Blitz
Yoko had expected a lot of things to happen after Enid had once again slept over at Wednesday’s place. And she’d even prepared an array of jokes for the various possibilities. What she had however not expected was her roommate storming in through the front door bawling her eyes out as she sat down on the living room floor not even bothering to take off her shoes as she entered
When it had quickly become apparent that Enid wasn’t really in any state to start explaining what exactly was wrong, Yoko had shelved her murderous intentions for later and had instead enacted the usual upset Enid contingencies. Meaning she’d quickly run down to the local corner-store for several pints of ice cream and had turned on some truly mind-numbing reality television
“you wanna talk about it?” Yoko asked after the two of them sitting next to one another for while nursing each their tub. Enid still hadn’t stopped crying, but the sobs had at least subsided enough that she had made some headway on her ice cream.
“I messed up” Enid mumbled after a moment and another spoonful of cookie dough
“okay babe I love you, but I’m gonna need a little more than that” Yoko said nudging Enid playfully hoping to elicit some sort of positive reaction “what happened”
“I got drunk and made a fool of myself like I always do” Enid sniffled setting her ice cream down on the floor and instead opting to bury her head in her arms
“okay you weren’t that bad” Yoko tried comforting Enid. And honestly Enid hadn’t been that drunk. The girl just got real loopy real fast and apparently had an intrinsical weakness to crappy beer “I mean at least we didn’t have to carry you o-“
“I kissed her” Enid cut in not daring look up from her own lap as she admitted it. Her eyes stinging at the memory
“oh” Was all Yoko managed to say as the full picture of what had happened finally started coming into view
“I’m guessing she didn’t take it too well” Yoko said after a few moments of silence only interrupted by Enid’s quiet sniffles
“she asked me to leave. And said that we shouldn’t see each other anymore” Enid explained. Only managing to get halfway through the sentence before her voice broke on her and she needed another few seconds to finish it
“and what else?” Yoko kept prodding in an attempt to figure out where exactly Enid was on the whole thing and how she was supposed to handle it
“nothing else. She asked me to go so I went” Enid said sounding ever so slightly bitter until she buckled under Yoko’s raised eyebrow “I don’t even know why I did it. She was just… sitting there and I got all lost in how nice it was and how much I like her”
“so you like her now?” Yoko asked sending the other girl a pointed look at the sudden development
“it’s you who’s been calling me a gay mess for weeks whenever I even mentioned her” Enid shot back
“because calling you a useless lesbian is funny hon. I can’t tell you how you’re feeling” Yoko said reaching out and gently rubbing circles on Enid’s back
“but I don’t know!” Enid exclaimed with sudden explosiveness as she threw her hands in the air in frustration scaring apparently both Yoko and herself in the process “I mean I haven’t dated anyone since Jen Yoko. I’m not good at this”
“I know” Yoko smiled sadly replacing her hand on Enid’s back now that it seemed like there was less of a chance that the girl was going to explode on her again “did she explain why she reacted like she did?”
“she made it painfully obvious that she wasn’t interested in me like that” Enid half moped lowering her head back into her hands “and she said that she didn’t want to end up hurting me. But when I tried asking her what she meant she made it very clear she wanted me out of her apartment”
“cryptic as always” Yoko mused as it became clear that Addams clearly hadn’t made anyone other than herself privy to the reasons behind her actions. The two girls lapsing back into silence as whatever reality show they’d landed on continued to run in the background
“I miss her” Enid said after a while. Her crying have subsided and now she instead just sounded so small and broken that all Yoko could do was lean over and wrap the other girl in a hug
To say that Wednesday had had a horrendous day would be more than an understatement. She hadn’t managed to get a proper night’s sleep all week. Tossing and turning for hours instead of forcing herself into unconsciousness as she usually managed to. That coupled with Weems still running the entire team ragged meant that Wednesday had slowly gone from running on fumes to running on a mixture of pure willpower and caffeine. Wednesday’s week reaching a new low as Macey Williams had managed to get a total of six hits on her during training. Earning her a multitude of raised eyebrows as well as a few sternly worded pointers from Weems who seemed even more perplexed than Macey had been
Wednesday knew well enough what was the root cause of all this. The sudden absence of the pink and bubbly personality who’d often be present at the tail end of practice had almost certainly been noticed by the remaining fencers. If the current increase in whispered comments behind her back were any indication anyhow.
