#p: nicodemus bossier

[theskyeandsea]

Snappy Birthday! || Group Chatzy

Timing: May 2nd, 2020

Location: Nicodemus and Skylar’s House

Description: Skylar and Nell threw an unfor-gator-able surprise party for Nic. No hunters, humans, or supernaturals were hurt in the making of this chatzy!

Tagging: @carbrakes-and-stakes​. @walker-journal​. @harlowhaunted​. @nelllraiser​. @theskyeandsea​. @corpse–diem​. @bountybossier​. @3starsquinn​. @chasseurdeloup​. @hunter-haywood​. @deepintheredwood​. @fairyjeff​.  

Skylar looked around at the small gathering of people, more than a little anxious. Nell had really outdone herself with the decorations-- the alligator inflatables she'd found shoved in a back closet were pumped up and scattered in different rooms, the large alligator cake was sitting on the table, there was a massive gator themed centerpiece on the gift table, and Dundee was walking around in his costume. Skye had helped set up most of the decorations, but she left putting Dundee in the costume to Nell, she was still a little skittish around the dog, even if he'd only ever barked at her once or twice. There were buckets full of ice and beers by the pool and in the kitchen, along with more than a few bottles of whiskey. Walking into the kitchen, she smiled nervously at some of the people who had gathered there. "Thanks so much for coming, I'm really glad you all could make it!"

Nell was anxiously watching her phone, wanting everything to be as perfect as possible when it came to this party. In honesty, she wasn't entirely sure when she'd become the type of person to help plan three parties withing a few months span, but she certainly wasn't mad about it when it was for friends and the people she cared about. Waiting for Erin's text, she readied herself to tell everyone to hide and quiet down, knowing that if they missed the crucial and initial 'surprise!' it would derail the biggest part of any surprise party. Already she'd sent numerous texts to Erin, checking in a possibly obnoxious amount to make sure everything was going to plan. "For sure," she echoed Skye's sentiment, glad she'd had such a good partner for this event. "I haven't heard from Erin yet, but they should be coming any moment so- everyone just get ready. Think about where you might want to hide." She'd also been sure to try and request that Erin make sure no weapons were on Nic, not wanting the surprise element of said party to result in injury when it came to his party guests.

Kaden didn't know Nic that well but he liked the guy well enough to go to his birthday party on the invite alone. Plus, it couldn't be worse than his own. No mimes in sight, a good sign already. His brow shot up at Nell's announcement. That sounded like a bad idea. "Are we really jumping out and yelling surprise at a hun--" He caught himself. "Guy. At the guy. That sounds like a bad fucking idea." He sighed and found a spot around the corner where he didn't have to crouch down or do anything ridiculous and could keep his beer on hand. Let someone else get knocked in the head for hiding in a hunter's house and jumping out and yelling surprise.

Adam arrived in thunder of whoops and hollering as he and several brawny fellows pilled out of pick up truck and began rolling up kegs to the door covered in various phallic puns incorporating Nic’s new age. When the truck eventually drove off, Adam burst in wheeling a keg will dressed in short sleeves and wearing a hideous bandanna in the shape of a well-endowed alligator.

Nell wasted no time in staring down each and every one of the assumed frat boys that approached the party, asserting dominance as quickly as she could to let them know that she would not hesitate to kick each one of their asses if they so much as ruined an inflatable alligator, or her and Skye's vision for the party. Of course...the beer was a welcome addition. One could never have too many kegs. "We'll just jump out not near him," she quickly supplied to Kaden. "And maybe Skye can be a little decoy when he walks in." Then she went to Adam, reaching out to prod the bandana on his face. "There are going to be children gators here," she joked, not actually planning on the young man taking it off.

Trying to be inconspicuous about keeping Nic out of the house was harder than Erin anticipated. That’d been her only real job for the day, and compared to the massive amount of work Nell and Skylar had put into it, she’d gotten off pretty easy. CHILL. Pulling up. Five minutes. She quickly texted Nell, giving what felt like the twelve status update that hour. “Thanks for, uh--carting me around all afternoon,” she glanced over at him, though she wasn’t able to entirely meet his eyes. Their last conversation hadn’t been entirely pleasant, and largely consisted of Erin telling him she should stay away while the murderous squid had a hold on him. And then here she was, out of the blue asking him to help her run menial little errands all day to keep him out of the house. Avoided any real conversations by popping in and out of the truck, and taking her good old time at each spot. Her eyes narrowed as they started to pull into the driveway. “Oh!” She piped up as she hopped out of the car, moving to the driver’s side and held out her hand. “Weapons. All of them,” she nodded at him, making a ‘gimme’ motion with her fingers. “You still owe me that tour of the pool, right?” She gave him a smile, trying to keep this light. This was a totally normal request. “We don’t need weapons to check out a pool.”

Golly, Hunter was so excited to be invited to Nic's birthday party! He hadn't gone to one since his daughter's Haylee's fifteenth and that had been awkward since his (ex) wife had been flirting with his best friend the whole time. He couldn't blame her he supposed, Frank was a really nice fellow and he was handsome to boot. He followed behind Adam, the younger man dressed strangely, but Hunter was sure it was just the popular fashion. Grinning he looked around the party,"Wowie, y'all. It looks great. Who decorated? I love the theme!"

Eventually Adam handed out monopoly money to his friends and sinewy friends departed, still sweaty from the keg rolling he took out yet more Caligula gator bandanas and offered some to Hunter and Nell "Don't pole him," he cautioned Nell regarding her prodding the bandana "You'll just make him more excited, here I have some for folks."

Skylar nodded at Kaden's advice. That was admittedly something she hadn't really thought about. The idea of jumping out at Nic was probably a bad idea, even if it was just for a party. Before she could respond, she blinked in surprise when a man burst through the door with... kegs? Face turning bright red as she realized what was on his bandana, Skylar turned to face Nell instead. "Mhm! I can do that!" She said, hurrying to take a seat on the couch next to one of the lamps. This was casual right? Just... sitting on the couch? Surrounded by inflatable alligators and beer? "I'm all set when everyone else is."

Why was Red going to another hunter birthday party? After Kaden's mess, they had almost sworn off going to anyone's birthday party. Still here they were, surrounded by a weirdly theme birthday party, but at least, Red supposed, it wasn't mimes. "Kaden's right. I don't want to be punched," or worse,"in the face today and I doubt anyone else does."

Orion stood awkwardly in the house. Skylar hadn’t been lying, this place was huge. He recognized a few people but felt weird approaching any of them at the moment. He had waved to a few people when he got in. This was supposed to be a surprise, but Rio wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of trying to surprise a hunter. He remembered trying to scare Athena as a kid and ended up flipped onto a coffee table. He hadn’t tried that ever again. So he tried picking a spot as far from the door as possible for when Nic got back. Out of the danger zone.

