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She freezes for a moment, unrealizing that it's almost been one year since they first slept together after she had kicked his ass in the ring for Alpha. Her mind had been consumed with thoughts of pack and what it would mean to lead that she hadn't realized they were nearly approaching an anniversary of sorts. Once again, the conversation had looped back to sex even if it had started by talking about his late mother. She leans up to steal a kiss, her hands touching his torso. "I didn't realize it was almost a year since we've been hooking up, should we do anything to celebrate?" It had been a natural flow of time that had led them to where they were now, they had simply started and never stopped. She had found family in the former Tiber pack and Lupo pack but she had something really magical with the Fanatic that had stayed with her for so long.

"Imagine being so stupid you lose the chance to get to know you," he muttered with a smile. Her parents were likely the height of stupidity but Lucas would never be more grateful to anyone else for doing something they likely didn't mean to do. They had brought to the world a she-wolf among sheep, queen among women, and their daughter surpassed anything that they ever were or were likely ever destined to be. The Gods blessed the most unlikely. Whether or not the pack saw these things the way the Fanatic did, Lucas believed that universe and its most powerful sentient beings were aware of so many things they themselves brought forth. Fate, Gods, manifestations of powerful emotions. He grew tired of preaching to non-believers, and he didn't wish to turn into the cult-members that had destroyed him, but while the Fanatic was quieter than he'd been decades ago, Lucas still prayed to the Lunar Lady and the King of Gods. Now he prayed that they would look favorably upon Flora if they weren't looking favorably upon him right now.

He stood up, hand coming to rest gently on Flora's cheek. "I came to you almost a year ago because you fought like chaos, Flora Titus. Wolves follow strength but I would follow you to the ends of the realm if you never howled at the moon or lifted a claw ever again... Luckily I don't have to if you have enough strength to let me borrow some right now." He grinned. "Thank you."

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A smile rose on Flora's lips and it was a soft "Thank you." that left her lips before she turned her gaze once again to her former Alpha covered in Cheetos dust and finger mashing on the Switch console. The unknown was quickly approaching with Lupercalia on the horizon but she had a good gut feeling about what was to come for the Wolves of the Lupo pack, somehow despite the odds and the divide that once ran through the Lycans of Rome, whether the outcome she had a hunch that they would be okay as long as they had the rag tag pack living cozy in their Hamlet.

Well, damn. Kayce hadn't exactly been certain of what he expected the answer to be. Maybe a simple yes, maybe a denial of wanting it. There had been any number of responses that had slipped through his thoughts. But the answer that she had given, he almost couldn't help the grin that spread across his lips. He'd heard the speeches voiced by Alek, after he'd won the title. And the many that had followed it. Each one had sent a shiver down his spine, even after all the years that he had come accustomed to violence. Death had followed at nearly every turn, yet maybe he had grown soft in the years he'd spent in hiding, in Rome. So hearing Flora's words brought on something of a relief. A relief that maybe he'd be able to experience what it was to be a lycan without having a war breathing down his neck. "I know there's no real voting in this, but for what it's worth, you've got mine."

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dousy things that are impossible to get over (50/?)

the way sousa and daisy smile at each other at the end of their time loop conversation

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― VICTOR HUGO, LES MIS

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Daisy Johnson »  Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 7.05  “A Trout in the Milk”  

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She misses those that she had been lucky enough to know and love but she knows she isn't alone, she has those that are friends and those that are pack and she knows life can take without remorse and so she isn't foolish enough to take what is before her for granted. She has had to reconcile with the changeling that she almost became and the changeling heart that she devoured to grow stronger that being feral is in a Lycan's nature, life isn't an easy road and she had to reconcile the beast with the beauty long ago. Violence is in their nature but they're more than the grim things they've done to survive. "I'm still ain't sick of it yet, no matter what happens -- it's pack first that's what the first Alpha who shown me what pack meant taught me." The Voice would have wanted Flora to find forgiveness and peace for the beast within.

Flora reaches out and it's the subtlest squeeze which melts the frigid ice that had grown between them. Eric had become rather proficient in burning bridges, maybe they'd long ago even convinced themself to revel in the burning embers, but relief flooded them the instance Flora broke the silent stalemate that had grown between the two. The Exile may have spoken first but with Flora, the Heart, they understood the implications of her reaching out and smiled. "You ready to go through this all again?" Lupercalia, another Alpha to learn and follow; Eric hadn't been involved in the Lupo then, they technically hadn't even been coined the Lupo pack last Lupercalia.

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Who: @conquestofuriel Where: Lupercalia

The last woof toppled from the balancing beam and Flora lifted her arms up in victory, she was getting free beers for a year -- All Fours had once been a haunted house when she lost her Alpha and now there were many friends who gathered loudly around the wooden tables. She felt pride in her heart for all that the Lupo pack had gained and far up in the stands, there was a hand placed upon her brother's shoulders and a light kiss pressed to the crown of his head. "I'm proud of you." Adatiel's voice carried on the wind to the shell of Uriel's ear. "Let's go get some beer folks! Whoop whoop."