As shitty as she was currently feeling Wednesday however had no intention of reversing her decision. No matter how much Enid’s absence was throwing Wednesday off her daily rhythm. The logical explanation from her recent bout of insomnia. Wednesday also knew that she’d made the right choice. Cutting things off before they veered into uncharted waters and ended up spiraling out of control.
Nonetheless there was no denying that Wednesday was frustrated to say the least. Frustrated at herself for somehow landing herself in this situation once again. Frustrated that every one of her so called friends always crossed her boundaries. And frustrated at how angry she felt at a girl who Wednesday knew perfectly well hadn’t done anything wrong. But the anger persisted no matter how many times she told herself this. And what she really needed was a way to get it out of her system
“Barclay!” Wednesday yelled out across the gym making more than a few people turn and look at the sudden noise. Including Bianca and her small posse. Her and Wednesday locking eyes Bianca looking like she was about to make some sort of comment back until Wednesday’s usual glare seemed to do its job and she waved off her usual following, along with her fanboy Kent that Wednesday sent a particularly strong glare because on account of him reminding him of Enid.
“what can I do you for Addams?” Bianca said sounding almost genuinely uninterested as she sauntered over towards Wednesday, her helmet still under her arm
“have you watched the club footage from the Danport meet yet?” Wednesday asked rather than actually provide Bianca with an answer
“just so I could watch you haul in another ribbon? Please" Bianca shot back with a challenging look which Wednesday just deflected with a raised eyebrow that she held up until Bianca let out a deep sigh and continued “yes. I’ve watched it. Why?”
“fourth round, second match. Opponent got a hit on me that she shouldn’t have landed. I want to run through it so it doesn’t happen again” Wednesday explained as she picked her blade back up and inclined her head towards the nearest piste
“and you want me to help you because?” Bianca asked rather than follow Wednesday’s directions. Wednesday suppressing a sigh before directing her attention towards the other girl again
“because you’re the only one here who offers any acceptable level of challenge” Wednesday explained betting that honesty on top of some obvious flattery might convince Bianca to
“uhuh” Bianca nodded possibly considering making a comment about Wednesday’s match against Macey earlier but deciding against it “now last thing. Why in the world would I want to voluntarily spend time with the hoe who got with my boyfriend last year?”
Bianca’s words were beyond filled with venom to such a degree that it made even Wednesday raise hey eyebrows in astonishment. Not that she hadn’t heard the accusations before seeing as they were the main reason behind her and Bianca’s animosity towards one another. She’d just expected that it would have blown over by now. Or that Bianca might have actually talked to said boyfriend and gotten her story straight
“I have made it more than clear that nothing ever happened between me and him” Wednesday sighed as she considered if she could still make a swift exit without it would seem like she was backing down from a challenge
“oh yes because I’m supposed to believe that after I saw the two of you sneaking around?” Bianca continued. Crossing her arms as much as possible while still holding on to her helmet
“I do not know how to make it any clearer that nothing happened between me and Xavier” Wednesday sighed pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration “not only would I not involve myself with someone even remotely willing to be unfaithful to their current partner. Not that he ever was. I also have absolutely no interest in men”
“wait you’re gay?” Bianca spat out before getting a hold of herself once again while Wednesday looked at her making it clear that said statement should have been obvious from the getgo “no, but you were definitely making out with Galpin at Div’s party a few months ago” Bianca shot back clearly still skeptical about Wednesday’s claims.
