More on Julian's recovery, finally taclking an important issue he had since the first day he got in the team.

Co-written with  Tazel, featuring a snippet from  MartineauQC

Characters and FBA belong to their respective owners.

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Feb 22.

It was a pretty uneventful noon. As uneventful as “total rest” allowed it to be. There was a couple of calls and a couple of ‘get well’ messages to the saluki these last days, all used by the current caregiver Scoonie to show that there are furs that really esteemed the canine. But his guard was still sky high, his depression still there, the negativity lingering. It was all a matter of time, he thought. Many peeps and even players in other teams have messaged the saluki.

“Tanya Feckle: You better stay alive and recovering you french idiot! Don’t ever scare us like that again! #StayStrongJCK #OrElse”

“Julian, man. Hope you get better. This isn’t a path you need to traverse alone. We are Kahunas and we need you to stay on top shape. My best wishes. N. Warren.”

“Hello Julian, c'est moi Yves Carbonneau, Comment sa va en se moment? Listen, I won't take too much of your time, I know you need it to rest..But..I just was worried by what I saw and what I seen...throughout your tweets...this isn't the Julian I met back in Montreal. Now I know that this season you haven't had it easy..but trust me, it never is. Julian, tu est and la FBA. You made it there where so many others might have failed .but I somehow feel like you either might haven't realized it yet or feel you still need to prove yourself..which we all do...still.I ain't your father and your adult enough to decide on your own...Live and enjoy the moment..this ride ain't have to be by yourself.You play along with people that had all their shares of troubles to get there and are willing to be with your and share it… Prends soin de toi Julian, je hâte de te revoir sur le court. Bye!”


The doorbell rang, and the otter got it. The canine’s first face to face visit, fellow rookie Aurora Goldshine. Always with her warm disposition and her signature, quirky retro style, carrying a woven bag with some supplies. After greeting Scoonie, she was led to where the canine was. Scoonie knew about what was really going on between the two, and decided to let it walk its course, hoping it went well.

"Hi, Julian." she said, a smile on her snout. It wasn't a mocking, or a 'ha-ha' smile that might befall competitors for the same coveted spot on a team. It was her normal smile. A kind one. A worried one. She reached into her bag and brought out a bowl. "I brought you some food. Something to help the healing energies flow through your body easier." The bowl smelled well enough, but the canine could find bits and pieces of beige blocks floating in some dark green roughage. "Tofu and kale soup, Miso style." she said, reassuringly to the scrunched up nose.

His features tired, the bags under his eyes rivaling that of raccoons. “...Least you can make vegetarian sound palatable...” he said, an attempt at banter and trying to get his perennial down spirits at least a bit higher. Wasn't against her, but she knew the canine prefered a carnivorous approach. The relationship between the two was always… odd. He didn’t hate her, she didn’t dislike him. They were both at relatively good terms. But at the same time, they were in the same draft class, she got out more of it, even though the canine wasn’t foreign of having earned praise from time to time. Yet… the world, the team, he always thought the scale tipped always at her favor. She got more nods, she got more praise, her lifestyle was always lauded, whereas that was used against Julian more often than not. They were almost equal, what made her special? But mixed messages aside, the visit was appreciated.

Aurora smiled softly. The issues Julian felt seemed to float by her. She always was one for harmony and not languishing on the negatives. With a few exceptions to her history since being with the FBA, she'd found positivity in everyone. Even Charles Burgh, something only a few people were able to do. Not to say Chuck, and others like him, enjoyed the 'tree hugger' around. She usually didn't mind such quips, but over time, they did become a bit more barbed. "That's the best thing anyone has ever said about my cooking since I got here!" she exclaimed, honestly happy. Julian could see why she chose her 'hippie' name of Goldshine. She was practically glowing with that positive energy. Something she could see, but others weren't as well tuned with 'Gaia' to see. It's how she saw his darkening aura, of frustration and depression. And it was what worried her the most. "How're you doing?" she asked, simply, becoming a bit more solemn. "Please tell me you're feeling better?"

The saluki passed a hand through his face and snout. “...Somewhat… Getting there..” Suddenly, he cringed, the snake jolted, showing lots of worry, but he waved her off and waited, breathing more methodically, getting better after a while. “...Trapped wind… Yeah, price of sudden conditions… Luckily, it looked worse than it actually was, won’t be as done as many say…”

Aurora pulled up a chair and sat by his bed. "If you need rest, I'll understand. I figured you'd want someone to talk to while you're recovering."

"Shouldn't you be at practice?"

"I already was. We ended a bit early. I made the soup and came straight here."

Julian looked away from her. "You really need to keep practicing. We can't afford to get complacent," he muttered. "Not when we have to get out of the basement and make something of ourselves!"

Aurora's brow furrowed. "Nobody's complacent, Julian. It's what I've been saying all along. It's balance…”

“‘’Rora...”

“...Work, Self, Life....”

“‘Rora...”

“Gaia says there's an energy and a natural rhythm to..."

