･ﾟ✧. ‎─ 𝖢𝖠𝖱𝖯𝖤 𝖣𝖨𝖤𝖬 .ᐟ

[ txt. ] uh ... okay— [ txt. ] what the fuck does that mean? [ txt. ] i don't think you properly enlightened me on the terms of how this works. [ txt. ] ... [ txt. ] well, that was a really easy question. anybody could have gotten that. [ txt. ] high stakes ... tit pic. and i know what they look like, so don't even TRY to trick me!

( txt. ) what the fuck do you mean what the fuck does that mean? ( txt. ) do you want to be divorced? ( txt. ) theodora, i know for a fact you already have an entire album on your phone that has multiple tit pics. most of which were taken when you thought i wasn't paying attention. ( txt. ) i am not sending you another one.

[ txt. ] 👀 i'm confused. [ txt. ] what are you doing? [ txt. ] this is suspicious. [ txt. ] if you're really olivia ... what's my favorite food?

( txt. ) we have been separated, theodora. ( txt. ) that does not mean we are divorced. ( txt. ) the real answer is me. ( txt. ) salmon, with any sort of potatoes as a side. if you're preferring we keep things kid friendly.

[ txt. ] wait ... 🤔 [ txt. ] we're married this week? [ txt. ] did you play inside my brain again? you naughty girl.

( txt. ) theodora ... ( txt. ) we have always been married. ( txt. ) unless you had divorce papers drawn up and forgot to tell me?

WINNFIELD,       LOUISIANA.       it was a deep,       rural town surrounded by pine trees for miles.       the kind of place that someone on the run could disappear and never be found.       everyone in winnfield knew each other—       typical small town where the locals shunned outsiders and protected their own.       calvin rourke had returned to his hometown with his tail tucked between his legs a week after committing a heinous crime against a six year old girl that he’d left for dead in the middle of an open field.       the police were still searching for their suspect,       but with very little evidence to go off of—       they’d come up short.       that was where they came in.       with help from several of their connections within the supernatural underground,       theodora was able to effectively get a location on calvin and with a quickness,       they’d made the trip to louisiana.       theodora and olivia were in a town just a few miles north of winnfield,       where their vampiric acquaintance—       elias—       was handing off a vehicle and calvin's precise location to them.       theodora retrieved the keys,       thanked him for his help in the form of several blood bags taken from dead end,       and made her way to where liv was standing with the car.       “  you ready?  am i driving, or are you?  ”      @inlyfe

it hadn't even been a second thought , when the acts had been cast across her conscious knowledge , the crimes laid bare for the wasteland that was slowly becoming her heart … she had known no amount of justice would suffice. not the way the system worked. too many slipping through the cracks. left to crawl through the world , bleeding their violent nature into the beauty & goodness her hands had carefully chosen. the ache in her had soothed with theo's understanding. like a dark cloud shedding clarity over a day burning too bright. her other half seen her clearly. and done more to ease the churn in her stomach. “ i'm driving. ” sharp bite of words. softened only by a blinding wink , sunglasses slipped back to rest along nose's bridge. thunderous turn over of car's engine , vibrating to life beneath her seat. heavy sigh of a breath before gas pedal is laid into. only then does she turn to the stunning beauty at her side. “ should i be concerned how easy this was for you ? ”

[ txt. ] oh, c'mon. you love it. you like knowing i'm lusting after you in the distance. and yes, that's true, but i'm very respectable of boundaries. as you can see. super respectful. [ txt. ] this feels like an invitation of some kind. are your clients not keeping you satisfied? do you need a touch of theo to make it through the day? [ txt. ] are you asking me to use my powers of immortality on a couple of goldfish? do you want me to offer them reaper positions, too? i mean, i'll do it. for you.