“Tyler had the wrong idea” Wednesday hurriedly said already feeling bile rising in the back of her throat at being reminded about the situation with her and Tyler. Something she’d mostly avoided for the past few months much to her own satisfaction
“guess that would explain why everyone is saying you two bro-”
“I’d prefer if you could refrain from that topic” Wednesday cut the other girl off her tone leaving little room for argument. Something that Bianca clearly picked up on as she uncrossed her arms and instead held her hands up in defense
“okay okay. Chill ice queen. Dammit that means I’ve been giving Xavier a hard time for nothing” Bianca sighed it being her turn to pinch the bridge of her nose
“I’ve little interest in how you choose to apologize to your ex” Wednesday deadpanned as she turned towards the piste once again and bent down to retrieve her helmet “now did you want to fence or not?” she continued to which Bianca just rolled her eyes before following Wednesday onto the piste
“okay Jesus Christ Addams what’s your issue?” Bianca moaned after another bout. Wednesday having just gotten a hit in on her left side leaving Bianca frowning and rubbing her hand over her ribs
“currently that my partner is not getting in position so we can continue” Wednesday challenged already having stood herself ready for them to begin again. Ignoring the slight burn in her thighs and arm as she waited for Bianca to do the same
“uhuh and why exactly do you want to run through this parry with me?” Bianca continued her interrogation rather than following Wednesday’s lead
“because I should know how to counter this instead of letting easy shots like that through. Which I thought would be obvious” Wednesday said making it clear she thought it was the most painfully obvious statement in the world
“bullshit” Bianca said pulling a face “we both know that hit was a fluke, and if I’m going to be covered in bruises tomorrow you could at least tell me why”
Wednesday was about to counter the argument when Bianca held up a hand, or rather the blade that was still in it, to stop her
“and I stopped running through the parry from the meet like twenty minutes ago and you didn’t notice so there’s clearly something else on your mind” Bianca said a small smirk on her face as Wednesday’s eyes widened. The shorter girl running through the past few bouts in her head and realizing that Bianca had in fact completely deviated from the scenario they’d been practicing up until then. Which Wednesday had completely missed as she’d essentially been going on autopilot. Focused on letting her mind go blank for the first time all week rather than what was actually happening in front of her
“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Wednesday denied staring blankly at Bianca. Not having any interest in letting the other girl in on what had been going on in her head the past many days. Or the cause behind it
“if you say so” Bianca shrugged looking much too smug for Wednesday’s liking “but I’m gonna need an explanation if we’re continuing this. Because you hit fucking hard girl”
“I don’t want to talk about it” Wednesday said since if denial wasn’t working deflection would have to do the job
“that definitely wasn’t my question” Bianca mused when her expression suddenly changed and she locked eyes with Wednesday “wait is this about that reporter who’s been following you around like a lost puppy recently? Kent said she’s been MIA recentl-“
Before Bianca could finish her sentence Wednesday had taken a step forward and swung her blade towards the other girl. Positioning so close to the other girl’s face that the swing would have been uncomfortably close if the two of them didn’t know each other’s abilities well enough to know that they wouldn’t land a hit unless they intended to. Which was probably why Bianca was just staring bemusedly at the tip of the blade rather than flinching away or screaming bloody murder as most others would
“I said I didn’t want to talk about it” Wednesday seethed equally infuriated with Bianca for not backing off when told to and with herself for her knee-jerk reaction at Enid even being mentioned
“I can see that” Bianca smiled as she slowly pushed the blade away from her face. Her finger pushed up against the edge “but it’s good to know what’s bothering you Addams”
Wednesday in return just growled in frustration before turning around on the spot and storming off towards the locker rooms. Vehemently cursing at herself for not keeping better control of herself and feeling in no way less frustrated than she had earlier despite her now more than worn out legs and the bruises already starting to form on her arms and upper body
Wednesday was pulled from her writing by a sudden and insistent knock on her door which she considered letting go unanswered until it repeated itself after a short while, forcing Wednesday to abandon her current efforts, not that she was making much progress anyhow, and make her way downstairs and towards the front door.
