#taliah x nate

[taliah-tezel]

Location: Taliah's Home. Tag: @nathaniel-donovan

"Um, hello? Are you even listening? I'm still here you know, existing outside of you two!" She huffed, watching with a pout as Styx happily fussed around him, taking in his smell, adoring the attention. "Okay be honest, did you only come here for her?" Narrowed eyes, she soon relents into a soft eye roll, grabbing a pack of chips before slouching back. "I'm starting to feel a little neglected. You know, just because I don't have paws and fur doesn't mean I'm not super cute and cuddly too."

[nathaniel-donovan]

@taliah-tezel​

Seeing Taliah sitting alone-- or more with a space beside her that just screamed for him to jump into he does (he had done the whole is it her is it not earlier so he already knew what she was wearing), giving her a quick peck on her cheek he settled back into his seat. “Did you hear about the cartoonist found dead in his home?” he asked, waiting for an adequate amount of time to pass to give her time to process what he was just randomly putting out there. “Details are sketchy.” seconds passed and he’s laughing, unable to stop himself from doing so.

[taliah-tezel]

location: nate's home tag: @nathaniel-donovan

It had been two or three hours since she'd let herself into Nate's home with a hoard of shopping bags. The fact he wasn't here wasn't an issue ( for her ), she took some time to fuss over Chip and Chedder before setting to work. Batch cooking after ensuring she had enough room in the fridge and freezer for the mass of Tupperware they'd be placed in. Taliah was just about to finish up the last meal when she heard the door open and so, instead of a tub, she set a couple plates out and was readily bringing them to the table when he came into view.

"Hope you're hungry." It's all she says at first, her face void of her usual happy, warm smile. She wasn't angry, per se, just mildly annoyed. It all stemmed from a place of love and worry, after being caught up with what he'd done lately, how he'd disappeared, and hearing about how he had possibly been using, she wanted to approach this with a firm head. Returning with two glasses and a jug of ice water, she nods towards the chair. "Sit." Not necessarily a command, but not a question either.

"Feels like we're long overdue a catch up, don't you think?"

[taliah-tezel]

location: nate's house tag: @nathaniel-donovan

"About time," scoffing as she felt as though she'd waited for him forever. In reality, she had only text him around half an hour ago to ask him where he was. Oh, with the added note that she'd let herself in his house and was now cabbaged in his bed with Chip. Snacks and soda she knew he favored sat on his dresser, along with having one of his favorite movies set up to play. "Impromptu girls night," grinning, she shuffles over enough for him to climb in when he's ready. It had been a while since they'd just chilled together, and given everything that had been happening lately, it felt only right to spend some time with him. Check in, lowkey. "If you haven't had dinner, we can order?" She wonders, just to make it even more obvious to him that she was here for the better part of the night.

[taliah-tezel]

location: her home tag: @nathanial-donovan

Dropping Nate a text earlier in the day to come by for dinner, she knows it's time they had a sit-down and a real conversation. In the days after her dive into the lake, she'd be lying if she hadn't been avoiding him. Shame and guilt mostly, but then the fires at the town event happened and time just seemed to get away from her. Not today though, no, today, she'd managed to sleep, bathe, clean the house and repaint her kitchen. Gone with the charred walls, now it was like nothing had ever happened.

Hearing him pull up, she quickly takes the lasagna out the oven and places it down on the counter. Tossing the gloves aside as a mischievous thought overtakes her brain, she runs to the front door. Not to open it, knowing by now that when invited, he'll just walk on in. She hides in the corner so when he opens the door and goes to close it, she can jump out at him. And she does. "Raaah!!" Jumping out, she's already falling into a fit of laughter and a grin that lit up her eyes. "Hi, angel..." With a softer chuckle, she lifts her arms up, telling him that she wants a hug. "Thanks for coming, I've missed you."

[taliah-tezel]

tag: @nathanial-donovan location: her home info: post para(cliff dive)

The travel back from the lake was as miserable as it was uncomfortable. Wet clothes, a throbbing across her ribs and right side, burning cuts on her already swollen knuckles. Not to mention the bloodshot eyes and blotchy cheeks, she looked a little... worse for wear. Which would be fine, if not for the fact that on the other side of her door, Nate was waiting for her. How was she going to explain herself? She wasn't sure, what she was sure of was that she just needed to walk in and face him before she turned around and ran.

