Riverborn

“All week? That seems very monotonous. I mean broccoli and spaghetti actually is pretty damn good with a white sauce, plus I just love looking at anything that looks like tiny trees. “ She hopped off the chair and smiled up at Gage, who was still taller than her despite being slightly above average height. “ No, you’re still my only one. I like to think I’m social, but then again. I’m less social than I was when I was a stripper. The paint doesn’t talk back typically” She joked. “But then again I find everyone interesting. I met some interesting people trying to chase the raccoon that lives behind my apartment”

“Stoooooop, I hate thinking about you stripping! Gross!” he chuckled, hands shooting up to his ears like earmuffs. He didn’t want to see his innocent friend in that light. He let his hands fall and cocked his head at her. “What’s a white sauce? I only have known red sauce. Oh my god have I been missing out? I do love the tiny edible trees though! Now what do we need for white sauce?” He made his way to the kitchen to write down a grocery list in his illegible handwriting. “Who all did you meet? Anyone cute? Anyone interesting? Anyone funny? Anyone to bring home to? I wanna know,” he laughed, acting like an overbearing father figure, which was fun because he didn’t have any children of his own. 

Viktoria knew that Gage was a little awkward, a little spazzy, and a little all over the place. She had picked up that about him from seeing him every day in Lackadaisy when he delivered mail. And she saw more of it when she spent time with him, the night at Tinker Thai, and later that night when she slept with him. Viktoria couldn’t help the grin that grew on her face when she clearly unnerved him with her teasing. It was kind of cute to see him blush and grow embarrassed. “It’s okay, I was only teasing. I know you can get me wet in other ways.” She winked at him, enjoying how he reacted and how cute he was when embarrassed. Viktoria didn’t mind at all that he was embarrassed, or that he really hadn’t meant his words like that. She wasn’t blaming him at all and she still felt a little high on this amusement. “It’s okay, breathe Gage. I was just teasing.” She smiled and laughed a little. Viktoria tucked some stray hair behind her ear and grinned at him. “Well, I hope I’m good at other things and not just waitressing.” It was a good start, but the next words out of his mouth had the smile falling from her lips. “Oh, Gage… I…” She trailed off, now the one struggling to find words. “I… I thought I was clear the other… the other night. I’m not looking for something serious. I’m sorry.” Her dark eyes sought his out, chewing on her bottom lip as she suddenly felt bad, was she doing something wrong and giving him the wrong idea?

At her teasing, he blushed and his hand snaked down to hold hers in his own monstrous hand. “You’re good at many things, I can tell.” He didn’t want to lie to her and say he was good at reading people, because he honestly had no idea, but he could tell she was a good person. The night they had spent together, he had sort of fallen for her. Not in love, he was nowhere near anything of the sort, it was all casual. 

He pulled his hand back at her words, as if he had been struck in the face. He stopped walking and it took a moment before he nodded. He looked down at his feet. “What are you looking for with me?” Why are we together right now, he wanted to ask.

Ramsey had her face practically buried in a sketch book as she went into a slight daze at hearing Gage talk. It wasn’t that she found his words boring. In fact she found him to be incredibly intriguing. It was why she wandered up to him in the first place. It was more she had a tendency to get lost in her thoughts, until the last sentence pulled her from her work. She pushed her wavy blonde hair out of her face leaning a smudge on her check from the  charcoal pencil she was using. “ Oh no we should not ask the whisper rectangle any questions. Stripping or art? They never are pleased.  “ Ramsey mused for a moment before tilting her head to think back on what he said prior. “ Is it possible to make meal prep a game? It seems logical yes?”

“Yes! What food do we have then? What do you want to eat for lunch all week? Spaghetti? Broccoli? Let’s raid the fridge.” He grinned, offering a hand to help Ramsey off the chair. “Have you met any other Riverborn or interesting folks around here, RamBam? You’re still pretty new, no?” Newer than Gage, at least. He’d been here for two years already! 

