#have them move into it using the Makin' Money scenario

[humangods]

ship questionaire thingie! (for any/all tbh)

@kimsgoeun

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧ A L L  O F  T H E M

Alexis / Lucy

How did they first meet? Under rather unfortunate circumstances made only worse by the way Alexis handled things. She wanted to find Lucy before the rest of the police did to give them a fighting chance, but probably spooked Lucy in the process.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Lucy, probably, or around the same time. But Lucy would be first to acknowledge that they had feelings because Alexis would be slow to figure out her own feelings and then over-analyze them to be sure of what they are. It would be a process.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Yes, both, but for different reasons. Alexis would be afraid of it complicating their friendship for the worse and has anxiety over the idea of how to care for someone and having them become a larger part of her life. She's not confident she'd be a great partner.

Who initiated their feelings first? Lucy, probably. Alexis would've gone along with it without knowing at first that it was a sign of their mutual, developing feelings. For instance with how physical Lucy is, Alexis is not at all, but she begins to be more physical (although only with Lucy) without noticing it too much at first.

Who said “I love you” first? Lucy during a panic attack and without needing to think about it Alexis says it back. It dawns on her once the moment's passed what had transpired, but she wouldn't regret it. She would want to ask if Lucy meant it or if she said it in the moment.

Who gets jealous easily? Lucy? Alexis is pretty lax when it comes to a friend or partner spending time with and talking to others, not assuming anything suspicious of them. If she's close friends or otherwise romantically involved with someone then she trusts the other person wouldn't abuse that trust.

Who is more protective? Alexis. Even before they get together -- even before they really become friends -- she finds she's instinctively protective of Lucy. Especially when it comes to dealing with the law in regards to Lucy.

Who remembers the little things? Alexis, but selectively. She remembers Lucy's birthday, their anniversaries, dates of important appointments or events that are relevant to her and Lucy or her work, but when it comes to other people's birthdays and other dates for events that she has no interest in then she forgets. They both are (or at least Alexis is) generally good at remembering when the other mentions something they like or want.

Who talks about their feelings more? Lucy. Alexis doesn't think to do so nor usually like to so Lucy has to coax her a little to do so.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither.

What does a first date look like for them? Something lowkey and relaxing. Neither of them are big fans of grand gestures (especially publicly made ones) and anything crazy. It's probably something as basic as going to get coffee together.

What do they like to do together? They're a pretty chill pair so drinking coffee, doing their own things (like reading or Lucy reading while Alexis works) while being in the same room together. Alexis has a more hectic schedule than Lucy that's also more unpredictable (and she’s a workaholic), so they enjoy what time they get together mostly by basking in each other's company while physically near one another or a lowkey date.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Alexis, but it's more of a strong irritation whether it be directed towards others, which is more often the case, or with herself. She can keep her cool though she becomes tense and curt, but Lucy has a grounding presence/touch, so fortunately for Lucy it doesn't take much on their part to pull her out of her mood.

Do they like PDA? Alexis doesn't care for it, so she wouldn't initiate anything beyond holding hands or a quick kiss on the lips/cheek/forehead. If they were sitting in a park, for instance, she'd be fine with cuddling too. Alexis would get too embarrassed and self-conscious over anything more than that in public.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? They switch, but despite being slightly smaller, Alexis tends to end up the big spoon more often. She likes holding Lucy in her arms because Lucy is warm and she wants Lucy to know she’s there for them.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Lucy likes it more and probably initiates it more often as well, but Alexis is happy to oblige. Cuddling and physical closeness isn't something she's used to, so she doesn't think about it as much. But she does like it with Lucy.

Who hogs the blankets? Lucy? Or neither. If Lucy does then Alexis will roll over and pull the blanket back onto her even if it means she has to be pressed up against Lucy's back for it.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Lucy, but Alexis doesn't turn her down either.

Who’s the kinkiest? Neither. I don't know if they're all that kinky, but Alexis would be willing to try out some things if Lucy wanted. She wouldn't suggest much, if anything, though as she wouldn't give it too much thought unless asked to. However, Alexis might ask if Lucy had any  just to see if there was anything she should work towards being more knowledgeable about.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? They switch it up, but Lucy tends to be on top more often while Alexis prefers to give rather than receive (though appreciates the latter too). She's more of a power bottom in those scenarios, but she enjoys being on top more, which is when Lucy would be the power bottom when that happens. But she likes Lucy being happy more than that so she's fine either way.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Alexis prefers to give and finds greater pleasure in giving than receiving, but they each like both.

Can they last more than one round? Yeah, but it’s a toss-up whether they will or won’t depending on their moods.

Which one is a morning person? Alexis. She wakes up early, but they both tend to not sleep well and stay up all night (or very late) anyway.

Do either of them like to cook? Alexis does. She doesn't love, but she enjoys it well enough and is content to do it, especially if she's cooking for Lucy. She probably does most of the cooking if Lucy is more neutral or doesn't like to. Alexis does like making them both coffee though and likely has a thermos for it and buys one for Lucy if they don’t already have one and sending them off for the day with it.

If they get married, who proposes first? Not sure if they would or if they’d be happy enough to be partners without the marriage aspect. But if they do then Alexis. It would be her way of trying to show Lucy she's committed to them and there to stay for as long as they'll have her around. If they don’t get married then she’d be first to ask Lucy to move in for the same reasons.

What kind of wedding do they have? Something simple and private. Alexis would want a mix of indoors and outdoors just in case the weather proves to be unfavorable and tell Lucy to not worry about a budget since Alexis would have the money for it. Because neither of them have a lot of people they'd want to invite it'd be a small wedding.

Does anyone object to their relationship? If they knew, Alexis' family would, but Alexis doesn't care about their opinions so it wouldn't affect nor surprise her. She doesn’t bother to tell them about Lucy in the first place, let alone of their relationship, as she doesn’t keep in contact with them.

Do they have any kids? No, too stressful and anxiety-inducing just thinking about it. Alexis has no desire for kids as it is.

Do they have any pets? No for the same reason as above.

Aversa / Caria

How did they first meet? After flipping mindlessly through applications for a bodyguard Aversa picked one out at random from a pile and liked the photo so she called Caria in.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Aversa, but she would be terrified to admit it and scared of her own feelings as well.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Y E S. Both. With all their might and failed.

Who initiated their feelings first? Aversa in her own way that caused more confusion than anything else. One thing she did was the classic move of giving flowers she knew Caria liked or thought she’d like, but then get flustered and try to change the subject.

Who said “I love you” first? Caria during a fight. Aversa would be too stunned to say it back right away.

Who gets jealous easily? Aversa, but she’d try to hide it. Caria would likely notice anyway and Aversa would (poorly) deny it.

Who is more protective? Aversa, but both can be pretty protective of the other.

Who remembers the little things? Aversa because everything about Caria is important to her.

Who talks about their feelings more? Probably Aversa? but unintentionally. She doesn’t mean to start talking about them, but sometimes it just happens, particularly if she’s already upset.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither.

What does a first date look like for them? Aversa reserves an entire high-end restaurant for an obscene amount of money so that she can have it all to herself and Caria.

What do they like to do together? Aversa is a busy person doing things she doesn’t even like to do, but she wants Caria to have a good time so eventually she’ll ease up on the grandiose date ideas and find something a little more lowkey they can both enjoy whether it be a date or not. She’ll start naming things she’d like to have done if her life were more normal and then sometimes ask Caria if she’d want to do one of those things.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Aversa, but Caria also gets irritated with Aversa. Caria would quickly learn to shove some alcohol in front of Aversa and Aversa would sulk and drink in silence or make small talk with Caria and forget about why she was upset in the first place.

Do they like PDA? Aversa doesn’t mind it to an extent. She’d draw the line after making out. However, she’s generally more conservative with their relationship in regards to publicizing it so she’d be more cautious with PDA.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Caria would be the big spoon more often than not.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Not really? Maybe Aversa. She likes being close to Caria in private, and she (secretly) likes cuddling, but can be okay without it too.

Who hogs the blankets? Neither? Or Caria.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Aversa and also at inconvenient times.

Who’s the kinkiest? Aversa or both. Control kinks are their thing.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Caria is most often the top though they can switch. Aversa ends up on top if Caria is letting her be more dominant, but Aversa is a power bottom as much as she wouldn’t want to admit to it.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Both for both.

Can they last more than one round? Yes, but Caria can outlast her.

Which one is a morning person? Both? Aversa has to get up early because she has a lot to do, which means Caria also has to get up early. Aversa doesn’t particularly like getting up early, especially not before 7AM, so when on the rare chance she gets a day to sleep in she takes it.

Do either of them like to cook? Aversa can, but she doesn’t like to that much. She’d rather buy pre-made meals or delivery because it takes less time than to cook food herself, but she’ll do it for Caria.

If they get married, who proposes first? Not sure they feel any strong need to get married, but if they did then probably Caria would have to.

What kind of wedding do they have? It would be probably be fairly modest, but expensive. Aversa would only want the best of the best for it.

Does anyone object to their relationship? Probably since Aversa’s not a good person. Caria also objects at first because of the conflict of interest it causes her.

Do they have any kids? No and it’s for the best.

Do they have any pets? Probably not, but if they did Aversa would suggest a fluffy cat.

Carmen / Chess

How did they first meet? While they were up to shenanigans and both were crashing the same fancy event. Carmen is immediately drawn in by Chess.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Carmen, but misinterpreted them as platonic feelings in the beginning.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Not really. Carmen goes with the flow when it comes to her emotions.

Who initiated their feelings first? Carmen, maybe, by getting more physical with Chess.

Who said “I love you” first? Equal chance of either saying it first. If Chess said it first by dropping it in conversation casually it would throw Carmen for a loop. If Carmen said it then she’d do it without thinking just as she’s falling asleep. She’ll act nonchalant about it the next morning, but be internally panicking.

Who gets jealous easily? Carmen, but she doesn’t do much about it and rides it out.

Who is more protective? Carmen. She’ll immediately fight anyone that so much as badmouths Chess.

Who remembers the little things? Carmen more than she lets on. She’ll intentionally act like she forgot something to make it seem like she doesn’t remember too many things.

Who talks about their feelings more? Carmen. She’s fairly expressive despite trying to play it cool, especially when it comes to her feelings for Chess, but she only shows a wider range of emotions and is more open to talking about herself to Chess.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither.

What does a first date look like for them? Chess had them go somewhere afterhours making an otherwise legal excursion illegal. Carmen would only find this out after they get caught and become perturbed, but it made things memorable.

What do they like to do together? Cause mischief.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Carmen does and Chess either already has sweets on hand or turns into a cat and Carmen almost instantly stops caring about whatever was bothering her and snuggles cat-Chess.

Do they like PDA? Carmen does only to scandalize other people.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Both can be both, but Carmen probably tries to be the big spoon more often.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Carmen. She likes the physical closeness a lot. She finds it comforting.

Who hogs the blankets? Both, but then is it really hogging? Carmen usually lets Chess have them, however, and uses it as an excuse to curl up next to her.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Chess, but sometimes Carmen does without meaning for things to lead to sex, but when they do she goes along with it.

Who’s the kinkiest? Neither, but Carmen finds a lot kinks kind of funny and laughs at them.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Carmen is on top more, but can switch if Chess ever wants.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Chess likes to give and Carmen likes to receive more than they like the opposite, but still do both.

Can they last more than one round? Yes and it’s annoying to the neighbors if Carmen feels like being a jerk.

Which one is a morning person? Chess or neither. More like mid-morning for Carmen anyway.

Do either of them like to cook? Not particularly, but Carmen can cook very basic things.

If they get married, who proposes first? They aren’t likely to get married. They’re both happy to have a partnership without that and Carmen thinks marriage is kind of a waste of time, money, and effort.

What kind of wedding do they have? While they may not have one in actuality, if they did it’d be outside and only they would be having fun. The rest of those in attendance probably not as they’re being pranked.

Does anyone object to their relationship? No, and no one is surprised.

Do they have any kids? They might have one or two. Carmen would think it could be fun to have mini-versions of themselves running around and teach them crime.

Do they have any pets? More than Carmen ever thought she’d have. They pick up stray animals that can’t fend for themselves that well on their own in the wild. Sometimes those animals return to the wild and sometimes they stick around.

Elina / Rosemary

How did they first meet? Elina was drawn to Rose from her photos and reached out to inquire about whether Rose would be interested in selling any as prints. She follows Rose’s social media, if she has to advertise her work, and comments on every photo even if it’s something short like, “Love the lighting/color/angle/etc.!”

Who felt romantic feelings first? Elina fell hard and fast.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Rose did because their entire lives are so different from one another from their upbringings to their professions. Elina was hurt, but was unsurprised and chose to wait for Rose while hoping Rose would reciprocate her feelings someday.

Who initiated their feelings first? Elina through lingering glances and light touches.

Who said “I love you” first? Elina, and she hated every second of it. She had the idea that she’d tell Rose in a more romantic way than in front of strangers and because it was a matter of Rose’s safety.

Who gets jealous easily? Elina. She throws herself into her work when that happens to distract herself.

Who is more protective? Elina, but she’s careful with how she displays her protectiveness.

Who remembers the little things? Elina. She likes to keep journals, so she writes down things Rose mentions liking or wanting, dates of things they need to remember, etc.

Who talks about their feelings more? They’re both fairly reserved for different reasons, but Rose may when she’s particularly stressed. Elina doesn’t want to become a burden to Rose or come across as needy so she tends to convince herself not to do so more often than not.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither.

What does a first date look like for them? Rose was  likely the one who asked Elina out on a date as she already knew of Elina’s feelings, but had initially turned her down, so Elina would’ve been surprised, but ecstatic. On the other hand, if Rose confessed to having feelings before asking Elina out on a date, then Elina would’ve immediately asked. They take things slow at first and go out for drinks or dinner -- something simple to start out with,

What do they like to do together? Elina wants to travel and would ask Rose to go with her when their schedules aligned or they’d take time off for a brief vacation. Since Rose’s schedule is busy and she travels for work, dates are typically dinners or Elina will go with Rose to where she’s going and the date will be the flight then they’d go their separate ways when they landed.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Rose? Elina has learned to keep her composure and generally does so when upset (she’ll act cold and distant when she is), but she has the habit of using her anger as a burst of productivity through doing work or going for a run. Rose may have more of an obvious temper when angry and Elina would let Rose burn through her anger, but offer for them to go do something after that could be relaxing like a long drive or drinks or something of the sort.

Do they like PDA? If either, Rose would be more open with expressing affection than Elina, but they’re always on the move so they don’t often do more than a quick kiss. When they aren’t rushing off to be somewhere, Elina can be touchy-feely so while they may not makeout, the way Elina behaves around Rose and is always touching her (holding hands, linking arms, etc.) makes it apparent they’re a couple.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Elina is usually the little spoon, but it changes.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Rose or neither. Elina doesn’t feel strongly either way despite being a somewhat physical person, but she does like to have their hands or a finger touching when she goes to sleep.

Who hogs the blankets? Neither or Rose. If Rose does, Elina will eventually wake up and try to pull them back.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Both equally or Elina.

Who’s the kinkiest? Elina. She’s kinkier than she lets on, but she doesn’t require any sort of kink-play, so whatever Rose is and isn’t into is fine with her.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Interchangeable, but Elina usually ends up on top. Bashful in the streets, dominant in the sheets.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Either mostly the same either way for both or Elina likes to give more, but only by a tiny margin.

