#( leyla001 )

[readbentweenthelines]

"Were you just selling cookies, or were you a scout selling cookies?" Ben asked, getting the important questions out of the way. He laughed, easy and light. "There's no pretending, I assure you. I'm not a prince in disguise, just a prince among the people. But it's been rather lovely, I assure you. I'm having a wonderful time." And it was true. Ben might not have seen himself as prince material, but he certainly enjoyed getting to greet people, walking among them and chatting and making sure that everyone was enjoying the faire. And, for the most part, it really seemed like people were. This was the kind of thing that Ben liked getting to see; the events in town were supposed to be a good time for everyone involved. Hopefully, this one would stay fun, enjoyable. He stayed completely still, one eye comically cracked open as he watched Leyla aim the crossbow at him and shoot the apple off his head. He gave an over exaggerated sigh of relief, wiping imaginary sweat from his brow. He gave a wave and a smile to the crowd and laughed as Leyla headed back over to him. "Not so bad at all. I had the utmost confidence in you. Mostly."

"Ah, that explains it then. And see, now you're catching on," Leyla grinned as she raised the cross bow up again. A light laugh breaking from her lips as he asked his she was ever an actual scout. "Sort of? Selling cookies counts right?" She asked, fluttering her lashes innocent over at him as she thought back to how she had once been a girl scout as a kid. Back when she had been under the assumption that she was only human, before the rug had been pulled out from under her and her life had been completely flipped on its head. "And does a Prince now? Well, that's awfully generous of you, parading around as a commoner for a day. Are you having fun pretending to be one of us lowly people?" She teased some more, falling back into character as she turned back towards the crowd. "Are you ready to be entertained?" She offered up. Another laugh breaking from her lips as they received a loud round of cheers back. "I've always wanted to say that. Now, on the count of three, one, two," And then Leyla fired the arrow, nicking the apple off his head in one clean shot. "Well, what do you know? It seems luck hast been on the Prince's after all and that, Ladies, Gentleman, and however you choose to identify, concludes our show. Please give our Prince here a grand round of applause and, if you had fun, we are accepting tips. Thank you very much," She exclaimed, before she placed the crossbow back down and moved across the stage over to Ben's side. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

[thelatekuijames]

closed starter for @cantfightmoonlight (leyla) where: the daily drip when: sweet heart's week, start of the blizzard

≽·≼

The wind picked up with little warning, whipping the peaceful snowfall into a blinding storm within a matter of minutes. Kui pulled their coat tight around them and tried to get some cover from the long scarf wrapped around their neck, but they knew that making it back to Blush in this mess was asking for trouble. 

The lights were still on at the Daily Drip, but they had to fight against the wind to get the door open and were accompanied inside by a flurry of snow before they managed to shut it behind them. Kui looked around, catching their breath. “Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re here. It’s gotten crazy out there?” they exclaimed, upon seeing Leyla was there, before they looked a little sheepishly to the other pixie. “I guess you’re probably closing but is it, um, cool if I hang out here for a bit? I don’t think I could make it home through all that, even gliding.”

[waterfairyx]

Where: Alara’s home Who: Leyla Binici Tag: @swearonstars

“I’m telling you, she has her ex husband buried under her summer house!” She huffs, flopping down onto the sofa after she hands Leyla’s glass over. She’s of course talking about the old lady who lives next door to her. “And isn’t it just so convenient that her most recent husband left a decade ago and has never been seen again? You only have to look her in the eye to know she’s a bad egg.” Alara gives a firm nod, of course she has no real proof, it was entirely a conspiracy formed because the woman gave her the creeps. “Anyway, we shouldn’t talk so loud, she might be listening in with her giant bat ears. I’m not here trying to go missing like Bob and Eric.” 

[glcsshousex]

Location: Neon Nights Who: Leyla Binici Tag: @swearonstars​

“She’s not?” Jace frowned at the bartender who told him Logan wasn’t in tonight. The only reason he’d came here and stuck around was to grab some food with her and walk her home. A typical routine they’d established. He figured he’d just got his days mixed up - it was entirely possible considering he didn’t actually make any effort to tell Monday from Thursday, etc. Oh well. A one man food stop and then home, he supposed.  As he reached the doors, he stepped aside to let the burly crowd of women through and just about managed to get outside when he found himself staring right at a real blast from the past. “Leyla.” The name fell out his mouth in a quiet whisper, shock quite noticeable across his whole face. Years. It had been literal years and honestly, considering their familiar connections they both had to know there must have been some effort on both sides to make sure they didn’t bump into each other like this, right? Not because it ended poorly, more so just to avoid any awkward scenarios, such as this one.  “What are the chances.” Jace straightens up and tucks his hands into his pockets. Damn, those blue eyes, arguably the most gorgeous pair of eyes he’d ever seen on another person. There’s a couple seconds of silence while he tries to collect himself and finds his shoulders slouching the more he looks at her. A softer smile appears on his lips and he nods a little. “You look as gorgeous as ever, Leyla.” 

