Xander's Cross, Oregon: a small town ringed with forbidding mountains and misty forest. The sky may be gray, but the townspeople are welcoming to people of all kinds...and things that are not quite human as well. Here the native shifters, aliens, werewolves, and witches live in peace. They have yet to find out the new business owners encroaching on the land are also vampires.
The peace has been broken by murder, however, and things in Xander's Cross are about to become quite a bit darker.
Welcome to your new home.
is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?
August 20, 2020
The mayor, Rowan Starkwood, was found dead less than a mile from his home. Rumors say his body was mutilated, but the state of the body has not yet been released to the public.
Post by Josie Andrews on Oct 6, 2020 22:44:31 GMT -5
She'd been up for about 41 hours, now. Not exactly that, but close.
She looked more Fae than usual from the lack of sleep; her cheekbones stood out, and somehow the darkness under her eyes highlighted the bright blue of her irises. Her skin was pale, and paired with her distracted expression, she looked as if she might fade out of existence at any moment. She looked like her mother--beautiful, but vaguely inhuman.
The insomnia was worse than usual. It happened every couple of months, usually leading up to a full moon. She'd always had a hunch it had something to do with her mother's blood, although she'd never been able to get a straight answer from Aerith about it. Normally she just felt wide awake, like she couldn't sit still, while her mind pelted her with worries from all directions. That was fine, she could just put on an audiobook and eventually drop off. This was different. She was exhausted. Tiredness had seeped into her bones, making her feel like they weighed a thousand pounds apiece. She'd tried to sleep, really she had, but when she wasn't staring at the ceiling, she was having vivid half-waking nightmares where strange creatures stalked through her room and plunged their shadowy fingers into her chest. She'd sit up with her chest heaving, still feeling the knife-like phantom pains.
At the office, she'd been paranoid and jumpy. The receptionist had come in to offer her some coffee and she'd nearly jumped out of her skin. She actually screamed a little. She didn't do that. So she'd closed up early and gone home to try and sleep...only to plunge right back into those same nightmares again. After burning the macaroni and cheese she'd tried to make (She'd zoned out while it was cooking and never set a timer. She didn't know how much time had passed with her staring out the window, but the water had boiled off and scorched the noodles onto the pan.) she had decided to go to the diner. It was dark, but she walked there anyway. Anything that really wanted her that badly could do it's worst. She was too tired to be afraid of anything else.
Or at least, she'd thought so, until she was jumping at every sound. She was on edge until she was inside the bright lights of the diner. She took a seat at the counter and accepted a cup of coffee with a grateful nod. She smiled softly when the waitress, Lauren's sister, passed her a handful of vanilla creamer cups. It was a good thing she'd remembered, because, at this point, Josie wasn't sure that she would have. She poured five of them into her mug, nearly overflowing it, and took a sip. Ah. Perfect. She sighed contentedly as she cradled the warm cup in both hands. At least this much was reliable and safe.
She didn't glance up when the door jingled to announce a new arrival, she just stared into her cup of coffee, wondering if she should have picked warm milk or something instead.
Post by Kale Roemer on Oct 7, 2020 23:08:15 GMT -5
It was a good night for a run. He hadn't had a real chance to let his fur out and run rampant through a forest since he'd left Russia. It was good too feel wind through fur, the pads of his feet on forest floor... He fucking missed this form like you wouldn't believe. It was difficult to let the fur out when you were jumping from city to city trying to get the italian mob off your back. But once he'd finally ditched them....
He ran wild.
Kale Roemer had only been in Xander's Cross a short bit, and he could already tell it was special. From the occupants to the woods, there was something about this place that just...spoke to him. He'd have to see how long it took before he pissed off one of the resident werewolves he could smell. So far, none of them had approached him. Maybe it was the loner wolf vibes he gave off, or something more...Dangerous. Either way he didn't care, and he wasn't going to bother hiding what he was. He was proud of it. He understood humans not needing to know, his mother had been a witch after all, but the other species? Let them know what they were dealing with. Kale loved being a wolf. It gave him power, confidence, helped build him into the merciless killer and charmer he was today. He wasn't going to change it for the world. Or anything, or anyone. This was him.
Deal with it.
After his shift, he found himself nearly starving, having burned off several calories. His muscles were sore, and he could certainly go for a burger. From what he knew of the diner, it was open 24/7 and he liked that. He kept odd hours, mostly because had be been with Dmitri, he would be awake and it'd be about seven in the morning rather then 11 at night. He'd walked from the woods to the diner, smoking a cigarette as he walked. His blue button up shirt was tucked into his dark jeans, and his boots lightly sounded on the pavement. His hair was ruffled, and he had a bit of a weeks growth on his jaw. He had a finger hooked over the collar of his leather jacket, carrying it over his shoulder as he walked across the parking lot. He let the last bit of smoke out before dropping the cigarette and putting it out. He opened the door of the diner then to find the smell of sweetness.
