[right][code]Tackle’s Late Bait Poolhall -> Leon's Apartment[/code][/right]
Tackle’s Late Bait Poolhall was widely accepted as a place that one could go to free from irony or the vague haze of hipster breath that the Harbor Strip had become known for. The south side was being gentrified, and the older buildings on the north end were home to all manner of old folk and people whose rent was locked in at rates sometimes thousands of dollars cheaper than just up the road.

The bar was full of St. Portwell fishing history, except rather than the Drunken Starfish, the clientele were the younger apprentices. They came for the cheaper drinks and the better music, and to stay away from their captains and the veteran potters who felt there should be some separation between crewmen.
It was a little tacky, a little gaudy, but the staff were all dressed up like crab potters and the place was almost entirely devoid of fellow halloween revellers.

The place had an L shape to it, and Casey was sure to get a booth at the short end with his back to the sturdy brick wall of the building. He couldn’t see anyone coming in, but they couldn’t see him either; not that he was worried about any one particular person finding him there, so much as it was a simple ready-action habit.
To the right of the booth was the gap for the kitchen area, and he knew a few feet past that was an emergency fire exit. [color=577d06][i]Y’know, in case anything happened.[/i][/color]

The server brought them both a beer, on the house, and then left them to their own devices. Casey had long since pulled off his uniform top, giving it to Trisha to wear over her shoulders and keep her and the bees warm in the slowly chilling autumn night, and was wearing one of the Temple’s halloween shirts from this year.
Not that it was an overtly Temple-themed shirt, only that they had an art competition every year and the top designs always got shirts, the money from each shirt going back into the individual artist by way of the Temple Trust.

An excuse to keep the money from the sales in the Temple coffers, to be replenished and returned once the trustee was “qualified to claim it.”

[color=577d06]“I’m not much for sailing, but I come here because it’s usually like this. I honestly don’t know how they stay open outside peak season… But for now, it’s fuckin’ empty. We can rack some pool if you want too, or just get whatever you want. On me.” [/color] Casey offered, taking a sip of the Guinness he’d been given.

Noticing they’d given her the same beer, he pointed at it.
[color=577d06]“I can get that replaced too, if it’s not your kind of beer.”[/color] he said with a laugh, surprised they shot the shot with a heavy beer like that.

[color=d1b300]"What, you think I can't handle it?"[/color] Trisha joked, lips curving up into a teasing smile. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a long drink. Contrary to her appearance and rich background, Trisha was much more of a beer and spirits drinker than anything fancy, like the expensive wines her dad always had stocked in the house. While Guinness wasn't her normal go to, nor was this kind of incredibly empty bar, she was fine with both. [color=d1b300]"It's fine, almost any beer is my kind of beer."[/color]

She looked around while she took another drink. The place really was empty - unsurprising, with the Halloween festival going on. Most bars didn't even bother to open for the festival hours. She normally went to clubs or more boisterous bars by choice, and was dragged along to fancier ones occasionally by siblings and her friends here. But this was a nice… change. Sometimes it was nice to be more chill. For a while.

[color=d1b300]"Hmm, I enjoy pool… but I'm not very good at it,"[/color] she admitted. Just like many things, the more annoying voice in her head reminded her. She pulled the uniform top across her shoulders a bit closer, properly covering the bees that gave a soft, agitated buzz. There were only six still with her - she'd sent the rest back home when they got off the ferry. They'd all come if she called them anyway. [color=d1b300]"Me and my college friends used to go to bars to play all the time… we'd get one table between about 8 of us, so we'd play in pairs. I ended up getting banned from playing cause I always lost, no matter who I was paired with. Not like anyone showed me how to actually play."[/color] She threw her hands up in a half exasperated gesture. Then she leaned forward with a slight smile, tilting her head so she was looking up at him from underneath long eyelashes. 
[color=d1b300]"If you're good at it, maybe you can teach me?"[/color]

Casey’s mellow expression peeled into a playful smile as she dug at him for thinking she was typical. Soft girl, soft beer… He was never a good judge of character, so it wasn’t surprising to him that she was like this. With the amount of time he’d spent around women overall, he was lucky he wasn’t talking to three ducks stacked in a trench coat. 
But he knew his chance when he saw it. Champion pool player in the Narakali FOB three years in a row, he was not only a fantastic shot, but an actually decent teacher. And teaching someone how to play pool was a lot like teaching someone how to shoot a rifle: Posture and sensation were important, so touching was almost a must.

This was an invitation, no? A reason?

He put his hand out, slowly sliding up from the booth.
[color=577d06]“I ain’t one to brag, Princess, but I do play a little pool… Lemmie show you how it’s done.”[/color]

Trisha’s smile widened. She placed her much smaller hand in his, fingers lightly caressing his palm before she used it to help push herself up. She didn’t take her hand out of his, gesturing to all the pool tables. 
[color=d1b300]"Any of them? I’m warning you now, I’m really bad, but I’ll try not to take an eye out."[/color] She tilted her head up towards him with a playful grin. [color=d1b300]"I’m sure anything’s possible with a good enough teacher."[/color] 

[color=577d06]“Girl, I could train a lemming into a hole with a grenade and have it pull the pin itself. Teaching is as easy as -”[/color] he paused, taking her hand in his own and spinning it over her head until she was in his arms. [color=577d06]“-getting the feeling right.”[/color]

Releasing her, he grabbed one of the pool cues off the wall and slid a dollar into the machine. The rainbow of spheres clacked through the tubes, loudly impacting into the feed at the bottom, and he sorted them all into the form before leaving them to be broken. 
Holding the cue up alongside Trisha, his free hand slipped under her arm and compared the length of it to the cue. It didn’t really mean anything, more just him showing off. He swept his position behind her, leaving his hand near her elbow before pressing against her back ever so slightly.

Just enough that she could feel his toned shape beneath his shirt.

His arms adjusted around her with the cue in his hands, shifting his weight until he was in a shooting position that felt comfortable to break.
[color=577d06]“Match my posture, my pose… And slide the cue out of my grip. It’ll automatically fall into the sweet spot for you. Whenever you’re ready.”[/color]

Trisha was a little stunned at how easily Casey went along with her flirting. He didn’t seem like the normal guys she went for - the kind who gave out easy compliments but were obvious red flags to anyone who wasn’t desperate. Not that she was. Obviously. But men like that were easy to catch, and just as easy to be abandoned by the next morning.  

It was easy to shake away that thought at the feeling of him lightly leaning against her back. She bit her lip, and tried to follow his instructions. She shifted back to press up more against him before leaning forward. She stretched one arm out, fingers curling around the pool cue, and the other slightly behind her. Her posture wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t awful either - it was much easier when she didn’t have to support the cue herself. [color=d1b300]"Like this?"[/color] 

She didn’t actually wait for his response before sliding it forward. The white ball shot forward and hit the rainbow triangle, sending them in all directions. None of them were pocketed, but enough had hit the side that it wasn’t a fault. Trisha leaned back against Casey and twisted around to flash him a bright, genuinely happy grin. [color=d1b300]"That was pretty good! Normally I barely get three balls to move when I break."[/color] 

He smiled, laughing at her circumstance just as much as he was laughing along with her.
[color=577d06]“That bad huh? Christ, well let’s see if we can’t make that game a little easier.”[/color]

The Richoux family had a nasty habit that they rarely told anyone about. Casey had always figured it was assumed, learning the history of his family, that people would be leery of them if they had any kind of clue about what sort of magic they dealt with. As he pulled away from Trisha, he slipped his right hand into his back pocket and pulled out his Channeler before stuffing his hand into the ragged cloth.

