i'm not looking to be found

"Yes. Is that even a question?" He smirked back at her, hardly missing a beat. A deep laugh escaped his lips now as she called him ambitious. "You say ambitious, I say I'm a realist who just so happens to know how great they are in bed. But, uh-huh. Sure. Because that's what you like about me. My reckless confidence and not anything else," He let out another deep chuckle as he moved past her, reaching around her hip to grab a disposable camera and a waterproof case for it as well. "Oh? And I'm the ambitious one?" He tilted up an amused brow as she moved to wrap her arms around his neck. He was about to pull her in for another kiss, only to catch the cashier's expression from over her shoulder, evoking a deep laugh from his lips. He hadn't been given a shriveled up look like that since he was a teenager, but then again, they had been all over each other, barely paying the cashier a few feet away any mind for a bit now, so he was sure they probably seemed somewhat lovestruck teenager adjacent.

Her next words cut through his amused demeanor, stealing his complete and utter attention once more. "Don't be." His voice returned to a whisper as his gaze locked with hers. "It might be a terrible thing, but it's not one you caused. So, there's nothing to be sorry for," He promised her. "It just is what it is," His shoulders lifted and fell into a shrug. "You're the one sticking around, Ariel. Pretty sure I should be thanking you, though," He grabbed the credit card from her before she could hand it over to the cashier. "I can buy my own gear, Princess," He told her as he moved to hand the cashier his black card instead, offering the siren's card back to hers, before he moved to pick up the rather hefty amount of equipment he'd unfortunately need in one hand, no less, so that she could occupy the other. "Lead the way."

As Vivek laughed, Ayza spared a brief look over her shoulder toward the cashier. Upon seeing his disgruntled expression, the siren shot him a dazzling smile and blew a kiss in his direction. PDA had never bothered her, and she quite liked to think she excelled at making people uncomfortable, so this time she bridged the distance and finished the kiss he'd begun.

As the pulled away, his words echoed in her head. You're the one sticking around, Ariel. She wondered if he knew how very strange that sentence was to hear, how strange it was that the words were true. She had spent the majority of her life running, and part of her was always waiting for that instinct to come back, like it might one day strike like a snake, and just like that she'd be gone--disappearing into the night.

She did not fight his interference with the payment; she could pay, but she had never really felt the need to prove it. If someone else wanted to spend their money on her--and despite the fact that the equipment was for him, the expense was still very much fulfilling her whim--she wasn't about to say no. Once they'd finished at the register, she practically dragged him outside, leading him excitedly by the hand down to the shore. The moment they reached the waves, Ayza stopped and kicked off her heels. For a moment, she simply stared out at the horizon, appreciating the view of all that blue, that place where sky and sea touched. Then she turned back to face Vivek. "Where would you go first, if you could leave?" she asked.

"I disagree. And it's not that I believe that people are inherently good or bad either? But I do believe in karma and that all relationships are a give-and-take. So, if Ken showers me with all the love and adoration I could possibly dream of, I do think he deserves all the love and adoration in return. Especially when we've exchanged vows and promises between each other. And I don't think its wrong to want to be the best version of myself I can be because of him, not because he asked me to, but because being around him, he has inadvertently rubbed off on me and has made me want to be better. And in terms of the general universe sense, the universe and the world don't owe you anything, sure. But that doesn't mean that there aren't times when you deserve things, especially the things that have been promised to you, right? I mean if you were to buy that bag right there, only for me to never actually give it to you, you paid for a bag and were promised such. Don't you feel you deserve what has been promised to you? If you make a contract with someone verbally or otherwise, there is an expectation to uphold. And what are marriage or relationships of any kind if not a verbal agreement? You chose to give someone your time and effort with the expectation that they will do the same if the situation is reversed and if the other person isn't upholding their side of the relationship, you break things off, cut your losses, or get revenge. So while you might say men don't deserve anything ever, I think I'd argue that Ken deserves the time, benefit of the doubt, and consideration of the few people he chooses to give that time and energy to, like myself and, if you consider him your friend, then you. And in terms of my hobbies, the reason I decided to take a break from it is because him choosing to be legally married to me means that anything I do, especially anything legally questionable, will fall back on and affect him whether he likes it or not. So, while he knows who he married, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't also be careful not to ever get him wrapped up in my own business, you know? In some situations, I might not be able to help it, but where I can, I like to ensure all ends are tied up, is all, which can be hard to do when only so many tourists come in and out of town and, as you know, the locals like to talk. But-"