Jeff wasn't really in the mood for another party, especially since he hadn't even made it in the door for Kaden's. But considering there was no mime tomfoolery here, it was safe. Even if he still couldn't speak. He sulked over by Kaden, beer in one hand and a clumsily wrapped present with crocodile wrapping paper in the other. When the small child that babysat his dog ordered them to hide, he shuffled behind Kaden. But if Nic wanted to punch someone at his own birthday party, then that was his God Given Right. He drank his beer, opening his mouth to say something..... and then nothing came out. He drank more beer instead.

Nicodemus had stayed fairly quiet for the majority of the drive, unsure of what to say. He didn't mind running around mindlessly with Erin. Even if mindless was a bit of a tender term considering...everything. He frowned. Damn it. The hunter glanced overr at Erin and nodded, a slight furrow even as a slight smile showed. "Ain't a thing." He mumbled to himself as they pulled into the driveway and got out of the truck. At her sudden exclamation, his eyes darted over to her and he breathed easier when it was nothing. "My weapons?" He questioned but started anyway. Twenty minutes later, he was done pulling out every small knife, bullet, and even a fountain pen that he had kept on him. The unsharpened pencil was last. His eyes narrowed slightly as he started toward the door. "Y'wanna do that now?" He nodded to the door and started toward it. "Yeah, alright, guess I can do that now."

The silly little tripwire spell Nell had set up was triggered the moment Nic and Erin neared it, and soon enough she was shushing the rest of the crowd, trying to make sure no one was in punching distance of the door. "Okay, okay, they're here! Get ready!" she said in a hushed whisper, looking to Skye to give the girl a reassuring smile.

Blanche wasn't surprised that Nell had outdone herself again. She was, however, at the amount of Frat boys with Beer and gators that showed up. Once Nell gave the signal to get ready, she made a beeline for Rio. "Hide!" she said, excitedly.

Adam immediately fell into a commando-like sprawl, Hunter surprises perhaps having been more militaristic operations back home.

Hunter crouched down next to Adam, though his knees creaked as he did. He supposed it was probably time to go back to the doctor like his (ex) wife had wanted him to years ago. "You look like you're on a stakeout there, kiddo. Trying to make sure Nic doesn't see ya?" He hoped Nic wouldn't be able to see him like this. He wasn't sure he'd be able to get up anytime soon, much less hide.

Orion could have hugged Blanche, he was so excited to see her. “Oh thank god you’re here.” He was still a bit nervous about hiding but decided to go along with Blanche, just making sure to move them away from the door when they did.

“Jesus, are you like the Mary Poppins bag of deadly weapons?” Erin mumbled, unable to hold onto everything he’d just painstakingly pulled from every pocket and hiding spot on his body. She heaved them with some effort into the back of his truck, then ran back to cut him off at the door. “Ladies first!” She nearly chirped, hoping to God Skylar left the door unlocked. When it opened, she took a quick glance inside, could hear people shuffling and paused just in the doorway. “Wow!” She bellowed, not letting him step in immediately. “This place is amazing!” It was, and she’d get into that later, but that was probably enough of a warning, right? Still, she took long, careful steps and reached for his hand to keep him from moving too quickly into the doorway or past her, sharing the same thought the rest of the partygoers had. For the love of God, don’t spook the fucking hunter.

When the door swung open, Skylar smiled and waved from the couch as the two of them stepped into the room. "Surprise, Nic! Happy Birthday!" She said brightly. She really, really hoped that Erin had confiscated all of Nic's weapons, getting something thrown at her might put a damper on the whole... birthday celebration.

Being late was not something Alain had ever been comfortable with and yet this was exactly his situation right now. From the other side of the road he had waited for twenty minutes for Nic to be done with his fucking collection of weaponry. Well, at least, he was now the least likely to get shot by birthday boy. Watching Erin lead the way to the place, Alain sighed heavily and got out of the car, present under his arm. "About fucking time." Following behind, he arrived just in time to hear a familiar voice exclaim "Surprise!"

In tandem, everyone seemed to rise up at once, some more cautious than others as the exclamation of, "Surprise!" went up around the room. Hopefully, Nic would be pacified by the inflatable gators before punching anyone.

Nicodemus had never heard Erin so animated before. He followed behind her, heavily scrutinizing her moments, he listened. With her voice as loud as it was, he couldn't hear much over it. But something seemed off. What was that smell? Was it...gator? No way in fucking hell was it gator. Then, Skylar was shouting and he reflexively reached to grab a weapon. An inflatable gator. It popped and squeaked under his grip, whistling its way to a sad death. Wait, what had she said? He blinked. Squinted. Looked around. It wasn't just Skylar there. It was...a lot of people. More than he expected. She had said Happy Birthday. He looked over all of them and stood there. Like a dumbass. There were gators. Baby ones? Was that discount Steve Irwin? "...Howdy." Was all he could manage.

"Howdy, birthday boy!" Hunter said loudly as he pushed himself up (making dad grunts the entire way up). Seeing a lady next to Nic, Hunter grinned,"Who is this, bud? She's pretty," He said with a little wiggle of his eyebrows.

Skylar was startled when he grabbed an inflatable alligator, she flinched when it popped loudly, the sound making her hearing aids ring a bit. But, that was a lot better than him doing that to one of the people here! Walking up, she held out a pointy party hat and held it out to Nic. "I thought it'd be nice to have a little party for you-- Nell did a lot of the work, honestly. Happy Birthday!" She said, beaming.

Nell could handle the the casualty of one inflatable gator, seeing that as a success even as air continued to whine out of it. "Happy Birthday!" she echoed brightly stepping towards the man that this party was all about. "You're definitely old now." She waited somewhat anxiously, hoping to see some sign that he didn't completely hate the party Skylar and her had put together. "There's lots of food! And alcohol! And baby gators. Other animals, too."

Kaden shook his head as Nic killed the very dangerous inflatable gator. Better it than anyone else here. He'd go wish him a happy birthday later, he had plenty of people to talk to. And Kaden didn't really need to have another great run in with Erin just yet. He turned to Jeff and nodded. "How's it going?" His brow furrowed when it was clear the other guy couldn't talk. "You should get a dry erase board, man." He gave Alain a small wave as he saw him come in behind the birthday boy. "Want to go see the animals?" he asked the couple of hunters around him. He didn't really give a shit what they said, he was going to see those fucking baby gators before he left so help him.

Red could tell that there was a fae here, just not where. They tried to shake it off for the sake of Nic and the party, they didn't want to ruin it by causing a scene. At least there were animals here. Maybe he'd have to ask the bossy girl where she got these for Violet's next birthday. They bet that her birthday party would be the best if there were animals like this there. "You know what, yeah I do. Just let me grab a beer." They went grabbed their own beer and then moved over to the baby gators with Kaden. "Violet would have liked these," They said nodding to the small animals.

