𝔜𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔤 𝔊𝔲𝔫.

Oliver coughed with the cigarette that had been secured between his lips. “Don’t live by my example, Cal.” Asphyxiating on his accusation and air. “Need I remind you that I also unwittingly married and fathered a child with an O’Shea.” He muttered with disdain quite the opposite of the jesting tone that Caleb had when addressing him. 

A grin started to form of his short lived victory when his brother removed the cigarette from his lips. “Alright, good.” He arched a brow as he started to extend his hand to pass on the container. “Wait, what secret?” Was he talking about his smoking? Was he talking about another secret? It sparks Oliver’s paranoia out of no where. “I’m not hiding anything.” 

Dark hues were looking off into the distance for a brief moment, a hum of thought resounding within his throat. “Touché,” he simply muttered, head nodding slightly in agreement with Oliver's statement. Bringing his attention back to the man before him, Caleb allowed a laugh to fall from his lips at the expression claiming Oliver's face. “Relax, dude,” he began, another laugh tumbling past his lips at the other male's sudden change in demeanour. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't internally debating whether or not he should continue down the path of making Oliver further paranoid. In the end, Caleb figured that his best bet would be to reassure his boss rather than wind him up. Though he had to admit, the latter did seem quite an entertaining idea. “I know you aren't hiding anything. Which is just as well, considering your face right now would totally give away if you were.” Caleb's lips split into a playful grin then. “Now, do you want me to deliver this or not? My cig ain't gonna light itself,” he quipped, the grin only dissolving ever so slightly.

- && Orion wasn’t a fool. He had heard whispers of what was going on around town. But he had always been someone who turned a blind eye on such activity. It made him feel somewhat unsafe because he didn’t know who he could befriend without it putting his life in danger. He was fifty five and he’s been living in town for a long time, he would be stupid not to know what was going on. He just didn’t know how to react or act whenever people mentioned it. He didn’t want to seem to know too much because he knew nothing. 

Running a hand through his dark hair, he tensed up when someone approached him, asking for a light. “Oh I don’t smoke so I don’t have a lighter. Sorry” he apologized and nodded to his own words. He felt so awkward. Because how should he act in these kind of situations?

Brown eyes glanced at the dark-haired man, a face altogether unfamiliar to Caleb yet a certain element of the male had the boy momentarily pondering whether or not he'd spied him around the city once or twice. At this point, having lived in Chicago all his life and being brought into the Faust business, Caleb had a vast array of names and faces floating around his mind that sometimes they blended together. With a shrug of his shoulder, he suffocated a sigh before reaching to retrieve the cigarette from between his teeth. “Eh, don't worry about it, man,” he responded, shoving the stick into the pocket of his jacket. Truthfully, the notion of having a smoke had worn off him the minute he'd had to ask strangers for the lend of a lighter.

Turning toward the other male, dark hues subtly looked him over. “You're a wise guy,” Caleb suddenly stated, unruly waves ruffling against the icy wind. “For not smoking, I mean,” he added, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “Kudos to you for saving me the whole they're bad for you speech. I've heard that way too many times tonight. Starts to get old, like a broken record, ya know?” Now he was just filling the air with meaningless babbling. He'd blame that on the tipsiness he was currently feeling and also the lack of having a cigarette to keep him occupied. “I don't think we've ever met,” he remarked. “I'm Caleb.” Producing a hand from the confines of his pocket, he extended an arm, offering the man his hand in greeting.

she was still surprised no one caught onto her fake ID. she used it in many places that one who age shouldn’t. she was only twenty years old. it was merely one year from the legal drinking age. she knew she only had that one year to go, but joey enjoyed the rush that taking the risk of getting caught gave her. she loved the thrill of being discovered by the bartenders or the bouncers. there were a few times where she was caught and sent the other way instead of being allowed inside. but eden was a different place for her. she always had good luck of getting into the club. no one seemed to care about her fake ID, nor did they care about how young she looked. they only seemed to want everyone and anyone to spend their money there. and joey was more than willing to.

she had spent too much time inside of the bar. her body was glistened with sweat. feeling too hot from the dancing and drinking she did, joey decided she needed a little break and found herself walking outside. there were numerous people smoking outside. she didn’t smoke herself. she never really saw the greatness of lighting up a cigarette. she did carry a lighter with her. she figured carrying one around would allow her to make connections with randoms idiots who decided to smoke. scuffling, joey searched through her purse and found the lighter she bought from the liquor store. “sure, i guess.” she says strike the lighter and watching it light on fire. “you’re lucky i got one. otherwise you’d be shit out of luck.” she closes the lighter after seeing the cigarette lit brightly in front of her. “you know smoking is disgusting, right?”