Can they last more than one round? Yeah, but they either don’t or go a few times when they do end up having sex.

Which one is a morning person? Both have to be morning people, but Rose is more of one naturally than Elina, who likes to have a Lazy Sunday occasionally and sleep in or lounge about in bed for an extra 30 minutes to an hour.

Do either of them like to cook? They don’t have a lot of time to cook, but Elina is fine with it though tends to find cooking to be more of a chore.

If they get married, who proposes first? It really could go either way. Elina would be first to bring up the subject in conversation to try and gauge Rose’s interest in it. They could end up being partners without marriage, which would also be fine. Elina had the idea she’d have a wedding someday, but she wouldn’t want to pressure Rose into it if Rose didn’t want one and be okay with that.

What kind of wedding do they have? Short and sweet and outdoors with a tent for after the ceremony where guests could eat, mingle, and dance.

Does anyone object to their relationship? Elina’s family would and while it wouldn’t come as any surprise to Elina, she would still be disappointed. Maybe Rose’s friends, or some of them, because they might be wary of Elina due to her social position and the contrast between hers and Rose’s.

Do they have any kids? Too busy for that, but Elina wouldn’t mind either way.

Do they have any pets? Also too busy for this.

Kalianna / Katharine

How did they first meet? In a parking lot at night. Katharine was probably annoyed and wanted to go home and relax or something, but then Kalianna came along and pointed a gun at her all “Hello, Katharine. I’m here to ruin your day. :D” Joke’s on Kalianna though because she failed and now her client wants a refund that she refuses to give because “It’s in the fine print, asshole. No refunds. It’s my money now.” She probably used it to buy something nice for Katharine later.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Kalianna. It surprised her since she doesn’t usually care for romance, but how was she supposed to resist Katharine?

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Both because of the stark difference in their stations in life and the complications that come with it. Kalianna is also concerned about becoming a burden to Katharine and doesn’t want to hinder Katharine achieving any and all of her goals and aspirations because of what she does. What she lacks in financial wealth she makes up for with her drive and uncanny ability to persuade people into giving what she wants whether by honeyed words or by force.

Who initiated their feelings first? Kalianna, but she didn’t mean to. It started with gift giving and at first she thought nothing of it, but it dawned on her that some of the gifts, especially considering the price tag (that she may or may not have paid) attached to them, are incredibly high for someone who is giving a gift to “just a friend”.

Who said “I love you” first? Katharine. It takes Kalianna by huge surprise, but she’d ride that high for the rest of her life.

Who gets jealous easily? Both? Or Kalianna, and Kalianna shows it more openly. The more jealous she is the more adamant she is about not being jealous.

Who is more protective? Equally protective, but Kalianna is more expressive about it such as more willing and likely to get into fist fights because of it.

Who remembers the little things? They both have incredibly good memory as they need it for their jobs, but remembering things comes easily with regards to each other.

Who talks about their feelings more? Kalianna, but she doesn’t bother voicing meaningless annoyances and concerns as she knows they’re a brief, passing thing.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither. They both think they’re stupid and pickup lines are beneath them.

What does a first date look like for them? Kalianna would’ve wanted to take Katharine somewhere nice, but they end up going to a dingy bar. It may have been Kalianna’s idea in the first place to go on a date or it may have been an impromptu one.

What do they like to do together? Scheming how to get the things they want and typically at the expense of others. But those people are irrelevant and little more than an obstacle to be rid of.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Kalianna, but she doesn’t rely on Katharine to calm her down so much as she blows off steam by going for a run or something.

Do they like PDA? To an extent? They’ll kiss in public, but Katharine has an image to maintain, so they don’t do anything too out there that would attract a lot of attention to them.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? They can be both, but Kalianna is the little spoon more.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Neither are that big on cuddling and require it of the other person. They’re comfortable with being physically close while still being able to do other things.

Who hogs the blankets? Neither.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Katharine although Kalianna initiates foreplay more often than she actually means for it to be foreplay.

Who’s the kinkiest? Katharine. Despite Kalianna being able to keep up with any lewd banter, she hasn’t done that many kinky things in her life.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Interchangeable and when on the bottom, they’re both power bottoms.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Both enjoy both. They liking giving just as much attention as they do receiving.

Can they last more than one round? Yes, for better or for worse.

Which one is a morning person? Katharine. Kalianna wants to sleep, but she’s also a busy person and more so as she becomes increasingly involved with Katharine so she has to make the most of the daytime hours. She’s more nocturnal than Katharine, the latter of which needs her beauty sleep. Kalianna makes sure never to wake her unless it’s a life or death emergency and will fight anyone that tries to disturb Katharine’s sleep.

Do either of them like to cook? Ugh, cooking. It’s quicker and easier to pay for food to be made for them. Kalianna can get by with the basics though.

If they get married, who proposes first? Katharine. Once again Kalianna is shocked in a giddy, “I can’t believe this is happening” way.

What kind of wedding do they have? Extravagant, elegant, and expensive. Kalianna would have to try not to get a little misty-eyed seeing Katharine in a wedding dress.

Does anyone object to their relationship? I’m sure plenty of people do and neither of them care too much.

Do they have any kids? No, and every living creature on the planet exhales a collective sigh of great relief.

Do they have any pets? If they do it was Katharine’s idea. If they got a sophisticated, but fierce guard dog, Kalianna would probably spend the most time training it while Katharine would tell Kalianna what she wanted it to do/not do, but she’d also spend some time with it as well. If they got an expensive cat Kalianna would request it’s any breed that isn’t a sphynx cat because those unnerve her.

Larissa / Romi

How did they first meet? Thousands of years ago in a life and time neither fully remember. It was 503 B.C., the Classical Age, in Greece to be precise, when society continued to advance in multiple fields and the political structure was once again changing. Larissa disguised herself as a man in that time as women had virtually no rights and whose primary responsibility was to have and raise the children. As was required of men, she served a minimum of two years as a soldier, which was when she met Romi. There was a lot of misunderstandings, confusion, surprise, and secrecy as they navigated their budding friendship that turned into a relationship. However, after being cursed, they continue to have “first meetings” that happen periodically throughout time. In their current lifetime, it was a much more mundane meeting compared to some of their past ones. It started with Romi entering the bar that Larissa worked at most nights. Their conversation was superficial and neither remember the exact details of it, but they remember the feelings of deja vu because of the strange vignettes of lives long since past and forgotten in the form of dreams they'd had prior to that moment. They recall the flash of surprise when they saw one another as it was the first time they were finally meeting the person from their dreams.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Though it changed from lifetime to lifetime who was first to acknowledge what their feelings for one another truly were as the love was always there yet not always understood, Larissa may have been first to begin to realize what her feelings towards Romi were first.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Both because they’re livid about it.

Who initiated their feelings first? Larissa, but in the backwards form of openly flirting with others in front of Romi. If she has to suffer these feelings then Larissa wants Romi to suffer with her.

Who said “I love you” first? Larissa during an argument or when she finally becomes fed up with Romi dismissing her to go flirt with Sebastian instead and ends up admitting she doesn’t even like flirting with him because she loves Romi. Then become upset that she admitted it aloud and storm off.

Who gets jealous easily? They both do. Larissa can be passive-aggressive about it more often than not.

Who is more protective? Romi by occupational obligation and much to her annoyance.

Who remembers the little things? Larissa, but she won’t admit to it. Romi would be able to figure it out if she mentioned something she liked/wanted very briefly in passing and then find Larissa got the thing for her some time later, like for her birthday or spontaneously.

Who talks about their feelings more? HAHA. :| Larissa goes out to punch and break things (and later people) when she gets upset.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Larissa, but only to bother Romi with them.

What does a first date look like for them? It was a first date that likely nearly didn’t happen due to some silly argument or work-related reasons, but it’s lowkey. Larissa probably convinced the bar owner to shut it down for a couple hours one night so it could be just the two of them. She mixed drinks for them both.

What do they like to do together? Larissa likes to shamelessly flirt with Romi and mix drinks for her if Romi ever wants. They eventually start sharing their dreams of fragmented visions of their past lives and laugh (or bicker) over the events, and sometimes train and workout together.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? They both have pretty short tempers with one another, but when it comes to everything else then maybe Romi? Larissa can and will try to smile and sass her way through aggravating situations in other instances.

Do they like PDA? Yes or Larissa does. She likes to see how far she can take things.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Larissa wants to be the big spoon, but she likes being the little spoon too.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? No? Larissa doesn’t care a whole lot about cuddling and has mostly avoided physical intimacy that has or could have any emotional connotations to it, aside from sex. But if/when Romi wants to she will.

Who hogs the blankets? Both or Larissa.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Both or Romi. Larissa likes to tease her and leave her wanting than actually follow through with anything to get under Romi’s skin. She’ll keep her promises though later.

Who’s the kinkiest? Larissa. While she doesn’t have an interest to try everything, she’s open to trying most things at least once. She’s somewhat of a biter and not only because she’s a vampire. She also scratches.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Interchangeable, but Romi is the top more than Larissa, who is more of a power bottom although she’d never say it.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Both for both.

Can they last more than one round? Definitely.

Which one is a morning person? Romi. Since Larissa is used to working at the bar for the busy night shifts she’s on a more opposite schedule than Romi in terms of when she feels more awake and has energy.

Do either of them like to cook? Romi or neither. Cooking is a chore for Larissa.

If they get married, who proposes first? Larissa could go either way, but if they decide they want to get married then Larissa may be the one to propose first to show she’s committed to Romi despite all the shit she’d put her through.

What kind of wedding do they have? Small, but maybe medium-sized, and Larissa would vote for an indoor wedding.

Does anyone object to their relationship? Probably, but they aren’t bothered by it.

Do they have any kids? Maybe? If they do probably no more than one or two. Larissa doesn’t care either way.

Do they have any pets? Larissa would suggest it at some point, but would get over it if Romi didn’t want any.

Lorenzo / Hui

How did they first meet? At a saloon at the edge of the city by the docks where the unruly and drunks frequent. Enzo enjoys the commotion.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Enzo, but he doesn’t believe it at first. Not because he doesn’t want to, but because he confuses his feelings with passing infatuation.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Hui does because it puts a huge wrench in her plans. Enzo isn’t thrilled by his feelings for Hui, but he is much quicker to accept them.

Who initiated their feelings first? Enzo, but he doesn’t do it with the intent to. He behaves more openly and honestly with Hui, which is him acting on his feelings as he’s more restrained with them otherwise.

Who said “I love you” first? Enzo when he confronts Hui upon discovering that she’d been playing him the entire time. He then sees at that moment that he was the gullible fool that he’s usually the one stringing along.

Who gets jealous easily? Both, but Hui a little more though not by much. Both try to hide it, however.

Who is more protective? While they can both be protective of the other, they can be coy about it and not act on it.

Who remembers the little things? Hui because it starts out as her remembering things that may be of use for her to use to her advantage later.

Who talks about their feelings more? Neither, but when they do Enzo is more forthright about it.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Enzo, but he tries to put his own spin on them when he can think of something.

What does a first date look like for them? Somewhere nice, like a nice restaurant. Something that only the upperclass members of society would be able to do. This isn’t their “real” date though. Once they accept their feelings Enzo will take Hui horseback riding and then challenge her to a race with the proposal that the loser make a picnic for the winner.

What do they like to do together? Compete in any and every way.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Enzo gets agitated more easily and either storms off when he does to go for a walk that Hui may or may not accompany him on. He’d enjoy her company if she did.

Do they like PDA? Yes, they enjoy the risks.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Enzo is the big spoon, Hui is the little spoon.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Not really.

Who hogs the blankets? Hui or neither. If Hui does then Enzo will pull Hui closer to him for warmth.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Both and at inconvenient times as well.

Who’s the kinkiest? Hui, and Enzo is happy to try everything out.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Both are both and neither do too well as a bottom.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? They like both.

Can they last more than one round? Yes and they will go more than one round too.

Which one is a morning person? Enzo or both. He likes to make the most of the day, by which that means he likes to flirt and have fun as much as possible while shirking his other duties.

Do either of them like to cook? Cooking? No thanks.

If they get married, who proposes first? If their marriage starts as one of Hui’s scheme then Hui. Enzo would seething to find out he married a woman who was using him, but refuse to be the first to suggest annulling the marriage out of petty spite. If Hui wanted the marriage annulled then she’d have to admit to everything and that she was wrong. On the other hand if they were getting married without it being under false pretenses, then Enzo would propose.

What kind of wedding do they have? Something that would cost a good fortune to arrange. It would be a medium to big sized wedding. The ceremony would be indoors and the reception outdoors.

Does anyone object to their relationship? Enzo’s brother and cousin. His father and uncle, on the other hand, would think it’s great he’s finally settling down and hope Hui can keep him in line.

Do they have any kids? Maybe? Enzo would ask Hui if she wanted any and go along with that answer.

Do they have any pets? He’d want a big dog and beg Hui to let him get one.

Maxine / Camilla

How did they first meet? Max summoned her at a moment that Camilla was likely busy because that would be the way her luck goes with Maxine.

Who felt romantic feelings first? I want to say Max for the laughs, but it could go either way. Max wouldn’t recognize them as romantic feelings right away, but instead find herself being less critical of Camilla and think it’s nice having her around. She’d only realize much later that her new opinions stemmed from romantic affection.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Yes because they are very inconvenient.

Who initiated their feelings first? In subtle ways that don’t give away that that’s what her words/actions are stemming from, maybe Max.

Who said “I love you” first? Neither. Maxine would rather choke and die or chug spoiled milk than say it, but she’ll show it through her actions as does Camilla.

Who gets jealous easily? Both and while they may try to hide it, they don’t do it too well.

Who is more protective? They’re both very protective over one another, but Camilla would be more likely to fight someone because of it while Max would play mind games and ruin someone’s life in other ways.

Who remembers the little things? Both are good at remembering.

Who talks about their feelings more? Neither unless it’s a negative emotion like annoyance or anger.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither in sincerity. Maybe Camilla as a joke and to bother Max.

What does a first date look like for them? Somewhere abandoned and secluded, but still visually appealing, where it looks like it could go either way as to whether it’s a date or someone is about to get murdered.

What do they like to do together? Cause misery in other people’s lives.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Camilla, although Max is quick to vexation. She will offer massages.

Do they like PDA? Not or not usually, but they’re down for private displays of affection. Maxine doesn’t see it as anyone else’s business as to what her personal life and relationships are like.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Not into cuddling, but in the event they end up that way in their sleep then Maxine tends to loosely drape an arm over Camilla though doesn’t cuddle up to her.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? No.

Who hogs the blankets? Neither. Or Camilla?

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Both equally, but Max likes to initiate it when they have other things they need to do.

Who’s the kinkiest? Max, but she doesn’t need to indulge in any to enjoy being with Camilla physically. She’s a fan of the classic blindfolds, but before Camilla she was quite the dominatrix in the bedroom. Collars, gags, riding crops... She doesn’t go for it with Camilla nearly as much though mostly because she doesn’t feel a need to exert control over Camilla as she did with others.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? They switch it up, but both are naturally incredibly dominant people. Max knows that when she gets the upper hand and gets to be on top it’s solely because Camilla allows for it. She knows Camilla could easily overpower her in a heartbeat, but that’s part of the thrill of the power struggle.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Max generally likes giving much more than receiving, but with Camilla she’s more balanced out with her preferences.

