cold and empty...

Rory isn't one to dress down. Even when he's being a good boy for grandpa, it's jeans, t-shirt, some bracelets, maybe even a hat.

So sitting at a park bench in some baggy basketball shorts and a cut off shirt that really doesn't cover much is definitely outside of his usual dress code. He'd been lazy that morning especially since it's his day off.

He came to the park to be a part of nature in the laziest way he could but it turns out to be in his favor.

He sees Jackson not too far away. They make eye contact and Rory knows this will go similarly to how most of their meet ups (spontaneous or planned) go.

Rory smirks, looks around to make sure no one else is looking, then pulls the leg of his shorts up. Just this is enough to get his dick to harden and pop out against his thigh. He gives Jackson, then his dick an expectant look.

wearing that same tattered, bluish gray sweater that had become a staple in his wardrobe and a pair of jeans, jackson took to wandering through the park just to try and kill some time. even with the chaos of everything unfolding after that party, his worst enemy was still boredom.

thankfully he noticed someone familiar not too far away from him.

of course when he needed a distraction, rory was the one to show up.

--and he was very distracting. he was used to the other usually being a bit more dressed up, but jackson certainly wasn't complaining about the view as he made his way closer; those blue eyes of his bouncing back and forth as he shamelessly checked the other out.

all it took was to look up and within a split second of direct eye contact, he knew where this was about to be like most of their run ins.

--and even if they hadn't been on the same page, as he finally settled to stand in front of rory it became more than obvious what was on the other's mind as he pulled up the leg of his shorts on one side; his hardening dick falling out with a thud against his thigh.

rory's confident posture and the way he was looking at jackson so expectantly was all he needed.

"it's good to see you too," he teased with that damned smirk of his as he stepped forward. matching the other's attempt at caution, he quickly looked around to make sure they at least looked as if they were alone, before dropping down and making a place for himself on his knees between rory's legs.

Flynn should get a substantial raise for coming into work after everything that's happened. Though to be honest, he's only here because Gothel is being possessive and Auri is trying to soften him up. Meanwhile Flynn was losing his mind so he decided to come in and either work so hard he can't think or find enough hook ups to distract him long enough.

He takes the empty bottle from the poor guy and manages to keep him steady on the bar stool.

"Damn, that does sound like shit. If it makes you feel any better, I was a pretty renowned thief and hero and now I'm... well..."

He gestures around to the bar. Not bad by any means, but definitely not the comfortable life he'd gotten back then.

"As for your last question, washed up doesn't mean a bad fuck, right?"

He winks at the guy then offers him a glass of water.

tipsy. yeah, sure, that was a good way to describe his current state; especially as he leaned forward to rest on the bar only to wind up tipping himself completely off the seat of the stool. at least someone was there to catch him. someone strong; someone handsome; someone warm.

then again everyone was warm compared to him.

"pretty sure the first rule of being a thief is not telling people that..." he half joked, his bottom lip stuck between his teeth as he lightly chewed on the skin and steadied himself with the other's help.

"dude, working at a bar is wicked cool... but i get your point. we all had things taken from us, i guess i shouldn't complain. it could have always been worse. they could have made me ginger."

perking up as the conversation was brought back to his more crude question, he angled himself forward again and this time managed to actually lean against the bar without tipping from his seat.

tipsy; and emotional; and horny it would seem.

"exactly my point. what, just because i'm not some fortune 500 guy or running my own business, suddenly i don't know how to suck dick or arch my back? i'm not trying to settle down and mooch off your 401k, i just wanna fuck." he explained, or argued depending on how you took his tone, a bit excitedly.

"Ok well they made me stupid. I mean I guess at least they didn't shave my head or make my dick small. But when I find out who it was I am going to sear them with a blast of light magic so hot it cooks them." Auri had gone from being a prince to a cashier at a craft store, but at least he was still beautiful and had great hair. He would have been very upset- well more upset than he was otherwise. And they left him with his dad which was also a kindness if you asked him.

"i know what you mean! i went from being the literal embodiment of winter, and fun, to being some washed up dude that did nothing more than give a foundation to the idea that those who can't, teach." jackson added on with a bit of excitement as the other joined in on his complaining.

