Felix Culpa

[Claire Gallows]

“We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”
― Bob Ross

Monday, January 14th

Dunmovin

A war zone in white, fighters battling on around the bodies of the fallen, spread between the high walled strongholds on either side of the great expanse of the battlefield. Artillery, heavy and light alike, exchanged with fervent vigor, splashing target and collateral both with its spray. A sharp cry cut through the air, another had fallen though it didn’t keep their enemies from making sure the job was done, pelting them further with another burst of ammo. What followed was a great basso rumble of victory, a raucous cheer from one side to drown out the yells of the other. Above it all, one voice could be heard.

“Alexander, pick your brother up!”

From the deck overlooking Dunmovin’s rolling back yard, Claire leaned against the railing with a mug of decaf coffee wrapped by gloved hands. The overseer of the snow war below had bundled herself in a heavy parka and a mismatched scarf and knit hat, leaving the untamed waves of pink hair free around her shoulders. A contingent of children large and small had gathered, helped along by the parents brave enough to venture down into the fast accumulating drifts for the sake of pelting their offspring (and others) with snowballs. A pair of snow forts had been amassed on either side of the wide yard, impressive structures created over the course of several days of snow. The forecast had called for record breaking accumulations, likely to rival the Winter Storm Hannibal that had swept over Rhydin City over half a decade prior.

Coincidentally it was during Hannibal that Claire had first arrived in the city, lost and confused and unsure of just how she had ended up in this strange place. It was during the storm that she had made her first friends in the city, people like Katt Batten and Cyrus Merrick and Toby Aradam and Khoom Helston. Some were still a part of her life to this day, others had drifted with time and life’s circumstances. Some she thought of often, others seldom crossed her mind. But as the thick flakes fell upon the spread of her winter-gear clad friends and family playing in the backyard, she couldn’t help the faint pang of reminiscent nostalgia that washed over her.

“Look like you’ve got something on your mind.” A voice to her left roused her from her introspection and she turned her attention from the snow war to the midnight haired woman that had stepped out onto the deck with her. Raven, despite having just had a baby two months prior, looked svelte in a crimson peacoat, belted around the middle. She had foregone a hat and gloves, instead electing to bundle up the aforementioned baby in a teal puffer jacket, hat, mittens, and boots. From the folds of warm fabric, wide silver-blue eyes peered out at Claire who reached over to tug the collar of the baby’s coat up to cover her pert little mouth.

“Someone’s up from their nap early, eh? And no, nothing major. Just caught up watching the snow. It hasn’t snowed like this since I ended up here six years ago, you know?” Claire shrugged sheepishly, lifting her mug to her lips for a sip of the fast cooling coffee. It didn’t quite have the same kick that regular coffee did, but it sated her taste buds for the time being. This late in her pregnancy, caffeine wasn’t particularly advisable. Doesn’t mean she didn’t miss it though.

“The girl’s got a serious fear of missing out and she’s not even old enough to know what is going on.” Raven chuckled, shifting tiny Clara in her arms so that the little girl could look over the porch railing too. Her big sister, Addie, was somewhere below, a streak of purple and blue buzzing to and fro with handfuls of snow that she tried to pack into little five-year-old hand sized snowballs to be thrown at the other kids. It was about then that Alex had got Jake back on his feet, just in time for both of them to be assaulted by a hail of snowballs thrown by Cooper and Averia, the gurahl and his little sidekick taking an inordinate amount of glee from watching the little boys flail and run for cover. “Has it really been six years already?”

“Mmh, damn near. End of the month, I think. Crazy to see how far we’ve all come, isn’t it?” Her smile was warm for the woman, one of her oldest friends in this realm. When Claire had met Raven, she had been dating Addie’s father, one of Claire’s friends at the time. Raven had worked for Claire as a manager at the Sassy Owl when pregnant with Addie and while finishing the certifications needed for her cross clinic credentials. Now she was the mother of two, married to Clara’s father and working as a doctor and healer at St. Luke’s in New Haven. Most importantly, she was happy, glowing and thriving in her role as mother, wife, and professional.

“It is… you know, when I met you, I was certain you would never settle down. Then Noct… well, you know.” Came back only to be lost again. At the time, Raven was sure that losing her husband would be a permanent game changer for Claire. Thank the goddess that the woman’s support system had been strong enough to pick up the pieces and help her hold it together. “I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished. And look at you, about to have your fourth!”

“Soon enough, right? Hopefully the snow lets up before then. The last thing I need is repeat of last time… or the time before that.” Chuckling into her coffee, she took two more sips then set the mug on the deck railing. Averia and Alexander had made their grand debut into the world a few weeks early on the night of the New Year’s Trinity Ball amidst an Imperial attack on Insomnia. Thankfully Raven had been present to help her through the process and Claire’s Keeper of Earth connection had served to carry her through the worst of it only a little worse for the wear. Jake, on the other hand, had arrived early too, on a night that Claire was certain she had lost Cooper forever.

“You know you just jinxed it, right?” Raven smiled, her brows bobbing playfully. Claire rolled her eyes but matched her friend’s smile and shook her head. All of it, all of the drama and the pain and the suffering… it was behind them now. She had Cooper back, they had their family, the cairn, the land. All was well and right in the world and now… now they deserved their happiness. They had fought and bled for it a thousand lives over. It wasn’t too much to ask for them to simply be allowed to live without things being upended constantly.

Right?