#wr teagan

[stainedglasstruth]

[There are many gifts under the tree, but the most intricately wrapped is a welsh love spoon Teagan has been working on.]

“I am devoted to you, and want only you. Please accept this spoon as part of tradition in Wales when you meet that special someone. That’s you. I love you. - Teagan”

[oceansrevenge]

@closingwaters replied to your post “[pm] Would you like to stop by for a visit? Got a...”:

[pm] I do not mind if you sleep with me. Will you be able to still be close under my bed? Can make a small nook in the living room for us to share too. Want to treat you to the affections you’ve missed out on. 

​[pm] I had had hoped as much. Of course, I have many very long appendages when I am asleep. I am certain at least one would be inclined to reach for you.

A small nook sounds quite nice. I enjoy being close to you.

I do not know if "missed out on" is the most truthful way to describe the experience. It was a foolish obligation on my part.

I have discovered a young nereid in town. Brilliant young nymph tricked a man out of his oceanfront house with a cleverly worded promise. Would you like to meet her some time? I am quite certain you'd enjoy the company of the lovely banshee who has been a great guide to me as well. Wicked's Rest has nothing on the beauty of grace, but I am pleasantly surprised by the presence of so many fae.

[letsbenditlikebennett]

TIMING: A wiggly yesterday-ish. PARTIES: @magmahearts @closingwaters & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Cass and Alex meet up with Teagan near the lake to enjoy a picnic. They share the story of the first day they met and get some fun news about that. CONTENT: Drug manipulation (mushroom/fairy-ring flavored)

Admittedly, the picnic basket that Alex packed had not been entirely of her own doing. It hadn’t exactly taken convincing on her part to get Kaden to help her with the endeavor even if she had to joke that stinky cheese would not be the vibe. She’d had a good time putting it together with him and she was sure the afternoon enjoying it with Cass and Teagan would be just as fun. There was an array of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and crackers along with some different dips for all of them. Of course, there were also peach rings and hot cheetos, but she knew Cass would enjoy those too. Snacks for snaccs, it was the golden rule. 

As they walked towards the lake, she had the picnic basket in one hand and Cass’ hand in the other. They were meeting Teagan at a little spot near the lake and she hoped that maybe the nix could tell Cass a little more about wardens. Alex felt bad, she knew it brought up less than pleasant memories, but she had the feeling Teagan would want to make sure Cass was safe, too. 

“I made sure pineapple was included in the fruit lineup,” she said with a smile and squeezed Cass’s hand. As they neared she saw Teagan and flashed the nymph a smile. “Hey,” she greeted, “Good to see you again. I hope the food line up is ok– there’s no red meat. I got that part down.” 

—

Nerves fluttered like butterflies in Cass’s chest. There were a lot of them, for different reasons. The butterflies seemed ever-present around Alex, in the best kind of way. Like a flittering feeling that made her hair stand on end, made her heart pound, made her cheeks hurt. Alex’s hand was in hers, and she felt like every inch of her was on fire. Maybe… a little less literally than, like, her usual brand of ‘on fire.’ 

But there were other nerves, too. There was the quiet thrum thrum of uncertainty in her heartbeat that always came with spending time with other fae, that constant question of will they like me that never seemed to be answered the way she wanted it to be. Teagan liked her for now, she knew, but how long could she hold onto that? How long could she keep that approval before it slipped through her fingers the same way it always did?

At least Alex was here. Her presence made Cass feel a little better, a little less on edge. Because Alex liked her for who she was, and kept liking her for who she was. No year-old guilt like what she worried drove Nora sometimes, no loud loneliness like what she feared kept Aria holding on. No natural fae fondness like the one Teagan held for her, either. Just Alex. Liking Cass for being Cass. If she could do that, maybe other people could, too.

“You’re the best,” she whispered quietly, squeezing Alex’s hand right back. She wondered if the werewolf could feel her pulse pick up as Teagan came into view. “Hi Teagan,” she greeted shyly. “It’s nice to see you again.”

—

Picking a spot was almost too easy. The sun had reached its peak, bright rays kissing the earth lovingly. There was a break in the trees, shadows that would be perfect for cover. Teagan skipped happily to the area she had seen at a distance, plopping herself down into the warmth of the grass and dropping the basket full of freshly baked goods. Her body formed an x, limbs relaxed and free. 

She wondered how long it’d take for the two lovebirds to arrive, and she propped herself up, leaning back into her palms. Not much time passed by the time Teagan heard the telltale signs of footfalls only meters away. Perking up, the nix stood up and trotted over to the hand-holding duo, quickly pulling them both into a tight embrace. 

She happily groaned as she squeezed, “Oh it’s been too long, you beautiful oread.” With kiss to Cass’s head, Teagan looked to Alex, and booped her nose. “And you. Lovely as ever.” She pulled away and waved the two over to her to the perfect spot, gesturing to her basket. “I’ve brought the yummiest blueberry pies. They’re cupcake-sized! Picked the blueberries myself and baked it all from scratch.” She clapped her hands together, “Oh, I love picnics. Need to have one with my lovely soon, but for now,” Teagan tucked some loose hair behind both of her ears, “You beauties have my full attention. Shall we sit?”

Most of the time, Alex liked to try and tune out the sounds of people’s hearts and breathing. In the day to day, it could become a little overwhelming, but she liked being keyed into Cass. The steady thrum of her heart was a nice reminder that she was real and there and liked Alex for who she was. The slight increase in pace of Cass’s heartbeat wasn’t missed by her, so she kept her hand firmly around the oread’s in a show of support. While the other girl hadn’t said much, Alex knew people were always abandoning her and she had mentioned nymphs back home. She hoped Teagan would never do that to Cass and she had a good enough feeling, the nix herself had been cut off from her own family and seemed to be understanding, but she understood Cass’s nerves all the same. 

The small boop on her nose brought a small smile to her face. Despite the fact it was a canine-like gesture, Alex found she didn’t mind it because well, it was kind of sweet. The mention of pies only made her perk up more. “Oh, blueberry pie is my favorite,” she exclaimed, “Can’t wait to give them a try.” 

She took a seat on the blanket and patted the spot next to her for Cass to join. It was the perfect spot with a little bit of shade from the trees and a perfect view of the sun sparkling on the lake. It was quiet and they could talk among themselves without having to worry about others hearing. Alex couldn’t have asked for a better setting to spend time with the two nymphs. Needless to say, she did not want to sour the mood right away with questions about wardens and she had hoped Cass already asked about that stuff. Instead, she grinned. “Well, you already know I think Cass is the greatest… But how did the two of you meet? I was so excited to realize you knew Cass that I forgot to ask before.” 

Teagan pulled her into a hug and called her beautiful, and Cass was far too heavy to float but in that moment she felt as if she was walking on air anyway. Light and joyful and worry-free, because how could she be anything but? Alex liked her, Teagan liked her. She was finally the kind of person that people could like, the kind of person that they might stick around for. Her heart felt like it was doing somersaults in her chest, excited just to be here. There was a thrum in the back of her mind, a chaotic energy that she’d felt every time she was around Alex ever since that first walk through the caves. This, she thought, must have been what having a real crush felt like. Everything she thought she’d felt in the past was just a warm-up. 

Teagan had pies, and Cass grinned at the thought of them. “Well, I already know I love your baking!” The food Teagan had made the first time she’d met her was so good that it had stayed with her ever since. This town was so full of people with cooking skills that, to Cass, seemed unmatched. When you’d spent most of your life eating whatever you could find, any kind of homemade meal tasted like something fit for royalty. 

Eagerly, Cass settled onto the blanket next to Alex, sitting as close to the wolf as she could. Their thighs brushed together in a way that kept the oread’s heart pounding with that same excited energy, her mind buzzing with both the crush and the feeling of being around another fae. It was something that had once made her uneasy, but now made her feel more at ease. Grinning as she leaned into Alex, she looked at Teagan. “I was, um, walking by one day while she was swimming in her true form. She thought I was human at first.” 

Watching Alex and Cass all but melt into each other was a sweet sight. They seemed to be absolutely smitten with one another, unable to keep themselves from parting much farther than an inch or two. Teagan chocked it up to puppy love, though the phrase seemed offensive when Alex was quite notably a werewolf. Perhaps wonderlust was better. The urge to know the depths of someone, discover their idiosyncrasies and sink into who they are so that maybe, just maybe, you could finally be close enough to them. 

Teagan understood the feeling, if she were being honest. Most of the time, now the her and Arden were no longer hiding behind lingering touches and longing looks, Teagan found herself trying to melt into her lover. Be encased in her warmth and scent so that anyone that crossed her path knew exactly where she’d been. 

It wasn’t a whirlwind romance by any means, and it definitely wasn’t love at first sight, but the familiarity they both shared upon meeting was impossible to ignore. Both Arden and Teagan had to answer the call their hearts made for one another. It left her breathless if she thought about it too long, and she was thankful the young lovers had conversation topics that could take over. 

“Aye. I was on edge, and jumped at the chance to stop a human from trespassing,” Patting Cass’s leg, the nix gave her an apologetic smile. “Luckily though, the moment I stepped out of the water, I could feel her.” A smile painted on Teagan’s lips, fond and warm, and she looked at Alex as she explained the meeting joyfully. “I couldn’t resist them. I had to get to know her.”

The meeting between the two nymphs was easy for Alex to imagine. Both of them in their true form were truly something else, something extraordinary. She may have been more than a little biased, but something about Cass’s form especially fascinated her. Even when she wore her glamour like she was right now, Alex swore there was a glow to her that shone through. She could recall the ferocity Teagan possessed when they first met too, before Alex confirmed who she was. A truly fierce protector of the lake who of course immediately softened for Cass because how could she not? There was more than a hint of awe in her eyes as she turned to look at the oread with a smile. “I get that,” she brushed her thumb over the oread’s, “I think Cass just has the effect on people. Who could not want to know her?” 

It felt important to emphasize. While they hadn’t gotten fully into sharing stories of their past, Alex knew people had a tendency to leave Cass, so much so that the oread seemed to question her own worth. They both thought Teagan was great, so Teagan also seeing what was obvious to the werewolf felt important for Cass to know. Given what Teagan had gone through and the implied estrangement with her own family, Alex couldn’t see the nix abandoning Cass like other fae had done. Teagan had even been sure to warn her to treat Cass well— she hoped that meant the nix would always be there for Cass. She wanted Cass to have people in her life who would stay, who would make her feel like she was worth staying for, because she was.