A hypothetical doesn’t usually turn into a business deal, but here they are striking one up. Oliver shrugs. “Hey, both solid options. If you come fill out the paperwork, I’ll see if I can talk to our hiring manager.” A beat before he gives up on the joke. “Which is me. So. You’re basically guaranteed the position, if you want it. We’d love to have you. Could use the extra hands, probably.” The ignorance of the small crowd makes Oliver frown, deep enough that a furrow forms above his glasses. “No, no, that doesn’t change anything. I’m thinking maybe they’re the ones I don’t want to be associated with, actually. It’s their loss.” Oliver finally sighs, turning back to his friend. “But I’m also thinking I shouldn’t hold you here against your will anymore. Promise me you’ll come to the book sale, and maybe I’ll have a spiffy volunteer t-shirt made up for you. Or, well, taken from the back room and given a proper washing, anyway.” He smiles, taking the fliers from Gage’s hand. “Thanks for your help. Seriously.”

While he would always mourn a piece of Theo and Meyer, not having the former at the library anymore was probably better for his mental health. Therefore, the library was a safe space all over again, after months of it being a hell. “Great, I can come by after work on Monday,” he nodded. “Well if you put it that way,” he grinned, nudging the man with his shoulder. Perhaps they weren’t as friendly as that would be a nonchalant gesture, but it was there all the same. Too late to turn back. “Okay, Ollie. We’ll be in touch!” he announced, handing the fliers back to the man so he could return to work. And since it was such a beautiful day, Gage decided he may change clothes and do some yoga at the park before it got dark.

“So you can’t just take it out for a joy ride? Not even when I call you after a night out, needing a ride because I’m too drunk to function?” She was speaking as if she was the devil on the shoulder, asking questions to provide perspectives that could get people to fall prey to her words. “Ah, a bike! That explains the calves and sculpted butt you have!” She snapped her fingers at him when she reached that analysis. She could tell the mood of the atmosphere took a turn when she had asked her question. The sigh only foreshadowed what he said. “What happened with Meyer? We don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want to.” At his question, she quickly turned her demeanor into a devious one, as if his words provoked her. “I’m glad you asked. You can work for me! With me. If you want! But if you’re happy with where you’re at, then stay. Don’t change anything.” It wasn’t the best advice, but it was a safe one. While she could find a place for Gage within her business, a greater happiness wasn’t guaranteed, unless his happiness was greatly weighed in a high salary. She narrowed her eyes at him as a mocking “ha, ha” rolled off her tongue. “You wouldn’t have to worry about a potential lover on my end. But you’re right. You’re not too good for me. I’m too good for you,” she continuously teased, the additional attacks only a result of his attacks. “And I’ll pencil you in as hilarious, delusional, and a pain in the ass.”

He thought for a second and finished, “there might be exceptions,” with a slight smirk that meant he was up to no good. “What?! Looking at my ass?! Why I oughta--” He made a motion of whacking her with the little mail in his hand and chuckled, secretly loving the idea of being checked out even if it was a platonic friendship. When waking up on the shores of Lethe, he definitely realized soon enough that he was #blessed. 

Gage found himself sighing at the thought, and he nodded. Better to bite the bullet. “Meyer’s mom died and in his grief, he recoiled. He pushed me away. End of story, really.” He liked her change of demeanor and easily mirrored it. “Well if you put it like that! No, I like where I’m at, but if anything changes I have your number. And your home address,” he chuckled, finishing the route and turning back around, bobbing his head for her to follow him back to the truck around the corner. 

Gage couldn’t help but bark at her ‘I’m too good for you’ comment as they walked along. “I could agree with ‘delusional,’ thank you very much,” he tooted his own horn. “That last one though has absolutely no merit. Your ass, like mine, is very nice.” While he wasn’t being serious in this moment, Gage was a very literal person. Not sure if it came with being a Riverborn or that was who he was, he decided to roll with it over the past two years.

