Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Kiki raises her eyebrow in a silent challenge at Avery’s joke, smiling despite herself. Enraptured though, she listens to Avery explain mating and is tempted to close her eyes to see if she might be able to find this string or chord before he mentions asking Bran about it. She tilts her head at the suggestion, not entirely sure she wants to try and discuss her relationship with anyone outside of it.
“Uh, maybe?” Kiki says in response. “Maybe I should practice telling people we’re dating without blushing first.”
Nic watches her with a crooked smile, enjoying how her cheeks redden. “Magic truly is amazing.” He in a dreamy tone, happy to hear that. “How much will you heal it? Not too much, I hope.” He asks before Cass hands him a plate. “Thank you, cutie. Do you have orange juice? If not, we still have the smoothies.”
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
The staff made up two plates of waffles and bacon made up for them. Avery had them fill a dish of fruit for them as well. There were no strawberries yet, but the truck would be delivering all that later in the day. They also piled another plate full of bacon for Avery.
Avery handed Kimiko a plate and the fruit before he grabbed his two plates, thanked the chef, and headed out of the kitchen.
”Maybe…I like your blush, though. I could talk to Bran as well. Maybe he'll know something about Kitsune, as well,” Avery suggested.
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
”Orange juice, apple juice, coffee, tea, and water,” she listed off and made her own plate up before sitting at the table in her kitchen.
”I'll probably be able to heal it to the point where it might start to itch, so make sure you apply lotion to it today and don't scratch. Pat at it if it really bothers you.” Cassi sipped her smoothie before she ate her bacon.
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Kiki accepts her plate and fruit from Avery, thanking the staff before heading upstairs. Of course, she feels her face warm when Avery says he likes her blush. “I wonder if there’s an ‘original’ kitsune.” She takes a bite of her waffle as they walk. She could eat really any breakfast carb plain without syrup or anything. She smiles to herself when she thinks of the memories growing up with her da completely bewildered by the strange habit… and all the missing pancakes.
“Large fries, chocolate shake?” Nic teases, referencing a children’s cartoon before he follows Cass and sits at her table as well. He makes sure to grab his smoothie on the way, but pauses before he sips it, reaching out a hand towards Cass. “Wait, I need to taste this. Was banana and kale a combination you thought of yourself?”
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
”It would make sense,” Avery agreed. He headed out the back door and set up at the table. Avery sighed happily as he sat down and immediately started eating.
It wasn't as if he worked up an appetite this morning, but he was eating in anticipation of a long shift. One he was looking forward to. He looked up at Kimiko and her waffles.
”Why do you like them dry?”
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia looked at Nic quizzically before returning to her meal. She rolled her eyes when he mentioned her smoothie.
”No, it's something I had a long time ago. It's really rather delicious and refreshing. The frozen yogurt smoothes it out. It's like the Pina coladas more healthy, in shape cousin,” she said before drinking her smoothie happily.
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Kiki takes a seat next to Avery, dragging her chair over a little so she could be closer to him. As she ate her waffle like a biscuit, she nearly chokes on her food with a snort. “‘Dry’?” She swallows her bite and coughs, grabbing her water to help.
“That’s such a weird way to say it,” Kiki says once she’s able to with a laugh. “But, I don’t know… I’ve done it since I was a kid. Sometimes I’ll put syrup on it, but it’s usually just as good plain…” Her ears warm, but she smiles as she thinks of some of her childhood memories. “My da would get on my case about eating pancakes like biscuits.”
“It’s from a kid’s cartoon - he mentions all these things he’s wishing for and you listing your juices reminded me of it.” Nic says with a chuckle before taking a bite of his food. His eyebrows raise in surprise - Cass’ breakfast is delicious. As he swallows, she explains the smoothie flavor and Nic takes the next chance while she isn’t guzzling it to try a sip.
Nic hums in delight before passing the smoothie back to her. “You can’t even taste the kale… That’s nice.” He says, starting to think he might order it next time he gets smoothies.“Also, breakfast is delicious, thank you.”
Nero
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills:
Wrapped in a large plush towel, Nero plops onto the bed, hair sticking out all over the place. “When do the contractors and stuff arrive?” They ask of Caden as two cats jump on the bed to cuddle the little imp. They give their wet hair a wide berth though.
