POSSIBILITY

"Okay, so do you think I should go for the regular pumpkin string lights, or should I jazz it up with Pennywise? I would go with Freddy Kreuger, but I have a thing about being haunted in my dreams, so I’ll take ‘not a clown’ clown over that. But oooh, look at this pretty thing...” For Kaya, Halloween was the event of all events. She loved the whole thing of it; she could wear black, tell spooky stories and decorate her apartment with all the plastic skeletons her heart desired. And obviously, she wasn’t driving to Party City all by herself, and she picked up a box of candles, themed in Gothic Noir, before looking up at Tadgh. “I think this might be the one...”

It wasn’t all that odd to wake up on the couch for Kaya; given that Crusty usually occupied the bulk of her bed, she resigned herself to a fate on the second (or third) hand couch in her apartment. It was old and it’s springs were starting to poke, but if you put enough cushions, you could barely feel them. 

Which brought her back to the soft surface that her head was resting on. It didn’t smell or feel like her pillow; it was warm, and as the woman moved, so did the surface. And it groaned, making Kaya almost yelp and leap to her feet, if her body didn’t feel like it weighed a tonne, and her head was feeling three sizes too small. “Jesus Christ, fuck...” Her neck hurt, her back hurt and she was pretty sure she passed out on someone’s lap, and not a pillow. Teagan. Shit, what happened last night? The smell of alcohol permeated the nurse’s nostrils, and pieces began to come together as she sat up slowly. 

“Mornin’...” She hoped at least Teagan was having a better time than she was at handling her alcohol. “What did...what did we even drink last night...” A cursory glance around the room would show the lone bottle of Ciroc, drained and rolling on the floor. 

Up until maybe three years ago, Kaya had never been one for mysticism and astrology, believing that fate was what you made it and spirituality was a crutch. But maybe it was something about being so close to the spiritualism movement, and maybe because her friends had believed in it, sort of, she dipped her toes in it, and came out with unneeded knowledge on things. To fill the blanks in, she knew just the person to call. 

“So long story short, Ri thinks I need some soul cleansing, and she kind of bullied me into splurging at Hex. And I lied and told her I was in New Orleans, and she was like...” Clearing her throat, Kaya attempted to mimic her sister’s excited cadence, “Sis you have to get your cards read too, omg! Like you don’t know what’s coming for you!” It feels odd to talk like that, but she gets it; Ariana is nineteen, with a head full of ideas in a city that’s as old as time. “So for my baby sister’s sake, I ended up buying a deck the lady at the desk suggested, and some rose quartz and jasper. Now, I need to find the moonlight to charge them in, and cleanse them with some running water....” Kaya is rambling at a confused Sutton, as she’s arranging their space to read the cards. 

It’s been a long night, and a long day before that, and a long night before that. Damian can feel it wearing on him, exhaustion morphing into a feature of his personality rather than just a slight sag of his shoulders. He watches Kaya close up in front of him, all the warmth and shine she normally exudes vacuumed back into her where she can protect it from him. “Clever trick,” she says, watching her tape his instructions to her pants. “If I had a dollar for every tiny notebook I lost in med school… I’d probably have just bought a lot more tiny notebooks.” He tries to offer her warmth in his crooked smile, but it doesn’t quite meet his tired eyes.

Before Kaya can completely excuse herself and escape him, he reaches for her. He doesn’t touch her, just holds up his hand, hoping she’ll give him a moment before she walks away. “Hey,” he says, “don’t stop asking questions, okay? Don’t back off.” His voice is low, comforting. He talks to her the way he’d talk to one of the residents. “If you think there’s information you need to know, always ask. You’re not outta line. I was. Like I said, it’s been a long shift.”

She hates all of this. Anger wasn't the kind of emotion you could brush under a rug, no. Sadness, yeah. But anger needed to be addressed, and right now she doesn't want to hear why Damian schooled her. Kaya knows she deserved it, and she just wants to move on from this incident. She doesn't seem to notice the heat in her cheeks, and how her hands are shaking ever so slightly as she's fixing the piece of tape to her leg. Pouncing on the chance for normalcy, she nods. "I had to get creative. I lost a Moleskin, and my dad wouldn't let me hear the end of it. This is easier, you should try it." The smile she gives feels like an imitation, but Kaya really is trying to move on from this awkwardness, and she's ready to run off to the next patient, hoping it is just a laceration and she won't have to worry about medicating for a few minutes. 

