son of nyx

"I know and okay? If that's what you want, but you know, I want you here with me, right? You're not going to stop the progress, just maybe I practice over a pool or something? And better yet, you can be in the pool," She mused, not about to pass up an opportunity to see her man shirtless. "It's okay to be worried. I'd probably be the same if the situation were reversed and you don't need to be better. You're perfect as is, but okay. I'll try. I just keep flying all wonky," Her bottom lip jutted out into a small pout at the thought.

"But it's the thought the counts, and anyways, I can press these ones and then I can have them forever," She beamed. "Okidokie. Lead the way."

"I know you want me there." His voice softened. "That's why I'm worried. But alright alright. I'll be around." He tried not to think on all the things that could go wrong, especially in this state of his. At the mention of him being in the pool, however, he gave her a look. "You just want an excuse to see me shirtless."

Ken opened the passenger door for her before rounding the car himself. "Given that it's your birthday, if you decide you suddenly need ice cream, more flowers, a stuffed animal, or anything really, I'll consider it my civic duty as your husband to acquire it." The drive itself served no real purpose beyond filling time till dinner. But he found he didn't mind. For years, his life had been measured by routines, work, and concerns that always seemed more important than simple moments. Now he could appreciate them.

Dinner had gone exactly as he'd hoped. No disasters. No interruptions. No unexpected crises demanding their attention. By the time they returned home, the evening had settled comfortably around them, and for perhaps the first time in weeks, Ken felt himself relax. Mostly. There remained one final hurdle.

Ken's gaze drifted toward the last gift waiting on the coffee table. Picking up the bag, he crossed the room and held it out to her. "There's one more but before you open it," he said, lifting a finger, "I'd like it noted for the record that I strongly disagree with the contents." It was empty grumbles though as he surrendered the bag. Inside were sweatpants, oversized sweatshirts, fluffy socks, and face masks too. All things that were the exact opposite of his style. "The masks are the ones with the animals. And yes, yes, there's a matching set of clothes for me," he said, sitting down and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't get the appeal of it at all, the clothes had no shape, no structure, maybe that was the point of it, but Ken was still sceptical. Despite his grievances and grumbles, the affection beneath them was obvious. He had bought everything anyway, spent half an afternoon wandering through stores he would never normally set foot inside simply because Leyla had mentioned how it would be nice for them to spend time together doing absolutely nothing. "I would not do this with anyone else."

"I have to admit, I have no alternative point of comparison," Ben started. He didn't know how helpful he could be to Ken. Ken had lived most of his life as a human, but not all of it, and it was obvious he'd never expected to feel human again. Ben couldn't blame him; vampirism was sort of the end of the line, and even becoming a werewolf was so inherently different from being human. There was no way to turn the clock back, to become human again after one's humanity had been taken from them. Except, of course, in whatever circumstance that Ken seemed to be finding himself in now.

Ben nodded slowly. "Alright. What I mean is... it's not that different to be human in Lunar Cove than it is out of it. I'm not being facetious or attempting to try your patience, so bear with me. I don't find them different because... these vulnerabilities that you're worried about? They exist in here and out there. They don't just go away if I stepped over the line, even if I did keep my memories. It's just as dangerous out there, whether you're human or supernatural, as it is in here. The difference with being in Lunar Cove is that people are more honest about that danger, and there are precautions in place to insure that we're all able to comfortably live together."

He caught only fragments of what Meena muttered under her breath, which immediately earned a faint furrow of his brow. Another thing to add to the growing list of annoyances. The more time passed, the more he disliked this state of being. Still, with the room being quiet as it was, and with his attention fixed on her, he managed to piece together a few words. Wings. Emotions. Woods. "I'd rather have neither," he admitted. "Having to monitor your emotions constantly sounds exhausting. I can barely manage my own on a good day. You've always struck me as level-headed, though. Has someone irritated you lately?" The mention of the woods took another moment to connect. "Oh. JC? Isn't that his natural habitat?" He delivered the joke dryly. "Does he want to run away?"

At her request for honesty, silence lingered for a moment. Ken was not someone who often dissected his own thoughts aloud, but if there was anyone he could be direct with, it was Meena. "I'm annoyed," he said finally, punctuating the admission with a quiet huff. "I spent years adapting to being a vampire. Learning what that meant. Building a life around it and with it. Then someone sticks a needle in me and suddenly I'm...this." He gestured vaguely at himself. "The absurd part is that I've spent just as long wishing I'd never become a vampire in the first place. I'm not having a crisis, mind you. I'm simply realising how much of my routine, my instincts, were tied to being a vampire." Not letting the words settle, Ken drained his glass. "It's fucking irritating."

