caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

Cael observed the scene before him, the way the water splashed down on the blonde with an almost cinematic flair. It was the kind of moment that would have made any grown man chuckle, and though Cael felt the faintest tug at the corners of his mouth, the smile never quite appeared. Public shaming wasn’t something he took pleasure in—unless, of course, it involved a child tumbling over, which was an entirely different matter. He stepped closer, his piercing blue eyes scanning her face, and it was clear she was shaken. With a quiet sigh, he reached into his coat and retrieved a paper handkerchief, extending it toward her. "I didn't use it," he said, offering a small, reassuring smile. "Promise." @harlowhanlon

It was a nice day to wear one's brand new, creme hued coat out and Harlow felt good ( incredibly fashionable ) as she let her feet carry her across the cold, damp ground. The market place was slowly coming to life and Harlow had not yet come to a conclusion as to what she was meaning to get. The call of a stranger completely missed its mark. No thought was bestowed on the unlikely possibility of the warning being aimed in her direction. Too engulfed inside her mind, following the important questions that arose as she eyed the tangerines, neatly prepped on one of the stalls, in a quest for answers. And the next thing Harlow realized was coldness. Something wet. An apology, that made its way to her periphery. The shock rendered her unmoving and that's when she saw him and realized, he must have been the one to have warned her. He'd meant her. One soft hand stroked through her hair, now doused in dirty water. "Oh no." She spoke, not yet having fully realized the full extent of such awful catastrophy, for she had not yet looked down on her coat. @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

"Seven thirty?" Cael repeated, letting out a sigh as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up straight. It definitely wasn't like him to oversleep, but then again, the alarm clock he had decided to invest in, was in the bedroom. Where he wasn't. When Yasmin spoke up again, he looked up confused at the statement, then at the mention of the doors and windows he looked around, realising what she meant. "Oh." He uttered, then pressed his lips together alongside half a shrug, trying to ease it off. "Guess I love the outside so much I bring the outside inside in my sleep. "He attempted a joke, standing up, stretching out long, enough for a peek of skin to show at the bottom of his shirt. "Okay, well. Give me five minutes to change." He groaned, offering her a quick smile before he went to close the windows before he made his way towards the bedroom. "Hey, I have a question." He asked, pulling out a set of jeans, a sweater and a bodywarmer from the closet. When he showed up in the door way, he was in the middle of putting on his new shirt. "Would you join me in town after our hike? I should .. Probably get a phone." @yasminxmoreno

Yasmin stifled a laugh at Cael's reaction, her eyes wide as she looked around at the scene in front of her. She had hesitated about stepping inside but with the door wide open, honestly, Yasmin worried that something might have happened to Cael. "Just after," she paused, looking down at the smart watch on her wrist, "seven thirty in the morning," she said with a twinge of amusement as she looked back at Cael. "I thought someone had broken in," she shook her head, "the door wide open, the windows," her eyes scanned the apartment before landing on him again, "I won't hold whatever this is against you this time," she teased, "just next time try to wake up on time, I got the car all ready for our hike," her voice was still playful in nature as she spoke to him. @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

Cael remained quiet when she told him she was used to fending for herself, knowing what that was like. When he grew up, his mother had always been there for him, but making it through Rikers, and the years after. It had taught him a lot. It was just a twisted thing to see it with her, his daughter. "Right." He confirmed when she mentioned the conviction. Not his favourite subject, and it hadn't been public knowledge in exactly how much he had won, but she still rejected it, so he simply nodded, not going to press the matter. "Okay." Cael repeated her once more, taking a deep breath. Medical bills were far more expensive than school supplies, but she would find that out in due course. "Guess we know what to do, then. Make that appointment." @phoebecarver

She shook her head. "You don't have to do that. I'm okay with fending for myself. I'm used to it." Phoebe assured him. She didn't come here for money or anything else. She wasn't going to just easily accept it either. She listened to him and nodded. "Right. The wrongful conviction, right?" She asked before she shook her head. "I'm not concerned about that. I just... I don't want you to think I'm here for that. And I really am used to just doing things myself. I even bought my own school supplies growing up so." She shrugged. "It's okay." @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

"Mhmm." Cael hummed when the woman repeated his words. It hadn't particularly given him a confidence boost but he didn't show if her reaction had impacted him negatively. Her smile grew fast enough for him to apologise for wasting her time and leaving, so he stood in place, waiting for her to say any more. When she did, he nodded, following her gaze to the stables. He'd spotted them already of course, his question having been rhetorical. But he didn't know if they were for private use, or for public use, or served a purpose other than looking majestic. "That'd be good." He confirmed her suggestion, ready to follow her. "I used to have one." He confessed, knowing it opened a book to his past. "Took care of her, know how to ride, used to cleaning stables too." He started explaining, showing that he wouldn't be a nuisance other than needing to be showed where everything was, should she hire him. "I'm no vet, but I can take care of the rest." @chantelbedford

