#cade interactions

cade was entirely distracted. sure he could still do his job on the door but he kept flashing his gaze across that bar from the door he stood on and finding her. he couldn't stop looking and by god he knew she wasn't a wolf, that didn't change anything, it's like he could feel the nymph's presence and he.. well he'd seen her before. he normally watched from a distance when she was in his forest, definitely his because as the alpha, he owned that forest. there wasn't a thing happening on his land that he didn't know about and yet, he watched at a distance to make sure she could be at ease, protected whilst she let that land he loved flourish under her touch. he thought that was beautiful, from the first time he'd seen her, a dark wolf watching her, he thought what she could do was so predominantly peaceful, the side of mystical creatures and beings that was genuinely magical.

he'd never approached, almost afraid to in truth. he was a huge wolf, not the typical size, over bearing and for him to approach well, that must be terrifying. that's why he hovered, it's why he hovered now, watching and hoping she was going to have a good night. if asher asked he'd state this was his job, he was on the door, he was also making sure people in the bar were safe when he had a spare minute.

"he must really like you." eden leaned in to whisper to aiyla and flick her eyes in the direction of the doorman and then back to her friend. "he keeps looking at you, not around the bar but you. he's nice, do you know him?" eden was fidgeting, tapping the edge of her glass, not that anyone would hear thanks to the lovely singing and guitar strumming in this bar. she didn't know if this felt safe, it had been so long since she'd dared to go into this type of environment and to her.. this was so busy. it was more supernatural than she was used to being around, but she was with aiyla, and being near another nymph made who and what she was far less noticeable, some of her overbearingly sweet scent melted into hers, dulled it, but there was no mistaking her long pointed ears, poking from behind her cropped waves of dark hair. the noise was something for her to get used to, every time someone laughed loudly, or a glass clinked, the pointed tips would twitch, far far more sensitive to sound than a nymph.

there was a little voice in her head, screaming that this was dangerous, that vampires were too close, too near to her, a childs voice terrified repeating that vampires would hurt her but each drink seemed to dull that voice down. "aiyla? am i doing okay at this?" she whispered. she'd found her new friend in the woods, a bunny that'd hidden in tall grass, that wasn't a bunny at all. she'd at first been so frozen in fear, scared of the confrontation... but aiyla was nice, she was calm, to eden she was peaceful and above all else, encouraging. she wouldn't be here without her. "oh- sorry, can i get a drink? something not... too str-" she froze, he was one of them. he was a vampire and she was staring at him, her green doe eyes, transfixed on him and slowly those ears started to dip down, to try and hide.

"oh no, no no no." she spoke, right as someone leaned on the wall beside her. "i can see how this is going to go, i really can. you're going to say you were totally captivated by my voice, then you're going to flatter me, offer me a drink but you've no idea what kind of drink i like, and hope that i'll go home with you tonight because that's how it goes every night, tell me i'm wrong." one brow quirked, a challenge to him whilst lists shone on her skin, made her appear luminescent but she was a tide pulling you under, deeper and deeper until she was all consuming. "tell me i'm wrong, stun me half to death and make out like i didn't just give away your game plan entirely."

"Did a nice lady with dark hair give you these?" that earned him a very specific and eager nod. Yes, Eden had left this with her. "Do you know where that girl went?" he was patient with her, gave a voice that he'd never really used before.. less rough, had she been here alone? Waiting? "Did she tell you to stay here and wait?" another enthusiastic nod and then she held up two fingers. "Two... two hours?" no, not that. She made a walking action and he got it. "Two people, two people where out there? Did she leave her things with you and go?" Yes! Yes she nodded so keen to get it across and whilst Cade was always so headstrong, to quick to be hot headed... he understood this little girls lack of desire to speak. "Thank you for telling me that, you did a really good job, do you have a mommy or daddy so I can tell them how brave you've been?" For a moment she looked hopeful and then her face dropped. "Are you on your own now kid?" the girl stood and rushed to this little stack of things in the corner, but took a very well loved book and brought it back to Cade to tap at the first page. This book belongs to Alma, he read it clearly and smiled gently. "Hi Alma, my name is Cade." He reached down and took a crayon and showed her as he wrote his name on the paper below her, and tapped himself. "Cade."

