location :   some bar in brooklyn 

featuring :   @kngtm​

“ IS THIS SEAT TAKEN ? ”   she motions to the one beside the brunette, eyes unable to not give her a glance-over as she does it. simone’s had a bit to drink tonight after going to dinner with her cousin. if she felt a little more brazen, sue her. 

   AN  AUDIENCE,  not  that  Vivi  was  looking  for  one,  but  her  moves  and  hits  weren’t  exactly  subtle.  had  she  been  the  only  one  in  the  room  of  the  gym,  it  would  echo,  but  no  surprise  if  she  caught  the  attention  of  another.  vivi  could  do  more  damage  if  she  chose  to.  “if  it  was  a  face,  it’d  be  destroyed.”  she  held  the  bag  in  her  hands.  “it’s  free  if  you  plan  on  using  it.”

They wanted it to happen? Somehow, Devon couldn’t find surprise in such a remark. She should’ve expected it. Regardless of what Callie said, Devon didn’t want any of this. Though maybe that was another lie she was telling herself. Perhaps a part of her did want it, but she had trained herself to act like she didn’t. She wasn’t truly allowing herself to dissect the situation, trying to ignore the signs that were so clearly there. Maybe it was fear. Or shame. Whatever it was, it was causing Devon to put on a mask of deflection, refusing to confess anything.

The hunter was continuing to act nonchalant, causing the vampire to stare at them in bafflement before she just rolled her eyes. “Of course you did,” she quipped in a low murmur, scoffing as she took a few steps away. Glancing to the side, she eyed the part of fabric that had been ripped a bit thanks to Callie’s arrow. Another annoyance to add to the list. “I mean, really. Do you actually think simple eye-contact justifies an invitation to invade personal space?” Devon retorted.

x

kieran raises an eyebrow, watching the other completely disregard him for the dog, and if it had been anyone other than a random stranger, he was sure that he would have been annoyed by the gesture. however, he couldn’t exactly blame them for wanting to pet his dog - he was quite cute, after all. 

he met calliope’s eyes and nodded once, holding out the ear bud to them with an expectant expression on his face. “you lost this,” he tells them, handing it back over to them. he pushes his hand back into the pocket of his jeans and nods in icarus’ direction. “this is icarus,” he says, the dog lighting up at the sound of his name. 

@duskstart​

Location: local gym

      WHEN  SHE  NEEDED  TO  LET  OUT  some  steam,  anger  to  channel  something  into.  She’d  work  out,  nothing  could  control  that  better  than  her  to  focus  on  an  object.  Rather  than  a  person.  It  was  a  new  start  for  her,  a  new  pack,  maybe  she  would  finally  find  a  place  to  belong.  that  would  be  nice.  vivi  was  focusing  on  the  punching  bag  in  front  of  her.  maybe  she  was  attacking  it  a  little  more  roughly.  “session  is  almost  done.”  she  states  feeling  someone  near,  whether  they  heard  her  or  not,  she  at  least  made  it  clear.  

location: the bronx status: open to everyone 

having decided to enjoy the fall weather after school, kieran had gone home to retrieve icarus (his dog, a husky who was much friendlier to the general public than his father was) from his apartment before starting on a trek around the bronx. it was a nice afternoon - one where you didn’t have to worry about a brisk autumn wind ruining your whole walk. kieran had one hand on icarus’ leash, the other in the pocket of his brown leather jacket, earbuds in both of his ears as his dog happily trotted around their usually walk. a flutter of movement caught both his and icarus’ attention, and kieran glanced down, looking at an object that had fallen to the street and back up to the individual walking ahead of him. 

“hey!” he called out, removing an earbud and placing it in his pocket before he crouched down to grab what had fallen before standing up and leading toward the one who’d dropped it. “think you’re missing this,” he offered. icarus stood there, panting happily as he waited for attention. // @duskstart​

    unless it’s an uphill battle, calliope isn’t walking, they’re running. in this case, though, they take a a slower approach to the incline. usually too alert to lose something without noticing, calliope is so zoned into their body movements that the music fades into the background so much so that they don’t notice when one ear bud goes missing entirely. 

What do you mean? Once again, the nerve. Though Devon noted the way the question seemed genuine, as if the hunter couldn’t fathom the blonde’s anger over something that should’ve been obvious. And yet, it wasn’t. Not to her. Devon continued to glower at them, though that particular memory also came to her for those few tense moments. A previous night that found them colliding with a make-out session that could’ve easily turned into more. Devon still scolded herself for that, the way she allowed herself to lose control. It had been alarming whenever it all registered, after that little bite seemed to snap both of them out of it.

