KazAlkemi

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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Caden chuckled and stood with Nero secured in his arms.

”I was attempting to exercise some restraint, as well as give you the option not to join me if you wished for it. However, I'm happy you decided you'd rather join me,” Caden said, nuzzling Nero as he walked through the hall.

As he walked a pair of cats bounded through the hall and slipped around Caden's legs while he tried to navigate around them. Caden chuckled, shaking his head at Nero's cats.

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery growled, his hands clenched into fists, and his eyes shifted to yellow. Rage and fear filled him so quickly he barely had time to think.

”You're my problem!” he yelled at her. ”A human threw you over his shoulder like it was nothing, and I just had to let it happen! Dammit Kimiko, I can't lose you and if you can't even defend yourself against a human, what the hell am I supposed to do?! Because I sure as hell can't lock you in your room, but I can't let you leave this house without my protection either!”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia frowned at Nic's teasings. She smacked his arm and crossed her arms.

”Of course not. If that was the case, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. But I don't know how much either… Nero didn't specify… but giving blood is serious Nic. I really rather you not,” Cassi confessed.

Her face heated from her request. She knew she couldn't command Nic not to, but she loved and valued him. Cass didn't want him giving more to this world than he already had.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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”Everyone and everything can be killed,” Caden said confidently. His thumb slid off their lips and brushed Nero's cheek again. Caden's hand continued on to gently hold the back of their neck.

”I should go shower. Do you want to bring your books back to our room? You can keep ready before we gather the supplies to summon Crowley.”

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Avery Zain

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

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”Do you? You sure as hell don't act like it. I figured out your pattern in two rounds, then Nic, a human, did so a couple rounds after that,” Avery said, his irritation only growing more.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia watched Nic with amusement while he cleaned her feet. She wished she could enjoy the moment more, but her heart wasn't in it.

”No, it's readily available but I don't… I…” Cass sighed and hung her head. ”It's blood we need…human.” She looked away from Nic, staring at the grout in the tiles.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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The image of Nero's lifeless body on the cold floor of that dark empty pit of a throne room filled Caden's mind. Even with his eyes opened, it was all he could see. He blinked several times, lost in his thoughts.

Nero curled into Caden and the man shifted his attention to their mate. Caden looked deeply into Nero's eyes, searching for the life he knew to be inside. That spark of lust and greed for more that Caden loved.

Caden brushed his thumb across Nero's bottom lip, watching how they reacted to him.

”I am not certain I will be able to allow you to kill Mundus, my little imp, if he is truly still alive. I fear I want the death blow more than you might. For you, for Cassiopeia, and the family I lost. The family I could have had.”

Caden looked into Nero's eyes again, confirming that they were real and with him right now.

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery frowned at Kimiko's statement and pulled his hand back. ”You'll never be in a fair fight. It's better to learn now how to get yourself out so you don't die.”

Avery was on edge. Watching Kimiko get flipped on her back like that had triggered so many warnings in his head. He had to protect his mate because he would die if he lost her.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia sat on the cold tile floor and looked up at Nic. She leaned back on her hands and crossed her ankles.

”Are we to shower together then?” she asked boldly.

Mischief twinkled in her eyes, wondering if Nic would be so bold to have her in the showers. Her face faltered when he asked about Nero’s memories.

She looked at her legs, staring holes into them. ”I learned a small part of how trapped Nero was down there. They were treated like nothing more than a prized cow. Worse than a cow. And we got the ingredients to summon Crowley but one of them is a problem,” she said and looked back at Nic.

Cassi didn't want to tell him about her family. Partly because it was her burden to bear, and she didn't want him to know, but mostly because it was too close to Nic's situation with his father having made a deal with a demon. Cass didn't want to pull attention away from Nic and how serious and heartbreaking that moment has been.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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Caden stared at the oak table while Nero spoke. His eyes roamed over the grain, imaging a fight scene unfolding while Nero ran over their concerns. He shifted his attention back to his imp and smiled softly. Caden didn't think Crowley's answers would bring them any comfort.

"I'm sure Cassi and I can share in your memories at the same time," Caden said and brushed his thumb along Nero's porcelain white skin. "As for the recent memories, show me when you're ready."

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery rose an eyebrow when Kimiko grabbed his finger. He looked her over, weighing his options when he noticed Nic had picked up Cassi and was carrying her from the room. He watched the pair retreat, noticing how red Cassi's face was and smirked. He looked back at Kimiko.

"How about now? Looks like you need a new sparring partner."

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassi is surprised by Nic's quick movements. One minute she's staring at his chest and arms, the next she is wrapped in those arms, breathing him in. She sighed, feeling the last weight lift from her shoulders and the buzzing in her head quiet. Nature used to do that for her. Now it seemed she had another way to still her mind.

[olor=#DB7093]"I know... I just needed a minute. They can be very annoying. And Nero somehow knows how to piss me off,"[/color] Cassi explained, feeling annoyance again. Thankfully, she didn't have to dwell on that feeling for long. Cassi exclaimed when Nic suddenly scooped her up, and her face instantly turned red.

"Nicholas! What are you doing?" she hissed. She peeked over his shoulder to make eye contact with Avery, who was smirking at them. Bloody dammit all.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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Caden's focus shifted from the attention he was giving Nero's wrist to the tension on their brow. Clearly they had been with the dragon for too long if they were developing the same habit. Caden pressed a finger to Nero's brow, smoothing out the creases with a lovers smile.

