#ken ft. bella

[cantfightmoonlight]

@kenxmatsui

"Hi," Bells whispered quietly out, knocking ever so softly on the edge of the door to Leyla's room where Ken was currently curled up next to his sleeping girlfriend. "For fear of sounding even more like an assistant and not a paralegal, I'm not trying to interrupt, but I did want to let you know that I fully stocked the fridge, so if there is anything she's craving or that you want to cook for her? It should be there and if its not, I can speed over to the store and get it. There's also blood bags in there for you and I. I transcribed a note from Dilan that you can read to her when she wakes up. I'm sure it will be one of the first things she asks about and, I wasn't quite sure your size, I picked up a few different options for clothes that should suit your taste and basic amenities- toothbrush, mouthwash, things like that, in case you'd rather stay here for the foreseeable future. You're welcome even though I'm sure you'll have some sort of comment about how all of it was unnecessary," She admitted with a small shrug, before turning on her heels to head back to the living room where she had been camping out working to get ahead on their case so that he'd have one less thing to worry about after Leyla had fully recovered.

[kadebronson]

01. barbie girl - aqua

02. material girl - madonna

03. perfect day - hoku

04. barbie boy - dorian electra ft. sega bodega

05. doll parts - hole

06. dumb blonde - dolly parton

07. c'est la vie - b*witched

08. blondes (have more fun) - rod stewart

09. malibu - trixie mattel

10. hollywood baby - 100 gecs

11. do it - spice girls

12. pink barbie bandaid - scene queen

13. plastic doll - lady gagy

14. coin operated boy - the dresden dolls

15. another dumb blonde - hoku

16. sick porcelain - the mary lous

17. queenie - bratmobile

18. i'm just ken - ryan gosling

19. born to make you happy - britney spears

20. pretend to be nice - josie and the pussycats

21. smile - vitamin c

22. dolls - bella poarch

23. this, my porcelain life - rasputina

24. ken doll - gameboi ft. ayesha erotica

25. sorry bro (i love you) - dorian electra

26. backwoods barbie - dolly parton

27. just a girl - no doubt

28. the blonde lead the blind - streetlight manifesto

29. statement of vindication - bikini kill

30. shabby doll - elvis costello and the attractions

31. kings and queens - ava max

32. barbie and ken - scene queen ft. set it off

33. mattel - avenged sevenfold

34. fight like a girl - emilie autumn

35. personality crisis - new york dolls

36. barbie world - nicki minaj and ice spice ft. aqua

37. Barbie girl - brojob

you can listen to the playlist here!

[cantfightmoonlight]

kenxmatsui​:

for: @cantfightmoonlight​ (Bella Rivas) location: law firm time: monday, 14th. 8am

Ken had never been more thankful for the redundancy of sleep than the week after the Halloween event, two weeks later he was still awake. Usually, the one to resort to a nap, if not a full slumber out of boredom or just because he felt like it, the need nor the want rose, not when flashes of that night still troubled him while he was awake, he couldn’t imagine what he’d face if he succumbed to sleep. No, Ken lay awake, longing for routine to help the return to normalcy, or as close to as it gets.

His scowls went unnoticed, and his grumbles fell on deaf ears as he was forcefully given a week off work to recover, eyerolls and statements of him being a vampire and he was healed already were overlooked as they all but pushed him out. They didn’t understand that the needed to occupy his mind to keep thoughts at bay, cases and paperwork did that more than he could explain, time was a killer, and he was given it. Still, he managed to fill it without completely losing it. Pulling up to the firm, bright and early Monday morning, almost made him smile. Almost.

An interview of some sort had happened in the meantime, and Ken, whose contribution on such matters didn’t go beyond a bored looked and a firm no, narrowed onto the new face as she walked into his office, “My coffee order is too specific for me to trust it to new hires. What do you want?”

.

You’ve got this, Bells reminded herself. Her fingers tugged once more on the hem of her mini skirt before moving to smooth down her blouse and any last minute fly aways. One last shaky breath and a bright, friendly and semi-calculated smile formed across the lawyer’s face. A wave of confidence over taking her as she marched forwards. She already felt far more confident now that she had managed to reopen her bank accounts and buy herself some pieces to wear outside of her cousin’s oversized hand-me downs and hoodies. Her newly purchased pair of designer heels carrying her down the hall towards the row of offices at precisely 7 am on the dot. An hour before anyone else began to arrive, but she was new and wanted to start off with the right impression. Settling in at her already meticulously laid out office, she began to flip through the files she had been given, occasionally glancing up at the glass office directly across from hers as she waited for her fellow lawyer to arrive. But, she got this. She had been back to being alive for just over a week now and had already managed to land a job at the law firm in town, albeit with some minor exaggerations on her resume rather than have to explain where she had been the past year and a half. But, that was besides the point. She had the job, she deserved this and she had already lucked out in being assigned her first case. 