“I kind of met her talking online like I did with you, Teagan,” she explained, “Except we didn’t know what the other was when we met. We were just talking about rocks online and decided to go on a spelunking date.” She could still remember seeing Cass for the first time, how thinking the other girl had been cute and fun to talk to would make for a nice afternoon of pretending she was the kind of person someone could love, but that notion had slipped away so quickly. She didn’t need to pretend with Cass. “Obviously I thought she was pretty, because like, I have eyes,” she grinned, “But the way her face would light up when she explained how different rocks were formed felt extra special. Then she went with my cheesy movie magic moment when I asked her to dance in a ring of bioluminescent mushrooms and I think I was pretty much hers.”  

An orangeish blush glowed under Cass’s skin, the mixture of Teagan’s fondness and Alex’s affection making her grow warm in a way that had very little to do with the magma bubbling beneath her rocky exterior and everything to do with the way Alex was looking at her. She didn’t think she’d ever been adored before. There had been lust, sometimes — she’d had boyfriends and girlfriends in her teenage years, even if most of them took her wallet with them when they left — but never anything like this. The way Alex looked at her, the way she touched her so gently and smiled at her like she’d hung the moon and the stars in the sky… It made Cass feel like she was something precious. Like she was finally worth looking at.

She leaned into the werewolf now, letting her head drop gently against Alex’s shoulder as she spoke. The discussion of their first encounter online made her heart flutter, because wasn’t it funny? You never knew how much someone would grow to mean to you the first time you spoke to them. Things had moved so quickly after that date to the cave, both of them all in by the time the party at Van’s came along. Relationships like that were often compared to fires that burned hot and fast, but volcanoes weren’t forest fires. They burned hot, but they didn’t burn out. They kept going for thousands of years. Cass liked Alex now, and she’d still like her tomorrow. And, for once, she wasn’t paranoid that the feeling wasn’t returned. Alex liked her, too. She knew that.

“She’s a really good dancer,” Cass added eagerly. “You should have seen how she twirled. The mushrooms made it look really cool.” 

How smitten the two were, and after only one date? Love worked in many ways, the likes of which were difficult to understand. Teagan had a love, and even she hardly knew how it all operated. It varied from person to person, from couple to couple, no two ever being the same but having similar roots. Love was a tether that connected everyone eventually, even someone as walled off as Teagan. 

It was—wait. Had they really said what she thought they said? Perhaps the pink and orange dust on their cheeks wasn’t just a connection built on a spark, but something artificially put together with the help of some magic. Now, that wasn’t to say the two young women couldn’t find their way to each other, but Teagan knew most people didn’t like their mind or hearts altered by another force. A natural, less magical route was usually preferred. 

“Did you say mushrooms?” Quirking a brow, Teagan leaned in and looked to and from Cass and Alex. “Were they in a circle? Did you feel silly afterwards? Did you—” A finger was pointed toward Alex. “Have a wish to listen to every one of Cass’s words?”

Somehow Cass could make her feel like she was floating and ground her in the same motion. The weight of the oread’s head on her shoulder was welcomed and her hand found its way the soft waves in Cass’s hair. She gently stroked them and smiled at the ease of it all. Her normal hang ups and fears weren’t there with Cass. No matter what she shared with the oread, she was met with understanding and care. It gave her the crazy idea that she was someone worth loving and she couldn’t deny the domino effect it had on the rest of her life. So while it all felt too good to be true, the feeling of Cass resting against her shoulder brought her back down and reminded her this was all real. Someone could see the parts of her that she wanted to hide from the world and still find hers to be a good shoulder to rest on. 

Her own cheeks took on a pinkish hue at the mention of her dancing, which objectively, was far from good, but it was nice Cass enjoyed it. Maybe that mattered more than whether or not it was good. Alex thought it did. “It helps to have a good partner,” she grinned while running a hand through Cass’ hair, “And Cass is the best.”

The questions from Teagan were a little unexpected, but the scene had been so perfect that giving the nix a little slice of it felt right. “Oh,” she said looking at Cass, “They were, yeah. Part of why I asked her to dance, it practically looked like a little dance floor just for us.” The next question caught her a little off guard. Had she felt more silly than normal? Maybe a little bit, but that was more the giddiness of giving into idea that maybe Cass wasn’t just an afternoon distraction from how much she hated herself. She knew Cass wasn’t that now— Cass saw her and always tried to understand her and still liked her. “Uh,” she started uncertainly, “I think so, yeah. I mean, I felt a little silly and wanted to make Cass smile before, but the whole dance thing did kind of feel like metaphorically diving in?” 

Alex’s hand was in her hair, and Cass didn’t think she’d ever felt as whole as she did now. Like she was someone. No, more than that — like she was someone worth keeping. Alex spoke about her like she was good, like she was precious, like she was worthy, and how could Cass not feel like it was true? How could she not accept it, believe it? Alex said it so easily, like it was simple. There was never any doubt in her words, never a hint of hesitation. Cass hadn’t bound her to get her here, hadn’t manipulated her way into the affection. It just was, just had been from that very first night with the mushrooms in the cave.

Teagan’s line of questioning was… weird, though. Like she knew something. Cass shifted, brow furrowed as she glanced over to Alex. She nodded in confirmation when Alex spoke of the circle, trying to think back. “I guess?” Wasn’t feeling silly part of having a crush? People did all kinds of funny things in movies when they caught feelings for someone; entire episodes of sitcoms were based around it. Multi-episode arcs, sometimes! “Why do you ask?”

Oof…How did one go about telling a blooming relationship it might be built on something otherworldly? Something out of their control. For a few moments, Teagan was quiet as she mulled over how to approach everything. On one hand, the two very well could like one another without the mushrooms, and on the other, it would be wrong to let them exist in a lie. 

“Well, you see, mushroom circles, while pretty and fun, can have other side effects too.” Teagan gestured to Cass and gave her a warm smile. “They make anyone feel happy and silly. Like a high. And when you’re with fae, like Cass, crossing that boundary connects you to them.” She reached forward and took each of their hands in hers, hoping to reassure them. 

“For you, Alex, you’ll want to do everything Cass says without her binding you, and feel amazing. And Cass, you’ll feel just as amazing, as you can see. On the bright side, that doesn’t mean there isn’t something actually here between you two. Just means the mushrooms pushed you two together without you knowing.” Planting a small peck on both hands, Teagan looked between Alex and Cass, reassurance written all over her features. “I assume this is your first time running into a mushroom circle, sweet oread?”

As Teagan spoke, it felt as if someone was vacuuming the air straight from her lungs. The notion that what she shared with Cass could be manufactured made her feel sick, not that she found herself able to pull away. If it made them feel happy and silly, that meant the whole way Cass saw her could be skewed. Now that promise to stay felt like one Alex couldn’t hold the oread to, not when all the acceptance she’d shown the werewolf could have been clouded by the mushrooms because apparently that was a thing. Of course it was a thing. How else could something this magical fallen right into her lap? It seemed to confirm the notion she was unlovable even if Teagan was saying something about a real connection being able to be present, too.

But how could it be? How could someone like Cass look at Alex and see anything but a pitiful monster? Maybe the oread would be too kind to look at her with the disgust she had expected when she first told her the truth about the werewolf thing, but even a gentle letdown scared the hell out of her. The hope that Teagan offered felt dangerous. She so badly wanted to believe she was really someone Cass could care for and eventually fall for. “Mushroom rings,” she repeated slowly, “Oh.” 

She had been the one to lead them right into that and Cass seemed just as clueless about all of this. Had Alex really been that foolish to think that the ambience of the cave could be anything good just because walking hand in hand with Cass had felt so good? “I don’t… I’m sorry I didn’t know. I just thought it looked cool and it seemed like a romantic thing to do.” She looked down at her lap and tried to take in what it all meant, but none if it really made a whole lot of sense to her. 

Alex said oh, and it felt like the world was falling around her. Immediately, the oread’s mind began to catastrophize. If the mushrooms had been affecting them, it meant none of this was real. From what Teagan said, it seemed like it was affecting Alex more than it was affecting Cass, like Alex was stuck in a never-ending promise bind that Cass hadn’t even intentionally trapped her in. And Alex said oh, and wasn’t that a thing of disgust? How could she feel anything less than disdain towards Cass now.

Except… Except she couldn’t feel that, could she? The mushrooms wouldn’t let her. She probably still felt drawn to Cass, even knowing the truth. She probably still felt like she wanted to do whatever Cass asked of her. Even now, even knowing that none of it was real, Alex wouldn’t be allowed to feel her feelings, because that stupid mushroom circle had scooped them out and replaced them. That mushroom circle had fooled Alex into thinking that Cass was someone she liked. And she wasn’t. How could she be?

Alex was apologizing, but it must have been because of the mushrooms and their influence. Cass looked at Teagan, wide-eyed and frantic. “Yeah. Yes, this is my first time running into…” She turned to look at Alex, desperation etched into her features. “I didn’t know,” she said quickly. “I swear, Alex, I promise, I didn’t know. I didn’t — I wouldn’t have let you do it if I knew. You have to believe that, please. I wouldn’t do this on purpose, I’m sorry.” 

The efforts to quell any worries seemed for naught, Cass’s obvious need for acceptance already twisting the gears in her mind. Teagan didn’t know much, or even the extent of the young oread’s pain, but she knew how abandonment looked in someone’s eyes. “Wait,” She lifted her hands, bidding the two to slow down. Apologies weren’t necessary, not when neither of them knew what would happen. And at the very least, the romance was there. Alex made that obvious. 

“Listen to that there, Cass. I see the worry and fear in you right now, but Alex just said she thought it’d be romantic. She knows you're sorry, and neither of you two could have known.” Scooting closer to Cass and Alex, Teagan smiled with comfort in her eyes, hoping the two would listen to reason. 

