#Gold jewelry in Chicago

[sgjeweler1]

If you have your heart set on engagement rings in Chicago, ILthat are vintage-inspired, stunning, and unique, pearl and ruby rings are the ideal choices for you. Since pearls are so delicate, make sure that your setting is secure and opt for a bezel, prong, or pave setting that can keep your gemstones safe.

[arthistoryanimalia]

#TwoForTuesday :

Ear Ornaments with Ibis Inca: Ica Valley, Peru south coast, 1200-1450 Gold w/ garnet inlay a: 3.5 × 4.6 cm (1 3/16 × 1 13/16 in.) b: 3.2 × 4.5 cm (1 1/4 × 1 3/4 in.) The Art Institute of Chicago 1955.2594 a-b

[afrohemien]

Dreaming up a new collection of small batch and intentionally crafted jewelry 😌. In the meantime shop our 30% off winter sale as we prepare for our new arrivals ✨. Visit Afrohemien.com to shop the collection. : : : : #afrohemien #brassjewelry #chicago #fulani #winterstyle #womanowned #fashion #blackgirlluxury #softlife #blkcreatives #culturecon #shoplocal #statementjewelry #forwomenbywomen #blackgirlstravel #naturalhair #gold #bohemian #jewelry #blackgirlmagic #afro #blackisbeautiful #blackfashion #egyptian #blackqueen #blacklove #blackwoman #blackowned #buyblack #afrocentric (at Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoYBt9ZuoiB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jewelryeuropean]

Our Guide to Shop Gold and Silver Bullions

One can't go wrong when investing in gold or silver bullion since it helps in diversifying your portfolio and, at the same time protects you from uncertainties in the economy. Even as an amateur investor, knowing the basics of buying gold and silver gives an edge in making informed decisions. In this all-rounded tutorial, we will walk you through all there is to know if you are considering to buy gold bullions. We will tackle the benefits, types, considerations during purchase, and storage opportunities for such bullions.

Benefits of Investment in Gold and Silver Bullions

Diversification:

Therefore, gold and silver bullions are a hedge against both inflation and economic instability and could be immensely helpful to any investment portfolio. Stock and bond prices are mainly driven by changing market conditions; however, precious metals almost always retain their value as compared to diamond jewelry in Chicago.

Tangible Asset:

Bullions are very literal physical assets that a person can hold in their hands. Thus, they offer a sense of security and stability. They do not bear the risks associated with paper investments and can hold their value when the economy turns sour.

Liquidity:

Gold and silver bullions are globally recognized and thus traded commodities; hence, you can easily sell or buy them in any market around the globe. This feature gives liquidity to these metals and makes them flexible for investment in comparison to diamond jewelry online.

Type of Gold and Silver Bullions

Gold Bullions:

The bullions may come in various forms, such as bars and coins. Gold bars range from small grams to large kilogram bars. Gold coins can be in standard weights such as one-ounce weight. Some of the very famous gold bullion coins include the American Gold Eagle, Canadian Maple Leaf, and South African Krugerrand.

Silver Bullions:

Silver is also minted into bars and coins, both fractional ounces and larger kilogram bars. Besides, coins such as the United States Silver Eagle, Canadian Maple Leaf, and the Silver Philharmonic of Austria are widely collected by coin collectors and significant investment vehicles.

Considerations for Buying

Purity:

Fineness refers, therefore, to a measure expressing the purity of gold and silver bullions. The higher the fineness, the greater the concentration of the precious metal. Gold bullions usually are 99.99%, while silver ranges from .99% to .9999%.

Authenticity:

While buying bullions, ensure that it comes from reputed sellers or mints that provide certification of authenticity. Hallmark stamps and certifications by recognized authorities like the LBMA or the Royal Canadian Mint are a few markers one must look out for.

Market Prices

Prices of gold and silver fluctuate due to geopolitical events, supply, demand, and economic situations. Monitor market trends to buy your bullions during price plunges and realize better value for money.

Storage and Security

Home Storage:

Some investors like storing bullions at home, and for this, one needs to have a safe or vault that is very secure. Ensure protection at your place of storage from theft and natural disasters. You may want to buy some insurance for that added sense of security.

Professional Storage

You can store bullions in professional vaulting facilities or even in a bank's safe deposit box. Such facilities charge a fee for the enhanced security given by them, which includes surveillance and sometimes even insurance coverage.

Conclusion:

Why Choose European Jewelry?

If one wants to invest in gold and silver bullions, then it is a company entrusted to provide quality precious metals: European Jewelry, one of the leading jewelry stores in Chicago. Having built a sterling record in excellence and reliability, European Jewelry offers different gold and silver bullion products—bars and coins alike—from famous mints and suppliers worldwide. Each bullion is meticulously manufactured and guaranteed for purity and genuineness, thus inspiring confidence and peace of mind in investors. It could be the seasoned investor or the first-time buyer of precious metals; European Jewelry's customer satisfaction criterion and ethical business policy make them one of the favored options for gold and silver bullions. They also offer an investment portfolio that has been diversified to stand time with its precious metals. Explore their collection today by opening an account—start investing now. Visit us at https://europeanj.com/.

Original Source:

[thebearer]

some carm + jewelry thoughts after reading your blurb about his dangling chain:

-he buys you a gold anklet with a “c” charm on it so he can watch it dangle when he puts your legs up on his shoulders to fuck you

-he has a signet ring embossed with a design (maybe a bear? st anthony? family crest?) and he turns it so the design is facing inwards and he spanks you so it leaves a brand on your ass

-after the big checks start coming in he buys you an exorbitantly expensive necklace and fucks you with nothing else on

omfggggg smut ahead minors dni 18+ but i have to elaborate

ok number one the anklet???? yes. yes. yes.

you mention wanting one, sorta in passing, and carmen's like weirdly adamant about you getting one lol??? you don't really understand why but he shows up a few days later with one you'd shown him online, except it has an embellishment. a tiny 'c'.

carmen's kinda blushy about it but you're beaming and squealing and just smothering him in affection bc it was so cute and sweet, and he really was too!!

then you quickly realize why carmen likes the anklet so much when he's putting it on you, then your legs are up in the air thirty minutes later as a "thank you".

your heels are digging into his shoulders, and normally his eyes are on you solely when he's fucking you especially like this. but you keep catching him staring at your anklet, fucking you hard, gripping your claves while he watches it bounce lightly.

maybe it's the thought that he has a sorta mark on you now. wherever you go, you've got something that symbolizes your his- that he's yours.

it was his grandfathers, then mikey's, and then his. mikey gave it to him when carmen went to new york because "you're a big shot now. need the ring to match since you're gonna be goin' to all that fancy shit, carm."

the ring was gold with a black onyx surface, a gold encrusted 'B' in old english font laid on top so it stood up. carmen didn't wear it often, didn't want to lose it or damage it, but every now and then- on date night, mainly, he'd wear it.

and you loved it.

the chain, nice outfit, plus pinky ring? you were drooling. watching him grab the door handle, cut your food, hold your hand in the car. you couldn't help yourself. he knew you couldn't either. it's why when you got home, he just nodded and you were over his lap.

carmen would take his time pushing up your dress, letting his hand glide over the small of your back, down your exposed cheeks, smug at the way you shuddered in excitement. he'd turn the ring around so the etched side was inwards, cracking his hand down on your ass over and over.

you'd squirm and mewl, gripping onto his legs or the sheets. carmen would just stare, mesmerized by the faint emblem showing on your skin only for a flash before fading.

the bear had made the chicago tribune after a raving review from a lifestyle travel influencer posted a video on the menu and it went wild. you were booked a year out, a waitlist a mile long, a million newspapers, magazines, and interviewers wanting a chance to write about the bear. it was buzzing around chicago, and carmen couldn't be happier. or busier.

he felt bad that with the newfound press, he'd been busy. you'd always been understanding but still, he felt bad, heart breaking every time your shoulders would fall when he said he had to work.

the two of you had just moved into the brownstone. you spent your days decorating and unboxing, showing him swatches of paint that you'd mull over for hours.

"carm, which one looks better?" you'd ask, turning around to see him standing there. only this time, he wasn't empty handed.

the infamous teal bag in hand, grinning at you proudly. "what's this?"

"a gift." carmen shrugged, pulling you over to the couch, setting you between his thighs.

you hummed, unraveling the tiny box. "you really didn't have to get me- oh my god." you were expecting a tiny piece of jewelry, not the dazzling strand of diamonds that sat on the tennis bracelet.

"carmen." you gaped, snapping the box shut, holding it against your chest. "how-how much was this?"

"doesn't matter." carmen shrugged, prying it gently out of your grasp. "let me put it on you. i wanted to get you somethin'. the restaurant is doin'... great. and ya know, i couldn't do it without you baby."

you pressed him about the price, but carmen waived it off. you knew he'd been making money- your new house and car told you that, but the kind of money to casually get gifts at tiffany's? it was new to you. a splurge still, but one that you treasured.

carmen left the necklace on, hips rolling while he fucked you in front of the fireplace, right on the new rug. he wanted to take a picture of the moment, watching you ride him, your head tipped back, diamonds sparkling still even in the low glow of the fire.

[richarlotte]

more things you swear by?

Japanese Lingerie.

I swear by Japanese lingerie, especially if you love detailed sets. My body doesn’t suit American-made lingerie now that I’ve lost so much weight, and I learned about Japanese lingerie from r/abrathatfits on my journey to find what suited me. The bras are forward projecting and give me a much better side view. I love buying matching lingerie sets, and the sets I usually go for are lacy and intricate; they’re incredibly well priced for the quality they are, and they fit me the way I like my sets to fit me. Buying lingerie is extremely feminine to me, and I love finding sets that complement my body. I’m still not as secure in my new body as I’d like to be, and good lingerie makes me feel beautiful again.

French Tips.

French tips are my go-to. They look good, they’re low maintenance, they’re universally acceptable, and they look clean. When done right, they make my hands look longer and thinner than they are, and I love that with a thinner white line, they look and feel delicate. I mostly do French mani-pedis; it’s a habit I got into when I first went to Chicago, and it’s served me well, so I doubt I’ll ever stray from it. The nail salon combo is widely accepted to be DND865 and DND473, and I do an acrylic overlay on top of my natural nails, keep an oval shape, and request a thin tip if I’m not doing BIAB again. I won’t get into the acrylic vs. BIAB debate at the moment, but I will say that when properly done, BIAB looks amazing, is better for helping you retain length, and it lasts longer than acrylic while looking better.