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Avery raised an eyebrow when Kimiko choked on her food.
”Well, it tastes dry, plain, does it not? Adding syrup or even fruit to it would make a bit better I would think.”
While Kimiko talked, Avery found himself slowing in his eating. He sat back in his seat, wanting to extend the meal rather than finish it in a rush, if only to prolong the conversation with Kimiko. He hooked his foot around the leg of her chair and pulled her closer.
He gave Kimiko a wry smirk before he laughed. ”Pancakes like biscuits? Why on earth?”
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia beamed from Nic's approval of her smoothie and praise for breakfast.
”Just because I prefer not to cook doesn't mean I can't. Cooking is like making spells or potions. And I am nothing but precise with my work,” Cassi said happily. ”I also made you some things for your lunch and snacks. I'm not sure what you normally do but I figured you would need more food than not today after your workout.”
Caden
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Caden picked up his watch to examine the time before he continued to dry off. ”They should be here already and getting started,” Caden said. ”Is there anything you would like to do today? I'm afraid it won't be much fun as I have to make all those phone calls to the museum's and archives to discuss my collection.”
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
“I mean, I guess that makes sense.” Kiki says with a tilt of her head as she gives it more thought. She’s pulled back to the present as she feels her chair slide closer, letting out a soft squeak in surprise. She recovers quickly, though, starting to laugh softly with Avery. “I mean, after we would be done with breakfast, there was always a few pancakes or waffles that weren’t eaten so I would just swing by the kitchen and grab them to eat.” She pushes her leg against Avery, their thighs touching.
Nic feels his heart swell with gratitude for Cass. “YOu didn’t have to do all of that but thank you. That really means a lot, Cass.” He grabs her hand and kisses it before flashing one of his big dimpled smiles at her. He doesn’t think ‘love’ really encompasses his feelings for this incredible woman - it feels much grander than just a small four-lettered word.
“Careful though, someone might think you like me or something.”
Nero
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Nero kicks their legs as they dangle off the bed. “I can read, I still have the other half of that thirteenth century book to get through.” Maybe now that they’ve unlocked some of their human memories, finishing the book might offer some more insight.
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Avery finally understood why Caden had Nero close all the time. There was a need within Avery to have some part of him touching Kimiko at all times. A reassurance that she was there and that she was okay. That she was his. Avery slid his hand along Kimiko’s leg, resting his hand on her knee and resumed his eating. What he really wanted to do was pull her legs onto his lap, but he didn’t think she would be able to eat well like that. He didn’t need Kimiko in his lap like Nero was always with Caden, but close was good. Close was better.
”Carb load and sugar intake. Good for when you are on the go or shifting a lot,” Avery noted. ”You need the protein, too, especially after a big or long shift. I’ll hunt tonight, but even with that, I’ll probably eat half the kitchen,” Avery joked.
”So do you do that with any carb, or is it mainly just waffles and pancakes you eat like biscuits?”
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia blushed at Nic’s continued praise. She shrugged it off, tossing her hand nonchalantly, and ate more of her breakfast.
”It was nothing. I was already in the kitchen cooking,” she said simply. She laughed, though, when Nic told her to be careful.
”I am afraid that ship has long since passed, besides, I don’t mind if people know how much I like you,” she said, smiling happily at Nic.
Caden
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
”You still haven’t finished that?” Caden looked at Nero, a bemused expression on his face. He shook his head with a chuckle and went to get dressed.
He pulled on a pair of blue linen slacks, and paired it with a simple white and blue collared shirt. There was no need to impress today, but Caden still wanted to look presentable due to the new faces in the house.
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
“Before we found out I was half-fox, my da was convinced I was going to get type two diabetes from everything I would eat. The boarding school practically starved me - the headmistress would somehow always find my snack stash.” Subconsciously, Kiki leans in her chair towards Avery and hooks the knee he’s touching over his leg before shaking her head at his question.
“It’s mostly just with things such as pancakes, waffles, French toast… crepes.” She holds one of the waffles with both hands, taking a bite while she tries to think of anymore before shrugging and leaning back in her seat, her leg moving to rest on Avery’s lap more than just his leg. “Although… I do occasionally like just grabbing a piece of bread and dusting it with sugar. We would call it ‘fairy bread’.”
