✧ *

“Oh for god sake woman.” Max rolled her eyes as Lisa was dramatic on the floor, and rolled over once again in the bed so that there was space for her to get back in. A soft groan left his lips as she stole the duvet from on top of him, and instead Max shifted closer to her, that smirk once again gracing his lips. “Come on, bring that smile back onto your lips.” He purred, gently running his hand down her arm. “Don’t make me do it.”

A disapproving frown appeared on her features when Max moved towards her. She turned to look at him and edged her face closer to his, mirroring Max’s smirk. “Such a charmer,” she murmured. Without hesitation, she lifted her forefinger and bopped it against his nose rather forcefully. Her actions made her flash a smile. “Oh my, is that your real nose?” She joked.

“I’m a child of Ares, but I can at least control my temper a little better than him.” The blonde mused, letting go of Lisa once they were a good few paces away from the lads that had been bothering them, heading down towards the beach. “If I thought it would have benefited from you beating the shit out of them, I would have left you to it. It just isn’t worth getting angry over people so small.”

Lisa inadvertently chuckled at that comment. She knew first-hand how Gwen’s temper could flare up. “I dread to think what his temper’s like then.” She jested, a self-satisfied smirk easing onto her features. “It would have been therapeutic to kick their asses though,” Lisa murmured. “Speaking of therapeutic, have you ever tried plate throwing? It’s actually a thing.”

“Well that’s a rather rude thing to say to someone who made you scream earlier.” Max replied sleepily, although a small smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. Reaching over to his bed side, he turned on the small lamp which dimly lit the room around them, and his eyes came to focus on the bare form laying on his bedroom floor. “You all right down there?”

A disgruntled groan rumbled from her lips at his comment. “Oh, I'm fine,” she rasped. “Just fancied a lie-down. On the floor.” She spoke dryly, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. “Don’t rush to my aid. That’s fine. The company down here is better anyway.” Lisa eventually found the strength to haul herself off the floor, before making her way back over to the bed. She sat down and forcefully yanked the sheets over to her side. “Merci, asshole.”

“No, I don’t expect you to stand here and take it, but that’s why were going to walk away.” The blonde replied, and she gently steered Lisa using her shoulder, away from those that were bothering her. “Don’t get yourself all riled up over idiots, all right? They’re not worth your time or your energy.”

Lisa was slightly taken aback by the fact Gwen was the one talking sense into her. Truthfully, Gwen was one of the few people whose words would not fall on deaf ears. She inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm herself down. As much Lisa wanted to cause a scene, she knew Gwen was right. “You being sensible? I never thought I’d see the day,” she joked.

As much as Eli’s ego tried to deny it, he couldn’t the realization that he was jealous of two infants. Jack had been spending quite a lot of his time tending to his new children, as he should as a new dad, but Eli still missed the bro time he’d always enjoyed with Jack. Figuring he would use a tune up on his Mercedes anyway, he decided he’d pop by the shop on his afternoon off- maybe even convince his buddy to play hooky for a few beers. His tongue entered his cheek as he fought off his own eyeroll at seeing Lisa as the only one in the shop. “I don’t blame you, I mean- who wouldn’t be thrilled to see this?” he offered with a cocky smirk as he opened his jacket playfully to gesture at his body. “Well, do you happen to know when he’ll be back?”

“You ask that as if I actually listen to what people tell me,” she grumbled offhandedly. “I don't know. The poor guy is probably catching up on sleep because of the Gremlins. You should see him wandering in here at opening. His dark circles have dark circles.” Assuming she wasn’t going to get a moments peace anytime soon, Lisa abandoned her task and stood up. Multitasking wasn’t exactly her forte, especially when talking to people was involved. “I think you need to start accepting applications for a new best bro. Unless you fancy partaking in nanny duties.”