Turning his head, dark hues landed upon the petite blonde stood next to him. Quirking a brow, a small chuckle fell from Caleb's lips before he was leaning into her space slightly; allowing the end of his smoke to dangle over the flame. “Wouldn't make much difference to me,” he spoke with the cigarette placed between his teeth. “I'm always shit out of luck, sweetheart,” he quipped while he took a step back, taking a drag as he brought his back against the brick wall behind him. With the cigarette between the pad of the thumb and index finger, Caleb took it from his mouth and blew out a halo-shaped puff of nicotine-laced smoke as his head lolled backwards. 

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes at her comment, he took a long draw of the cigarette instead. “Wow,” he started, sarcasm dripping from his tongue as he brought his head forward then. “I've never heard that before.” His voice was a little more hoarse, words mingled with the exhalation of smoke. Brown eyes glided over the blonde, plucking the cig from his mouth to flick the ash off its end. “Let me guess, you're one of those do-gooders who refuses to smoke because it might kill you one day? Bet you call it a stick of cancer too,” he commented rather flippantly, throwing the girl a look as his brows rose.

Oliver rarely smoked, at least that’s what his lie was. He had quit before Matty was born, but the habit had started again soon after he learned the enemy he had in his bed. Between cigarette and other things his habit had returned argumentatively worse than before. The loss of Bowie towards the O’Sheas had driven him slightly more towards being a chain smoker than he cared to admit. Pulling in a drag from the cigarette he carried the container of food from Ollie’s in his hands to be delivered. Then paused as his eyes scrutinized with suspicion when he turned to glance to Caleb.

At the last minute he’s spitting out his own cigarette and stomped it out with his boot. “No, that’s a horrible habit Cal.” Oliver murmured but realized his own hypocrisy a few seconds later. “I’ll make you a deal. Go deliver this to our sister in there and then you can keep my lighter.” He tried to bargain, and hopefully his younger brother would ignore that he was smoking in the first place. 

With an arched brow, Caleb flung the other male a look. Slowly nodding then, a small hum was emitting from within his throat. “Yeah, sure. Coming from the guy who thinks we don't know he sneaks off to have a secret puff every now and then.” His tone was heavily laced with jest, a subtle grin splitting his lips. Though Oliver was right, it was a horrible habit. One Caleb had repeatedly told himself he would give up one day. Alas, tonight was not that night.

Reaching up to pluck the unlit cigarette from his mouth, he tucked it securely behind his ear for safekeeping. Casting a brief glance toward the container Oliver held in his hands, Caleb gave a small roll of his shoulders. “Alright, you've got yourself a deal,” he remarked, eyes lifting to find Oliver's. “And don't fret, your secret's safe with me, boss. My lips are sealed,” he stated, mimicking zipping his mouth and throwing the key over his shoulder. Holding out a hand, Caleb offered Oliver another childish grin as he waited for the man to give him the container.

Josie was a little out of her element within the lights and sounds of Eden, but she needed an escape. Who would think to look for the little solider there? Not that many. Regardless she had found a nice spot for herself as she people watched and had a drink. Maybe a few more would also be had by the nights end too she wasn’t sure. Green hues flicked to the side as the familiar voice drifted into her ears. It brought a sense of ease and comfort while she nodded and dug a lighter from her bag. Lighting it she held it out for him to linger over. “You’re free too hm?” she smiled. Seeing Caleb out and about and well was a plus to the day she considered. “Up to anything fun?”

Leaning forward, Caleb dangled the end of his cigarette over the exposed flame of the lighter. Once his smoke was lit, he was straightening his frame, dark hues lifting to meet Josie's. With a nod of his head, Caleb took a long drag from the cig before pulling it from his mouth. “I am,” he responded, a soft billow of smoke escaping his lips as he spoke. Josie was one of the few people Caleb actually truly felt comfortable around so bumping into her tonight was an added bonus, he thought. 

