♡ ⋮ sugar rush

“Usually I find that listening to the song a few times gets it out of my head,” Amari suggested.  Sometimes it didn’t work, but it usually did.  That was all she could really ask for.  “What song is it?”  Truthfully Amari was hoping it was one she didn’t recognize so she didn’t run the risk of accidentally getting it caught in her mind as well.

“Oh, really? I never really considered that as an option since I’ve always been under the impression that it would do the opposite but perhaps I’ll take that approach,” she told the woman, fingers tapping against her jaw as she thought it over silently. “It’s the theme song from Paw Patrol - that little kids show about dogs that rescue people. For some ridiculous reason they make these songs so bloody catchy and it’s horrific. Add Halsey’s Without Me into the mix and... well, you get the point.”

A devilish grin spread across Dex’s lips and he folded his arms across his chest, a shrug in his shoulders. “I’m not sure how much science has to do with it. Maybe it’s more… biology?” He rubbed his chin. “But isn’t the best way to get over something, to get under someone else?”

It was safe to say that the mans words had certainly caught the siren off guard considering the dumbfounded expression that was now plastered all over her face, blinking several times as she tried to come up with some sort of sentence to alleviate this situation. “Uhm... theoretically that is what many people claim to be true but I have never been quite fond of that approach on things considering it’s only a way to repress instead of move on. Not that anyone who does that is in the wrong but, well, it’s very much a to each their own situation.”

Grace nodded in understanding.  “I get that,” she chuckled. “Everyone has opinions and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.”  She smiled at her, thinking about what was gong on.  That was the thing that made things interesting.  If everyone had the same opinions it would get very boring.  “So where do you stand on the brownies versus blondies debate then?”

Like clockwork, Gianna was soon distracted from her thoughts on trivial resolutions towards something that she actually thought about more often than the average person as a pastry chef. It had always been a fair fifty fifty split for the siren but that didn’t mean she didn’t have her preference. “I feel like I should be saying that both are valid and should be given the chance to shine in the limelight but my heart is always going to prefer a good brownie. There’s just so many options with a brownie but it a blondie it can be rather restrictive unless you start adding fruits or caramel. I did, however, once try to make a half brownie half blonde concoction which was... interesting to say the least.”

Nick was steaming at the recent news. Cure. A cure for the supernatural gene? Like it was something wrong with them, that needed to be fixed? This opened a whole new can of worms for their already small-minded world. Would everyone now be required to take the serum? What if they didn’t want to? Being a werewolf had been the only thing that had made any sense to him. Who was he without his pack? Without that bond to tether him down to earth?

He shook his head softly as the newscast ran. He had been walking by the electronics store when the headlines on the TVs in the window caught his eye and caused him to stop and read the subtitles on the screen. 

“This has got to be a fucking joke,” he breathed.

With her eyes on the tv screens, Gianna hummed softly as she read along with what was being said but ultimately rolled her eyes. She had been born a siren and that was the life that she knew for herself all the way until now. And while she didn’t know if her daughter would follow suit, she had no intentions of ever embracing this new found ‘cure’ despite all the hype that seemed to surround it. “It’s quite disgusting, is it not? How people can simply sit in a laboratory and create something that they think will quote on quote help people when it really is simply an act where they pretend to be god. It all comes down to a persons personal preference on whether to look into getting it or not but I, for one, will forever stay as I am,” she rambled for a brief moment but soon shrugged her shoulders casually.

It was his first day on the job and as much as he loved being a cop, he hated today. He still didn’t really know where anything was and he knew maybe like the names of 3 people. It was mostly his fault, he could have tried harder but it was too late now. He had been assigned a beat and he had to do his job. There was no way he was going to let anything happen that he could prevent. 

But he should have been paying attention to where he was walking as he had just crashed straight into someone. “Oh shit, are you okay?”

The stack of books in her hands was something that Gianna had not even realized was in her home until she had started cleaning her daughters room and noticed all the library books had piled up. She was certain that there was going to be some kind of fee for them being so late but she was more than willing to pay it if it came down to that. As she rounded the corner, she was soon met by a person as the some of the books fell off the stack to the ground with soft thuds. “Oh my goodness, I feel like I should be asking you the same thing. Please tell me that a book didn’t hit you in the face because if it did I’m going to feel absolutely horrible. ---I, however, am okay so you don’t have to worry about that,” she paused, turning slightly as she looked at the books on the floor, “Hopefully the librarian doesn’t mind a bit of dirty on those.”

