this is war

S H E  L A U G H S. “ it’s a pleasure finch. “ the other comment make her pout. “ oh but sweetums’ , cutie pie , angel face , darling and recently acquired love of my life “ she says dramatically - she may not have many friends but she has had many a theatre class. “ isn’t it your duty as my spouse of … thirty seconds , to protect me ?? knight in shining armour and all ?? “ cassie rolls her blue eyes, and steps forward with a grin, slipping an arm around finch’s waist. for a moment they really do look like every young couple there, overly fond and ridiculous. “ you should help me name my ugly gremlin when we win it. “

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“Oh my god,” Finch laughed, shaking her head.  “Anything but sweetums, I don’t even know what that one is.  And I guess it is my duty, but I haven’t had time in that thirty seconds to find out why they’re attacking you - maybe you did something awful to them, right?” she teases.  The arm around her makes her smile, as they portray the image of a young couple out enjoying the festivities.  “Hell yes, I should, I’m good at naming things.”

The world was jam packed with fools- especially now it seemed. Henrik hadn’t been back from the dead for long but he was back long enough to figure out how things were now. The technology itself was overwhelming but society as a whole was also baffling. “Sure, I’ll give it a try. I’ve never played before but you won’t cheat, will you?” He joked- not truly knowing or caring if she cheated with the oaf he’d scared off. “Do you wanna collect them up?” What did he know about billiards? Nothing- not even the terminology. He picked up a stick anyway and rolled it in his palm while muttering a spell under his breath. 

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“Now now,” Finch grinned playfully.  “I never cheat.  I just make people think I’m not as good as I really am so they lose bets.  Completely different,” she winked.  “Besides, you’re just learning, I’ll take it easy on you.”  She held up the rack for him to see, setting it on the table.  “That’s our rack.  When we put all the balls together, that’s racking them up.”  Making short work of the process, Finch lifted it from the table and slid it back into the designated spot on the side.  “Want to break?”

“Perfectly fine,” he said, before holding out the money for her. “Though I might suggest next time you aim for a little less, people’s egos getting more involved the higher the amount.” And though he considered not doing it, he stuck his hand into his own pocket and fished out a few notes to make up the numbers the other had missed till all the cash equaled $100, just in case there was a reason she was aiming for that number. The old lord in him figured it was better to be safe than sorry.  

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“I mean the way he was talking I didn’t think a hundred was going to be a big deal, but I’ll have to remember that for next time.”  Personally she was of the opinion that anyone betting money had better be prepared to lose it, but so be it.  “Oh - no, you don’t have to do that.  I’ll survive without you giving me your own money, I promise.”

A P H R O D I T E  B L E S S E D , is the thing that comes to mind, and though she can’t remember much she remembers enough to know the one in front of her is a beautiful thing. there’s laughter from near by and amara feels herself suddenly tempered, blinking out of whatever trance she was in. ( there’s a sudden rise of wariness in her , as if she’s only ever known how to live in secret , but she doesn’t wish to explore that thought ) “ i’m sorry , “ she apologises suddenly. “ you’re being kind to me and i have the feeling im being terribly forward “

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`Whatever was happening in the moment seemed to end suddenly, as Amara pulled away a little bit and apologized.  Finch was surprised but took a breath as well, not wanting the woman to feel uncomfortable with anything that was going on.  “You definitely don’t have to apologize to me,” Finch promised.  “And if it helps, I didn’t think you were being forward at all.”

C A S S I E  S H R U G S already stepping towards the stall. “ you’re going to do so much better than me . “ ( if she could concentrate enough to add a magic touch then she so would have but everything around her is a little too much ) “ i’m cassie by the way - “ she adds, stopping. “ i gotta ask, how much of the fake pda are we going for?? im okay holding your hand but i can’t snuggle you like a loving date if you really do have a date somewhere who’s going to push me into the fortune teller’s stall and hit me with whatever crystal ball is in there . “ she fake shudders at the thought. “ this isn’t death becomes her, im deceptively fragile you know , “

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“It’s nice that you have faith,” Finch laughed.  “It’s nice meeting you, Cassie, I’m Finch.  And I didn’t come with anyone, so there will be no one shoving you into the fortune teller’s stall...whether anyone’s going to hit you with a crystal ball I can’t say, I don’t know you that well,” she teased.  “But whatever level you feel right with, go for it.”