Can they last more than one round? Yes and sometimes they’ll go multiple. But Max likes to be well rested, or as close to it as she can get, so if it’s already late then she’ll go for a quickie then to bed.

Which one is a morning person? Max. While she likes to get sleep, she doesn’t like sleeping too much as that cuts into the time she could spend making herself all the more powerful.

Do either of them like to cook? No or Camilla. Max can’t cook.

If they get married, who proposes first? Neither or Camilla if she took an interest in the human tradition. Max thinks of marriage as a more permanently binding business deal so she doesn’t care for it, but she’d go through the motions of it all to satisfy Camilla’s curiosity, but she wouldn’t wear a ring in public.

What kind of wedding do they have? Private, indoors, and secluded. It’d also be very luxurious.

Does anyone object to their relationship? No one who doesn’t want to cross Max for a petty reason and have her ruin their career or lives for it would dare speak up. No one cares a whole lot though.

Do they have any kids? No, and everyone should be grateful for this.

Do they have any pets? Maybe temporarily, and it’d be something exotic like some kind of bird or wild cat, or maybe a wolfdog, but then decide she didn’t want to manage it’s upkeep anymore after a while.

Morgan / Nora

How did they first meet? Morgan’s first interaction with Nora was when Nora was covered in blood, which definitely triggered her fight or flight instincts, but it sure left one hell of an impression that Morgan will never forget.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Nora? Morgan would’ve felt a physical attraction first and flirted here and there, but not expect anything to come of it.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Both or Morgan did. It would cause some complications at work if anyone found out, but also she would be anxious about Nora trying to psychologically analyze her, which would keep some distance between them at first. That and Morgan hasn’t had the best track record with relationships so she’d rather not get involved.

Who initiated their feelings first? Morgan would’ve initiated things on a physical level, but not emotional and simultaneously think that Nora might reciprocate her feelings, but also not. Nora might have to initiate things on an emotional level.

Who said “I love you” first? Morgan? It would be either her saying it accidentally while having Nora practice self-defense with her or during a situation where she’s afraid she could lose Nora.

Who gets jealous easily? Nora. Despite having some insecurities, Morgan wouldn’t worry about who Nora is or isn’t talking to since she knows Nora has to interact with a variety of people for her job anyway.

Who is more protective? Morgan because she thinks Nora is a marshmallow and doesn’t want to lose her. Even when Nora begins to prove she’s able to defend herself sufficiently, Morgan would be instinctively protective because she doesn’t want to think about Nora being hurt.

Who remembers the little things? Nora. Morgan isn’t that good with remembering the dates of things. She can remember things Nora mentions liking, but when it comes to remembering things Nora wants Morgan can be prone to second-guessing her memory and then get stuck.

Who talks about their feelings more? Morgan, but it’s less about what she says and more in her body language that gives away whatever she’s feeling.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither or Nora for the laughs? Morgan would always complain about bad pickup lines people have used on her when relevant to the conversation, then repeat them as a joke.

What does a first date look like for them? It’s spontaneous and after Morgan has gotten Nora to train with her. When Nora gets too tired Morgan decides to reward her for her progress and hard work by taking her out for dinner or drinks.

What do they like to do together? Morgan likes training with Nora so she can flirt with her through physical closeness, but she also enjoys giving massages if Nora ever wants. It’s her secret talent.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Morgan. Despite having dealt with it for years, she still gets fairly easily irked by the sexism she faces at work and when people she’s chasing down use it to goad her. She’s prone for falling for taunts like that.

Do they like PDA? A little? Morgan does so everyone knows she’s with Nora, but she doesn’t go over the top with it.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Morgan likes being the big spoon.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? They either like it equally or Nora? Morgan likes it, but doesn’t like it enough to have a strong opinion, so she’d also be fine without cuddling.

Who hogs the blankets? Morgan if she’s having a restless sleep from nightmares or something.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Morgan regardless of it’s an inconvenient time or not.

Who’s the kinkiest? Neither or Nora? Morgan knows a variety of them but hasn’t experimented a whole lot.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? They switch it up, but Morgan likes to be the dominant one. However, she’s more accustomed to the rough and intense way of doing things so if Nora is more tender then Nora will have to teach her tenderness and how to be gentle.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Morgan likes giving more though appreciates receiving while Nora likes both.

Can they last more than one round? Maybe? Morgan can and she’d sometimes try to get Nora to do it again even if it means a break in between.

Which one is a morning person? Nora naturally and Morgan because her job requires it, but she doesn’t like it. She’d rather sleep in a little bit, but not too late.

Do either of them like to cook? Nora? Morgan is adequate, but she doesn’t have a lot of time to do it.

If they get married, who proposes first? Nora, but Morgan would be secretly have been wanting to. She’d keep putting off proposing to wait for the right moment and then Nora would beat her to it and she’d be like, “God damnit.”

What kind of wedding do they have? It would be outdoors and infused with Native American rituals. Morgan would wear a modern dress with Native American influences infused in the design.

Does anyone object to their relationship? Not fully. Morgan’s mother would’ve wished for her to marry someone of the same ethnicity, but she’s happy for her nonetheless. Morgan’s father doesn’t care about the mismatching races, but had envisioned that Morgan would marry a man and have children.

Do they have any kids? Possibly. Morgan would ask Nora if she wanted any, but she’d be okay with not having them. Their jobs keep them both pretty busy so it’d be difficult to figure out how to raise children while juggling their careers.

Do they have any pets? Morgan would want a dog eventually. A medium-sized or big one would be great for hikes and outdoor excursions that she would take Nora on.

Noah / Jia

How did they first meet? Noah met when Flora introduced them one day when Jia had come over to their house once. Noah thought Jia was cool, but was anxious that Jia would take Flora away from her too when she saw how good of friends they were.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Noah, and it was after Jia and Flora’s falling out, which made it an “Oh shit” moment for Noah. It’s one thing she’s never told Flora about.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Jia maybe? Because the relationship wasn’t meant to last and it was more of a way to get back at Flora, but it ended up continuing on anyway.

Who initiated their feelings first? Jia, but she did so with ulterior motives. Noah was first to do so did with sincerity.

Who said “I love you” first? Noah and she didn’t think twice about it.

Who gets jealous easily? Both, but maybe Jia by a little bit? She’s better at hiding it than Noah.

Who is more protective? Both can be, but Jia is more openly than Noah, who doesn’t want people finding out about her relationship with Jia or even the fact that they’re in contact and on friendly terms.

Who remembers the little things? Jia. Noah remembers, but Jia remembers for longer while Noah forgets after a while if she doesn’t need to actively remember the things.

Who talks about their feelings more? Noah. Though she’s not always an open book about why she’s feeling certain things, she can be open about what she’s feeling.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither or Jia for the jokes.

What does a first date look like for them? It was secret and way out of the way to ensure no one Flora might know that would recognize Noah would find them. It probably had to do with stealing fast cars and racing them, which was Noah’s idea.

What do they like to do together? Be gay, do crimes.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Both equally, but over different things. Jia gets frustrated with her lack of total control over her powers and Noah gets upset with Flora as siblings do over little things and rants about it to Jia.

Do they like PDA? They can’t because their relationship is a secret otherwise Noah would flaunt her relationship with Jia.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? They mix it up, but Noah likes being the little spoon a bit more.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Noah secretly like cuddles and will whine if Jia doesn’t cuddle with her every now and again.

Who hogs the blankets? Noah. She likes to be a burrito.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Both? Or Noah, especially quickies.

Who’s the kinkiest? Noah likes to act like she is, but she’s pretty vanilla when it comes to actual experiences. She’s very open to experimentation if Jia ever wants to try anything.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Noah is a bottom, both power and submissive or a submissive top even when she tries to pretend she’s dominant.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Noah likes receiving more, but likes giving with Jia.

Can they last more than one round? Maybe Jia is able to? Noah sort of can, but only if there’s a break between each round otherwise no.

Which one is a morning person? Jia or neither. Noah doesn’t want to wake up to the sound of birds and will tell Jia to persuade them to go away every time it happens.

Do either of them like to cook? Noah isn’t that great so unless Jia can then no. Noah’s specialty is mac and cheese.

If they get married, who proposes first? Jia would have to. After finding out the truth Noah would be apprehensive and want Jia to prove that she’s really in it for the long haul. It wouldn’t have to be through marriage, but she wouldn’t propose herself if they were to get married.

What kind of wedding do they have? Private and indoors. Maybe an outdoor portion too like for the post-ceremony celebrations.

Does anyone object to their relationship? Flora does. Noah would hope that Flora would come around to the idea of her and Jia, but also accept if that was never the case.

Do they have any kids? Maybe? Noah would be indifferent at first then start thinking about it more and wonder what it might be like to have a child. She’d also hope they inherit some sort of power from Jia.

Do they have any pets? Noah would want a snake or bird.

Severin / Marlow

How did they first meet? Severin was bored and saved Marlow from an untimely death it all went downhill from there.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Marlow. Severin rarely ever feels any romantic connection to others nor typically has an interest in it, and wouldn’t notice their feelings for Marlow until much later. When it’d be obvious to anyone else that there are mutual romantic feelings, Severin would still be oblivious to their own for a while even if they began to realize Marlow’s feelings for them.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Marlow may have, but once Severin acknowledges their feelings for Marlow they would roll with it since it’d feel new to them despite having been in love once before.

Who initiated their feelings first? Marlow was first to do so intentionally, but Severin may have unintentionally.

Who said “I love you” first? Marlow. It would probably only be at that moment that it clicks for Severin that they’re in love with Marlow.

Who gets jealous easily? Marlow, and Severin uses this to their advantage constantly much to Marlow’s annoyance.

Who is more protective? Both or Severin. Particularly when someone actively tries to get on Marlow’s nerves, that would trigger Severin’s protectiveness because they like to be the only one who annoys her.

Who remembers the little things? Marlow or neither. Beyond Marlow’s interests, Severin is too busy remembering the history of the world up until the point they stopped caring about it and started to influence history writers here and there. They have a lot to keep straight despite not needing most of that information anymore.

Who talks about their feelings more? Neither do a whole lot? But Marlow probably would be more likely to. Severin would sulk and isolate themselves instead.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Severin to get on Marlow’s nerves.

What does a first date look like for them? It’s unplanned and unintentional. Severin invites themselves over to Marlow’s place or decides to spend the day with her (whether she wants to or not). At first they don’t think of it as a date, but later on think of it as one.

What do they like to do together? Get on each other’s nerves. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Severin would make Marlow show them all of her favorite places and they would take Marlow to the highest spots in the area...then tell her to jump and promise to catch her.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Marlow, but there’s a 50/50 chance Severin will make an effort to calm her down or stoke her anger depending on what caused the mood. They definitely won’t want to calm Marlow down if the anger means they get to go cause some mayhem.

Do they like PDA? Either they both do or Severin does only because they don’t care what others see or think and finds it entertaining when others are bothered by it.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Marlow is the little spoon, but sometimes they change it up.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Marlow might though may not necessarily want to admit it in that case. Severin isn’t much of a cuddler, but will oblige if it makes Marlow happy.

Who hogs the blankets? Neither or Marlow. If Marlow does then Severin would pull the blankets back onto themselves and grumble.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Both or Severin if only to inconvenience Marlow.

Who’s the kinkiest? Severin, but they don’t request to try out anything crazy. They’re more curious about various kinks than have much desire to try them out other than light bondage and public places.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Interchangeable, but Severin has the tendency to naturally be dominating though will exert some self-restraint if Marlow wants to be. And if Severin feels like complying.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Severin loves to give and watch Marlow’s reaction. They don’t care about receiving, but can.

Can they last more than one round? Probably. Severin can and will try to get Marlow to go multiple times.

Which one is a morning person? Marlow or neither. Severin is by obligation, but doesn’t like it.

Do either of them like to cook? I don’t know if either like to cook, but Marlow would be a better cook than Severin. Severin finds it too mundane and too time-consuming to try and improve.

If they get married, who proposes first? Marlow would and while Severin thinks marriages are silly, they’d do it for her.

What kind of wedding do they have? Severin would suggest something fancy for “the full experience”. That would be where they reveal they’re actually loaded with money.

Does anyone object to their relationship? God, but Severin would flip off both fingers and yell at the sky to “suck it”. Maybe some/all of Marlow’s family or not?

Do they have any kids? Probably not? Maybe? Severin doesn’t really want kids, but they’d warm up to the idea with a lot of convincing. They’d only suggest names of other angels just to irritate Marlow. The kid(s) would either have to be adopted or a mix of Marlow’s DNA and someone else’s because Severin can’t have children.

Do they have any pets? Unlikely. Severin’s had a dog before and it was a lot of work to juggle taking care of the dog and liking to be out and about constantly despite the dog being fun. Having a dog would also take a lot of Severin’s attention off Marlow as they’d be preoccupied spending a lot of time with it.

Valdis / Florence

How did they first meet? Valdis was undercover as a dealer at Flora’s casino. She intentionally put in extra effort to be alluring and intriguing to the guests to indirectly get Flora’s attention.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Flora. Valdis would acknowledge that Flora is attractive, but be slow to warm up to her emotionally and be wary of her at first though she’d be quicker to respect and like Flora as a businesswoman.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Both or Valdis because she’s used to having to move around so much despite not wanting to, so she’d rather not have an emotional attachment.

Who initiated their feelings first? Flora? Valdis would be apprehensive, but she could also admit to having feelings first too. Flora was first to act based on attraction though.

Who said “I love you” first? It could go either way. Flora when she admits to wanting Valdis to stay, but knowing it would be selfish when her subordinates oppose Valdis’ presence in the gang. Or Valdis when she chooses for Flora to leave.

Who gets jealous easily? Both or Valdis. She’d quietly glare at whoever was flirting with Flora if she couldn’t do anything else about it like interrupt the conversation and put an arm around her.

Who is more protective? Valdis, who is also more willing to get into physical altercations to protect Flora and not only because she’s partially expected to.

Who remembers the little things? Both or Valdis. Valdis takes great interest in people she cares about.

Who talks about their feelings more? Neither talk about their feelings too often, but it’d be Flora by a margin. Valdis hasn’t had anyone to talk to on a more deeper, personal level that she’s felt comfortable with in a long time so she doesn’t voice her feelings as much anymore.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither or Valdis might, but sarcastically.

What does a first date look like for them? Probably dinner somewhere nice. Valdis likes anything from lowkey to something more action-oriented, but doesn’t usually think of fancy dinners, so it was likely Flora’s idea. Valdis would’ve left the date still a little hungry because she eats a lot thanks to her larger appetite, but wouldn’t want to end up with a huge bill on a first date.

What do they like to do together? Share meals together. It always amazes Flora just how much Valdis can consume in a single sitting, especially if she’s transformed recently to fight and/or exercise. Occasionally Valdis will try to take Flora to secluded, outdoorsy spots that she likes when they want to try and find some time to be together without worrying about others being around.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Flora? Or neither. Valdis gets stressed more than she does angry.

Do they like PDA? Valdis isn’t fond of it, but she’d be willing to indulge Flora sometimes if Flora were.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Valdis is the little spoon, but she can be the big spoon on occasion.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? Valdis is a cuddler, but she’s not needy about it. She’d never turn it down and likes to snuggle up to Flora when they go to sleep unless the room is hot then she won’t.