Matt catches the shirt, checks for the smell and shrugs. This will do. “And here I was, excited that I’m getting a make-over.” He drawls jokingly as he puts on the shirt. He raises a brow as Gage ambushes him with some mushy, emotional talk. Where the fuck did that come from? “Don’t you Gage all over me, dude. It’s far too early in the morning, for fuck’s sake.” He rolls his eyes before letting out a begrudging sigh. “Well, someone has to look out for a clueless baby like you.” He pinches Gage by the cheek jokingly. “Aw, gross. Now get the fuck out of my room. I need to do unspeakable things to myself to cleanse this Gageness.” He replies with a sweet fake smile of his.

“Shut up,” he grinned at the other using his name as a verb. “I can cry like a baby if you really want me to, but I figure both our ears will bleed if I do,” he said nonchalantly, standing up from the super short get-together with Matthew. “And think of me when you do it!” Gage held Matty’s head in both his hands and kissed the top of his head, running out of the room to dodge if his roommate were to throw anything at him. 

Viktoria grinned at Gage and shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe it’s because I don’t have great focus. I have the commitment of a goldfish sometimes. It’s like if I put the book down for a week or more, that’s it I won’t pick it up again because something else that’s shiny and new has caught my attention.” She chuckled and took a bite of her dinner. He was the first Riverborn she really spoke to, and as far as she knew the others didn’t know any previous memories. “Did something happen to start to have some memories fade in? Or did they all just come from your family telling you about them?” Viktoria was curious, she still was curious about how they all showed up here with no memories. But, she was happy that he found his family, she didn’t think many got that chance. 

She took another bite, slurping up a noodle silently as she nodded and watched him. “Why is he hesitant to remember?” She asked wondering if he knew something on some level his brain didn’t know. “Do you guys get along?” She asked, thinking of her own living situation with Mallory and Luke. Right now it was a little empty and sad with both of them gone. Viktoria took his warm hand in her own and shook it, a smile on her lips from the absurdity of it all. “Nice to meet you Gage Martell, aka Henry Palmer.” Viktoria didn’t know if it was because up until this point she had only known him as Gage, but she liked that name better. It suited him. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” She shook him off with a wave of her hand and took another bite. 

Washing down some of the pho with water, she added a little more of the spicy sauce they had given her on the side to give it another kick. “Yeah, why is that?” She asked with a smile and took another bite. Yes, this was better with it being more spicy. “A little, we could use another server or two. But it’s not too bad, I think you just always come in during the lunch rush.” His logic made her giggle and she nodded her head. “Yeah, that’s what it is. You only bring us bills and spam letters, a literal messenger with bad news.” Viktoria couldn’t help but giggle. 

“I think the memories began when I realized I was a nymph, actually. That was the main catalyst, I think,” he chewed thoughtfully. “Otherwise, its mainly time. And as its been almost two years... well, thats a lot of time to remember, don’tcha think?” He watched her eat and thought for a moment. “Matty? Um, no, I don’t know why. But yeah we’re great mates.” They ate for a few more seconds and she spoke up soon after. “I can believe that, my schedule just makes us not meant to be!” he exaggerated, grinning down at his food, almost afraid to look her in the eye at that comment. “Yeah, I can believe it. I only want to send the snail mail and happy birthday letters and presents and things like that, but we don’t always get what we want.” He shrugged then hesitated a moment. “Let me know if you’re willing to share. That looks good. What is it called?”

“You trust me enough to try and dunk you?” Viktoria asked with a chuckle. “Who knows I might really want to knock you down.” Maybe she would give it a try when he had to go back to his job at the fair. “I think it’s a little… out there. I mean the title Dunk a Riverborn is enough without him shouting to send you back to where you came.” Viktoria shrugged, but felt a lot better seeing that he wasn’t offended at all and was taking the booth in strides. “But, I really admire your attitude, Gage. About a lot of things.” He was starting to babble a bit, but when he called her a puppy along with the other werewolves, she raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Am I a puppy? No one’s ever called me that before. So, you’d like to see me working the dunk tank, huh? Just wanting to see me get drenched, I bet.” His smile was kind of infectious and it was hard to ignore. “Uh-huh, and what things do you think I’m good at?” Viktoria wasn’t sure if he had meant that in a sexual way or not, but she still found herself smiling in amusement as he babbled. 