( txt. ) uh huh , and were you just lusting or ... did you take the opportunity to get sand in all the wrong places ? ( txt. ) touch of theo. i'm going to call our next specialty tea that. mint and honey. ( txt. ) .. actually , yes. do you have a reaper that specializes in fish? that knows what it is like for them to cross to the other side? something to consider , baby.

the feline's ears twitch at the sound of her voice through the window pane—     and if a cat could look smug,     she does.     slowly,     with theatrical grace befitting a woman cursed by immortality and blessed by vanity,     she rises from the branch.     another low purr rumbles from her chest as she stalks closer to the window,     almost sinful in the way it vibrates between them.     she speaks again,     another echo in olivia's mind.     “ oh, baby, do you really think a measly robber would stand a chance against life herself? ”     her head tilts,     and she lifts a paw to drag one claw down the glass.     “ are you gonna let me in? this pussy's gonna catch a chill. ”

something carnal burns eternal within the skin liv has chosen. same as the one theo drapes over her being now , the very essence of her bleeding through the space between them. it is hardly new development .. wanting her as much as she does. the predator outside her window knows the tricks and quips to get under the skin— to drive her mad , until she positively snaps. “ hm , ” liv muses. another slow , deliberate , flaunting sip of the warm liquid. last drops clinging to her lip , tongue swiping to collect it before it strays. “ no. but i'd rather not have to clean up the mess it would provide. ” a shrug. simple , but it lifts her to her feet , crossing the kitchen floor , gaze narrowing. “ that depends. are you going to ask me nicely , theodora ? ”

theodora immediately recognizes and accepts the challenge.       the natural hue of her eyes are present,       glowing a brighter shade of purple at first,       until maintaining eye contact becomes too intense and the color deepens.       this goes on for a few seconds,       but she is a creature of habit and when olivia swallows,        the feline instantly forfeits the game as her gaze drops to her throat.       when theodora finally speaks,        it comes to olivia as a thought—       like she’s infiltrated her counterpart’s mindscape.       “ cheater, ”       she purrs,       “ oh-livia        …       why did you lock the windows? are you trying to keep something out? ”

the game is one she finds … exhilarating. played in the shadows , in quiet moments stolen between eternal timelines. and it’s the winning mark , shades of purple that curl her toes beneath the table. fire burning up column of her neck , hidden behind a pleasant , damn near unfazed smile. but it’s the voice .. theo’s purr that vibrates down liv’s spine , haunting her in waking hours just as it always had , edging at the far corners of her mind. “ darling , ” sentiment returned. but spoken aloud , pressed against the thick glass. “ do not simply refuse to keep up with current events .. ? there’s been such an alarming increase in home robberies. ”

the little girl lay limp with her head on olivia’s lap,        a palm smoothing over her hair in the same way she had done countless times with their own daughters.       theodora sat in the dirt across from them,       trying to read her.       these things were never easy—       nor something theodora ever found comfort in participating in,       but the little girl’s life was draining fast,       her tiny body already giving up under the weight of what had been done to her.        “ olivia, ”       olivia looked up at her and there it was—       rage.       the kind that was barely contained,       the kind that seemed suffocating when not unleashed.       she knew that the only thing holding her back was the child in her arms that she was desperately trying to comfort.       “ baby, she’s suffering. ”       it was theodora’s way of trying to remind olivia that sometimes death was kinder.       “ i have to take her now       …       ”       she leaned forward,       reaching for the girl.       @inlyfe

anger does more than rest along her tongue , no. it bites at the cage of her teeth , snarl rippling through the night air that seemed eons between them. it is instinct that tightens olivia's grip. the mothering burn that she had once worried would not come naturally. it was not hers to ... protect. not beyond the very act of creation itself. and yet— “ theodora , ” of all the ways liv had learned to whisper her name , etched into the very nerves of tongue , carved into bone and fabric of any chosen form .. this may have been the most brutal. “ no. ” fine line in the sand that divides them. they had agreed , how long ago now was it , to avoid this very interaction. to not stand at the foot of what the other must do. and where liv had often complained of the nature they fostered ... rarely , if ever , did she intervene. “ do not touc— not this time , theodora not after all the ... ” flickers of memory , hand anchored to the sweep of hair , covered in sweat and mud. flash crosses over olivia's gaze as it all plays out. as it wretches an otherworldly sob from the depths of her. “ this cannot be her fate. ”