When he came back to her, he was already channelling Orange Lux through the glove. His hands moved to adjust her posture slightly, and the gloved hand brushed the pommel of the cue. 
It was instantly light as a feather. No more weight needed to worry about, except for right at the tip where it seemed to all concentrate.

Three time champion? Three time cheater. Could he hit the balls, sure. Did it help that his pool cue was weightless with some kind of aiming assist that normal people would never notice? Hell yeah.

[color=577d06]“How’s that, easier to aim and hold?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]"Seriously?"[/color] Trisha shot him an incredulous look, before giggling. She’d never even thought to use magic for something like this… Not that she had magic that would work for it. It would be pretty hard to hide a whole bunch of bees helping out with anything. She moved the cue around a bit, feeling it adjust itself slightly as she did. With a grin she made another shot, sending a striped red ball into one of the pockets. 

[color=d1b300]"Holy shit- It’s so much better. Is this what it’s like to have… orange lux, right? Next time I play against my college friends, I’m definitely bringing you along-"[/color] Wow, that was quite an assumption to make. Who knew when she’d next see them considering they were all across the country… And it wasn’t like anything lasted for her beyond the friends she had here solely because of her surname. She laughed awkwardly. [color=d1b300]"Assuming, y’know, you’re around and want to come."[/color]

Casey was smiling widely as he watched Trisha sink the ball into the pocket, and watched the cue ball roll backward into another ball. He smiled widely, making his way to the rack and grabbing a cue of his own with his bare hand. He slipped the glove back off, holding up a cue.
[color=577d06]“Assuming you want to keep learning how to play pool, we’ll have to see one another more.”[/color] he joked, his eyebrows wagging up and down. His hand chalked up the tip of the cue, slapping the block back on the board and waving her forward.
[color=577d06]“Since you sunk, you shoot again. And while you’re at it, get used to the feeling that the stick insists on. The better you’re doing, the less resistance you’ll feel.”[/color]

As he spoke, he was walking behind her, bringing her beer and his over to the edge of the pool table as she shot.
[color=577d06]”I uh… I haven’t told my family yet. But I’ve officially retired from the Military. Seven years! Seven whole years of staying pretty much as far away from St. Portwell as I possibly could. Running from my family. Now, I’m coming back. It doesn’t mean I want to be around them any more than I did before, so… Yeah, I’m around. And if you want me around you? I’m absolutely game to hang out with a bunch of people I don’t think I have anything in common with. I’ll probably surprise myself.”[/color] he said, in the midst of surprising himself.

[color=d1b300]"We’re the same, then."[/color] Trisha straightened back up from taking another shot - not quite so good, but she’d hit the right ball first at least. She was still pretty awkward about getting into the right posture after moving. She reached out for her beer, taking another long drink before continuing. [color=d1b300]"Well, not exactly the same, I was never in the military… obviously."[/color] 

She laughed, gesturing to her slender frame. [color=d1b300]"I mean the whole not wanting to be around family thing. I live with my sisters cause I don’t really have a choice. Guess I kinda ran away too when I went to college on the other side of the country, but-”[/color] she hesitated, looking in the opposite direction to Casey and taking another drink. She was about half way through already, the alcohol warming her up and loosening her inhibitions. Why shouldn’t she say? It wasn’t like he was here with her because of her intelligence. [color=d1b300]"But I didn’t do so well, so I ended up back here, jobless and stuck with my family again."[/color] 

Her expression had soured slightly, but she forced it back into a smile as she turned around. 
[color=d1b300]"So, I don’t actually see those friends often! They’re all over the place…. And hey, they’re probably not what you’re thinking. They’re chill and not rich. The friends I have here, though? Yeah, they’re exactly what you’d expect… but they don’t tell me about things half the time because I was ‘away until a year ago’ as if Gabe didn’t just come back too-"[/color] She shook her head. Reign it in, not the time to go on a rant and scare him away. [color=d1b300]"Someone I can actually spend time with would be nice… I have to say, my company is pretty amazing."[/color] 

She grinned teasingly, once again filled with the confident energy she’d momentarily lost. [color=d1b300]"Your company’s been pretty good, too."[/color] 

Casey beamed back at her, his body leaning into the table as he lined up a shot she placed practically in front of him. He sunk it, the ball cracked off another, and it sunk too.

[color=577d06]“I’d have to say your company has been the highlight of the festival. And,-”[/color] he moved, aimed, and sunk another into the furthest pocket. It seemed like he didn’t need the cheating after all.
[color=577d06]“I’ve got nothing but time, really. No duties to my family, no major responsibilities left. Unless there’s another Draft, but I don’t think after what happened last time they’d try their hand again… So, what do you want to do tomorrow?”[/color] he asked in a self aware fashion, eyes nudging toward her as he sunk [i]another[/i] ball.

Trisha couldn’t help but gape as he sunk not one, but [i]four[/i] balls. Was she even going to get another shot? Not that she was actually bothered - pool had mostly been an excuse to get close to him. [color=d1b300]"My company is [i]often[/i] the highlight of events."[/color] 

She laughed, knocking back her beer to hide her blush at him so casually asking about the next day. What did she want to do? She tilted her head, putting down the bottle and carefully leaning her cue against the pool table next to theirs. With a devious smile she moved closer to him, slotting in at his side and leaning up over his shoulder. 
[color=d1b300]"Hmm, let me think,"[/color] Trisha started, smile turning suggestive and voice lowering slightly. She pressed herself against him a bit more, careful not to actually affect his shooting position. [color=d1b300]"Maybe we could start with breakfast at my place?"[/color] 

If he didn’t like the suggestion, hopefully it would at least be enough to distract him from his next shot.

He grinned, knocked the cue between his fingers, and then looked up at her with a gentle sheen in his eye. He lifted the arm with the grip of the cue in it, opening a spot for her.
[color=577d06]“Come here while I shoot this, so you can feel how I do it. And tell me more about breakfast… Does it happen to be in bed? Cute little trays?[/color]


[color=d1b300]"Oh-kay,"[/color] Trisha enunciated the single word, slipping into the spot in front of him. She wasn’t exactly sure [i]how[/i] she was supposed to feel how he did the shot, so she wriggled back until she was tucked right against his chest, having to bend over a little to fit. Her cheeks heated up. Normally when she flirted with someone it would get very hot very quickly - and she could handle that much better. 