A laugh felt Drago’s lips when the other called him. Even if this guy was a vampire, Drago was pretty sure he could take him, and the whole thing left a bitter taste in his mouth, that he was pretty sure he wanted to call the guy bluff. Meeting the other male’s gaze head on. 

The girls words were sweet, and another day he might have just let it go, but it felt like this guy had made his bed, he deserved to sleep in it. His eyes flicked to her, to say he heard her, a nod in he direction but he turned back to the male. “See where I come from, people always had to pay their debts,” he said, and then as if on due, the guy moved to shove him. But Drago was faster and within a moment he had him pinned to the ground, reaching into grab the guy’s wallet as he held him to the ground, fished out the money (though as he figured the guy didn’t have the $100), before Drago let him up. “Now scram.”

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Finch flinched as the mark, provoked, moved forward to shove the man who’d stepped between them.  It was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid, and her fist clenched at her side in case she needed to step in - not that she expected to be much help, but letting a stranger get hit for her didn’t sit right either.  Fortunately he took down the mark in a matter of seconds, and emptied his wallet to boot.  The man, released, scrabbled to his feet and almost ran off, sparing an angry look over his shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

// @mysticofthefallenstarter​

“ e m e r g e n c y !! “ she doesn’t mean to startle the other person ( well she had wanted their attention ) “ we’re dating - no time for arguments. that stall has the ugliest giant plush in the world and i need it , but if i go over there for the fifth time alone the stall owner may actually set me on fire with the ‘poor loner girl can’t get a toy’ glare she’s got going on. so you , are now my beloved for hire , i’ll give you twenty bucks and any of the small prizes you win, as long as i get my demonic gremlin prize. “

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The last thing Finch had expected was the sudden voice from beside her, and she jumped a little before the words even began to register.  “I...hold on,” she shook her head, trying to buy a few moments to process and then nodded.  “Sure - I mean, you don’t have to pay me, but I don’t know if I’m going to be much help winning anything.  I can try, though!”

“Lets not make this a thing,” Drago said, stepping over towards the young girl and the man that should know better. “Pay the girl and move on. She beat you fair and square.”  

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Finch hadn’t intended for the game to turn into a whole incident, but she couldn’t deny that she was grateful someone had stepped in for backup.  Of course, alcohol and testosterone were a lethal combination, and it only seemed to put her mark’s back up all the further.  “And what if I don’t?”

Sighing, Finch waved him off.  “Look, dude, just go.  I don’t give a damn if you pay me or not, but I don’t need a fight on my conscience.”  She turned to address her savior with a cautious look.

“It’s alright.  He can go.”

S H E  C A N ‘ T tell if finch is feeling it too , but she hopes that she is. amara doesn’t dare move closer, instead she watches her teacher, attention to the game waning. one smooth moment, finch says, and amara can’t help but wonder how smooth the motion would be if she leaned forward and kissed her. ( lips to cheek , lips to lips , either way her thoughts scream at her that she’s being entirely too improper )  even as they hit the cue ball she’s still watching finch instead of looking to see if they hit their mark. “ you have such beautiful eyes. i hope someone’s told you that before “ ( it was a pity if they hadn’t - truly the world would be blind ) 

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The cue ball springs away from the cue, slamming into the balls they’d targeted and sinking one into the pocket behind it, but by the time it lands Finch has stopped watching it altogether.  Instead her attention is captivated by the feeling of Amara’s gaze on her and the soft compliment from her lips.  She’d never heard those words before, and it made those aforementioned eyes sparkle.  “Not that I can remember at least - but thank you.”