While she was used to people coming by - asking to volunteer for school (with sign offs she was always happy to provide) or needing some credit hours for a class or something, having someone come by and ask for a job wasn't exactly something she was used to; and something told her she never would be. That was usually Charlie's doing, after all. "Oh, a job." she repeated, though let her smile grow and her head nod at his next statement about the horses. She didn't want to scare him away with lack of enthusiasm; she loved everyone and would employee the entire town if she could. "We do have horses." she nodded, using her head to nod towards the horse stable. "I can lead you there if you'd like." she smiled. "Did you work with horses before?"

[caelxmontgomery]

Cael hummed, lowering his gaze to the ground at the mention of family. It was just a matter of time before Melinda left the both of them, and though he wouldn't immediately have Phoebe face having to meet her entire newfound family, including her terminal grandmother, he did know that his mother would want to meet her granddaughter. Yet that wasn't the first thought on his mind, not when he was worried about her having gotten the worst part of him. "I'll have you remember that I fell in the 10 to 15 percent." He told his brother, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Guess I can always make the blood money have a different meaning." He uttered, meant as a joke for spending it on a blood relative. Yet, he had an idea of the girl that she wasn't one to take help offered to her, much like him. "Don't tell mom." He said, finally looking up again. "I don't want her to get disappointed if they won't meet before.." Cael stopped himself, still not ready to face his mother's mortality. @viktorpierce

Viktor was nervous to admit that he had known about his niece, but Cael’s understanding reaction that surprised him a little. He’d expected a harsher reaction to the realization, but Cael was calm. He was relieved, and a little proud of how his brother was handling it at the minute. Given everything else that had happened, it seemed Cael was doing a lot better. “I wouldn’t say she got the short straw” Viktor countered, shrugging a little. “Some people never get to meet their biological parents. If you’re interested in getting to know her, then she just gained a father, a grandmother, two uncles, cousins. That doesn’t sound like the short straw to me, it actually sounds quite nice” he tried to show him the positives. As doomed as their family had felt at times, Vik thought they were a pretty good bunch to be a part of. At Cael’s next question, Viktor nodded a little. He knew exactly what he meant, and he understood why he was worried about it. “The good news is that one parent having it only gives their child a 10-15% chance of having it too. So she might not, the odds are still good” he tried to assure him, though the odds were much worse than if neither parent had it. “And if she does, then we can handle that when it comes up. She’ll have you, who can explain how it is through your own experience and help her understand what it means and what to expect. And Id obviously be happy to be her doctor or get her in for any other doctors she may need, and monitor her treatment and care. I’m not saying she has it or she will have it, but if one day she does, she’ll be in much better hands than you were when you were younger because she’ll have us to help her, right?” He said, hopeful that Cael would agree to that point.

[caelxmontgomery]

OPEN STARTER (1/1)

"Heads up." Cael called out to the other person, whom he saw making their way over towards his direction. He called out ahead of time, as he had watched the market stall owner push out puddles of water that had formed on the overhead tarp, causing it to fall down to the ground. Whether he was in time for them to realise what he was warning them about, however, was yet to be seen.

[caelxmontgomery]

Sleepwalking was a new development, one which he had noticed a little while ago, as he woke up with all of the windows and doors in his apartment to be wide open, causing it to be freezing cold inside. Last night was no different. Yet whereas Cael was usually an early riser, he was now fast asleep while having agreed with Yasmin he would be ready for them to go hiking together, with her picking him up with her vehicle. In hindsight, he wouldn't blame Yasmin for having gone inside, with the sight of an open front door, but the moment she had stepped into his living room, the floorboard slightly groaning beneath her weight, he awoke, shooting up straight in a jolt. The sound that escaped him was indescribable, but would most likely terrify or at least scare someone enough that if they didn't know him, they'd be running outside. Upon recognising her, however. He let out a heavy breath, his shoulders considerably relaxing. "Jesus Christ." Cael uttered, completely unbothered by the cold. "What time is it?" @yasminxmoreno

[caelxmontgomery]

@chantelbedford here's the smile c:

Henry Cavill as Geralt Of Rivia (The Witcher. Season 3)

[caelxmontgomery]

"I've been through worse." Cael said with a twinge of a smile, able to remember plenty of nights outside in the park where it was raining or freezing. Camping outside in 'decent' enough weather worked out just fine. When Yasmin confided in him that her parents died during a house fire however, his smile faded. "I can imagine it did." Cael uttered. "I'm sorry." Yet the irony that the both of them had opposite connections to the heated element didn't go by him. She was terrified of it, whereas he was mesmerised by it. "What were they like?" He asked,shifting in his seat, leaning forwards. "If you'd like to share.." @yasminxmoreno

END.

