* 𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔

(  gemma  chan.  cis  woman.  she/her.  baba  says  &  shayiting  EL.  )  have  you  seen  HERA  LALLEMENT  strolling  around  central  park  at  lunchtime?  rumor  has  it  they’re  actually  382  years  old,  but  i’m  pretty  sure  they’re  only  37.  they’re  currently  posing  as  a(n)  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃  𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑  at  𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝙼𝙴𝚃,  but  when  dusk  falls,  you  can  usually  find  them  heading  home  to  MANHATTAN  by  TAXI.  apparently  they  DID  attend  the  met  gala  this  season!

@duskintro​

he stops a moment in hearing this, because while he'd brought the liquor, he wasn't sure this was the best choice. bringing her an animal. what was he thinking? he had to be better. “uhm, well, ” chace starts, first looking to her drinking and then looking down at the box he carefully sets down between them.

“this little guy needs a home . . . ” he says plucking off the cardboard top and reveals a tabby kitten. meowing begins and chace happily lifts the cat out of the box.

HOW WAS SHE? It felt like a loaded question. With the state of their family and the chaos of the city. Evie wasn’t sure how she felt exactly. “I think I’ll need a martini or three before I can answer that properly,” she admitted, trying to smile but it only felt painful and fake on her face. “How are you? How was Shanghai?”

“ TRUTHFULLY, i almost went to prague and vienna like we had talked about, ”   cas admits.   “ but i didn’t want to correlate those cities with right now. ”   he loved both cities during the wintertime ;   he didn’t want to ruin that love with the memory of the death of rosamie, one of the times he’s been at his lowest. there were a few cities after the death of his sister that cassius still hasn’t been back to, hundreds of years later.   “ i’d offer to get lunch together, but i’m afraid i’m not going anywhere until this, ”   he motions to his stack of work to be done,   “ goes down just a bit. but we should maybe have dinner soon, with the rest of the family. ”

+

Leilana understood Hera’s words completely, though she did pause and think to herself if she was oversharing. Something she did quite often to overcompensate with others. “Right… sorry.” Saying as she moved a piece of her hair out of her face, apologizing anyways. “At times like this, it’s hard to think for yourself… but, I’m glad you’re back.” Giving a comforting smile towards her.

—–

casandra looked up, the soft lilt of hera’s voice recognisable to her. she hadn’t realised she was back in town. she hadn’t realised how comforting her voice was to hear. with casandra’s life as rosamie’s sire; it had been full of adventure, and full of people and things. so those who had been deemed important and close to rosamie, had, in relation, been deemed important to casandra. her bond with rosamie was had been unique, as it was with every one of the vampiress’ sires. and with casandra, those who rosamie cared for, immediately made it to her list also. unless they did anything decidedly dastardly to her. “hera,” she managed to breath. she put her papers down, her eyes gliding up to catch the other womans. “another drink would be… yes, please,” she replied finally.

━ ( @lallcments ) !

he knew things were hard, but he was putting on a brave face for his friends and everyone else because this wasn't a time for him to break down. most were taking rosamie's demise hard enough without adding himself to the mix. he'd thought briefly on turning his humanity off and giving up, as things felt like they were starting to close in on him. first the crows, with no answer to their appearance and noe this. the death of a respected council member and friend to many.

he carried in his hands a box with a curious creature inside, every so often chace saw it sticking its nose out of the slots made to breathe. “you're going to ruin the surprise,” he chuckled and then knocked a few times, “hera, oh hera ! open up, i've got a surprise for ya!”

          DRINKING  ALONE  IN  HER  apartment  probably  isn’t  the  best  sign   that  she’s  doing  ...  better  .  it  doesn’t  take  long  for  her  to  pick  up  chace’s  footsteps  making  his  way  down  to  her  door  .  at  the  sound  of  his  knocking  ,  she  downs  the  rest  of  her  drink  and  sets  the  bottle  aside  .  

“  that  surprise  better  come  in  the  form  of  designer  clothes  or  expensive  liquor  ,  ”  she  half-retorts  ,  walking  over  to  open  the  door  .  hera  raises  her  brows  when  she’s  greeted  with  the  sight  of  chace  and  a  box  in  hand  but  nonetheless  gestures  for  him  to  come  in  .

“ I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND, ”   he smiles thinly when they eventually pull back. after all, he had done essentially the same thing. cassius could’ve guessed she had been in shanghai, letting out a small hum of approval.   “ lisbon, ”   he says.   “ just as beautiful as i remembered it. ”   too bad he wasn’t able to enjoy it, and now might forever remember it as the city he mourned his best friend in.   “ i knew i had work waiting for me home. plus i missed everyone. ”   he won’t add how the distance didn’t do him much good, anyway.

