Remi Felix

He might have been brave right before it happened, but it seems like the more he thinks about reuniting and talking to people he used to - the more he wants to shrivel up in himself. His apartment's gone, so he doesn't have a place to retreat to. But Jude knows there's a few places and people in town that might give him a heads up.

And he's still wearing clothes that don't quite fit right and aren't warm. When he shows up to the fire station, it's for help, he says. No apologies to be made, no reuniting, just.. a normal guy in need of some resources.

"Hey - uh, is there anyone in I can talk to about.. shelters and free clothes and stuff? My feet are like icicles out here."

Remi took a beat to examine him, held tilting at the took in the soaked clothes. "I can help you out with that. We've got some stuff here in the station." Remi paused, biting their lip as they thought. "We can also offer you a hot shower as well. This winter has been…. long. Are you new in town?" Remi trailed off, they didn't have words for the weather. It shouldn't be lasting until may, let alone still be dumping buckets. But it was, and Remi couldn't control the weather they could control offering and hot shower and some weather proofed shoes. "How much do you need? Couple days worth, new wardrobe?" Remi pulled out a clipboard, ready to make notes on what they would need to pull.

She tightens up at the clap on her shoulder and nervously sips at beer - some local seasonal thing leftover from Christmas - and swallows it down along with the modicum of embarrassment caused by suddenly being the center of the bar's attention as Remi throws out a tidal wave of offers before they seem to realize and quiet down to a conspiratorial hush.

"Just a license, I guess-" is her first answer. She and Aria hadn't talked too much about specifics yet, and for Autumn, it was more about the promise - the idea that, no matter what came from now on, she wanted to meet it alongside her. "We don't even know if we want some big thing or not..." Another sip of beer aids her in trailing off as she rolls her shoulder a bit. "Of course I'm sure," she says - confused at why she wouldn't be. Then again, she might be asking the same thing if the roles were reversed here. "We'll probably start planning stuff once Spring hits," She's interrupted when a basket heaped with chicken-wings arrives - Aut's treat - and she doesn't waste much time in pulling a few onto her plate. "Not to mean it like you're a last resort or anything, but you're one of the only people I still know enough to ask. I know we haven't known eachother that long but... I don't know, you helped pull me out of a funk last Summer, and I know how to throw a punch because of you."

There's AJ, sure, but she's not about to inflict this on him - he'd probably say yes, but, well - neither she nor he need the stress of Astor involvement in planning a Wedding.

It dawned on Remi slowly the second half of the best man duties. "If your gonna give me this honor, than I'm gonna do this thing right. " Remi pulled out their phone, opening the notes app and typing out headline AUTUMNS WANTS. "I'm assuming the normal strippers, and penis straws wouldn't be like the bachelor party of your dreams. We could maybe rent out 205 Drive-In, do some old favorites on the big screen? I know they do the Wednesday horror nights but…." Remi paused, and underlined the headline, before setting the phone down. "I'm jumping so far. You said spring. But like you deserve to be celebrated and I want to make sure you don't feel like an after thought." Remi reached into the basket of wings, plucking one from the basket, not moving it to their plate but rather directly into their mouth.

"Did you ever dream about getting married as a kid?"

Autumn doesn't... do... the pack thing.

It's not that she hasn't tried. It's not that she thinks she's above it.

It's just that she doesn't think it works. For her. Anish seems to think it would be helpful, but she hasn't really thought through why or how that might be the case.

The Old Man preaches things like patience and pacifism while also making sure she knows who is in charge. The others give her space - space that she's asked for, certainly, but since Jude, she hasn't exactly felt like a part of things, and knowing that the person in charge thinks that taking her lick and learning her lesson is the way to go has done a number on any interest she's had in playing the part of the obedient welp.

So she's focused on other things - like life. Like friends. The ones who're still here.

"So uh. Yeah. We're uh, we're doing it!" A nervous breath of laughter. "Getting... married." Like it's still settling in. There's a commotion at the door as somebody slips on the iced-over steps that lead down into the basement speakeasy of The Heron club; several of it's patrons laughing at a stranger's misfortune; collective joy in the face of the inclement weather.

The furor dies a bit, and she turns back to Felix. "No clue when, just yet? But... you know... soon - hopefully before too long. I was uh... wondering if uh, you know - I don't even know if it's gonna be like, a wedding wedding, but if there is, I was wondering if you wanted to... you know, do the best... I don't know, best man- best- person, whatever?"