"you could probably pull off a shaved head, i have a feeling anything would look good on you, but yeah you're lucky you still have your hair. kind of miss mine being white." he continued on as he winked at the other; well, tried to wink. again, he wasn't drunk but he wasn't sober so rather than opening and closing his eye quickly he just closed his left eye, and for the lack of a better description, just squinted at the other for a moment.

blinking, properly this time, he let his head angle to the side as he turned to fully face the other male; the bottle slipping from his grip and, thankfully, landing on the bar top without breaking in a show of how distracted, and caught off guard, he was by what the other had just said.

"wait, hold on, i was going to ask about you not being small," he half chuckled, "but-- which part of that is kinda your thing? the magic healing part or the you hogtying me and fucking me until i'm crying for mercy part?"

"did you have a lot of money in the land that you were in before?" gothel thought about the advice he would give his own son. he couldn't complain about freedom if he wasn't free before. jackson couldn't miss wealth and fame if he didn't have it before. “so you don't believe people that say money doesn't buy happiness?” he didn't, but he could at least pretend that he did for the time being.

“you need to stop doubting yourself. you can be just as good at speeches if you applied yourself. i'm sure of it.” there was something that jackson had that gothel didn't. the beauty of youth. it was enough where he was a little jealous of him. enough where he wasn't going to let him victimize himself. no one was going to sulk on his end of things that they were missing when they were that young.

“all of this was fake on some level, so take the initiative yourself. grab life by the balls or whatever the kids are saying nowadays.” humberto made himself laugh softly. he tapped the counter of the bar a little bit. “if you once led a small group of kids, then you can do it again. if you want more for yourself, then just seek that out. complaining isn't going to get you anything.” 

that's when he stood up from his seat. he wasn't going to be the only attendee to a pity party. then he moved his hands over to jackson's body, straightening him out a bit. one hand pushed his chest away from the bar and the other rested underneath his chin. that way he was able to lift it up. if he was going to drill some sense into him, he had to be alert and aware.

“what does this version of you want? is it fame and wealth? a powerul job? then start applying now that you have more control for yourself. cursed you and the real you, what do both of them want to do?” 

talking about their spelled versus regular selves was confusing enough. add that to the fact that he was talking to someone who he knew better in the cursed world and everything was even harder. “well, to clear things up, i would never hook up with someone in a sleazy bathroom. i'm worth much more than that. gothel and humberto align on at least one thing.” he lifted his own head a little bit, straightening his back out. pride was always a part of him and that would never go away. “if you try hard enough and prioritize things, i'm sure you'd have time for both. you just have to decide what you want to do now versus later.” 

he was making it seem so simple, but he knew that it wasn't. his own lips curved into a smirk sly enough to match jackson's. mainly because on some level, the younger and beautiful man wanted to bed him. good. he still had it.

“you are hot, that's not a question that you even have to ask. i'd say smoking, but that doesn't seem to fit right now.” 

"money? no." he answered plainly with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "before i had no need for money, consider it a perk of being dead i guess; or maybe it would sound nicer to say transcending life and becoming an immortal spiritual manifestation of winter; a guardian-- though, if you ask me, i prefer saying i'm the guardian of fun."

"--and now that i've had a taste of humanity again, i think that people who claim money doesn't buy happiness speak from a place of privilege and luxury that not everyone else can afford." he shrugged again, "but what do i know."

rolling his eyes as a heavy sigh escaped him, he let his head fall back much like a sullen teenager might when they were being lectured too.

"you sound like north, and cottontail sometimes. they are always going on about how much i can achieve if i just apply myself." he knew they were all right and despite that, and despite having experienced his some of his potential in his past, he still preferred to shirk responsibilities and just have fun.

or complain it seemed.

"i think the kids would just say something like do it lady in a weird voice but, yeah, i get what you mean." he mumbled as he lifted his head back so he could look at the other man again. "it wasn't really like that, they were more my friends and we were working together to save their world. i'm not really the army type, frankly i don't think i'd need one," well he was certainly still cocky, "but i think i get what you mean. i could still be a guiding force in my kids lives if i wanted to be."

furrowing his brow as he watched the man abruptly rise from his seat, jackson leaned over the bar again to rest on his elbows as he watched with curiosity to see what the man was going to do. this wouldn't be the first time he'd annoyed someone to the point they just walked away from the conversation altogether. much to his surprise, though, the next thing he knew the man was upon him; one hand against his chest, pushing him back away from the bar and leading him to sit up straight in his chair until his back was pressed flat against the chairs back; the other moved to grip his chin and tilt his head so he could ensure he had jackson's full attention.