Pushing the door open, hand resting over the ache in her side, she steals a glance at him only to look away almost instantly. "Hi," Taliah croaked, a slight wobble in her lower lip. "Told you I'd come back." As promised. Certain that she couldn't feel or look more pathetic than she did right now, the fresh batch of tears that silently slipped down her cheeks can't be swiped away fast enough. "I didn't mean to worry you."

[taliah-tezel]

tag: @nathanial-donovan location: nate's home

After visiting the clubhouse and learning about Hallie's confession, Taliah hung around for a while wondering if Nate would show. When he didn't, a simple warning text that she was coming over was all he would get. Though she supposed it gave him the time to leave before she got there if he really wanted to, maybe he didn't want to talk about it? She wouldn't make him, that's not the point of her wanting to see him. Being one of the few people who knew just how fragile Nate's ego actually was, Taliah was more than worried about what this meant for him. He already didn't think he was worth much, if anything, in spite of how wrong he was there, just what would he be thinking now?

"Nate?" Letting herself in, she wanders through the house and around to his room. "You've got about 5 seconds to put your pants on if you're naked." Taliah calls out, slowly peeking around the doorway. "Hey, angel." A soft smile graces her lips. "Am I still welcome in your bed or have you replaced me with another Turkish Delight?" Smirking, she's trying her best not to let how sad he looks make her look sad for him, even though she was. "Come on, scoot over..." Taking off her jacket and shoes, she climbs in next to him lifting her arms up for him to move in and let her wrap him in a hug. "If it helps, this hug is for me as much as it is for you."

[taliah-tezel]

"I do not smother." Taliah would protest, despite knowing that's exactly what she did. "I know he's an adult, but he's still so young, and lost? It does make me a little bit smothery, I suppose. But I think he knows what to expect from me now. The other day, he approached me for a hug, usually it's the other way around. Really made my heart happy." Which was probably obvious by the way her face beamed.

As Nate asked her the question, she only found herself frowning in her own confusion. "Partly? Mostly I just think it's because it's foreign to me. Aside from being at the range, it's not something I think about. So it's hard to try and remember that I need to now, when for so long my fists have been enough," she chuckles quietly, giving him a soft shrug.

"Can't or won't?" Narrowing suspicious eyes paired with a softer smile, she can only sigh quietly. "That doesn't sound very... happy?" Taliah questions, not sure that's the word she wanted to use. "You know you can talk to me, right? About anything."

A smile lifted as she mentioned that she didn't have favourites, knowing that she was full of shit there and still, he wasn't surprised by Kip being mentioned. "You still smothering him like he's a baby?" he joked lightly, feeling that touch happier that Taliah was acknowledging that she was being stubborn, more so because it was just a headache when she didn't. "Oh yeah.." he nodded a little as he let out a soft laugh, having no problem when it came to being right, especially with their topic of conversation. "Because you might kill someone?" he asked to her saying that firing a bullet into somebody didn't sit well, trying to understand on his own level, "Still can do that with your fists." he wasn't countering how she felt, he just knew if it came down to it the last thing Taliah needed to do was hesitate if she had a gun in her hand. "Okay... good." his smile widened, satisfied enough with her response. However, that notion didn't necessarily apply to her flipping the spotlight onto him, not because he didn't want to talk but because he felt on the scale of things, how he was doing wasn't important. "Yeah I'm alright, getting there so can't complain." in every way how he was now, was considerably better than how he was at the beginning of the year and so Nate was taking that as a good thing. "Tryna stay in my own lane so I don't fuck anyone else up, you know how it is."