And man, was she sweet. The wolfish smile across his face couldn't be hidden as he stood just in front of the door, letting it close behind him. He tilted his head to the side in interest. What was a fae doing here? He tilted his head slightly up, lifting his chin as he took another whiff of the diner. His eyes looked as if he was reading some invisible text, searching his mental database. No, half fae. Her scent wasn't as potent, but still... The only Fae he knew was Ruby. To find another and here? Color him intrigued. He moved from the door finally, the grin falling from his face. There was no hesitation as he tossed his leather jacked on the diner counter about a seat over from the woman, and then Kale plopped down on the seat cushion right next to her. He didn't care if she didn't know her and he was a near stranger. He was bored, and things were about to get interesting. Kale didn't do boring or boredom. Bad things happened when the big bad wolf had nothing to do. If he was to lay low, he needed something to bid his time with. He rested an elbow on he counter and turned to the woman, resting his cheek against the side of his head, as he gave her an assessing look. Oh yeah, there was that sugary sweet smell, mixed in with something else, and little but earth.
Yummy.
"You look like shit." He said rather bluntly. There was something slightly off about his voice. It was deep, and there was an American accent there, but it sounded off. Oh he knew how he sounded, but he didn't care. There was a slight quirk to a corner of his lips, and mischievous, maybe even dangerous glint to his eyes. His eyes flickered to her coffee and then back to her face. "Trouble sleeping Sugar?"
Post by Josie Andrews on Oct 8, 2020 17:05:21 GMT -5
Josie and the newcomer were both lucky that he’d put his jacket down first–the slap of the leather onto the worn Formica countertop was a perfect warning to alert her to the fact that she was about to be forced into conversation with a stranger. Had it started with him sitting next to her, or his voice, she would likely have sloshed that cup of coffee straight into her lap when she flinched. As it was, she gritted her teeth and turned to the man with a dead-eyed, unamused stare. Oh, he could call her sugar all he wanted, but the look on her face was downright sour.
“For one, I’m sure you don’t actually mean that I look like I’ve been chewed, digested, and excreted by any living creature.” She began with a cold, but calm, tone. There were just a few problems with that approach. The first, and largest, was that he was flirting with her. Badly, perhaps, but that wasn’t a thing that happened to Josie Andrews. People didn’t flirt with her. In high school, she’d been too bookish and scrawny to be noticed. And now that she’d managed to fill out a bit, she never put herself in situations where anyone had a chance to do so. The small, buried, Former-Josie was flustered beyond all belief. Unfortunately for her, this internal self was the one most in touch with her body’s subconscious reactions–like turning her cheeks from deathly pale to a light flush of pink.
But Lawyer-Josie, the badass version who won the toughest cases and didn’t take any shit from anyone, she was angry. How dare anyone violate her personal space or dare to think they had the right to her time? And beyond that, there was something weird about this guy. His accent…it just wasn’t right. Something was wrong. More than just his sly expression was tugging at her nerves. Some sixth sense was making the hair on the back of her neck prickle. What was it? She didn’t let it stop her from continuing, but her frustration at not having an answer (and absolute disgust at her own tiny positive reaction, even if it had been squelched by common sense) bled into her voice more with each sentence.
“Two, I’m not your ‘sugar’ or anything else, for that matter. And finally, the one thing you did get right is that I’m having trouble sleeping. And no, that condition is not going to make me any happier to chat with you. It means I’d be much happier if you just let me be. I haven’t got the patience, tonight.”
By the time she’d fished, her bored expression had turned to a glare and she quickly turned back to her coffee to avoid any further interaction with Mr. Bed Head over there. She didn’t want anything to do with him.
last edited Oct 8, 2020 17:06:12 GMT -5 by Josie Andrews
Post by Kale Roemer on Oct 8, 2020 17:37:58 GMT -5
That sourpuss look she gave him only made that smile broaden. he was looking an awful lot like the joker, or maybe even the god Loki from that SMITE game he played occasionally, with how wide his grin became. The words that followed caused his eyebrow to raise, in great amusement. He'd forgotten what it was like to deal with Fae, even a half one, they had a way of taking anything you said literally, and he chuckled lowly. He'd pushed a button, that much was obvious from the way she was looking at him, but he could also practically hear the blood rushing in her veins from how mad she was.
