⸺ * | 𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃.

It wouldn't have taken a genius to see what Ramona was doing. Or perhaps it was just that Liam was so familiar with the move that he would be able to recognize it even if all five senses suddenly abandoned him. Turning tables was, after all, his signature. This led him to two hypotheses; a) he had unintentionally - intentionally struck a nerve by bringing up the lack of friends and she was trying to deflect, and, b) she wanted to make him uncomfortable so he would drop the topic. With the amount of time they had spent together, Liam liked to think his nemesis (as declared by him) knew him well enough to discern discomfort would only encourage further questioning. That only left one option. Internally, the professor congratulated himself. The smugness radiating off him was almost intoxicating. "What about me, Ramona?" He retorted, savoring the taste of her name on his tongue. His eyes narrowed, a playful smile dancing on his lips, as he watched her body devour the space between them. He didn't step back, eager to see just how far she was willing to take things. Anticipation coursed through his veins, fireworks exploding in the blue of his eyes. And then disappointment swallowed every other emotion when reality didn't match up with the fantasy cooked up in his mind. Ramona had stopped a bit too far away for Liam's liking. "Trying to beat the master at his own game, I see." He quipped, shamelessly. "Too bad I have years of experience backing me up." The glimmer in his eye returned and he went as far as to wink at her. "To the surprise of absolutely no one, it turns out I'm a unlikeable person, and people can barely stand to be around me, but that has been a well-established fact since no one showed up to my ninth birthday party. You can't hurt me with facts, Ramona." Despite his words being gloomy and depressing (and true), his tone remained casual, veering into derisory. The carefree facade he had polished over the years remained unaffected, but a minuscule crevasse tarnished the porcelain. "The most fortunate of them all, Ra. You get to stare at a masterpiece for hours on end without having to pay a cent. Better than winning the lottery, if I am allowed to say so myself." He gave a casual nod, followed by a little shrug. "That hasn't stopped me before," he commented, ignoring the way she pronounced professor lighted up a fire inside him. "Plus, you have just confirmed there is someone. It would be to your benefit to tell me who it is. I'm not above going scooping around."

All she really needed to see was the familiar spark light up in his eyes to gain the satisfaction that she did. Liam could run his mouth all he wanted, formulate a response for every word she uttered and put in work until he was ice-skating on her final nerve but, so long as that glint made its appearance, she would know to take a few steps back. Every time she breached his personal space, the temptation was always there to go all the way - to push the boat out and see exactly how far Liam intended to take his word, but then what? They weren't exactly dating and they most definitely were not friends so committing such an act would just further the confusing cluster of feelings she often suppressed. "I just never see you hanging out with anyone. I guess, I just worry that you're not getting enough enrichment opportunities and I wouldn't want your social skills to be stunted any more than they already are" Ramona's tone would imply that she genuinely had a concern for Liam and his lack of brain-to-mouth filter, but she knew he would see right through it - or just choose not to. His candidness about his childhood should have actually made her consider backing off or softening her approach, but Ramona knew better than that when it came to him. "Boo-fucking-hoo" She leaned in and taunted him with a sinister smile on her face. "What am I supposed to do now? Give you a sad story from my childhood or would you rather I skip to the world's smallest violin performance?" Maybe if it were someone else, Ramona would have simmered down and consoled the other person but with Liam, she felt that he would just probably coax her into killing him instead. She placed her bag on the counter and set her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes at him as he continued to drone on. "A masterpiece, huh? Feels like a scam..." She countered dryly. Ramona's brows raised and she started to approach him again but this time much slower, holding his eye contact, practically prowling toward him with a smirk on her face. "Tell me, Liam, exactly how would it benefit me to tell you who my mystery visitor is?" She stopped just a few inches away, a safe distance is what she reckoned it would be. "I thought you liked a challenge, don't tell me you want the easy way out?"

his voice came back to her quicker than she thought it would and she snapped out of her thoughts. “ don’t rush me, ” she grumbled, rinsing off the last remnants of her soap and splashing a little water on her face before reaching out for him to help her out. the scent of her sage bodywash had helped a bit with her headache, but it was still steadily pounding lightly between her ears.

