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 Paige Anderson on Aug 20, 2020 10:57:20 GMT -5
Paige left Haven with a lot on her mind suddenly. Rather then dancing out of the building like she'd wanted too, she looked actually rather mopey. Not hearing exactly what she wanted to hear. At least another two weeks on her shoulder for no unnecessary shifting, another week of taking it easy on her hip... but at least she could start the physical therapy. Patience. She had to be patient before she could continue her rather active lifestyle. It wasn't her recovery though that her mind was thinking about as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her short overalls. It was her new Doc that her mind was thinking about, and she couldn't help but look over her shoulder at Haven as she walked down the street. Her mother had failed to mention to her that one of the new docs in town was also one of the wolfen kind. Discovering that out on her own certainly hadn't been unpleasant, but it definitely left her with a lot of questions. Like why the fuck there was such a big pull to him, and this need to just take him in. No, it's just me. He'd said when she asked. She was surprised he hadn't been adopted yet. Welp. That was going to change. She already was thinking about it when he confessed he was a lone wolf. Knowing he was a lone wolf that had also served? The decision had just been all that easier to make. There was no hesitation. No second-guessing. Paige Anderson was about to become the biggest thorn in his side, this side of the Cascades. Good, fucking, luck Dr. Hunt.
Paige was walking by the mechanic shop, getting ready to cross the street, when she caught an unfamiliar face working away inside. It wasn't even 9 o'clock yet, so the bay doors were still closed, but she saw the pretty face of apparently the new mechanic. She arched an eyebrow curiously, looking both ways before she crossed the street to the Secret Ingredient Bakery. She was trying desperately to keep the smile off of face as she walked in, but it was hard. There were only one person at the counter and they looked about done, so Paige had no issue standing there, already starting to spread her arms. "Ri-Ri!!!!!" She all but yelled. "The pits of hell have spit me out once more, I'm in desperate need of one of those sinful concoctions of yours, and the biggest, gentlest, bff hugs ya got." She declared. Paige's smile was large as she looked at her best friend that wasn't her brother. After taking several days to get over the jet lag, settling in, and now her doctor's appointment, Paige decided it was high time she got her ass to Corinne's bakery before the kitchen witch heard from Lou she was back and she decided to hunt her down.
Post by Corinne Foster on Aug 20, 2020 18:04:44 GMT -5
The bakery had been open for a few hours now, selling lots of single breakfast items and a few boxes of donuts. Corinne was happy and in her element, humming along to some pop song on the radio as she wiped down the countertops with a cloth. When the bell rang, she started to call out "Good morning,"" in a sing-songy voice but cut off at the sound of a familiar voice. She practically threw the rag on the counter as she sped around the corner and flung her arms around her very best friend.
"Paige! Sweetie! I've missed you so much!" She realized soon after that she was probably being too rough, and lightened up but didn't let go. "You are gonna get so many hugs and so many sweets you'll be absolutely sick of me by the end of the day, let alone the summer. "
She pulled back and gave her friend a noisy "mwah!" kiss on the head and one last squeeze before she went back around the counter to look over what she'd baked. Prosperity bread (nope), romance rolls (no!), fortune cookie cupcakes (not quite), ooh, the comfort of home cookies. That was perfect. She grabbed out a pair of cookies with a napkin and held them out to Paige with a grin.
"I've got just the thing for you,"she declared. She could already smell the signature cinnamon that gave the cookies and extra dash of comfort and spice. She didn't tell, but they were basically regular chocolate chip, but with oatmeal, cinnamon, and just a touch of nutmeg added. But they were one of her best sellers more for the dose of comfort that so many adults their age were missing, and probably less for the taste.
"Why don't you come behind the counter and sit with me a while? Nana's stool is still back here and it's even got a cushion."
last edited Aug 20, 2020 18:05:12 GMT -5 by Corinne Foster
Post by Paige Anderson on Aug 21, 2020 0:53:52 GMT -5
Paige's grin was about as wide as she could make it and she was lightly laughing as Corinne ran around the counter. She walked towards her, meeting her halfway, and her arms wrapped around Corinne. Paige squeezed her tight. Not even caring if it caused her shoulder to ache, she just wanted to stand there for a moment in Corinne's arms. There was a slight sting in her eyes as a flood of emotions swelled up in her, and she let a shuddered sigh out. Forcing the tears away, but damn if she didn't miss this sweet girl. "Baby girl, that'll barely scratch the surface to how much I've missed you and your baked goods of goodness." She laughed. Her chest flooded with warmth, and that werewolf part of her, that part that had claimed Corinne years ago as part of her pack was practically yipping with joy at seeing her again and seeing her unharmed. It gave her a sense of relief she didn't know was needed since being away. Leaving home was always hard, but especially because she had to leave Corinne.
