The weight of a moment

Posted on Sat Aug 1st, 2026 @ 11:03 by Alastair Temple & Liana Zhao

Chapter: Gobsmacked
4899 words - 9.8 OF Standard Post Measure

"It's just up around the next corner, the driveway heads up through this copse."

Through some small miracle, the day had started out as one of the sunniest Liana could remember since moving to Avalon. That was partially due to the time of year she'd arrived in but also a protracted cold snap that had persisted into the first weeks of Spring. For someone who had a complicated relationship with water, living in a place that seemed perpetually inclined to be soggy and damp wasn't always the most comfortable. It made the current expedition all the more absurd in many ways. Scotland had never been top of her list of ideal locations to settle down but she'd also never arrived expecting to have such a strong inclination to try it.

Not that the house hunting had been easy. Due to recent events and the pervasive bigotry that fueled them, the availability of real estate around the Institute was remarkably high. Not only that but the market value of the properties had dropped in accordance with the expected reticence of anyone wanting to living within a stone's throw of a bunch of out-of-control-mutant brats, (one realtor's words, not hers.) Ordinarily, having a variety of options would have seemed like a good thing but Liana had very quickly realised that a wider selection just made decisions harder. She only needed one house, after all; well, one house and a garage the size of a small warehouse.

Easing into the process of searching for a place specifically with the intention of moving in with Alastair had been surprisingly less nerve-wracking than Liana had expected. As little as a few months ago, it might have felt impossible to see herself in any way ready for the kind of commitment that lead to sharing a living space with another person but a lot had happened in the intervening time and having an entire country turn on you did tend to provide a fresh perspective on the struggles that mattered. Quite simply put, Alastair was easy to live with, or at least there'd been no signs during their time away together to indicate otherwise. Of equal importance, and Liana had come to realise that this was a crucial element in considering herself ready, was the notion that not living with him seemed the more difficult option. Logistically, but also emotionally.

And so here they were, twenty minutes from the school gates, headed up a winding road that Liana could already tell would impress Alastair far more on the way down. Weeks of preparation had seen them arrive at a point where the final hurdle was making sure he liked her first preference and Liana was grateful the sun had decided to put in an appearance to help sell it.

"Of everything I looked at, this seems to have one of the better commutes. Being on the opposite side to New Cresthill means we've got further to drive for sausage rolls but there's virtually no traffic noise up here."

Omen's six-cylinder rumbled and growled as it pulled the white exotic up the winding road. A soft pop from the exhaust now and then, especially when he shifted gears. Just as Liana imagined, Al was already driving this road downhill and at considerably higher speeds in his mind. Something he might do on the way back, if she seemed inclined to let him. Not that she could stop him if he really wanted to, but - well - he could contain himself if not doing so would lead to a possibility of an upset Liana.

In what seemed like record time she had become integral to his life. With everything he did, he wondered how Li would appreciate it, interact with it, what she would think of it. The idea of breakfast alone seemed cold and impersonal, and instant noodles shared seemed like the warmest, best meal. Little glances stolen when she wasn't paying attention to him (or at least seemed busy with her own thing or just looking out the window), always met with a soft, content smile after.

He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted from a house, not really having been in much of a similar position before. Sure, he had owned a house prior to moving to Avalon, but he hadn't really bought that with much thought. It was simply available, big, comfortable and there. Now he had to share it with someone else - although 'had to share' sounded more dramatic than it was, and there were certain needs and demands to be met. He at the least needed one space to turn into a studio, preferably spacious enough for some instruments - several guitars, some drums, some electronic keyboards, Li's violin, a microphone or two ... Enough space for his import sports car collection - that, modest as it was now, he was almost certain to add to at some point.

This area seemed nice though. Plenty of space to fly when the mood struck him. Woodlands, hills, rocky areas - just plain good ol' Scotland, the way he liked it. A winding road that already brought him a smile even as he calmly drove up it. "Oh no, more driving, more putting miles on Omen or Umbra, however shall we survive," he chuckled, glancing over at her as they finally rounded the copse and arrived at their destination.

Like most properties in the area, the exterior of the cottage held the suggestion of a long heritage. Weathered stonework decorated by well-trained ivy seemed indicative of the area and yet immediately, there were signs of recent renovation. Most obvious, aside from the extensive work on the driveway itself, was the large two-door garage at the end of it. Everything Liana had looked at had either passed or failed initial inspection based on the capacity to house Alastair's mistresses, and so there was a strong motivation to watch his expression as they came to a stop in front of one of the roller-doors.

