ᵉᵗʰᵉʳᵉᵃˡ˒

the joke was not a miss and very much amusing . ❝ which I am sure , you probably are holding it for selected few given the world today . ❞ Katya only thanked the gods for deciding in getting dress up for the night . Or at least look good in all black . she smiled at the nickname . understanding it fully well and if alexandra were here , she would be telling her this was the man she would be taking home tonight if he hadn't made the first move . ❝ ⸻ Well , considering you're confident enough , you're already half way there , moy zver' ❞ Katya was bold when it came to what she see , she liked ... and she very much felt strong feelings the moment their eyes met . yet she confused herself when she called him my beast ... why ? LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT ? the thought alone seemed silly . for now she told herself this is just ATTRACTION . ❝ We shall . Stay here or we can always go to another place . Anything in particular that you're craving tonight ? ❞

a chuckle left him. ❛ oh yes, my shoulders ache quite a bit from the weight of carrying most of the chivalry in the world. ❜ it was a struggle not to act with too much familiarly, and old habit of their past relationships. restraint had never been his strong suit, a fact only more true when it came to her. but it would be so selfish to rush her, to try and force memories on her in order to soothe himself. before he could stop himself, he physically reacted to the familiar endearment, a start jerking his form and twisting his expression. perhaps this new form of torture was karma, punishment for how he'd lived his life thus far. ❛ . . . most would likely call it arrogance, but i certainly prefer confident. ❜ it was quite the feat that he managed to keep his tone even, effortless confidence remaining draped over his shoulders. ah, what a dangerous question. ❛ aside from your company, i would be fine with anything. ❜

❝ riiiiight. ❞ jade mused, the other drunkenly babbling away as they attempted to hold a conversation. this was her first drink and from what she could tell, it was their fifth at least. if there was one thing about her, she wasn't one for nonsense. ❝ if you'll excuse me, i have to be anywhere else. ❞ moving from the other, walking over to the other now before her . ❝ seems everyone is a bit crazed tonight. ❞

her tongue clicked in annoyance as she heard the familiar blathering, followed by an eyeroll. ❛ he's a regular ⸻ and an annoying one, at that, ❜ she added not looking up from her book. ❛ just ignore him, that's what i always do. if he gets seriously rowdy, we'll give him the boot. ❜ she'd been trying to convince the owner to ban him for a while, but clearly, no such luck yet.

her cheeks of each were overspread with the deepest blush as he introduced himself and kissed the back of her hand . ❝ I guess , chivalry isn't dead ❞ After all , not many people would do such a gesture now a day . ❝ Pleasure is all mine , Cassius . ❞ She found herself lightly chuckling at the name . ❝ Funny how it just so happen to be a favorite name of mine ❞ She had only dreamt it and assumed it being one of many reasons . ❝ ⸻ I would not mind at all . Plus , for some reason , I can already tell that I definitely have strong feelings for you. curious to find out if they're positive or negative . ❞ She teased , with her hand still in his , the brunette realized she didn't let go , herself . holding on , part of her didn't want to let go . but she also didn't want to think she was odd . she could always blame it on the alcohol ? slowly she would take her hand back .

❛ not dead ⸻ but certainly on its last leg. ❜ the joking tone came easier than he anticipated, so easily slipping back into a more positive disposition with her return. almost . . . hopeful for the future again. it was exceedingly difficult, holding back from brushing his fingers over the heat of her blush, so enamored by the sight. he hummed lowly, looking rather pleased with the admission. ❛ how lucky for me, kotenok. ❜ and it spoke of their shared past, even if she was unaware of it herself. he would ensure she would know of it someday. ❛ at the risk of sounding too presumptuous, i will go out on a limb and say they are positive. ❜ he resisted the urge to further take hold of her, the instinct nearly overwhelming. ❛ you are hungry, correct? shall we start with having dinner? ❜

There's an opposite to déjà vu. They call it jamais vu. It's when you meet the same people or visit places , again and again , but each time is the first . Yet , the moment she heard his voice it was like something insider her stirred . something she could not explain . Instant attraction . a pull ? ❝ Perhaps .... given that my friend practically ditched me . ❞ Katya smiled at the taller male . ❝ ⸻ and you look like very good company . So , let me start off by , Hi , I'm Katya . ❞ The brunette held out her hand as she introduced herself .

the familiar name mentally sent him back millennia, nearly making him dizzy. ah . . . there was certainly no room for doubt now, and he could do no other than go all in. ❛ katya, ❜ he repeated, said as a murmur. ❛ that's beautiful. ❜ taking her hand, he raised it to his lips, brushing a kiss to the back of it. ❛ my name is cassius. it's a pleasure to meet you, love. ❜ he lowered her hand, but didn't release it. perhaps because he simply wasn't strong enough to ⸻ not after so long of being apart. ❛ i can be excellent company when i have the mind to be, katya. would you mind terribly spending some time with me? ❜

callie had just gotten off of a long shift, she had to pull a double because of short staffing. honestly though ? she didn't mind, it meant being away from her mother and the coven for a good reason, and she loved being a nurse. the blonde was now off for the next three days and the start to enjoying that, was going on the boardwalk and getting a korean corndog and a frozen lemonade. sitting on the bench, her corndog in lap and drink next to her. ❝ oh, here - you can sit. ❞ she mused, moving the drink to the ground beside her feet. ❝ plenty of room here. have you tried one of the korean corndogs? amazing. ❞

she couldn't help but look in wonder at most everything, as if she was going to make up for over a century of seeing nothing like it. she had been giving a free lemonade at the vendor's assistance, and she hadn't decided yet if she liked it. an odd mixture of sour and sweet ⸻ perhaps it was an acquired taste? she once again barely managed to avoid walking straight into someone, not quite having gotten the hang of being in crowds. she gratefully accepted the invite to sit, breathing a quiet sigh of relief. the glass paused halfway to her lips at the question, having no idea what the other was speaking of. ❛ um . . . no, i haven't. is it that? ❜ she asked, pointing at the other's hands.

he makes no attempts to stifle his footsteps, rarely feeling the need to move in silence. the sound of his chuckle fills the air next, the sound holding an edge of dark glee. ❛ oh, no need to stop on my account. i do so enjoy playing with food. ❜ brushing invisible dirt off his shoulder, his countenance holding a playful tint. ❛ i don't suppose you have another nearby? i am feeling rather peckish, myself. and it hardly seems fair that i miss out on the fun. ❜

there was no mistaking her, his eyes instinctively finding her from across the room and remaining locked on her form. he quickly closed the distance between them, carelessly pushing the patrons out of his way as he moved with single-minded intensity: to be by her side again. he finally reached her after a small eternity, automatically gentling his voice and oppressive aura ⸻ it wouldn't due to scare her off during their next first meeting. his head tilted, akin to what a puppy might do when seeking attention, and his dimples flashed as he offered a smile. ❛ i couldn't fathom a guess, but perhaps you could settle for some company? ❜

❝ ⸻ I didn't know her very well but , I do remember selling her her home . It was a nice family home. ❞ feyrah thought about it for a moment . ❝ My condolences if she was a dear friend ❞ Feyrah heard about the murder . It was all over the news after all . she simply came to the bar to unwind as she always does after a long day at work .

❛ she wasn't, ❜ came the blunt reply, though she didn't necessarily mean for it to be so. just part of her . . . questionable charm. or maybe her social skills were still more rusty than she realized. ❛ the thought is appreciated, though such deaths are hardly surprising in these parts anyway, ❜ she added, black painted nails tapping impatiently on the bar top as she waited for her drink.

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐄𝐍