#rory001

Farm animals were Ophelia’s latest obsession. Goats specifically. When she had informed Roman of that, all he could do was laugh in her face, because of course he would. Still, his apparent taunting had left her upset enough that he couldn’t help the wave of guilt wash over him, and asked her how he could make it up to her in a desperate attempt to not fall out with her. Which, in hindsight, was probably her plan all along.

Note to self, Roman grumbled internally as he trudged along next to his smug little sister at the farm, guilt was weakness. Weakness was meant to be weeded out. Weakness got you spending one of your few days off at the fucking petting zoo.

He was sure Meadowview Farm was fine for families or people really into knowing how cows and sheep spent their days, but for two siblings on the wrong end of forty, who individually had enough money in their pockets to do a full private tour of a Kenyan safari, it just seemed…crap really. The only silver lining was that Illinois summers seemed more-or-less dry. If they were in England, they’d be wading through boggy mud. There were also llamas, which Roman supposed wasn’t too bad. Something different, interesting enough that it had the bassist reading the placards. “Warning, may spit unprovoked. Maybe I should put that sign up in the shop — oh.” The humiliation set in almost immediately, thinking he was addressing Ophelia only for his sister to have swan off to talk to one of the keepers about some boring animal factoid, instead finding him talking to a man about his age instead. Still, maybe he’d heed warning about the spitting thing, and just fuck off all the same.

It had taken some time for her to gain her composure back, for air to settle back into her lungs. There was nothing she could do for Theresa now, she had told herself, except her job. But that didn’t make it any easier, and she stood next to Rory who probably thought she was certifiably insane by now, fidgeting with the ring on her small finger - Theresa’s ring - and praying for strength, for the first time in a long time.

it was possible that living in downtown castor, especially the polis, had gotten cleo too used to having everything open and at her immediate fingertips. just the right amount of tipsy from the drinks she got at the bovine, she’d suddenly wanted to indulge in a spongy-sorta cake. the unlit bakery, however, was not the image she wanted to see after taking the time to walk all the way there. swearing a little too loudly, she hadn’t realized she’d drew the attention of a vampire nearby.

“got a sweet tooth?” the disembodied voice had cleo spinning her head around to try and place it, but no sooner than a blink and the pale man was sidled beside her.

cleo pulled back with enough sense to try and get a hold of her pepper spray. there was a distinct lack of having the actual expertise to use it, so it settled awkwardly in her grip. “back off.”

the gentle laugh coming from them didn’t match the sobering feeling cleo was getting. “i like sweets too.” before she could even get to using her weapon, it was knocked out of her hand and he approached her slowly, backing her into the bricks.​