“We’ll have to see about that,” he replies. There’s a certain way that Kaya is talking that seems to give off the impression that maybe he isn’t imagining the fact that she’s definitely flirting and definitely blushing. A part of him knows that with Jacob in the back of her mind, that he probably shouldn’t touch Kaya with a ten-foot pole. It’d be the best for the both of them, considering the judgement he’ll get and the ghost behind both of them. However, with little conscience and even less care about what other people think, he’s not going to take a step back. He doesn’t have much holding him back either. With Del and Seth seemingly on the outs, her jealousy couldn’t rise up too much as he smirks over at Kaya’s blush, one that he hadn’t necessarily intended to come out. 

“You ain’t got a lot of things goin’ on at the hospital?” he asks, knowing that the woman is a nurse and therefore, certainly a bit busier than he is. He runs a Club and a bar but it’s not like helping the people that came through the building. She’s similar to Damian in that way, being that Seth and Damian were on opposite sides of the coin. Seth was the person hurting and causing chaos, meanwhile, she was busy fixing it. “Missin’ out on grillin’. I could make up some chicken or burgers or steak or something. Take your pick,” he shrugs. He wasn’t the greatest cook but he could definitely do a few things here and there. “It ain’t gonna be no five-star dinin’ but I won’t make you eat off a paper plate either,” he jokes. In reality, while it would be paying her back for the Club and cooking for them, he was just happy to see her back. She brought more medical expertise to the Club and she also brought a familiarity that they hadn’t had since Jacob passed. It had been rough losing the man, especially the way that they had. 

Seth had never left Olympus for more than the time he was in prison. Eight years in the state prison was enough for him to be away from his hometown, where he was born, raised and essentially shaped by the town. Trips weren’t unheard of but Olympus would always be home, so he doesn’t blame Kaya for missing it. “Makes sense. Home and family ‘bout the best thing that we’ve got.”

Kaya isn't sure what the dating policy was these days. She hasn't dated in a long time, and romance is a word she's forgotten the meaning of. But right now, taking to Seth and watching him respond back in kind, it's making that lightness in her stomach grow, the feeling of butterflies as they called it. She knows that this isn't going to be an epic romance of the ages, but right now, it feels good to just be with someone else who isn't memories or a one night stand. Just lean into it, she tries to convince herself. "We shall see about that." Her smile only grew wider. 

starter @kayaiisms​ where: outside olympus medical center when: late monday night

It has been a long time since Adrian had last found himself here: hanging around the ambulance pay hoping to get someone’s attention when they step out for fresh air. A long time ago–or it seemed so long ago now–there had been a nurse who would swap him out for fresh needles when he needed them. Once or twice, she’d slip him some morphine. He isn’t sure what happened to her. She might still work here for all he knows.

The sliding doors hiss when they open and Adrian pulls his arms tighter around him. His hand is bundled in a hoodie from his laundry pile and cradled in the crook of his elbow. The blood has soaked through the fabric, though it’s hard to tell in the darkness, just out of reach of the flood lights. 

He approaches cautiously, because he knows what he looks like. Not the kind of man who would overpower you and drag you into a dark alley, but probably the kind of man desperate enough to stab you for five dollars. He wouldn’t, but there might have been a time in which me could have. “Hey,” he says as he steps into the light. The woman outside only looks vaguely familiar and for that he’s grateful. He holds up his arm, the blood more clearly visible now, a rich blackness against the navy blue. “You think you could help me with this?”

Kaya is a week and three days away from completing her training. She knows because she's been counting down the days till she can actually work here again. It's muscle memory, even the emergency protocols are the same as she remembers. The only visible change is perhaps the nurses' station at the far end, and a bigger triage center. But other than that, this place feels more like home than anywhere else, down to the general sounds of an emergency room. She likes it here more than home, because here keeps her busy, here she doesn't think, she just does. 