Classic Makeup and Flicky Layered Hair.

I love styling my hair and doing my makeup; it’s like a reward for waking up in the morning. I get to sit down, make myself pretty, and enjoy the entire process. I figured it was time to update my skincare and makeup routines once again, so I took the time to start watching makeup tutorials (Uma Jammeh, amazing) and using what products I already have to adapt certain looks to my face. As for hair, I’m obsessed with Sarmadina de Beaute as of late and layers. I think my hair looks best with heavy, flicky layers (Remington curls) if I don’t have the time to do a blowout, and I’ve really embraced the process of both finding styling inspiration and actually doing my hair. I found my ultimate inspiration the other day, ordered hair immediately, and cut and styled one of my synthetic wigs to get the look in the interim, and I’m smitten.

Minimal Jewelry.

I’ve always worn minimal jewelry; I’m a major fan of Cartier, and I’ve curated a small collection that I wear nearly every day. I love accessorizing, but I don’t like wearing a million things that have no meaning; I prefer to only wear things I love or things that have a story behind them. Gold is my metal and diamonds are my jewel. I prefer this combo over all of the other combos I’ve seen or worn before, but I also occasionally wear mother of pearl when the time is right. I dislike being weighed down by poorly made pieces; I think jewelry can be used as a statement (when needed), and putting thought into what I wear and what I want my jewelry to say has saved me a lot of misery. With the exception of my charm necklace or lavaliere necklace, I try to wear the same sets every day.

Lymphatic Massages and Red Light Therapy.

Now that it’s November and the weather is soon to turn cold again, I’m much more focused on cardio and my diet. Because I’ve filled my weekday mornings with Pilates and my afternoons with the elliptical and stairmaster, I’ve added lymphatic drainage massages and red light therapy to my weekend schedule. I’ll be in Europe, on the slopes, in the freezing cold for the majority of my winter break, and I’m preparing for that now. Lymphatic massages are a lifesaver for me, especially during allergy season, and full-body red light therapy is just an additional benefit. I’ve also switched from studio yoga to hot yoga and from the steam room back to the sauna, stopped drinking coffee, and really started focusing on increasing my flexibility.

Tinting, Tanning, and Toning.

I love having dark skin already, but I do tend to go wild with the self-tanning in the winter. In my mind, there’s nothing more beautiful than dark skin against white snow, and the darker I am, the better I look. I grew up being told that I was too dark, but I’ve embraced it. I’m proud of my skin, and I love the richness of it, and I use tanner as a way to cover up the scarring on my body and contour my face. As for tinting, I tint my brows and lashes darker than I normally would in the colder months because they don’t turn over or fade as quickly. I never ever tint my eyebrows jet black; that color is far too harsh for my face, and I can’t pull it off at all. I use the darkest brown on my brows and jet black on my lashes. When it comes to toning, I spray my entire body with the Ordinary’s glycolic acid and let it dry after showering for the best results. I swear by it for clearing body acne and preventing any body odor.

It’s similar but different.

[sturniolowhore]

Introducing...

Rapper!reader

two separate au's where rapper!reader is with chris and matt (they do not overlap)

32 mil listeners on spotify, flashy jewelry, gold hoops, rich, nails are always done, grills, cherry red, always selling out shows, doesn't give a fuck if you shit talk her, pretty, funny, overprotective, doesn't know how to trust, could rock your shit, is sweet to you if your sweet to her, loves dr. pepper, lip gloss, has a secret tattoo, Chicago.

Tag: rapper!reader 💋

🏷️: @brookheartsmatt @strnilolover @slutf4rmatt @charlottee3

[carrie11]

Peacock Door | Palmer House | Chicago, IL

The historic Palmer House in Chicago has featured this iconic bronze peacock door since its opening in 1873. This world-renowned door is one of only three created, collectively known as the "Peacock Doors," and it pays tribute to the famous "House of Peacock." Founded by Elijah Peacock in 1837, the House of Peacock was Chicago's first incorporated business, renowned for its fine jewelry, china, and imported silver and gold gifts. The business was housed in the hotel itself. Designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the door weighs over half a ton.

[nikethestatue]

Happy birthday to my bestie, my mate, my Elriel sister @tswaney17

I wouldn't have joined this fandom without her. So if anything, blame her! Jokes aside, I hope you have a marvelous year and meet your own stranger in the night. Please enjoy!

One shot

Summary: Elain Archeron is celebrating her birthday and happens to meet an enigmatic and mysterious stranger who upends her world

She smoothed her black bodysuit over her hips, though it wasn’t wrinkled and then tousled her hair, in what she hoped, was sexy, beachy curls.  

Anyone else would’ve told her that she looked great—well put together, elegant, and not trying too hard. But to her self-critical eye, she saw a slew of imperfections. Hips too wide, breasts too large, stumpy fingers...She could stand here all night and critique herself, but what would be the point? It was what it was, right? Some part of her though, liked what stared back. The black bodysuit hugged her in all the right places, and paired with strappy golden heels and some delicate gold jewelry, she looked...nice. Not quite her 31 years old. Her friends always said that she was a ‘young 30’. She looked about 24. But inside, there were days when she felt 78.  

Oh well. Time to go. That’s not to say that she didn’t want to back out of her solo restaurant trip about 25 times today. Internally, she’s been telling herself that she is too busy, too tired, too poor, and that staying in with a bottle of wine and pizza would be just fine. Another part of her wanted to get out. Even if she looked like a loser, dining alone. At least it was a Wednesday night—not the weekend—so she could theoretically make up a story of being on a business trip. Not that anyone’s going to ask. But she needed that security blanket for herself: “I am eating alone, because I am here on business’. Yeah, that sounded legit. She was a successful, professional woman, determined and confident, and she was on business in Chicago.  

She grabbed her clutch and headed out.  

It was a warm evening by Chicago standards. The middle of April could be blustery or it could be blistering. You never knew. Tonight was lovely, actually. Trees were in full bloom—white, pink, yellow, assertive red, purple, even blue—bursting in flowers of every shape and size along the streets of her neighbourhood.  

Beatrice was a quint restaurant in Fulton Market. Or as ‘quaint’ as a restaurant could be in the bustling, hipster corner of the city. She only knew it because she’d come here before with her stylish, popular co-worker, Morrigan. She recalled how Mor wore a pristine baby blue bodysuit, sky-high heels, and a sparkling silver belt studded with glittery gemstones. Mor’s hair was a waterfall of golden blonde, which cascaded sensually down her back. Her skin was flawless. Her makeup was perfection, and her nails the right shade of pearl. When they were seated, all the girls in the party immediately rattled off a list of things they didn’t eat, were allergic to, and ‘avoided’. Mor announced that she was ‘celiac’ in a tone that implied that obviously she was celiac! And then proceeded to order bread. When the waiter told her that bread has gluten, Mor said that ‘she was allowed to today’.  

Back then, she’d ordered something called the Straight ‘A’ Salad, not wanting to tuck into something juicy and fatty in front of everyone. It ended up being empty and unsatisfying. But she still wanted to go back there, because the other items on the menu looked good, the vibe was nice and not overwhelming, and the drinks were inventive. If nothing else, she’d get her full in alcohol. 

“Follow me, Miss,” the hostess beckoned her and she scurried quickly between tables, wanting to be seated as soon as possible. 

It was nice. The table was by the wall, and she could see inside the restaurant and out the window. She laid her clutch on the table and exhaled. She was here. She was in her place, in her chair.  

She made it. 

“Are we celebrating anything tonight, Miss?” the waiter asked, when he approached with the menu. 

“Oh no,” she laughed, “I am on a business trip.” 

“And do you have any allergies?” 

“No!” she stated decisively. No. She is going to eat what she wanted. No faux allergies for her. 

The drinks menu looked a bit intimidating. Lots of things with Mezcal and Elderflower and words like ‘smoked’ and ‘hibiscus ginger kombucha’. After discreetly googling what kombucha was, she gagged and decided on a Lemond Drop. Safe and sound. 

The waiter wasn’t exactly impressed by her choice, but she didn’t care. Instead, she ordered Cheddar Popovers with bacon butter, and green chili queso for appetizers. It harkened back to her California upbringing, where things were less formal, the food less complicated, and the loneliness less acute. She suddenly and desperately missed her sisters, who lived back home. She missed the sun, tacos, trips to Sacramento and the simpler life she had back home.  

Sighing, she sipped her cocktail and looked around. It was fairly bustling, couples and friends chatting animatedly, drinking their complicated drinks and laughing. But...she felt okay. Not amazing, but okay. It was peaceful.  

It felt peaceful until her eyes fell on a singular, solitaire figure of a man, who sat at the bar, with a drink in front of him. The reason she even paid attention to him was because he was literally breathtakingly beautiful. So handsome, her breath stalled in her chest. Big. So goddamn big, it felt like he was sucking the air into the vortex of a black hole that he’d created just by simply...being. He sat, unmoving, in a sharply cut suit and a white shirt, unbuttoned at his neck. The other reason why she looked at him was because he was staring back at her. Big, bold, unflinching stare. Those incredible, luminescent eyes almost glared at her, and she wished she’d know what colour they were. The man’s face remained impassive, but he continued staring, even once she’s averted her eyes and squirmed in her seat. And now, all she could feel was his stare, following her every move. It was suddenly hot, and she felt her nipples pop like tiny Whack-A-Moles beneath her bodysuit. Served her right for not wearing a bra! Jesus Mary and Joseph. Well, her evening was ruined just like that. Instead of being at peace with her lemon drop and her popovers, she was not being scorched by the gaze of this absurdly handsome man, and all she wanted to do was look his way and see if he was still looking at her. While she didn’t want him to be looking at her. But she wanted to make sure that he was. Oh, god. What. The. Hell. 

She was on the verge of fanning herself, before realising that she’d be looking like she was having hot flashes, and it was too early for that. Her nipples were hard as bullets and she was forced to cover her breasts with her folded arms, just to maintain some sense of decorum. As she ‘busied’ herself with her drink, she snuck a momentary glance at the man. He was still there, but no longer looking at her. Instead, he was on his phone, and a deep sense of regret and longing washed over her at once. 

He was interested in her for 23 seconds.  

That was it. 

But she supposed that for the most handsome man in the world to take notice of her for 23 seconds was sufficient enough. 

“Miss, your popovers,” the waiter stepped up to the table, placing one plate down in front of her, and then the other, “and queso. Please be careful, it’s hot.” 

