#discord thread

[robinastrea]

Twenty Questions(?)

Date: June 17, 2024 Location: Robin’s Room, Astrea Home, Rungung, Kraysha Characters: Robin Astrea, Theo Seong @theoseong Description: Robin tells Theo about the final test.

(Link to GoogleDoc Thread Here)

[arjun-iqbal]

THE CURATOR AND THE ARTIST Location: Arjun's home Summary: Arjun invites Judas over to get ready for the event and surprises him with an outfit chosen by him. @judassamara

ARJUN There were many, who would have questioned the deity's decision to feature a new artist such as the vampire in his prestigious gallery. Many who would have questioned his infatuation with Judas themselves. But Arjun had not lived this long by listening to what others said or thought about him - no. He obeyed his own whims and desires, toking pleasure in exploiting every opportunity he had to do so. That, was precisely what he endeavored to do tonight. He had invited Judas over, hours before the event, and had everything ready when at last, they showed themselves into his dormitory. "Evening, Judas." the deity smiled, already in his own attire. "How are you?"

JUDAS They were excited for another gallery, although this one wasn't a grand opening event. It was an already established, well respected gallery run by the city, If not for Arjun as the curator, they never would have dreamed of having even a single piece of their art hanging on its walls. Of course, his art was not only being displayed, he had made the piece specifically for the event. They didn't have much in the way of formal attire, bringing their one suit with them as they went to meet Arjun in his home with the plan to get ready and leave for the event today. Seeing the deity brought a warm smile to his lips, always feeling at ease in his presence. "Good evening, Arjun," they replied in kind. "I'm good. Nervous, and excited. How are you doing?"

ARJUN Arjun crossed the room towards the artist with his hands in his pockets, and felt his smile stretch at what he saw and heard. "You have every reason to be," he offered, his eyes drinking them in. "But I am certain that you will warm up to it once we're there and everyone starts..admiring you and your work." Not to mention, he thought, he would be there by his side, ready to enjoy seeing pride and happiness light up their features again. Arjun reached to them, clasping the lapel of their suit and bit his lip. "..are you set on what you're wearing?" JUDAS Arjun's faith in them helped them feel confident themselves, able to push down some of the nerves that threatened to overwhelm him if he wasn't careful. "I'm getting better at talking to people about art, and it won't just be my art there so it won't be all eyes on me the entire time." At some point, they thought they might slip away for a few minutes, if they could convince Arjun to come with them at least. "Is it bad?" he asked quickly, looking down at their outfit. "It's the only one I have. I'm not really good at formal wear yet. Do you have something else in mind?"

ARJUN "You're right, but then again..who knows. Influential people will be in attendance tonight, from VC and beyond, so you should be ready to." Ready as in, knowing what to say, but also looking the part..and that suit he had chosen was simply not it. Arjun let out a content sigh, shrugging his shoulders before speaking once again. "I may have picked something out for you, if you'll allow it. It's…rather bold but I have no doubt you will look exquisite in it."

JUDAS Okay, now his nerves were back. people had always told them they were a good artist, but the idea that people outside of the city might think that made them anxious. There was always a small part of them that thought they didn't deserve success, even the small amount that he had earned so far. From Arjun's expression, they could tell this was not the outfit to impress the gallery attendees tonight. "I am more than happy to let you dress me up for tonight. I want to look like I belong standing beside you."

ARJUN Arjun touched their cheek, conveying a sense of calm with his powers, "You don't know how happy that makes me to hear." he smiled. Next thing they knew, he was taking a hold of their hand and leading them to a smaller room - though not too small. It was a walk-in closet fit for a deity such as himself. And there, at the very centre, was a bust, wearing a beautiful ensemble: a most daring, embroided suit, with see through stretches of fabric. Arjun moved behind Judas and placed his hands to the sides of their arms as they took it in. "..what do you think?"

JUDAS The small touch was soothing on its own, even without his magic. They were easily led to the next room, unsure of what to expect. "It's beautiful," they murmured, surprised by how nice a piece of fabric could look. They stared at it for a few moments before glancing back at Arjun. "Is that what you're planning on wearing?"

ARJUN His hands brushed down the length of their arms before he circled around them, stepping towards the embroidered suit. "..no. That is what I pictured you in, actually. With the proper make up and accessories, you will ..shine." he added, stealing a glimpse of their face and the look in their eyes. "I can probably find you something less bold, if you like. I would not want you to feel more nervous than you already do."

JUDAS Their eyes followed Arjun as he moved towards the garment, unable to look away from him even if they wanted to. "No, it's… I would love to wear that. I don't normally wear dramatic or unconventional clothes, but I want to. I trust you to dress me up."

ARJUN Their words were all the reassurance the deity needed and so, yes, he did take advantage of the moment to invade their personal space a little bit. "You sure?" Arjun's fingers framed their face and traveled downward to begin undoing their shirt. "..I mean, it is a special occasion. The first of many, dare I say."

JUDAS As hands moved up to his face, they wrapped their arms around Arjun's waist, pulling him a little closer. "I'm positive. You have far more fashion sense than I do, and I want to look good at this event. Maybe after this, we can go shopping and you can help me improve my day to day wardrobe."

ARJUN arjun: Arjun let a small groan escape him, undoing the remainder of buttons and peeling the shirt off the vampire's shoulders. "Mh, sounds like a fun idea for a date." It was something to look forward to, for sure, but the present had Arjun's full attention now. Especially as he moved on to the belt. "If you feel uncomfortable at any point, let me do the talking for you, yes? Just, lean on me." (edited)

JUDAS This was a normal situation for them to be in, even if they wouldn't be doing more than changing clothes. Even so, they were comfortable with Arjun's touch, allowing him to do as he pleased. "Why do I have a feeling you'd have a lot of fun dressing me up some more?" he commented in a light teasing tone. They didn't mind, enjoying being taken care of for the moment. "Are you going to be the one telling everyone that you're the subject in my painting?"

ARJUN A pull from one of the two ends of the belt and Judas' trousers slid down their legs, leaving them in their underwear. It was a beautiful sight and for a moment, Arjun was tempted to have this be it, but alas, he could not. "Because I would. I haven't done this in centuries.." He pressed his hands around their hips and got them to walk forward, towards the attire. There, he turned briefly, picking up the tux jacket, smiling at what was said. "Mh, as tempting as that is, I think I might let them speculate."

JUDAS If he had decided to get a little side tracked, they wouldn't have minded. Sadly, Arjun seemed focused on the task at hand. "I've never had someone dress me before. You're welcome to it whenever you want," they replied as they stepped forward, going where Arjun guided him. They smiled at his response, as well as at his smile. "Then we'll keep it a secret between you and me."

ARJUN "Mh. I would not want to limit your freedom or creativity either, even if you don't take to fashion very often. So we can keep our activity to..once in a while?" The tux was on but Arjun did pause to enjoy what was in front of him, sliding his hands into the fabric to stroke the vampire's sculpted chest. "A secret sounds great, if you ask me. What is your one hope for the evening?" August 9, 2024

JUDAS They chuckled softly, watching as Arjun moved, dressing him in the exquisite outfit. "I can accept that, just as long as it doesn't affect our other activities." The way Arjun looked at them now made him want to pull him closer. Before he answered, they leaned in, pressing their lips to his in a soft kiss. "That I go home with you at the end of the night."

ARJUN "It won't." Arjun promised easily, trying and failing to not get distracted by the cool feel of Judas' skin. They were really quite something and well, who was he to resist? His imagination was already running wild with so little. Returning the kiss with a soft hum, the deity smiled. "How romantic. I do like to be chosen..pampered.." Arjun said those words as he teased the elastic of Judas' underwear, stealing a glimpse of their eyes. (edited) August 10, 2024

JUDAS From the look in Arjun's eyes, it looked like he was beginning to get distracted. "How long until the event?" he asked, wanting to see how much time they had. "How about we enjoy the event, and I'll pamper you all night afterwards?" August 13, 2024

ARJUN Judas was not mistaken. Arjun was trying to quench his needs and, by default, getting distracted. They had the time but the risk of loosing too much of it was ever present. Letting out a huff, the deity stilled his hands and smiled. A small smile in comparison. "That would be wise, yes." he purred. "Do you promise?"

JUDAS It was amusing to see Arjun being the one trying to hold back his desires and Judas couldn't help a small smirk at the sight. "Of course I promise," they replied, giving him another quick kiss.

End.

[0raika-ace0]

Here is an Aideku MetalAu!

Plus a written sample song as a bonus (maybe I'll add more soon 😉)

[jamesxdarmody]

Kissing Booth ¬ Beth and Jimmy @wheelingstars

The true reenactement of an iconic Dirty Dancing scene and a knight's kiss for a little distraction of a pot of gold prize.

James Darmody Jimmy found the idea hilarious. He had been observing the entertainement for a bit now and decided to give a try. Why he went to Beth ? Probably because he felt like she too needed hugs even though she was running that booth with the two others. " Well hello there Betty boop , didn't know you would take that nick name to heart" he laughed.

Beth Young He always got laughs from Beth, it seemed. She gave him a brief model pose, her best attempt at coquette. "What can I say? You inspired me, Jimmy.Planning to deliver nicknames and joy to Fleet and Val, too?"

James Darmody "Eeeeeh depends how busy they get with the arrival of people and how much work I have. Some people do work you know? "

Beth Young A hand to her heart and Beth gasped. "What are we implying, sir?" Although it did remind her. "Thank you again, for the cart. I may put a real request in for you soon."

James Darmody "Implying, I cannot just hold my hands out and hug everyone , but everyone is free to jump on me for hugs, I 'm very huggable, you should try. "

Beth Young Her teeth flashed in a grin, and Beth happily came around from behind the booth, standing akimbo. "The trick is the approach, see? Do you recommend a running jump or will a start from standing suffice?"

James Darmody "Do yourself a favor and do it the way you would like it …I'm going to uno reverse this and just take it. " he stated and just prepared himself for impact. "Run and Jump like in dirty Dancing, have the time of your life Betsy " 6 mars 2024

Beth Young Absolutely delighted, Beth did as encouraged. "I am warning you now, James Darmody - I am not a dancer." From several steps back, Beth quickly pulled her hair back. "You're going to have to do most of the lifting." At a run, committed to the silliness, Beth indeed did her best Baby impression.

James Darmody The man couldn't help but hum the song while she was coming at him. He put his hands on her hips and lifted her up, it was not really graceful because even though it looked easy, it took a lot of muscle work to keep it clean. After a few seconds he swung her around to then catch her koala style in his arms. "Never doubt my ability of lifting, that's how Nicki mastered planking , but shhh"

Beth Young She tried so hard to hold the pose, but was grateful she he dropped her into a swing so she could laugh freely. "Lips firmly sealed." [16:32] The deal was a hug, so Beth wound around him and clung. Her dad had called her a limpit when she was little, and it seemed she still had that instinct. Easy enough with a sturdy form like Jimmy's. "I'll be sure not to doubt you in future."

James Darmody "Good good. " He put the woman back down. " Now I need a favor , or more a deal sealed with a kiss, cause that's what kissing booths are for. " he stated. " You know who you matched me with, I need you to keep this person busy and out of side of - " he pointed a part of town so if someone was listening, that someone being Val, she would not hear it. "there. Do you agree to this mission , Miss Young? "

Beth Young Her eyes narrowed, and Beth stood akimbo. Her drawl thickened while she mocked offense. "Mister Darmody, was all this to butter me up for a favor?" Beth crossed her arms, looking in the direction he indicated. "I am… inclined to help in the spirit of the event." Beth held her stern look a moment longer, and then softened. "Next time maybe just ask without the pretense."

James Darmody Jimmy was the one to gasp now. "I would NEVER. The hug had nothing to do with this, but I figured I would just put a word to hide the surprise from her so she gets the surprise. " He narrowed his eyes and bent forward. "Unless you don't want to kiss me."

Beth Young She remained still several moments longer, holding the tension. When her shoulders relaxed, Beth smiled. "Honey, the Kissing Booth is about what you want. If that's a kiss, I'm not about to get bristly. They'd kick me directly off the Leprechaun Committee." Looking him over, Beth hesitated again. She knew about his lost family, the rings he still wore. It'd be better to let him choose. "You just tell me where, Jimmy."

James Darmody He thought about it for a second , then knelt a bit to be smaller than her. "Bless me with a kiss on the forehead, that's something I do, but that I rarely receive. "

Beth Young Oh, it twisted at her heart to hear that, to see him try to be smaller for her. Beth refused to show anything but a smile, however. "As you wish."Her hands cupped his face gently, respectfully, to deliver on the request. Directly centered on his forehead, Beth pressed a kiss, held for several heartbeats before withdrawing. "There we are, sir. Now, the sordid matter of when I'm meant to be distracting your target?" 8 mars 2024

James Darmody Jimmy smiled and closed his eyes at the kiss. He felt at peace for a moment and let memories flood him for the duration of his request. He stood up and looked up , hands on his hips. " Let's see… Probably saturday."

Beth Young "Saturday," she mused. "I'll be working in the morning, but I'll can get you an hour or two in the afternoon." She paused, watching Jimmy with an appraising eye. "This better not get me in her bad books, Jimmy." She didn't really think he'd do anything alarming, but Beth so rarely got to tease the man, she had to seize the chance

James Darmody "Naaah, don't worry, I want it to be a surprise, and keeping things secret here, is just as difficult as not watching Trash Tv ….god I miss trash tv … I still wonder if Stephanie picked George or not…. " his thoughts trailed off.

[detectivegoldstein]

You Used to Call Me

Summary: James confronts Bruno when the other man doesn't visit him during his recovery and avoids his calls. James admits that he's starting to develop feelings for both Bruno and Emi and feels lost. It's Bruno who suggests that when James is ready for a relationship, he would be okay dating James while James also dates Emi. James says he will ask Emi what she thinks, and he'll go from there.

ft. @ghostsbrokenbyfairytales

It had taken a while for James to feel well enough to leave the house for an extended period of time, and during that recovery he hardly saw or heard from Bruno. It certainly hurt and he was at a loss for why. He'd tried calling the man, but would either get no answer or very brief, stilted conversations. Finally enough was enough. Putting out his upteenth cigarette while waiting in front of the retirement home, he perked up as he saw Bruno exit the building. "Why're you avoidin' me?" No point in beating around the bush.

bruno hadn’t meant to purposely avoid james, well, not to the extent he actually had been. he wasn’t sure where they stood and he wanted to give him space during his recovery while figuring out his own feelings. when he was finally heading out for the day the last person he expected to see was james. “oh i- uh hi.” he stuttered out first before sighing. “it wasn’t on purpose i just.. didn’t want to be a distraction while you were recovering.”

He put his hands in his pockets, scowling. "Most people like to visit their friends while they're recoverin'. What? Are ya ashamed of me or somethin'?" Not that James would blame him.

“what?” bruno looked shocked for a moment at his words before frowning. “no im not, why would i be?” it wasn’t a question asked to really get an answer more just a general statement. “truth is i wasn’t sure if you’d want me around or not.. and i wasn’t sure where we stood friendship wise so i.. panicked i guess.”

