she's a black sheep —

becca notices someone approaching and out of force of habit she shoves the papers back into the yellow envelope, out of sight - out of mind ? the brunette could hope, she just wants it all to be over with solomon for good. “ do you want to sit ? “ she offers quietly, but there’s still that of a friendly smile on her features. “ got plenty of room, and i wouldn’t mind the company. “

 tia  had  decided  to  take  a  walk  for  herself  –  to  try  and  clear  her  mind.  it  just  didn’t  make  any  sense  to  her  that  their  coven  was  in  seattle  right  now  –  especially  if  the  talks  and  rumors  of  an  army  were  to  be  believed.  amun  had  always  run  from  danger,  so  why  the  sudden  change?  it  was  a  rare  move  that  she  hadn’t  ever  anticipated  from  him.  but,  of  course,  if  benjamin  was  going,  so  was  she.  there  was  no  way  she  was  trusting  amun  with  him  in  any  kind  of  volatile  situation.  not  now,  not  ever.  

                          HIS  BONES  COULD  BE  FILLED  WITH  LEAD  ,  for how heavy they feel now  .  a night frantic , of skin scored by paper cut  &  knitted back together without much a thought .  he lives on coffee  –  black  and far too uneven a ratio of grounds to water  ,  an opaque slurry in a half - drained mug . he lives on the rage prickling beneath his flesh ;  three fresh posters of missing adults  —  if one could call them that . they were barely twenty .  the exhale that leaves his lips is heavy   ..   he would seek council , if he had had the time to establish himself within the new community he had found himself within .

                          instead , the only council to be found was wholly inappropriate   —   the silhouette behind glass panelled door of his office  -  slash  -  apartment had entered by now , forcing jakub’s eyes from his laptop & requiring him to   PULL  HIMSELF  TOGETHER  .    he  attempts  a  smile  .

                          “   —  a little swamped ,  but i’ll help how i can . what’s th’ problem ?  ”

 it  was  rather  charming,  seattle.  not  quite  to  maria’s  tastes,  of  course.  then  again,  it  wasn’t  a  territory  she  owned,  now  was  it?  but  there  was  a  reason  for  her  being  here  in  this  rainy,  and  yet  somehow  disgustingly  colorful  little  town.  the  surge  of  numerous,  unexplained  murders  intrigued  her  in  ways  she  hadn’t  felt  in  quite  a  long  time.  and  that  said  nothing  for  the  rumors  —  talks  of  a  newborn  army  being  created.  it  was  thrilling,  the  thought  of  it.  for  the  longest  time  (  centuries  ),  she’d  been  on  the  of  leading  purveyors  —  if  not  the  leading  purveyor  —  of  crafting  powerful,  gifted  newborn  vampires  into  her  fleet  to  fight  and  instill  takeovers  for  land  and  power.  so  to  hear  that  someone  else  was  taking  a  charge  of  their  own,  well  —  she  knew  she  had  to  come  and  get  the  story  for  herself.  maybe  join  in  on  a  bit  of  the  fun,  if  the  prospects  were  worthy  enough.  

 that’s  how  she  finds  herself,  amusingly  enough,  at  a  private  detective’s  doorstep.  she’s  only  been  in  washington  for  a  week,  and  yet  it  was  more  than  enough  time  to  get  a  decent  amount  of  intel.  though  more,  and  from  a  much  more  reliable  source  could  never  hurt,  could  it?  however,  the  smell  that  permeates  the  space  as  she  walks  into  the  room  at  the  PI’s  —  jakub  carlebach,  the  letters  tacked  to  the  door  had  said  —  office  has  her  brows  rising.  a  child  of  the  moon.  how  interesting.  the  irony  of  the  situation  is  not  at  all  lost  to  her,  and  has  her  bright  red  lips  curling  up  into  a  sharp  smirk.   ❝  apologies,  officer.  i  just  came  to  ask  a  couple  questions,  but  i  suppose  it’d  be  rather  ridiculous  to  keep  up  the  charade  of  concerned,  average  citizen,  wouldn’t  it?  ❞  

          𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓   𝐎𝐅   𝐓𝐇𝐄   𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄   ,   𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐍   could   be   found   about   as   far   from   the   bookstores   as   one   gets   .   she   was   far   too   busy   ,   far   too   preoccupied   ,   these   days   to   read   anything   for   pleasure   .   to   read   anything   but   client   requests   ,   really   .   but   a   distraction   was   necessary   ,   at   this   point   ,   and   she’d   always   enjoyed   the   peaceful   atmosphere   ,   if   nothing   else   .   aside   from   the   welcoming   ding   that   sounds   above   the   door   ,   the   shop   is   so   quiet   it’s   almost   comforting   .   gaze   shifts   from   the   shelves   of   books   to   the   voice   that   speaks   up   behind   the   counter   ,   as   if   surprised   even   a   worker   was   inside   with   as   empty   as   it   was   .   ❝   sorry   ,   i   didn’t   mean   to   startle   you   .   i’m   actually   looking   for   something   to   start   during   my   lunch   break   .   ❞   a   pause   as   she   shifts   closer   ,   chocolate   hues   shifting   along   the   shelves   .   ❝   you   wouldn’t   happen   to   have   any   suggestions   ,   would   you   ?   ❞

– SHE’S NOT AT ALL SURPRISED BY LEAH’S REACTION. it’s exactly what she expects from a wolf, they always react without thinking, too fast for their own good; they’re emotional, attached. these are things she cannot relate to, but she immediately picks up on the parts of leah that are more animal than human. the way her lip curls when she snarls, the way her eyes narrow and she growls from the back of her throat. it’s DISGUSTING. there’s no other word for it – victoria hates them. it takes everything in her not to recoil from the smell in general, but she has a purpose for being her. 

“or what?” she asks, voice sing-song as she doesn’t move from her position on the counter. “you’ll lose control right here in your little bookshop?” there’s an air of haughtiness in her voice, as if she knows better – and she does. victoria has an impeccable way of telling when she’s in REAL danger. “i don’t think so. come on,” she pleads with a bat of her eyelashes. “you don’t want to at least hear me out? you’re not a little bit…curious?”

 it’s  daunting,  trying  to  hold  back  a  force  that’s  ingrained  to  react  and  protect  and  fight  whenever  those  red  eyed,  death  -  bringers  are  near.  she  can  feel  her  hands  shake  from  where  they’re  curled  into  fists  at  her  sides;  tight  enough  that  her  nails  harshly  bite  into  the  skin  of  her  palms.  but  the  pain  is  good  —  grounding.  it  gives  her  something  else  to  focus  on  other  than  the  building  pull  to  shift.  

no matter how she was feeling, gianna wholeheartedly believed her purpose was to HELP people. she was prompted over by the sigh that escaped the other’s lips, and her rejection made her own press together to form a small frown. “oh. okay,” she nodded, her eyes trailing to what exactly the woman was looking at, anyways. perhaps it wasn’t the wise thing to do ; continue on after being told that her assistance wasn’t needed. some would find such an action annoying. “are you sure ? we just got a couple of new books on loan that haven’t made their way to the shelves yet. maybe what you’re looking for – assuming you can’t find what you’re looking for… might be there.”

 she  knew  the  girl  was  only  trying  to  help  —  could  practically  sense  the  sweet  earnestness  dripping  from  her  —  but  even  then,  leah  couldn’t  help  the  spark  of  annoyance  that  simmered  at  the  repeated  insistence.  the  shifter  had  never  been  the  most  social  of  people  to  begin  with,  and  now  was  certainly  no  exception  —  especially  when  she  was  attempting  to  accomplish  a  rather  meaningful  task.  still,  the  offer  of  more  books  that  she  hadn’t  seen  yet  was  more  than  enough  to  still  her  from  snapping.   ❝  if  one  of  those  happens  to  be  on  native  american  folklore,  i’d  be  sold.  ❞ 

after working a night shift, alexander wanted to go home and relax for the day since he had it off ( which has always been rare for the wolf ). now that he finally had time to himself, he was going to check out a bookshop that one of his fellow firefighters told him about. a couple of years ago, he lost his original copy of tao te ching, a friend of his had got it for him and it was easily one of his favourites. he hated that it was gone. someone told him that this bookshop might have an older copy.