Someone was certainly touchy tonight. His feelings were almost hurt with the fact she didn't like his nickname for her. Everyone got nicknames from Kale, and she would forever be known as Sugar. He had the feeling she was going to be the sweetest irony... Her attitude towards him didn't phase him in the slightest. If anything, urged him to be even more pushy. To poke at this fae to find out why she wasn't sleeping, and....how could he be of service...
"Not that shit, you're actually pretty decent on the eyes. Probably look loads better after a few Z's." He remarked, being the smartass that he couldn't help being. He frowned at her, turning and picking up one of the toothpicks from the little dispenser before putting it in his mouth, twirling it around. "Hmmmmm, lucky for you, Sugar, I got all the patience in the world." He sighed, he said it glanced at the ceiling before he let his head lull to the side as it turned to look at her again. His dark eyes boring into her rather intensely. "If didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to hurt my feelings..." He said in mock hurt. "Was just pointing out an observation. You should try some melatonin if you can't sleep, or google some shit." He suggested. Quickly realizing his error he glanced over, that grin was certainly back. "And not the chewed, digested, and excreted by any living creature shit." He pointed out. "Unless...your into that." Way to be gross Kale....
last edited Oct 8, 2020 17:42:10 GMT -5 by Kale Roemer
Post by Josie Andrews on Oct 8, 2020 19:50:54 GMT -5
“Why you–!” Josie began, ice-blue eyes practically sparking with fury as she turned back to him. This snake! Oh, no, she realized as she looked up into that hungry grin. Not a snake. A wolf. She briefly questioned whether he really was just that, but she was too irritated to say any more. She was supposed to be ignoring him.
What a shitty compliment, was her next complete thought. She watched in furious silence as he plucked a toothpick from the dispenser and twirled it with his tongue like some 80’s gang member. And then he dropped that nickname again, making her roll her eyes so hard it almost hurt. All the patience in the world, huh? Maybe that was why there was none left for her. She almost spit that one out at him, but she didn’t want to play into his games. But then he continued, and she couldn’t help it, she had to fire back. Ooh, he was plucking at every last nerve, and she was already high strung.
“Oh, please. You do not ‘know better,’ because that was exactly my intention.” Her coffee was all but forgotten now as she turned her whole body toward him on the stool. Her right hand was flat on the counter as she gestured with her now-free left hand. “You weren’t ‘pointing out an observation’ you were making one. I never said the problem was falling asleep. Believe me, I’ve tried several supplements, and teas, and meditation–I’m not an idiot. And I know how to use a computer, so thanks for that hot tip.” She paused, then added, “Oh, and no, that’s not what I’m ‘in to’ but you’re never going to find out what is.”
Speaking of which, why the hell was he even talking to her? If all he wanted out of this conversation was to piss her off, he was certainly succeeding. At the very least, one would think that she would be able to get some answers out of the conversation in return–like what it was about his speech that was bothering her (besides copious uses of the word shit.)
“Seriously, what do you even want? Surely even a vagrant like you has better things to do than bother me.”
Post by Kale Roemer on Oct 9, 2020 18:36:46 GMT -5
If his intent had been to get a rise out of her, then he was surely winning in this little game. Kale's expression might not have given away what he was thinking, but he most certainly had this little Sugar Fae eating out of the palm of his hand. Just how he liked it. He continued to twirl that toothpick around with his tongue, the grin fading away to an almost bored expression again while the woman turned to face him and give him his verbal lashing for his behavior. He knew his mother had taught him better manners, and he most certainly did have them. But when you were a bored wolf stuck in hiding, you tended to forget manners for entertainment purposes. If anyone had talked to Dmitri or Ruby in such a way, heck even little Katya, he'd have cut their tongue out already and shoved it down their throats.
But for him? It was laughable. She'd have to try a lot harder to hurt his feelings, and the woman had no idea who he was, or who she was dealing with. The Bol'shoy plokhoy volk as Dmitri called him. He arched his brows at her, so slowly turning his head to look at her. "If that was your intention you need step up your game Cupcake because that's clearly done nothing to hurt my feelings. Amateur." He called her. Away that toothpick twirled and he slowly reached over to ding the bell for the waitress, before he was sitting up again, folding his hands together on the counter.
"Wasn't implying you were stupid, just making some helpful suggestions." He shrugged, indifferent. She finally managed to his attention again, and he turned to face her. Moving the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. "I'm hungry. There's food here, you're easy conversation." He answered her simply. Who else was he going to talk to? The wall? Himself?' He looked around, waving a finger about. "You see anyone else here to talk to?" He asked. "I'm a social butterfly Sugar, I don't like sitting alone by my lonesome."Liar. A voice told him. But that was okay, she didn't need to know that tidbit.