[color=d1b300]"Mm, in bed would be nicest… I don’t have cute trays, do I look like someone who has cute trays?"[/color] She grumbled the last bit, though it came across as cute more than anything. [color=d1b300]"One of my sisters might- no, that’d be embarrassing. It’d have to be ordered in or cereal, because I can’t cook. I normally go to a bakery down the road… That doesn’t really work with staying in bed. Ah!"[/color] She had a sudden, very stupid idea, and giggled. [color=d1b300]"Maybe my bees can get it for us… a bee breakfast service."[/color]

Casey didn’t take the shot until he adjusted her hands to where he wanted them; essentially around the cue inside his own hands. He wanted her to get a sense for how far back he pulled his elbow, what strength he put into a shot, how he lined himself up. Since there was such a size difference, it was easy for him to shift himself so it was comfortable.

His mouth was right behind her ear.
[color=577d06]”We can’t stress them out about it, can we? How about…-”[/color]
She could feel him tense slightly as he lined her up. His right hand’s fingers raised, three of them, and tapped one at a time to count her down to the moment he’d strike the ball. It clacked off the ball that was most obviously a shot they could hit. He didn’t put too much tension or effort into it, and it felt more like a snap than a shove.
[color=577d06]“-while you’re sleeping? I go out in the early dawn, get the good stuff when its freshest, and then you can wake up to it?”[/color]

He was well aware that defeated the purpose of her offer, but frankly if the bees were her bees, he’d give them a break. A smile formed over Casey’s face as he imagined the bees with bags of bagels. [color=577d06][i]Alliteration…[/i][/color]
[color=577d06]“After all, how can I make the Queen Bee or her loyal subjects busy themselves with such menial work?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]"You’d do that?"[/color] Trisha twisted around so she could look up at him, eyes widening. She was so thrown off by everything - how close he was, his voice in her ears, his hands engulfing her own and the offer of waking up early enough to get them breakfast - that she didn’t really take in how he took the shot. She definitely wouldn’t be able to do it herself. [color=d1b300]"Really?"[/color] 

Realising that she was acting a bit ridiculously over a small gesture she turned back around so he couldn’t see her face as easily, cheeks burning. It was just that… as far back as she could remember, no one had brought her breakfast in bed. There’d be servants who made dinner they had to get at her dad’s mansion, and her mom couldn’t have cared less if she ate in the morning. But still, she shouldn’t be so easily touched by something. She cleared her throat as if she hadn’t just acted incredibly embarrassingly. 
[color=d1b300]"You’re right. It’s beneath me and my bees to do something like that… so let’s do that. The you getting breakfast thing. That sounds nice."[/color] 

[color=d1b300]Way to act like someone with absolutely no experience, Trisha.[/color] She internally rolled her eyes at herself. She managed to get her thoughts, and blush, under control and tilted her head back round to look at him.
[color=d1b300]"I hope you can sleep through a lot of noise. My bees get upset if I make them sleep outside… Well, I can send them out for a while, but if it’s all night they get very agitated. I don’t want them trying to sting you if I don’t let them back in till the morning."[/color] 

Noise… Noise was the sound of bombs and screams and shout and-
[color=577d06]“Oh, I’m not worried about buzzing. Used to hearing the planes.”[/color]
He grinned to himself.
[color=577d06]“Plan on doing a lot of sleeping tonight?”[/color] he asked, his lips still near her ear as he moved her body beneath his own into another shot. With each one he made, there was a gentle recoil from the cue hitting the ball, and then the slight flex to compensate behind it. Micro movements that he didn’t even think about.

A light shiver ran down her spine. She bit her lip to catch the embarrassing and totally not attractive squeak that almost escaped as he moved her around so easily. It was difficult to suppress the other reactions - it suddenly felt far too hot, and she could hear her heart thudding in her ears. Trisha slowly turned her face towards his and tilted it up, so that it was her own lips rather than her ear close to his. [color=d1b300]"Not really, if I have my way… and I normally do."[/color] 

Casey’s smile had become a perpetual grin across his face, his eyes pouring into hers as she turned her head to look at him. His lips pressed forward, and there was that same tension. In the midst of the kiss, the clack of the cue ball hitting another ball preceded the hollow thud of it sinking into a pocket. 

It was long, somewhat shallow as he’d had very little overall experience kissing. He wasn’t even sure what kind of kiss she was going to want, and despite having seen plenty of examples, he rarely reckoned how the tongue thing worked. Finally he pulled away.
[color=577d06]“Buzz, buzz… Lookin’ for some pollen…”[/color] he giggled at her like a school kid would.

[color=d1b300]"What the-"[/color] Trisha stared at him in disbelief, before laughing at the ridiculousness of it. She wriggled her hands out from under his and used them to cover her face, because she had no idea what expression she was making. She couldn’t decide how she felt and didn’t want her face visible until she did. [color=d1b300]"Seriously?"[/color] 

She shook her head in her hands. The kiss had been nice, if a bit clumsy. It was pretty obvious to her that he wasn’t that experienced - mostly because she [i]really[/i] was. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing… But the line afterwards? That was something else. It had completely ruined the mood. It made it really, [i]really[/i] obvious that he wasn’t her normal type. But… When had her normal type worked out? Her normal type always led to short lived relationships that burned out violently. Was her normal type even her actual type? Shit, now was not the time to start thinking about this. It was just one night, if she didn’t enjoy it, she never had to see him again. 

The temptation of breakfast brought to her in the morning was just too strong. She peeked through her fingers at him, her lips twitching up into a slight smile. [color=d1b300]"Please never say anything like that again… especially not at my place. I’ll need to have my bees kick you out for terrible… jokes?"[/color] 

The grin that had been baked into his face didn’t leave. Frankly, he wanted that reaction more than he wanted one that was heavy. He never liked a heavy mood, either too serious or too self serious. Romance was always a thick, saccharin layer atop the buildup toward intercourse; especially if people were meant to have kids. It was the layer that went down well to hide the fact that the cake was made of dirt.
That’s probably why it was so fascinating. So tantalising to him; it was commitment like he’d had in his career except it was meant to be for the rest of one’s life. Or, at least, a lifetime. 

[color=577d06]“Fine. But if you think for a second that the bees won’t jive with my jokes, you’ve got another thing coming. I bet they’ll [i]love[/i] my ass.”[/color]
His big face was warm and friendly. 
[color=577d06][i]Alright, I did want her to laugh more…[/i][/color]
He may have felt a little disappointed, but she was still pretty insistent about him being at her place by the end of the night.