Orion couldn’t help but laugh when he heard the popping noise. Of course Nic stabbed the inflatable gator. But at least that was better than stabbing one of the party attendees. At least if he had stabbed a fellow hunter it would have healed pretty quickly. “That’s why I didn’t want to hide” Orion giggled, looking back at Blanche, “I didn't want to end up on the wrong side of his surprise.” Looking around, he recognized quite a few. It put him a little on edge, but the ones that he did recognize were alright, as far as hunters went. And was that… Erin with Nic? So his new boss knew Nic? Hmm, small town.

Nicodemus looked between Skylar and Nell. A party. He didn't remember ever having one before. The back of his neck felt warm. "It's nice," he finally said with a firm nod. "Just, uh, real fuckin' surprised." When had he started to know so many people? And they were all in his and Skylar's house. Holy fuck, he had a house and he had friends. Jumping Jesus Christ. He had even heard Alain sneaking up the door behind him. Nic offered Hunter a small but friendly smile. Right up until he blanched at the question. "Erin, that's her," he said quickly as he glanced over to the booze in the distance. Then to the baby gators. "Gonna get a drink there, bud. Enjoy yourself, huh?" Stepping carefully over Dundee, who looked just as perplexed as he did if not more so due to the lack of noticeable blinking, he power-walked to the watering station and cracked open a cold one as he turned around to survey the area. Goddamn, they had committed and committed hard.

“Wow,” was the only word that kept flashing in Erin’s mind when she saw the full scale of the party for the first time. They hadn’t been kidding even a little bit when they said there’d be gators. “Surprise?” Erin finally said when she turned to Nic, who seemed without a doubt surprised. “Holy crap, you guys. This is seriously amazing,” she smiled over at Skylar and Nell, stepping aside so the small crowd could fawn over him. As they should be, even if it was making him visibly uncomfortable. “That’s--yeah, that’s me. Erin. Nice to meet you…?” she chuckled at the older man who’d come up to greet them. Most of the faces she could pinpoint, some more of a surprise than others, but this was a new one to her. Wasted no time in plucking up one of the party hats and sat it squarely on her head. “Shut the front door--are those real gators?” She asked the second her eyes laid on them.

Hunter grinned at Erin. “Nice to meet ya, Miss. I’m Hunter. I meet Nic at a bar a while ago. He’s a real sweetheart, aint he?” He grinned wider, “I bet he’d make a great boyfriend. You know, if that interested you.”

Alain walked over to the pile of gifts to put down the box in which he had stuffed one crocodile plush, and a Laguiole knife with a handle that ressembled the skin of an alligator. This is when he heard someone speaking with Erin about Nic. Turning on his heels with the most neutral expression on his face, he raised his eyebrows at his friend and crossed his arms. "Well Erin, I think Hunter here might make a pretty good point."

Skylar beamed at the two of them, before nodding. "I'm glad that you like it! Have fun looking at the gators, I'm going to make sure Dundee doesn't poke his way over there." She said before walking off to find the little dog. It was huddled in a corner, a little overwhelmed by all the people who were in the home. Which was honestly fair, she kind of related. Reaching out gingerly to fix the dog's hood, she glanced up and saw Rio and Blanche, the two of them sporting matching pink hair. "Hi! I'm really glad you both could make it. Thanks so much for coming."

Nell beamed under Nic's simple, but approving words, and couldn't help but also enjoy Erin's. "Good, good. You deserve it," was all she managed to say. She was glad she had Skye had managed to pull this off. Nic needed good things in his life, and now this could be one of them. Sticking with the funeral director for a moment, she nodded, paying no mind to Alain. She didn't like the man, but she wouldn't start anything when she wanted this party to go perfectly. Turning to Erin she said with renewed excitement, "Yeah! Real gators! Reptile Rick brought along his brood. They're cute, aren't they?"

Orion smiled brightly when Skylar made her way over to say hi to them. He eagerly waved back and perked up. “Hey! Of course, thanks for the invite.” It had a good turnout, with quite a few people showing up for it. “You weren’t joking about this house. It’s ginormous.” He glanced at the crowd around Nic, talking to him and Erin. He would make his way over there eventually to say happy birthday, once things had calmed down. “You and Nell did really good. This party is really cool.”

Adam took a tray of vials from among the kegs. Some of the folks at the Bullet had responded to his blood drive, allowing for enough Slayer Blood for vampire poison. Liquid silver in pressured regulated contains for werewolves. A poison that'd disrupt the air regulation within aquatic creatures like Selkie, causing them to burst from the inside. There was very fine cold iron grains to poison the ventilation systems of Fae communes, Adam carefully set these and other vials of deadly alchemy with the other gifts before returning to the kegs to get drinks really started.

The only sound that came out of Erin’s mouth was a nervous laugh, eyes wide. “He’s--uh, he’s--yeah. He’s great.” She cleared her throat, glaring daggers at Alain through the smile forced onto her lips when he needlessly chirped in. “Helpful as always, aren’t you? Why don’t you go say hi to Nic, yeah?” she said, patting Alain’s back extra hard, thankful Nell was there. “They’re adorable!” she answered eagerly. “I’m gonna go see them like--now. I can’t wait. You totally understand, right?” Even if they didn’t, she was already shuffling away. “Excuse me!” She bounced off towards the refreshment table first for some of what she hoped was alcoholic “Gator”-ade. A little surprised at the crowd that had gathered around the baby animals, but she supposed not even a big group of guys like this could resist. “Is this the designating hiding spot?” She teased and watched them scurry around, taking large sips of the mysterious green drink.

Skylar laughed a little at Rio's statement, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "Mhm, it's a really big place. I have no idea places like this even existed in White Crest, but I'm really lucky to have a place to stay." She said. "Thanks, it was mostly Nell. She really outdid herself. I like the hair, by the way. It looks really cool." She said with a thumbs up. With his pink hair, Rio almost looked like he'd stepped out of an anime or something. It honestly suited him-- and Blanche as well.

Lord, there were even presents. Cold beer in hand, Nicodemus grunted a greeting to those he passed by as he wandered over to the baby gators. He took a moment to raise his beer at Adam with a slight grin. Gingerly, Reptile Rick placed one in the palm of his hand, its small head resting on the hunter's wrist. Large reptilian eyes stared at him and he stared back. A true, blue genuine smile brightened his face for a hot second before he glanced over at the others. "They're, uh, real fuckin' gentle and shit," he said. Reptile Rick looked on in approval, the string of his fishing hat bobbing slightly. "...Thanks for comin', I 'spose. Didn't really know all this shit was happenin'."

