PHOENIX WOODS
xxxi know the world's a broken bone
xxxbut melt your headaches, call it home
xxxhey moon, please forget to fall down
xxxhey moon, don't you go down
xxx
xxx
Things were the best they’d been for a while. Everything was quiet. Of course, that made Phoenix inherently anxious that things were about to come crashing down at any second; but at least he had things to distract him from that. Alex was still researching and learning more about his magic, and Phoenix was doing everything he could to help in that. He himself was learning more about protective magic, charms, and spells, as well as healing charms. With his magic not being rooted in healing, he was severely limited in what he could actually do, but it was better than nothing.
There was a cautious optimism around the town. Perhaps it was in the aftermath of the trial, people felt like that awful chapter had been drawn to a close when they’d kicked out the traitor. Some still felt that they should have killed him, tragic backstory or no, but for the most part, everyone was happy. People were starting to let their guards down for the first time in almost a year, and it felt like things were getting back to normal.
Even still, when Phoenix first heard about the masquerade ball, a part of him was hesitant. Masks brought back memories of Halloween, of the attack and the time that had followed. But they’d decided to go regardless, feeling like the good that had happened needed to be celebrated.
Which meant, of course, they needed to find outfits. The advantage of living with Alex meant that Phoenix could now ensure that there was absolutely no way that Alex would show up to the event in grey sweatpants, as he’d threatened to do. Other than the enforcement of the “no sweatpants” rule, Phoenix left Alex to his own devices outfit-wise, only offering advice when it was asked, turning his efforts to finding an outfit of his own. After several orders and returns, he took a gamble on a suit that could have either been an absolute monstrosity when it arrived, or else the perfect outfit. When it arrived, he was relieved to find it was the latter.
A touch of eyeliner later, and he was ready to go. He glanced down at the mask sitting on the sink. He’d ordered one; and had then realised that he wasn’t sure if Alex was intending on wearing one, or even how he felt about the whole mask thing. He didn’t want Alex to feel like he had to wear one either. So he left the mask off for the time being, leaving it sitting on the sink where he could grab it if needed.
“Come on, then, let’s get a look at you!” He called as he came out of the bathroom.
There was a cautious optimism around the town. Perhaps it was in the aftermath of the trial, people felt like that awful chapter had been drawn to a close when they’d kicked out the traitor. Some still felt that they should have killed him, tragic backstory or no, but for the most part, everyone was happy. People were starting to let their guards down for the first time in almost a year, and it felt like things were getting back to normal.
Even still, when Phoenix first heard about the masquerade ball, a part of him was hesitant. Masks brought back memories of Halloween, of the attack and the time that had followed. But they’d decided to go regardless, feeling like the good that had happened needed to be celebrated.
Which meant, of course, they needed to find outfits. The advantage of living with Alex meant that Phoenix could now ensure that there was absolutely no way that Alex would show up to the event in grey sweatpants, as he’d threatened to do. Other than the enforcement of the “no sweatpants” rule, Phoenix left Alex to his own devices outfit-wise, only offering advice when it was asked, turning his efforts to finding an outfit of his own. After several orders and returns, he took a gamble on a suit that could have either been an absolute monstrosity when it arrived, or else the perfect outfit. When it arrived, he was relieved to find it was the latter.
A touch of eyeliner later, and he was ready to go. He glanced down at the mask sitting on the sink. He’d ordered one; and had then realised that he wasn’t sure if Alex was intending on wearing one, or even how he felt about the whole mask thing. He didn’t want Alex to feel like he had to wear one either. So he left the mask off for the time being, leaving it sitting on the sink where he could grab it if needed.
“Come on, then, let’s get a look at you!” He called as he came out of the bathroom.