"Thank you!" She playfully curtsied. "I'd say the same, but I have a feeling you'd give a much better show if you knew you had an onlooker," She admitted as she walked happily arm and arm with Ayza away from the scene of the crime. "Honestly? I felt a little rusty. I should've been quicker with the croissants, but the timing aside, it felt... like," She let out a breathless smile as she found herself admitting, "like I really missed the rush."

"That's quite a lofty bit of morals from a thief," Ayza noted. But her words were not spoken as an insult or judgement, just an observation: Leyla's speech was morally sound and responsible. Stealing from strangers--people whose actions they did not know and therefore could not judge as deserving or not--was not so morally sound and was certainly not responsible. "A good speech, mind you. And you two are very sweet together. But it's wasted on me, I'm afraid. You can only be the best version of yourself if one has a good side to begin with. I, however, do not carry that particular burden." A sentence she could say because without lying she genuinely believed it: she had convinced herself that all the good in her heart was long gone.

Once upon a time, Ayza had stolen only out of necessity. She only hurt those who hurt her first, only took from those who could afford it, and she only cheated a system that was rigged against her in the first place. She had taken what she needed to survive, done what it took to live another day in a harsh world. But times had not been so tough for her in a very long time. She hadn't needed anything in a long time. She took now out of habit. Out of boredom.

As they walked away from the scene of the crime, Ayza gave Leyla's arm a soft squeeze, putting on a glittering smile. "Well, I'm glad you're happy." Not just about the thrill of theft but in her successful relationship too--a happiness Ayza was not ready to admit she was jealous of, but a thought that had snuck up on her from time to time. Everything Leyla had said about relationships and reciprocity seemed beautiful--it also seemed like a quick way to get your heart broken. Suddenly, a strange and confusing part of her actually felt bad for drawing Leyla back into crime; if she were a better person, wouldn't she want to protect the poor girl's peace, the better life she was carving out for herself? "For me, the show is most of the fun," she agreed. "How did you get so good? I don't think I know the story."

The words were spoken with a bit of heaviness, an inkling that hinted at decades of being a vampire and the curse of immortality that meant that when one couldn't die, the consequences could stay with you for just as long. She was hoping that every heartache would become lost to time eventually, luckily while there were certain things and broken relationships that haunted her, she didn't have a lifetime of pain to unbury. "I always wanted to be more than what I was but I was scared of crossing that line that couldn't be undone, it was hard to not compare one self to your magical neighbors growing up human in this town, it was only when death was near that the choice became crystal clear."

"I tried shadow walking. I went home to my parent's place in Shadow Lake, scared my mother who was doing some full moon gardening, she's always said the tulips grow better underneath the full moon. Maybe it's the Ley lines giving them more power. Luckily they choose this town, so there's nothing that could truly terrify them. Even their daughter sprouting fangs."

His joking tone softened as he listened to Ivy speak about her human life in Lunar Cove. It was one thing he couldn't imagine. Magic was something he'd known about from the second he was born, and as he'd been quite happy as a witch, he'd never felt envy to be anything else. "It's good that you had a choice." He said no more on the subject--like that, if he'd had a choice, would he have chosen to be what they were? If he'd known what was going to happen, would he ever have agreed to it? "And you're already making the most of it. It seems to me that you've become exactly what you were meant to be."

The story about her mother made Ewan smile softly. It was good to know there were parents like that, support that had no bounds. He only hoped they lived very, very long lives, so she could go as long as possible without the weight of knowing what it meant to outlive everyone you'd ever known. A grim thought--all the people he'd seen live and die in the last half millennium--so he kept that particularl thought to himself. "That's good. And the rest of it? You adjusting alright to being a vampire on the day to day?"

