EBB TOLD

A chuckle from his lips, a genuine amusement that took over sharp features. Not only was this boy talented, he also had certain humor. Something about him spoke so eloquently it caught Nat off guard. "To give him the benefit, I'm not academically appraised either. As you said, we all have our strengths." Of which usually he would count his natural instinct for the supernatural as part of, but maybe that was limited to the dead rather than the undead. So far Edward just seemed like a normal, albeit intelligent and talented young man. For a moment dark eyes lingered on the hovering fingers a little longer, before eventually Nat leaned back to support himself with his arms on the edge of the piano bench. "Is that why I'm here? I mean I thought I had an idea why Emmet told me to come watch you play and for a moment I thought he wanted to hook me up." Now he thought of this suspicion as silly enough to grin about, after all who would try to get their friend to be with their little brother. Even a gym head like Emmet wouldn't think of that, right? Made Nat feel a little silly.

a soft chuckle escaped his throat, tongue darting out to quickly wet his lips a little bit. "i wouldn't put that pass him. he's always telling me that i need to take the stick out of my ass and have some fun. that i work too much and leave no room for play." then again, he hadn't been told that was the reason why nat was invited. knowing his brother, it would have been easy to assume. "but you don't have to do anything you don't want to. knowing that you enjoyed hearing me play is enough for me to walk away happy. i can tell em that you rocked my world if he asks, but he'll want details. up to you what you tell him."

"Sounds like Emmet was right, you are the smart one." Impressive to say the least, at this point Edward appeared like one of those wonder kids you see on TV who can do it all. Obviously Nat would not know that he was so much older than anyone would ever think. Regardless he enjoyed the talents displayed, simply nodding along to the sound of the song which did somewhat sound familiar to his surprise. Nat was no listener for classical music, but it did have a few hints of traditional sounds he was more than accustomed to. "That sounds beautiful, calming. Just right for this hour." He too didn't want to speak too much to not lose the magic of the moment, yet plush lips did curl into a little, sweet smile as eyes closed. "Makes me think of home..."

"in his defense, we all have our strengths. he can beat me at arm wrestling any given day, but i wipe the floor with him on a chess board." if edward didn't give emmett his credit, he wasn't going to hear the end of it. he didn't know if he was nearby, but he was sure he'd ask one of them how the night went so he wanted to be highly complimentary. he smiled softly as the song came into an end, finding his fingers still hovering over the keys. "that's why i like it. there's so much hustle and bustle in today's world, that people deserve a chance to sit down and take a break. to let their body be soothed for once." edward always thought music was a way to touch someone's soul. so he offer the same smile as he glanced over at nat. "i'm glad it seemed to hit home for you. means i've done a good enough job tonight."

❝      i  heard.    he  was  up  here  celebrating  with  anthenodora      .  .  .        it's  nice  how  he  makes  time  for  his  wife.  isn't  is  .ᐣ      "    words  fully  loaded  and  filled  with  accusations  but  at  this  point,  she  was  sick  of  dancing  around  the  subject.    she  loved  him,    so  much  it  physically  hurt  her.    but  he  didn't  seem  to  care.    about  her  or  anyone  else.    power  was  his  mistress  and  he  took  such  good  care  of  her.      eyes  roll  at  aro's  smile  as  she  leaned  back  in  her  chair,  legs  crossing  under  her  dress.          ❝     i'm  worried  about  marcus,  he's  quieter  then  normal.    i  don't  usually  suggest  such  things  but  maybe  he  needs  to  visit  corin.    i  don't  like  seeing  him  like  this    .  .  .      "

“   yes,  it  is.  i  hear  she  appreciates  the  level  of  protection  he  offers  her.   ”   he  wasn't  going  to  fall  prey  to  her  silly  little  games.  plus,  aro  did  genuinely  believe  that  everything  he  had  done  to  sulpicia  was  out  of  love.  well,  almost  everything.  getting  rid  of  didyme  was  for  power,  to  protect  what  they  were  forming  all  of  those  thousands  of  years  ago.  keeping  her  in  the  tower  was  to  ensure  that  same  fate  didn't  follow  him.  it  was  a  tricky  balance.  being  with  the  woman  you  loved,  but  acquiring  all  of  the  power  you  desired.  her  suggestion  made  his  brows  perk  up,  stepping  closer  to  her  again.   “   you're  right,  you  normally  don't.  which  makes  me  think  it's  that  dire  of  a  situation.  would  you  like  to  set  up  their  visit   ?   ” 

she watched him block her view of her boyfriend and she dropped her head in her hand. "i need more than a fucking smoke at this point," she muttered and shrugged. "i'm not even gonna say anything. he's got attention on him." she hitched her bag up across her chest and she sstarted making her way through the place. once she and jasper were outside, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. she ran her hands over her face and chewed on the inside of her cheek. tears glistened in her eyes and she just started walking. "i just wanna go somewhere that he won't find me tonight. i don't wanna deal with him now. i'll even shut my phone off." and she did right away. she dropped it back into her bag and found herself leaning closer to jasper, if only because of how close they were walking together. "i'd say thank you right now but i am so fucking furious and sick to my stomach, it would be half assed, so i'll thank you tomorrow."

