KazAlkemi

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia giggled, finding the way Nic just moved her around as he wanted exciting. ”What about my eyes?” she asked, knowing she was setting herself up to blush and be embarrassed.

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Avery Zain

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

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Still frowning, Avery took the offered dagger and looked into the reflective side of it. His eyes widened and he groaned. ”Oh my god. Are you serious?”

He examined the words and the overly done make-up. He rubbed at his cheeks, but the blush barely smudged. He was going to have to shower, but the permanent marker on his head was going to be more difficult.

”For fucks sakes,” he grumbled and tossed the dagger onto the table. He crossed his arms and looked at Kimiko, ignoring Nero all together.

”Can we talk? Alone.”

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Caden

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

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Caden laughed and showed Avery photos he had taken when Avery had been sleeping. ”You can thank Cass for the word choice,” he added before putting his phone away.

Caden wrapped his arms around Nero from where they stood and pulled him into his lap. He kissed the back of Nero’s shoulder, watching Kimiko and Avery.

”Kiki, I can have some food sent up for all of us instead if you want,” he said, offering her a way out if she wasn’t ready to talk.

Avery pulled his gaze away from Kimiko and glared at Caden. Caden raised an eyebrow and shifted his eyes up to Avery’s forehead, then back. Avery sighed and rolled his eyes, remembering that he was the one who fucked up and had no say here.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassi wanted to play hardball with Nic, but it was difficult with him smiling at her like that. Eventually, she caved and heaved a sigh. ”Fiiinnne. But you cheated, with that smile of yours and those eyes,” she declared.

She twisted away from Nic to reclaim her tea. She took a sip of it, savouring the taste.

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Caden

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

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Caden coughs into his hand when Kimiko starts to laugh hysterically. He smothers his laugh for a moment, but when Avery looked at him with confusion, Caden couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore.

”Did no one talk to you on your way here?” Caden eventually asked through the laughing.

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery frowned when Kimiko started to laugh at him. He didn’t understand what was humorous about this moment. And then Caden started to laugh while Nero tried their best to hide from him. A sinking feeling started to form in the pit of Avery’s stomach because the imp was hiding. Then Caden asked if anyone had said anything to him.

”No…I ignored everyone, but most of them gave me a wide birth or stopped and stared. Why…What did you do?” He looked at the imp who was still hiding behind their book.

Caden laughed and patted Nero’s hand, telling them to tell Avery what was going on.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia’s eyes remained on Nic while he cleaned up her face. She held onto his hand earnestly, not looking away from him. ”I do feel safe with you,” she told him. It surprised her as much as comforted her how true those words were and how much she loved them.

Cass didn’t feel like she had to be the strong one around Nic. She could crumble and fall apart if she needed to. Which made it difficult to keep everything together when she needed to, like earlier.

She broke eye contact with Nic to stare at their pinkies intertwined. It was a juvenile way to make a promise, but it made Cass smile. And he called her adorable. She bit her bottom lip, debating on denying him this simple request.

”But what if it’s like really bad?”

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Caden

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

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Caden chuckled to himself as he watched the diverse reactions from the knowledge that Avery was awake. Caden could feel Avery getting closer, so he was certain Kiki could sense the same. He patted her hand at one point because she seemed about ready to bolt. Eventually though, Caden heard the familiar footfalls of Avery walking down the hallway. However, they sounded more sluggish and hesitant than usual.

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Avery Zain

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

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It seemed like the closer Avery got, the more nervous he became, which exacerbated his symptoms. At one point, he had walked into Caden’s house, but turned around and quickly walked back out when a wave of nausea hit. After taking a few more minutes outside and finding water from the cooler, he made his way back in and headed down the hallway.

He paused for a minute before he walked into Caden’s study. The three of them were sitting there, Caden gave him a brief smile, his eyes roaming over Avery’s face before looking away. Nero couldn’t seem to sit still, and then there was Kimiko. Avery found that as soon as he saw her, he couldn’t look away from her.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassi looked worried when. Nic took the teacup she had been holding onto tightly. She shifted like she was about to snatch it back to protect herself with it, but Nic pulled her into a hug instead. Cass sat there for a minute, feeling stunned. And then the tears started.

