[IC] Chicago After Hours

[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery cocked his head to the side when Kimiko threatened him. He lifted his hand from her hip and brushed away her tears with his thumb like he had with the blood on her lip. "I won't, but no one would blame you after today."

Avery cupped Kimiko's cheek once he wiped some of her tears away. "You can be vulnerable around me," he assured her.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden glanced at the spelling of the name before he opened up an online catalog that only Men of Letters members had access to. He typed in the name and it brought up several files, including audio and videos.

"Wow. There is a lot. Seems she was part of the Men of Letters American chapter." Caden kept reading and scanning through the files, and he let out a whistle of appreciation. "She became possessed and was one if Lucifer's Knights of Hell. She's dead now." Caden looked over at Nero with that revelation.

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kiki takes a few wobbly breaths. “It’s not easy when all I want to do is seem strong.” But that’s what got you here. A small voice reminds herself. She leans her head into his hand, closing her eyes.

“Can you hold me until I fall asleep? Is that okay? I don’t want your food to be ruined…” She whispers before opening her eyes again. The red around them have made the green part of her hazel irises stand out more as she looks at Avery, her bottom lip quivering still.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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“As most are…” Nero says, cocking their head. “…There’s something there though, something more about them…” Nero holds their head with a heavy sigh. “I wish my brain worked.”

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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It isn't hard for Avery to get drawn in by Kimiko's eyes, especially when they are as vibrant as they are now. They look like green grass after a rainfall. Bright, full, and refreshing.

”I can lay with you. After a shift and a fight like today, food is consumed more for fuel rather than enjoyment,” he assured her. ”Do you want me to rub that cream into your shoulders and neck before you settle in?”

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden kissed Nero's cheek, and rested his hand on Nero's leg. ”Your brain works fine. Let's keep researching. That might jog your memory,” Caden said, and pushed the laptop in between them so they could both read.

”Let's watch the videos. Maybe seeing her will help.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kimiko almost says ‘no’ before she stops herself and lets out a deep sigh. “That would probably be the smart thing to do…” She says before she goes to pull his hoodie off to give him better access. She admits to herself that it will be easier if she took her nightshirt off or changed into a tank top, but she’s too tired to move that much.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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“Only sometimes.” Nero says with a small chuckle before scooting closer to Caden to watch the videos. “Here’s hoping they have something to do with Mundus.” The little imp says, feeling anxious.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery got up and grabbed the tin of cream from the table. He walked back and sat on the bed, and got Kimiko to turn around. He grabbed some with his fingers and rubbed it into his hands.

”Try to breathe deeply. I'll be as light as I can but let me know if it hurts too much, okay?”

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cadwn pressed play on the video and the person who was Abbadon started talking right away. She was a tall red head who was going undercover as a nun. As the video played and went one, Caden glanced at Nero to see how they were doing.

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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“I’ll try…” Kiki says before pulling her hair to the side. Nic had been gentle in his examination earlier, but she’s not sure how rubbing cream into the bruises will feel. She takes a deep breath in and closes her eyes. “Okay, I’m ready.” She says, throwing a thumbs up at him.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Nero keeps inching closer to the screen, narrowing their eyes as they try to pick out the tiny details in the video to help themselves. They soon reach a video that’s titled ‘Josie’s Initiation’ and Nero slumps forward as a memory takes over.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery takes a breath himself to prepare before he tries his best to rub the cream into Kimiko's neck and shoulders. He tries not to run too much and just lets the cream sit and soak in on its own.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden hits pause on the video as soon as Nero slumps forward. He rested a hand on their leg and the other on the back of their neck, ready to pull Nero out of it if something happened.

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kimiko clenches her jaw, but takes deep breaths through her nose and out her gritted teeth. She knows Avery is being as gentle as possible and it doesn’t hurt as much as it could, but she can’t help but tense as he passes over the bruise on the back of her neck. “O-okay, I don’t think I can handle more of that…” She says as she squirms away from Avery and pulls his sweater back over her head.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Nero’s not sure what they’re seeing, but it feels almost like they’re still watching the video on Caden’s laptop. Then Nero jumps down from their hiding place in the room, their hair long again.

