a brief calm before the storm (feat. @firstlomidze)
set right before this
She was around the city when the news hit, flashed on every TV she could encounter on display and buildings. The news warning of a hurricane coming to hit the city, the force still unknown... the hurricane alone was a surprise, not one they had expected and Lana wonder how much of it was nature and how much was something supernatural, but she didn't have the time to ponder too much, not if the warnings were anything to believe.
Arriving to their shop was easy and she was unsurprised by what she found. Kore seemed to be more focused on their stuff than anything outside. Safe for her, she guessed. She rushed to their side, hands resting on their hips from behind, unbothered by the possibility to scare them. "You're coming with me."
They've been up since before dawn, not uncommon for them when they're working on a new project. Music blares in their ears as they carefully mold the metal to the client's specifications. It's meticulous, painstaking work that demands utmost focus, and they let out an undignified squeak as they hear the sound of the door's chime simultaneously as hands pull at their hips. Immediately, Kore reaches for an awl on their workstation, but finally recognizes Lana's voice.
"Lana, what the hell?" they twist out of her grip and loosen their hold on the makeshift weapon. "What are you doing here? What time even is it?" They look out the window and pause at the darkness before glancing back at the clock on the wall. "What's going on?"
There's no remorse at the sound, and the clear surprise in the other's face. She merely stands there, stoic and unmoving as they tear from her grasp. And she barely contains herself from grabbing them again, pulling them with her and away from the store. There's always something with them that gives her pause.
She rolls her eyes, because of course they haven't even noticed, and a perfectly shaped eyebrow raises as she eyes the weapon on their hold, as that'd help them at all, and the evidence of their work. "Early still." She says evenly, looking back up at them. "There's a hurricane coming and you're not staying here."
They blink twice at Lana's calm response, as though she didn't just say a freak weather phenomenon was happening. "Hurricanes don't-" Then again, it's Port Leiry, and anything seems to have a knack of happening in this city. Their mind flickers through several different explanations for it before remembering that's not the main concern.
"The shop, I can't leave it," Kore shakes their head. "Not like this." Their work is delicate, like like spun-sugar that would be obliterated by 125mph winds. They start pulling down the shutters they use to deter robbers, but the metal wouldn't do much against a storm like this. "I need to get something to board this up. There's a hardware store down the street."
The raised eyebrow seems like the only answer needed to an unfinished question, and she can see Kore's brain working to find a reason for the sudden weather change before a frown settled on her features. "Are you joking with me?"
The question isn't pointed, there's no anger behind it but just a drop of frustration as she sees them move. There's nothing in this store that can't be replaced and Lana wonders what it'd do if she just forced them out of here. "A hardware store? What part of you're not staying here did you not even understand? We're going, now."
Their face is blank in its seriousness, not bothering to stop as they continue moving about the shop to figure out how to protect the most of their life's work. "And what part of I'm not leaving the store like this did you not understand? You can go if you want, I'll come meet you when I'm done, but I'm not leaving until it's done."
They don't expect Lana to care about any of this, but it's the only thing they have to show for in this world. Magic or not, they've created something out of nothing, and they won't let nature take it away without a fight. They only have one main window to cover up, and hopefully the rest would be protected by the building itself. "I'll be right back." It would be easier with the vampire's help but Kore wasn't about to ask an ancient vampire to do manual labor for her.
There's tension growing in her body that comes only from the anger at being spoken to in such a way. It's been a while since Lana had been challenged like this, and by a mortal human. She would had snapped the neck of anyone else just for making her waste time, but this?
She watches them move about, securing things like the hurricane wouldn't destroy it all if it reaches them. Its only their words that make Lana snap out of her anger and she stares in surprise as they head for the door. She rushes in front of them in a second. "No." The single word is spoken as a hand falls on her hip, the other pressing the bridge of her nose. "What do you need?"
Kore jerks back as Lana appears in front of them, blocking them from the doorway and they straighten up, tilting their chin to meet her eye. "My main concern is the front window. A board, maybe two, to at least try and keep it from shattering." Kore looks around at their shop, grimacing slightly at the devastation they can already picture. They don't need their magic for that.