A M A R A  H U M S before choosing the three finch had originally pointed out. “ those ones, “ she says before looking at her pleadingly. “ please help me again , “ she tries not to sound too eager, but truthfully she wants it less for the help and more for the proximity, the warmth of finch against her as they play together. ( amara thinks she may have liked loved someone before but this ?? it’s familiar and new and makes the world shiver and stop, she doesn’t want to lose it ) this time when they move, amara presses back against finch gently, reassured by the feel of her so close. amara hesitates slightly before they make the shot. “ like this ?? “ she asks, turning her head to look at finch

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“Of course,” Finch smiled an easy agreement.  “And that’s a good choice, those are the ones I’d have gone for.”  Granted, it was getting a little bit difficult to concentrate on the physics and shot selection as Amara pressed back into her, but she was pretty confident that even then she could manage both.  “Just,” her throat went a little dry at having Amara’s face so close to hers, and she had to resist the urge to move forward a little.  “Just like that,” she smiled, heart thumping in her chest.  “One smooth motion.”  Finch has lost track, though, of whether she’s talking about the shot or not.

She tried to ignore the feeling. Just to sit there and try and support her as best she could, but when she offered her hand to Alex. Alex held placed both of hers on it, leaning closer to her. “It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “The gene… it doesn’t care if it was your fault or if you were forced into it.” She needed to know that. She hadn’t murdered someone. All she had done was listen and trust her grandfather. He had betrayed her. 

After a moment, as the tears fell silently Alex moved over to her, wrapping herself around the other. 

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Finch’s breath came in a sob, but she nodded.  Despite the genetic destiny she’d inherited in that moment, she’d never meant to harm anyone.  She’d been much too young to understand what had been asked of her or what it would cost her, and it made perfect sense that her young mind had built walls around the memory to keep herself from ever thinking about it again.  Maybe in the end it wouldn’t matter, but it was hardly the only thing barring her from peace according to the street preachers she’d seen in New York.

When Alex enfolded her in her arms, Finch rested her head on the other girl’s shoulder and let the rest of her emotion out.

“No, not really… I mean, there is a class on my family. My dad. At least when I was at school but it wasn’t- it wasn’t nice,” she admitted. “The chapter on him was called ‘klaus the great evil’ so you can guess what that was all about.” But admittedly even as she said the words about her dad that made her sad, she smiled a little easier at Finch’s words. “Um, yeah. I guess. I think wolves are sadly a little more solo, lone wolf types for it to happen all the time. But yeah, plus there was this spell that packs can do… it’s kind of complicated but it involves to people getting married and giving themselves over to each other completed and from that their pack gets to share in the couples powers. It doesn’t happen that much anymore because all wolves have the same stuff but I’m… well I’m special. I have something that alot of wolves who have triggered their gene would want, the ability to turn at will. Or not turn at all, in fact. That’s really the only reason the wolves accepted me given i’m a mikaelson. Because they wanted something from me more than they hated my family,” she said. Her words more honest than she wanted them to be, but it was hard not to be when it was Finch standing across from her. “Do you want to rack them?” She asked, pushing the balls towards the middle of the table. 

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“Oh damn.  That kind of gives away a lot of what the class is going to be about, doesn’t it?”  Her joking words were mostly a way to divert Alex’s thoughts from her father being called something like that.  Finch stood fairly still as she listened, hands moving absently on the cue as she tried to digest everything that Alex was telling her.  The thought of not having to turn, not having to be chained up to keep everyone else safe, that sounded like a dream even if it was pretty involved.  “That sounds like some elitist shit to me - whether they like your family or not, being one of them should still be enough for them to have accepted you.”  She knew she was hardly an expert on the world they were discussing, but it was no different than not accepting someone because of who they’d been born to.  “Go for it,” she smiled, gesturing to the table.

“Well i’m kind of one of two of my species. So there isn’t really anyone else in the world like us,” she said. “Yeah,” she said. And though she didn’t want to explain what that meant for the two of them, she knew that Finch wouldn’t know. “Couples tend to be joint alpha of a pack, yes.” Alex laughed. It was nice to see the way the other’s face lite up at the thought. “I’m not sure that’s true,” she said, moving to reach for one of the sticks and turn it over in her fingers. “Pretty sure you can still kick my ass.”