“That’s because you have to make people think you’re this badass even though you’re so much sweeter than people think,” she said easily after chewing a bite of her food. Zoey didn’t get the whole acting menacing thing. To her it was much more fun to be kind and welcoming. Being anything else was far too stressful for the blonde. “You know, I find it’s way easier to just worry about the people in my circle. If I focused on all the bad habits of others, I’d go crazy. Instead I focus on my siblings, Aida, Dex, Jack, and you. Everyone else, well, I care less,” she said with a shrug. Zoey didn’t have all the answers, but she desperately wanted to make the other woman feel better. She couldn’t make other people act decent, but she could help Lisa not worry about them so much. “I’m still going to call you grumpy. It’s okay. Next time I’m in LA, I’ll swing by a Disney store and grab you a shirt to match your scowls,” Zoey teased lightly. “You’re welcome. Hopefully you won’t just see me because I make you delicious food, but if it gets me to see you, then I won’t complain.”

“It’s a social deterrent. Have you seen people? It’s like someone played a game of how many irritating people can we squeeze onto one planet. Plus less people in your life means less chance of disappointment,” she stated with a shrug. It was a pessimistic view on relationships but it had served Lisa well thus far... well, debatably. “Eh, I’ll take Grumpy. If I lived with six other dwarfs and a woman who insulted me, I’d be grumpy too. Poor guy.” Lisa chuckled to herself as she took another mouthful of food. “Pffft, please, I’d never be so shallow. The food is just an added bonus.”

The sound of footsteps alerted Lisa and she turned her head, her eyes landing on Eli. His presence was met with an audible groan and she immediately turned her attention back to her task. She was fully committed to ignoring Eli’s presence entirely but from past experience that often extended his visits. “As thrilled as I am to see you—” she began, although the sour expression on her face seemed to convey the exact opposite. “I’m going to save both of us some time. No, Jack is not here. And no, I’m busy.”

“You are making far too much noise, for someone so hot.” Max groaned as he lay in bed, his eyes flickering open to look at the empty side of the bed next to him. With a moan, he turned over to see the silhouetted figure of Lisa in his bedroom through his half closed eyes. “What are you doing woman, just come back to bed. It’s the middle of the night.”

@lisawtf​

Lisa froze when she heard Max’s voice from across the room. “Like you can talk. It’s like sleeping next Darth Vader,” she grumbled as she went back to rifling through her things. “I’m looking for my phone because I can’t see a damn thing in here.” She spun round sharply which turned out to be a regretful move when she tripped over the pair of heels she discarded earlier. Landing flat on the floor, Lisa let out a jumble of profanities. “Just go back to sleep.”

“Lisa,” Gwen warned the older woman, gently placing a hand on her arm to pull her away from the people in the square who had been chatting shit about her brother. Lisa had obviously overheard, and the blonde was doing her best to pull her away. “Take a deep breath and let it go, okay? Trust me, it’s not worth you getting yourself in trouble.”

@lisawtf​

Lisa was barely able to subdue her aggressive tendencies on a regular day. The second she heard the self-professed know-it-alls dissing her brother, she was ready to wreak havoc. The sound of Gwen’s voice and hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her blind rage for a brief moment. “Do you really think I’m going to stand here and let them run their mouths when they don’t know the half of it?”

“Hey, I’ve always liked the Nyx kids. I came here to be representation for them in this uphill battle they’re going to face. The only one I don’t like out of them is Odessa and I don’t think she’s involved in this madness anyways,” Lysander defended himself as he gave her a smile. It wasn’t as if he was going to be reasonable representation but he was here to try. Plus it sounded like fun, that was the main reason he wanted to do it. “Oh you wound me. That just means my face is profitable, something I should have thought of years ago. Who are you, by the way? You are related to the grumpy cop, right? Just kidding, I know his name is Deacon and he’s probably not a cop anymore. It would explain the aggression though.”

A condescending chuckle escaped through her lips. “Representation. Right. I think they would stand a better chance with Bugs Bunny.” This conversation had only lasted a mere matter of minutes and her irritation levels were already bubbling above the surface. “Oh, good. You can go and draw up your business plans—” Lisa moved to turned on her heels, hoping for a quick getaway. But the man decided to open his mouth again. “Deacon’s my brother. We inherited our love of all humanity from our father. The good looks came from elsewhere. Do you want my bank details next?”

Finn hadn’t meant for the conversation to turn down this darker path, but he wasn’t going to apologise. Lisa needed to know that her brother was the bad guy, that he had been involved in these kidnappings - kidnapping him! “Zeus, Poseidon - we all stick together, don’t we?” He replied with a small smile on his lips, although it didn’t reach his eyes. That wasn’t really the case, he didn’t really care about Zeus and his vendetta, but he sure as hell wasn’t on the side of the Nyx kids. “I couldn’t give a shit what their reasoning was, Lisa. They all had a choice, and they made the wrong one.”