The food looked fine, but somehow, she no longer felt particularly hungry. She wasn’t sure if it was because the man was no longer looking at her, or because he was looking at her before. Did she want him to look at her? No. No, she didn’t. He was entirely outside her comfort zone, with his piercing gaze and his unnaturally good looks and he was definitely a player, so there was no need for all of this.  

On her birthday, all she wanted was peace and quiet. She didn’t need smouldering men giving her the death stare. Instead, she forced herself to concentrate on her food. The popovers were light and fluffy and crispy on the outside, and the bacon butter was to die for. Sinful, but so, so good. 

She sunk into her seat, enjoying her cocktail and alternating between the popovers and then the rich, spicy queso. She was still deciding on the main course—penne with spicy vodka sauce? Slow cooked short rib?  

“Miss,” 

Her contemplation was interrupted by the waiter, who was holding a drink. 

“From the gentleman at the bar,” he said and placed the drink in front of her. 

Her mouth fell open. Whaaat... 

Timidly, she allowed her eyes to travel to the bar and sure enough, there he was. Staring. A small, secret smile touched his beautiful mouth and he inclined his head just a bit. She didn’t exactly know how to act in these situations. Was she supposed to drink the drink that he sent? Invite him over? Go over there herself? Ignore him like a total douche? 

Okay, first things first. She raised the pretty coupe glass to her lips and tentatively sipped the drink. Sour and smokey, with a touch of sweetness and heavy on lemon flavour, this was definitely a whiskey drink. And she didn’t like whiskey. But for some reason, she really liked this. She took another sip, a bolder one, and then glanced at the man. He was smiling, as he watched her drink, and when she swallowed, he winked at her. Approving? Enjoying watching her? Smug? Pleased? She wasn’t sure. But she... 

“Ready to order, Miss?” the waiter was back, and she absently said ‘fish tacos’ which isn’t what she even wanted, but she was too scrambled to come up with a better idea. “Very good,” the waiter chirped, and before he disappeared, she said, “can you ask the gentleman who bought the drink to join me?” 

Her throat was dry. Her underarms were sweaty. 

WHAT was she doing?? 

She never did anything like this before? Inviting strange men to eat with her? Never! 

“If he wants to,” she added quickly and the waiter nodded.  

God, please say no. Please. Please god, let him say no. I don’t want it. I don’t. 

There he was. Moving through the restaurant like the Angel of Death. Dark and tall and slim and muscular. Jesus. He was actually coming over! Oh. No. Nononononono. 

And then he was standing at her table, how own drink in hand. 

“I wasn’t sure if Whiskey Sour was the way to go,” he said—his deep, dark, raspy voice matching his appearance to a tee. "But it looks like I did well.” 

She swallowed hard and then muttered, “Is that what it is?” 

Yep, it sounded lame even to her own ears. 

“Indeed,” he confirmed. “First time?” 

Somehow, this made her blush. A simple question, and a correct assumption, but for some reason, it was laced with innuendo. 

Their eyes finally locked.  

Hazel. His eyes are a gorgeous greenish amber colour, spectacular like the rest of him. 

He took a sip of his drink and slowly dragged the tip of his tongue over his lower lip, swiping the droplet and that made her even sweatier than she was before. Soon she was going to be sweating like a sumo wrestler—which of course is the most enticing look a woman could sport.  

“No, I’ve had it before,” she finally managed to answer. 

He smirked a knowing smile. 

“Have you?”  

As he was looming over her and attracting way too much attention from the females of the species, and even some males, she all but ordered him, “you can sit down!” 

He smiled again, that smooth, secret smile, saying, “I thought you’d never ask”. 

She didn’t know what to say to that, so she just watched him in silence as he slid onto a chair across from her.  

“Thanks for the drink,” feeling awfully uncomfortable, knowing she was not great at small talk, and completely out of depth with this man, she thought that this was all a pretty bad idea. What was supposed to have been a quiet and nice evening alone, was turning into...well, she wasn’t sure what it was turning into, but it was something.  

“You aren’t waiting for anyone, are you?” he asked, sounding curious. “I wouldn’t need to fight a boyfriend or something...I mean, I’ll win, but,” 

She huffed, and snorted a laugh. 

“So confident?” 

He shrugged, “pretty confident”. After a pause, he pressed, “so?” 

“No,” she blushed despite her best efforts to appear cool. “I am here alone. On a business trip,” she lied smoothly, grateful for having this little nugget in her pocket.  

He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, lounging comfortably. Suddenly, he said,  

“Nope. Try again.” 

Startled, she glowered at him, not knowing what he meant. All the while, as she squirmed in confusion, he casually drank his whiskey, watching her closely. 

“What,” she brought her glass to her lips and took a generous swig of the drink, “what do you mean?” 

“Only that you are not being exactly truthful,” he shrugged, and then grabbed a popover and swallowed the whole thing easily. “You aren’t here on any business trip.” 

“What?!” she exclaimed with indignation. “Excuse me! How do you know? What do you mean?” 

His eyes slowly slid over her bare arms, her chest, her neck, and again, she blushed like a fool, but there was no stopping her body’s reaction to this strange man. 

He was...enigmatic.  

“A beautiful woman like you, wearing something so elegant and understated,” 

Understated? Did he mean boring? 

“is not in Chicago on any business trip. So, that makes me think—if you aren’t waiting for anyone, and you are dressed up, then you must be,” he cocked his head, considering, “celebrating something? A new job? A birthday?” 

Most of his words rolled right over her head, because all she heard was ‘a beautiful woman like you’. He thought that she was beautiful? He? HE thought that?  

“What?” she asked dumbly. 

He chuckled, amused. “You are a little naughty liar, is what I am saying,” 

“You can’t call me that!” 

“Then don’t lie to me.” 

She bubbled her lips and finished her drink. Finished already? Shit. 

He noticed it too and motioned for the waiter.  

“Another drink for the lady,” he ordered. “And I’ll take another whiskey. And,” he thought for a moment and added, “bring us a bottle of champagne.” He looked at her and asked, “what are you eating?” 

“I think I ordered fish tacos,” she recalled, watching him in confusion.  

“Want to eat them?” 

“I dunno.” 

“Mind if I cancel them and order us steaks?” 

“Uhh...okay?” 

He did just that, telling the waiter that he’d pay for the tacos as well.  

Who the hell was this guy? He flicked his fingers and just got whatever he wanted. The waiter didn’t even question him! ‘Of course, sir’ ‘Whatever you want, sit’ ‘Right away, sir’.  

“So, is it your birthday?” he asked once the waiter ran to fetch the drinks. Literally, ran.  

“No.” 

His brows knitted together and he pursed his lips. 

Something about him and his look made goose bumps rise on her skin and she shifted under the table, crossing her legs. This guy and his unbelievable dominating bossiness were both scary, but also highly sexual. She knew that she was a bit of a submissive at heart, but that was mostly because she read way too many omegaverse books. But now, she was faced with a true Alpha. When they spoke of an Alpha Male, she suddenly became aware that she was in the presence of one. He wasn’t just tall, dark and handsome—even if he was a walking cliche with all of these attributes. But it was his undeniable, almost God-given natural dominance and superiority that she found so fascinating. And yes, so appealing as well.  

“It’s not your birthday?” he repeated. 

“N-no,” she bleated pathetically. 

He didn’t respond immediately, but only drummed his fingers on the table, and she noticed that his hands were scarred. Rather extensively. Burns, from what she could tell. Jesus. How did he get these? And both hands, too.  

“Lie to me again, and I will take you over my knees and spank that perfect bottom until you beg for mercy,” he warned, his voice impassive, his face unchanged.  

Her mouth dropped open and she thought that she was going to slide under the table and dissolve into a puddle. 

Was she supposed to cause a scene and slap him? Was she supposed to storm out of the restaurant? How does one reacted to being threatened by a spanking by a complete stranger? 

Also, he thought that her ass was ‘perfect’? 

“Let’s start anew, beautiful girl,” he proposed then, while she made silent gasping noises like a dying fish. 

The waiter arrived just then, and only that prevented her from fainting or screaming out loud. He popped the champagne bottle with flourish and poured both of them a measure, while also setting their cocktails down before them. 

“Don’t come back until the food is ready,” the stranger warned the waiter and the man nodded and left without saying a word. 

“What is your name?” 

She swallowed, but remembering his warning, she decided to go with the truth this time. 

“Elain.” 

“Gorgeous name,” he approved. “It suits you. I am Azriel.” 

“Azriel,” an exotic name for an exotic man. “Nice to meet you. I think?” she ventured and extended her hand to him. 

“Pleasure is certainly all mine,” he said, squeezing her hand in his huge, warm, powerful palm, watching her with strange, almost palatable hunger. “Whether you’ll receive pleasure from me or not remains to be seen,” he decided vaguely and she bit her lip, sensing that innuendo again and not knowing how to deal with it. 

The one time a guy was instantly interested in her, and he is a dangerous weirdo. Figures. Just her luck. 

He raised his glass and said, “Happy birthday, Elain! I hope it’s wonderful to you.” 

“Thank you. That remains to be seen, I think,” she said softly and they touched their glasses. She sucked the champagne quickly, and with a sense of foreboding and some kind of desperation. She had no idea where this was going, or what he wanted from her. But she wanted it to continue. At least for the duration of this dinner. 

“What do you do?” he inquired, dipping a chip into the queso, but instead of eating it, he held it out to her. She looked around, in some kind of futile hope that someone would save her from this, but there was no one. Only this stunning, somewhat insane man, who was feeding her chips and dip. 

“Come on, beautiful Elain. Open up,” he urged soft, his voice smooth and husky and so tempting.  

Numb, and only driven by the sound of that sensual voice, she opened her mouth and he gently pushed the chip inside. As she pulled it between her teeth, he brushed his finger over her lower lip and then brought it to his mouth and sucked. 

“More?” he whispered and then concluded, “more.” 

He dipped another chip and fed it to her again. 

“So?” 

“I am in marketing,” she answered, knowing in advance that hers was the most uninspiring answer in history. But she was more preoccupied by the fact that she was being fed chips by a strange man in the middle of a restaurant. 

“And you live in the city?” he asked further. “Please don’t even start with the whole ‘I am here on business’.” 

She sighed and admitted, “Fine, I am from the suburbs. But I work in the city. What do you do?” 

