We're all just trying to Live.

“I would risk it all for the chance to live... and let live.”

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Astra had rushed out of the house forgetting to eat and get some coffee. So she was grumpy by the time she got to the shop. She grabbed a strawberry muffin before fixing herself a cup of coffee with the intentions of locking herself in the office for a bit. Until she heard the knock on the door. She glanced at the time and was tempted to ignore it seeing that she wouldn’t open for another 15 minutes. But she couldn’t seeing that it was Mando she took a sip of her coffee and went to open the door. 

“Sounds like you got paid. Come right on in.” She smiled and stepped to the side to let him in. “Yea. Everything is good though. And its good that everyone’s been found.”

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Almost skipping through the door once the werewolf opened it, Mando chuckled when Astra pointed out he must have gotten paid. She knew him too well it seemed... Or she was a good businesswoman. “Yea... That’s the most important thing...” Although it unsettled the wendigo what the demons had planned for people that were also his fellow townies, it unsettle him even more that Spear was able to overpower a handful of demons. 

“Any new stock?” Mando asked, ignoring the heavenly scent of human food. It smelled delicious, but his stomach couldn’t handle it. The coffee, on the other hand, was worth the wave of hunger it often brought on. “You got more coffee to spare? I’ll spend 200,” he tempted. 

@starcrossedastra​

Although as of late Mando had been busier than usual, the wendigo finally had some time to himself. It was very early in the morning, but he was well-aware there was a friend he could hang out with at that time. So, Mando embarked towards Geeks&Freaks where he knocked on the glass door. He could sense Astra inside. 

“What’s up, babe?” he teased the werewolf.

“ Yeah, I’m so use to being alone alot. So I have lots of time on my hands to admire everything and just think,” Eve said while shrugging her shoulders. Even though she was always with Adam in that garden, there was times she always felt alone. So getting more in touch with nature was what kept her sane every other day. 

Eve tilted her head abit and smiled “ Wha-well you just keep getting better. First you save me from the storm and now you offer to fix my car for free?” she asked before walking around the counter. She nodded as she listened to his response on how he found her. She could tell something was up with him and she was trying to decided rather or not to ask. But this time, she held it in. “ Since you’ve done soo much for me, how about I send you home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for your girlfriend. Whatever you want, it’s on me,” she nodded.

"..." Mando paused as he pondered on the young woman’s words. Sure, maybe the majority of people would find that sad. However, when the wendigo thought on it, all he could think of was peace. "Lucky... I only get that chance at work and... well, I guess I'm never really alone," Mando tried to jest. A dark joke perhaps, although he'd argue it was a fact too.

Chuckling at Eve's words, Mando shook his head bashfully. "You give me too much credit. I just happened to almost walk over you," the wendigo joked. "It's no biggie. My passion was mechanics for a while, but the gravedigging pays better."

Eve shook her head as she placed her coffee on the counter “ No, your good. Sometimes I get lost in my own head after a second and forget that there are other humas existing,” she laughed. 

“ That’s good. There were alot of people in need and I’ve learned that family always comes first. I’m just grateful that you took the time out to help a woman in distress, so thank you again for that. I probably would’ve froze to death if it weren’t for you so,” she nodded. She thought about it for a moment and shrugged her shoulders “ Well… it’s up and running and I didn’t hit the tree too hard. So that’s a plus! But I still need a bumper, that I can’t afford right now. Other than that I am fine, I’m here, and well. So thanks for asking,” she said before giving him a sweet smile. She looked around for a quick second then back at him “ Wait, how did you know I was here?” she asked him,sounding abit suprised he found her.

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“Yes, humans existing,” he chuckled lowly, shaking his head in a way that could be misunderstood as if he was amused by her choice of words... although he was terrified. The wendigo felt as if it was a loud alarm that called him out as other-than-human... something, far from human even. Although there was a possibility she might’ve been a witch or huntress and may be testing the waters to see if he was anything? Sadly, Mando wasn’t brave enough to find out.

Thankfully, the topic of vehicles came about. “Yea? There’s a warehouse about two hours Northeast that you might find it for cheaper. I can install it for you and you don’t need to worry about paying for the labor,” he offered with a friendly smile... A smile that faltered when her gaze met his and she questioned how he’d found her. Answering that he could sense might’ve creeped any normal human out, so Mando had to be quick to answer. “I was passing by---” he chuckled awkwardly before shaking his head. “---and came in to get some flowers but found no one at the front. I was afraid whoever was tending to the place had ran into some trouble...”