[taliah-tezel]

"Look, I know you're right, I know I'm being stubborn, and I don't know why I'm bothering, actually. Cole is going to say the same thing and I'm going to end up saying yes or I'll be hyper-aware that I'm adding to his stress. I would want to choose who has to tag along next to me though. Not that I have favourites or anything." She managed to break into a genuine grin, knowing fine well she did. Taliah loved them all the same, but naturally, there were members she got along better with. "Kip... I would accept Kip." Which shouldn't be any surprise at this point, it had to be very clear that she'd taken on the mother-hen role when it came to him. "... Yeah, I know. God, you must be enjoying this, huh? Being right twice in the space of a few minutes." Taliah gave a soft eye roll, like a child in a sulk. "I just don't... I think about using it, and I can't picture it. Does that make sense? When I carry it, it's almost like a reminder that it's there because one day I might have to actually use it. Throwing fists I have no problem with, but firing a bullet into someone? It just doesn't sit well." She tried to explain, not sure if she was making any sense at all. "I'll let my one brain cell know we need to shape our ideas up, don't worry. I'll start making sure it's with me." Smiling, she turns her head towards the delivery and scowls instantly, getting up just to move it out of her sight. "Enough about me though, tell me how you are. Are you as good as you look?"

"Creepy's different to threatening." he responds, it was more there to correct her rather than him actually thinking being persistent would actually work. Taliah's mind was clearly set with what she wanted - or didn't, so Nate just thought it was down to Cole to sort out and was happy enough to let it be. Nate soon shrugged lightly, "This isn't about me." he glanced in her direction, giving her that look just to say come on, especially when it came to worrying about him when she was the one with a stalker. He chuckled, giving a silent nod of acknowledgement when it came to her holding his words against him, if her weird theory was correct that was. "You leave it in your bedroom?" he tossed back, taking in what she was telling him about knowing how to shoot, yet focusing on the fact that she didn't even fucking carry. "Need to stop being lazy, T, not just because of this," he made a small gesture towards the wooden box, "But because of who you're with." meaning Cole. "Use that brain of yours, know you've got one somewhere." it was a light tease, he didn't want to fully scold her but that essentially was what he was doing.

[taliah-tezel]

"I know what you're saying, but I'm always careful. I don't walk anywhere in the dark by myself, and during the day I'm either at work or around people. You guys have enough to do without babysitting me because some random whackjob wants to send creepy notes." Frowning, and mostly because she expected Cole would only say the same thing. "Wouldn't it be better if I asked someone? If you ask, and it turns out to be someone on police radar who then disappears, eyes will look to you? And I don't want that." Obviously, she didn't. "I'm going to hold that against you if it turns out I'm right." Taliah cracked a half smile, only to end up wrinkling her nose at his question. "Mm... sure. Well, not so much carry as... spends a lot of time in the bedroom draw or glove compartment because I forget about it... But yes, I know how to shoot. Serkan taught me." Granted, she was probably rusty now, but what did that matter if she didn't even carry. Awaiting the disapproval, she does her best to give him an adorable smile - the one she typically does when she knows she's in the wrong.

"Mhm, seems it." Nate turned his back to the wooden box and leaned against the surface, crossing his arms he stared at a fix point on the other side of the kitchen. "Think making sure you don't end up six foot under is more important than being stubborn." he comments, he knew it wasn't his place to tell her what to do - Taliah was her own person, after all, he just personally thought her not wanting to come across as afraid was stupid. Though that was purely because he didn't want to see her hurt. "Up to you, if you want me to I can try." his offer was always there, though naturally he wasn't sure how legit it'd be if she left it a while. Still, Nate wanted to give her that option anyway. His brows creased together as she mentioned the type of vibe, causing him to let out a humorous scoff, "You watch too much shit on Netflix." That wasn't saying it couldn't be true, just merely that it seemed a far stretch for his own mind to comprehend right now. "Guessing you're carrying?" he was talking about a handgun, figuring himself that she knew that and he didn't need to spell it out. "Know how to use it?" he didn't doubt she did, he just wanted to know she knew.

[taliah-tezel]

"That's exactly what I thought." That club enemies would do more than send gifts. A haunting thought, really, but at least in this case she could mostly rule that out. It was just unfortunate that she didn't know who else to consider a culprit. "Personal, yeah," she agrees. "And calculated, right? First the firehouse and then here, but both nice gifts. Like they wanted me to know they knew my job and my home address, but didn't want me to worry until they decided I should. I guess that's today," she gestured to the box, her features settling into a permanent frown, especially when he suggested having a couple of guys with her. "That's not happening. I'm going to run on the assumption whoever it is, is in plain view, right? And I'm not about to let them think I'm afraid of their weird little games." Taliah knew he just wanted her to be safe, but she didn't want to give whoever it was any kind of power over her. Of course, if Cole suggested the same thing, she imagined she could only argue against it for so long before she had to yield - if only to stop the pair of them worrying. "I didn't think about that," she thought about it, slowly coming to a shake of her head. "No. I mean... I don't think so? I'll think about it. Don't use your favours on me," she chuckles. "I know it feels personal but nobody comes to mind. Maybe it's just some stalker type, if I can't have you, nobody can type of vibes."