"that's gonna be your parting message to my dead body? be a man? don't be anywhere near my eulogy preparations" he deadpanned before he cracked barely a few seconds later and grinned at her. whenever he was in neveah's company, it didn't take long before death, murder and some form of human torture was brought up - usually provoked out of her by him, which he believed didn't take as much work but was still just as rewarding. when it came to his feelings for neveah, oliver wasn't exactly sure how he would label it - there was a part of him that didn't want to label it at all and just have every bit of herself that she would offer him and do the same in return. the attraction was definitely there but along with it came a duty of care toward her that he had tried to suppress enough before his older brother dropped him off on her doorstep, not that he required much persuasion. to put it simply, it was complicated. she irritated him, angered him even but she also amused him and had somehow - in her fits of rage toward him - enamoured him. who else would he have picked out an entire pyjama set for, sought out a matching robe and ensured their breakfast would be delivered? both of his brothers would highlight the lack of precedence to go by, there wasn't anyone else before neveah whom he would autonomously do these things for, without any ulterior motive, and it grated on him. "i look forward to it," he called to her, "although, i don't tend to get much sleep whenever we share a bed anyway so i guess you'll have to do it while i'm awake...but even then you're hardly in the headspace to string a sentence together let alone commit homicide" his voice is innocent yet still came with that playful teasing that he often used to rile her up. "someone's still grouchy after their sauna shower," he observed with a mocking pout as he helped her step out. oliver didn't even bother to be subtle about the way his eyes openly roamed over her figure, betraying his bold interest. the scent of her body wash evoked specific memories, drawing oliver's attention to the lace material tucked in his pocket. the clatter of dishes and the arrangement of silverware snapped oliver out of his momentary reverie. "get dressed then come and sit with me at the table, you'll feel a whole lot better once you've eaten something" his phone vibrated in his pocket, work always had a way of interrupting his fun. "you've got five minutes and then i'm coming to get you" he warned her then exited the bathroom again, leaving the door open once more and putting his phone to his ear,"what?"

"i think i'll see...humanity. what makes humans human." he never thought it'd be beautiful nor flawless, but he hadn't ever anticipated it being quite so convoluted or confusing. it was the truth, but now he had even more reason to stick around. "i also care about some people here," some equalling her. "why? do you think i should...leave?"

the way xeno words his answer makes harper almost second-guess her own thoughts on humanity. ever the cynic, she regards with him an incredulous look and shakes her head. "well, whichever one of those things is keeping you stuck here - just let it go" she tells him dryly. "if i had other options like you, xeno, i would have been gone already. when you see the things that i see...it's hard to think any other way - humans are capable of horrible things"

Elliot couldn't suppress a cheeky grin on his lips as she repeatedly told him to stop with the compliments and the tries to light up the mood a bit. They didn't have a proper conversation after what had happened between them. It became highly noticeable in their interaction with another and how much it has changed from before, how reserved and almost hostile she acted towards him. "Pretty easy to assume that, isn't it? Have you acted like an adult and ask how think about it or just tell me you regret it so badly." Elliot arced his brow and moved to stand right in front of her, the cigarette still lingering between his fingers. "In case it means anything to you... I don't regret it and I had a good time with you." His voice was low, so only the both of them could hear it.

The longer he stood there, refusing to listen to her feeble requests for him to leave her be, the more unsettled Lauren became. In an attempt to calm her nerves, she took a generous sip of her wine and squeezed her eyes shut as the liquid ran down her throat. There was a voice in her head that dryly told her if she squeezed them tight enough when she'd reopen them, Elliot would actually disappear. The increase in proximity caused her eyes to snap open, to find him standing much closer and looming over her - trigging off very specific memories that she had been using the wine to suppress. "You talk about acting like an adult but you don't appear to know the meaning of your own words - things can happen without there having to be a talk about it, we can just move on and pretend it didn't happen!" Lauren hissed at him. He voiced his lack of regret about the night they shared and it nearly broke her, since it made her realise that the overwhelming guilt she felt came from a place that was vacant of her feeling any remorse for it either. "Elliot..." Her voice was softer this time, a gentle plea as she finally met his gaze. "...that night, it was unforgettable but it cannot happen again - do you understand?"

stumbling backwards with oliver, he's more than delighted to feel him taking control of the situation. each kiss is lent into, one hand wrapping around his waist, drawing him closer, another grasping at his silky curls, breathless as oliver explores his neck, talks to him the way he does. "ruining you for anyone else," it's spoken playfully, teasingly against his mouth, but there's a layer of truth to it. he had always been protective and a little territorial. his tongue fights oliver's for dominance, as his arm wrapped around the other's frame tightens, needing him flush against his frame, needing to be entirely overwhelmed by him. he's breathless and whining his approval and apprecation, not wanting the kiss, or the touch to come to an abrupt end. not wanting it to stop at all. the hand in oliver's hair dips to grasp at his shoulder, to lower along his chest and his abdomen, exploring the expanse of clothed skin. after a beat, he tests the waters, allows his fingertips to brush beneath the hem of his shirt; thumb stroking against warm, soft flesh. "fuck, you're beautiful, honey."

