Chapter Text
“As much as me and Danny and Jed love having you here all the time,” Lyta began hesitantly, drawing Rose’s attention from where she is pouring over a box of documents. “And sorting out Unity’s estate is super important for you both,” Lyta continues, picking up Danny in an attempt to try and burp the baby or to potentially use him as a shield before she continued. “This was supposed to be a holiday Rose. You’ve never had a real chance to do anything for yourself and we’re in a new city. It’s been months since the whole dream situation and its time to start your life,” Lyta stares deeply at Rose as she bounces the toddler.
“I’ve got so much to do and we can’t stay here forever,” Rose sighs dismissively as she pulls out another file. It was more medical jargon she didn’t understand about Unity’s condition. She had no clue what to do with all of this. It seemed like a waste to shred it when so much effort had been put in but who would get use from this? Was it worth keeping incase something similar happened again? But why would something like that happen again? Dream wouldn’t let it happen again would he? Rose let out another groan and thumped her head down onto the table on the padding of the medical documents.
“You need a break hun. Jed is doing all his social stuff making new British friends. I’m relaxing with this sweetie,” Lyta smiled and tickled Danny’s stomach causing him to giggle and kick his feet. “And you are wallowing and overwhelmed. Go out, meet people, work on your book,” Lyta sighed again. Rose rolled her head over to look up at her best friend.
“I’ve got writers block,” Rose whined and was rebuked in dramatic fashion by a little stuffed octopus hitting her on the head. Lyta ignored Rose’s look of shock and carried on her reasoning.
“Then go do a writing course or something, that might help you get out of your head,” Lyta shrugged, collecing the octopus and replacing it with a laptop on top of the damned medical reports. And maybe she wasn’t wrong. What was the point of being in a new place if she didn’t take advantage of things she couldn’t get at home? And if she actually thought about her book again it may actually get written. They couldn’t live of Unity’s money and Lyta’s freelance designs forever. As she opened the laptop, Rose pointedly ignored Lyta’s smug grin. It didn’t take a lot of searching to find a free short course run by the University of London for creative writing. It was a month long but they hadn’t planned when to leave. Lyta wouldn’t have suggested they make friends here if it was going to be a quick trip. Before signing up there was an option to meet some of the students in the English department at the university and get a tour. Rose quickly inputted her details before she could think about it too much and closed the laptop.
That Wednesday Rose found herself stood looking up at the eighties style dark brown architecture. It’s kinda … disappointing. Rose didn’t realise it until she was stood there but she was expecting Hogwarts, not probably riddled with asbestos. However she was pulled out of her confusion by a little “hey.” Approaching from the door was a mid twenties looking blonde who waved tentatively at Rose. She was about Rose’s height and curvy with a very accentuated hourglass figure. Freckles nearly covered every expanse of skin giving what Rose assumed to be usually pale skin a look of tan. “Are you Rose?” the woman asked and with a little nod her face broke out into a smile. “Excellent! I’m Lexi it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m in my masters year English but I’m already signed up for Prof Spencer’s writing class so she asked me to show you around and to meet some of the gang,” Lexi rambled as she hearded Rose inside. “So what brings you to this course then?” Lexi asks as they start the leisurely tour together.
“I’m visiting to sort out my great grandma’s estate after she passed,” Rose replies and sighs at the look of pity on Lexi’s face.
“Sorry hun that must be shit. Good on ya to try and get out and try and do something else while you are here though,” Lexi nodded and kept walking. Rose had to do a few little jog steps to keep up but did find a little smile at the bluntness.
“You sound like my friend. Practically forced me out the door this morning. I think I must be driving her insane,” Rose laughed and Lexi chuckled too.
“You can hang with us don’t worry. We’ll make you miss the peace of your house,” Lexi winked.
“I’m just saying that closing off your mind from rugby boys is a freeing experience,” Lexi laughed as she dodged chips being thrown at her head.