When Nic hugged her a second time she held onto him tightly, barely reacting to when he pulled her onto his lap. She buried her head into his neck, feeling ashamed for having doubted Nic, guilt for wanting him to care for her, and grief for so many lives lost because she had been mad at the wrong people.

Eventually, Cass was able to pull herself back. She sniffed and laughed slightly. ”I’m always crying around you.”

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Caden

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

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Caden smirked and shook his head at Nero before looking at Kimiko. The obvious need to go see Avery was apparent in how her body was reacting, but Caden respected her desire to stay put. Avery deserved to feel panicked.

”Yes. He'll be able to find you as long as you keep the connection open.” Caden was curious how long it would take Avery to realize he had make-up on his face. He hoped none of the staff told him.

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery sat in his room, knowing exactly where Kimiko was for several minutes. He knew she knew he was awake, and some messed up part of him thought she would come to him first, but of course, she didn’t.

”No shit, Zain. You fucked up,” he cursed himself, muttering under his breath.

Avery sat for a few more minutes until most of the nauseous and dizzy feelings went away. He was dressed in loose clothes, a pair of shorts and a T-shirt because he felt disgustingly warm.

When he left his room, he had to pause in the hallway for a moment. Dizziness overtook him, along with the brightness of the lights in the hallway. He managed to find a window and saw it was rather dark and gloomy outside, which explained on the lights were on. As he walked, he ran into a couple of people but didn’t stop to talk. They stared at him, seemingly in shock, but Avery ignored them all.

Once he was outside, he felt like he could breathe again. The damp, cold air filled him up and soothed his burning skin. As much as he wanted to go to Kimiko, he couldn’t deny the relief he was feeling from being outside. Avery took his time walking across Caden’s backyard, going over what he was going to say to Kimiko while he drank in the cold air.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia blushed from the teasing and compliments. She batted his hand away but didn’t let it distract her from eating a little more. She broke up some bread and dipped it into the soup before eating it.

She ate her soup quietly, enjoying the silence with Nic by her side. There was no need for conversation when in the presence of good food and good company.

Once the meal was concluded, Cassi topped up her tea before she pulled Nic into the living room. She grabbed a wool blanket and tucked it in around the pair of them before she broached the topic of conversation she had been avoiding.

She informed Nic of her need to know more about what happened when Nero killed her family. She explained what they saw and what Mundus had said. That her grandmother had made a deal. That Nero had been enslaved and was exacting the terms of that deal, and that Mundus was very aware of Cassiopeia.

”It was something your father had said that made me suspicious. My mother and grandmother were fighting before we were attacked. I think she found out and was confronting Claire. But… It was already too late. I had made my decision, and that broke the contract. I’m sorry, Nic… I don’t want to take away from what is going on with you and your dad…I just knew something wasn’t right.”

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Caden

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

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Caden chuckled. He kissed Nero’s cheek before depositing the imp back into his own chair. He left to make a couple of phone calls, one for food, and another to price out a sauna. He then spoke with the contractors on if they could assist. Once Caden’s separate tasks were complete, he came back to work on decoding the books with Kimiko and Nero.

A few hours later, after all the snacks were gone, and Caden couldn’t stop yawning, the dragon man paused. He quirked his head to the side as if he were listening to something.

”He’s awake,” he stated, looking back at Kimiko.

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery was indeed awake and felt like absolute shit. His head was pounding fiercely, and his eyes couldn’t focus on anything. It felt like sandpaper every time he blinked, and his mouth felt chalky. Avery groaned and tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea and dizziness knocked him back down.

Noted. Never block a bond in anger. Avery wished for sleep to claim him again, but a powerful need had him dragging himself to the bathroom to relieve himself. He stuck his hands under the taps after washing his hands to drink some water. He lifted his head to see if he looked as bad as he felt but discovered there was no mirror where there normally was. Did he break that? Avery wouldn’t be surprised if he had.

He stumbled back to his bed, wanting to lay down, but his stomach rumbled in fierce protest. Plus, he kept searching for her. Not only was Avery looking around his room for Kimiko — knowing fully well she wouldn’t be there — but he was also looking for her in his head. He found Caden first, but then started searching for the fire of his mate.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Sure. With lemon. There are cut slices in the fridge,” she said before she took her first sip of the soup. It was a harvest kind of soup, and even though it was still too early in the season, the rainy day told Cassi they needed some warm food with spice. The soup tasted like autumn and home. Cassi wiggled in her seat happily, unconscious of her actions, while she ate.

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Caden

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

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Caden looked back and forth between Kimiko and Nero. At their pleading looks in hopes for a sauna, at least. Caden chuckled and nodded. ”Alright. I’ll look into having a sauna installed. We can take out some of the bathroom. It doesn’t need to be that large anyways.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”I’ll have tea,” Cassi said and turned back around to tend to the soup.

The simple work helped to relax her. Once the soup was finished, Cassi filled two bowls and brought them to the kitchen table. She then grabbed some buns she had still as well as crackers in case Nic wanted something to dip into his soup. She reclaimed her seat and sat down to enjoy a warm and comforting meal.

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Caden

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

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”Yes. Like Avery, she keeps things close to her chest, and with Nic going through his own demon troubles, she would feel like she was taking away from his situation if she told him. But, what happened to Cassi was in the past. She can't go back and fix it, so there is no point in hanging onto it. Besides, Nic will be able to help her process it.”

Caden Squeezed Nero's leg in silent thanks for the way they were rubbing and scratching his back. It was relaxing and was helping to settle his nerves.

”I'm not sure we're allowed spa days,” Caden chuckled in response to Kimiko's statement. It said it only because of how busy they always were.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Fine, you win.” Cassi grumbled as she turned around and buried her face into Nic's chest. She huffed a breath before looking up at him, her cheeks still red from all the praise Nic was giving her. ”Do you want tea or something else to drink?”

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Caden

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

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Caden smiled and nodded. ”Exactly. Avery just needs to talk about how he's feeling rather than bottle it down to protect you. I bet he will be more willing now.” Caden had a good feeling that the results of today scared Avery worse than the warehouse had. ”It'll be okay, Kiki. We are all going through our own battles right now. Nero with their memories, Nic with his family, Cassi with hers…” Caden sighed.

He rested his head on Nero's shoulder for a moment. He took a couple of breaths in before looking at Kimiko. ”Cass' grandmother made a deal with Mundus. Our children were going to be his, but when Cass and I broke off the engagement, it broke the deal. That was why her entire family was killed. I don't know what Mundus gave Claire in return, but it can't have been worth it.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia could feel her face flaming. She buried her head in her hands and stamped her feet. ”Niiiccc, stop,” she whined. ”I’m trying to be a good girlfriend and feed you.”

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Caden

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

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”It really had nothing to do with Nic and everything to do with seeing someone manhandle you. He would have reacted the same if I had done it. Possibly even Nero,” Caden told her truthfully. ”Remember, he’s never seen you in action. Just that once when you first came to town. Seeing you in that warehouse… It really screwed with his mind. Avery keeps everything pretty close to the vest. Did he tell you in was in the army during World War Two? He was also in the Korean war and Vietnam. He was mostly a grunt and witnessed things most people can’t imagine. Done things most people would never consider. It took him until meeting me to finally work through it all. You really scared him when you were taken. I think he was worried he was going to go backwards if he lost you.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia felt quite flustered when Nic used her full first name. He rarely used it if ever, so it sounded lovely coming from him, even if he was teasing her. Then he had to go and call her adorable again.

”You've mentioned it once or twice,” she said, refusing to turn around. She could feel his eyes boring into her back, willing her to turn around, so he could see her flushed face.

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Caden

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

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Caden chuckled from Kimiko's frustration. ”I've always enjoyed it,” he teased her. He kissed Nero's forehead, finding the rhythm of them playing with his shirt and tie soothing.

He looked at Kimiko. ”Remember this is both new for you. You two are the same in so many ways, Kiki. Alone most of your lives, resigned to the way things are, and having to look after yourselves. It took a while for Avery to warm-up to me, and we still butt heads from time to time. I believe the two of you care for each other more than you can stand. It's a lot of emotion in a short amount of time. You'll figure it out. Just like Nero and I, and Cass and Nic,” Caden said confidently.