"well, it's fucking working" oliver growls as he recaptures archie's lips. he's not shy about having someone feeling any inkling of possession over him, it was something that he thrives on. having someone wrapped around his finger, or they him, he can already see it taking place with archie. as his tongue explores every crevice of the other man's mouth, sucking on his lips and revelling in every sound he can get out of archie. oliver hums into the kiss at the feel of archie's fingertips sweeping along his skin, his mind going into overdrive at such a subtle touch coupled with another compliment. "touch me, archie" his voice is pleading and his breath is ragged, his hands wrap around archie's wrists, pushing them further up his shirt and shrugging off his jacket to give archie better access. making good on his earlier promise, he grips archie's jaw and sinks his teeth into the crook of his neck then hums with content as he sucks on the mark he'd made.

giggles erupt from her chest, shaking her head over his explanation. of course it made sense, as soft-natured and far from terrifying she deemed her older brother to be, she could understand the concern. he had always been so gravely protective of her, a fact generated by the fact their parents didn't seem to care an inch about either of them. far too focused on their money and making more of it; an unncessary goal. "i'd imagine it'd be one of my top three favourite parts of your body too..." she teases in turn; before softening her features, allowing tense shoulders to drop with ease. "i get it, i wouldn't dare date one of my brother's friends anyway. highly inappropriate - besides, if you're friends with him, you can't have much taste, can you?"

warren could absolutely take victoria's brother in a fight, he was very confident in that fact but the idea of his friend going for his most precious body part struck him with enough sense to at least be cautious around victoria, but not at all afraid. being the only child, he is not able to fathom the dynamics of a sibling bond but knows that her brother wouldn't have a second thought about protecting her. "oh, trust me, it would" he assures her, it is so easy to shove her brother and his threats to the back of his mind whenever he's around her. "whoa whoa whoa..." warren puts his hands up as if to clear away her doubt, there's no way he was going to let her talk herself out of considering him. "i love him like a brother but also, you can't lump me in with him. the fact that i'm here knowing my life is on the line and risking it anyway, talking to you, should surely mean that my taste is a little more sophisticated than your brother, right?"

above  all  else,  what  truly  irks  her  is  his  nonchalance.  it  feels  as  though  he  refuses  to  take  any  responsibility  for  the  problems  in  their  failing  marriage,  leaving  her  alone  to  bear  the  blame.  "you're  unbelievable."  she  mutters,  shaking  her  head  and  crossing  her  arms  over  her  chest,  as  if  seeking  protection  from  his  indifference.  "it's  like  i  barely  know  you  anymore  —  maybe  i  never  did."  when  did  their  relationship  begin  to  unravel?  can  they  even  pinpoint  a  moment?  and  does  it  even  matter  now,  when  there  is  nothing  left  to  salvage?  "i  should  have  listened  to  your  ex-wife  when  she  tried  to  warn  me  before  the  wedding."  but  she  was  in  love  and  love  drives  people  to  commit  the  most  reckless  of  acts.

of course, cole could easily de-escalate the argument by shouldering the blame that belongs to him but that isn't something he has ever really been capable of. born into a family who were experts at sweeping things under the rug, turning a blind eye to the elephant in the room and always seeking the higher ground no matter how unstable the foundation - all habits far too instilled in him to recognise a better way out. his previous marriage had ended in such an unconventional manner that it wasn't exactly clear who was to blame, cole for not being the supportive, faithful, husband he vowed to be or his ex-wife for hiding a debilitating disorder that manifested in behaviours which pushed him away. he didn't walk away thinking there was something he could have done differently, or could do differently in his next marriage. with heejin, cole told himself that he had tried to do things differently but, if compared, there isn't much of a difference. as he stands in front of his current wife, he sees a problem that he cannot solve - a journey that leads to only one destination no matter which route he chooses. "i'm the same man i was when you met me," he says it as if it's the most obvious thing ever without realising that the statement alone is part of the issue. cole is resistant to change but not incapable of it. "what did you just say?" he blinks at her and shuffles backwards as if she had just hit him. sasha's invite to his wedding was an irreversible error on his part, but another example of his family's want to make it seem as if all was well. he had been so engrossed in their celebrations that he had hardly noticed her presence and wasn't even aware that the two of them had spoken which made heejin's words all the more chilling. "sounds like the two of you are the best of friends. what else did my dear ex-wife have to say about me on our wedding day, hm?"