Nic grins lopsidedly at her, finishing off his plate in no time. He relaxes back into his chair as he drinks his smoothie before he remembers his conversation with Caden. “Caden offered us his place in Montana for when we go to the convention in November. He also said we could use his jet…” He glances sidelong at Cass, trying to read her expression and overall reaction to this information.
Nero
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills:
Nero sticks their tongue out at Caden with a stink eye to go along with it. “That book weighs more than I do!” They protest in faux outrage. The reality of it is that Nero has only skimmed the pages, not wanting a repeat of what happened with the molten lead memory. That and the fact that their concentration has been on Mundus and finding more information on him.
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Avery frowned at Kimiko’s reveal. He knew she was no longer at that school and looked well and healthy to him now, but the idea that his mate had once upon a time been in less-than-ideal conditions infuriated him. However, when Kimiko placed her leg over his, that thought completely drifted from his mind.
He looked down at her leg, his eyes scanning her leg unconsciously for any bruises or damage while he named the muscles in her leg. His eyes paused on her tattoo, having never really looked at it before.
Avery committed her breakfast carbs list to memory, knowing he could make everything on her list, including crepes, and would make it all for her one day. He looked up at Kimiko when she mentioned fairy bread. He smirked at her once more.
”Fairy bread?” After Kimiko’s leg had shifted to be more in Avery’s lap, he rested a hand on top of her shin, slowly rubbing his thumb and then running his fingers along her leg as they spoke.
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia’s smile faltered at the mention of Caden. She looked down at their empty plates for a long moment before speaking.
”And why would he have offered such a thing?” There was a hint of annoyance in her voice, but it was only minor.
Caden
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
”And who’s fault is that?” Caden teased them. He rolled up his sleeves, leaning over as he did so to kiss Nero’s nose before he made his way to the bedroom door.
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Kiki grins as she swallows a bite. “Apparently it’s what Australians call it. I’ve met some people who put proper sprinkles on it or butter first but I like just plain sugar much better.” She takes another bite of her waffle before setting it back on her plate, grabbing the dish of fruit to eat next. Her eyes close as she hums in content at the feeling of Avery’s hand as he brushes her leg with his fingers. She’s tempted to throw her other leg in his lap, but hesitates.
“What’s your favorite snack after ‘wolfing’ around?” Kiki asks instead.
Nic focuses on how to phrase the conversation, the small shift in her tone reminding him a bit of when she nearly bit his head off right after Nero was revealed to be the Calvary leader of Cass’ family. “It started with Caden offering me a car, which I declined,” He adds the second part of the sentence quickly before she can interrupt him.
“I might have asked why you haven’t learned to drive and he mentioned that you used to ride a horse everywhere.” Nic doesn’t want to reveal that he’s planning a date with horses, so he leaves out the real reason for now. “He mentioned the ranch and I mentioned the convention.” He looks down at the as he debates adding the next part. “He misses you, Cass.” He looks up, reaching a hand to hold hers gently.
Nero
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills:
“Well, genetics while I was a human.” Nero quips with a smirk, sitting up to watch Caden walk away after kissing their nose. “Then I guess it sort of became a preference.” They shrug.
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Avery smirked as he watched Kimiko’s eyes close because of his touch. He loved that he could have an effect like this on her. Stealing his courage, Avery moved his other hand and pulled Kimiko’s other leg onto her lap. She was eating her bowl of fruit now, anyway. She could be more relaxed. He started rubbing her legs with his hand again before answering her question.
”Steak usually. Rare, but still warm. Over-buttered and spiced potatoes, cornbread, ribs, asparagus. Pie,” Avery said with a smile.
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia’s focus remained on the empty plates while Nic spoke, but she wasn’t really seeing them. She ripped her hand out of his when Nic took it and stood. She gathered up the plates and set them with a clatter into the sink.
”I really don’t care, and he really has no business knowing anything about my life anymore. Besides, I thought you wanted us to do our own thing in Montana.”
Caden
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Caden opened the door and turned to look at Nero. ”If I remember, you didn’t let your size stop you from trying to become a knight. If you can wield a sword, you can read a thirteen-century book.”
