Phoned In

## Content Information

Arsling had gone into her room and flumps down on her bed before looking over to her book collection, quickly remembering that she had to order in a new textbook for sculpture class, unfortunately she couldn't just pirate it...well she could but her teacher who wrote the book would probably kill her on sight, she picked up her phone quickly dialing up the campus Bookstore.

Burgundy sat behind the counter of the Campus Bookstore with the boring job of cashier and phones for the day. Since the bookstore was basically empty at the moment, all Burg had to do is wait for a phone call or a stranger to wander in. So for the moment, they decided to post on Twitly and browse the site. Eventually the two hearts that were awarded to the photo of them and Melissa made them smile.

But that thought was quickly interrupted by the landline ringing. They moved in the rolling chair and by the second ring, picked it up. They cleared their throat in preparation for their customer service voice.

“Hello, you’ve reached the Monsterhearts University Bookstore. How may I assist you today?”

"Oh shit...h-hi Burgundy" Arsling says awkwardly, her face a picture of awkwardness, below the flood of her hair "em I just eh wanted to order a book"

Burgundy wore a brief expression of surprise when the caller recognized their voice but, they didn’t think much of it. They encounter so many international students on the daily (and the landline isn’t the best quality) that this voice wasn’t immediately detectable.

“Okay, I’m more than happy to help. Could you tell me the name of the book so I can check and see if we have it here in stock?” Burgundy’s customer service voice didn’t waiver.

"Oh eh yeah, gimme a second" Arsling had been completed rocked by Burgundy's voice, scrambling to her computer and checking the name "Alex Davidson's 2021 Textbook to molding and sculpture"

“*Aaalright*, got it. Let me see here …,” Burgundy trailed off as they typed the book into the store’s inventory database. The book popped up on screen as in stock. “Okay! It looks like we have a few options available. First, can I have your full name and ID number?”

"... seriously" Arsling seemed almost offended that Burgundy hadn't even recognized her voice "it's... Arsling...I know you haven't talked to me in a bit but that really hurts y'know" Arsling says glancing at the letter she got from Burgundy on her desk

“Fuck …,” Burg said with obvious shock. Their leg started to bounce out of nervousness and they looked at the phones receiver long enough to debate hanging up. But they decide against it. *This is a customer*, they reminded themselves.

“I apologize for not recognizing your voice but for some clarity it’s not intentional. This phone is probably older than the both of us, staticky, has no caller ID, and I get calls like this all day.” The perfect customer service voice was hard to keep up at this point.

"Right...2033368 is my student ID, I'm sorry about not getting in touch with you sooner, I was angry and I just didn't know how to handle it and well…" Arsling trails of and debates telling Burgundy just how hurt the letter made them, how it felt that Burgundy didn't even give them a chance and with no where near the same amount of need to keep Burgundy around like she does Didi she could just blow up and never have to see or hear Burgundy again…

But she can't, she wouldn't let herself be consumed by hatred "I want to forgive you y'know, I really do"

“Okay, 2033368 …,” Burgundy mumbled under their breath as they typed in the ID number to place an order. There was an audible sniffle over the phone as Burg’s eyes watered. They managed to choke down the sobs for now.

“I gave you the letter so you could have a choice. And I understand if you can’t ever forgive me. I don’t expect you to.” They paused to clear their throat and wipe their eyes. “Would you like to rent or purchase the book?”

"Rent...we should meet up sometime" Arsling says out the window, seeing her yellow eyes again, they still freaked her out "y'know, actually talk about this, I still wanna help out the compost stuff y'know" she put her head against the desk "you can pick the location and the time and…" Arsling then mumbles weakly, the words '*we were afraid of you*' echoing in her head "or not if you're still scared" Arsling says weakly, guilt about putting Burgundy threw so much distress just by existing

“The uhm …,” Burgundy had a much harder time keeping it together at this point. There’s a handful of sniffles as Burg wiped the tears off their face. They managed to process the order but there’s a good window of sniffles, typing, and silence on their end before they spoke back up. “The rental is $20 for the semester and due back the week after finals. It will be charged to your student portal account and you can pay it there … I could deliver it to you when my shift ends and we can talk then? Can we meet in the courtyard in two hours?”

Arsling thought for a few seconds "i-ill try, going outside is really Intimidating for me at the moment" Arsling says thinking back to yesterday when just opening the window gave her a panic attack

“Um okay, if it’s not possible I can just drop off the book in the dorm’s mailroom and we can meet another time. I just think it’d be best if we met in public first … uh but I do want to clear some things up uhm … if we ever get to something even close to being on good terms I want to just start over completely, nothing intimate …,” they trailed off as they waited for a reply.

