No Ordinary Exchange

take care of her for us

1. There's a lot happening in the world right now. Obviously a lot of attention is on the USA because of the recent storming of the Capitol, but that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems the world is facing. I'd be lying if I said that it's not scary - it is, and sometimes those feelings can get overwhelming. So here's five things you can do when you feel hopeless: 1) Name your feelings. Being able to identify what you're experiencing is the first step to addressing it. 2) Make space to grieve. The feeling of loss is not just about missing a loved one. It may be about missed opportunities, empathy for the pain of others, and more. Give yourself time to let your grief out in whatever way you need. 3) Take action where you can. No matter how small or insignificant you may feel, remember that single drops eventually fill a bucket! 4) Stay in the present. Experiencing things as they happen can make them easier to process rather than internalizing them for too long. And 5) Safeguard your energy. Don't burn yourself out! Do what you can and stay informed, but know and respect your own limitations. Take care of yourself. (Information condensed from @ soyouwanttotalkabout on Instagram.)

Hello my lovelies! It's been a depressing past few days, hasn't it? I hope this chapter provides you with some much-needed cheer. Here's a hint: Rayllum fluff abounds!

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"Rayla's guardians fly into town a few days from now, don't they?" Harrow mused, glancing up from the local newspaper he was reading.

Callum paused in his sketch of Rayla dancing with sparklers from New Year's Eve - he'd only completed the basic framework of her body so far. "Uh... Yeah, I think so. Why?"

Harrow stroked his beard. "I'd like to meet them in person before the big game," he finally said. "I communicated with them through email several times before Rayla arrived at KSU, and now that the two of you are together, I feel it's only fitting I have a proper, informal introduction to them." He frowned. "That felt like an oxymoron."

Callum was tempted to disagree with his father. Severely tempted. But he refused to let go of his newfound resolve to better his relationship with Runaan just yet. He was determined to at least get on speaking terms with the man. "That's a great idea!" he said, hoping his enthusiasm didn't sound too forced. "Why don't we treat them to dinner on their first night here?"

Harrow grinned at him. "That is an excellent suggestion, Callum. Amaya and Gren should be arriving that same day, too, so I'm sure both of them will also want to meet Rayla's guardians." He chuckled. "I'll have to figure out soon whether I want to cook dinner and risk burning it all, or invite them to a restaurant instead and risk being perceived as lazy."

Callum managed a laugh at his stepfather's quip. "I'll leave you to figure that one out on your own." He'd actually forgotten that Amaya was coming into Katolis the same day as Runaan and Ethari. He hadn't remembered Gren was joining her, either, but that was fine. Gren was the epitome of a pacifist. His aunt, on the other hand, could be a little more... hotheaded. He hoped Gren and presumably Ethari could keep things calm. "I'll text Rayla and ask her to let Runaan and Ethari know."

Harrow nodded. "Perfect." His father then returned his attention to his newspaper, though Callum suspected he was less reading and more silently weighing the pros and cons of cooking versus eating out.

Callum grabbed his phone off the coffee table to text his girlfriend, but was surprised to see two missed calls from Claudia only a few minutes earlier. He frowned, heading into the kitchen to call her back. Not because he thought his dad would eavesdrop or anything. He just... didn't like talking on the phone with other people in the room. It was too awkward for his taste.

"Hey," he said as Claudia picked up. "Sorry I missed your calls. Is something wrong?"

"Well..." Claudia cleared her throat. "Eh, yeah. Sure. You could say that." There was the sound of shuffling on her end. "Rayla's sick."