Then, yes, the blonde disappeared, that heightened speed having her gone within a second. And she had tried to forget it all, tried to block out that night from memory but that was just it, wasn’t it? Devon would always remember. And it stung.

And the hunter just had to circle back around to the whole thing of Devon just ending it already. The brunette’s eyes were closed, meanwhile the blonde found herself pausing as she still studied her. “Stop,” she then stated coldly, rolling her eyes. “What I want is for you to realize how ridiculous you sound. What did I expect? Are you bloody serious? Callie, what I expected was for us to go about our business and avoid each other the whole night. Would that have not been the simplest option?” Devon questioned, baffled by Callie’s justification.

However, as they stood there, she was attempting to rein in the anger. “But no, you decided to approach me. You’re the one who started that dance. You made that choice, not me,” she reiterated, tightening her jaw before finally releasing Callie. “None of that had to happen.”

    there is a certain reluctancy that hangs in the air. reluctant to admit motive. reluctant to admit they’ve been caught. though calliope often didn’t get caught unless they wanted to. when it came to devon, calliope often wanted things they shouldn’t, including riling up the very creature most likely to kill them. 

It seemed she wasn’t the only one in that part of the woods. Devon heard the whoosh of the arrow flying through the air, but the vampire was still struck. Or, well, the fabric of her jacket was, the blonde grunting as the tip of the arrow pressed her back against the tree. Gritting her teeth in frustration, her eyes snapped over to where the culprit was, and that smug expression Devon saw pissed her off even more. The exasperating, childish audacity. “I should’ve expected you’d show up eventually,” the blonde responded in a biting tone. Devon grabbed the shaft of the arrow and ripped it from the fabric. “Well, while you’re here…”

The sentence was barely finished before the vampire’s location changed, her heightened speed having her at Callie within a second. Her forearm flew upward and against the hunter’s collarbone, Devon having pushed them firmly against the nearest tree. “What the bloody hell was that back there?” She snapped, blatantly glaring at the brunette like she was in no mood for games. And no, Devon’s remark had not been referring to the arrow incident. It was as if that was just a casual thing, apparently. No, she was referencing that whole fiasco at the gala.

   when devon has calliope pressed up against the tree, a smirk grows across the brunette’s face. ‘  there you are.  ’ what they don’t expect is for devon to be upset. it is a peculiar thing, devon being more peeved about the gala than the wooden arrow that missed piercing her skin by sheer millimeters just seconds prior. what was that ? she asked. ‘  what do you mean ?  ’ calliope isn’t one to play dumb, her lack of an answer proving genuine. 

     up against the tree now reminded calliope of the gala, devon’s fingernails digging into callie’s skin in a bit of a power move. it reminds calliope of the last time she was pinned by devon. once upon a time another night’s formalities had ended with miseries soaked in alcohol by one another’s sides. it took one look at one another before the two began kissing each other, calliope playfully biting the vampire’s lips, knowing that her human strength would be no match for devon, but that at the very least it would be fun for the blonde. hands tore at each others’ clothes and the two were moments away from taking steps further, when a bite of devon’s own draws blood on callie’s lips. as soon as they both register it, they’re frozen in place. callie holds eye contact with devon and licks their lips clean. devon disappeared much like she did at the gala, always knowing when to stop testing limits. an admirable quality, though calliope has not yet processed that there are things she admires about devon.

@kngtm

One thing after another. First, there were the fireworks that had abruptly turned into a storm of crows crashing the gala. And now, Devon had reason to believe there was a new hunter in New York, one she didn’t think was aligned with the council at all. If they were, then they would face massive consequences if they were caught due to their deeds. Though, well, they probably would anyway. Of course, Devon knew she could be wrong. Maybe it wasn’t the same person who killed the last few victims, but the newest one had been an acquaintance of hers. 