+

“No you’re right, none of us would have ever expected this.” Beginning as she looked down and then back up at Hera. “I just was dealing with my… humanity off. && went off the radar after the event happened.” Thankful it was back on now, but now having to apologize to many people in her life, even if it wasn’t needed. “I just.. I don’t know Hera. My mind is a fickle place right now, I’m sure everyone’s is.” 

“ISN’T IT ALWAYS?” Evie huffed as she took her seat across from Hera. “Let’s admit, we never picked New York as a place to settle for its practicality.” And rightfully so. While she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, there were downsides to the city that absolutely infuriated the young vampire. It’s slowness at times was one of them. “I hope I didn’t hold you up. I know you’ve been busy lately but I missed you, it’s good to see your face.”

Her eyes snag on Hera, attempting to feel her out, but she’s giving her nothing. Vampires are more difficult to read, sometimes having centuries of experience schooling their features and concealing their true emotions, other times having their feelings turned off entirely. “How predictable, always letting our loyalties lie with Manhattan,” she teases, though little mirth actually finds her eyes which are too busy studying as she pushes. Ninety nine years and it’s still impossible to resist the urge to test boundaries. “Besides, I meant for me.” A feline smile before she turns to the nearest server. “Martini, please. Dirty.” 

pain. it was fresh. like a still oozing wound. it burned through her body like a forest fire out of control. pain, not rage. not yet. pain. rosamie had been the tree in the centre of the lynn family garden. her roots had run deep and grown towards all of her sires, entangling with them. each of them had grown towards her and then each other. and yet now, without warning or thought, it was as if that tree had been ripped up. an empty hole with broken roots lay in it’s wake. 

but casandra had to put on a brave face. her job didn’t permit emotions ( even if she was an emotional being ) and she was usually very good at controlling how tempestuous her emotion could be. she’d always tried to avoid turning her humanity off, as it was what had made her connection to rosamie and her ‘siblings’ so special. but the temptation right now was overwhelming.

she shuffled some papers in her hands, clearing her throat, as she took a sip from the beer beside her on the table. doing work, and in a bar, so soon after her sire’s death didn’t look good for her, but it was all she could do to distract herself. and being at home was quiet. too quiet.

as she felt someone approach, she looked up. “i’m not going to answer any stupid questions,” she spoke simply.

@duskstart​

          SHE’S  BEEN  BACK  IN  the  city  for  a  couple  days  .  it’s  already  overwhelming  .  news  of  her  close  friend’s  death  still  hadn’t  ceased  in  the  media  .  and  she  could  only  take  so  much  gossiping  from  bystanders  who  knew  nothing  of  her  nor  her  murder  .  nights  spent  drinking  felt  different  without  rosamie  .  she  was  her  closest  friend  .  a  confidant  even  .  the  one  person  hera  truly  bonded  with  after  cassius  turned  her  .

HE CAN ONLY ASSUME AXEL RATTED HIM OUT THAT HE WAS BACK IN TOWN, as soon as he heard hera’s voice echo through his apartment. he had just gotten home from his second day back at the office, changing in his bedroom after a much needed shower.   “ one minute, ”   he calls to her, pulling a shirt over his head and trying to muster a smile to himself in the mirror. when he fails to get one, he walks out to meet hera anyway, fully clothed.   “ welcome back, ”   he says to her, arms outstretched.   “ i heard you were out of town as well ? ”

closed starter : @lallcments​​

location : leilana’s home

“So uh, I just wanted to say how sorry I am.” Leilana began, shaking her head and looking down. Sorry for what exactly? Literally everything; not being there when the council needed her, when her close confidants needed her… causing a shit show at the event itself it seemed. She didn’t want to make it about her, that wasn’t her intention.. she just needed to say her piece. 

𝐒𝐇𝐄   𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐒   𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 ,      rolling   eyes   at   playful   comment .                    ❝      oh   it   was   absolutely   riveting ,      so   much   so   i   almost   fell   asleep   standing   up .      ❞      she    chuckles ,      zehra   had   never   been   one   for   small   talk .      ❝      𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎   𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕   𝚖𝚎   𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚟𝚎   𝚑𝚊𝚍   𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛   𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚔 ,      i’d   prefer   one   of   us   not   STRIKING   OUT   with   conversation   partners .      ❞

open /closed — @lallcments. location: soho shopping district.

        Doon-ju moves sharply backwards, away from the shopping bags being thrusted at his face. Clearly offended, he indignantly sticks his hands in his pockets and stares hard at Hera.

        “I’m not carrying those. I already have a job, you know.”