KazAlkemi

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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Caden’s arms naturally encircled his imp when their arms went around his neck. Caden chuckled at their comment, staring into their large blue and green eyes. His own shifted back and forth to look into each one. Caden always found himself staring into the green for longer, though.

”I think that is because we did,” he said and kissed Nero briefly. He didn’t want to ruin their make-up or be covered in lipstick. That would be for after the ceremony.

”Come. It’s time.”

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery chuckled and sipped his drink. He glanced towards his door and the open window. Kimiko was always in the back of his mind now. Thanks to the bond they shared, he could sense her even when he wasn’t with her, and after the night they shared, it seemed stronger today.

”I’m not sure why. You landed Cassi after all,” Avery reminded Nic. She wouldn’t be with someone who didn’t have a spine, that much Avery knew.

Avery looked down at his attire and nodded. ”They do, although this is more for show. I didn’t think wearing the ones I have for knives and guns would be appropriate. Are you nearly ready?”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit Hair Make-up

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Feeling more confident with her duties, Cassiopeia folded her piece of paper away before glancing at Kimiko. A slow smile moved across her lips, and a knowing look entered her eyes.

”Mmm, that’s good. Although I have a feeling it’s better than good.” Cassi grinned before grabbing her dress bag. ”You’ll have to zip me in, but then we can go.” Cassi walked into Kiki’s bathroom and hung the bag up. She changed rather quickly, looking at her reflection in the mirror after to ensure everything still looked okay. Once she passed her own inspection, Cassi walked back out to Kimiko and had her zip up the dress.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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Caden buttoned the sleeves on his long-sleeved shirt while Nero dressed. His eyes kept wandering to his mate, feeling the very real temptation to undress them again. ”Aufgeregt. I can’t wait to share everything with you,” he said. Caden took a step closer to Nero and zipped up their dress. He ran his hands down their arms and kissed the top of their shoulder.

”You look Wunderschön by the way,” he whispered before kissing their cheek briefly.

Translations

Excited//gorgeous

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Avery Zain

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

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While Nic utilised Avery’s private bath, he changed. Avery wore his usual all-black attire, with black boots and leather suspenders that acted more of a showpiece than material to hold up his pants. When Nic finally walked out, Avery had finished rolling up his shirt sleeves. He looked Nic over when the man asked for approval. Avery gave Nic a whistle of appreciation.

”You clean up well, my friend. Although, you could relax and look a little more natural,” Avery teased.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit Hair Make-up

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Cassiopeia looked up at Kimiko, glaring at the fox through her lashes. She flipped her hair and went back to reading through the ceremony. ”I kicked them out because they don’t need to be here,” she said, ignoring the fact that Kimiko was also right. Of course, she hoped the sentiment would be reciprocated once Nic saw her in her dress.

”How are you and Avery doing?” The last time Cassi saw the two of them together was after Avery blocked Kimiko out. Cassi then decided she needed to take over Kiki’s training, but they hadn’t had their first session yet.

Chicago After Hours

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Caden

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

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”I think it might have something to do with how I’ve charmed their parent,” Caden said. He carried the cats to the joined door that now existed between their bedroom and Nero’s office. He deposited the cats on the other side with some treats before he closed the door and blocked the cat door. Caden then turned around, and crossed the room to where Nero perched. He wasted no time in getting lost in their mate, more than ready to do the same again tomorrow once they were bonded.

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The next day, the house was a flurry of activity. Caden and Nero were having a small ceremony to complete their bond in the evening, but Caden never did anything small. All morning and afternoon, people came and went with flowers, food, and decorations to set the scene for such an important event. Caden even hired people to do Nero’s hair if they wanted it, as well as their make-up. He extended those services to Kimiko and Cassiopeia as well. Cassiopeia had readily accepted, and enjoyed the pampering to its fullest.

When the sun started to move lower into the sky, Caden started to get dressed with Nero. ”Wie fühlen Sie sich?”

Translations

How are you feeling?

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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The rest of the shopping trip went off without a hitch. Cassiopeia had gotten Nic a black button-up to go with the black pants from the other store. It would pair up well with the red sports jacket, and make his features pop. Honestly, Cassi didn’t know how she was going to concentrate on her duties tomorrow of bonding her best friend to their mate with Nic looking the way he did.