James sighed and glanced down at himself. He could think of a dozen reasons why Bruno would be ashamed of him. He glanced back up at the other man, shoulders dropping as he felt the hurt dissipate some. "Of course I wanted ya around. Why do ya think I kept callin' ya dumbass?"

bruno could only shrug. “i don’t know.. was being nice or something?” he sighed and looked at his watch to see what time it was then shoved his hands in his pockets, looking over at james. “you wanna.. come over then? and we can talk about.. everything?”

He raised a brow at the other. "Do I strike ya as the kinda guy that makes phone calls just to be nice?" After a moment he nodded. Might as well go somewhere more private to really talk. "Lead the way."

“well..” bruno chuckled a little, “yeah kinda.” at least from what he knew about james it seemed like he would’ve. guess he was finding out that he was wrong. nodding he started walking towards his place keeping a steady pace next to james. “i didn’t want to not come around by the way… i did want to. i met a friend of yours at the ball and that’s kind of what made me keep some distance.” he finally admitted.

"Yeah, well, now ya know I ain't," he grumbled. At Bruno's admission James came to a stop, brows furrowed as he regarded him. "What friend?" Did someone say something?

bruno quickly stopped with him, thinking back as he tried to remember her name. “emi i believe was her name.” he’d go into more depth if he was asked but truthfully he felt a little silly about the entire situation.

That only furthered James' mixed feelings of confusion and concern. "What…what did she say?" Was this before or after he admitted he was starting to have feelings for Bruno?

“well we talked about you.” that part was probably obvious but then he continued, “nothing bad it was about how we uh.. i guess both have feelings for you and,” bruno stopped himself because he was embarrassed about his thought process during that entire conversation, “you two have known each other longer i didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes so i took a step back instead.”

The hurt came back as he started walking again. James needed the movement as a distraction. "An' you didn' stop to consider how I felt?"

bruno sighed as he continued walking with him but kept what he felt like a respectable distance between the two. “i did but i also didn’t want to assume james. you were and are still going through a lot, figuring out if you like my old ass or not shouldnt be a priority right now and i didn’t want to make it seem like it was.”

"Ain't you avoidin' me already assumin' shit?" he pointed out with a frown. "Also, I'm older than you dipshit. An' yeah, I might not be in a good place for a relationship right now, but I sure as hell would have liked to see you while I was at the clinic on fuckin' seizure watch. Yer my friend, or I assumed we were friends. An'….I've accepted I'm startin' to like you like that. So yeah, you not assumin' shit meant you still assumed shit."

"well when you put it that way." bruno mumbled since he hadn't actually thought of it like that before. he did let out a chuckle though at being called a dipshit, it felt deserved. "we-" he stopped himself to let james finish and had to try to not let himself actually stop walking when james admitted that, looking over at him with a half smile. "we are friends and.. i'm sorry. for both assuming and not showing up.. will you least let me make it up to you? can be my turn to do an apology dinner." he teased, gently nudging the other with his elbow.

After a bit of consideration he nodded, allowing a small smile to replace the scowl. "Yeah, alright. Least ya can do," he teased back. "But I uh, had somethin' else I wanted to talk to ya about. Emi, the woman ya met. I....kinda got feelings for her too. I'm...tryin' to work everythin' out still. Dunno if anyone told ya but hit my head pretty hard the day I went to the clinic so, that ain't helpin' much."

bruno's smile grew for a second before his face fell back to neutral. "i know you said you're starting to accept you've got feelings for me but i'd understand if you want to focus on her. seems like you two have known each other for a while now." he frowned a bit when james mentioned hitting his head. "i know we joked about me playing nurse but i do remember asking for no real injuries." he teased again trying to lighten the mood.

He raised a brow at the other man. "An' what if I wanna focus on you? Or fuck, I dunno." James had dated two people before, though it was an already established couple that left him feeling like bit of a third wheel. No surprise that relationship hadn't lasted long. Though he preferred direct communication, he found this particular topic was hard to broach. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind next time," he quipped, although he held a small smile.

“why?” well that slipped out before he could stop himself. “sorry i meant.. no i guess i really did mean why.” he sighed once again until he looked up, realizing they were already almost to his place. “sorry i’m doing that assuming shit again, been a while since anyone’s wanted me at all.”

James kept his gaze forward as they walked. He hated talking about things like this. "Cuz yer kind hearted? Make me laugh? Why the fuck do you like me?"

"could say the same thing about you." bruno chuckled but shrugged, walking a little closer to james now. "honestly? the fact that you didn't just up and tell me to fuck off after you broke my nose won you some bonus points, showed me you give a shit about people who aren't just yourself."

He glanced over to Bruno, the small smile returning. "An' you didn' flip yer shit at the guy that accidently broke yer nose, though you woulda been in yer right to." After a moment James sighed. "So stop bein' so fuckin' stubborn. I like ya dude. The issue is I also like Emi, an' I'm still in recovery, so I don' know what the fuck I'm doin'. It's hard enough dealin' with everythin' right now without tryin' to sort out my mess of a love life."

he chuckled again. "alright i deserve that, i'll try not to be so stubborn from now on." he smiled back at james. "look, i've never dated anyone who's dating someone else at the same time before and i'm not saying that we will date anytime soon because i want you to focus on you and not a possible relationship but… i do want you to know i'm willing to wait."

Once more James stopped in his tracks to stare at Bruno, trying to process what the other said. "Wait. You'd….be willin' to date me if I also dated Emi?" Well shit. Maybe he didn't need to broach the subject after all. And it honestly warmed his heart, to know Bruno was willing to wait for him to sort his life out.

bruno stopped as well, thinking about what he said and how he meant it. "well.. yeah actually. like i said it'd be something new for me but it wouldn't kill me to try right?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he slowly nodded his head. "It'd….be like ya said. I gotta sort my shit out first but. O-okay. Yeah. I'd…I'd like that. Obviously I'd need to talk to her too, see if that'd be something she's okay with."

he'd almost forgotten about that part completely and realized how just cause he might be okay with it didn't mean emi might. "shit right, well," he scratched the back of his neck, "if she's not then just.. follow what feels right. rather you not be stressed about hurting whoevers feelings, we're all adults here we can accept whatever the outcome may be."

With a long exhale he nodded again, expression softening as he closed the gap between them to take Bruno's hand in his free one. "Thanks. For bein' so...open 'bout all this. I ain't great at relationships an' may royally fuck all this up but. I wanna at least give it a try. When I'm ready."

bruno looked down at their hands for a moment before looking back up with a smile, giving his hand a soft squeeze. “james i’m divorced, im not exactly mr perfect with relationships either but i figured if you’re willing to communicate with me about your feelings then the least i can do is be open. plus one of my kids has two partners, feel like if they can do it then i can do it too.” he chuckled softly and nodded. “when you’re ready.”

[jakehawk]

Thank You

Jake goes to see Cole to say thanks before it's too late.

@colcreznik

Cole Reznik

-he was getting bored. naturally. being stuck in a jail cell with nothing to do could that do. now cole knew and understood what it was like for the inmates to the prisons he worked at. tapping his fingers against the wall his back was leaned against to the beat of a song stuck in his head, he heard the precinct door open- I hope that's you, Renee. Anyway you can fetch me a book or art supplies to pass the dying time? -once the person came to view, he realized it wasn't renee- Oh, hey Jack.

Jake Hawk

"Hey Mole," Jake replied back with a smile. "Sorry, I haven't got a book or anything. Just lunch." He held up the paper bag he had brought with him from the Community Centre. He put the bag into the tray in the cell door for Cole to take whenever he was ready. "Dumb question but how're you doing?"

Cole Reznik

-cole smirked at his new name - might as well. he then shrugged to answer jake's question- Living the dream, Jack. Living the dream. -he moved toward the door, happily taking the bag- This wouldn't by chance be a medium rare prime rib with loaded fries? I used to think about what my last meal would be and I think that would be it.

Jake Hawk

"Unfortunately, no. No prime rib or fries. It's boar steak and root veggies. I would say close your eyes and imagine it's the same but it's really not. Sorry."

Cole Reznik

It's whatever. Thanks anyway. -cole dropped the bag to the bench before facing jake- Whaddya doing here?

Jake Hawk

He leaned against the cell bars, his arms loosely crossed. "Came to say thank you for doing what you did with Renee. Wish it didn't cost you as much as it has done though."

Cole Reznik

Oh, come on, man. -cole chuckled, shaking his head as he took a seat- I'm the same fucker who planned on making a move on your girl if that damned biter hadn't come out of nowhere. There's no need to thank me. I'm not a fucking hero. Thanks for the food but, you ain't gotta be here.

Jake Hawk

Jake wasn't so much a fan of Coke hitting on Renee and guessed that was what caused the slap he saw. But he wasn't going to dwell on that now. "No, I don't have to be here but I am anyway."

Cole Reznik

-he folded his arms across his chest, letting out a sigh- Listen, I got Lord knows how many more hours left of this shit, and I don't wanna spend it playing ring around the rosie so - just say your thank yous and get shit out.

Jake Hawk

Jake narrowed his eyes slightly, weighing up his options here. "Alright. Thank you for saving the woman I love. I know there's no way I can repay what you did, even if you were being a slimy piece of shit beforehand. So yeah, thank you."

Cole Reznik

-cole let out a loud bellow of laughter, putting a hand on his stomach- Slimy piece of shit. That's a new one. Bravo. And you're welcome. Just make sure you fight for her. Life's too short not to do or say the things you want.

Jake Hawk

Jake cracked a grin as Cole let out a burst of loud laughter. There was no way for Jake to repay Cole for what he did but at least he made him laugh before... Yeah, before. "Oh I plan on fighting for her," he said. "She knows this already but I'm in it for the long haul. Even if the long haul ain't that long because-" he motioned in the air to indicate the near endless reasons of why life was not guaranteed to last all that long "-reasons!"

Cole Reznik

Good. Take it easy, Jake. Hold 'em close a little longer even if they fight you. -of course he meant the children jake had taken in, since cole wasn't able to do it himself with his own son- Now get outta here. No good spending your time here.

Jake Hawk

Nodding as Jake got to his feet, he was suddenly aware that this would likely be the last time he'd see Cole alive. And yet he was at a loss of what else to say to the doomed man. Anything his brain tried to cobble together didn't feel big enough for this moment. Instead, Jake gave Cole a salute before walking away.

Jake left the precinct and went back to his house. It was tempting to seek out Renee but he knew how busy she was with a new influx of patients so he went home instead.

"Hey Pops," Cody said as Jake let himself in. "You ok? You look kinda pale?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Jake muttered before pulling Cody into a big hug, the same kind of hug Cole wouldn't be able to give his own son ever again. After a long moment, Jake let go and gave Cody a sad looking smile. "Wanna help me with dinner?"

[catherine-bisset]

Kissing Booth

ft: @fleetsummers | In which two philosophers discuss the arts. A hug goes wrong.

Cat | She slunk up near the end of the day. Fleet was the only familiar person, and so it was Fleet Cat selected to inquire with. "Is this event commonplace?"

Fleet | "Not at all. The town's been through so much lately, and March is always such a dreary month, we just thought it would be something to lift our spirits, y'know?" Fleet smiled at her, the air of this interaction much different than the pondside one. "Honestly, I think kissing booths fell out of fashion decades ago. But we all know each other here."

Cat | Absorbing the information, she took a hesitant step closer. "Okay."

Fingertips grazed the edges of the little window. "This kindness... the familiarity helps?"

Fleet | "For most people, I think so. I was on a movie once called Sparrow's Flight and there was a kissing booth scene and even though the extras who I kissed were very nice, it still felt pretty weird by the end of a day of shooting." Fleet crinkled his nose at the memory. "So much jaw strain!"

Cat | Idle chatter froze Cat. His familiarity shifted, a younger version superimposed. "You were the love interest." How had she not noticed?

Fleet | The comment, more than the way it was delivered, made Fleet perk up immediately, his vanity stoked: "You know it? You've seen it? I was starting to think my filmography hadn't entered the pop culture vernacular like I thought it had!"

Cat | She nodded, suppressing reaction. It had paid well, that movie. Kept her afloat a good while. It wasn't Fleet's fault society required such sacrifice.

Her hands flexed open and shut against her thighs. "I've seen it. Did you feel it was accurate to the true story?"

Fleet | It was a more serious question than he expected, but Fleet dropped -- immediately, comfortably -- into interview mode, thinking on it. "I don't think any sort of fictionalization can be accurate to that degree," he said. "After all, it's meant to be watchable and to get people's interest. I did make sure to read what I could about the actual story, to try and be respectful and all, but the director wouldn't let us watch interviews and things like that. We had to make our own performances."

Cat | Heat was creeping up Cat's skin. He didn't know. Not his fault. "The real story didn't have a kissing booth," was all she managed, and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her hooded sweatshirt. Safer there.

"I was going to ask for a hug." It was blurted, stilted and without adu. "I thought you might want one, for you."

Fleet | Fleet's forehead creased slightly at that comment, and he sat up straighter. "You're familiar with the Sparrow story?" he asked. "You seem sort of young for it. Although I shouldn't say that, for all I know you're just older and prettier than I am." He was on the verge of a light laugh to accompany the comment, but Cat suggesting a hug knocked it flat. "I would love one," Fleet said instead, and came around to the front, slipping his arms around Cat's waist and leaning the side of his head against hers.

Cat | Compliments on her appearance made Cat's spine itch, so she pretended he simply hadn't spoken them. Instead, she held still until he'd settled himself against her.

Like anyone unfamiliar with casual affection, the effort was awkward. Her arms settled around Fleet's body, careful of his wounds. Butterfly touch. Her voice was low, but never whispered. "You deserved better."

Fleet | Cat's unease in a hug seemed par the course, Fleet had gleaned that much out by the pond, but he startled when she said what she said. Not out of the hug, entirely, but he did go quite still instead of his habitual constant tiny shifts in movement to meld against the other person. "What? Why would you say that? What do you mean?"

Cat | She didn't cling or grasp, entirely used to people pulling away. "Than your father," she explained simply, glancing at his eyes for the first time in minutes. "Than your uncle. Than what happened."

It seemed an obvious thing. Had he forgotten their conversation? Or had Cat stumbled into a social trap she was not aware existed?

Fleet | She had the most extraordinary eyes; dark and searching, but giving away nothing, like staring into the night sky so long it stared back. "I wonder, sometimes," Fleet said. "What exactly I deserved."

Cat | She frowned. "A real chance - the same as every infant." Except Cat, who was the shape her family made her. The great void, wretched and rotten.

Fleet | Fleet wasn't certain he wanted to commit to that, not just yet. He wasn't prone to morbidity, but here was a chance for it, with somebody who seemed so inclined, and so he said, "You don't believe in fate, then? Predestination? That maybe we're -- mostly -- living the lives that we were always meant to have, with just the slightest little bit of chance to customize things?"

Cat | His answer unexpected, Cat had no answer prepared. "Fate implies some greater intelligence, yes? A will powerful enough to shape us all." No, Cat thought. She didn't care for that at all.