“Please - I’ll do anything, but I can’t go back to him.” Nero is pleading with Abaddon about what subconscious Nero can only imagine is Mundus. The memory fades back out and Nero blinks as Caden’s library comes back into view.

“I… think Abaddon helped me get away from Mundus…” Nero mumbles in confusion as they try to decipher what they just saw.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery excused himself to go and wash his hands. He didn’t look at Kimiko while she put his sweater back on, and he was glad she was busy doing that anyway. He walked into the bathroom and washed his hands off in the sink. He stood there scrubbing and scrubbing until the water was near scalding, and then he soaked his hands in the cold water before splashing his face.

Avery was not okay.

He saw red again as he stared into the sink, replaying the image of ripping into Terrance over and over and over again. He was gone, but he left his mark and that angered Avery to no end.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden breathed finally when Nero came back to him. Caden rubbed Nero’s back while they spoke. ”It would make sense that you knew Abaddon if they were a knight of hell as well. From the details of the notes, she was rather high ranking,” Caden added.

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kimiko turns towards the bathroom furrowing her brow when Avery doesn’t come out. “Avery?” She calls out as she walks over to the door and knocks on it. “Are you okay?” She asks tentatively.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Nero nods, a little out of it still. “I still need to know the how though and it doesn’t really give us much information on Mundus.” They lean their head over and rest it on Caden’s arm. “We could really use Cassi’s help.” It doesn’t really feel ‘worth it’ for the small amount of memory Nero was able to recall.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery looked at himself in the mirror when he heard Kimiko knock on the door to check in on him. His eyes were glowing yellow, and he could feel how unsteady he was.

When Avery had been unstable before Caden took him in, there were weeks that Avery remained a wolf. He felt like that right now. Like he couldn’t get out of his head or this mindset of needing to rip everything in sight.

Avery shut his eyes and hunched his shoulders, trying to think of something else. ”It’s open,” he told Kimiko simply. He couldn’t tell her anything else beyond that at the moment, but if he had said she could be vulnerable with him, then that was a two-way street, right?

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Are you sure you want to unlock more memories in that way? It was really intense for you,” Caden reminded them, worried what unlocking memories that powerful might do to Nero.

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Pushing the door open, Kimiko peers into the bathroom to see Avery hunched over the sink, his eyes closed. She hesitates for a moment, suddenly feeling like she’s about to be rejected by him again before she rolls her eyes at herself and walks up to him, placing a hand on his arm. “What’s going on?” She asks, her tone heavy with concern.

”Was it seeing the bruises again?” This part she asks in a smaller voice, somehow feeling guilty for whatever’s happening to the wolf.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Nero chews on their lip in thought. “Probably not, no… Just… Like you said, we aren’t ready to take someone like him on right now, but I can’t help the feeling that he’s just going to appear out of nowhere. So I keep thinking if I learned more, we might stand a better chance…”

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery takes a deep breath in and shakily lets it out. He lifts one of his hands to rest on Kimiko’s before opening his eyes to look at her. His eyes are still yellow but they are less intense and starting to fade. She’s wearing his sweater again and that helps to soothe him.

”It’s…everything. It’s letting you go last night and not coming after you sooner. It’s not finding you sooner and making Terrance suffer more. But more than anything, it’s me not being able to touch you without hurting you. I can’t fix this, and I don’t know what to do.”

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden smiled and leaned forward. He closed the laptop and turned in his seat to face Nero. ”We are learning more. We don’t need you to unlock every single repressed memory right now. The facts and this research is more than enough. Are you still feeling guilty about what happened to Cassi’s family?”

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kimiko had guessed earlier that Avery might be blaming himself for what happened to her, but she’s not sure how to help him understand that it’s not. She watches as the yellow in his eyes starts to fade, but still remains. “You had no idea what was going to happen last night and I can’t begin to even imagine what it’s like as a werewolf to have this… bond thrust upon you.” She doesn’t really know how else to word it and kind of lets that thought trail off as she takes a deep breath.

“You were able to find me before anything more happened, that’s why I keep thanking you even when you threaten that your head will get bigger… I think we both know your ego is already too big at this point.” She teases half-heartedly before grabbing his other hand and placing it on the cheek that’s not bruised. “And see? You’re touching me and there’s no pain.”