He didn’t seem too thrilled about her question and took his time eating the last of the popovers. 

“Do you really want to know?” he asked finally. 

“Yes, of course. Why not?” 

“You might not like it.” 

“Why wouldn’t I? What do you do? Kill people?” she joked. 

He smiled at her, but the smile was less of a smile, and more just a stretch of his lips. The smile didn’t reach his eyes 

“And if I am?” he wondered at last. 

She frowned and then it dawned on her and she laughed, “what? You kill people?” 

“Maybe.” 

A shiver ran down her spine and she gawked at him in shock. Until she dissolved in a flurry of laughs. 

“You had me there for a sec!” she wiggled her finger at him. “A+ for a perfect deadpan delivery! I am impressed.” 

He didn’t seem to be laughing, but he added, “but they were all bad”. 

She stopped laughing and nervously shifted in her seat. 

“Wait. What?” 

“You wanted to know what I did for a living,” he reminded her. 

As she processed his words, he just sat there, watching her intently. 

“Oh my god,” she exclaimed at last, realisation dawning on her, “it’s a scam, right?! You are one of those guys who pretends to be an assassin, or a millionaire, or in the CIA and then I fall for it, and in two months you’ll start asking me for money and I blow all my savings on you and then never hear from you again.” 

Shaking her head in disbelief she grabbed her napkin and then said, “thank you for the drink, Mr. Azriel. But I am not stupid. I appreciate the gesture—the razzle dazzle—but let’s part ways right here so that no one leaves here too traumatised.” 

He listened to her impassively and in the next moment, the waiter arrived with their steaks.  

She was hungry and upset, but she knew that she couldn’t stay here any longer and remain in his company. The whole thing was too bizarre and she didn’t want to get in trouble. And this man was clearly trouble. Or maybe troubled. Or both. 

“Azriel, I am,” 

“Sit,” he ordered, though his tone was soft. “You are safe with me. Don’t worry. But you did ask me what I did for a living,” he insisted again. 

“Well, when I did ask you, I didn’t expect for you to tell me that you are some kind of a killer!” she snapped, her voice rising. 

“I’d rather you didn’t yell,” he requested. “However, I wanted to tell you,” 

“Why?!” she exclaimed. “Don’t killers usually try and keep their profession,” she made a quotation mark sign with her fingers, “a secret?” 

“Normally, yes,” he agreed. “But, I want you to trust me and I felt that being honest is the best way to earn that trust.” 

“Trust me? Why? And,” 

“Because I want you,” he interrupted her and his tone was blunt, but calm. 

“Wha,” 

“I want you,” he repeated. “I saw you and you...well, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. And now, I am obsessed with the idea of learning what you’d look like when I enter you. What sounds you’d make when you come on my tongue.” 

At that, the big steak knife fell out of her trembling fingers and she wondered if she was having some kind of out of body experience. An ‘episode’? She wasn’t prone to episodes, but hell, there was a first time for everything, right? 

He shrugged, and continued like this was a perfectly sane conversation they were having, “Sorry if this is a bit unorthodox,” 

An understatement of the century! 

“However, I am not one to mince words,” 

Another understatement of the century. 

“And when I want something, I go after it. And right now, I want you.” 

She made a gurgling sound, but he ignored it, then cut into his steak, and chewed slowly.  

“However, you don’t strike me as someone who sleeps around or who is used to the type of man I am,” 

Was any woman? 

“Therefore, I wanted to build a baseline of trust between us. Like I said, you have nothing to fear from me. I am simply a man, interested in a woman.” 

He was anything but, but okay. 

“So,” she finally found her voice which was lost somewhere in the bottom of her stomach, “telling me you are an assassin is your way of establishing a baseline of trust?” 

He looked at her hand, which was clutching a butter knife, her knuckles white, and smiled faintly. 

“I suppose so.” 

She reached for the bottle of champagne, but her hands were shaking so badly, she could barely grasp it. Smoothly, he took the bottle and topped off her glass. This was probably the worst idea—to continue drinking—but she couldn't think of anything else. 

“Why don’t you relax and eat,” he suggested. “The steak is cooked perfectly.” 

“I don’t think I am hungry.” 

“Nonsense. Lay down your weapon of choice, dig into your dish and relax a bit. Have fun. It's your birthday!” 

He then raised his glass and mused, ‘what should we toast to?” 

“Me remaining sane after this dinner,” she muttered under her breath. 

He laughed.  

“How about ‘to the future’? Because tomorrow with you is worth every yesterday I spent without you,” he said and she almost choked.  

He couldn’t be for real.  

No man talked like that. Ever. 

“Listen, I know I could a little blunt, but in my line of work, I have to move quickly and I typically don’t get many second chances. And I don’t want to miss my chance with you,” he drank his champagne and watched her attempt to concentrate on her steak. “And when I said that you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, I am being honest. I saw you across the restaurant and you kind of blew my mind. It happens, you know,” 

“No, it doesn’t,” she argued. “Only in romance novels.” 

“Okay,” he shrugged, “so we have a romance novel beginning, so what?” 

“It’s not real,” she insisted.  

“Well, while you think on that, tell me when I can kiss you, because I’d really, really would like to kiss you right now,” 

“Never!” she shrieked. “Stop talking like that!” 

She desperately needed him to stop talking. Stop using that sensual, deep baritone to say deliciously sinful things to her. Because if he continued, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. She kept trying to shield her breasts from him, since her nipples were achingly sharp, threatening to poke through the top of her body suit. And between her legs—disaster. She was flooded. Every glance at his strong, powerful hands made her wonder what they’d feel like between her thighs. What his soft lips would taste like if he did get that kiss from her. And every word he said just made her wetter and wetter. She feared she’d have a stain on her clothes once she got up from her seat, and the thought alone was mortifying.  

“I think you should let me kiss you,” he insisted, watching her intently. 

“No, I am not kissing you!” 

God, this steak was good!  

“How about this then,” he proposed slowly, “I scoot closer to you, and you let me play with your clit, while you eat, and then you come all over my hand. I pay the bill and we go to my place and I’ll continue making you come. Because all I want to do right now is kiss every inch of your porcelain skin, and fuck your soft, lovely mouth and watch my dick disappear between those rosy lips. And then you’ll come on my dick in your perfect pussy and ask for more, while screaming my name. And if you let me, I’ll fuck that gorgeous ass as well and will make you come from that as well. And then you’ll sleep in my arms and in the morning, we’ll go get breakfast.” 

She watched him in dull astonishment, her brain failing to work properly as she attempted to process his words.  

This really couldn’t be real. At all. No man, in the history of mankind, ever said words like these to a woman.  

Yes, he just sat there, with her perfect face and his perfect body, and waited. 

“And then you’ll go and kill some people at work?” was all she managed to say to his explicit monologue.  

She’s never been fucked anywhere, let alone her ass. So yeah. 

“Well, not at work. For work,” he corrected. 

“Uh uh,” she sighed. “And you are okay with me knowing about that then?” 

“Like I told you, I want you to trust me.” 

“Uh uh,” she sighed again. Then she set her napkin aside and told him calmly, 

“Azriel, it certainly has been an interesting evening. I thank you. I am not sure I’ll ever forget it, or you, but...I don’t think that I am the girl you need,” 

“All me to decide that,” he argued sharply. 

She chewed the inside of her cheek, before clarifying, “I suppose I choose not to be that girl for you.” 

“Why?” 

“I like my boring little life. It suits me. And you...you don’t suit me or my life.” 

She couldn’t even believe her own assertiveness. She was rarely like this.  

“It’s unfortunate,” he said sadly. “Forgive me if I offended you,” 

“Astonished, more like,” 

“Better than offended.” 

She got up from her chair and her knees felt soft and shaky, and for the first time she understood what ‘jelly legs’ were. She had jelly legs because of him.  

“Thank you for dinner. I better be going.” 

“I’d like to walk you to your car,” he offered. 

“I think it’s a bad idea. Besides, I am getting an Uber. I drank too much. Goodbye, Azriel.” 

She rushed out of the restaurant and onto the bustling Fulton Market, where there were hundreds of people milling around. Her fingers trembling, she got her phone out of her clutch and pressed the Uber button on the verge of hysteria now. She didn’t know where she was going even, so she pressed ‘home’ even though she knew this Uber would host like $60 at least. But she needed to get away. Away from here, away from him, away from making a bad decision. Very bad, terrible decision that she was yearning to make right now. 

3 minutes. 

3 minutes. 

Okay, she just needed to make it for 3 minutes out here, until the car came. 

She glanced at the phone frantically, over and over again, watching the little car move along the street diagram. 

Suddenly, a familiar scarred hand reached over her shoulder and grabbed her phone.  

“Wait! Give it back!” she demanded desperately. 

Azriel smiled at her and then typed something in her phone.  

“Now you have my number.” 

A text chimed, and he added, “and I have yours”. 

“We’ll never see each other again,” she promised. 

“We’ll see,” he said simply. 

Finally, Honda Civic! Blue! There she was!  

She bounced on her heels impatiently, hoping he wouldn’t do anything, and yet hoping that he would at the same time. 

Ugh. 

“Goodbye, Azriel,” she said again. 

He opened the door for her politely and before she folded herself into the car, he pressed his lips to the top of her head. 

“Happy birthday, beautiful. I’ll see you later.” 

-

Azriel ‘The Shadow’ Night had two problems on his hands. 

As he watched the Honda weave in and out of busy traffic, he lit a cigarette—an occasional bad habit of his—and inhaled deeply. 

Nothing that he told her was a lie. 

He did find her to be incredibly beautiful. And his attraction to her was instant and hit him like an avalanche. He’d never felt anything remotely like this before. He wanted her with every fiber of his being and know, innately, that their paths were crossed forever and for a reason. 

The only omission in his tale was that their meeting was not accidental. And that she was the target, who was his current assignment.  

Now, he needed to figure out how to murder her, while keeping her alive. 

