key: completed ; i owe ; not started

max roper ; exiled werewolf

haylee

aiden

bram

cordelia darkwood ; magister of the west

daniel

daphne

open

jake juarez ; former royal mer guard

josiah

octavia

open

lorelai ‘rory’ mackie ; captive feeder

mike

jack

teddy

fallon knight ; vizier & owner of elysium circus

freddie

teddy

naj

rose

luca whitemore ; apprentice sorcerer

haylee

freyja

open

noah taylor ; unranked lywarerers werewolf

aurora

liliana

“It was suicide. That’s all I can think of..” Cordelia was right. Axel had been acting rash for a heck of a long time now..but the play. The attack. It had done far too much damage on both sides, not to mention how difficult it had made things. “The vampires wanted Axel, maybe even Card..and rescuing Asher meant giving that to them. But it sure doesn’t excuse letting Ash suffer..like, why should he be sacrificed like that?” Daniel swallowed, shaking his head, “It’s what we were all taught and sure, there was a time when I would have accepted it, but not anymore.”

If he had been in the same mindset as many years ago, the thought of being in the fae’s presence right now would have been unthinkable. Let alone having any sort of feelings for her. As she spoke again, the scout smiled a bit..and gave Eranthis’ hand a little squeeze.. “..I know.” he frowned, “I’m guessing you get that too..? I honestly hadn’t met a Fae who cared this much..”

The scout let go gently then, closing his mouth shut as the conversation turned serious again. This time, though..he swore he could see the wheels turning in her head, balancing some invisible arguments…them. And fuck she had a point, whether she actually said a thing or not. “It’s always going to be dangerous, Cordelia..are we going to pretend it’s not?” Daniel mumbled, biting his lip. He wanted to give her the space so badly but his body was stuck. “It just..feels wrong to walk away…to leave you two..I can’t.“ Unless it was her final decision, he thought. “..do you want me to leave?”

          it was a risk, that was true. to enter vampire territory and retrieve the taken human. but she can’t say she blames card for taking matters into his own hands. wouldn’t she do the same for those she cares about ?? she’d done just as much trying to help a loyalist she barely knew. it seems cold, clinical, for the humans to have made the call to give in. almost fae-like. though her people would rescue each other on a matter of pride rather than any loyalty. “is it really so...black and white ??” she can’t imagine daniel making that kind of decision; or agreeing with someone else making it. 

        bouncing the toddler on her lap, she feels torn. pulled in a multitude of directions. she has to protect the family she has created for herself. but hasn’t daniel become a part of that in his own way ?? he was half the reason she’d been able to care for eranthis in the first place. he was the one that she turned to when things were difficult....and the first one she wanted to call when things were great. was pushing him away and keeping him at arms length really helping them stay safe ?? or...was she just trying to protect herself ?? 

        “then don’t.” the fae says hesitantly, lifting her gaze to meet his. “don’t go back.” her voice shakes, stomach twisting in knots. “stay...stay with us.” 

       a duel expression of wrinkling her nose and pursing her lips, somewhere between a grimace and a smile, they moved on. announcing their love for each other was uncommon between the siblings, and they weren’t about to start now. it was rather something they both knew existed, underneath the surface, an unconditional loyalty to one another and fierce love. but it was far easier to make fun of one another and act as if they were a tiresome burden on each other’s lives. no matter how far from the truth it was. she felt her mouth dry up at the thought of jake putting himself in danger, of trying to kill the commander for what he had done. she’d rather just forget the whole thing. “it’s not exactly fair that one of us gets to throw themselves in whatever danger they see fit, and the other gets scolded for it.” she pointed out.

        he knows she won’t like it even as he says it, but it doesn’t change the fact that he means it. if there is any opportunity to make a move against the humans he will take it. it was his job to protect his family and he had let his own grief get in the way of that. he wouldn’t hesitate to make up for the mistakes he’d made and get justice for what had happened to octavia. letting out a sigh, jake shakes his head. “one of us is a trained soldier.” the mer raises a brow at her. “there’s a difference.” and it wasn’t the only one. he knew it was unfair to lay down one rule for him and another for her....but life wasn’t about being fair. nudging her shoulder lightly, jake forces on a small smile. “let’s just...let’s forget it, alright ?? i’m not planning on launching an attack today, okay ??”