"Besides, you can't tell me you're energy hasn't improved since I've sat down. Your blood's pumping and that circulation is moving, and your not looking like a zombie drooling into your coffee." He turned back around just in time as the waitress appeared. He leaned in a bit then. "What can I say, except you're welcome." He smirked, before he turned a dazzling smile on the waitress. "Evenin' sweetheart, going to make your life real easy. Just give me a burger fries, everything on it, and a cup of coffee." He told her.
Post by Josie Andrews on Oct 9, 2020 19:01:31 GMT -5
Josie was ready to bite his head off at that ‘amateur’ comment until the fae side of her caught the word choice. Amateur. Not a professional. Not someone with practice. She blinked as he turned away, and her glare actually faded to scrutiny. So then…was there someone else who did know how to get to him? Interesting.
And there went the scrutiny, now she was just confused. Easy conversation? What about this was easy? Other than–oh. He really had reeled her in, hadn’t he? Damn. She’d fallen right into that little trap. Why was she even so mad, anyway? Telling her she looked like shit was fucking rude, but it wasn’t a lie. And he actually had made reasonable suggestions about how to take care of her sleeplessness. She just stared at him as he professed to having nothing but the purest of intentions, only pulling back a little when he leaned towards her with that smirk. She didn’t like the way it made her stomach flip flop. Or…was that something else? Had there been a lie in there, somewhere? She frowned as he turned to Mason, who glanced up to meet her eye, silently asking who this guy was to her. She just shrugged at the young waitress.
While Mason took Mr. Bed Head’s order, Josie turned back to the counter and pulled her coffee close again, resting both elbows on the Formica as she deflated, all the anger draining back out of her. The cup was cold, now, and she didn't bother drinking any. What was she doing? He hadn’t really done anything worth her getting so pissed about, she was just on edge, and the way he’d come at her was about as relaxing as a root canal. She sighed heavily and flopped her head backward to look up at the buzzing fluorescent lights. Dammit. She was going to have to give him that one. So, maybe she could turn this another way.
When he’d finished ordering, she turned to him with a stern look, eyes narrowed as she concentrated her energy on him. She had to pay attention if she wanted this to work. It was the intent that mattered when it came to magic.
“Alright, Social Butterfly, I’ll sit here and chat with you until you finish your meal. But in exchange, you tell me what that other accent is. Not your American one, the other one.”
If he really was what she thought, a wolf, then he’d feel the weight of the contract, the buzz of heady magic that made her lips feel like the fizz of champagne as the words slipped past. “Do we have a deal?”
last edited Oct 9, 2020 19:02:56 GMT -5 by Josie Andrews
Post by Kale Roemer on Oct 9, 2020 19:58:53 GMT -5
So she'd taken her chill pill huh? He turned back to her after ordering to find her attitude a little more pleasant even as she looked sternly at him. He could then feel that heavy weight, that energy, that binding magic that fae possessed. They really liked their ways with words didn't they? He certainly felt it, more so then the energy of the little witch that was their waitress. Pitiful... He thought, but he wasn't going to say anything.
He had to keep reminding himself he had to stay in hiding. What normally would have been a prime opportunity for him to reveal what he was, was suddenly a major disappointment. He couldn't. He couldn't do anything that could possibly reveal his position to the mob. She was onto him already by picking up the slight accent to his voice. One he thought he was being mindful of, but...Damn those fucking fae.....
Just like that, the magic of his game came to a screeching halt. He pursed his lips, looking at her thoughtfully. The moment he said deal, he'd be bound in the contract, and if anything happened to break he'd be having a bad day. She was a half fae, though magic would be less of a punch. For a brief moment he remembered a breech in contract he'd had with Ruby once, and he hadn't been able to walk right for a week afterwards. Never again... This contract was simple though, and he didn't have to give away the fact he was a wolf. That is, if he behaved. A human would simply agree. He'd have to make it seem like she had the control now, but he also had to keep his identity a secret. Russian werewolf, werewolf, or russian. Not both. If people came looking for a russian speaking werwolf he'd be fucked at least a hundred different ways into next tuesday. "That's too easy Sugar." He pouted. "And here I though you'd give me more of a fight with all that fire you started out with." He playfully glared at her, and then sighed, pretending as if he'd taken away her fun. He'd like poking her buttons, but he had to keep his identity hidden. . That toothpick twirled. "Mne bylo veselo igrat' s toboy Sakharnaya feya" He told her, giving her cheeky grin. "Russian." He confessed. He could hide the werewolf part easier then the accent. He'd have to live with it. There. He'd kept his side of the deal so now she'd have to keep hers, even if he hadn't verbally agreed to it.