Swaying to the beat, bass pounding in his ears, the young man moved somewhat clumsily, the visage of a person who both had rhythm and knew how to utilize it but who was simultaneously just a bit too overjoyed for precision. His form was frantic, driving, touched by a degree of almost reckless abandon.

In that moment, he placed his hands on the other's shoulders, moving in closer to dance with him properly. "You're...you're a vampire, right, bro? That's sick as hell, brah. I wish I could be a vampire. You're all hella strong and shit. For real, for real," he practically shouted over the music. "I can't...I'm totes just a zombie, you know? So I can't be nothing else. Don't get me wrong. Being a zombie is pretty rad! Someone said I should eat brains since I don't got one, though. That's rude, right? Whatever. I get everything I want. Who's complaining?"

That was all to say that Ewan did know this song--but he also thought music these days just wasn't made the way it used to be. It was hard to be too grumpy about that, however, when Todd was in front of him, dancing with the reckless joy of someone who didn't seem to care what was playing over the speakers as long as it had a beat. "I gotta get me one of whatever you've been havin'." The only reason Ewan was able to let go and dance so carelessly was because he didn't really give a shit about anything anymore, and the whole world seemed absolutely meaningless. But he had to hope Todd wasn't quite so jaded.

It might have been hard for a human to hear over the bass, the music so loud it vibrated through the floor and walls. But Ewan was not human, and he could hear Todd's rambling just fine. He bit down an amused laugh. "Just?" He shook his head. "Nothing just about it. You came back to life, mate. And you got to keep your humanity. Not a lot of people get to say that. You're a goddamn miracle." He clapped the other man on the shoulder and gave him a small squeeze. "I'll switch places with you any fucking time you'd like." As for the people who said Todd needed a brain, "Fuck 'em! They're some gobdaw! That's the best thing about coming back to the world of the living: you can do anything you wanna. Be whoever the hell you want to be."

"Everything?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "And what do you want?"

"What can I say? I have a refined palette," Ben said. He leaned back, laughing. "Are you attempting to show off, Ewan? I don't know what to say." He took a sip as the vampire did, setting it down. "That makes it sound quite horrible, but come on, if we don't believe that the youth has a chance, then what do we have?" They were teaching the bright young minds of the future. Sometimes, that was a rather hopeless thought. Not always, but sometimes.

Ben nodded, a faux somber air taking over. "A world without Andrew Jackson would have been a better place, certainly," he said. he hummed. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink," he started. "You can, however, heavily encourage the horse that drinking water is for the best, you know? Which is to say that each day is a new adventure in learning what media literacy actually is." Class discussion could get lively, at least. "How's life outside of school treating you?"

"Well cheers to that." He tapped his glass against Ben's in 'toast' and took another sip. No matter the jokes he made, he thought that teaching was one of the last few noble professions there were, and he admired what Ben was doing. The way he saw it, it was far more work to understand stories and art than to relay dates and facts like an old man telling war stories--which, in many ways, was exactly what Ewan was. To Ben's question, he shrugged. "Spent the winter break looking for the entrance to the underworld; didn't find it. But at least things haven't been boring since I got back. Thinking about getting a pet tortoise. Little baby one." He held up two fingers, very close together. "Watch it get old."

Option A where: Lunar Cove Public Library

"It's the alphabet, Bartholomew," Rivkah said with an exasperated sigh. "Not rocket science." She plucked the book he'd unceremoniously shoved onto the shelf, placing Fitzgerald, F. Scott between von Volkman, Richard and Vonnegut, Kurt. If she had her way, they wouldn't be in the same section, but the public library was organized differently to her own personal library, and even the one at the university. She pursed her lips. "I know you know your alphabet." The boy, sheepish, looked up at her and shrugged. He probably wanted to be here much less so than she wanted him here, sorting her shelves incorrectly, but the boy had was here for community service, so it wasn't as if she could send him away.