Caden’s eyes shifted, and he looked behind him, falling silent. He looked slowly back at Nero. ”Where did you do your knight training?”
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
“I swear you read my mind sometimes.” Kiki says, opening her eyes again to smile at Avery as he pulled her other leg into his lap. She pops some blueberries into her mouth as he lists his favorite foods. “Maybe I’ll ask the chef to teach me how to make you some of those.” It would help the night pass - she’s still tempted to to just try and stay awake until Avery makes it back.
Nic resists the urge to sigh, instead running a hand through his hair as he gets up from the table. “I still want to do our own thing, but it could make it a really nice and comfortable experience without having to deal with cheap motels or crowding into an airplane.” He’s about to take over dishes for Cass, but he knows that’s her preferred method to work through things.
“He asked me to mention it to you. I still understand your anger with him, but are you going to give him a chance? You’ve been friends and basically family for what, three-hundred years? And you’re willing to throw that all away without at least talking about it?” Nic has had spats with his family, with Jane, with Kiki… He wishes he could take back any argument he’d ever had with his mother and sister, but he doesn’t say it out loud. “Just… I think closure might help you more than anything.”
Nero
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Nero shrugs, confused at the shift in Caden’s vibe. “Uh, probably Germany? I was hoping to maybe find more information from reading the book a little more.” They hop off the bed and walk over to Caden, tilting their head. “Why?”
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Avery chuckled, looking back at Kimiko’s legs and applied more pressure to his touch. He started to gently massage her legs, his eyes drifting up to her tattoo again as he spoke.
”I think you read my mind first, then. I wanted to do this as soon as I pulled you closer.” His fingers and thumb moved along the sides of her shin bone, massaging out the smaller muscles and tendons in her leg that were responsible for things like shin splits and ankle mobility.
”I’m sure there is something more exciting for you to do than cook for me while I run around in the forest scarring squirrels.”
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia filled the sink with water. The steam curled around the tap as she filled it and dumped dishes into the water angrily. She shut the water off and rested her hands on the side of the sink.
”Closure? You think I want closure for what happened to my family? For watching them be slaughtered in front of me? No Nic, I want revenge and the one person, the one thing I can get that from, is mated to my best friend. And even after finding out, he’s still with them, doing goddess knows what while I’m here reliving the worst day of my life over and over and over again.” She plunged her hand into the sink to scrub furiously at something but forgot there was a knife.
Cassi hissed in shock more than pain, pulling her hand out of the water and staring at the cut on her finger. It wasn’t a horrible cut, but it was deep enough to bleed and drip into the water. Cassi's demeanour shifted as she stared at her hand, an eerie sort of calm washing over her. Her voice took on a melodic ancient tone, one that was older than her body's twenty-seven winters.
”Have you ever read the play Macbeth? The one with the witches and the Lady who murdered the king with her husband? She’s plagued with nightmares about the murder and starts to obsessively rub her hands to get the blood off them, even though there is no blood. ‘Out, damned spot; out, I say!—One, two: why then, ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky’,” she quoted.
”I rarely slept after that night, but when the exhaustion would claim me, I would have nightmares. I would wake up screaming, trying to scrub their blood off my skin. For years, I thought I killed them all because I broke off the engagement. I was never the type to want to kill myself, but I didn’t want to live anymore, either. What was the point? I had nothing left. Then, more villages were being wiped clean of witches. The final sweep of the witch trials. More demons were coming to claim souls. I started dabbling in blood magic, and I saved as many people as I could. I saved Caden’s family and Caden, and now I have a chance to put the nightmares to rest, and he’s with the demon that could end that for me. And you want me just to let it all go?”
Cassi looked up from her bleeding hand and stared at Nic. A blue fire burned in her eyes. The colour of the hottest flame with the deepest burn.
”I tracked the thing that killed your mother and took your father. I saved your father and gave you back a piece of your family. I will never get mine back.”
Cassi grabbed a towel, wrapped her hand, and left the kitchen. She took the stairs and headed for her bedroom. She shut the door and slid to the floor before she started to cry.
