are you gonna be my girl?

Andrew really wished he could stop any of this, but it had all gone too far. He didn't really see how that was possible. "If you say so." He shrugged, looking at Jake. He wondered if the other man wanted to fight. "I mean, everyone else is at the manor, so alone is all I have right now. Why do you want to hang out?"

Jake had learned a lot about being a leader since John had disappeared. All against his will, mind you, but still. If John was still here, he wouldn't bother with wolves like Andrew Choi. In fact, he'd be getting ready to throw fists right about now. But John wasn't here and Jake had to step up, always. He let out a laugh unexpectedly, shaking his head. "You're funny, I'll give you that." Jake looked back over to him, raising his eyebrows. "Hey, you wanna hang out with me... you're gonna have to make a few lifestyle changes real quick."

lost in her own head, lux had no intentions to tune back into the world going on around her. it meant nothing to her. for a brief moment she was content with the nothingness until she was interrupted by the one person she thought would avoid her like the plague.

lux was all cool indifference as always, jake could never get a clear read on her. maybe he liked it that way. when he answered, he felt an old, easy, smile tug onto his lips. "well, alright then." without further ado, he hopped up on the barstool beside hers, elbows leaning on the counter as he waved the usual guy over. "pick your poison," he offered, looking over to her.

When she saw it was Jake, a not-so-tiny part of her wanted to just turn around and run back to the manor, to pretend like she had not seen him, to completely not acknowledge him, but he was staring at her with the classic Jake puppy eyes, and if she ran away, she'd somehow feel even worse than she already did. "It was instinct," she admitted. "But I'm glad I didn't do any damage." Any physical damage, at least. That bit was unsaid.

'But I'm glad I didn't do any damage'. Jake couldn't help staring at her as she said it, his heart squeezing in his chest as his face fell so slightly. He remember Founder's Festival - the first one - as well as anyone. He remembered the exact moment he lost them all, Charlotte included. Jake cleared his throat, suddenly feeling like it was dry as the desert. "Yeah, me too." He should leave, he knew that. No good ever came from trying to reach her, or any of them, again. "Were you going in? For a drink or somethin'?"

She found herself outside of Franks'. It wasn't that Charlotte necessarily wanted a drink. She just wanted to get out of the manor (like she so often did) and the idea of being alone with her thoughts was not particularly appealing, and Franks' was one of the few options left in town, and having a tequila sunrise wasn't necessarily unappealing. Except that as she stared at the bar, she remembered the last time she had been there, with Ian and Isaiah and...No, she couldn't. She turned away, colliding straight into someone. "Sorry," she managed to get out. "I didn't see...Sorry." @havensdalestarters

Damn. Jake had to stop running into her like this, it was like he was glutton for punishment at this point. A small smile tugged at his lips as she spoke but it quickly faded. Why did she look so lost? Jake's eyes were full of concern and he hated that he couldn't just get them back. His pack, his family. Charlotte, Katie, Taylor... They should be together. John would have been able to do it, he would be able to save them. "You don't have to say you're sorry. See? Not a scratch on me."

not that there was much to do in town that held her attention for longer than five minutes, lux found herself in franks' bar in her usual preferred spot at the corner near the window.

jake was looking to shake the rest of this day off and franks' was always the perfect place to do it. neutral, no nonsense, cold beer - what more could you want? he'd been caught up a the door, catching up with old friends, checking in with his team. when he finally managed to head to the bar... there she was.

"It wasn't intentional. Fine, it wasn't fully intentional." Molly didn't want to lie to Jack, after all. At the idea of willingly biting a wolf, they couldn't help but make a face. "Oh, no, pass, thank you very much."

"No complaints here." Jake would always be goofy, like right down to his core. Puns were awesome, even if they were about vampires. "You're welcome. I see you're takin' to this whole thing alright, already roasting us werewolves without breaking a sweat," he joked. Then, much quieter and far more earnestly, he added, "Right?"

Andrew hadn't seen Jake in a while; the other man had been on his mind lately. But he knew that if he started talking to Jake, it might lead to a fight or even force him to make a decision about his internal conflict. He took a drag from the cigarette, a smirk on his face as he looked at Jake.