"No, I suppose you're right," Yasmin smiled at Cael. It wasn't a popular time of the year to visit the seaside town but she never wanted to impose either way. "I'm glad that's still been decent enough weather so that you can clear your head," she spoke softly to Cael, continuing to let her hand move down the back of the cat. "I am, too," she nodded her head, "it's terrifying," she paused, "that's, uh, my parent's died in a house fire so," and the phone call she received both when she was at a sleepover and while she was at work were nearly identical. "It was a long time ago, but it brought up some locked up memories." @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

"I didn't mind." Was his reply, knowing very well the mind of those who wanted to cling onto something familiar, even though everything had changed. If he had a heart left to fall back on, he might've even had it break at the sight of the feline when he found her, but that was something to debate. "It's not tourist season, I'm sure you're not in the way." Cael spoke in an attempt to soothe the other's conscience, eyes dropping to the cat in the woman's arms who seemed to be all too happy to be back there again after such a terrifying ordeal. He shook his head when she mentioned Viktor, then stopped at the question if he'd been camping some more, which gave her an answer enough. "Just needed to ... Clear my head." Cael answered her, not ready to reveal yet that he had an adult daughter he didn't know of, even though he was desperate to talk to her about it. She had enough on her mind as it was. It was what had him headed to her house in the first place, when he had found it in shambles. "I'm glad you're okay." @yasminxmoreno

"She was probably just scared," Yasmin commented, "I promise she's never scratched otherwise and enjoys being held like a baby," she had been guilty of walking around her home, well her former home, holding Maisie on her back and cradling the cat in her arms. Yasmin's heart continued to swell as he unzipped his jacket more and Maisie crawled out and into her arms. Pulling the cat close, she went back to her seat across the table from Cael. "I think Nancy will be okay with it," she told him, "but thank you, for the offer, I will keep that in mind. I don't want to keep taking space from Nancy too much longer, anyway." And knowing insurance companies, it would be much longer before Yasmin found out what was actually going on. "Wh-have you been spending time at Viktor's? Or more camping?" @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

If anything, Cael was a proud man. Despite still carrying the weight of the hell he had endured while imprisoned, asking for help or showing any kind of weakness still was something he desperately tried to avoid. Though he had accepted that in the meanwhile, he was to use the money from his lawsuit against the city of New York, he didn't want to live off of it for every need. A job was necessary, but with his past it was hard to get one. "I'm actually looking for a job." He said, after her question. "I've experience with horses." Which wasn't a lie. He'd owned one after all, had a bond with it he couldn't describe. And now, he had no idea where she was. If she was even still alive. Would she still recognise him? "That is, if you have horses." He could've tried at the stables, but it had seemed too fancy for his taste. He had no patience for elitists, after all. @chantelbedford

It was easy to get distracted here on the farm, nearly every turn of your head there was a different animal to observe. Not that Chantel minded; it was why she was here after all. It just made it really hard to concentrate on conversations sometimes, and this was a great example. As she sighed, listening as the ducks squawked as they were chased by the dog she laughed, returning her attention to the other. He seemed to be a man of few words but Chantel didn't mind. She was a talker and would often find herself talking even if she wasn't entirely sure that the other was listening. It wasn't until the male asked if she was the boss of the place that she allowed her smile to grow. "I am." she nodded. Truthfully it wasn't her farm and anyone that knew the farm well knew that, but, she might as well be in charge. She was just as in charge as Charlie was in his eyes. "Did you need help with something specific?" she questioned. She assumed he was here for a purpose if he was asking for whoever was in charge. She could only hope it as something as simple as wanting to work with the animals, after the year they'd had she didn't want any new pop up surprises adding additional family members just yet. @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