He wasn’t the best at taking compliments, so he usually just smiled at them or said a quiet ‘thanks.’ Today was a soft nod and his grin grew, somehow. “That’s not it...” he trailed off, but then saw where she was headed and his eyes widened just a little bit. Visibly. “I’m sure I could find other ways to get you wet... oh wait. Not like...” He sighed, embarrassed, not knowing what he was saying anymore. “Whatwouldyouliketoeat?” he said in one breath, trying to switch the conversation to something more normal. He knew he was a spazz, and it made him insecure. He thought he’d ‘grow out’ of it overtime, after gaining more Henry memories and becoming less of a Riverborn, and less Gage and more Henry. But he was always going to be Gage, he figured. That was a useless dream, trying to change. It was hard being stuck with your own flaws, and he didn’t know where to begin to change. So he was childish, awkward, spazzy, easily confused. That was him. “Well from what I’ve seen, you’re good at waitressing,” he said slowly, trying to get over the embarrassment of moments earlier. “But that’s what this date is for, to get to know you better, to find out what you’re good at. If you’d let me.”

Once upon a time, Gage Martell had been in the park doing yoga when one Ramsey Haller came up to him and started talking to him. The rest was history. Sometimes they did yoga together, sometimes they burned food, sometimes they hunted for critters. Today, thanks to the fire last week, Gage had dropped in on Ramsey’s day off to spend the day with her. “So do you wanna do errands or meal prep or play a game? I’ve learned a few card games we haven’t tried yet. Or maybe browse the internet, see if anyone’s talking about you,” he snickered. He liked to poke fun at her line of work, but just playful teasing. 

“Ah, that’s no fair, I think you air nymphs have the advantage in something like. Witches might, too, come to think of it.” She’d always been a little envious of them with their gifts and the ease with which they used them. There were horror stories about witches overusing magic, but they seemed much more rare and far away than the pain of being a werewolf. Mira roughly shook her head, focusing on the task at hand. “Don’t worry, if someone doesn’t get you soon, I’ll free you from your torment,” she said with faux cheerfulness, hands on her hips. “I am technically in line, after all, just somewhat off to the side.” As Gage spoke, Mira eyed him for a moment. It was true, he did look better than usual, a little more mature and a little brighter, and she thought it was a good look for him. “Meet anyone worthwhile? I’m not talking about a date, there’s a lot of interesting characters in Lethe.”

“Oh will you?” he asked, as if daring her to do so. Mira had always been like his own sibling, and he was glad they could keep up their friendship overtime. There may have been awkwardness in the beginning (he wouldn’t have caught on, though), but by now everything with Mira Lowell was peachy. “Oh, the most interesting one is my roommate, Matty Miles: Lamia Riverborn. I love him almost as dearly as my brothers,” he said with a grin. “Anyone you think I should meet? I’ll take your word for it,” he said offhandedly, feet dangling into the water below. 

Gage’s joke earns a laugh even as Oliver stews in his own embarrassment about his sniffly introduction. Blame the hybrid blood – any temperature under 70 degrees and he’s almost guaranteed a cold. “Louder. Right.” Volume’s important, but easier said than done when he can practically feel his nose stuffing up. The offer is appreciated, so much so that Ollie bites back a sigh of relief. “Hey, thanks – can’t offer you a paycheck, though. Fair warning.” A joke, and he’s smiling with it, though he knows Gage would never ask him for money. He’s a friend, and good for a favor. Always has been. “I do know that,” the librarian smiles in reference to Gage’s reading habits. “Speaking of, I’ve got a new shipment of fiction coming in on Monday. Some of the titles you asked me about a few weeks ago, I think. You’re welcome to come peruse if you want, they’ll be in my office.” The tips are taken to heart, and Oliver straightens up in time for Gage to clap a hand on his shoulder, eliciting another laugh. He’s sure he looks like he’s posing. The fliers are gestured to with enthusiasm. “That’d be great. Clearly I am a pretty lousy spokesperson. Maybe I really should offer you a job. If the library ever needs a representative, I think I know who I’m calling.”