It's been a slow-ish night in the department, and Kaya was going home in a couple of hours. So there she was, reading up on current case files, trying to make sure she remembers all of this for the next time she's on rounds again. To straighten her neck, she looks up, eyes landing on a familiar figure; Adrian. His thin frame and the bundle of cloth around his hand elicited a reaction in Kaya, because the next thing you know, she's at his side and already gesturing him into one of the curtained off rooms. "Of course I can, honey. Let me see that…" Once the curtains are closed, and it's just them, the nurse is gloving up and peeling away the hoodie off his hand. 

"Oh yikes, Adrian...this doesn't look good. Nothin' we can't fix though, okay?" She’s treating his wound like she’s walking with fine china, delicate and quiet almost. "It’s good to see you again, honey. And just hold your hand out for me, like that, thank you doll…" As she's talking, she's using cotton and iodine to clean the blood, to see what the source of his injury is. "Nice and easy, honey…"

@kayaiisms​

It’d been a long time since Izzy had been a Siren and she had been all-but the enemy of the Old Ladies. At least, that’s how it felt. They were the ones that their men cheated on their wives with, they were the ones that flirted with their husbands and ultimately, Sirens were the ones that caused a lot of problems, Club protected or not. Of course, Izzy was only a Siren for a few years before being snatched up beneath everyone’s noses. She’d been hooking up with Jeremiah and others, including Ethan, before she was finally asked to be Ethan’s Old Lady. The title was something that Izzy was looking forward to, which admittedly, would be her ultimate downfall. The woman wanted to get out of the Siren life and into something more comfortable, like being an Old Lady, while not severing ties with the Club. 

Seemingly, being an Old Lady sounded like a great plan until you ended up like Izzy and Kaya, Kaya probably worse off. But the women share the common bond that their Old Men both died in the line of duty to the Club, both shot (from what Izzy can remember of Jacob’s death) and now, both women were apparently just still lingering around the Club from what Izzy can tell. Isobella’s family is truly the Club because almost all her friends are associated in some way and although she isn’t an Old Lady anymore, she sort-of still is in a way. In contrast, however, Izzy is fairly certain a lot more people liked Jacob than liked Ethan (with good reason). 

No matter their similarities, it’s been a while since the women have seen each other, following a departure from Kaya, which is more than understandable, even if Izzy selfishly thought about how she hadn’t left. They were different people and now, they managed to cross paths again, one Clubhouse visit at a time. “Didn’t know you were hanging around here again, Kaya,” Izzy smiles. Her comment isn’t meant to be harsh, she just figured the woman’s return wouldn’t mean the Clubhouse return as well. “I’m glad to see you’re back though. Feels like we’re getting the band back together or whatever that saying is.”

Kaya doesn't mean to lurk around old haunts like a ghost. But a thing about being back means that she keeps gravitating to places that once made her happy. She misses Jacob every single day, even though she's good at hiding it. Grief counseling helps, but there is still that part of her that tries so hard to let go of those chains. But how exactly do you replace a missing part of you? It hurt because he wasn't coming back, and the woman tried to come to terms with it. And that's why she's here. 

Actually no, she was here for Seth. She had a free day off work, and she wanted to say hi (and whatever else came after that). But she still stopped at the memorial wall, eyes flitting from picture to picture; Jacob, Ethan, Cronus...men dying in the line of duty, people who'll never come back. Yeah, she needed a distraction before she decided to spiral. Thank God for Izzy though, because as surprised as Kaya was, she was glad to not be alone right then. "I keep comin' back for those loveseats. I'm not gonna lie, those have way better lumbar support than my bed." She joked, her smile wavering, before it stuck in place, bright and because she was looking at her favourite person. 

No, Kaya had never felt threatened by the Sirens. Okay, maybe one or two, who hung around Jacob in the guise of friendship. But if she's being honest, the Sirens are a nice crew, and she has never really been opposed to hanging around them. The same thing with Izzy, she supposed. And she's nodding along to the golden skinned woman, sighing. "Okay, if there's a band, then count me out. I can't sing to save my life, and unless you have space for a flute player, then I'm shit outta luck in that department. But yeah, it's...it's good to be back. You know what they say, can't keep the girl outta Olympus and stuff…" She hesitated for a second, not sure if her joke landed well. "How are you, Iz?"