Adam sees Rio being all pink with Blanche and Skylar and gives him a knowing wink and encouraging thumps up and highly evocative penetrative pantomime with his hands. Fellow Hunter dude thus no doubt encouraged and full of manly vitality, Adam return to drinks and watching Nic be Crocodile Dundee.

Nell nodded enthusiastically as Erin made her exit, not blaming her in the least for wanting to check out the little gators. She'd already spent some time with them before the party had started, and was letting everyone else get their fill, now. "I completely understand she offered with a chuckle before watching the other women head over. Adam's motion catching her eye, she wasted no time in heading his way to make herself a drink as well, glad that the party seemed to be going well enough. "You're going to make them match their pink hair," she said to the man with a little smirk, always amused by his antics.”

Alain forced a smile at Nell. It was not that he disliked her, but... Ok, it was exactly that, but it appeared that she had at last decided to be an adult. It would have been a shame if he ruined all her efforts. "Wait, Erin, you can't just..." He protested, and rather than sticking with Hunter, who would probably whine about his ex wife again, he followed after Erin to have a look at the baby alligators. If the question of how those things got here crossed his mind, he figured that the answer probably would be too shady for his liking. And... there was too much people here for his liking. Obviously. Who could blame them. Alright, then maybe he wouldn't bother Erin some more. Taking a deep breath, the hunter contemplated leaving. He had dropped the present, said Happy birthday. His job here was done, right? This was about then that he noticed Skylar on the other side of the room, with Orion, with... pink hair? Waving politely at them, he walked away from the alligator loving crowd to join them.

"Hey you know whatever gets that three-way rocking," Adam affirmed to Nell before drowning a drink like as if were a raindrop in a desert. "Maybe they like cotton-candy everywhere?" He blinked his way after the next drink slammed his brain. "So how do you know Bad Santa?"

Kaden was definitely not telling the baby alligator what a good boy it was in French when he realized Erin and Nic had joined them in the reptile corner. "Must be. Sorry, I said surprise once, that's all you get," he told Erin. "Happy birthday," he said as he watched the baby gator scuttle in Nic's hand. "I'd say you got a better theme than my party." It was nice, seeing a weirdly functioning just nice party for a hunter of all people in this hell hole town. Weird as hell, but nice.

"Thanks for inviting us, really. This place is great! I love Nic and he deserves a really good party," Blanche said brightly, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. She still couldn't believe the two of them dyed it pink. Wild. "And thanks. I think we mastered the art of impulsive twenty year old." If only it didn't end with the both of them killing something. She had caught Adam doing something out of the corner of her eye and made a face. "Anyway, I totally want to pet a gator and the dog at some point. Also, Skylar, you don't have an aversion to Little Debbie's Muffin's, do you?"

Nell snorted into her drink, not exactly discouraging Adam from his conception of the three-way. After all, what kind of best friend would she be if she didn't let Blanche get teased about sex? And she also wouldn't mind poking a small bit of good-natured fun at Skylar and Rio. In true mature fashion, she tucked her drink under her arm for a moment to bring her hands together in the shaped of a heart, capturing the three of them in the center of it. "I can smell it brewing now. If they don't serve cotton candy at the wedding...I'm not going." It took her a moment to figure out who Bad Santa might be, but it had to be the birthday boy...right? "Do you mean Nic? Because I'm here for that nickname, even without explanation."

Skylar nodded at Blanche, "For sure! He really does. I wanted to do something fun for him, you know? I feel like everyone could use a little fun right now." She said, not noticing the way her expression changed. She also didn't notice Adam's gesture, which was probably for the best. "Dundee should be around here somewhere-- I'm trying to keep him away from the baby gators. Hm? I mean... I'm allergic to gluten, so I'm kinda averse to most baked goods." She said with a little shrug before noticing that Alain had walked over. "Oh! Hi! Thanks for coming! I'm glad you were able to make it." Skylar said with a grin. "We've got games, there's plenty of beer, whiskey, and lots of food in the kitchen."

Adam sighed with a feigned dramatic wistfulness, "Well, Nic's Hunter powers activated when he was just a mall santa, down on his luck and scaring kids. But then vampires attacked some of the other Santas, and after a long investigation of Snow globes the kids watched in horror as Santa tore apart one of the elves, thus the Hunter known as Nicodemus was born." Adam nodded solemnly as before quaffing a drink.

Orion saw Adam wink at him and his cheeks immediately burst into flames. His face must be all sorts of shades of red at the moment, but he tried to ignore it and focus on the conversation instead. “Thanks! Blanche gets all the credit for the idea, but I’m surprised by how much I like the pink hair.” It was weird and fun and crazier than anything he had ever done, which was a welcome change. He waved at Alain and glanced over at the snacks and drinks that Skylar had mentioned, “Turns out, the Gatorade is in fact not gatorade and is alcoholic. I found out the hard way.” By that, he meant that he had taken a drink of it and immediately spit it back into the cup from the surprise. “But it tastes good.” Ish.

By now, Nell felt fairly adept at judging when Adam was going to launch into his ever-famous renditions of obviously very true and perfectly accurate stories, and a grin split over her lips as this one met her ears. "Please tell me there are pictures of this. I could put it on next year's cake. Does he still have the costume?" Against possibly all expectation, the thing that made her almost choke on her drink was the revelation of Nic's full name. She'd simply assumed it was...Nicholas or...something normal. "Nicodemus?? As in a wannabe Roman emperor?" She couldn't wait to hold that one over Nic's head.

Adam affirmed that he was sure Nic still had the costume, just in case it fell to him to defend Christmas from Dracula. "Was more goin for Pharisee from the Bible, or the leader of the Rats of Nim, but yup"

Alain smiled at the three of them, his eyes lingered on Blanche and Orion's hair color. "...That's... cheerful." He shook his head with amusement. Oh well, if it made them happy. "Did you name one of the alligators after Nick Dundee?" His eyebrows raised. Oh well, he knew people who had named their dog Orion. Looking in the direction of the drinks and food he grimaced. "Oh no, I'm fine I don't really drink alcohol anymore," apparently embarrassed, the hunter rubbed at the back of his head and shrugged. "Gatorade and taste good in the same sentence, I don't know," memories of a terrible night with Blanche and Nic was brought back to him and he laughed a little as he glanced at Blanche.

Erin didn’t know what he was saying, but Kaden was saying it soft enough that it seemed close enough to a ‘coo’ as a grown man could get. She didn’t interrupt, him or Nic as he held one and grinned like a kid. Just admired the way the baby gators had managed to melt the hearts of everyone almost instantly. She’d be lying if she wasn’t right there with them. “It’s gonna be a hard theme to beat, that’s for sure,” she nodded at Kaden. “I’ll leave you guys alone with your new friends,” she said with a grin, like she was in on their secret. A blast of pink was the first thing she spotted when she grabbed another drink. “Whoa. You’re going to wake the dead with that hair,” Erin smirked over at Rio. Boss-brain would’ve been scorning him right about now but she looked past it. It was a party and she was drinking green mystery juice. She didn’t have a lot of room to judge. After listening in a moment, she pointed towards Blanche mid-drink. “Wait, is this the infamous Blanche?”

