Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL Skills: Shapeshifting
I laugh and watch them running, monitoring Nero’s movements before I dive off the bed in an attempt to intercept them. ”I can’t believe you’re making me chase you.”
The whole thing is rather amusing. I knew they were childlike and clever, but I didn’t know how childlike. It’s both maddening and entertaining.
I laugh, not getting very far before Caden catches me and I’m trapped in his arms. ”I can’t believe you didn’t enjoy it.” I retort with a peal of laughter, wiggling in his arms as if I’d rather be anywhere else. ”Well, what does the dragon claim as his prize then?” I ask, managing to turn around while entrapped so that I’m crushed flush against him, essentially having to rest my chin on his chest to look up at him.
Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL Skills: Shapeshifting
Before long, I have Nero trapped in my arms, completely refusing to let them go for fear they will run again, and that would completely undo me. Honestly, I don’t believe they were trying that hard to get away from me, for which I am grateful. Nero wiggles around in my arms, but I keep a firm hold, even though they manage to shift enough to look at me.
Their laughter is infectious, and I laugh with them. He looks up at me, and I look down at them, smiling happily, and my eyes shift back to normal. I rest my forehead against theirs, closing my eyes.
”Can my prize be you?” I loosen my hold on them slightly and place a kiss on Nero’s cheek, brushing my lips over their jaw and placing a trail of kisses towards their neck.
”I would prefer it.” I say, starting to feel breathless from kisses not even on my lips. When his hold slackens, I throw my arms his neck to hold myself up. I’m afraid that if I don’t, I might actually fall flat on my ass.
I nuzzle into Nero's neck, placing a kiss in the soft tissue just below their ear. I turn and walk back to the bed, so Nero has something taller to stand on. They still don't quite meet my height but they don't have to dangle from my neck anymore.
I pull my head from Nero's neck and look from their eyes to their lips, remembering how they tasted at the restaurant. I swallow and force my eyes back to theirs.
”I thought you were going to make that harder for me,” I told them. I lift my hand and run in through their hair, watching their face for any reaction.
It's hard to stay still as he nuzzles my neck, the action tickling me and sending shivers up my spine. He pulls away and I pout a little, but close my eyes with a smile when he runs his hand through my hair, enjoying it. What he says next makes me raise an eyebrow and smirk. "I can make it harder if you'd like." I tease, letting go of him and playfully pretending like I'm about to run away.
”I’d really rather you didn’t,” I said. I reach my hand back out, grab their arm, and pull them back into me. ”Why must you drive me crazy?” I gently accuse. I run my hand up Nero’s back. My hand reaches the nape of their neck and secures itself there. The fabric of the turtleneck prevents me from feeling their skin, and I glare at the shirt like it offended me in some way.
I smirk at his comment about driving him crazy, but what he says next makes my entire face grow warm. I blink owlishly up at him as yet another shiver runs up my spine from his hand's movements."Ja, bitte." I manage to mumble, unable to break eye contact with Caden.
My fingers twitch when they agree. Part of me just wants to rip the outfit off and get it over with. I can always buy Nero a new one, but I don’t want to be that aggressive with them. There’s no need for it. At least, not right now.
I let go of their arm and cup their cheek with my hand. ”Just like yesterday, if you want to slow down, stop, or take over. You tell me.” I look into their eyes for a minute longer, letting Nero absorb what I said before I close the distance and kiss them.
The relief I feel with having Nero’s lips on mine is instantaneous. I kiss them deeply, my hand staying on their cheek while my other rests on their hip. I drag the moment out, feeling my own excitement build until my hands twitch on their body. I move them to the belt around their waist and loosen it. It falls away, and I instantly have my hands on the shirt around their waist. I untuck it from their skirt and pull it up and over their head. I have to break the kiss to do so.
I nod, smiling at how sincere he is with making sure I'm okay. My lips are soon captured by his and my eyes flutter close as I wrap my arms around him. My hand clasps his nape as I feel him undo my belt, my gloves falling with it. I quickly dart my tongue out to taste him, but he pulls away. A small mewing sound of disappointment leaves me and I feel my cheeks and ears warm with embarrassment, but luckily my shirt is tugged over my head and hides my flushed face. Trying to help, I let go of him so that Caden can pull the rest of the shirt off my body. For a moment, I feel shy, demure as I sort of just stand on his bed, my torso now only clad in a lacy black bralette. Not wanting him to see how much I'm blushing, I throw my arms back around him, pulling myself back into him and kissing him once again.
I only have a few seconds to take in how Nero looks before they have themselves pressed against me. Our kiss deepens almost immediately, and I run my hands up their back, feeling the raised scars, but I don’t mind them. I have many different thoughts running through my head when I feel those scars. Some I can’t act on, others I can at this moment. I run my hands lower, letting my mind fill with only thoughts of Nero for the night.
I bounce my leg up and down while I sit in my chair outside the house. I keep looking up and down the street, even though I know which way Caden is coming from. Even though I know we aren’t running late. Even though I know we’re going to be early. Yet I’m incredibly nervous. My body feels wired to blow. I pick at nothing on my white dress, unable to sit still.
Finally, Caden’s car comes into view. I pick up my bag with the bowl and envelopes and dash down the steps. I don’t wait for Caden to get out, and I pile into the front seat.
”Do you have—” Caden cuts me off by handing me the cheque. ”It’s an odd amount?” I double-check it before slipping it into an envelope and sealing it. It was a lot of money. I give Caden a look.