He wasn't about to leave a little girl her age out here, it was dangerous enough as adults and he was shocked she'd made it this far without adult supervision. Cade slowly sighed and when Ben entered she jumped a bit and instinctively moved to his arms. "It's alright Alma, it's okay. This is Ben, this is that nice ladies big brother, he's just lookin' for her." he explained but she was shy, hiding herself in Cade's chest and peeping at Ben who stared at the jacket. "Not dead." Cade made sure to say that first, before he began explaining what Alma had done her best to tell him. All the while lifting her and propping her legs through his backpack straps, so that he could keep her held up easily. He made a point to give Ben Edens things, minus the jacket he kept on Alma and made sure to take Alma's book, her crayons and the duck stuffed toy he'd found behind the counter. It wasn't a question of whether she wanted to come with them, he couldn't leave this kid alone out here and Ben agreed but his mind was in a spiral, thinking how to get his sister back already. "We'll get her back Ben, Eden is a tough cookie when she wants to be."

By the time they got back to South Side, it was pitch black and there wasn't a chance of getting anything more done tonight. He couldn't imagine the torture that put Ben in, but he had his own to do list now it seemed. Alma had grown sleepy, her head on his shoulder and Cade held his arms around her safely as he made his way to the shop they'd done out as a medic bay. It was a big improvement from when it'd been a medic tent in the middle of the street, this was far cleaner and much more spacious. "Agatha?" he called out when he entered, a little bell jingling above the door.

What a sight it must have been, to seen tough guy Cade who never let anyone in, cradling this little sleepy, exceptionally shy girl. He always had his mind on the mission, ready to improve, always moving just to keep his head busy from their morbid reality... but he'd slowed down to be at her pace. "Alma?" he hushed her name, rocking back and fourth like it'd suddenly come so naturally to him. "This nice lady here, this is my friend Agatha, do you think we can take this jacket off so Agatha can check you over? I'll look after it for you." her little fingers that held to the jacket slowly released. In such little time, she trusted Cade.

"Aggie I'm sorry, I know it's getting late but I uh.. I need to know she's not.." He'd be heart broken, if she was bitten.. if he was put into that situation, when he'd taken her on without a single doubt. That would crush him. "Standard protocol, anyone new gets checked over fully for infection. I don't know how long she'd been alone, all I know is Eden left her with the snacks she had so she's eaten something recently and drank water." he started to explain more methodically. Alma was giving wary eyes when Cade lifted her from the way he had her legs slotted in his backpack loops, placing her down on a bed gently. Her big blue eyes were following every movement Agatha made. That was when Cade decided to pull out the duck toy he'd retrieved and placed it beside her "I need ducky checking over to, in fact, maybe ducky can go first. What do you think kid, do you think ducky can be very brave for his check up?" she nodded and Cade lit with this wide smile. "Okay nurse, first we check under the left wing first?" with that he moved the duck so his wing was up in the air, then the other wing, and sweetly enough Alma copied the motion with her arms.

He didn't know that they'd rang his emergency contact but they had, given they wanted to keep him in just for any possible internal bleeding, especially since they suspected he had a concussion given the four stitches in his hairline. Thankfully the other small cuts from glass on his face were not deep or large just there were so many. he felt idiotic being in this state, he felt weak and that he looked pathetic and he didn't like the feeling. "Mr Sabelle, you're best to lay back and relax, I can get you some more pain relief?" the nurse offered. "I'm good, I'm okay, I just need to go home I don't gotta be here it's just bruises." the nurse gave him a sympathetic smile. Cade didn't want to be a time waster, he didn't want to be a problem for them, there were people that needed their help more in his eyes.

It was obvious when he tried to push himself up again, to get his legs over the bed and turn that Cade was in pain, he just wouldn't admit it. He didn't grimace or make groan, but he held his breath, he moved like he was a stiff puppet. That's when the nurse turned to the door. "You have a visitor Mr Sabelle, do come on in." the nurse gestured, gathering up the equipment she'd placed down. She walked to the door. "He's very keen to leave, we've tried to explain it'd be safer to stay a night or two but he wont hear it, thank you for coming."

She left after that, she was nice enough but Cade he looked... he looked like hell. "It isn't as bad as it looks.." he mumbled, he hadn't met her eyes yet from the.. shame he felt over it. "Fucking drunk driver, right into the side of me, drivers side too.." he sighed. "I uhh.. I meant to ask you about that whole emergency contact thing, truly I did... just slipped my mind after I'd done it." he was sat on the edge of the bed, stiff and pained.

@wiinestories !

Cade had as usual, a long day, he was home later than usual and had jumped straight in the shower. He only saw his phone lighting up when he was done and saw the missed calls, so when it rang again he instantly picked up. "Hey darlin'." at this point they'd known each other year. "You found something?" he asked hopefully and.. it'd been so many years now, he still had that slight hope despite knowing his fiance was never coming home. She was gone, as for where? Cade would never know. She was simply gone and yet from that, he'd gained the closest friend he'd ever had.

