◆ ALTAN ÖNDER ◆

"Not much, if I'm being honest? We're not the most open of families," She admitted, seeing how they all held the fact Silas had been in town from each other for one reason or another way back when. "Ah. That is... something," She pressed her lips together, not really knowing what else to say, outside of giving him a small nod. "Huh?" She blinked up at him at the mention of her siblings. "How much do you know about me, exactly?" She posed when he said that he had doubts it was the truth. Given that she was inadvertently responsible for the death of both her mother and one of her siblings, she wasn't sure how else you could refute it? "Yeah? Me too for the both of us."

"I'd imagine it can get... difficult at times." Between Silas and Alyssa, Altan knew Poppy had been given a tainted hand when it came to her parents, even Silas alone would have been enough to screw someone up for a lifetime. His brow furrowed slightly in return, hoping he hadn't inadvertently stumbled onto a sore spot, "I'd like to know more about you, I don't know all that much - but given how important you are to people I care about, I'm already taking that as a good sign. But, I just meant Poppy tends to believe she's trouble too, even in situations where it might not be true." He couldn't refute it entirely, but given how often he'd seen her take things to heart that were entirely removed from her or out of her control, he could imagine it being a similar trait shared between siblings.

"Advice? Pshh!" Yeah, I can give advice; if you're okay with the blind leading the blind." Ernie laughed. "Especially with relationships. I'm just gonna tell people to scheme against their partners if they're cheating." He paused as he quickly recalled his prior days as a bartender. " I was a bartender back in the late '90s and the amount of men who came up to the bar to try and fight me because I would tell their boyfriends to break up with them was..." He trailed off. "I got fired because of it." He swept the remaining glass shards into the dustpan. "Listening to people's darkest secrets sounds like a good idea, but I'm going to ditch the bar tricks for obvious reasons." Ernie gestured to the floor where the glasses fell. "'I'll just keep it simple and make a cocktail. Speaking of, did you want another drink, man? Don't worry I'm not gonna ask your darkest secrets. Although I will say, I'll probably be able to figure them out based on what you order."

A chuckle crossed his lips, "I don't know, seems to me like you were offering pretty solid advice there - even if the boyfriends didn't appreciate it. But that's what they deserve for cheating, and it's probably what they needed to hear to finally end it." Altan knew that sometimes getting a reality check from someone with no outside stake in your life was the remedy one needed. "I am sorry you got fired over it - that sucks. I doubt Poppy would do that, if it helps any. Although maybe it is best to keep things simple at the moment - who knows what secrets people are hiding." Especially with things as they were, Altan was grateful that his job was mostly removed from what had been happening in Lunar Cove, he doubted it was the same with bartending. "I'm alright for the moment - just waiting on Poppy to clock out before I leave. But I'm sure you can discern something with that non-order."

"Yeah, I figured you might be and, eh, they may argue it, but they'd be wrong," She told him, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Oh? A mess? How so?" She asked curiously. Only for her to find herself clearing her throat and adverting her gaze. Her cheeks tinging a light pink at the compliment that was thrown her way. "Oh, well, that's because I'm typically the trouble," She mumbled under her breath. "And fingers crossed, for all of us. You included. And eh, I think we may be more similar than you'd think. I never grew up here so I don't have the memories tying me here that everyone else seems to, but the people have made this home for me. At least compared to everywhere else I've ever been, though Queens is a close second."

His shoulder shrugged, unsure if he entirely believed Jasmine, but Altan appreciated her faith in him all the same. Even though he knew his next admission might cause that to waver. "Not sure how much Poppy told you, but... I didn't do a great job at balancing things in high school - I was so focused on her that I lost sight of everything else - grades, sports, my scholarship. I figured we were in it together, even if she wanted to leave, and the rest didn't seem as important anymore. So when she left me behind, I'd also lost everything that I'd been working towards before her, and it was entirely my fault." Embarrassment crossed his features, although he'd done better at accepting that no matter how stupid his decisions had been in hindsight, they'd still led him to where he was now. "Guess that was a lesson I had to learn the hard way." Although he only barely caught her mumbled words, it reminded him of the whispers that had followed behind Poppy, and the beliefs she seemed to cling to about herself even now. "Guess believing that runs in the family - although I doubt it's the truth." A smile crossed his face at her next statement, nodding in agreement. "But yes, I hope we'll get a few more pockets of peace before things descend into chaos again. I'm glad that the people have made it a home for you too though, I guess that's what truly matters at the end of the day."

