To Keep You Company (Teddy) - Sunflower Beach

Usually, Cass would have knocked... but... given certain circumstances, Teddy received the following text while she was under the use of obfuscate.

"Hey, lady. I am outside and wanted to stop by to see you. If you want company, come open your side door. If not, let me know."

Okay, that was one of the weirder texts the Rose had given her. Grace was currently out, probably just around the corner somewhere, which meant the Caitiff came shuffling up to the door in her sweatpants and top, nudging it open to look outside. And, perhaps to the Toreador's surprise, after having made a quick sweep of her eyes, let her gaze settle on Cassiel, hidden or not.

"Hey... you alright?" oh, look what pale, sooo trying to look okay herself, vampire was talking.

"Yeah, I'm just fine," she gave Teddy a smile, trying not to bring to her attention that pale look that Cass had no trouble noticing. "I figured you might like some company. And," she held up a movie, "I brought Friday the 13th. I figured you could use a little pick me up, especially if we make fun of the characters in it."

Was she trying to lighten Teddy's mood? Of course, she was! And mocking movies always seemed to help before...

She was sweet...

"Sounds good" the blond smiled, stepping aside so Cass could come into the house. "Watch out for the critters, they're above average cuddly and hungry for attention tonight" aka, they missed Medwyn and knew Teddy was upset. So, they took it out the only way they knew how.

Cass didn't need to mention that Teddy looked like hell. Teddy already knew that, she was sure of it. And calling attention to it just might make Teddy feel worse. If Teddy wanted to talk, she would, Cass knew that. The important part was just being there.

The Rose, in denim cut-off shorts and a green tank top with her well-worn red ballet flats moved inside and slipped off her shoes as usual. Immediately, her dark brown eyes scanned the immediate vicinity for Ed and Edd, a smile to her lips.

"Maybe I can tire them out while I'm here?"

Well, she could try, because she was about to get pounced on by both of them it would seem. Ed first, quickly followed by Eddie who briefly paused in the middle of trying to drag a shirt from off the sofa and in under it. That was abandoned though to snake around Cass' legs as quickly as a ferret could possibly manage.

"Maybe, you're free to try" Teddy chuckled softly, trying her best to sound like her usual self. She could hold it together for John and the marines, she could hold it together for Aaron and the guys, then she could surely hold it together for Cassiel. The Rose had her own trouble to deal with after all. All in the middle of planning a wedding. Teddy didn't want to drag her down.

"Hey, guys!" Cass lifted her arms and held them out so that the little buggers could crawl up her person to their hearts' content. "Are you giving your mother a hard time? For shame!" But, she wasn't really upset with them. Her smile said differently. And they could probably smell the snacks she had brought for them in her back pockets.

Silly Caitiff. As if she had to hold it together for Cass. Still, she didn't push. "I swear, though, we need to find a way to make kindred friendly popcorn, or you and I need to learn how to eat again. At the very least, we can throw popcorn at the screen."

"Mm, popcorn would be good. It really would" so good in fact, though yeah, it was still way out of her reach. She was still trying to learn to hold down a mouth full of coffee. She hadn't even tried anything solid. "But, I think I got some so we could throw it at the screen if you like. The critters would probably approve" since they'd be eating it off the floor no doubt.

Speaking of critters, Ed was trying to hand over Cassiel's shoulder, trying to reaaaaach for her back pocket.

"Patience, little one!" Cass carefully, gently and quickly picked up Ed from her shoulder, laughing lightly. "Yes, it's for you, but I haven't been given permission yet."

She held the ferret gently and with her free hand, she pulled a small bag of carefully cut up pieces of chicken and a small bag tiny bits of beef jerky. She handed them over to Teddy."And you only get what your mother says you can have," she softly chided Ed.

"Carnivores," she shook her head at Teddy with a smile.

"Technically speaking they might be, but I'm pretty sure they'll try to eat just about anything" carnivore or not, the two would probably try to eat just about anything. They liked peas... go figure.
"And they can have anything they're given. But not necessarily everything they can reach" she smirked as she took the two furballs, gave them a cuddle and let them jump down onto the sofa again. There was a pillow tucked into a corner, along with two blankets, suggesting perhaps someone had been sleeping on it. But at least with Grace there, Teddy had made sure to at least tidy up after herself when she wasn't sleeping.

"Well, then how about I go pop this," she pulled out a microwave bag of popcorn from her other pocket, "and plate some of these treats for the boys? You get comfy and make sure you have perfect angle for popcorn tossing."

"Mm, sure, you know where the kitchen is" the blond smiled, motioning towards the kitchen anyways out of habit really. The two furballs peeking up over the back of the couch, afraid they might miss out on something interesting/edible should they happen to look away.