C A U G H T.      dracias stopped mid-foot in front of the wolf, his hands half down his pants in an effort to tuck himself in. eyes settling on the woman, dracias felt a smile creep onto his lips as he looked over noah. “well, well – and where have you been?” 

      allowing himself to let go, refuse to put himself together, shirt untucked and askew, hair rough, the demon sighed in the sight of her. he wanted to tell her that he had missed her. missed having her in his bed, in the bathroom of the dragon’s eye, hell, even against a wall in public like he had just done with a stranger. but he couldn’t tell her that, that wasn’t what they did. if he dared tell noah he missed her company, she’d laugh in his face. 

    instead, he took a step forward, his hand running over his jaw and taking a deep breath in, revelling in her scent. “i would have rather’d you against that wall.” you know that. he sighed. “if you weren’t always off running with wolves, maybe it could have been.” 

            the state of partial undress is nothing new to her; if anything it’s a sight she’s missed. a welcome reminder of one of the many reasons she enjoys dracias’ company. wry smirk curves across her lips having caught him out, mischief matched on his own expression. and like that, it’s easy, a familiar but nevertheless thrilling dance. “oh, you know, people to see-” the wolf shrugs, dangling a watch from her fingers and waving it towards him. “things to steal.” 

         she had no need to hide her hobbies from the demon; as he needn’t bother to put himself back together for her. they were happy with the ugly truth; saw the beauty in it instead. “why ??” noah chuckles as she slides the watch back into her pocket. “don’t tell me you missed me ??” it’s almost a challenge. a taunt. whatever there was between them; some things were always to remain unsaid. 

     mirroring his step towards her, she closes the space between them - ocean eyes levelling with his. a hand cups his cheek, thumb brushing lightly over his lips, as her smile widens. “what can i say ?? i like the jealous look on you.” noah shrugs, teeth grazing her bottom lip. “besides, i’m here now.”

It was clear he wasn’t offering any comfort, and he couldn’t blame Rory for that. He was essentially a stranger, a known lover of the man who had stolen her away from her family and everyone else she knew. There was nothing to feel confident about with him aside the tales he told of her brother and their closeness. But it was a relief to know that nobody else knew of her true identity and the connections she had outside of these walls or the vampire clubs. “Good…good. As long as people know ‘Mack’, we shouldn’t have cause to worry.” He shouldn’t be worried anyway, he shouldn’t be getting involved at all.

Mike watched as she put her face in her hands, and lets out a small sigh, taking another drag of his cigarette before passing it over to her. He’d seen her eye it before and held it there insistently until she took it.

“We know…and they know it’s not safe. But it ain’t gonna stop them is it. Family first right?” It made him feel sick saying that, family not something he really related to, not blood-wise anyway. Found family was different but blood let you down. Followed you when you wanted to be left alone. “Leave the tattoo to us. We’ve got…something for that. Maybe.” He didn’t want to divulge too much, things still in the early experimental stage, but he could plant a seed of hope.

Mike nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket and handing it to Rory. “Take whatever numbers you need. Not sure we have any overlap in our social circles but you never know. Bram’s in there. Brina too. Don’t think I’ve got any other humans in there.”

              we shouldn’t have cause to worry. that was a strange thought, that she was putting faith in him. that he would even be worried in the first place. “why are you helping me ??” her head cants, ocean eyes watching him warily. sure, he said he cared about bram but...it was a big risk he was taking even talking to her. “doesn’t this fuck up whatever-” she waves her hand vaguely. “relationship, you have with oberyn ??”

        taking the offered cigarette, the blonde places it between her lips, inhaling a drag. heavy smoke settles in her throat, light buzz rushing through her. it’s a help, even if only briefly. passing it back to him, she leans back against the wall and lets out a low sigh. “that’s why they can’t. family first doesn’t just apply to me. it means keeping them safe too.” three lives weren’t worth trading for hers. turning her head, rory’s eyes flicker to his. “you’ve got a way to get rid of it ??” now that was a different story. if he could get rid of the tattoo, she could get away on her own terms. the others didn’t need to get hurt. 

       tentatively, the feeder pulls her own phone from her pocket, entering bram’s number. she wants to take brina’s too...god, how she wants to. but she knows if she speaks to her sister, if there’s even a message shared between them, then her resolve will buckle. her desperation to be reunited with her other half will be too strong. bram...bram she can try and make understand. “thank you.” rory nods, handing back his phone. “for this and....for all of it.”

