might as well be home -raychel/open-

[imadecoy]

The gears in Levi's head began to turn fervently, something that was not uncommon for him. It was nearly impossible for his brain to ever be entirely at rest for more than a few minutes at a time. Levi began wondering about how hard it would be to brew the Elixir of Life, if it was a dangerous potion... They were never taught about its brewing process in school, and probably for good reason, too.

[broadway]

Raychel's mind drifted to the bond she and Isabelle so reluctantly shared. It had been about two months. Isabelle was no doubt planning to go after the Minister within the next few months. The thought terrified her. She had idled by too long. Something needed to be done to completely break Isabelle's hold on her. Raychel had bothered to do some research on the subject. A bond could be broken ultimately when the Turned disobeyed their Turner to the point of betrayal. But what would drive that over for Isabelle?

[imadecoy]

Levi allowed his brain to go off on a wild rampage of thoughts. He was going to have to figure out how to concoct that potion, as well as one to allow him to maintain a youthful composure. It would be difficult yes, dangerous- of course. And illegal... Hell yes. Levi decided that he didn't care, once he got to retiring age he and Raychel could go and live somewhere in solitude, where no one would ever find them...

[broadway]

Raychel cuddled closer to Levi, taking out her wand gently. She summoned a blanket from across the room that lowered itself onto them and a fire sprang to life in the fireplace. "Feels just like the Room of Requirement." she replied with a a soft laugh. It was true, this was normally what it looked like for them. Minus the huge desk and filing cabinets however.

[imadecoy]

"Yeah," Levi said tiredly, his mind beginning to slow down. He was probably going to fall asleep shortly, something that did not sound like a half bad idea. If his mother knew what his physical condition was... Levi was just thankful that she was not aware. Perhaps by the time he got to his thirties he might be able to afford to miss a few days of work and take a vacation... His last mental image before falling asleep was Raychel and himself, hiking through a dense forest.

[broadway]

Raychel smiled, closing her own eyes. She had hardly time to sleep, and now would be good to get her few hours in. She cuddled into his warmth and was asleep in an instant. In her dreams was a white wedding, the mystery bride looking beautiful. As she walked into the room, everyone gasped and sighed in delight. Raychel, terrified, realized she was the blushing bride, and Levi was standing at the alter waiting for her.

As she approached however, the guests faces turned to those of fear, even disgust and hatred. Raychel found Levi slowly aging before her very eyes, growing older with each step. The faster she walked, the faster he aged. She broke out into a sprint, her heels hurting her ankles. By the time she reached the alter, Levi was dead in her arms. Raychel awoke with a start, gasping for breath she did not need.

[imadecoy]

Levi recoiled slightly as Raychel jerked awake, but he was far too exhausted to open his eyes. His sleep remained blissfully dreamless, nothing to focus on, just rest. He missed having dreams, his mind was too overworked to conjure them, sleeping was specifically for rejuvenating his over-worked brain. Levi slept on, although subconsciously he wrapped his arms a bit more tightly around Raychel, as if to comfort her without waking up.

[broadway]

Raychel wrapped her arms gently around Levi's sleeping form. There was no way she was going back to sleep after that. She would fall asleep later, when Levi wasn't around. His youthful presence triggered the nightmares. She shivered slightly, her eyes staring blankly into the flickering fire.

[imadecoy]

After a long while, Levi finally began to stir, perhaps it was the pain in his neck from having slept on the sofa in his office all night. While it was comfortable, it was no replacement for a bed. Levi yawned, wishing that he could keep his eyes closed and sleep for a while longer, but his mind was already active and ready for the day, even if his body was exhausted. "Morning," Levi said quietly to Raychel.

[broadway]

"Morning." Raychel replied, staring blankly ahead. Her tone was as pleasant as she could muster. Finally, she cracked a soft smile and looked up towards him. "How'd you sleep?" she asked quietly. He was like a rock: unmoving. The only times he shifted his position was to hug her closer to him. Not that she minded of course. It was comforting, but scary as well.

[imadecoy]

"Like the dead," said Levi, reaching his arms above him to stretch out, being careful not to bump Raychel as he did so. He wished that he didn't have to work today, but he knew that if took even an hour off that he would become entirely swamped, he shuddered to think of the condition of his work situation after being absent for an entire day. "You?" asked Levi before he could stop himself. He wasn't sure if Raychel had slept or not, as she didn't need to everyday.

[broadway]

Raychel merely shrugged in response. There was no need to cause Levi any harm in telling him about her nightmare. He didn't need to worry further. She placed her head on his shoulder, sighing heavily. Levi was no doubt going to have to get up soon to work. She didn't want to be yet another cause for his constant exhaustion and stress. However, she made silently.

[imadecoy]

"I had best go clean up," said Levi with a yawn. As if it were just for him, the bathrooms had recently been remodeled to include private shower stalls. Perhaps someone had caught wind of the fact that he had not been home in over two weeks, and that he would oftentimes sleep in his office instead of going to his house and then coming back.

[broadway]

Raychel nodded. She stood up and allowed him to leave. Only when he was gone did she bury her head on her hands. If she were capable of tears, she would cry. Her shoulders shook with heavy, dry sobs. Her life was in the gutters, and she didn't know how to fix it. That in itself was terrifying. What was even worse was the fact she was too scared to mention her fears to Levi.

[imadecoy]

Levi slipped into the bathroom and turned on the shower at the end of the room. It was equipped with everything that one needed to make themselves clean. He took a bit of a longer shower than what he usually did, allowing the warm water to soothe him. Once he was clean and dry, Levi summoned himself a new set of clothes, and then made his way back to his office, leaving his hair damp. He yawned as he closed the door.