Paige scrunched her nose as Corinne kissed her head but the smile never left her face and she followed her over to the counter as she went around it. At the offered cookies, Paige was already snatching them up and popping one in her mouth. Her high metabolism made it so she could practically eat all day if she wanted too, and she could probably clear Corinne out of her stock if she let her within an hour. She took a bite, letting her head drop back and there was a very audible groan, and if you didn't know she was eating a cookie you would have thought something completely different. "Goddamn woman, I missed your food." She said with a slight shake of her head as she shoved half the cookie in her mouth.
She didn't have to be told twice, and did a quick little shuffle run around the counter. Minding her bad hip and taking it easy like the Doc had told her. She perched on the stool, pulling the rolled up sling out of her back pocket and tossed it behind her on the counter. "How is Nana doing?" She asked once she swallowed the cookie. "Also, When did Hot stuff from across the street move in?" She nodded over to where Harvey's was. "I didn't know Harv hired more help." She said finishing off one cookie and starting on the other while, while she lightly kicked her feet from where she sat on the stool. "Also also, Ma held out on me. Since When did we get two very attractive doc's and a clinic?" She asked. All ready breaking into her flurry of questions, but she was curious! And Paige was nosy about a lot of things. "Start with the mechanic." She grinned biting into her cookie while she looked at Corinne.
Post by Corinne Foster on Aug 24, 2020 20:51:24 GMT -5
Corinne stared at her friend with wide eyes as she scarfed the cookies as if she hadn't eaten in weeks then immediately launched into a barrage of questions. She'd known that her friend was always hungry, but goodness! She definitely needed more sweets in her life. Before Paige could even ask, she was pulling out a focus cinnamon roll for each of them from the day's special, and she set one near her friend on the counter while she tried to keep up with all the questions. Her face turned bright red at the mention of 'Hot stuff from across the street' but she did her best not to be noticeable about it.
She laughed as she sat back down and began to untwirl her cinnamon roll into a long ribbon of cinnamon goodness. She then started breaking it up into bite-sized pieces while she talked.
"First off, his name is Ryan, not 'hot stuff' and he's really nice. Harv didn't hire help--he sold Ryan the place out of the blue one day. Totally made everyone in town think he was off his rocker, but he's retired and off visiting his grandkids in Minnesota, and Ryan's been doing a great job with everyone's cars, from what I hear. Nana's good, she still helps out on Sundays, and during the week she's teaching baking classes at the community center. And, um, the doctors were right after you left? They're nice, but um...I've been too nervous to see either of them, I always ask for my appointments to be with the nurse instead. Her name's Emilia, and she's good, I liked her. I think she's something mythic too, but I dunno what." She popped some of the cinnamon roll into her mouth, then said around the mouthful, "Did I answer it all?" before she returned to chewing.
Post by Paige Anderson on Aug 25, 2020 0:42:43 GMT -5
Why you turning so red Ri-Ri? Paige thought as her eyes narrowed playfully her lips pursed into a small all knowing smile. Was she crushing on someone? Before she could hurl more questions at her that cinnamon roll was the perfect distraction. Paige turned her body, practically following it as she shoved her other cookie in her mouth and then snatched that cinnamon roll of goodness up. Listening to Corinne as she talked.
Aaaaah okay, hot mechanic = Ryan. She thought it was interesting Harv had done something like that, but then again....Harv was of the wolfen sort, and had possibly saw something in Ryan that made him sell it. Interesting. She tore off a piece of the roll and just kept feeding herself as she listened to Corinne's update. She perked up at the mention of the doctors, arching an eyebrow at her friend. She hadn't seen the nurse that morning, but maybe she would on one of her other visits in. "Yes," She grinned at her, putting another piece of the roll into her mouth, kicking her legs more. She chewed thoughtfully for a moment, her green eyes checking to make sure they were alone. Aside from the baked goods and faint scents of people Page felt her self relax knowing they were alone. She got on edge in public, and she glanced towards the back, then turned herself more so her back was to the wall.
