x. I CAN SEE DEAD PEOPLE.

he thought about his options. eddie thought that all of them sounded pretty terrifying and he knew that he would scream no matter the trail he chose. a puff of air escaped his lips, "jason doesn't run, so let's go for the friday the 13th one so that i feel like i can escape properly, if need be." eddie paused for a moment and glanced over at him once more, "you really like all this spooky stuff, don't you? i don't know how you deal with it."

"You know, it's actually unfair to be so good looking and so smart at the same time. It's actually very sus." Rio joked, smirking back at his friend. It was no wonder that Rio had stayed in Wilmington for longer than he had planned, he'd found himself surrounded by so many people that saw life like he did. "If I get high, I'm definitely gonna wake up thinking we caught a ghost in a basement somewhere. Sounds awesome." He ordered a few shots and two beers. "Do you want to smoke or an edible?"

"Someone's gotta do it." He replied, "It's a burden to carry so much talent and gift, but aye, who better, you know?" LT tossed back at Rio, nothing more than good fun between them. That was a blessing. God knew LT needed some lightness in his life at the moment. He never did well with true heavy shit. "Who's the fuck to say you didn't?" He asked, "The night is young, so much to behold, my friend." LT went silent for a moment as he debated on his answer, it wouldn't take him long to say, "Smoke. You got one rolled?"

She faked a laugh, but inside she was crumbling. How could she even explain the situation? “You’d definitely get tomatoes thrown at you,” Ari teased back, trying to keep her voice light despite how awful she actually felt. When he commented on her smile, she felt a pang of guilt. Ever since that dreaded day, she’d been distant. To be fair, she wasn’t only that way with LT. Even Pearce was shoved aside. “It’s Kawasaki Disease,” she finally said, her voice barely audible. “Remember how I told you I had it as a kid? Well, it’s back. And before you ask—yes, it’s rare for it to return.” She paused, taking in his concerned expression. “I’m scared, LT. That’s why I’ve been pushing everyone away.”

his friend was absolutely right. eddie wasn't a big fan of horror, especially not when he was practically living in it. he groaned at the mention of the tunnel of horrors. "that, i can't escape at a high speed. i will agree to one of the haunted houses but only because i can sprint through it and away from whatever the heck is bound to jump out at me."

Ari stared at her coffee cup, her mind drifting between her recent diagnosis and Pearce's refusal to let her go. The sound of LT's voice pulled her from her thoughts. A weak smile tugged at her lips as she listened to his horse joke. "That was terrible," she muttered, but the corners of her mouth lifted slightly higher. When he delivered the melon joke, she rolled her eyes, but there was no real annoyance behind it. "Yes, I smiled. Happy now?" She shifted in her seat, trying to hold herself together even though her heart was broken. The jokes were exactly what she needed, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud. "Your jokes are getting worse, babe. Get better material next time?" She threw in a smile his way before deciding to open up…a little. “What would you say if I told you I’m sick?”

"Jesus, Leighton." Bode chuckled dryly, but he knew that his little bother wasn't lying. It was easy to see that their father no longer was the man that he once had been and if he was really in that much pain, he could see how that could be an answer. "Nico said she would talk to him, and she will. We just need to give it some time." He told his brother, trying to appear in better shape than he really was. Bode didn't know how LT could do this by himself for so long, he actually felt terrible about leaving them all behind when he got that job offer a decade ago. He swallowed hard and reached over to place a hand on LT's shoulder, patting it gently. "I'm not anytime soon, okay? I have so many vacation days I can use and they actually allowed me to work from here. I'll be working a few cases, lowkey ones, nothing crazy, so that I can actually be around and you can do your own thing. I should have done this a while ago, so I'm sorry that I didn't, bro." Bode looked away, sighing. "Maybe closer to Thanksgiving, we can go see her."

"Man, gray's not my color, anyway." His expression shifted as thoughts of his uncle's situation crossed his mind. The family tension made him uneasy, but he wanted to support LT through this rough patch. "Listen, I know it's complicated with Uncle Marcus. Family stuff usually is. But I'm here if you need backup dealing with him and your brothers. You act like I’m some snowflake… Colorful language… Pretty sure I've heard worse at board meetings." Axel stood up, and headed to his home bare. He was really bothered by his cousin's troubles—he'd seen enough family conflict to last a lifetime. About time, things slow down for them. Still, he kept his tone light as they headed out. "Beer okay or did you want something else?"

LT couldn't help but smile as Axel agreed with him on the gray suit thing. That same smile would fade quickly as the subject moved to his father. He scoffed at the usage of the word complicated. At this point, he felt like his father was on an entire new level of a word that even he couldn't pin point directly. "It's not that." He replied, assuring his cousin, "I'm sure you could handle him just fine. It's -- I don't know, man. I think it's --" He paused, wetting his lips, "He's ready to die, and I'm... not." Which of course he wasn't. Who was ever ready to lose a parent? But it was a struggle between them. He wanted him to fight the battle and lose like a solider. Not just give up. And in ways, maybe that made him selfish. His mind had wandered towards the impending doom of his father's death, nearly missing what Axel said next. Shaking his head, he blinked a few times, coming back to the moment, "Yeah -- no, yeah, beer's good."

˙ ˖ ✶ LT (Lieutenant Spooky)

Whatever buzz the male had been on was slowly, but surely beginning to fade. His light mood grew darker as he listened to his ex explain what happened all those years ago. For some reason the truth seemed to only anger him more. LT slowly began to shake his head, as if refusing to accept this piece of information, or maybe simply, just finding it hard to do so. Maybe his soured mood also had a bit to do with what he was going through with his own father at the moment. His sickness was also determined to be terminal. But LT knew there were always miracles and that you should always fight through it. His jaw clenched, "So -- lets say you did, actually die..." LT began, "Do you think I wouldn't preferred to say goodbye to you? It's one thing to be alive and out there doing your life, and maybe one day I'll see you again. And it's a totally different thing to wake up one day and find out the person you loved... is gone. Forever."

Jemma was glad the man decided not to push further and instead they could focus on the more mundane side of their conversation. Talking about tea was less easier than opening up about her feelings and whoever said it was easier with strangers, clearly lied. "We've got a variety of natural teas." Jemma reassured. "In fact, almost everything is home-grown. Did they mention what type of tea, though? Some sorts tend to be a bit stronger and not recommended for high blood pressure, for example." Rosemary was a natural at this; she seemed to know a lot about tea and its effects on the body whereas Jemma simply went with whatever she'd learnt from her and the net, after she was gone.

LT nodded when he realized he had made the right choice. Not pushing someone always seemed like the best move. Unlike that person was his father, his father did not benefit from that courtesy. He froze up a bit when she questioned him about what kind of tea. If he was honest, he didn't quite have an answer for that. He just knew natural tea could possibly help. "Uh..." He trailed off, glancing around the store, "Definitely nothing strong, as his blood pressure is high." He thought out loud, "Do you have something that could help with pain? And maybe nausea? He's sick... the fatal kind." He added, his voice lowering.