Who hogs the blankets? Flora or neither. Valdis is more warm-blooded than the average person, she’s like a little furnace, so she’d be the one to kick off the blankets and either let them bunch up between her and Flora or throw them onto Flora.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Both, especially when they become comfortable with their relationship. Flora was likely to be the one to initiate it the first time though as Valdis would have more reservations towards it.

Who’s the kinkiest? Flora if either of them. The most Valdis would think to do is blindfolds and light bondage. She’s not terribly creative.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? They can switch. Valdis likes to be the top sometimes, and is equally as likely to initiate things, but she’s more of a bottom.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? Valdis likes both equally, so it works well for Flora either way.

Can they last more than one round? Yes? Valdis can and would sometimes see if Flora was down for another round.

Which one is a morning person? Both or Valdis. She likes to go for a run in the mornings.

Do either of them like to cook? Neither or Flora. Valdis doesn’t like it, but she can cook well enough to get by and then some as long as it’s not too fancy.

If they get married, who proposes first? Valdis doesn’t care whether they do or don’t and may not broach the subject. Flora would have to propose if she wanted a wedding.

What kind of wedding do they have? Valdis would want something lowkey, but would be willing to endure entertaining a larger number of guests if Flora had a lot of people to invite. Valdis would hope that by then she’d have been able to find her family, and if they were on good terms, would want to invite them.

Does anyone object to their relationship? Many of Flora’s gang members because of Valdis being a werewolf. Noah would at first too and think Valdis is going to get Flora arrested later or otherwise monopolize all of Flora’s attention. She doesn’t care that Valdis is a werewolf though. Rather, she’d think it’s cool, but then go back to being mad.

Do they have any kids? Probably not? Valdis has never given it any thought nor particularly cared to be a mother as she’s not sure she’d be a good one, but she could be convinced if Florence really wanted them.

Do they have any pets? No. Valdis would find it weird to own a pet.

Wren / Alisha

How did they first meet? Wren applied to be a resident where Alisha worked and insisted on having Alisha as her mentor after having followed her work for some time prior.

Who felt romantic feelings first? Wren, and oh boy does it make her freak out. She had a panic attack that same night when she realized.

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Both, but for different reasons. Alisha because of her condition and Wren because aside from the fact that Alisha is her mentor, she’s also terrified of losing her best friend.

Who initiated their feelings first? Probably Wren while she was drunk.

Who said “I love you” first? Wren while they were arguing about Alisha needing to take better care of herself with regards to her powers and the consequences of using them. When she said it, Wren froze, panicked, and then cried.

Who gets jealous easily? Wren, and she hates it. She tries not to get jealous, but she does and she’ll do her best not to let it show. But she gets pouty when she’s jealous so it’s not hard to tell.

Who is more protective? Both are, but Wren is quicker to lose her temper when it comes to being protective over Alisha.

Who remembers the little things? Alisha...for a while. Wren will get better at it as Alisha gets worse. :)

Who talks about their feelings more? Wren. If she’s upset there’s a 50% chance she’ll start crying.

Who uses the cheesier pickup lines? Neither.

What does a first date look like for them? It’s sort of romantic in a very unromantic way. They got takeout to eat at the office together, but Wren makes sure they don’t talk about work. She also probably brought a small tablecloth to make the work table a little nicer. 

What do they like to do together? Wren likes going for bike rides and will try to get Alisha to go with her on them sometimes. Since they’re nerds they like talking about healthcare and medicine together, sometimes quizzing one another. They also go to bars, usually Wren’s idea, when they don’t have much time to do anything else that week.

Which one gets angry the most, leaving the other to calm them down? Wren is much more openly emotional than Alisha, but merely having Alisha there to listen to her will help calm Wren down after a while.

Do they like PDA? Wren does, but she wouldn’t go beyond making out.

What are their big spoon / little spoon arrangements? Wren likes being the little spoon, but as Alisha’s memory worsens they cuddle less.

Does one like the cuddle more than the other? They either both equally like it or Wren. Wren loves it.

Who hogs the blankets? Wren, but she’ll throw them back onto Alisha if she wakes up in the middle of the night and notices.

Who’s more likely to initiate sex? Wren.

Who’s the kinkiest? Wren, but she’s not that kinky anyway. She’d be into blindfolds and light bondage, preferably being the one who’s tied up. She’s also into the idea of eating whipped cream off the other person.

Who is the top and bottom in their sex life? Are they interchangeable? Wren is a bottom through and through, but she can be on top when Alisha wants. She’d be more of a submissive top though.

Who likes giving and who likes receiving oral? They both like giving and receiving, but Wren prefers receiving a little more which Alisha doesn’t mind.

Can they last more than one round? Maybe? Wren could and then regret it the next morning when she wakes up extra tired. Alisha would remind her of this every time Wren suggests they do it again.

Which one is a morning person? Alisha. Wren likes sleeping in though rarely gets the chance to. She has two alarms because she always sleeps for another five minutes.

Do either of them like to cook? Wren can make basic meals, but not a whole lot. She’s self-conscious about this. Alisha, if she can cook, would be better at it, but they usually get take out because of their work hours.

If they get married, who proposes first? Alisha would be the one that everyone else would guess proposes first, but Wren might try to beat her to it to prove she wants to be with Alisha no matter what -- no matter how bad her mental deterioration becomes.

What kind of wedding do they have? Outdoors and something conservative with close friends and family. 

Does anyone object to their relationship? Not really, no. Half of Wren’s family would’ve wished that she’d be with someone with supernatural powers so there’d be a chance if they had kids they would have a higher chance of developing powers of their own. However, Wren never tells her family that Alisha has her own powers, so they all go on believing Alisha is powerless.

Do they have any kids? Not until well into their relationship, if they do. Wren would be anxious about being a mother, she’d be afraid she’d be a bad one, but she’d be excited too.

Do they have any pets? At least one cat, but probably get a second because Wren would worry that if they only had one then it’d get lonely or bored.

[aleatoryalarmalligator]

Hello,

So, it's funny because i was depressed right? and then as we all know the world kinda got scary, and now it's like i almost have a reason to feel validated in my feelings of hopelessness, which doesn't make me feel great, but does seem to kind of level me in this strange way.

I spend too much fucking time on reddit. I live in Portland, and basically i worked for this really extremely poorly run restaurant/brewery pub called Laurelwood. It's a long story, but the place has the worst management. Some of the people weren't like, bad people, but the way it was managed was really bad in ways i would have to spend hours explaining. They recently did a deal with Ninkasi a little over a year ago and now you can find their beer everywhere, and i guess if you are into beer most people seem to like it, so it's not really a diss on their alcohol itself though i am more of a hard liquor/hard cider fan and beer isn't typically my thing unless it's some desserty imperial stout. They expected a lot from their employees - and because of their poor management they also kind of let a lot of us get away with stuff. So we kind of, as employees created a very strong personal work ethic and friendship amongst one another in turn, we within reason broke rules and had a system of doing it to where we remained competent and managed ourselves, as our management was failing and self centered. If it wasn't the really cool friends i made there - some of the closest friends i have ever had and a ton of first time unique experiences - i learned a ton about myself and grew a lot in that position, i probably would have hated it. the owner was the kind of boomer who wanted to pull in hype of like, young trendy Portland kids, but they really made it look like a bad wannabe applebees and never really valued the fact that we were basically keeping the place open for him, so the aesthetic was kinda lazy and the demeanor between us and our top heavy upper management was pretty separated.

Anyway, since of course i worked in this field when the whole pandemic thing happened, I was naturally laid off. They didn't pay us. They sent us a message saying they just didn't have the money, and it's clear that they hoped to just, kinda, take the money they had left and bounce. The message was vague and demeaning, and everyone in the last three weeks is essentially working for nothing. So, one of the brewers, a pretty nice dude named Brandon that i didn't know too well, went on reddit and was respectful and clear, about how this really messed him up. They not only cannot pay us for the last two pay periods, but they also had a lot of their previous checks bounce. This on top of the financial collapse. To me, it's bad, but i sort of expect a lot of bad stuff now. I mean, this kind of collapse was a long time coming. I imagine it's going to take literally years for Portland to bounce back. I hear horror stories from long time Portlanders about how pretty decent people just became homeless during the recession of 2008, and i have a feeling this is going to be even worse. I feel like thus far in my life, though i've had a lot of really bad luck with relationships and family stuff, and sometimes my health, I've never had to really worry about something like this so directly impacting me. When 2008 happened, i was 19, I had never worked and lived with my parents on bare minimum, but my life had always been that way so i never felt that bad about it, though on retrospect it was kind of neglect. I lived in a factory town that had particular staples and products that never were that hit by the market crash, so that particular town in Idaho never saw a real drop in unemployment. I read about the collapse a lot, watched the Big Short and stuff, so i have my fairly strong opinions about it, but it's never actually caused me to go without. My mother is a nurse at a nursing home, and my father worked at a bullet factory. And like i said, i was relatively unaffected.

The message from Brandon took off, on reddit, thousands of people are seeing it and are disgusted, and they are being turned in for not paying us, because that is theft, that is illegal. I am willing to sign whatever documents neccesary when it comes down to it, if i don't get paid eventually. I was already personally very bad off, and i have this bitter realization that after the damage of this pandemic takes it's toll, I'm gonna have to struggle hard. I am not even mad at this point in a personal way. I just think companies need to know you don't fucking treat people this way. That the principle of the matter is that we are not just cogs for businesses to step on. We need to make the wealthy, even the vaguely wealthy people know that they need to appreciate fully those who work for them and under them, and when something bad happens, and they better intend on taking care of those people, or whatever their business model is is going to fail. It goes without saying that this pandemic has exposed a lot of what was already there. I think some people are naive enough to believe this corruption or this problem was unexpected. Lawmakers, and people who are privileged should have worked to make sure that hospitals had enough for the worst case scenario, and that there needs to be a safety net for people. None of these issues are new. I mean, it's not, at all. This is the rich doing the same old shit they have always done, and i imagine, trying so hard not to be pessimistic, but imagining just the same that this is only going to get worse. There are so many homeless drug addicted and mentally ill people in Portland already it's crazy. There was already rent that was impossible for full time employees to pay. It's funny because all these 'luxury suites' are being built throughout town in Portland, and i wonder now who they think is going to move in. Most of them were empty anyway. It's a mystery to me, because in a way it is classic gentrification the way they tore down old buildings and built these giant fancy expensive apartment buildings everywhere, but kind of weird because they were mostly empty. I mean, how could that have been worth it to investors or business owners?

I guess there is a lot I don't know about the stockmarket, banks, finance, housing and such, but it stands to reason that if you spend hundreds of millions to build something and nobody can afford to live there or pay your inflated rent, why are you bothering? I was told that a lot of these places were because of the Portland's population grew so much and these buildings were just now being built from people who had hoped to ride the 'rich Californian movers' era. The rent has just become kind of unmanageable. It's normal to live in a house with four or five people, all working full time just to maintain a single bedroom in a house of half-strangers. Meanwhile, studios that don't even come with a separate bedroom are nearly 2000 dollars, and things that should be there to help the homeless like tiny houses are marketed to rich minimalists who are so bored and guilt ridden by their own privilege they have to pretend to be quaint little peasants in order to feel unique in their own position, that they literally make it expensive to live in something not unlike a camper. But Portland is now just kind of at a steady growth. They came to late, and now with what's happened, what comes next.

Anyway, i am not leaving this city. I hated Idaho. It was a sad place for me, and i see a lot of beauty in Portland. I feel like i have a personal relationship with a good portion of the city. I tried to walk ten miles a day the first year i lived here. I lost a lot of weight here, fell in love here, I had a lot of meaningful experiences, met new people, gained new perspective. I've been afraid for my life here, drank more here, lost and found myself i mean, it's been an adventure in and of itself that becomes clearer to me now the more i have been here. I really do love Portland. It's sad but a lot of places i really loved and appreciated here in Portland won't be here anymore when this is over. A lot of small businesses i really appreciated. The kind of stuff that makes Portland really interesting, or reaching for something new. I hope that culture will crop up again, but we shall see.

I have a dry cough, and i wonder if i am catching Covid 19. My throat tingles a little, and I've already had two fever/colds in the last month, so something tells me this is it. Like a pregnant woman waiting to give birth or something. I am self quarantining. I'm a little nervous because a friend of a friend has a cousin in the FBI who has heard word from his superiors that they are considering the possibility of a full on quarantine, closing even the grocery stores. I didn't want to give in to early hysteria, like the toilet paper thing baffled me. I remember people getting really scared about Pigflu and Birdflu in the past years, but it didn't seem to really spread too far, though i did catch the Pigflu. My foodstamps refill on the 7th, so i hope if this does happen, they don't close by then. I just need to get in and get some bare essentials, because it now is looking like it might be smart to stock up now.

It's funny too, because i am not a homebody. I naturally am inclined to be depressed if i stay in one place too long. I have a somewhat mild case of ADHD, and i love to move, and i enjoy working. If i won the lottery, i'd still work in some fashion for 20 hours a week because i realize i don't feel satisfied living for myself. I like having a civilian duty, even if it's just cleaning off tables. I like feeling useful and connected to people. But i have a leg injury that's not going to heal on it's own, so walking has hurt me for the last eight months, and now this, and i have a health condition that makes it pretty easy for me to gain weight. So i am trapped in the house, snacking and trying to find things that make me laugh or inspire me. I did get inspired to start making paper mache masks. I think i can make the most of my quarantine time. I just hope they don't close the grocery stores before i get my money.

I am worried about both my parents. I have a lot of family, so it's not that unlikely i could lose someone to this virus. I am not concerned with myself that much. I could die, but the chances are relatively low. I am reading a lot of informed reddit posts, about the aftermath of this whole thing, and i'm a little bit nervous.

[bastardnev]

Broken (But Not Beyond Repair)

yknow i spent a whole lot of time referring to this as “the valentine’s fic” but meanwhile valentine’s day is mentioned like Once during this whole story. Nevertheless !

tagging: @sailor-slam-dunk @residentjoth @riveliciousx @lambchopviking @storyranger @nerdbrose (lemme kno if u wanna be added to my tag list !!)

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: World Wrestling Entertainment, Professional Wrestling, All Elite Wrestling Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Mustafa Ali/Pac | Adrian Neville Characters: Mustafa Ali, Pac | Adrian Neville Additional Tags: Valentine's Day, sorta but not really, its more mentioned than anything else tbh, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, i guess, Making Up, au where nev still lives in orlando and also has a big fucking dog, mustafa worries a lot, Implied Sexual Content Series: Part 2 of Jess Has Too Many Fics In Her Notes Summary: By all means, Mustafa shouldn't have even been thinking about Neville anymore. It had been over two years since he left WWE, and they were both at completely different points in their careers. It was pointless to dwell on the past or give any real thought to what could have been — all that mattered anymore was what the future held, and it looked like their respective paths were headed in opposite directions.

And yet, despite all of this, there Mustafa was. Seated in his rental car, in the parking lot of some cheap motel he had planned to spend the night at. Neville's number dialed on his phone.

(link to ao3)

By all means, Mustafa shouldn't have even been thinking about Neville anymore. It had been over two years since he left WWE, and they were both at completely different points in their careers. It was pointless to dwell on the past or give any real thought to what could have been — all that mattered anymore was what the future held, and it looked like their respective paths were headed in opposite directions.

And yet, despite all of this, there Mustafa was. Seated in his rental car, in the parking lot of some cheap motel he had planned to spend the night at. Neville's number dialed on his phone.