"That would mean what we suffer is by design. We struggle in near futility against what cannot be escaped." It choked her, to think that killing one god was not enough.

Fleet | "So the alternative, then." Fleet subsided into glumness. "That everything happens because of free will and people exercising their free will irresponsibly, and cruelly, and without foresight. I don't know if that's much more comforting than being set on a cosmic track of destiny in the design of some higher power."

Cat | "I have met many monsters, Fleet. All were human." Cat was far from the idea comforter, if that was what Fleet sought. "Someone fated to be monstrous is pitiable - Judas never had a chance. But choice? Choice means a chance to change. To grasp your destiny and shape it."

Fleet | "Judas," Fleet repeated. He wouldn't have figured Cat for the religious sort, so that was a new thing to factor in. "He had some killer songs, though." That was a silly thing to say, and Fleet shook his head, saying, "--sorry. I resort to musical theatre references in times of stress. In the end it doesn't matter much, does it? Whether people were fated to hurt you or if they made that choice all on their own."

Cat | "I haven't seen any." The statement was dry, unapologetic in its explanation. "I didn't intend to provoke stress." This, at least, held the scent of regret.

"Wounds hurt no less if inflicted of free will or the blueprint of a greater force. Pity Judas, but it does not negate his betrayal."

Fleet | "Do you like music? If you do, I can introduce you to some. Musicals, I mean." Another reflexive response, offering music when he was trying and failing to figure out something more momentous. But it wasn't such a bad thing, Fleet didn't think, and Cat might end up discovering something she enjoyed. "Cat," he said, "there's no thirty pieces of silver, but. Would you like a kiss?"

Cat | She didn't remember how she felt about music. "Okay," was all she gave Fleet in response to the answer, rather than expose her lack of opinion.

Her eyes widened, and Cat froze again. "I don't do that." This was not Isaac - with his unshakable guarantee of chastity. Fleet contained danger she'd been foolish to forget. "I understand," she whispered, hands mindfully still, "but please don't."

Fleet | "It's fine. You're the visitor, Cat. It's about whatever you'd like." Fleet hugged her, the embrace careful and measured, his hands nowhere that she couldn't move out of easily. "I think you'd like them," he said. "Musicals. Big questions about life but set to music, with dancing, and costumes sometimes."

Cat | Breathe caught in her throat, Cat was a statue for Fleet's safety. She could understand on the surface that he wasn't truly threatening, but everything else was Fight instinct. Control was held one moment at a time, little half-moons in her palm digging deeper. "Okay," she exhaled the word, wishing she could explain to him. Knowing she should.

Instead, Cat took a step back out of his polite and respectful embrace. "Tell me more another day." Her voice was thick, one of the weaknesses she still struggled with. "You did a good job in the movie," the compliment was offered in her stilted way, an attempt to give him something positive to remember.

Fleet | "Thank you," Fleet said with reflexive politeness, though it was still puzzling, the way Cat talked about Sparrow's Flight. "It was such a sad story. Everyone kept saying how brave she was but ... I don't know. Being brave doesn't make anything feel less ruined. At least not in my experience."

Cat | Her laugh barked out, a cracked sound. "They never call the lucky ones brave, do they?"

Another step back and Cat shrugged a narrow shoulder under the sweatshirt. "Free will or destiny, Fleet. Ruined is still ruined."

[fallcrestrpg]

lıllı Hotel - Calvetti-Holstein Suite - Morning 12/26 ıllıllı

KEAGAN

Her brief reunion with Mack didn't last long as she had excused herself to join her family. And since she didn't want to intrude on her daughter's first date with Callie anymore than she already had, she returned to the suite with Luke. The Paladin's reaction to Mack's appearance had been on her mind since. Once they were inside, she immediately turned to face her. "Today had been quite a series of events, hasn't it?"

LUKE

Luke had allowed herself to focus entirely on the girls once they were off. Callie had helped by pointing out that she was still going to be keeping up with Luke's wardrobe even they were technically no longer an active member of the band. Of course, they weren't going to pester the pair for the duration of their date, so now they were back to the suite. She wasn't entirely sure where her mind had wandered off too, but the question had her snapping her attention back to Keagan, "Huh- oh, yeah. Well....I mean, no more than the usual...well, with the exception of waking up to teenagers when we put toddlers to bed. _That_ bit was definitely new."

KEAGAN

"Good point." She chuckled, "But we were expecting it to happen.. *eventually* We just didn't know exactly when." She sighed, "I'm going to miss their little baby size." She wrapped her arms around the taller woman's waist. She stayed in that position for a moment before looking up again. "..I'm sure you've got questions about today?" After all, even Miles was wary of their unexpected visitor.

LUKE

"You won't be missing much with Skylar then," she snorted, before her laugh was smothered out by the older woman's next words. She managed a wry chuckle in response, before saying, "To be fair, I think I'll always have questions about a lot of things. But mom used to always tell me my curiosity would be the death of me, and that I shouldn't go around asking questions I'm not entirely sure I actually want the answer too...and well, I don't really know if I want to know what you got up to during college or any of your time away. I mean, no offense, but the bits I _do_ know about, already make me want to scrub my brain with bleach..."

KEAGAN

She tilted her head, somehow suspecting that Lyra might have said *some* things, but it was a bit concerning because her sister really could've said anything *and* omit information at the same time. Honestly the worst combo there was. "Mack is not an ex." She sighed, "I've had a *very* short relationship - Honestly, I think it's too short to be really called a relationship.. I've had a few dates during those years but it wasn't with Mack."

LUKE

"I didn't ask," she replied in almost a sing-song manner. Especially because just as soon as she was reassured that Mack wasn't an ex, she was immediately informed that there _had_, in fact, been a few dates. Dropping her head, she let out a groan, before looking back up at Keagan. "Logically, I do understand you had a life away from Fallcrest, for many years," she began, "_Emotionally_, however, it's still a bit of a sore spot to know that said life was lived _without me_. And I don't mean, I wasn't there -because duh- I mean, that until I came home to find you at my house and my brother telling me you were his new fiancé, I was _shut out_ of your life, and I couldn't even bring myself to be mad because it was all my own fault for being impulsive in the first place."

KEAGAN

"That wasn't your fault, Luke - that had been just a compilations of mistakes I've done which wasn't fair to you at all. I still can't apologize enough when we could have just.. *talked* instead of running away like I did." She gripped her hug tighter. "I did promise no more secrets and I think we've all had enough of surprises exes showing up unannounced.. Mostly *mine* unfortunately."

LUKE

Feeling the shorter woman's arms tighten around her, responded by looping her own arms around Keagan's shoulders as she effectively almost doubled-over so she could burry her face in crook of the woman's neck. It was a wordless way of accepting the apology, because truth be told, it wasn't even something she wanted to dwell on anyway.

Placing a soft kiss to the woman's pulse-point, Luke stood back up and glanced down at her. "In the vein of making sure there is full-disclosure between us, I'll have the twins hand over the literal little-black-book they don't know, that _I_ know they've kept with the names, pics, phone numbers, and current addressed of anyone who so much as complimented me during my time being single."

KEAGAN

Something about being literally engulfed in a hug by the Paladin felt ... safe. Keagan was positive that she was the reason why Sky was so cuddly because she herself did not want to break this position at all. "They ...kept track?" She frowned, "Do I even want to know why they decided to start that book?" She snorted, "They really could be agents if they wanted to pursue the field. Well, Miles more so."

LUKE

"I would love to have an answer for you, but I'm not even supposed to know the book _exists_. I'm sure if anyone would be up to giving you an explanation, it would be Miles. Sky is currently....otherwise engaged," she said, mumbling the last bit as she closed off her connection to the eldest twin, nothing but regret all over her face at having even considered it an idea -good or bad- to try and reach out right now. "And I'm back to wanting to bleach my brain."

KEAGAN

"You're right.. I'll try asking Miles and see if she'll tell me. I don't think we should reach out to Sky until maybe tomorrow night." She laughed, "It doesn't help that Nix helped Erin with some potion that helps increase stamina and prevents fatigue." She slightly grimaced at the thought that her daughter and her girlfriends were going at it the whole day - quite literally. "They have enough food and beverages, right? Well whatever, there's always room service too."

LUKE

Luke's expression only mirrored her increasing horror with every new detail Keagan shared. "My...gawwwwd. That infamous Calvetti libido has now made it to where I don't think I'll be able to look my own daughter in the eye the next time I see her...or either of her girlfriends for that matter. I really hope nothing triggers that girl's paladin powers any time soon, or we may actually become grandmothers before we manage to become _wives_...." Luke trailed off as a thought occurred to her. "If they're gestated and birthed by two different women, but share genetics with one and are born the same day, are they still twins? ... Half-twins?"

KEAGAN

"... We should really look into this Paladin baby thing just in case..." Not that she was oppose to having grandchildren - she just wanted to make sure that it happened when all three girls were ready and mutually agreed in having them. "Half.. twins.... maybe? How does one even start researching about this?"

LUKE

"We have, and have come up with _nothing_," Luke groaned. "We're the unicorns of the supernatural world and short of time-travel or a secret Timeless survivor coming forth with the answers, it's trial and error. Hopefully _my_ trial and error so they don't have to worry as much." The last question made her look ay Keagan matter-of-factly. "Well it would have to _happen_ first."

KEAGAN

"I really hope Sky's Paladin powers don't kick in before we find out how to prevent it..." She repeated what Luke said earlier with a chuckle. "We only know *one* of who knows how many requirements to make it happen and there's a very high chance that the thought crossed their minds already. "

LUKE

Luke shook her head and held her arms up in surrender. "Geezus! If anyone had told my teenage self that one day I would be showing more concern over my daughters' sex lives than in having one of my own..." she trailed off as she thought it over before saying, "Well, I mean, I wouldn't have outright dismissed it, but I _would_ have been rather skeptical about someone having wanted to procreate with me."

KEAGAN

"I don't think we'll ever stop worrying but I have a feeling that we'd worry *less* if Sky and her wives weren't so.. active." She made a face as she mentally blamed that so-called Calvetti Libido. "I.. really hope they're being safe - as safe as they can be." She shook her head to shake off the thoughts, "Okay.. enough about that.. Nothing we can do now anyways.. I want to get out of these clothes and into comfier ones." She was going to *relax* with the time left before she head back into work.

LUKE

Luke was about to say something but was slightly distracted by the sense of her other kid. "I think you'll get plenty of time to relax," she began, "Just picked up on Miles' slight spike in anxiety as she debated what to answer about a sleepover, but all's well and it seems we're kid free for the rest of the day." At the mention of comfier clothes, Luke began to pull off her sweatshirt, forgetting why she wore it to begin with. "Comfy sounds nice. It's so freaking hot and humid here."

KEAGAN

Whatever they were talking about, Keagan's mind just went blank when Luke just pulled off her sweatshirt without a warning. "Ah.. Well.." She snapped her attention back to Luke's face rather than her arms, "Thank god the hotel has AC, huh?" She turned to grab her outfit which was just a plain tee and shorts. "We are definitely not suited for this kind of weather."

LUKE

As she went to wipe at the light sheen of sweat their short-lived adventure as spies had brought on, Luke could only laugh at the comment. "For the price Leo is paying at this place, AC is the least of the things we'd have to worry about. Especially since her entire family consists of wolves, and as I've come to learn first-hand, we run hot." Walking over to the kitchen island, she reached out to grab a glass for some water, and turned to ask, "Thirsty?"

KEAGAN

When she collected her bearings - somewhat - she went ahead and changed into her outfit. "There's a reason why a lot of us don't really want to be sporting winter gear.." She snorted as she came up next to the Paladin. "Mhmm." She nodded at the question, relieved that Lyra was not around to comment on that.

LUKE

Luke's eyes went slightly wide as she remembered _why_ she had opted for nothing but long-sleeves for a while. Brow furrowing at brief question of how Keagan -essentially a _spy_- hadn't noticed yet... Handing the older woman the first glass of ice water, she took a sip from her own before asking, "You really haven't noticed, have you?" There was more concern in her tone, than anything.

KEAGAN

Her attention went to the glass and once she had it in her hand, she immediately *downed* it. She looked up, almost confused to what the other was referring to. Because if it was arms, Keagan *definitely* noticed that. "Hm? What are we-" She cleared her throat when it came out a bit rough, "what are we talking about?"

LUKE

"Hey, are you coming down with something?" she asked, the previous matter once again completely forgotten. "We can get you checked out for heat stroke," Luke added, walking over to take the now empty glass and run the back of her hand over Keagan's forehead. "You feel warm...well, warmer than usual. If you want to skip getting other people involved, I could just heal you in general and-" Luke stopped talking. As she made mention of her Paladin powers, she's also subconsciously opened up her sensing connection with Keagan and now knew that healing wasn't required....at least not that kind of healing.

Clearing her own throat she said, "Well I think Marvin Gaye may think you're in need of some kind of healing, but it seems you're otherwise alright." Chuckling slightly she shook her head and said, "I seem to have some new ink that pretty much runs up from my elbows and I don't really know how I got it. Considering you've seen my back before I'm currently just surprised you managed to miss....this." The tall ginger turned her back to the wolf and pulled her tank over her head to fully show her back.

KEAGAN

She sighed when Luke figured out what was happening. That honestly was a skill she was almost jealous of - *almost* being the keyword. She straightened her back when there was mentions of a tatto - a very apparent one that she somehow didn't notice.

Of course, it really didn't help when the paladin chose to remove her entire tank as if she wasn't already haven't troubles focusing. "Ohh.. Those are beautiful, Luke." She reached out and traced along them. "When did you get these?" It really was a miracle her eyes weren't glowing.

LUKE

She could feel the goosebumps that followed after the point where Keagan was making contact as she traced the lines, and was suddenly _very_ happy that the sensing didn't exactly work both ways, because it was suddenly her turn to struggle with keeping her focus on the matter at hand and the matter _of_ the hand...

"I, uh," she began, voice a little huskier than intended. "I noticed them faintly start to show up about a month back. We were so busy with so much other stuff I just figured it'd be easier to cover them up and address them later. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for nice big piece that's pretty, painless, and _free_, but since it showed up magically, I'm sure it must mean something....right?"

KEAGAN

"That Paladins are literal guardian angels?" She chuckled, "Considering that you're a born-Paladin.. I guess that also explains why Rikke and the others don't have them. Wait- The girls would likely have them too, wouldn't they? If they triggered." That sounded like another thing to worry about once it happened. Her girls being able to orb away or fly away... that sounded like a headache on its own.

Keagan lowered her hand and cleared her throat again before speaking. Luke being shirtless was really no help. "... If you're going to test whatever capability those wings have.. I hope you're doing it in a relatively safe environment..." It wasn't as if she could stop the woman from doing what she wanted, but at least be safe about it.

LUKE

"_When_," she said with ease, "When they trigger they'll eventually get the markings though I hope to have figured out how the actual wings work and such by then. I haven't really been able to make the wings themselves appear, but I _can_ feel them beneath my skin. It's hard to describe...I should start keeping a journal so I can just provide he girls a manual when they trigger, because honestly, it just seems inevitable at this point that they will...and sooner rather than later. Those two are...something else."