[oflur]

who: leyla binici ( @swearonstars​ )  where: lorelai’s flat  when: august 28

“ You have no idea how glad I am to see you, ” Lorelai tells her best friend the moment the door opens. “ My roommate broke the lease and moved out with no notice, can you believe that ? ” One hand is still massaging her temple as she opens the door wider to let Leyla in. “ No chance I can still convince you to leave your own apartment building, right ? ”

[pitymisskitty]

"I'm wise beyond my years," Kitty said, attempting to be sage and serious but coming off a little goofy as her eyes widened and she grinned at the mention of an entire basket of pastries. "Yes, please," she said. She'd absolutely take a basket's worth of pastries home. Most of them would probably go back to her apartment, where she'd use them to make sure that, if she accidentally went wolf, she at least wouldn't be hungry. "They're, like, so overused, though. And it depends on the model and year, really. Aston Martin's are classy as fuck, so you wanna do something classy." She thought about what Leyla said next, "While also not being sentimental, apparently." She shrugged. "Knight Rider and 007 are kinda... masculine, though. Which, like, if that's the vibe, go for it, but I usually name vehicles after women. My dad called his rig Sophia after one of the Golden Girls."

"Hm," Leyla pressed her lips together as she realized that Kitty may be onto something. "You give pretty good advice, you know that Kitty? And I'm going to have to get rid of all of them, so want a basket or what's the pastry equivalent to an edible arrangement?" She offered up with a shrug of her own as she glanced over at the number of sweets still on the shelf before her. "Rude! They're not that lame and okay Ms. Smartypants. What would you name an Aston Martin then? And, actually my first suggestion was Anata? It means Her in Japanese. The owner of said car may be Japanese and I thought the word could be fitting since its a term of endearment for those you like and an insult for those who aren't close to you, so if anyone they didn't like called the car by their name, you'd have every right to be offended in more ways than one? But, that got quickly shut down too. It was apparently too sentimental and that's when the you have three choices left, choose them wisely game started. So, Knight Rider and 007 were my trying to not be too sentimental options?"

[oflur]

who: leyla ( @swearonstars​ ) where: french chateau fantasies when: august 18

“ This is entirely uncharacteristic of me to say, so take advantage while you can, but we might actually need an apartment group photo of tonight, ” she explains, twirling a glass of champagne as she gestures at Leyla with her free hand. “ Because we look fucking hot, and this rental goes back at midnight. ” Okay, that was a slight exaggeration, but tomorrow. 

[akiss-from-a-rose]

Aaliyah wanted to be comforting. She tried to be, as she rubbed Leyla's shoulder, as she thought about the words that she wanted to say. It was just so fucking hard. She didn't have any real advice, no life experiences that could really compare. She'd never been close with her siblings. She'd never been close with anyone. "Just be there for her. And... fuck, you know, if you've gotta, then guilt her. Tell her that shit's hurting you, too. She's gotta see that. If she won't care about herself, you've gotta make sure she knows to care about you. Okay?"

“Mhm, sure,” Leyla let out a small laugh at the thought, knowing that she’d be right there with Aaliyah if it wasn’t for her being biologically unable to lie. “That’s true and she does, but it’s more than just stubbornness. She wants to torture herself for what happened to her and although I understand where she’s coming from, I just don’t know how to get it through to her that doing so is only hurting her more? I just I don’t know,” she let out a small sigh at the thought, the visible concern for her sister flickered across her face as she attempted to sit up only to wince in pain once more. 

[readbentweenthelines]

"It's been a few years," Ben said wryly. "Admittedly, I prefer the cartoon." He couldn't help but shake his head and smile, easily amused by her efforts. "Hmmm. I suppose I just have to trust you, don't I?" he asked. An eyebrow raised. "Were you ever actually a scout?" He understood what she was saying, though, especially when she reminded him of pixies ability to mimic. He gave a long suffering sigh. "I suppose I must simply trust you and do my duty to the people. If a prince will not walk among and experience himself to that which his subjects endure, is he truly a prince at all?" He relaxed his arms by his sides. "I'm in your very capable hands and at the mercy of your very deadly crossbow."