Apparently, the other vampire in the firm had gotten hurt during the whole ‘dead rising on halloween fiasco’ and had needed to take a momentarily leave of absence. They thought, given the circumstances, she would be a great fit to help him out on it. She could alleviate some of his workload and learn from him given that she was still fairly green when it came to representing an actual client within a court room. It would be a win, win experience. Or so she hoped, but little did they know, she was one of the dead who had risen and she wasn’t sure how well the rumored ‘I work alone’ Ken Matsui would take to having help. Likely not well, she realized the moment he mentioned his coffee order when she stepped foot in his office as if she was nothing more than some intern or assistant. 

“Oh!” Bella’s heels came to a halt as she blinked over at the man before her. Her smile remaining firm upon her lips as she tilted her head ever so slightly to the side and asked him sweetly, “Well, luckily, mine isn’t. So, when you go out and get coffee for yourself, do you mind  picking me up a cold brew with coconut milk and two pumps of white mocha? Please and thank you! I’m Bella by the way and I think I’m going to be working with you on the Keller case? You are Ken, right?”

[tabloidtoc]

Star, November 30

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Kelly Clarkson getting married again 

Page 1: As Britons marked Remembrance Day Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived at Los Angeles National Cemetery to pay their respects and lay flowers from the garden at their new $14.6 million spread in Montecito but the controversial couple almost immediately came under fire for yet another misstep -- their biggest gaffe was hiring celebrity fashion photographer Lee Morgan to snap their supposedly private visit -- the visit comes on the heels of a report that Harry requested and was refused that a wreath in his name be laid at London’s Cenotaph during a royal ceremony that day so while the visit to the cemetery in L.A. was meant to show respect it was also Harry’s way of telling his family that if they’re going to be petty and exclude him then he’ll do it his way 

Page 2: Contents, Miranda Lambert 

Page 4: Larsa Pippen spills the tea -- Larsa says Kanye West kept her from BFF Kim Kardashian 

Page 5: Julianne Hough came out as sexually fluid while married to Brooks Laich and now that the two have split Julianne is exploring lady love

* Speculation has been ongoing about who will take over hosting Jeopardy! after Alex Trebek passed away and one frontrunner is former champ Ken Jennings and other names in the mix include hockey announcer Alex Faust and Laura Coates of CNN

Page 6: The Bachelorette OG Trista Sutter recently revealed that producers of her televised 2003 wedding to Ryan Sutter planned to up the drama for better ratings -- admitting that a pal discovered a crew member’s notebook during the three-day festivities and showrunners had compiled dossiers on her guests in hopes of pitting them against each other

* Bodyguard Mark “Billy” Billingham has opened up about his 18 months protecting one of the most famous broods in Hollywood much to Angelina Jolie’s dismay -- he was hired by Angie and then-husband Brad Pitt to keep an eye on their six kids Maddox and Pax and Zahara and Shiloh and Knox and Vivienne and their biggest concern was the kidnapping of the kids and for Angie that fear bordered on obsession so her home is like a fortress -- she wants her kids to have a normal life but she’s also aware of the dangers out there 

* Star Spots the Stars -- Martha Stewart, Clare Crawley, Alec Baldwin, Jessica Alba, Bella Hadid, Viola Davis, Debbie Matenopoulos

Page 7: Jason Momoa shocked fans with his recent revelation that his breakout role in Game of Thrones gave him plenty of fame but no fortune -- after his character Khal Drogo was killed of in 2011 before the first season even aired he said he couldn’t get work and it’s very challenging when you have babies and you’re completely in debt; we were starving -- now of course Jason who shares two kids with wife Lisa Bonet has more than made up for those lean times but he’s not one to throw cash around

* After a single day of work Johnny Depp was axed from the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts films and he got to keep his eight-figure salary -- he was let go following a nasty defamation trial against a U.K. tabloid that called him a wife-beater -- now Mads Mikkelsen is going to be Johnny’s replacement as Grindelwald -- for his part Johnny will take the money and run and he’s panicked that this will lead to a permanent blacklist and his name is now mud in movie circles 

Page 8: Star Shots -- overjoyed by Joe Biden’s victory Chrissy Teigen and John Legend took to the streets of West Hollywood to celebrate, Duchess Camilla paid her respects to veterans during the 92nd Field of Remembrance event at Westminster Abbey which is a duty formerly fulfilled by her stepson Prince Harry

Page 9: Steve Martin cruising through Central Park on a CitiBike wearing gloves and a protective face mask, Miya Cech and Ben Daon and Keith L. Williams and Kayden Grace Swan flanked creator Daniel Knauf at the premiere of The Astronauts 

Page 10: Renee Elise Goldsberry and Sara Bareilles and Paula Pell and Busy Philipps shared a laugh shooting Girls5Eva, Offset caught up with some young fans while handing out free food from the Slutty Vegan Food Truck on Election Day in Atlanta, Caitlyn Jenner fueling up for a car-camping expedition with daughter Kendall

Page 11: Queen Latifah showed off a fresh new ‘do on the set of The Equalizer reboot in NYC, weeks after undergoing heart surgery Arnold Schwarzenegger was already behind the wheel again in L.A. 

