#efferxescent

CLOSED STARTER. "Don’t you have any other friends?” Cleo taunted. There was no feeling more victorious than opening the door to see Harley Rhodes standing there. Everything was falling into place and the longer their ‘relationship’ went on the more adrenaline pumped through her veins at the possibility of being caught. “What about that girl with the oxygen tank?” Cleo questioned. “She seems utterly fascinated in your wellbeing and happiness...” the brunette smirked, familiar with the incessant text messages Harley would receiving from the girl. “But a kiss from you might put her lungs at risk,” she’d never truly met Beatrice, but Cleo knew exactly who the bushy browed teenager was. The fact that Dante had remained in contact with Annie long enough for their children to be friends, made Cleo a little nauseous. But then again, Annie had never been the kind to drop something once she took hold of it. “Wouldn’t want her to explode at your touch,” it was far from something to tease about, but Cleo had never be one to censor herself at the expense of others feelings.

“You can’t come here whenever you like, that’s not how this works,” Cleo often did this. Willed him away with her words but brought him closer with a flirtatious smirk or a peck on the lips. Of course, little did he know, she was doing this on purpose — driving him away only to pull him in again like a yoyo. She wanted him to want her, need her and regardless of the fact that Cleo did enjoy his company on the odd occasion nothing would trump the explosive reaction when the truth eventually bubbled to the surface. “What if I’d had company?” she grinned, leaning forward to place her red-tinted lips against his for a fleeting moment. There was no hesitation when it came to Cleo, if she wanted something, she’d take it and while she was busily encouraging Harley to seek solace elsewhere him coming to her was a victorious feeling that couldn’t be described to anyone without a blackened heart.

Theo knew that he loved her, there wasn’t a question about that on his mind. Loving someone and promising your whole life to them was not the same thing. He didn’t want to make promises which he couldn’t keep. He didn’t want to think about their future and what it held because he couldn’t promise that he would go the way she wanted it to. Planning and building an imaginary future didn’t make sense to Theo, all he could do was shrug his shoulders at her question. “We’ll see.” He reached forward to touch their hand. “I don’t know what I want to eat for dinner let alone what will happen in five years to us, let’s not focus on the future.” 

Was it a sin to show sorrow? To have her heart break for a man who had caused so much pain and suffering? The war was won and no matter how hard she wished it there was no breathing life back into the dead. Many woman had loved the Redford king, but Zoe’s devotion had been far greater. A childhood familiarity. A beauty who tried not to tame the beast, but live beside it in harmony. What did it matter now? He was dead and now House Linamen was at a loss. Desperate for his girls not to fall alongside the retreating houses, Zoe’s father had sent them all across the seas. Jennifer to the East, Penelope to the West, but Zoe remained tightly under his wing. Kidnapped and held for ransom at the tender age of eleven, Zoe’s father now refused to let her far out of his sight. The safe and uncomplicated trade from one man to another was the closest Zoe would get to freedom. Henry had promised her that. A marriage to a noble man with modern views and a small kingdom. A simple life. But Henry was dead. His corpse collected by House Black to burn like a satanic ritual. House Linamen had traveled long and far to come to plead to the Southern Houses for forgiveness. Zoe didn’t agree. She wanted to fight, as did a lot of the other women that had stood beside Henry. But it was over. The war won. 

CLOSED STARTER ~ The blue lands weren’t bordered by the sea like House Xavier or House Black, but they were a land full of many rivers. They snaked through the country, cutting through towns and forests, crisscrossing and diverging but all leading to the same place — Lake Tintenfisch. A great body of water located a a few miles outside of the palace walls. In a month or two, its shores would be packed with commoners and nobles alike, looking for a reprieve from the oppressive summer heat. This close to winter though, it was all but deserted.

Naked as the day he was born, Lukas dove headfirst into the frigid waters of Titenfisch. Thickly Muscled arms cut cut across the placid surface, propelling his body from the shore, to the middle of the lake, and then back again.

He noticed her standing there on his second pass, flanked by a guard on either side of her. He continued his leisurely swim, one more round and then another, before making his way towards shallower end closest to where she stood waiting. The closer he walked, the more her guards retreated until there were a few yards between them. Lukas’ own guards were further down the beach, close enough to come to their king’s aide should he need it, while still allowing him some semblance of privacy.

drinking's a sin, tiff, shame on u

also take me to the stranger things pop-up bar with u pls or our friendship is over

CLOSED STARTER. The back of her neck was warm. Ronnie could feel eyes on her as she sauntered through the large hall of her cousins ostentatious home. Perhaps she was over thinking it. Perhaps no one had seen the forty second video. She knew the latter was untrue, everyone had Brett Andrews on SnapChat — everyone had definitely seen it. Slinking past a collection of her snickering peers, Ronnie tried not to let her mind wander. They were probably laughing over a joke, or maybe someone spilt their drink. What was there to poke fun at, anyway? A video of two girls kissing? It was hardly unheard of. What made Veronica worry was how the Snap played out. Brett’s presence had gone mostly unnoticed, until he turned his flash on; capturing the girls red handed. The pure discomfort and shock on Veronica’s face was probably a clear indicator to all who saw the video that the stunt had not been planned. Worse, like a child, she’d tried to snatch Brett’s phone, further provoking the male to send the video to everyone on his contact list — most of which were at the party.

Idle hands toyed with loose curls as Veronica continued to glide through the house, wanting more than anything to sink into the floorboards. Every person that picked up their phone caused Veronica’s stomach to drop. Maybe no one would say anything; maybe they’d just think she was drunk and the whole thing had been a joke. Perhaps, her identity was obscured and it’d remain a drunken mystery as to who it was locking lips in Brett Andrews SnapChat. 

CLOSED STARTER. “Jeez, Aria — I’m trying aren’t I?” he’d been saying it for years, always trying, but never truly succeeding. It wasn’t personal, Daniel couldn’t help it as he was like this with almost everything he put his mind to. Always getting half way but unable to cross the finishing line. While his fathers so-called ‘rough housing’ had stopped shortly after graduating from University, the disappointed glances, scoffs and comments had certainly increased as the years drew on. Michael’s obvious dissatisfaction in his sons abilities was evident when it came to the family business. A company that raked in millions of dollars that was meant to be bestowed to his only child was now looking at being sold off. As in Michael’s mind putting something so large in the hands of a boy who’d stupidly knocked up a girl when he should’ve been studying wasn’t a risk worth taking. But, regardless of this, Daniel still kept his head down, working long hours in order to appease a man who would never be pleased. Of course, it wasn’t all work — a company with 80% more men than women meant a lot of evenings turned to nights out with the boys. Drinking, smoking and strip clubs were hardly appropriate hobbies of a man with a child, but none of Daniel’s ‘work friends’ even knew about Aria, nevertheless about Fraser.

The night before, in amongst booze and cigarette smoke, Daniel had momentarily felt like he’d forgotten something. But the feeling quickly left as a stripper began to shake her tits in his face, sending all problems out the door to be dealt with the following morning. It was only when he woke up, head pounding and smelling of regret did he remember: he’d made plans to take Aria and Fraser to dinner and a movie. After a shower and a shave, Daniel headed over to Aria’s house knowing full well that he’d fucked up yet again. Standing in her doorway, tail between his legs Daniel tried to get her to forgive him for the millionth time. “Look, I’m sorry, I just forgot,” Daniel explained. “Is he here?” he questioned. “Can I come in?” Daniel had never claimed to be a good father and while Aria had been adamant once upon a time that doing this on her own was what she wanted, Daniel didn’t feel right about it. “Aria...” he pleaded. “I fucked up,” again.