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Chloe Bennet

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Who: @lycaonx Where: Lupercalia

She's told he is the first of their kind, that if the Lycans had a deity that he is the closest to Godhood that they have come near. Defeat is in her mouth but she's won free drinks for a year to drown any negative feelings in and she is happy that a woman is charge. She hears the future that Aurea has planned for them and she nods, has to give it to her, Aurea could do a lot of good and all Flora ever wanted was a positive future for the wolfs. It was a breath of relief to step back into her seat upon the council, she just wishes she could have made it past the first round. "Garlic knot?" Passing Lycan a well-seasoned pastry.

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Daisy Johnson in Agents Of Shield 2x17 Melinda

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Flora's dedication to the pack would not lessen no matter the outcome of Lupercalia, she wanted to move out of the shadows -- powerful enough to be near leadership but still so far from the Alpha position. It was a bitterness that could threaten to choke her but she had to take the waves of life as they came, had to roll with the punches and be grateful that they were still here -- as they had come close to losing everything many times before. "We're tough. I think we can achieve security, it's been too long that we've lived in uncertainty and underneath the heel of someone elses orders. Get it done Alder." Her lips quirk at his obvious digging. "We only consider the winners of Trivia night at all Fours. You better brush up for the competition, you represent the Lupo pack too."

who?: @serkanxulusoy | @adamoromerof | @floratitus | @romeoverga | @hearthstonc where?: the meeting house

^*^

"Call me crazy, but is it really necessary to come up with so many defensive strategies? I mean, don't get me wrong I could toss up vicious trap wards all around the city, but should I? Time is money, baby." Almost immediately, Alder throws up his hands and laughs boisterously. "Kidding! I like helping out around Lupercal. I'm just saying, magic is great and all, but no number of magical defenses can make a lycan population feel secure, even I know that much. And more people are moving here every day. From the sounds of it, we might see another boom after Lupercalia." Even when he sounded reasonable, Alder was playing an angle. From now until the end of the massive lycan pilgrimage, he'd have a closely trained eye on each member of the Lupo council. "Don't need to tell you that I'm sure. The next alpha will have a huge opening to fill. Any thoughts about that? They'd have to be well respected and knowledgable about the pack's history in Rome, right?"

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She is grateful that they are friends still, that no quarrel has fallen between their kinds and even though both of suffered hardship and lost representation, they have found ways to forge new beginnings. To rise and return stronger than ever, no matter who tried to crush them underneath heel.

"I want only the best for the pack, I feel stronger and more confident than I have in the past. When Lupercalia came around last year, I was in so much grief but afraid to lose my pack, I was willing to become Alpha because it seemed the only way to keep everything together. Life took an unexpected turn and we remained strong still. I want the best future possible for the wolves, whether that's through my leadership or someone elses."

Something small about Flora reminded him about Andromeda, the woman that he'd never really loved but that Perseus had such a comfortable friendship with. She had also been this charismatic and hopeful - someone people were easily drawn into. But Flora was wilder. And he somehow couldn't be surprised that an abandoned child with so little to her name had risen to such heights, not when it was Flora Titus.

"Maybe we all are," he suggested with a small smile. Andreas absently pat his hand once on his lap with a sigh, looking away. "I think there's a lot left to unpack but the important thing is there's no torn allegiances now." He looked back at Flora, pensive. "Do you think you'd be up for leadership? Like... bigger leadership." He gave her a small smile, one of the sheepish and boyish ones that he now reserved for friends.

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There's a sad smile that curves on her lips because she thinks he's being damn brave about this, her cheeks turn a little pink at what great heart lies underneath that exterior, it's funny sometimes the way she hears the pack talk about him is so different than the man she's become intimate with. She keeps waiting for that moment where he launches into the most wild theories, turns into the Fanatic and loses his sense but all she's ever seen from him is a wolf that she agrees with and backs up. Even when he peed on that fire hydrant last week, she swatted the back of his head after letting out a howl of laughter -- she rarely deviates from the pack and is use to outrageous shenanigans, always being the first to challenge the others to a drinking contest at a party. "It might not help much but you were lucky to have such a loving mom. My parents were never sober and when I left, all I mourned was what could have been."

It's why the wolves have always been family, come what may. The bite was a gift and she has never felt alone with the pack by her side, she only wants to do right by them. "That doesn't demand that much of my energy, it's been easy to love the pack. It's as natural as breathing or the moons call, what you're going through is important and does matter."

Lucas makes his way over and sits beside Flora, relaxing like he doesn't with anyone else. Marisol's loss had humbled the wolf like nothing in his life had ever done before. There was no escaping this grief and sadness with some cult brainwashing and Volatile aggro anymore - this was it. He actually had to sit with his feelings and deal with them. Horrid. Lucas wasn't too sure what he would have done if he hadn't Flora both as a distraction and as a steady lighthouse in the dark of his thoughts. He didn't want to let her down or disappoint her - that kept him afloat, that kept him civil. "Been through this before and I was just a kid then," he replied with a forced smile. "If I could survive it then I'll survive it now." No immediate joke - at least not with her. A sigh. "It helps I'm not the only one going through it. Got some mad swings in with Otsana by the woods... Pretty sure now we have enough lumber cut down to last the pack a decade." He smiled for real briefly.

