#wickedxhell

The plan was simple — get the last ingredients on the list, and call it a day. She had nearly everything, yarrow for inflammation, goldenseal root for infection, and calendula for the healing itself. The list was clutched in her hand, ink smeared slightly at the edges from sweat and the damp press of her fingers. Aylin was stubborn about it, not wanting to use any of the antiseptics on herself when so many others, with more serious injuries than hers, could use it. She opted for the more traditional route, the vampire bite, after all, wasn't going to take forever to heal. Not with the right ornaments. The stitching itself had helped, but she still wanted to make sure there was no room for any infections. The bite was still raw beneath the gauze, tugging painfully every time she turned her head.

She turned too fast. The stall behind her curved inward, and before she could register the shift in space, she collided with someone — tall, steady, too close. A sharp inhale caught in her throat, her hand flying to the base of her neck like instinct, making sure to protect her wound. She froze. Just for a second. Monty. Standing there, looking at her with those dark eyes, and for a moment, it was like she had never left that room. She wasn't scared of him, no, but with everything lately, Aylin couldn't help but be more jumpy than usual. “I almost elbowed you in the ribs.” she murmured, a lie, “I thought your nose hated places with so many herbs. ”

She was ready to go out for the night, bag tucked over her shoulder, crammed with way more than she should've been able to fit in there, when she ran into Lenus. It wasn't an issue getting caught going out, but she'd rather no one have known. Annalise sighed and pushed past him; she had someone to meet after all. "If you could not tell anyone you saw me leave, that would be great. They've already underestimated me my entire life, and I know they're gonna talk shit. That's fine, but I'm gonna keep on living the way I want to live. Right now, that means going out and getting fucked up, and keeping that between you and me. You understand?"

The Pit Stop always smelled like burnt cinnamon and oversteeped hibiscus tea, the kind of place that tried to soften its edges with mismatched armchairs and thrifted poetry books. It was late enough that most of the Market crowd had disappeared into their holes or their vices, and Isolde wasn’t so much walking as prowling, one hand wrapped around a lukewarm paper cup she hadn’t paid for. The forge heat still clung to her skin like memory, ash at her collarbones and a streak of soot where she’d wiped her jaw. Whatever charm the night held, it was wearing thin. Until she caught the shape of him.

“Well, well. Who do we have here?” Her voice came with smoke at the edges, familiar and smug, like he’d stepped into the snare without even realizing. She didn’t stop walking, just veered a little to meet him on the sidewalk, eyes raking over the silhouette of him like she was checking for pockets deep enough to hold something illegal. “Tell me you brought me something shiny and morally questionable. Or at least something cursed. I’m starting to feel neglected.” Her grin curled like fire licking up old parchment, all teeth and invitation. “If not, you’ll owe me. And I’m very creative with debt.”

"You've made your worst mistake here; it might be your last one, too." Azagi chuckled dryly, her knife twirling through her fingers as she approached Belgr. Their speaker, the one who was meant to do what was best for the demons, yet what had he ever done for them? Poked his nose into business that wasn't his, threatened people that weren't his to threaten. Oh no, no no. The wrath demon wouldn't stand for that. "You'll have run out of bones to break when you and I are through. Feels a little like cheating, when you revel in the sloth, but I'll teach you to threaten what's under my protection."

The smell of sterile metal and ozone always clung a little too long, and even after all these years, Aylin could still not get used to it. It was funny, she was used to the smell of blood, alcohol, and all the herbs they used, but not this. She wasn’t really unfamiliar with this place — gods knew she spent enough time in the infirmary surrounded by every tincture, concoction, and medical device Axel could scrape together, but this place felt different. Colder. Less personal. Maybe it was the machines humming low in the background, or maybe it was just the feeling she got the moment she stepped past those doors. Still, she was here. Officially on assignment.

She didn't particularly like him. In fact, there was something about Corbin that gave her a bad feeling. There was something about the way he moved, the way he was, and despite knowing how mean that would have sounded if she said the words out loud, Aylin couldn't ignore that sensation of something behind her ribs being every time he approached. “Commander asked me to share some findings with the lab. Figured I'd start here.” she said, barely looking at him. “Is this a good time, or should I come back later?”

The secret tunnels, even though they were not yet familiar, had become somewhat comforting as Aylin knew who was waiting for her at the end of the route. She had only used them twice so far, once alone, once with Monty, and a part of her hoped she wouldn't take the wrong turn and end up in another wolf's room where things could get ugly. Moving quietly, the young human held onto the small protective charm she had gotten just for him, hoping it wouldn't drop in the barely lit surroundings.

The door gave under her hand, and Aylin paused, peeking in to check whether it was the room she meant to end up in, only to let out a sigh of relief. The room was empty. That was good. She didn’t want to run into anyone else here, didn’t want to have to explain what she was doing sneaking into the beta's room like some lovesick idiot. Not sure what time Monty would come around, she just dropped her coat over the closest chair, securing the small charm in the pocket. She could wait. All night if needed, maybe say hi in the morning. Just smile, hug him, and go. Gods, she hoped he'd show up. Hesitating for a moment, her legs carried her to the bed. He wouldn’t mind. Right? It was supposed to be just for a moment — just until he got back. What was Aylin supposed to do, sit in the corner in the dark? There were not many ways to keep her quiet after all. The pillow smelled like him, and the blankets were too warm, and maybe, just maybe, she was more tired than she thought.

There was something about Doctor Jacobs that had always sent shivers up Aiden's spine; though he was a wolf now, that clearly hadn't changed. Jaw steeled when he saw the man, but the curiosity about The Refuge and how its scientists were doing got the better of him. "Doctor Jacobs," the young wolf started, offering a small smile, "How are you doing?"