Misery Loves Company

“well, if you had REALLY understood the gravity of this situation, then you’d have given it to me already,” she fires back, knuckles stained white from the tightness of her fists. “i haven’t seen my sister in 15 fucking years. the LEAST you could do is tell me where she is without being so…disrespectful.” it took all of her energy not to curse at him again, considering how much he was riling her up. Seriously, what the fuck was wrong was this guy? it’s like he had no sense of urgency, deliberately acting bored and YAWNING to make her blood boil. 

“huh, my tone? i will once you stop acting like a pompous, entitled JERK. i mean, do you ACTUALLY know Maddy? because you seem like the last person she would want to hang out with.” Even with all the years separating their last meeting, Eve can make a good guess about the types of friends Maddy would have. softies, pure-of-hearts, introverts, that’s the kind of crowd Madeline would have—he doesn’t seem to fit into any of them. 

Her eyes narrowed slightly in sudden suspicion, folding her arms across her chest. “…what makes the Madeline Ashford on your phone, MY Madeline Ashford?”

"don't   make   such   BOLD   assumptions.   you've   no   idea   the   basis   of   our   conversations,   and   cannot   judge   if   we   get   along   or   not   based   solely   on   this   interaction   between   us.   she's   incredibly   polite.   as   for   you...   i   can't   say   i   like   you   very   much."   he   sighs   and   pulls   the   phone   back   out   of   his   pocket,   swiping   a   thumb   across   the   screen   to   unlock   it.   he   doesn't   answer   any   of   her   other   questions   because   they're   stupid   and   ANNOYING.   instead,   he   accesses   his   photos   and   clicks   onto   a   picture   of   the   presumed   Madeline,   holding   the   screen   toward   Eve   for   her   to   decide   for   herself   whether   or   not   the   girl   is   her   sister.

"i   helped   her   with   her   wardrobe,   and   i'm   working   on   getting   her   to   model   for   me.   she's   a   very   gorgeous   girl.   awkward,   but   a   suitable   EMPLOYEE   nonetheless.   ...how   did   the   universe   allow   something   so   precious   to   be   related   to   you?"   he   adds   the   last   remark   with   a   snort   and   quickly   locks   his   phone   again   to   prevent   the   possibility   of   Eve   trying   to   snatch   it   from   him   to   gain   information   herself.

LOW   ON   ENERGY,   Daesuk   heads   out   at   night   when   the   darkness   of   his   hair   and   clothes   blend   in   with   the   night   sky,   serving   as   a   natural   cloak.   he's   been   feeding   less   frequently   and   with   little   interest   on   legitimately   hunting.   it   should   not   be   taken   as   a   CHANGE   OF   HEART.   it's   far   from   that,   closer   to   just   being   lack   of   motivation   and   time.   

work   has   found   him   busy,   especially   with   the   next   week's   upcoming   fashion   show.   he's   spent   almost   every   hour,   minute,   and   second   perfecting   his   designs   for   Marth's   runway.   he's   never   fallen   short   on   his   projects,   nor   has   he   ever   DISAPPOINTED,   and   he   refuses   to   let   something   as   simple   as   hunger   get   in   the   way   of   him   being   the   best   at   his   profession.   that   being   said,   he   plans   on   making   this   short   and   SWEET.

the   first   person   in   his   sights   instantly   becomes   prey,   and   he   quiets   his   footsteps,   breathing,   anything   that   could   possibly   give   him   away   as   he   hangs   back   in   the   shadows.   black   gaze   locks   onto   the   figure   in   the   distance,   and   he   carefully   calculates   what   angle   to   approach,   how   to   hook   his   arm   around   them   and   pull   them   to   the   ground.   when   he   manages   to   do   so   successfully,   fingers   latch   into   hair   and   yank   their   head   back,   the   other   hand   pushing   down   on   their   chest   to   keep   them   pinned   against   the   ground.