Once they got back home, Cassi hung up Nic’s outfit for the following day to keep it from wrinkling before she changed and they got started on the garden boxes. After a few hours, Cassi returned home. As much as she wanted to spend another night with Nic, her cats would have been lonely without her since Wayland wasn’t there.

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The next morning, Cassi woke up to get some house cleaning done and tended to her plants outside. Winter was drawing close, and she needed to prepare her plants for the colder months. After that, she packed everything up before Nic picked her up and then headed to Caden’s house.

Now, Cassi sat on the sofa in Kimiko’s room, drinking a glass of whiskey as she went over the ceremony one more time. She had seen the bonding ceremony of Caden’s people only once, and only participated in half of it herself. It was an honour to perform it for her best friend, but it also wasn’t something normally performed by an outsider. She didn’t want to screw it up.

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Avery Zain

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

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It was difficult getting out of bed the next morning. The warm body beside him enticed Avery to just ignore the world outside and stay in bed a little longer. However, today was not the day for that. Caden roused Avery through their bond, and the werewolf grumbled in annoyance when he was woken. He kissed Kimiko’s head before getting up. Caden sent Avery on a perimeter check, showing him where the weakness had been in the warding the day before.

When Avery reached the location, he noticed a fair bit of activity had occurred during the night but he didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary. After that, Avery was well awake and decided to get a decent work-out in before he was shanghaied in helping the staff prepare for Caden and Nero’s ceremony. It was all work Avery was used to doing when a big event was happening. He fell into the rhythm easily, and the hours passed by quickly.

Avery returned to the room he shared with Kimiko to shower before he was kicked out by Cassi, and told to take Nic. Avery glanced side-long at Nic before huffing and brought the man to his room in staff housing.

”Drink”? Avery offered. ”Feel free to shower if you need to as well.”

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Antoinette McCarthy

Location: War Room – X-Mansion
Skills:

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Antoinette thought about the power balance and where she might be more useful. She felt her powers were uniquely situated to help with either situation. Space. Antoinette had done that a couple of times.

”I'll go to New Orleans. If Mary wants or we decide, I could give her a different reality that might keep her calm. What sort of supplies other than the usual gear might we want? I can go pack for everyone,” she offered. Antoinette glanced at the open portal with New Orleans in the background. The art and music scene was incredible there… Maybe she would get a chance to take in the sites.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Shopping – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Nic’s attentiveness never ceased to make Cassi feel seen and loved. Her whole world seemed to pause when Nic's gaze pulled her into him. She stared back into his eyes, feeling calm but also frozen in place. She smiled when he worried about needing the black suit for tomorrow and she shook her head.

”No, you'll wear this red jacket for tomorrow. That way we'll be matching,” she said, revealing the colour of her dress to him.

She barely heard the sales associates comment on how they looked at one another. All she really understood was how this man consumed her entire being with just his presence. Cassi has been in love before, but it had never been so complete like this.

”Nic, you're staring,” she said once her cheeks started to feel warm.

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Caden

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

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Caden spotted the cats shortly after Nero did. He laughed when they raced over to them. Caden shifted Nero, setting them on the ground before he bent down to scratch and greet the cats. Caden scooped both of them up and kissed their heads as he stood.

”Alright, kätzchen, you'll have to play in the other room for a while.”

Translations

kitten(s)

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Shopping – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassiopeia left her eyes shut even after the kiss was over. Her hands held onto his jacket while she listened to Nic. She smirked, snorting slightly at the undercurrent of fear Nic’s voice had.

”They should be able to, but you might have to come in to have it sized once or twice before it is finalized.” Cassi opened her eyes and pulled back. ”Do you have a nice pair of shoes? They don’t have to be dress shoes, just something that is nice and not scuffed up.”

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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 opened their bedroom door after shifting Nero’s in his arms to do so. ”Well, how about next time we find ourselves alone outside, we see who gets cold first?” Caden shut the bedroom door behind him and scanned the room for signs of black, and white fur balls.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Shopping – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassiopeia watched Nic adjust and move around, nodding in approval. She had done a lot of suit shopping with Caden over the years and understood how a proper suit was supposed to fit. She smiled when Nic passed his approval.