So he held up his hands, cue in the dominant right, and flicked his hair ever so slightly.
[color=577d06]“Maybe a wager? Beat me at pool, and you’ll never hear another Bee joke out of me. Until then? B u z z b u z z, Baby.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]"I hate to break it to you, but the bees don’t understand any words, nevermind jokes,"[/color] Trisha laughed, finally dropping her hands from her face. [color=d1b300]"I communicate with them with pheromones- you know, that doesn’t matter."[/color] 

She waved her hand at the pool table before folding her arms. [color=d1b300]"That isn’t a fair wager - you’ve already cleared like half your balls! You even got one in while we were kissing- There’s no way I can win. You know I can’t win that."[/color] She pouted, throwing up her own hands. [color=d1b300]"Alright, fine, you can keep your bee jokes. But just you wait, I’m going to train in pool so that I can beat you next time."[/color] 

If she was going to hear jokes like that for the rest of the night, she’d need more to drink. Trisha shifted back around the pool table to her neglected beer, and just straight up finished off the bottle. [color=d1b300]"I’m going to need another to cope. Maybe after a couple I’ll even find them funny.“[/color]

Casey looked down the pool hall toward the bar, the urge to make a joke very clearly on his face, before looking back at Trisha and nodding.
[color=577d06]“Sure, sure. And, don’t worry: The jokes are for special occasions. You want just another brew? Or can I offer you something a bit harder?”[/color]
[color=577d06][i]Y’know, like some Honey Mead, maybe a Honey Bee? Could get anything, the bar isn’t exactly BUZZY…[/i][/color]

He bit his lip, holding himself back like a kid after they’re told they can’t take another candy from the halloween bucket trying desperately to be respectful. It was such a grave pain, but he really didn’t want her dealing with it too much. He was even worried about saying beer now, lest she lose all sense of reality as she’s never able to hear the word again without making association to her own little pals.

[color=d1b300]"That was a special occasion?"[/color] Trisha raised an eyebrow, lips curving back up into a genuine smile. And he was even holding back on the jokes - [color=d1b300]see, deciding to stick around wasn’t a bad decision.[/color] She could handle the occasional bad bee pun… or any bad pun. Maybe more, when she liked someone enough. One of her college friends was awful for it and Trisha still tolerated her. Just about. [color=d1b300]"Just another beer, yeah. The same is fine… or whatever else they have bottles of. I’m not fussy about beer!"[/color]

As much as she’d like something a bit harder, she knew her own tolerance pretty well - in that it was low. Getting completely wasted was fun, but she wanted to remember tonight. So far. That might change. 

The bees still with her, that had been silently hiding until now, gave a soft agitated buzz. She not so subtly glared at her shoulder. They couldn’t exactly communicate like a person did, but she could tell what they wanted. After a bit of back and forth with them she sighed. [color=d1b300]"... some sugar water too. Not for me, for, y’know. Honestly a lemonade will do, they can handle that."[/color]

Casey stuck around just long enough to catch Trisha making eyes with the bees. Giving a thumbs up for the lemonade, he tried to remember if they actually had any lemonades… Or anything like that. It wasn’t exactly a place people went to get mixed drinks, but hell it was popular these days right? Not like getting hammered by yourself in a barrack on Christmas because you don’t want to go home. 
[color=577d06][i]Gasoline. Pure ethanol. Fuel for the flames.[/i][/color]

Getting to the bar, he put up for two Corona; a bit lighter than going for lagers all night as he found the bloating effect to be unsustainable. 
[color=577d06]”Simple syrup? Just like, in a cup?”[/color]
The bartender paused for a moment, furrowed an eyebrow, then pulled a disposable cup and filled it with a shot or two of two-to-one simple syrup. As he slid the ten dollar bill across the counter, the bartender leaned in close.
“I’m happy to see you not drinking alone… Where’s she from?”
[color=577d06]”Around, I guess?”[/color] Casey responded with a slight annoyance in his voice. He’d not realised they cared enough to notice that he was a solitary alcoholic, never mind asking him about his “date”.

With a huff of air equal to poor opinion, the Bartender let Casey back over to the pool table with the drinks.
[color=577d06]”Beer for you, beer for me, and syrup for the little ladies.”[/color] he handed the cup and the bottle off to Trisha.

[color=d1b300]"Thanks,"[/color] Trisha smiled, taking both. She put the beer down on the edge of the pool table and turned around so her back was to the bar (and the bees were hidden from the bartender's sight). She tilted the cup on its side so the syrup was more spread out along it. With a simple instruction the bees gently flew from her shoulders into the cup… except for one that landed on her finger. It wiggled its little body and didn’t move any further. Trisha narrowed her eyes. [color=d1b300]"Seriously?"[/color]

The bee wiggled again. After what seemed to be an intense human to bee stare off, Trisha gave in. She reluctantly stuck a finger into the cup, coating it in a little bit of the syrup before pulling it out. The lone bee happily flew over to her other hand and started drinking the syrup from her finger. 

[color=d1b300]"This one’s stupidly fussy,"[/color] she explained, in case Casey was actually interested. [color=d1b300]"She was one of my first so she’s extra attached to me… you’d be surprised how much personality slightly magical bees have. It’s hard to keep up when I have so many. It sure would be nice,"[/color] she shot the bee a mock glare, [color=d1b300]"if they’d leave me a free hand to have a drink too."[/color]

[color=577d06]”I assume it’s a Mother’s instinct that tells you? Or do they all have some sort of unique kind of, what was it? Pheromones?”[/color] Casey asked, getting closer as he watched them do their thing. He’d seen plenty of bees in nature, even watched them doing their thing…

Quietly, he was in Europe. Springtime, near the end of it all. A muddy fucking hole on a hill overlooking a field full of blood and bones. He’d been transferred to SOT by this point; they were waiting for the… Some fucking German name, it didn’t matter. He just remembered being frustrated about the fact that there was a bee scrambling to try and get at the sugar water from his O-Ration.

He tried his hardest to be polite, tried to get the thing out from in front of his face, but it just kept landing on the rim of his canister and wouldn’t leave well enough alone.

[color=577d06]”I almost feel like I should apologise to them now…”[/color] Casey said absentmindedly as his thoughts trailed to flicking that bee into the sugar water before ejecting the liquid to watch it spatter into the wind.

He never could’ve known that bee or what it was thinking. It was probably something similar to being peckish and hitting the refrigerator. 

[color=577d06]”It was just going to the fridge…”[/color]
His face was next to hers, eyes locked with the bee’s half-thoughtful set of compound eyes. A tear almost fell.

[color=d1b300]"Huh?"[/color] Trisha was very confused about what Casey was talking about… And why he looked like he was about to cry. 

He cleared his throat, looking at the bee just another second.
[color=577d06]”I… I was thinking about the fields of France. We used to get bees all the time in those trenches, like we were made of sweets or something.”[/color]
Shaking his head to snap out of it, he finally pulled himself away with a swig of beer.

[color=577d06]”They made sure we never worried about killing anything, so I never really thought about the bees. But, seeing you with them, just dredged something up. Sorry. When you’re done-”[/color]
He pulled up his cue, proceeding to sink the last five balls in rapid succession.
[color=577d06]”-We can start a new game. You gotta practise now, no getting out of it.”[/color]

Trisha was glad he changed the subject. She wasn’t very good at the deep stuff - both hearing it from someone else, or delving into it herself. What did she even say to that? She had no idea what a war was like, and honestly she didn’t place that much importance on insect life beyond her own bees. 

[color=d1b300]"Finnnne, we can play another game,"[/color] Trisha grumbled, though from her playful smile it was clear she wasn’t actually annoyed about it. The bees continued to drink as if they’d been parched. [color=d1b300]"To answer your earlier question, it’s kind of a bit of both. They all have a unique… scent, I guess, and I can tell them apart because of my connection with them naturally. If I had to remember it I’d have no chance."[/color]

She laughed, and the bees finally finished drinking - having gone through all the syrup. She had to shake the cup a little bit to get the full and lazy creatures to move, reluctantly crawling up her arms and hiding in her hair. The one on her hand flew onto her cheek, sitting there for a little bit and seeming to press its little face against her. Then it also joined the others. Trisha put down the cup and wiped her slightly sticky finger on her trousers, grabbing her own beer and taking a swig of it.

