The Tale of Two Singers

X : crazy to hope - grace weber

Just as Azriel said, exact replicas of Aida's destroyed couches arrived the next day. It frustrated her to no end that the men and women who brought the items woke her up at the ass crack of dawn to deliver them, but at least she had new furniture. Aida took Fiona and Johanes grocery shopping with her after school and bought the three of them more than enough food. They filled up the pantries and fridges in both houses, and the money that was left over Aida kept stored away. Solstice was only a short ways away, and her gift circle had grown considerably since last year.

By the time Tuesday came around she was woken up in the same manner as before, but this time it wasn't movers standing outside her door, it was a single contractor who said they were ready to take a look at her kitchen. Aida's smile was as bright as the stars themselves as she led the faerie into her kitchen, explaining the damage that had been done and what exactly she needed to have fixed. When Aida asked how much she owed, the woman just smiled softly and said it had all been taken care of

Azriel you sneaky fucking bastard, Aida thought to herself. She was seriously going to have to talk to him about his spending habits in relation to her person. That same morning, a letter came in the mail with an address stamp from her hometown. She had two guesses to what it could be, her parents begging her to come home so they could mourn Drew together, or a letter from Natalie saying that they'd be in the city in the coming week. She prayed it was the latter.

Sister, I hope this letter finds you well,

The girls and I are very excited to see you next week, and although the circumstances will be less than ideal, they look forward to this visit every year. Zia is thrilled to not share a room with me and her sister this time, she hasn't shut up about it for days.

Everyone misses you here, especially your parents. It's been years, A, You can't avoid her forever. You'll have to see her eventually, now that she's fading. Put on your big girl pants and get over it. Callahan misses you as well, he was here for a few weeks over the summer. At least you keep in contact with him.

Anyways, we have too much to catch up on that I can't fit in a letter, so I'll say it in person next Thursday.

Much love,

Natalie

After reading the letter, Aida could confidently say she would have rather read something from her parents. Her sister in law always knew exactly what to say to hit her gut, even when she was thousands of miles away. Damn Drew for marrying a literal saint. She folded the letter to put it back in the envelope, then put it in the small box where she stored the rest of her letters from her family members. She had been doing this for as long as she could remember, keeping letters. It had started off with birthday cards when she was younger, but when she moved into the city she began storing all sorts of letters. Birthday, Check-Ins, Christmas, Starfall, and everything in between.

Aida was incredibly grateful that nobody was banging on her door in the early hours of Wednesday. She still had to wake up early for her shift at work, but at least she could do it on her own damn time. Going to the bathroom, she showered and did her hair, choosing to tie it back into a simple ponytail to contain all of her curls. After she finished dressing she went downstairs and grabbed a few snacks from her cabinets. She figured she would eat at work, her kitchen still wasn't clean enough to cook big meals in yet.

"Good morning my people." She greeted upon walking up to the counter, the restaurant had yet to open for the day. Fiona and Johanes turned from their spot at the bar, each pulling her in for their own hug as she kissed them gently on the head.