Whoever was on the other side was clearly trying to make it clear that they weren’t leaving as they knocked for the third time while Wednesday was making her way down the stairs. Wednesday starting to consider how to best dispose of their body after they’d not only interrupted her but were now worsening her mood by the second by exposing her sleep deprived self to their incessant knocking
All of Wednesday’s murderous intentions were however washed away as soon as she pulled the door open. Her eyes widening as she took a step back in surprise when she was suddenly face to face with someone she’d fully prepared herself to never see again
“Enid” Wednesday said managing to get enough of a hold of herself that her voice sounded as it usually did and didn’t betray her surprise
“We need to talk” Enid said sternly walking past Wednesday having clearly taking her step back as an invitation to enter. One that she had acted on so fast that Wednesday didn’t have a chance to explain before the other girl was already inside her apartment removing her coat
“this is a surprise” Wednesday half mumbled as Enid pulled off her shoes and placing them on the small shelf that Wednesday had there for them
“I thought about just calling but I was worried you were just going to hang up on me” Enid admitted her confidence from earlier already seemed to be fading as her cheeks blushed slightly at the admission. Wednesday in turn chose not to comment on the accusation, both of them knowing that it wasn’t an entirely unlikely scenario
“and listen I know you don’t want me here but I really need to talk to you and afterwards I’ll leave if you still want me to” Enid said holding up her hands and shooting Wednesday a sad smile. Wednesday could only manage a small nod as she followed the other girl into the living room which was thankfully decently tidy compared to her bedroom which currently looked like a bomb hit it sometime last week
“okay so” Enid said while wringing her hands and biting her lower lip. All of the bravado she’d displayed just moments earlier definitely gone now “this is stupid” she sighed after a few seconds a pained look directed towards Wednesday
“it was you who chose to come here” Wednesday replied doing her best to keep her voice even
“not me coming here” Enid said before gesturing between the two of them with and exasperated look “I mean us avoiding each other. That’s what stupid”
“Enid I-”
“and I know I messed up and I’m sorry” Enid cut her off “but... I miss spending time with you and I think you do too” Enid continued while Wednesday just stared at her without offering up a response to the statement. Not that it wasn’t true in some shape or form. Wednesday was just content playing her cards close to her chest for now
“I just want to at least talk about what happened” Enid continued, taking Wednesday’s silence as permission to do so
“I believe I’ve already made my thoughts on the matter quite clear” Wednesday said keeping her voice flat, her stare not wavering as she tried to steel herself against the other girl as much as possible
“you made it clear you wanted me to leave. And I respected that but… I feel like I at least to deserve to know why. Or get a chance to explain myself” Enid said with a frown “I know that talking about your feelings isn’t exactly something you do. So I figured it might help if we... took turns. We can each ask one question and the other has to answer it” Enid said albeit somewhat hesitantly under Wednesday’s gaze
“you want to play twenty questions?” Wednesday said raising an eyebrow at Enid’s suggestion.
“no” Enid sighed “okay technically yes. But I just thought it might help. Even the playing field or whatever” She continued Wednesday not betraying her thoughts on the matter
“and we can ask anything at all?” Wednesday asked trying to understand what the other girl was playing at
“anything at all” Enid nodded
“and the other has to answer?”
“I mean in theory yeah. But like if you really don’t want to you don’t have to. I just thought I was already asking you something you said you didn’t want to talk about so maybe it would help if you could do the same. Maybe it’s stupid”
“no I understand the idea” Wednesday said as she considered Enid’s proposal. Seeing an opportunity to show Enid why them continuing to see one another was a bad idea. Enid in turn was doing her best to stand still under Wednesday’s gaze, but failing miserably. Constantly fidgeting or bouncing from foot to foot. Her constant need to move being a quality that Wednesday had found endearing, but was now only bringing forth a sour taste in her mouth with what she was planning to do
“why don’t you like talking about your parents?” Wednesday said after another short beat of silence. Enid stiffening the second the words had left her mouth as she silently stared at Wednesday
It was a cruel thing to ask. Wednesday wasn’t oblivious to the way Enid rarely mentioned her parents, and when she did it was tinged with sadness. But the cruelty was necessary to hammer home what Enid was refusing to see. That Wednesday could never give her what she wanted and she’d only end up hurt. Enid’s inability to answer the question