She felt like she had to keep herself talking. If she kept herself talking, she could focus on what she was saying and _not_ on how hard it suddenly was to close the senseing connection to Keagan back up was... "I make no promises nor apologies for my methods. They're effective and I've got a 100% survival rate going, so there's that."

KEAGAN

"I do wish we'd have more answers so that *you* don't have to be, quite literally, the guinea pig." She sighed, "But I think noting it all down will definitely help - or maybe video-record it for safe measure." It really was a learning experience for everyone involved.

"I trust you, Luke, with all my heart, but those stats still won't make me stop worrying about you." She chuckled, "You just happened to have really, really good luck so far with those methods."

LUKE

"Oooh! Hunter would love the chance to record my attempts, and it might be a way to get her looped back in the fold. I know she's probably not thinking too much about it, but I do feel like she's been pushed aside a bit what with the music and now the babies. Something tells me she and Teagan will enjoy getting to watch me fail several times before we get it right," Luke snorted.

"Luck has definitely decided to make up for some stuff then, because if that's all I have going for me, it's been wicked good recently," she smirked.

KEAGAN

"Sounds like you're going to be pretty busy when you get back." She smiled, as if she didn't have her own work waiting for her. The one who was supposed to be partially taking on her workload was also on this trip. "The way Hunter and Sage are handling the supernatural stuff cannot be anymore further away from each other." Sage is constant in the state of 'I was perfectly fine without knowing, while her sister was more interested.

"*Oh?*" Her smile matched the other's. "Wicked good, is it?"

LUKE

"I stay busy. It's a thing. Raj says it's not necessarily a _good or bad_ thing, but it's a _thing_ and should be acknowledged...which is what I'm doing right now. Not just like, stating the obvious for the sake of doing so." Luke laughed at the mention of the differences between the sisters. "Those two couldn't be more polar opposite if they tried, which is why so many folks end up surprised to find out that not only they get along, but are even related."

Luke nodded and hummed, "Oh yeah. I don't know if you've heard, but I've even managed to get myself a wholeass fee-ahn-say."

KEAGAN

"You do. On top of all the other video ideas and home reno plans and many other things you have going on." She was teasing. As both Luke - and Raj - said, it was just a thing. "I hope you do have time for me every now and then with all those things happening." She let out a laugh, "One is very sociable, the other would really rather spend her time in the kitche the entire time if she could. I'm pretty sure she splurged - well, *invested* in very big kitchenware ever since she learned about a wolf's appetite."

"Oh, did you now? A *wholeass* one, too? Though I think she has more of the luck to have gotten you."

LUKE

Luke feigned a look of distress as she sucked in a breath through her teeth, clicked her tongue and said, "Man, I'll have to take a really good look at my schedule. I've never really had to make time for anything or _anyone_ since I usually have a tendency of just roping most people into whatever shenanigans I'm up to for the day." The joke was that of course she'd find time for Keagan. The truth of it, though, was that she _really_ did normally just wind up involving her friends and family in her day-to-day adventures, one way or another. "Sage is a saint who was kind enough to share her recipes with me, so I can at least keep _my_ wolves from hogging up her tables."

"Yeah, I hear _half-ass_ fiancés aren't really worth the jewelry investment," she said with a shrug, before getting a slight panicked look and adding, "Oh, no. Please, don't let her hear you saying things like that. She's a _bit_ on the jealous side, though we try not to talk about it too much."

KEAGAN

"Knowing you, those shenanigans really could be anything." She snorted, "She is thankful, just our family alone that's already at least 6 wolves now - not to mention we have *Sky*. The day she learned just how much Sky ate. Oh my god, I think Sage is scared to see us walk in."

She gasped, thought she couldn't really deny that she was jealous person because.. she was. "Mm, is that what they call a red flag?" She raised a brow.

LUKE

"I- no...that's fair," she relented almost immediately. Her creativity wasn't always to a benefit... "I'm almost certain that if we were ever to do a family dinner at the Manhattan, I'd really have to use my connection with Hunter to get Sage to agree...and by that I mean have Hunter give her the ultimate puppy dog pout ala Skylar."

There was a small shrug at the question. "Probably, but all red flags just look like _flags_ when you're looking at them with rose-colored glasses."

KEAGAN

"To think that we're unofficially on her blacklist. Best if we save it for special occasions. I *hope* that's less likely to get a no from her if it's meant for some sort of celebration. How on earth did Ray manage to feed all of us when we were all hanging out together?"

She snorted, "Hmm... so you're biased, basically."

LUKE

"Oh I'm definitely saving that one," she laughed. "Ray _knows_ what he's doing. Mans has been aware of the fact he's serving a town with a pack of literal wolves since _ever_. He's prepared to feed the whole town, three meals a day, for at least a week if comes down to it."

There was another smirk on her face that gave way to an easy smile, eyes immediately glowing -literally- as she spoke again. "I suppose I am, but I take no blame for it. I'm sure even you'd agree with me that a little bias is worth it when the person you're biased towards is one of the best things to happen to you _ever_, and has also given you the not one, but _two_ more literal reasons to live and die for."

KEAGAN

"It honestly is a skill that I'm sure Sage would love to have or eventually gain after a while." She sighed, "but it's also because of Ray that we never even questioned it."

Again, Luke and her way with words. Keagan could really only smile widely in response as she pulled in Luke by the waist belt so she could tiptoe and give a quick peck. "Have I ever mentioned just how thankful I am to have you in my life, to have you in our family's life?"

LUKE

"Oh she's definitely asked," Luke confirmed. "My very reliable source has informed me that the first lesson was on how to properly keep your kitchen stocked, and given the slight difference in price of ingredients between Ray's meny and Sage's....she'll be working on that one a bit before moving on to step two."

Luke mirrored the smile as she let herself be pulled in, grinning at the sight of the woman having to go on her tiptoes for the quick kiss. "You may have mentioned it a time or two, but it's never a bad time to be appreciated," she remarked, before gripping Keagan by the waist and setting her on the counter beside them, moving to stand in front of the woman. "Now we can see eye-to-eye without causing you any undue stress," she quipped before stopping any coming complaint with a kiss of her own.

KEAGAN

If it took a *lot* to handle one wolf family, she could only imagine the amount of work that was required to serve a whole town filled with supernaturals. Keagan mentally wished Sage good luck.

Letting herself be lifted onto the countertop without complaints, her arms naturally rested on top of Luke's shoulders with her fingers already feeling the back of her neck. She was sure that Luke could actually feel her *melt* at the kids - was she acting like a teenager with her crush? Perhaps but she was enjoying the moment too much to care.

LUKE

The kiss may not have been the best idea, as it quickly became pretty much impossible to decipher which feelings were Keagan's and which were her own. Between the girls becoming babies again, and new folks coming to live with them at the cabin, this was probably the first time they'd been left alone proper, and it was clearly showing. Her hands seemed to have mind of their own, but she managed to find a light in the fog when she felt the warmth of bare skin beneath her fingers and realized they'd traveled _under_ the other's shirt. Breaking the kiss, she moved her hands back to Keagan's hips and attempted a breathless apology but just got, "Sorry, hands."

KEAGAN

While she managed to not *whine*, the pout unconsciously appeared when Luke pulled away. Her eyes was glowing just as much when she opened her eyes. "*Luke*.." Her voice a bit rougher than usual. The wolf leaned forward and used the advantage she had with her arms around the other to pull Luke back, recapturing her lips. With all that had happened, it really had been too long. It also didn't help that she had been waiting for some alone time with the Paladin for *the* longest time.

LUKE

There was no need to verbalize her question, because her unspoken concern was immediately addressed just as wordlessly by the new emotions that made their way to her even before absolutely _destructive_ manner in which her own name was spoken hit her ears. There was no resistance to being pulled back in to another kiss, that somehow managed to be fiercer and tinted in more urgency than the one before. On the surface it wasn't too unlike the one that had suddenly overtaken them both back almost twenty years, but there was so much more to their actions now that to say it was coming from a different place...would be an _understatement_.

Emboldened by the mixture of feelings in their link, and Keagan's own actions, Luke broke their kiss once more, but only swiftly pull Kegan's shirt up and over he head tossing it haphazardly somewhere behind her. Dropping her forehead to the older woman's she didn't have to be a third party witness to know the way their eyes were glowing was bound to be enough to light up the darkling room as the sun started to go down. She brought a hand up to cup the woman's jaw as she used her thumb to gently trace and raggedly whispered, "The last time we were in a similar position to this, I asked if you wanted to stop. Now we have twin teenagers, and now that we know _why_...." though even as she said all this she made no move to allow more space between them. "It's only fair that I ask you again..."

KEAGAN

Keagan didn't fight against it when her shirt was removed; she probably even helped taking it off even faster. However, she did have to let out a small groan when the kiss broke off again. The grip the Paladin had on her, did the woman even realize that? Even the lightest of touches was driving her insane. Who else had possibly made her feel this way? No one. The amount of self-control she had so far was amazing even to herself, that she was still just sitting here on the counter.

She was also surprised that she could pay attention to what was being said too. "While we did happen to have two of the best girls ever... Are you saying that you're going to get me pregnant again?" She smiled softly at that; Keagan definitely didn't oppose to expanding the family though they literally got their first break from having to take care of baby twins again.

LUKE

Luke paused at the question. "Okay, that just makes it sound like I have a level of confidence that I have never possessed. _Especially_ around you," she admitted with a chuckle. "But that considering we _were_ just talking about concern for the girls, it's not exactly a guarantee that I _won't_, and..." Luke sighed, and smiled. "I just want to make sure that whatever happens, _you_ don't end up having it laced even microscopically with regret. I want you to be _happy_. No 'buts'."

KEAGAN

"Well, this *would* be the second time so I don't see why not." She pointed out before giving an understanding smile, "Luke, whatever happens, I doubt that I'm ever going to be upset about it, or regret it because you're going to be there every step of the way. The only thing I've ever regretted was my idiot choices back then - we could've gotten together way earlier if I wasn't so stubborn." She snorted, "Also, I want you to be happy too. Not just me, not just the girls, *You.*" She held a finger, "And do not say that you're happy when we're happy."

LUKE

"Okay look, not to beat a dead horse or anything, but the last time I took that route and went ahead and just made assumption about one Keagan Calvetti, I didn't see her again for like two years," Luke pointed out. It was true they'd already addressed this before and she was in no way holding it against the older woman, but it _was_ still a reason to her hesitation.

Placing a hand on the counter, on either side of Keagan to brace herself, Luke lent in with a smile and began trailing small kisses from the corner of the woman's mouth, down to her neck, the break between each contact to speak one word until her question was done, "Would. You. Rather. I. Lie?" She then stopped and let her mouth hover just barely above the other's skin, breath grazing as she waited for the reply.

KEAGAN

"Okay, you've got a point." She sighed, "But moving *forward*, I think you're more than welcome to have that confidence." She may have something to say if it bordered asshole-level but now was not the time, nor did she think Luke could ever *be* asshole level.

If her eyes can glow brighter, it would've with the way that Luke was teasing her. The growl that came from her before leaving an arm around the Paladin's shoulder, the other hand pushing off the counter so she could hang onto the other like... a koala - yes, one can see where Sky got a lot of her traits from. Though the silver lining was that Luke had a large advantage in the height department . "I'd rather you stop teasing me right now."

LUKE

Luke doubted she'd have had any real trouble with the sudden literal jumping of her bones that Keagan just did, but it certainly didn't faze her now that her powers were giving her a much needed boost in the strength department. "Your wish is my command," was all she managed before they lips were crashing together once more.

The paladin was able to easily stand fully back up and take a step away from the counter. Putting the confidence just recently told she was free to have, her hands found a new home as the came cup Keagan's ass firmly, hoisting her up so they were once again eye-level and Keagan wasn't having to cling onto her for dear life. The fact she managed all of it without breaking their latest kiss was feat in itself. The fact she managed to spare enough concentration to orb them both to their bedroom, and walk over to sit on the edge of the bed as she pulled Keagan onto her lap, while simultaneously reaching up to unhook the older woman's bra, still not breaking the kiss? That was a skillset that was new even to her.

KEAGAN

How she wished she had the ability to just orb away. It really was a very convenient skills.. for many situations, not just this. She held on with ease as Luke redirected them to the bed, enjoying the kiss even more so without interruption. Admittedly, it was very appealing to have Luke navigate them around like this.

Once she felt herself straddling on Luke's lap, Quickly removing her bra and letting it drop to the floor, she resumed her position and closed whatever space was left between them. Her hands started roaming slowly down the woman's sides, then up from the front until they got to the shoulders and gave a push, breaking the kiss herself for the first time.

LUKE

It was a sight Luke had seen only once before, but it was seared into her memory to the point that it may as well be something she'd seen in her own mind's eye on constant reply ever since that night. Which, she would be lying if she said it _hadn't_ crossed her mind at any other point, because she was still partially human. But it failed to even come close to matching the reality of the _feel_ of having Keagan's bare skin come into contact with her own. The only word her foggy brain could muster to describe the feeling was just 'right'. This is where she belonged. Where they _both_ did.

The push to her shoulders was less effective in actually forcing any movement, and more so gave the paladin a cue as to what Keagan wanted in this specific moment. She followed through and laid back on the bed, sitting up on her elbows, unable to keep her eyes from raking up from the hem of the older woman's jeans as she sat straddling her own hips, a perfect fit, all the way up a porcelain torso. Luke was uncharacteristically unabashed in her actions, and did nothing to hide the practically ravenous look in her eyes. Despite the burning desire to latch herself back onto the other wolf, Luke appeased her instead and remained still. Their last time together had been out of the blue, born from frustration boiling over, and frantic as both parties new that it wouldn't last. This time they had all the time in the world.

KEAGAN

From her position, her hand flat against the stomach - or abs - and slowly felt her way up, stopping at the center of the Paladin's chest. Luke had always been - well, *hot* for lack of a better word, but sitting in this position looking down at her like this. The woman was absolutely breath-taking. Her eyes just could not focus, being just as shameless as she looked over her fiancée over and over again with hungry eyes.

She eased off of Luke and scooted back enough to be able to get off the bed before lowering herself to leave a trail of soft yet slow kiss. Up the stomach... to the chest... to the collarbone.. before hovering ever so slightly above the woman's lips. Her hand had also been busy, unbuttoning the pants before also coming back up to cup a breast while her other hand was simply supporting her own weight so that she wasn't completely pressing down on Luke.

LUKE

It was true that at the root of their actions was love, as was evidenced by their girls existing, but even before Luke’s true nature had triggered there had been something _primal_ about the way they carried themselves in such an intimate situation. Beyond the simple glow of their eyes, and even completely aside from their connection as a paladin and their charge, there was just _something_ between them that Luke could just _feel_ drawing them to one another time and time again. All insecurities had been left behind the instant Keagan had latched onto her like Lucas was the only thing keeping her afloat in an open sea, and it made the literal growl that formed at the back of her throat upon the sight of the woman crawling her way up the paladin’s torso unabashedly heard.