Del couldn’t help but laugh behind her hand as she chanced one last glance at her friend who shot her a sharp look of warning, only to go back to his sweeping with a lazy wave of his hand. “I feel I’m going to have to mop some floors to make it up to him.” She said with a shake of her head before flushing slightly at the casual sign of friendship that she so dearly missed. She ducked her head slightly before growing comfortable with her arms linked with Kaya’s, following the other as they made their way to her car. When they reached the car, Del moved to the passenger’s side and bit at her lip. “The cake was…” 

Be nice. Oz’s voice echoed in her mind. “The cake was great, Kaya. I mean I like it when people give me things to begin with, let alone baked goods. And I can’t remember the last time anyone’s given me a cake…” She said with a small smile. Her eyes then went round before shaking her head vehemently. “No, please, I told you I forgive you. I mean… I understand. You just needed to get away.” God knows how often she thought about it. She just never had the courage to do it. She blushed again at Kaya’s words before waving it off. “Tell me about your time away.” She demanded more than asked. 

“Oh, I’m sure Oz can forgive and forget. You’re doing favours for me, it’s all good!” It was funny, how Kaya thought she would have done just fine if she left behind all her connections in Olympus. As if it was easy to forget the memories she had made here. Joking around with Del certainly reminded her that maybe, maybe coming back wasn’t such a bad idea after all. She glanced over at her friend, letting the good and bad feelings come awash her. 

Starting the car, Kaya had a lot of things prepared, in the case that this didn’t go as easy as she hoped. But there is a point where words really don’t cut it anymore. It’s going to take time, and that’s all either of them can really say. “Yeah, it did do me some good though. I...I was in proper crawfish country for a bit. My mom’s sister in law’s family are from New Orleans, you see. And I had way too much seafood gumbo, which is definitely something I shouldn’t say because you can’t ever have enough crawfish. It’s so good. Uhh, what else? I...” There was a lot of self medicating, days that bled into weeks where Kaya was barely coherent because of her grief. “Honestly, not a lot to say, you know? What about you? Tell me what I’ve missed since I was gone. Like the Club! Tell me there’s new gossip to be had...” 

Pausing as she loaded stuff onto the back of his truck, Ryder raised an eyebrow. “Your words hurt, Kaya. They really do.” He said, words dripping with sarcasm as he took some of her items off of her. “Yeah, guess you could say I’m alright. Came out of the storm in one piece, had to camp out at The Dive, but that’s beyond the point. Glad to see you’re okay too.” Jumping down from his truck bed, he shut the back and nodded at her. “We can head that way. Get in and you can tell me what’s been going on with your life.” The blonde said with a smile, already unlocking the doors and moving into the drivers seat. 

“Oh sweetheart...get over it.” Kaya doesn’t take pleasure in being mean, not always, but there’s candor in their little squabbles with each other. She manages to get her tiny self into the truck without any help, waiting for Ryder to get back in here. “Oh that’s...good, I suppose? Dive’s never really been my place, even though some of the dancers are...let’s just say, very appealing to me. Maybe I shouldn’t say that out loud...” Again, not serious about that last bit, she’s never been sure how to feel about that establishment, even if it was Seth’s.  “Hmm, where do you wanna begin? I’ve been...seeking new opportunities at the work place? I mean, I loved workin’ in Neuro. But then I just remembered how much I missed the ER and....” She shrugged. “What about you, dude?” 

MEET THE PERALTAS

Diego Peralta had been nothing much, when he moved out of his own home at 18 and made his way across the American landscape. He fell in love with Farrah, and for her, he decided to stay and settle, making roots and a new family. 

Unable to have children of their own, the Peraltas decided that once their lives had stabilized, they’d foster and adopt, and that’s how they ended up with four children, and children they were lucky to foster for however long they could. 