“Now, the mushrooms may have done a few things and made you two jump and skip a few stages, but the feelings were already there. Things that are tangled can still be reset.” Teagan brushed her thumbs over each of their hands, looking back at her basket of goods. Letting go of them, she plucked two blueberry pies and offered them to Cass and Alex. She kept her smile warm and light, trying to give them any comfort she could. “The mushrooms will wear off eventually. After that, you two can start over and frolic somewhere without the mushrooms. ‘Cause believe me, feelings are only amplified and if you wanted to be romantic before, you’ll want that without the ring.”

There were apologies and reassurances both being lobbied her way and Alex found she was just confused by all of it. The information didn’t necessarily make her feel any differently, but maybe it wasn’t able to. Cass seemed worried though and was promising she didn’t know about the mushrooms beforehand. That hardly seemed like the oread’s fault so she wasn’t sure what the big worry was. She nodded along with Teagan because she had felt the crush before they ever stepped into that mushroom circle. “It’s not your fault,” she assured Cass and gave the oread’s hand a squeeze.

“So they’ll wear off,” she repeated, “Then we’ll be back to normal and I’ll just have the regular crush I had on Cass before we encountered them? That doesn’t sound so bad. We can take care of the mushrooms and then figure us out, right?” She hoped that was the case. She may have had been riding a crush before stepping into that circle, but what about Cass? Did the mushrooms make her overlook all those parts Alex had been so sure she’d hate about the werewolf? There was a hint of worry, but Teagan seemed confident things would be okay and she wanted Cass to know things were okay, that she still cared for the nymph. “It’s gonna be ok,” she confidently stated, “We’re gonna fix and figure this out.” 

She listened as Alex and Teagan spoke, and her heart picked up a bit at the question of the mushrooms wearing off. She was afraid of it happening, and guilty for being afraid. If this thing they had wasn’t of Alex’s own free will, Alex deserved to know that. If she was manipulated into this, even unknowingly, she deserved to have an out. Still, Cass was afraid. She liked what they had. The idea of losing it, after everything she’d lost already, made her feel a little sick. And that was terrible of her, wasn’t it? That was wrong.

But Alex was saying it would be okay, was recalling the crush she’d had before they’d stepped into that circle, and Teagan was saying that feelings could only be amplified and not changed. And maybe they were both right, but even if they weren’t… If this was temporary, Cass would cling to it for as long as she could. She’d stay with Alex for as long as Alex would let her, and when the mushrooms wore off, if Alex changed her mind, Cass would accept it. She offered a smile that didn’t quite meet her eyes, nodding her head. “Okay,” she said softly. “Okay, yeah. We’ll figure it out.”

With both minds at ease, it was easier to smile, easier to breathe. There were lingering worries, of course, but Teagan was more than confident in her ability to extinguish whatever concern began to spark. That was one of the many benefits of providing sugar and having a bit of experience with the chaos that came with mushroom rings. She’d been in quite a few, each ending slightly more chaotic than the last. For a moment, her mind trailed away, thinking of what it’d be like to walk into one with Arden…

“Right!” She shook the idea away. “It’ll be okay. And look on the bright side…” Teagan set the blueberry pies aside and wiggled back a few inches to have enough room to slide her skirt down. She revealed part of the skin on her bottom, a small mushroom tattoo adorning it. “At least you didn’t get a random tattoo during the escapades. I won’t even disclose the bad decisions I made with women that week…” Her eyes widened with embarrassment and a bounce of her brows, and she laughed as pink dusted her cheeks.

“Now, come on.” Teagan waved Alex and Cass over to the food. “We’ve got a picnic to get to.”

Truthfully, Alex wasn’t sure if the mushroom thing really made sense to her, but the way Teagan described it didn’t sound so bad. The thought of amplified feelings was a bit unnerving, she already preferred to keep her feelings close to her chest, but Cass had shown time and again she was a safe person to share with. She could only hope that would continue to be the case when all of this wore off and she wouldn’t be met with disgust for everything she was. She could see the nervousness in Cass’s features and she wished she could offer some sort of reassurance, but this was just as surprising to her as it was to the oread. She laughed a bit, hoping it would lighten the mood a bit. “I mean,” she smirked, “It’s not too late to get a tattoo. But probably best to save that for… later. After?” 

The older nymph seemed confident that they’d be alright and Alex decided to believe that things could be okay. At least for now. Cass was still sitting right next to her which always made her feel a little brighter and Teagan was hosting them for a picnic. It was a beautiful day and the sun was casting shadows through the branches of the trees. By all other indications, it was the making for a perfect afternoon with two amazing nymphs. “Right, let’s enjoy our picnic. I’m so ready for those blueberry pies.” 

Teagan was right, wasn’t she? It could have been far worse. Nothing they’d done up until this point was anything that wasn’t… reversible, even if that thought made Cass’s stomach churn a little. She didn’t want to ‘reverse’ anything they had, but… If Alex didn’t want it after the mushroom haze was over, Cass would understand. Even if she ached with it. “Maybe after,” she agreed, though it sounded like a pipe dream. Alex still having any desire to get a matching tattoo with her, after this, was painfully unlikely. But a girl could dream, right?

For now, though, Teagan was right — they had a picnic to enjoy. They could ride this high to the end of the line, and then they could deal with whatever thoughts and feelings and painful ramifications came after. But at this moment… all they had to do was eat pie. “Right,” Cass smiled. “Let’s dig in.” And maybe, just maybe, Alex would still like her when all this was over.

[oceansrevenge]

Only if you promise to show me a good time.

You sound eager to treat me to something sweet in more way than one. That would be agreeable. Would you like to take me out some time?

Is that so? Any way I can experience that?

It could be, if you want. Hard for me to resist beautiful women.

[wonder-in-wings]

Splash and Slash

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Darkling Lake PARTIES: Parker and Teagan SUMMARY: While out searching for specimens, Parker finds an unglamoured Teagan at Darkling Lake. He decides her tail is a worthy addition to his collection. CONTENT WARNINGS: Drug manipulation [sedatives], medical blood, parental death [mentioned]

The sun was gone for the day, the moon having since taken its place; the perfect time as Parker went on one of his patrols. He covered a minimal amount of space every week, or so he tried to - when he wasn’t busy interacting with the fools of the town or entertaining the questions of children and bored patrons of the museum, he was either in his familiar bunker, at his flat or in the Pines. The Pines had become one of his favored spots as a whole even though it somewhat surprised him seeing as how there was a swamp that was more reminiscent of the bayous Parker grew up in. The Pines, as he noticed relatively soon in his arrival to Wicked’s Rest, wasn’t just a place for the shapeshifters to frequent; he’d met more than one nymph in those woods and had been gifted with some more additions to his collection. This evening, after intensely studying one of the maps he’d picked up some time ago, he noticed there was a lake. Darkling Lake, as it was formally called and for some bizarre reason Parker opted to visit it again that night. It was a large body of water, larger than he had time for in one night so after setting the layout on a graph to make it easier for him, he carefully made his way to one of the farther-reaching corners. The main reason why he went was because when he’d been there before, he saw something out of his peripheral vision and though he was too far away to be able to discern what it was for sure, he knew that it wasn’t a human. Tonight, as he approached the edge of the lake, he kept close to the brush and he dropped to a crouch as his blue eyes carefully scanned the environment, trying to catch another glimpse of the non-human creature he saw before. Parker was prepared for an altercation this time, as well - around his waist was a hardy utility belt with a few pouches and a line of thin straps that looked almost like a bandolier but instead of holding bullets, his waist was lined with several long, thin daggers, no more than a few inches in length and with the sharpness of a needle. Indeed, the handles were peculiar too, seeming to have thumb rests on the ends, also reminiscent of a hypodermic needle. Or a turkey baster, as his brother would call his creations. 

Whatever. He crouched, watching the lake, feeling the comfort of his spiked knuckles clasped to a belt loop and hanging casually from his jeans as he waited for something. Anything. _______

The water lapped against the shore in rhythm, the lake making its own music as the day passed on. Like a ticking clock, the beat was insistent and precise, something Teagan found comfort in whenever she waded idly in Darkling. She hummed to herself, her tail swishing back and forth as she laid on her back to stare at the night sky. The stars’ light danced, and Teagan liked to imagine they liked the way the moon moved the waves. Like it was creating a song they could bear witness to every night.

“Hmm…” Vala snorted, trying to get the nymph’s attention. “What is it, beaut? I’m relaxing a bit. Don’t mess with a good time and get me tampin’,” Teagan teased the kelpie, rolling onto her stomach and swimming toward her friend. The creature dropped a severed arm, sending Teagan into giggles and chortles. “Nice one! I’ll add it to the collection.” Vala replied with a snort, disappearing into the distance a moment later. 

Teagan made quick work of the limb, placing it neatly next to several skeletons of those who dared dirty the lake. Disrespectful lot, they were. No matter. They were taken care of and Teagan resurfaced with a grin. All was quiet, which meant she’d get to head out soon to see Arden. They were supposed to watch some movie about a lost fish in the sea. It sounded strange for a fish to be lost, but if Arden liked it, then Teagan had no issue being a tad confused. _______   Nothing seemed abnormal. Perhaps he needed to shift his perspective slightly. Slowly, quietly, Parker altered his trajectory, remaining as quiet as he could in the underbrush even though he was more suited for the marshy mud of the swamp - forests weren’t his strong suit, all things considered. And normally he would’ve opted to simply explore elsewhere but he had a strange intuition about this location that night. And there it was, the sign Parker had been looking for as he switched locations. After an indeterminate amount of time, he caught movement, the surface breaking ever-so-slightly and he turned his head sharply where his eyes fell upon the creature. It was amphibious in nature, pale as it waded through the water with an unnatural smoothness, not unlike a jaguar in the rivers of the Amazon. It didn’t appear to be a shifter, or if it was, then it was unknown to him but the longer his eyes remained fixated on it, the more he could feel something rippling under his skin. Perhaps it was psychosomatic. Regardless, his eyes slowly swept over the creature before they settled on an object of his instant fascination: the long, beautiful tail that the creature possessed. While Parker was instantly drawn to fae wings of any kind, he realized over the recent months that he could appreciate beauty in other forms, whether it was a chunk of pyrite from an oread or even the horns of an unruly spriggan. He was still unaccustomed to obtaining these magnificent, unusual wonders. He had to have that tail. His brain honed in on it, watching it with enamored obsession. Parker stood and carefully, very slowly walked out onto the lakeshore, approaching the creature wordlessly at first. The closer he got, the more the rippling feeling pulsed under his skin and he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a nix and he inhaled sharply through his nose with the sensation. “Lovely night for a swim.” He called to the fae. _______

The crushing of wet earth perked Teagan’s ears. She tensed, hands twitching with the urge to attack without much more prompting. Her body trembled under the tension, and she turned slowly to face the man who spoke. Eyes were wide, and despite having claws that could easily tear, Teagan hovered her hand over the blade in her thigh holster.