"Sorry about that, Misses R," Bartholomew very thoughtfully and melodramatically said. Rivkah just barely refrained from rolling her eyes.

"It's Miss," she corrected with a hiss, "and no you're not. Don't lie to me." She leaned down close. "I see right through you, Barry. Now put the books away properly or I'll make you redo the entire section."

She wasn't a cold person, per say, but she knew the type of kid Bartholomew was-- she'd been just like him, at one point-- and she knew a gentle hand was only something the troubled teen would take advantage of. So, tough love it was.

The sharp, shrill ding! of the front desk bell pulled her away from her post, towering over the teen slumped on the floor. Unfurling her arms, she headed towards the front. "Hello," she greeted, putting back on her easy, relaxed smile, "how can I help you today?"

---

Option B

where: New Leaf Bookstore

As Rivkah dragged her fingers along the spines of the books on the shelf, she couldn't help but pluck out each one out of place and put them back in where they belonged, if it was close by. Perhaps she just couldn't help it. Every now and then, she'd pull one out and add it to the growing stack in her own arms-- some new titles, some old, some she already owned twice over. It didn't really matter to her what genre or author or section, they all went in the pile if they caught her eye. She had at least four walls filled top to bottom with shelves of books, and while some might call it hoarding, she liked to think of it as an abundance. A collection, though she kept the actual rare and unique tomes in a separate room, filled with only two walls of shelves.

Her finger paused on an old, threadbare spine and tapped against it before tugging it out. Next to her, she noticed someone perusing the shelves as well, but when she noticed that they had not pulled out a single book yet, she leaned over and whispered (because bookstores were library adjacent, of course), "Need any recommendations? Or are we just window shopping today?"

Since their move to Lunar Cove five months ago, Will had tried to keep their life as stable as possible, but that was easier said than done when his sister's newfound magic was anything but normal--and how could he convinced her there was magic hidden in the pages of a book when she could now create real magic herself? But he was sticking to the rule he'd set, that she had to read at least one book a month, and that he would cut off her internet access to "help her concentrate" if he had to.

Almost immediately upon entering, his sister spotted Barry and rushed off to talk to someone closer to her own age. Will watched her go with a weary sigh then turned his attention to the librarian. "Hi." He leaned against the front counter and forced a smile back into place. "I wanted to get two new library cards, if we can. And if you have any tips on getting a teenager to read, I would gratefully take that too. Sorry--" He broke off, realizing he hadn't introduced himself, and extended his hand. "I'm Will."

Ben looked up at the sky. "It just happens, sometimes, though I'm sure there's a siren or two more than happy to make a nice day spring out of nowhere every now and then," he said, offering a tired smile. "But I'm a firm believer that there are a great many things about the natural that are just as magical as the supernatural. Is that cheesy?" Probably. That was fine. Ben wasn't lactose intolerant, thankfully.

"I'm doing alright. Making it. What about you?" Ben asked. "Have you been settling into town alright?" He was never the kind to pressure humans into joining the Coalition; it defeated the point for people to be forced into joining something they were unsure about, and the option to join or leave was always available as they desired. Still, he liked keeping in touch with the humans who hadn't joined that decided to stay in town, if only to make sure they knew he was still available to them. "You weren't hurt doing the most recent ordeal, were you?"

Making it was not the same thing as thriving, though Will supposed that was a lot to ask of a town that had been through as much as Lunar Cove. Still, it was hard not to notice how tired the other man seemed. How much had he had to endure already? "This all must seem normal for you, I suppose." Will could only assume that the longer you stayed in a place like this, the more accustomed you became to the strange and unbelievable. But for someone who had just learned magic existed less than a year ago, everything about Lunar Cove still felt like a miracle. Will shook his head. "No, no, I'm alright. I've had the good luck of not being a part of much of anything yet." He tapped his knuckles to the nearest tree to fulfill the superstition of knocking on wood--just in case. "Is there anything I can help with? I know I don't know much about the town yet, but I'm a fast learner; put me to work, and I promise I'll figure it out."