Adam murmured to Nell, "Looks like word's gotten around about B.H."

Red took a few pictures of the animals to send to Artie, hoping their wife would show Violet. If they had known, maybe they would have brought the kid with them, but then again she was the perfect excuse to leave if Red needed a quick excuse. “Gotta day this birthday is a lot easier to handle than the last.”

Shaking her head, Nell quickly said, "I don't know what the hell a rat of Nimh is but— the Bible thing makes sense. I just feel like with a name like that, he could have definitely stabbed Caesar. She watched as Erin seemed to recognize Blanche, not exactly surprised. "What can we say she's a popular gal who with the hair of a a troll doll. Who wouldn't have heard about her? A very pretty troll doll."

Adam shook his head. "They make dolls of trolls? But they're too fucking hideous for kids. ...and Blanche is waaay hotter then a troll."

Skylar chewed the inside of her cheek when she realized that Alain didn't drink-- oh no. "Um, we also have water and soda in the fridge. And the food turned out great, I was out grilling earlier and the steak turned out really nice, if you ask me." She said hoping that the offering of non-alcoholic beverages and food would gloss over her little misstep there. Tilting her head, at the Dundee comment, she blinked. "Oh, no. Dundee is the name of Nic's dog. There he is right now." She said, pointing to the little chihuahua who had plonked down onto the couch and had curled up into a little ball for a nap.

Blanche almost snorted when Alain complained about the gatorade, biting back a comment about how if he didn't want to drink gatorade maybe he shouldn't have gotten so drunk that she and Nic had to baby him. "I'll take some of the jungle juice. Or beer." She said brightly. She was just about to go get some when someone pointed her out. WHat - "Infamous - wait. Oh! Erin!" Blanche recognized her from Regan's facetime. "Hey! You act like I'm a walking tornado." Blanche thought for a second and them sheepishly shrugged. ".... You got me."

Nell wasn't entirely surprised that Adam hadn't heard of troll dolls. Most likely his toys growing up had all been outfitted with flamethrowers or something. The only flamethrowers she'd had growing up were her sisters. "No it's like- they're little pudgy baby dolls with funny colored hair. Blanche is definitely hotter than either though. Can confirm that." Nell took the opportunity to wave over at the other pink-haired person...Rio. "Hey! What'd you guys use to dye your hair anyway?"

Adam nodded, "Heya guys, digging the K-pop look."

Orion picked up on Blanche’s name and laughed when he heard what Adam and Nell said. “This just in, Blanche is hotter than a troll” Rio leaned close to Blanche and repeated, smiling as he said it. It was nice hearing with Blanche knowing about him being a hunter. He didn’t have to shy away from explaining his super hearing to her. But he immediately slunk away when he realized that Nell and Adam were joining the group. His boss and now Adam too? Oh boy. “I uh- we uh- I” Rio stammered, trying to form a coherent sentence, “Hey there.” He settled on, greeting his boss and Nell and Adam that had joined the group. “Uh thank you! I don’t know actually, Blanche bought the dye.”

Alain scratched at his cheek. The last thing he wanted was to make Skylar uncomfortable over something she couldn't have known. "Hey, it's fine. It's okay. I look forward to that," he reassured her, carefully patting her shoulder. Glancing over his shoulder to have a look at the dog, he froze when he realized what it was she was referring to. He wrinkled his nose and searched for Nic in the crowd. What the fuck kind of dog was that ? "Well now I have something to roast him about. Thanks Skylar, I will be right back." You bet that he was now making his way to birthday boy. "You didn't tell me you had a ..." Rat? "Dog."

Nicodemus parted from the gators, as hard as it was, and started to head toward the pool. How the hell they got the ambiance going the way it did, he didn't understand. He looked over at Alain and raised a brow. Looked at Dundee who didn't seem at all bothered. "Yeah, came with the fuckin' apartment. Believe that shit," he said, a lot less bothered by it than he had been a week ago. "Wouldn't leave, so fuck it, why not, right?" The last conversation he had with Alain hadn't been pleasant. What he asked hadn't been pleasant, but still, Alain showed. "Thanks for comin'. You knew about this?"

Blanche had definitely been blonde the last time Erin had seen her--brief as it was--but here she was. In the flesh. “No! You’re just--you’re here. I wasn’t sure this day was going to come,” Erin laughed, recalling their almost exclusive online interactions. It suddenly dawned on Erin she was surrounded by almost all of the youths of the crowd, especially when Nell and the other younger kid joined. This felt weird. Time to retreat. She nodded at Rio, “Hair looks good,” she said simply. Nodding at Blanche again as she backpedaled. “Glad to finally meet you, too,” she smiled, then turned to go back and adore the baby gators again with what seemed like the rest of the older party attendees.

Noticing Rio's stammering, Skylar blinked in confusion as the other three approached. Why was he so nervous about them? Was it because the awful bandana? In that case, she couldn't really blame him, it was pretty bad. But, the guy who walked up didn't seem all that strange. With a smile, she waved at him. "I'm Skylar, by the way. Nic's roommate. Nice to meet you." She said. There was quite a bit of conversation going on, so she didn't totally register Alain's words, but the small pat on her shoulder caught her attention. "Oh, bye!" She said with a nod in his direction, and offering a wave when Erin also turned away. People coming and going, all the talking... parties were exhausting.

Adam gave Skylar a once over, and then another look over, neither of which were granted any subtly by the drinks in his system. "I'm Adam, looking good, Skylar," he said walking up. "Heya Oreo, how’s it hanging?"

Skylar didn't like the way that Adam looked at her, nope, nope, no. With a slightly panicked smile, she tilted her head towards the pool of baby alligators. "Mhm... I need to go." She said, adding quickly, "Check on the alligators. Yup. They... need to be watched." They were just little alligators, they wouldn't eat her, right? Walking quickly away, she let out a sigh. All things considered, that had gone well. And Nic seemed like he liked it too, which was all that mattered in her book.

Nicodemus's ears weren't ringing from wolf howls or vampire screaming or some other kinda nonsense. No, it was just people talking. Enjoying themselves. It wasn't...terrible and that was a terrifying thought on its own. There'd be time for the rest of the shit later, unless it came sooner. Town like White Crest, it just might. Being the center of attention was the last thing he wanted but he swallowed it down to try and find a decent place to stand. Idling picking at the soggy label on his beer, he cleared his throat some. A banjo played quietly in the background and he shook his head with a snort. "Uh, thanks for comin'...and shit," he started as he looked around the room. All relatively new faces in his life, but now, familiar. Like Dundee, that didn’t seem to bother him as much anymore. His brow furrowed some. "...Appreciate it. It's, uh--Yeah. Stay as long as you want or at least 'till Dundee or Skye kicks your ass out." A dry laugh sneaked out of him. He glanced at the cutout of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. They glanced back. The shooting gallery lay beyond. He raised his beer and headed over. “Meanwhile, my ass'll be out on the open range.”