"It may have started for fear of Mundus, but I believe you created a reputation for yourself all on your own, regardless if your increase in power was a gift from this so-called Queen. You made the power yours. Don't let anyone take it away from you. As for why he didn't come after you, it's likely he may be locked up."

Caden intertwined and played with Nero's fingers with his own. His focus shifted from the scars of the past to the one's more recent. He ran a thumb across the scar he gave them with his dragon claw.

"You're safe here," he reminded them as much as himself.

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery chuckled when Nic got excited and asked Kiki a couple dozen questions. Thankfully, Cassi arrived in time to distract him from his inquiries, and Avery turned his focus back on Kimiko.

"But he flipped you. You could have flipped him. Or kicked him, or punched him in the ribs or any number of other places rather than the face. Remember, you don't have the reach, Kiki. You have to go where you can. Nic not only has height, but he also has longer arms which give him a longer reach. You can get him in the stomach, the ribs, the legs," Avery said, listing all the possibilities. "When you fight, you need to look at your opponents weaknesses as well as their strengths the compare them to yours. The ones that overlap will be your trouble, but where your strengths excel, that will be the difference between life and death. Or capture. And no magic unless you spar with me," Avery said, shaking a finger at her.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassi's face flushed when she was caught spying and she slipped into the room. The tops of her feet were still covered in dirt, as well as her hands. She dumped her stuff in the corner, keeping the cardigan on for now and wrapped it around herself. Her skin was still damp from the rain and glistened under the lights in the training room.

She shrugged at Nic's question. "I was enjoying watching," she said simply. "Are you learning lots?" she asked, staying along the edge of the mat to keep it from getting covered in dirt.

Neon Noir - Cyberpunk Crime Thriller (CLOSED)

Haha, okay. Sounds good

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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"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.

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Avery Zain

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

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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."

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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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.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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Caden smiled softly and pulled Nero into him. He wrapped his arms tightly around his imp and inhaled their scent. ”I think of you every second we are apart and wish all the more to be with you. I’m glad the feeling is mutual,” he said and kissed the top of their head. ”Let’s get something to eat, then we can do something else. Avery is setting up a match between Nic and Kiki right now. He’ll be preoccupied with that.”

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Avery Zain

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

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”That’s the spirit. Nic, you guard first, Kiki, you’re offensive to start. When you’re ready,” he told her before they started.

Avery had them do a couple of rounds of guarding to make sure they understood how to protect their vulnerable parts; after that, Avery opened up the match for them to do as they needed.

”Kiki is better on the offensive Nic; keep your eye on fast attacks and heavy hits. She has an extra kick, thanks to her supernatural ability. Most creatures will have enhanced strength and or speed. Keep that in mind when you find yourself in a fight because, trust me, it will happen sooner rather than later. Start.”

The werewolf stepped back, watching the fight going back and forth, encouraging stronger hits and better blocks.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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Caden squeezed Nero’s hand three times while they walked to the kitchen.

”It’s okay. You don’t need to show me unless you want to. It was just a lot of information to absorb. I confess I am stuck on Cassi’s grandmother making a deal with a demon. You didn’t know her, but Claire never struck me as the type to make a deal like that… Especially for her people to be enslaved in a war they never signed up for.”

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery laughed and clapped Nic on the back. ”How about pineapple? Or you can just tap the mat,” he said and looked at Kimiko. ”I have a feeling Cass would be more upset if you held back and didn’t show Nic what he could be up against in the field. Especially if the creature in the hospital is a big threat,” Avery said, nodding at the TV that continued to play the surveillance footage.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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The land invigorated Cassiopeia while she worked. The animals in the area had scampered away to let Cassi do her work, but they, and the supernatural guardians of the woods, stayed near to watch her work.

Cassiopeia moved from tree to tree until they were all healed, and then she sat down at the base of the other. A light rain started with Cassi's encouragement, and she sat there, letting the rain wash her face, her tears blending with the rain.

Cassiopeia hated demonkind her whole life for how they killed her family for no reason. How they just took what they wanted with no regard for others. And now it was a lie. Her grandmother had made a ridiculous deal for what? Protection? Power? Cassi didn't know and she wasn't entirely sure she would ever find out, but what she did know was everything she thought she knew about Nero had been wrong. Well, aside from them still being self-centred and annoying.

”Imp beag fuilteach,” she cursed.

translations

Bloody little imp.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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Caden wrapped his arms around Nero, and held them while they revealed the memories to Caden. They jumped around from memory to memory. Caden did his best to follow, but he was still hung up on the fact that Cassiopeia's grandmother made a deal with Mundus.

”Oh… oh, that's good,” Caden said, smiling slightly at Nero. ”Apologies, mein kleiner Kobold, that was a lot of information to take in. Come to the kitchen with me? Kiki has informed me I'm too hungry.”

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Avery Zain

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

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”Good. I think for now, avoid shots to the face. Let's work on guarding first, and then I'll let you two spar. Nic, I want you to hold out for as long as you can during sparring. Kiki has a hard time hitting a target, but once she gets the rhythm, she's unstoppable. Go with it like a real world scenario, but know your limits. I won't stop it unless you want it to stop, alright?”

Avery knew Nic was here to train for the supernatural fights. If he wanted to be ready, training here like it was the real thing would be ideal. Of course, Avery wasn't expecting anything traumatic happening today, but it was best to be prepared.