Post by Josie Andrews on Oct 9, 2020 20:17:36 GMT -5
That should have pleased her, right? To have him go dragging to a halt because he couldn’t keep teasing her? But somehow she felt like she’d misstepped. Her head tilted ever-so-slightly to the side as he considered her offer. Why did she feel like this was something he didn’t want to talk about?
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as he pouted about her making it too easy. It was a little cute, even if she knew it was all an act. This guy was weird. She definitely still wanted to slap him, but she actually felt a little guilty for breaking some unspoken rule. She didn’t want to give him any leeway, though–give them an inch and they’ll walk all over you, as they say.
She blinked blankly as he rattled off something she was willing to bet was either lewd or flirty. Slavic. Throaty. “C’est dommage,” she muttered. A pity. She’d hoped it would be something she knew. But maybe this was a good excuse to pick up another.
She liked the way it sounded. She’d only learned romance languages so far–French had been easy, after Spanish–and this was different. She bet it would feel different in her mouth. Perhaps it would burn, like alcohol. Languages almost had a flavor, to her. French was smooth as cream, Spanish was firey and hot, English was…the trickiest. Burnt caramel and annoyance.
She wanted to try Russian right away, but she couldn’t exactly just demand that he speak to her in Russian until she could talk back. She’d have to learn it on her own time. And now she was bound by her word. She’d felt the little hook into her sternum, linking them. She wouldn’t be able to stray far from her seat until he was done eating unless she wanted to projectile vomit. Fun.
“Didn’t you want to win? Technically, you were being helpful, even if you did a ‘shit’ job of it.” She raised an eyebrow as she used his favorite word. “And don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have me ready to strangle you again by the time we part ways. I bet it’s just in your nature.”
She shrugged like it didn’t matter to her in the least, then offered her hand. “I’m Josie. And apparently, your captive conversation partner until you’re done with that burger. I’d say it was nice to meet you, but… you’re off to a less than promising start.”
Post by Kale Roemer on Oct 11, 2020 23:56:48 GMT -5
Kale swivelling around on the seat, spinning himself around until he planted his hands on the counter and looked sidelong at her, that smirk appearing on his face while the toothpick was held between his teeth. He flicked it to the side with his tongue and slowly turned to face her. "I wanted the thrill of the chase Sugar. The challenge in seeing how far I could push those pretty buttons of yours." He confessed to her. He shrugged, leaning back a bit. "I get bored. Trouble usually tends to happen when I'm bored, soooo consider this you entertaining me." He smirked again.
"Correcto mundo." He winked at her when she said it was just in his nature to make people want to strangle him. "I have such a way with words..." He sighed. That smug look appearing on his face. He glanced down at her extended hand. Josie huh? Josie Josie Josie. He told himself to make her name stick. It didn't matter what her name was though, she was always going to be Sugar from here on out to him. Still, if he bothered to keep her as a little toy and to keep himself entertained with, then there might be a use for her real name one day.
He reached forward, taking her hand in his. His hands were slightly calloused and rough, but he had a surprisingly gentle grip as he suddenly had her hand turned in his and he pulled it towards him. Now...Alias name? Or real name? Hmmmm He supposed it helped to the russians he was known as chernyy volk, or "Black wolf" And Dmitri always called him Volk. Which in turn had made the Italians think his last name was Wolf. So....."Kale." His dark eyes fixated on her, and there was that mischievous look again, with that hint of danger in those dark eyes. He pressed his lips to the back of her hand and then lowered it. "Pleasure to meet you Josie." His voice was deep, taking on a huskier note as he released her hand and put the tooth pick he'd taken out to kiss her hand back between his lips. He nodded he tilted his head side to side as if he was in thought, juggling whatever his mind was thinking about in that moment. "Yeaaah I kinda think so too." He wrinkled his nose, and his eyes narrowed slightly before he swiveled on the stool again, slower this time. "Alright, Sugar...So you can get to sleep, you just can't stay asleep right?" He asked looking over his shoulder and following her with his eyes as the seat turned. "Having any weird dreams as of late?" He asked.
Post by Josie Andrews on Oct 12, 2020 19:05:33 GMT -5
The thrill of the chase? How far he could push? Well, frankly, he could have pushed quite a bit farther before she’d completely lost her temper if it weren’t for the fact that he was right. She was too committed to the truth to keep fighting when she knew she was wrong. But she didn’t have the energy to explain that to him. Gods, all she wanted was some rest.
“Correcto mundo.”