"Hold on, what's wrong, you sound all sniffly, you got a cold or some shit?" he asked, his voice the usual gravel tone, deep and gritty. Some mistook that as Cade being grumpy but it was genuinely how he'd always spoken. "Are you crying?" his concern showed through. He'd never want to hear his friend cry. "What's going on Agatha? Talk to me darlin', do you need me to come over? I can be over there in ten minutes, tops. and that is with pizza. You just tell me what you need n' I'll do it, okay?"

"farmin' land isn't the hard part, it's the fresh water. we need land that's got a well or somethin' 'coz as long as we can boil down the water, it'd be safe to drink, even if it's rain water you know? or a stream near the land, that'd do." he half grumbled his response but he knew that aiyla was right, they weren't going to survive like this. "hey, it's gonna work out, 'aight?"

cade flicked his map open wider, using the tip of a knife to point out where he was referencing. "we've been here, and we've been this way, so listen whilst it's more dangerous to get through, i think we go this way, through the woods, beyond that there's just open fields so surely we keep goin' and we're going to find a farm, how about that? i can clear the space, make sure it's safe." above all else he wanted aiyla to feel safe and if she'd have asked him to run a marathon then take on a hoard, he'd do it, just because she asked. he was protective in his nature, incredibly when it came to her. "high up s'gonna be more of a problem sweetheart."

He sighed. He only realised after the fact he had that sighing maybe wasn't the best response and honestly, he wasn't exactly sure how to respond, this whole thing was.. complicated. "Alara." Cade had this certain gruff way of saying her name, comforting and serious all in one.

"It's complicated. Last night I'd.. listen I'd have a drink and things come out don't they? Love tohugh that's uh.. that complicates things, 'specially with me, I mean you know how I am how I can go off, the work I do it's.." he looked at his hands, fidgeting with the bottle he held. "You don't want someone like me loving you, I'm not sayin' that to be modest I'm saying it because I mean it."

"Sure we're havin' a kid and all but, that doesn't mean you need to be tied down to me, you could go on to have the most handsome guy your age that treats you well, where age 'aint a problem and I get it, might not seem it right now but in twenty years? In twenty years you wont want an old man."

What wasn't a form of normality was a woman being here, signing up for one of these illegal underground fights.. and it wasn't like he thought it wrong, far from it. If anything he had a lot of respect for the woman for not being afraid to give it her best shot, it took a lot of guts to be willing to get up on a stage. He'd already done his fight, bruises earned and his bloody, bust lip even more earned but.. the other guy? The other guy looked a lot fucking worse than Cade.

There were two preparation rooms, sort of got treated like a mix of all, after match room, changing room, you name it but you were never in the same one as someone you were going up against. He wouldn't be up against the woman or the badly wrapped hands. After a large swig of water and the back of his hand wiping some of the blood from his lip he turned towards her and held out what he used to tape his own hands, get some better support when punching, not fuck up your knuckles. "Now I 'aint judging your capability of throwin' a punch but, you go out like that you'll fuck up your own hand real quick so.. c'mon, gimme your hand, lemme show you the best way."

He pulled up a wooden box so he could sit in front of her, elbow leaning on his legs and started to use his wrap to show her slowly bit by bit. "See, you're aimin' to protect your ligaments, any muscles, support your wrist and cover those knuckles right? So if you start with an 'x' like this, can't really doo much to fuck it up after that, you know what i mean?" once done he tucked the last piece in to another to conceal it. "How's that feel, better?"

No other fighter had offered her so much as a glance, half these guys thought this wasn't no place for a woman, let alone for one to fight. "Listen darlin' you know they wont go easy on you yeah? Don't go holdin' back, they'll fight dirty so fight even dirtier, give it ya fuckin' all from the word go, you got this yeah?" he wafted a hand like it was nothing. "Plus, I only help out winners." @secretscost

cade had woken up in the hopes of being able to cook breakfast for the kids, keep them happy and then make aiyla breakfast in bed. other than the lingering feeling of impending doom that disaster had left him with, things were nearly back to normal, or they would be... eventually. "eggs- right eggs. you little lady, want scrambled right? and you want fried right forrest?" he spoke as he moved around the kitchen doing what felt like a million things at once. the thing was, the kids had been so quiet since asher went to find their mom. "when is dad going to be back with mommy? i miss mommy."

cade turned his head to look down at the kids, forrest was trying to keep a brave face whilst he held his sisters hand but he could see the welling tears. he knew the choked up look too well. "hey.. hey hey hey." he hushed, moving around to their side of the table and squatting down between them. he stretched his arms pulling them both in. "your dads gonna come home real soon, yeah? and when he comes home, he'll have your mommy right there with him, waiting to give you the biggest hug. okay?" he was doing his best, he heard the footsteps too, knowing aiyla had woke up.