"N-no I wanna try" Arsling says pleadingly "I need to go outside anyway, I'll never face this if I don't try" Arsling says as she looks in her mirror "c-could you also bring a hair tie, all mine have gone missing" Arsling says embarrassed at asking this from anyone "and don't worry, I'm not really ready for intimacy again"

“Okay yeah, I can bring you hair ties … I’ll see you in a few hours then. Uhm I’ll be at the bench between the lamppost and tree. My sweater is pretty bright so you’ll spot me pretty quickly.” Burgundy charged Arsling’s account for the hair ties and wiped their face from the rest of their tears.

They managed to pull their customer service voice together to say, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

"No... I'll let you get back to work, see you later Burgundy" Arsling hangs up looking at her hair in the mirror and beginning to psych themselves up for the encounter

Burgundy promptly hung up the phone and broke down sobbing from the overwhelming and sudden confrontation.

In the MHU courtyard there was the long wooden bench sat between an ancient but towering oak tree and a tall light post. It was later in the day and Burgundy was there at that bench, just as promised. They had a coat atop their uncharacteristically pastel colored sweater that was featured in their recent Twitly post. The sweater still had Melissa's perfume on it. Next to Burgundy sat Arsling’s order in a paper campus bookstore branded bag.

Arsling stands at the door, sun glasses on, hesitating, threw the window on the door she could see Burgundy, but that's not what she was scared off "come on Arsling, come on you can do this, just step forward and push the door" she places a hand on the door her eyes tightening as she shoved it open taking a few steps out into the courtyard, instantly she was overwhelmed

The smell of oak, the hints of other people that had passed this fucking bird smelling so strong in her senses "b-burgundy" Arsling collapsed to her knees everything going blurry in her vision

Burgundy caught the sight of the door opening and offered a wave but their hand quickly fell flat. They grabbed their bag of Arsling’s order and quickly ran over. They crouched down to her level and offered a hand to help her up. “Let’s get you back inside, okay?” They said carefully but with urgency in their tone.

Arsling's sunglasses had fallen off her face she looks up at Burgundy, her yellow eyes consumed by panic as she took Burgundys hand, trying to steady her hyperventilation, focusing on Burgundy's scent so she could better steady herself, the smell of the ocean and books and also perfume washing over her, although admittedly that was barely helping reduce her panic

Burgundy picked up the sunglasses with their other hand and quickly pulled Arsling to her feet. They saw the yellow eyes but they’ll process that later. For now, the goal was to get her inside. They wrapped an arm around her in a supportive manner to guide her inside. One of the immediate things beyond the front door is the lounge, relatively unpopular during this time of the week.

“Is this okay?” They asked as they gestured towards the nearest couch.

Arsling wordlessly slumped against the couch before saying "y-yeah this is fine" her hair fell against her face covering her left eye, her right eye however was welling from panicked tears as she came down from the sensory overload, the dull smell of the lounge helping her refocus

Burg gently placed the sunglasses into her hand and set her order next to her. They then take a seat on the coffee table across from her. “Are you up for talking? We can wait … I can still keep far away.”

"No no I can talk" Arsling says letting out a sigh of relief as everything went back to normal "s-sorry about that it's these new damn senses, they've still not calmed down yet"

Burgundy nodded and looked to the ground. It’s pretty clear that this isn’t a comfortable situation for them. “What did you want to talk about?”

"I don't know, just wanted to talk about maybe hanging out again, like I said I want to forgive you, can't do  that if we're not even talking" Arsling reaches for her sunglasses, shoving then onto her face hiding her yellow eyes from the world again, it's also only now become noticeable but Arsling's neck has bite scars across it, if Didi's message wasn't clear enough, Arsling is well and truly a werewolf now

Burgundy nodded but kept their gaze on the ground. They tucked some of their dreads behind an ear before tying it up in a pink scrunchie. “Do you want to catch up …? This is an incredibly novel experience for me and I don’t know what to say.”

"I'd love to, although I'll be honest I think you've got the picture when it comes to me" Arsling chuckles rubbing her neck as she looks into her order grabbing a hair tie and beginning to get her monsterous hair back under control

Burgundy tried to chuckle but they could only clear their throat. Their discomfort eased off just enough to look at Arsling instead of the ground. “I understand … I’ve had a few changes since we’ve last seen each other. The um, composting initiative will have financial backing soon. Since I’m a Hellfire now and working with Selene there’ll be a charity salsa soon enough. Maybe if you’re able to, you could swing by with a date if you wanted to support it?”

"I don't think I'll have a date but I'll definitely try to make it, I don't know it's weird y'know...I guess you probably figured out my ban was lifted from hellfire" Arsling smirks and blushes, thinking back to last night's talk with Selene "Selene gave me her scarf, it was sweet of her...I don't know why if I'm honest, I don't deserve it" Arsling says finally ponytailing her hair

Burgundy just offers up a shrug in regards to confusion about Selene. “It’s fine, it's just a salsa. There’ll be plenty of people to dance with. Or at least I hope.”