"i--" he hesitated.

"i don't know," he mumbled his answer only to pull away from the gravity of the moment in his usual way. "wow, that was really hot. you are really hot." clearly it didn't take much to distract jackson, or jack for that matter; especially when there was a handsome man directly in front of him.

touching him.

he had a one track mind.

"i think i deserve some credit because i did say i thought you were too good for a bathroom hookup, and i did mean that as a compliment."

"honestly, i think everyone is confused on what we should be doing right now. i know i want to go back to try and figure things out, but what about the people that don't? what if we're wrong and this isn't some kind of curse and we were all sent here for a reason? what if he have nothing to go back to? it's-- it's a lot of questions and right now? i don't want to deal with figuring out the answers. i'd rather prioritize jackson's thoughts right now," as he mentioned focusing on jackson, he made no effort to hide the way his eyes dropped to look the man over again; slowly taking in every inch of him. "--and right now those thoughts are a bit stuck on you."

he smirked, "especially now that i know you think i'm hot; smoking even. i guess it's a good thing i can't melt."

the martini glass had been forgotten for the time being. he slowly turned around in his seat so that he could face jackson, wanting to make sure that he knew he was paying attention to him. “happy is suggestive, dear. do you think that doctors are happy if they're stressed with saving lives? what you mentioned has a lot of responsibility, they just get paid more.” 

he couldn't complain. he had an inn, his son, and technically his son's cousin was another pseudo son. still, gothel had been mad upon waking up. pissed that someone put him under a spell.  

“you say you're not something cool, but how many athletes do you know? even if the time was short lived, that's still something. also you can probably guide that summer camp to be your little army.” he wasn't normally this helpful, but his true evil side was poking out at the mention of an army. which caused him to smile, just a hint. 

“stop sulking. people want to fuck whoever they find hot and that has nothing to do with your profession. now that you're awake, what do you want to be?” gothel's brows rose up in unison.

“take matters into your own hands.” 

"hey, now that i'm-- we're-- in a place where money matters, i think it's fair to be upset to not have landed on the lavish end of things." he argued, though the line of his lips and his tone hinted that he was being more playful. "--and i know all about responsibilities, and the stress that comes with them, but none of that takes away from the happiness of it when you are doing what you were always meant to do."

"or something like that. i don't know, north was always better with big speeches." jackson shrugged as he set his emptied bottle down and turned to fully face the man beside him. he was handsome, incredibly so, and at least older in appearance. there was a chance, given who he was, that he knew and understood more than jack did but that didn't mean he was going to actually listen.

"technically i have led a small army of children before, though i would hardly call them an army... and it was a bit of a group effort-- but that's not the point. i can understand to a degree the way the spell, curse, whatever you want to call it interpreted my life and my drive and decided that's what i should be but--" he huffed with frustration, "--they could have spared a bit of flare for me."

"sulking is fun." jackson argued with an overdramatic pout as he crossed his arms over his chest. he lingered in that pose for a moment as the other's question settled heavy on his mind. his posture softened, his arms dropped back to rest comfortably at his sides, he leaned against the bar top and furrowed his brows as he genuinely considered his answer.

"that's the most confusing part of it all. i am, as you put it, awake now. i know what my duties are, and what my priority should be, but it's like there is still a voice inside me going on and on about what this version of me wants."

"my truth, the jack part of me wants to get back home and find out who did this to me-- to us, to all of us-- find out why they did it, and stop them from doing it again but the jackson part of me? it's like all he wants to do is invite you back to his place, because you seem too good, in a way, to just head to the bathroom's here or the alley out back-- and it's confusing because i know, technically, jackson never existed and is just the byproduct of whatever this is... but it's like i'm still him too, you know? i'm not sure who i'm supposed to listen to right now; who i'm supposed to be..."

of course, because he was more known for jokes than deep thoughts, after letting his question's linger for a moment he couldn't seem to stop himself from cocking his head to the side as his lips pulled back into a subtle smirk.

"so, wait, if my profession doesn't matter-- then do you think i'm hot?"

[Who: Anyone @talednewsletter] [When: Before The Curse Breaks, Early Morning] [Where: The Gym's Shower] [Why: The Owner of the Gym finished his morning workout, and your character walks into him while he was having a shower]

Admittedly, there are still a few areas in the gym that can use some work. But the place is fully functional. A spacious area for weight lifting. A row of running machines faces the bright industrial open window at the cardio section. Three dedicated spaces for classes. Therion is proud of his gym. And he truly hopes this will become a place where other townfolks can better themselves. Both mentally and physically. But he does have to work on the shower area eventually...When he has a bit more cash flow in hand.

