#retrospectral

But that would mean leaving behind the life he has painstakingly carved out for himself, as hard as it is. Throwing that away felt wrong, and somehow it had managed to all work out. The last box is finally pulled from his truck, and Kevin carefully tilts it up and pushes it toward the house.

Morgan is already inside, placing an order from Doughfellas, and Kevin is still overwhelmed with gratitude at the woman opening up her home to him. Ever since they learned that the other knew about the fact that they lived in a supernatural hotbed and the fallout from the gala, Kevin knew that he needed to tell Morgan about his second job, and he should do it before he got settled.

He leaves the dolly parked just past the entryway of Morgan's house, a place he'd been to countless times before, but it felt different under these circumstances, with all of his things here. Before he could start second-guessing himself again, Kevin pushed through into the kitchen where Saturn was flopped under the table on her belly with a curious Star circling around her and trying to entice her to play.

"Hey, before we do anything, I wanted to um..." He feels tongue-tied, looking at the woman who has never judged him and has opened up her home to him. Kevin should have said something before, but after the Gala and the way the devastation and betrayal on Jude's face has haunted him, he kept making excuses and putting it off until this really was the moment of no return. "You should know I have another job," he blurts out. "Um... meeting with people who um... pay for my... time?"

He hopes that Morgan can read between the lines and quickly launches into an explanation before he can lose his nerve. She already knows about the financial difficulties his family had faced over the past few months and how it has ended up with him on her doorstep. He goes further now, explaining how he had been offered this opportunity and the extra income had helped for a while until his mom had been laid off, but it's still something he plans to do to help support his family from a distance since he can't do anything else.

She stood across the street, watching as the last of the occupants trickled away from the arcade and the flashing lights inside began to turn off. There weren't many people wandering about at this hour, not that Kiri particularly cared if there was a witness to her actions tonight.

There's a simmering fury that lays in her chest where her heart used to beat, one that surges even higher when she catches a glimpse of her target tonight inside the building. Her feet are carrying her towards the arcade before she can even think about it and she steps past the threshold imperiously. Kiri takes in the whole of the arcade and doesn't bother to hide the way her eyebrow arches in judgment.

She walks further into the arcade, following the sound of the woman's voice. "So," she interrupts, uncaring whatever it was she was talking about. "You're the bold little bitch kissing my wife in front of the whole city." She smiles sharply, hands clasped before her as she takes her in. "We haven't been introduced yet. My name is Kiri Stephens. And you are?"

The night is progressing smoothly thus far, though the hour is still early. With anonymity at their disposal, she has no doubt that things will descend into mild chaos. Such was the fun of these events, and half the reason for throwing them. It was odd, when people gathered at functions like this. There were creatures of all species, and she had no doubt that some of them were even hunters, mingling among them like a silent threat. She doubts they would be so bold as to make a move tonight, right in the middle of the lion's den, but then again, she doesn't count them among geniuses.

She watches from her perch, higher up than all the rest for a better viewpoint. Conversation, wine and blood have all flowed freely and despite the anxiety that had gripped her earlier, Laure feels herself relax. It is odd to be at such an event without Kiri by her side, and she supposes she may have overcompensated a bit by bringing not one, but three, women to accompany her. Suddenly, she's grateful for the masked theme, not that she's being all that subtle to begin with.

"Morgan, if you please," she says, gesturing for the woman to follow her and expecting her to obey. She takes her out towards the dance floor and begins leading them in a slow waltz, away from other pairs. "Are you enjoying yourself? Be honest now."

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Other than for keeping up with appearances, face showing and chitter chatter, Hester occasionally picked up on scents she really shouldn't pick up on in this place. One of those was a scent she recently learned to recognize. Hester could pick senses apart easily - like a photographic memory, she stored each and every one of them in different labeled boxes inside her brain. She could really picture it like that, too.

After a not really important conversation with someone who drifted off to find more drinks, Hester dipped into the direction of the restrooms to chase a very specific scent. She didn't need to fix her make up, she didn't sweat underneath the mask, but she could pretend to put her focus on different matters. Like fixing her tie as she occupied one of the sinks next to the familiar face. She took her mask off, laying it to rest on the marble, so it would be easier for Morgan to possibly recognize her. ''Hey there,'' the blonde finally glanced over at the other through the mirror, a tender smile gracing her face.

''This is something else than the arcade, did the beep boop machines finally get to you?''

"Besides, my wedding ring turned 21 today so I think that deserves a round of drinks. Dec's gonna cover the closing shift at the arcade tonight, so you just tell me where we're getting dinner and I'll take care of the rest," she said -- and despite the politeness in her voice, that was an order. Morgan isn't going to let Kevin waste the evening alone (unless his family has other plans, which she isn't sure of). "Oh! Almost forgot. I got you a little something, it made me think of you."

That 'little something' is a nice, somewhat pricey gaming chair. Because if he's gotta take a load off, might as well do it with good lumbar support, right?

He hasn't gone out of his way to remind anyone about today or make any plans, knows that he would be a downer on any kind of celebration. His mom apologized for working late, and promised they would have a family dinner on Saturday, but in truth, he is almost relieved at not having to pretend tonight.

Still, he knows that Morgan would never forget this day because it is meaningful to her in other ways, and he tells himself today can be about both of them, so she doesn't have to spend the day alone. So he doesn't protest when Morgan says they're grabbing dinner tonight and instead spends the afternoon thinking about what sounded good. He always circles back to the tried and true, and at least with Morgan and Doughfellas, there is some constant that he can hold onto.

Most of the time she found herself surrounded by white walls, sterile rooms and modern technology she got quite the hang of in the hospital. Technology outside the hospital though? She was still getting the hang of how exactly a smartphone worked. So when she unlocked the thing after her shift and read a couple incomprehensive messages, or texts as they were called, she couldn't help but giggle to herself.

Ez Babybrother: los Ez Babybrother: lo s t thi Ez Babybrother: thinggfg Ez Babybrother: ff fffffffff😭 Ez Babybrother: ret/, retro carscdae Ez Babybrother: ciyt rretro in townnn;🥹🫠

Thankfully she wasn't the only one struggling with this whole texting thing, she thought to herself as she said her goodbyes to colleagues she met along the way out. So Ezra had lost something, someplace, somewhere. It didn't take long for her to figure out he must mean the arcade he had mentioned a few times at home. It excited him, still Hester hadn't had time to check the place out. Checking the time, she still had a few hours left before sunrise. She could make a run for it and see if it was still open at this unholy hour.

Upon finding the place, it was way brighter and noisy than she expected it to be - not that she had any idea of what to expect. Hester wasn't familiar with arcades, with videogames and all that jazz. The sounds were not that different from the beeps and boops she heard at the hospital almost every night. As her feet moved past the entrance, she found herself in a whole different kind of world. Is this how a kid would feel? Like stepping inside a candy store. For a moment she forgot her entire reason as to why she had gotten here, entirely entranced by all the arcade machines around her.