Heirs of the Gods

Ch 63: Hopeless goner

POV CHANGE! Slight warnings for mentions of violence

--------------

To say Valren was having an eventful day would be the understatement of the century.

Her plan had been simple. Stuff her face with cake, show up at The Buxom Nixie, celebrate her friends, get sloshed, win various pub games, maybe pass out on Aedion's nice rug and call it a day.

Hard to veer off course with such an uncomplicated game plan, right. The most she'd expected to trouble her was a stomach ache from too much eating. By all means, it was smooth sailing ahead.

Well, wrong.

Like a giant storm cloud in the bright sunshine of her day, Briar Blackthorn had showed up. Except... She was like a giant pink cloud. All full of glitter.

She'd showed up in the hallway, looking absolutely horrified, and Val's day had gone up in flames.

Fine, maybe she was being dramatic. She blamed Aedion for rubbing off on her. But her day hadn't gone well after that. She'd been completely blindsided, and really, she had no one to blame but herself. In the back of her mind, Val knew Ella and Briar were close friends. She'd known Briar would likely show up. She just hadn't expected it to be so... shocking.

She was used to Briar in small doses. Val showed up at Cereas, saw her, and left before she could become overwhelmed. Was it cowardly? Yes. Was it the best for her sanity? Also yes.

But unrestrained access to Briar? She hadn't known how to deal with it. Briar laughing, chattering animatedly, telling dumb jokes and charming everyone with her bright sunshine smiles. Briar being Briar, with everything that came with it. Val had been reduced to just... staring.

She'd stared during dinner and then during the walk over and she'd definitely stared whilst Briar danced, because seriously, who didn't? Laughing and spinning, sparkly skirts swishing in a wide fan, curls bouncing wildly. She had that natural grace Val had never once possessed in her life. Yes, she could spar and brawl like the best of them, but dancing? Two left feet.

Val had just sat there, nursing some lukewarm drink, staring on like an idiot. Ella had come up to her, begging her to dance with them, but Val had staunchly refused. What, and lose whatever scraps of dignity she possessed? No, thank you.

Her only consolation had been laughing at Aedion. Her brother was even stupider than she was. At least she was discreet about her ogling, unlike that sorry tit.

Even as they drank and chatted and played darts and cards, he gaped stupidly, watching as Ella twirled and laughed, donning that dopey grin on his face. Eventually, well after a couple of hours into the night, he'd gone after her, like he always did. The soppy, clingy twit.

Well, truth be told, she'd pushed him to do it, punching him on the arm and saying, "Stop drooling and go dance with her, you're making a puddle and someone's bound to trip and crack their spine."

He'd scowled, muttered some crude yet colourful comment and gone off. Val shook her head, watching them sway together. Aedion didn't even like dancing. Hated it, actually. But there he was, a soft grin on his face, twirling her like it was the greatest thing in the world.

She smiled into her glass and watched as they bickered, like they always did, gentle eyed despite it all. Gods, what a pair of soft, soft idiots. If she was ever that silly, she hoped someone put her out of her misery with a single, well-placed stomp to the head.

Her attention drifted back to the two other occupants in the booth. Blaise and Ronan, amid yet another animated discussion about something she didn't even bother keeping up with. She watched her twin brother light up, laughing loudly at one of Ronan's puns. She hid her smile behind her glass and clapped him on the back, announcing she was going to play some darts. She didn't care to third wheel and ruin the mood.