Nate wasn’t in a good place right now, but no one could blame him, because he was being followed by a weirdo. At first he had assumed that this was just another case of the ol’ enthrall, no big deal. Just some dude who had fallen under his unholy Incubus spell and didn’t know how to express the feeling of enamorment. Oh, if only. As soon as he had tried to confront him, the man had shrieked about being threatened by a supernatural. So not an enthralled person then, Nate had thought as he had legged it out of sheer fight-or-flight, just some bigot.

As most of his past tormentors (fuck them, by the way) would be happy to confirm, Nate was not someone easily cowed. In fact, most methods of intimidation just didn’t work on him, unless you threatened someone he cared about. Which was exactly why he couldn’t go home — he lived with children and did not want this jerk to get anywhere close to them. And he couldn’t go to the police either, because he doubted they would see his side on it, if his experience was anything to go by. To them he was just a lying Incubitch hurting for attention.

Gods, he could use a hug.

Stopping in his tracks, he glanced around for anything he could use as a deterrent. It was then that he spotted a person nearby and he didn’t hesitate to force a big smile on his face as he approached them. “Hey, buddy! Didn’t expect to see you here!” With his back now to the man watching him from a distance, the beam faded. “Sorry. I know this is weird for you,” he continued in a rapid whisper. “But would you pretend to be my friend for a bit? I’m being followed by someone, but I think he’ll leave if I’m not alone anymore.” He didn’t want to deal with bigots, he didn’t want to pull strangers into this, he wanted to go home.

Like most nights, Gianna had spent a little too much time in Besame to the point that she felt like she was about ready to pass out as she made her way home. All she wanted was to find a way to leave that stupid restaurant and start something where she was actually happy with herself while also having time to spend with her child. She was a bit engrossed in her thoughts when a man suddenly showed up next to her, causing her to jump as a hand went to her chest, “Bloody hell! You scared me!” She told the stranger but as he spoke about being followed, the young woman slowly nodded her head before playing into her genuine fear by leading into faux concern for a ‘friend’. “You should know better than to sneak up on people, you know. What are you even doing out so late? Shouldn’t you be home?”

“Oh, I am well aware of that,” She laughed, pushing her hair away from her face. She had lost count of the times she’d seen that very thing happen, even today alone, not to mention every other unmentionable thing. It was strange would people would do in public when they thought no one was paying attention. She was a people-watcher though, and had been witness to any number of things. 

“It’s why we routinely sanitize. Tables, chairs, napkin holders. Sometimes I’ve even lysoled a whole area after someone’s left, just in case. I mean, you never know.” Especially during the winter months. The risk of catching the flu wasn’t worth it, not when she had bills to pay. Pulling herself from the thoughts of the general doom of adulthood, she regarded the child once more. “Really? Thank you. I grew them myself, you know. It took a lot of hard work.”

“That is quite frankly not surprising to me but I also find that rather hilarious. Mainly due to the fact that people genuinely believe that that sort of behavior is okay in an establishment where they’re surrounded by others. They must be really confident in themselves if they choose to do it.” In her early twenties, Gianna had done her fair share of questionable things but making out in public had never been one of those unless dark alleyways counted. But those times were very much behind her as she looked down at her daughter and gently brushed some of her hair from her face and watched the child eat her muffin, legs swinging slowly underneath her. The only good thing to come out of her once erratic behavior. 

With a bright smile, the little girl let out a giggle as she covered her mouth with her hand despite dropping muffin crumbs all over her little outfit in the process. “Welcome! Mummy says ebrything is hard work but I has pretty hairs an’ I don’t do anything,” She pipped up, lifting her little pigtails in her hands and showing the other woman, waving them slightly before her hands fell away onto the table instead. “Do you think it’s ‘cause imma princess?” From behind her daughter, Gianna was mouthing a quick ‘i’m so sorry’ because she felt bad that the woman had been roped into a conversation with a three year old.

“Maybe?” Grace questioned.  Honestly she wasn’t sure, but she knew she would eventually figure it out.  “I guess I can’t fault people for their resolutions.  If it works for them, cool.  It just never really seemed like the sort of thing that would work for me.”  Granted, Grace had spent so much of her life bouncing around and unsure what she was doing, she usually just wished for stability.  What else was there that she could ask for in times she was living on the streets?  Thankfully that period of her life seemed to be behind her.