“That’s such stereotyping and makes you seem such an angel,” Lexi’s friend Sian scolded as Rose laughed. Rose had quickly found out that Lexi’s friendship group were very much her type of people. “Look at the darling Lexi Docherty, sacrificing love after being scorned by one too many foolhardy fellows who prefer to prance and fight on the field. Instead our quaint protagonist warms her bed with many a series of young men who instead prefer the game of polo. Brutish on the ground has been conquered by men who know how to ride stallions,” Sian taunted in eloquent projections standing with one foot on the seat of the picnic bench and the other on the top next to her food. “But still she claims that this is all for the sake of merriment not sophistication,” Sian tries to continue pretending as if she was reading Hamlet but is breaking down into laughter and pulled back into her chair by the last of their foursome in Loren. Sian was a few inches shorter than both Rose and Lexi but was pure muscle. Her brown curls were flying everywhere in the wind after her bold performance and were not being wrangled back into the messy bun. She panted in laughter as a light blush spread across her bronze complexion. What Sian lacked in height she did not miss in voice projection. Everyone was looking over at the four giggling hysterically as Lexi pulled her cropped jacket over her head to hide.
“You guys are so horrible. Rose I am so sorry about them,” Loren apologised rolling their eyes. Loren was more in contrast to the other two in their demure nature and well manicured look. Deep purple combat boots were tucked under them with boot cut ripped jeans accentuating Loren’s tight waistline. A white mesh tank top was mostly hidden by an unbuttoned shirt that looked like someone’s dad bought it on the duty free on the way to an all inclusive Caribbean holiday. The reds and pinks were garish and the silhouettes of palm trees were certainly a choice. But despite these fashion choices Loren was the most reserved out of the three and the one Rose was definitely feeling could be a friend.
“Ok sweetie you can’t talk after I’ve been kicked out of the house three nights running for you and she hung the stars Rosemary,” now it was Loren’s turn to turn bright red all the way down to their collarbones.
“You don’t even live there, butt out,” Loren scolded Lexi.
“I think it’s sweet. Our little baby is all grown up and trying to settle down with their lover. They don’t need us anymore. We are lost, adrift. Rose is our favourite child now,” Sian joined in, drapping her arm over Lexi’s shoulder and them both pretending to dab away tears with fake hankerchiefs.
“Please do ignore them and I won’t be offended if during the class you choose to run for the hills but your idea for your book sounds so cool,” Loren tries to speak over the faked wails of despire coming from the duo.
“Thanks, I super needed this and don’t worry I’m used to dramatics,” Rose laughed, feeling a weight had been lifted off her chest. She could have fun. “And anyway in the states its football guys. Always the quarterback you know, it’s a disaster. Sworn off that,” Rose laughs and sets Lexi off again.
“Rose gets me, it’s the egos. They know they can get it so they assume they get it. Don’t worry American Football lads are like that here too,” Lexi high fives Rose. She could do this.