Eve is LIVID. this pasty-faced asshole wasn’t giving her the information she needed, the information she desperately CRAVED, the information that she hadn’t been privy to for almost 15 years. it’s been so long since she’s heard of, or even SEEN, Maddy, so the mere mention of said brunette sends Eve into a mad-searching-dash.

when she found out that Daesuk, a…friend of Noah’s, had been hanging around a woman by the name of Madeline Ashford, Eve immediately jumped at the chance. it was too much of a coincidence to ignore, therefore Eve rushed in asking Daesuk for Maddy’s contact information. for some reason, he was being unreasonably DIFFICULT about handing it over, which explains why she had resorted to raising her voice.

trying her best to keep her outer self reigned in, her inner self raging with unreleased anger, Eve grimly replied back: “i am NOT fucking around here, asshole. i seriously need that information.” if he really understood, then he would’ve given it to her the moment she’d asked. now it just seems like he’s being an intentional asshole to rile her up. 

an angry huff comes out of her mouth as she spots the phone, clenching her hands into tight fists. “i’m not a dumbass, dumbass, of coursei know those things exist. fyi, not all of us have time to go online and surf through thousands of fakes,” she answers, reminded of the post-orphanage years where she could barely make ends meet. she’s a bit better off now, but still, she can’t afford the luxury of online surfing because her jobs kept her utterly busy. “oh, fuck you, asshole. just give me her damn number and i’ll leave you alone.”

Daesuk   grunts,   turning   his   nose   up   at   the   women   the   more   she   INSULTS   and   disrespects   him   by   swearing,   and   just   being   overall   rude   in   his   books.   "i   never   accused   you   of   FUCKING   AROUND.   but   you're   giving   me   no   reason   to   oblige,"   he   yawns,   tucking   his   phone   back   into   his   pocket.   "honestly,   you   asked   if   i   knew   her   and   i   confirmed   that   was   the   case.   but   when   you   started   speaking   so   NASTILY   to   me,   did   you   really   think   i'd   eagerly   give   you   what   you   want?"

respect   your   elders   doesn't   apply   to   Daesuk.   respecting   the   POWERFUL   does,   in   which   case   he   does   SENSE   SOMETHING   STRONG   in   Eve,   it   isn't   enough   to   warrant   his   submission.   her   manners   are   poor,   and   if   it   wasn't   for   constantly   having   Noah   in   mind,   he'd   bring   her   to   the   ground.

"i   understand   you   wish   to   find   her,   but   YELLING   AT   ME   won't   get   you   any   closer   to   finding   your   sister,   love."   Daesuk   keeps   careful   distance   between   he   and   Eve   --   not   from   fear   of   being   attacked,   but   with   full   mind   that   if   he   were   to   RETALIATE,   Noah   would   have   his   head.   he   respects   the   demon   enough   to   NOT   try   getting   on   his   bad   side.

       “I told you!” Eryk hissed, arm immediately shoving into Daesuk’s chest while the other blocked him in against the wall. Yeah, so he wasn’t having the best of days, and the sorcerer had no idea why. No understanding of how the blood in him and the constant edge of anger just fueled its dark intent over him.

         And now, with his arm holding Daesuk against the wall he feels that anger subside. The air clears enough for him to realize he’s probably fucked himself over now. His stomach sinks because he knows what’s about to come, and while a little part of him starts vibrating in anticipation, most of Eryk is still worn out. He’s not in the right shape to take on the Shade.

he let the hand rest against his chest for a moment too long. he was APPALLED that Eryk thought he had a right to treat him like that. it wasn’t his fault he won the goddamn fight. mostly, it wasn’t his fault the sorcerer had opened his S T U P I D mouth and invited him out to dinner. he could’ve gone home or somewhere on his own. he had the money. he didn’t need to be taken care of like he was DEPENDENT on this loser’s false display of “kindness”.