Caden
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
”Meine Schwertsammlung. Ich habe Stücke aus Großbritannien, aber auch aus Deutschland. In einige von ihnen sind Zaubersprüche oder Initialen eingraviert. Einige sind schlicht. Erinnern Sie sich an das Schwert, das Sie benutzt haben? Oder die deines Vaters?”
From day one Nero had been drawn to those swords, and now Caden was wondering if there really had been a reason behind the little imp’s penchant for sharp, shiny things.
My sword collection. I have pieces from Great Britain, but also from Germany. Some of them have spells or initials engraved on them. Some are plain. Do you remember the sword you used? Or your father's?
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
“Well thanks for thinking of it, I’ve enjoyed the idea so far.” Kiki jokes, but she could probably fall asleep to Avery rubbing her legs. At the mention of his festivities tonight, her smile falters. “Maybe, but this way I would be doing something for you and also keeping my mind and hands busy so it’s a win, win, win.”
Nic has never felt afraid of Cass until this moment, where her voice takes on an eerie tone that chills him to his bones. He desperately wanted to tell her that the closure he had meant was for her relationship with Caden. He doesn’t give a damn if she does or doesn’t reconcile with Nero, but Cass and Caden’s lives are so entangled in one another that he doesn’t see this fall out being anything but messy.
When Cass leaves the kitchen, his hands twitch to follow her, stop her, or say anything, but he finds his feet frozen. Nic clenches his jaw and slams his hand onto her counter, hurting it a little in the process. “Idiot.” He tells himself, still unable to make a decision regarding chasing her or just straight up leaving her house.
Nic opts for his original idea and takes over cleaning her kitchen. He could shower at work if he needs to. He frowns at how red the sink water is, but knows it doesn’t take much blood to make it red like this. Once I clean the kitchen, I’ll go check on her. He promises himself before draining the sink and starting to scrub the dishes.
Nero
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills:
Nero gives it a moment’s thought, trying to think if they had gotten any hints like that in their latest memory relapse. “So weit bin ich noch nicht gekommen, aber sobald ich das tue, werde ich es euch wissen lassen. Das ist der Grund, warum ich das Buch noch ein wenig mehr lesen möchte. Ich denke, für den Moment. Sie können aber alle mit einem "W" als letzte Initiale im Auge behalten?”
I haven’t gotten that far yet, but once I do I’ll let you know. It’s kind of why I want to read that book a little more. I guess for now. You can keep a close eye on any with a ‘W’ as the last initial though?
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Avery’s hands stilled on Kimiko’s legs. He looked at her, running a hand up her leg and squeezing the back of her thigh.
”Kiki, you’re stronger than you think. You can’t stay up all night,” he gently scolded her.
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Cassiopeia sat on the floor of her room, crying and squeezing her hand with the towel to slow the bleeding until no more tears fell. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She didn’t mean what she said about Nic’s family. She was glad Ren was still alive, and maybe Nic was right about letting go and moving on, but Cassi couldn’t bring herself to do it. She was all that was left of her family. If she let them go, where did that leave her?
Cassi slowly got to her feet and walked into her bathroom. She rummaged around, looking for bandages for her finger.
She felt suddenly drained, wanting nothing more than to apologize to Nic and crawl into her bed. But she couldn’t bring herself to leave her room, even after she had her finger bandaged.
Caden
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Caden’s favourite collection had always been his swords and other old weapons. It was the only thing he travelled with when he moved homes and the only thing he permanently kept in his personal collection. He knew every sword intimately. So when Nero mentioned the initial, Caden knew exactly what sword they were talking about.
”Komm mit mir.” Caden grabbed a robe from the back of the door and wrapped Nero in it before taking their hand. He pulled them along to his study, where his collection of swords sat in glass cases.
The sounds of demolition and construction filled the normally silent house, but Caden ignored it all. He pulled Nero into his study and shut the door behind them. Once the door shut, the sounds of renovating vanished. Caden walked over to one of the glass cases where three swords sat in a series. It was a progression of German swords and their evolution, the one on the bottom being one of the oldest and the top the newest. Caden looked at the sword on the bottom, the engraved ‘W’ suddenly standing out sharply, even though it had faded over time.
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
“Am I also braver than I believe and smarter than I think?” Kiki asks with a wry smile, what Avery’s said made her think of the Christopher Robin quote. With a drawn out sigh, she sets her now empty dish back on the table and grabs the last of her waffle to munch on. “If only my subconscious was aware of that, though.” She says as she takes a generous bite of the waffle.