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Nero avoids looking in Caden’s eyes, opting to stare off to the side and focusing on a letter in one of the books’ titles. “I killed them. I single-handedly wiped out her family, Caden. How could I not feel guilty about that?” Nero clenches their jaw before taking a deep breath.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Her words rang hollow in his ears, but Avery also knew she was right. He brushed his thumb along Kimiko’s cheek, watching the simple action until his eyes returned to normal.

”The emotions of the bond were worse when I didn’t understand what was happening. It’s better now that I’ve accepted them. It’s just hard for me to see you like this. I can only imagine what you are feeling. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be making this about myself,” Avery said. He moved his hand from Kimiko’s cheek and brushed his thumb lightly along her cut lip. He sighed and stepped in to kiss Kimiko’s forehead.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden sighed through his nose, his jaw clenching as he took a moment. He rested a hand on Nero’s cheek but let them continue to look away.

”The old you wouldn’t feel guilty. They wouldn’t even bat an eye, but this you? They do care. That’s important, Nero. Don’t keep punishing yourself for something you had no control over. Cassi’s built a new family. She took the loss of her family hard, understandably so, but it runs deeper than most. She’s always blamed herself because she and I decided to end our engagement and leave. Even though she is mad at you, I think she is still blaming herself. Just right now, she has someone else to blame.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kimiko closes her eyes again once she sees Avery’s return to normal and relishes in the feeling of his lips on her forehead. “I’d actually prefer if the attention was taken off of me anyway…” She says before looking up at him with a small, wry smile. She grabs both of his hands and starts leading him out of the bathroom back to her bed,

“Let’s continue this conversation in a more comfortable place, though.” She tells him.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Nero frowns as Caden speaks. They understand what he’s saying but there’s still so much unknown that the little demon is still trying to figure out. “What if there’s something like that hidden away still? I can’t just let everyone I did as a demon ‘off the hook’ because I didn’t have my humanity or was just ‘following orders’.” Nero finally shifts their gaze to glance at Caden before sighing.

“I don’t think Cassi should be blaming anyone but me for it.”

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery lets Kimiko lead him, happy to just follow her. ”I suppose that means I should let you all me more questions then, huh?”

They reached the bed, and Avery stretched out along the outside, so Kimiko could have the middle.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”I understand,” Caden said, nodding. ”but I don't think you should be punishing yourself, either. There are other ways to atone, and I think fighting today and doing this research are steps towards that atonement.”

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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“I’ll hold onto them for a special occasion.” Kiki says before they reach her bed. She crawls onto the bed and doesn’t hesitate to lay her head on Avery. “Just… Give it a couple of days and then we can go on a date and you can tell me how pretty my new haircut is and I’ll pretend that riding motorcycles is fun.” She starts to mumble as she closes her eyes and gets comfortable. “Just don’t blame yourself anymore.”

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Nero once again finds themselves in awe of how Caden just always seems to know what to say. “I’ll keep at it then,” Nero pledges in response. “Even if it means I end up writing the book on Mundus myself, I’ll figure this out.” Even if it’s just to placate the immense guilt they feel towards Cassi.

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[KazAlkemi]

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery chuckled from the motorcycle comment and kissed the top of Kimiko's head. He rested his arm behind her, not applying too much pressure to her back.

”Oh, I think I'll get you to come around on motorcycles.”

Avery knew he shouldn't blame himself, but it was difficult. However, when Kimiko chose to curl into him like this, chose him to look after her, it was easier not to blame himself.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden kissed Nero's nose before shifting to face the table again. ”It's never easy facing our own demons, but you're willing to go through your personal Hell again to get answers for you and others. If that doesn't tell you or Cass what kind of person you are I'm not sure what will.“

[Donut Look Now]

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Kimiko “Kiki” Voss

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kiki gives a soft snort in response. “You just want me to hold onto you tightly.” She mumbles. It doesn’t take too long until she’s fast asleep.

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Nero

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Location: Caden’s Home - Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Nero nods before smiling crookedly. “It’s even harder facing your own demons when you are a demon yourself.” Nero jokes as they turn back to the book they were reading before the two had started watching videos.

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