”Then you get a kiss,” she said and kissed him softly, resting her hand on his cheek as she did so.

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Caden

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

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”Ah, the one about my fascination with your legs?” Caden shifted his eyes to stare at them before he looked back at Nero. ”I wondered if I should have waited or just had you outside, but, who knows how long we'll be and I didn't want you getting cold,” Caden said, meeting Nero's eyes once more.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Shopping – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassiopeia walked around Nic, unable to help her eyes roaming as she looked him over. It was hard to deny how sharp people looked in a well-tailored suit or outfit of any kind. Cassi stopped in front of Nic and looked into his eyes. She smiled softly. It wasn’t very often that she saw Nic shaken. Even some things that she revealed to him about the supernatural community didn’t rattle him, but suit buying did.

”Je pense que c'est juste la bonne quantité. Vous pouvez l'habiller de haut en bas très facilement. But how do you feel in it? If you’re uncomfortable we can look for something else,” she said seriously.

Comfort was important. Cassi knew some pushing was in order, but she didn’t want to push Nic so hard that he would never consider wearing another suit in his entire life.

translations

I think it's just the right amount. You can dress it up and down very easily..

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Caden

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

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Caden chuckled and shifted Nero in his arms to allow him access to the door. He opened up the door and replied to Nero. ”Ich werde dich immer auffangen, mein kleiner Kobold.”

He shut the door behind him before carrying Nero up the stairs to their room. ”Do you want to check on your cats?” Caden had grown accustomed to the two cats running around their home. He had figured out their patterns easily and no longer worried if they ran underfoot. Of course, Caden was more than ready to lock the cats out of their bedroom for a few hours, but he wanted to give Nero the option.

Translations

I will always catch you, my little imp.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Shopping – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassiopeia started to browse through all the different fabrics and colours while Nic was taken into the back and sized. She hummed happily to herself, only stopping when the attendant came to check in on what Nic should be dressed in. Cassi laughed lightly, realizing she had left her poor boy all defenceless.

They ran through a list of items and colours that would look good on Nic, and she told them to get him something that was red, as well as a standard black. That way, she could buy coloured ties or dress shirts that would allow Nic to match anything.

Cassi was brought to the back when they found a red sports jacket with some simple slacks and a shirt that pulled everything together. It was a simple outfit that could be easily dressed down or dressed up. Cassiopeia inspected Nic from head to toe, her heart fluttering.

”Je vais devoir revoir certains de mes sorts plus défensifs. Tu as l'air sexy, Nic,” Cassi said bluntly. Surely, she would have to beat people back from her boyfriend if he walked around in this. She could only imagine what the black suit would look like once it was tailored properly to him.

translations

I'll have to revisit some of my more defensive spells. You look hot, Nic.

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Caden

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

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Caden took a step closer when Nero stepped to the edge of the roof. He already had a feeling Nero was going to jump, but he still didn’t quite believe it when they simply slid off the roof. Caden watched, the world seeming to slow as his focus narrowed on Nero’s falling shape. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and caught Nero effortlessly. He bent his knees, absorbing some of the shock, but Nero weighed practically nothing.

Caden looked at Nero, his eyes sparkling from the rush of the moment. He shook his head. ”And what if I hadn’t caught you?” There had been a brief moment in Nero's free fall when Caden worried something would go wrong.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Shopping – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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It never ceased to amaze Cassi how Nic made her feel like the centre of his world when he looked at her like that. She blushed after he broke eye contact with her and walked into the store.

”Caden would have been polite, I'm not certain how Nero would have reacted though,” she said.

A sales attendant immediately came up to them and offered their help. Cassi smiled, greeting them happily before explaining a bit of what they were looking for.

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Caden

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

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Caden raced across the open yard, feeling the speed was going to be his biggest advantage — until he saw a shape on the roof that shouldn't be there. Caden skidded to a halt and cocked his head to the side. Caden barked and circled around and around before he transformed back to human.

”I suppose that means you win?” He slipped his hands into his pockets and stared up at Nero, an amused smirk on face.