Caden
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
"Not every meal needs to be an overindulgence, my little imp. Then it's not as special," he said. Caden tilted Nero's head up and smiled at them. He kissed their nose before leading them to the kitchens.
The smell of bacon, sausage, and eggs took over. Caden's mouth watered as he walked in. Nero and Caden were both greeted warmly and offered drinks before they were ushered out of the kitchen.
"We're just about done. We'll bring everything to the dining room."
Caden chuckled and thanked them all before he took Nero back up the stairs to the dining room. He pulled Nero onto his lap without a second thought. Moments later breakfast was served, and then the two of them were left alone again.
Caden sat forward and managed to eat happily with Nero still in his lap. He ate a decent amount of food before he took a sip of his drink and spoke.
"How are you doing with the revelation about Mundus? I can't say I find the memory comforting. From what Abaddon said, it sounds like he might still be alive. You're just no longer tied to him. Which I am grateful for," Caden said. He picked up Nero's arm and titled their wrist to his lips and kissed the spot where chains would have chafed on their skin.
Avery Zain
Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Avery watched the matches with approval and some pride. Kimiko was able to keep Nic at bay, but he noticed her pattern before Nic did. Once the human noticed, Avery knew Kiki was in trouble.
Avery managed to stay calm with the first hit but the second one had him clenching his fists. He shut his eyes and breathed, calming his wolf back down. Kiki was perfectly fine. This was training. Avery opened his eyes back up to see Nic had helped Kimiko stand. Avery walked over and handed them both some water.
"You grew complacent," Avery told Kimiko.
"He figured out your pattern and started to use it against you. It took him a few rounds, but someone more experienced would have picked up on that quickly. Never get complacent."
Cassiopeia Claire Alistair
Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Cassiopeia had lost track of time. She sat with the newly healed trees as the slow rain soaked the ground around her. She had been mostly covered by the new foliage, but as the leaves grew saturated, they dipped and hit the sorcerer with water. It wasn't until Cassiopeia felt the beginnings of a shiver that she decided to move. Picking up her shoes, Cassi left the cover of the trees and stared up at them and the sky. The leaves and needles were a brilliant green, like the first signs of growth after a forest fire.
The image brought a smile to Cassiopeia's face even though it had her crying again. She understood the benefits of fire in nature, but when it came from her own hands, it wasn't as easy to accept. She wanted to create life rather than destroy it, even though she excelled at each. Perhaps helping Caden and Nero would be the start of her amendment for what she had done to them and all the other families she had ended.
Cassiopeia shrugged on her jacket and walked back to the house, barefoot and somber. The rain continued where she started, but nature did take over and the gray clouds she had seen in Chicago earlier drifted out to take over.
When she walked inside, Cassi wiped her feet on the mat before she padded quietly through the house. She could hear the quiet cadence of Caden's voice carry out to her from the dining room, but she ignored it and snuck down to the training room. She could hear the sound of boxing gloves hitting each other, and peeked her head around the edge of the door to see.
Cassiopeia was surprised to see Nicholas and Kimiko sparring, but she saw Avery keeping a close eye on the match. She switched her focus back to the fighters and watched Nic flip Kimiko over his shoulder. Cass' eyes widened in surprise, but she was happy he flipped her rather than the other way around.
Movement in the corner of her eye pulled her attention and she watched Avery take a step towards Nic before he got a handle on himself. Ya, Cassi wondered how hard it was going to be to fight that mate instinct. Avery seemed to have control, though, so she remained hidden outside the door, listening to Avery's instruction to Kimiko. She smiled to herself, knowing the speech well.