He nodded lightly in agreement as his eyes scanned over the note that had come with Taliah's parcel, rereading the short poem again he shook his head, he did know himself that she wouldn't ever do anything that warranted a retaliation of death threats - Nate had been thinking out loud, something that had extended to him initially wondering if somebody was trying to get to Cole. "They'd do more than send you gifts." creepy box aside, Nate meant that an enemy of the club would act on a threat instantly and not play the long game. It was how messages were sent. He glanced towards Taliah, pulling a light smile as he sighed, "Yeah I know," though they both knew it was a need when it came to telling Cole. "I know I don't need to tell you that this," he gestured towards the box with his index, "Seems personal." it wasn't a random target, not if they knew where she worked and lived, so it was why he was trying to jog any memory she might have had. "You should probably have a couple of guys with you until it's dealt with, don't have Cole play hero until you know who's behind it." it was a suggestion; the last thing they all needed was Cole getting outnumbered if he decided to go on a solo mission. "Want me to see if I can pull in a favour? Get them checked for prints?" he asked, meaning the note and wooden box.

[taliah-tezel]

"Dirt." She nods. "In a box, that looks like one of those you use at gravesides. That could be my imagination, but given the note, I'm thinking not." Taliah shrugged, rubbing at the back of her neck where she felt the tension building. "Don't think so, no. Not enough to warrant death threats." At least not in her opinion, but quite honestly she didn't know nearly enough to safely rule that out. "Maybe? I mean, maybe the logic would gravitate that way but it's just weird, right? It's been months since the first delivery, would an enemy of the club play a long game like that?" She couldn't explain it, but it just didn't feel like it was related. "No, nobody. Until now I didn't think that it was anything to be concerned about. And Cole has enough to deal with without this," sighing, she shakes her head. "I don't want to tell him." Taliah frowned, knowing that he would only worry and stress about it. "I will, but I don't want to." She clarifies, just so he knows she wasn't asking him to keep it a secret from him.

"'course you do." her attempt to dash a little humour wasn't missed on Nate, he just chose to ignore it, especially when he did find himself waiting for some kind of real response from Taliah. It wasn't that he was trying to insert himself, it was more him feeling concerned. As Taliah sat on the counter and began to tell Nate what was going on, he moved over so he stood across from her as his back leaned against the worktop. His brows creased in a bout of confusion - considering this wasn't what he had expected in the slightest, not that he could say what he had actually expected. As he glanced over towards the box at her gesture, he pushed himself into its direction at Taliah's go ahead to take a look and so as he unclipped the lid he glanced from the contents to Taliah, "Dirt?" he reached his hand into the box to see if he could feel if anything was hidden within, "You haven't pissed anybody off?" he wasn't accusing, it was a genuine question as he was trying to understand where this had all come from. "Somebody trying to get to Cole through you?" considering the 'C' sign off she had mentioned. Moving his hand out from the box he brushed his hands together over it, his attention falling towards the note. "Nobody comes to mind?"

[taliah-tezel]