walking into the shop, alexander welcomed the sudden calm from the lack of wind. glancing around the front area of the shop, he stopped when he heard a female curse. chuckling. he turned   “  actually  yes  ,  i’m  looking  for  a  very  specific  book  .  i  was  informed  you  guys  might  carry  it  ?  it’s   called  tao te ching  .  it’s  one  of  my  favourites  .  ”   his accented voice sounded in the room. his kind smile on display before he glanced up fully to meet her gaze. 

 it  happened  so  suddenly,  so  indomitably,  that  leah  was  nearly  knocked  off  her  feet  the  instant  she  turned  and  locked  eyes  with  the  kind  -  sounding,  but  unfamiliar  man  standing  across  the  counter.  breath  scrapped  past  her  lips  in  a  deep  rush;  her  whole  body  flaring  to  a  bright,  encompassing  glow  as  her  focus,  her  being  —  her  everything  —  narrowed  down  to  just  him  in  that  instant,  as  though  she  was  being  physically  tethered  by  invisible,  but  unyielding  strings.  oh  god.  what  the  fuck?  what—?  leah’s  stomach  rolled  violently  and  her  heart  thundered  at  a  hummingbird  wing’s  pace  in  her  chest.  vaguely,  she  knew  what’d  just  happened  —  had  heard  about  it  from  her  former  packmates  and  him  when  he’d  gone  and  shattered  her  —  but  she  was  too  in  shock  to  really  have  it  register  out  of  the  realm  of  pure  and  utter  disbelief.  because,  never  once  did  she  imagine  it  could  or  would  ever  happen  to  her.  

 she’d  imprinted.  she’d  imprinted  on  someone  she  didn’t  even  know,  and  what  in  the  fuck  was  she  supposed  to  do  now?  fuck,  she  needed  to  get  out,  she  needed  to—

xavier figured he would take a stroll to the book shop since it had been an alluring day , either he was oblivious to it before or for once lately , the sun decided to take it’s peak along the horizon . he was in a mood , feeling chipper and rather social . the shop wasn’t in the norm for him , but he wasn’t one to dismiss a new adventure . he had popped in to a flustered girl , beaming in delight before starting at once .

“ hi , yes . thank you for acknowledging me . a girl i just recently met made me think , perhaps i could read a little bit more . i was looking for something by anne rice , vampire trilogy , i believe ? something along those lines . i figured i’d brush up a little bit on the culture , or is that a little too fan - fiction ? i’m so behind on the times . " he chuckled to himself in his own self amusement , stepping inward to get a good glance at the array of different cultures and memoirs and more that set in their designated place . it was mesmerizing , he couldn’t lie .

                          HE’S  ALWAYS  LIKED  TO  BE  AWARE     of where he had found himself living .  though recently  ,  there had been far too much of a demand of his time for him to properly acquaint himself with a staple of each type of store . a few big chain bookstores crossed off his list later , and jakub had followed his phone here  –  until his nose had perked and led him the rest of the way . he knew about secrecy , but he knew seattle was some form of hot - spot for   …  whatever the hell this collection of new scents belonged to . still . manners were a must , and curiosity was swallowed .

                          “  —  you’re busy ?   don’t worry , i’m just lookin’ around . new to the place . d’you have a phone number i could take with me ?  ”     he’s quick to speak, voice at ease as he takes his steps into the store , eyes intent on drinking in decor , scanning names on spines of books he doesn’t bother to catalogue .   “  it’s kinda charmin’ in here , huh .  — you got a classics section ?  ”

 ❝  yeah,  sure,  ❞  leah  mumbles  –  momentarily  thrown  off  by  his  string  of  quick  statements  –  and  reaches  over  to  scribble  down  the  bookstore’s  number  on  a  piece  of  paper  before  sliding  it  over  across  the  counter.  she  then  watches  as  he  starts  to  look  around  the  space,  a  tiny  snort  of  amusement  escaping  her  at  the  candid  way  in  which  he  speaks.  it’s  refreshing,  in  an  weird,  unexplainable  way,  if  she  were  being  honest.  usually,  the  personalities  she  dealt  with  reminded  her  of  why  she  tended  to  be  more  of  a  loner  (  amongst  other  things  ).  