"Oh that kinda salsa, I was thinking food, that works too" Arsling smiles "does the fact I can't dance for shit" Arsling smile turns into a smirk "I'll be sure to make everyone else look good by comparison"

Burgundy finally chuckled as they listened to her. There’s a very short moment that lasted only a few blinks where there was a special glimmer in Burg’s eyes. The last time Arsling saw that was after the two had kissed. But as soon as it arrived, it was gone and Burg was looking at the floor again.

“There’ll be an open bar. As long as you have fun by the end of the night, it’s okay if you’re not good. Just leave room for the show offs,” Burg said with some humor in their tone. “Tell me about Botato? I just joined Twitly and it’s all I see.”

"The king plushie? Yeah Tamzen bought me him, I'm his royal Jester, Tamzens his royal scholar and Xander is bravest knight in all the land" Arsling says a childlike wonder in her voice as she talks about this potato shaped cat plushie

A genuine smile erupted across Burg’s lips. Their gaze lifted slightly to the coffee table they were sitting on. They watched their own hand as they gently ran a finger along the wooden grooves of the table. “Are there more of his majesty? I think it’d make a cute gift for the person I’m seeing- well, trying to see. I still have to ask her out but ... yeah.”

"Unfortunately Botato's one of a kind, custom made and Tamzens not told me who their pal is, she also ordered a shitton more cat plushies but they're Botato's subjects...I could hand you one of them if you'd like, my liege would be more than willing to send one of his own as a diplomat" Arsling says smirking as she put her hands behind her head

“It’s cool, I appreciate the offer,” they replied with a half mumble. Their expression then darkened some. “How have you been coping?”

Arsling sighs "poorly, you saw my response to just being outside, everything smelt so strong...you smell nice by the way, I like your perfume but yeah, I hate these damn eyes keeps reminding me of the nightmares I had Thursday night...I think the nicest moment was last night, I kinda just let myself soak in the moonlight and I felt...good, and that scares me if I'm honest, it's this weird magic sensation, I just don't know how to place it...I've never been able to use magic before, it's another weird sensation I'll have to get used to and master" Arsling says looking darkly at the floor, her yellow eyes visible in the gaps of her sunglasses, fear in them again

Burgundy looked to Arsling with mild confusion at the perfume comment. It took them a second and a brief sniff of themselves to realize the source. They then turned a little red in the cheeks. The mild fluster is short lived due to the nature of the conversation. When their focus returned to the conversation, they nodded at the mention of being new to magic.

“That. I relate to that. I uhm, after our date … I,” Burg was clearly awkward in their attempt to mention this due to the reasoning around why they got these powers. “I received new abilities. Though my being is magical in nature I am learning incredible and new things constantly. I am not a werewolf or have a connection to the moon, but if there are magical things you’d like to explore … I can be there for you.”

Arsling smiled "I'd like that, I need as many teachers as I can if I'm honest" She looks at Burgundy "it felt like the moon was calling for me, I had a dream, the details are fuzzy but I think the moon was actually trying to talk to me"

They nodded with an intrigued expression. “I don’t know much about the moon but I am in contact with spirits of water almost daily. If I learn anything before you get answers I will be happy to share.”

"Yeah, I appreciate that, to be honest Didi doesn't come across to me as a magical girl...in both ways" Arsling says laughing about that mental image of Didi in a magical girl transformation

Burg’s expression darkened a bit at the mention of Didi and they say, “Are you okay with … nevermind, um. You’re tired of talking to me, right? And you don’t have to forgive me.” Burg stood up in a way that indicated that they’re ready to go yet carefully watched for her expression.

Arsling looked upset "with being turned?... I've had to come to terms with a lot these past two days...I can't lie it still hurts but considering what I was doing and just how far away I was from finding out how to break a Fae curse with a dead Fae...I don't know, I want to forgive you Burgundy, Didi has the unfair advantage of being the one to turn me, these damn instincts are trying to force me to forgive her, but I know without a doubt I want to find it in my heart to forgive you" Arsling smiles slightly "I just hope I can do it"

Burg’s eyes welled up immediately, tears streamed down their face. “I … hope is a lot harder to stomach than rejection … which is insignificant in comparison to what you’ve been through … I know I’m selfish for asking this but, I don’t want to talk like this again - for now. Until you’ve healed and have clarity on how you want to go forward interacting with me … I’ll regard you as a member of the committee and be kind but … I can’t …,” Burg closes their mouth and shakes their head as their voice breaks. They’re on the verge of a sob.

Arsling's smile fades as they watch Burgundy break down in guilt "I don't think I'm the only one who needs to heal" Arsling grabs her library order standing up "I hope to see you soon...when we're both in a better place" Arsling gives the open offer of a hug if Burgundy accepts it

Burgundy shook their head at the hug and backed away. “Sorry,” they managed to blurt in a tear ridden voice before a sob escaped. They hurried away through Carter Hall’s exit, bawling.