[theskyeandsea]

To Make a Home || Nicodemus & Skylar

Tagging: @bountybossier​

Location: Outside of Coffee Plus

Notes: Just two prospective roommates having a nice and happy chat.

“Thanks, have a good one.” Skylar said with a bright smile to the barista, taking the two coffee cups from the countertop and walked out to one of the tables outside. She wasn’t really sure what Coffee Plus’ policy on animals indoors was, but she didn’t want to push it, just in case. Plus… if she needed to make a quick break for it, being outside would probably be for the best. Not that she would have much of a chance of outrunning Nic, but at least she could try. Taking a sip from her cup, she took a deep breath. It was going to be okay. Nic was a Hunter, but he wasn’t a bad one. He hadn’t tried to hurt her. He’d been nothing but nice to her. So, why was she so nervous? Skylar tapped her fingers against her thigh and glanced up the street before spotting Nic making his way through downtown. Smiling, she gestured to the cup of coffee she’d bought for him. “Hey! I wasn’t sure what kind of coffee you liked, so I figured black would be safest. Thanks for coming.” She said with a nod, though her eyes were trained on the little dog that had accompanied him. Even though it was small, she still wasn’t sure how this meeting would go.

Damn that tiny dog and its small fucking legs. Nicodemus didn’t know when it had slipped out and followed him. But he couldn’t avoid the tippy-tapping of tiny dog feet behind him or the slight huffing for long. He would step, it would tap. He would stop, it would stop. It continued like that for a handful of streets until he finally stopped fully. The hunter glanced back at the dog. The dog looked up at him with its large, bulging eyes. Nicodemus grimaced and with a long string of colorful French swears, picked the dog up like the nothing it weighed and held it under his arm like a tucked in football. “You’re the fuckin’ worst.” He grumbled to himself as he walked toward Coffee Plus. The dog huffed and just looked at him, tongue out and ears perked. He didn’t make eye contact as he finally rounded the corner that Coffee Plus made home. The sight of Skylar made him breathe a little easier and he offered a weak wave with the hand not currently occupied by a dog. The sound of Skylar’s voice had the dog looking forward and giving a small yap. He supposed it was a greeting. “Black works just fine,” he said a little stiffly as he sat down at the open chair. Unsure of what to do with the dog, he set it on the ground. Only for it to start pawing at his jeans. “Told you I would, Skylar. Meant it.” He looked down at the dog. “So. This...is the, uh, dog. Anyhow, you doin’ alright?”

Flinching a little bit when the dog yapped at her, Skylar shrank back in her chair for a moment. But… it didn’t seem like the dog was going to do anything more than that as it settled around at Nic’s feet. When he sat down, she watched as the dog pawed at his pant leg. It almost didn’t seem like a dog, just from how small it was. A bit fascinated, she looked as it kind of shivered, pacing in once spot for a second before pawing at Nic again. Focusing her attention back at Nic, she nodded, though she kept the little dog in her peripheral sight all the same. It didn’t seem as scary as Alain’s dogs but it also wasn’t as calm looking as Moose. But, it looked okay? “Thank you.” She said appreciatively. Taking a calming breath, Skylar nodded. “I’m doing pretty good.” As she spoke, she could feel the slime building up on the palms of her hands. Swallowing, she rubbed them against her jeans. “How, um, how are you?” She asked, hoping that the question would ease some of her nervous energy.

“Ease up there, huh?” Nicodemus said, voice directed at the dog. The hunter took a long sip of hit bitter black coffee. Willfully tried to ignore the press of the dog’s paws against him as he leaned back. “It’s more like a rat than a dog, right? Ain’t just me?” Only recently was he made aware that it was a chihuahua with a long coat, one that he hadn’t initially seen under the fucking outfit it had been stuffed into. His nerves reached a limit. The chair scraped the concrete as he scooted back slightly to make room. The dog seemed to settle, if only by a hair. He frowned. Of all the fucking animals he would be stuck with, why wouldn’t it be the smallest dog in the world. He missed Bit each passing day. But the dog wasn’t the main point of the day. It was what Skylar had to say and he was keen on listening. Whatever it was was more important than the shit he would have to deal with sooner rather than later. “That’s good. Glad all the night shit didn’t bother you too much,” he said plainly as he rotated the coffee cup on the table. Glad someone managed to not get their lives entirely upended by it, he thought grimly. His movements stilled some at her question, his gaze slightly shifting over to the hand he had been keeping wrapped since that night. “I’m, uh, tired. Real goddamn tired.” Tired barely skimmed the surface of what he felt but it wrapped it all up neatly enough. “Just been a few...tryin’ weeks, I wanna say. Tryin’ to keep on an’ all. Much as someone can in this fuckin’ town, you, uh, you know?”

Skylar couldn’t help but stare at the dog as it kept whining and pawing at him, until the large man relented and the dog seemed to relax a bit. In a strange way… it was cute. “I don’t know about rat. Maybe like… a rabbit or something small and nervous?” Seeing the way the little dog was interacting with him, it reassured her that maybe this dog would be okay. It wouldn’t bark in a deep baritone that would startle her, or lunge at her face. For one thing… it would have a hard time getting to her face at all. For another, it seemed like it couldn’t hurt a fly. 

Listening as the man talked about his experiences, Skylar slowly became aware of the weary slump in his shoulders, the tension coiled in his neck, the dark bags under his eyes. She’d seen Nic that night when he’d saved her from the vampire and he looked like a different man now. A bit more downtrodden, more beaten down. What had he been through? Lifiting her coffee mug to her lips, she took a sip from her cup, trying to figure out how she could broach the subject of herself, while also wondering: was Nic okay? “I’m sorry that it’s been such a rough time. I, erm, I know that I had asked if we could meet up so I could talk to you about some… personal stuff. But, are you okay? Besides, just being tired..?” She asked cautiously. “You don’t need to answer that, though. Sorry. That’s probably invasive.” Skylar backtracked.