“I don’t talk about them because they kicked me out” Enid suddenly said seemingly surprising herself as well as Wednesday “and we don’t see each other”
Wednesday blinked a few times in surprise as she processed what the other girl was saying. She’d figured that the answer to her question would be something along these lines but hearing it out loud was nonetheless a different experience. But it also meant that Wednesday would have to press further if she wanted Enid to understand. Enid however continued talking of her own accord, as if she’d been able to read Wednesday’s intentions
“I was dating this girl back home. Or whatever you call sneaking around and kissing when no one is looking” Enid continued with a sniffle “I guess one day her parents found out and she blamed me. I never got the chance to ask since my mom was waiting for me when I got home. And since I had just turned eighteen she made it quite clear she didn’t want someone like me under her roof and that was that” Enid finished. Wednesday’s heart clenching uncharacteristically as she saw the single tear roll down Enid’s cheek as she took a deep breath to steady herself
“I spent the first few nights couch-surfing at different friends’ houses before spending my last cash on a ticket for here so I could meet up with Yoko” Enid said her voice steadier than before “and the rest you more or less know already. A bunch of dead end jobs until I got hired at the magazine”
As Enid finished speaking she looked expectantly at Wednesday as if she wanted her to say something. Wednesday however remained perfectly quiet as she dealt with the fact that her plan had failed so spectacularly
“now I’m pretty sure you already know what I want to ask you” Enid said pointedly clearly waiting for Wednesday to keep up her end of the agreement. Wednesday was meanwhile considering the fact that Enid had made it clear that nothing was forced. So she could just ask Enid to leave right now and the other girl would most likely accept it. But for some reason Wednesday couldn’t make herself do it. The voice in the back of her head saying that Enid deserved something in return for barring herself like that overpowering most other thoughts
“I… am not particularly great with emotions” Wednesday said tentatively after a prolonged silence. Enid lightning up as she’d started looking dejected at Wednesday’s lack of response “I have no interest in romantics or belonging to someone else” Wednesday continued unable to keep some of the previous days’ frustration from bleeding into her voice
“yet people seem incapable of respecting the boundaries I set for myself. No matter if it’s in an effort to make friends or merely to fulfil my own needs they insist on pushing past what I’m comfortable with” She continued knowing full well that she was starting to sound fully enraged but not finding it in herself to care enough to stop
“and in the end they always end up getting hurt by their own infringements upon me. And then blame me for their pain. Making me out to be the bad guy” Wednesday downright seethed before continuing much more glumly “and contrary to popular belief I have no wish to hurt those I care about”
“like what happened with Aya right?” Enid asked quietly after Wednesday had remained quiet for a few seconds
“…yes like that” Wednesday sighed still cursing the fact that Enid had ever met her that day “like Aya fooling herself into thinking that because we were… involved she might make me reconsider my decisions”
“but I am tired of being blamed for being too cold or too uncaring whenever I allow anyone to get close to me” Wednesday continued her voice hard as steel now “And I know you haven’t done anything wrong but it’s still best for everyone if we stop seeing each other” she finished steeling herself for the possibility that Enid might start crying again. Which was proving to have an unsavory effect on her
“okay I’m sorry but Aya was an idiot” Enid suddenly piped up, sounding so far from crying that Wednesday felt her eyes widen in surprise
“if you set down boundaries for yourself then it’s her fault for trying to cross those. Not yours for not being willing to do so” Enid continued with the same amount of gusto which was still rendering Wednesday speechless
“plus it’s like totally childish to act like that just because your feelings aren’t mutual” Enid said with a small sigh “and I’m not like her. I’m a big girl and I can handle being rejected. And if you still don’t want to see me, just as friends, then I’ll respect that. But I’ve been missing you like crazy and I just wanted you to know that”
The two of them stood staring at each other as Wednesday was trying to process and come to terms with what Enid had just said. Part of her was still screaming at her that it would never work. That she ought to stick to her plan and make Enid leave for good this time. But there was another part of her which was clinging to the idea of giving the endeavor another chance. The same small voice that had kept Wednesday awake for hours on end ever since Enid had first left her apartment. The singular small part of Wednesday that dared to hope that things could be different this time, which she hadn’t been able to silence despite her best efforts. A part that also seemed to grow impossibly stronger now as Enid was standing in front of her instead of being a thought she could dismiss from her mind