"Honestly, I never expected to make it to fifteen, let alone thirty-two," She admitted quietly under her breath. She thought she was a goner the moment Hande had shown up on her doorstep and every day after that had felt like she had been fighting for survival, until now. "I think you'd look very handsome regardless. Distinguished even. You'd age like fine wine," She teased. Her thumb traced along his jawline as she took a moment to simply soak him in before she did admit quietly under her breath, "And anyway, if this does wind up being permanent, it probably won't, but if it does, I'd choose to age with you. I just might give it a few years though just cause if I start aging again, then from what I've been told that would kinda be it. There wouldn't be another off switch. And mhm," A soft giggle broke from her lips as his hands slid around her waist and pulled her closer. "Depends. Am I the dessert? Or are you referring to the cupcake because in that case, you could always have both? At the same time even."

The teasing soon faded and expression softened. He knew about the things she had to face, and thought it rightfully pissed him off, he knew this was not the time to show that anger. "Well," he said softly after a moment, :for what it's worth, I'm very glad both of us turned out to be wrong." And he was. More than he could adequately put into words.

Ken shook his head, "No. Let's not jump into that yet. There has to be more this nonsense and I think we'll only know with time." Unwilling to sit in that seriousness for too long, he immediately seized the lifeline she provided. "Both."

Lupe didn't stop herself from rolling her eyes again. Kenji always acted like he knew better than everyone else, but it was easy to see through his guise. She'd never say anything about it, because that wasn't the type of relationship they had. She was the enforcement, he was the argument. There wasn't really a situation in which they would ever really get along, even if he was on her side for something. Life just didn't work that way, she supposed.

Getting up from her desk, she rifled through her keys and unlocked the cell, swinging the door open. "Alright, Barry," she ushered, giving a sweeping gesture from door to vampire lawyer, "you're free to go. Try and stay out of trouble for, like, at least month this time, yeah?"

The teenager just gave a pearly white, innocent grin, before slinking out and over to Ken. Lupe rolled her eyes yet again. "Have a good day, Matsui. I'm sure I'll see you again sooner than either of us would like."

Lupe watched Ken's expression closely as he read over the document that Barry had so willingly signed. He was lucky he hadn't been driving, otherwise the punishment would've been much more severe, even with Ken as his lawyer. Really, (and not that Lupe would ever admit this out loud) the teenager was lucky to have Ken on his side. He was too good at his job to be bailing bratty kids out of the drunk tank. It was why he was such a pain in her ass. "Like I said, it's a misdemeanor. It's not even going on his record."

She folded her arms tighter over her chest. "We're not pursuing trespassing charges, no." Mostly because they were too easily dismissed. It was the underage drinking that they'd been more concerned with, and this wasn't Mister Bartholomew's first offense on that, either. So. "Oh, don't tell me about it. He's got a court summons. You can both tell the judge what you want." She leaned forward, miming dusting her hands off. "My job here is done. No lecture needed. Unless you're really itching for one. I've got a few different ones I can cycle through?"

There was little else worth discussing. The intoxication charge would proceed as it would, Barry would answer for his own poor decisions, and Lupe would continue believing she was doing the lord's work every time she hauled a teenager into a holding cell. It wasn't anything inspiring. Ken was here to do his job and he had. The paperwork mattered. Disagreements were routine. The rest was just nuisance.

Once everything was in order, he gave her a nod, "I'll speak with his father and we'll address the summons when the time comes." Ken then extended a hand towards the cell, "Whenever you're ready, Sheriff."

Daniel wasted no time placing the books on the counter. "They've already been paid for." The store he had in New York had been a great trial run on how to run a bookstore. Efficiency was key. "There are quite a few options here. It can be overwhelming." The vampire took pride in the selection of books he had crafted for patrons. New Leaf had just about everything and anything a reader's heart desired. "I might have a few. If there aren't any in stock, I can easily order them. She's quite the adventurous reader. What has she suggested recently that you've enjoyed? There's nothing wrong with that. They are classics for a reason. There are certain ones I come back to every year."

Her smile did not go unnoticed though, and when she offered to take credit for the drink, he shook his head slightly, "Oh, absolutely not. Do not let that inflate your ego," he replied immediately, though there was no real bite to his words. "Your skills remain acceptable."

"I- wasn't trying to fall out of the sky?" She winced. Her mouth grew dry as she swallowed, only imagining what he must have thought seeing her fumble like that. "I never said it would, but I'm really not? I'm trying, but," She chewed on her bottom lip as the thought crossed her mind that she very well might never be able to fly again. "Whoa, hey," Her brows knitted as she bumped her hip against his. "Who said anything about you not being around? You're my good luck charm. I need you always."

"Oh! Flowers," Her eyes lit up as she gave his arm a tug, dragging him with her to where the bouquet had been dropped. It might've been a little crumbled, but nothing a little tlc when they got home couldn't fix, and anyways, it gave them... character? "I love them, thank you!" She exclaimed, kissing him on the cheek again. "What? No, why? I like these ones," She protectively held onto the crumbled flowers. But, now that they were safely in hand, she had no problem with him leading her to the car. "Welp, it's good thing I said it then, huh? And not you, Mr. Best Husband. And dunno? Some place with just the two of us, please."