Page 12: Bachelor alum Hannah Ann Sluss running errands in L.A., Joey Fatone nearly stole the spotlight from actress Kate Katzman on the red carpet at the screening of her new film The Comeback Trail, Francesca Farago carried a pup while posing for photos for her swimsuit line 

Page 14: MTV EMAs -- Alicia Keys, David Guetta, DJ Khaled, Zara Larsson 

Page 16: Zooey Deutch having lunch with a friend in L.A., Tracy Morgan returned to his old stomping grounds to cut the ribbon at the $30 million Marcy Houses Community Center in Brooklyn, Olivia Culpo rushed to a meeting after a coffee run in L.A. 

Page 18: Normal or Not? Ariel Winter carrying an enormous roll of bubble wrap -- not normal, Joel Michaely jumped for joy at the screening of his new film The Comeback Trail in Ft. Lauderdale -- not normal, Wanda De Jesus and Jimmy Smits enjoyed a stroll around Brentwood -- normal 

Page 19: Gretta Monahan before filming a segment on The View -- normal, Bridget Moynahan and Steve Schirippa made a grisly discovery on the set of Blue Bloods -- not normal 

Page 20: Fashion -- stars stun in silver -- Angelina Jolie, Thandie Newton

Page 21: Becky G, Elsa Hosk 

Page 24: Phil Collins and Orianne Bates are slinging mud as their split gets even nastier

Page 25: Dallas alum Patrick Duffy and Happy Days actress Linda Purl are dating

* Ben Affleck plans to spend Christmas away from his three kids in Cuba with girlfriend Ana de Armas who hasn’t seen her family in months and is desperately homesick and Ben will do anything to make her happy -- the couple then plan to celebrate the new year touring South America -- Ben’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner is not happy about his plans because she’s at full capacity after tending their kids solo while Ben was filming The Last Duel in Ireland but Ben has made up his mind 

Page 26: Cover Story -- Kelly Clarkson’s rush to the altar -- the star is healing from heartache with a hot new romance but as she tells pals she’s ready to wed again some are worried she’s moving way too fast -- pals are wondering if her mystery man could be country singer Brett Eldredge but Kelly is keeping her new guy’s identity under wraps for now

Page 29: Inside Kelly Clarkson’s ugly lawsuit -- the star is fighting in court with her former father-in-law Narvel Blackstock 

Page 38: Entertainment 

Page 48: Parting Shot -- pregnant Hilary Duff on the set of Younger in New York City 

[ipauta]

Más estrenos ya disponibles en todas las plataformas digitales y por iPauta.Com #iPauta #Reggaeton #Trap @blanquice7 Prince Royce Ft. Wisin y Yandel – Una Aventura Cosculluela – Forever Anuel AA – Keii Dalex Ft. Sech – Mejor Jory Boy – Todo Comenzó Jory Boy – Desnuda (Ft. Alex Rose) Jory Boy – Stop Jory Boy – La Nota (Ft. Nengo Flow y Maldy) Jory Boy – Eres Así Jory Boy – Agente Libre (Ft. Omy de Oro) Jory Boy – No Pierdas Tiempo Jory Boy – Lo Nuestro (Ft. Brray) Jory Boy – Yo No Se (Ft. Caci) Jory Boy – Veras Jory Boy – Mientras Tanto (Ft. Leo Bash) Jory Boy – Mala Suerte (Remix) [Ft. Ken-Y, Juhn y Miky Woodz] Jory Boy – Creme De La Creme (Album) (2020) Corina Smith Ft. Alex Rose – Pasatiempo Akim Ft. Farruko y Ankhal – Paredes de Hielo Andy Rivera Ft. Feid – Qué Le Pasa a Mi Ex (Remix) La Sista Ft. Brray, Nengo Flow y Joyce Santana – Awipipio Messiah – The Box (Spanish Version) Jamsha Ft. Barbie Rican – Fuete Pal Joyete Don Patricio Ft. Anitta y Rauw Alejandro – Contando Lunares (Remix) Lenny Tavárez Ft. Justin Quiles – La Pared 360 Jon Z – Me Aburres Pancho El De La Avenida – Bella Bella Carlitos Rossy – X Que Quise Pacho El Antifeka Ft. KEVVO y Brray – En La High Towy Ft. Kiko El Crazy – Dembow Skinny Happy Ft. Fuego y Nio García – Me Ignora https://www.instagram.com/p/B8QRXo7nhjk/?igshid=1cgljobft02tv

[sinjustificativo]

SIN JUSTIFICATIVO TV

Programa emitido el 10 de marzo de 2018

01 - Daddy Yankee - Dura 

02 - MC Fioti - Bum Bum Tam Tam 

03 - Wolfine - Bella 

04 - Ricky Martin - Fiebre ft. Wisin, Yandel 

05 - Luis Fonsi, Demi Llovato - Echame la Culpa 

06 - J. Balvin, Jeon, Anitta - Machika 

07 - Rkm & Ken-Y ❌ Natti Natasha - Tonta 

08 - Maluma, Nego do Borel - Corazón 

09 - Bruno Mars - Finesse 

10 - Reik - Me Niego ft. Ozuna, Wisin 

DESTACADO - Nicky Jam J Balvin - "X"