“Yes.” The nix offered a curt nod, not bothering to glamour herself in case the man was a warden. No use in giving away her disguise. “I wouldn’t come in if I were you, though. I like to swim alone.” Teagan began to wade backwards, giving herself some distance in case the man had other plans. There was a look in his eyes that unsettled her. It was far worse than a look of murderous intention. She couldn’t place exactly what it was, but her body screamed at her to run or tear, and she had sworn to try to be better.

“Please go now, lad. I’m trying to enjoy my time.” _______ The presumed nymph called back, dissuading the Warden from joining her. Non-aggressive but reminiscent of an animal that should’ve been left alone. But he couldn’t. The switch was turned on in his head and Parker’s mind was consumed with little else. His brain was already buzzing with thoughts on how he could artfully arrange the tail, how to turn and model and shape it to look as aesthetically pleasing as possible. “I know better than to get into the water with you, nix.” He said carefully but not shyly as he took a few more rather confident steps towards her. “I want your tail.” All these years later and he never knew how to ask in a more effective, gentle way. He’d tried asking gently before, a long while ago, but it never proved effective; for some reason, all the fae whose wings he’d added to his collection seemed attached to them, even if they didn’t actually do anything. They were vestigial and only a couple of them could hover for a few seconds and even then it didn’t look satisfying. A tail wasn’t vestigial though, Parker thought to himself. He inhaled softly, reached down to pull his feet out of his shoes though he kept his blue eyes on the nymph studiously. “I can make it quick and painless but unfortunately I can’t leave without it.” His voice took a different tone to it and indeed, his expression changed slightly as he looked at her. “The way you move in the water, the way it sways behind you. It’s beautiful, it’s graceful and perfect in form and function.” He took a few more steps, closing the gap between them but staying on the shore. “It’s mesmerizing. I need to immortalize it.” _______

This man was no regular hunter. He had something far worse than a murder in mind, and the cold fear of what that entailed made Teagan’s throat constrict. She felt her body tremble at the look in his eye, her palms growing clammy. She could feel the sensation despite being engulfed in water. 

“No.” There was no room for anything else, and Teagan wouldn’t allow there to be. She sank her body further, until only her eyes were above the water. Danger was in front of her, granting her to toss whatever notion of trying to the wind. She wasn’t looking for a fight that time. Instead, it found her.

“Stay back.” A hiss as she faked out a lunge. Her eyes were full of fire and her teeth were bared for the man to take as a warning. They gleamed in the moonlight reflecting off the water, and Teagan forced her jaw not to tremble under the weight of her terror. Of the way it unsettled her to be seen as an object to maim and preserve. “What right you got, eh? It’s my body, boyo. I’ll cut you apart if you try it.” _______

The nymph lunged and Parker’s quick reflexes, the ones he’d been trained arduously in for over four decades, allowed him to respond quickly by taking a deft step back though it didn’t scare him off. He was light on his feet, he had to be when he lived in the bayou. In fact, he was reminded of his days going after gators in the swamp, treading lightly, maintaining eye contact as they hissed and stood their ground. They were efficient training, though they hit their ceiling in that they didn’t have the luxuries that fae did with their thumbs, long limbs and ability to run. …though gators could be plenty fast in their own right on land. “Fae are so pretentious.” Parker responded, passion not leaving his tone but instead taking a backseat to his clinical delivery. “You live these long lives and care about so little while you enjoy your passions, your deals, promises. Manipulating others with the way you speak.” He didn’t dare turn his back to the nymph, taking careful side steps as one of his hands went to the utility belt that glittered with the metals that hung off it. Even after everything Fae had done to him, to his family, to innocent people, Parker still had his own personal values. “I don’t want to fight.” He said, not dishonestly. “You have so many other things.” This was potentially a lie; Parker knew that fae had proclivities for forming collections of their own, whether it was names, secrets, or physical trinkets. They didn’t ask for most of the stuff they acquired and they hoarded it selfishly. He honestly didn’t know if this nix did but unlike fae, he could afford to lie. “I won’t ask again.” As he spoke now, he inched forward and he hadn’t realized that not once had he blinked since starting his counterpoint argument. “But I’m not leaving without it. I’d prefer for it to be an easy transaction.” He also completely failed to acknowledge that this wasn’t what people did, fae or no. He didn’t have the ability to say that he could leave her in peace, walking away empty-handed. _______

Terror began to mount over with every sway of the water, heart leaping harshly into the fae’s throat as the man pressed on with his speech. Teagan was weighed down by dread, try as she might to force herself to don her confidence once more. She was more than capable of protecting herself, having killed plenty of hunters in the past. Hunter or not, her tail would remain where it belonged.

“We’re pretentious?” Teagan scoffed, rolling her eyes and chuckling at the way she made the man take a step back. She was getting a feel for his reaction time. It was a little too good. She’d have to improvise. But first, Teagan wanted to bite back with her words. “You’re the one putting us on this pedestal, mun. Glorifying us. Immortalizing us. If we’re pretentious, then you’re a lowly peasant trying to get a taste of what true magnificence is. ‘Sides. You didn’t even ask.” Lying was so damned human. 

Teagan glared at the stranger, fear beginning to wane as anger quickly replaced it. He was in for a rude awakening, of that she could promise. “You gonny come in and try to get it then?” A taunt, a knowing smirk tugging Teagan’s lips as she waded even further into the lake. “Think you’ll find that it ain’t so easy. Ever heard of my body, my choice? Or are ya just like every other man?” Her smirk turned devious. “Looks like you’re gonna leave without it, cythrauluffer.” _______ The fear that Parker could almost feel emanating from the nix was dissipating, as it usually did around this part of the altercation. It was almost rhythmic at this point - he would ask without asking, usually get either a swift or gradual rebuttal, then as they talked and he made multiple attempts to get out of this with minimal damage to either of them, they got emboldened and made the first move. Then Parker was prompted to act in self-defense. It was a gambit of sorts, an explanation that he had come up with over the years to warrant being able to tell the truth as he explained the curiosities and treasures he’d accumulated. She accused him of not asking, which he indeed hadn’t and at this point in his life, he was unsure if he could even ask - of course they were going to say ‘no’ anyway so he long since abandoned that line of literal questioning. There was the occasional fae who didn’t know the rules and he was able to manipulate them to get what he wanted the way he wanted… But most of them reacted the way the nymph before him did. She went further out into the water and while Parker rather fearlessly approached her to the point that his socks were starting to get wet as the shore lapped the rocks and dirt, he stopped shortly. He was a strong swimmer, he wasn’t going to deny it but he also knew that no matter how good he was, he wouldn’t have been able to overpower her in her literal element. However, he just couldn’t keep his eyes off the tail. It was an addiction. He never realized it and still didn’t even now; the pull of obtaining something he’d never seen before, something he could already visualize its form and positioning, seeing it on his table as he carefully worked with it and around it. “Not a preferable outcome.” Parker sighed and he sounded almost disappointed as he finally tore his eyes from her figure and he addressed the numerous things on his belt. He wished he could’ve caught her outside the lake but he had to be improvisational. Unfortunately, he wasn’t equipped to his fullest loadout as Parker recalled the wrist-mounted crossbow that sat on his desk at home, half-assembled as he attempted to customize it for further utility. Perhaps he’d have to meet her in the water, anyway. He just needed to get one of his specialized daggers into her before the tide would turn in his favor. Sighing and still standing next to the lake, he started to take off his socks and roll his pants up. _______

Whether the man was a hunter or not was still unknown, but if he was, he was a little too callous and reckless. For Teagan to think that about a hunter? Now that was saying something. Any respectable warden, (and the nix didn’t, ever) would’ve known better than to charge into a fae’s natural habitat. Being quite literally in their element could and would prove fatal. 

A mistake he would not be able to make again because he’d be dead. 

“You takin’ what’s mine isn’t preferable either, mun.” Wading in a circle, Teagan taunted the man with her tail, whipping it back and forth above the surface. Like a hypnotist lulling their target into a headspace of their choosing. For Teagan, it was heedless and rash, and by the looks of how he perused his belt, she wasn’t sure what route he’d take. There was no way in hell she was going to risk much more than time, and there wasn’t much left.

Teagan had a ravenous look in her eye, arms widening open to beckon the lake to work in her favor. It roared to life, a large wave rising just over eight feet. The water slammed into the nymph’s opponent, her miscalculation sending her in a swirl toward him. “Iesu mawr!” Teagan hissed as she was thrown straight into the man. On split-second whim, she took a deep breath and urged the water to continue to thrash, sending them both tumbling into the lake.  _______

Perhaps Parker shouldn’t have been so forward with his request, as she now seemed to use the knowledge to her advantage as she moved her tail, taunting him, pulling him in and for a moment, it seemed to work as the neurons in his brain were stroked by the beauty of its movement. How he longed to gather it in his hands, to sculpt it into something mesmerizing for himself. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how one perceived it), Parker was already closer to the water than he should’ve been by the time the nymph utilized her resonance with her element and he was rapidly greeted with a massive wave that crashed into him… along with her. Their bodies collided though not for long enough and the churning water sucked him in, pushing him under the surface. As he was being turned around in the undertow and having taken a quick, but deep improvisational breath himself, Parker curled his legs into him, turning himself into a temporary protective ball as he pulled one of his specialized knives out. The lakewater was impenetrably dark and he was effectively blind as he was rolled in the water. However, his step of pulling one of his daggers from its spot carefully to avoid losing anything else under the waves had been successfully completed and in another stroke of luck he could see just enough of her in his field of view that he lurched his arm forward, plunging the dagger into… some part of her body, he couldn’t tell what. His other hand moved as quickly as it could, pressing down on the end of the hilt and injecting the body with a special tranquilizer. Of course, it wasn’t a perfected art - every body was different - but he released the dagger, now abandoning that goal in favor of trying to surface. _______

The way the man’s eyes glazed over with desire made the nymph’s stomach twist with disgust. She was appalled by his menacing expression, his greed mounting over into something desperate and chaotic. It was brief and he quickly became calculated again, but watching it happen in real-time practically gave Teagan whiplash. 

