#semipara.

As soon as the bell rung after the last class of the day, she hurried out of the double doors in front of the school and straight to Jaxon’s truck. She felt awkward -- out of place, as if she was in a position she wasn’t supposed to be in and in some form, that was accurate. Her father had been against the idea of her going over to his house, and at first, wouldn’t allow it. The last thing Mallory wanted in the world was for her father to be angry with her, and potentially be the last thing they ever spoke to each other if one of them happened to die. Eventually, though, he eased up and let her go but wanted her back early. He wanted to meet Jaxon and his parents, but Mallory had pushed for that to happen another day -- a day far down the road.

[ His grip on his pipe tightens as he sees the figure lingering in the woods nearby, the boy’s entranced had yet to arrive but one he already knew was here. The boy yells for her to come out ——

“Why have you come?”

 » ➵ « [ & —— oh did he love when             they played. the back of his tunic                   scraped against a log’s bark,             with lips quirked upwards. it was                   playful and risky. the daggers             were definitely real. it was all part of the             game. and though evenly matched in a                                           way he’d always W I N             the stubborn boy refused to be defeated                                                                  by himself.

            he plants his heel into the other’s knee,             p u s h i n g  him down and pressing the             dagger into the racing pulse of their neck ]

     [ There's blood trickling down his throat onto the back of his tongue as he laughs, its sharp and metallic. Prickling at his senses whilst adrenaline still loiters in his veins. His nose is smeared with red, half dried, vibrant from the oxygen it had drawn from the air.

          The boy coughs, setting a halt to his breathy, tattered chuckle. His shoulders are still heaving from the run,  the edges of his lips were turned dry, though his lips are still spread abroad. A finger lifts to touch the gash down the taller seated in front of him. ]

                        "N a s t y one that is."

     [ His skull is still ringing with the blow dealt to his head, fucking hell why couldn't they just take one hit and let him off? It was just a little trinket. Running his tongue over bloody teeth he gave a low humph, landing on his head face down. He'd worry about the blood later. Anyway it was black sheets.

                There's a voice somewhere behind him and he props himself up to check who. Catching Shock behind his door, Bren rolls his eyes, smearing away the blood still slowly dripping from his nose. ]

                           "'m not even surprised."

           "Now now, dearie. Hate to have to take this.

                                     You will get him to give up Henry. Understand?

                  Think about it. You and him get your happy ending. He doesn't die. No one back in Storybrooke is surprised by your failure. You look fertile. Maybe another child?"

This is the road to ruin,

and we're starting at the end.

The leaves were already spotted with amber tones, drifting towards the ground and being picked up by the biting winds. Fall was coming. Fall meant cold. Summer was ending. Less ease of access to outdoor pickpocketing, people didn’t frequent going out in this windy sort of weather. Frankly, he and the Boys didn’t have much choice. Their ‘home’ was outside in the bitter air.

The younger ones were already complaining about wanting to eat, asking why they had to keep away a pile of food. Felix and himself tried to explain, it was to save them up. But for some reason they couldn’t beat it into their heads, anyway, they needed a bit extra to survive until the winter, so maybe a couple more houses couldn’t hurt. Motioning his second in command to go to a neighboring residence Peter approached a dainty looking house, crouching to get a nice view of the lock and pushing though it’s pins until they clicked, unlocking the door for him.