Mustafa stared down at the screen, squinting against the bright light. The rain rhythmically tapping against the roof of the car left him in almost a trance-like state as he debated whether or not to hit the "call" button. This wasn't the first time he found himself in this position — he was tempted to get in touch with Neville just about every time he and the rest of the WWE crew passed through Orlando during live event tours. He would usually only get as far as his contacts list, however, and he was never actually able to bring himself to make that move. Once he learned that the latest show would see him in the area again, he assumed that things would play out as they normally did, with him backing out at the last second and pretending like he had zero interest in seeing Neville.

But that didn't happen. This time, the urge to get in contact was so strong , far more than it ever had been. To the point where Mustafa was in the car and fully prepared to drive right over to Neville’s house. He had no idea what exactly it was, but he had arrived in town with an almost overwhelming feeling to just bite the bullet and do it. A sense that he needed to stop putting off something that was killing him not to do. He wasn't even sure where it came from, but it was certainly there — a feeling that he needed to reach out, to call, to talk to Neville again after so long of little to no contact.

To possibly rekindle a relationship that had meant so much to him.

To put it bluntly, Mustafa and Neville's relationship was, at its core, supposed to be just sex. Nothing more than that. "No strings attached", they always insisted. Once a week ( maybe twice, if they were feeling up to it), they would meet up in a hotel room to fool around, to blow off steam after a show. After Raw, after 205 — they weren't picky. Whenever they were both in the same place and could meet up, they spent the night together. It was nothing more than that, at least at first.

But then, it... changed. It had been gradual — Mustafa hadn't even noticed it right away — but the times they shared started to become something else. Before all they had done was meet up, do what they had to do, and then go their separate ways before anyone knew what they were doing. They did their best to make sure that no one even had a suspicion that there was anything going on between the two of them, hence why Mustafa would always go back to his hotel room after they finished. Whoever he was rooming with normally didn't ask too many questions so long as he was back from his "late night walk" ( horrible excuse, but it worked) at a reasonable time.

Then Mustafa started to actually stay the night with Neville. The first time he had simply been too tired and lazy to leave. The second time had followed a very similar format, only Neville didn't put up as much of a fight. Every time it happened thereafter, Neville cared less and less, and before either of them knew it it had become an established part of their routine, their desire not to clue anyone in on their secret be damned.

And then came the invites to each other's houses. It had started as a way to save money whenever tapings were in Chicago or Orlando, but before long they had becomed planned affairs, with one spending anywhere from a day to a whole weekend at the other's home. They acted like this was so they could hook up easier (and more frequently), but the fact was that those nights were... fun . More fun than they thought they would be. It wasn't just sex anymore — they were cooking together, and buying way too many snacks together, and eating those same snacks as they binged the dumbest fucking movies together. (Stupid Movie Fridays, they'd taken to calling them, though they weren't opposed to other days of the week being devoted to corny films.)

They were... getting closer. Close enough that Mustafa wasn't sure if they should be labeled as acquaintances, or as friends, or as... something even more than that.

Whatever the hell they were, it all came to a screeching halt in October of 2017, when Neville left the company and didn’t look back.

Mustafa still texted him after everything happened, but it was clear that things weren't how they used to be. Neville was distracted, so caught up in the drama of requesting his release that he didn't seem to have time to talk with him anymore. It wasn't like Mustafa didn't understand — though he'd never been through the process himself, he could only imagine how stressful it must be, especially given the specifics of Neville's situation. Not to mention that his own career picked up notably only a few short months later, and he hadn't done much better on the consistent communication front. This was far from being a one-sided issue.

What had gotten to Mustafa the most, though, was how abrupt it all was. How one moment the two of them were talking, and laughing, and genuinely enjoying one another's company more than they ever thought they would, only for all of it to suddenly stop. How they used to text each other the most ridiculous and pointless shit, only for their messaging to slowly taper off until it ceased altogether.

As of that moment, in February of 2020, contact between them was nonexistent. Like they were total strangers.

Mustafa wanted so badly to change that.

His thumb was hovering precariously over the "call" button. It was such a simple thing to do, but he was still having so much trouble with it. If he did that, then Neville would pick up, and then two of them would be talking again for the first time in years. He would get what he wanted. It was so easy, so doable .

Even so, he was hesitant. There was no guarantee that Neville would pick up to begin with. It was possible that he would see who was calling him and immediately reject the call, or let it ring and ring until Mustafa eventually gave up and left him alone. Worse yet, he might have deleted Mustafa's number, and he would hit him with a dreaded "Who is this?" the moment he answered. Each of those situations sent a chill down his spine, and it made him want to turn off his phone and forget about this plan like he always did.

But Mustafa couldn't let those worst-case scenarios get to him. Not anymore. He needed to do it, and he needed to do it right then and there. Otherwise, it would likely never happen.

With that, he made the call.

Bringing the phone up to his ear, Mustafa chewed on his lower lip. He listened to the rings, first one, then two. His heart was pounding in his chest by the time the fifth ring rolled around. A little voice was yelling at him from the back of his mind, telling him that he'd made a huge mistake and should just hang up the phone already. It was clear that Neville didn't want to talk to him — if he did, he would've picked up. It was only a matter of time before he got sent to voicemail and was forced to either hang up or leave some embarrassing message for Neville to delete—

"Ali?"

"Oh—" Mustafa's whole body tensed at the sound of Neville's voice coming from the receiver. He'd actually picked up — shit, shit, shit . He scrambled for something to say, anything . "...Hiya."

Real smooth, dumbass . "Hello..." Neville responded tentatively. God , it had been way too long since Mustafa last heard him. He probably would have enjoyed the moment more if he didn't just make a complete fool out of himself.

"What, ah...” Just say something! “What're you up to?"

"I'm... at home." Neville still sounded wary. Mustafa couldn’t exactly blame him.

"You had a match this week, right?" Mustafa remembered seeing tweets about it on his timeline. Reading that Neville had won had put him in quite the good mood for the rest of the night.

"I did."

"Good for you." Mustafa nodded. “Makin’ moves.”

Then, the line fell silent, and Mustafa had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that he did not plan this well — or at all, really. All those nights of internal arguments and wondering about how a potential phone call between him and Neville would play out ultimately failed him. He had no idea what to say next, or how to get to the point without making himself look like an even bigger idiot.

Fortunately for him, Neville was the one who eventually broke the silence. "Ali, what's going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I— Are you kidding? You just called me out of absolutely nowhere. Why?"

“...Oh, that.” What else would he be talking about?!

“Yeah, that .” The tone left Neville’s voice and, quieter, he added, “Is everything alright?"

Mustafa swallowed. There, that was his opening. "Everything's fine, it's just..." He paused. "I... WWE's in Orlando this weekend.”

Neville was silent for a beat. "...Is that so?"

"Mhm. I just got to my motel a little while ago. Haven't even gotten out of the car yet, though, because of this rain." Taking a deep breath through his nose, he said, "I... was thinking about you. Wanted to know how things were."

“I see...” The line went quiet again, the only sound being that of Neville’s breathing and the rain, which seemed to have only gotten worse in the time they were talking. Mustafa was dreading eventually having to get out of the car.

“I-I know it’s sudden,” Mustafa explained, an attempt to save himself from this awkward situation. “And that you probably didn’t expect to hear from me.”

“I definitely didn’t.”

“Yeah... But I just wanted to check up on you. Make sure things were good.”

“They’re... They’re fine, thank you.” After a beat, “And you?”

“Same here.” Mustafa looked out the raindrop-speckled window. “I’m tired as hell, but... Still, it’s all good.”

This conversation needed to end. It was going nowhere, and Mustafa knew this. Hearing from Neville again was great, but all he was doing was embarrassing himself. Clearing his throat, he said, “Well... I guess I should be going. Still gotta get my room.”

“You haven’t even got one yet?” Neville asked. “What do you plan on doing if there isn’t one available?”

“I’ve slept in enough cars during my career to be okay with it. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t remember ever saying I was worried.”

Mustafa snorted. “You haven’t changed a bit, you know that?”

“At least I’m consistent.”

“That, you are...” Mustafa licked his lips. “I’ll... talk to you later, maybe, okay?”

“Alright...”

Mustafa sighed softly. Here’s to hoping I’ll actually have the balls to call him again after this. He thought to himself as he brought the phone away from his ear. Considering how long it had taken him to initiate this five minute chat, it would probably take him an eternity to do it all a second time.

He was just about to hang up when he heard Neville say, “Wait!”

The phone was back to Mustafa’s ear in a flash. “Yes?”

Neville seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he asked, "If it’s not too far from your motel, do you... want to come over for a bit? Just until this storm lets up."

Mustafa’s eyes widened. “U-Uh...” He stammered, very much caught off guard. He had wanted to go to Neville’s house earlier, but he didn’t expect him to straight up invite him , completely unprovoked.

“If it’s too much trouble, then don’t worry about it,” Neville backtracked. “I know the weather is messy—“

“No it’s not,” Mustafa cut him off. “I mean, yes, it is, but I can still drive in it."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't. You know I'm a good driver."

"I know you're a slow driver."

"Close enough. I’ll... I’ll be over in a little bit.”

He heard Neville breathe out (in relief?) “Alright. You, uh, still know the way?”

“Yeah, I do.” Mustafa could never forget.

~

The one benefit to the rain being so heavy was that the roads were mostly clear. The few cars that were out at that hour were driven by people getting home late from work and lovesick idiots like Mustafa. He had to be careful, of course, since an accident was the absolute last thing he wanted at that moment (and always, really), but he maintained a decent speed as he went down familiar streets and made familiar turns, ones that he hadn't made in ages. All so that he could see Neville in-person again.

What would the two of them even do ? That question was bouncing around inside of Mustafa’s head the whole time he was driving. He... highly doubted that they would hook up, given the amount of time they had been apart. It was unlikely that they would so easily fall back into their old pattern. Chances were they would spend more time catching up (or sitting in uncomfortable silence) than anything else. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that — happy? Disappointed? An odd combination of both?

No matter how he might have felt, it was definitely happening. And before Mustafa knew it, he was pulling up to the front of Neville’s home, parking in what had been his usual spot only two years ago.

Mustafa shut the car off. Staring up at the house, he realized that it was no different than it had been the last time he visited. Very... ordinary. There weren’t any decorations up, despite Valentine's Day being just around the corner. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected, really — Neville had never been all that into decorating. Thought it was all a scam and a waste of time, even though it made his home stick out like a sore thumb during the holidays. Just as he’d said on the phone during their chat, he was as consistent as ever. The familiarity was... comforting.

Bracing himself for the weather, Mustafa stepped out into the rain, taking a moment to lock the car before hustling up to the front porch. His heart was thumping as he climbed up the steps. Come on, you can do this, don’t chicken out now. All the worst-case scenarios were starting to creep their way back into his mind, telling him that this visit was pointless. That they were far too different now, and getting together again even for a little while would only make things worse somehow. Mustafa stared intently down the doorbell, as if it were challenging him with its faint glow, and he pressed it before he could talk himself out of it. Screw that pessimism — he was already there. If talking to each other was bad, then running away when he was expected was even worse.

And, truthfully, leaving unnoticed at that point was impossible. The door was opened only a moment after he'd rung the bell, like Neville had been standing there waiting for him on the other side, and just like that Mustafa was once again faced with the man who he’d spent countless nights with only a few years ago. A soft, shy smile spread across Mustafa’s face. “...Hey, Nev.”

“Hi...” Neville’s expression mirrored his — his smile was still stunning. “It’s... certainly been awhile, hasn't it?”

“Sure has.” Mustafa’s hands were shoved deep in his pockets. Too long. Mustafa wasn't sure if he should say this last thought aloud or not.

“Well, don’t just stand there — it’s pouring.” Neville stepped aside. The rumble of thunder off in the distance did an equally good job of reminding Mustafa of the bad weather, and he nodded, making sure to wipe his feet as best as he could on the mat before he walked inside. "Just put your shoes with the rest of mine."

"Got it." Some of Neville's shoes were lined up against the opposite wall, surprisingly neat. This alone made it clear that Neville had managed to do (or, scrambled to do) some last minute cleaning before he showed up. They were usually a mess, one that Mustafa teased him about almost every visit. He couldn't say anything this time, however, and instead he went about slipping his own pair off.

Then, a large black shape came charging at him from the end of the hallway.

“Winston!!” Mustafa grinned, and he crouched down, scratching the bullmastiff on his head once he stopped in front of him. The dog responded by licking his face, and Mustafa laughed. “I missed you!”

“Looks like he missed you, too,” Neville mused from behind him, and Mustafa heard him close the door.

“It’s been way too long, boy-o!” Another rub to the head. Winston's tail was like a propeller, wagging rapidly. A paw came to rest on Mustafa's arm, and he faltered a little. "Hey, don't knock me over now."

"I don't mean to interrupt this tender reunion, but can I get you something to drink? Water, maybe?"

Mustafa looked up to Neville, Winston licking his hands now in an attempt to regain his attention. "That'd be good, thanks."

Neville gave him a nod and made his way towards the kitchen. Winston turned and followed him right away, which caused Mustafa's eyebrows to raise. "Wait, where're you goin'? I thought you wanted me to pet you!"

"He sees me going to the kitchen, he follows," Neville yelled back. "Seems to think me being in here automatically means he'll get a treat."

"Doesn't it?"

A pause. "...Well, yeah, but..." Neville trailed off, and Mustafa couldn't help but chuckle and roll his eyes. Who could've guessed the "Bastard" would be such a pushover?

Now alone in the hallway, Mustafa took a quick look around, noting some of the pictures on the wall. He wanted to say it was an evenly distributed assortment of photos, shots of family and the dog alike, but it was clear that there were just a few more of Winston than anything else. Neville's love for him seemed to have grown tenfold in the time he and Mustafa had been apart. Mustafa couldn't help but wish that he had a pet of his own. Winston had filled that role for awhile, but... well, it was hard for him to actually bond with an animal when he wasn't even speaking to its owner.

Mustafa decided to head into the living room then, and he sat down on the couch, shifting in the plush seat as he waited for Neville (and Winston, hopefully) to come back. The rain was still pattering away against the window, and Mustafa silently hoped that it would let up before the end of the night. Having to go back out into such a downpour and drive all the way to his motel — the same one he still didn't have a room at, now that he thought about it — would not be fun. The more he put it off, the more likely it seemed he would be spending that damp night in the backseat of his rental...

Mustafa shook his head and tried to get rid of the thought. He would worry about that later, after he did... whatever it was that he planned on doing with Neville. He still hadn't figured that out.

Sitting there and looking around the room, it was all so... familiar to Mustafa, just as so many other things were. Everything that had happened since he arrived at the house had been apart of his and Neville's routine — the old one, from before everything changed. It was all the same, from Winston greeting him at the front door to the drink offer. There was even some Netflix movie paused on the TV. Mustafa admittedly didn't recognize the name of it, but if he knew Neville half as well as he thought he did, it had to be tacky. Stupid Movie Night lived on, even though they hadn't actually gotten together to have one in years.

Mustafa missed this. All of this.

"Here you are," Neville at last returned to the room, handing Mustafa his glass.

"Thanks." Mustafa took it from him. Winston strolled in behind Neville, and Mustafa watched as he followed him closely, sniffing his lap after he sat down at the opposite end of the couch.

"I have nothing more for you, why are you looking at me like that?" Neville gave the dog a scratch behind the ear. "You've already gotten loads of treats tonight, take it easy."

"I see he's just as much of a mooch as he was before."

