Strong hand

“maybe we can walk along the beach and talk. the whole island is just so beautiful and romantic.” she stated to the blonde. “and maybe we can pick up some quick food at one of the restaurants or food stands.” she added. “and maybe then we will see if making out is good.” charlotte chuckled softly.

The corner of the older woman’s mouth pulled up in a slight grin, but she was nodding. “Sounds like a good plan to me, come on.” She headed for the door, holding it open for Charlotte. “Do you have any particular cuisine you like more than others? A favorite type of food that you go to all the time, or when you’re feeling down?” 

Pointing a finger at him, Tinsley rose a brow as she spoke. “I’m actually working right now. Or trying to…not with much luck,” she answered truthfully with a grimace. She shrugged and nodded before laughing lightly at his joke. “I mean…if it worked well enough then why even change it?” She questioned  seriously, giving him the side-eye as a large grin overtook her. “Either way I guess we’re all at the very least curious enough to be here. Even if some of us try to hide from them,” she said pointing at herself with a roll of her eyes and a sassy shake of her head. Turning to give him another look, she tilted her head to the side with a smile. “What about you? What side of the coin are you on?”

He was forced to shrug. “I can’t say I’ve decided. I’ve seen some really blissful couples walking around here like it was Valentine’s Day. I’ve also seen my fair share who aren’t with anyone and seem to be miserable. While it’s nice to find that ‘someone’, like the rest of life, there’s no promise that it’s going to stay. We might well be the ones wandering around here hoping for love to show up.” He threw her an apologetic look, muscular shoulders rising and falling. “Sorry, been here a while on my own without a lot going on. Getting cynical in my old age.” 

              as she heard the other’s stolid explanation, her lips pouted and she shrunk on the chair, avoiding eye contact with merrit. it was too much to process at once. “but i could have protected you! you know i would. i have, haven’t i?” finally, golden eyes met the other’s. one could only see sadness and rancor in them. her status in nassau meant everything for her. so much power in the hybrid’s hands, for good or for bad. in another time, if circumstances were different, they would have called her queen of agneia. but right now, she felt powerless, weak and useless, facing the fact she couldn’t even protect the one she loved. not that she’d risk saying it out loud.  “have you?” she dodged the question, deflecting it. too proud to admit the truth. “of course you did. you’re here to find your soulmate, aren’t you?” but it wouldn’t be fair, no, to blame merrit for doing so; as she also have managed the same thing. nya sighed.   “i’m sorry, i— i’m just hurt.”

She laid ‘the look’ on Feronya for a moment, head tilted, looking questionable, but brokered no attitude from the other. “You have, and I heard did well after I was dead,” Merritt admitted. “But this wasn’t something that anyone could have protected me from. As long as I lived, Nassau would have been in danger, and the people I cared about would have been in danger. It hurt to do it, but it was really the best for everyone.” Her jaw set, and Merritt shook her head slightly. “I haven’t really found much of anything, if you must know.” The reply was curt. “I finally left the Agency and have been on my own the past year and a half, so moving from one place to another all the time means you don’t put down roots or get close to anyone.” 

            “yeah. my father started it, i’m just continuing his legacy,” feronya shrugged.   “though i don’t think he’d like the fact i allow humans in my business. you know, old-fashioned guy.” who got murdered by them, she corrected herself silently. suppressing her resentment for what humans did to her father and forcing herself to move on for the sake of balance in the island and survival might not have been the best way to cope with trauma, but that was the best she could do with the tools she was given. sometimes, she’d even forget how she really felt, deep down.  “that’s not an excuse. one can always stir things up a little if wants to. get really drunk and you’ll see,” the hybrid teased and laughed away, too.   “how do you imagine them? your soulmate. personality wise.”