She let out a hiss of both pure pleasure and sweet relief at Keagan’s touch on her breast, and wasted no time in closing the gap between their lips. Whatever this magnetic pull between them was, it had been doing nothing but growing in strength since the last time they were together like this, and it refused to be ignored. Reaching down to gently, but firmly take hold of Keagan’s wrist at her jeans, she wrapped her other arm around the woman’s waste and swiftly swapped their positions. Luke took the second Kegan let out a small gasp at the motion to bite at her bottom lip, before sitting up to look down at her. Luke had one foot braced the floor, with the other bent on the bed, knee gently making contact with the apex between the wolf’s thighs. She ran a hand through her hair, and smirked down at the brunette as she used the other hand to take hold of the waist of the woman’s jeans. She pulled and in one swift motion, the garment was off and orbed somewhere on the floor behind them.

LUKE

Using her hands to clasp at either hip, as she pulled Keagan even closer to her, she bent down to whisper in her ear. "The most beautiful star in the night sky could burn itself out and still never come close to your beauty in this very moment," she said in earnest before bringing their lips together once more.

KEAGAN

Was it because Luke had the combine strength of a Paladin and a Wolf? Something about Luke's eyes was just so alluring - not just because it had a unique colour compared to a wolf. And the way Luke was looking back at her. Keagan had always felt something special when the other was involved and today only amplified it.

Every touch just made her skin feel like it's on fire. She was then taken by surprise when Luke flipped their positions, barely even giving her time to react by the time she found herself looking up at Luke now. Both her hands off to the side, high up above her head as she waited - well, not quite since it happened pretty swiftly as well. Of all things, she never would expect that her pants would be orbed away. The close proximity was the only thing stopping her from teasing the other about getting laundry duty if that's the way she was going to handle clothes from now on. "Forever the poet." She whispered back before taking in those lips, teasing the other with her tongue before eventually letting it slide in."

LUKE

Having their tongues moving one against the other, tasting what was uniquely the other person, and breathing each others air -when either remembered to breathe, that is- could easily lead one to believe they were the most connected they'd ever be. But Luke knew better. Luke remembered it all as if it were happening again in synch with their present actions.

As her mouth continued to keep pace with the wolf, her hand was deftly working its way between her own knee and the thin fabric acting as the sheerest of barriers to full contact. She couldn't help the satisfied chuckle that fell from her busy lips at just how soaked through the fabric was. Whether the noise Keagan made was in response to the cockiness or the fact her hand came up to cup the woman's sex before grinding her knee up just the slightest, didn't matter. It was swallowed up as Luke returned giving the woman a pre-show -reminder?- of just what her tongue was capable of in tight, hot, moist spaces.

KEAGAN

The way they were moving with sync with each other, not needing to use words to know what the other wanted at this moment.. there were no words that could explain how beautiful this connection they had was.

It didn't take the sensing skill of a Paladin to know just what the other thought when she felt how wet the wolf became all from making out only, barely doing anything else. The moans she was constantly letting out were muffled by Luke as she matched the pace of the knee with her own good grinding against it.

LUKE

Feeling more than encouraged by the symphony of moans and sounds she was able to elicit from the older woman, Luke eased off from the wolf's lips and began to slowly make her way down. She left languid kiss trailing down, only pausing for a moment to take a pert nipple into her mouth and giving the lightest of bites, before reaching her destination.

Placing featherlight kisses just above the hem of Keagan's ruined panties, she stopped her teasing and slipped them off completely. Dropping to her knees before the edge of the bed, she placed leg over each one of her shoulders before grabbing onto Keagan's hips and giving a decent tug that left her right where she wanted to be. The cocky grin on her face was replaced by a look that would make a starving feral animal look satisfied by comparison. There was little time wasted as she proceeded to lap at the woman's sex and taking in every drop as if she had been left out in the desert and this was her oasis.

KEAGAN

Her eyes watched as Luke made her way down - in a painfully slow pace. A very low growl escaping her throat but was immediately replaced by a soft gasp when she felt herself pulled closer to the edge of the bed briefly.

Her hips bucked the moment she felt the Paladin's tongue against her, her hands gripping down on the sheets beneath them. The wolf bit down on her lips to stop the sounds, only capable of focusing on Luke basically devouring her at this point.

LUKE

At some point while on her knees, and with her focus solely on worshipping the woman in front of her, a small bit at the back of Luke's brain had the forethought to orb her _own_ pants off. Which, not to take the satisfaction away from Keagan to have ripped them off herself, but it certainly came with advantage of cutting down on time. Which Luke would take as a bonus, as she was certain the teasingly slow pace she had taken before was _not_ to the amusement of the Queen.

As she began to feel Keagan's inner walls began to slightly move against her tongue, she eased off and moved to up to lean over the woman so they were eye-to-eye, her hand having deftly moved to replace her mouth. With the woman's legs still drapped on her shoulders, she gently used her fingers to ease around the woman's folds, always near but never daring to actually go further. Not before she leant down _even closer_ to ask in a hot whisper, "May I?"

KEAGAN

The wolf had kept her hands on the sheets, which were now pretty bunched up in those two areas. The way her tongue lapped against her sent shivers with every stroke. To think a whine actually came from her when the Paladin continued with that excruciating pace when she knew that Luke was perfectly aware of how she felt about it.

But there was really something different about being asked for consent with every step of the way. Her eyes flashed brightly at the question and she breathed out a quiet "yeah". Her hands finally let go of the sheets and cupped her fiancée gently by the face while her body eagerly await for Luke.

LUKE

If her response had held left any room for doubt, the way her eyes practically lit up the room was enough to wash it away. As Luke allowed herself to be brought into another kiss, she allowed Keagan's legs to gently slide off her shoulders not wanting to cause any possible discomfort.

Her own arousal was impossible to deny, and as she finally got to feel the warmth of Keagan's want practically pulling her fingers further inside of herself, the Paladin let out a moan of her own. Discarding the last item of clothing on her body, Luke broke their kids gently as she stood up to place a hand on Keagan's chest before she began to add the thrusting of her own hips behind every pump of her fingers inside the other woman. Slowly building up a rhythm and allowing them both to climb towards their high.

KEAGAN

The looks Luke was giving her was just... Captivating. The hunger behind them whilst giving her a sense of admiration. If she had not thought she was beautiful before, she sure did now. Keagan had not looked away once unless their lips were fused together. The wolf within her was absolutely feral from how the other was treating her.

So when the paladin stood tall and looking down at her with a hand on her chest, it was quite the sight. Her own hand clutched the one on her chest as they moved in rhythm as if it was the only thing grounding her. With a smirk, she eventually moved it up her neck until she could take the thumb into her mouth, letting her tongue run around it.

LUKE

The sensations that ran up her arm and through her entire body at the feeling of Keagan's mouth taking her thumb in and expertly reminiding her that she too knew what to do with her tongue, had Luke wanting to test out just what else that mouth could do. But this moment wasn't about herself, it was about _them_. Together.

Sliding her thumb out of Keagan's mouth, she slowly glided her hand down to wrap around her neck -placing the briefest of pressures there- before sliding it around to latch onto her neck. With ease, and care -always mindful of not hurting the other- she used the hold she had on Keagan's neck to bring her up to sitting position, their heated flesh immediately pressed against each other, that mystical magnetism between them not allowing for even a slight breeze to pass between. With the new leverage, Luke lent down to latch onto Keagan's neck before working her way back to her mouth as the rhythm of her hips and fingers continued to lead them to the release they both sought.

KEAGAN

As she felt herself be brought closer and closer to he edge, her arms were once again found wrapped around the taller woman as if to aid in closing any possible gap left between them. The two of hem so in sync as they kept movig together until pleasure hit her like a wave. Breaking the kiss, she cried out as she hid into Luke. Her hands just gripping onto the other though not hard enough to hurt the other.

When she rode it out and was still feeling rather sensitive, Keagan kept her place. Being in Luke's embrace just felt... right. It wad eithout a doubt that she was the source of her daughter's cuddly nature.

LUKE

Their first time together had been incredible, but tinged by the knowledge that both parties genuinely believed to be true at the time: _it would never happen again_. This time, there was nothing being held over their heads. They were _free_ to not just live in the moment, but to actually _enjoy_ it. This time the only saltiness that mingled in with the taste of each other, was the sweat on their skin and not the tears falling from their eyes,

Luke wasn't a novice by any means, so knowing that her partner was close wouldn't have taken guesswork. However, when it came to Keagan..._everything_ was just different. The knowledge that Keagan was right on the precipice was something she just intuitively _knew_ to be true and it was enough to get herself to the same point. They were both right there, and as a cry ripped out of the wolf's throat, Luke immediately followed suit in going over the edge. There was no crying out from her though, mind already focused on helping the smaller woman ride-out her orgasm.

Her focus was such, that it wasn't until she stopped feeling the reverberations around her fingers and had gingerly slipped them out -cleaning them, of course- so she could properly wrap Keagan in a full embrace, that she realized she kind of tehcnically already _had_ her embraced. "I can definitely say with one hundred percent assurance, _you_ are the only girl _that's_ happened with," she chuckled lowly as she looked at the large wings encasing them both in the softest of feather-light touches.

KEAGAN

To both be in the moment was something that Keagan hadn't experienced with anyone else other than Lucas. So to think that she had the chance again was truly a blessing. As they both caught their breaths again, the wolf laid on top of the woman's chest. It didn't even click in her mind until Luke pointed it out.

Wrapped around them were her literally wings. Keagan reached out and touched a feather tenderly, not knowing if Luke could feel it and started brushing her fingers back and forth to feel it's texture. If Luke wasn't a born Paladin, this would definitely never happen in her life. Though the colour was as dark as the tattoo she saw, it was still so majestic that it rendered her speechless as she observed it longer. It felt.. *safe* to have them embracing her - not that she never felt safe in Lucas' arms before.

"Our girls... Will have these eventually, won't they?" Her voice still sounding raw as she asked. "They're beautiful, Luke.." Without much thought, she leaned up and gave a small kiss on the feather she had been observing.

LUKE

It was true when she'd said earlier that she really had no idea how the whole wings thing worked but, now that they were 'out' it felt like controlling any other extension of herself. The feeling of Keagan's fingers brushing against the feathers was definitely distinct from having her brush against her skin, but she could feel it all the same. Chuckling slightly at the tone, Luke simply said, "Yes, I suppose they will. Can't speak to their appearance though, I still don't actually know how it's meant to go, but I do suddenly have a mental image of flying puppies."

Her wings extended to their full span, less to show them off and more so that they wouldn't find themselves pinned down as Luke made to flip their positions. As the wings came in and settled back into their tattoo state, Luke nuzzled Keagan's neck and said, "If the shivers I feel are because you're cold, don't worry love, I don't plan on letting that be an issue for long..."

KEAGAN

The twins really be in situations she had never been prepared for. Flying wolves. The twins would without a doubt test out flying the first chance they get once the wings kick in. "Should we pad up the cabin ceilings and all?" She chuckled, knowing that a simple spell might do the trick.

Her train of thought broke when she found herself being flipped over, with her on her back again. She placed a very gentle kiss to Luke's temple, finding the nuzzling very endearing before that warm smile was replaced with a smirk from the suggestion. A hearty laugh came at that before she learned far enough to look down at her partner. "I would hope we both have more stamina than this." It came as a growl as her own hand snuck in-between them, sliding down the paladin's torso.

LUKE

"They're actually fairly reinforced," Luke replied with ease. From experience, and clearly entirely missing the point. Of course, she could hardly be blamed. Her body wasn't exactly prioritizing her brain on the list of where to send blood rushing to at the moment.

There was something uniquely _delicious_ about having it be Keagan's hand running down her body. The fact this strong, disciplined, independent individual was caving to her desire to just reach out and place her hands where she wanted? And that where she _wanted_ was on Luke? She was almost certain her eyes would never be blue again. Reaching her own hand down to hook Keagan's thigh over her hip and allowing for more leverage as she ground down and trapped the woman's hand between both of their most sensitive areas at the moment, all Luke could do was give her a cheeky grin as she said, "Oh I would hope so too. I'm due at least _six_ more rounds."

KEAGAN

Her low chuckle transitioned into an embarrassed groan when *that* topic came up again. It was clear that no one in the family was ever going to let it go ever since Douchewin *announced* it to the world whether it was true or not.

With that tease, she leaned up and nip Luke gently at the neck. "As alluring as it is to watch you be so competitive which I'm sure you'll be able to beat ten-folds with ease, I'd rather not bring up a certain someone's words..." With a little bit of strength, her fingers wiggled enough to slide them through the folds.

LUKE

There were a lot of nitty-gritty details to her home life as a kid that Luke never really shared with anyone. At least not in a way where it couldn't easily be written off as creative liberty or some such. Malcolm may only have been a part of her life for five years, but the extent of his actions stayed with her well into adulthood. True intimacy was such a foreign concept, and the idea of physical intimacy with a person of the same-sex was mired in memories of awful consequences.

But as she felt slender fingers make their way through the most intimate part of herself, and being able to look into the eyes of the person they belonged too, _none of that mattered_. Lucas would never deny their skill at ensuring her partner had the best of experiences, but the woman was a _master_ at doing so in a way that meant she her sex was never really touched or even considered really. That level of trust, openess, ans vulnerability was one she never really felt with or even _wanted_ to have with anyone else.

Except _her_. As she continued to work her hips into the other woman, she once again caught her gaze as she spoke with nothing but open honesty as she said, "You were the first and _only_ woman that can honestly say they know what it feels like to be _inside_ me..."

KEAGAN

It didn't quite click at first when Luke spoke - esp when she was aware that the twins kept a black book. But then when it did, her golden eyes soften and Keagan leaned in to give a kiss that was less of hunger but of warmth and understanding. God, what did she do to deserve such a woman - a constant question she asked herself. Luke's been nothing but unbelievable since they were children, and more so when they grew up. Not everyone would deal with the things Keagan had dropped on her.

Without holding back, her fingers started with a slow rhythmic pace while thrusting her own hips against her hand as well. Her free hand latched to the back of the paladin's neck. She could honestly say that no one had ever made the wolf feel the same way Lucas had all these years. If only she hadn't been so stubborn, perhaps they would have had less heartaches.

LUKE

The kiss was different. It was less desperate in their need to be in each other's space, and more languid in its confidence that they needn't try so hard to get the other, because they already had it. As they lay here now, their desire was secondary to the certainty that they they had already entrusted each other with their hearts.

Lucas wasn't the most vocal of lovers, but she also wasn't practically riding just any other woman's hand. To know that the one person you love enough to trust your _entire_ self to loves you back the same. That she _wants_ you, as much as you want her? It didn't take long for her to reach the edge again, but she refused to let go unless they were going together. Holding Keagan's gaze, she brought her hand up to cup a breast as she hissed, "I want to absolutely _ruin_ you for _anybody_ else like you did me. Cum _with me_ , princess."

KEAGAN

Her eyes widened, gasping at the hand against her breast.. or at the words being said. To think that she would be called a Princess. Guess it wasn't hard to know where Sky got that trait from because the way it had her blushing yet sporting a dopey smile from a simple nickname... Lord, the vice grip this woman had on her.