[color=d1b300]"Alright!"[/color] She picked back up her cue, passing it between her hands with a determined grin. [color=d1b300]"Let’s start… Let me break, otherwise you’ll just win the game before I even get a shot in."[/color]

Casey was happy to see her bounce back; he liked determination and willpower in a way he couldn't describe, though he imagined his siblings had similar relationships with it. Something about Lynette Richoux and willpower and tenacity and-. He got too ahead of himself and found a wide smile on his face as he reset the balls after tossing another dollar in.

As Trisha squared up to break, he stopped her and got into position himself.
[color=577d06]“You use this forward hand to keep it steady. All your aiming and everything is usually done from the rear… But try making an arch with your index finger?-”[/color] 

He demonstrated, left index finger curling up to touch the middle finger with its tip. It formed a loop, which he proceeded to stick the cue through.

[color=577d06]“Depending on how tight you make the loop around it, it'll keep you steady and straight. Better, it'll work well with the enchantment at keeping your shots dead centre. After that, it's all about practice and muscle memory. It's easy, just takes a lot of time.”[/color] 

He lifted the rack from the balls, leaving them ready for impact.

[color=577d06]“Whenever you're ready.”[/color] 

[color=d1b300]"Easy, right…"[/color] Trisha moved to right next to him, bending her knees to be at eye level with his hand. She actually watched and listened pretty attentively. Sure, she had suggested pool for less innocent reasons, but actually learning how to play pool would mean she could show up all her friends the next time she saw them. [color=d1b300]"Alright, I think I’ve got it."[/color]

She stretched back up, beginning to line up her shot. Her left arm extended forward and she curled her index finger onto the middle one, slipping the cue through. She leaned in towards the pool table and bit her lip as she tried to figure out the aim, letting the cue’s enchantment guide her. She wasn’t quite sure about the rest of her stance (she’d been distracted), wiggling as she adjusted in a very similar motion to the bee that had been drinking from her finger. 

Finally satisfied, she took the shot, cue sliding through her finger and hitting the ball. It hit dead centre, sending all of the balls flying and one right into the pocket at the back corner.

[color=d1b300]"Hell yeah! That means I get another shot, right?[/color] She didn’t wait for his answer, surveying the table and finding what looked like a straight shot. She quickly got into position and, after another round of wiggling to adjust herself, hit the ball… But the loop of her index finger wasn’t quite so tight, making the angle of the cue slightly off. With nothing pocketed, she straightened back up with a pout. She turned back to Casey with what she [i]hoped[/i] was a cute, pleading expression. 
[color=d1b300]"Your turn. Go easy on me, please?"[/color]

Casey watched her motions, nodding to himself as he watched her flit about the table to find a nice angle. She'd made a wonderful breaking shot, and he was proud as he heard the clacking of a ball being sunk into a pocket. His eyes traced her arm's length, the shape and angles, the way it developed into a shoulder that climbed up to her neck in a gradual, soft slope. He admired the tone of her skin, the way her eyes smiled when she did. 

Even as she missed her shot, she was just… He couldn't help but smile to himself. He stepped up, patting her on the shoulder.

[color=577d06]“Don't worry about it. We're having fun, I'm not trying to discourage you.”[/color] 
With his knowing grin, he lined up for a shot.
[color=577d06]“Two into pocket four.-”[/color]  he directed the shot he'd be making, pointing out which pocket he was aiming for. [color=577d06]“-Easy shot.”[/color] 
The cue lurched forward, sending the cue ball flying across the table. It smacked the two ball, sunk it, and proceeded to spin very rapidly across the table until it hit another ball and fell into the dark pocket across from four.

He grinned at his self destruction, the skill of it alone. Intentionally sending the cue ball across the table to sink it…

[color=577d06]“Ah, yikes… Well, you know what that means…”[/color] 
His hand reached into the pocket for the cue ball, and he handed it off to her.
[color=577d06]“Take your pick, Trisha-Bee. Your go.”[/color] 

[color=d1b300]"Toooo bad for you,"[/color] Trisha grinned. She reached out for the ball, hand lingering over it as her fingers rested against his hand. Eventually, she took it and stepped back. She didn’t even get annoyed about the silly nickname - it was kind of cute if she didn’t think about it too hard. [color=d1b300]"You’re going to regret teaching me when I start winning."[/color]  

She smirked, placed the cue ball just behind the line. She bent down and closed one eye, as if mentally lining up shots. She shifted the ball about a bit before she found what she thought would be a good one. She didn’t quite have a direct line to a pocket, but if she hit it at the right angle… she had a chance. With her newly, totally perfected stance she made the shot. The enchanted cue gave her a much better chance than if she’d been doing it herself, hitting the ball she was aiming for at just the right angle. It spun towards a pocket, slowing down as it neared it and stopped just short of falling in. 

She clenched her teeth, fingers curling around the cue a little bit too hard as she tried to suppress her frustration. She’d been getting back into the headspace she’d had in highschool - working her ass off to achieve good grades only to fail. It was just a missed shot. A fun game. She was still learning. She relaxed her grip on the cue and stepped back, grabbing her beer and taking a good long drink. The buzz of the alcohol as it went to her head helped get rid of those niggling thoughts. 
[color=d1b300]"Fuck, that was so close."[/color]

[color=577d06][i]So close?[/i][/color] 
Casey slid up, wrapping his hand around her waist and pulling her tight to his side. He was all smiles as he did, nudging her over to where the ball almost went in.
[color=577d06]“I mean… That’s [i]really[/i] close. Like even a-”[/color] 
He fake coughed, and his hand swept across the table to knock the ball in without letting the cue fall with it. He stared at her with a grin.
[color=577d06]“-like any sort of breeze could’ve done it, y’know? Close enough in my book… Try again.”[/color] 

[color=d1b300]"Hey, that’s cheating,"[/color] Trisha laughed, smiling up at him. Just like that, that slightly lingering bad mood was gone. She shifted up, going onto her tip toes and lightly turning on them. Her hands curled around his shoulder and she leaned in to press a kiss against his cheek. [color=d1b300]"Guess I have to take another shot."[/color] 

She lowered her heels back to the ground and reluctantly moved out from against his side. It wasn’t such an easy shot now with where the cue ball had ended up, but she had to try. It would be boring if it was just easy shots. She lined herself up to take another shot, wobbling a little bit as she did - fuck, she shouldn’t have taken such a large drink… she really didn’t handle alcohol well. Well, it was fine. She carefully aimed, taking a dangerous shot - one of her balls right next to one of his. The cue ball went flying across the table, hitting both and sending them hurtling towards a pocket. Hers went right in.

And so did his. 