"The garage is very-nearly brand new," she explained, keen to keep any nervousness from her tone. Alastair hadn't asked for much and yet this was the one requirement she felt the least qualified to evaluate. "In fact, the entire property has been heavily-invested in, only for the owners to decide that there might be less mutant complications in the south of France." A hitched eyebrow spoke volumes; they'd already had a conversation about how many of the places she'd looked at were only on the market because of fear-mongering. "I'm told it will fit four standard-sized cars quite comfortably and I didn't like to let on that I had no idea what size qualified as 'standard'." A pursed grin at herself preceded Liana's graceful exit from the car, already pulling her hand free from a glove in order to fish the set of keys from her jacket pocket. "Finding anything with direct access from the house has been impossible though, they just don't build attached garages here." It was, at least, a much shorter walk than the current parking arrangements.

Gravel crunched underfoot, as Alastair joined Liana outside the car. Fingertips ran over a fender, almost as in a ritual that he made sure to perform every time the aging import had bore them hence readily and reliably. A glance over at the garage before he started his way there, already considering what his next car would be. Omen was special. His baby. He had put so many hours and so much money into the venerable lady. Plans to add a turbo were already forming in metalhead mind. Umbra was special too. Older, by two years. Stately but with spirit. She would remain stock. But they were going to need a third car. A newer one; if only to give the two senescent machines a chance to rest, or to have a reliable standby for when either of the two older imports were down for maintenance.

"Omen and Umbra are slightly smaller than 'standard' give or take," he mused, venturing to the garage. It was right before them, and one of the hard demands anyway, it made sense to him to check it out before the rest of the house. Letting Li unlock it before venturing inside, where quickly he realised that whoever was trying to sell this house had a slightly different definition of 'comfortably'. Putting four cars in here would be a bit of a squeeze, but that still left plenty of room for three, with some tools and some space to actually stand and walk around. Still, it was a comfortable space, with a heater for in winter. The walls and roof looked almost new, like Li had said. Yeah. This would do nicely.

Rather than crowd the space, which seemed optimistically-presented even by Liana's limited estimates, she chose to hover in the doorway, hands slipped into the back pockets of the jeans she seldomly wore unless expecting to 'rough it' in some capacity. That had been an explanation at some point, at least; these days, Liana seemed more or less content to balance her tendency to assemble entire outfits with the comfort of being able to explore without damaging fragile fabric. She tapped a heeled boot against the cement floor, unbleamished and indicative of the lack of use the real estate agent had purported.

"There's room to expand at least," she smiled and then turned to crunch her way along the loose pebbles that lead to the branching pathway connecting the driveway to the front and back of the house. A watchful eye tallied the amount of work in the upkeep of the bordering hedges as she moved to unlock the front door, in no rush to hurry Alastair along and just as content to examine the rose bushes tucked beneath the front windows. An established garden was preferable to starting from scratch but, having only been responsible for houseplants in the past, the responsibility of a whole yard was not insignificant.

"Oh it should do nicely. Can easily put three cars in here and have room for tools and parts," Al answered, pulling the door closed behind him as he followed her. "Could even break up a portion of the floor and dig a pit to work on the underside of a car without needing a lift," he mused. Having a pit would be nice, especially if he was going to add a turbo to Omen, which would require redoing part of the exhaust system. Also, it'd be a chance for him to drive an excavator, something he'd always wanted to do at least once.

He followed her gaze to the hedges and rose bushes, halting briefly, catching on to her energy, her line of thought. "Those are nice. Lots of maintenance, though. But we could hire a gardener to put in an hour here and there if needed," he mused, following her to the front door. Another moment paused to take in the facade of the building. Rustic stonework, moss and vines, though from up close it was clear that this was purely aesthetic and there was a more modern wall underneath it.

Though it was a sensible idea and one that Liana had thought of herself, hearing Alastair say it stirred the butterflies in her stomach again. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation, more a mixture of excitement and nervousness, the desire to do this right now that they'd decided to do it at all. Now that they were actually scoping out the properties she'd short-listed, Liana felt herself increasingly caught off-guard by these moments of sheer clarity; the understanding of how quickly her life was changing was not an unpleasant realisation, merely...different. And significantly complex.

