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“Alfre Holland.” Auden tilted her head, arms crossed as she stared her Tanta girlfriend down. She was… on the floor, wiped out, buried underneath a book case and the ocean of books it had been carrying. They were in the archive, Johedy’s domain.
“You know I don’t like it when you call me by that name.”
“That is hardly the issue at hand.” Auden shook her head. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do it!” Frey retorted.
“I want you to explain to me how this could possibly be anyone else’s fault, Frey.”
“I will!” Frey groaned, shifting around under the bookcase. “Once you help me get out from under here.”
“Can’t you use your magic?”
“Johedy said she’ll kill me if I use my magic in this place.”
“When did she say that?”
“Like… I dunno, a few months ago? But I believe the shit out of her! She scares me, Auden.” Frey sounded entirely convinced, and Auden let out a sigh as she dropped her arms to her side. “Thank you, baby.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” Auden mumbled, crouching down and placing her hands under the book case. She sucked in a breath, and began lifting. The case didn’t budge.
“Dear, could you perhaps try… helping?” Auden mumbled through exasperated breaths.
“I told you, I can’t use magic in here.”
“I am talking about lifting with your damned back!”
“Oh, yeah.” Frey wormed her hands under body, and began trying to lift the case like a push-up, propped up on her back. And finally, the thing began to lift, Frey and Auden’s combined strength enough to give Frey some space. And Frey took it like a blessing, crawling out from where she’d been winched.
Immediately she stood up to help Auden, and with a groan and some muscle, the bookcase was back upright.
“Oh, Jesus, that feels good.” Frey, stretching her back, let out a groan. “Thanks, babe.”
“I believe you owe me more than simply a thanks.”
“A kiss?”
“No.”
“Head?”
“Frey.” Auden tilted her head. “An explanation.”
“Oh, yeah.” Frey smirked, strolling over to the nearest wall and falling back to lean against it. “I was playing with one of the cats, they love it when I chase them because they know I can keep up when I put my back into it.”
“You are surprisingly feline-like.”
“You callin’ me a pussy?” Frey chuckled. “Anyway, I followed her into the archive. And I swear I was trying to get her to leave, I really was. But she climbed onto one of the cases, and I followed, trying to get her off. And then…” She whistled a descending tone, and Auden deciphered what that meant.
“Have I ever told you you’re stupid before?”
“Probably, yeah. The other guy does a lot, at least.” Frey shook her right arm in emphasis. “But I think that’s what you love me for?”
“Unfortunately.” Auden sighed through a smirk she couldn’t wipe away, crouching down to take a few books into her arms. Frey stared at her in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“You realize you also have to place the books back into the case, right?”