* 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 / 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓.

     (     felix  mallard  .   cismale  .   he / him  .   dynamite  &  sigrid  .     )     i  heard  APOLLO  GODFREY  singing  the  other  night  ,  though  it  didn’t  sound  like  english  .   it’s  so  admirable  that  someone  who’s  only  TWENTY - FOUR  can  sing  latin  so  fluently  !   i  hear  they  hang  out  with  the  LUX  coven  ,  but  they’re  also  a  WAITER  (  DURING  EVENTS  )  at  WARREN  DISTILLERY  .   when  dusk  falls  ,  you  can  usually  find  them  heading  home  to  BROOKLYN  by  CITI  BIKE  .

“stare often?” She laughs as she puts the once lit cigarette out beneath her boot. “Yu-Jun..don’t wear it out.”

She was never this shaken up. Things didn’t get to Lilith often. But this? This was tragic. “This is not good..” She mumbled to herself, leg shaking underneath the table. “Who do you think did it?“ Ah, yes, perfect time to gossip. But who could blame her?

     he  doesn’t  hesitate  to  point  fingers  .   after  all  ,  it  was  far  too  easy  to  blame  the  enemy  coven  .   “  the  durands  .   who  else  could  it  be  ?  ”

           it’s  been  perhaps  ,   a  SHITTY  two  weeks  .   grace’s  one  of  the  lucky  ones  ,   she’ll  think  as  she  hums  to  taylor  swift’s  new  song    (  a  part  of  her  thinks  about  how  she  wants  to  fall  in  love  ,   as  she  usually  does  with  songs  such  as  these  ,   but  grace  knows  it’s  neither  the  time  nor  place  for  such  thoughts  )  ,   for  she  hadn’t  been  harmed  during  the  murder  .   it  seemed  that  that  world  hadn’t  wanted  to  even  touch  her  .     “  is  this  too  fancy  for  a  day  out  in  the  city  after  the  murder ?  ”    glances  down  at  her  dress  ,   it  flows  from  the  light  fabric  in  the  wind  .    “  i  wasn’t  sure  what  i  was  going  to  do  today  -   but  now  i’m  thinking  i  might  be  overdressed  .    …  anything  for  the  gram  ,   hmm ?  ”    will  turn  to  the  other  with  a  slight  grin  .  

     Cian had decided to give a special at the Tavern in response to Rosamine’s death. In pure Irish fashion, it was suppose to encourage the celebration of her life by having a few drinks. If you bought two drinks then one of them would be half off. Nothing too special, but certainly enough to hopefully encourage a better feeling among the crowds around him. As a customer walked in, he got around to the other side of the bar. “How can I help ya?” 

SHE GASPS A LITTLE TOO DRAMATICALLY. “Nonsense, Apollo.” It’s actually the attention she gives her. He’s pretty to look at, too. It’s a good bonus. She won’t admit he’s actually and genuinely good company, not even to herself. “Well, I’ll thank Jude for being a brat, since I seem to have you all to myself for now.” She lets her eyes take him in. “You clean up nicely.”

     a  chuckle  leave  his  lips  .   even  if  he’s  kept  around  just  for  that  -  he’d  be  fine  with  it  .   at  least  he’s  kept  around  ,  right  ?   “  you  trying  to  get  me  in  trouble  ,  leon  ?   if  she  hears  i’ve  been  calling  her  a  brat  she’ll  break  me  in  half  .  ”   he  jokes  ,  mostly  .   though  odds  are  -  if  he’s  no  match  for  a  durand  ,  he’s  likely  no  match  for  an  apinya  either  .   “  it  doesn’t  take  much  to  have  me  all  to  yourself  ,  you  know  -  ”   and  he  leans  into  her  space  ,  a  smile  upon  lips  .   “  oh  ,  this  old  thing  ?   pfft  .  ”   he  shrugs  ,  so  casually  dismissive  whilst  feigning  gallantry  ,  fingers  tugging  at  his  jacket’s  lapel  .   “  -  but  thanks  ,  and  you  look  absolutely  stunning  .  ”