"I'll get my most important things in the safe." They brush their fingers along Lana's arm in thanks, before moving away to do as they said, so Lana can do so herself. The quicker they move, the sooner they can make it up to Lana for being a nuisance.
She almost scoffs at the request, she's not sure a board would be enough, doesn't even know how big this hurricane is going to be since no one seems to even know where it came from. But she just nods, mutters a simple "Alright." Her stance softening just a bit at the light brush and speeds off the store before Kore's even out of her sight.
She's back with the boards in seconds, doesn't even feel bad for the dumbfounded expression left on the store attendant after the compulsion and she sets the boards on the sides. She imagines Kore has the tools to even set them up on the windows, and she sees them putting jewels in the safe from where she stands. "If I help you put these up, will you finally leave with me? Or are you just gonna wait here for the hurricane?" She stands behind them in a blink. "Come on, it'll be faster if I hold them up for you."
They work to move their gemstones and precious metals, along with their prized pieces, into the safe that is built into the ground, something thieves -or a hurricane- couldn't carry away. There is no way that all of their products could fit, but at least they could protect what they could. Lana is back before they're done, but they don't hesitate before dumping the rest and slamming the safe shut.
Kore fetches a hammer and some nails, gratified and surprised by Lana's help, but they don't question it in this moment. Instead, they work in tandem to get the boards secured as best as they could be in a situation like this. At the least, it might prevent broken glass from making too much of a mess.
"Okay, done. We can go." Kore grabs their phone and wallet and shoves them into the pockets of a jacket they sling over their shoulders. Everything else would have to wait.
She can't remember the last time she did something like this for anyone. Nor any kind of labor, for nothing in return. And Lana doesn't want to stop to question herself for the reasons behind them. She wants them safe, and alive, because she can use their magic to her will and she enjoys the rush it gives her when they dare challenge her, as if they didn't know the danger she poses, nothing else.
She doesn't dare give any other reason for the way she reaches out to them and holds their hand as she gets them out of the shop, waiting for them to lock it up. "We're going to my place." It's far enough from the heat of it that it should be safe. She only hopes her dear sisters decide to wait the hurricane out somewhere else.
Lana's hand is cool to the touch, yet lights a fire in Kore's chest that beats off the worst of the chill. Now that they're outside, they can more fully understand the unnaturalness of the storm and why Lana seems to be so unnerved. This wasn't something that anyone could have predicted, and that means it's impossible to know where it will end.
They're not surprised when Lana offers her manor as a place to settle in for the storm, and offers no protest. "Did you drive, or are you going to continue being my knight in shining armor and sweep me off my feet?"
She can already see people rushing about with the winds picking up. And the news still seem to have no reason for this sudden storm. She doesn't think they'll find any, not one that humans could understand anyway and she only wishes to know who could be doing this. But it's something she'll have to worry about after it passes.
She hums, the first glimpses of a smile reaching her lips as she looks at them, pulling them closer with a tug of her hand, her free arm circling around their waist. "I hope you don't get dizzy easily." She doesn't wait to answer before running away from the store, Kore secured in her grip. And she only stops when the manor is within her sight. "How was that?"
Kore barely has a chance to gasp before they are swung into Lana's arms and they're speeding off. It's as exhilarating as they remember, eyes shut tight but feeling the wind against their skin either way. It's over all too soon, and Kore chuckles breathlessly as they open their eyes to look at the vampire.
"That never gets old," they say with a grin before leaning up to kiss her. They're away from the public now, away from prying eyes and the anxiety over the pending storm flows away now that they've secured shelter. "Should we get inside or are you gonna scowl at the storm some more?"
Most of the tension in her body finally leaves her the moment their lips touch, and she pulls them in closer to kiss them just a little longer. She can hear the beating of their heart, still rushed and erratic after the run, now that they're away from most of the city's chaos and she wants for nothing more than to take them.
She pulls back though, enough to look at them with a raised eyebrow. "I don't scowl." But she moves away as the words leave her, securing their hand in hers once more to walk them to the door. She can already hear noise inside and she can only hope her sisters didn't decide to have company.