 and  finally,  character  number  3,  beautiful  queen  tia.  just  like  with  maria,  i’m  keeping  things  pretty  close  to  what  we  know  of  tia’s  story  (  expect  she  and  benjamin  are  NOT  related,  because  what  in  the  actual  fuck  was  that  sm???  no.  )  so  i  just  have  some  more  headcanons  and  possible  connections  under  the  cut!  

 here  we  go,  character  number  2  (  because  i  have  very  poor  impulse  control  ).  for  the  most  part,  i’m  keeping  things  pretty  close  to  canon  for  maria’s  backstory,  but  i  do  have  some  headcanons  and  possible  connections  under  the  cut!  and  if  anyone  wants  to  plot  with  this  chaotic,  power  –  hungry  gal,  my  messages  and  discord  are  always  open!  

     she  knows  she  shouldn’t  be  here  .          ‘     give  her  more  time  !      ’          they  all  say,  as  if  5  years  isn’t  a  lifetime  .  

     for  as  long  as  she’s  lived  in  seattle,  emily’s  tempted  the  idea  of  going  into  the  bookstore  almost  daily  .  passing  by  it  both  to  and  from  work,  the  store  and  her  inability  to  enter  it  has  served  as  a  constant  reminder  of  their  severed  relationship  .  emily  doesn’t  know  what  finally  enables  her  to  do  it,  what  urges  her  over  the  threshold,  but  she  does  know  that  she  can’t  turn  back  now  .  

          ‘     i     —     i  was  just  wondering  if  you  have  christi  belcourt’s  newest  publication  in  ?     ’          translation          :          i  miss  you,  and  that’s  my  sad  excuse  to  get  to  say  hello  .

 it  stops  her  cold,  the  sight  of  her  cousin,  her  best  friend,  suddenly  standing  before  her  in  the  middle  of  the  store.  the  all  too  familiar  wave  of  pain  –  of  betrayal  --  curls  tight  and  harsh  around  leah’s  lungs,  making  it  hard  to  breathe  for  a  long  moment.  it’s  been  five  years  since  that  damned  day,  but  the  deep  wounds  still  remain  in  the  form  of  her  scarred  heart,  now  guarded  with  unyielding  steel  and  isolation.  

 but  even  then,  there’s  no  denying  how  much  she’s  missed  emily;  the  unresolved  results  of  her  heartbreak  constantly  at  odds  with  it,  even  now.  why  can’t  she  just  let  it  go?  why?  but  deep  down,  she  knows  the  answer.  

 ❝  .  .  .  yeah.  we  do,  ❞  she  replies  after  a  long  moment,  her  voice  hoarse,  but  disarmingly  soft  as  she  points  off  to  a  wall  behind  her.  ❝  got  in  in  a  little  bit  ago.  ❞  and  it  made  me  think  of  you.  i  almost  saved  a  copy  for  you,  too,  even  though  i  haven’t  seen  you  (  been  avoiding  you  )  for  so  long,  just  because.  but  i  also  hated  myself  for  it.  ❝  anything  else?  ❞  

– “SORRY,” VICTORIA MUSES, NOT SOUNDING SORRY AT ALL as she peers around the dusty bookstore. she lets silence fall between them, mainly for dramatic effect as she walks past the aisles. “it’s so quaint i’d thought it might be abandoned, but look at you, there’s a whole operation in here,” she laughs humorlessly. she can tell exactly what leah is by the SMELL alone, and ever since she discovered the bookstore, she’d had an eye on it, surprised that no others had come by: a loner. she’d heard of wolves like that, but met few of them. they were engineered for companionship, it seemed. 

she leans on the counter, drumming her dark red nails on the wood. “listen,” she says, “i’ve actually come here to do you a FAVOR.” 

 the  white-hot  rush  of  anger  that  ignites  in  her  chest  as  she  watches  the  redheaded  leech  -  silently  berating  herself  for  not  noticing  the  horrible  scent  of  their  miserable  kind  until  it  was  too  late  –  so  cavalierly  strut  around  the  shop  floor  is  near  overpowering.  leah  can  feel  her  skin  practically  burn  (  red  coals  over  a  searing  fire  )  with  the  need  to  shift  as  she  fights  the  screaming  urge  to  just  leap  across  the  counter  and  dig  her  fangs  into  the  woman’s  slim,  vulnerable  neck.  it  was  beyond  evident  that  this  vampire  was  dangerous;  malice  seeming  to  almost  pour  from  her  with  every  light  step  she  took  until,  finally,  she  was  right  in  leah’s  space  at  the  counter.