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“Two of you in the whole world, huh?  So the class on you at the Salvatore school would be a high-level advanced option?”  She had no idea if that was how classes worked at a supernatural school, but she thought the joke worked all the same.  “I’ll keep that in mind,” she grinned.  “Is it a common thing, that a couple takes over a pack?  Or is that less common than a single alpha?”  It was tough sometimes realizing just how little she knew.  “Oh, I definitely can, I just think it’d be more of a challenge now,” Finch teased.

“Yeah well… I’m a hybrid, we aren’t normally that accepted into regular packs,” she admitted. “Plus, I did. in the end. We did, and honestly it was pretty nice,” she said, turning to look over the table at the other’s words. Thinking to all the times they had played before, now their first kiss had been over one of this these tables. A small smile coming to her lips. “You know you are about to play someone that knows all your moves, right?”

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“Ah, got you - I’m still learning all this stuff, so that’s a good fact to know.”  It took a few times running through the words before Finch clued in, but then she got it.  “Oh, so we both were?  Very cool,” she grinned.  The challenge only made her smile all the more brightly.  “Well then, you might have a chance.”

D O E  E Y E S flick back and forth between finch and the balls, feeling warm and light in a way she hasn’t since she came back. amara can’t help the smile that grows even as finch’s gaze isn’t on her. “ why stripes and colours “ she wonders aloud. “ surely there could be so many prettier things to decorate them with. “ it escapes her that that wasn’t the purpose for such things. she listens carefully to finch, noting the way the balls have all scattered. “ i see. “ she confirms. “ those three, but there’s also those two. “ amara adds, pointing at two towards one of the corner pockets. “ and those four. “ her finger shifts to four in the centre, their path less clear but still there if you look carefully. she squeezes finch’s hand gently as she turns to look back at her. “ did i get it right ?? now what ?? “

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“I don’t know the history of the game or anything,” Finch admits, “but I think it’s just visibility.  It’s easier to sight a solid yellow ball than one that had flowers or something like that.”  At least that was her best guess.  She watches, forgetting that her hand is in Amara’s for a moment, as she spots potential shots on the table and feels a proud grin tug her lips upward.  “You got it just right,” she confirmed, tingles up her arm at the squeeze.  “Now you pick the one you think we should shoot at.  I’ll help you again if you want, but you pick the shot for us.”

H E R  H A N D is up and for a moment amara worries something is wrong, that finch will hit her but when her hand stays there waiting amara blinks, looking between the slender fingers and the girl they belong to. not quite understanding, amara takes her hand and holds it. ( the touch is comforting , like she’s held someone like this before but the hand in hers now is distinctly different. it’s not a bad thing. ) “ we did. “ she repeats softly, eyes on finch before she turns to look at the balls. “ oh , uh , the solid ones ?? do they have different meanings or are they just … balls ?? “

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It was everything Finch could do not to giggle as Amara took her hand, because how could anyone not be struck by the simple charm of it?  She doesn’t pull away, though, content to keep her hand where it is as they study the table.  “No, it’s just a decoration - a way to separate them between players.”  The talk about pool is a pleasant distraction from the way that Amara’s gaze on her made her feel warm.  “Okay, solids it is.  Now we want to study the table - find any solid balls that are near pockets, and then pick one with a sight line to the cue ball...the white ball, I mean.  Like, say...the three,” she points.  “See how it’s lined up with the white ball?”

T H E  P R O X I M I T Y  of her as she laughs makes her flush, the sound light and mesmerising. amara clears her throat, looking away before she can do something utterly humiliating like stare. “ i feel bad at it , “ she sulks until they try again. amara’s more concentrated this time, brows furrowed and lip bitten as she careful watches the ball. as they hit it, her excitement is palpable and she springs up nearly knocking them both over. “ finch we did it !! “ she turns to her, smile faltering slightly as she remembers herself. “ well - you did -  “

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There’s no mistaking the color in Amara’s cheeks, and Finch can’t contain her smile as she looks away again.  Even her sulking is too cute not to smile at.  When they make the shot and Amara jumps up Finch laughs brightly trying to keep on her feet.  “We did,” she insists, holding up a hand for Amara to high-five.  “That was great!  You sunk two balls off the break, one striped and one solid.  That means you get to pick which one you want to play.”