Like most properties in the area, the front door opened into a main hallway and it was immediately obvious that the care taken to expand the outside hadn't quite made its way into a finished interior. The basic skeleton was impressive; the first floor consisted mostly of a large living area, a separate dining, a good-sized kitchen and a powder room to remove the necessity of climbing the stairs to use the toilet. The rooms were in an odd-state of partial renovation, having endured the bulk of any structural reinforcement whilst being decidedly lacking in the details of colour and fittings. Liana's boots echoed across the polished floorboards as she stepped into the living area and paused to consider the space.

"They managed to complete most of the rewiring, replaced the floors down on this level and the carpet upstairs. The major plumbing upgrades are in place, there's just a few minor things that still need installing." She smoothed her hand over the fireplace mantle and then brushed at some of the gathered dust. "It's a shame they haven't stuck around to finish it and enjoy their efforts, they've done a lot to improve the warmth of the place."

"Seems that some times being socially and politically undesirable has its benefits. Maybe if being a rock star doesn't pan out I can become a revolutionary figurehead," Alastair offered, amusement in his eyes. He stepped inside, starting to explore the ground floor. The living room, the kitchen, the additional spaces - the structure seemed alright to his untrained eye. A solid basis, for sure. And where others might see additional work, cost and effort in the partially complete renovations, Alastair saw opportunity to finish it to their liking.

"Or, if it does, I could do both. That'd be fun," he added.

As much as the intent of the visit was to scrutinise the property, Liana found her attention diverted once more to the consideration of Alastair's reaction rather than attempting to finalise her own feelings. She watched him intently as he explored, already smiling faintly at his growing enthusiasm by the time he reached the lofty aspiration of career misfit. Affection drove her eyebrows skyward, and though she could get on board with Alastair's capacity to be an effective spokesperson should he put his mind to it, somehow the image of him harnessing revolutionary zeal to overthrow an unjust regime left her with the impression of a severely pissed-off corvid turning every politician's car into his own personal lavatory. Laughter got the better of her.

"It's certainly one way to build a property portfolio," she agreed mid-chuckle, crossing to loop her arms around his waist. "At the rate we're going, we could own a village before the year's out."

For someone who always had something to say, be it serious or silly, thoughtful or off the cuff, Alastair was remarkably quiet during the exploration of the house. The ground floor thoroughly investigated, the first floor was next. Two bedrooms and a more elaborate bathroom, all sizable though not particularly massive, all with potential. Even an attic above the first floor, with amenities that showed it was intended to be another bedroom by the previous occupants. Still, it could easily be remodeled to be anything, really. Apart from some "Hmm"s and "Alright"s, Alastair refrained from volunteering opinions. Mostly because he wanted to hear Liana's first before venturing his own.

Eventually though their wanderings lead them to the rear of the house, to where a garden would normally be. The house came with a pretty decent patch of land that was open for whatever development they'd see fit - if they decided to purchase the house of course - but for now it was just a slightly overgrown lawn directly behind the main building with trees towards the edge, seamlessly blending into the forest beyond the borders of the lot.

"So, what're you thinking?" Alastair eventually asked, having given Liana enough time to gather her initial thoughts.

While Alastair had explored the possibilities of the property itself, Liana had trailed through the house contemplating the entirety of the task ahead. Not just the remaining renovations, or the additional development, or the sudden need to go furniture shopping on a large-ish scale. Not even the financial investment, which involved tapping into funds that typically sat dormant and untouched, accumulating interest without her having any clear sense of entitlement to the inheritance in the first place. Her mother's family where wealthy in ways that Liana didn't typically broadcast and very definitely found difficult to interact with. Turning 18 and being suddenly presented with a small fortune had been alarming at the time and now only served as an awkward responsibility she dealt with quietly. Normally, whatever access she did have went straight into charitable endeavours; purchasing a second property, alongside her flat in Manchester, veered back into the selfishness she struggled with.

All that to say there was enough in that topic alone to distract her and yet it didn't, not at the moment. That discussion had been and gone, the resolution already grappled with. What presented now as the most significant matter was the emotional investment in her future alongside someone who had become a steadfast partner in several arenas. This house, if it was indeed the house, was going to be a home they built together. She'd never had that before. There were definitely still moments where the emotional reality of it flared as something Liana immediately recognised her own lack of experience in. It also harkened back to spontaneous choices of the past, a failed marriage that had once promised this kind of union and yet had crumbled under the weight of her own dishonesty. Had she learned better? She liked to think so.