For a moment, Altan wondered if she'd lash out again, especially given how raw her emotions still seemed. He hadn't done the best job at keeping himself in check when he was in his early twenties, and even now he struggled. His head gave a short nod, turning his attention completely to the tasks at hand since it didn't seem like Rangi wanted to discuss the situation further. Listening to her words, he placed the tinder under the sticks, doing his best to make sure it was protected on all sides. "I don't suppose they gave us a lighter or some matches to make things a little easier, did they?" Although he didn't quite see the usefulness of learning these skills, he could appreciate that at least they were in neutral territory and that it was forcing him to approach a problem with a new set of circumstances. "I know we have to produce friction to make sparks to light the tinder. But that's the extent of it. Where did you pick this up?"

Where: Altan's house With: @altanonder

Perhaps it was a bit silly to have nerves building, after all, they'd gone on countless dates before this - even if there had never been the label attached to it. She was practically moved in at this point, although Altan didn't dare point out that there were more clothes of hers in his closet than there were in hers out of fear that he'd scare her away, or make Poppy feel pressured into claiming they were more than she was ready to admit they were. So while it wasn't anything new, not really, Altan did feel the stress of making sure it went well, especially when he knew that this wasn't something she'd have agreed to do with just anyone. He'd cut out of work a bit early, just to ensure that nothing had gone wrong with the reservation and he could stop by the florist on the way home.

Rather than ask the first thing that popped into his head, Jonah simply nodded as Altan spoke and kept the likely naive questions to himself, "Well, I'm glad you seem to doing okay at least. Dodgeball is... well it's not, but it can get intense as is without magic, adding that would definitely only escalate it." Still, all for the game wasn't it? It was main reason why he carried a back up pair of glasses. "Oh? Which ones haven't you done before? But same for me, I've never done horseback riding or archery so that was a nice experience." He had to agree to that statement, without something like this to break from the doom and gloom they had be inundated with of late, this was a much needed change, and really, he did want more things like this, as fun as balls and gift exchanges seemed to sound, being out in nature was more comfortable to him. "I hope so, this was a fun way to get everyone involved and just be? Yeah, mixing up the groups would be a good way to establish more of a bond between different groups."

"That's true, it probably would have been better to bar magic altogether. But at the very least it was a good lesson." He knew he'd been a bit vague, skirting around the issue due to his own embarrassment at having upset someone, and he appreciated the fact that Jonah didn't push for more information but rather let him disclose it at his own time. "I used my water manipulation during the game - and really at first I just meant to make the ground slippery for them, but I didn't think about how it would turn the sirens. I'd always thought the power pretty harmless - but it did teach me to be a bit more mindful with it." A chuckle left his lips at the activities Jonah mentioned, his head nodding in agreement, "Actually, it's the same for me, both of those were new to me. I've done canoeing before, but never raced them. So overall, it was cool trying those things out - I don't think I'd have given them a chance otherwise." Truly, some of the camp had felt like a return to childhood - and he liked the carefree nature of just being able to hang out and have fun rather than being weighed down by the danger that still seemed to be lurking. "I do find that I tend to hang around witches the most, so it was a reminder that I could probably work on having a better grasp on what it's like to be any other species. But regardless, I've been having fun."

who: open @lunarcovestarters where: ~*Starlight Bar*~

Stopping by the Starlight after work had become a more regular occurrence, even if it was just to keep Poppy company or wait until she was done for the day. Although watching what people got up to was entertaining enough in its own right, making the time pass quicker than he would have expected. But he had to admit he'd never seen a trick quite like the one Ernie was attempting, even if the shot glasses seemed just on the edge of toppling over. As much as he was hoping for a successful execution, when a few seconds later they tumbled onto the ground he had to turn his face to disguise the laughter he was trying to stifle. "As cool as the Domino shots would have been... I don't think that's your safest bet. You could choose to be chaotic and combine the two options. Listen to people's darkest secrets as you try and master the bar tricks." Not that he knew a lot about streaming, but Altan imagined that adding some sort of a novelty aspect would only help with views. "Although for the sake of Poppy's glass budget, I feel like I have to argue for Plan B. Does the plan include offering advice for those secrets? I feel like that's part of the bartender trade."