“That’s not real Spanish,” she muttered under her breath. A way with words? A way of murdering them, more like. She grimaced. Still, he at least took her hand, and she was fully expecting an equally aggressive handshake. What she got was…not that. Her already large eyes grew wide as he lifted her hand to his lips to kiss the back of it, sending a thrill of panic and who knows what else through her system. Geez. This guy hadn’t been kidding when he said he was keeping her awake and on her toes. She felt like she’d been given a shot of adrenaline. Without quite realizing it, she held her hand in her other when she got it back, nervously rubbing the back of it where his lips had been with her other thumb.
She licked her dry lips and sighed, trying to reset herself and focus on the conversation as he spun his chair around again like a child. He hadn’t been kidding about getting bored, apparently.
"Alright, Sugar...So you can get to sleep, you just can't stay asleep right?"
Her nose wrinkled at the nickname, but she nodded.
"Having any weird dreams as of late?"
She eyed him suspiciously for a moment, trying to decide if he was just lucky, or if he actually knew what he was talking about. She decided it was luck.
“Good guess…Kale,” she replied, testing his name on her tongue. It didn’t taste like the food he was named for. It tasted like…gunmetal and chocolate. He hadn’t lied, though. That was definitely his name. Not his full name, though, so she couldn’t use it against him (not that she would). Although she had to admit it might have been nice to be able to order him to leave her alone if he got snarky again. Ah well, a girl could dream.
She couldn’t look at that smirk of his while she talked about this. She didn’t want to see his face while she admitted to being this vulnerable. She hated it. She turned to look out the window, leaning her back against the counter as she spoke. Her thumb still rubbed thoughtless circles on the back of her hand.
“But yeah. Lucid ones, like I’ve never had before. This…this thing comes out of the shadows in my room. It doesn’t matter what way I’m laying, if I have the lights on or off, a weighted blanket, or an audiobook playing…” The more she talked about it, the more clear it became how helpless the nightmares were making her feel. As she described it, she was reliving it, there in her mind’s eye. She might be facing the window, but it was obvious that wasn't what she was seeing.
“It crosses the floor, and I can see it, standing over me. It rolls me onto my back, and then I’m in my body again while it reaches its long fingers into my chest…” Her hand strayed to her sternum. “I can feel them. I feel them wrapping around my heart. I can’t breathe, and my heart beats fast and faster until the constriction is too tight and it stops–” Her hand dropped back into her lap. “And I wake up. Only a few minutes will have passed. And it’s the same thing, over and over.” She finally glanced back over at him and smiled grimly. "So I gave up. The theory is that, eventually, if I'm exhausted enough to pass out, I can't dream."
last edited Oct 12, 2020 19:09:55 GMT -5 by Josie Andrews
Post by Kale Roemer on Nov 10, 2020 0:01:53 GMT -5
Despite spinning around on that chair and looking like he was half listening, Kale was hearing the sugar fairy word for word. His eyes darting around the diner, alert before they came back to settle on her while she described her nightmare. For a brief moment, he wondered if she'd angered a spirit or some witch. She hadn't messed with any cryptids had she? But then again she was half-fae...so maybe her fae parent? His mind was trying to find a culprit to such horrors, ignoring the fact that it didn't always have to be supernatural. Some people's minds were just scary places, and he should know. He lived in one constantly. Some people just couldn't escape their demons...
Demons... It wasn't rare for them to come into someone's dreams...
His eyes flickered to her face, seeing how it was affecting her. In his line of business, he knew how to read people and it seemed like she was reliving this thing that kept her up. He felt for her suddenly, why he didn't know. But he supposed there was one thing he could do for making her talk about it. He chewed on that toothpick, nodding his head in contemplation as his eyes narrowed slightly. "How do you know that it's not what it wants?" He asked her quietly. Keeping his voice down despite them being the only two around. She was half-fae, he knew that much. She had to know there was more to the world than met the eye, and if she didn't...Well, she was stupid. Careful Kale, don't get too involved. You're in hiding. He warned himself. But he was also fucking bored out of his mind, and she was the first interesting thing he'd come across in this town. Didn't he say he got into trouble when he was bored?
He quirked an eyebrow up at her before he spun around in his chair, eyeballing the counter and finding a pen. He reached for it, taking one of the napkins, and started writing out a list before he dinged the bell. When she appeared he grinned at her and handed the napkin to her. "Gotta another order for ya sweetcheeks, can I kept everything on that list and a mason jar? Or a milk bottle if ya got it? I'll pay ya for it." He told her. Kale might have been a werewolf, but his mother had been a witch, and believe it or not there were some humans that didn't need magic to do magical things. It was all about the energy and intent you put into things. It also helped if you had his mama's recipe.