Nic can see his own reflection in nearly any surface in the kitchen by the time he’s done cleaning. Knowing that he can’t do anything else, he makes his way upstairs to Cass’ door and slides down to the ground to sit against it. “Is your finger okay?” He asks through the door.
Cass’ comments about his family still linger in Nic’s mind, especially with how his father had acted the day before. He can’t shake the feeling that whatever the older Wu man is hiding has something to do with the death of his mother. He feels shut down and exhausted at this point - unable to help between all the problems that just keep sprouting up.
Bowing his head, Nic takes deep breaths in and out, wanting nothing more than to hold Cass close despite everything. All he had wanted to show her is that she needs Caden - Nic won’t be around for her forever.
Nero
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Nero tilts their head as Caden leads them back to the other side of the house, watching Caden curiously. The robe is quite comfy though, so they have no complaint there. When at last they stand in Caden’s study, Nero peers closely at the glass case at the swords. There, the earliest sword in the series, is a short bronze sword. Though clearly weathered, they can see a pronounced ‘A. W.’ engraved neatly into the hilt, but underneath that is a smaller, scribbled set of initials. ‘L.W.’
“W-wait…” Nero can feel the familiar tug they have gotten so used to in the last few weeks and tightly clutch Caden’s hand in both of theirs as they start to tremble. “Th-that’s too big of… coincidence, r-right?”
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
Avery grinned and relaxed his hand back onto Kimiko’s calves and shins. ”Yes you are, and always make sure to be on the lookout for heffalumps and woozles,” Avery said, winking at Kimiko. He continued his work of massaging her legs.
”We’ll get everything worked out,” he said, confident in himself and in Kimiko.
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
The sound of Nic’s voice is distant, despite being on the other side of the door. Cassi stood in the middle of her bedroom, staring at the door, willing Nic to just walk inside. She looked down at her bandaged finger and nodded before remembering Nic couldn’t see her.
”I think so…You can come in,” she said, swallowing past the lump in her throat that suddenly formed. She could feel her eyes starting to prick, and she didn’t really want to cry in front of Nic again.
Caden
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Caden can feel Nero trembling, and wraps his other hand around Nero’s. He squeezed Nero’s hands and looked back at the glass case.
”I don’t believe in coincidences.” Caden looked back at Nero and drew their face up to look at him. ”We don’t have to do anything about it now, but I believe you are the rightful owner of that sword, Nero.”
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Kiki chews and swallows her bite, choosing then to rest her head on Avery’s shoulder. “If only our biggest worries were heffalumps and woozles.” She says before finishing her waffle in one last bite. “If you keep massaging my legs like that, I’m going to jump into your lap.”
Nic can hear the emotion thick in her voice as he gets up and opens the door. “I’m sorry for pushing. Can I take a look at your finger though?” He asks meekly , holding his hand out to Cass. He thinks of how she had ripped her hand away from his earlier and his jaw feathers as he fears that she’ll do it again.
Nero
Location: Caden & Nero’s House - Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
Big, fat tears roll down the imp’s cheeks and Nero frowns, not sure what to feel at the moment. They blink rapidly up at Caden as thoughts swirl through their head. “But how?” The biggest thought they say out loud in a confused tone.
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL Skills:
”Why? Then I wouldn't be able to massage your legs anymore,” Avery said smirking.
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL Skills:
”Nic don't. Don't apologize to me for being so horrible to you.” Cassi held her injured hand with her other hand, keeping it away from Nic. She didn't want him to care for her, not after she tried to hurt him with her words.
”I didn't mean what I said. I was just mad but that's still no excuse. I shouldn't have said that to you.” The tears were falling in earnest now as she stared at Nic, hoping he'd forgive her even though she didn't deserve it.
Caden
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL Skills: Fit
”How do I have this?” Caden looked at the case before he pulled Nero into a hug.
”I've always been fascinated with weaponry. It was one of the first things I started to collect in earnest aside from knowledge. I have several swords from the thirteenth century but this one always stood out to me. I wanted to know who A.W. and L.W. were. I never thought it would belong to my mate.”