TRAILERS DE CINE: 

Merry Poppins - Los Vengadores La Guerra del Infinito - Deadpool

http://ift.tt/2Dh8af2

[ipauta]

Ya Disponibles en iPauta.Com. Buscalos también en todas las plataformas digitales #iPauta #Reggaeton #Trap @blanquice7 Jory Boy – Todo Comenzó Jory Boy – Desnuda (Ft. Alex Rose) Jory Boy – Stop Jory Boy – La Nota (Ft. Nengo Flow y Maldy) Jory Boy – Eres Así Jory Boy – Agente Libre (Ft. Omy de Oro) Jory Boy – No Pierdas Tiempo Jory Boy – Lo Nuestro (Ft. Brray) Jory Boy – Yo No Se (Ft. Caci) Jory Boy – Veras Jory Boy – Mientras Tanto (Ft. Leo Bash) Jory Boy – Mala Suerte (Remix) [Ft. Ken-Y, Juhn y Miky Woodz] Jory Boy – Creme De La Creme (Album) (2020) Prince Royce Ft. Wisin y Yandel – Una Aventura Dalex Ft. Sech – Mejor Cosculluela – Forever Corina Smith Ft. Alex Rose – Pasatiempo Akim Ft. Farruko y Ankhal – Paredes de Hielo Andy Rivera Ft. Feid – Qué Le Pasa a Mi Ex (Remix) La Sista Ft. Brray, Nengo Flow y Joyce Santana – Awipipio Messiah – The Box (Spanish Version) Jamsha Ft. Barbie Rican – Fuete Pal Joyete Don Patricio Ft. Anitta y Rauw Alejandro – Contando Lunares (Remix) Lenny Tavárez Ft. Justin Quiles – La Pared 360 Jon Z – Me Aburres Pancho El De La Avenida – Bella Bella Carlitos Rossy – X Que Quise Pacho El Antifeka Ft. KEVVO y Brray – En La High Towy Ft. Kiko El Crazy – Dembow Skinny Happy Ft. Fuego y Nio García – Me Ignora https://www.instagram.com/p/B8QK16rHuwR/?igshid=1hr8y7319txh4

[cantfightmoonlight]

“The dictionary would disagree you. But, if you say so," She shrugged, not really seeing a point in continuing the particular train of conversation they were on. Though when he did attempt to shut it down himself with the word 'no' alone, the corner of her lips tilted ever so slightly up as she rolled her eyes lightly over.

"Why does it always feel like we're having two separate conversations when I talk to you?" She asked curiously as she leaned back in her seat, hardly phased as she watched him laugh out loud. "But, no. That would be ridiculous. I never said I faked caring. Only that I'd play nice as in keep an opinion to myself or tone down a certain aspect of my personality to make myself seem more palatable, because, believe it or not, when you reject or insult a gift someone put thought into picking out for you, you hurt their feelings and I didn't want to be responsible for upsetting or hurting anyone. Accepting a present whether I liked it or not would hardly change the course of my day. But, it could make someone else's and so that's how I spent my humanity. Tweaking the aspects of myself I didn't like in an attempt of self improvement and because I valued other's happiness far more than my own. Which I do believe, to a degree, are qualities that a good person typically has, only, I suppose, for them, people like your girlfriend, it comes far more naturally than for people like us? But, let me ask you something- it obvious you've never been insecure a day in your life, but haven't you ever wanted to be better? Wanted to be someone empathetic or charismatic or comfortable existing in someone else's space? Because you say its fascinating, but for me it always seemed incredibly human?" She admitted followed by another small shrug as she thought back to how she once was. Only as he continued on, it was now her turn to roll her own eyes lightly over and let out a hint of a laugh. "I was using the past tense," She pointed out, laughing some more as she shook her head back and forth as he spoke as if she still held such an opinion. "But, thank you for your condescending remarks. You'll be happy to know, I already received one though, so no need for a reality check seeing how my reality was already checked. But, please continue to make assumptions. They're really quite amusing."

"I don't think others owe me kindness. But, I also don't think it unreasonable to want to be able to go about one's day without having to put up with prejudice remarks because of one's species? Am occurrence that is becoming fairly common at this point. But, as I've mentioned before, I've been speaking solely in the past tense. Listening clearly isn't your strong suit, but those were my previous and human opinions. I don't hold those beliefs now, so you can laugh and view them as foolish all you want. It really holds no weight with me."