He really should call his mother...And his sister. Now that he thought about a bit. And his-
He looked back to Josie, resting his chin in his palm as he looked at her sidelong. "Gotta question for ya Josie..." He started. His voice dropping even more so it rumbled out of his chest. Using her name for the first time that night, hopefully showing how serious he was taking this. Maybe it was his paranoia showing it ugly head, but he didn't care. Something told him he needed to do this. "You believe in that we're not alone in the world? That somethings can't be explained? Vampires, Witches...werewolves?" He asked her. He leaned in a bit then. If it wasn't that he knew she was already a mythic, he might have approached this much differently, but since knowing the truth, he wasn't going to hold much back. He eyed her, really looking at her, trying to see where he was getting at here.
Post by Josie Andrews on Nov 10, 2020 19:16:25 GMT -5
She'd been looking back down at her hands in her lap when he spoke, and her head whipped to the side to look at him with suspicious eyes. How did she know that wasn't what it wanted? It was a figment of her imagination, it didn't want anything...did it? He'd just flipped her assumptions about her problem on their head, and she wasn't pleased with the result. Was whatever was bothering her real? An actual shadow creature haunting her sleep? The thought sent a chill down her spine, and she was too beaten down to stop herself from shuddering.
She was glad he was already busy writing something down on one of the napkins--she briefly wondered if it was his number, and he was going to offer to protect her from whatever it was by 'sleeping' with her. She wouldn't put it past him, based on how their conversation had started. The thought pushed her back towards her usual, sour self and away from the haunted woman she'd been for a few minutes.
"Her name's Mason, don't call her 'sweetcheeks,'" she grumbled as he passed the list to the waitress. "Or at least think of something better than that. It makes you sound like a gross old man." She didn't miss the way the young witch's eyebrows went up before she went off to find the items, though--that list meant something to her. Magic, then. This guy was just getting more and more unusual the more she learned about him, wasn't he? She squinted at him again as he turned back to her and rested his hand in his chin.
The sound of her name on his tongue gave her goosebumps, and not in the way she'd expected. Given the whole 'I'm a tacky douchebag who calls women degrading nicknames' act, she'd expected her skin to crawl with him using something closer to her true name. Unfortunately, no. This was...different. She kept her expression flat as she stared at him, waiting for the question. Surely that would undo whatever effect he'd had on her, right?
No such luck. He was steadily chipping away all the things she'd expected out of him, working his way closer and closer to being someone very interesting. He was a puzzle, this one.
Slowly, ever so slowly, she smiled. "Oh, you're definitely in the right town for that, Kale," she rolled the name on her tongue again, trying to decide if she liked it. "Nearly everyone around here is a little bit...superstitious. You'll be right at home here in Xander's Cross."
The smile vanished, then, as she considered his question. He'd trailed things off like that for a reason: she'd been right about that wolfish grin of his. And if he was a wolf, he knew exactly what she was, too. Didn't he? So why bother asking? Unless it was just a clever way to see if she'd pick up what he was?
"I'm not sure I see what that has to do with my nightmares, however. They're night terrors, sleep paralysis, whatever you want to call it." She waved her hand dismissively like she was clearing his nonsense from the air between them. "It doesn't have anything to do with any of that." She felt the lie on her tongue, and her stomach churned. Her sour look became more of a grimace as she tried not to gag. She hurried to take a sip of her coffee, not caring how cold it was. Anything to settle her before she had to make a run for the bathroom. She swallowed hard and ran a hand down her face before turning to glare at Kale. He just had to make this a serious problem, didn't he?
Post by Kale Roemer on Nov 10, 2020 23:22:19 GMT -5
Kale's eyebrow rose ever so slowly as she said he was in the right town. He might have already known that, but he had an act to keep up. "Am I now?" He asked. She looked at her contemplatingly as if he was trying to read into what she was saying. He watched her smile fade away as she took in what he said. She might have been dismissive about it all, but he wasn't going too. Not with his life experiences. Even the littlest thing could be something big. You didn't miss looking at anything. Even simple shadow nightmares could have been something big.
He watched her further, hearing the slight misbeat of her heart, and knew she was lying. She knew it too apparently from the look on her face. The sour look turned to a grimace and she was turning away from him sipping that coffee of hers. You just tell yourself that Sugar... He almost told her. "Who did you piss off Sugar?" He said lowly instead. Eyeing her. He didn't get much time to think on it when Mason was back with a plastic bin full of everything he needed. "Thanks Bambi." He said, side-eyeing Josie. Was that name better? He winked at Mason and stood up, pulling the pin towards him. He took the mason jar out, and sat it in front of him. It was a little one, probably used for jam, but he intended for it to pack a punch. Digging into his pocket he pulled out his knife. One of the smaller ones he had on him, and pricked his finger, squeezing it he let a few drops fall into the jar before he popped the finger in his mouth.