However, she didn't think any further on it as she did as she was told, both thrusting while grinding together at a faster speed with the Paladin as she felt the shudders coming from both herself and her lover.

LUKE

There was definitely a sense of satisfaction at the reaction she received from her words, but it was immediately and vastly overshadowed. Any sense of satisfaction she may have ever had in this arena before, paled in comparison to the knowledge that she was able to _bring_ the other woman the same level of gratification. And admittedly there was also an ego boost in knowing she was able to bring them both to orgasm together while her hands were nowhere near the woman's actual sex.

As they both rode out their orgasms together, Luke began placing kisses from the woman's shoulder, up her jaw, and finally captured her lips once more. As she broke the kiss, she eased up onto her knees to take another look at the literal mother of her children and simply gave her a self-assured smile as she said, "I swear, my eyes will never be blue again because you. I can _feel_ it."

KEAGAN

The tender moments in-between were too heartwarming, the wolf sworn her heart could explode with how much love she felt for and from the other. "While I do love your new glowing eyes because they're very unique, it'd be a shame to never see those baby blues again." She chuckled softly.

The room was just filled with their scent; something surely anyone of their pack would notice if they weren't all busy doing their own thing. "Although... They probably won't go away for tonight at the very least."

[jockbrannigan]

Let's Fight

In which Jock manages to get on Zack's bad side in record time!

@zackastor

Zack Astor

-with his limited supply of cigarettes, he should probably try to ration them but this whole event wakes up the urge to smoke and so he finds himself heading to the back of the community center, where he and Isaac talked; the smoke detector is back up on the ceiling and he reaches up to rip it off again; cigarette between his lips and smoke detector in hand, he notices that he isn't alone- You got a problem, pal?

Jock

-the night had been going well for Jock. He hadn't had a full blown panic attack yet and he had even managed to be sociable. Even so, he knew he had to pace himself if he didn't want to burn out and need to leave early. So he took himself to the back of the Community Centre to a quieter area. There he was joined by a tall man who seemed to take issue with the smoke detector.-

"I don't think that's a good idea."

-he said, pointing to the smoke detector-

"But I ain't gonna stop ya if that's yer thing!"

Zack Astor

I didn't ask what you were thinking. -Zack responds, considering the smoke detector for a moment before he decides to drop it onto the ground; bits of plastic and electronics chip off as it hits; he goes to light his smoke- Who the hell are you?

Jock

-So far, everyone else in Redwood has been very friendly and welcoming. It would seem Jock had found someone who didn't fit into that demographic. Trying not to take this guy's bad attitude personally, Jock watched as he lit his cigarette.-

"I'm Jock. Who the hell are you?"

Zack Astor

Jock? Your parents named you Jock? Jesus. -he snickers, inhaling the smoke and blowing it out; the smoke detector at his feet suddenly starts beeping; Zack digs the heel of his boot into it, crushing the thing- I'm Zack. Figures you're fresh meat.

Jock

-He considered telling this guy the whole story of how Jock was actually a nickname he had claimed for himself but came to the conclusion this guy didn't care.-

"Yeah, I'm new 'round here. Thanks for the warm welcome."

Zack Astor

Absolutely no problem. -he gives the other man a wolvish grin as he steps closer, slowly sizing him up as he does- What's your war story then, kid?

Jock

-He recognises that look where he's being sized up. He also recognises the intimidation tactic of closing in on someone else's personal space. Despite his instincts screaming at him to run in the opposite direction, a jolt of rare boldness makes him stand a little taller as he stares back at Zack-

"Born and raised in DC. Escaped the city and lived on a farm not far from here until it wasn't viable to stay there any longer so I came here. You?"

Zack Astor

-he stops in front of Jock, close enough that the other man would have to tilt his head back to properly look at him; a smile is playing on his lips as he regards the other man with narrowed eyes- Huh. So what made you leave? Walkers? Or was the work too hard for you? -he asks, ignoring the question posed to him-

Jock

-Jock does crane his neck back so he can maintain eye contact with Zack. Whatever game Zack wanted to play, Jock wasn't interested in it. So he rolls his eyes at him-

"You wanna know what's hard work? You. I feel like you're about to bully me out of my lunch money or some shit."

Zack Astor

-Zack's eyes widen for a split-second, something lighting up in them- Oh, am I now. -it isn't a question; in the next moment, he grabs Jock by the front of his shirt and slams him against the wall- Better live up to my damn reputation then.

Jock

-well shit, Jock should've seen this coming from a mile away! But he didn't so now he's pinned against the wall after having the air knocked out of his lungs. He wheezes but doesn't struggle against Zack's grip; struggling is a waste of energy after all.-

"If you wanna get any closer, you gotta buy me dinner first."

Zack Astor

Oh really? -Zack's shark like grin widens, as he raises an eyebrow; he leans in, their faces just a few inches apart, his grip on Jock's shirt tightening; a flicker of bloodlust in his eyes- And how exactly are you gonna stop me?

Jock

-This guy was bigger and stronger than Jock, and he already had him pinned against the wall. There was no way for Jock to get out of this without getting hurt so he just resigned himself to that fact. If anything, this was taking him back to his high school days, despite how few of those he had thanks to pricks like Zack. But if Zack was gonna hurt Jock, Jock was going to try his best to hurt him back.-

-Despite Zack's tightening grip on his shirt, Jock strikes Zack in the throat with the side of his hand. He then pushes back at the other man with both feet, kicking his legs out as hard as he can to get Zack to release him.-

Zack Astor

-he hadn't quite expected the hit to his throat and it nocks the breath out of him for a second; his grip on Jock slips a little, allowing the man to get free but not for long; Zack grabs onto the back of his jacket, using the momentum of his push and throws him down onto the ground- Oh you wanna fucking fight. Let's fight.

Jock

-Jock thinks he's free and starts to make a run for it. But Zack recovered quick and managed to not only grab his jacket but throw him on the ground. Jock could feel panic beginning to claw at his consciousness as flashbacks of the torment his high school bullies put him through began playing in his mind's eye.-

-He would shoot back some smart comment but he can't. His brain is frozen and his only instinct is to escape. So he scrambles to his feet and starts running, knowing that while he was quick, Zack was going to catch up quick. All Jock had to do was make it back into the main room where all the people were.-

Zack Astor

-he watches as Jock scrambles up and and starts running off; almost immediately, Zack follows him; with his long legs and training, it doesn't take too long to catch up; reaching out, he grabs ahold of Jock's shirt, yanking him back; within a few moments he throws Jock into one of the empty rooms, down onto the ground before following in and closing the door behind him- Weren't you taught that you don't run away from hounds? -Zack looms over him, grin on his face as he steps closer- Just makes them want to chase you, kid.

Jock

-His chest feels tight as panic begins to take over. Of course Zack caught up with him before he could reach safety; how else was that going to play out? And so now Jock found himself in a small room, in a heap on the floor as Zack towered over him, grinning like he was getting off on this shit.-

"Weren't you taught it's not nice to torment others?"

-Jock's voice wavers with the panic he feels and he knows, just knows deep in his bones, Zack is going to beat the shit out of him any moment now. He is almost resigned to it, just like he did back in high school whenever his bullies caught up to him like this. All he can do is brace himself and try to spot an escape route as quickly as possible.-

Zack Astor

-he stares down at Jock, teeth bared as he kneels down on top of him; deliberately slowly, knowing full well that there is little the kid can do to fight him- Do I look like a nice guy, kid? -he asks, grabbing Jock by his throat and pinning him down; the pressure is not enough to choke him, but enough to be a threat- Now, what are you gonna do, Jock? You gonna try and smart mouth me some more? Or try and fight me?

Jock

-At this point, Jock knows he's fucked. If he tries to fight back, Zack will hit him back harder. If he tries to argue with him, Zack will shut him up with his fists slamming into Jock's face. If he does nothing, Zack will get bored and still hit him. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. But at least if he does nothing, he could prolong the time it takes for Zack to break his nose or worse.-

-So Jock does nothing. He doesn't even tense up as Zack's hand tightens around his neck. He just stares back at the bully, calmly awaiting his painful fate, despite feeling anything but calm on the inside.-

Zack Astor

-his gaze dots over Jock's face, violence crackling in the air for a moment; he seems about ready to beat the shit out of Jock; then suddenly, he pushes himself back onto his feet- I'm done with you. Leave.

Jock

-Seemingly against all odds, Jock's decision to do nothing was the right one. Zack pushes himself off of Jock and back onto his feet. Jock blinks up at Zack before he too gets to his feet and immediately heads for the door. He doesn't say a word, knowing anything he says now will likely make Zack change his mind-

[silvygonzalez]

A sight for sore eyes

After running into Ares at the prom, Silvy is relieved to find David has decided to grace the event with his presence. Flower crowns are involved too!

@davxdalexander

David Alexander

-he still couldn't believe that he had agreed to come to this thing with Mayra. Let alone that he was still here. He figured he'd get his couple dances out of the way with Mayra and Val and Lacey and then head home, yet here he was at a table, people watching. He spotted Silvy and gave her a wave, knowing he wasn't going to be able to hide from her for long- 

Silvy González

-After running into Ares almost as soon as she had arrived at Prom, Silvy had made it her mission to make the most of the night despite feeling as if she had been sucker punched. After hanging out with Val for a while, Silvy went to find some more apple cider but got utterly distracted by the sight of David. She spotted him and he gave her a wave. She wasted no time in going over to him, a broad grin on her face-

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

David Alexander

-he pushed out a chair for her to sit down as she got closer- Ya almost didn't see me at all.

Silvy González

-she took the offered seat-

"Who bribed you to be here and what do they have on you to get you to come to Prom?"

David Alexander

I had three people try to get me to come to this, and you know what they say - third time's the charm. -he chuckles a bit as he shrugs- Mayra finally convinced me. Said she wanted Grumpy Cat to have fun as her way of saying thanks for the archery lessons.

Silvy González

-if the previous 3 people hadn't managed to persuade David to come to Prom, Silvy would've been the 4th to try.-

"Grumpy Cat? That shouldn't suit you as well as it does!"

-she laughed softly but tried to keep a straight face.-

"Does that mean you're gonna take Mayra onto the dancefloor? Show her your two-stepping skills?"

David Alexander

Well, I did promise her, yeah. And Val and Lacey. Guess ya don't gotta worry about keeping that a secret for much longer.

Silvy González

-whistles-

"You've got them lining up to dance with you! Good for you!"

David Alexander

You make me sound like I'm a dog or something.

Silvy González

"No, you're a Grumpy Cat, remember?"

David Alexander

Har har, very funny. -he does smirk a little bit at her comment though-

Silvy González

"Hilarious, right?"

-it felt good to laugh with her closest friend here in Redwood. The run-in with Ares still left a sour taste in her mouth but she could ignore for now.-

David Alexander

So funny my insides are hurting. -he eyes her for a moment- There's something bothering ya, isn't there?

Silvy González

-nudges him with her elbow-

"Did I ever mention how I dislike you being able to see through me like that?"

-she lets out a sigh and shakes her head. She might as well tell him-

"I ran into Ares. I'm OK, truly. Not about to let that son of a bitch ruin my Prom night."

David Alexander

I think you mighta mentioned it once or twice. -he shrugs but listens, his face faltering a little bit when she mentions Ares- You sure you're okay?

Silvy González

-She grimaces when he does that best friend thing again and sees through her bullshit. She looks over at him and smirks-

"No but I'll be fine. It's not like the first time I saw him again. Besides, he can't do anything here where the whole town can see."

David Alexander

You're right, he can't. I know it ain't easy and probably brings up bad memories, but if you need to talk, you know I'll listen.

Silvy González

-She shifts uncomfortably in her seat for a moment. She doesn't want to talk about this now and get all in her feelings but this is David, her best friend. If she couldn't talk to him about this, who else did she have?-

"I'll save the worst of it for another time but if anything, seeing him and feeling the way I do about that, it just makes me want to have an even better time tonight. Like I won't let him ruin my night. So I'm gonna hang out with my friends, watch you dance with your ladies, maybe dance with a few ladies of my own, and have fun. Does that make sense?"

David Alexander

-David simply nods as he lets her talk- Alright, you know where to find me whenever you need it. -he reaches over and squeezes her shoulder reassuringly- So, what have I missed at this shindig?

Silvy González

-Silvy gives David's knee a squeeze that mirrors the one he gave her shoulder.

"I'll be fine but I might demand some emotional support time with Roxy though."

-She's about to fill him in on some of the gossip from the night when a couple of Jake Hawk's kids come over. It's the older girl, Cass, and one of the younger girls, Willow. Willow is holding a flower crown in her hands as she approaches-

"Hi Mr David. This is for you. Sorry, Miss Silvy, I don't have one for you."

-Willow holds out the flower crown to David-

David Alexander

Roxy will be very happy to give you all of the emotional support cuddles you need. -he lets go of her shoulder just as he spots Cass and Willow approach. He notices the flower crown at first and believes it's one of theirs....until she holds it out to him. He looks confused as he takes it from her.- Thank you?

Silvy González

-She grins as David takes the flower crown-

"I believe it's customary for the receiver to wear their crown, right girls?"

-Willow grins and nods enthusiastically, while looking expectantly at David-

"I made it special for you, Mr David."

-Silvy nearly lets out a loud 'aww' sound!-

David Alexander

-David shoots Silvy an unamused look. Oh he knows exactly what she's doing. He sighs as he picks it up and puts it on top of his head-

Silvy González

-She grins as David puts the flower crown on his head. She wishes she had a camera to immortalise this moment for all time-

"You picked out such good flowers, Willow. They really bring out David's eyes."

David Alexander

-David notices the girls' happy faces and he sighs before looking over at Silvy- You are not helping, Silv.

Silvy González

-Willow beams proudly at David and tells him he looks handsome. She then takes her older sister's hand and the two of them walk off to distribute more crowns to people-

"If you take that off, I'll tell them and you'll be disappointing that little girl."

-Silvy can barely keep a straight face on as she speaks-

David Alexander

-David waits for the girls to leave before reaching up but his hand stops as Silvy threatens him- You are a cruel, cruel person, Silvy.

Silvy González

-She grins at him, any sign of her earlier discomfort completely replaced with joy about this moment-

"You love me and my cruelty."

David Alexander

I love you. I tolerate your cruelty. -he knows she knows he's only poking fun at her-

Silvy González

-She knows he's only teasing and appreciates it.-

"Potat-oh, patat-ah! So, who are you gonna dance with first? Mayra, Val or Lacey?"

David Alexander

No one if I'm wearing a flower crown. Maybe you should wear it. It'll look good on you.

Silvy González

"If the ladies don't wanna dance with you while you're wearing that crown, they're not worthy of dancing with you, frankly!"

David Alexander

Oh, it's not that they wouldn't want to dance with me - I'm not dancing with anyone with a crown on my head.

Silvy González

"Oh boo! OK, but no bullshit: the crown does suit you. I know you're not gonna keep it on all night but at least keep it safe. Willow worked hard on that for you."

