#with roxanna rose 001

[wilddwcrds]

ROSE CABIN + ROXY

michael can hear the footsteps approaching the cabin, unable to decipher if they belong to either his son or daughter at first. so he glances to the door as roxy enters, arching a brow at the blood and bruises. it's not concern as much as it's judgement, but it also isn't any behavior he'd try to correct. he still has visions of the rose pack being formidable and intimidating, but he also quite likes the idea of staying in hollow cove for the foreseeable. "a fight with dominic or what?" he asks, waving a hand to her general form. because those can certainly get out of hand. but he sees the mark of vampire fangs and lets out a scoff. "if you didn't win, you're putting your name down for watch and sleeping in a tower." @rviner

[wilddwcrds]

"what do you take me for, roxanna? i'm not going to steal a wolf from friends." michael returns to his daughter's sharp words, that he's used to enough these days. they've never had the power to pierce through him, he only thinks it's a shame. after alienating her for so long she's missed the chance to perfect her cunning, and miss the chance to become a chip of the old block. "you're scared of the competition, i understand." michael adds quietly through a grin.

he watches the flicker of something that looks like acceptance behind roxanna's eyes and his smirk remains, even as she frowns. he knows she prides herself on her difficulties and he knows exactly how to combat it. to never be surprised by them, or wounded by them. "oh no, you won, roxy. you got there fair and square but what did you think would happen after? i'd be proud?" he shrugs and his laughter is as brief as his daughter's. "no, you did what i thought would happen. all along i was hoping you'd prove yourself differently but you just did exactly what i expected."

"New Alpha problems, I don't fucking know. I didn't ask the deep shit, dad. You know that." Roxy shrugs the reply, tilting her head as her father rambles about Hunter. "But I think they'd all claw your face off if you tried to bring him here." she adds because it's bad enough Dominic being the golden boy, the favorite. The son that Michael Rose is proud of. And then there's her, twisted and turned and formed into something he despises. Like she had any other choice.

There's something inexplicable about the way he tells her that everything is exactly how he expected it. Roxy, who yearns for control over everything that surrounds her suddenly feels as if her destiny was carved out without her say. She takes pride in the element of surprise, gloated about the one up which now is deflated before her very eyes. An obvious frown settles on her lips as she stares to her father but forces it away into another string of laughter. "You're lying." she hisses her whisper, folding her arms on the table top to lean closer to him as she calls his bluff. "Maybe you can't admit it to yourself, but you lost and I won. And you feel stupid because I got there first. I did exactly what you were going to do only faster and better."

[wilddwcrds]

THE CASTLE + DOMINIC & ROXY

teething problems are arguably the worst kind of problems. michael hates the term more than the actual thing itself. but he can't deny that the reuniting with alex and delilah has brought an onslaught of them. some would call it suspicion but michael calls it efficiency as he feels the way their return has thrown the balance off kilter. he can see a brooding that looms over alex, and of course delilah willing to do whatever that arrogant wolf does.

but even then the rose wolves stick together. at first, it's just michael and his son tucked in the corner of the main room. their conversation turning to the obvious. "just keep an eye on her." he says about roxy, not sure where the hell she is but certain she's up to no good. so many vampires closeby isn't a good sign either. "everyone huddled here for god knows how long is like a fucking playground for her." he adds, certain dominic is already aware.

and when he takes a glance through the room again, it's of course roxy that's lingering closer and he scoffs at her. there's no stains of blood on her clothes which is already a promising sign. "getting bored? go for a walk around the top floor." he points, uncaring if she heard the exchange moments before. @rviner @gloriouswhispers

[wilddwcrds]

"oh, i know. you don't have to do anything, only tell me what she's doing." michael laughs because appointing somebody to watch roxy and expect them to redirect her is stupidity at it's finest.

and then they're yanked into the forced affection from the devil they speak of and there's no laughter from michael. sheer agitation sweeps over him as he tries to unhook her arm from his neck. her choice to focus on the role of beta makes him scoff dryly, giving a blank stare towards dominic. that's always the problem with roxy. her motives and choices are always so obvious to those who know her, but nobody can ever be certain if others become the victim she wants them to be. he eyes his son, attempting to read if the words plant any doubt as intended. "there's not enough of us for that to make sense." he mentions, his glance moving to roxy and hardening within the same instant. "i think you know that if we needed that role, it would be your brother. certainly nobody else." @gloriouswhispers

dominic is subtly amused by the fact two of their wolves have returned. little to no work on the rose's part, which he isn't ashamed about. he's simply cautious that alex and delilah may be well aware of it too. he can sense that there's an animosity brewing, and he can sense that roxy is going to become a bigger thorn in their side. dominic can already predict that she's planning a way to manipulate alex and delilah's resentment.

he laughs, with genuine amusement at his father's order despite the fact they both know he will do as told. 'she can smell fear, you know.' he jokes at his sister's expense. or maybe it's at their own. 'i like the way you think she'd listen to me, though. because she fucking won't.' he chuckles, and the grin doesn't falter as his sister appears next. dominic's eyes move between michael and roxy, a smugness emitting from him slowly. 'i think your buddies are here.' he chimes with a point of his finger flicking to a few vampires. @rviner

[wilddwcrds]

one thing about roxy which is both a blessing and a curse is her loud mouth. she can talk your ear off, she can sling insults, she can twist and turn through lies upon lies. she can make her own truth seem like a gospel but she also tells secrets. she spills them without meaning to and her mention of hunter's position in the crosses brings out a wry grin from michael. "i doubt hunter would join. he's always been one of their strongest, they probably won't let go of him so easily." michael replies with precisely chosen words, to pry anything more from his careless daughter.

watching as roxy joins the other side of the table, michael leans back in his seat to look at her. there's not many fond memories that his mind can revisit, too many are tainted from her betrayal of the pack. but sometimes, he can see glimpses of the little girl she used to be. "i'm not sad that you're smart, roxanna." he tells her, if anything just to soften the atmosphere and force her to listen. "but you're not as smart as you think, every pack expects their outlier to retaliate. did you really think i didn't expect this from you? no. you did everything exactly how i thought you would. you didn't surprise me, not in the slightest."