"They're harmless from what I could see. Didn't get a chance to really talk to Carson, but he's human." Her voice dropped low, as it usually did whenever she talked about mythics. Her and Corinne both knew what lived in their town, and what their friend group consisted of. Being a werewolf it was easier for Paige to determine what a species was if she'd come across it before, and growing up in a town with werefoxes, werewolves, and witches she knew to recognize their scents right away. Or in the witches case, it was their buzz of magical energy they gave off like an aura. Like Corinne sitting next to her. She could practically feel it and it was like a comforting hug to Paige, because it was apart of Corinne. "Hunt though...."
Her lips pursed as she thought about him, not wanting to give away too much to Corinne as it wasn't her place to say and she wasn't going to go spilling what happened behind exam room doors. "He's like me." She said, and left it at that. In more ways then one. She realized she'd already eaten the cinnamon roll then, and looked at Corinne sheepishly, grinning at her. She remembered how red she got then when she asked her questions and narrowed her eyes at her. "You turned bright red a few minutes ago when i started rattling off questions. Which included three very hot men, so which one do I have to keep my eyes peeled for and appear menacing too?" She asked with a slow grin.
Not realizing there was a part of her that hoped Corinne wouldn't say she was blushing because of Hunt.
Post by Corinne Foster on Aug 28, 2020 23:08:26 GMT -5
Corinne's eyebrows raised at the explanation of Dr. Hunt (the pun in his name completely escaped her notice) but she wasn't too surprised. Xander's Cross had a natural draw for people like them. After all, where else could you trust that most of the town would understand and accept you, no matter your species? Sure, it had problems like any small town did, but it was home. And when it called to you, you had to stay.
Her face was soon beet red again when Paige pointed out that it had been a minute ago. She knew she'd blushed, but she didn't think it was that obvious. But how could she help it? Paige called him 'hot stuff!' Which, maybe he was, but he did have a name...which was maybe why she'd talked more about him than any of the other questions. Shoot. She'd trapped herself.
She groaned and covered her burning cheeks with her hands. "It's not fair, you're never this easy to read," she complained, throwing her head back dramatically for a moment. Once she had that out of her system, she glanced over at the door as if Ryan would be able to hear them from across the street. He was hard at work, though, elbow-deep in the front of a Cadillac. She almost wished she hadn't looked, because now she was watching him laugh and chat with the man who'd brought it in... She snapped herself out of it and looked guiltily back at Paige.
"He comes in every morning and gets the special. Every day for months, Paige! I can't help it. Sometimes I still make whatever I want, but half the time I'm trying to make things I know he'll like." She propped her elbows on her thighs and flopped her face down into her hands so she wouldn't have to watch Paige's face at that. "I swear, I know it's never gonna happen, but how am I supposed to resist that smile?" Her whining voice was muffled by her hands, but she knew Paige would be able to hear. She heard everything.
Post by Paige Anderson on Sept 10, 2020 19:57:41 GMT -5
Paige gripped the stool and let a bark of laughter out at Corinne's whine at her not being easy to read. Damn right she was hard to read. Paige could be predictable, but she was also an expert at making it seem like everything was right as rain in Paige land. War made you school your emotions and put on a the brave face, and it was just a habit Paige had never fallen out of. "Tell me tell me tell me!!!!" She said getting impatient, scooting her stool closer to Corinne. Her grin was gleeful, and she was honestly happy to see that Corinne was crushing on someone. As long as they weren't like Kevin, he'd be safe. And if he was like Kevin.... She hoped he had rather expensive tires.
Paige followed her eyes outside to across the street, seeing the hot mechanic chatting away with the owner of the car he was working on. Paige's Green eyes darted back to Corinne, her grin only widening. "Oooooh the special huh?" She rested her elbows on her legs and leaned forward, resting her chin in her palm with a "tell me more" expression on her face. "Hot stuff has a nice smile as well?" She asked faking shock. "Ri-Ri, you know there's only one way to test if it's not gonna happen or not." Paige reached over to lightly nudge her. It would mean putting herself out there, but you couldn't know unless you tried right? She knew Corinne's last relationship had really messed her up, but they were no longer in high school. They were bloody fucking adults, and if Ryan did anything sleaze baggish like that dweeb had, Paige would kill him.
"Get yourself some hot mechanic." She whispered encouragingly while she nudged her again. "He'd be an idiot to not see how sweet you are Baby girl." And Paige meant that. Full heartedly. There was no one who was sweeter then Corinne Foster.
Post by Corinne Foster on Sept 11, 2020 21:31:56 GMT -5
Corinne perked back up a little at Paige's happy reactions, enjoying that her friend agreed with her, but that phrase, "there's only one way to test" shut her right back down again. Her energy dimmed like a snuffed candle, and all the giddiness vanished from her eyes. She couldn't do that. She dropped her hands into her lap and shook her head, looking up at Paige with a mournful expression.
