a nightmare.

nyla wished there was something more she could do to help. besides her dreamcatchers and watching over effie when she fell asleep in a booth at the diner here and there, she was at a loss. "i got plenty of sleep last night, so if you want me to stay up with you tonight, i can. we can have a movie night." if they put on some scary movies, there would be no way nyla would get any sleep. she loved them, but unless she was planning an all nighter, she tried to watch them when the sun was still up. "not today. but, i did the other day at the park."

"you know you don't have to stay up with me." effie was perfectly adept at weathering the darkness alone. it was certainly easier with company, but she never wanted anyone to feel obligated. "and you really don't have to brag about all the sleep you got." a smile turned up in the corner of her mouth. "I'm always down for a movie, though. maybe a classic." there was a whimsical dreamlike quality in those classic hollywood films that almost felt like their domain. afterall, the grain marked film of the era wasn't too far away from what the sandman spread over waiting eyelids passing into sleep. "who was at the park?"

“Oh yeah, suppose so.” He kept forgetting, somehow, how supernatural this town was. Carson City had been so very human. “Mr. Ivanov would probably use the opportunity to take me out at the knees or something.”

"Ivanov... that's the fashion guy uptown, right?" crow seemed to remember the slick dressed vampire by that name. they turned and eyed robby up and down again. he didn't come off as the catwalk type, but they'd been surprised before. maybe flannel and denim were really in right now. "why's he got a target on you, kiddo?"

"i think it's safe to say that i wouldn't hide it, now. a little too old to be grounded." as the words left his mouth, though, tariq smiled. not because he was lying on the not lying part, but because he knew if kol wanted to ground him, he would listen. plus, if he didn't winnie and walden were there to make sure it stuck. "nothing else that i can think of. i would like to dig more into what my family was hiding, though." it was no secret, at least from his 'found' family that he had discovered after the gruesome murder of his biological family that they had been notorious vampire hunters once upon a time. but, he still felt like there was more to know, more to investigate.

"what does age have to do with it?" winnie inquired. childhood seemed a peculiar fascination for all the mortals. their lives were so decided and swayed by the circumstances of those first few years. why? winnie could not relate as they never had one. at least, not in this form. a draconian hatchling did not translate in nearly the same way, and that was so long ago, so many deaths ago, that winnie could scarcely even remember it to compare. "oh you do? and do you have a shovel? do you know how to break the dirt with those little soft hands?" they teased.

"i could do that, but i worry about what exactly i will have to sacrifice." wren shuddered at the thought. penny would come up with something equally satisfying for her as it would be embarrassing for him, he was sure of it. "not me. the dance itself will teach you." he said with a bit of flare that his own dance teacher used to have, before cracking a big grin. sitting here with them like this made everything feel easy and he felt the familiars of it settle over him. it took him a minute to realize he was staring at them as they laughed and wren could only hope they hadn't caught the affectionate gaze he was sure he was sporting at the moment. "alright, you go over, i'll go under." he slid close, close enough that their sides were fully touching as he put a hand above theirs on the wheel.

"probably just your dignity, and honestly, how much of that could you possibly still have left at this point?" they had both known penny a long time. without any hesitation, crow passed the wheel off to wren once it felt like he had control and slid with ease out of the driver's seat. the truck puttered for a second as they pulled their foot from the pedal and ralphie ruffed to be unsettled again. although crow did not bother sliding all the into the passenger seat and remained mostly in the middle of the cab next to wren. "say the dance itself will teach you again, but let me close my eyes. I wanna imagine I'm somewhere in spain."

“It’s a hard balance to strike without favoring one group over another.” He understood that much. His family’s own philanthropic actions were often wide and anonymous whenever possible. Politics seemed to get in the way of everything, even when it meant to help. “It’s nice to have some places that aren’t just chain restaurants. Though I’ll admit I do love a Dairy Queen.”

"yes, but not impossible." kori stood her ground. it was one of those things worth the hard work, like planting a seed in a garden. only kori rarely waited to see anything bloom. hard work was not something that she shied away from. in fact, plenty had accused her of being a bit of a workaholic. "I do wish there were more places to get good coffee. it's a bit of a desert on that."

“Sign me up, I’m in. If we need more players I could see if Daisy would let me put some flyers in her shop for people to take.” Crow’s car was loud and they drove fast but Robby couldn’t really bring himself to care. “Just outside Carson City. Did you grow up here? It feels like a good place to grow up. I like chocolate milk. I’ll try one.”

"we usually manage to scrounge up enough. besides, this isn't the best place to post any open invitations, you know?" one rogue fanger with a chip on their shoulder could start an all out war over a foul. humans were no fun to play against because it was like going against a toddler. witches definitely cheated. so it just wasn't worth it. "carson city, yeah? how'd you end up here?" crow chuckled and shook their head. "nah, but kinda. I grew up on the res right outside town, but we've been funneled into the school system here since my second oldest brother was in first grade, but the people suited me. plus it's close enough I can go help out my folks with the ranch. they, uh, they struggle with things sometimes."

"you alright, miss?" wren jogged alongside her, "slow down, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm fine! this is my everything is okay face." kori responded without really processing or hesitating for a beat. "can't slow down, but if you keep up, I'll tell you what's wrong. do you know how to use a wrench?"

vivi grabbed the tight, pink, leather mini skirt off the rack and held it out for her sister. "this one, i presume?"

"mmm. well, that's not really the one I meant, but it will definitely work." jinx took the skirt and began the process of unzipping it and pulling it onto the lower half of her body. "I'm always a sucker for pink."

"you know i have always been much better at naming woods than plants."

"so what precisely do you think wood is if not a plant? or are you just out calling some dogwood tony?"