After the terrible trio had to actually go to a lecture, Rose chose to go and have a walk round herself. She looked round the immense library, stuck her head into some empty lecture theatres and was now trying to find the exit. “…Prior to 1450 and that is really where the industry formed it’s roots. The common misconception around it is that the original invention in Europe was purely of german innovation and the work of Johannes Gutenburg but I am here to tell you the truth,” Rose is stirred out of her musings by the slapping of hand on table. “That is, kinda, sorta not correct. Gutenburg was the leader, the main promoter of this invention but he was in political exile in Strasborg in the lead up to his groundbreaking discovery and thought himself something of an entrepreneur. A pretentious fellow living off his fathers money and throwing money at strange inventions,” the voice itself was calming and was talking about the topic, which Rose had no interest in, with such passion and such personal engagement. She found herself stepping towards the door and lingering to listen further. “Things like mirrors that would capture the light of god to sell to pilgrims, yes tourist tat was very much still a thing in the mid 1400s,” the lecturer was interrupted by a ripple of laughter that Rose took as an opportunity to slip in the back of the lecture hall. “But despite this we then see a lapse in his public appearances, no more scandals or spurned marriages until a return to Germay, a request of a loan and a group of men coming together to invest the printing press,” Rose sits down and takes in the lecturer. He turns to change the slide to an image of the printing press and gives a moment for people to take it in. He was of middling height, average build and had long dark brown hair that just brushed upon his shoulders. His eyes were warm and kind and his smile soft as he cast is eyes over the assembled students. Rose could feel his eyes meet hers and turned away as there was a slight look of confusion. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to leave. “At first the press was just used to print short poems or bibles but it quickly spread in popularity. This is still a time period where a lot of the population were unable to read and chose not to learn because books and texts were expensive. Why read when you don’t need to. The only things that people would care to read was the Bible which would be read for you by the church. The printing press brought regular people into the business of stories for the first time. People were funnelling their money into the press as no unions were involved giving no restrictions on workers and any easy way to make money. Now it might not have been the most ethical but it allowed a new well of selfmade people to live comfortably and provided jobs,” he paused again for a second as the slide changed and a strange sadness passed over his face for just a second. “That’s all we’ve got time for today folks. Next week we’ll be looking at William Caxton and how his fuck ups changed early modern English as a language,” the slides ticked off as the lights came back up and people started to move to go. Rose hurried quickly to her feet and rushed out of the door. In a parting glance, she could see the lecturer scanning the room. But then she was gone.
“I’ve got no clue what that was about!” Rose proclaimed in a whisper shout as she came back in to the house. This was usually Daniel’s nap time and Lyta would actually murder her if her little sulk woke the boy. The woman in question was in the kitchen making a drink and with a sigh pulled out two mugs. The baby monitor in her pocket told Rose she was correct in her assumption and the sound of football hitting the wall told her Jed’s location as well. The holiday sports camp had well and truly converted the little boy to what the locals were calling “actual football” and Rose mentally noted to try and find him a club when they went home.
“No clue about what hun? I thought you were just going for a tour and to talk to some of the students before signing up for the start next week?” Lyta frowned while her attention was on the kettle and not Rose.
“That was the plan right and the people I met were really nice and you were right it did me good to talk to some people that weren’t you and Jed. That’s not the weird thing though. I was leaving and I heard the end of this lecture something to do with printing and I just couldn’t leave. Something was drawing me in and I couldn’t look away from the lecturer and ended up sitting until he finished. And then when I was leaving it was like he was looking for me,” Rose rambled as the kettle came to a boil.
“Was he hot?” Lyta asked immediately and gave a little shrug at Rose’s shocked expression.
“No god no it’s not that. Not that he was ugly or anything he just looked normal,” Rose stammered in reply.
“Was his voice hot?” Lyta asked again, dodging the towel thrown at her head. “Jesus no I was meaning like some lecturers have that power to make you listen,” Lyta laughed in response and held her hands out to defend against any more towel attacks.
“I mean, it was soft and welcoming. There was just something that felt so familiar,” Rose dropped her second piece of towel ammunition, the frustration fading away and leaving confusion in its wake.
“Babe, not everything is weird. I know being back here and dealing with the emotions that have come from remembering that mess has taken it’s toll on you. But not everything is weird. Sometimes you hear a voice and it’s a nice voice and you want to listen to it. That’s a thing,” Lyta pulled Rose into a quick side hug and Rose latched on like an octopus. Lyta was right, she was looking for something weird.
“Thanks, you are great you know,” Rose mumbled into Lyta’s side and was then shaken by the giggles.
“I do know. And because I am great heres what we are going to do. We are going to go out into the garden with a cup of tea, talk about how the weather is so unpredictable and why is it so hot in England right now, watch your brother play soccer and live our very best British fantasies. You got it?” Lyta pulled away and gripped Rose by the shoulders.
“Got it boss,” Rose mock saluted with a weak smile and took a deep breath. Everything was ok. She was ok.
That night Rose sat up in bed, signed up for the writing course and then drifted off into a sweet and peaceful sleep.