maybe some tough love was exactly what she needed to start waking up to what was going on around her. jasper was going to delude himself into thinking that. it was a way for him to not feel guilty for ruining the night and bringing it up to her. "that's fine with me. you know how i feel about him." normally, he wouldn't express his emotions out loud like that, but emma deserved to know the truth. he watched her for a bit once they were outside, making sure to stay close in case she needed the support. the phone being off was both good and bad. her boyfriend couldn't reach her, but then again no one else could either. "do you want to go back to my place? a hotel? leave the city for a bit? go to the park with that little lake in the center?" he was listing off as many places as he could think. then, instinctively, he wrapped his left arm around emma's shoulders. "i don't mind. i know you'll be appreciative when you have a clear head. i'm not trying to hurt you."

❝      stay  married  to  him  for  three  thousand  years  and  you'll  see  the  cracks  start  to  form.      "      words  quipped  at  him  before  she  put  her  book  down,  figure  raising  from  her  position  walking  over  to  the  window.    head  tilting  slightly  as  she  looked  out  at  the  sunny  day,  humans  cheering  and  celebrating  underneath.        ❝      oh  it  must  be  saint  marcus  day.    that'll  make  him    .  .  .      somewhat  happier  then  normal.      "    figure  quickly  turned  around,    eyes  scanning  the  other  carefully.      ❝      come,    i  think  a  stroll  in  the  gardens  will  help  your  attitude  problem.    "  

“   ew,  are  you  telling  me  to  marry  my  father   ?   ”   a  soft  laugh  slipped  out  from  his  throat,  clearly  pulling  on  sulpicia's  leg.  when  she  mentioned  the  day,  alec  seemed  to  be  doing  the  calculation  in  his  head  to  see  if  so  much  time  had  passed  by  already  since  the  last  one.   “   do  you  think  he'll  make  an  appearance   ?   they  always  enjoy  when  someone  puts  on  a  show.   ”   the  priest  that  got  rid  of  the  vampires,  oh  the  irony.  he  quickly  sped  over  to  his  mother,  extending  his  arm  out  to  her  at  the  mention  of  going  for  a  walk.   “   i  promise  i'm  better  now.   ”

"Go ahead, look. I dare you. I welcome the inspection, actually, because I know what's gonna happen—you're gonna look, and you're gonna go quiet, and you're gonna have to come up with some new excuse for why you're suddenly so interested." He flexed one leg out to the side, calf and thigh tightening under soaked fabric, thoroughly pleased with himself. "Some of us did our homework, man. Whole package. Top to bottom. You're just mad you've got competition now."

to make sure that he didn't prove jon right, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "no ass is ever going to make me silent, no matter how big it is." with that, he stepped forward so that he could smack both of the man's cheeks, almost like he was inspecting them for good measure. felix nodded quietly as he took a step back. "okay, fine, your ass is big, but i'm still more taller and more muscular than you. guess we're at a tie?" how they were going to break that was beyond him.

❝      ignore  aro,    he's  not  exactly  sane  these  days.      "      his  other  words  brushed  away  as  if  they  didn't  matter  and  well  to  her  they  didn't.    she  loved  him,  she  loved  all  her  children,  but  sometimes  they  needed  a  kick  up  the  ass  to  remember  why  they  were  here.    why  they  were  chosen  to  serve  and  protect  those  around  them.    alec  may  not  remember  what  sulpicia  was  like  before  didyme's  death,    but  the  others  did.    that's  why  she  was  never  messed  with.      ❝     you  need  a  reminder,    do  i  have  to  ask  marcus  to  give  the  guard  yet  another  history  lesson  .ᐣ      or  will  you  behave  .ᐣ        "      

“   i  think  he's  doing  alright.   “   then  again,  why  wouldn't  he?  aro  was  one  of  the  sole  reasons  why  he  had  joined  the  coven.  why  he  was  alive  and  immortal.  he  would  never  badmouth  that  man,  even  if  physically  they  looked  more  like  brothers  than  father  and  son.  he  shook  his  head  slowly  at  the  mention  of  marcus  giving  them  another  lesson.   ”   no,  i  still  remember  the  stories.   “   he  didn't  want  to  sit  through  that  again.  he  might  be  the  more  docile  twin,  but  he  could  still  get  bored.   ”   i'll  let  them  be.   "   he  didn't  have  to  like  that  fact,  but  he'd  fall  in  line.