"Eh. We can't be good at everything and why bother attempting to put out some subpar dish when I could simply pay someone to do it far better than I ever could? How does the saying go? Work smarter not harder?" She offered up simply. Only for her brow to crease at the mention of the Caffeine Crypt. A low growl leaving her lips at the thought. "I tried that already. It didn't work. I swear my body is just not cut out to be a vampire," She muttered under her breath, suddenly all the more reminded of how there had been something innately wrong with her since coming back from the dead. "If only it was that easy," She mused. The joke was morbid to say the least, but she figured he wouldn't mind all too much. "If it tastes-" She paused, wanting to say good, but if the drink even decent enough for her to simply keep down, it would be miracle. "Never mind. Bottoms up?" She mumbled out, chewing on her bottom lip nervously as she reached for her own glass. Bringing it to her lips, she took the smallest of sips only for her eyes to widen in pleasant surprise. The blood in the drink didn't taste good by any means, but it was palatable enough for her to be able to get it down. A huge achievement in her eyes given all of the failed attempts she had been experimenting with previously. "Well, what do you know? What you lack in charm, you really do make up for in the kitchen," She teased, quickly adding a "no offense" to make it clear she was only joking as she took another sip. "But, honestly, this is probably the first time I've drank blood that I haven't wanted to immediately spit it out, so thank you."

“Logic says it can’t be both.” There was no point to explaining further he decided as she kept talking, this would end up in circles and he never had patience for such a thing. “No.” It was end-all be-all of a reply, before he moved on, maybe even proving the unnecessarily difficult to be true but he hardly cared to comment further. 

“Let me get this straight, you thought by pretending to be nice and faking friendliness you’d be able to achieve being a good person?” Ken’s laugh rang out, loud at first and quickly died to a more composed demeanour, he wanted to ask her to repeat what she had said to herself to better understand how stupid it all sounded but if she didn’t realise it by now then really he couldn’t help any further, “Fascinating how you think.” A brow rose in silent question and eyes rolled lightly as she stated the reasons of selecting this field to study and practice, though it was an extremely naive way of thinking and added another layer to her contradiction of wanting to do good, he couldn’t, wasn’t willing to fault this specific line of thought, “You’ll soon learn your wants are going to differ greatly from what needs and can be done in terms of our profession. You’re not the first to think like that and you won’t be the last to receive a reality check either.”

Ken laughed again, empty and bitter at further displays of foolishness, she should’ve known better, “What did you think was going to happen? You come back and everyone wants to be your friend and you live out your life without conflict? It’s idiotic to think others owe you kindness because you’re doing nice things for them. You’re in for a harsher reality check than I thought.” Though his experiences with people and the world in general differed, Ken could’ve continued to explain that expectations would only led to disappointment, especially if self fulfilment or satisfaction was based on others approval and how fucked up way of thinking that way but it wasn’t his job nor responsibility to educate her on this or anything really, she wasn’t a child for him to guide her. As the conversation moved to Leyla, he had to fight to hold back a groan at the word positivity. Both of them had be dealt a bad hand by the world and ended up on near opposites on the scale, him letting go of everything that involved pleasing people and her doing everything she could to hold onto hope but it was the extremeness that irked Ken at the start, a facade he eventually saw through catching glimpses of who she was underneath the sugar coated optimism, and that Leyla was one he preferred to be with. But his thoughts were not spoken, didn’t need to be, with a simple nod he agreed, “She is.” 

And he wished their talk could’ve ended on that soft note but Bella’s answer twisted his face into mild horror, “Even if it’s hyperbolic, to say you burn water is shameful.” Opening the drawer and taking what he needed, Ken faced her with a shrug, “Doesn’t have to be alcoholic, Caffeine Crypt isn’t going out of business anytime soon, but drinks might be the best to sustain you if you’re that incompetent in the kitchen,” he spoke as he turned on the stove, eyeballing enough water and sugar into a small pan for the simple syrup required, “Making food might actually kill you again.” The guess can’t be that false given what she had said and like his thoughts before, it didn’t fall on him to teach her how to cook either. This was more than enough. Leaving the mix to cool, Ken pulled out a blood bag from the fridge, “Blood tastes salty and metallic,” he continued when she returned with the items and measured out 60 ml of blood and gin into each glass, “To combat salt, we need acid.” Rolling a fresh lemon on the countertop, Ken prepped for a couple of twists before adding 30 ml of its juice to each, “And sweetness hides the metallic taste.” Picking up the syrup that cooled enough for use, he poured out 15 ml to hers and the rest in his before topping both with more ice and soda water. With a few stirs and putting in a straw, spritzing the top with the lemon peels was the final touch before pushing the glass to her, and took a sip out of his own glass, “That’s what I mean by adding things.”

[cantfightmoonlight]

“Who says it can’t be both?” She retorted, her demeanor frankly as unbothered as his, despite having back then, wanted to strangle him by his previous attitude. “But if you’d like a different adjective other than mean how about unnecessarily difficult? That suit your fancy?” She posed, only to give him a small nod when he said he could try not to be irritated. “I’ll take what I can get, I suppose, and likewise,” she decided, knowing that he may not be the only one in the room who was easy to irritate. 

