KazAlkemi

Chicago After Hours

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery collected Kimiko's plate and placed it on top of his. He moved Kimiko's legs before he stood and offered her a hand up.

”Would you like a drink while we work?” Avery offered.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Mystic Dreams – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassiopeia couldn't help the smile that warmed her face from Nic's statements. Even though he was human, Nic seemed to be fiercely protective of Cass. It didn't matter if her mental, emotional, or physical state was compromised, Nic was ready to protect and care for it all.

”The brave knight who slayed the dragon to free the princess from her tower…” The image was so strong in her mind's eye, Cassi couldn't help but wonder if Nic had been like that in a past life. ”Or in this case, cleans the tower. Let me grab the mop and broom then if you're going to insist on doing this.”

Cassiopeia disappeared into a back closet to retrieve the items. Water could be heard running as she poured some bleach and other cleaning supplies into the mop bucket. She wheeled the items out, carrying a broom and a dust pan in the other hand. ”Here you are, sir knight. I'll start on the walls. Once we have everything cleaned, I'll have you help me make a list of everything lost.” At this rate, Caden would be rotting in a jail cell at least until first light, Cassi thought to herself. That would have to be good enough.

Chicago After Hours

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Avery Zain

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

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”Well, if we're just doing his office I think we can pull it off. There's no way we could do the whole house. Caden's got so much. It's all laid out well, so it doesn't look like a lot but when you have to pack it up… trust me. It's a lot.”

Avery finished his second plate and set the dish aside. He leaned back on the couch, resting his hands on Kimiko's legs.

”Although, if we're doing this we better get started.”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Mystic Dreams – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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”If I don't ask Caden to pay me back it'll hurt him more. If I pour myself back into my work and have no time for him, and no time for you, it'll affect him more knowing I'm losing out and refusing to ask for his repentance.” Cassi crossed her arms, watching Nic clean up as she explained all this. She hated the idea of not seeing Nic, but it was probably for the best at this point. It was getting harder and harder to have to leave his place every night, and after their last date it wasn't easy to keep her hands to herself either. For whatever reason, Nic wasn't wanting to make that move yet, so it was probably better if she just stayed away.

Cassi smirked at Nic's response for cleaning the broken glass up next. ”You know I could call on the wind to do all that. Or do you enjoy doing menial tasks?”

Chicago After Hours

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery shrugged and looked panicked when Kimiko took his plate. She draped her legs over him before returning his plate of food and Avery relaxed. He took his plate and happily resumed eating.

”We could still do that, Nero. You just have to tell us where you want everything to go.”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Mystic Dreams – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassi sighed and nodded. She wanted to take inventory of everything she lost. Some things would be irreplaceable, others would take time to regrow or find, but some she could make right away.

She bent down while Nic moped up the blood and picked up a mandrake root. It had been squished and would take her four years to make fresh. Luckily, she had some at home that had been growing for two years already.

”It's fine, Nic. I'm just going to have to do more readings for a while to accommodate the loss in revenue for the spells and potions I make. Well, they aren't really spells, but people buy more thinking it's some mystical thing.” Cassi stood and tossed the destroyed mandrake into the garbage.

Chicago After Hours

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery looked at the half eaten roll with mild annoyance. He popped the thing into his mouth and quickly chewed it up before he swallowed. He looked at Kimiko, a challenge in his eyes.

”I don't know. Are you going to take any more food off my plate?”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Mystic Dreams – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassi grumbled and continued to stomp around as she snatched up ruined ingredients and broken bottles. She huffed and cursed in several languages. She grabbed a bottle of lavender oil, something she had imbued with silver and moonlight to create a more pleasant healing experience, and to deter any supernatural creatures who hated the stuff. She watched the liquid shimmer inside before she hurtled it at a wall. It smashed and dripped to the floor. Lavender assaulted her nose. It was an odd combination with the blood and sulphur

”I feel like rotting in a jail cell would be the easy way out,” Cassi concluded. She turned and took in the dead body, and the tracks she left all over the place. ”Dammit. Nic, you don't need to do that. I can call someone to clean all of this. They have to take the body anyway.”

Chicago After Hours

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Avery Zain

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

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”Woman, I swear to all the gods if you don't quit messing with my food I will tickle you in front of Nero.” Avery was rather particular about his food and when he was hungry, it really was best not to touch the food on his plate.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Driving —> Mystic Dreams – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassi sighed but smiled and nodded. It was getting easier to say yes to Nic. To let him take care of her and support her. Cassi couldn't help but smirk as Nic slowed down.

”I can't believe I'm in a relationship with someone more stubborn than me,” she said.

When she saw the cop, Cassiopeia hunted in her bag for the shop keys. It wasn't an officer she recognized, so Cassi handed the man her ID along with the keys as she explained this was her shop and Costa called her.

The officer took Cassi's keys and used them to unlock the door. He returned the keys to her after making a quick phone call.

“Do you need me to stick around?”

Cassiopeia shook her head. ”If the detective dismissed you then we are fine.” Once the cop left, Cassi told Nic to just park up front.