It was hard to ignore Skylar’s clear discomfort toward the dog. Not that Nicodemus would even consider the idea of doing just that. It would take a hot minute for him to refer to the dog as anything other than creature. He would not say that he was warming up to the dog. Right then was not the time to go on and get attached to anything, or anyone, else. At the word rabbit, he blanched. “Rats make better animals than rabbits,” he said, tone rock solid and heavy. “Mouse could work. Ain’t big on rabbits so you might be shit out of luck if you wanted to go about gettin’ one.” Placing the memory of where his dislike of rabbits started was looking for a needle in a haystack, but it was very real and very alive. He felt her eyes on him and occupied himself by looking into the black hole that was his coffee. It wasn’t hard to sense worry or concern in other people. Especially those with better hearts than his own and Skylar was a prime example. Probably the best one when he really got down to thinking about it. Real fucking strange how that worked itself out. Her good heart, his bad one. Sharing a fucking living space at that. He shook his head. “Ain’t your fault. Shit just happens and you gotta bear its weight.” He said, brow slightly furrowed as he glanced at her before he quickly returned to the coffee. Could stare down the barrel of a gun but was having a hell of a time looking her in the eye when it came to her questions. His jaw worked. Weeks ago, it would have been easy to say he was and move on. It was just like he told Kaden. Roots. A bitter but malice-free laugh came out of him. Bless Skylar. Her question wasn’t the most invasive thing that had happened to him in the last week or so. “Nah, but I’m dealin’ with it and I’ll figure it out. Just have to piece it out an’ all.” Minding the dog, he sat slightly forward and idly patted at its back. Ignored the comfort that brought him. “I’m ready to talk about it whenever you want, Skylar. The personal stuff. Ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

Startled by Nic’s sudden shift in tone at the mention of rabbits, Skylar shrunk in on herself. Crap. She’d messed up. She wasn’t really sure why rabbits were what causes that reaction, but she made a mental note to avoid that. “Sorry, sorry. I don’t really like rabbits, not any more than I like any kind of pet. I never grew up with them. Pets, I mean.” She rambled, hoping to explain that the example had just been a random pick out of nowhere. But, when he reassured her that it wasn’t her fault, she relaxed a little bit.

“Mmmmm, okay.” She hummed, taking in his words. She trusted him to know his limits and, if he said he would figure it out, then that was that. Nic just seemed like a guy who knew himself well. She wished she could say the same about herself. Watching as he patted the dog, a small smile flitted at the corner of her lips. Maybe he liked the dog more than he let on. But, when he mentioned the personal stuff, the smile faded. Staring at the dark liquid in her cup for a moment, Skylar did her best to steel her nerve, to strengthen her resolve. “Mhm. Personal stuff. Okay.” She said, supplying filler words to help her stubborn mouth say what needed to be put out there. “So… you’re a Hunter, right? Like… big H hunter. And… if I’m going to live with you, I need to know that I’ll be safe. Not, not just from the vampires and the werewolves and the things that run around the woods of White Crest. But, that you-- that you won’t try to hurt me.” She took a deep breath, hands curling tightly into balled fists in her lap. “Because I’m not human? I’m a selkie.” Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest as she chanced a look at Nic, preparing for the worst.

Nicodemus began to tap his heel quietly. A nervous tic. Another effort to keep himself because somewhere in his bones, he was afraid of what happened if he settled. He shook his head, expression weary. “Ain’t exactly...known that I don’t like rabbits,” he said with an attempt at an encouraging nod. Or much else about him other than gators and cereal water, it seemed. Fine enough with him. “Bein’ the town gator guy will do that, I ‘spose.” As Skylar seemed ready to start talking, he tried to settle himself. Even the dog seemed to shake a little less as if it were waiting too. Maintaining eye contact was hard for him. Meeting someone’s eyes was opening a door he didn’t always like to open. Preferred to keep it barred and shut. But watching Skylar, the way she seemingly both tried to arm and make herself vulnerable with whatever it was she was about to say, it wouldn’t do to keep it closed. Even he could understand that. 

As soon as the word hunter slipped out, he went rigid. The sounds of the town ceased to exist around where they sat as he looked at her. “You think I might hurt you.” He repeated, low and quiet. She was scared of him. What he was. A mirror was being turned inside him and he was forced to look at it. He didn’t know what that meant right then. Didn’t know how to define that collapsing, concaving feeling that tested the integrity of his ribs. She was afraid of him. Afraid of the hunter. And she wasn’t human. His senses, busted as they were, flexed and pulsated around the space between skull and skin. He blinked. Breathed in. Breathed out. Looked at her. “You will. You, uh, you would,” he finally said, picking the words slowly and carefully out of the gravel in his throat. “I know what I am and what that means. Be a dumbass not to.” He tried to laugh but it came out like a puff of smoke. “I don’t...I don’t want you to be scared ‘round me, Skylar. But I get it. What you feel, that’s, uh--It makes sense is what I’m tryin’ to say. Ain’t gonna fault you for it.” He wasn’t a man that inspired comfort. He knew that. As he spoke, his thumb rubbed a slow circle into the dog’s chest. He glanced between his own coffee and Skylar. “I wouldn’t. Hurt you, I mean. That’s not--I’d like for you to feel safe. In whatever, uh, water you chose. I know it’s just words and words ain’t a whole lot but...You’d be safe. I want you to know that.”

Seeing the way he reacted to the conversation about rabbits, Skylar winced. She shouldn’t have pried. Nodding, she apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” Mmm. The gator guy. But, just because he was one thing, that didn’t mean he couldn’t be other things. Which… The back of her neck burned red as she realized that there were more meanings to that than she’d initially intended. Just because he was a Hunter didn’t mean he wasn’t more than that. Just because he killed things, killed… creatures-- not people, she didn’t want to think about him killing people-- didn’t mean that was all he was. Looking down at the little dog that was settled next to him, the way it leaned into him for comfort, she smiled a little.

But, the small smile faded when she heard his tone, the pounding of her heart seeming to come to a halt as she waited for his response. Her breath caught in the back of her throat at the way he didn’t meet her gaze, until he realized exactly what she meant and stared up at her with tired eyes. Weary eyes. Eyes that had probably seen more than she could ever even imagine. Instantly, she felt a wash of guilt rush over her. She knew him, she knew him better than to think that he would hurt him. She’d let fear overwhelm her, fear egged on by people who didn’t know Nic, into thinking that he would do something to her. “No-- No, I’m sorry. I should-- I just…” She wrung her hands in her lap, wishing she could just sign, that she could just convey the thoughts in her head with her hands. But, he wouldn’t understand. “I didn’t think you would. I really didn’t. But, I know… I know people who warned me, to be careful around Hunters. Just in case. I’m sorry.” She said, shaking her head. She shouldn’t have asked. “I appreciate that a lot, Nic. Really. I just needed to know that… if anything ever happened, I’d be okay.”

“Skylar,” Nicodemus said, not as quiet as before. A little more assured, even in the way he raised his head and made eye contact. “There--There ain’t nothin’ to apologize for, alright? I mean it. You’re good.” He wasn’t good at this. At this opening of the self that led to conversations and confessions, to understanding and acceptance. A life without it, up until he crossed over the sign that said White Crest, had left him ill-prepared for such things. But he was in it, up to his neck, and there wasn’t going back. Only forward. 