[whatever-lmaoo]

Tag game👻

I was tagged by @flowersforbucky and @elixirfromthestars 🥹

last song you listened to? night moves- bob seger

silver or gold jewelry? Gold jewelry looks best on me but my mother got me this silver necklace so I’m gonna have to start buying more silver jewelry😂

do you have any tattoos? I have one on my right arm and I’m starting a sleeve on my left at the end of November 😍 if someone is interested I’ll totally show y’all it🙂‍↔️

piercings? As of rn no but I’m getting my ears re-pierced in two weeks and i would like to get my nips done🙊

currently reading or favorite book? I’m currently reading You, Again by Kate Goldbeck! It is such a cute book and the way they keep meeting without actually knowing each other is so zomaksks😍😍

a hobby you would like to try? Omg there’s so many😭 probably crocheting if I can only choose one, I wanna make cute stuffed animals but I also know that once I buy the stuff im gonna get bored😭

coffee or tea? Tea all the way🙂‍↔️

favorite video game? Im probably going to sound so lame for this but wii sports and Michael Jackson the experience, i hate that they stopped making wiis but thankfully my grandmother still has one😩

star sign? Taurus sun, Virgo moon, cancer rising

who is your hear me out? When there’s so many you can’t even think of one🤓 okay uhh either sergeant voight from Chicago pd or Cain from supernatural🥵🙈

No pressure tags🥹: @laurfilijames @hotdamnhunnam @sugarverse @buckys-wintersoldier @navybrat817 @elvenrin @thevillainswhore @neverthatsirius-jo @questionableratatouille00 @jolenes-doppelganger @targaryenvampireslayer @honeydewwboo @spaghettificationandpretzels @mrs-hardy-hunnam-butler and anyone else who wants to join🎃

[sgjeweler1]

Another type of ring you can choose is a birthstone ring that’s unique to you. These stones offer a sentimental and stunning feel and come in a range of gemstones that offer a beautiful shine and vibrant appeal. Make sure you keep your pieces clean by taking them to a professional to clean, repair and maintain them so that it looks new and shiny for years to come.

[arthistoryanimalia]

#TwoForTuesday for #BeKindToSpidersWeek: #pleasenosquish:

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) The Spider (L'Araignée), plate facing page 144 from Eaux-fortes originale pour des textes de Buffon (Histoire naturelle) made 1936, published 1942 aquatint, sugar lift etching, scraping, and drypoint on ivory laid paper image: 31 × 22.5 cm (12 1/4 × 8 7/8 in.); sheet: 36.8 × 27.7 cm (14 1/2 × 10 15/16 in.) Art Institute of Chicago

2. Paloma Picasso (b. 1949) for Tiffany & Co spider brooch, late 20th century 18k gold, diamonds, tourmaline, onyx (some sources list this as black jade) W 1.57 in (39.88 mm) x D 0.35 in (8.89 mm) x L 1.53 in (38.87 mm) 1st Dibs

[afrohemien]

Packed & shipped a couple of favorites from our extended Black History sale 💌✨. You can still get 20% off your entire order until tonight at 11:59 pm. Visit Afrohemien.com to shop the collection. : : : : #afrohemien #brassjewelry #chicago #cowrie #blackhistorymonth #womanowned #fashion #blackgirlluxury #softlife #blkcreatives #culturecon #shoplocal #statementjewelry #forwomenbywomen #blackgirlstravel #naturalhair #gold #bohemian #jewelry #blackgirlmagic #afro #blackisbeautiful #blackfashion #egyptian #blackqueen #blacklove #blackwoman #blackowned #buyblack #afrocentric https://www.instagram.com/p/CpdtaI6uw4I/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[jewelryeuropean]

4 Reasons That Will Make You Clear About Diamonds & Gemstones

When it comes to engagement rings deciding between a diamond and a gemstone can be a tough call. Your ring needs to be the epitome of your love, and for that, it needs to resonate with your vibe. Engagement rings and wedding rings & bands in Illinois feature a vast variety of center stones, which is why buying an engagement ring in Illinois is always a good choice.

If you have the perfect stone the rest of the elements on your ring will automatically fall into place. Whether it's a diamond shining on your ring or a gemstone filling your ring with its vibrant hues, what matters the most is how well it blends with your style.

If you are still wondering, how will you choose your stone, or if you will be able to choose it in due time? Here are a few things that set diamonds apart from gemstones (along with similarities) to help you pick the perfect center stone:

Diamonds Are Also Gemstones:

What if someone tells you that diamonds are gemstones? A lot of people have this notion, that if it's colorful, it is a gemstone, but that is not always the case. Diamonds are colorless gemstones that are way more precious than their other colorful counterparts. However, you can explore the best diamond jewelry in Chicago at the most renowned jewelers.

Gemstones Available On The Market:

The amount of gemstones available in the market apart from diamonds is insane. Finding the perfect one can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. Even when you are trying to find a jewelry store for selling your jewelry, you will find that every gemstone adds a different monetary value to your jewelry. This means that whatever gemstone you choose, will significantly affect the overall price of your jewelry, in this case, your engagement ring.

Gemstones and diamonds tell different stories based on their color:

Where a colorless diamond is considered to be in its purest form. When it comes to a gemstone, the color tells a different story. Gemstones like Sapphire, Ruby, and Emerald are evaluated based on their color. The graver the hue the better the gemstone is!

Gemstones are always the best choice for affordable stones:

It does not matter how hyped diamonds are, nothing can change the fact that they are too expensive, and not everyone can afford them.   Therefore, gemstones are always better, if you are on a budget.

Diamonds are durable, giving them an edge:

Diamonds not only elevate the price of the jewelry but also ensure that it is made to be a lasting piece of jewelry. Even gold buyers agree that gold and diamond together in jewelry can offer impeccable life to your jewelry pieces.

Whether you choose a diamond or a gemstone as your center stone, make sure that you are satisfied with what you will be getting by the end of it. Your engagement ring will always serve as a memory, it’s up to you to make it a good one.

If you are stuck in a vicious circle of looking for the top jewelry stores in Chicago, you must not have heard about European Jewelry.

They are your one-stop shop for exclusive jewelry and buying gold bullion. Get in touch with them to start constructing an engagement ring, that will serve as an ultimate memory as you grow old.

Original source: https://bit.ly/41gRUHb

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @mysticstarlightduck!

Character Profile Tag

Rules: Answer the questions for one of your characters

I feel like giving Djek some love <3

Full name: Djek Serun Kagura

Age: 19 in book 1, 23 in books 2 and 3

Gender: Cis man

Type of Being: Human, specifically of Amaranthi lineage

Appearance: Djek is a scrappy man standing at about 5'5". He has light brown skin, deep-set red eyes, and a black buzzcut about two weeks overgrown. He constantly squints because he needs glasses, lending to his shifty appearance, and he's missing a few teeth from a long ago brawl. In later books, his hands are covered in rippling black tattoos. He usually dresses in the fantasy version of laid-back chicano style, and can often be seen with lots of jewelry that may or may not belong to him and messy eyeliner.

Way of speaking: He grew up on the streets of a big city, and you can tell. There isn't a formal bone in his body. In my mind, he has a Chicago accent.

Physical characteristics: Elaborating on what I said in appearance, Djek’s most noticeable trait is his bright red eyes. This is the telling feature of the Amaranthi people, and his eyes are very vibrant even by that standard. Too bad they hardly work.

Occupation: Part-time thief, part-time locksmith. If he can break it, he can make it.

Family: Djek is estranged from his family, as his parents abandoned him to cut down on mouths to feed during a famine. His parents' names are Kali and Jedul. His older sisters are Kiva, Kana, and Avra. His older brother is Shon, and his younger brother is Vanik. He hasn't seen any of them since he was seven, though, so he's not sure which of them survived.

Best friend: His best friends and found family are Izjik Meautammera, Sepo Kaiacynthus, and Twenari Devaris. He considers them to be like sisters and brothers more so than any of his blood siblings.

Pets: Lord knows he's not responsible enough for that

Relationships: He tries, but he can never get past the talking stage, rip

Describe their room: For a large part of the story, he shares a room with Sepo. Djek’s side of the room is perpetually messy. Dirty clothes cover the floor, and the remnants of a half-dozen card castles litter every flat surface. His bed has approximately nine blankets and no fitted sheet or pillow. He likes to tinker on locks before bed, so there's a few screws floating around in there.

Items in their bag/purse: Lockpicks, snacks, spare change, a wallet that might belong to him, and ibuprofen

Hobbies: Playing (cheating at) cards, dancing, tinkering with locks, yapping

Favorite sport: He, like the rest of the quartet, loves to swim

Abilities/talents/powers: Djek is a sorcerer, albeit not a very powerful one. His best spell is his shadow summoning.

Fears: Abandonment is the big one. Djek has bounced from group to group all his life, always the weakest link. He does his best to make people laugh and always go along with what people say, as he believes any group will leave him to die if he's not useful or amusing enough.

Faults: Chronic people pleaser, consummate liar, terrible self esteem, always trying to be funny at bad times. He doesn't trust himself and thinks he's weak, so he usually just does what the strongest person in the room tells him to.

Good points: Unbreakably loyal, legitimately funny when he gets his timing right, has a heart of gold underneath his rough exterior, incredibly resourceful and creative. Despite how easily peer pressured he is, at a certain point, there are some things Djek refuses to budge on, like killing.

What they want more than anything else: To finally find a place where he belongs.

I'll tag @thecomfywriter @chaotictravelerrants @pluttskutt @tragedycoded @melpomene-grey and anyone else who wants to play :)

Full name: Age: Gender: Type of Being: Appearance: Way of speaking: Physical characteristics: Occupation: Family: Best friend: Pets: Relationships: Describe their room: Items in their bag/purse: Hobbies: Favourite sport: Abilities/talents/powers: Fears: Faults: Good points: What they want more than anything else:

[michaelasworlds-blog]

Sugar, Spice and Nothing Nice

~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 12: The Company You Keep

🚨TRIGGER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SUICIDE, MENTIONS OF 🍇 , SEXUAL ABUSE, MENTAL ABUSE🚨

Chicago, Illinois 1988

“You are so beautiful,” Desiree; a 17 year old girl, smiled at the girl she was babysitting.

The girl blushed as Desiree put lipgloss on her, “Thanks, oh can you not put so much makeup on me; my mom will throw a hissy fit.” She rolled her eyes.

“Moms, am I right?” Desiree rolled her eyes. “Babe! Get in here! Look at my masterpiece!”

Wes, the younger girl’s stepbrother and Desiree’s boyfriend walked into the room, “Look,” she turned the girl to him.

“Wow nice job Rae,” Wes took a closer look. “You’re beautiful Bean.”

Bean smiled at older teens then at her reflection.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hell, Present Day

“Do you remember your life on earth?” Bean asked, looking at her reflection in the small mirror

“Tell Val that he has to move the shoot up an hour for the meeting at 3,” Vox told Victor; his assistant.