It was still...a lot.

Alastair's query about the back yard brought her out of her reverie. Grateful for something practical to stabilise her thoughts, Liana stepped out through the back door and tested the sponginess of the lawn beneath a boot before venturing further. "There is a permit for decking that I think I'd like to retain. I've not seen the intended plans, I'd probably engage our own landscaper because..." Smiling, she held out a hand to lead him through the grass to the back fenceline where a large shed structure stood empty. "...there is a lot of space back here that might be perfect for a small music studio. It needs a lot of work for the conversion," she warned, a point proven as they worked open the door to find a large open space with virtually no internal definition. "It's been stripped bare but nothing else has been done, including the wiring and plumbing."

A potential studio was the second must-have that Al had on his shortlist of demands. And a short list it was. Between the two of them, he was still the one who could live in the simplest of spaces, it was just his two passions - music and cars - that demanded space and amenities. Was Li not a passion then? No, he wouldn't call her that. Being a 'passion' implied a level of choice to engage with or not at any given time. It implied the possibility to step away from it, at any given time. That was not the space Liana occupied in his heart, in his life.

"I'm thinking you wouldn't be saying all of that in that way if you'd found anything prohibiting moving forward on this particular property," he mused, his words measured - slow even, as if putting considerable thought and purpose behind every syllable, where in truth much of his brain was too occupied with the potential of the shed as a small studio.

If anything, the diplomatically-framed reminder of how much he had her measure was a very well-timed reassurance. Liana smiled despite pursed lips, willingly chastised and certainly secure enough within this connection they were building to take the implied teasing on the chin. Eyes twinkling with knowing affection, in full acknowledgement of her own tendencies, she reached up to gently tuck a strand of wayward hair behind his ear and then gave his shoulder a playful tap. "I may have a slight bias, which may be the result of arriving at a few conclusions privately before presenting out options."

It was just the way she was; thoughtful, deliberate, a planner. Someone who put groundwork in and researched heavily before even speaking up on matters that required some form of decisive action. It was that self-same pocket of spontaneous self-destruction in her past that had taught her the merit of preparation and, perhaps as an over-correction, Liana had forged a fresh path from the understanding that nothing worth doing was worth doing hastily. She loved that Alastair understood that about her, that he had likely already known before they set out that she was about to show him something she had already decided was suitable. That didn't mean she didn't value his opinion or that she wouldn't have taken an alternative conclusion into consideration. She had done her best to account for everything, to narrow down a property that would give them both what they needed to make it a comfortable home. Now, much as every performance she'd ever given had been simply the end-result of months of rehearsal and preparation, there wasn't much left for her to deliberate on.

Now, the final decision sat with Alastair.

"I do think it's the best option on the market for us," she added quietly, wrapping her arms around his middle again. "That doesn't mean we have to take it, there is quite a bit of work to be done to get it to where we would want it. But if we don't take it, I think we will likely have to wait for something more suitable to become available."

"Work is - .. Work. A chance to turn the property into something our own instead of just buying someone else's vision," he mused, his arms gently embracing her about the shoulders, chin resting against the side of her head. A slow, deep exhale as he closed his eyes and just existed in the moment for a moment. "I'm thinking yes. I'm thinking we should take this one. It's a lot but I can afford it without needing to take out a mortgage. We wouldn't owe anyone anything and be entirely free to mould this place into our vision." That was the state of Alastair's thoughts at the moment. Entirely ready to jump forward. A reminder that, thoughtful and deliberate as he was, he was still the impulsive one between the two.

"That's something we should talk about too."

Usually, the topic of finances tended to start and finish with a pretty matter-of-fact acknowledgement of their mutual levels of comfort. What Liana had never elaborated on, at least not to the extent that Alastair's wealth was known, was the inherited aspect of her current asset portfolio. It had never really felt like hers, certainly wasn't anything she had earned and had only conceded to dip into once before when securing her small flat in the heart of Manchester. It didn't matter that her grandparents hardly missed the money they'd passed along when she'd come of-age, Liana simply found it less appealing to surrender her own success to the charity of others. With that in mind, most of what she'd done with the money had been for the benefit of others, and that had been more a matter of redistributing the interest it earned. The bulk of the initial capital sat there like a huge mound of obligation and was kept entirely separate from the income Liana had earned through her own hard work.