“you are indeed not her” Wednesday said after some time. Her voice steady as always, not betraying the doubt that continued to war within her “and maybe you’re right”
“YES!” Enid more or less screamed suddenly so giddy that Wednesday thought she was going to jump into the air “thank you Wens. Really”
“I still do not recall approving any shortenings of my name” Wednesday complained, not planning on acknowledging that she was supposedly doing Enid a favour by changing her mind. Her reasons were her own and were not dependent on how they might affect other people. Even if seeing Enid so happy was causing a slight heat in Wednesday’s chest that she was currently ignoring
“it’s part of the package” Enid shrugged with a grin “also your fault for having such a long name”
“you are already pushing it” Wednesday growled at the same time as Enid happily skipped over to one of the couches and let herself fall down into one with a content sigh. Wednesday merely sighing before following the other girl
“wait are these like actual swords?” Enid asked over her shoulder as she continued to inspect the various decorations in Wednesday’s living room. She’d noticed them hanging on the wall before but had never gotten a closer look, and now that she had she quickly realized that they were in fact not fencing swords as Enid had previously assumed. Instead, each one of the three swords, which all seemed to be sabres, had genuine edges and certainly lacked the flat tip of a fencing sword
“yes, the ones on the top and bottom are family heirlooms. The middle one is mine from when I did HEMA” Wednesday said looking up from her book momentarily, an amused look on her face at how Enid was marveling over the swords
“wait, HEMA like the sword fighting stuff? Like actual fencing?” Enid asked half remembering the term from back when she’d had to research fencing for her article. The sport having popped up since typing sword fighting into google had apparently been too vague a request
“glad to know the sport I’ve dedicated most of my life to doesn’t qualify as actual fencing” Wednesday deadpanned not even bothering to look up from her book this time around “but yes I mean historical martial arts”
“you know I didn’t mean it like that. I just didn’t know you’d done other types of fencing” Enid defended herself as she’d never thought of Wednesday’s type of fencing as anything less than awe inspiringly impressive
“technically I started off with epee, which I’m fairly sure you mentioned in your article” Wednesday said, Enid certain she was hiding her usual smug smile behind her book “HEMA was a temporary distraction from when I was younger and uncertain whether I wanted to pursue competitive fencing full time. In the end I had to stop because it was impacting my performance on the piste”
“really? You’d think the skill-sets would be similar” Enid said eyeing the sabres with a distrustful look
“some of the basics overlap but other than that they’re drastically different. Most moves made in HEMA are unnecessary on the piste and often result in you leaving yourself open to easy hits. The opposite is of course also true, but HEMA is usually better at drilling in instinctual responses since failing there means getting hit with a much more solid weapon” Wednesday explained. Closing her book and putting it down on the coffee table as she watched Enid who was still inspecting the weapons. The two that Wednesday had called heirlooms being noticeably older than the middle one. Though all of them had the same imprint on their handles. A shield with what looked to be three lion heads on it, along with a stylized “A” at the bottom
“Yeah I was gonna ask about that” Enid said before gesturing towards the newer of the swords “don’t you usually use blunt weapons in HEMA?”
Wednesday scoffed in response before pushing herself off the couch and walking up next to Enid. Gently running her fingers across the very much not blunted edge of her own sword, seemingly satisfied with it as she spoke
“usually yes. But I wanted to try fighting with an actual blade at least once before giving up the sport. So I had one made” Wednesday mused looking so content that Enid caught herself staring at the almost imperceptible smile playing at the other girl’s lips “although no one from the club wanted to participate, so in the end I had to duel with my uncle Fester”
“you had an actual sword fight with your uncle?” Enid said incredulously wondering what kind of adult would fight a teenager with an actual sword
“indeed. He’s still got a scar from it” Wednesday said making no effort to hide that she took pleasure in Enid’s disbelief “he’s always been much better with knives so it was a hopelessly one sided fight anyhow”
“your family is like majorly weird you know that right?” Enid shook her head
“and I haven’t even mentioned my stranger family members yet” Wednesday mused with what could only be described as unhindered schadenfreude
It would be an overstatement that the two of them were able to return to their old rhythm right away. They’d spent most of the afternoon together the day that Enid had barged in on Wednesday. And Enid had left feeling positively giddy.