She set the plates of food aside before she climbed out of the car, her bag slung over her shoulder. Cassi stared at her shop, something she had worked long and hard on and was proud of. She tried not to get emotional over it but it was hard not to. She sighed and took Nic's hand once he was near.

Cassi walked into the shop and looked around. The front was relatively okay. Some things were pulled off the shelves behind the front counter but it was the smell of blood and sulphur that caught Cassiopeia's attention.

”Could you lock the door, please?” she asked Nic before she released his hand. Cassi set her bag on the counter before walking into the back and froze.

It looked like a proper robbery. There were marks burned into the ground with chalk marks on her walls. Bottles were shattered on the ground and herbs crushed underfoot. In the middle lay a body with several stab wounds and a slice across the victim's neck. Cassi wasn't the least bit disturbed by the dead body but she was pissed about the destroyed supplies.

”I'm going to kill him.” She stalked forward, somehow missing the pool of blood as she walked back and forth and around the dead body. ”That bastard! It took me a month to grow this properly… and this! I got this from the early 19th century! I can't even remake this!!!” Cassi raged as she stomped around to see how much Caden wrecked.

Chicago After Hours

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery nodded emphatically, having food in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before speaking.

”Caden is a shapeshifter. He'd just take on whatever form would look good with the makeup Nero puts on them,” Avery said.

He reclaimed his seat next to Kimiko and stole some food off her plate in retaliation of earlier—even though he had a full plate of food.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Driving – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassi wiped the stray tears that escaped and looked at Nic. ”I know, and I love you for that, I do, but… This isn't making the flowers grow or messing with the weather… this is very different and I worry what you are going to think about us after what you see tonight. I'm fairly confident Caden tortured and then killed the demon and their host body after he was done with them.”

Cassiopeia scooped more food for Nic and offered it to him while he navigated the nighttime traffic in Chicago.

Chicago After Hours

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery ate the majority of his meal by the time Kimiko came back. He noted how she sat further away from him than she had before. He frowned and shuffled closer so at least their legs were touching. Avery finished the rest of his meal while Nero told them about his plan.

Avery choked on his last bit of food. He drank some of his water before coughing to clear his throat. "Remind me if I ever have to get back at someone to enlist Nero's help. That is a rather thorough plan. I just figured we would rearrange some books onto random shelves."

Avery rested his hand on Kimiko's knee and used it to stand. He walked over to the table full of food still and gathered enough for a second helping.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Driving – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassiopeia found herself watching Nic's hands. The glow of the dashboard danced over his fingers while he thought about what she said. Cassi suddenly wished in that moment that Nic didn't know about this part of her life, or about how bad it could get. She wished for something separate from this life. A place she could run to and not be Cassiopeia Claire Alistair, an all powerful sorceress with a dragon for a best friend and a demon for an enemy.

Cassi shouldn't have been surprised by his answer but she was. She felt her cheeks heat up with a pricking in her eyes. She turned her head to stare out the window. She breathed deeply in an effort to hold the hot tears back that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"It's not the first time I've had to clean up a mess," she told Nic.

Chicago After Hours

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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, her lack of reasoning for being hit not amusing to him. He resumed his eating but didn't get very far before Kimiko helped herself to his plate of food. He pouted and turned away from her to eat in peace.

”When do you want to start rearranging Caden's office?” Avery asked, moving right past the uncomfortable topic of conversation.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Driving – Chicago, IL
Skills:
Fit

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Cassi gave Nic some more food before she felt ready to answer. ”Well… I have all the supplies one might need to summon a demon. I have a feeling that's what Caden did and if Caden only wants me in the shop then… I don't know, Nic. Maybe you should just wait for me outside when we get there.”

Cassi knew Nic wasn't a stranger to death. Working in an ER was almost a guarantee to be around a dead body but she wasn't sure how bad the body in her shop would be. She didn't want to subject Nic to that if she didn't have to.

Chicago After Hours

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery had taken a seat on the couch and started to eat before Kimiko arrived. He glanced over when she said goodbye to Cassi and smiled when she joined him. At least until she hit him.

”What was that for!?” Avery frowned and shifted away from Kimiko to eat his good in peace.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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Cassi climbed into the SUV and took Nic's plate from him. ”Yes,” she answered him. Cassi ate some of the pasta she had taken before Nic got into the car and started to drive. She set her plate aside and shifted in the seat to face Nic better.

”What do you want to eat first?” Cassi asked, she examined his plate of food, pushing some of it around with his fork.

Cassi's mind alternated between being angry at Caden and afraid for him. She didn't know what was going through his head but she did know how he got when he was scared or upset.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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Nic’s hand in the small of Cassi's back was comforting and warm, but it was also irritating her. Thankfully, Kimiko came around the corner so she didn't have to brush his hand away. She stepped closer to Kimiko and glanced back at Nero and Avery.

”Yes, we'll have to bring the idiot back home. I don't know when we'll be back, but we'll be back. Keep Nero from dwelling.” Cassi kissed Kimiko's cheek before she gathered her small plate of food and headed for the door.