Caden
Location: Driving – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia didn’t tell me I had to wear white until this morning after Nero and I had gotten out of the shower. I wasn’t sure how long we had been in there, but when I checked my phone, there were five missed calls and multiple unread text messages, all from Cassi. She was panicking. Thankfully, I had a white outfit I could wear. I tried not to linger with my goodbye to Nero, but it wasn't easy to drive away. Now, I was being yelled at by Cassi.
”Yes, mon amour. You look lovely,” I tell her as I pull away from the house and head to the funeral location. The feng shui master was already there, meeting Nic and Mr. Wu for the first time to go over the burial location he had picked for the late Mrs. Wu.
Cassi fidgets in the seat beside me and I rest my hand on her leg. ”Anail.” She looks at me, frowning, but I take a deep breath in, waiting for her to do the same, and breathe out. We did this a couple of times before she settled.
”You smell like sex,” she tells me. I laugh, removing my hand from her leg.
”It was a fun night,” I say with a wink.
”You are shameless,” she tells me. I laugh again, but I can see her smiling.
I shouldn’t be surprised that Cass had gotten an actual feng shui master for my dad and I, but here I am. Luckily, my dad takes the lead and enthusiastically speaks with the master, their Mandarin almost too fast for me to understand.
My dad and I had stayed up for much of the vigil, with him telling me how he and my mom met, to the funerals of my grandparents, to them getting married. We were almost to why he and my mom left China when the vigil was over. We both went to my place to shower and change- my dad donning the traditional white, Chinese robes while I wore white suit pants with a white button-up and a white tie. Forever hating how stiff formal clothes felt, I’m constantly running a finger along the inside of my collar to feel less like I was being choked.
People are just starting to arrive and I see a car that screams ‘rich’ pulling up. I excuse myself to my dad to go greet who I could only assume was Caden and Cass.
Location: Driving —> Lì Wu’s Service – Chicago, IL Skills:
I switch to playing with my hair on the way to the service, nervously thinking about if I had done everything right with the flowers, and the master, and the white envelopes. We pull up to the service impossibly fast, and I see Nic walking towards us. I feel like I can’t breathe again. Why does he look so good in white?
I feel Caden’s hand on my leg again, a warm, steadying presence. ”Anail,” he reminds me and I nod. I take a deep breath in and out before I grab my bag and get out of the car.
I smile at Nic as he approaches. ”I brought a dish with envelopes for donations for after the service,” I say and present the white dish with gold inlay and the white envelopes. ”Did everything work out okay with the Master? Caden assured me he was good.”
Caden
Location: Driving —> Lì Wu’s Service – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia had always been a nervous speaker. She never stopped talking really. I walk around the car and nod to Nic. ”Cass, breathe,” I remind her, yet again, in English.
”I should remember to do that next time.” I say, appreciative of Caden’s help with Cass’ rambling. Odds were that I probably would have just kissed her again. Which probably wasn’t appropriate right now… no it definitely isn’t. I try not to wink at Cass while remembering that we had kissed yesterday.
Instead, I pull them both into a hug. ”Thank you for everything you’ve done.” I say before giving Caden a quick kiss on his cheek. ”Pass that along to Nero for me - Cass said I needed to thank you both properly.” I step back from them, grinning lopsidedly, before I take the bowl and envelopes from Cass.
I nod to them both, resisting the urge to ask Cass to sit by me instead. I head over to the table we have set up and place the bowl and envelopes there. My dad takes notice of Cass and Caden arriving and goes over to say hello as well. I hide my chuckle when he also kisses both of them on the cheek. I walk over to save them from my dad, overhearing my dad ask where the tiny one was.
I blush when Nic’s dad pecks my cheek and thanks us both again for everything we have done. I fiddle with my hair while Caden talks to him, and run a finger along the piercings in my ear. My tattoos are fully visible now. I should have brought a shawl, I think to myself.
On my left arm, I have a black and white tattoo of three cats layered with flowers and outlines of herbs and crystals. The cats have bat-like wings with haunting eyes. I called them my spirit cats, my companions on the other side. On the back of my left forearm, I have the phases of the moon done in point work. The third sits on the inside of my left wrist. It’s a rose with a dagger through it. The anti-possession tattoo sits on my right shoulder, but it sits inside a rose, with an orchid wrapped around it in a circle.
Nic comes over and I smile at him shyly. ”The turn out looks good,” I comment lamely.
Caden
Location: Lì Wu’s Service – Chicago, IL Skills:
I laugh when Mr. Wu kisses my cheek. I thank him in kind, kissing his own cheek. He asks us where Nero is, and Cassi looks away.
I smile and answer. ’They had some other matters to attend to today, but they pass along their condolences.
My fingers twitch to tell Cass that she looks beautiful, but I hold back. I can tell her later, I remind myself. Her outfit did allow me to see her tattoo. Her comment on the turnout almost made me snort, but I quickly hid it under a cough and chuckle. Smiling, I nod. "Yeah, almost everyone who knew her was able to make it. She would've loved that."
I elbow my dad lightly to get his attention and point out Cass' tattoo to him. "See, dad? Something like this in a Chinese design for both of us would look good, wouldn't it?" My dad glances over and notices Cass' ink. He raises his eyebrows in appreciation,
I raise my eyebrows when Nic coughs and chuckles at my comment. He points out my tattoo to his father and I turn to give Mr. Wu a better look.
”I do. I design them and I tattoo. I've done all Caden's as well.”
Caden shows off his hands but that's about all. He chuckles briefly. ”I would show you the others but I'm afraid I would cause quite the scene.”
I pull out my phone and open the photo album of all the tattoos and designs of done in the past. ”I can make it less painful if that is another concern of yours.”