Back off!

Teagan’s mind screamed, her mouth opening and closing to relay the message. There was no sound, not to whoever that man was. He was only met with bubbling water and thrashing limbs. When Teagan finally managed to get her fins in place, she whipped around, at the ready.

Unlike her opponent, the nix could move easily and see clearly in the lake. It was her element, after all. 

With a smile, she bolted forward, claws prepared to sink into flesh. Teagan didn’t mind if it would burn her, she welcomed it like it was family. In a way, it was. At the very least, it had been the most consistent thing in her life; good or bad. So when she didn’t quite make purchase onto the man’s skin, and was instead met with a sensation she was all too familiar with. Iron. She gasped to herself, realizing something was off. Her limbs began to almost immediately grow too heavy to use, not a sensation she was accustomed to. 

Panic began to stretch Teagan’s chest tightly, her instinct to kick herself away and remove the…needle? Dagger? She wasn’t quite sure. Did it still have liquid in the—oh no. The edges of Teagan’s vision rippled with black, eyes growing too heavy to keep open. She felt cold and prickly, textured in a way that left her feeling unsettled and terrified. But that didn’t last very long. In a matter of seconds, Teagan was consumed with darkness.  _______ Fully prepared for something to make contact with him as he attempted to surface, Parker tried to manipulate his blood to turn him into a last-ditch effort weapon against whatever she would do to him but he couldn’t push it; he was already doing too many things at once and that would’ve sent him into exhaustion quickly. Contrary to his initial belief, however, he had remained unscathed and indeed, his dagger seemed to have hit its mark because the water, no longer controlled by a vehement force of nature like the nix, eased around him. Parker surfaced briefly, looking around to see where he was in relation to the shore. Not too terribly far and he took in another deep breath before he dived. Now that the water was calmer, it allowed him to utilize his own skill in swimming and while he still knew he would never be able to keep up with a creature like a nix or a nereid, his human abilities were still impressive by their standards, or so he liked to think. He couldn’t see effectively so he used broad movements with his arms, searching blindly in the murky depths until they felt a limb. Instinctively grabbing it firmly but not violently, he gathered her in one of his arms and hauled the two of them up where they breached the surface. Breathing deeply and more steadily now, using the techniques he’d learned from those decades in the bayou, Parker pulled her to the shore. He needed to work quickly; the tranquilizers were effective but ephemeral - his longer-lasting tranquilizers were soaked through now, useless as they sat in his pouches. It was fine, it had to be fine unless he could dose her again with another dagger but he only had three more left and he was too far from the Bunker; he’d need to do this now. First, he placed the nix on her side, very gently laying her tail out behind her and almost wasting time with how he looked over it fondly before he left her as she was, going over to his boots for a moment. Secondly, Parker checked his utility belt where he was relieved to learn that his spiked knuckles remained on the clasp in the midst of the roiling water, as did the rest of his daggers and– Perfect. He pulled a new knife from a holster that was on one of his legs, looking similar to an enlarged scalpel in design. Notably, this one wasn’t iron; he wanted the things he collected to be intact, not mottled more than necessary for a single individual performing an impromptu amputation in the middle of nowhere. This was a learning opportunity on multiple fronts. Parker would need to be better prepared in the future but for now he went back over to the nymph, dropped to a crouch and carefully turned the tail over before he made a rather precise incision at the base of her lower back. _______

There were no images, no chorus of noise that welcomed a person so heavy into unconsciousness. There was only a void, thoughts too diluted and muffled to truly reach. Teagan was no longer able to struggle or fight back, body limp and useless against whatever had been injected into her. Even worse, she was useless against the blade that began to slice into her. 

By the time Teagan had seen a hint of a light, it felt like it had been hours, but that couldn’t be the case. She could hear the dull sounds of strain behind her. Oh Fates. Her eyes attempted to shoot open, lids working against the fuzzy and heavy weight that enveloped them. “Mm…G-g…!” Teagan had attempted to say ‘Get off,’ but nothing was quite obeying her yet. She couldn’t even feel the way her skin had been cleanly cut, which was a horror in itself. 

How far had he gotten?

There was no use thinking about the possibilities. He’d had to have been taking his time considering the care he gave to not injure the nix horribly. Lest he ruin what he had his eyes set on, the fae supposed. It was disgusting and the way he had looked at her like a specimen meant for display made Teagan nauseous. He was worse than a hunter. He was a collector. She had to stop him, even if it was just for that night.

Using what little control she had, the nix twisted and dug her claws into the man’s shoulder. She latched on briefly, the rather large scalpel he had a grip on jolting upwards and slicing Teagan on her middle back. Whatever, she thought, continuing to slash. She just needed to get away and live to see another day. This man would be back, and Teagan would be ready next time. There were things to live for now. She couldn’t risk herself by succumbing to her rage, falling into old habits. No matter how her mind screamed to pursue vengeance. Her anger wasn’t worth her life. Or her tail. 

Teagan stood on wobbly legs, the man’s blood burning her hand as it dripped from her claws. “D-don’t come any closer.” She hissed, backing away with her claws tensed and ready as she took an offensive stance. Her visage was tired but captured with rage, the evils of Teagan’s past glimmering in her eyes while her head was tilted down from the weight. She was glowering, no longer willing to be the victim. _______

He was moving slower than he’d have liked, than he needed to to get results. In fact, Parker was moving so slowly that he was still creating an incision wide enough to insert his traditional iron blade to cauterize the wound, intending to separate it from the tail when she stirred back into lucidity. In a fluid motion, her claws punctured his shoulder. He exhaled sharply from the pain and the surge that shot down his arm made him lose control as it tensed up, sending the scalpel smoothly up the nymph’s back. Though he couldn’t control his arm at that juncture, he could manipulate his blood as it rippled beneath the skin, the iron moving in on where her claws were embedded in his flesh - his last-ditch weapon. She didn’t let go and he dropped the scalpel, wrenching his arm from her as he got to his feet. The motion was with strength but it was careless as Parker’s blood sprayed the wet earth beneath them. First, he pressed his other hand against the fresh wound, his nostrils flaring as he felt the lasting sting of her claws in his flesh. His blue eyes looked into hers, his expression narrowed and seeing her emotions dancing in them like an animal. Then they flickered to her stance, her frame, noting the way her legs shook as she was still affected by the tranquilizers. Then they rested on what he could see of her tail, the way it carelessly oozed blood and a flash of anger overcame his features. …No, he went up; he didn’t cut her tail, he lacerated her back. Parker wasn’t even using iron, so she could recover anyway. The anger on his face, while dissipating and making way for more of the narrow-eyed fascination and obsession, was still present somewhat, however. And he could use fluid motions, too. Removing his hand from the injured shoulder, it went down and brushed against his soaking jeans, fingers looping around the spiked iron knuckles that swayed to his side. He yanked a clenched fist back up and there was a snap as the clasp was disconnected. “You don’t control me, nix.” Then it was his turn to lunge and he rushed towards her, drawing his bloody fist back, aiming for the same shoulder she had. The clavicle, ideally to make a break in the bone. Parker wasn’t the type to turn to violence but as the pulse in his other arm reminded him, he didn’t start this.  _______

There was a deranged look in the man’s eye, his desire flowing straight into crazed anger at what he was denied. He’d done this countless times, so much so that he believed he had every right. That was the most terrifying part of the whole thing. How many had he hurt before he fixated on the nix before him? Teagan’s stomach twisted with nausea like a knife, and her heart soon followed suit. He had to be stopped. 

“Fuck you!” She screamed, grief for her cousins that fell victim to that evil man consuming her chest. The woman Teagan had been trying to leave behind washed over her, ignoring the way pain continued to pulse on her skin. “You don’t control me, and you cannot have any part of me!” Rushing forward as the man did, the two of them clashed in a ferocious flurry of fury. 

The way he’d gone straight for her clavicle felt a little like he was attempting balance, an eye for an eye. Teagan couldn’t help but notice that, having revered Fate and balance her whole life. This stranger could never work as Fate did. She was unbiased, not caring about setting things right or wrong, only ensuring all was as it should be. 

It wasn’t this. It wasn’t white-hot pain flaring from what felt like a break to her collarbone. Teagan screamed, her strength waning as the agony from holding her opponent away from her caused something akin to a crunch. The fight had to end or she’d be finding herself dead or…mutilated. Or both. 

Fates, she wanted Arden. 

In a last ditch effort, Teagan brought her knees to her chest, digging her feet into the man’s stomach as she sank her claws in a final time. She dragged her hands down, hoping to leave her mark just before she sent her opponent flying with a kick. Rising to her feet and holding her shoulder, Teagan hissed, “Looks like you get nothing, boyo.” With a final glower, she retreated into the lake, going too far for him to reach her again.  _______ How similar they were sometimes. How both of them assumed control, how they both loved to hoard their treasures and use words to their advantage. And how Parker would never admit any of this, the thoughts not even going through his head as his eyes simultaneously seemed to illuminate with keen observation yet darken with malintent as he lunged forward.

She met him halfway, which was perfect all things considered - her rushing to him meant that Parker didn’t have to attempt to go through any limbs that would be raised in self-defense. Her body hit his own and he advanced on her. While she might’ve been stronger in the water, she wasn’t in the water, as well as coming off the effects of his custom sedatives and he was taller than her. She pushed him, he pushed back but most importantly, his arm that was wound back was faster as it shot out like a bullet for her shoulder

The sound of her bone breaking in the otherwise-still night air was enough of an indicator for Parker that the spiked knuckles hit their target and while he felt one of his eyes twitch as she pressed against the fresh holes in his shoulder but he knew it wasn’t going to last for long so he endured it; he could, he would and he always will. He kept the blood spinning in his veins, pushing it to the surface just under his skin in case.