[color=d1b300]"Well, at least I got one of mine in?"[/color] Trisha threw up her free hand, twisting her head around to flash Casey a teasing smile. [color=d1b300]"I can just tell I’m getting better with every shot, so I had to give you a free one."[/color]

Casey’s brow furrowed a second. He hadn’t noticed yet, but she was following a rule he hadn’t even thought of.
[color=577d06]“Oh… Oh, nah! You just got two in, is all. We’re not playing stripes and solids… You been hanging out with British people or something?”[/color] he laughed, waving his hand.
[color=577d06]“It was a great shot. Keep going, we’re just doing score, so it’s four to one! If you’re at some tournament, or you’re playing with people used to formalities, then you split it. But hey, we’re just practising, so for now I want you to just focus on the feeling the stick is trying to show you. Remember, the less resistance, the better you’re doing.”[/color]

As she started in for another shot, Casey leaned in close.
[color=577d06]“Don’t get distracted…”[/color]
His hand slowly moved upward, brushing the underside of her arm to tickle her and get her flustered, his boyish grin beaming like the morning sun.

[color=d1b300]"Huh, really? I do have a lot of British friends…"[/color] At least, the ones that dictated how they did things were. 

This was much better! She smiled and got herself ready for another shot, moving the cue around to aim. It resisted a bit, but she was getting a better feel for it- Until his fingers lightly touched the sensitive skin under her arm, sending goosebumps across it. Her arm shook lightly as she tried her hardest not to flinch away. It wasn’t so much the touch, something she was used to, as the ticklishness of it. She was really, annoyingly ticklish.

[color=d1b300]"Hey, stop it, that’s not fair, stop it- shit!"[/color] 
Unable to stop herself Trisha flinched, both arms jerking out and the cue hitting the ball at an incredibly awkward angle. It sent it spinning at a pathetic speed, hitting into a nearby ball and barely nudging it. She immediately spun around and hit his arm - with very little strength behind it. 
[color=d1b300]"I know I’m irresistible, but keep your hands to yourself when I’m taking a shot!"[/color] 

He laughed aloud, smiling down as he held his hands up.
[color=577d06]“Woah, hey! Easy, I must’ve brushed against you!”[/color] he giggled, reaching for the totally out of place cue ball.
He slid it a bit into a nice shot for her, gently biting his lip.
[color=577d06]“That’s where it was, right?”[/color] 

[color=d1b300]"That looks about right."[/color] Trisha’s smile was filled with satisfaction. She knew exactly what he was doing - but she liked it. He was making things easier for her without needing to be asked. Normally she had to complain a lot more for that. [color=d1b300]"Careful not to brush up against me again."[/color] 

She moved her hands back to the right position, taking the nicely lined up shot by following what the cue was showing her. It easily went into a corner pouch, and she moved around to take another one. There wasn’t really any direct line here, so she just followed the cue again and took a nice, clean shot. Nothing sunk, but not a particularly bad shot either.

[color=d1b300]"Oh no, I guess it's your turn."[/color] 
She was really curious if he would somehow find a way for her to get another shot. 

[color=577d06]“Oh, sandbagging me now? I know you could’ve made another shot. It’s five to one now…”[/color]
It was fair and true that he knew exactly how the enchantment on the cue worked. For her, it was a blind guessing game… But it had a lot more tricks up its wood grain than were obvious.
[color=577d06]“Here, wanna see something cool?-”[/color]

Reaching for her stick, he grabbed it and closed his eyes before turning back to the table. He knew that the six ball was still in place, so he moved to where he last remembered the cue ball was and got into stance. 
For the next few moments, Trisha could see his eyes remain closed. He took a long deep breath, humming slightly. In his hands, he felt the stick moving his near limp arm as it relied entirely upon his willful desire for it to make the shot.

[color=577d06]“Six to pocket two.”[/color]
The instant he called the shot, the cue immediately stood on end at an almost vertical angle. Without hesitation, it snapped at the ball like a stork plucking a fish from a river with its beak. The ball twisted and spun like a dancer around the ball in front of it, knocking into the six ball with miraculous precision.
The ball in question made a slow approach toward pocket two, teetered, and finally sunk into the abyss. Opening his eyes, he looked directly at Trisha’s face with an evil grin and raised eyebrows.
[color=577d06]“Whaddya think about [i]that[/i]?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]"Whoa."[/color] Trisha’s eyes widened, flickering between the cue and Casey. It shouldn’t be so shocking, or impressive - she’d seen all sorts done with magic. But she wasn’t an adept, and most she knew didn’t have particularly practical applications with their spells. [color=d1b300]"That is a really fucking cool. You know [i]exactly[/i] how to impress a girl."[/color] 

Her smile turned teasing again, though she obviously was impressed. She looked back at the cue again, tilting her head. [color=d1b300]"Can it do that for anyone, or is it just you? Does it have some kind of magical connection with you like my bees with me? I couldn’t-"[/color] 

She stopped talking, a giggle escaping her lips. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as she giggled uncontrollably at the most ridiculous image that had come to mind. Through the laughter, she just about managed to get the words out to describe it. 
[color=d1b300]"I bet if I got about…"[/color] she started counting on her fingers. [color=d1b300]"One hundred and ten bees to line up, and hold each other's legs, I could do that. Like a bee cue, haha."[/color]

[color=577d06][i]Bee cue? She knows how many bees she’d need? She can fucking estimate that? Go! Go, go and get the bees necessary and [b]bring them here right now[/b] and we’ll see how fucking-[/i][/color] 
[color=577d06]”That is… That’s incredibly cute, Bee Momma… Like, so cute, I’m gonna try my damndest to make sure we’re together again so that I can fucking see that. I can’t wait.”[/color] 

His grin was practically plastered on his face as Casey stared up at this Vanburen girl with her beautiful dark eyes and dimpled smile. Whatever tricks he was pulling out, he seemed to be making it work. [color=577d06][i]No need to overthink it now. Just keep going Sarge.[/i][/color] 

Handing off the cue to her, he shrugged and gave a wave of his now empty hand.
[color=577d06]”Also, uh… Your cue hit the ball, so… It’s you again. Good job. It will do that for you, probably just as easy as it does for me. So long as you’ve had some kind of Lux cooked into you, it reads your mind without you even being entirely sure of what you’re doing. A relative, sometime in the, like, sixteen-hundreds apparently invented the spell because he was sick of losing to the aristocratic nobles whom he was rubbing shoulders with. Give her a try, just pick a ball and a pocket and then give a feeling like you’re channelling.”[/color] 

Trisha tried and failed to not blush at the compliment. Being called cute twice just wasn’t something she could handle easily. It almost had her calling her bees right there, but she stopped herself because a whole swarm of bees coming into a bar wasn’t a good idea. She snatched her Corona up and took another long drink - huh, there wasn’t very much left. Where had it all gone? She drank it all already? She hadn’t even noticed. 


[color=d1b300]”What do you mean by some kind of Lux cooked into me?"[/color] she asked, discarding her empty bottle so she only had the cue in one hand. Did she have that? 