“Do what?” Bells blinked up at him, momentarily caught off guard by his question. “Play nice? Because I wanted to be liked,” she told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Some of us happen to actually enjoy being around other people. That and,” She pressed her lips together once more, her gaze falling down to her lap where her fingers were fidgeting with the rings she wore as she found herself admitting, “I suppose I wanted to be a good person?” It sounded silly and a tinge bit embarrassing saying it out loud and Bells found herself cringing at the thought before Ken could for her. “That’s why I went into law originally? I wanted to help those who couldn’t as easily defend themselves? I wanted to make a difference? Wanted to make sure that people who looked like me weren’t wrongfully prosecuted because of a system working against them even if the law itself was on their side and all that. Albeit the last reason is still relevant obviously, just not the two that proceed it. But no, it didn’t take dying. It took the assholes in this town. Why bother going out of your way to try and make anyone’s days even a minuscule amount better if they couldn’t give a damn less about you?” She offered up with a small shrug. Her gaze turning to follow his back towards Leyla’s door as she gave him the smallest of nods. 

“I don’t know how she does it?” Bella found herself admitting after a prolonged moment. “Stay so god damn positive even thought the world has let her down time and time again?” Bella had tried to cling onto some semblance of hope- faith that things would get better and faith in humanity- but after time after time of being let down, she had found herself giving up on the concept all together if only as a means to survive. But there Leyla was, still staying positive, still pretending that she wasn’t in as dire pain as she was for their own benefits. “I guess she truly is just a better person than we are, huh?”

“Huh?” She blinked back at Ken as he asked her if she knew how to cook. “Cook? Oh No. I burn water,” She explained, knowing fairly well that it was a terrible idea to leave her to fed for herself in a kitchen. “But, okay?” She quickly jumped to her feet. “What are we doing?” She asked curiously as she followed after him into the kitchen. “Good because it’s the truth. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t exactly need to ask you how to do it, now would I?” She pointed out only to give him a small nod as he walked her through how to compel someone. “But, okay. I think I can do that?” She admitted, a hint of a smile finding its way to her lips at the thought. Only as he let out a curse under his breath, Bells lifted herself up on her tiptoes, craning her neck over the countertop as if to get a better look at what he was searching for. “There is an entire cocktail making kit on the draw on your right. You and Leyla have that hobby in common,” She told him as she moved around the island to go grab the gin and soda water for him. “Gin and tonic at your disposal,” she offered up as she placed the two bottles down on the countertop. Only to roll her eyes lightly over at his next comment. “Ha, ha, very funny,” She said in the most deadpan tone. Only for the corners of her lips to itch up once more despite herself. “Of course not. It doesn’t take being a bartender to know there is only so many drinks you can make with gin and soda water alone. But noted. So,” she blinked innocently over it, genuinely curious if this was his attempt at a solution for her ‘problem’. “Your solution is I swap out being the vampiric equivalent of anorexic for being an alcoholic? Is that it?” Not that she was entirely against the notion, if it actually ended up working that is and if the taste of blood for her was somewhat bearable.

“Was it mean? Or did I state my opinions which you took as mean?” he questioned unbothered, “I suppose I can try not to be irritated. No promises.” He didn’t even understand why he was explaining his behaviour to her or attempting to change at all, it was truly bizarre, but he decided Leyla was to blame, and Rohan too if he were to extend the good influence, both of them seemed to have the most impact on him. “Why on earth did you do that?” He had come across people that did that too, fake niceties, but to serve what purpose he still couldn’t fathom. He was honest to a fault, brutal and blunt, which did have the tendency to rub people the wrong way but it was better than some sugar-coated nonsense to spare feelings, “And it took dying for you to be sincere? I might laugh.” With a shake of his head to rid himself of that bafflement at people thinking that was mean, Ken shifted away nodding slightly as she explained the reason. Eyes didn’t follow because if they did, he would move entirely back to Leyla’s side, “And I’m accepting mostly for her too. She’d think it’s a nice gesture, which I guess it is.” 

While she was true in saying that not everyone had survival instinct, they had to survive one way or another or be subjected to an extra layer of horridness in this already cursed existence. He could’ve shot back with multiple things, suggest an IV drip even, but riding on this small wave of amiability, a deep sigh fell through instead. If he had been shocked at himself moments ago for clarifying his attitude, the current thought that wished to be actioned exasperated him to a new hell. “You don’t cook do you?” But that question didn’t need asking if she was suggesting they get diner food, “Right, get up,” he ordered just as she settled in, “If I’m going to answer your questions, might as well have a drink to ease my mood.” If this was going to turn into some ‘how to be a vampire’ lesson, drunk was what he needed to be. “It is interesting and you saying that only increases my curiosity, but I’ll believe you saying it was accidental. To compel intentionally,” he answered, rummaging around the Selvi’s kitchen, “All you do is maintain eye contact and give the order, but it’s not without -” here came a break for a mild curse when he couldn’t find everything he was looking for, “- limitations. You can’t make them do something they are morally against.” Taking out two tall glasses and a couple other easier finds, he faced her, “You know this place better than I do, find me a bar spoon or a cocktail shaker if they have it, then get me Gin, and soda water while you’re at it.” He could do it himself with a touch more patience but she might as well be helpful, “You’re old enough to drink, right?” An exhale of a laugh sounded at his own joke as Ken began to place a few cubes of ice into each glass, “This is not a Bloody Mary, obviously, but you should try that with actual blood, it’s not bad.”