Without further ado, meet the Peralta Gang

“Out, thank God. I’ve spent half the day getting tests done. I’m fine, before you ask. Just check-ups,” TJ tells her with a small smile. Fine, is relative in his case; most of the time he considers a migraine fine because that’s just a side effect he’s managed to get used to. He does frequent the hospital often, though, around a month back here and he already needs another hand to count his visits. TJ might be telling everyone that he’s good, but he still worries that something’s not right, probably a little too much. “You going back in? How’s work been today?”

Kaya nods gratefully, “thank you, I’m definitely assured now. And yes, that was sarcasm. I just refuse to believe people sometimes, it’s a work thing.” She shrugs, but there is warmth in the smile she sports. “Seriously though, are you fine fine? Or is that the line you use to make people not worry for you?” She really can’t turn that work part of her brain off. The nurse decides to let it slide for now, because Tony’s changed the subject and she’s not going to push back. “Work’s been fine! I’ve been doing my training, because I’m switching departments. So, it’s been less stressful physically, and more so mentally. As you can tell...” She gestures to her pant leg, covered in scraps of masking tape scribbled in with messy short hand. “A lot of stuff to remember, I’m tellin’ ya.” 

Patience is something Damian has always struggled with. He felt, as a child, he’d used all his patience up. Burnt it out on his brother, on his family, on his own expectations for other people. It’s a part of his brain that has to be manually activated, constantly calibrated, and fueled by whatever energy he could afford. Today, Damian didn’t have a lot of energy to afford.

“Are you asking because you need to know to do your job?” He asks, rubbing his temples with his index finger and thumb. “Or are you asking because you think I don’t know how to do mine?” As soon as he said it he knew he was out of line. His brain booted up like an ancient computer, struggling to keep up with the commands Damian is desperately trying to send it. Patience, patience, patience. 

He looks at Kaya. She was a nurse that he’d grown to like in her short time in the ER. Always on her toes, always trying to be better. She didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of his exhausted frustration. “Sorry. Long night,” Damian mutters, flipping the chart back open. “Like I said, she’s a frequent flier. They’re not always gonna tell you their history so always make sure to check the patient files for a more accurate history. That way you don’t have to assume the worst. You can just verify it.” Damian slides the chart over so Kaya can see his notes. “We’re starting low dose Aspirin. She’s non-narcotics only so morphine is out. We’re going to gave to get creative with managing her pain, but I’ll be honest, she’s pretty famous for making a run for it. No insurance. I usually ah… well, her billing paperwork tends to get misplaced.”

Kaya is no stranger to getting yelled at by the doctors. It’s in the culture, and it’s something she’s more than used to, given how much time she’s spent in her profession. But somehow it always feels the same way, and the eyes of the other nurses on her doesn’t help. Damian’s scolding feels uncomfortable and it makes the woman’s hands ball into fists inside her pockets, unable to make eye contact with the doctor. She isn’t going to cry, but the red that’s crawling on her features is hot and embarrassing, and she wishes she had thicker skin. 

Pressing the nail of her thumb into her index finger, she shakes her head. It takes her a few seconds to get her words in order, and then she only nods. “Yes, Doctor.” She’s quick to catch the sliding clipboard, as if she’s trying to do everything in her power to not disappoint. More than the yelling, it’s that sense of disappointment, like she’s managed to make her favourite person mad. But all of that is put to the side, as the nurse’s eyes scan the file, taking it in and trying to place it in her mind. She looks up again, and nods.

“Okay then. I...alright. I’ll uhh...keep that in mind.” She’s quick to take out the little roll of masking tape and pen, scribbling short hand for everything Damian was telling her, before ripping it and sticking it on to her trouser. “I’ll page you once her medicines for the day are done, Doctor Carter.” She paused, as she tucked her stationary back into her pockets. “...I’m sorry about the questions. I...I should back off, I know. But I...it won’t happen again.” Kaya means it; Damian may not be the friendliest person in the hospital, but he knows what he’s doing, and Kaya wants to learn from the best. And it helps that she thinks he’s a cool guy outside of the hospital too. 