HER LIPS CURL IN SATISFACTION AS HE FAILS TO SPEAK. tucking some strands of hair behind her ear, she cups it for a second, as if she’s trying to listen in on the very clear  ‘ fuck you ’  he gives her. maybe that one was valid, but what he had been saying to her earlier ?   absolutely not. she doesn’t fight the younger boy when he flinches out of her touch, and simone is careful to keep enough distance between them so it won’t look INAPPROPRIATE. she’s just looking for him to learn his lesson, and something passes behind his eyes that makes her believe he’s actually listening, finally. he could be lying, but simone can only teach a young man so much in one day. taking a step back when he nods, she mumbles the counter-spell, letting him find his voice once more. then she moves back behind the counter of the bookstore, taking a seat at her post.   “ tell your parents i say hi, apollo, ”   she says mildly, without even looking at him, opening up a book. as much of a dismissal as he’s going to get. 

     this  time  -  attention  is  on  her  face  ,  on  her  lips  ,  as  the  counter-spell  is  recited  .   he  attempts  to  memorize  her  words  ,  but  is  unsuccessful  even  at  that  .   simone  is  superior  in  every  way  ,  and  it’s  a  fact  .   with  ares  gone  ,  every  responsibility  the  twins  would  share  now  fall  solely  on  apollo  .   and  it  became  clear  that  he  does  not  stand  a  chance  against  a  durand  .   perhaps  ares  could  ,  but  apollo  ?   as  brave  and  composed  as  he  might  be  ,  he’s  no  match  .   thus  ,  he  doesn’t  dare  to  retort  .   instead  ,  he  holds  his  middle  finger  up  at  her  ,  leaving  the  store  without  a  look  back  .  

Interest is piqued as azure orbs continue to follow the others movements, studying expressions and picking up the odd word that falls forth. It’s not until the distance between them lessens that the familiar scent of magic wafts through the air; though perhaps that’s just those that she’d been mingling with earlier. All the same heeled clicks have brought her even closer to the other, head tilting once she’s rounded on him. ‘Your drink is empty – are you not interested in the party?’

     apollo  has  been  nursing  an  empty  glass  for  a  while  now  .   he  used  to  be  good  at  mingling  ,  but  after  ares  -  he’d  become  more  and  more  reclusive  .   he’s  got  a  few  friends  ,  and  that’s  it  .   and  if  it  wasn’t  for  jude  accompanying  him  ,  he’d  likely  skip  the  whole  bash  .   but  he’s  there  ,  so  when  he’s  approached  ,  he  tries  to  slip  into  his  old  self  -  polite  ,  delightful  ,  amiable  .   “  oh  ,  no  -  i  was  just  about  to  go  to  the  bar  and  get  another  .  ”   lie  .   “  how  about  you  -  having  a  good  time  ?  ”   

A SLOW SMILE CURVES UP THE BRUNETTE’S LIPS when she hears the familiar voice. She takes the champagne flute, turning around to face him. “I’ll let it pass this time, but I’ll be waiting for a bottle of the finest liquor you can find next time we meet,” she teases lightly, moving to slightly tug at the collar of his shirt as if to fix it. “No date tonight. Where’s yours?” She doesn’t care to come with dates, because she’d rather not dedicate most of the night to one person.

     he  leans  forward  as  he  says  ,   “  i’m  starting  to  think  that’s  the  only  reason  you  keep  me  around  .  ”   though  her  gesture  to  fix  his  shirt  brings  a  genuine  smile  out  of  him  .   “  somewhere  .   jude  is  a  bit  of  a  brat  .   i  can  only  take  her  in  small  doses  .  ”   which  is  a  lie  .   even  while  aligning  with  the  tacitum  cover  -  jude  is  a  good  friend  .   but  sabina  ?   she  has  a  pull  on  him  that  he  never  understood  .   thus  ,  ditching  his  date  for  the  woman’s  company  almost  feels  guilt-free  .