"And here I was thinkin' more like Batman or GI Joe or somethin', but sure I suppose Allen works too," She teased. "Ah. Yeah, I've been there. I've got a high school kid myself. I'm a single mom, I'm afraid. Hope that don't scare you off," She offered up, glancing back over her shoulder towards the high school in a similar manner as to how he had gestured towards the middle school. "I'd like to tell you it gets better. The every thang you do is embarrassin' phase, but I'm pretty sure at this rate it won't wear off until she's gone to college and even then. Though as a big brother, I'm sure you get more of a pass than you would bein' a dad, right? Or is that just wishful thinkin'?"

She was very close now, close enough to note the many shades of gold in her sunshine hair, and the particular tilt of her smile. "That's giving Batman a lot of credit. He's got one costume. Barbie's got hundreds. Plus she's an astronaut." As for her being a mother-- "Would be a bit hypocritical of me to be scared off by that." Figuring he should be explicit in explaining his situation--especially since she had just laid out hers--he added, "I'm my sister's sole guardian. Our parents died when she was a baby so--" He shrugged. "I know that doesn't quiet make me a single dad, but I do like to think I know my way around a school bake sale. And the way I see it, you being a mom is actually just another great reason you should get lunch with me. So I can keep learning from your wisdom." Exchanging parenting tips was not the first thing on his mind, but if it meant spending more time with her, he'd happily talk about homework and temper tantrums as long as she'd like.

"Oh. Because that will go so well," He mused, hardly phased by Ayza threatening murder at this point. "Forget about Poppy and the book, okay? She doesn't deserve your energy and I promise you I can find a lot better uses of your time instead," He reasoned, giving her ass a light and tantalizing squeeze as if to demonstrate before his eyes locked back onto hers, lowering the goggles in her hand as he directed her chin back up despite her trying to hide from his gaze.

"Should I be jealous?" He tilted a brow up at her, attempting to tease her before he tugged her closer to him once more. His fingers, all the while, were tracing small but reassuring circles along her hips. "I know you don't, but your personality isn't an acquired taste unless we're comparing you to fine wine that is. You just are guarded, is all, not that I can really blame you." He was guarded himself in plenty of his own ways. "And we both know your tits are incredible, but hey," He gave her chin another light nudge as he told her point-blank, "There are plenty of other reasons why you'd be worth sticking around for than just your looks. But we both know that not everyone who comes into your life is forever. Most come and go. But, if it makes you feel any better, I happen to be trapped in this town until I inevitably hit the bucket, so phenomenal tits or not, I'm not exactly going anywhere even if I wanted to." Which he often did, but those amazing tits were one upside of him being stuck in this purgatory.

"Okay," He gave her a slow nod after a prolonged beat. "Then, my little mermaid, show me your world."

She had been so ready to be irritated, stewing in her anger at Poppy--and the world at large--so the wave of relieve that washed over her as Vivek spoke was almost alarming. Her body pressed instinctively closer, even as she half-heartedly attempted to maintain a skeptical expression. "Do you think sex with you is better than righteous vengeance? That's very ambitious." Despite the strange, vulnerable feeling spreading through her body, Ayza managed a smirked and pushed her ass back into his grip. "Luckily, I happen to like reckless confidence." As for whether he should be jealous? "Yes, you should." Not because he had any reason to be, a fact she made quite clear as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed even closer. "You should go absolutely mad with jealousy."

But his next words were gentle enough, honest enough, to give her pause--and not just because she quite liked being compared to fine wine. "I'm sorry," she said softly. Her fingers traced through the hair at the back of his neck, her gaze softening. "I'm sorry that you can't leave. It's a terrible thing to feel trapped." She didn't leave town much herself these days, but she could if she'd wanted to. The heat she'd built up over the years--the law always right around the corner, the consequences of her own actions so close to catching up with her--had all but died off now. She could be a free woman. She could stop hiding.

The problem was, she was actually beginning to like her little life in Lunar Cove.