"No big deal." she repeats, a blankness taking hold of her gaze, rendering the grin on her face as nothing more than an empty shape. Expecting his disinterest doesn't mean it no longer carries a sharp sting. One she tries to swat and avoid, always to no avail. The mention of loyalty causes a dry laugh, Roxy flopping her head to the side. A word that's as empty as her stare, because where was it when she needed it? Where were they when she needed them? "You should ask him to join, he already hates it where he is. Then you can have two golden boys to be so proud of." her comment is flippant, twisting Hunter's words without much intention to.

It's natural to be hesitant of Michael Rose, and any invitation he extends. Roxy can sense she's being lured into a trap, where words can be used against her. But, what does she have to lose? It's already gone. In silence, she moves to the seat, resting her arms against the table to feign a comfortable sense of aloofness. Roxy's brows raise to challenge her father to begin, but then she loses all sense of control over her expression. The loneliness settles clearly on her features, and it's not a vulnerability she wants to be as exposed as it is. So, Roxy slips back into her charade within an instant. "Well, go on then." she encourages bitterly, a stark grin forming again before it erupts into a mocking laughter. "You're sad that I'm smarter than you, you're not going to tell me something I don't already know. Big bad Michael Rose, got got by the outlier. It's hilarious."

[wilddwcrds]

"ah." michael nods, shrugging with a wry grin at his daughter. "so, no big deal." he adds, wanting to watch her sense of triumph evaporate before his very eyes. laughing about hunter, michael doesn't refute roxy's claim. "he's a good wolf." he says instead, neither confirming or denying the accusation. "there's a reason why we worked close to the crosses all these years, they have substance. and a little something i thought you'd learn from them. loyalty." michael doesn't add any bite to his words but looks between the empty seat and then to his daughter, choosing to not react to the obvious stir she wants to achieve. "yeah you got us first, i have no problem saying that. so sit, let's talk about it."

His question stumps her immediately, stilling all the wind from her sails and Roxy does nothing but shrug a belligerent shoulder in response. "It was training." she mumbles, having to curb the desire to turn and head straight into her room to escape any further scrutiny. She knows it's coming and the mention of Hunter forces a roll of her eyes. "Yeah, I know. He's the second son you wished you had." she bites, trying to bring her sternness back to the front of her demeanor before she sinks entirely into self-doubt. Her eyes flit to the chair her father kicks from under the table, then back to him as a frown pulls over her lips. "Why would I be scared of a conversation? I know exactly what happened that day and instead of admitting that I got you first, you want to be a victim."

[wilddwcrds]

michael only nods to his daughter's words, but it's not with conviction or pride. he soon sniffs and shrugs a shoulder to her, a motion of disinterest. "so what was it about? what were you protecting or defending or was it...a show?" his smirk is back again because he knows his daughter well, the louder of his two children. always demanding attention in one way or another, and in recent years- roxanna seems to have settled on negative attention being better than none at all. "hunter's a good wolf, roxanna. i hope you're not causing problems for him." michael's head tilts and instead of reacting with anger to her insult, he laughs at her instead. "if you really want to talk about that day, you can have a seat." he nods to the one opposite him, kicking it out from under the table despite suspecting she won't accept the invitation. "unless you're scared."

"Uhuh and they got their asses beat more, which is what counts." because if she won't gain any acknowledgment from her father and only experience his belittlement, then she has no issue patting her own back. In fact, over the years she was shunned and made an outlier among the Rose's- Roxy is used to giving herself pep talks. Suddenly, her father's approval becomes less and less important. Now she's leaning against her bedroom door, eyes flicking over her father for the slightest gleam of emotion in his eyes but she takes after him. There is none behind either of their gazes. "Hunter helped. And, I actually saved his ass." she responds firmly, allowing herself to feel confident for the endeavor. "It must suck getting old, right? Last time I saw you punch something you were captured. That is rough."

[wilddwcrds]

he chooses to ignore the comment about dominic, as michael believes that a sibling rivalry is healthy. perhaps roxanna will wake up and grow up and realize that how dominic handles responsibility and trust is something to aspire to. "it looks like you got your ass beat." he answers, trying to cut away his daughter's smugness because he's never liked that trait. he laughs then, leaning in his seat to really look at her and the mess she's managed to make of her own body. "it's impossible for one wolf to fight five, roxanna. you're not a god. who helped?" he asks, taking a bite of food and then raising his brows impatiently for the answer. "how many helped? that's a better question." and then he's letting out a laugh. "so really, it wasn't one against five at all, huh?"

There's a palpable tension whenever Roxy has to interact with her father. Despite there being plenty to say to one another, neither of them ever dare venture to that day. Dragging her feet back to the cabin in the hopes of healing in peace, a long sigh draws out from her lungs when she sees Michael is home. "Nope. Your precious angel son is still alive." she waves a hand, wriggling her fingers in gesture to the door as she scuffles her way towards her room. Her father's last remark causes a pause, Roxy's hand tightening on the handle before she turns and lifts a forced smile to her lips. "Does it look like I lost if I'm still breathing?" she tells him, not expecting a pat on the back either. Roxy isn't sure any more if she even wants one. If making her father proud is anything that matters, considering she knows it will never come. "There were five of them, by the way. So no, no tower-bed for me."