“Aurora!” Stronger than he wanted. He grunted and sighed, fingertips on his temples. “...Arrêt.” the language foreign, but the tone serious.

“Come again?”

“When will the act end?”

Aurora cocked her head, her eyes blinking in confusion. "I don't understand."

"The act. The peacenik hippie. You got what you wanted. You’re the #1 pick, you’re the team’s face, you’re the favorite of all, you made it to the All-Stars over me. You can drop it now."

Aurora sat back in her chair, staring at Julian. "You think I'm... an act?" she asked, incredulously. Though there was no true malice in his statement - more fatigue than anything, like he had given up - the feeling coming out of left field like that had arrested her senses. "Julian... I don't know what you think of me, but these last few years in Oregon, before the FBA - they shaped me. Molded me with Gaia's guidance. I can't stop being who I'm being. It's like asking you to ... to stop being French!"

Julian continued to look away, not acknowledging Aurora's defense. The cobra pressed on, rising from the chair. "Julian, please look at me." Again, no response. "JULIAN." she said, in the loudest tone anyone had heard from her before. This prompted the saluki to look back to her. Her eyes seemed to be glowing again, though it was obviously a trick of the indoor lighting.

His feelings ceded. “Yes! You’re the fucking poster girl of the team! Yes you made it top 24! Yes Wilmer loves you! Yes you were better than me on 3P! You got ALL of that and more! You can cut the crap! You got out winning in every single challe-!” the rant ended by the sharp pain on his lower abdomen and a whine just as sharp, effectively bowling him over.

Aurora lurched forward to catch him before he fell out too far over, but he shoved her away. "Julian..." she started, her face saddened by the vitriol.

The sudden angst leading to the depression he was caught in, tone now way more morose, elbows on his knees, face buried in them. “Me? The not passionate? The “Worse-than-Alfie” case? The screwup? The one to steer away from?” A sad sigh escaping his lips. “...I’m just being me. This is what I always show. But that isn’t good enough. That isn’t right. That isn’t what I should be according to all and it fucking sucks tha-”

"NO."

Julian stopped mid-wail, and stared at Aurora. She stood at his side, her hood flared for the first time that he had remembered. Never, ever had she shown any sort of... aggression. Even on the court, she was very laid back, which only made the seemingly effortless ability she possessed seem otherworldly. But this, this was different.

"Julian, you listen to me, and you listen well," she commanded, leaning over him, her hands on his forearm. "I don't know what sickness crawled into your psyche and made you believe these lies, but it stops NOW. You are as valuable to the team as I am! Your skills in transitioning from SG to PG beat mine any day! And if Wilmer didn't like you, why would he have chosen you?"

Julian started to answer, but Aurora interrupted him. "He chose you because he saw potential. *I* see potential in you! So much... your vibrance, when you're on the game, is out of this world." She softened a bit. "I wish you could see in yourself what I see in you. What Scoonie sees. Gerry, Teo... and even Chuck, I think." She clenched his arm softly. "We see a great ball player. One who has passion and no fear. And one who has a talent for the game! You've made player of the game before! Screwups don't do that!"

“That’s why I need to be on top. Right now, I’m on this team mainly for the numbers I put...” sadness now flowing freely. “...It’s always the off-court bullshit they say about me; my interests. It’s… frustrating when everyone always attacks the environment you choose. And being the outcast only becomes tougher if you’re not 100% into it. FBAers, College, Schoolmates, Brothers, Parent-” those last subconscious-originated words resonating with the reptile, prompting her to cut him.

"Trust me, I know how you feel about being the outcast in the family."

"How the hell could YOU know about..."

"Because I left my family and cut my ties to go live on a commune. To be one with nature, and to pursue a dream of alternative energy development. Something my capitalism-spewing father despises, even to this day."

This made Julian pause, his ears would’ve drooped in response if they could, as Aurora sat down softly into the chair again. She had not shared her past with anyone, except perhaps Ahti. And Wilmer. None of her teammates knew where she came from, except the Oregon co-op.

"He hates what I've become. He has tried to bring be 'back to my senses', but I keep resisting him. It's hard, though. I don't have a real family anymore, except for my commune-mates." Her gaze turned a bit hopeful, her tongue flicking out as she thought about her next words. "But now, I have a new family. It might be temporary, but it means more to me than anyone knows." She looked, finally, sadly, at Julian. "I'm an outcast too." she admitted, softly. "We're more alike than you know, my friend."

Well this was a shot out of nowhere. But in the end, she finally saw who her teammate was; knew her a little more clearly. And he only felt fair to share some of his life as well; eye contact to his footpaws instead of her, since it was sensitive topic. “Oldest of three kids of pretty successful businessmen. By younger brothers always following on a tee the linear bringing up. I wasn’t having it and I was always held on this “”Why can’t you be like your brothers?” guilt trap… Until my aunt came along and assured me I could make it wherever I wanted to make it. With her help, after Lyceé, moved to Canada with them, telling my parents to fuck off in the process and built my life the way I wanted to...” he tried to hold tears. “She was my main support role, the only one who didn’t question me, but pushed me to my own success...Was...” He hoped the cobra caught the hint, the winner of the Edmonton Iron Totem Intelligence test should catch it. Her death still a sore topic, and he rather keep it short. “Her, my uncle, my baby cousin and the Karmic people. My only circle...”