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"Probably for the best that you've got the title of supreme, I feel like I'd just let everyone off easy and the coven would fall into chaos." His fingers traced along her back, hoping to impart some comfort and security. While he might not want to be a leader, he did want Poppy to succeed and know that she had someone by her side even when she felt vulnerable. "If we do this again next year, we can work out the flaws and do things a little differently. This was only a start, balım." One that would probably be necessary, especially when it seemed like all the cards were staked against them. Because, while he might trust the coven and the pack to have his back, Altan knew that working on his friendships amongst the others would be essential to them all working as a team. "Guess I should count myself lucky that impressing your dad is one thing I don't have to worry about. Although it would help if he wasn't psychotic." His breath caught as her lips nipped along his collarbone, doing his best to suppress the groan threatening to slip through. "It's truly a wonder I get anything done with you around." His nose wrinkled as she booped it, even if he couldn't keep his expression as stern as he was attempting. "Be good and I'll show you just how fucking fantastic you are later." His fingers interlaced with hers as he stood up, the grin on his features bright even as he returned her kiss. "As tempting as that is, I'll take you up on that offer when we're out here roughing it - but right now, I'd rather have you in my bed. Gives me more room to worship you."

After drinking too much in celebration of their capture the flag win and becoming Elif's problem for the night Jacob admitted he drank too much. It was too easy for one beer to turn into ten when he was having fun with friends. To swear off alcohol right before a long weekend, partying in the woods with all his friends, was destined to end in failure. On Monday, he told himself, he'd be done. "Yeah, for sure. I got you." His backpack was stuffed full of bottles and a few, essential, pieces of clothing. Jacob passed an unopened one over. "Sometimes I have good ideas." He laughed then added. "I don't know if I can say the sleeping bags was a good one. It only covers me about to here." The witch held a hand up to his chest. "We should just crash Pops big ass RV."

"The universe knows you'd be too powerful if you always had good ideas - hence it's only sometimes." A chuckle left his lips at the image of Jake trying to cram himself into a too-small sleeping bag. "I guess they didn't factor in that someone as tall as you would end up with those. Although I'd say it's still debatable if that's better than no blankets at all. Seems like we both really drew the short end of the stick." His head shook at Jacob's suggestion, "Believe me, I already tried that - but she's insisting that she has to follow the rules and set a good example as Supreme. So we're left having to rough it." Not that he truly regretted his fate when it came to the sleeping arrangements, especially when it meant that Poppy was able to spend the next couple of nights in luxury. "Although maybe she'll give you special treatment since you're taking on the rolse of advisor."

"Eh, it's kind of her MO," She admitted, shooting Altan an innocent grin. Though, at the mention of the black eye, her smirk fell. "Yeah, about that, you okay?" She asked, motioning up to the purplish ring around his eye. "Wait really? I didn't know that and ah, welp, I can take the credit there. I got a lot of help," She admitted, being more of a minimalist herself and, by minimalist, her old apartments and places were so minimal that they had looked unlived in until she moved in with Nico. But, it had weirdly been easier for her to shop with what she thought he'd like in mind, then shopping for her own non-existent taste. "Oh, uh, I mean I got married and started my own business here, so yeah, I'd say this place has weirdly become a home for me. As bizarre of a home as it sometimes can be, but what about you? Does it feel like a home since coming back?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit familiar with that." Although he hoped that some things could change, including Poppy's tendency to run. "Totally fine, some would argue that I deserved it." The slight grimace that had formed on his face at the mention of the punch turned into a genuine smile, "Yeah, right out of high school - I was a bit of a mess and Nico had my back. But he seems a lot more settled than back then, happier too, which I'm sure is partly thanks to you." It seemed to be a common thread throughout his friendships, the growing pains of finding themselves that they'd all had to grow out of, even if Altan still sometimes felt just as lost as back then. "I suppose that's true, although I know people who would have left this place at the first sign of trouble. I'm glad you've come to consider it a home though, and hopefully, things will calm down a bit so you can enjoy it all." He considered her question, still slightly unsure of the answer. "It's ...different. It doesn't feel like the home I remember from when I was younger, but the people who made it a home are all here, so I guess it feels more like one than any other place I've been in."

"That's the hope," he agreed with a nod. He wanted this to work, he wanted a town event that didn't end with bloodshed or death, but could such a thing really be avoided? He thanked his lucky stars that his own wedding went perfectly, but could that luck continue? Jonah knew there had been a few events here and there that were good, but dark clouds loomed over regardless. But these, the camp retreat and the team building activities were off to a great start in his opinion, he saw people having fun and smiles on faces as they tried to rally points for their own teams, and he was among that.

He grimaced slightly at the mention of his eye. While he probably could have healed it by now, he didn't know if Rangi would see that as an affront. "I wouldn't classify this as a disaster. I'm alright though, thanks for asking. Things just got a little heated during dodgeball - I used my water manipulation without thinking through what it would do to the sirens, so I'd argue I mostly have myself to blame." Not that he wanted to fully excuse Rangi's actions, he knew why Poppy and Aiyla were upset, but if the event was supposed to be about bonding them all closer together, Altan knew acknowledging his own mistake was part of it.