It made the current situation difficult. It was hard to allow herself the indulgence of spending an inheritance when she was the only one benefiting from it, but to deny her own capacity to contribute meant lumbering Alastair with the expense and that was no better. She'd always rationalised spending based on the needs of others so it wasn't much of a stretch now to see that being the case here but, at the same time, it was so much more. Buying a house together was significant, and not something she wanted to insist upon without discussion.

"I have access to more than enough to contribute an equal share," she ventured quietly. "I even considered buying it outright but that doesn't seem fair. Joint ownership would be more than just a financial investment though, it's a commitment that may ask more of this relationship than we've really discussed." Moving in together had been a large enough leap, but more than that, Liana didn't want to detract from Alastair's attempts to build himself a home by assuming any kind of permanent fixture in it.

Alastair was quiet. Entirely silent, even. Her words had almost frozen him, it seemed, though it had simply triggered a flood of thoughts. Consideration. Deliberation. Surprise. He had never really spent any time thinking about her financials, nor had they ever really talked about it. He'd simply assumed that he'd be the breadwinner, so to say, the one to finance whatever fancy struck them, through his wealth. It had simply been a matter of fact to him. Birds fly, grass grows, he was the one with the money. Now though, after a moment of pure silent thought that went on a bit too long for comfort, he chuckled. Quietly. Then louder. Then full out laughed. Not at her, but at himself. At how stupid - ... No. Not stupid. Too strong a word. About how silly he had been to blindly assume that without talking about it. Ever.

As he broke their embrace and took half a step back though, any worry she might have had at his silence and his laugh, any alarm she might have felt at his taking a step back, instantly soothed as he took her hands in his, brought them up - first the left, then the right - to place a soft kiss on them, a smile on his features. "I suppose," he began, "that the weight of a moment is only truly appreciated when that moment is a memory," Another moment's thoughtful silence as he looked at the house, letting his eyes wander over the walls before turning his attention back to Li entirely.

"Seems that this moment is the start of the rest of our lives. No matter - .... no matter how this ends, though I hope positively," Eyes closed as he leaned his head forward to rest his forehead on hers. "I trust you."

The silence, whilst challenging to endure, was also reassuring in a way. It meant she had engaged Alastair's thoughtful side, which Liana knew by now ran abundantly deep and yet could be missed entirely if a person only took the time to notice his outward flamboyance. It meant, she was grateful to acknowledge, that all the deliberation that sat behind her offer, from the disclosure of her personal circumstances to her intentional regard for Alastair's situation and what it might mean to ingratiate herself into it, was not only being recognised but properly considered. Moments like this, when he was able to see her and slow himself down enough to meet her where she was at felt like such an incredible gift, Liana nearly forgot for a second that the conversation had a point. Much later, when she looked back at the moment from the vantage of hindsight, she would realise that the accumulation of all these little exchanges had rebuilt a sense of security and trust that Liana hadn't known how to tackle on her own. Alastair made it very easy to love him but he also made it easy to feel loved by him. That was one of his greatest strengths.

The laughter, however, did take her by surprise. The sprinkle of spontaneity wasn't harmful, not when the man had earned enough trust to avoid any immediate offense. Instead, affectionately amused and yet intrigued by the shift in demeanor, Liana watched him closely as he spoke and returned each gesture with a gentle squeeze of her hands before one extracted itself to settle against his bearded jawline.

"Part of me wants to say it's just a bloody house."

A breathless rush of laughter became a similar expression of relief. Liana didn't curse very often and, when she did, it only ever counted just enough to sound somehow more eloquent than she usually did. Shaking her head at her own over-thinking, Liana's expression then softened as her fingertips once again eased a lock of hair behind Alastair's ear. "And in a lot of ways, it is. But this would make it our house and therein lies the difference." Her dark eyes searched his face, no longer quite so hesitant about what it might find but simply able to bask in the reassurance of what she already knew to be true. "You deserve a home and I would love to build one with you but only if you're ready." The hitch of a playful eyebrow was subtle enough to miss but Liana knew without having to check that Alastair wouldn't. "There will be furniture shopping and drape discussions and consultation regarding colour palettes. You're brave, Mr. Temple, but this isn't for the faint of heart."

Once more, her expression softened and Liana allowed the humour to carry the rest of the underlying significance.

"Luckily, I happen to know you have a particularly strong one."