He turned then, and whether she was prepared or not, he plucked a hair off Josie without a second thought. He put the blonde hair into then. "Alliges duplicia." He murmured softly over the jar before he reached for the next bit of ingredients which was chili powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and then some vinegar. "Ad arcendam daemonium obumbratio" He continued while he added the appropriate amount to the jar. He grabbed the ionized salt then and grabbed a spoon, filling a spoon full he put it in the jar and then stirred it before reaching for the cooking lavender. He sprinkled it in while he stirred slowly, appearing to be counting how many times he stirred the spoon. When he got to thirteen, he added another dash of salt. "Proluo." He reached for the lemon juice, the smell of it hitting his sinuses pretty hard before he poured about a tablespoon of it in. He took the hammer then, and the butter knife and walked the end of the counter. He held the knife handle under his palm while he held the blade over the edge and then brought the hammer down. Snapping the blade part off the handle. It clattered to the ground and he picked it up before walking back over and placing the blade part into the jar. He set aside the hammer and the knife handle and then took a few toothpics in, before he reached for his leather jacket. He pulled out a flask then, then that did not have alcohol in it (though she wouldn't know that) and then poured the holy water in the flask in. Filling it the rest of the way. "Protegat." He said has he put the lid of the mason jar on then.
He glanced over at Josie as he screwed the cap on and then picked the jar up and gave it a shake, rasing an eyebrow as a small smirk appeared on his face. "Josie praesidio ab his qui quærunt illam nocere in somniabunt. Ego offerre mea et praesidium meum sanguinem." He held it in both hands then, willing the his mother's goddess to bless the jar and do as the spell was intended. He closed his eyes and instantly felt the buzzing in the air of magic. His hands felt hot and a small smirk appeared on his face while he stood there. He waited until the magic faded, and then took the package twine and tied a nice bow around the jar before handing it to her. "Put in either under your bed, pillow, or on your nightstand." He instructed.
He put the hammer back in the bin, along with the other ingredients, and sat back down. Putting the flask away and putting his knife back in his pocket. "Enjoy your sleep now Sugar." He said smirking at her.
Post by Josie Andrews on Nov 10, 2020 23:42:04 GMT -5
"Who did you piss off Sugar?" "How much time do you have?" her tone was dry, joking, but she meant it. She'd pissed off plenty of people in her time as a lawyer. She didn't take fondly to people who threw their weight around to hurt the 'little guy,' and she put her abilities to good use. That meant she caused a lot of people a lot of trouble. And that was the way she liked it.
Bambi? Hm, that worked a bit better for the doe-eyed waitress. She shrugged at that one and didn't complain--as close to approval as he was going to get.
She made a face when he put his own blood in the jar, more at the thought of pricking oneself than anything else. Really, she was wondering what kind of powers his blood might carry. If he was a wolf, that was one thing, but this was witch's work. She was busy thinking about that and didn't have time to flinch away before he plucked a hair from her head. "Hey!"
She watched curiously as he went to work, and was pleased that he did his spellwork in Latin--it meant she could easily follow along. She knew some of the basics; salt for purification, spicy things to do damage, that kind of thing. She'd been around the Garcia sisters enough to pick up that much. The rest of it she didn't quite follow, save for the words. Her confusion was more than a bit obvious when he said that he offered his blood and his protection. That was some serious binding, all of a sudden, for someone she'd met less than an hour ago. Why in the hell was he doing all this for a stranger? She didn't like feeling like she owed him, and she liked the gratitude she felt even less. She didn't want help, she hadn't asked for it. She was planning to handle this alone. But if there really was something after her, could she really afford to turn away any protection she could get?
She squinted at him for a moment before she accepted the jar, which was still warm under her fingers. She might not be able to do much magic on her own, but she knew it when she saw it--or felt it, as was the case here. So there went her theory about him being a werewolf. Unless he was a crossbreed? That was possible, she assumed, seeing as she herself was half-human. She didn't know much about how that worked for witches. She might have to do some research.
"Gratias tibi," she answered, raising an eyebrow at him as he returned to his seat. She almost didn't want to ask, but… she hated not knowing.
"I'm going to regret asking, but tell me… Why did you ask who I 'pissed off?'" she asked slowly. "That was a quick jump from nightmares to...What does this qualify as? Attempted murder? Assault?"