"Have you seen Robin Hood: Men in Tights?" Leyla suppressed a giggle, before slipping back into character. "But, don't worry, Your Highness, I am not Robin Hood. I am merely one of the Merry Men and this grand show you've wandered into is what I have been told is called a demonstration. But, have no fear. If we were to right some wrongs and loot your Royal Court, we would make sure to do it with utter most discretion. Scout's honor," She teased, giving Ben a salute. "Maybe, but what would be the fun in that?" She offered up with a shrug, lifting up the crossbow to take aim. "Wouldn't you rather rely on a little bit of faith, trust and pixie dust?" She chose her words carefully as if attempting to convey to the Coalition Leader that he was perfectly safe thanks to the fact that she happened to have mimicry and had watched over twenty different YouTube videos with people doing just this before coming on stage, without entirely revealing the gag to their currently gawking audience.

[readbentweenthelines]

Option A

Ben quickly stopped thinking about the historical inaccuracies of a Renaissance Faire once it had been agreed that the event would be replacing the Founder's Day celebration. In truth, he didn't particularly mind it; bad memories from the year before, the aching loss of a mentor that was only one of the losses that the town suffered and has continued to suffer from since. Ren Faires were silly and fun, and Ben knew just as much as everyone else that the town needed a bit of fun. Perhaps, though, he wasn't quite as certain about how a crossbow aimed at his head was supposed to be particularly fun. "I thought Robin Hood was a bit more discretionary in his thieving pursuits," he teased after the watch was handed back to its original owner, only to find himself facing down the business end of an arrow held aloft by someone who apparently didn't know how to use it. He moved to the X, but an eyebrow was raised. "Maybe you should practice on a bale of hay before attempting moving targets?"

@lunarcovestarters

Option A: Robin Hood’s Band of Merrymen Stage Show

Leyla knew she probably shouldn't have been having as much fun as she was skipping around the faire grounds openly 'robbing' people under the guise of one of 'Robin Hood's Merry Men'. Especially, not with what had just gone down recently with the break ins involving her fellow members of the Fae Court, but given how people seemed to be eating the act up, a bright and mischievous grin couldn't help, but break across her lips. "Your time device, dear sir," Leyla sang out, tapping a man in the crowd on the shoulder as she handed him back the watch she had just nabbed on his wrist. "You really ought to be more careful. Now, you," She turned towards another in the crowd, motioning them over to the red 'X' tapped out on the ground on the stage beside them. "If you could please stand here, and this is really important, whatever you do, do not move, cause I'm about to pop this apple on top of your head. And you see, I'm then going to take ye olde crossbow over here and give it my best shot, though I do have to warn you, I don't exactly know what I'm doing, so we're just going to cross our fingers and wish for the best?"

Option B: The Rusty Knife

Meena's eyes widened as she watched someone drunkenly throw one of the axes backwards into the crowd rather than forwards towards the target, quickly speeding forwards at the speed of light to catch the hilt of the blade out of thin air before it could hurt an unexpected faire goer. "So that was a close call? I think you're cut off. Anyone else want to try to kill someone today or can I go on break?"

Option C: Pub Crawl

"Huzzah for the tippers," A grin broke across Jas's lips as she took the twenty that had just been handed to her, fanning herself with the bill before she moved to tuck it away in the top of her corset. Grabbing two tankards of beer from the counter of one of the many stops on the Pub Crawl, she moved her way threw the crowd towards a familiar face. "Okay, I'm pretty sure I just made double of what I make on a typical tour off of tips alone. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I think I may actually be having fun?"

[pitymisskitty]

"A lack of ownership has never stopped me calling something what I want to call it," Kitty said easily, shrugging. "Name's are kind of for you, right? You give someone a nickname. You don't let them pick or choose it." Though, she'd insisted she was called Kitty from a pretty young age. The Kate. Then back to Kitty. But that wasn't a nickname. That was her name. She looked at the cabinet of pastries. "I will take a pastry," she said. "Whichever one you wanna get rid of; I'm not picky." She leaned against the counter, thinking. "Why did Knight Rider and 007 get turned down? Is it because they aren't cool? Because they're not bad, but they're kinda overdone, you know?"

