"I need a love spell," the girl says, peering at him from under her cap.
"A love spell," Ryan says. "Really? I mean, have you considered--"
"I just want to be able to say no to her and have it mean as much as when she said no to me," the girl says, eyes dark. She sounds really bitter, and Ryan doesn't quite know how to help.
"That seems pretty vindictive," he says carefully.
"Yeah, well, if you've spent months and months saying yes, over and over, and you just want to--" she bites her lip and stops talking. She doesn't have tears in her eyes, not quite, but Ryan hands her a tissue all the same. Just in case, like.
"I get you," Ryan says. "I just don't think, look, wouldn't it be better revenge if you were happy and you didn't need her?"
"I don't think you have a potion for that," the girl says.
And no, he doesn't, not exactly. But. "What do you like," he says. "I mean, apart from this girl?"
"Against my better judgment, etcetera," she says, and then appears to think about it. "I like dragons," she says then, "dragons and castles in the sky and things that are too beautiful to be true."
Ryan takes a moment to breathe (her tiny smile when she mentioned dragons was pretty much the best thing he's seen all week), and then says, "Look, that I think I can do."
--
Her laughter, Z's laughter, when she watches the cavorting dragons that rose out of carefully poured powders on the floor of Ryan's work room, is the best kind of music. Ryan watches her and aches, and vows silently that he's going to keep making her laugh for as long as she'll let him.
no subject
"A love spell," Ryan says. "Really? I mean, have you considered--"
"I just want to be able to say no to her and have it mean as much as when she said no to me," the girl says, eyes dark. She sounds really bitter, and Ryan doesn't quite know how to help.
"That seems pretty vindictive," he says carefully.
"Yeah, well, if you've spent months and months saying yes, over and over, and you just want to--" she bites her lip and stops talking. She doesn't have tears in her eyes, not quite, but Ryan hands her a tissue all the same. Just in case, like.
"I get you," Ryan says. "I just don't think, look, wouldn't it be better revenge if you were happy and you didn't need her?"
"I don't think you have a potion for that," the girl says.
And no, he doesn't, not exactly. But. "What do you like," he says. "I mean, apart from this girl?"
"Against my better judgment, etcetera," she says, and then appears to think about it. "I like dragons," she says then, "dragons and castles in the sky and things that are too beautiful to be true."
Ryan takes a moment to breathe (her tiny smile when she mentioned dragons was pretty much the best thing he's seen all week), and then says, "Look, that I think I can do."
--
Her laughter, Z's laughter, when she watches the cavorting dragons that rose out of carefully poured powders on the floor of Ryan's work room, is the best kind of music. Ryan watches her and aches, and vows silently that he's going to keep making her laugh for as long as she'll let him.