"... But, seriously, Flora. All things considered, it's not me I'm worried about. I'm just a beta worrying about my own feelings while you're working to worry about absolutely everyone's." He gave her a prideful but inquisitive look; he was fiercely determined to see Flora shining on top, just as she deserved, but he wondered if she had any reservations about what was to come.

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Sorrow touches her on occasion when she looks at him, pain from regrets and like a ghost she can feel his claws open the skin on her throat. Sometimes love isn't fully present or it's not enough or we're more capable of wounding each other than should be, maybe they kept more demons than was fully acknowledge, either way it was a clash of two that shouldn't have been together and ended in a bloody mess. She wasn't as good enough to chase where she wasn't wanted, she remembers the day at the beach where she said she hated him and wished him dead and the happiness that he had found with others that she couldn't provide, he brings her heartbreak even still and yet they're pack -- they're pack and they have deep ties so she might as well tread the high water and try to find the good. Her mind is spinning and so she takes the rolled joint and inhales, feels the smoke coils in her lungs and tries to keep it in as long as possible -- a process that distracts her from all the history. "I couldn't get rid of you if I tried." A sly sideways smile grows on her face and she's teasing, she's smoking his joint and they might even be friends now. She points to a metaphysical table at the beginning of the market. "Well you know what they say about crystals and Serkan." a wink follows her words.

The guilt he felt for what he did to Flora always resurfaced from the repressed corner of his mind whenever he saw her, the scars on her throat that were his doing.“Oh it was great,” Lain remarked, his smile grim, “Up until when I tried to kill you.” Truly it was a testament to Flora’s character that she had worked so hard over the years to rebuild some semblance of a healthy relationship between the two of them. At first, Lain had tried to take the easy way out. He avoided her at first and when that did not work, he was openly hostile towards her.  Instead of trying to reconcile what had happened between them, he thought it would be better for the both of them if he just left her alone.  If he just stayed away, there was no way he could hurt her again. “I know I’ve said this before, but thanks for not giving up on me,” Lain said quietly, glancing over at her. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out a pack of cigarettes.  He opened the carton, pulling out one of the joints he had rolled and placed amongst the tobacco.  “You’re in luck,” He lifted the joint to his lips, cupping his hands around the end of it to shield the flame of his lighter from the cold wind. After a few flicks of the lighter, he managed to get it lit, taking a long drag to get it going before passing it to Flora. “Keep an eye out for any cool shit you think some of the pack might like.  I still need to find gifts for like, five people,” He exhaled the lungful of smoke he was holding, glancing over at the tables of various wares that were being peddled at the market.

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She can read it in the lines of Otsana's body, the way they hold themselves like a weapon, poised to strike and the snarl that is barely restrained for the sake of the fact that they have always been pack and both saw it as the importance of family. Flora sees it all play out on Otsana and wonders how they're not exhausted by it all, she has held anger like a conduit and it's done nothing but burn her out and keep the grief kindled tight in her chest. She hates seeing Otsana pull away but she knows the other wolf needs to process in her own way. "I'm not saying that we have to partner with the Senate, we have our own world here but Rome has seen us as nothing but beasts for too long and we're more than that. I think we can prove how strong we are without the means of violence." She knows its what the Voice would want but to say so would just wound. "I want to become Alpha."

Otsana stared at Flora, taking in the other lycan's words. A kinder world. That did it. Otsana felt their flame ignite, lip twitching up into a snarl. "A kinder world?" Their laughter was harsh and raw, "Do you think that's what the Senate is going to try to forge?" She moved away from Flora, needing to distance herself. They'd grown up in the Tiber pack together, had seen so much. But Flora was gentle, and while she had done great things for the pack - Otsana turned back towards her, eyes searching "Are you saying you want to become Alpha?"

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He asked her directly and she can't help the sideways smile that bloomed, she knows Alek will be okay, she'd rather take him as a gamer boy than the wolf that cried for violence at every turn. "Whenever I think about it.. that ol' line from Spiderman comes to me, some are born with greatness, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. When my Alpha died and we lost.. so much." A heavy breath as those days were dark and they were stripped of everything. "The pack that I knew had heart, I was so scared of losing them completely and becoming violent like the Arno had a reputation of being. I was willing to become Alpha because I would have done anything to keep my family together, I feared the position. I want it so badly this time around that losing scares me, it's different. The wolves of Rome are finally together and I want to help bring us into a kinder future, I feel like we've all been through hell and back that we deserve good."

The idiotic grin that had become Kayce's signature easily slipped back onto his lips, mainly because the image conjured in his head was hilarious. How ridiculous he would look with eight fucking eyes all blinking as fast as they could. But also, because he really liked Flora. He wouldn't tell the rest of them, but she had easily become his favorite in the pack. Aside from Alek... maybe. The former alpha would understand. "So you're going for it, right? The whole alpha bit," because something about the pack screamed that they needed someone like Flora.