David Alexander

-David picks it off his head for a minute and looks at it- Yeah, I'll keep it. Can't go breaking little girl's hearts.

Silvy González

"Hey, my Abuela used to press flowers, I think that's what it was called, to preserve 'em. Maybe you can do that?"

David Alexander

Silvy, I mean this as kindly as possible but - what makes you think I know anything about pressin' flowers?

Silvy González

"I had no clue you knew how to two-step. I figure you might contain other such wonderful talents, including flower pressing, maybe!"

David Alexander

Oh, I have a great many talents, Gonzalez. But pressing flowers ain't one of them. I'll just hang it up in my place until the flowers die.

Silvy González

"Maybe it's something you can learn so you can keep surprising people. Plus Willow's crown will last a lot longer."

David Alexander

-Davd gave her an amused look- Do you know how to press flowers?

Silvy González

-She shrugs one shoulder-

"How hard can it be? It's putting flowers in books and leaving them for long enough, right? Right?"

David Alexander

Why are you asking me? I have no idea. -he chuckles a little louder than usual- Maybe you should check a book out on pressing flowers. Or I could ask Mayra about it. She probably knows how to.

Silvy González

"Oh good idea, for both the book and Mayra. Yeah."

-She glances over at him and grins in response to his laughter-

"Careful or your Grumpy Cat reputation will be in tatters!"

David Alexander

Well, you know, I am full of good ideas. Unless you're Zack, in which case you think I don't know anything. -he shrugs smugly- Somehow I doubt it. I'll be back to my grumpy cat ways before you know it.

Silvy González

“Pfft, Zack doesn't count 'cause he's wrong."

David Alexander

Don't let him hear you say that. He'll jump out of nowhere and then you'll be stuck in a circular argument with him, which I don't recommend.

Silvy González

-Considering everything going on with Ares, maybe she shouldn't be inviting Zack into the mess too so for now, she holds her tongue from saying any more about him-

"When do I get to see you dancing with one of your ladies?"

David Alexander

Are you trying to get rid of me? -he was, of course, teasing her-

Silvy González

"No but I wanna see your smooth moves!"

David Alexander

You and just about everyone here, I'm sure. I'll get out there in due time. When do I get to see your dance moves?

Silvy González

"All in good time but I don't have a bunch of ladies lined up to dance with me like you do so... Get to it, Alexander!"

David Alexander

Alright, alright. I'll go ask one of the ladies to dance with me. But I expect to see you out there if I'm gonna be out there, Gonzalez.

Silvy González

"Fair's fair. I'll be out there too, I promise."

David Alexander

-David gives her a look as he pushes himself up to his feet- You better be, or I'll never let you live it down.

Silvy González

-she grins at him as he gets to his feet-

"Go sweep a beautiful woman off of her feet, would ya?"

David Alexander

I'm going, I'm going. -he mock salutes as he walks off to go find Mayra-

Silvy González

-She salutes him back and smiles to herself as she watches him go off to find one of his dance partners. She then remembers she was on the hunt for something to drink. She gets to her feet and heads for the bar. If she's going to hold up her end of the bargain with David, she'll need a little lubrication first!-

[thelizaxevans]

When: Monday, October 3rd

Who: Liza Levin and @wesxevans (and @sterlingxlevin)

Notes: Liza's water breaks a lil earlier than expected-- aka baby time!

Liza Levin Liza had been feeling those wonderful fake contractions all day on and off. Her doctor had told her it was fine and it was just her body preparing for delivery in a month so she tried to just go with it. She hadn't been going to work on Fridays in a few weeks either, so that allowed her to spend the day resting as well until Wes got home. Sleep had been difficult to come by lately as well, everything just...uncomfortable at this point, with the baby at least five pounds and either kicking her ribs or squishing her lungs.

Finally though, she did fall asleep-- only to wake up blearily in the middle of the night to feel her thighs wet and feeling uncomfortable... God, did I wet the bed? Also very likely given the baby also squished her bladder... but it felt different this time.... Liza scrambled to reach over and click on the lamp on the nightstand and she threw the covers off at the same time she felt another of those fake contractions that made her breath catch and made her wince--...because it was fake right? Right?

"W-Wes?" Liza's voice shook as she called out to him, staring down at herself as her hand shakily reached over to grab his arm, unaware if he was even awake yet or not as she started to tremble a bit because it was early. "Wes. My....I-I think my water just broke.."

Wes Evans Wes was a fairly heavy sleeper so he hadn't felt all the movement on Liza's side of the bed, but he did have the light shine in his eyes and he started to cover his eyes with his pillow as he squeezed his eyes shut. However, she was wide awake in just a second when he felt Liza grip his arm. "W-what?" His voice was deep from sleepiness, and he slowly tried to sit up. "Y-you're-- shit." He breathed, totally wide awake now as he pushed himself up off the bed. "Fuck. Uh.. okay. It's fine. You're going to be fine. Wait, this is early, isn't it? Holy fuck. Uh... Okay, just breathe. Yeah just breathe. Holy shit. Do we even have a bag packed? Uuuh. no sorry. Maybe-- fuck, should I get Noelle? I- okay, okay... sorry." Wes took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. Um. It's okay. C-can you stand at all? We need to get you to the hospital."

Liza Levin Liza felt like she was on the verge of a mild panic attack with the way her heart was suddenly in her throat, panging away wildly. There was still supposed to be a month, there was so much she still had to do. They weren't even staying at home right now-- Liza felt panicked tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, her hands shaking a bit even as they fell off Wes and fell to the bed--Wes who all the while was rambling and panicking just as much and she just had to remind herself to breathe.....just like she had to do when Sterling went into labor. God she wanted her sister.. "I-I don't...I don't have a bag.." It was just one of the many things she needed to still do. "Wes.." It came out like a whine--scared and overwhelmed and she just needed a second to focus.

Wes Evans Wes was panicked and he honestly felt terrible for be that way, but this wasn't what he planned-- wasn't what either of them planned. God he was stupid. "Hey, hey... it's okay. Just breathe. B-breathe with me, alright?" He was trying to calm both of them as he tried to grab what they needed as well. "C'mon, I'll help you stand. We'll get to the car, and I'll take you to the hospital. Everything's going to be okay, I promise. I'm with you through all of this."

Liza Levin Liza gave him a jerky little nod, trying to even out her breathing. She at least had pants here she could put on, a t-shirt to change into for the drive. She just needed to focus and be rational. "O-Okay." She agreed, swallowing as she moved to the edge of the bed so she could change and then with Wes' help she got out of the bed, another heavy breath rushing out of her at the way her head spun and she gripped at Wes' arm hard, looking up at him "I need to..w-we need to call my dad. And..." She hesitated for a second before just shaking her head. It didn't matter how bad the fighting had been or how dumb they'd both been and how much they hurt each other. This was more important than that. "A-And my sister. I need my sister."

Wes Evans "Okay. A-and we can call them but I need to get you dressed right now." Though Wes wasn't really worried about much other than pants and shoes. He was scared of becoming a father, scared of how everything would go, but he was also really, really scared of Liza being in pain in that moment. He was scared to have to watch her even the way she was acting now, and he couldn't imagine it getting any worse. After getting Liza changed and after putting on a shirt for himself and some shoes, he grabbed his phone and the keys and helped Liza get out to the car. On the way to the hospital he called James and told him to call Sterling too. Wes was relieved to get to the hospital and get Liza inside but he knew that she still had a long way to go and he felt completely helpless. He wasn't sure what he could say or do to make it better, and he couldn't help but have those worries in the back of his mind that he would be absolutely terrible at all of this.

Liza Levin Once she was dressed and in the car, Liza just kept one hand on her belly and the other she reached over with, needing to keep a grip on Wes' hand--especially as an actual contraction hit and she couldn't help but let out a heavy, pained breath. "Sh-She...she'll be okay, right? It...i-it's only a month?" And rationally she knew it was okay. She'd read so many books and blogs and things and knew that a baby born at 34 weeks just needed a few extra days in the hospital but usually they were fine... "Wh-What if...what if I did something or.." Liza's panicked rambling kept going until they were at the hospital, and while Liza didn't usually tote her family's name or the influence her family had in the town, she sure did now to make sure they had a good (private) room and soon enough she was being put into a wheelchair and again she reached for Wes' hand. "E-Everything will be okay?" She asked him again, knowing it was silly but she needed to again hear the reassurances.

Wes Evans Wes wuickly pushed aside his own anxiety when he heard Liza’s question, What if I did something? “No, Lizzie, this isn’t your doing. These things just happen.” Wes let Liza squeeze his hand as hard as she wanted as he tried to focus on her and driving at once. “She’ll be fine. Babies at 34 weeks are fine. She’ll be perfect and healthy and beautiful, I know she will.” Wes continued to try to reassure Liza the whole drive, and finally they were at the hospital. As wes walked with her to their room, Wes gave Liza’s hand a squeeze. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Liza Levin Liza tried her best to over and over tell herself that it'd be okay. All the while the nurses rolled her into her room and within minutes she was changed into a hospital gown and hooked up with needles and drips and monitors, machines beeping with her vitals and with the baby's and at least everything looked normal... Again it's what she tried to tell herself as contractions continued every few minutes and already starting to hurt. Finally they were alone for a few minutes while the nurses said they'd get her doctor and Liza just swallowed, looking over at Wes as she again held her hand out to him. "Not exactly the honeymoon we had in mind, huh.." She asked it with a little smile since they'd just gotten married days ago. And she was still clearly nervous but....but god, their baby was coming. Finally. All the fear rushing through her paled in comparison to the happiness that made her feel.

Wes Evans Wes took hold of Liza's hand the second she held it out to him, lacing their fingers together and leaning down to press a kiss to the wedding band on her finger. "Not what I was expecting but I'm not mad about it." Wes let out a little laugh. There was this strange excitement to everything, considering they were finally going to meet their little girl. He'd been dreaming of holding her in his arms for months and he couldn't believe it was finally going to happen. "I want to meet her."

Liza Levin Liza's smile stayed on her face when Wes kissed the band on her finger and she let out a breath, nodding. "A-And we'll have her for our birthdays now?" She tacked on, the same nervous smile on her face as she laid her head back on the pillows, rubbing her free hand over her stomach. "Soon. Hopefully." Liza let out a little laugh. "Hopefully Elliebean doesn't make mommy suffer all day.." Liza's smile faded a bit then, more worry etching onto her features. "D....Did you call my dad? And...a-and Sterling? Does she know?"

Wes Evans "I hope she doesn't either." Wes let out a little laugh, though he did worry about having to watch Liza in pain. "I called your dad and I asked him to call Sterling. But I can call her myself if you would like. But I'm sure she's already on her way here. You know how she is." Wes gave Liza's hand a little reassuring squeeze. "You were with her in the delivery room, she'll want to be with you. But I'm going to be with you today. She'll be in the waiting room." Wes laughed, though he knew he was so concerned about Liza that he would let Sterling take his place if it made Liza feel better, though it would hurt him so deeply to miss his daughter's birth. "Whatever makes you feel okay."

Liza Levin "I just want her here." The words were punctuated by a little pained noise as another wave of contractions hit her, Liza's eyes squeezing tight for a moment and she kept her grip on Wes' hand as the pain radiated through her before subsiding a few moments later. Letting out a heavy breath, Liza blinked her eyes open, looking up at him. "Y-You aren't leaving my side." She said it with a finality. Wes would be in the room when their baby was born, there wasn't a question about that. "But....but I need her here. I don't care about the stupid fight o-or even if she's mad at me for forever, I just want her to be here a-and to not miss anything else.." Liza's emotions were already over the place enough that she felt tears prickling at her eyes and she sniffled, shaking her head. "I-I just miss her a..and I want her here."

Wes Evans “She’ll be here, Lizzie. I don’t think anything would stop her from being here.” Wes assured her. Despite his and Sterling not seeing eye to eye, he did understand she loved Liza more than anything. It wasn’t long until Sterling practically burst through the door with a suitcase of everything Liza would need, including magazines she liked in case she got bored staying in the hospital so many days, even bringing wine for after the baby popped out (that is, if she didn’t breast feed like Sterling). “How you doing, hon? Baby making a fuss in there?” Sterling asked as she poked Liza’s large belly. “She’s ready to come out and meet everyone who’s been loving on her I guess.”

Liza Levin "Okay..." She'd just have to hope that was true. But Liza also tried to think rationally because it was three in the morning, so Sterling could also just be sleeping, and if she wanted to come, it'd be later in the day..... But barely an hour later there she was, lugging a suitcase behind her, and Liza's eyes widened, her jaw dropping a bit as she watched her sister just waltz into the room, talking like there wasn't a care in the world and not like they hadn't spoken in days or like they'd been fighting for weeks now... "Y-You came..?" a stupid question really, but given that she was already in pain from contractions and already exhausted because it was the middle of the night and they hadn't been on good terms... Liza felt it was a little warranted.

Sterling Levin Sterling took hold of Liza’s free hand and laced their fingers together. “I wouldn’t miss this. But I do miss you.” Sterling gave Liza a small smile even if it was tinged with a bit of sadness. “But I’m here.” She looked up and met eyes with Wes, giving him a smile too. “And your husband is here. And it’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Liza Levin Liza would've been embarrassed by how her heart skipped on the monitor if it weren't for the fact of how shocked she still was that Sterling was actually there... And when she referred to Wes as her husband... Liza felt more tears pooling in her eyes but a smile pulled onto her lips as she let out a breath and she moved a bit, shifting her hand to hold Sterling's. She knew they still had a lot to talk about and hash out (and she wondered if it would even be okay for them to go home after this) but for now... "I-I missed you too.." She admitted, sniffling softly as she gave her sister's hand a squeeze. "I didn't wanna do this without you."

Sterling Levin "Well you're not going to do it without me. I'm here through everything." Somehow it made Sterling's heart swell to think about how she was now in the same position Liza was four years ago. "I'm glad you're here." Sterling looked up at Wes again and smiled softly at him. "I know it means the world." "I'm glad you're here too." Wes told Sterling, knowing even that meant the world to Liza. It hurt him to know how much their fight had hurt Liza, especially since it was partially his fault. "Alright, well,.. what can I do to help?" He squeezed Liza's hand again.

Liza Levin "Okay." She agreed softly, sniffling again as she gave her sister's hand another squeeze. All the while she listened and watched Wes and Sterling interacting, knowing them two needed to talk it out too. A lot of things were said and words thrown around and liza again just..really wanted things to be okay again. Especially since Elise was now going to be there soon and Liza wanted to bring her home. Before she could reply another contraction rippled its way through her, making Liza squeeze her eyes shut and this time it was both their hands she squeezed as she waited for it to pass, a pained noise slipping from her until a minute or so later it was finally subsiding and she huffed out a breath, letting her head fall back as she shook it. "Unless you can magically move this along with your witchiness..." Liza gave Wes a little smile before she let go of their hands so she could adjust her position. "Y-You guys should try and get some rest. It's like 3:30 in the morning."