Entertaining the little brother of a work client wasn't actually protocol, yet through Emmet Nat had made his first new connections in the new city. One where he was all alone had it not been for the social party of his occupation. Being alone was never too good for the former shaman, too many spirits ready to bother. Even more so had he enjoyed this opportunity for a night out, now left with tracing the smooth surface of the piano with his fingers. "Thank you, don't mind if i take you up on that." A chuckle as dark eyes looked over, contemplating. "I don't know much about western classics, all my music taste is still from home. Introduce me to your favorite maybe?" This was when he swooped in to sit by Edwards side on the piano bench, more innocent intention behind it than anything else to watch those hands work.

sometimes, the bar owner left the keys with edward so that he could close up. no matter how late he stayed, he would somehow always manage to be up early the next morning to hand the keys to someone else. little did they know that he just didn't go to sleep, so he had all of the time in the world. "i don't only know western classics, by the way. i'll play you one now, but if you ever wanted something different i have an extensive library up here." he tapped his temple three times before his fingers landed on the keyboard again. he started to play clair de lune by debussy. that was always one of his favorites because it took him to another world other than their own. while he stopped speaking to let the music do the talking for him, he glanced at nat every now and then to see how he was reacting to it.

"a lot of potential risks out there, right? just sort of... ignited the deire to explore it but means some people are gonna do stupid things." even he knew the ocean was a dangerous place. there's a slow hum as he settles down on to the dock next to fred, before letting out a slow breath. "I uh. was also. maybe trying to flirt? but I basically only know how to resort to nerd rambles and figured if I got you to ramble it'd. make that a little easier."

"that comes with human nature, i guess. the risk of stupidity rising with new discoveries. everyone wanting to be the first at something." competition was another thing that confused him. he simply didn't get people, but he was a recluse so he didn't bother getting to know them either. "oh, uh, what?" his brows knitted together, forcing himself to look back out at the ocean so he wouldn't be rude. "you don't have to flirt with me to make me feel good. i know i'm awkward and nerdy, so you don't have to act like you're interested." now he was wondering if trent actually wanted to hear about the squid.

❝      friendly  reminder,  demetri.    i'll  break  your  neck  if  you  keep  talking  like  that.      "      eyes  looked  over  to  the  other,  a  hint  of  truth  echoing  in  her  chocolate  brown  hues.      sulpicia  was  not  a  liar,  nor  was  she  someone  to  mince  her  words.    younger  vampires  somewhat  annoyed  her,    they  had  no  idea  what  had  been  sacrificed  in  order  for  them  to  be  here,  in  order  for  them  to  be  safe.    demetri  should  know  this,  he  was  not  as  young  as  he  pretended  he  was.        ❝      like  i  said,  leave  them  be.    family  is  important.    it's  not  my  fault  you  have  non,  nor  is  it  my  fault  that  your  best  friend  is  felix  of  all  people.    "  

“   trust  me,  we  all  know  how  powerful  you  are.   ”   the  wives  might  have  been  kept  locked  away,  but  demetri  was  around  before  they  were.  he  wasn't  as  young  as  he  liked  to  come  off  most  of  the  time.  so  he  didn't  back  away  when  sulpicia  gave  him  that  look.  he  stood  up  straighter  and  stared  into  her  eyes.   “   felix  isn't  bad  company  to  keep.  we  can  all  take  a  page  out  of  his  book.   ”   he  did  have  a  family.  two  previous  ones  actually.  amun  ripped  him  away  from  his  human  one  and  then  aro  ripped  him  away  from  amun.  none  of  that  was  his  fault.   “   he  actually  likes  looking  at  the  bright  side.   ” 

she took another deep breath and rolled her eyes before looking away from him. "right." she mumbled and shook her head. when he said he could do better, she scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "oh, now you have nothing to do with this. you decided to approach me and tell me what's wrong with my relationship and yes, you could do better, but you have nothing to do with this. that makes so much sense, thank you, jasper." she nodded and closed her eyes as they flooded with tears. she covered her face with both of her hands as she tried to calm herself down. everything was becoming too much and her boyfriend was having the time of his life, unaware that a good majority of these people couldn't stand him. she grabbed her drink and downed the rest of it. "i think i need to just...disappear."

this was a prime example of what he was talking about. they were discussing her relationship and emma was clearly upset. where was her boyfriend? across the bar having the time of his life. jasper sighed softly as he stepped to the side, trying his best to block her view of the man in question. "let's go outside. say you need a smoke or something. he probably won't care." was he being harsh? yes, but it was the only way that he could think of getting her to listen. the only semblance of control he had left. if she wanted to go further than just outside, then he would accompany her. that was the least that jasper could do since he was the one that was putting her in this state. the others may have shared their sentiment, but they didn't want to hurt her. by that point in the night, he had to take that risk.