Eve was in her own element at the flower shop. Everyday she would come in and get caught up in smelling the flowers before opening. It always helped her wake up more in the morning while she sipped on her coffee. At the time, she was the only one working in the morning. So she went on ahead to set up everything and turn over the closed sign to open. 

Once she turned from the door and walked towards the counter,she stopped to smell more of the flowers. Particularly the roses, since they were always her favorite. She was interrupted by a mans voice and jumped abit before turning to see who it was. “ Jesus! I mean-sorry, you scared me abit,” she said as she shook her head. Then realized who he was and a big smile appeared across her face “ Mando hiii…oh no! Your fine. You got me where I needed to be and that’s all that matters,” she nodded. She walked closer to him “ But is your family okay at least?” she asked him.

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Mando himself took a step backwards when Eve seemed startled by him. For a moment, he even wondered if he had spoken with the wrong voice, looked like the gluttony within or just... not human. However, he quickly remembered even humans feared humans. “Sorry about that,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck with a shy chuckle.

Once she seemed to remember him, however, the bright smile wouldn’t disappear off the wendigo’s features. “Hey,” he greeted again happily. Her positivity with what he was able to do for her---albeit a very small task---caused the wendigo to blush bashfully. It felt wrong taking the credit, even though it was true, when his original mission had been to take people for General Zeldris and Hell’s Army. “They are,” he affirmed when asked how his family was. “How about you though? Was the car salvageable?” 

.

“Wha–I can behave!” Arynn stated with a faux sense of offense in his tone. “That hurts, you know? I don’t think I can be appreciative that you have my back out there now.” He continued on with the charade before chuckling to himself in amusement. “Well, good. It’s good that you had enough people in your ring to help you out. Still kind of an insane thing to even consider…” He shook his head some. Another chuckle escaped him. “Oh, definitely. I can probably swing some weight around here. Maybe. I don’t know - I mean, I should be able to. I’m like the most reliable worker here, I think.” He trailed off in musing.

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Arynn’s reaction to the wendigo’s teasing caused Mando to chuckle. “I never said that... I just know Trouble likes to bully you and follow you around, not the other way,” the gravedigger jested. However, as the young man mentioned how Mando had people in his corner, the wendigo couldn’t help a sad smile. He did have more people in his corner than he deserved... But it’d been Nyx, Zeldris and the demons that accepted all of him and pulled strings to get him free---and keeping him from going on a hunger-motivated rampage. 

When Arynn mentioned being the most reliable worker, Mando paused. “Huh... Talking about workers... where’s the baker? I think his name was Kallum or Kaleb?” His mouth turned dry as he suddenly worried the werewolf was one of the disappeared or the dead...

@flowersforeve​

It was his first night back at work and yet Mando did more maintance than gravedigging... By the time the Sun came up, the snow had been shoveled out, the tombstones had been cleaned and fresh winter flowers had been left beside every single one of them. He was beat, but after a quick snack, he was ready to head home.

Before doing so, however, he’d decided to stop by a flower shop that was just opening to bring a bouquet home. Even they needed cheering up. Walking into it once the sign had been switched to open, the wendigo paused as he recognized the scent of the person within... and later the face. 

“Eve!” he greeted her with a friendly smile. “Are you ok? Sorry I kind of ran off on you that night... I was worried about my mother and grandfather,” he lied, having really scurried off to hide from the shame that he’d helped her to safety when he should’ve given her to his General at least. “They’re older so, you know, my sister and I worry about them.”

“Perfect.” Alex muttered, taking another swig. She could feel the burn as the liquid ran down her throat, and she welcomed it. The lightheadedness filled her as well, numbing herself from the pain briefly. The reminder that her mother was gone, and there was probably no one to blame but herself. As soon as her father and brother found out, they’d realise she wasn’t their family. Not really. She wasn’t connected with either of them. And if her fears were true… she was the last person they’d want to see.

“Will sparking up stop me feeling anything at all? Because if not it’s not good enough…” She murmured, the bottle at her side, still in her firm grip.

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Mando drank with the werewolf, sipping his drink to at least taste it as they went. However, her question caused the wendigo to shrink into himself. “Unlikely...” he mumbled. Sadly, the wendigo was hyperaware that they couldn’t keep running away... Reality caught up with all of them sooner or later. Finishing his glass in one swing before reaching out to refill it, his eyes taking a quick look at the local werewolf beside him. Harsh? Perhaps. But being other than human, their very existence was harsh in itself.