Nonetheless she was still unsure about how much she was supposed to re-insert herself into Wednesday’s life after it all. Both of them had mostly skirted around the subject after their first breakthrough. Enid mostly out of anxiety while she’d assumed Wednesday had simply gotten enough of sharing her feelings for one day. So Enid was left with no direct guidelines for how she was supposed to handle the new development in the situation
She did however slowly start picking old routines back up. Showing up after one of Wednesday’s practice sessions already a week after they’d reconnected. The two of them going for coffee together as they’d grown accustomed to before. Eugene seeming even happier than Enid that she had returned since, in his own words, “Wednesday is nice but never wants to try anything exciting”
It wasn’t long before Enid was meeting up with Wednesday at almost the same frequency as she’d done previously and Wednesday even mentioned offhandedly that Enid could join her at the gym again at some point. An invitation that Enid was hesitant to take the other girl up on still remembering how sore she ended up the last time. And also because spending several hours with Wednesday in her workout clothes was still something Enid didn’t think she was quite ready for
They didn’t stick completely to their old routine however. Wednesday having offhandedly mentioned that she needed some new training gear to which Enid had suggested that they could go and buy it together since she needed a few things from the mall as well. The latter only being partially true as Enid really just enjoyed shopping enough to go and check out the various stores selection without needing something specific. But she’d gladly sacrifice some money if it meant getting to go on a shopping spree with Wednesday
“I guess I just expected you’d get your fencing stuff from somewhere other than the mall” Enid said as the two of them stepped out of the parking garage together. Wednesday having driven both of them there in an effort to spare Enid from having to deal with public transport
“we do get our actual equipment from specialty stores. But considering I’m just in need of new pairs of athletic shorts I’m sure the mall will do just fine” Wednesday responded as she checked the map before starting to move in the direction of the store she wanted.
“oh I thought it was like a new sword or something” Enid mumbled following behind Wednesday. Already knowing where they needed to go at this point but letting the other girl lead the way rather than out herself for having spent way more time here than any single person should
“I special order my swords” Wednesday said making it sound like that was really the only acceptable option “and the store here does actually carry fencing masks, but the quality is terrible so I don’t bother with it”
“of course there’s fancy fencing gear as well” Enid rolled her eyes somehow not surprised that Wednesday used stupidly expensive gear. Especially considering she already knew that the girl special ordered her fencing uniform in black just so it would go with her style
“the better brands fit more comfortably and allow for better hearing and visibility” Wednesday shrugged not giving in to Enid’s teasing
“still amazed you can see anything at all in those helmets honestly” Enid commented as the two of them made a turn and walked into one of the two athletic stores at the mall. Both of which Enid had only been in back when she had to get herself a new pair of running shoes since the sole had almost fallen out of her old pair
“my offer to walk you through the basics still stands” Wednesday wasted no time with checking out the store’s selection and instead made a beeline for the general area where she might find what she was looking for. Enid following close behind although she did let her eyes wander a bit around the store to check out if anything in particular caught her attention. And also to check whether a store employee might try and approach them, in which case Enid planned on warning them and saving them from Wednesday’s wrath. Luckily though it seemed like the only clerk was currently busy helping a small group of boys in the other end of the store
“and I told you I don’t want to end up bruised like hell from being your punching bag” Enid said with a smile “I’ve seen how you fight”
“I had no plans to have you fence against anyone from the get go” Wednesday muttered as she held up a pair of shorts before making a face and placing them back on the rack “and even if I was going to fence you I would go easy on you so you might stand a chance of learning something”
“okay you’re making it sound real generous that the literal Olympian fencer didn’t plan on full on obliterating someone who’s never held a sword before you know that right?” Enid remarked raising an eyebrow towards Wednesday who only spared her a momentary glance before returning to browsing the various options of shorts
“I’d say taking time away from my training is rather generous” Wednesday shrugged “and besides you have held a sword before. You carried mine for me the other week. You did quite well”
“oh har de har” Enid rolled her eyes and downright scoffed when Wednesday looked at her with her usual smirk “one day I’m going to challenge you to something I’m good at and we’ll see how cocky you are”
“I shall await your challenge then” Wednesday said in a tone the made it clear she didn’t expect that said challenge would ever come. And to be fair Enid wasn’t quite sure what exactly she was going to challenge Wednesday at. Most of her talents not really being suitable for competitions. Unless you counted her being the reigning apartment champion at tipsy Mario kart. But that somehow didn’t feel like something Wednesday would be up for