The space is open. Some might even call it rustic, perhaps. He managed to install new flooring and shower tiles, but that was when the funds got a little tight. And that meant no shower dividers. Privacy will have to come with a price in the near future, in the form of a hefty bill. At least it doesn't entirely look like a prison shower.

Therion had an early start. He began to lift weights at six in the morning, working on his chest for an hour before he moved on to arms. Half an hour later, he spent another half at the cardio section. By the end of his workout, his tank top was soaked with sweat. And he quickly made his way to the shower.

Hot water fell over his muscular form. Therion let out a satisfying sigh as he felt fresh and renewed. He looked at the mirror from the other side of the wall- Of course, he installed a full mirror wall. There is nothing wrong for hard-working men to look at the labour of their hard work. He placed a hand over his pectoral muscle, feeling the pump in his muscles as someone else walked into the area.

he used to always wake up before dawn to start his training and exercise; and that was one thing that hadn't changed about his life after the accident. even though he was retired and had more than enough of an excuse to sleep in for once, out of habit he was up at four in the morning; running through the town as if he was still a competing athlete.

making two laps through the towns center, he eventually made his way towards the gym and became painfully aware of how much slower he was. back in his prime he would have been able to lap the town center twice and reached the gym by five AM at the latest but now, today? it was a few minutes past six before he trudged through the front doors.

already a bit winded, he didn't pay much attention to the man already in the gym and made his way over to the rowing machines.

the pain in his knee as he sat on the machine and got into position was a cold reminder of his own shortcomings but he didn't let that stop him; he had become quite talented at hiding the winces and whimpers every time he finished a rep as the pain from his old injury flared up with each movement.

eventually he had the gym to himself. assuming the other man had already left, jackson slowly pushed himself back up onto his feet and just looked at the weights. he stood there for a few minutes, considering how far he wanted to push himself, before ultimately deciding he had done enough for today.

it became clear fairly quickly after stepping into the locker room next to the showers that he had been wrong; the man had not left yet.

unfortunately the usually charming jackson was exhausted so instead of having something clever to say he simply stared at the man's reflection; watching him in the full length mirror attached to the wall.

oh, don't worry, it got worse.

he tried to divert his attention and turn around, only to position himself so that he was now facing the man head on as he reached down and began squeezing at his pectoral; flustering jackson even more.

"fuck me," he finally managed to say something as he scrambled to regain some form of exposure as the man caught him looking. "i, uh, right so-- should i, uh, go-- yeah, you know, i don't know... hey? hi."

give him a few minutes and he'd have enough brain cells thawed out to make some lame joke that he's only this tongue-tied because he hadn't had his morning coffee yet.

Takes place during the party

"This…This   doesn't   make   any   sense."   Soren's   lips   turned   down   in   a   frown.   His   mask   was   still   on   his   face   as   he   took   a   moment   to   himself.   Or   at   least,   he   thought   he   was   by   himself.   Slipping   away   from   the   party   to   breath.   “There's   no   way   something   like   that   could   happen.   Magic   is   just   a   myth.   Stories   that   adults   tell   their   kids   to   inspire   them   to   do   good   things,   or   to   not   do   bad   things.”   Soren   has   always   prided   himself.   He   was   a   logical   guy.   Once   someone   became   his   friend,   he   would   do   anything   for   them.   But   he   can   often   times   come   across   cold   and   stoic.   So,   to   no   one's   surprise,   he   doesn't   exactly   have   a   large   amount   of   friends   and   companions. 