Devon had plans to speak with a private investigator, a friend of hers, at some point. For now, she was wandering around the woods, further out in one of the parks. Near there had been the scene of the crime, though the vampire’s trekking slowed. Her heightened hearing picked up something, the blonde turning her head slightly.

   silence. the brunette’s movements remain idle when they see the blonde is onto her. calliope is not out hunting, never having been one to partake in bird season. however, if anyone had any information on what was going on, it was likely to be devon. she had always been ... resourceful. there is no right approach when it comes to devon and that’s just the truth. whether calliope is gentle or forceful, the blonde is likely to react quite the same. so calliope decides to have a little fun with it.

  he can understand if someone is weary, after all, he was a stranger, but he tried not to make others feel that way. it may be foolish of him to allow someone he does not know to be in his presence. but enzo was not one to judge. in the past he may have, but over the years, he was one to give chances. “it would be rude of me to say go get it yourself, if I offer, it is because I want to.” and that was the truth. though her body language states otherwise, he follows as she takes a step, he smiles as he nods, walking in the direction of the bar. “your drink?” he asks, wanting to know what she had chosen to drink, to keep her here.

“try  me.”  words  leave  his  mouth  as  he  takes  a  half  step  closer,  frame  now  straddling  the  line  of  being  in  her  space  and  not,  with  a  risk  of  falling  into  either.  he’s  curious,  that  much  is  obvious;  monotonous  party,  incessant  conversations,  but  pretty  human  girl?  he’ll  bite.  pun  not  intended.  soft  hum  is  released  in  the  air  at  their  answer,  flash  of  humor  reflected  in  his  eyes.  “vulgar  huh?  i could  get  with  that.  i  too  like  late  night  runs  as  well.”  what  he  fails  to  mention  is  that  his  ‘running'  is  usually  in  pursuit  of  repast,  one  always  caught.  “lost  me  at  the  chocolate  but  gained  me  with  the  whiskey.  you  ever  had  redemption  rye?”

“not really.” tiago says with the slightest bit of amusement on his lips as he notices her own expression. “i haven’t watched very many tv dramas but isn’t there supposed to be something that’s y’know, drama filled?” he asks leaning against his seat, somehow finding his way being seated next to calliope of all people tonight. to be honest he didn’t know many people at this party. he supposed that she was better than sitting there alone. eating an olive from one of the maritini glasses he aims the toothpick directly into the tall glass. “are all these events, i don’t know, so uptight like this?” he asks looking around at all the people that were mixing and mingling.

Vulnerability was not something Devon planned to reflect, not toward that hunter. Yet, that was the amusement of life, right? The unpredictability, the moments that were anything but planned. Regardless, she was attempting to act fine enough to not let anything slip. Not let it show that Calliope had this strange hold on her that far surpassed the hand on her waist, an invisible and internal tether. But at the attempt at seeming composed, she ended up letting vexation slip out instead. Apparently, it was beginning to show in her demeanor, and Callie picked up on it.

Relax. Devon was taken aback, ready to counter before the hunter explained their abrupt reasoning. There was a pause before the vampire’s grip on her hand loosened. Her blue gaze nonchalantly moved around, and she inhaled a quiet breath. We don’t pose a threat to each other here. And yet, that was a lie. Even if Calliope didn’t see it, Devon did. Even if they were casually dancing, the threat was still there. Maybe not physically, not when they were standing on neutral ground. But mentally? Yes. And it was an annihilating feeling.

   getting the blonde lallement vampire to offset her demeanor is a big win, but there is a feeling of defeat when devon doesn’t so much as answer calliope verbally. all the brunette can think to do is let eyes flutter upward in annoyance at the utter defiance, as if they wouldn’t do the exact same thing. even still, it was just one dance. if anything it would be good for getting a rhythm of the other, a means for each of them to learn something about how to keep safe or manipulate one another, but neither takes it.

as he waits for her to continue on, he catches the pause, or rather hesitation? hmm, maybe it would have appeared to present that way. It did not steer him another direction, even if the atmosphere changes, it would take only an exchange of a few words, and he’d part ways. That wasn’t what she was implying, nor what he could sense, but his gaze remained on her, waiting. perhaps he can sense if someone is genuine in nature, not one to assume nor judge, he learned to not be. his dark hues study her, an air or aura about her mixes, a cross of uncertainty, to curiosity. and though the music is flowing, chatter filling the room, it is silenced as he focuses. concentrating enough, he could hear her heart beat alone, but her oh, is what raises a brow on his features, revealing the expression of surprise, or maybe the realization that she herself did not know. nothing was alarming him, as he was engaging in a conversation, even one where words were little, and eye contact was given. For silence speaks a thousand words unsaid. “that is, in a way, what you’re saying. nothing like an open bar to keep you.” he then paused himself, with the corner of his lips turning up at the thought “care for a refill? or have you found other reason to keep yourself where you stand?”