It was easy to shake off projections of money, of compensation. Gage didn’t need that, he just had to know he was loved, was wanted. That’s all he had ever wanted, really, to do good in the world, not to be renowned for what he did. “I don’t know what a representative does, but I don’t mind volunteering at my off-hours. Part-time volunteer? I was considering the animal shelter, because hello, cats and dogs! But since I already have experience in the library, that’s probably the smart way to go.” He waved over some people and announced the event, but they must’ve been anti-Riverborn. “See? Maybe I’m not the best person to be associated with,” he chuckled. 

“Wow. I’m thrilled, Gage. What are you even gonna write?” Felix chuckles with a teasing smile. He doesn’t push back, just keeps on cackling his way. “That you are.” He follows unhurriedly. Hangover might have a word with him if he tried to run right now. “Why do you think it’s called Flamin’ Hot, dude? I’ll give you a hint, it’s not ‘cause it’s hot as in attractive.” He remarks with an amused grin he seems to wear around Gage. “Don’t think you’re a wimp. Sensitive, maybe, but that’s a good thing.” He shrugs. “If you can’t handle the heat, we’ll just get another one for ya, maybe something basic, like cool ranch.”

“I dunno, ‘Don’t let the door slam you on the way out’?” He chuckled at the shitty joke. “Nah,” he said, batting his hand at the other. “No need. Just buy me a soda and we’ll be dandy,” he giggled. Even Gage Martell the Riverborn knew nobody used the word ‘dandy’ anymore. He held the door open to the mart and went to hunt for some goddamn Oreos. 

Sudoku and Solitaire were some of the most dangerous games on her phone, they sucked her in so easily. Viktoria was about to agree with him that sudoku was a pretty awesome game when he suddenly cut off in the middle of his sentence with such a confused look on his face. Viktoria felt her lips part and her eyebrows raise in her own form of confusion. Clearly he was meaning to say something else, but he cut himself off for whatever reason. Viktoria decided not to question it and instead nodded. “I mean, it makes sense for it to not be your least favorite.” She agreed with his very twisted sentence. The last thing Viktoria expected next was this complete, full blown rambling monologue from Gage while he hopped from thought to thought and idea to idea in a very confusing and spiraling manner. “Yeah, but I’m so stubborn, I think I need to finish it at least.” She nodded towards the book, it just sucked it was so long. Viktoria was at least a little surprised to hear he was older than her, there was something about Gage that made him feel younger. “How do you know your age then if you don’t have any memories from before when you woke up here?” It was hard not to chuckle a little, at least when he finally got done with his rambling. “No, I don’t know a Matty. Who is he?” She took a sip of her water and watched him with an eyebrow raised to see if he would start to ramble again. Another round of babbling started up, but at least this one was shorter. She chuckled again, unable to help herself. He was funny when he started to get like this. “You learned that when you were high?” She couldn’t help but laugh, in her mind she could already imagine him sitting there trying to commit the whole thing to memory. “No, you don’t have to say it backwards, I think I got it figured out in my head.” She smiled again, nodding for him to take the water as she looked around for the waiter to grab Gage a cup of his own too. Still smiling and finding his babbling a little cute, Viktoria held out her hand to shake. “Yeah, let’s start over. Nice to meet you Gage, I’m Viktoria Calloway, age 29.”

“Oh, I understand, though I disagree. I think I put the book down long enough to forget about it and just... poof, the desire to finish is gone, y’know?” Gage grinned ear to ear at her then. “Oh, a few memories filtered in. Yeah, my family... I found my mom online and contacted her and now my family visits about every other month, since we’re all nymphs.” He didn’t mention that he and Darren were the only air nymphs, when their mom and dad were water and earth, respectively. 