“Just…Mass   Hysteria.   That   has   to   be   it.   We   probably   all   heard   something   and   our   minds   are   just   treating   it   like   it's   real.   Only   a   fool   would   think   it   was.”   And   yet,   his   voice   didn't   hold   the   convinction   in   it   that   it   did   when   he   talked   about   things   in   the   museum.   When   he   talked   about   things   that   he   knew   was   true.   Because   there   was   still   a   piece   of   him   that   doubted   it.

his mask had been lost in the commotion but that was hardly a concern of his. after being carried outside by his power, he finally found his footing on the ground again as he wrestled with the avalanche of memories that continued to bombard him.

in a moment of desperation, he looked to the moon and hoped for some kind of explanation for why anyone of this might have happened and for a moment he thought the moon was answering him... but it quickly became clear that his old friend, at least here, had nothing else to say to him.

that was someone else speaking.

jackson opened his mouth to offer his opinion but in this life, and the one prior, he had never really been one for big speeches or emotional anecdotes; but, still, he wanted to try and help.

holding his right hand out in front of himself, his palm facing up, he focused his power and began creating snow in his grip. he had done this trick countless times in his life, it was often instantanenous and easy, but this time around it seemed to require some decent focus on his part; as if he'd been cut off from his powers for so long he'd forgotten how to use them.

it wasn't perfect, and was hardly spherical, but he managed to create a crude snowball-- and just as soon as it had finished forming, it was launching from his grip and arcing through the air; aimed directly for the other's face as he threw it at them.

biting back his own laughter as it collided with them, jackson tucked his hands into his pockets as if that would somehow make him look innocent as he leaned forward to teasingly ask them,

"...how real did that feel?"

@talednewsletter open to: all (feel free to assume our muses know each other etc.) location: luna's diner when? post party

the  past  week,  zeke  had  felt  strange,  though  he  couldn’t  pin  down  why.  it  came  in  flashes—fleeting,  gone  before  he  could  make  sense  of  them.  a  scent  that  lingered  where  it  shouldn’t.  the  edge  of  teeth  that  felt  sharper  than  they  looked  in  the  mirror.  a  hunger  for  meat  that  clawed  at  his  gut  until  he  gave  in,  convinced  he’d  starve  otherwise.  he  brushed  it  all  off,  kept  his  head  down,  carried  on.

until  the  party.

he  hadn’t  even  wanted  to  go—too  many  people,  too  many  eyes,  half  the  damn  town  crammed  into  one  place.  but  there,  in  the  press  of  bodies  and  noise,  something  inside  him  broke  loose.  something  ancient.  and  it  wasn’t  just  him.  the  air  had  crackled  with  magic,  memories  bleeding  through  like  fire  through  paper.

he’d  run  to  the  only  place  that  ever  felt  safe.  his  ho—his  diner.

bacon  and  sausage  hissed  in  the  pan,  the  familiar  sound  grounding  him  while  he  inspected  the  unfamiliar.  fangs  where  blunt  teeth  used  to  be,  his  tongue  clumsy  around  them.  claws  curving  from  his  hands  like  they  belonged  there.  his ears were... bigger, definitely furrier. and  behind  him,  pushing  free  as  if  it  had  always  been  waiting—something  more. he was ignoring the tail for now.

memories  surged  and  scattered,  half-formed  glimpses  of  another  life.  exile.  outcast.  monster.  was  it  truth,  or  just  another  curse  laid  on  thick?  yet  hadn’t  he  always  felt  apart,  even  here  in  pellar?  maybe  it  had  only  ever  been  the  truth  rising  to  the  surface.

his  ears  caught  the  footsteps  before  the  door  swung  open.  instinct  pulled  a  growl  up  from  deep  in  his  chest,  rough  and  unrestrained.

“we’re  closed.”

one minute he had been doing his best to enjoy the party, taking part in generic niceties and small talk with other townspeople, and the next he was being swept off of his feet on a rush of wind as snow burst out from his hands; his fingertips capped with ice as magic surged back through him.

then came the bitter coldness of his memories.

no one was okay. even if their life had been decent here in pellar's town, they were all now being bombarded with confusing flashes and forgotten fragments of lives they had left behind; of lives they had been made to leave behind.

in a desperate attempt for answers, he ran from the party and turned to someone who had given him answers centuries ago when his life had changed for the first time. this time, though, the moon stayed silent; this time the moon had no answers for him.

so jackson...

or jack...

... wandered. bright blue eyes clenching shut as each new memory seared itself back into his mind with an unforgiving searing, freezing pain.

eventually he found himself stumbling into luna's diner. it wasn't necessarily a place of comfort for him; he honestly wasn't sure why he had led himself there. maybe he was led by his forgotten desire to help to find another lost townsfolk, or maybe he was just hungry. either way he was here and jack...

no, jackson...

... planned to stay; for now.

"whoa," he huffed under his breath as he stepped forward and let the door close behind himself. "if these memories are worth believing, pretty sure you're stealing my gig there big guy; i'm supposed to be the cold one."