TAPPING THE SHOULDER of the boy, Sian waited for him to face them before slightly slurred words started tumbling out, “My glass is empty, I need a refill – - and where is the bathroom around here? There should be up signs or something-–”

     he  turns  to  face  the  other  ,  brows  furrowing  in  confusion  instantly  .   “  lady  -  ”   he  tries  ,  but  he’s  interrupted  .   “  yeah  ,  no  -  i  don’t  work  here  .   but  bathroom  is  that  way  ,  and  the  bar  is  over  there  .  ”   index  finger  pointed  at  said  locations  ,  and  a  sigh  leaves  his  lips  .   “  and  here  i  thought  i  was  rocking  this  black  tuxedo  i’m  in  .  ” 

“You have to try this.” Silas exclaimed, extending his drink out to Apollo. “I told the bartender to surprise me and honestly – i’m quite surprised.” He donned a quick smirk towards him, urging him.  

     because  silas’  smirk  could  be  misleading  ,  apollo  hesitates  to  take  the  glass  the  other  so  eagerly  extends  his  way  .   “  why  do  i  feel  like  this  is  a  trap  ?  ”   brows  lift  as  fingers  reach  out  ,  and  soon  the  glass  is  pressed  against  his  lips  in  a  gingerly  sip  .   “  it’s  …   okay  .   a  little  strong  ,  isn’t  it  ?  ” 

          THEY’LL  BE  THE  FIRST  to  admit  that  they  have  a  finer  appreciation  for  liquors  .  so  when  they  saw  a  post  about  warren  distillery  holding  a  tasting  event  for  their  newest  liquors  ,  satomi  jumped  on  the  opportunity  .  they’re  led  down  to  the  event  area  where  they  immediately  spotted  apollo  .  “  you  know  ,  ”  they  start  ,  walking  up  to  the  witch  .  “  i  always  forget  that  you  work  here  .  ”

       ‘  apollo  ,   if  i  cared  about  our  families  ,   i  wouldn’t  be  working  with  the  coven  your  brother  ditched  yours  for  .  ’   jude  is  INDIFFERENT  to  the  covens  ,   only  using  what  she  needs  from  each  one  before  she  continues  with  her  little  pet  project  .    ‘  brooklyn  bridge  .   it’s  perfectly  legal  …  probably  .  ’  

        ‘  if  i’m  going  to  suffer  with  this  knowledge  ,   i  certainly  don’t  want  to  be  alone  in  it !  ’   she  quips  up  at  him  ,   as  if  it  was  the  most  natural  conversation  starter  she’s  come  up  with  -  and  in  lore’s  case  ,   it  kinda  is  .    ‘  also  ,   i  don’t  have  a  reddit  .   nor  do  i  know  how  it  works  .   actually  ,   i’m  not  sure  if  i  want  to  know  how  it  works  .  ’  

IF THEY WERE ALONE, THIS WOULD GO DIFFERENTLY. with a flick of a wrist, simone could have him pressed against a nearby bookshelf, a crushing weight on his chest as she FORCED him to listen to her this time around. unfortunately, that would be a bit conspicuous, and while durand books is known for witchcraft, humans seeing it in the flesh would be a yelp-review nightmare waiting to happen. still, that didn’t mean she was useless…

simone mutters a small spell in latin under her breath, and it’s the most disney villain she’s done in awhile :   the next time apollo tries to open his mouth to speak, sound won’t come out.   “ i’m sorry, what did you say ? ”   she prompts with a lazy smile, daring him to try to say something. it’s a childish curse and she knows it, but her message is clear. she’s not afraid of him, OR his family. now that the godfrey will shut up for a minute, simone closes the distance between them, backing him into a bookshelf.   “ let’s try this again, one more time, ”   she says slowly, hands on his chin to force him to look down at her.   “ i’m not a part of whatever soap opera you’re trying to cook up for your family. ares makes his own choices, and it’s because of me he’s sleeping on a couch, and not on the street. now, next time i see you in this shop trying to start something, i’ll be taking more than just your voice. understand ? ”

     simone  is  obviously  more  powerful  than  apollo  .   she’s  older  ,  wiser  ,  and  a  practitioner  of  dark  magic  .   while  apollo  ,  well  …   he  only  ever  learned  defensive  magic  .   he  could’ve  tried  to  protect  himself  from  her  spell  .   that  if  he  had  even  acknowledge  she  had  been  casting  one  while  blinded  by  his  hatred  .   it’s  only  when  he’s  had  it  with  the  stare  contest  and  lips  part  to  express  another  insult  in  the  name  of  being  honest  that  he  realizes  what  she’s  done  .