Unable to work out what emotion was trying to take the wheel, she could feel the mixture of anger and anxiety swirling in the pit of her stomach. Fear of the unknown, she supposed. Banging the cups and coffee pot around a little louder than necessary, she sets it off to boil before turning back to him with a huffy sigh. "Lying is a strong word. I prefer to say I'm withholding truth." Taliah raised a brow, trying to inject some poorly timed humour, though even the smile she mustered didn't reach her eyes. Brown eyes lingered on him, hands on her hips as she tried to figure out if she actually needed to worry him with this. Deciding it was rather hard to deny it now, she relented, nodding in silence as she hopped up on the counter to sit. "Okay. A couple months ago, I got a bouquet of roses delivered to the firehouse with a note that just said 'C'. Naturally, I assumed it was Cole, even if I did think it was weird he'd write C. Anyway, turns out it wasn't him, and a month later, a huge tray of chocolates got delivered here, again, just 'C', on the note. Still don't know who it is, and yes, it did concern me a little, whoever it is knows where I work and where I live. But..." She frowned, shaking her head with a shrug. "Nothing we could do about it, at least they were nice gifts? I just tried not to think about it. And I threw the chocolates away in fear of poison, which might have been the right call considering this third gift. Go ahead..." Gesturing to the box, she hopped back down to fill up their cups, not wanting to have to look at it again.

Nate chuckled lightly, "'course you would." Find it highly amusing, that was. He only shook his head at her next comment, knowing himself that he was back on his working out kick so actually - boringly - any form of exercise he enjoyed. It made him feel good, and fuck it helped with his mental state. As Taliah came back with her parcel, Nate's attention partially turned back onto Styx once the kitten had jumped back down onto the floor, "Yeah sure." He answered in agreement; not having a problem looking after the ball of fluff. He looked back up towards his friend as she opened her delivery, noticing how her face seemed to drain right before him and while that curiosity showed upon Nate's expressions - in the form of his brows coming together, he doesn't say anything, not even as she slammed the lid shut. Yet he didn't take his eyes off of Taliah and so when she told him that she got sent the wrong order, he didn't believe her. "Uh-huh," he nodded, accepting that offer of coffee, "You can tell me why you're lying after too." considering that reaction wasn't the one you'd usually give if you got sent the wrong pair of shoes.

[taliah-tezel]

"Not at all, you can have a practice run, I'm not that unfair. But I can't say it wouldn't be highly amusing for me to watch." Laughing, as she hears the door she gently places Styx on the arm of the chair. "I just find it boring, don't you?" Running, that was. Thanking the delivery man, she returns with a curious package, curious because she hadn't recalled ordering anything. "I'd say tell me if I should be worried, but I already am." Worried about Cole, about the weight of the truth of that day was pulling him under. "Um, next weekend if you could? Friday and Saturday." Smiling, she worked on ripping open the box, pulling out a smaller thick wooden box that looked a little like a jewellery chest. There's a small card that she chooses to open first, spotting the '- C' signature before anything else. The other two weird gifts had only ever said that, but this one came with a poem, of sorts, anyway. 'Blood is red, lips turn blue, soon enough, Chief, I'll be coming for you. - C.' Taliah's previous smile soon fades and she's sure the colour is slowly draining from her face, brown eyes warily looking at the box. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she carefully unclips the lid and opens it up. A box of dirt? It took her a second before she realised what it symbolised - the dirt that some people would take a handful of to throw on top of a descended coffin. "Mother fucker," slamming it shut, she takes a breath and brushes a hand across her face. Taliah hadn't told anyone but Cole about the other two, much nicer gifts, sure it was weird, but it hadn't been weird enough to have real concern, not until now. Still, she doesn't want to burden Nate with whatever this was, so she looks at him and shrugs. "They sent me the wrong order, typical." Rolling her eyes and pushing a laugh, she quickly puts it back in its packaging and gets up to take it to the kitchen. "I'm going to make coffee, do you want another?"

"So what I'm hearing is that you want me to do something I haven't done before, so you can watch me fail? You're fucked up, Tezel." he laughed as he shook his head. That wasn't a no, that was just him calling out the bullshit and hell, he'd still do it. "Life of the party you are." he scoffed, teasing lightly. His grin eased, one that eventually faded out the more their concentration focused on Cole. Nate nodded faintly as he agreed, knowing that he understood where Taliah was coming from completely and her concern for the man she loved, didn't just end with her, it extended into everybody Cole surrounded himself with. "Yeah.. I know, you're right." That Cole needed reminding of the people that stood not just beside him, but behind. That was all he felt he could say right now, however, especially with how vaguely clued in he actually was. His brow quirked briefly at her planning a getaway, "Is that a question?" he returned with a small chuckle, knowing that she wouldn't ever even have to ask him to look after her cat. "Let me know when and I'll be here."