He pulled back his fist and part of Parker wanted to get another jab in, a show of dominance, control, and for a moment the nymph’s visage was replaced by the one that murdered his father and critically injured his brother. However, one blink later and that fae was gone, one into another and he didn’t have time to react when he gasped as she brought her feet up, her talons piercing his abdomen, her claws in his skin once more and for another moment they were frozen in place. His eyes widened with surprise and yet, he didn’t didn’t yell but before he knew it, she had kicked him back and he was propelled back, flying some odd feet in the air before hitting the ground and sliding back.

Coughing out an exhale as he collided roughly with the ground, Parker scrambled to face her once more but the nix was already partially in the water, holding her shoulder and shooting him a venomous glare before she submerged herself into the lake and leaving him with the remnants of what she said echoing in his aching skull.

He got nothing. He lost.

Or so she said. Now that she was gone his breathing got more shaky as Parker furrowed his brow, gritting his teeth tightly to deal with the pain of her rending his flesh. He got to his feet slowly, pulling his hand away from his abdomen as his blood shined in the moonlight. Nothing he couldn’t recover from. He gingerly walked over to his boots and gathered them up along with the rest of his materials that weren’t lost to the lake before casting one more intense blue-eyed gaze to the rippling surface of the lake before disappearing into the thick trees once more.

She said he got nothing but he left with the one thing more important than her tail.

He knew what she was and where she lived.

[wickedsrest-rp]

What’s new in town?:

Is it aliens? Is it cryptids? Is there about to be a rip in the sky to another dimension? No one knows what’s causing these frequent skyquakes, but some suspect it might have something to do with all the missing Resters. Check out our first plot of the week of Season 2 for ways to interact!

Wicked’s Rest is celebrating the winter season with its Frost Bites Festival! Check out our ongoing seasonal event for a winter market, ugly sweaters, teleporting reindeer, Krampus, and so much more.

Slayer circles and the regulars at the Masque are all spreading the word about an outbreak of blutsaugers that are running rampant around Sunset Spire. The remoteness of the cemetery has allowed for them to go unchecked, but sooner or later, something is going to have to be done.

The movies at the Midnight Drive-In tend to be rudely interrupted by skyquakes. They've decided to own it and let the quakes enhance the experience by playing only kaiju movies.

The bulletin boards at the WR Community Center are filling up with complaints about all of the noise. Can't the town do something about that?

Starters:

Regan's wondering about the source of the skyquakes.

Chris is open for Valentine's Day work! Get your photos here!

Mateo is wondering about all the old-timey looking folks in town...

Teagan wants to know where the hell the birds have gone.

Leila is about to join in on the 'period dress' fun everyone else seems to be having.

Frankie is having some reindeer troubles...

Zofia wants to know what a good diet for a seagull is.

Get your Valentine's Day baked goods from Jonas before it's too late! That's not meant to be ominous.

Alistair thinks we should probably be getting in touch with the EPA...

[reesourire]

Cover Reveal: A Pizza My Heart by Teagan Hunter

#CoverReveal: A Pizza My Heart by @THunterWrites #brothersbestfriend #bestfriendssister #romcom @Danichez75

Most people would probably be embarrassed to land themselves back in their hometown and working at a pizzeria after an ugly divorce.

Not me.

It’s home, and I have one last shot to make Wren Daniels see me as more than just her brother’s best friend.

When the opportunity to show her what’s been right in front of her this whole time presents itself, I take it, holding nothing back this time.

Wr…

[oceansrevenge]

Marina and Teagan with a Teddy in the distance.

Thank you so much @eldritchaccident for the absolutely stunning art and bringing Marina's true form to life exactly how I imagined.

Aside from being INCREDIBLE, this is a reference for what Marina's true form looks when she's not using a glamour.

[oceansrevenge]

Walking Nightmares || Marina & Teagan

TIMING: Mid-June PARTIES: @closingwaters and @oceansrevenge SUMMARY: A sleep-walking Teagan finds herself in the ocean. Fortunately for her, Marina is nearby and senses she's fae, too, and saves the day. CONTENT: Some not-so-subtle innuendos & mentions of child death

Nightmares weren’t uncommon for the nix. She’d dealt with them ever since the incident. No two were exactly the same, but they did have the same components. Darkness and blood. It flowed, covering every corner, lathering it in what a young fae once slept in for a whole nice. The sorrow was like a heavy mist. It bellowed and thickened, blanketing Teagan like the most painful quilt ever made. Her mouth opened with a silent scream, but nothing greeted the air. 

Teagan’s lungs ached to release decades of pain, to reach her mother and her siblings. She wanted to end the terror and turn on a light. To pull herself from the place she could not escape. Splash!

Hitting the water struck whatever dream out of the way, forcing Teagan to wake with a powerful start. She gasped, water filling her lungs. That scared her. Normally, she could breath just fine, the water her home. The clear taste of salt explained it all. She wasn’t in Darkling Lake. Somehow, her sleepwalking led her to the ocean. 

Panic quickly washed over her face and her body began to splash wildly. Teagan’s skin ached, turning red and drying quickly despite being surrounded with water. She was far too panicked to find a way back to shore, not realizing it was only a few feet away. The world nothing but a blur.

Of everything in the world, there was little more beautiful than the moon and stars reflecting on dark ocean water. The constellations that speckled the sky made the waves appear to be shimmering in a way that no artificial aquarium light could ever mimic. The ancient stories of the gods reflected into the water and lived on it much like her daughter’s memory. It was the cephalopods, assorted octopodes, squid, and cuttlefish swimming around her, but in her exploration of this ocean, she saw reminders of Eula in every current and crevice. The loss was still fresh, even after five decades, but she had to trust the fates. She had to hold on to the pride she felt for her daughter. Even if her death came far sooner than Marina ever wanted, Eula placed the waters and creatures she was born to protect above herself, like any good nymph would. Pride however, was no substitute for holding her little girl close, but that was a joy she would never know again. 

The deep hum of the voice from her true form seemed to be like music to the little critters that swam around her as she watched the stars in the night sky, mentally drawing the lines between them. Remembering the stories her mother, aunts, and uncles all told her about each constellation. Remembering how Eula was so fascinated as they were shared with her. Longing was something Marina had grown familiar with, but at least now she could long for what was lost to her from the open waters, free to swim and move about as she wished. 

One of her tentacles had been tracing the pattern of Cassiopeia, her favorite constellation, when she heard thrashing in the water closer to the shore. Satisfaction pulsed through her hearts as Marina swam closer to the shoreline to see the show, that was, until a familiar feeling danced under her skin. The chiming of bells dancing across like the waves that carried her. Another fae. A kindred spirit was far better than a drowning human– which said a lot as there was little she enjoyed more than watching humans being pulled under by the tide. 

Marina put her speed in the ocean water to good use and raced towards the nix who was gasping in the water that burned her lungs. Two of her tentacles wrapped around the fae and lifted her out of the water and brought her to the shore. She set the other nymph down and quickly scanned the area for any potential threat that would have driven the other fae into the ocean despite the effect its water clearly had on her. Once she determined there was no threat present, she turned her attention to the nixie. “Why were you in the ocean,” her deep voice boomed, unintentionally. A form they could both share would be more comfortable for the moment and thankfully other fae rarely seemed to be offput by nudity in the same way humans were. So she put her glamour in place and spoke again, this time in a gentler tone, “It hurts you,” she noted, “Are you well?”  

She was going to die there. In an ocean of all places. It was embarrassing, but Fates, it was a bitter end. The nix had hoped to go out avenging her family, not this. Not drowning. Then, something as smooth as silk and cold wrapped around her. Teagan was placed onto shore far more gently than she anticipated, and she quickly succumbed to a coughing fit. 

The water burned in Teagan’s throat, fire bellowing in her lungs while she attempted to cough out the remnants. Salty bile spilled out of her mouth, relief resting in her chest when she felt the grains of sand stick to her skin. Teagan shook like a leaf, seeing how red her skin was even under the blue hue of moonlight. It would take hours in the lake to soothe her skin, but that didn’t matter. A voice, muffled and worried, was calling to her. 

“What?” The fae swallowed, eyes languid and searching. “How do you know that…”  Teagan felt the thrum underneath her skin, and she whimpered. It was a happy, little thing. Filled with surprise and wonder. Her first nereid in years, and she had saved her. Fates! She was far more blessed than she thought. So many fae in Wicked’s Rest, and Teagan had had the honor of meeting many of them already. But this one? She had to be the most beautiful. 

Leaning forward, Teagan cupped the nereid’s face and connected their foreheads, overcome with gratitude and relief. “You have my gratitude, lass. I don’t know how I got here. I was…I was sleeping.”

There was not much in the way of help Marina could offer the other nymph when it came to sputtering up the salty water. Instinctively, she still wanted to care for the other fae, offer something in the way of comfort. A nymph’s instinct to protect was not something that dwindled no matter how the years tried to chip away at everything she once was. The fact she could not simply take the pain and injury away was a familiar ache. She was just as powerless now as she had been behind the glass, watching the warden’s lackey pierce Eula with iron bolt after iron bolt. Any dream she had always seemed to play her daughter’s pained cries on a loop. 

The nereid was skilled enough with compartmentalization. After all, Marina understood her own pain mattered little in the scheme of things. She knelt down in the sand beside the nixie as she coughed up the remaining water from her lungs. Even with skin marred red from the water that soothed the nereid, the nixie was beautiful. A nymph always was and under the moonlight, the stars were reflected in her eyes much like they would dance across the calm lake on a clear night. A stunning feature that mirrored the very waters the nix was to protect, as the gods intended. There was confusion in those same eyes that quickly turned to realization, which Marina returned with a soft smile. 

When the nixie reached out to her, Marina welcomed the touch. For so long she’d been deprived of it, that she relished in the feeling, leaned into the touch that despite singed hands was still soft as could be. “It was nothing,” she assured gently, “If it had been in your waters, I’m sure you’d have done the same.” Because it was just what fae did, there was a certain loyalty in their shared nature. In the short time since her escape, she’d seen it when the banshee’s screams brought Siobhan to delightedly watch the nereid’s escape and now in this moment where she demonstrated her own show of loyalty to her kind. “I did not see anything out here besides you,” she noted, somewhat perplexed that the nix had ended up here in her sleep, “But we should get you back to your waters so you can begin to heal.” 