"You know you could stop, right? You could stop any time." Jake didn't mean smoking but he wasn't about to elaborate. He hesitated then, folding his arms tightly across his chest. He should definitely get out of here. Nothing good could come of this. "Are you planning on loitering 'round here by yourself all day?"

Andrew was avoiding the house; he needed a minute away from all the chaos of everything. Most of it wasn't even the people; it was him, he had been thinking again. Walking around the town, he just wanted a minute, but in Havensdale, he wasn't sure it was possible.

Jake had to think very long and hard about whether or not he was going to approach Andrew Choi. The sensible, stand-in leader, part of him knew he should keep walking. The reckless, punk kid, part of him wanted to take a swing for old time's sake. He reminded himself solemnly that John wasn't here to bail him out and most of all, his curiosity and soft heart would get the better of him. Andrew was as close to Katie as he was going to get.

"No need to worry. I won't bite." Molly wanted to laugh, couldn't quite bring themselves to do so. "Pinky promise. Had something to drink the other night."

"Dang. A vamp pun at this time of day? You're doin' way too much work here, Mol," Jake teased softly. "Ah, don't even worry 'bout it. I hear us wolves are an acquired taste, anyways."

Of course he could get her a treat. It wasn't in his nature to deny her, nor anyone, anything at all it seemed. God, to be this good. Or perhaps he wasn't always like this. That was the point, wasn't it? For her to know as little about him as possible outside of these little meetings. Part of her hoped he was a real asshole up there, but not a single fragment of her could believe that to be even remotely the case. "Surprise me," Faith smiled before prodding at his chest, pushing him towards the door, "and please kindly leave, before Hank or whoever shows up."

"Done and done," Jake grinned in response to her prodding his chest. His boots were back on, belt buckled and most of his buttons were done back up. Unfortunately, it was time for him to get on out of here. Jake wouldn't coddle her or tell her to be careful topside (he knew Danny had that covered). Instead, he threw one last telltale wink her way and playfully saluted with two fingers. "Yes, ma'am," he grinned again, holding back a laugh, halfway out the door. "I'll see you next time, darlin'." And with that, he was gone.

The calmness of his voice took Emily aback, made her pause for a second (and pausing around wolves was dangerous; give them any space to maneuver, and they would take advantage of it). Wolves were not supposed to be calm, after all. Her years of training had taught her that, and she was not sure how to respond. But her training had also taught her to never let her guard down, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Jake watched as she shifted her weight, gearing up for a fight that he had no desire to be a part of. He had to protect Katie, though. Whether that meant from a hunter like Emily Matthews or from herself, he didn't care. Whichever. It's what John would do. Without a second thought, John would throw himself onto the fire for any one of the pack. For their family. "You don't have to do anything, Emily. Just leave them alone before someone gets hurt," he pleaded, even though it was hopeless.

"It's working as intended, then." Faith lingered in front of him as his kiss perfectly combined his trademark goofiness with sweetness, wondering why she'd ended up in yet another golden boy's arms. She could reason it was simply his warmth she was drawn to, or the dopamine of surrounding herself with him. Really, though, she enjoyed everything that remained unspoken between them, two people broken by the dome, which left them in control of at least one thing. Something uncomplicated - something that they couldn't have with the people that knew them. That loved them. The pair didn't share in each other's burdens. Weren't entwined in each other's misery. She found herself thankful for not knowing him. Not before, and not now. Perhaps not ever. She enjoyed this. She needed this. Faith took a step back to finish dressing herself as Jake did his boots. If they remained in their separate bubbles, they could maybe survive this. "No, but you can bring me a treat next time. I think I'll deserve it after this patrol."

Jake chuckled, watching her with undeniable affection and fondness. He liked this, he liked her. And he liked most of all that they weren't each other's great, soul-crushing, loves. They hadn't broken each other's hearts, they hadn't known each other inside and out. They probably never would. Jake liked to make her laugh. He liked to make her... well, not laugh, too. They were each other's mutual distractions, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Jake didn't have to worry about being anyone else but himself in these moments. There was no pressure, no crushing responsibilities. Just her sharp teeth and nails. "A treat, huh? That I can most certainly do," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Sweet or salty?"