“Matty’s my roommate. He’s hesitant to remember anything, so I don’t think he has, or at least he hasn’t shared anything. He’s another Riverborn, sorry. Lamia.” He nodded and took th sip from the glass of water, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand afterwards as there was no straw. Gage firmly shook her hand in return. “Hi Viktoria Calloway, I’m Gage Martell, otherwise known as Henry Palmer by some folk around these parts. It’s very nice to officially sit down and meet you.” He blushed from the absurdity of it all, looking down at his food. “Sorry if I’m a bit hectic. That’s just... who I am!” He almost wondered now, looking back, how Meyer even handled him, how they fit as well as they did (for less than a year, albeit). 

He finally plunged his plastic fork into the food in front of him and took a bite. “I’ve been hoping one of these days to get a hold of you at work, but you’re always so busy. Are you understaffed at the Lackadaisy? Also, I finally figured out why your face goes white when you see me,” he chuckled, obviously exaggerating. “It’s because most of the mail must be bills you don’t wanna pay.”

“Always so altruistic,” she said dryly, hands on her hips. “You know, its pretty bold of you to think any of them know how to aim. Maybe you shouldn’t have volunteered to go first, everyone will need to get into the groove of it.” She watched another person walk away with a defeated sigh and laughed as a tiny girl stepped up next with such a determined light in her eyes that Mira was fairly certain he would meet his downfall during her four throws. Mira blinked, a little surprised by the turn in his words. “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t you be doing better?” she asked, confused. “I mean, unless something has changed since then I saw you last and it certainly wasn’t that long ago.”

“Hey, if they’re an air nymph like me then they can aim alright!” Gage chuckled heartily, a little nervous that he was giving others the wrong idea. Werewolves and vampires had strength on their side, he was sure other species could cheat in their own way as well. “Well it’s a buck for three throws, so hopefully that’s plenty of time for them to get into ‘the zone.’” He shrugged his shoulders. “I dunno, I’m doing alright. Just been getting around town and meeting people. It’s good, I’m good.” When he lived with Meyer, they were both rather hermits. This was so much better for him, getting out and making friends, even making enemies. As long as he had someone to talk to, Gage was good. 

Viktoria laughed as she was put on the spot like this. She actually didn’t know who sang the song originally, only that she mainly saw it on a singing fish. “I have no idea who Bobby McFerrin is.” She laughed. “But look up the singing fish. You will see what I’m referencing. That’s who sings it in my mind.” She giggled and took a sip of the water in front of her. “And hey! Watch it! I’m not that old! I’m only 29 and I highly doubt you are 9 years old.” Though, Viktoria couldn’t really know how old he really was. What if he was much older than he looked? Plenty of supernaturals pretty much stopped showing signs of aging at a certain point. “Do you mind if I ask how old you are, Gage?” She bit her lip and hoped it wasn’t a sore subject for him. 

This would probably be the longest conversation she had with Gage, or at least the longest she was able to stay still in front of him. Usually when he dropped off mail at Lackadaisy, they were serving others and she couldn’t talk to him much. So, this would probably be the time he got to see her just lounge around too. Viktoria rolled her eyes when he took up her suggestion and actually made himself comfortable. “Better?” She asked, grinning at him. “I have an app of that on my phone, it’s a good game. I definitely can get sucked into playing more than one game at a time.” She nodded towards the book she was now discarding to the side. “I’m trying to get through this book, but I’m not getting really far. I can’t seem to get into it, nothing is really happening it’s just dragging.” Viktoria shrugged and laughed to show him that she wasn’t putting the blame on him, but rather on her inability to focus on the book at any time. Viktoria dug into her pho and took a bite before nodding to his food. “What’d you get?” 