Seeing her expression shift though, so did his. "I know you weren't. Sorry, it's unfortunately where my mind went to." Even now, after years, the memory hit like something physical. He placed a soft kiss to her forehead, "You are trying, And I'm glad you are. That's what I meant before about maybe keeping distance while you practice. Not forever, just for a bit, so if ever you lose balance, I'm not around to stop the progress by panicking. That's what I meant. I probably just need to train my mind to not think of the worst." He never considered himself to be a good luck charm, she was that to him, but he smiled all the same, "And I'm going to be around always," he promised, "I'll be better. So keep flying, alright?"

He almost protested at her picking the bouquet back up, brows furring together at the sight. "It would not be difficult to get you another one. Easier even. But alright." A resigned sigh left him, and let the issue go with one final look at the way she clutched the flowers. He shouldn't have been surprised knowing her. "Just the two of us can always be arranged. Let's go for a little drive."

"Technically, you turned thirty-seven," She gave him a light poke in the chest. "But if you mean aging-wise, then I suppose you have. What's it like? Feel any different?" She asked him curiously, given that she had hit her prime at the age of twenty-eight herself. "Well, I guess we'll figure it out with time and see how long it lasts?" She offered up. "Like I love you and am along for the ride, so whatever way we end up feeling about it, just let me know. And oh? What would give you that idea?" She couldn't help, but tease as she began to lift his shirt up a bit more.

At the mention of his age, he gave a slight nod. "Yes, ageing-wise. Honestly, I never expected to make it to thirty, let alone thirty-seven." That remained the strangest part of it sometimes. Not the vampirism, not the immortality, which had its own moments of reflection, but the fact that despite all of it, despite everything that should have destroyed any chance at a normal life, he had somehow still ended up here. Sitting like this with her. Loved. It still caught him off guard more than he would ever admit aloud. "No, I don't think I feel much different." He didn't know if he was supposed to. "Yes, of course, we'll figure it out together." But thinking on it, a thought did occur and Ken felt an immediate need to address it. "If I find even one grey hair, or a wrinkle, you will hear about it constantly. Daily, perhaps. I'll become unbearable," he warned, which was undercut by the quiet laugh that escaped him. "Just a hunch," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her, "You've been so subtle about it." His hand slid around her waist, pulling her closer, "Dessert now or later?"

Lupe rolled her eyes. "Ay, dios mio," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "It's a misdemeanor, Matsui. Are you so strapped for work that you need to show up to help bail a teenager out of the drunk tank?" She tapped the folder on her desk before pushing it closed. She chose to ignore his jab at her job, mostly because she often made jabs at his. The two had never really gotten along. It wasn't as if Lupe hated Ken, but god damn if he wasn't a thorn in her side. Especially when they clashed with every interaction, considering their opposing jobs.

Lupe bristled, watching him place the paperwork on her desk. But, then she smirked. She waved it away. "I'm sure you can talk him out of the trespassing charges with whatever you've cooked up in here," she started, "but I think a seventeen year old blowing a .18 on the breath test might be a little harder to finagle him out of." In turn, she opened her own folder back up and held out the paper results, signed by Bartholomew himself. "Since you like paperwork so much."

Leaning back in her chair, perhaps a bit too smug, she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's a fine or community service, your choice. If you'd like to discuss this with your client--" she gave a sweeping motion towards the detention cell-- "be my guest."

Scanning the results, and seeing the signature, he turned to Barry's cell, noting the pleading and apologetic look the boy gave him, which of course, was met with an expression that hardly disclosed what Ken was thinking. But, he was sure Barry felt the disappointment in his stare. "Well. That certainly limits the range on choices. No matter. I'm sure we can reach an arrangement." And by that he meant, he'd already decided on the desired conclusion.

"I don't imagine the trespassing charge will survive very long under scrutiny considering there was voluntary cooperation, no property damage, and no attempt to resist detention. Which, I hoped you knew already already." The smugness Lupe wore earned nothing more than a cool glance in return. "No. A teenager with a blood alcohol level that high does not require creative legal manoeuvring, we'll pay the fine. I'll contact his father and have the arrangements handled." He began to gather the paperwork neatly back together. "Though if you feel compelled to deliver a speech about accountability before his impending release, I won't deprive you of the opportunity. I suspect you've been rehearsing one since he arrived."

"Joining certainly isn't mandatory unless you're interested in the perks," Ben said amicably. He didn't think that Ken cared. Thinking it over, he tried to consider the best way to approach this. "You're asking what it's like to be human in town, not just human, correct?" He started. "Because they... aren't that different. I mean, there are less humans here than there are outside of town, but a human being is still a human being. You're weaker, physicall, and you age, but you also aren't controlled by the phases of the moon, have to drink blood, or are incapable of lying. There's downsides and perks to everything, including being human."

"I'm not weighing up a pros and cons list, Ben, I understand the logistics. I'm asking because for the better part of a decade, vulnerability stopped being something I had to actively think about, but now, in this strange in-between, it's all I'm thinking about. And I refuse to bring my life to a stand still. I'm interested in what you meant with saying they aren't different when I see so many."