"It's pretty sick," Aaliyah agreed, smirking. And she was good at lying. It made up the majority of her life. She lied most days, rather than telling people who she was, why she was. She lied about her own name. "But, hey, there's not really any need to lie to them once they're pass the point of no return. There's vodka in the bottle. Water, too, but they can tell when it's added to cranberry juice."

Aaliyah took the glass and tilted it, watching as the liquid inside sloshed but never spilled. "It does something. I have to drink more of it, but it still does something. Not that different than you, right? I heard most fae are pretty fucking great at holding their liquor." She didn't even know if it was habit. Drinking had been a lot different for her when she was alive. Less fun.

"Lofty dreams," Aaliyah mused. She'd never wanted any of that, actually. Not even in her younger years. She was happy to be admired, but ruling seemed like a bit much. "You'd look hot in a crown. It's kind of too bad that being a queen in this town means petty squabbles and small town government."

"True." Her tolerance was, indeed, very high. Perhaps it was why she'd grown such an appreciation for fine wines and expensive tastes: one shot was hardly going to turn her night into a party. "But I have never been human. I have nothing to compare it to. Do you remember the feeling at all? Being human?" It sounded terribly vulnerable, and nothing scared Ayza more than vulnerability.

"I would," she agreed, admiring her own reflection now in the back of a particularly shiny bottle of booze; she'd like her appearance even more if she were wearing a crown. She wasn't sure she would ever enjoy the responsibility of being a queen--all the regulating and the mediating--but then again, how many rulers throughout history had truly been responsible? What she truly wanted was to be untouchable, safe in a gilded castle with all the trinkets she desired, no one ever able to tell her no or what to do. Being on the fae court did not quite live up to that particular fantasy. "It's one thing I don't have, you know. I have several royal jewels." All stolen, of course. "Necklaces and rings." She looked at her own hand and the ruby she wore. "But no crown. But you--" She turned her attention back to Aaliyah and smiled. "You don't hold on to your pretty trinkets very long, now do you?" She was referring to the vampire's work as a fence.

Kamran cleared his throat. He hesitated a moment, as if debating whether or not he could come up with something that sounder cooler than the truth. But imagination failed him, as it so often did when he needed it most. "Okay, so, when I was, like...I don't know. Eleven? Twelve? A stupid age, you know? I read this scary story on the internet about this ghost girl named...Jennifer. Which I know isn't a scary name, but again...twelve, right?" He shrugged his shoulder. "She scared me so bad that I guess the emotion awakened my latent magic. My family had been sort of dormant for a long time, I guess, and...intention needed a kick in the ass. So. Jennifer. A projection of my subconscious, all tied up with my witchcraft. Does that make any sense? No, right?"

He sniffed. "She's not, like...I do have a real familiar. Do you want to meet him? His name is Diet Pepsi. Do you like...magic lizards, or...?"

She listened, head tilted to one side, swirling her wine around the glass, as the boy explained his ghostly apparition. "Actually, it does. It might be the most interesting thing you've said so far." The idea of his magic taking such a shape, forming this monstrous, ghostly woman, was actually a concept she hadn't had before--plus, Ayza liked to think of power as a terrifying woman and was glad to hear that this boy agreed.

She bit back a laugh. "Do I like magic lizards?" He asked as if this were a common subcategory of animal most people were already familiar with. "I like all manner of scaly creatures, and I like magic, so I think the likelihood is high that I will like a magical lizard, yes. Let's see this Diet Pepsi." She leaned back, waiting for the lizard to appear.

"Please just walk around me. This is embarrassing enough as is," The pixie groaned, running her fingers across her face as she let out a small whimper in pain. With Ken adjusting to being temporarily powerless, she was trying to give him space as to not make him feel entirely smothered by his very attentive wife and what better way to spend her time than on flight lessons with Nyra? She had only attempted to take flight once or twice before since her wing had been damaged and, unfortunately, for her flight lessons hadn't exactly been going to well as she had barely managed to make it a few feet before she plummeted out of the sky and landed her ass in a bush.