All Cael did was nod, not surprised by his brother confessing he had known before. He could've gotten angry or lashed out, confront him about why he hadn't told him, but he already knew the answer to that. They hadn't exactly been on good terms, not after Cael had told him that he had to rebuild the trust. He wouldn't have told him either had he been in Viktor's position. "She does." Cael agreed, though he hadn't realised it until after he learned of their shared connection. "I understand." Cael uttered, then shifted his gaze back to his brother. "It's okay." For it was. It wasn't fun to hear he was the last one to find out about things once more, but if anything, his time alone in the woods had allowed him to process things clearly. "Girl really did draw the short straw, huh." Cael continued, even letting out an uncharacteristic chuckle. But that's when his expression turned serious again. "What if she has it too?" That's what he was afraid of most, and he was certain that with Viktor's point of view as his brother and as a doctor, he'd understand just what ailment he was talking about." @viktorpierce

Viktor was ready to dive right into Cael’s reservations, hoping that his brother wouldn’t have noticed that the news of his niece hadn’t been shocking to him. That hope was very soon lost when Cael pointed out that he could clearly tell that Vik had known. “I did know, yes” he answered, not wanting to hide that fact. “She came to me at my office asking about you. Very beautiful young girl, she even has our eyes” he told him with a small smile, quickly shaking his head at Cael’s question. “No, no, of course not.” He assured him, “I think I’ve done enough meddling in your life recently, trust me I’m not looking to get more involved unless you ask me to” Viktor explained. He was still trying to regain his brother’s trust, he definitely didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize their relationship again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when I found out, I didn’t want that information to come from me” @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

Cael nodded, glad that she wasn't disappointed with him for not taking up the mantel of father and stepping in to parent her. At her age, he doubted she was waiting for him to weigh his morals on her anyway. Besides, he had an idea that she had better morals than he had. If anything he was bound to learn more from her than the other way around. "If anything you'll be doing me a favour." He stated, which he then realised was interpretabel in multiple ways. "I got some money from my lawsuit against.. Uh.. New York.. City of.." He said, furrowing his brows, leaving out the fact it concerned millions. Lucky him.. "It's not to bribe or use against you, if that's what you're concerned about, but it's up to you." @phoebecarver

Phoebe smiled a little more as she saw the small smile come up on his cheeks for just a moment. They definitely seemed to not mind dark humor and it made her happy. "Yeah. I'll give her a call." See how much this was all going to cost her so she could start saving up for it. She needed to get insurance, but for now, she was paying for everything herself. Hearing him snort, she listened before shaking her head. "Hey, I'm not looking for a father figure. I have spent so long without one, so I don't need it now. And I know terrible parents, so I'm fine with being friends." She admitted to him. "I appreciate it, but I can't ask for any of that. Maybe advice, but everything else..." @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

Only when the redhead before him reciprocated his joke did he allow the tiniest of smiles to crack through his facade. It was no laughing matter, but he could appreciate dark humour. When she said she would get herself tested he nodded, glad that she at least took it serious. "I can give you the information of my doctor. She's kind of an ass, though." He uttered, still not fond of how she stabbed him with a syringe at the so called ambush. At her question on staying in each other's lives, Cael found himself staring at her, before something of what resembled a humorous snort escaped from the depth of his throat. "Listen... I'm no father figure, I'd be a terrible parent, so you're not missing out on anything there.. But.." He trailed off, brows furrowing as he was choosing his words carefully. "If you still want me in yours, we can start with being friends. And if there's anything you need, all you need is ask.. Advice, a place to crash... A better car. Just name it." @phoebecarver

A smile crept onto her face as he attempted to joke and to her, succeeded. "This may be a bad time to tell you..." She trailed off and shrugged as she grinned over at the man who was her father. She kinda hoped he'd get a kick out of it and maybe smile himself. "I will." She said before listening again and Phoebe shook her head. "I don't need to think. I'll get tested when I can." She watched as he took out a piece of paper and looked at it for a moment to see an address written down. "So, this means we're going to be in each other's lives then?" @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

"It does." He answered, perhaps a little too quick. Last thing he wanted was for her to think he was still in one of his bouts. "Pretty sure you're real and I'm not breaking and entering into a random apartment." He attempted a joke, though not even his own lips could curl up into a small, even a tiny one. At her question, he thought for a moment, his gaze shifting away from her, but then he shook his head. "Just... To get yourself tested." He answered eventually. "Just to be safe. I was around your age when I had my first symptoms, looking back on it." Cael uttered. "Give yourself time to think about it, I suppose. Then we'll see what's next." For her, for them. "And if you have more questions.. I'll answer them, whenever." Fishing out a piece of paper, he placed it on the table near them, his new address already written down on it with a thick pointed pencil. @phoebecarver