[taliah-tezel]

"Feel free to introduce us sometime." She shrugged, smiling mostly because she knew that was just her being nosy. Slipping on her jacket, she felt a little better in herself now that she'd managed to lay her eyes on him. Judge for herself, she supposed, how he was doing. Would she say he was okay? No. Very far from, but, he seemed to be quite self-aware and trying to stay clean, work out his shit. That had to count for something, right? With a soft smile and a sigh, she's happy to move in and wrap her arms around him. "Don't thank me. Just get better, okay? Because I'm still upset and... cross, but I love you, and I'm not the only one who needs you to be ok. Call me if you need to talk, I don't care what time it is, I'll be here if you need me." It wasn't something she wanted him to respond to, it was just a parting statement. Giving him one last squeeze and a soft kiss on his cheek, she grabs her purse and takes her leave.

"Yeah I will." He meant it too, he wasn't just saying it to please. Nate just needed to get past that thought of him not being sure if it was for him. He nodded at her someone, "Yeah - his name's Charlie, he helped me up. You'd like him." He wasn't just brutally honest, he was maybe one of the wisest people Nate knew and he hadn't known him for long. Though Nate could say it felt like he did, considering he was practically talking to the guy everyday. He smiled lightly as he kept himself quiet, his focus still remained on Taliah as he listened to her and finally he nodded a little. He managed to resist making a small joke about how he clearly had been worn out for decades then, considering her comment. Though his smile does widen just to show he did appreciate what she was telling him. Nate wasn't just going to disregard it, no, he had known Taliah for far too many years now and that just meant the respect he held for her was second to none - one that ensured he did take onboard everything she said. He chuckled lightly as she stood up, and once she finally turned around from the sink Nate got up from his chair, moving round the table just to outstretch his arms, "Yeah this..." indicating that he was going in for a hug - it was what he wanted before she'd leave. "Thank you, for everything."

[taliah-tezel]

"Have you ever seen fire training? Yes, I'm sure. It does give me an idea though, if you ever wanted to come to the firehouse and complete a refresher course with us, see how fit you really are?" Smirking, she couldn't say it wouldn't be hilarious, at least for her. "I prefer to run alone with my headphones in, otherwise I just find it boring." Shrugging, she nuzzles Styx up against her chest, grinning into her fur, "I know," she assured, it was, however, always nice to hear someone else say it. Taliah didn't want to say more than she had, or more than she felt like she had to, it wasn't for her to divulge Cole's mental state whilst he wasn't there to chime in. But Nate was his best friend and his co-pilot, she only had the purest of intentions by trying to let on that he needed some support. "It's probably just going to take time, most things do." Smiling softly, she shrugs a shoulder. "I do think it would be helpful though, even just to remind him of everyone in his corner." Not that she thought Cole ever forgot it or took it for granted, but right now? She wondered if it was more a case of him feeling as though he didn't deserve people at his side, and he could do with a soft reminder of why they continued to remain there. "I'm planning a surprise weekend away for us actually, so I'm looking for a kitty sitter volunteer if you want to throw your hand in?" She grinned softly, lifting Styx's little paws up and gently waving them at him.

"You sure?" he scoffed lightly, amusement colouring his expressions briefly, clearly not believing that she'd beat him, at all. It was more in that case of in what universe and yet, Nate was just far too competitive for his own good. "Should join me and Chlo for a run one morning, see if you're talking shit." Though it should be noted their runs were far from leisurely. "Yeah?" he chuckled lightly. "That man's got mad eyes for you, T, he's only ever gonna run towards ya." sure, he could see by her grin that she wasn't being serious and yet he still felt the need to say it. He nodded softly as she confirmed that she was worried about Cole, and there's a brief moment his brows come together at her saying Cole was devastated. It was something that didn't really connect with him and the little he knew, it only made him think there was more to it and while he could assume Taliah knew, he wasn't going to ask her. He figured for himself it was something he needed to talk to Cole about. "Yeah I will... I'll try." he offered a faint smile, "Not sure if I can help either," perhaps for equal reasons as her own, as well as the fact that his own personal relationship with Cole wasn't exactly steady right now, "But I'll see if he'll talk to me."