It took every ounce of self-restraint Lisa possessed to maintain her composure. “Sometimes people don’t have a choice.” She was one of the few people who knew the true motivation behind Deacon’s actions and the loyalty he owed to Nyx, but it was not something she was willing to openly voice. “I’ll tell you one thing, Finn. If the roles were reversed and this was your brother we were talking about, you’d be defending him too.”

Although she didn’t know where things were, one would never know it. Zoey didn’t feel shy or awkward as she opened cabinets and drawers to locate all the things she needed. Once plates and silverware were set, she portioned dinner out for the two of them from the containers. “People are innately selfish creatures,” she said with a sigh. “Most people can’t look past what affects them to see the bigger picture, and that ability is less likely to show itself with something as dramatic as this. They are too focused on their own pain and need for retribution to think about everyone else this implicates. Once they calm down, you should see a change though.” Some would call that optimism or naivety, but Zoey was already seeing some outrage in regards to what the mayor wanted. Lisa wasn’t as alone as she thought. With food served, Zoey carried the plates with silverwear set on top of them, and placed one in front of Lisa. She then took a seat on the stool beside the woman and angled her body so she could see her better while they talked. “Still, I can’t speak for everyone, but I can show you how I see you. That’s why I wanted to give you something in case you need a reminder. Although, you could just come see me, and I’ll be happy to tell you whenever you want. I love whenever I run into you. You’re pretty cute when you get all grumpy,” she said teasingly before taking a bite of her dinner.

“Agreed. Although I wouldn’t have put it as politely.” Lisa’s description would have comprised of multiple profanities and less psychological evaluation. “Humans pride themselves on being the apex predators but turn their backs on each other the second it suits them. What an advanced species we are. One of these days we will have to admit we’re as civilised as a bunch of monkeys.” The woman mumbled an expression of gratitude when Zoey placed the plate in front of her. “Hey, hey, hey—” she interjected. “It’s not being grumpy when it’s justified.” Lifting a fork, Lisa twisted it around her plate before taking a mouthful. An audible groan rumbled from her throat, signalling her contentment. “Okay, I’ll admit it. This is so much better than pizza.”

m o o d b o a r d; lisa + colton .

“Well aren’t you just a delight today.” Finn replied with a roll of his eyes, making a mental note not to get riled up by the girl. At the mention of her brother, the man had to take in a deep breath to calm himself. “What, your brother the kidnapper?” He snorted, no longer playing around. “Deacon will wish he was banished to purgatory by the time that the island is through with him, and his silly little band of siblings.”

Lisa hummed at his comment, a smug expression appearing on her face for a brief moment. “Yes, that brother.” The conversation’s sudden change in tone prompted Lisa to glance away and moisten her lips. By this point, she had accustomed to the animosity directed to her brother and rest of the Nyx children. “Ah, so you’re already on-side with my Zeus ass-kissing mayor brother. Noted.” That fact definitely confirmed her dislike towards the man. “If you think all the Nyx kids have twisted morals and went around kidnapping people solely to cause people pain, then you’re denser than I thought you were.” Telling someone not to assume the worst in people? Now that was rich coming from Lisa Locke.

“It was all my fault, Lisa. I was the one who was supposed to take Noah Sutton, not Weston. We had talked about it the moment that he appeared on the list. He was sniffing around Ezra too much. Weston would have be able to ease Ezra a little more than I was. Then when it was happening he shoved me back and did it himself.” Deacon still didn’t know what to make of that. What happened in the days before they took Noah and did Weston know Zeus could possibly lose his mind. That didn’t matter now because Deacon couldn’t change it even if he tried. “I know but I don’t want you getting dragged into this, Lisa. I know that isn’t going to stop you from protecting me but I worry about you. You had nothing to do with the kidnappings. That was all us.”