Easing back on the chair, Piper picked up the glass to her left and took a sip as she listened to the other woman talking about her career. Her head bobbed along. “I think it’s pretty cool that you’ve got such an eye out for those in need. Sounds like you’re more progressive, though, something that we all will need in the current world.” There was enough struggle trying to be anything different than what the world expected. TO have no place safe was unthinkable, so she gave her credit for running the hotel. “Hmm, as for my soulmate? Not really sure. Hoping for a free spirit, you know, someone who can roll with all my crazy ideas and go places. Be in touch with what I want, but maintain their own identity as well?”

            “oi, no! don’t call me that, you have no right calling me pet names right now—” nya brethed in and out sharply, a finger pointed at the blonde and her lips pursed together. looking to the sides, she realized it was better if they moved from the coffee shop’s entrance. she signed with her head, silently asking the other to accompany her and sit at the table in a more reserved corner. “set me free from worry??? are you insame?! i thought you had been murdered,” she shook her head, looking up. feronya went speechless for a while. she sighed, trying her best to collect herself. “alright, then. can you please explain to me how does that make any sense?”

Her jaw set and worked for a moment. This wasn’t exactly going as planned. Then again, the plan was to never see the Fae again after her staged death. A cross look went across Merritt’s face, but she had to admit, it was well earned. Feronya had gone through the emotional wringer with her so she deserved a little anger like that. Slowly she moved along behind the girl, shooting an apologetic look to the other patrons before sliding into the seat. She had a warm spot for the girl, but was still impassive as she explained herself calmly. “It was the best way. The war there was over, things were settling down. I couldn’t stay - and those in power now would stop at nothing to see me dead. So... I got dead-ed. Faking my own death allowed me to vanish - and live. I wish I could have told you, but if I did, you would have been in danger every moment. At least this way you could mourn me and move on. I hope you’ve gotten to move on...”

           “me?” she arched both eyebrows, looking to the sides to make sure the woman was talking to her. she put her ice cream aside. “i, uh… i own hotels, in nassau. they provide shelter for magical creatures in need all over the world. it’s also open for humans.” she thought she’d leave behind the details of how there was a whole intricate network system in the island and her family had been at the very pinacle of it. providing to keep its fragile balance, century after century. no one opened business in nassau without her endorsement. if one needed protection, it was feronya they’d seek out for aid. and god help anyone who provoked her ire. “but you’re right. while i’m here, someone else is taking care of it for me. but i keep in touch with my mom, to check if everything’s going swimmingly. so far, so good. i’m feronya, by the way. and you are…?”

She sat back, well manicured brows rising in the face of what the other woman told her. She liked a woman in charge of things, especially when it was of a good cause such as protecting those different from others. Piper’s head bobbed up and down as she listened. “That’s super cool,” the woman said, lacing her fingers together over one of her knees. “It’s a nice thing to know there are other places besides, you know, love island here,” she smirked, “...that exist where people can go if they need protection.” Her smile grew and she put her hand out to the other girl. “Piper Anders, hi,” she introduced herself. “Been here a few weeks now. Pretty quiet for the most part,” admitted the woman. “Guess I shouldn’t complain. Might have a soulmate that drives me up a wall,” she laughed. 

most people saw the island as a place to relax, drink, and have fun; a vacation for everyone. but for luna it wasn’t anything like that, she knew that she could not really relax and that she needed to stay in shape; physically and mentally. being a demigod meant that monsters had always been attracted to her scent because of her godly parent. which led to her getting attacked by different monsters since she was a little girl. luna was in the gym punching a punching bag when she heard someone come in. “are you here to work out or just checking out the people working out?” she joked.

