. But there wasn’t much he could do about that. Though, it still made him pause. He placed his hands in his pockets. “See ya, then.” She didn’t respond. And thus, Acheron simply left. He was a terrible guardian, after all.