#howmcnythings

CASSIAN HADN’T MEANT TO STOP. he had stopped by to pick up something. was halfway down the hall, keys in hand, already thinking about heading out when something in caly’s doorway caught his eye. it wasn’t unusual for her door to be open — or for pieces of fabric, thread, something creative to spill out into the hall. that was just… her. but this—

    the measuring tape on the floor.     the sticky note beside it.

that made him pause. his brow furrowed as he stepped closer, slower now, like his body already knew this wasn’t something to brush past. he crouched, picking them up carefully, eyes scanning the numbers once—just once—but it was enough to make something in his chest pull tight.

“ …shit. ” he breathed, barely audible. for a second, he just stood there. staring at the note like if he looked long enough it might mean something else. s o m e t h i n g easier.

    it didn’t.

his jaw tightened, but he didn’t storm out, didn’t go looking for her right away. instead, he stepped fully into her room, setting his keys down on the nearest surface without thinking. the tape and note stayed in his hand. cassian exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over the back of his neck before he moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

and waited.

he didn’t rehearse what he was going to say. didn’t let himself spiral too far ahead. he just sat there, quiet, the weight of it settling in his chest — heavy, protective, worried. by the time she came back, he’d be ready. or at least… as ready as he could be.

THERE WAS SOMETHING SETTLING ABOUT WATCHING FIRE BURN. the warmth. the c r a c k l i n g sounds of something burning. the bright light you just couldn't look away from. heck, could even be the scent of burning wood. it just felt comforting. for a man who rarely knew peace, this moment, sitting here alone waiting– brought him the most peace. seeing adelina and than henrietta. . . it didn't bring the comfort is should have. or at least, it didn't feel complete. something was off. so he sat there and waited. wasn't fully sure why–- at least not until he heard HER.

NORTHKNOT WAS NOT WAS SHE WAS EXPECTING... in fact, it kinda sucked if she was being honest. great timing to start coming out of your shell. she bitterly thinks to herself. she hasn't been around long, but already she's questioning if she should leave. i mean, she's a vampire, death doesn't surprise her, but this was a lot. trying to clear those thoughts from her mind, ash looked around. the street was pretty dead, so she was able to try to focus on the journal in front of her. she was working on her next book but for some reason, kept pausing. sighing, she glanced up again only to make eye contact with someone she hadn't thought of in so long. for a moment ash thought it was a figment of her imagination. blinking, she focused again and still saw maggie. a look of confusion came over her features before turning into a look of excitement. using her vamp speed, ash stood up and rushed across the street and gave a quick " magdalena! " before she rushed to hug her. anyone who knew her nowadays would know this was out of character for her. but she thought her sister was head. once she realised that she reacted before she even could process any of it, she quickly let go and stepped back. " i'm sorry. " she had no clue how mags would feel about her... after all this time.

ASHLYN HADN'T PLANNED THIS. that was the first lie she told herself as she stood just outside the threshold, fingers curled loosely at her sides, gaze fixed on a space that felt far too familiar and not nearly familiar enough all at once. she had spent centuries imagining this—finding magdalena, speaking to her, understanding—and somehow, now that it was real, the words felt heavier than they ever had in her head. she had learned more in the silence than she ever had from maggie herself. fragments. p i e c e s. stories that didn’t quite fit together unless she forced them to.

and now there was gabriel—another truth unearthed, another thread tying them together in ways that should have been impossible. ash exhaled slowly, steadying herself before finally stepping forward. “ you’ve been busy. ” her voice was calm, but not cold—measured, careful, like she was testing the ground beneath her feet before committing to it. Her gaze lifted, settling on her sister fully now, searching her face like she was trying to reconcile memory with reality.

THE WEIGHT OF IT WAS HEAVY–- but not something she couldn't carry. no, no, not when it came to illiris. there wasn't a weight kaia wouldn't carry for her niece. she'd seen the signs before anyone said anything. started with noticing illiris wasn't around much, then she started hearing from her less. it didn't matter if kaia was the one reaching out. then recently quinn reached out. vague but concerned. kaia was ready to rush over on that alone. but then mini also reached out. and for a moment her world s h a t t e r e d. not again.

THE SNOW HAD SETTLED INTO THAT QUIET, untouched stillness that made everything feel paused—like the mountain itself was holding its breath. aldara moved through it without sound. her gaze tracked the ground more than the horizon, sharp and deliberate, following the faint d i s t u r b a n c e of prints half-filled by fresh snowfall. she slowed near a cluster of trees, crouching just enough to brush her gloved fingers over the marks, studying the spacing, the depth. “ it’s favouring the back leg. ” she said, voice low, more certain than speculative. “ not recent… but not old enough to have healed. ”