" Oh yeah. Actually, he might have gotten worse, if that's possible." Winston jumped up on the couch and settled himself as best as he could between Mustafa and Neville, the latter going right back to patting him on the head. "He's my boy, though. Wouldn't trade him for the world."

And then, without warning, it was quiet again.

The room that had just a moment ago been filled with their voices was now filled only with the sound of the rain. Mustafa licked his lips, and he stared at Neville, whose gaze was trained on Winston. When he looked to Mustafa, their eyes met, and Mustafa gave him an awkward smile (which was probably more like a grimace) before turning his attention to the paused movie on the screen. His nerves were beginning to make a comeback, just in time for he and Neville to have the first face-to-face conversation they'd had in a long time. He cursed his luck and, once again, his past self for not properly thinking through his plan for getting back in touch with Neville — he'd gotten as far as "call him and hope for the best" and left it at that.

Neville was the one that invited him over. He wouldn't have done that if there wasn't even a tiny part of him that wanted to see him, to talk to him. Even so, Mustafa was still hesitant, worried that he might slip up and say something that would do the opposite of saving their relationship. But he needed to take a chance. He'd told himself when he was standing on the porch that it was far too late to back out, and it was especially too late now that he was sitting on Neville's damn couch. Taking a slow sip of his water, Mustafa cleared his throat, and he made the first move. "Uh... So, things have been good with you?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth did Mustafa realize he'd asked him almost the exact same question on the phone earlier. However, Neville didn't seem to notice (or maybe he just didn't care). "They have." His hand was on Winston's back now, fingers slowly trailing over his fur. "Busy, but good."

"Weren't you wrestling on that cruise awhile ago?" At Neville's nod, "Damn, that must've been cool."

"It was... something, I'll say that much. Never thought I'd see myself wrestling in the middle of the ocean."

"Isn't there, like, no phone service on cruise ships, though? How did you even survive?"

"All the questions you could ask me about that trip, and you ask me about the wi-fi? I don't live entirely on social media like you do."

"Yeah, yeah..." Mustafa was tempted to take out his phone and begin scrolling through Twiter just to mess with Neville, but he decided against it. That would come later, once he was sure about where their relationship was at. "Either way, I'm really glad you've been able to find so much success."

Neville snorted. "Me too. And how about yourself? What've you been up to?"

"Things are..." Mustafa pursed his lips as he tried to come up with the right words. "They're okay. A little slow, but definitely not bad."

"Is that the polite version of 'I've been almost exclusively in dark matches for the last month'?"

He grinned sheepishly. "So, you know about that..."

"I haven't actually sat down and watched WWE programming in full in ages, but I still try to watch your stuff whenever I can. Once you stopped showing up, I kinda figured you were— ah, how do you put it? 'Stealing the show before the show'?"

"Hey, don't use my words against me like that!"

"Don't use them all the time, then! Seriously, you post the same thing after every dark match. Usually with a shirtless pic attached."

"Ooh, so you know about those , too?" Mustafa waggled his eyebrows. "You like 'em?"

Neville gave no response to this, though the hint of pink on his cheeks told Mustafa everything he needed to know. Cute .

Putting his glass down on the coffee table, Mustafa decided to follow Neville's example, and he also started to stroke Winston's back, the dog himself already sleeping. Mustafa had never known an animal that fell asleep so quickly until he met Winston. He nodded towards the TV. "I see you're watching a movie."

Neville looked to the screen. "Oh, yeah, that's right..." Had he forgotten all about it?

"Is it dumb?"

"Absolutely. You know I never watch anything good by choice."

"I knew it. So, what, is it a horror film?"

"It is, and it is atrocious , even by my standards. Sooner or later I'm gonna come across one that's actually decent, and I'm not gonna know how to handle it."

Mustafa chuckled. "There's no shortage of bad horror films, so I'd say your odds of finding a good one are pretty slim."

"Thankfully. It's, um..." Neville stopped suddenly, and Mustafa's brows furrowed.

"What?"

"It's... nothing, don't worry about it."

A statement sure to make a worrier like Mustafa worry every time he heard it. "Are you sure? You can tell me."

"Eh, you'll just laugh..."

"I will not." Mustafa's tone was gentle, yet firm. "I promise."

Neville blinked at him, then back at the screen. Mustafa couldn't even begin to imagine what it was that he was so hesitant to tell him. Of course, if Neville insisted that he didn't want to talk about it, then Mustafa would back off, but... Still, he didn't want Neville to think that he couldn't trust him not to make fun of him. Not if he wanted them to be back together for good.

Fortunately, Mustafa's prying seemed to be enought convince Neville. A moment later, they locked eyes again, and Neville quietly admitted, "Well... These movies just aren't the same when you're watching them alone. Sometimes I miss having someone to make fun of them with."

Oh. Mustafa's lips parted, his hand coming to a halt on Winston's back. This sudden stoppage caused Neville's hand to bump into his — ever so slightly, their fingers were touching. He expected Neville to flinch back, but he didn't, and his gaze was just as steady as it had been before. Mustafa couldn't bring himself to look away. Was this... an admission that he wanted he two of them to get back together...? Was that the sign that Mustafa had been looking for? He swallowed. "Um... Neville—"

BANG!

A sudden crash of thunder startled all three of them. The lights flickered, and a second later they went out, plunging the room into complete darkness. The loud noise prompted the now-wide awake Winston to leap off of the couch and bolt out into the hallway. "Winston, no!" Mustafa called after him.

"Christ, not again..." Neville griped. "Now is not the time for this..."

"No kidding..." Mother Nature sure had interesting timing.

The flashlight from Neville's phone was then turned on. Neville squinted at the screen. "Damn thing's gonna die if I keep the light on all night..." He muttered. He then stood. "I'll be right back, gotta go grab some candles."

"Can you check on Winston?" Mustafa pleaded to Neville's silhouette, which was already moving out of the room. "Make sure he's okay?"

"He's probably just in the kitchen — that's his hub whenever the power goes out." The little bit of light that had been in the living room faded away as Neville went down the hallway. "Yep, he's here. Hidin' out behind the island."

Mustafa breathed a sigh of relief. Winston was still scared, but at least he wasn't hurt. That was what mattered. "Good. You think he'll come back in with us?"

"Probably not." Neville's voice was fainter now — he must have gone into another room, possibly his bedroom. Mustafa was disappointed to hear this, but he had to have faith that Neville was wrong. He was sure Winston would rejoin them at some point before Mustafa needed to leave (he couldn't leave without properly saying goodbye, after all).

It was only when Neville re-entered the room holding two scented candles and a box of matches that Mustafa remembered the significance of those items.

The candles. How could he have forgotten about the damn candles ? He watched as Neville placed them down on the coffee table and went about lighting them, his brows furrowed as he moved the match from one wick to the next. That look of (almost unnecessary) concentration was such a familiar sight to Mustafa, one that he'd grown to like quite a bit during their time together, but also one that he had not seen for far too long. Now that he was looking at it again, he was transported to a different time, back when he'd first been invited to Neville's house. It very likely wasn't the same candles, but some of very similar scents and colors had been lit when he'd arrived. He teased Neville at first — he never thought he was a Mood Lighting kind of guy — but it turned out that he was just into candles. There was at least one in most of the rooms in the house. They had been a trademark of sorts for Neville.

Mustafa had lost sight of that fact after their separation. And now, on this gloomy, rainy night, he was once again being reminded of something that he'd missed terribly.

"There..." Neville's voice interrupted Mustafa's reminiscing, and he sat back down on the couch — notably closer than he had before, Mustafa realized. "That should be good enough."

Mustafa stared at the small, dancing flames. "Y...Yeah, it's fine," he replied.

"Something bothering you?" Shit. Mustafa had made his mood just a little too obvious.

"No, not really," he fibbed.

"Are you sure?" Then, "Am I... Am I sitting to close to you, or...?"

"No!" Mustafa quickly assured. "No, that's not it. It's..." He considered lying again, but after pushing Neville into talking a few moments ago he felt he had no right to keep any secrets from him — not to mention that Neville might get the wrong idea again. It was best to tell the truth. "These candles remind me a lot of the times we used to hang out. You had them lit all the time."

Neville followed his gaze, also becoming entranced by the fire. "Ah... Yes, that's right. The cinnamon one was your favorite, wasn't it?"

"It was."

"I wish I still had one, but it burnt out a long time ago. I didn't think to buy another one, to be honest."

Because Neville associated that scent with him. That had to be the reason. Neville had no reason to get a candle of someone's favorite scent if that "someone" wasn't even around to appreciate it. "I..."

"Hmm?"

"I..." Mustafa swallowed. "I miss you. A lot."

Neville didn't say anything to that. Mustafa continued, "I miss seeing you backstage, and talking to you regularly, and watching you wrestle, and just... being with you. Those nights we spent together were so fun , and I looked forward to them. I loved watching dumbass movies with you, and eating way too many sweets, and... everything else. But all of it— it just stopped . Out of nowhere. And I really, really wish that it didn't.

"I... I know you and I are both busy these days in our own ways. And I know that maintaining a relationship with our packed schedules is gonna be tough. But... I'm willing to give it a try, if you are. You obviously don't have to do anything you don't want to do, and I'm more than okay with you deciding that this isn't something that you're interested in, but I wanted to at the very least let you know how I feel."

Satisfied with his rambling, Mustafa took a deep breath, leaning back into the couch. He folded his hands in his lap and waited anxiously for Neville to reply — if he ever did. He was still staring at the candles, his expression unreadable. Maybe Mustafa's sudden confession was a lot to take in at once. Especially since it came out of seemingly nowhere, and was prompted by candles of all things. Is he... okay?

But then, faintly, Neville at last said something. "...I'm the one that fucked everything up."

"What...?"

"I'm the one that stopped texting you. I should've done more to keep in touch with you."

"But it's not like I ever tried to start a conversation," Mustafa argued. "I stopped, too. I'm just as responsible for what happened. You can't only blame yourself."

"I know, but..." Neville chewed his lower lip. "But I care about you. I never stopped caring about you, not even when I was sorting out my contract. And I should've done a better job at showing it. Instead, I just..." He shrugged. "I just let our relationship die."

Mustafa debated it for a moment, but ultimately he decided to take a chance, and he reached over and took hold of Neville's hand. For the second time that evening, Neville did not shy away from the contact. "It doesn't have to stay dead if you don't want it to. We can... try again."

"I want to," Neville admitted. "But like you said, it's not going to be easy. We're always traveling, and we're on completely different work schedules, and..."

"We can make it work," Mustafa cut him off. "It'll take some getting used to, but I think we can do it."

"But what if everything happens all over again? What if... What if something comes up and we just stop talking again?"

"Do you want that to happen?"

"No, absolutely not."

"Then let's try our hardest not to let it happen. We don't have to text every single day or anything, but if we both try to send each other something every now and again, things could work out just fine."

Neville swallowed. "...You're really serious about this?"

"I am," Mustafa said, clearly. "I wasn't lying before when I said that I missed you, and everything that came along with you. I wanna give us one more chance, see where things go. And if you want to, then... I say we go for it. What do we got to lose?"

Neville, whose eyes had been glued to the flames, turned his head to meet Mustafa's gaze. The soft, orange glow from the candles illuminated his face. The light gave him a haunting, mesmerizing appearance. One that Mustafa couldn't look away from even if he'd wanted to.

He looked... amazing.

Mustafa couldn't help himself from slowly leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips.

It was soft at first. Mustafa wanted to provide Neville with ample time to pull away. It wasn't until he felt Neville gently reciprocating the kiss that he deepened it, a hand moving up to cup Neville's cheek. Mustafa's lips parted, and Neville's tongue slid into his mouth. The intimacy was almost dizzying. This was what he'd been waiting for. After all that debating about whether or not to make that phone call, this was what he'd wanted. What he'd missed so badly.

It had been over two years since their last kiss. Somehow, this one was the best of all.

If only Winston hadn't decided that that was when he'd choose to return to the living room.

All the two of them heard was another rumble of thunder and the sound of nails frantically clicking on the floor before the dog leapt onto the couch, where Neville had been sitting earlier. "Oh my God—" Neville gasped, putting a hand on his chest. "What the hell, Winston?!"

Surprised as he was, Mustafa couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, he came back! That's good, right?"

"Would've been good any other time..." Neville moped, but Mustafa putting an arm around his shoulders prompted him to smile, and a moment later he moved in for a second kiss. Just as good as the first one.

"...Hey," Neville breathed out against his lips. Between kisses, he continued, "Did you... ever end up getting a motel room...?"

Mustafa froze, eyes wide. In the excitement of being back together with Neville, he'd forgotten about the other date he'd be having that evening — the one with the backseat of his rental. "Uh..." He grinned sheepishly. "No, I did not."

Neville smirked. Mustafa's heart rate ticked up just a bit. "Would you like to stay with me tonight? We still have some... catching up to do, you know."

Mustafa's expression mirrored his. Suddenly, his sleeping in the backseat seemed a hell of a lot less likely. "You're right..."

"Is that a 'yes', then?"

"It is. But , I left my bags in the trunk. With my pajamas in them."

This statement caused Neville to chuckle, and he kissed Mustafa again, tugging on his lower lip with his teeth when he pulled back. "Hmm, Mustafa..."

"What?"

"I wasn't anticipating either one of us sleeping with clothes on tonight..."

[likikoari-home]

The Abduction Down on Hyperion Road

Description: Alternate London, 1860. Things are going well all around. Business is booming and For the first time in a long time The Inventor is making money again. On to the scene is Jack, A star in town that a great many adore and a great many fear. Things seem like they couldn’t go bad until at least the voyages across the ocean return (or don’t). That is until a report appears in the News: Angel, Jack’s Daughter has gone missing. Many suspect murder, many suspect she ran away. Either way, something must be done to bring her home. and So the adventure begins as investigator team Nisha and Tim are hired to locate and bring her home Borderlands Steampunk London AU

Hi, This Fic is Written in conjunction with Borderland Big Bang/ Borderlands Reverse Bang. an Event that took place on tumblr where Artist and Authors work together to create stories! I do apologise for this incomplete state, I do however plan to continue working on this fic, I also apologise for any Formatting or Paragraphing issue, half of this was written on a phone and the other half written on a computer.  Thank you very much for reading my fic and for checking out my Paired Artist Dauverney My Fanfiction.net post (if you prefer reading it there): https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12883032/1/The-Abduction-Down-on-Hyperion-Road My Wattpad post: https://my.w.tt/IaPX1c59DL My Artists Tumblr: http://dauverney.tumblr.com/ Borderlands Big Bang: https://borderlandsbigbang.tumblr.com/

Smoke and flashes, These are daily events for star actors like him. The Handsome Jack, Male lead role in the play, Death’s Dances with Gods. He raises his hand in a wave to the crowd, thanking all for their attendance and praise and finally escaping into his house after such a long day. “You’re late.” “What else you expect kiddo? Me to be on time?” The actor let out his loud laugh and picked up the girl, spinning her around. She laughed and screamed until he put her down.