[cantfightmoonlight]

“You were mean before I ever gave you a reason to be though," Bella mumbled under her breath, her bottom lip jutting out into a small pout before she gave him a small nod in agreement. "But, okay. I'll try my best not to be irritating, I suppose," She decided. Only as he mentioned not being able to mimic her without cringing, a small smile broke across her lips. "I'm pretty sure anyone who remotely cares about what they're wearing finds style to be fairly personal? Though, I get your point. I don't particularly like most things people buy me either. I used to fake a smile and pretend I did before inevitably regifting it to someone else. But, being undead has made me a bit more blunt and, well, mean? Or so I've been told. Though there is, on occasion, the one person who manages to get it right? Its why I tried to stick with brands I've seen you wear before. Though I've only ever seen you wear suits, so... the accuracy ends there. And I probably should have asked, only, to be honest, I didn't do it for you," She admitted with a small albeit nonchalant shrug. "I did it to calm my nerves and for her," Bells said motioning with a tilt of her head back towards the bedroom where Leyla was curled up in bed in. "She seems better when you're here." So, whether he hated the clothes or not or thought of it as assistant behavior, she didn't particularly care. Not if on the off chance, the small gesture meant that Leyla had the one person she seemed to need the most right now by her side and not if it meant she could ease her own anxiety with the small endorphin high that came with swiping her black card. "Though, if you do hate them, there is no need to keep them or wear them. I'd hardly take offense. Im sure I can find someone else to gift them to." Asad would likely enjoy them and could use some new clothes given that he'd be staying with the girls for the foreseeable future.

He wasn't wrong. When it came to their kind, blood, like it or not, was necessary to survive. Only rather than risk the conversation drifting into therapy territory, a situation that would likely fall into a reason for him to become mean, she simply left it at, "Not everyone has a survival instinct." She certainly didn't, which became even more apparent when he spoke more on feeding. "I don't feed, period," She admitted. A fact she hadn't brought herself to say out loud since returning from the dead, but given how indifferent Ken's demeanor seemed to be, she, for some odd reason, seemed far more comfortable admitting that particular tidbit to him than anyone else. Ever since coming back, she had only taken a few sips here and there, often waiting until she began to become light headed or on the verge of passing out before having just enough to prolong her for the next handful of days or weeks. "But, you mention adding things? What kind of things? I've tried coffee which has been reasonably better, but the taste is still there and I'm not quite sure how to completely mask it?" She asked curiously.

"Is it? It happened during my first few days being back and I haven't found a way to undo it, let alone figure out how I did it begin with?" She admitted with a small shrug. "I think its likely in both of our best interests if I didn't, but without going into the details, let's just say I was caught of guard, scared and overwhelmed. I panicked and, the next thing I knew, I was telling them to forget the interaction ever happened and they did? And okay. So how do you compel someone exactly? Intentionally that is?" She asked as she settling back into the couch as she peered up at him. "The toaster. It may be missing a knob. So, if you want crispy bread, might I suggest that you don't? Or better yet order from the diner down the street instead?"

“Personality is not something I can easily change like outfits,” he commented at her request, “I can drop the lawyer badge when not at work but the rest is on you. If you give me a reason to not be mean, then that’s what you’ll see.” Annoyance was the default setting but there were some expectations to the rule however, even those didn’t happen instantly. Scratching at his temple with his thumb, Ken held off on the heavy eye roll as she listed off the designers and purchases and barely made it through with a straight face at the mention of fashion being life, “Right…” While he could easily hold his judgement at bay regarding the garment choice, personality assessment on the other hand ticked on like clockwork, “Try not to take this the wrong way, fashion maybe your…” he trailed off with a shake of his head, “I actually cannot  say that without cringing… you may like people buying things for you and such but style is personal for me. While I do appreciate this gesture, and I will keep them, but if something unfortunate were to happen again, maybe ask before you run off and do things.” Ken refrained at the last second from calling this assistant behaviour in case she saw that as mean, he really couldn’t have another girl cry in front of him.

With an immense sigh of relief at the topic change Ken shrugged his shoulders, “When it comes to survival, like or dislike matters little,” he said, “But you can always add things to make it better if blood bothers you and  I don’t feed directly, so you’ll have to go to Meena or Kadir for that.” He never held back his age when it came to Vampirism, hard to do so when it showed itself as plain as day, he was hardly suited to answer her questions but better this than figuring things out on one’s own like he had, “New to the life and already compelled someone? Interesting. Care to share?” Her saying hypothetically earned a laugh, but he carried on,, “Un-compelling works in a similar manner, you’ll have to compel them again to undo the initial compulsion.” Settling back into the chair as the questions rolled out, Ken shook his head, “You’re new. It’s fine to ask without prefixing it with dumb or stupid. But with strength it’s just something you have to be aware of, control will come naturally. What did you break?”