“Weston did what he had to do to protect you, Deacon. He made his choice and you can’t blame yourself for that.” There were no words to describe how grateful Lisa was for Weston’s actions. Witnessing Zeus’ reaction to Noah’s kidnapping, the harsh reality hit her that she could have just as easily been burying her own brother instead. “I got dragged into this the second you got involved.” Lisa did not resent that fact one bit. Truthfully, she wouldn’t have had it any other way. She was not going to stand idly by while her own flesh and blood was at risk. “It doesn’t matter who did what. If Nyx didn’t have her petty vendetta against Zeus in the first place, none of this would be happening. She should be the one cleaning up this mess, not you.”

Seeing the woman backtrack from her colorful greeting, Zoey immediately waved it off as she entered the home. “Please, don’t even worry about it. I liked your enthusiasm. I’m just going to assume you were going to finish that with “I swear to God if you’re not Zoey I’ll — beat you up,” she said teasingly. “Then you saw it was in fact me and realized you didn’t have to finish the sentence.” It was much easier for the blonde to be goofy than it was for her to be mean. She honestly couldn’t even come up with a creative threat to save her life. “I made us steak stir fry with brown rice. I had to make you something with veggies because you need them in your life, and no, basil on a margarita pizza doesn’t count.” Although she hadn’t been there before, the blonde moved towards the kitchen and started prepping the food. Taking care of people came quite naturally to her, and she really enjoyed whenever she could do so. Before she could move too much though, she made sure to place the folder on the nearest counter as well. “I also drew something for you. It’s um — nothing big, but it’s of you and Deacon. I just wanted you to know not everyone sees you guys in a negative way or whatever.”

At that comment, Lisa bowed down her head and chuckled lightly. Her words made the awkwardness in the atmosphere dissipate. Trailing towards the kitchen, the woman hummed in delight as Zoey reeled off the menu. Lisa couldn’t even recall the last time she had a decent homecooked meal. Propping herself onto the kitchen stool, the mention of the drawing made her pause momentarily. The mention of the drawing prompted her eyes to light up as they trailed over to the folder. Although she said it was ‘nothing big’, Zoey probably had no idea just how much that gesture meant to her. The concept of someone doing something nice out of the goodness of their own heart was lost on Lisa. There were very few people Lisa went out of her way for. Now that number was steadily depleting. “Sadly, not everyone on this island is as optimistic as you,” she stated. “I don’t think any of them have enough brain cells to consider all sides to a story before jumping to conclusions.”

Dylan didn’t know a single human who could love pizza more than her ex girlfriend. She appreciated the food, but her days as a Huntress programmed her to only indulge in “non healthy” food every so often. It was ridiculous, but she went for a chicken Cesar salad or a salmon bowl more often than not. However, all thoughts of food left her mind the moment she heard the chance in Lisa’s voice. Her phone was immediately placed in her back pocket, as she moved forward to hug the woman. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said soothingly. “What do you need? It’s been awhile since I’ve touched a bow and arrow, but I’m sure it’s like riding a bicycle. I can handle people if needed. Are people giving you or your brother trouble,” she asked with a voice bordering on angry the more she thought about it. Dylan pulled back but only slightly as she brushed some hair away from Lisa’s face. “I know things are complicated, but I’ll do just about anything for you still.” There was a time when Lisa being so vulnerable around Dylan wasn’t shocking. They’d connected on a very deep level for years before things fell apart. The architect still wasn’t sure what she could and couldn’t do without making Lisa withdraw, but she couldn’t be too cautious. Filtering herself wasn’t something she did. All she could do was hope that her care won out.

As she was pulled into Dylan’s embrace, Lisa immediately felt the tenseness in her muscles subsiding. Wrapping her arms around the woman’s frame, it almost as if she was clinging onto her for dear life. She gulped, desperately trying to keep her tears at bay. Breaking down in tears was the last thing she intended to do when she opted to pay her ex-girlfriend a visit. A breath of laughter acted as a response to Dylan’s threatening proposal. The image of one person in particular flashed in her mind’s eye. “I might take you up on that offer sooner than you think,” she mumbled. As the woman pulled back slightly, Lisa immediately lifted a hand to wipe at her eyes. “It’s my job to protect him, Dyl. We had plans to leave, but he— ” she paused, sucking in a breath. “He’s adamant about turning himself in. If anything else happens to him, I don’t know what I’d do.”