“You’re getting heavy Angel.” “That’s very rude to say to a girl you know.” Angel crossed her arms with a humph, playing up how she was annoyed by the comment. “Oh cut me some slack cupcake. You’re growing. Any day now you’ll be a big girl and I won’t even be able to lift you!” Jack laughed as he lead her back into the study. “That’s right! I’ll be turning ten soon~” She light up, her face bright and excited. “You have to promise me you’ll do something special for me okay!” “Like what?” “uh…” She paused to think for a bit about what she could possibly want. “I know! You should bake me a big fancy cake. just like mom would have” “Do I have to bake it myself? Can’t I just buy it?” “You gotta do it yourself! But don’t worry, I’ll help” Angel said as if she was the best cake maker in the world. “Alright Pumpkin, but for now let’s check up on how your schoolwork is going”

–

A knock rang through the office where Nisha sat, feet on the desk reading the paper. “Tim! Can you get the door? I’m busy!” The man peaked into her cubby. “Busy with What?” “Busy. Now stop makin? the customer wait” she flicked a cigarette at him to get him moving, and he quickly did. The door opened with a loud commotion. A shriek from Tim and a shattering crash. Nisha grunted annoyed and stepped out to see what happened. Standing over Tim was a man everyone in town knew, Handsome Jack. Standing this close she could see how similar the twins really looked, similar angular Features and heterochromatic eyes. “Whatever it is you want Jack you need to calm down and not break anything else” The agitated twin shot around and went over to her, desperation, fear, in his eyes. “Nish you gotta help me! Please!” “You know we’ll help, just calm down so you can talk. Take a seat.” “Now, what happened? Why’d you attack Tim?” “Angel. He took Angel. I know it!” His voice was still shaky and panicked. His thoughts couldn’t be clear, especially if he was saying what she thought. “I told you. I haven’t seen Angel since last week” The ginger stood and rubbed his neck, voice hoarse from the shriek. Jack gave a harsh glare to his twin, his hands clenching again. “Bullshit! She went to your house last night to bring you an invite to her birthday!” “Tim?” “I didn’t see her Jack” “She must have been grabbed somewhere between your places. We’ll go get searching. Tim get ready to go out" Tim nodded and grabbed his Jacket, heading out to the blocks between his house and Jacks as Nisha stayed to keep a watch over him. “You want a drink or anythin’?” “Huh? Uh yeah. Whiskey would be fine.” Even though he was still antsy Tim leaving seemed to help him start to clear his thoughts.

“So, start from the beginning. What happened?” Nisha walked over and sat by him, setting down the platter with drinks and ice. One of the drinks Jack quickly took and downed as he began recalling the events of the day. “I had come home from the theater, the final showing. I spent the evening with Angel helping her with homework and planning her birthday. Once we finished making the cards she convinced me to let her go out on her own to deliver them. While waiting for her to return I fell asleep. When I woke up it was morning and I couldn’t find her anywhere. I went to every house that an invitation was to be delivered to and she hadn’t been to any of them. Tim would have been the first she’d have gone to cause his house is so close. How could she get snagged up so quickly? God, I’m an idiot. Why did I let her go out on her own!?” He was crying. “My little angel…” Nisha sighed. If Jack wasn’t so needlessly angry at Tim, right now he’d have been the one here instead of her. This was nowhere in any way her field of expertise and it was draining to see the grown man crying. “Jack look, everything will be fine. Tim is out there looking for Angel right now, or at least some lead that could get us going in the right direction. You’re not a bad Father.” She would do anything to get out of this, or at least get the man to stop crying. Which slowly, and after a refill of whiskey, he did. “Is there anything I can do to help at all?” “Yeah. You can go back home and stay calm. This panicking thing does not help you, her, or us. You can also prepare a list of people for us to visit and look for her. Also, crying ruins your looks and there’s very few in town that enjoy that.” the last line she added with a laugh, trying to clear the air of the lingering dread. “What would staying home help? I should be out looking for her.” “No, if she got lost somewhere last night the first thing she’s gonna do now is try to find her way home. Or worst case scenario if she was captured by some east city creep she’s tough, and if she escapes the first place she’s gonna try and run is again home. So you have to stay there. Now get going.” She practically booted him out the door, and as she closed it she could hear his mutterings of what he’d do to the dickbag that stole his little girl… and quietly agreed in her mind that she’d bring him there to do it.

The pair had been scouring the streets for a few hours when Timothy finally turned up with a clue. A simple bag filled with invitations. It was found in an alley near a shop selling magical wares, ‘Brothers Atlas’. Entering the store Nisha and Tim looked around. Everything ranging from burglar warding tins to ingredients to enchanted weaponry. “Hey Welcome! Anything we Can help you with today?” The detectives both jumped a bit, startled by the shopkeep’s sudden appearance. Nisha spoke up to the short man first. “Yeah. We’re investigators, searchin’ for a missin’ girl. We found a pack of letters by here. You hear anything last night?” The Irishman shook his head. “Ma’am We’re set up on the east side. We hear everything at night every night.“ Nisha rolled her eyes at the short one’s sass. “Alright, did you hear a little girl scream and get dragged away?” “I don’t think so, but I sleep like a log so let me go ask my brother” The man walked up into the back room.

“So Nisha. Where you think they get all this stuff?” Tim was inspecting a small ivory cat, some kind of luck charm. “Don’t really matter. Not like they got anything illegal in here. Not like we’re cops” “Yeah but It’s still something to think about” They heard bickering coming into the room. Accompanying the short one was a tall one. Silver arms and an eye patch. “Hey, investigators? Who you working for?” “Private investigators. We don’t give that info out. Anyway We’re looking for a missing girl. You hear anything like her getting captured last night” Tall one shook him head. “Sorry Ma’am. Last night was pretty quiet” Nisha grunted annoyed. “Alright boys. Thank you for your compliance “ Before Tim could further question the pair Nisha ended the conversation and lead them out.

Tim stumbled behind her as they left. “Woah slow down- Why’d you leave so soon? We didn’t even get to question them” Nisha kept walking, not missing a beat. “1. You really think those boys would have taken her? 2. You really think that if they did, they’d tell us anything and 3. There more shops around to question. Let’s not waste our whole day in one location, otherwise we might as well not look for the girl. “ Tim thought about it, and nodded. As they Headed into the next store, a place Called Scooter’s Steam Stables.

Jack sat at home, cooped up in his house at the demand of the investigators. But it still felt wrong. “I should be out there helping!” He stood up and went to the closet to pull out his jacket. “But I can’t! What if she does manage to come home? Damn it!” Jack slammed on the closet the pulled it open, pulling on his Jacket and opening the door. “Hey handsome, you going somewhere?” A startled yell and Jack jumped back from the door. “Crap Moxxi What the hell!? Knock when you come over!” The woman gave a loud laugh. “I would but you seem to have gotten to the door first. Now are you going to show me in or not?” Jack stammers a bit but welcomes her in, taking her coat and hanging his. It probably is best he stay and wait for angel. Especially with his manager here now. “So where were you going?” That wasn’t a good question right now damn it. “Uh. To the store.” “In a fervent rage? Also you never go shopping alone. Jack tell me the truth. You know I care for you.” “You care that I make you money" Moxxi gave him a whap on the head. “Wasn’t I your girlfriend before I was your manager?” Jack flinched and glared at her then sighed. “It’s Angel, she went missing and the investigators told me to stay home, But it feels wrong! Angel’s my sweet little girl, I need to be out there, helping her….” “Well then get out there. I’ll hold down the fort for you.” Jack looked at Moxxi to see a rare expression, a heartfelt smile and empathy. Jack nodded and without another word slipped on his jacket and dashed out. Heading straight to Timothy’s

Tim and Nisha Poured over what they had gathered for evidence. Which was honestly just a pathetic amount of one bag of dropped letters. No snow or soot meant no footprints, back alley on the east side of london meant that even if there were signs of a struggle it would be impossible to know if they were from Angel or not. No one claimed to have heard anything. The trail was going cold. Nisha downed a whiskey and looked at Tim. “How are we out of leads already? This Is THE Handsome Jack’s Daughter. The News has already printed her absence in the paper! There has to be some sort of lead somewhere!” “Thanks for pointing out the obvious Nisha. It Really helps the process” Tim sorted through the letters, checking for if there would be any clues or ‘A-ha!’ Moment’s hidden in them. “Also could you Not drink right now. It’s not helping anyone” “Tim shush. Your Sarcastic assholeness is way to Jack right now. And the whiskey helps me think” Tim just continued looking. “Why was she even out delivering these on her own? It’s not very like Jack to let her do anything unsupervised… “ Nisha leaned back in her chair. “Don’t ask me like I know. Maybe she convinced him it was some kind of right of passage in to growing up” Tim looked at his own invitation with confusion. “That just doesn’t make sense Nish. She was only turning ten.” Nisha suddenly sat up. “Wait how old?” “Uh Ten?” Nisha shot up from Her Chair and grabbed tim dragging him out the door. “Woah Nisha Slow down! What did you figure out?” Why did she always have to do this… “Ten! You had a hunch about that Magic shop didn’t you? Well now it’s starting to make sense. Magic Powers start to manifest at the age of ten! If hers started to show while she was out on the street, maybe near a magic shop that claim they didn’t hear anything…” Of course “So We’re going to go on a stake out and see if we can find any evidence?” ”Exactly”

[samkat10423]

Adventures With Theo - 02-22-2012, 09:48 AM

Hi again! It's me, Theo Kaplinski! Bet you fergot all about me, didn't you? That's 'kuz, I'm a "totally banausic, witless airhead!" At least, that's what Kayana says, so it must be true, 'kuz she knows EVRETHIN!!!! Jist ask her. Anyways, a lot has hapined sinz I last talked to you! First off, we had a BIG time chanj! We went from 1.26 to 1.29! Evreone around here was debatin' wether or not it was a good idea. I thot maybe it was, but nobody cared about my thots. (That was around the time, Kayana first started kallin me a banausic airhead.) But the EP Koncil voted, and desided to go ahead with it. Kayana didn't want to listen to "the old blow-heart." Some gooroo dude. But it was on the TV at werk, so of 'korz evreone at the diner stopped to hear what was said. Akording to the Leader of Sim Nation, "worse-case scenario means a complete re-install, but we have weathered through those storms before, and prevailed! And, good citizens, unlike the previous disasters of last Fall, we have been able to prepare for the coming change, by storing copies of our accomplishments in a safe place!" (I copied that part out of the newsiepapers at werk. I'm not too sure about the spellin' tho.) Anyways, the Installer did it, and we servived! Had to live through a few rough days without the "Nraas Oversight Committee," while they revyooed Koncilman Twallan's updated laws, and desided which ones to adopt. But soon evrething was back up and runnin again. Sumone down at the diner said that she red that, that Agnes Crumplybottoms leyde gave Mrs. Alto sum "bribe money to push through some 'limiting usage' laws." I didn't know what that meened, so I asked Emma Hatch, and she said that kids can no longer stand on chairs pretendin to be kings, and you can't just skinny dip whenevre you want, or slippyslide or play with sprinklers, and things like that. 'Kuz Ms. Crumblybottoms doesn't, "think it's seemly." Seems kinda meen to me. But again, nobody cares what I think. So where was I....? Oh yeah! Last time I talked to you, I was on my way to find a job. And jist as I was leavin our lot - well, akshoolee it wasn't our lot. 'Kuz like that meen man said, we were just sorta livin there without permiss.... without askin.... Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! I almost fergot! Kayana is gettin married! And you'll never guess to who! Mr. Meenie!!!! Yeah, I was totally serprized too! And he even has a real name! Ikan Fixit! So when Kayana marries him, she'll be Kayana Fixit. Is that cool, or what!!!

Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! Afore I fergets, you may have nodezd that my talkin and spellin is waaay beder. That's 'kuz Skriva is pruv-reedin my jernl for me. Kayana found it one day and red it and sayed I made her look stoopid. 'Kuz she says I cant spell. So Skriva sayd she'd help me. Leestwaz with their talkin. How niz is that!

Anyways, on my way to town, I met some really cool leydez. I saw them, pickin up scrap, on the lot across the street from where we were livin, and desided to stop and talk to them. 'Kuz I'm frenlee, doncha know. Turns out it wasn't a jengkyard at all, but their houz! The one girl showed me the plague in their front yard. Said the town can't tear the plaz down, 'kuz it's a hysterical landmark. And the city koncil can't evikt them, 'kuz they're "granfaterd in."

I dont really know what that meens, but she says it's b'kuz they were bio-enjened there, when it was known as Envious Labretorez. They even showed me the room where it was done, but I didn't really like it too much. They yoozhulee keep it locked, 'kuz there's still elektrekalmagots.... errrr... sparkly thingies shootin off.

They offered to let me stay and have some lunch, but I told them I had to find a job, 'kuz we'd been irected from where we were stayin. And guess what!! They told me, we cood stay with them. For free! How cool is that!! And then Annie, she's the older Simdroid....Oooh! That's what they're kalled. Anyways, she told me she knew a mekanik down at the Quiktrip, and she'd kall and see if there were any job openins at the diner.

So I ran back akross the street ('kuz before the new laws, I used to run evrewhere!) and told Kayana and Skriva the good news. Iksept they didn't think it was so good. First, Kayana wanted to know if they had a pool. Why she'd want to know that, is beyand me, 'kuz she can't swim. So, I told her, "No, but they're offerin us a plaz to stay for free!" Then she made a few more iksyuzes, so I asked her what was really goin on.

Turns out, they dont like "those kind of Sims." I didn't know what that meend, so Kayana told me. I asked Skriva if that was true, and she said, "Evreone knows Simbots are really zombies in disgiz. And Simdroids are only 'nuther form of zombie." Well, I thot that was just plain meen. And stoopid. So I telled them, "You can sleep out on the street in the kar, if you want to, but I'm movin in with them." I think that took them by serprize, 'kuz I yoozhulee just do what they tell me to do. So, they wispered to each other, then finele kame along.

That night we akshoolee got to sleep in real beds again, for the first time in like ferever! Kayana didn't like the pikshers on the wall. But Annie says that they're "her papas." So Kayana just grumbeld sumthing meen and went back to pretendin to be asleep. (You wanta know a sekrit? I kinda like the pikshers. They look all frendlee like, but dont tell Kayana. She'll just get mad and call me stoopid.)

Anyways, Skriva didn't want to sleep in the same room with "those sims," so she went and checked out their recharjin units. She later told me that she akshoolee got insahyd one - "Just to see what really goes on in there!" - and ended up, fallin asleep insahyd it. It didn't hurt her, even though she said it, "was the work of Zombie devils!" I dont know how that can be, 'kuz it even gave her a nice tan, but she didn't like that ether. Said, it "only makes it easier for those Zombie demons to sniff you out!" (Epearentle tanned skin is sorta like a pot-roast. It gives off a "spezhel zombie-luring" scent. I did not know that! Guess I should write that down sumwhere, just in case I need to rimembar it...) That was about a month ago. Since then, Kayana has gotten engaged and Skriva moved back to Twinbrooks, 'kuz, "they have better zombies in the swamps." (I akshoolee think it was 'kuz she was afeard to live in the same house with "pretend zombies.")

Since Kayana got herself ingajd, she's been eatin a lot more! A LOT!!! Her favrite thing is Oscar Mayer wieners. She eats them mornin, noon and night! She even sings the wiener song, evre time she eats one. "Oooooh! I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener! That is what I'd truly love to be...ee...ee! For if I was an Oscar Mayer Wie...ner! Evreone wood be in love with meeee!"

Sinz workin at the diner, I've lerned how to kook. Not real good like, but leastwayz I can do eggs. Sumtimes. I offered to cook sum for Annie and Kara, but Annie says they like to eat tin cans and stuff. The other mornin, I was kookin sum eggs and hash, and she ate the used can for me. It olwayz amazes me that she and Kara kan eat those things without kooking them first. Me, I like my food kooked. But I guess it's just whatevre you're used to.