Aurora reached down and held Julian's hand, listening attentively. The hood had calmed a while back, and the supportive, even mother-earthly gaze the snake constantly had returned. "I'm sorry, Julian. She sounds like the kind of person that comes along once in an eternity. I wish I had the chance to know her." She took a soft sigh, and leaned forward in her chair, almost whispering. "My real name is Wendy Gillespie." Even in Julian's soulful reminiscence, this was noteworthy. She never, EVER shared her real name with anyone. The only one who knew it already was Trent St. Croix, and she did not associate with him at all, if she could help it.

"I don't go by it any more because I legally changed it when I adopted the new life that others know me for. My father is one of the country's most wealthy and influential people, running a multi-billion dollar consulting and finance company. But it's a life foreign to me. Dead to me. Aside from that name, there's nothing that ties me there. I refused to let it define me." She resumed holding his hand, smiling softly. "You have a new circle, now, you know. You have us. We want you to succeed, too. But not when you destroy yourself. What’s your auntie’s name?”

“Nicolette...”

“I think Nicolette would agree with me - someone as special as you needs to stay with us. To remind us we need to define ourselves, to not let others shoehorn us into perceptions and expectations - but also, to take care of yourself. All the trappings of this world, this FBA... they're exactly that. Trappings. You're better than to be trapped like that, Julian. I've seen your fire. I love your spirit, your strength of mana. But I... we, don't want you to burn out."

Aurora remained silent after that, still holding his hand, looking at him intently, yet with a gentle smile. This was no act.

“Basketball was always a…thème difficile...” the language in his nice easy flow the canine had, his accent growing more noticeable with the hard topics. “I love the sport. More than many things. But my first college experience… ne jolie pas… If I wasn’t watching my back for sabotaging, I was trying to ignore rumors and flak against me. Because of that, it is hard for me to give full-hearted trust from the get go, instead giving a calculated teamwork self-mantra to walk through. For true teamwork, one that Karmic taught me exists, I need to see eye to eye and that is hard for me to comply, but it did happen! Scoonie, Alfie, Adam from the Pride, Sebastian from the Wildcards… Vous...” Aurora smiled warmly at that last item. She knew little French, but she knew that word.

She looked over Julian's face as he trailed off, seemingly in a trance of her own. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today." She broke her trance, and smiled at him. "Let us begin.”

Julian perked his ears. "Qu'est-ce que c'est? Something from your commune?"

Aurora shook her head. "Mother Teresa. But it was what we lived by in our co-op. And it's what I hope to live by here. My past, your past - it doesn't matter here. What matters is our future, and what we do today to shape it." She let go of his hand. "Giving trust is a first step we must all make eventually. Sometimes it comes easy, sometimes hard, but it is necessary to grow the roots that build the mighty oak."

The two remained quiet for a few moments. Aurora then placed her hand gently on Julian's shoulder. "I'm very thankful and happy that I have earned your trust. And know you've earned mine. As a result, I think we can both trust each other to do what's right... not what others might expect, or what you think they might expect. And I meant it when I say you have marvelous potential. I feel I do too. All of the Kahunas do. We can help shape this team. We can breathe new life in it, as long as we work to keep the team supported." She gave the shoulder a soft squeeze. "The mighty oak has nothing but patience and time. We're just acorns, still growing."

“Ouais, ouais, ouais...” he smirked at her. “...Might be awhile until that, though. And let’s see what the higher powers say about me. In the meantime, the SG spot will be taken care of, non?” he winked.

Aurora beamed. "I'll keep the spot warm for you." She flashed her fangs. "Besides, I have a little date with destiny of my own. There's a certain swift fox that thinks I don't belong here. I intend to prove him wrong."

“Certain fox is also a top player at the moment. You got a tall order. I said show bite, but of all the people you had to get beef with...” he snickered.

She rolled her eyes. "He decided to have the beef with me. And I don't harbor any ill will to him. But I do want to show I can do the job I've been selected for. Just like you will, once you get healed up."

“Merci… for visiting me. And for the lunch...” he tilted the container. “Where’s the meat again?”

Aurora laughed, a little 'hishis' evident in her response. "You just have to visualize it, I suppose."

“Bummer...” he saw as the snake got up, giving the canine her goodbyes, a hug and parting ways. She saw Scoonie at the door.

“Yeah… he might’ve been a bit down and it might’ve been hard to get to him, hopefully it all went well, Aurora.” he said, trying to keep his otter-y mirth present as usual.

Aurora smiled to her teammate, gesturing down the hallway, the two walking out of the porch. "He's healing quite well," she said, simply. And continued the smile as she glanced back at Julian, poking at the soup.

Quite well.