Her hand ran through the nixie’s sopping wet hair to shake some of the water out and away from the nymph. It was a simple closeness that Marina had been too busy stewing in rage to truly acknowledge she missed. The nereid blinked slowly and held out a hand to her new companion. “I am Marina,” she spoke, “I am still learning the area, but may I accompany to the lake, river, or stream that you protect?” 

Teagan leaned into the touch, not minding the burn the salt caused on her scalp. As long as she was out of the sea, she was fine. It was a shame, really. The saltwater could kill Teagan, but she couldn’t deny its beauty. Painful as it would be to die by drowning, it would be a gorgeous place to lay eternally. Lucky for the nix though, Fates had granted her the opportunity to relish in the nereid’s presence. Such grace was an honor. She would not dare waste the chance to cherish the nereid. 

“I would have saved you.” She promised, kissing Marina’s cheek. It stung her lips, but what did that matter? Teagan had only known Marina for mere moments, and she knew she was well worth it. Cupping the nereid’s cheek, Teagan nodded absentmindedly, still too tired to start a trek just yet. “Don’t know how far the walk will be. Are you sure you don’t mind?” Teagan looked around to find any landmark she recognized, but there were none. Lights were all but obscured in the distance too. Fates, how far had she walked?

“I live by Darkling Lake, but if I’m by the harbor…” Teagan stumbled to her knees, finally standing to get a better floor at her surroundings. “The Pines are a good twenty minutes by car. Can’t imagine how long it’d take by foot. Do you know of any inns nearby? Maybe we can finagle a deal. People here aren’t the brightest. 

Helping another fae was never something that Marina minded. Loyalty to her kind had been instilled in her from a young age. While she was not yet back at her full strength, she would have endured a trek of any length to see the other nymph to safety. Principal aside, the nix was undoubtedly beautiful, not that she’d ever met a fae who was anything less. The soft kiss on her cheek only made her want to hold on to the other fae tightly and never let go. The Fates were a fickle force, weaving some threads of the universe together and fraying others. Not that she would ever fault them for the cruel moments they delivered. The only person she would fault for that was the liar of a warden who saw to her daughter’s death. This moment was far kinder.

“I would never make an offer I have no intention of following,” Marina assured, still carefully wringing some of the water from the nixie’s hair, “That would be a lie.” Her lips twisted upward into a sly grin. If there was anything in this world she could trust, it was another fae. Lying was something so human. Dishonest words burned in their throat and had far more dire consequences, not that she minded. A lie was a vile thing. A simple belief that Teagan likely shared and at the very least knew lies were something that would never fall from the nereid’s lips. “It would be an honor to ensure your safety, fíltatos,” she answered, not quite able to pull herself away from the nixie’s touch despite the fact she knew it stung Teagan. 

Much of what Teagan had said about directions had gone right over her head. Freedom was still so new to Marina that she hadn’t entirely learned the area yet. “Hm,” she hummed aloud, “I am not too sure truly. I do not know the area well, but a kind banshee helped me figure out the phones and the like.” Her eyes glanced over at the tote back she had taken from the aquarium on her way out. While she detested the establishment, the tote bag did have an assortment of octopodes decorating it. “I believe there are accommodations along the boardwalk. It isn’t terribly far away. We’ll dry you off a bit first. You can wear the dry clothes I have stowed away.” 

Of course Marina would never lie, not even for something as passive as an offer. If she wasn’t so damn irritated with her skin and they had time, Teagan would’ve lingered just a bit longer. Marina seemed as if she yearned for more touch, like she hadn’t had a taste in so long. She was begging for water, and who was Teagan to deny Marina a drink? She’d give her a whole glass if she could. 

“How long has it been?” The nereid knew what her salty skin did to nixies, and she spoke about ensuring Teagan’s safety. That, and Marina couldn’t pull herself away. For as long as she could remember, Teagan was an observant individual. It made her a good hunter. But this time around, it made her a good listener. She could hear Marina’s heart. So, she asked again, “How long has it been, cariad? You know, since you last had kind hands all over you?” Dry clothes could wait. What was a little pain if she could quench Marina’s thirst?

It was easy to drink in the feel of another fae’s touch. Their shared connection thrummed under her skin the way the waves swayed on a clear day, little bells chiming in a rhythm that could so easily lull her into the same sense of calm. Had Marina been a better nymph, she would have pulled away sooner, insisted on getting the nix free of the saltwater that blistered her skin, but she wasn’t and Teagan could see plain as day in the night how the nereid craved closeness. She’d been so far removed from the world for so long, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the nix was astute enough to pick up on it. 

For a moment, it was enough for Marina to straighten her posture to prepare them for the trek to the more populated stretch of beach. The instinct to nurture never truly buried away, but the questions that followed made her throat turn sand dry for a moment. She had no doubt that was the intended effect. “Fifty years or so,” she answered, her voice raspy as if it had been her drowning only moments ago, “That matters not, you’re hurt. There is plenty of time for me to know kind hands again.” The gaze she let linger on Teagan left little up to interpretation. There was nothing murky in it, her desire for said kind hands to be Teagan’s was clearer than the waters of the Ionian Sea.

“Come,” Marina urged softly, forcing herself to pull away despite immediately missing the closeness between them, “The tide is getting higher yet.” 

Fifty years? What cruel hand was Marina given to go through such an unkind fate? Yes, Fate always had a reason, but it didn’t make Teagan question any less. Didn’t stop her chest from tightening at the cruelty. Her heart ached unbearably, as if she could be consumed by the pain Marina had gone through, but she couldn’t. The nereid had actually existed in such a state and survived, and all Teagan could do was empathize. All she could do was ignore her pain and the way her skin felt like it was cracking with every movement. 

Why couldn’t they stay there just a little longer? Teagan wanted to mend everything—make it right. But evidently, it wasn’t the right time, and really, she knew she could never fix anything. Not completely. She didn’t have the power to. And even if Teagan did, she knew herself too well. She’d fail just as she always did. 

Still, she wanted to try. 

“Wait.” She stopped Marina gently, grabbing her wrist and pulling herself up. Hands cupped Marina’s cheeks softly, cheekbones and jawline prominent at that distance. Teagan traced down her jaw with her finger and hovered for a moment, giving what she could in a small instant. “Let’s hold hands while we walk.” Fingers intertwined as Teagan kept eye contact. “You said you have dry clothes somewhere? We can switch clothing and then I think we can find a phone on the boardwalk and call a driver, or something. You said you understood phones? Do you have one?”

Some innate part of Marina had always been endeared to other fae. They could understand each other in ways no one else possibly could. Each one had such a specific role in the fabric woven by the fates.The nymphs safeguarding different aspects of nature, the banshees serving the fates themself and honoring the cycle of death, muses inspiring stunning creation– even the small sprites were part of the way of things. The connection she felt to Teagan was no different in that regard, but there was something else too. Despite the differences in their waters, water flowed and moved with wind– it flooded man-made streets and crushed ships with unmatched force. Every bit of Teagan, even with burnt skin from the salt of the ocean, was watery in its own way. It was easy to long to be closer and harder yet to pull away as she helped the nixie up. 

The separation was short-lived and Marina found herself selfishly grateful for it. “Of course, dearest,” she answered, not bothering to hide the relief in her tone. Her fingers laced through Teagan’s and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. If it weren’t for Teagan’s injuries, it would have reminded her of home, walking along the shoreline hand in hand with a fellow fae. “Yes, just up this way,” she pointed toward a rocky area a few yards ahead, “A towel as well, should do a better job of ringing the excess water out of your hair.” 

“I have a phone though I am still getting used to it,” Marina explained, “Don’t be alarmed by some of the stuff on there. It belongs to a human man who was very liberal in his use of the word promise. I have his credit card as well.” Even for the short walk to her tote, it was hard to keep her gaze from looking over toward the nix every so often. She truly was a divine specimen and she was sure her true form was even more so.. She reluctantly let the nymph’s hand go as she grabbed her tote bag and grabbed a flowing, pale-blue dress from the bag and a towel with some odd cartoon woman on it. “Here,” she offered, her eyes warm as she looked over the nix yet again, “The fabric is soft. It almost feels as if you’re nude while still following silly human laws.”

Oh Fates. Marina was becoming more and more fascinating. Much like the nix beside her, she too had acquired a deal with a man. Had a sugar father—or sugar daddy, as Arden so eloquently put. “You beautiful nereid!” Teagan stopped them in their tracks and pulled Marina’s face to hers. It didn’t matter that the leftover salt burned her lips. She needed to show her companion how much she truly adored her antics, that she acknowledged her skill. “I too have a man’s plastic money. Quite daft of him to promise to give me whatever I wanted, wasn’t it?”

Just as reluctantly as Marina, Teagan pulled herself a way, giving the nereid a departing kiss. She made quick, unabashed work of her sleepwear, plucking the dress from Marina. It was a relief to switch into something dry and all around soft. Teagan let out a sigh, looked around the area for the phone Marina mentioned. “If you can hand me the cellphone, I can download this app that sends a driver to your location.” She nabbed the towel and began to dry her hair, stepping toward Marina to stay close. The hum beneath her skin was impossible to resist. Especially with someone so beautiful. “I have an account that has my address and the man’s card. It’ll get us to my house. Fascinating, isn’t it?”

The kiss took Marina by surprise, but just as quickly, she returned it eagerly. The nixie’s lips were soft and the taste of salt water still lingered. It made the nereid long for more, to discover if every inch of her body tasted as sweet as her lips. However, the kiss was short-lived, which was to be expected in Teagan’s condition. “Mm,” she hummed, still taking in the ghost of a feeling of the nixie’s lips still lingering on her own. Once she was properly taken care of, Marina had every intention of getting to know every beautiful inch of the other nymph. “Impressive,” she whispered, “If I were a foolish man, I’d be just as loose with my words for a chance to kiss those perfect lips.” Fortunately, she was not a foolish human and she need not promise anything to the nix for the chance to take in all of her. 