"Yeah, see about that, the thing is, it's not my car?" Leyla explained, pressing her lips together as she flashed Kitty an innocent enough hint of a smile. "Do you want anything by the way? You're free to have any of the pastries you'd like?" She offered up, seeing that she was going to have to give them away anyways at this point. "Anyways, the person whose car it is happens to be very picky, though you didn't hear that from me. But, long story short, they gave me three chances to get the name right. I've used two of them up on Knight Rider and 007 and now I have one last shot. Batmobile is no go. I mentioned it to get a read from them and they asked if it was my finally guess and obviously I said no, because I don't want be wrong again. So, I could really use your help? I know it sounds silly, but I don't to blow the chance of the car getting a name because I'm terrible at coming with suggestions?" She admitted, though there was more to it than that. Leyla, being a changeling, had never had a real name. Not truly. The name 'Leyla' was one she had taken from a Turkish Soap after she realized the name she had been born with 'Eda' didn't belong to her, but the human her biological fae parents had swapped her out for and she had always wished she had a name like everyone else. One that she hadn't had to pick for herself while she was hulled up in a motel room alone and scared that hunters were going to break down the door and find her again. So, the least she could do is name a car and, judging by Kitty's expression, it seemed like the other wasn't exactly in a rush to leave the café either, so maybe she was also in need of the distraction?

[pitymisskitty]

Look, it wasn't that Kitty was trying to escape a family dinner. In fact, she consistently looked forward to those. It was nice to have her parents in town, even nicer to have a little brother to bother. It was just a hint of normalcy in times that were decidedly not normal. Kitty was just... dragging her feet a little bit. The last time she was home, her mom had asked about college and scholarships and taking an opportunity when it was readily available to her like it was in Lunar Cove. There wasn't anything pushy about it; though Kitty's mom could be pushy. It was just... Kitty had never wanted the college thing, and she didn't want to keep saying that. So she didn't want to go to her parents'. So, apparently, that meant helping name a car. She shrugged, sipping the dregs of her drink. "Name it what you want? Who's stopping you? You can call it whatever you like, and you can tell everyone that's it's name, and it's gonna be a fact, you know?"

@lunarcovestarters

"If you were going to name a car what would you name it? Because you see I was given only one more chance to name this car and I've pretty much exhausted all of my good ideas already like- like 007 or Knight Rider or the Bat Mobile, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because it really would be a shame if this car ends up nameless because of me," Leyla exclaimed, blinking over at the last straggler at the Daily Drip with pleading eyes. "I'll let you stay here an hour later even though its after closing and will give you a free cup on the house if you offer up a suggestion? Please?"

[akiss-from-a-rose]

"Me? A liar? Why, I've never lied a day in my life," Aaliyah said easily, as if she didn't lie as easy as breathing. Easier, really. She'd always felt like she had to. She had to. It was protection. It was compulsion. After so long, it was just second nature, something that she did for lack of an understanding on how to do something else. She was getting better at it, the truth thing, albeit begrudgingly. All of these people that she'd grown fond of seemed to be forcing it out of her. She sighed. "Can't really do much else but just be there for her. That's what she needs right now. I don't know if-- Shit, I don't know if using you as an excuse is the right word. She cares about you so fucking much, and that fucking stubbornness, It's not really letting her see reason."

"Liar," Leyla mumbled out. A smile finding its way to her lips as she peaked up at the vampire beside her. "Wish I could do that," She admitted, only the fae didn't have the luxury of being able to lie as much as she would like to say she was fine these days to help ease those around her's worries. "Good. She shouldn't be allowed to if she'd going to purposely suffer for no apparent reason," She told Aaliyah forthright. She loved her sister more than anything, but she also knew that Dilan's refusal to drink vampire blood had nothing to do with not wanting to turn. "Yeah, it runs in the family, but I get it. I honestly don't know how to either? I can try to, but I just I don't know. When Dilan sets her mind to something that's how it's going to be, you know? Not to say I'm not the same, but our stubbornness has luckily never conflicted until now. I just hate that she's using me as an excuse to continue to be pain, I guess?"

[akiss-from-a-rose]

Aaliyah hummed noncommittally, brushing off the concern. After a few hundred years, pain dulled. At least, that was what she told herself. That was what she always told herself. She hesitated, but the cat had been out of the bag for a long time; she cared about people, several people, and Leyla was one of them. She let the pixie rest her head on her shoulder, carefully wrapping her arm around her, and patting her shoulder. "Don't worry about me, kid. I'm coasting." She should save the worry for someone who needed it, who would know what to do with it. "I don't think she was given much of a choice," Aaliyah said, looking around the room for a moment before focusing her attention back to Leyla. "She's stubborn. God, so fucking stubborn. I don't really know how to help her, but I think you talking to her's the first step. Remind her she's not Atlas; she can't let the weight of the world rest on her shoulders."