Teddy remained put..for the first part of it, that is. Curse words made nothing to him, even if it was unusual in maids and staff and rather idiotic as well.. but mention his maker, and something inside his head clicked immediately. Like a switch.

Raising to his feet, the brit crossed the room in a flash and slipped on a shirt and some..trousers lest that he should scare off the present, of course. Then, he opened the door just enough to let his blue eyes land on the blonde and her guard. “..Fallon sent you.” he echoed, fingernails almost sinking into the wood as he sent the guard away with a nod. “She must have known what she was doing, then.. can’t say the same about you.”

Byrne moved, clearing the way for her. “Do come in. You’re..Oberyn’s little pet, aren’t you?”

     as the door swings open, azure hues settle on a man she vaguely recognises. though she’s not had the pleasure to meet him directly, she knows that face. and knows who she’s seen it with. matty. was this the vampire he’d told her about ?? not the overlord, no...she’d met him. but the other one, the one he had a past with. eyes widen but she remains silent, as he chides the other vampire. this fallon that’s mentioned clearly means something to him but she doesn’t know them; just another wealthy leech with the money to drag her out of the club on loan. 

     a hand at her back shoves her through the doorway and she steps past him, throwing a scowl at the man behind her. you’re oberyn’s little pet. that earns a scoff, arms folding tightly across her chest. “i’m as much a pet as you are prince fucking charming.” she knows she should bite her tongue, that it’ll only make things worse ( she’s learned that the hard way ) but something about being associated with oberyn brings out the fire in her. “so what’s the deal ?? too lazy to go out for a bite ??”

“I never did.” Teddy replied rather sharply, quick..too, just as he did whenever he happened to mention anything about his past. “Then again..Rose did say something of the sort. Why, though? I would’ve thought he was different..” He ignored the comparison part, for obvious reasons. It would just seem he disagreed for this one case, despite his choice to break up with the human. Call him an hypocrite. Closing his eyes at the feel of his maker’s hand, Teddy lifted his own hand and traced the back of his fingers along that same arm lightly..lips parting with a huff. “Didn’t hurt him, no. Is it the overlord you’re concerned about?”

“well then i’m glad that i can be some company for you.” aiden smiled softly, though all this was new to him. he had never lived anywhere aside from the hideout, and he was so homesick for a home that didn’t even exist any more and to top it off, he was essentially homeless. had he not thought it stupid and dangerous, he would return to the site in order to say goodbye to what was once his home but he imagined it was being watched by someone just in case any of the humans had that same idea. 

he still wasn’t sure on the idea of beer, but it was certainly a lot better than the idea of whiskey. aiden knew a few people that drank it, and he couldn’t understand how they managed it. it was far too strong for his tastes, and he didn’t particularly enjoy that burning feeling. “taking the edge off is exactly what the doctor ordered.” he chuckled awkwardly, taking one of the beers from her with a soft thanks. tentatively, he brought it to his lips; it certainly didn’t smell like his usual fruity choice, but that didn’t automatically make it bad. the taste wasn’t as bad as aiden thought it would be, he could certainly stomach it a lot better than most other things. “so… do you have any advice? because i’m absolutely terrified.”

            while it’s a favour on paper, she’s being honest - company is something she’s grateful for. the quiet of the apartment is enough to make her distrustful of any strange noise. and though haylee was around a lot, she didn’t want her friend to feel compelled to be with her all the time - so having aiden here was a welcome relief. as he accepts the beer, she flops down onto the couch and takes a swig of her own. it’s not the nicest but at least it was cold. “if you don’t like it, i’ve got tea somewhere.” the wolf nods, fixing him with a wry smile as he takes a tentative sip. clearly, he wasn’t much of a drinker. that would change among pack.

           leaning back in her seat, max eyes the new wolf carefully. he’s technically packless, an omega like she is. but he has never known what it is like to be a part of something, to have a bond like pack. and how much it tears you apart to lose it. “you should be.” she admits, with a shrug of her shoulders. perhaps it was callous but better to be truthful. “this...being one of us...it’s a whole other world. and you’re not exactly starting off on the best foot being on your own.” she had had a lifetime of being a wolf, she was a built fighter, and even she was at risk as an omega. “you want my advice ?? join a pack.” taking another swig of her beer, she lets out a low sigh. “it’s the best way to survive and guarantee protection....and you never know, you might actually find a way to make up for what you’ve lost.”