The young man wore a smile as listened to the music, but he pulled the buds from his ears and realized the pretty girl was speaking to her. “Oh sorry, hi...” Cooper replied, blinking for a few moments as his thumb rolled over his mobile, cutting the music down to where it wasn’t blasting from the earpieces at that moment. “Work out? Oh I suppose this is the gym, right?” mused the young man, a shrug crossing his shoulders. “I guess a little bit of both? I like watching people, I mean, girls and all,” he admitted bashfully, motioning towards her tights-clad body (that was remarkable). “But just watching all the... types of people here is a full time job in itself. The workout is an interesting side-trip.” 

                 confusion. relief. anger. resentment. the hybrid felt it all sequentially, everything slowly becoming clear. her mouth opened in the shape of an O and, as she blinked, tears rolled down her face and feronya dropped everything in her clutch, purse and the empty cup of coffee, to the floor— only so that she could throw herself onto the shapeshifter’s body, a desperate, tight embrace. “oh, fuck coffee! i missed you so much, you son of a bitch.” she whispered, her voice cracking and her head resting on the curve of the other’s neck; and she breathed her in. relishing the memories just in case merrit vanished again. she parted from the hug. warm eyes now turning bitter as she punched the blonde’s arm. “but what the fuck, merrit! why?!” her eyebrows were furrowed, and although she was much smaller than merrit, that did not stop nya from confronting her. “you should at least have sent me letters! i was mad worried about you for years. fuck off!”

First she was about to reach for the girl’s purse and coffee, but before Merritt could even start to bend down to help, she was half tackled by Fer with a bearhug across the middle of her body. It was... familiar. To an uncomfortable level. She hadn’t been really close to anyone for a while, but the shorter Faerie did count among that chosen number. Merritt’s arms wrapped around the girl and held her tight. One hand slipped behind the other’s head, caressing it gently as she cooed apologies and that everything was all right. “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay now,” she said quietly as Feronya leaned back some and looked up to the taller blonde. “I’m sorry, Fery...” Merritt said with a regretful look on her face as the other punched her arm lightly. “I thought it was the best way to set you free from worry.” 

Read More Now!

     nic still wasn’t sure of his perception of what soulmates entail, so hearing other people’s thoughts was something he was interested in. ‘ i can’t speak from experience obviously, and i am pretty skeptical of the whole situation, but a little part of me has some sort of optimism, y’know ? like if they’re you’re soulmate they’re supposed to compliment you in some way. pick up in areas you lack and vice versa. that you wouldn’t lose that free will. but that’s all sunshine and rainbows, doesn’t seem realistic to me. maybe we don’t have a choice. ’

“That’s what I’m saying!” said Cooper excitedly, pointing to Nic with both hands. “It’s not realistic, right? You get brought to this fantasy island that’s so perfect, all expenses paid, told your perfect soulmate will be here and you’re going to just click with them the whole time? I’m not buying into that, or drinking the Kool-Aid as they say. I’m all for finding the cutest one around here and talking to them, seeing where it goes, rather than be like ‘ok, you’re assigned to this person, now mate’, or whatever the Powers That Be have in store for us.” 

@cfdcminance​ - merrit

     “…you?” the hybrid said, eyes wide after finally raising her chin to face the one she had just bumped into. feronya had just left the coffee shop, one hot drink in hands as she walked out the door and collided onto another. as the drink spilled down to the floor, she glared at the stranger down up, to make sure they hadn’t been burned by it. the dragon-fairy could argue with them later and ‘invite’ them to buy her another mocca, but then, once she saw who this was, better yet, felt who this was, the look in their eyes, their scent, their smile, the bearing of their walk and standing— a shapeshifter could change its face yet those little details… were simply immutable. and nya could recognize her lost lover anywhere—, it was as if the earth below her feet had opened & swallowed her whole. her eyes watered. “but i thought you were dead… you… how?”

That was... uncomfortable. Even before Merritt could go and scold the other about watching where they were walking, she’d looked up into a face from the past. Not that she should have been totally surprised. She and Feronya had been easily connected back at her home land, and the feeling of her very presence was enough to remind her of that strong bond they’d formed over time. But... the little complication that she mentioned probably threw a curve into the plan. She was dead, after all. “I’m not... ahh...” she started, but had to stop. Merritt couldn’t hide it from her, she felt like she at least owed the other an explanation. She let out a breath, hand reaching out and touching the other’s arm.

“Hi, Feronya...” Merritt said, offering up a smile. “Maybe we should get more coffee. And find a place to sit down.”