"You may be a vampire, but we both know, you still experience pain," She pointed out, rolling her eyes lightly back as she made room on her bed for Aaliyah regardless. "I know. Just like how you can say that, but doesn't mean I won't still worry about you myself," She admitted, as she motioned for Aaliyah to come closer so that she could rest her head lightly against the other woman's shoulder. "That's good. I know she was refusing to take it earlier," Leyla admitted quietly under her breath, thankful that Ken had chosen to take her back to her house rather than waking up in some hospital bed hooked up to an IV herself, as much as she did wish she could see her sister and give Dilan the peace of mind she clearly desperately needed. "And I know. I just... I don't really know how I can help her? At least not from her. I just, I don't know how to tell her that it's not her job to protect me, you know? I think sometimes she forgets that I'm the big sister and it's my job to look after her?"

[akiss-from-a-rose]

"It's not bullshit if it's true," Aaliyah muttered, rolling her eyes slightly. "And I only got a few teeth yanked out. Any child with a rotten tooth knows the feeling. I was hardly in any danger. Fuck, I mean, I am the danger." Freeing Millie had felt more dangerous, really, and even that had just been rage fueled need driving her through it all. Fear had taken a backseat in those moments, even if she felt it now, nagging at the edges of her psyche, begging to be listened to. She moved to sit down on the the edge of Leyla's hospital bed, careful not to jostle anything. "Good. I'm glad you're doing better. Had me worried for a bit, you know?" She gave a sardonic grin. "I'm right as rain, honest. Don't worry about me." Her smile faded, though, at the mention of Dilan. "She was on an IV of vampire blood whether she liked it or not, the last time I saw her. She's... pretty fucking sick over what happened to you."

Leyla's brow curved up at Aaliyah's huff of a remark, rolling her eyes lightly over herself as she pointed right back, "Are you really one to talk? Last I heard you got kidnapped you and yet you ran straight back into danger? I mean have you even rested yourself? And don't give me that 'you're a vampire' excuse, because we both know it's bullshit," The pixie pointed out as she patted lightly down on the corner of her bed for Aaliyah to join her. "I'm fine, promise. I can feel my toes again and have been put on a diet of vampire blood whether I like it or not, so pretty soon I'll be walking in no time. But, what about you? How are you hanging in there? And Dilan for that matter? Is she still not letting the Doctors heal her?" She asked, a look of concern pulling across her brow at the thought of how her baby sister was torturing herself after everything they went through and for what?

[thelatekuijames]

≽·≼

"Careful!" Kui let out a squeak as Leyla grabbed their wrist, immediately on guard for any emotional transference that might happen on accidental contact. "I'm—well—I suppose it's not the biggest worry right now." They ducked their head. Leyla was anxious, but if they took that, surely it wouldn't change much? Might actually be a relief for the other pixie, if anything. "I'm fine, just chilly and a bit, um... really wishing I hadn't left the boutique," they reassured her, with a shaky smile. "Tea would be lovely, though, and I'll never refuse a pastry, leftover or otherwise." The calm of the cafe did help shake off some of their nerves. "Have you heard from the others, are they safe?" they asked, immediately considering the fae as a collective out of nervous habit. "Dilan, or Aiyla? Or... Ken?" The last name came with a confused scrunch of their nose and shook their head swiftly. "Oh, that felt... weird. I asked because I know you're together and it seemed considerate in the moment, but I don't usually express concern about customers, and I doubt he'd want me to." It surpassed the social norms of tailor-client professionalism in a way that made them feel slightly queasy. Attachments were delicate and they were very careful about forming them.

"Whoa, hey, get inside quick," Leyla scurried forwards, grabbing Kui's wrist and quickly pulling them inside as she flung herself forwards, having to use all of her strength to fight the wind just to get the door closed again. A sigh of relief finally broke from her lips as she locked the front door back into place, sliding down onto a heap on the floor as she let out another panting breath.

"Are you okay?" She asked. Blinking up at the other fae, her eyes scanned Kui up and down as if to check. "You're probably freezing. Let me get you a hot cup or tea or coffee, but yeah, it's pretty crazy outside. Sorry, by the way, about being so frazzled when you opened the door. It just was so hard to close it before and it's only getting worse out there. And oh no, I was, but now, I think we may be stuck here until whatever happens out there settles down, but on the bright side, we still have power for now and a fireplace and bean bag chairs and all of the coffee we could dream of and oh! The leftover pastries that didn't sell, so at least we won't starve for the night?"