His brown gaze swept her face, a lazy smile sliding across his lips. “Depends on your definition of fun, Jos,” he stated, flicking the end of the cigarette and watching the flecks of ash fall to the damp ground at his feet. Taking another draw from the stick, Caleb reclined his head slightly to blow the smoke into the crisp night air above him. “This isn't really your scene, is it?” He inquired, eyes meeting Josie's once more as an amused expression crossed his features. “You should stick around though,” he began through another puff. “We can have fun together,” he remarked, a faint grin pulling at his mouth.

Rosamund’s coping mechanism in times of stress have always been quite undesirable, to say the least. Once upon a time, she might have drowned herself in alcohol to fight off feelings of anxiety or helplessness but she was not the girl she’d been so many years ago. She liked to think she was stronger, sturdier. Perhaps it was the knowledge that she was only a cog in a bigger machine outside of her control that helped her to not completely lose her shit given the recent developments with the Fausts. She was only one mending hand among many and the only responsibility that befell her was that of her patients. If she kept her head down and remained detached she’d make it through whatever storm was coming.

It was safe to say the young boy that entered Eden was not faring so well himself. She knew him if only by his first name and she hadn’t had to treat him for any severe injuries yet but like most Faust affiliates he had still wound up in her office. Each and every time she’d breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t for anything she could not fix. Caleb was too young for such a fate, for permanent disfigurations or worse. Sometimes she wondered how the higher-ups picked their recruits and if they had any qualms about squashing innocence but then she’d seen enough blood spilled to guess the answer to that question. “Tu ne devrais pas fumer. Ce n’est pas bon pour toi.” She quipped, raising a challenging brow, eyes alight with mirth. She pulled a lighter out of her pocket anyway and ended it over. Chainsmoking. One bad habit she hadn’t been able to kick when the going got rough.

Brown eyes landed upon the woman's face, a small sense of relief washing over him at the realisation she was one of his own. There was always something about winding up in neutral territory that set Caleb on edge, always on the outlook for potential trouble. Despite his being on high alert, he insisted on spending time in the middle of the impartial turf of Eden. Still, it was a blessed relief he had yet to run into any O'Sheas tonight. He'd already found himself in one scuffle not so many nights ago, he really wasn't in the mood to find himself in another so soon after. The words she uttered registered in his ears but to no effect, a blank expression crossing his face. “Uh, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I think you're telling me I should quit or something like that,” he stated, brows momentarily knitting together.

Sometimes Caleb felt somewhat ashamed of his lack of knowledge, of the fact he hadn't the means of continuing with further education. Other times, he couldn't care less. Right now, he was a little too buzzed to think about such things either way. Yet part of him was quietly impressed with the female's French. At least he knew what language she was speaking, that had to count for something, he considered. Taking the lighter, his thumb was on the spark wheel, rolling it down with an audible click. Bringing the cigarette toward the flame, a hand was lifting to shield the spark from the breeze. Once the end lit up, Caleb was offering the lighter back. “You should count your blessings. At least I'm here and not in your office with another busted lip,” he quipped, taking a drag. Taking the cigarette between his fingertips, Caleb exhaled a cloud of smoke as he fired a glance toward Rosamund.

jack was more cautious than usual. after the turmoil that ensued at the faust manor and the harbor, he had sought refuge at a hostel. he suffered minor bruises from fending off the o’shea at the manor. he was still sore, but he was able to manage the pain. during his first night here, some boys try to pull one on him and attempt to steal whatever he had. however, jack beat them senseless, almost angering the hostel owner. he was currently sitting at the bench outside of the hostel and pressed an ice pack against his cheek. then, he saw someone walk towards him from his peripheral vision.   

his eyes briefly looked up, “what? what do you want?” he was somewhat irritated. 

Caleb had been merely passing the hostel, on his way to grab a bite to eat whenever he'd spied the male sat outside. With furrowed brows, he found himself approaching Jack. “Dude,” he began, raising his hands in front of his chest as if shielding himself from the other. “It's just me. I was gonna ask if you're hungry but seeing as you just chewed my head off...” he trailed off with a shake of his head, lowering his hands to shove them into the pockets of his jacket. Caleb hadn't seen Jack around for quite a while now and truthfully, he hadn't expected to stumble across him today. At least, not in these exact circumstances.