She knew he meant no harm when he had wrapped an arm around her, but she couldn’t help it. Holding her hand was one thing, but touching her elsewhere was another. It was uncomfortable for her. Her eyes flickered towards his hands that were up in the air, palms facing her. She reached up and took one of his hands in both of hers. She hoped he knew that it meant: this is fine. I’m okay with this.

Freyja didn’t even look at him after he read the piece of paper. Her eyes averted towards the ground. She could already tell by his voice that he wasn’t happy. He’s angry. She wrapped her arms around her body at the question. Who else would it have been? She wanted to snap at him but of course, she couldn’t. All she did was nod. 

She lowered herself into a chair and began rubbing at her temples. The headache wasn’t going away. In fact, it was getting worse. Her skin was warm to the touch and she felt like she might vomit. Did I eat something bad? She wondered. 

              his frustration, the anger bubbling beneath the surface, lessens as she takes his hand. it would do her no good getting pissed off and trying to find out what had happened. it’s not like freyja would tell him even if she could speak. being frightened of his touch, of anyone’s touch, was a clear enough indication that revealing her attacker would only risk her getting hurt again. taking a deep breath, he fixes his gaze upon hers. fingers lace through hers, a gentle - attempt at reassuring - squeeze. “can they still get to you ??” he has no idea where she is living now, if she’s still locked away in the demon’s compound. if she is...if this could happen to her again...he has to get her out. it’s that simple. no more waiting, no more politics. he’ll beg esme for help if he has to. 

              with his hand in hers, there’s that static tingle again - power emanating beneath the surface of her skin. and then she pulls away, sitting herself in a chair. she looks exhausted, her pallor is grey - sickly. he needs to get her to move away, somewhere where they can talk properly without listening ears. “will you come with me ?? just...we need to talk.”

“…it’s-complicated.” Daniel frowned, feeling the heaviness of the situation begin to cloud his mind a little bit.. “Asher was taken by the vamps and Card didn’t- he went to get him back against the commander’s word, which lost him the rank..and the job. That’s what the disagreement was about..”  The scout exhaled, telling himself that this was the best way he could put it in that moment, and allowed himself a moment to look across the room into the fae’s eyes as she held the baby on her lap.

..and hold she did..even as she moved closer somehow. Closer because, apparently, he couldn’t handle himself..”Jesus, I didn’t mean to get..” he shook his head with a half assed laugh. “Sorry.” It was strange..but he just never pictured himself confiding to a fae..let alone having hoped to see one, but getting emotional? That was a new thing for sure. 

“..that’s the thing. I don’t want to, Cordelia..” Daniel frowned, sighing at the tiny hands that reached out for him as he spoke..”But after what happened with Asher I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to come out here for… And I don’t–I don’t want you to feel like I’m putting anythin’ at risk anymore…unless it’s worth it..” Shit. “..you, me..is there..somethin’ here? Between us?”

           it was going against the commander’s word to rescue one of their own ?? that notion was lost on her. she knew the commander had proven himself capable of some cutthroat choices; of wanting to play games with lives but...abandoning another human ?? "why didn’t he want him rescued ??” brow furrows, heading shaking. “your leader doesn’t exactly seem afraid of provoking outrage.” that much was evident from the way flashes of the wreckage still wake her at night. 

           bright eyes linger on his countenance, watching as he tries to gather himself. she’s not used to this vulnerability from him. though she’s certainly experienced it from others; been a confidante to those requiring it. there was something in her nature that drew her to people needing to be cared for - she’d not suspected dan would be one of them. “don’t apologise.” the brunette says softly. “there’s nothing wrong with having a conscience. a heart.” it was that goodness in him that had allowed them to meet in the first place. like kismet. 

           her gaze drops, fixing upon the child on her lap instead. she has to remind herself of why she’s kept her distance in the first place. why she’d asked him not to come. being around a human still tied to the commander was too much of a risk. she couldn’t predict what they would do if they found her caring for a human child. or what they’d do to him for harbouring her secret. unless it’s worth it. what could that even mean for them ?? “i-” lia wavers, brushing a flaxen curl behind eranthis’ ear. “i don’t know what you want me to say, dan.” is there something here, between us ?? she feels an ache in her chest; eyes glassy. “there can’t be if it’s at the expense of your safety. or hers.”