Trying not to have others worry about her was a habit that Gisele can’t seem to shake off. Being a burden was the last thing she needed to be and further, she was mindful in a way where others have their fair share of problems. Why pile her’s on more? And so, she smiled at Kaya and nodded as if all is well. “Yes, fortunately no casualties on my end.” Was it really? She truly could careless of her father’s men, but you win some, you lose some. “As for The Studio, windows were all damaged and it had flooding. It’s closed for the time being until repairs and maintenance come through. Talk about bad timing too, school’s almost out and I had to push back the program dates.” She shrugged and took it for what it is. “I’m at the Community Centre for the time being, which is nice. I did miss working there everyday.” 

Learning about how Kaya was, Gigi nodded in understanding, “We all appreciate your service during these times. It’s a lot, but you continue and that’s what matters.” She followed her gaze to the menu and couldn’t help but grin at her choices. “I love how it goes from sweet to savoury to healthy.” she pointed out at first. “I hadn’t had a proper meal all day, so I’ll opt in for that chicken burger. Thank you!” When the server came, she said her order and settled her attention back to Kaya. “I’m kind of glad the food establishments weren’t heavily damaged, with running back and forth I get super lazy with cooking.” 

“That’s great to hear, really! Honestly, I can’t tell you if it was a relief or a different kind of worry to not see familiar faces in the ER, you know? Like, on one hand I’m glad you don’t have to come in, but on the other...please don’t be dead in a ditch, you know? But dang, I’m so sorry about the studio, sweetheart. I’m sure they’ll get it fixed up in no time!” Kaya found it hard to turn off that part of herself that was always in work mode; always reassuring, metaphorically patting hands and just making sure people weren’t bummed out by the bad things in their life. “Oh, hush now. Thank you for that, but it’s my job, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Except for right now, because I’m very hungry.” She smiled at Gigi, keeping her menu down. 

The chuckle just escapes before Kaya can stop herself. “Don’t call me out, girl! I am always thinkin’ of those pancakes. Like the Good Lord himself comes down to bless the dough or something, I’m tellin’ ya. Let me take you out to breakfast here once, it will change your life.” She nods, “you know what, so will I. I think the chicken and maybe some fries for the table?” Once their server leaves with their orders, the nurse leans back in her chair, and nods. “That’s so right. Like, I don’t mind cooking, but meal prep has never been my strongest suit, and packing lunch? Sounds so much like high school, I cannot picture myself doing it.” 

Declan stares up at the corkboard next to Kaya with wide eyes and hands non commitally stuck in his pockets. Becoming friends with the shorter girl hadn’t been the plan (a lot smarter than the usual coworkers with benefits he usually made happen) but here they were. Trying to find something less Ghost-like than the pottery class but at least an interesting way to spend their time. “No offense but I’d rather stab my eyes out than risk reading a book just to hear some fuckass in classes incorrect views on how Heathcliff was misunderstood or something. Is there really nothing else?”

Kaya looks at him, her eyebrows furrowed. “I definitely wasn’t paying all that much attention to Classic Lit in high school. Wuthering Heights was so boring, I wanted to go to sleep every time we had to read a page of it for class or something.” She shrugs, going back to scanning the board before her. “Be my guest, dude. I can’t find anything as interesting as wine and pottery. Even the cheese making class is gone, now where am I going to buy my goat’s milk cheese from?” 

Seth doesn’t hold the time that Kaya was away against her. He’s not sure how she did it, being that there was only a few years between her husband dying and her coming to the Clubhouse once again. Not only was she showing up but she was bringing the president of the Primordials an entire meal with some leftovers for the folks staying in the Clubhouse that Seth’s been working with. It’s been a weird few days and even a weird few weeks for the president but he’s put a little at ease to see Kaya who always seems to somehow come into the room and make others feel a bit more at ease— Seth mostly just glad he won’t hear people complain about the food they are offering tonight— or they’d better not say that. 