He bit his lip at her question, wanting to wait until she was finished talking before he changed the subject, but they would soon find his transitions into topics were less than remedial. “That’s awesome, Sudoku is awesome! My la--” he narrowed his eyes, confused. He was about to say ‘my last boyfriend’ but then realized that was weird and maybe TMI. “My l....east favorite phone game is definitely not Sudoku!” He grinned, knowing that was completely random but not wanting her to ask to finish his last sentence. “Oh, then maybe you won’t like the book. That’s fine, you can try something else. And I got Pad Thai. I like their fried rice, too. Never was a pho person, at least since I can remember. And technically my memories are only two years old, and because theres some scattered from my life, before I’ll round it up to ten--I am in fact in my forties, so yeah. If you’re 29 and I’m mentally 10, then you have 19 years on me...rounded up to twenty. See? My math is not wrong. I think all Riverborn are technically children. Oh do you know Matty?” he segued so starkly that it might’ve given Vik whiplash. He was a little awkward when he had crushes, always had been according to his mother. “Oh, apparently I was a math genius in San Francisco,” again the segue was non-existent. “I’m just kidding! I’ve memorized it and practiced it for like, well a couple months now. It just never comes up when you’re working, math, but I know it like the back of my hand. Oh, did you know that I learned the alphabet backwards one night when I was stoned? I still remember it. It’s the same concept, its just stuck in my brain. I can say it again, if you like?” he asked, motioning to her cup asking if he could take a drink. “Sorry, I meant I’m 45 years old. Wanna start again? I’m Gage Martell.”

Viktoria thought the carnival or parade or whatever you wanted to call it was a good idea. It was a great way for the community to come together and just to let off some steam. She had noticed a little, subtle rising tension recently and though she wasn’t dialed in to the town gossip she had no idea why she felt that way. Earlier she had been spending time with Mal and her recently reunited daughter. And of course Nolyn. But, Viktoria wasn’t sure how to refer to him right now, Mal’s boyfriend? Ex? Father of Eden? The little girl was quickly winning over Viktoria’s heart and she already decided she would kill for the little girl who reminded her so much of Mal. She may have a tied up complicated past to how she viewed children, seeing the things that she did during the slaughter of her pack caused her to have that baggage. But none of that mattered around Eden, the little girl was sweet and she loved her. It was odd to think in a way that technically the little girl was also a continuation of their pack, half her blood came from Mal who had been in that pack along with Viktoria. But, even she knew she wouldn’t have been accepted as part fae. After winning the little girl the biggest stuffed animal she could find, Viktoria soon left the trio to spend some quality family time together. As she was headed to the rows of food trucks, she suddenly heard her name above the roar of the crowd. Turning around she suddenly came face to face with Gage when he came bounding towards her looking like a happy and wiggly puppy. He had come into Lackadaisy every day after that night that ended in them tangled in his sheets, but she hadn’t spoken to him any of those days due to always being with a customer. She blinked in surprise before his eager rush of words seemed a little endearing. “Um, sure. I was just headed there myself.” She gave him a small smile, but inwardly hoped he wouldn’t think there had been something more to that night. Viktoria had tried to tell him as such when she left early the next morning. But, he was right, everyone ate. “So you are working the dunk tank, huh?” She nodded over his shoulder to the ‘Dunk A Riverborn’. “How do you feel about the whole thing?” She asked, wondering if he felt a little… belittled by the whole affair. “You look pretty dry for someone working a dunk tank.” She teased with a wink. 

“Don’t count your chickens, I’m coming back, remember? First three throws are free on me if ya like,” he chuckled, as a sort of incentive to get her to stay with him the entire time. “I like it a lot, its a way to get everyone together and though I’m not crazy about it being Riverborn, I’m sure you can think of someone from every species who should be dunked in the tank. If I’m being honest, I wish they woulda done the werewolves instead. All you puppies need to be taught a thing or two, I suspect,” he growled at her, smiling before he finished talking. “I’m just kidding, no one can teach you anything, you’re good at... a lot of things.” He hadn’t even meant it in a sexual manner, but the smile afterwards was definitely exaggerated in the way Gage’s eyes lit up and his mouth opened into a wide smile like those emojis and his dimples showed deep valleys in his cheeks.