“So, this is where you've been then?” He inquired, eyes flicking over the building. “Place must be a blast, you're full of life,” he quipped, sarcasm thick in his voice. Deciding to take residence upon the bench next to the other, Caleb turned his attention to the ice pack with a subtle wince. “What happened there? Looks like you went ten rounds with Mike Tyson.”

𝐀𝐓  𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓  in  time  ,  with  the  taste  of  strawberry  bubblegum  on  pouted  lips  &  the  scent  of  honey  dew  &  vanilla  on  her  skin  ,  lucretia  looked  like  a  picture  of  serenity  .  golden  hair  piled  high  on  her  crown  ,  blue  eyes  ,  like  a  sea  after  a  storm  ,  hidden  behind  black  rimmed  glasses  &  her  laptop  ,  she  was  calm  .  her  thesis  paper  almost  a  quarter  of  the  way  written  &  her  focus  on  high  ,  she’d  been  visiting  fates  for  as  long  as  she  had  known  about  it  ,  she  reaped  the  benefits  of  free  wifi  &  good  coffee  ,  &  of  course  the  barista  today  was  a  good  distraction  when  she  needed  a  break  from  her  paper  .   but  her  sun  ,  soft  &  turning  orange  by  the  minute  ,  was  blocked  ,  the  shadow  casted  over  her  frame  &  her  computer  .     ❛              give  me  two  seconds  .   ❜     fingers  moved  with  determination  ,  almost  three  minutes  go  by  before  she’s  saving  the  part  finished  thesis  &  closed  her  laptop  .     ❛   can  i  help  you  ?   ❜     manicured  brow  rose  slightly  .

𝐿𝑂𝐶𝐴𝑇𝐼𝑂𝑁  ;   𝑓𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠  𝑐𝑎𝑓𝑒.     /     𝑆𝑇𝐴𝑇𝑈𝑆  ;    𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛  !

Caleb had never been a fan of coffee, it made him too jittery. However, these days, coffee was never the main culprit in sending a mass of adrenaline through his veins. Right now, he was in desperate need of something addictive to penetrate his system. He'd sworn to himself the night before that he'd attempt weaning himself off the lines of white powder he regularly indulges in. So far, so good. Though, at this rate, he was certain he'd pack it in before he'd even gave it a decent chance. His search for a substance that would revive him had brought Caleb to Fates, where he'd been stood for a solid ten minutes now, reading the menu over and over again until his vision had blurred. In his venture, dark hues were sweeping the vicinity of the cafe until they fell upon a blonde of whom he thought he recognised.

Approaching the girl, Caleb's lips were parting to utter his request but soon they were shut again. Stood in silence, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and simply waited. Offering the blonde a faint smile, Caleb peered across the table at her. “Sorry to interrupt,” he waved a hand, indicating the laptop placed before her. “But you look like you might know a thing or two about coffee. Feel like pointing me in the right direction of the strongest caffeine known to human kind?”

Recently, life had been a whirlwind for Caleb. Between the fire at the Art Institute and being cooped up in a hotel room for days on end, it was a wonder his sanity remained intact. Throughout it all, he'd managed to escape in one piece, and honestly, god knows how. As soon as he had been released from the lockdown, Caleb had found himself skipping from one bar to another; winding up in a scuffle with some random guy. The reason why was still a little hazy to the male but he'd decided to abstain from alcohol for a few days. Until tonight.

Aside from a few scrapes and bruises that littered his skin, the boy would go as far as to say he’s fit as a fiddle. All things considered, anyway. Here he was, emerging from the exit, the December chill seeping into his very bones. Lucky to be alive? Sure. Grateful? Debatable. Some small fragment of Caleb has always had a death wish. With a cigarette dangling rather precariously between his lips, Caleb spent a solid minute fishing in and out of his pockets, a curse muttered under his breath upon realisation. “Fuck’s sake.” Brown hues surveyed the area quickly, gaze resting on the first soul to catch eyes with him. “Care to light me up?”