“The overlord meeting?” Victor asked, writing on their clipboard.

“No not the overlord meeting, I’m not going anywhere near that shit show,” Vox replied.

“Hey!” Bean said louder.

Vox rolled his eyes, “Give me a minute, my dear.” Bean pouted in the rolling chair.

“I’ll email him right away, oh and Carmilla wanted to know about what’s happening with the Angelic Security System” Victor looked at him.

“What’s the rush? There’s no threat thanks to the princess and her band of housekeepers,” Vox chuckled looking at his phone. Bean let out a loud dramatic sigh, Vox rubbed his temples; “Give me that box and leave” he pointed to a dark blue box, Victor handed it to him then left.

Vox walked over to the demon spinning in his chair, he stood behind it stopping him from spinning; “What are you moaning about?” He looked down at her.

Bean looked up at him smiling, “Do you remember your life before you died?”

“What brought on that?” He raised an eyebrow.

Bean shrugged, “I wanted to know if you could, so I could tell you what I remember.”

“You sure are somethin,” he shakes his head.

“So did you-”

“Would you like to see what I got you,” he interrupted her.

She gasped, “You got me a present?! What did you get me!!!” She squealed.

Vox opened the blue box revealing a gold necklace with his name written in cursive, Bean clapped smiling; “It’s so beautiful!” He put the jewelry around her neck.

Bean admired her neck in her hand mirror, “My dear I need a favor from you,” Vox turned her head to him.

“Okay,” she smiled up at him.

“I need you to be a good girl for me and stop delaying Val’s work, I know he makes you mad; but you can’t keep harming the workers,” Vox smirked, holding her face.

“Well he needs to tell his slutbag employees not to fuck with me,” Bean said sarcastically.

Vox stopped smirking, “I’m serious, I have an important broadcast tonight for the show and I can’t have Val being a baby cause his workers keep going ‘missing’; cut the shit for 24 hours or I can make you,” his voice became distorted. “Are we at an understanding?”

“Whatever,” Bean rolled her eyes, moving out of his grip.

“Hey..” Vox gently grabbed her face again, she looked up with puppy dog eyes; “You’re in my chair.” Bean glares at him before getting up letting him sit.

“You’re a jerk,” she said before Vox pulled her onto his lap. Bean faced him biting her lip.

“Isn’t this a much better seat?” He smirked, putting his hand through her hair.

Bean blushed before kissing him on the cheek.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome back to ‘Ravin wit Rave’, we have a returning guest, Bean,” Eric pressed a button on a keyboard making an applause sound. “How ya doin girl?”

“I’m well, nice keyboard;” She glances at it.

“Thanks, Charlie got it for me,” He grinned.

Bean smiles, “Nice..so, why’d invite me here?”

“Well you kind of left me traumatized at the party,” Eric said. “I want the deets.”

“On what?” She smiled nervously.

“You told me that you devoured your step brother, I want the deets on that jazz;” he leaned forward.

Bean’s smile faded, “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that.. that’s not right-”

“Sorry did I cross a line again?” Eric covered the mic, whispering to her.

“No it’s fine I just shouldn’t have told you that, that’s not why I’m here, I ate them; but I didn’t kill them,” she played with her fingers.

“Oh..so the plot thickens..” Eric played a “gasp” sound effect. Bean stared at him with a blank face, “Sorry sorry I’m a gossipy bitch.”

“That’s ok, hell is full of gossipy bitches; but yes the plot is very thick,” she smiled a little.

“But does it get thicker than me?” Eric raised an eyebrow.

Bean laughed, “You’re annoying, I’ll tell you and your viewers something.”

Eric moved to the edge of his seat.

“This story is kind of sad, it’s not like scary stuff, more like I don’t know..”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chicago, Illinois 1980s

I met my step brother Wes when I was 10 years old, he didn’t really like me or my sister at first; I just thought he was an angsty teen..He was but I didn’t really care.

I think he had a problem because his dad liked me more than him…

I don’t know, but his mom had abandoned him or something so he moved in with me and my family. He was there for me, then he started dating Desiree; she babysat my sister. I thought I would be left out of everything since they were older but they included me in lots of things, especially when things at home got bad.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What’s the sad part?” Eric asked. Bean was quiet for a moment, looking at her fingers.

“The human mind is…complicated,” she sighs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chicago, Illinois 1995

“I don’t understand!”I cried, Desiree was packing a suitcase.

“It’s not a good idea for you to stay here anymore,” she was frantic, she wouldn’t even look at me.

“You said I could! WES said I could!” I couldn’t believe she was doing this. Was she jealous? Was she cheating on Wes? Did she hate me?

“I can’t do this right now Bean!” She got in my face. “Get out, now!”

I stood there, if she wanted me to leave she’d have to make me; “Where’s Wes? I wanna talk to him.”

“Fine,” Desiree stormed over her closet. I followed her, as soon as she yanked the closet open,

I screamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Holy shit!” Eric gasped. “She killed him?!”

Bean shakes her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

🚨TRIGGER WARNING:MENTIONS OF SUICIDE🚨

(Skip bold font if not comfortable)

“He took his own life” Desiree handed me a note he had written.

It read:

I’m so tired.

“This makes no sense,” was all I could say. “Wes wouldn’t-”

“Wes was depressed!” She interrupted me. “He promised he was going to get help! He lied!” She started sobbing.

“But.. why is he in the closet?” I was so confused.

“I don’t know, I just found him like this; I thought he was at work” she just stared at his lifeless body.

It wasn’t making sense, I kept staring at the note and something wasn’t right; then it hit me. “This isn’t his handwriting.. it’s not his-”

BANG!

And then there was one, I was alone. With two dead bodies…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Holy crap?! What next! Did you eat the bodies?!” Eric’s mouth was open agape.

“What?! No!” Bean rolled her eyes.

“Well you do eat people,” he crossed his arms.

“Well I didn’t do that to them…I made them pie,” she blushed.

“You mean ‘a pie’ ” Eric corrected.

“No…I made them into a pie,” Bean covered her face embarrassed. It was silent for a moment then Eric burst out laughing, “STTOOOPPPP!!! It’s not funny!!” She whined, starting to laugh.

“Oh Satan, that's hilarious,” He wiped a tear from his eye. “But honestly, that’s a pretty good way to get rid of evidence.”

“I guess,” she shrugged, smiling. “Wait, you never took your hand off your mic,” Bean pointed to Eric’s hand on his mic; he gasped and she started laughing again.

Eric put his head on the table, “Fuck my life.”

“Don’t you mean afterlife?” Bean joked.

“LAME!!!” He screamed before they both laughed.

“Wanna hear another story?” She smirked.

Eric quickly sat up, “Yes!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You know you’re quite the storyteller Latte,” Angel smirked, leaning on Bean’s head.

“They’re not stories, but I like narrating; I like to narrate my life,” She smiled.

“You should start your own little segment,” He nudged her.

“No one would listen to that,” Bean looks down at her hands. “I’d look silly.”

“Well I’d listen to it,” Angel smiled at her; “And even if it’s horrible, I got bad insomnia and need somethin to put me to sleep,” he joked.

“Ha ha,” she rolls her eyes. “I can’t do that anyway, Val would want me to work-”

“Screw Val!” Angel interrupted her.

“Um yeah, I already do that,” Bean was confused.

“You know what I mean, I know it’s hard but you can’t keep doing this to yourself,” He put his hands on her shoulders.

Bean doesn’t look at the demon, then looks at him; “I have to.”

Angel’s eyes widened, “Are you in love with-”

“No! I’m not in love with anyone, I’m just…” she sighs putting her head in her hands. “It’s complicated..”

“Is..it..” Angel tapped his chin then gasped, “It’s Vox! You like him!”

Bean covered her face blushing, “Don’t say anything!”

“You don’t want to leave because you like him!” He covered his mouth, “Damn Latte I’m sorry.”

She looked up at him, confused, “What do you mean ‘sorry’?”

“I think you might be getting used,” Angel said.

Bean was silent, she just played with her fingers, “I don’t get it,” she mumbled.

“I don’t either,” He shrugged. “The Vees are sneaky bitches, hot but sneaky; and bitchy.”

“But they saved my life..I don’t understand..” She said sadly.

“I’ve always meant to ask, how’d you get mixed up with the Vees anyway,” Angel put his feet on the couch; lighting a cigarette.

“Well like I said, they saved my life,” she sighed. “I had been beaten and stabbed to near death, those fuckers ripped my leg off for Satan’s sake!”

“Who?!” Angel looked pissed.

“Ray and his bitch ass buddies,” Bean rolled her eyes. “Anyway-“

“Wait!” He interrupted. “You have a fake leg?” Bean grabbed one of his lower arms and put it on her lower leg.

“That’s metal, and this,” She pulled on her skin; “It’s rubber.”

Angel pulled her leg making her lay down, he examined it, “You mean to tell me that Vox can make fake limbs?” He knocked on her fake leg, “You feel that?”

“No,” Bean sat up rolling her eyes.

“What’s wrong with you?” He crossed his arms.

“Can I finish?” She whined.

“Okay geez,” he put his arms up in surrender.

She cleared her throat, “Anyway Val brought me to V-Tower, the Vees nursed me back to health; they would come in and do my hair and give me clothes- What?” Bean noticed Angel’s bored face.

“Nothin’ this just feels like a story I’ve heard before,” he leans on his arm. “Proceed.”

“Vox would come in a lot more than Valentino and Velvette, we got pretty personal,” Bean blushed.

“Personal huh,” Angel smirked. “And..uh what does pretty personal mean?”

“We didn’t really do anything, we never do,” she shrugged.

“Really?” Angel wasn’t convinced. “Then what the hell-”

“We were just talking, I just got hot and took my shirt off,” Bean said feeling embarrassed.

“You find yourself in the weirdest situations,” he raised an eyebrow. Bean just shrugged, she didn’t know what he meant by that.

“Anyway we just talked, he’d come in to talk, he would ask me how I felt and things I wanted,” Bean blushed thinking about their time together. “But one day he just stopped coming, he would barely talk to me; and I don’t know why,” she looked down glassy eyed.

Angel sighed, he couldn’t help but feel bad; Val had seemed like the best person at one point in his life. He had given him everything, money, fame and what he used to think was love. “Hey come on, don’t cry;” he put his arm around her as she wiped her face with her.

“It is just so hard,” she cried. “I’m trying so hard.”