"Hey yo!" Remi let out an excited whoop, a grin breaking out across their face. A bright spot in the world that had gone cold. "Congratulations! I know y'all have worked hard to get to this point together." Remi clapped Autumn on the shoulder, squeezing slightly, barely able to restrain themselves from sweeping the other wolf into a large hug. Their hazel eyes barely sparred a glance as someone new entered the bar. Even the commotion that the ice caused couldn't distract from the larger wolfs joy at Autumns announcement. There was a twinge of jealousy under the tide of joy, the love Autumn and Aria held for each other was terrifying, but wonderful to behold. It made Remi yearn for it that next step. But part of Remi knew they couldn't ask that of Vanessa. The curse of being in love with someone who would never age. Remi wondered how Autumn dealt with the crushing march of time.

A girlfriend, then. Oksana would have viewed that as simply a hurdle, once upon a time. Breaking homes was quite good fun when she wanted to cause mess and mayhem without the blood accompanying it -- Though, she often made up for the lack of gore in the end.

There was a wistful tint to Remi's voice as they finally began to speak again. "Have you ever been on a street alone, at like 2am after a fresh snowfall? The whole world is this unique kind of silent. Then you catch sight of the snowflakes reflecting the light of a street lamp and you're reminded how every single snowflake is unique and the beauty in that. That's what its like watching Vanessa dance. " Remi felt their face start to flush as they realized how much they had started to ramble. Instead turning to deflect the from the vulnerability of their description "But I didn't catch your name? I'm Remi. "

If someone hadn't beaten him to the punch, AJ would have ripped the teeth out of this moron and watched them choke on it. Instead, there's a Samaritan preaching consent and permission and Astor's caught between being bloody impressed and double vision — not to mention the vibrations beneath his feet, encouraging him to get lairy.

They're funny too. They no less tear the amusement out of his stomach when they talk about percentages. The vampire's out of its depths, between Astor and the new arrival. An apology is a kind, merciful out for someone who had nearly bled him with their fucking fangs. AJ grips the vampire's chin, held steady by the stranger.

"Far kinder than I'd have been." He murmurs, dragging the sharp edge of a nail down the vampire's face; an intentional, penetrating streak of gold burrows and morphs the skin. But it's flesh deep; a scar and nothing more; it doesn't spread, just makes it known that AJ's spared them, as has the stranger playing hero behind them.

PROMPT: [...] — The vamp trades his freedom for a trinket, a [YELLOW GEM] that will duty-bind a werewolf to do one favor to you.

Dust might have suited them better.

Gold-flecked eyes flicker to the stranger; a gratitude he'll have to extend, now. Because his guard had been slipping, where his high is ravaging his inhibitions with every new line of blow, and every sip of the drinks he's improving by means of alchemy, some shouldn't dare touch. Cocky, ever since he aided in Godmaking.

He denies the voices in his mind anytime he thinks he hears them.

"You get off playing saviour, or are you just that nice, mate?" Questioning, behind a smile. Astor can't think of anything more infuriating than sparing a vampire in a trade and then owing someone else something for keeping his neck fang-free. He's got half a mind to pay them off for it, so he doesn't have to think about it again. "Cheers, I guess for — scruffing the cunt."

"You say nice like its a bad thing." Remi said with a slight chuckle. Raising an eyebrow at the question. "First thing I learned in kindergarten, treat others like you want to be treated. Golden rule yada yada." Remi shrugged slightly, trying to brush off what almost felt like an accusation. "Plus bodies dropping in the middle of a party tends to be a buzzkill." The werewolf felt a tinge of regret at their choice of costume, desperately wishing they had pockets to shove their hands into. They hovered uselessly at their side instead, twitching slightly at the want to do something. "Wasn't the first asshole I've scuffed, and probably won't be the last." Remi responded before offering their own hand. "I'm Remi by the way." They hadn't really thought this course of action all the way through. What came next. The awkward hovering of experiencing something with a stranger "Do you not do things to like.. be nice?"

For a moment, she wonders if she hated herself enough to be up on this stage - the attention she could get from showing skin was not comparable to the attention she could get from skill. Oksana did not bleed to be lesser.

A drink will do. Get her minds off of these women who would rather show ass than show talent. Dancing. Pah. A week with her, and these girls would know the difference between a pas de chaval and a rond de jambe rather than how to position a heel on someone's crotch.

Lips curling, she moves to the bar lest she dwell and the anger surges. She orders herself a rum, and barely registers being talked to before she catches a familiar scent - she can't quite place it, but it's enough for her to turn her head towards the person speaking. Her head tilts. She studies. Another smell comes from them, and her eyes narrow. Wet dog.

"A few." She murmurs, though she's not going to admit that her interest lies solely in making a bloody show for the patrons here. "Not quite, my large friend. I've been here once." She holds up her index finger, and takes a sip. "Not a fan of the view?"