seattle was such a hipster city even now with the many changing faces. SERIOUSLY, it’s like he blinks and there’s someone new. not often the same faces though, no, like someone likes to keep the sea of faces ever moving. for matias it seemed as if he blinked and the city he knew was gone. not so much on fire, not to the unsuspecting passerby, but definitely different. lately it seems worse than usual. the news? it seems so much more scarier when the dead bodies start piling up outside your door than anywhere else. a serial killer in seattle? no one wants it to be true but it doesn’t surprise him. it seems as if he’s so old, or just feels it, that nothing surprises him anymore. new faces, missing faces, serial killer or killers; it all seems n o r m a l somehow.

the show must go on, right? the gentle hum of fear doesn’t stop him from doing what he’s gotta do. if it did, nothing would get done. so he puts on a face and he does it. third stop, the book store down the way from his bar. he’s looking for something and he’s not even sure what; or if it’ll make any sense whatsoever. “you’re fine. i’m looking for a book,” obviously, it’s a book store, “but i’m not really sure what… can i look around and see if you have what i need?” 

 ❝  shocker,  ❞  leah  teased  with  a  small,  amused  curve  of  her  lips.  if  nothing  else,  this  job  certainly  brought  in  a  varied  collection  of  characters  through  the  door;  usually,  more  amusing  than  most.  and  this  man?  he  might  have  seemed  imposing  to  the  average  person,  sure,  and  yet,  she  wasn’t  at  all  average,  now  was  she?  though  his  motives  for  entering  the  shop  were  rather  interesting  –  not  to  mention  a  touch  aloof.  but  who  was  she  to  judge?  as  long  as  he  wasn’t  causing  any  harm  or  being  obnoxious,  what  business  was  it  of  hers?  

 ❝  yeah,  feel  free  to  look  all  you  want.  you’ll  find  mostly  old  and  vintage  publications  here,  with  a  small,  newer  selection  we  personally  send  out  for.  you  know  the  genre  you’re  looking  for  at  least?  i  could  probably  point  you  in  the  right  direction.  ❞  

   she hadn’t been in seattle very long, arriving just a week ago and stumbling onto the war brewing. knowing victoria was behind it, jo chose to stay out of it. but she was curious who her acquaintance was so hell bent on fighting. creating an army of new borns seemed like a lot of work. sighing, the vampire eyed the street she was on. the wind blowing her hair all over the place. her golden eyes landing on a book store causing her to smile. glancing both way, she crossed the street, making her way toward the store’s door. her hand hovered over a plant that was near the window and as she passed it, not paying attention, the plant seemed to start looking more alive.

a smile was on her face as she entered the bookshop.   “  oh  ,  no  ,  i  was  just  going  to  look  around  a  bit  .  ”   her voice soft, but she knew the shifter would hear her. golden eyes landing on a wall with older looking books. she walked towards it, raising her hand and allowing her fingers to graze over the spines of the books.   “  actually  ,  do  you  have  any  recommendations  ?  ”  she asked as she continued to eye the books.

 the  icy  scent  of  death  hit  her  almost  instantly;  burning  relentless  at  her  senses  as  instincts  --  too  intertwined  into  the  very  core  of  her  being  –  rose  irate  and  volatile  in  automatic  defiance.  shit.  of  fucking  course  this  would  happen  to  her.  of  course.  leah’s  dark  eyes  narrowed  dangerously  as  she  held  back  the  full  -  bodied  shudder  that  threatened  to  wrack  her  lean  frame.  it  would  do  her  no  good  to  lose  control  and  shift  here  or  all  places,  but  being  that  she  was  so  close  and  they  were  confined  in  such  a  small  space,  it  was  difficult.  and  even  though  the  girl  (  bloodsucker,  undead,  vampire  )  meandering  in  front  of  her  sported  soft  golden  eyes  like  that  of  the  cullens,  it  didn’t  matter.  the  shifter  wanted  her  gone.