He grabs her shoulders, “Look at me,” she looks up at Angel crying and hiccuping. “We. Do. Not. Stress. For.These. Men.”

“Are you serious? You’d do anything or anyone for men,” she laughed.

“I get paid to do anybody AND anything toots, you give out for free,” he crosses his arms.

Bean rolls her eyes, “I do not.”

“Ya too sweet toots, try bein a bitch; or at least bitter I don’t know,” Angel shrugged.

“I am a bitch! I’m practically at cunt!” Bean’s voice got higher. Angel looked the short demon up and down, she was like a toddler; all she had to do was start stomping her foot. “I’m serious! I’ve literally killed people.”

Angel burst out laughing, “Okay Latte, you a killer!” He continued laughing.

“It’s true! Tiffany, Dymond, Ray! And some guy I forgot his name,” she said loudly.

“Okay first off, they would have told Val, and second; even if you did you are too small to do it by yourself,” Angel raised an eyebrow.

“Do you really think Val would care? And I had a little help I guess..” Bean sighed. “I just get so mad and I don’t know how to control myself.”

“You wanna know what I do when I get pissed?” He put a hand on her shoulder.

“Drugs?” She looked at him innocently.

“I do that all the time, I just spend time with people that care about me,” Angel smiled.

“Oh..okay!” Bean stood up smiling.

“Where ya goin?” He said.

“To spend time with my best friend,” this made Angel smile. “Barktholomew!” He frowned watching her leave.

“Cunt my ass.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t know why you do this to yourself,” Bean sat on the floor feeding Barktholomew cookies, “You know I decided to hang out with you today and all you want are..” She looked at the name on the package, which was only one letter written in black. “V’s cookies, it’s a bit rude.”

She continued to feed him the cookies when Bean felt a dark presence behind her. “I will never understand how you can spend hours on end with that mutt for hours on end,” a voice came from behind her. Bean turned to see Alastor leaning on his mic stick thing, she hadn’t decided what it was.

“Alastor! Sa tchob byen?” Bean smiled standing up.

Translation: Alastor! How’s it going?

“Oh you've been practicing!” Alastor said proudly.

“Nah, I only know that,” she said flattered. “Do you know who ‘V’ could be?” She showed him the package.

The radio demon just stared for a moment, “No idea,” He shrugged, Bean also shrugged before eating a cookie. “Why are you on the floor?”

“Angel said I should spend more time with the people I care about,” she hugged her dog.

“I’m sure he meant with actual people, not mutts you consider people,” he said with a smug grin.

The blue demon looked at him with a straight face, “Is your default just being a dick? Are you trying to make up for something else that might not be so big?” She smirked, wiggling her pinky.

Alastor looked at her, his eyes narrowing; “My my such crude words, from such a small child.”

Bean frowned, “I am NOT a child.”

“Then maybe don’t act like it,” He responded.

“Are you serious?” She scoffed. “People here literally rip each other apart, and you talk to anyone ANYWAY you want; but I make a dick joke and-” Bean was cut off by the Radio Demon walking up to her, he was smiling but there was anger in his eyes.

“You can talk to whoever you want however you want, but when talking to me you will talk to me with respect, do you understand?” He glared down at her, she glared back up at him not saying a word.

Bean sighed, “Whatever.”

“Good girl,” he pat her on the head.

“I bet you had TONS of friends,” she rolls her eyes.

“Why yes I have loads of friends,” Alastor smirks.

“Fine, name a friend you have not been attracted to, or was attracted to you, or had sex with,” Bean leaned on the counter Alastor opened his mouth. “AND a friend who isn’t a mother figure,” she finished.

He was silent for a moment, tapping his chin, “Where are your friends? Hmmmm,” he changed the subject.

“Um hello, one of them is right here,” Bean gestured to an empty spot on the floor where Barktholomew sat; she gasped.

“How sad,” he shook his head.

“Whatever, I bet your only friend was your mom,” she crossed her arms.

“Jealous?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No, cause my friend was my dad,” Bean stuck her tongue out at him.

“I’d rather my mom thank you,” Alastor responded.

“Mama’s boy,” she mumbled before going on her phone.

Alastor decided to say nothing, it was like arguing with a toddler, she always has to have the last word.

Bean fiddled with her necklace, “What was your mom like? I’m sure she was somethin special if she was your best friend,” she looked at him.

“I told you that I have loads of friends, and my mother holds a very special place in my heart, it was always me and her against the world; she taught me everything I know,”Alastor responded feeling nostalgic. His mother was his world, her face was one he could never forget.

“Awe how sweet,” Bean smiled, she looked at him in admiration. “Tell me more.”

“Oh I could go on forever my dear, let me hear more about you,” Alastor eyed the gold necklace she was fiddling with. “That’s a lovely necklace, who gave it to you?”

“Oh um Vox,” She blushed. “He gave it to me for being-”

“A good little girl?” He rolled his eyes. Alastor knew how the Vees were, their little workers did things for them and they got whatever their hearts desired.

“No they helped me out, and I work for them; and I get nice things,” Bean looked down at the necklace.

“Seems like you owe lots of people,” he leaned on the counter.

“Well yeah, like you told me to kill Ray and Dymond, and you just spend time with me,” She smiled. “I help you so you help me.”

“I did not tell you to kill them, I only said ‘that’s what I would do’ you didn’t have to do it;” he raised an eyebrow. What kind of game was she playing? “Take accountability my dear, you were upset, and I told you to find a way to relieve that anger.”

Bean looked at the floor, she thought that’s what he wanted. “I don’t understand, what do you want then?”

“I just want your company, I was just trying to help,” he explained.

“Company? That’s it?” She sounded confused, like she couldn’t comprehend a man not wanting sexual favors from her.

“That’s all, I’m sorry to disappoint cher but I’m taken, I thought you knew this,” Alastor watched the blue demon turn red with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry..I know that, I don’t want you like that,” she hid her face.

For a moment it was silent, Alastor thought about changing the subject. But before he could do so Bean uncovered her face, “Do you remember your life before you died?”

“I remember some things, however some memories are blurry,” he tried to think about it. He mostly remembered his lovely mother and the time they spent together, his awful father and the things he’d do to them. Alastor remembered his killings; however he had forgotten why he killed most of them. “Mostly good ones, but bad memories do haunt me sometimes.”

“I don’t have a lot of clear memories, it’s like a dream; the memories mix into each other. So sometimes things that happened in 1993 will just mix with things that happened in 1989,” Bean explained.

“Anything happened in those two years?” He asked.

“Well 1993 was when I was studying abroad in Europe and 1989-”

“I’m sorry, studying a what?” Alastor tilted his head in confusion.

“Studying abroad, ya know going to college in a different country for a year?” She explained to a still confused Alastor. “Didn’t you go to college? You’re like 40 or something.”

“I didn’t even go to high school, what makes you think I went to college?” He raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged “Whatever, anyway 1989 was just when my sister went missing.”

“You don’t seem too concerned.”

“Well for starters, she wasn’t even my blood sister; that was my stepdad and my mom’s kid and she was a major bitch, she defended her dad till her disappearance,” Bean crossed her arms.

“Oh my someone was jealous,” Alastor said smugly. “Wasn’t getting enough attention?”

She rolled her eyes, “More like too much attention, I studied abroad to get away from the ‘attention’.”

“I see..” Alastor said, understanding what she meant. “What’d your mother do when she found out?”

Bean took a breath, “She said ‘Can we not talk about this? I hear enough every night’.”

Alastor’s eyes widened, “And…this man is still amongst the living?”

“No, at least I don’t think so,” Bean smirked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chicago, Illinois 1995

Bean ran into the bathroom covered in blood, she paced around the room hyperventilating.

“Well I didn’t expect that,” the woman watched the young woman. “You know you didn’t have to take the gun, or bake them…”

“I didn’t know what to do!” Bean yelled. “I already touched their bodies! Do you have their souls?”

“No, you didn’t kill them, so I don’t own them; remember our deal, you collect souls for me and I protect you”

“Ugh!!” Bean sat on the ground, this had to be a nightmare.

At that moment the bathroom door swung open, her stepdad stood in the doorway, “Get out!” She yelled standing back up.

“You know you’re pathetic,” he slammed the door. “Your mom is talking about calling the police, what did you say to her?”

“The only thing I told her was that your son was dead,” Bean crossed her arms looking up at him. She wasn’t afraid, not anymore.

“Why would you feel the need to talk about my son?” He towered over her.

She smirked, “You forgot your gun.” Without saying another word, Bean pulled the gun from her back pocket shooting her stepdad in his face. His lifeless body fell to the ground, looking down at him Bean began emptying the chamber into his face. She stared down at the bloody mess she made when a banging at the door made her look up.

“CPD OPEN UP!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“And.. that was my last day on earth,” Bean smiled.

“Have you ever thought that your unhealthy relationship with men is because of your stepfather?” Alastor asked.

“I- wait huh?” Bean was confused. What’d her relationship now have to do with killing her stepdad?

“Nothing.. I sound like Vera,” Alastor mumbled.

“Who’s Vera?” She asked.

Alastor emits microphone feedback, “Uh..”

Bean gasped, “Wait?! Vera is…your mom, you were comfortable enough with her to call her by her name; that’s so sweet.”

“Um..sure,” Alastor said, she was a sweet girl but she wasn’t the smartest. “Have you ever had ANY happy memories?” He changed the subject.

“Well I have vague memories, like I have this memory from when I was really small; my dad was singing this song to me, it kind of went like ‘You know I can’t smile without you, I can’t smile without you, I can’t laugh and I can’t sing, I’m finding it hard to do anything’,” She sang. “I feel happier already.”

“I’ve never heard of that song before,” Alastor thought about it. “Would you teach it to me?”

“Really?!” Bean’s eyes lit up.

Alastor nodded as the excited demon began to teach him the song.

She was a sweet kid, a sweet kid who needed guidance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“My sister and I had a conversation about coexisting, she was just jealous that she didn’t get to live the life I had, turns out having a civil conversation was all that we needed,” Erin smiled at Estelle, a beautiful siren that Erin looked up to.

“That’s great, I’m glad you and your sister are getting along; but all I asked was for you to put your feet in the water,” Estelle smiled.

She was in Alastor’s lake, trying to help Erin; she was pretty pale for a siren, and was also afraid of water. Lots of sirens had water related deaths, but most of them couldn’t stay out of the water.

“Oh, right,” Erin looked at the water. “Welp, here it goes-” before her foot even touched the door opened, Alastor walked into the room with a blue demon.