Marina listened intently as the nixie explained the app. It was all still new to her. She’d heard about all of these things in conversations she listened to from her tank, but hadn’t experienced them. Even prior to her time as a fixture of some traveling show, her time spent in the human world had been minimal and usually limited to outings with a few faun friends she had made over the years. “It is fascinating,” she agreed, “You seem to have a good grip on all of this. I’ve only really observed, it’s hard to put it all to practice. Perhaps you could show me a thing or two.” The mischievous look in her eyes indicated she was playing with several meanings, which seemed to match the easy way the nix could make near anything sound flirtatious. 

Once she had slipped the clothes on, Marina took Teagan’s hand again and gave the phone to her. Perhaps she should have been paying more attention to what the other nymph was doing on the phone, but she was more taken with the way the light from the screen illuminated across Teagan’s skin. Truly a stunning nymph, but then again, was there even such a thing as a nymph who didn’t look like they were painted by the gods themself? “I think we’re ready to get out of here then. Get you into some freshwater and get to know more of each other.” 

Pink dusted over Teagan’s cheeks, and she could’ve sworn she heard a ringing. As if her mind was malfunctioning at Marina’s choice of words. When was the last time someone made her stutter or made her face go flush with such forward phrasing? Had it ever happened at all? Teagan didn’t mind, not really. There was a kind of vulnerability one had to let themself be to receive such attention so easily. If there was anything the nix wasn’t, it was vulnerable, but for Marina? For a nymph? Teagan would let go of her inhibitions and let the nereid have her way—to a degree. After all, she preferred the way women looked beneath her. 

“I’ll show you a thing or two,” Teagan began, connecting both of their foreheads together. “And then you’ll show me a thing or two. We’ve got all night, and then the next day.” Her lips hovered closer to Marina’s, a smile tugging her cheeks up while a chuckle tumbled past her lips. “I’ll make sure the driver rushes us to my home, too.” She licked her lips. “I can’t wait to get to know more of you.”

A wicked smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. In her years before the tank, Marina had taken a good number of lovers as was normal in her aos si, but something about another nymph was always just a little sweeter. The shared connection to a part of nature, the thrumming of bells pulsing through her– it was a sweet piece of the heavens that only a nymph could know. The short distance between them felt as vast as the ocean itself. If Teagan hadn’t been hurt by the salt in her water, she was certain she wouldn’t have waited for the ride to somewhere more “suitable”. 

“I look forward to it,” Marina whispered, not bothering to hide the shakiness in her own breath. Her teeth tugged at her own lower lip as she gathered herself and the small ounce of self-control she possessed in that moment. “I’m sure no human driver could tell you no. I know I certainly could not.” 

And she meant it. It was more than years of deprivation of touch and conversation that pulled her to the nix. They shared a nature and something in Marina told her that perhaps they shared a grief, too. The nix had been asleep before ending up in the ocean, not that she would push. The tide brought Teagan to her and that was a thread of the fates she would hold onto tightly. 

[letsbenditlikebennett]

[pm] Hey Alex.

I'm sorry I didn't respond to you. I've been stuck in that damn goo.

How have you been?

[pm] I'm glad you're out of the goo. Are you healing up ok? Do you or the lake need anything?

Mix of good and bad. Holidays were nice. Clawing up a warden? Not so nice. New Taylor Swift album? Extra nice. Telling Cass I love her and her saying it back? Even better.

@closingwaters

[oceansrevenge]

[pm] Would you like to stop by for a visit?

Got a room here for you and everything if you’d like to stay the night.

[pm] There is nothing I would like more than to visit with you, φίλτατος.

Do you prefer to sleep alone? I admit my form is too big for traditional beds, but I quite enjoy squeezing myself under them. Crevices and small ocean caves are where I usually sleep.

[letsbenditlikebennett]

[pm] I like you, too, Teagan. And I won't say the T word, but I appreciate it. And damn, this is a new life goal I never expected. Being liked by a lake is way cooler than being liked by a person. I'd say no offense, but I feel like you get it.

I'm sure I can make up some reason for a sign to go up. Can't promise people will listen to it. People like to ignore the signs a lot.

Well, it'd be an honor to see it one day. I imagine it's kinda when you feel most at one with the water too?

[...]

I don't usually tell people this, but I feel like you should know since you're offering to show me the lake you're dedicated to protecting and I get the impression that's not something you share with just anyone. I understand if this changes your mind about letting me visit the lake, considering everything. But the rest of my family doesn't accept me because they're rangers and think I should be dead. I get if that changes things. [...] But either way, it has been really nice talking to you and I hope that no matter what you make of that information, the world shows you and your lake more kindness than it has in the past.

[pm] Ah, I like you more and more. The lake will probably take a liking to you too. She's rather sweet.

Really? Can we keep people away from the lake? That would be most helpful.

My true form is beautiful. I feel most like myself when I let my glamour off. How come she's the only one who accepts? Looks like you'll be able to have the hair of the dog soon then. Perhaps I'll buy you a drink to celebrate.

[wickedsrest-rp]

Welcome to our weekly round-up! We do these every week to provide plot drops, highlight starters posted that week, and share other information about the setting. Anyone is welcome to use these bullet points in starters, plots, anons etc. Also let us know if you want us to include one of your setting-related plots in here for next week by sending us a bullet point!

What’s new in town?:

Strange crystals have overtaken the town, and touching them creates a “link” to the doomed people of Bleak Point. Some may find they have a stranger influencing their actions, while others might find their emotions amplified. The least fortunate may transform into creatures from the mines and terrorize the town. Come join the chaos of our latest POTW!

Don't forget your bug spray, kids! It's summer time and the insect life is in full force. Especially in the Common where bloodclingers have turned into their own personal all-you-can-eat buffet.

There's a new item on the menu at Driftwood Diner! Instead of your traditional chicken wings, they have something called worm wings. Yes, they're spicy. Yes, there's worms. Yes, they only come bone-in and they are worm bones! If you find yourself with an inexplicable need to do the worm dance and nestle into soil for the following days or week, don't be surprised.

For those who enjoy the finer things in life and find themselves at the Shimmering Sky Bar--- well, they may want to keep a close eye on their possessions unless they happen to be really good at scavenger hunts.

Starters:

Celebrating Speak Now TV release? Bridie is offering free entry to Tír na nÓg to anyone wearing purple

Who put a giant, smelly gym sock along Marcus' favorite path in the Common? Answers are needed

Smelly gym socks and super smelling? Yikes. Jo wants to know why all the weird stuff comes here

Leila is looking for a good jewelry cleaner so if you know someone, send them her way

Jasper is still without a face. Can someone help?

To set your mind at cheese, Beau is here to reassure the BMV is all good again so renew your license today!

Why does all her stuff say Mack? Clearly her name is Llama!

If you're good with internet slang, Lukas could really use your help

Can anyone help poor Sofie get the chickcharney out of her hair? She's having a bad time

Alright gardeners of WR, Conor's coming through with all the hot gardening tips of the summer

If Van has eaten your hay, consider this your formal apology

Please stop asking Chris to go photograph the crystals

If you have good home remedies for a broken bone, hit Teagan up

Alan seems to have lost his name. Can anyone help him get it back?

Russ wants to know if still using his zune mp3 player is weird and why he's getting strange looks

Fries? Crispy or soggy? There's one right answer, so help Jade settle this debate with her sister

Check out the new gown on display at the Party Thrifter! Leila is especially proud of this one

Can anyone help Felix find chips? The vending machine keeps spitting out random inanimate objects instead of food

Tune into Miyeon's show and enter the Fun in the Sun giveaway by sharing your worst dating stories today!

Marina is looking for someone to help her get in touch with Walt Disney. She's watched The Little Mermaid and she has some bones to pick with this Walt man

Juno wonders if the cod sandwich is really that good or if the Codfather has implemented some weird marketing ploy

While in the woods, Alex found a wallet with a tail and legs. It's a little mouthy. Please claim your cursed wallet

Have you seen this dinosaur femur? If so, please contact Dr. Regan Kavanagh

[stainedglasstruth]

[pm] Sorry for the quiet the last few days. Jac's birthday was today. It's always hard, you know? He would've been 30.

Made his favorite chocolates. Want to [...] join me in letting a lantern go? Usually do it by myself, but I think it'd do me some good to share the moment with someone I love.

[pm] That's okay, love, you don't have to apologize. I haven't been the best myself recently, either. [.....] I'm sorry. It's always hard around holidays and birthdays, isn't it?

I'd love to join you if you're up for it. [...] A lantern sounds like a really nice way to mark the occasion.

[stainedglasstruth]

@closingwaters replied to your post “Favorite holiday movie?”:

Just wait until Mari Lwyd!! Haven’t had people to celebrate with in years. So much to do!! Hopefully will change your mind on holidays.

​I don't know if a giant horse puppet will make me change my mind I'm [...] interested to see how it goes. [...] At the very least, it'll be fun to celebrate with you.

[letsbenditlikebennett]

[pm] Delicious... you know what, we stan a confident queen who knows her status as a snacc.

I love listening to her talk about rocks. I stole a bunch from some new age shop for her birthday. She's been slowly telling me about all of them. [...] It's really cute how her face lights up when she's talking about them. I'm down for all the quality time honestly.

I think I've talked to her before, she seems nice! I think humanity is easy to lose faith in, from like, a big picture look at it. Late stage capitalism is a hellscape and society is... well, bleak as fuck. But I think individuals, it's easier to see the good in it all. Kinda like a storm, when looking at it as a whole it can seem kind of scary or bad, but then you notice the way the sky lights up when it lightnings and how it illuminates the trees and it's beautiful even if it's not all good.

Sounds like the universe wanted to bring you back to her and I'm glad it did. You seem really happy and I'm happy for you.

[pm] You'd be surprised what my delicious looks do to a person. Appreciate the sentiment though.

Aye. That she is. She's an oread, so bring her lots of pretty rocks to tell you about. She seems the type to love quality time too.

[user blushes]

Her name is Arden. She's a journalist. Honestly, we were only supposed to have one date, hookup, and then move on. I mean, she's human. For a while, I didn't think they belonged in my world and I was indifferent to em. We ended up connecting one night when she found me sleepwalking. After that, I don't think we could stay away from each other. Even if I tried, I kept thinking about her and running right back. Like the tether was taut and needed to be slackened by being near her. And now I'm in love and it's terrifying but I rather be scared than never experiencing what we have. That seems worse.