The Past, Present and Future

"Yeah, well, I would be disappointed too, " Zora said, balancing the phone and her shopping bags as she entered the house from her Christmas shopping spree earlier. She had bought some tree ornaments, mini-lights and other holiday decorations so she could start doing up the house.

"Truthfully, I can't believe those religious fanatics are here on the island," she said as she placed her purchases down on the living room table and dropped her purse on the sofa as she made her way upstairs to change out of her business clothes into something more comfortable.

"I get that Cici, but honestly, it doesn't matter what name they hide under, they are often a bunch of intolerant closedminded hypocrites ready to persecute the first witch, demon or non-believer they come across," Zora remarked as she took off her shoes and undressed as she put the phone on the bed and listened to her aunt talk.

Pulling on a long baggy t-shirt and a pair of leggings, Zora then picked up the phone again, "Sure, whenever you want, I am free most of next week," she said as she headed back downstairs, "Broen? No, it's fine, he has finals coming up," she said as she sat down on the couch and peeked in one of the bags.

"Okay, sure, give the kids my love. Oh, and if you see Rafael, tell him I've got something for Takisu, okay? Yes, love you too," she said as she hung up the phone and started digging through the bags to see what she had bought earlier that day.

@Kada

(Feel free to have Broen there or whatever, he does have a key, so up to you).

Unpackaging some faerie lights, Zora didn't hear or notice when Broen came home as she was, in fact, distracted and humming very softly to herself a Christmas song that she had learned as a child.

"Bro-en!" Zora gasped in surprise when she suddenly heard his voice and felt his warm lips on her neck'. His sudden appearance causing her to drop the lights she was holding, thankfully the lights were some special type of magical glass.

"You scared me," she said, as she turned around to look at him, noticing now that he looked a bit older than when she saw him last, and was indeed aging somewhat. He now looked a little closer to her in years. Not that it had bothered her at all, if he looked older or younger than her, but it did worry her what the pocket dimension was doing to him on a physical level.

"Well, before somebody so rudely interrupted me," she said, lightly poking him in the ribs. "I was unpacking some stuff to decorate the house for Christmas," she told him as she gave him a little kiss on the mouth. "I even bought stuff for the kitchen and to make cookies, and nog and all kinds of stuff..." she told him.

Squealing Zora actually swatted with both hands at Broen when he suddenly started tickling her and broke away from him, grinning mischievously as she picked up a wire kitchen thingy and waved it at him. "Stay back," she said trying not to laugh, "Behave yourself .. or I will make you eat my Christmas baking," she threatened.

"And yes, I could use some help," she said evenly, her eyes never leaving him as she made a wide circle around him. "There are some kitchen stuff that could be put away, if you don't mind?" she said still not trusting that he'd try and tickle her or something again.

"Coward!" Zora called out when Broen suddenly disappeared off to the kitchen, "My cooking hasn't killed anybody... yet," she smirked as she opened some more boxes of lights and a few tree ornaments.

"You mean aside from my wonderful idea to help others with their Christmas shopping that keeps me busy and out of trouble?" she asked laughingly as she placed an ornament on the table, feeling just very happy at the moment.

"You know, I wanted to ask you something if you don't mind, have been meaning to since that thing with Crawford," she said keeping her tone light, even though she couldn't and wouldn't refer to the man without feeling disgusted.

"But, never really found the right moment to," she confessed as she walked over to where Broen was, remembering what Valli had told her about sharing her thoughts and talking about things.

"Thank you," Zora said with a nod. Then she looked around the living room, and past Broen into the kitchen before looking at him again, not sure whether to sit down or continue standing. Opting for the latter, she broached the topic, somewhat unsure of even where to start.

"Jude said you just let loose in the bar and started telling the world what Crawford was like," she started. "And I have heard different rumours about what he supposedly did," she admitted quietly, having heard everything thing from physical abuse to torture to stories of a more delicate nature.

"And well, I know you don't like to talk about those things, but ..." here she stopped, not sure how to explain the but, "I'd like to know what really happened. I don't like the rumours, and yet, I feel like I shouldn't ask because I am adding to your problems by bringing up the past, " she continued, "but that ends up with me feeling like I need to always be the strong one, and I was told that I can't keep doing that, because if I don't start talking to people and confiding in them, I will probably end up in a bad place," she told him softly, trying not to think about the day on the cliff.