[color=577d06]”Like… When you Kindle, for instance, it engraines itself into your body. Similarly, if you’ve got an Apparition sealed artefact, if you’re an Agent that is, you’re just as saturated. It's essentially how we’re able to observe our powers and the abilities of those around us. Kindled, baked, cooked, we use a bunch of terms in the Temple.”[/color] 

His explanation seemed genuine and sincere, and even a bit enthusiastic as if it was a topic of interest for him.

[color=d1b300]"So it’ll work if I’ve got an apparition inside me?"[/color] Wait, that didn’t sound right. She snickered at the ridiculous way she’d put it. [color=d1b300]"I mean if I’m adjoined. I honestly don’t know much about it all, so I didn’t know that. Everything I’ve learnt is from here,"[/color] she tapped her head with her free hand, [color=d1b300]"and Sycamore. My [i]dear[/i] father didn’t bother to tell us about it even though he kept a whole supply of artefacts in the basement."[/color]

She took the cue and got into position again, holding it lightly. She wasn’t quite sure what channelling was like, because she didn’t do that, but it must be like talking to her bees. Her eyes fluttered closed to concentrate better, as she tried to think like she did when using her abstraction and get it to aim for the five ball, so it would go into the nearest pouch. As the cue started to guide her, moving her relaxed arms, she also accidentally started to let out the pheromones she could use on humans. 

A soft, fresh lemony scent filled the air around her. To Casey, whose emotional field dampened the effect, it would just make her appear more attractive. Like someone he wanted to stay around without actually pushing him to do anything. 

The cue finally stopped moving, and shot out to hit the cue ball spinning towards the five ball. Trisha opened her eyes and watched the ball fall right into the pocket she’d wanted it to. Not noticing the pheromones she was accidentally leaking she spun back around towards Casey with a grin. [color=d1b300]"Hey, it worked! That was fucking cool."[/color] 

He was lost somewhere in a field again… But he was on a blanket, crisp shirt, dog tags dangling against the arm that he laid against staring to his side at her. She was smiling, giggling. Bees danced around them in the warm sunlight, the breeze blowing by. He was good with them; made his peace finally. The bees…
[i]Doughtry, Reese, Leburt, Clifton, Amesly, -[/i]

He was there again. Back in the bar room, watching that smile bounce around slightly. He’d be okay, he figured. Just have to keep it up a while longer.

[color=577d06]”I kind of figured that you had an object for the bees… But whatever does it is inside you then. Adjoined, like you said. You’re like Leon. Just as applicable, and just as cool.”[/color] he nodded gently.
[color=577d06]”I… I think you nailed me, Queen Bee. Stung me right in the heart with whatever it was you just let out. You do that often?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]”Shit,”[/color] Trisha’s confusion at Leon being adjoined rather than an adept, supposedly, was completely replaced when she realised she was hitting him with her pheromones. It slowly stopped, the smell and effects reducing. She really hadn’t meant to. [color=d1b300]"No, I don’t."[/color] 

That was a lie. She didn’t do it often to other paranormal, because they could [i]always[/i] tell. But Blinds? She would gladly bathe them in her pheromones until they wanted nothing more than to be with her, to keep her close and happy and satiated. But she could never keep it up, exhausting herself with the constant use, and then [i]they[/i] would be exhausted with her. 

She wasn’t going to tell Casey that. Admitting to magically making people like her was the easiest way to speed her way right to the finish line where she got kicked to the curb [i]again.[/i]
[color=d1b300]"I don’t normally- I was trying to channel like you said, and I must’ve let them out. At least it was that type,"[/color] she laughed awkwardly, not quite able to meet his eyes. [color=d1b300]"The other ones… would, uhm, make you freak out, I guess. It’s the other side of my bee stuff. Not as useful as the bees. Yeah. Sorry."[/color] 

He grinned, shook his head and took a deep breath to come back to reality. He was plenty used to the young adepts and their blatant power usage whenever he was at home, and as a Blind teenager, he wasn’t much more than a plaything for others. It’s why he had to escape.

But with her specifically, he didn’t mind. He couldn’t, really.
[color=577d06]”I’m not sure what you mean about not being useful. If I felt right, that’s quite the spell to put on someone.”[/color]
Though he had next to no practical spell usage, White Lux was always a useful thing to have coursing through your veins. Playing off his emotional field, he found he could parse some of the infectious aroma’s traits.
[color=577d06]”If you were my Mom’s daughter, she’d be constantly telling you to saturate people with it. Hell, I bet if you practised, you’d be able to break through-”[/color]

Trisha wasn’t with the Sycamore Tree anymore. There was no way she wanted to hear this from him…
[i]And he was doing so well…[/i]
[color=577d06]”Well, whatever. Just like pool, if you want to use your abilities better, I can definitely help you. However you want to spend our time together…”[/color]

He got a bit closer to her, hands reaching out to gently take hers.
[color=577d06]”I mean it… I’m not mad or anything. You did exactly what I said to do, and you made a great shot. Pride means a lot to my family, and I’m proud of you for getting it first try.”[/color]


[color=d1b300]”Really?”[/color] Trisha curled her hands in his, looking back up at him. There was a hit of vulnerability in her eyes, exposed by what she viewed as a fuckup combined with alcohol. She blinked it away, and smiled again. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had said they were proud of her… Have they ever? Well, she was sure a teacher in middle school had said they were proud of her for working so hard. [color=d1b300]”Your mom sounds much cooler than mine, if she knew about magic she’d be all like, ‘Patricia, unless it helps you get the highest grades in your year, I don’t want you to use it.’ Then something about how my cousin got into a top university without using magic- he doesn’t even live in the same country!”[/color] 

Realising she was getting off topic, and maybe revealing a little more than she wanted to, she swerved back to something else he’d said. [color=d1b300]”Actually yeah, I’d like that. The help to use my abilities better. I haven’t really had time to practise, and my friends here aren’t really interested in it. But I’d like to be able to use that part better, and maybe command the bees more efficiently. They still don’t always listen to me.”[/color]

Casey couldn’t help but let his enthusiasm leak into the interaction, raising her hands slightly in his and smiling.
[color=577d06]”That’s great… I’ll ask some of the Adjoined at the Temple about their experiences. Or, maybe you can even come by? Entirely up to you, I won’t push… I mean, I’d love to take it slow. With you… And I…”[/color] He couldn’t hide his own blushing. Not only was he excited that she wanted to spend more time, but he was excited to find someone else from his world who didn’t seem so hung up on it. It could be something casual between them, not running their lives.

[color=577d06]”Or, you know, whatever happens [i]happens[/i], the French say [i]Que sera, sera[/i] or something…”[/color] 
He stopped worrying about the fact that he was smiling too much. He barely cared about the pool or anything.
[color=577d06]”I’m… Babbling, aren’t I?”[/color] he giggled, looking at her with the same gaze as a satisfied cat.