He'd been aiming for apologetic, although clearly that wasn't translating and Altan wondered if there was anything he could do that wouldn't anger Rangi further. Maybe it was a hopeless cause, and the best he could hope for from this 'bonding' exercise was to avoid getting another black eye. "I wasn't asking for an apology - nor do I feel like you owe me one, I just wanted to offer you my own." With a friend, he might've argued that he didn't entirely see the difference between the two words, but obviously, there was more nuance there when it came to her, and he did his best to decipher what it might be. "Alright, I'm sorry for my thoughtlessness - I should have considered how my abilities would affect them, and I didn't, I'll do better in the future." He caught the pack of tinder, considering it for a moment before gathering up some logs and hoping he wouldn't make too big of a fool of himself in the process of trying to light them. "That works for me. I'd offer to do it all on my own, but it's been a while since I've done anything involving survival skills, so we might be here for a lot longer if I did."

Aiyla & Altan @altanonder

His steps slowed as he saw Aiyla approaching him, although he'd enjoyed the various activities that had been set out for them, he was afraid that things had soured slightly. The original intent for bonding felt like it had gone slightly astray by the various competitions, even if he was proud that the witches had managed to stick together. Returning her smile with one of his own, he took the offered fruit, "Teşekkürler" His head shook, waving away her concern, "You don't have anything to apologize for, at least no more than I do - Rangi acted of her own accord. But I am sorry it escalated the way it did, I never meant to make the Sirens feel powerless or to cause you more problems." He knew there wasn't much he could do to resolve the issue - that ultimately it would fall on Poppy and Aiyla's shoulders, but he wished that he hadn't added onto their responsibilities.

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He let her examine him, hoping that the bruising along his eye wouldn't cause Poppy more reason for concern. Although he did have to admit that he was being a bit hypocritical - if it had been Poppy who was punched, he wouldn't be as willing to write it off as a mistake. "C'mon, I got hurt worse playing football - even if that was during the game and not after. This is just a bruise. If is the worst that happens this weekend, I'll gladly take it - especially if it spared you being hurt instead." Maybe it had been inflicted by someone who should be an ally, at least when it came down to defending the town, but Altan didn't want to get hung up on resentment and blame. Especially when he could understand the frustration of seeing your fellow teammates incapacitated. "Yeah, but Royce also played a bit dirty during capture the flag - I feel like what happened between them was personal. Hopefully, they'll manage to sort it out." His thumb traced over her pout, eyes softening as he pulled her in closer against him. "Hey, we won fairly and as a team - I think that speaks to how well the coven all worked together, alongside the pack and the unaffiliated. What the fae did isn't on you - and I do feel closer to the witches. But I know that the games showed some of our weak spots too. So we can work on those." His eyes drifted down to the buttons of his jersey, gaze heating for a moment before his fingers moved to interlace with hers. "You are thinking too much - and I can't wait to distract you when we celebrate later. But... you are a damn good Supreme, don't let anyone, especially not yourself, convince you otherwise."

"Smart man," Jas let out a low whistle, trying her best to hide the amusement that made its way to her gaze as he tried to side step around the answer. "Let me guess, she's basically living at yours and you two are exclusive, but you're not actually using any labels yet?" She shot him a knowing look. "You don't have to answer that by the way. It's a rhetorical question. But, given that you seem to be on board, I take it, I'm going to be seeing a lot more of you, so outside of taking a nightly stroll on the beach and being able to take a punch - that looked like it stung by the way- tell me about yourself. You grew up around here, right? I think Nico's mentioned you name before a handful of times."

He'd been called anything but smart back when he was younger; foolish, shortsighted - but never wise for choosing love. They'd been proven right, at least partly, but he hoped this time around things would turn out for the better. It amused him how easily Jasmine seemed to read the situation, and he had to suppress a laugh at the look she shot him. "That's... a very astute guess. But I am on board, and I do hope we'll be seeing more of each other, although hopefully without a black eye in the future." He gave a short nod, his gaze drifting briefly to the ocean before settling back on her, "Yeah, I spent most of my childhood here - my parents wanted to find a refuge for us to be raised in. And I was actually a roommate of Nico's before I left - so we share the life experience of living with Nico, although your home is much more cozy and well-decorated. How've you been adjusting to Lunar Cove? I know things have changed a lot since I last lived here, but I hope you feel like you've found a home even despite everything."