"Paige, you know I can't do that..." she argued, although her voice was soft, carrying no force with it, only resignation. "It's just a daydream, nothing is gonna come of it. People don't...Ryan doesn't see me that way. I'm everybody's sweet little friend who makes nice things, but nobody ever--" Her voice cut out and she shook her head, turning to straighten the shelves of baked goods instead of looking at Paige. "Nobody's gonna want to date me, Paige. The only reason Keith did was to boost his ego and get free cakes, and you know it."
Keith had taken her sweet little chocolate souffle heart and crushed it under his heel, then flushed it down the toilet for good measure. Not only had he cheated on her, but he'd had the gall to tell her she should have been grateful that he picked her to be his 'steady' girl. She was supposed to just accept that he was out sleeping with half a dozen other people, then coming back to her for cakes and attention to boost his ego. He'd told her he was never attracted to her fat self, which was why he'd had to go out looking other places for 'what a man needs.' She was just a comfortable item, for him, easily used and set aside. He didn't give a single thing back. And when she'd dared to tell him she wouldn't do that, he'd gone off, told her just how ugly and worthless he thought she was. It had taken her three days to have the strength to go back to school again. And honestly, it would have been longer if Paige hadn't come by to scrape her up off the floor and get her to clean herself up.
So, maybe she didn't agree with him, that she should be grateful a guy like him wanted to treat her like shit. But she'd never been able to shake the things he'd wormed into her brain: that she was fat, that no one would think she was sexy, that all she was good for was her baking. Paige could say whatever she wanted but was Paige, her best friend. It was her job to say things like that.
Post by Paige Anderson on Mar 30, 2021 19:58:21 GMT -5
Paige was half tempted to slice Keiths tires and put sugar in his gas tank for old times sake after seeing Corrine’s mournful expression. He’d built Ri-Ri up only to tear her down in the worst way imaginable and knowing what he’d done to her still affected her best friend without her having to say it made her blood boil. If she ever saw the punk ass weasel again…
“Well he’s missing out. Everyone is, because you’re amazing and fantastic, and if they’re too stupid or blind to see it, then they don’t deserve you.” She huffed. “Keith can go to hell.” She all but growled. Slouching her shoulders as she quietly brooded. Her upper lip curled up in distaste as she thought of the pig.
Paige scooted closer on her stool, and then threw her arms around Corrine’s shoulders, hugging her tight before planting a kiss on her cheek. “You’ll find your guy one day Ri-Ri.” She told her quietly. Giving her a comforting squeeze. “And then have your own little tots for Auntie Paige to spoil mercilessly.” She said with a grin.
Post by Corinne Foster on May 1, 2021 22:20:17 GMT -5
Even in her bleakest mood, Corinne couldn't help smiling at Paige's antics. Damn, she loved that girl. Tears still prickled at the corners of her eyes, but she was smiling as she sniffled and hugged her friend back.
"You're the best friend a girl could ever ask for, Paige." She hugged her tight, trying to hold onto that good feeling and not cry because of it. (Any strong emotion could send Corinne into a fit of tears, sadly enough. It made for some embarrassing moments in movie theaters.)
"And I promise, if and/or when the two of us have kids, they're definitely going to be spoiled all to heck by the both of us," she added with a giggle. "I'll rile yours up with sugar, and you'll teach mine to win fights against bullies."
Post by Paige Anderson on May 1, 2021 23:39:19 GMT -5
Paige grinned and hugged Corinne back just as tightly. Rubbing her back gently. Damn she missed her Ri-Ri. The few trips home she had were never enough to get her fix from this girl, and there was a part of Paige that suddenly considered if going back into the service was really what she should do, or if she should just....stay home. Here. Where her friends where and her family, where she could really and truly heal and be in a better place. Lord knew she needed it. And Corinne was her bright sunshine that she didn't know how much she'd needed. "You are too baby girl, and I'll throat punch anyone who says otherwise." She said with a smile as she leaned back. She was serious too, and it wouldn't be the first time.
Paige laughed at Corinne's suggestion of her having any kids. Ooooh no, there would be no little Paiges. She wasn't mother material, but rather cool aunt material. She loved kids sure, especially Tuck's little one, and she would love any babies Corinne had, but Paige was terrified of having her own. Especially after everything she'd been through. What sort of kid would want a mother who tried to- she forced the thought from her mind, and merely grinned widely at Corinne. "Deal."