There was a restlessness in their air that set Remis teeth on edge. However Remi knew better than to show weakness, better to play a fool then prey. "Theyre all quite good. Hard to go wrong." Remi offered with a smile, they would consider a decent amount of the dancers friends through Vanessa. They tipped their beer bottle slightly towards the stage. "Less about enjoying the view, and more about the fact my girlfriend works with them so I know them a bit to well." Remi shrugged.

césar’s honed into harford bullshit tonight, so he’ll play the responsible packmate, for once. he doesn’t know much about remi, but césar happens to think he knows enough. he’s heard from both avi and yuisa that there’s been fuckery concerning the wolf and warwick, and despite his lack of attachment regarding the pack, césar does care about that. it’s some deep, possessive instinct, more than any human kind of compassion for remi’s pain. regardless of what he feels, he’s approaching them all the same when he catches them at least close enough to where the alcohol is. césar needs a drink after spending the afternoon playing uncle to a little girl that deserves far better than she’s getting, anyway. still, he purposefully joins at remi’s side. he’s not a gentle man, but in this moment, being polite does flicker across his consciousness.

Amber liquid was half way to their lips when they heard the voice of one of their pack mates broke the ever grinding noise of the party. Remi shifted slightly so César was on the side with their good eye.

"Hey César." Remi tilted their glass in a mock toast before taking the shot. The older wolf unnerved Remi slightly. The lines blurring between wolf and man, tangled ever in each-other.

"Not exactly my normal haunt, but I'm also not gonna leave anyone hanging. Are you… ready?" It felt like a weird dance. Not openly acknowledging everything that was simmering under the surface. "Drink for luck?"

The best way for a party to get good is to go a little hard at the start, so the bar's set nice and high so there's no bloody boredom to take his mind. There's a DJ he's never heard of playing tracks in a warehouse that reminds him of Unit 58's bank holiday weekends. Mental, often underground and with a lot fewer ravers than he's seen tonight. Port Leiry's winning in some aspects. Imagine.

AJ's never saying that aloud.

Downside to going a little heavy on the blow and the alchemy influence from the get-go is that Astors let his guard slip; he's found comfort in a costume of humour and villainy that gets him praise, as much as it gets him wariness.

PROMPT: [...] — you're about to get your neck nailed by a stray vampire — [...]

Astor turns around because there's a cold, icy hand clamping on his shoulder. Vice-like, and enough to cut through some of the drunkenness and elation. What the fuck?

But AJ's slow — a bit sluggish amongst the crowd of rave-happy citygoers. He's still not sober, and magic isn't always fast to reach when he's using the same power to play into his euphoria. Chemistry and the arcane are formidable for it.

Thats when they spotted the vampire, hand clamped around a party goers shoulder. Remi had become well aquatinted with what a vampire looked like when they were about to feed over the last year. Based on the look on the other mans face however this wasn't a pre-negotiated scene or arrangement. Remi moved quickly grabbing the vampire by his hair, yanking his head back and away from the party goer. All the pent up werewolf energy and strength going into their grip. Their other hand moving to grab the vampires arm and pinning it behind his back

"Yo! You need to ask for consent before you go biting someone. " Remi growled into his ear. "There is plenty of people that are into that shit if you just ask. This town probably has more kink per capita then anywhere else in the state. Jesus man."

Remi yanked the vampires hair again and directed his attention to the man he was going to bite. "Say you're sorry." Remi said, pushing his arm futher up his back enough to cause some pain.

Usually when she was there things felt so easy, comfortable. Eating dinner with them, and getting wrapped up in them on the couch as they introduced her one of their favorite TV shows. She had never really gotten sucked into tv shows, but tucked back against their chest as they shared trivia and personal background with the show she understood the appeal. It’s what she had been hoping for tonight, just time together in a place she felt safe and comfortable. But watching the werewolf, and the small feline wrapped around their ankles, she had the sinking feeling that was not what the night had in store for them.

Things felt different, tense in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It made her want to run. She hated feeling like she was on uneven footing and not knowing what was the correct or safe move. But even with the uncertainty and tinges of fear that coursed through her she knew Remi would do nothing to hurt her, a white knight from the moment she met them she knew if she tried to walk out they would let her. If she balked they would stand steady. If she told them she was afraid, they would comfort her and put any of their own needs aside to make sure she was ok.

Steadying herself, she shrugged away the insecurity and mentally donned the white knight armor, borrowing it for herself for a few minutes. Moving slowly around the counter she came to stand in front of them, still mindful of the small cat not wanting to step on his tail, and gently tangled her fingers in the hem of Remi’s shirt. “I don’t know what I’m doing, I’ve never done this before.” she admitted, letting all her vulnerability bleed into her words. “But I am here, and I want to be here with you. And I don’t want to just be here as a pretty face, and a good fuck. I want to be there for you, I have no idea how the fuck to do that, but I want to try, if you’ll have me.” It felt alien to show vulnerability, to open herself up for heartbreak and the opportunity for someone she truly cared for to cause irreparable damage. But she knew that if she wanted to keep Remi in her life she had to start giving too, and letting them in.