Wes Evans “I’m gonna be right here. I’m not gonna try to rest right now. I don’t think I could if I even tried.” Wes huffed out a laugh as Sterling added, “you need to try to rest, Liz. Not us.”

Liza Levin Liza knew they were right--but how could she rest with everything going on right now? Her mind was going a mile a minute with the fact that Sterling was here and..seemingly okay. She hadn't even seen her sister smiling at her in weeks. And yet here she was. And then there were nurses coming in every few minutes to check in on her and the baby. And then, of course, was the baby herself, Liza's body going through contractions every few minutes and while they'd already been uncomfortable and ached an hour ago, now they were starting to hurt. So how was she supposed to rest when all this was happening--especially when knowing that all of this was leading to one very, very important thing: her baby was coming. Today. Soon. She was going to give birth to her today. How on earth could she rest knowing that was about to happen.

So no, Liza didn't really rest, and over the next few hours, everything just happened more. At some point too James was there, bringing coffee for Sterling and Wes (and promising Liza the best coffee of her life once the baby was born) but Liza didn't even care much anymore. Her contractions started getting longer and coming quicker and it hurt, Liza's little whimpers and pained breaths soon enough becoming cries of pain as the day broke and the morning came upon then. In fact, Liza wasn't even sure what time it was when the nurses checked on her. All she knew was that the sun was high in the sky and the hospital was bustling and she was already tired, face a bit flushed and tears in her eyes, when one of the nurses looked up at her, grinning up at her. "You're at ten centimeters, momma." She announced, looking from Liza to Wes and then back. "It's time."

Wes Evans Wes tried to be there for Liza as much of he could until nurses came in, though he never let go of Liza’s hand the whole time they checked on her and Elise. Wes was scared but he couldn’t imagine how Lisa felt. And, of course, wes began worrying about just what all could go wrong with Elise being early or how birth could be risky. What would this do to Liza? What if he lost her? No. He couldn’t think about that.

Instead, he focused on Liza, trying to breathe with her and stay as calm as possible so she could feel okay with being calm. He just needed everything to go perfectly. He prayed it would. When the nurse came in and told Liza she was ready, wes squeezed Liza’s hand. Fear struck him while excitement swirled inside him- a strange mix of emotions he wasn’t sure how to handle in that moment. “This is it. After months w- we’ll have our daughter with us.” He told Liza in that honey sweet tone he often used around her.

Liza Levin Liza let out a breathy little almost-laugh, all the emotions and adrenaline running through her (and the pain drugs) just making her head spin. She gave her sister one more hand squeeze before she left the room to join their father and after that was just a flurry of movement. Nurses all came in, machines were wheeled in, a bassinet, Wes was handed a gown to put on... Everything after that was kind of a blur.

Liza remembered gripping Wes' hand hard enough that it had to hurt him. She was crying and pretty much screaming as pain ripped through her like she never experienced before. Liza's face was flushed and sweaty but she kept at it, needed his help for it too; Wes helping her sit up, holding her leg when her muscles were shaky and wanting to give out. She felt like she couldn't do it, everything just so much and like it was taking forever when in reality, the labor was barely an hour.

And then finally after a few more minutes of agony, of Liza screaming herself hoarse and doubled over, she gave one final push until finally (finally), there was commotion--and then there was the unmistakable sound of a baby's cry and Liza sobbed as she let herself fall back against the bed, crying and exhausted but trying to look through her tears all the while because she was here.

Wes Evans Wes wasn't sure what there was for him to do other than be there for Liza, letting her hold his hand while he tried to tell be encouraging and tell her that she could do this and that it wouldn't be much longer. He hated seeing her in the pain she was in and hated that he was so helpless in everything. But the moment the baby came, there was a relief that washed over Wes, a wave of love, and he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him when he heard his daughter cry for the first time. Before he knew it, there were tears and he was leaning close to Liza and telling her how good she did and how proud of her he was and that it was finally over. She was okay and the baby would be okay, followed by plenty of I love yous.

Liza Levin Liza's heart was hammering and tears were streaming down here face and she didn't care. She didn't even feel the pain anymore as a second later there was suddenly a bundle being put down onto her chest and oh-- Liza's crying just got harder but there was a smile pulling onto her lips as her arms immediately wrapped around the bundle-- around her baby and as she cried the baby did too- soft and healthy and perfect. "Sh-She's here.." she breathed, trying to blink her vision clear as she stared down at the baby before she looked up at Wes, crying and grinning all the while.

Wes Evans Wes stepped out of the way so the nurse could bring Elise over to them, but he never let go of Liza's hand the whole time. He leaned down and wiped his eyes quickly so he could get a good look at the baby-- his daughter. This was all he'd ever wanted. A family, someone to love him and someone for him to love, and he always wanted a daughter. Liza had given him all of this, and just as he thought he couldn't possibly love Liza any more than he already did, he stared into the face of his daughter and felt this overwhelming love and peace wash over him. It made more tears fall from his eyes as he gently placed his hand on Elise's back as she cried As they all cried. "I've been dying to meet you." He laughed through his tears before looking to Liza again. "Our Elise."

Liza Levin Liza felt like she'd run a marathon and yet the adrenaline that was pumping in her veins was overwhelming- exhausted and energized at the same time, her heart was pounding and she was still trying to catch her breath and see through the tears that kept pouring down her face. All the while all she could think was they had their baby. This was real- she was real. In the back of her head Liza knew too that the nurses would have to take her in a moment, clean her up and all, but right now Liza held little Elise close to her, in sheer disbelief and bewilderment that after all these months...she was finally here.

And other than that, her other thoughts were of Wes. She looked up at him, watching as he cried, and Liza sniffled softly, keeping one hand securely wrapped around the baby while she moved the other to his, resting over his hand, both on top of Elise. Elise started letting out more soft little wails and Liza just let out a watery laugh, starting to try and rock her a bit. Vaguely she was aware of the flurry of doctors around her, IV drips being replaced for her, a towel gently being placed over the baby to keep her warm, but all Liza could truly focus on was her. "Look what we did.." She breathed to Wes, mystified and smiling still and she closed her eyes for a moment as she pressed her face to the top of their daughter's head, tears still steadily streaming down her face. "We have a baby.."

Wes Evans "She's beautiful, Liza." Wes breathed as he turned his attention back to Elise in her mother's arms, both Liza and Wes' hands were on the little girl's back, and Wes looked at the rings on both of their fingers. He couldn't believe this was his life now. "She's perfect."

Liza Levin "She is.." Liza sniffled, pressing one more soft little kiss to her head before letting the nurses quickly take her so they could clean her and off and check her over. Liza still felt nervous since she'd given birth early, but the doctor and nurses seemed like everything was just fine and moments later they brought her back with a blanket and a little pink beanie on her head and Liza immediately wrapped her arms around her, beckoning Wes closer to her--to them. "Our little Ellie."

Wes Evans Wes' eyes followed the nurse as he brought her daughter back to them and he wasted no time in stepping closer to the bed Liza was in so he could see her again. With Liza's invitation, Wes sat on the edge of the hospital bed to get a better look at his daughter in his wife's arms as all those tears just came right back. "C-can I hold her?" He asked softly, tentatively.

Liza Levin Liza couldn't really move much without hurting, but she still tried her best to shift a bit, making more room for Wes to sit down beside her and all the while she let out a wet little laugh, nodding. "Of course." Sniffling, Liza leaned down, pressing a kiss to the baby's head. "Ellie this is your daddy.." She cooed softly, carefully moving to pass the little bundle in her arms over.

Wes Evans Wes gently took the baby into his arms and let his eyes search her face like he was trying to commit every detail to memory. She was perfect and looked just like Liza. God, she was beautiful, and his heart was overflowing. He would never let anything or anyone hurt this little baby. He would do anything for her.

"H-Hi." Wes breathed, a wide smile pulling at his lips. "I've been wanting to meet you for a long time now. I- I'm the one who's been reading to you every night." He told her as he let his fingers gently brush over her cheek. "You're even more wonderful than I could have imagined."

Liza Levin Liza stayed quiet and just listened as Wes spoke, watching him. All these months of Wes worrying that he wouldn't do well as a far, all his fears...and she'd always known that they were for-not. She knew with every fiber of her being that he'd be good at this, that the love he had for his daughter would far outweigh any fear. Not to mention the fact that she was pretty sure she'd never loved Wes more than she had in this exact moment. "She is, huh..." Liza murmured, swallowing as she pressed a kiss to Wes' arm and leaned against it, her body sagging a bit and yet she didn't even care about how exhausted she was. "She's so perfect." Liza tacked on as she laid her arm over him, careful of the needles in her and all the wires as she rested her hand on Elise. "We're a family now." She grinned as she said it, stroking her fingers gently over the baby before she pressed another kiss to Wes' arm, propping against him to look up at him. "I love you."

Wes Evans Family. It was enough to make Wes nearly choke a sob. It was something he'd wanted for years but was convinced he'd never have and it always killed him. He wanted this so desperately for so long. "We're a family now." Wes sniffled as he turned his head and leaned in to press a kiss to Liza's lips. "I love you too. I love you both."

Liza Levin Liza leaned her head up, kissing him back. "I love you more." She murmured into the kiss, smiling into it and she kissed him once more before she pulled back and rested her cheek against his arm, keeping her eyes down on the beautiful little baby in his arms. "And you..." Liza moved her fingers gently over the baby's face as she said it. "We love you so, so much.." Liza felt more tears slipping down her face but she didn't even care as she grinned, nuzzling into Wes' arm as she kept her eyes on the baby. "Elise Agnes Evans. Our perfect baby girl."

[robinastrea]

It's Astronomy

Date: April 15, 2017 Location: Theo’s Apartment, Rungung, Kraysha Characters: Theo Seong (@theoseong), Robin Astrea Description: They break up.

(Link to GoogleDoc Thread Here)

[guardian-of-gotham]

(From secret AU!Scarecrow to Batman because I think I'm funny XD probably found on the Batmobile)

Name: Scarecrow ~~you'll have to figure out my real name~~

Age: Old enough

Do you like to cuddle?: Yes

Can we make-out?: Sure

A night in or dinner out?: Dinner out

Ice cream or chocolate covered strawberries?: Both?

What makes you a good Valentine?: You look like you could use some company and I've been told I'm an excellent listener. Besides! When else will I get the opportunity to learn from another who uses fear as well as I do? 

Would you cook for me?: Yes. ~~Wait, does my toxin not count? No? Fine, yes I'll cook food.~~

Would you let me cook for you?: Can you cook? I'd love to know.

//If read at where our thread is currently:

"...Okay. We can go out for dinner. Just meet me at the bat-signal or tell me where I can pick you up." It might've been a dirty move, but if it meant he could keep one more criminal off the streets, Bruce was willing to play along. Besides, it was highly unlikely that the Scarecrow's feelings were genuine and this wasn't just some sort of ploy to catch him off-guard and attack.

//If read after starting to develop an attraction to him:

"The way we 'use fear' is not the same. ...Besides, even if I was interested in entertaining such a notion, I doubt either of us is willing to meet the other unmasked, and no restaurant owner in their right mind would serve the Batman and the Scarecrow, while potentially endangering or scaring off the rest of their clientele."

[carrekiblue]

Start of Something New

Date: July 2017 Location: The Prosperity Characters: Blue Sreleku, Gwen Volnal @gwenvolnal , Skylar Clarke-Iz’an @skylarclarke Characters Mentioned: Daphne Rux Description: Blue gets lost on her first day aboard.  Gwen makes sure this lost carrek is supposed to be here.

(link to discord thread)

[rowsandrows-of-roses]

New Year's Eve 2024 [Discord Thread][Before Midnight] –@ [Floral Print]

In which Ken suddenly realizes he is free and leaves to go make a plan…[takes place: December 31]

@kenneth-carson

[cw – none]

–@ –@ –@

KEN: For the first time in possibly ever, Ken did not want to go out. He didn’t want to celebrate, he didn’t want to see people, or participate in a town event.

It was an awful feeling, wanting to just go home and crawl into his bed, hide under the blankets and hope that somehow this past year had been a dream. That he was going to wake up and 2024 was going to start again– only the way it should have been. With the deal having been broken, the demon gone, and his mom would be alive but still revoked his place at the table so he could be in Swynlake and just…exist.

But alas, there he was standing outside, following Isabela around with a notable droop in his shoulders, waiting for the midnight to finally hit and take this year with it. He was trying to be good company but it was just so hard. The demon hadn’t tried anything but Ken could feel it hovering, wanting to step in, but it was waiting for something. And Ken was scared to know what.

“Whoa!” he said, stepping out of the way as a pair of teenagers came sprinting by. Ken blinked, turning to watch them go, and then looked back at Isabela as he took his place by her side once more. “Where’s the fire? Er– wait, I shouldn’t say that, should I? I’ll jinx the night or something.”

–@ –@ –@

[link here]

–@ –@ –@

[unchosensarchive]

battle thread: rahim & lily

Rahim: Neville Longbottom was dead. Or dying, Rahim thought quickly. His hand started forwards, like he was going to perform a diagnostic spell, put him under a stasis charm, follow the procedures of the hospital. It wasn’t too late, Neville had only just fallen. But he couldn’t. He’d done this. He had to leave. But he couldn’t do that either, frozen in place. A sound behind him had Rahim stiffening, the sickness in his stomach transitioning back to anxiety. Instinct had him on the defensive, summoning a shield charm, “Protego”.

Lily: a ragged cry escapes from lily's throat as she watches neville crumple to the floor. without hesitation, she hastens towards them, adrenaline coursing through her veins, her heart pounding so fast it feels as though it might burst from her chest. lydia makes it to her father's side first, crouching down beside him to attempt to resuscitate him, so lily casts a protego horribilis to shield them and turns her attention to the masked death eater instead. "coward," she snarls as she casts a lightning spell to break through his protection charm, the barrier shattering with a burst of blinding white light. "suddenly you're too scared to do anything? you had no problem attacking a man who couldn't fight you." she sends a sectumsempra curse his way that just narrowly misses. "you disgust me."

Rahim: He feels sick, wants to claw his own skin off with his bare hands, but there’s no time. He only just registers Lydia running past him. It’s only Lily he can focus on. Of course it would be her. The hatred in her eyes hurts, cuts through even his numb panic, despite that it’s how she has always looked at him. If she ever looked at him. Well, he has her attention now, he realises bitterly before his shield is slammed back by the force of her lightning strike. “Yeah, maybe I am,” he mutters, his paralysis ending out of necessity as he dodges her next curse. He can’t dodge forever, he needs a plan. “Obscuro”, Rahim shouts and takes the moment that she’s blinded to blast through Lily’s protective charm and aim his wand directly at Lydia, his heart still pounding furiously. He has to get this right, just right - but it’s what he does. Minimise the damage, cauterise the wound. He can’t kill again. And not Lily. He just - can’t. “You ready to make the sacrifice play, Potter? Because I don’t think you are.” It’s not lost on Rahim that even his attempt to taunt her off-guard has the faint hint of admiration in it. It’s what he does, weigh up every choice, decide what part of himself he can cut away, destroy. But not her. She wouldn’t. She doesn’t.