◤∵ M E R C E N A R Y

Without thinking, Drew dove toward the ground in an attempt to save his creation. After his heroic rescue of the cinnamon cookies, he turned to the ?other person. With a confused look, he asked “Did I do something wrong?”

A slight shake of the head was the only answer to the other male’s question, with Jackson muttering beneath his breath, “Angels—... Typical.” The vampire quite clearly felt some resentment. “No surprise that your holier-than-thou type have nothin’ better to do than this.”

“You’re not as strong as you like people to think you are then,” she said. Her self-esteem was slightly raised after what he’d said to her. “If I can drive you mad by hardly doing a thing, that is.” The thought of her driving him mad sounded ridiculous, especially since her heart was beating so loud in her chest that it was nearly all she could hear while she talked. She could barely look at him without it starting back up again. It was infuriating. 

“Some might argue it’s the reputation that’s more important than what you actually are,” Jackson was quick to respond in an effort to conceal just how taken aback he was by the girl’s observation. The fact she so easily hit the nail on the head made him unsettled, so much so that the fact he had any effect on her at all was unknown to him. With a sigh, he shifted in his seat a small amount, hoping to regain some of his composure. “I guess I can’t say you didn’t warn me,” He murmured, mindlessly reaching out to tuck stray strands of her hair behind her ear.

Hermia stared straight ahead, avoiding looking at him. She could feel his eyes as he spoke and they burned her cheeks. She took a deep breath, searching for something smug to reply with. “Flattering,” she said finally, attempting to say it nonchalantly, though her voice wavered only slightly. She pushed some hair out of her eyes and looked over to him. 

His gaze remained fixed on her for a few, silent moments longer until he shook his head, retreating a small amount with a sigh. Soon however, he was chuckling. “Nothing at all,” He commented on her reaction, or lack thereof, “You’re gonna kill me.” Despite his words, there wasn’t any hostility or ill feelings to his tone. If anything, he was amused and completely captured. “If this is all part of some plan of yours to drive me mad, you’re doing it well.”

On his lazy days in, Drew liked to cook and bake for himself. He liked the smell of the spices and looking up new recipes. Today, he was baking sugar cookies with cinnamon cooked into the batter. He noticed someone else walk into the kitchen. “I thought I was the only one here right now.” He slipped on some oven mitts and pulled a sheet full of almost perfectly round and golden-brown cookies. “I made them, for well, myself,” he said guiltily, “but you’re welcome to a few.” He set them down on the counter to let them cool.

He could smell fae blood — It had to be close. And once catching onto its trail, his vision and focus were tunneled, zeroed on that one single thing. However, for as much as he liked to believe otherwise, Jackson had yet to develop into a seasoned hunter. He’d gotten lost in the pursuit, hardly comprehending where he was until he was being spoken to. Shaking his head and pacing a small amount, the vampire tried to regain his composure only to snap when someone —an angel— continued on in far too friendly of a manner. “Keep that shite away from me,” He snarled, his hand coming down onto the countertop sending a few stray cookies flying.

“I haven’t moved,” he retorted. “Aw, you’re jealous because people like me? Honestly, I never thought this day would come. Though I don’t actually know who you are. It flatters me that you know me though. Not that I’m surprised.” 

“Don’t break an arm jerkin’ yerself off,” Jackson muttered, his arms crossing tightly over his chest as he turned his shoulders just so, giving nothing more than a sliver of shade for nothing else than to be annoying, “It’s easy to get sick of a face when there’s not one but two of it poppin’ up around here like a goddamn nightmare.”

“Nah, I was here first. You’re a vampire? Who hates the sun?”

“It’s my spot now...” Jackson complained, or more accurately, whined. “Don’t you have someone else to go bother? Y’know, like one of the 20-some other people who actually like you...?”

Once again, his smug expression tortured her. She felt his grin before she pulled away as well. It made her face tickle, trying to get her to smile. She fought it. She leaned back to look at the moon again, a smile still trying to sneak across her face. She broke when hearing his question. “I’ve seen better,” she said, composing herself again. Hermia let herself peer at him. He was stunning in the moonlight. 

Turning his attentions back to the debatably real moon, the vampire tilted his head to the side in slight, a thoughtful expression crossing his features as though he were deeply considering something. After a moment, his gaze returned to the girl beside him. He paused there for a few beats, attempting to make it clear what he meant when he proceeded to agree with, “Aye, I think I’ve seen better as well.”

“Can you like move 2 inches to the left? You were providing the perfect amount of shade and then you moved. I miss it.”

“Can you fuck off?” And then, muttering almost childishly to himself, “I hate the goddamn sun...”

                                                  ◤∵ T A S K 0 3

“No..” Marshall shook his head, his eyes nearly glazing over at the thought of this ‘shite’ as the other put it. As the days went on he wasn’t sure who he was supposedly paired with here, not only that, but it was becoming something he cared less and less about. Him- the hopeless romantic, didn’t care about his possible forever mate. “Neither. I was just forcing past an awkward situation.”

The other’s reaction earned a quirked brow from Jackson, a malicious smirk naturally following. “Fuckin’ hell— Didn’t realize it was such a sensitive subject.” His eyebrows raised in mild sarcasm with his last few words. “Whatever happened to the good ol’ ‘great weather we’re having, innit?’ conversation starter?”