Yet castles crumble, dreams fade, and peace never lasts. Remi's eyes fluttered back open only to be met with the shadows of an ungodly time in the morning. The smile that had been pulled to their face by the mere presence of Vanessa faded slowly, a heaviness settling onto their shoulders. Leaning against the counter top on their forearms, their eyes unfocused staring out the window and far into the night across the city. Remi jerked slightly as Vanessa tangled her hands into the hem of their shirt. They hadn't even realized she had moved closer. "I'm sorry I'm so out-" Their apology cut short by Nessa started to speak. The vulnerability in her words stopping the werewolf's half muttered sentence before it was even finished.

"Baby.. hey, hey" Remi turned towards the smaller vampire pulling her body closer to theirs, wrapping their arms around her shoulders. Tucking the dancer into their larger frame like it was second nature, Vanessa's naturally cool skin grounding their racing mind. Heartrate slowing as it tried to sync with Vanessas non existent one. "I want you here. I want you." Their voice cracked slightly at the end, as if even admitting something so simple would cause the apartment to crumple and collapse in on the couple. The act of wanting, needing, was so against everything that had been set out of their life. An act so transgressive of their purpose that the universe would smite them for even daring to breath the words out-loud.

Remi was supposed to be the strong one, they had been told so their whole life. Oldest Sibling, and then someone to fill the hole their dad left. No time to cry there was a job to do. Yet Vanessa left work early, brought tacos and wine and was worried about Remi. What the fuck were they supposed to do with that? How did you put down the weight of the world when it was all you had ever known. Remi leaned down burying their nose in Vanessa's hair, taking in the scent of pomegranate and rum with a hint of copper that seemed to always follow her. A smell Remi had come to crave in their darkest moments. A sweetness with a touch of primal that sang of safety and comfort to their senses. "Can we sit?" Remi didn't wait for an answer, tugging Vanessa by her hands towards the couch.

Settling onto the well worn in fabric Remi felt their tongue twisting inside their mouth. Words being born, just to curl in on themselves to die again before ever leaving their tongue. The building anxiety broken as Rusty found her way to the touch. Jumping onto the sofa with a loud "mrrrrrrrp" that cause Remi to breath out something that could be understood as laugher but sounded more like the dying gasps of a strangled goose. Rusty nudged against Remis hand, purring aggressively until they finally relented and starting petting the needy creature.

And at first jump she's about to shrug and whatever and pack up and go, but the tip comes from a vaguely familiar voice behind the bag, and Autumn blinks in momentary confusion and then sudden recognition of Remi, looking up into their eyes with sudden surprise. Oh shit, she realizes - this is Remi. She knows Remi. Kind of.

She's staring, she realizes, a little lost suddenly, looking from Felix's six-foot height to the bag, still subtly swinging with the force of her botched blow. She looks at her thumb, too, while they explain. Red cheeked, she averts her eyes to her fist, where her knuckles hold broken scars from a dozen angry outbursts. Thinks about how they used to look so soft.

Full Moon Club breakts the mute spell that's sort of fallen over her, and she shakes her head- 'Uh y-yeah, yeah, sure." Her hand sort of falls to her side for a second, and she looks back up to Remi. "You're a w- a...?"

Remi gave a slight smile, a low chuckle leaving their lips. "Not creepy at all. I'm kind of like.. tall to say the least." They rubbed the back of their head trying to defuse the tension that seemed to hang in the air. Mistrust but the desire for some sort connection in the world designed to break "I remember you too. All the fire alarms, bad luck with some popcorn and all. We would sit on the swings and talk. So we can be creeps together." Remi held out their hand, a bridge, an offering. "I do some private training in my free time, if you'd be interested?"

That's how the weeks went, the familiar ground of them gym. Light conversations over the clanking of metal plates. Books, Movies, Music. In-between the swaying of punching bags and quick corrections. Vanessa, and Aria. Thick Laughter in the ring as Remi wasn't fast enough with the hand mats and took one to the jaw. Fragile friendship building one one brick by brick.

"New York eh? Looking forward to it? Worried at all? I've met Vanessas sister once and it was like oh shit your 400 years old and want to eat me. I hope it goes better for you." It had been slightly deeper, after the conclave, the shared ground of dating a vampire letting Remi be a little bit more honest than they had. Remi wracked the last plate from their bench press. Took a swig from their water bottle. "Gonna miss having you around through."