lorenzo knew the moment he let jordan in, it would be a slippery task to stick to the subject. a familiar type of annoyance sets in as the other slips past him, and he shuts the door with a flick of his hand. "yes, training, i have a race coming up in a couple of weeks so i go to training" lorenzo's irritation was already getting the better of him and jordan had barely been in his apartment for a few minutes. "no, no! - no pizza, no fucking food. it's nearly 2am, jordan. if you're here to talk then just talk, or get the fuck out."

jasper still watches her cautiously, still terrified for an array of different reasons. he didn't want to get hurt, but equally he didn't want to hurt her. life was beautifully unpredictable, but he had lived enough, hurt enough to know how that could work against someone. ophelia did mean so much to him already, it was too late. "oh, well..." his voice remains centered, despite the slight shake that threatens to consume every word. he sniffles, smiles despite it. nobody had spoken to him like that before, nobody had been all too eager to keep him a permanent fixture in their lives. "what if there's a page you don't like?" he asks then, chewing at his bottom lip. whilst he had been able to behave the majority of the time, so goddamn stifled by his fear of hurting anyone, that's not to say he hadn't had moments of regret, moments where his urge outweighed his morals.

she can feel him gradually opening up to her but there still seems to be a barrier that she can't get past, some degree of apprehension that is keeping him from doing so without any concerns. ophelia could let that irrational side of herself take control of things, but it would always take the conversation in a direction that wouldn't benefit either of them so she does her best to reign it in. "i doubt i'd be able to find anything i don't like about you, jasper" she answers honestly with a humourless laugh. even if he does actually have a red flag trait, her deep obsession with him turns her blind to such faults. "we all have our histories - the good, bad and the ugly - i have a lot of ugly."

teddy's lips curled up into a proud smile as he watched her hide a laugh. it was more than he had gotten in his past attempts at flirting with the paramedic and it made his chest swell in unknown ways. "isn't it always?" teddy retorted with a crooked smirk, about to turn the sarcasm into a genuine compliment. "suppose a goddess like yourself can't relate to us mere humans thirst for bettering ourselves, though." this brand of cheesy tended to work on even the most stoic of people, even if just to get a heartfelt laugh out of them. with neema, however, teddy wasn't so sure. he wasn't used to not having the desired effect on people. it was… offputting. but in a good way. not something he ever thought he would be saying. "nah," he shook his head, soft chuckle filling the space between them. "only the ones that let me turn on the siren."

neema could feel herself being easily pulled into teddy's charm. he wasn't overly cocky or cringy about it, he worked it into a conversation with a level of expertise that even neema wasn't completely immune to. "a goddess, huh?" she nearly choked on the words as she suppressed another laugh. "you really aren't holding back this time. there's a nurse somewhere in this building who is wondering where her romeo is." neema spent most of her time in the hospital, much like her colleagues and even teddy, so drama and romances were not completely unheard of - it was the suspense of it all that kept the hospital going most of the time but neema did her best to not become subject to it. her polite candour was largely due to her royal upbringing, years of training in etiquette and keeping one's cards close to their chest that never left her. "hey, that was one time!" neema finally gave in and laughed, recalling his boyish excitement when he got to switch on the siren. she playfully swatted his arm as she passed him with her go-bag, "just don't tell anyone about that, it has to be our little secret"

he's chuckling under his breath at her wink; eyes closing once more, before he's forcing them open. due to wanting to look at them both, over feeling even remotely unsafe. "alright, alright, is it too late for me to change my mind?" he didn't want to be a nuisance; had convinced himself that was exactly what his entire existence was. a nuisance, a mistake, an error that his parents had found out about far too late. now though, potentially for the briefest moment, he feels welcomed - and although there's still that niggling thought in his mind, questioning those insecurities. saying that he's wasting their time, that he'll never be capable of matching their bond, he stifles those thoughts for now; allowing the here and the now to be his focus. "guess it couldn't hurt t'spend more time together, right?"

once the car recovers from elliot's split-second turn, xiomena turns in her seat again to check on dennis at the same time elliot does with a huge grin on her face. "it's a good thing this car's vampire proof, right?" she jokes. xiomena and elliot have gone through countless amount of cars due to excessive use over a short period, very often leaving mechanics scratching their heads. it won't be long before this car ends up at a used car dealership for a price much less than one would expect for a brand-new car. she claps excitedly and settles back into her seat. "if you called us after we'd dropped you off, we still would have turned back to come and get you - literally only takes us a minute" "you haven't had breakfast yet, we can pick up something on the way or make you something when we get back home?" the use of home doesn't dawn on xio until after she says it but she doesn't correct herself either.