The man gives Kaya a smirk, “We can still have dinner for two, don’t you worry ‘bout that, sweet pea.” He knew that it was a little forward but what was Seth besides forward? She was the one who started it, wasn’t she? Seth just shrugs it off, her red ruby slippers (or lack thereof) keeping his attention. “We got beer and I got plenty of places to put your feet at the end of the night, ‘specially if you got these fuckers to stop complainin’ about me buyin’ ‘em Diner food. I ain’t their fuckin’ mom. They’ve got two legs,” he explains, taking the food into the dining area they’d set up and turning back to Kaya, arms crossed over one another. “You  owe me one? I like the sounds of that. You gonna come grill at my place next?” he asks, his dark eyes amused. Truth is, Seth did know how to cook and he was fairly decent at it, considering the man left prison only to live on his own for the next eight years. God knows half the people he knows can’t fucking cook to save their lives, save Andy Thane. 

“Was fuckin’ bad. I was here and we didn’t have that much crashin’ and shit but some of the people here were the ones that got their houses hit the worst. Fuckin’ sucks.” Seth knew that it sounds a bit insensitive the way he said it but he also wasn’t the type of person to show empathy in the first place, so this was the closest that the man got, that’s for sure. “Yeah, yeah. I had Lily here with me so I wasn’t too fucked if somethin’ happened. But just had tree limbs and all that to move. Nothin’ too bad. My house’s seen worse— You miss these storms?”

Kaya's not exactly sure how she's not bolting out of the Clubhouse, or why she's making nice with the people she meets here. But in all honesty, she's done her grieving and crying, and Jacob still haunts the recesses of her psyche. She finds herself being reminded of him in the weirdest of times, and she's lucky that the MC doesn't cause those same pangs anymore. She has every right to be here, just like his memory does. And talking to Seth feels like comfort, and that's something she's been craving a lot these days. He reminds her of all the things she missed about this place.

She chuckles, finding herself blushing at the pet name he gives her in the end. What's wrong with you, Kaya? Her hands go back to pushing her hair back, tucking it behind her ears again, even though they were already in place. "I'm holding you to that. I hear Reina's fixing up Calliope soon, so I expect that invite any day, mister." She tries to not act like a schoolgirl with the biggest crush on the older boy, failing miserably as her cheeks grow hotter with every word she's saying. "It really was nothing. If you guys need more food, I could cook in house. You know, give a hand where I can and stuff. But I'm also biased and the Little Dove does pancakes like no other. Mmm, a thick stack sounds so good right now." At the mention of grilling over at Seth's place, Kaya's heart does a little leap. "Oh, I don't know how to work a grill, I'm afraid. I keep tellin' myself that I will learn, but there's just always something comin' up and I never do. Maybe that's something you'll have to teach me. I'll bring the appetizers..."

The current matters at hand is enough to burst that bubble of fancy Kaya was holding onto, her smile dimming. "Yeah, that really sucks...Jesus, I wasn't even thinking about that." She shakes her head, her smile returning at the mention of Seth's furry companion, and she sighs. "Can't say I really did. Weather still gets bad up the mainland, you know? Maybe not a tornado, but the rains are just...bad. But I missed home, if I'm bein' honest. The good and the bad parts."

Del couldn’t help but preen at her words, blush crawling up her neck as she tried to stifle a smile. She clasped her hands together in front of her before nodding, tucking a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. “Yeah, of course. That’s… that’s a good idea.” She cleared her throat, immediately moving to get her bag, ignoring Oz’ warning glare that usually meant for her to not cause any trouble, which she responded with an eye roll. She bounded back to Kaya and grinned before shoving her hands in her pocket. 

“Lead the way.” 

"Bye Oz!" Kaya called out, as she loops her arm with Del's and they walk out of the Clubhouse. "Can you believe we just did that?" She's giggling, face flushed pink while they walk to the former's car. "Okay, so I need a whole list of things, but most importantly, I just wanted to get you alone for a bit. Was the cake alright? I realised after I gave you the thing that I forgot to add the sugar to the frosting. But..." She shrugs, "I guess I'm saving your teeth?"

After a pause, “All jokes aside, I know I’m not exactly doing my best at saying sorry, but if it is worth anything, I did miss you when I was gone. Told everyone I knew about a blonde beauty who I call my friend.”