She was quiet as she listened to him and wondered to herself if she had experienced anything he was talking about. She was curious what he meant by feeling emotions too much or not at all. She was sure she had done something like that, but she thought it was normal for some days, but now, she didn't know. Phoebe's eyes fell to the floor as he talked about feeling as if his wife was haunting him. She couldn't imagine what that would feel like. "Does your medicine work now?" She asked as her eyes came back up to look at Cael. Once again, she was quiet as she listened to him and nodded. It was something she'd have to save up for to get tested then. "Okay." She took a deep breath and released it. "Anything else I should know while we're at it?" @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

At this point, warning flags popped up in all corners of his mind. It was unfathomable to him that she received the news as if he had told her he'd forgotten to pick up the milk from the store. But he remained silent. He doubted any of this wasn't real, and she was processing things the only way she knew how: with facts. To get a grasp of the situation before she acted. Perhaps that too was one more comparison between them. So he ignored the warning signs, figuring it would do him no good to fall back into old patterns of distrust. The fact he was sober and somewhat taking well care of himself helped with comfortably doing so. "It is. I got it from my father." He told her, which was something she was surely bound to ask at some point. He might as well give her all the information already, he knew he would want to know. "I think the answer to that varies on who you ask." He told her, not having one exact answer that could explain it perfectly. "Some say it's paranoia, some say it mutes your emotions or makes you feel them too much. But it can also just be something you have to learn to deal with on your own. It's like... Having to do your taxes, or having to deal with an asshole boss. Things that your parents or your teachers didn't teach you how to deal with. If left unchecked, it'll do damage." He told her, knowing that wasn't too much of an answer on its own, but he didn't have the scientific answers, because they told him nothing. They could try and explain to him how his brain worked, but they didn't know, not really. "I just know that at one point, I felt invincible and high, and the next moment I was at rock bottom, my own mind contradicting me, telling me things to make a situation worse. Hell, at one point I was convinced my wife came back to haunt me while it was her sister, trying to find me. It kept me from keeping check with reality, all because my medicine didn't work as proper as they should." He let out a breath, exhausted by having to talk so much. At her question on how to find out if she had it, his jaw ticked. A question he dreaded. "Well.." He sighed, rubbing his knuckles against his clavicle to ground himself. "There's blood tests and brain scans to diagnose. After that, there's more tests to see the grade you're in, there's seven, one being absent and seven being extreme. Based on that, they can treat it." @phoebecarver

As Cael started to talk, she was a little taken back. She didn't realize what he had to tell her was going to start with him talking about when he was seeing her mom. What he said, though, wasn't surprising. She knew her mom wasn't exactly innocent back then so him not being that way either didn't phase her. Plus seeing the guys her mom dated over the years, it all just made sense. As he continued, it was hard for her not to make these comments, but she did it. She even held in knowing why her mom was out of his circle and that having her had been the reason. If it wasn't for Phoebe, she would've probably hung around until the first sign of trouble. It was the comments of what he was going through that made her straighten up and her eyes widen a bit. Was he really seeing things? Hearing things? And it was to the point that he swore he'd never have kids? Her news was probably a bigger shock than she expected. Then the explanation came. He had schizophrenia. Did she have it? Remembering the things he said he saw and heard, she hadn't experienced any of that. She really didn't know what it was other than the jokes people made about someone being schizo. Could she ask him what it was? "You don't have to be sorry." She told him and moved to sit on the couch. "It's a genetic thing, right? So it's not like you could've stopped it from happening to you." She assumed it was at least. "What is it, exactly?" She looked up at her father and her hands found her bracelets again to play with as she talked. "How do I know if I have it?" @caelxmontgomery

[caelxmontgomery]

He hadn't meant to stare, watching the woman with the fidgeting child, clearly bothered up until he burped, her attempt to get the infant to ease up a successful one. He only moved when the woman seemed to address him, realising that he had been staring all this time. "Why apologise." He replied. "It's nature." Cael told her, looking at the boy she put back in the stroller. He looked little, very little. "How old is he?" The question came out, as if his thoughts weren't filtered before his lips moved. With the new revelation of having a child out there in the world, perhaps he was becoming more nostalgic about it, even though he had no idea what it all meant, what his new reality was. @ameriecelestino

Closed | @caelxmontgomery

Having stepped away from the crowd of the festivities a little, Amerie had picked her son up from the stroller in an attempt to help him settle a little more. Shushing him slightly as she bounced him up and down in her arms, before laying him over her shoulder to pat his back, only to hear him let out a relieved burp. "There you go--" She spoke lowly, looking over at someone close by with an apologetic smile on her lips before she moved to put her son back into the stroller when he finally stopped crying. "Sorry about that--" She said, "I clearly hadn't burped him enough poor thing."