"Sometimes I believe that people are better off without them. I believe I read something online once where it can actually be bad for your mental health to get so absorbed in stuff like that because you’ll forget about other things. Not that other things can’t be a deterrent to mental health once mixed in but it was an interesting article nonetheless,” she told the other girl as she pushed back a strand of hair that was in front of her eyes, “My point is, everyone has their opinions on the matter and all of them are valid at the end of the day as long as there’s an open mind. Like how some people enjoy brownies while others only like blondies.”

Shadow Falls. The quaint town was drawing attention to itself. With the recent disappearances, she found herself wasting no time to move. The people needed answers. They needed to know what happened to so many innocents, why police were turning a blind eye. Most of all, Elisabeth had to ensure the safety of the few she did care for. The vampire was determined to get answers, for her men back home as well as those feeling unprotected.

 Elisabeth spent her first evening becoming acquainted with her new setting. There was no better place to meet the locals than a bar, Flanigan's bar to be exact. It was a quiet evening, a boring beginning to the town. She sat alone at the bar, elbows crossed over the counter. She kept to herself, listening in to surrounding conversations. Some were concerned with the disappearances, but nothing seemed out of place. While distracted by her own thoughts, she gave no attention to someone sitting next to her. 

One thing that Gianna didn’t like were days where one of her friends would pull her away from her home to have a ‘girls night out’ which would normally end in the siren being slightly buzzed while simultaneously trying to keep her friends from collapsing on the ground. It was no different as she had watched one of her friend spill her drink onto herself when she got distracted by a man throwing darts. Rolling her eyes, the young woman walked over to the bar as she gently tapped her fingers against it, humming softly to a tune in her head before getting the attention of a male bartender, not really focusing on anyone else around, “I was wondering if you would be willing to spare some hand towels? My friend was smart enough to spill her beverage and I don’t find it fair that an employee has to clean it up for her own stupidity.”

It had been far too long since Dewey had forgotten his exercise regimen. Though there was little consequence when you didn’t gain or lose weight, the activity managed to offer him an escape of sorts. With nothing else to focus on but a main goal, his mind didn’t have much time to wander, and the physical activity let loose a steady stream of dopamine. One of the few times he found himself truly at peace was engaging in a jog or run, and today afforded the perfect weather for either one. He wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity. Not with the multitude of heavy thoughts swirling inside of his head. He had broken into a sprint, stemmed back slightly to a human’s typical pace of course, but the effects were the same. Relishing in the wind flowing past him, crisp air brushing against his equally cool skin. For a good half hour, there had been nothing but himself and a few passers by along the circular paths surrounding Wonderland park. At the forty-five minute mark, he finally slowed to a light jog, beginning to truly take in the varying sights around him, when he became acutely aware of a padding not too far behind his own steps. Glancing backwards revealed, not a human or any other supernatural, but a rather large German shepherd. He was keeping up a decent pace with Dewey’s own steps, and when he finally slowed to a halt, the canine followed suit. At least for a moment; soon enough he grew bored of the break in movement, and surged upon Dewey’s legs, barking animatedly. “Whoa, there, hold on, boy… goodness, you’re quite friendly, aren’t you?” He chuckled softly, kneeling down to properly scratch underneath the scruffy chin. The search for any identifying tags came up empty, and he glanced around for a moment before spying someone approaching. “Excuse me? You, uh, wouldn’t happen to have lost a dog, would you?”

As her daughter ran a few feet in front of her with a small red heart shaped balloon wrapped around her wrist, Gianna couldn’t help but smile at the excitement on her daughters face at how her mother had chosen to embrace the Valentine’s Day spirit by buying her the balloon. She’d also be getting her a few more little things but she couldn’t have Nikkie around for that day since it was meant to be a surprise. “Doggy!” Nikkie soon chimed as she looked off and pointed towards a German Shepherd who was very much drowning a man in it’s affection. Gently grabbing Nicole’s hand, the woman led the girl down the path and kept her away at the mans question, “Much to this ones dismay, we don’t have a dog so I’m awfully sorry. Perhaps you could take it to the shelter and see if it has a chip in it for tracking purposes? Or put around some ‘found dog’ posters and wait until someone comes forth to claim it.”

BOLD WHAT HABIT APPLIES TO YOUR MUSE.