“And that’s why Vox hates me,” he said.

“Why do I feel like that’s not true?” The girl looked up at him confused.

Erin gasped running over to the demons, “Bean, oh my gosh!” She hugs her.

“Ellie my dear, don’t you look as radiant as ever?” Alastor walked over to Estelle kissing her hand.

“Now Allie, is there something you need?” She looked up at him.

“Can’t a man compliment his lovely best friend,” Alastor grinned. Estelle smiled warmly rolling her eyes, “However I do need some assistance cher.”

“Aha!” She pointed at the Radio Demon. “What do you need, my love?”

“See that lovely young lady over there?” He gestured to Bean who was talking and laughing with Erin. “I need you to persuade her.”

“Persuade her?” Estelle raised an eyebrow.

“She has strong feelings…for Vox.”

“Hm,” Her eyes widened. Estelle wasn’t a huge fan of the Vees, Vox was a bit much but this girl sees something in him; “You want me to persuade her to not like him?” She asked.

“I love how smart you are,” Alastor’s smile widened.

“Allie…I can’t just tell someone not to love who they love, but I suppose I can give advice if she helps me with Erin,” Estelle looked up at the demon.

“Fair enough my dear,” Alastor booped her nose. “Bean, come here,” Bean and Erin walked over to the older demons.

“Can I show her my Creole?” Bean asked.

“No, I want you to meet my lovely friend Estelle,” Alastor gestured to his childhood friend as she waved.

“What’s happening?” Bean looked confused.

“I suppose Alastor thinks you have boy trouble,” Estelle replied. The blue demon glared at him.

“Are we talking about boys?!” Erin squealed.

“We are if you put your feet in the water,” Estelle smiled at her.

Erin frowned, taking a step back. “Can you not swim?” Bean asked. “But aren’t you a mermaid?”

“Siren,” Erin corrected her.

“Let me help you! I can swim!” Bean offered grinning. “And she can help you too, she’s also a mermaid!”

“Siren,” both Erin and Estelle said.

Alastor cleared his throat, “Well it seems like you ladies are acquainted, I’m going to give you some space,” he sat in his armchair; taking out a book.

Estelle rolled her eyes then looked at the girls, “Erin come,” Erin sits in the grass, Estelle holds her hands. “I want you to know that it’s okay to be afraid, there are things I’m afraid of; but you’re drying out. Soon showers and drinking water won’t be enough, please; let me help you,” she stared at her.

“Okay…I’ll try,” Erin sighs before slowly putting her feet in the lake. The girls watched and Alastor peeked over his book, Erin’s feet began to become scaly.

“Now get in, it’s gonna be fine,” Bean said as Erin started to get into the water holding onto Estelle.

“What now?” Erin asked them.

“Look,” Estelle pointed to Erin’s silvery blue tail coming out of the water.

Erin gasped, “I’ve never seen it so shiny.”

“I am so jealous, wish I was a siren,” Bean admired her tail.

“No, I'm jealous!” Erin leaned on the edge. “Who’s your bf?!”

“Tell us who this new Vox is,” Estelle leaned forward intriguingly.

“Well, I don’t really know,” Bean looked at the gold necklace around her neck. “I don’t think he’s new or anything, he’s just-”

“As annoying as ever,” Alastor interrupted.

Estelle splashed water towards him, “Shush you.”

“I don’t know what he’s like, we have these conversations where I think he also has feelings, but then he treats me like any other employee working there; it’s confusing,” Bean sighs.

“Is he ghosting you?” Erin said before Estelle could say anything.

“Ghosting?” Bean tilted her head.

“Like ignoring your texts and phone calls, stuff like that,” Erin explained.

“I don’t know, I texted how he was and he just texted a thumbs up,” Bean shrugged.

Estelle listened to the younger demons bicker about what the thumbs up meant, “Hey!” The girls looked at her. She was honestly surprised that worked, “You should talk to him, if you love him don’t wait; it might be too late if you wait too long.”

“I just don’t want to look like a silly little girl,” Bean looked at the ground. “I’m always treated like a kid, I’m not a kid.”

“Tell him that, stand your ground, and if decides to..to well I guess be Vox-”

“I’ll kill him,” Alastor closes his book. Estelle looks at him with her hands on her hips.

“Ugh! This is hard!” Bean put her head in her hands.

“I know right!” Erin sat next to her. “When I was alive this boy named Sam gave me a rose and said I was the one and that he could feel it, apparently he was giving every girl a rose!”

“Awe.. how tragic,” Alastor put his hand on his heart. “This is why I don’t trust men.”

Estelle stared at him with a straight face, “Go back to your book.”

“Actually it wasn’t tragic, I was the only one that got a real rose, the other girls got plastic ones,” Erin continued. “Guys are complicated, they do things the hard way instead of just asking for help.”

“And that’s why you should talk to him,” Estelle smiles at a hopeful looking Bean. “Help him out, a little.”

“Thank you so much!” She stood up walking to the door.

“Thanks for helping me!” Erin smiled.

“I did nothing but no problem!” Bean waved at them before leaving.

Estelle smiled before looking at her friend, who had worry in his eyes, “Allie,” she got his attention. “She’ll be fine.”

His smile widened.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bean walked through the halls of V-Tower, there were a lot of reporters around, some from “666 News” and other news stations she had never heard of. She was nervous but if didn’t do this now, she might forget. Walking backstage of the set Bean saw him, he was so tall and so handsome and unapproachable and he looked up at her and holy shit she couldn’t do it!

Bean left the set, her heart was beating a mile an hour or second or whatever; her face was warming up the longer she stayed near the set. She started down the hall away from the set, the reporters, from everything. Bean wasn’t too sure what she wanted, she took out her phone, scrolling through her and Vox’s text thread. Something that bothered her, she texted him more than he texted her.

What if she was the girl with the fake rose?

What if she wasn’t the one?

What if she wasn’t special?

Maybe the truth was just that, she just wasn’t any of those things. Bean sat on the hallway floor, then the worst thing happened; she started crying. CRYING. IN. PUBLIC! She tried to rush through the cries and sobs.

“Yeah he gets so dramatic about the guy Carmilla, I don’t know,” Bean heard a voice coming down the hall.

“Fuck,” she quickly stood up.

Valentino was walking down the hallway talking on the phone, “¡Eres una perra brutal!” He laughed.

Translation: You are a brutal bitch!

Bean leaned against the wall trying to look cool or something, Valentino stopped laughing when he saw her, “I’ll call you later,” he hung up. “What are you doing?”

“Me? Just chillin,” she shrugged.

“Were you the one sobbing earlier? He narrowed his eyes at her. Bean never understood if he did that because he didn’t believe her, or because he couldn’t see.

She shook her head holding back tears, Valentino looked down at her annoyed, “You know you’re pathetic right.”

“No I’m not,” she mumbled.

Valentino leaned down to her level, “Yes, you are; come.” He started down the hall, Bean slowly followed after him.

They arrived in his room, it felt weird being in there; but also strange cause she had been in this room a lot.

“You know I gave you everything, and you always ran away,” he scoffed, handing her tissues. “You know who that reminds me of?” Val sat on the bed next to her.

“Angel?” Bean rolled her eyes not looking at him.

“Me,” he said, making her look at him. “When I was alive I had to do anything to keep my family from starving. When I was about 14 or 15 my mother met this nice man, who promised to give us whatever we needed and whatever; all I had to do was do whatever he said. He sold me to many people, whoever was willing to pay could get me; one day I had enough and ran away. I didn’t know where I was, or where to go so I went back.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Bean looked away again.

He turned her face to his, “You came back, that’s someone who knows what they need is more important than how they feel.”

Bean was silent for a moment, she didn’t know what to say or how to feel. “But I have somewhere to go..”

“Oh the hotel? Let me ask you something, do you think Chandler knows what it’s like to be us? To have all this baggage and not know what to do with it?” He was in her face.

“Who’s Chandler?” Bean tilted her head.

“Are you listening?” Val looked at her with a straight face.

“I think,” she said confused. “I mean, I’m sorry that stuff happened to you but, we’re nothing alike.”

“How?”

“You are a pimp and porn director, I was homeless and got my fucking leg ripped off! I have one leg Val, ONE! You have like ten,” she crossed her arms.

“And look at you now, you’re not homeless and you’re pretty famous,” he grinned. “You keep looking at the negatives baby.”

“You sound like my fucking stepdad,” She mumbled.

“Awe..is that why you’re so pissy? Daddy issues?” Val pinches her cheek.

“Fuck off,” Bean pulls away but is pulled back by Val.

🚨TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF 🍇 , SEXUAL ABUSE, MENTAL ABUSE🚨

(Skip bold font if not comfortable)

“I bet you got the nicest shit and all you had to do was lay there and let daddy play with you,” he trailed his finger from her lips to her shirt.

“Stop,” she was on the verge of tears.

“You loved getting that stuff, but hated the aftermath,” he took down one of her straps. “Or maybe..” Val gripped her by her hair. “Maybe you liked it, liked having what mommy couldn’t?”

“NO! I DIDN’T! FUCK OFF!” Bean screamed, trying as hard as she could to get out of his grip, but failing.

“I know,” he smirked. “You feel powerless don’t you?”

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” She yelled. Val stayed quiet waiting for an answer. “Yes..”

He pushes Bean onto the bed, “Frustrating isn’t it?” He laid on top of her caressing her face. “I bet you wanna rip my fucking head off don’t you?” She just stared, not answering him, “You don’t need some hotel, or Angel, and you don’t need Vox. You wanna be a top? Stop standing behind everyone and take control.”

Bean tried pushing Val off but her arms were pinned to the bed, “Nice try,” he said smugly before kissing her, she started making out with him.

Val starts to bite her neck, Bean moans as he lifts up her dress and pulls her panties down. He begins to thrust into her making her gasp, she wraps her legs around his waist.

The harder he thrusted the angrier Bean got, all she could think about was him; coming into her room, getting on top of her, hitting her and her mom knowing about it. Ugh and Val.. someone did need to tear him to pieces. However he was right about one thing..

It was time she took control.

(Hey Hey, first things first; Estelle is not my OC , she belongs to @virydia *thank you for letting me put her in my story*. I know it’s been awhile but I finally got the chance to finish the chapter, the next chapter is the last, I was thinking of doing a sequel to this; imma give my girl the ending she deserves. This is the song Bean was teaching Alastor.)