Anyways, while I was thinkin how handy that was, the stoopid dishwosher started makin weird noizes. I asked Annie if maybe she and Kara might want to have that for supper - kind of a joke, doncha know! - but Kayana didn't like it and started anuther fight. I don't know why Kayana makes such a big deal out of what they eat. It saves us moneez, 'kuz we dont have to pay for a trash kollector. And we only have to buy food for the two of us now, sinz Skriva left. And besidz, they are lettin us live here for free. But Kayana seems to just look for rezens to argyoo with Annie and Kara. Yoozhulee, Annie jist lets it go, but this time she told Kayana, that she reminded her, "of a bug under a microscope. I usually eat them too, when I get done examining them." Needlez to say, Kayana was not pleezed....

[yoshizora]

part 10

lmao wow i’m finally updating that monster au!!!

Things begin to seem bleak after a while. Not when the snow melts, because hope is still fresh in their hearts, not when the flowers bloom, because they can’t acknowledge the worst case scenario, but when Hanayo’s arm falls off at the shoulder they realize it’s summer and they’re far from home and who-knows-how-far from Rin. They’ve got nothing to show for their efforts.

Hanayo’s body is falling apart but even that doesn’t seem to matter much to her. She’s a walking, groaning stack of bones and skin and hair held together by spider threads, still mournfully caterwauling at night in case Rin hears. But there never are any responses, only the fearful scattering of animals and other things that hide in the dirt. All Nozomi can do is keep them moving in case. Just in case. That perpetual just in case that never happens and when Hanayo’s other arm falls off as they’re climbing along the foot of a mountain, Nozomi contemplates going home.

But, Hanayo had once articulated, it isn’t home when Rin isn’t there.

The windy mountains slope down into a forest not too unlike the one where they had come from. It’s by a bubbling creek where a spider comes whispering in Nozomi’s ear, and for the first time in weeks, things don’t seem so bleak after all.

“Spread the word to Nico and Eli, dear,” Nozomi says to the long-legged spider. It obligingly skitters away and Hanayo tilts her head. Her face is nearly gone at this point. Nozomi smiles wide, and gently cradles her skeletal jaw in one hand.

“She’s close.”

Hanayo’s bones rattle in anticipation.

—

“Rin.” Maki, ever the impatient one, kicks dirt up when she catches Rin napping in a patch of sunlight. It gets in her hair and all over her clothes, but Rin does nothing but roll over and curl up.

“Rin.”

She could kill her. It’d be easy. A manticore without its venom is just about a regular mountain lion, if mountain lions also had wings, but Rin’s wings are too tattered to catch any wind. What use is she, then? None at all, apparently. Completely useless. She can’t even go fetch the things Maki told her to get.

“Rin!” This time, instead of kicking dirt, Maki kicks her in the side.

It does the trick; Rin startles and jolts, scrabbling at the dirt and vigorously shaking her head. Her ears press flat against her head, a telltale sign of her guilt. “A-ah, Maki! I was just— napping!”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Maki rolls her eyes. “I thought I told you to go gather things for me.”

“Ummm. I’m nocturnal?”

Maki’s fingers curl around air like she’s handling something particularly unpleasant. Rin’s still lying on the ground, pouting up at her as if she expects something like that to actually work. “At least put some effort into your excuses!”

“Maybe it’s seasonal!” It isn’t. Rin maintains her pout as she stands, stretching those useless wings to shake the dirt off. “I was gonna get to it eventually!”

“Eventually is a terrible work ethic.”

“But it’s still ‘eventually’!”

Arguing with Rin’s special brand of logic is pointless. Maki was quick to learn that lesson when they met back when the snow was melting, when she came across her bleeding in the bushes. Rin had attacked, of course. But a wounded beast would only have two options when confronted, and this one was clearly too hungry to run or recognize a fight she couldn’t win. Yet even after Maki gained the upper hand and lopped off Rin’s tail with the knife she used to cut plants, Rin didn’t leave.

Assuming Rin was dead was her first mistake. The second was dressing her wounds and trickling water down her parched throat, when Maki found her still feebly twitching on the ground the next day. But what can Maki say? She’s weak to her own bouts of pity.

She just doesn’t like to see things die, is all.

“Hurry up. The last of the mandrakes will be dying off soon,” Maki says. She turns and looks up at what bits of sky are visible through the trees. Behind her, Rin loudly yawns and smacks her lips.

“Uh huh. Two basketfuls, right? What’re you makin’ this time?”

“Just medicine to sell at the village.”

Maki reflexively freezes up when she feels Rin stepping too close to her, leathery wings stretching and circling around them. She knows by now that Rin wouldn’t hurt her, but it’s a reflex nonetheless.

“I wanna come with you. It’s boring when you’re not around.”

“Don’t be stupid, you know I’d lose all credibility if I brought the likes of you around.” Humans trust unicorns. They practically worship Maki. If they saw Rin, on the other hand… “Besides, you know I’ll only be gone for a day.”

This time, she nearly jolts when Rin hesitantly wraps her arms around her.

“H-hey, you’re supposed to be harvesting mandrakes for me.”

“I know, I know.”

It’s just… awkward. She sometimes wants to ask why Rin had been bleeding in the bushes that day they met when the snow was melting, but somehow it never came up after she nursed her back to health. It’s like she had simply fallen out of the sky. Maybe she did. Where did she come from? Who hurt her? What happened? The questions burn in the back of her throat, but die on the tip of her tongue.

Sometimes she gets the impression that Rin just doesn’t want to talk about it.

Then Rin finally lets go of Maki and wordlessly goes to fetch the baskets. Maki lets out breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, unsettled by Rin’s odd moment of sentimentality. Awkward, indeed. She’d like to ask her someday, but that someday implies that Rin would be staying here for some time to come.

But she wouldn’t, would she?

It isn’t long before the air is filled with the horrible shrieking of mandrake roots and the panicking of birds fleeing by flocks, and Maki retreats back into her burrow to avoid the brunt of the noise. Her headaches are bad enough as is. At least she has someone to do the dirtier bits of work for her now.

—

Rin’s severed tail hangs from the dirt ceiling amongst dangling tree roots and garlands of herbs like a piece of decoration, a constant reminder to Rin that Maki is no pushover and a reminder to Maki that Rin is more or less harmless now, teeth and claws aside. She hates vegetables, and hates fish even more, but Maki doesn’t like hunting and for some odd reason, Rin prefers forcing the bitter soups down her throat than going out to look for her own food. Truly harmless, indeed.

But she’s a carnivore, and an herbivore’s diet is slowly making her weaker and weaker until even Maki has to say something about it. No wonder she’s been sleeping so often. Rin hasn’t been lazy, she’s just been fatigued.

“Go hunt, for gods’ sake. I won’t have you dying inside my home. I don’t mind as long as you don’t bring leftovers back here.”

Rin fervently shakes her head. “I can’t hunt.”

“You can’t, or you won’t?”

“I- I don’t wanna.”

And she looks so uncharacteristically afraid for some reason, who even knows why, that Maki just sighs and makes a half-biting comment about how useless Rin is. The next time she journeys down to the humans’ village, she uses some of her own saved money to buy pieces of boar meat for Rin.

On the way back, she imagines she smells something like decay along the warm forest path, but can’t find any dead animals when she investigates.

—

The smell doesn’t go away. In fact, it only gets stronger the closer she gets to her burrow, and Maki’s quick trot breaks out into a run when she finds traces of frost along the trees that don’t belong in this summer heat. Why here? Why now? Panic grips her and Maki slips on leaves that had been coated by melting ice, nearly giving herself away with a shriek when she spots the rotting thing circling her tree, searching for the entrance to her burrow.

Rin. She’s probably inside sleeping, completely unaware of the terror right outside. Maki’s no predator, her kind don’t fight, her instincts all tell her to flee and find refuge in the village where the humans will surely protect her with their guns and steel.

But Rin’s useless as she is and can’t defend herself. She can’t just leave her there at the wendigo’s mercy without a clear conscience.

Something sharp taps her shoulder, and a woman’s voice greets her from behind.

“Hello, there.”

Spiders crawl up her legs. This time, Maki does scream.

—

If Hanayo still had a working heart, it would’ve fallen from her chest with how quickly it would have been beating away. The scream from the treelines doesn’t deter her, because Nozomi can take care of whatever it is, and Rin’s scent is so strong that it’s all she can focus on.

There. A bit of loose dirt. She plunges one hand in and scoops, and the dirt collapses inward with a cloud of dust. The hollow beneath the tree is large enough for a family of bears to stand in, but there are no bears, only an assortment of odd wooden furniture, and the strong odor of herbs, and…

A manticore’s tail hanging from the ceiling.

She reaches out to it with a trembling claw, brushing over the dried shell. It’s Rin’s. It’s unmistakeably Rin’s and the rest of Rin is nowhere to be found. Whoever was screaming outside is still screaming, and it clicks into one piece with a dreadful conclusion.

Hanayo pulls the tail from the ceiling and ducks back outside, the frost around her feet spreading.

—

“No, no, it’s alright! Stop screaming! We’re not here to hurt you, we just want our friend back—“

“GET THESE SPIDERS OFF ME!!”

“Well now, I can’t stop children from being children.”

“THEY’RE SPIDERS!!”

“They’re children.”

“SPIDERS!!!”

—

As if things couldn’t get any worse after Maki fell over with the spiders all over her and the arachnid cheerfully trying to explain how curious children naturally are, the air suddenly gets a noticeable chill. On the bright side, the spiders are driven away by the abrupt cold. On the downside, the wendigo is now wrapping one skeletal hand around her wrist and lifting her up clear off the ground, all teeth bared.

Maki wheezes, and the only thought going through her mind is of the package of boar meat spilled across the dirt. For gods’ sake.

—

But she was never really in any real danger, because Hanayo’s anger is never, ever potent enough to drive her to kill or even fight and Nozomi wouldn’t allow it anyway. In fact, it was simply a matter of miscommunication; Hanayo, unable to speak coherently, had her dreaded desperation mistaken as murderous intent, and Maki, already riled up by Nozomi’s spiders (“children”), was too busy screaming and flailing to listen to Nozomi’s attempts to explain themselves.

But one typically doesn’t respond with rational calmness when a wendigo and arachnid show up at the doorstep, so.

—

“Kayo-chin?”

Everything stops at once, even the spiders, except for Maki’s shrieking. Hanayo slowly turns around, eye sockets brimming with tears. Or it could be pus, either or. Nozomi’s hands fly to her mouth and her eyes do fill with tears, all eight of her legs trembling with disbelief.

There, only a few meters away, stands Rin, gaunt and scruffy but very much alive.

Maki finally stops screaming, and instead grunts when she’s carelessly dropped. Hanayo carefully treads closer to Rin as if the ground is made of thin ice, hands extended and sad noises coming from her throat.

The words could come, but they can’t. So instead, Rin rushes to close the rest of the distance between them and throws herself into Hanayo’s arms, wailing.

“K-Kayo-chiiin…! I’m s-s-sorryyyy—“

Gods, the noise is nearly as deafening as the mandrake cries.

—

Everything does eventually get sorted out, sort of, and Nozomi does give Maki a somewhat unfriendly frown when she reluctantly confesses that she was the one who cut off Rin’s tail and strung it up like a piece of decoration. But Rin is too busy crying and stuffing her face with the boar meat to really comment on that part, so it slides for now.

They finally found Rin, and that’s all that matters.

“I- I can’t go back. Because Nico…”

“Nico already forgave you,” Nozomi sadly smiles and pets Rin’s head. Rin dribbles and sobs again, pressing herself up against her. “She misses you a lot, too. We all went looking for you. Ever since Hanayo came back, we’ve been looking.”

Rin swallows, the semblance of her usual energy already trickling back with each bite of meat. She hugs Nozomi, then hugs Hanayo, then looks to Maki with round, wet eyes. “A-a-and Maki saved my life!!”

“It wasn’t a big deal…” she mumbles, leaning back against a tree a bit away from the others. “I just didn’t want you to die right outside my home. It would’ve been a pain.”

Nozomi gives her an odd look, but says nothing.

“Hhhggkhhaarrgh.”

“I thought about you too every single day!!”

They’re making a mess with all that hugging. Hanayo looks like she’s going to fall apart with how tightly Rin’s holding onto her.

“Hhgahgh rrkkah?” Hanayo looks at the tail, laid across Nozomi’s back.

“Umm, maybe we can just tie it back on…”

“Or Maki can reattach it with her… unicorn magic?” Nozomi’s lips slowly spread into a smile, eyes narrowed. “It shouldn’t be hard at all for a beast with such magical strength.”

“I- It’s not that simple!” Maki, flustered, tugs at her hair. “There’s a lot of ingredients to be gathered and prep to be done, a-and the tail is dried already, and—“

“And you’re not a unicorn, are you?”

Rin’s endless stream of tears stops. Hanayo looks up as well, head tilted. Ah. Well, their staring is only making her even more nervous, and Maki contemplates just making a run for it. But that’d be silly and useless, of course.

“What do you know? Leave me alone.” She scowls, looking away. Nozomi approaches with hands outstretched threateningly, reaching for which parts of her, Maki isn’t sure, but she doesn’t think she wants to find out. She quickly ducks away from Nozomi and hurriedly steps away.

“Have you been lying to our dear little Rin this whole time, Maki?”

“No.” Yes.

“Of course Rin wouldn’t know any better, since she probably doesn’t know what a real unicorn smells like.” Nozomi clicks her tongue and shakes her head, but she’s still smiling with an infuriating twinkle in her eye. Maki thinks that maybe she’d rather be frowned at. “Right, Rin?”

“But the humans in the nearby village love Maki! She told me so! Cuz she’s a unicorn!”

But the gig is up. Rin might still be in disbelief but Nozomi and Hanayo could probably tell from the moment they saw her burrow. Real unicorns don’t live in dark dusty little burrows beneath trees, they live in flowery meadows beneath the open sky, prancing about like assholes. 

Maki buries her face in her hands and groans.

“It was for business. Humans don’t care about… my kind, but they practically worship unicorns. You can’t blame me for deceiving them like that.”

“Nooo, we can’t.” Nozomi’s grinning now, just waiting for Maki to finally admit the final piece of the truth. “So…?”

Maki glances between her, Hanayo, and Rin. Is it still to late to consider running? Yes. Gods, her face is burning up, which is obviously only making things worse for herself. She’d been so careful all this time too, living in a secluded part of the forest, careful about keeping her burrow hidden, never letting any humans follow her home… taking care of Rin was clearly the first of many big mistakes that snowballed into this final reveal.

Not that she truly regrets saving Rin’s life, but still.

She sighs a heavy sigh. “…I’m a gnome.”

Rin makes a face, swallowing another mouthful of boar meat. “What?”

“I’m a gnome! I use my magic to disguise myself! The horn is just a fake! Now leave me alone!”

For the first time since she’s met her, Rin’s face lights up and she laughs a real laugh, full of joy (but she’s also just laughing at Maki, partly) and all of that vague guilt and hesitance that’s been plaguing her all this time finally gone, and Maki thinks this might not be so bad after all, even with Hanayo politely covering her horrid grin and Nozomi chortling.

“So, so can you still attach Rin’s tail back, then?” Rin asks.

“Oh… no, I can’t. Sorry.”

“Oh.”