“They weren’t wrong to warn you,” he muttered as he sat up straighter. She was struggling just as much as he was and a faded, worn out smile made an appearance. “Hunters got their jobs and they do it, y’know? Out of whatever principle or obligation they grew up with. They hurt because it’s what they do and sometimes what they got to.” He reminded himself that he was one of them, one of those that hurt. It was a part of him regardless of what he was. It was who he was. “I, uh, hurt. Like you saw before. But I--I choose, you know? What I do. I used to not.” His brow slightly furrowed, his entire being wound tight with a blunt tension as he chose to pry open those mausoleums of thoughts unshared. Thoughts that even he wasn’t privy too until he sat down and the crowbar wedged its way between the stone he had set. Skylar had helped him, even if that help felt a little like pain. Felt a little too raw but it was there and it was open, exposed to the sun and the sky. “I chose to make sure you were okay then and I want--” His voice trailed off to something quiet but not something cold. “You’d be okay. Is what I’m tryin’ to say.”

When he said her voice, Skylar lifted her gaze to meet his. And as he spoke those reassuring words, she felt the tension in her shoulders ease. Just a little. Not enough for her to feel totally comfortable, not enough for her to be relaxed. But it was enough to know that she was okay for now.

As Nic spoke, about principles and obligations that had existed since they’d been born, she couldn’t help but think back to what Rio had said. About how his family were Hunters, how he was born that way hunter, but chose differently. How he wanted to protect and help people like her. Creatures like her. And Nic, for all his rough exterior and his gruff demeanor… He wasn’t all that different from Rio. A fresh wave of guilt washed over her at how she’d misjudged the two of them. “I don’t… I won’t say I understand, because I don’t totally understand how any of this works. But, I’m glad that you chose. That you don’t just,” She swallowed, fingers fidgetting, “Kill because someone’s different. I didn’t, I didn’t think you did. But I didn’t know. I don’t know how any of this works and I-- I’m sorry for doubting you.” Skylar said, nodding and hoping that her voice sounded more steady than it felt. “I know you did. And I’m really, really grateful for everything you’ve done for me.” She let out a slightly weak laugh, “If you don’t want me to move in after I’ve just… insulted you, I completely understand.”

At least she was looking at him. That had to be good, right? For all his deeply embedded hopelessness and shadowed view of the world, Nicodemus made another choice to find something good in that. Slim as it was. Seemed he was making plenty of those to last a lifetime, however short that was for him. He wouldn’t go and do something foolish like consider it might be long. “That’s okay,” he said with a slight nod. “Ain’t askin’ you too because that’s a whole fuckin’ can of bullshit but the--The you bein’ okay part is the one. The…” He trailed off and looked down at the dog that had started to lick at his fingers absently. How the creature had managed to stay still and quiet the entire time was beyond him. But it had, listening intently. The hunter snorted and shook his head. “The important one.” 

He quieted. She was sorry for doubting him. He had had people doubt him before. Doubt his potential to finish the job but never doubt his inability to start one. He had proved them wrong.  The comparison felt wholly wrong and immediately, guilt roiled the black coffee that sat in his empty stomach. This wasn’t a job that they were talking about. She wasn’t one either, he had never seen her as one, but in his malformed bit of heart tissue, it was the only comparison he knew to make. Confusion settled in after the guilt and made itself known in his face as he looked at Skylar. “No, it’s--” Words started to fail him, like they usually did, and he breathed in to try and kickstart them again. “I don’t--Shit. You didn’t…” He paused again and swore in French under his breath. “...I’d like it. If you did. If you still wanted to. But if you don’t trust me or are--” He didn’t say it but it cut against him with a name like insecurity. Was it fear? A nervous laugh like an engine that couldn’t quite start came out of him. “Christ alive. I ain’t gonna ask you to give me a chance but...” He shook his head and lowered his head. Maybe that’s exactly what he was doing. He shut his eyes for a brief moment. Cowardice was new but bravery seared it in two before it could keep him from talking. “Ain’t never had much of a...a home before but I can try to make it one, y’know? Somewhere safe.” For the both of them.

Skylar watched the way the little dog licked at his fingers, at the way Nic let him. It was gentle, a soft gesture that she wouldn’t have expected from a man who looked the way he did. But, she was quickly becoming aware that he was more than he appeared, he was more than his actions. His words meant something to her and she trusted him. She should have just trusted him from the start. Staring at the cup of coffee that sat in front of her, long untouched, her lips twitched into a slight smile. “Thank you. Thank you for that.” She nodded.

As the man swore quietly to himself, some of them English, some in a quick soft language that she could only assume was French, Skylar felt as though her body was going to curl in on herself from the anxiety. If he didn’t want her to move in with her, she’d be back to square one. Back to worrying, endlessly worrying, and hoping she wouldn’t have to go back to crashing on the couches of people who barely knew her. But, when he spoke… the words startled her. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him, though his gaze was averted, eyes closed. A home? More than an apartment, more than a house, more than the family who had abandoned her, more than the family of friends she’d found since moving. A home? As she stared at him, Skylar felt tears start to well up in the corner of her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was from relief, happiness, or sadness. The sadness of knowing that-- “I, um, I thought I had a home. Back in Seattle. That my family was my home. But it wasn’t and they… they weren’t. So,” She paused, voice soft and watery with barely restrained tears, “I’d like that. I’d really like the chance to have a place to call home.”

The hunter hummed low and nodded. A tiredness clouded over him, made his head and his heart feel heavy. Was it from talking so much or the act of flaying? It was a sickness, the way Nicodemus could liken things only to pain lately. Or he had always been that way. In a way, talking about what they were talking about, was a way of healing. Of doing away with old scar tissue. When that particular kind of bleeding started, it was an act of cleansing. When she smiled, he returned it. As much as he could.

What he had before couldn’t be called home. It was an empty, forgotten charade of one. A hollow place that tried to make itself into hallowed ground. It was mud and stone and rotted wood. A cemetery of misdeeds and ill thoughts amongst the weeping willows. Maybe a home or something like it could be a selkie, a hunter, a dog that inexplicably shook, and the walls around them. Even if they didn’t seem to quite fit right into the skins they were given. They might be able to fit somewhere else. The foreign hope in the thought pierced him. When her wide eyes looked at him, he tried to not flinch. Tried to hold onto that instinct of showing no weakness lest you be eaten alive. But it wavered the way her voice did and for a moment, he cast it aside. “Thought I did too,” he echoed solemnly, voice a cut above raw. He swallowed. Nodded again to right himself. “Yeah. I...We could both use it. That chance.”