Cass wandered off, and in minutes, the popping of the popcorn could be heard and the Rose was singing as she put a few of the treats for Ed and Eddie on a couple of plates. And it was clear, she was no performer and she could barely carry a tune.

That was quite alright, the blond didn't mind. If Cassiel enjoyed singing, then Teddy enjoyed listening because you could still hear the tone of voice carry over even if it was off key. Hell, Teddy wouldn't for a second claim to be a good singer either, no matter how hard she might try. Which was why she kinda stopped trying and simply had fun with it when she sang.

At the moment though, she found the corner of the sofa where the pillow and blankets had been tucked away after having popped the movie in the PS3 and having fetched a small jewelery bag made from white silk from a nearby drawer.

The small silk bag was placed on the table while Teddy pulled her feet up into the sofa and tried to ignore the fact that Cass currently had two ferrets running circles around her.

Cass managed to grab the popcorn from the microwave before it burned. Win!She transferred it to a bowl while she talked softly to the boys and put the plates down where they could reach. Hopefully, it would keep them from tripping her while she put the leftover snacks for them in the fridge.

She came back into the living room and put the bowl in between herself and Teddy on the sofa so that both had easy access for throwing purposes.

"I given them 2 minutes and they'll be in here trying to snatch the popcorn," she smiled at Teddy.

"Mm, I might give them three. They'll need to argue over their own snacks first" being the silly little critters that they were, they'd eat their plates empty and then try to steal from each other regardless of there being anything left or not. It was kinda mandatory, though Cass was right about them coming over to try to snatch popcorn. It would happen soon enough.

"I realized I made a mistake" she nodded towards the small silk pouch on the table as she pulled one of the blankets over herself, draping it so Cass could snuggle in under it as well if she wanted to. "I forgot to ask what you wanted engraved on the rings... But I can fix that later if you want. You know, when you've decided what you want for it" and assuming she liked the rings. Since that part was kinda important she wasn't sure if the Rose rather wait and see the rings later, so it would be a surprise, or..

"Are those the rings?!"

Ha! Cass wait? Teddy knew her better than that. Maybe if she still had her engagement ring she could hold off a little longer. But... The rings were two-fold; they were for her and Alex and they were made by her dearest friend. She was getting comfy under the blanket when she shot forward to carefully pick up the pouch and reached in to pull them out.

They weren't fancy or flashy, but maybe that was part of the charm because all the work was in the details. Kind of like how Teddy pictured her friend: amazing and unique, but not boasting about it or wearing it like a medal to show it off. It was there though, under the surface, you simply had to look twice to realize just how stunning she really was once you saw past the initial beauty and saw the true beauty that shone even more brightly underneath it.

The pair of matching platinum wedding rings engraved with a claddagh pattern on the outside, combining old and new with a modern design, tumbled out of the pouch and into Cassiel's hand.

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7 appearance (14 successes to crafting)

And Cass immediately checked out for a bit, staring at the rings with a goofy, pleased smile on her face and a bit of crimson in her eyes.

Usually that was a good sign, so she gave her a little time to snap out of it of her own, though if her consciousness was still a no show after a few minutes, she'd carefully slip the rings back into the silk pouch.

The movement snapped Cass out of it and she stopped Teddy from taking the one that was very obviously meant for her finger. And she slipped it on-- you know, just trying it on.

She'd missed the weight of a ring.

It was a perfect fit, smooth edges and the weight making it quite comfortable to wear. Nothing short of perfect was good enough for her friend after all.

"You like it?" Teddy smiled softly.

The Rose nodded softly, a little choked up. But it wasn't a bad thing at all. Her fingers danced around the metal, let the band slide in a circle around her finger and truly seemed to study it.

"It's... it's perfect. It's beautiful. Just like you,"she smiled brightly.

She didn't particularly feel beautiful, not one bit. Specially not now, pale and worn and with dark rings under her eyes.

But she smiled from the heart when she saw her friend's reaction.
"I hope he makes you happy... you deserve that"

Pale with sunken cheeks and dark circles under her eyes? That was just what she looked like on the outside. And no matter how poorly Teddy felt, Cass knew the truth. She knew exactly how beautiful Teddy was. No one was perfect, no one was with their mistakes, their flaws. No one was above the sort of depression that she was sure Teddy was currently in the grips of. And no one at all was above that occasional feeling of unsteadiness, especially when they felt they had faltered in some way.

Cass opened up her arms and drew Teddy close to her and simply held her. She kissed the top of her head, and still knew better than to push. She only hoped she'd take the hand that was offered to try and pull her from the depths of her despair.