“For what it’s worth... I’m sorry. My family and I extend our condolences...” Although a part of them would’ve mourn by consuming Felicity, but he doubted that was something Alex, the youngest James or their father would’ve liked to know. Nervously, Mando looked over at her coworkers before returning his attention to Alex. “Wouldn’t a run be better?” he questioned lowly. “I bet I can run faster than you,” he tried to goad her, looking to help her keep her mind from her own sorrow. 

Arynn made a small sound and chuckle some. “Of course not! I might be a troublemaker, but I know better than that.” He tried to assure the other male as he finished ringing up the order and displaying the total on the screens. He returned Mando’s soft smile and took the money from him once it was counted out.

“Yeah, I’ve tried to keep myself out of the graveyard… and the woods… and the mountains… as much as I can, anyway.” He remarked. It was a little bit easier these days now that he knew more about the kinds of creatures that lurked around the town. Well, maybe not all of them lurked. Some just lived here, he was sure. He gathered up the change he owed the man and slid it back to him. “Are they going to let you go back? To work, I mean.”

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Hearing Arynn assure he knew better than to not be careful with everything going on as of late brought Mando no comfort... And if he had never learned of demons nor met Nyx, perhaps his Catholic beliefs would’ve caused him to pray for the young man’s safety. Sadly, he doubted that those he now prayed to would care much for the human... “Right. I’ll keep an eye out for you---we gotta have each others’ backs after all,” the wendigo teased with a light chuckle of his own. 

“... Really? You?” Mando asked after pausing, watching Arynn as if he was growing a second head. “Huh... Well, I’m glad. Just keep safe.” Perhaps Arynn had matured a lot more than Mando gave him credit for. “Yea... My boss was doing her part on trying to clear my name and her boss too.” He was lucky on that regard... The townies had long accepted the Riveras as their own, and he was very thankful for it. “Although my mother says it’s because my job is rather unpopular and they have nobody to replace me with.” Mando chuckled, amused at his mother’s sarcastic negativity. Truth was, she’d been sick with worry. “But if they do find someone else, want to hook me up with a job here?” the wendigo joked. 

Arynn hadn’t seen or heard much about the local gravedigger since the news got around about the man’s detaining. To be fair, so much had happened and come into light in such a rapid succession that it was difficult for Arynn to keep up with a lot of the other going-ons in the town. Still, he was glad to see the man when he had come in that morning - and still grinned as he stepped back in and approached the counter.

“No problemo.” Arynn chimed at the order, quickly scurrying around to prepare the coffee’s to-go cup and bag up a few fritters. At the small question about his readings on the tablet, Arynn let out a small ‘uh’ sound for a second. “No, uh, I didn’t give up on the paper comics. Never. There was just a few interesting things that someone sent me over email that I was catching up on.” He quickly explained before sliding the tablet aside and setting the bagged fritters and coffee cup between them; ringing them up on the register. “Hey, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re out and about again. Kind of got a little lonely out in the graveyard.”

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“Thanks, Arynn,” Mando said sincerely as the younger man got to making his order---a small smile tugging at the corners of the wendigo’s lips. While the gravedigger hadn’t really meant much other than small talk when he mentioned the tablet to Arynn, the young man’s reaction made the wendigo pause.

Instinctively, Mando’s gaze went to the tablet, but he wasn’t able to see anything as Arynn slid the gadget aside. “As long as it isn’t anything illicit nor things that aren’t safe for work, I guess knock yourself out,” Mando teased, although he was curious as to what Arynn was hiding. Having begun counting the money he was going to use to pay for his order, the wendigo paused when the youngest Blackwood seemed to welcome him out of the tank. 

“Thank you,” the wendigo said after a moment with a soft smile. It was all he could say, becaue he lacked the words to express what it meant to hear those words. “Although I wouldn’t advise hanging out there until they find whoever killed that person...” 

@lovclychaos​

By the time Mando got home, his coffee cup was empty, but the fritters he bought off Arynn at the comic book store were still warm. It took him a moment, however, to realize his grandfather must have spent most of the day shoveling---unless he guilt-tripped Betsa to help or paid the neighborhood kids to do it. 

Tightening his jacket around himself, the wendigo exited his truck with the serving of fritters in hand. He couldn’t sense his mother in the house, but his grandfather seemed to be in his room while Betsa seemed to be in her room or livingroom. Walking into the home, Mando took a look around. “I’m home,” he announced. “Got you some food, Betsa,” he continued, struggling to take off his jacket and hang it by the door.

“Mira, frituritas,” he offered the werewolf once she came into view.