“I am soooo gonna get you one da-“
“I thought I recognized your voice” someone suddenly said. Cutting Enid off and making her turn her head to see who was speaking. The person in question being one of the boys she’d seen being helped by the clerk earlier. A guy a little taller than herself with curly red hair who was currently staring at Wednesday like crazy. His body language almost weirdly calm in comparison to the look in his eyes
“long time no see Addams” the boy continued and Enid was about to ask Enid who he was when she caught sight of the shorter girl and the words died in her throat. Wednesday was standing even more ramrod straight than she usually did. Her hands clenched up at her side and her face an unreadable mask that Enid had learned usually meant that she was exceptionally angry but hiding it behind indifference
“I thought I made it clear I didn’t want to see you” Wednesday said before Enid had a chance to ask what was wrong. The words making Enid’s chest feel tight even as it was clear they weren’t meant for her
“yeah but you weren’t really thinking straight back then. And I wanted to see how you’re doing” The guy said his still staring unblinkingly at Wednesday as he started fidgeting in place, pulling at the hem of his shirt repeatedly
“well I’m fine” Wednesday said finally turning around and facing the guy. Her indifference exchanged for her usual hard glare which Enid definitely knew was reserved for when people were annoying her “so you can leave. Now”
“oh yeah yeah I can see that” the guy said seemingly ignoring the last part of Wednesday’s statement as he finally stopped staring at Wednesday and instead darting his eyes over towards Enid several times as if he had a hard time actually pulling his eyes from Wednesday
“you finally made an actual friend or something?” He asked sounding like he had been trying for it to sound like a joke but had instead landed closer to mocking
“Don’t” Wednesday said her tone unambiguously warning
“nono I get it she looks just your type. All desperate a-“ as he’d been talking the guy had suddenly reached out towards Enid who’d tried taking a step back but found herself blocked by a clothing rack behind her as the stranger’s hand was getting way too close to her face. Luckily he didn’t get any further before Wednesday’s arm shot out and she pushed his hand out of the way hard enough that the guy seemed to nearly stumble backwards
“Tyler” Wednesday almost spat out this time as she stepped in between Enid and the guy
“Wens it’s okay” Enid muttered mostly to dissuade Wednesday from actually hurting the guy. Because Enid had seen Wednesday fight a man at least twice Tyler’s size and she really didn’t want to end up having to deal with mall security today
“Wens?” Tyler said as soon as the words had left Enid’s mouth. Enid shuddering at the way he suddenly seemed to run his eyes across her from top to bottom “oh so it’s like that? You really went and replaced me then”
“Leave Tyler” Wednesday said the threat still clear in her voice even if Tyler seemed to pay it no mind
“no I get it” Tyler held his hand up in front of him as if deescalating the situation was really an option at this point “I guess you finally got it the way you wanted then so how about I just leave you to… whatever this is”
This time Wednesday said nothing and instead just stared Tyler down as she slowly backed away before turning around fully and walked out of the store. Joining his small friend group which was waiting outside seemingly oblivious to what had just happened inside
“who the hell was that and what was his fricking problem?” Enid exclaimed after she was certain that Tyler wasn’t going to either hear her or suddenly decide to make a return
“just… someone I used to know” Wednesday sighed before looking towards Enid “I apologize for that”
“you definitely have nothing to apologize for” Enid said still feeling icky at the thought that the guy had tried and touch her face “but you used to what? Hang out with him, really?”
“he used to be… different” Wednesday said clearly choosing her words carefully and it didn’t take Enid much to recognize that the encounter had upset her. No matter how hard Wednesday was currently trying to hide it behind her usual expressionless. Enid in turn didn’t pry into what exactly was going on between Wednesday and Tyler. Both because she didn’t want to pry if the other girl didn’t want to share, but also because she had a feeling that this was almost certainly connected that what Wednesday had already told her about past acquaintances. At least if what Tyler himself had said was any indication
“well… you know what I could so use right now?” Enid said wiggling her eyebrows playfully in an attempt at lightening the mood “Ice-cream”
“Ice-cream is not a solution for everything Enid” Wednesday sighed definitely looking way more tired than when the day had started. Although that was pretty relative at the moment since Enid knew the other girl still had trouble sleeping
“hmmm agree to disagree” Enid just shrugged before stepping to the side and dramatically gesturing for Wednesday to follow her out of the store. Although she pointedly chose another Exit than the one Tyler had. And although Wednesday scoffed and rolled hey eyes at it, she did allow for Enid to escort her towards the desert place that Enid knew did massive scoops if you asked the guy behind the counter nicely