[cantfightmoonlight]

“Okay, but I don't exactly care about everyone? Just so long as you maybe loose the mean lawyer badge around me? At least in private, maybe?" She offered up, peaking up at him with wide and hopeful eyes at the thought. "I'm sorry, have you seen the clothes I got you?" She feigned a scoff. A smile playing at the corner of his lips as she moved to lift up the multiple shopping bags she had picked out for him. "I mean come on. This is an Elie Saab suit from the 2022 Winter couture collection and, before you give me that look, I also got you some comfy clothes and a robe. Though I should probably mention the robe is Versace. But, it's pretty exceptional if you ask me. Fashion is only my life and all. But, what would I know?" She offered up with an innocent grin. "And okay. Well, it's not work. It's actually..." She pressed her lips together as she thought over in her head how might be the best way to phrase it. "Do you... do you like the taste of blood? I just haven't been able to get past it myself. I turned the week I met you and I figured I'd have worked out the whole feeding thing by now, but no dice. That and, um," She scrunched her nose up in embarrassment as she found herself hinting at how utterly incompetent she seemed to be as a vampire. "How do you compel someone? Or well un-compel someone? Hypothetically speaking? And while we're on the subject how did you learn to control your strength per say, out of curiosity?" She asked innocently enough, leaving out the detail of how she may have broken the nobs clean off the toaster on accident just earlier that day. "Like I said, they're probably fairly dumb questions..."

⇌

“Of course you do,” he scoffed lightly, “So would everyone but that’s not going to happen.” Never once had he sugar coated the fact he wasn’t nice, why bother with it when that didn’t serve any purpose nor benefitted him in any way. At her admittance and a glance at the spread on the coffee table, Ken couldn’t help but think back to his younger self where he would do just the same, if not worse, and throw himself into work like it was a saving grace. Countless hours spent pouring over files, refining his skills to perfection and beyond, it was both a savour and a detriment. Before he lost himself on that train of thought, he tuned back to Bella just in time to laugh lightly, “Alright, relax, exceptional is extreme. You have good enough taste.” His taste was exceptional, while he couldn’t deny Bella did have a better fashion sense than most at the office and out, he wasn’t going to sit here and admit that. She may have been a friend of the Selvi's, and this was a rare expectation of him showing some feeling other than vexation, but the fact remained they were still colleagues. Fact solidified further by what she had said next. He sat staring at Bella, drifting in and out as a multitude of thoughts clouded him, he cared deeply for Leyla, seeing her hurt did not sit well with him, but to say love, why did that rattle him? No. He decided, sitting up straighter, no, he would not let his mind spiral. Nodding rather too keenly at the question, Ken took that way out, “Yes, sure, work or not, I don't care. Just fucking anything.”

[cantfightmoonlight]

"I kind of like you better without your mean lawyer badge," Bella mumbled out softly. The tiniest of smiles playing at the corner of her lips as she glanced up and noticed Ken slipping into the seat across from her. "I didn't, but we all cope differently and I seem to do it by micromanaging and through the use of to-do lists and spreed sheets," She admitted, scrunching up her nose the tiniest bit as she motioned to the overt organization going on in front of her. She may have also reorganized all of the Selvi's pantries while she was at it too, but that was something she'd rather keep to herself. "That and I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I happen to have exceptional taste in clothes," Bells added, peaking up over at him, before giving him a small nod in regards to the work in her hands. "It's hard to focus when someone you love is struggling. I've been there," She noted, having died from it even, so when it came to Ken not being able to focus, she couldn't exactly blame him. She sat there quietly in the silence for a prolonged moment or two, flipping through the pages before her, before she finally peaked her head up once more and asked, "Do you- would you like a distraction? Because if so, I actually had some non-work related questions to ask you that you'll probably find utterly idiotic and ridiculous, but it could give you a good laugh? I don't know."

⇌

Propped up slightly by an army of pillows that Leyla surrounded herself with as she slept half on them and half on him, Ken not wishing to move, closed his eyes too, not letting himself fall into sleep lest something were to happen, but lay there with his arms around her, and would have continued were it not for the tap at the door. He couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed by the disturbance, nor irritated nor anything really, in silence he listened, and in silence he watched her leave after having said what she wanted. Minutes later, confirming that Lelya had fallen asleep, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead and walked towards the living room. “At the risk of losing my mean lawyer badge, thank you. You didn’t have to do all that,” he said, taking a seat across from her, “And not saying in a sense that it’s all unnecessary, but just that it sounded like effort. Especially the clothes, I could’ve gone back to my place to pick some up.” But he did plan to stay here for a while, and having to not leave Leyla now since everything was here was a worry of his mind. It was after having said all that that his sight fell onto the case files scattered about the place, “You’re working?” The question puzzled him too, because had it been a different time, had it been himself, he’d be working too. Picking up a paper he scanned to avail as words did not register for him, tossing it back onto the pile seconds later, Ken sighed deeply letting his head hit the back of the armchair, “Wish I could focus.”