        Over reacting? Eryk? No Never…. Or… Maybe. Even if, its not like the blonde saw it that way. With the weight of his hands on Eryk’s chest, Eryk stepped down. He’d put out enough energy in the earlier fights and we wasn’t a moron either. He scoffed and shoved Dae’s chest, releasing his shirt. He was backing down. “What ever… Honestly I don’t know why I even offered. Of course you were going to win.” He backed off and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palms. 

        “No… Fucking… I’ve got a headache or something.” An excuse. He had just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, and unlike usual, he did not feel any better after beating the daylights out of some kid. Brawling was supposed to help with the outbursts. Curb the frustrations and get his negative energies out.. Or, something like that.

      He stepped back closer to Dae and mumbled, “Can you just… stop talking.. until we get there?” That couldn’t be to much to ask, could it?

    It’s been hours he swears, and why he puts up with this day after day is beyond him. He could just end this. Drop this toxic friendship and never see Daesuk again. Would this even be considered a friendship? They punched each other for funsies and then Eryk spent the rest of his time with Dae grumbling. 

    This was no different. Why would it be? Hours of this innocent game, this mask he put on for people. Eryk had seen passed it once or twice. Only had the pleasure when watching him breaking someones nose with punch after punch after punch. This was the Dae he stuck around for. A glimpse of the real thing. Not the sass and the quick whips of sarcasm. Honestly what must be keeping this kids mouth running had to be the adrenaline still rushing through him.

    He grabbed the boy by his collar in the middle of his sentence and dragged him down the closest dark ally. In the privacy of surrounding darkness, and the bustle of the city just feet away, Eryk slammed Daesuk up against a wall. He still held tightly to his shirt. “When will you shut the hell up?! You’ve been going on and on all night. And, when I said I’d treat you if you won I sure as hell wasn’t agreeing to your mouth,” He hissed back at the taller man.

all the energy he has is what’s been taken from his opponent. it’s not enough enough to FILL him, but enough to keep him feeling alright for another day. he usually has a reason behind being this talkative -- to annoy, but not in this case. he’s in a mood, a very rare one that he doesn’t mind sharing with Eryk, but Eryk doesn’t seem to appreciate very much.

the Shade lets the older male drag him down the alley, hissing out a small sound of protest when his back hits a wall.  “woah, hyung,”  he snorts, dark eyes locked with the other’s.  “you don’t think this is an overreaction?”  despite the energy he has, he doesn’t bother trying to push the smaller away. he doesn’t believe he’s talked ENOUGH to elicit this reaction, and the amount of disrespect he’s getting is just A P P A L L I N G. how dare he manhandle him!

“—no, it isn’t.” Maddy knows the feeling all too well. being altogether ABANDONED by her two parents and being ostracized in school for not fitting in. it’s not her usual way of thinking ( humble of mind, is she ) but it wouldn’t HURT to stand out a little bit, right? “i guess it’d be alright to not blend in t o o much. and, since you know so much about it…could you help me? i wouldn’t want to take up too much of your time—if it’s not feasible—but maybe a FEW changes to my wardrobe would be enough to look ok.”

Peter looked down at himself then across at the other man…being…his scent was peculiar and the wolf couldn’t quite place it. “Or you’re simply jealous that you aren’t as built as I am.” He’d admit, in his head, that the other man looked rather decent.

kaz can tell when he’s being IGNORED, considering it’s something he does to others often. it’s got him scowling, eyes narrowed at daesuk. “well fuck you too, then.” he grumbles, arms crossed over his chest. “i can BAIL if i’m not entertaining your ass enough.”

the conversation seemed to drag and certainly BORED Daesuk. he wanted to leave, but was sure that would only provoke whining. he’d rather let the kid keep running his mouth until he grew tired. 

this situation is oddly similar to her experiences having her research papers revised and scrutinized by her professors, expect they didn’t seem to lower her self-esteem as much as now. she shrinks underneath his BURNING gaze, now thinking twice before going out as plain as she usually does. “oh. well…i guess i don’t really put too much thought into my outfits,” even though she DID today. “but i don’t really know HOW to stand out. i’ve never considered that really important…”