[color=d1b300]”You are, but it’s okay. It’s cute.”[/color] He wanted to take things slow… Aw, that was cute. Trisha couldn’t help but smile sweetly at him. In her mostly drunk state, she was just quite happy. And it wasn’t like she needed to rush things. Normally the easiest way to get with someone was to sleep with them and then go from there- well, she still wanted to do that, but she wouldn’t push too hard. She had his company and the promise of it continuing, which was what she really wanted. [color=d1b300]”I’ll come along to the Temple… Where else could we practise except my place, and I don’t think my sisters will be happy about that. So long as I’m not dragged along to any family dinners or, uh, religious stuff.”[/color] 

She squeezed his hands and leaned in, though it wasn’t entirely on purpose. She was feeling a bit unstable as the two beers she’d had properly hit her. It was more of a sway than anything, towards him, then away from him, then back towards him. 

[color=d1b300]”Yeah, que será, será,”[/color] Trisha nodded, pronouncing it properly - well, the Spanish way. [color=d1b300]”But isn’t it Spanish? Ah, I don’t speak Spanish properly, but there’s a lot of words from it in Filipino… Sometimes my mom liked to mix things up and yell ‘que?!’ at me rather than ‘ano?!’ Oh, she does also know Spanish. Ah, but her favourite thing to yell is [i]‘manang mana ka talaga sa tatay mo’[/i]. Basically, how do I translate it… she’s saying I take after my father. She said it last time we called cause I told her-”[/color] 

Trisha cut herself off, shaking her head. Oh yeah, she just remembered why before she said it. It was because she’d had four partners in as many months. [color=d1b300]”Now I’m the one that’s babbling.”[/color]

[color=577d06]”You are, but it’s okay. It’s cute…”[/color] he glared at her knowingly.
[color=577d06]”Family dinners are things I can usually avoid, but the inevitable philosophical discussions are generally tame and respectful… You know, they-we…-”[/color]

Casey cut himself off. He still didn’t love the back-of-the-mind thought that they and he were somehow adjoined entities. That like someone dealing with an apparition inside them, he too was dealing with a ghost that just wouldn’t leave him the fuck alone. But it wasn’t their fault. People like Andrade or Furio, they just had beliefs and their beliefs aligned with his mom’s. It shouldn’t be their job to be intolerant, rather he found that he had to impose tolerance upon himself. Measured, even handed tolerance.

[color=577d06]”Usually those kinds of things turn into a bottle of wine and some stories, they’re never lectures. And Adjoined specifically hold a special place in our hearts and in the Philosophy. The others in your situation, Leon included, would love to tell you about their experiences. We’re honestly just a bunch of hippies trying to make it in this modern world with some sense of community.”[/color] he trailed off finally, the mind twisting to bemuse the idea that he was somehow defending them. 
But he had no other faith. No other light to look toward in the dark, and with all he’d seen, he was ready to believe in something.
[color=577d06]”But there I go, getting like that. I promise, if anyone wants to give you a hard time, they’ll be giving [i]us[/i] a hard time.”[/color]

He had since repositioned his hands, holding both of hers in between his own and gently caressing the soft skin with his thumb.

[color=d1b300]”That sounds nothing like the few church trips I’ve suffered… And I haven’t talked to many other Adjoined before, that’d be useful.”[/color] Trisha tilted her head. It didn’t really make it something she wanted to attend, but it didn’t seem like something she’d have to avoid entirely. If she somehow did get dragged along to something like that. Trisha wasn’t really the believing type. If there was something out there, she’d probably cuss them out before telling them to fuck off. Wasn’t like her life felt like anything divinely granted. 

[color=d1b300]”Hey, not just us.”[/color] A content smile bloomed across Trisha’s lips, fingers curling inwards slightly. She liked the way he held her hands… It was nice. Stable. [color=d1b300]”Us [i]and[/i] sixty thousand bees. Not many want to mess with them.”[/color] 

She giggled slightly at the image of her, Casey, and her whole hive facing off against Temple members. It would certainly make things more exciting. She then leaned forward again, up onto her tiptoes so her face was more on level with his. She wobbled a bit, but managed to stay up. What she was about to say could be put down to drunken confidence, or drunken rushing, if she needed to. She was always fast with these things, but it was an excuse to cover that up. 
[color=d1b300]”I do like the sound of that. [i]Us[/i]. I’d like that.”[/color] 

Casey could feel his cheeks hurting as Trisha spoke softly and sweetly to him. He’d not drunk enough to be drunk, but he felt like he was. Or high, or something, something wasn’t normal and it wasn’t the magical pheromones that she accidentally blasted him with. He stared down at her, his forehead pressed against hers. He spoke lowly, matching her tone and inflection.
[color=577d06]”We’re looking, y’know… For Father Wolf. I’ll keep you safe, Tee. I promise.”[/color]

It was something he said on reaction, something he felt like she needed to know, or maybe it was the heat of the moment or maybe he felt like it was something personal that he could bring to her; a token or…
[color=577d06][i]Shit…[/i][/color]
He hoped that she wouldn’t have some sort of adverse reaction… He was telling the truth; he didn’t want to see her alone like this.

[color=d1b300]”Oh, really?”[/color] Trisha smiled. She pulled her hands out from his, raising her arms to loosely wrap around his shoulders. She needed the support to stop wobbling so much, and it brought their bodies closer together without having to move her head away. As much as she really wanted to say she could keep herself safe, she knew she couldn’t. She’d been planning on forcing her brother to hire her a security team, but unfortunately [i]his[/i] security team knew her on sight and knew to not let her far enough into the building to reach the most recently hired secretary. So she hadn’t been able to talk to him yet. 
[color=d1b300]”How are you going to keep me safe from something that can appear at anytime, anywhere?”[/color]

[color=577d06]”We’re good dogs. We bark when we hear something, we bite if we see it. All you need to do is keep me around.”[/color]
His arms slid around her lower back. He pulled her as close to him as he could, making goofy growling noises like a snarling dog until he was laughing.
[color=577d06]”Y’know… I’m not trying to butt into your life or anything… I mean maybe I am, but not all intrusive-like. But, y’know… I’m a lot more than a wizard. You don’t know what I actually do… Did… Not, not like it’s supposed to impress you or anything… I just have… Let’s say, a certain set of skills.”[/color]

He couldn’t possibly keep a straight face, laughing and hugging into her.
[color=577d06]”Sorry, I’ve never gotten to use that line before.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]”Alright, Liam Neeson,”[/color] Trisha couldn’t help but laugh too. Alcohol had a way of making things more entertaining. She tightened her arms around his neck, half hanging off him so she didn’t have to put all her weight on her toes. [color=d1b300]”Don’t make a career change to acting, alright? Just stick to, haha, biting threats for me.”[/color] 

She laughed again. It was hard to imagine because she had no idea what Father Wolf looked like, but if he was anything like his name… maybe biting was a way to get rid of him. 
[color=d1b300]”But, it is alright if you butt into my life. There’s not really much to it anyway! I sleep, eat, look after the bees, see friends occasionally, and sometimes I work-”[/color] she paused. [color=d1b300]”Actually, my work is kinda private. But aside from that…”[/color]

Her work wasn’t so much private as something she was incredibly embarrassed about. Programming was [i]nerdy[/i]. She wasn’t a nerd. She was the opposite of a nerd. Yet it was one of the few things she was really good at. 
[color=d1b300]”You might actually get bored if you intrude on my life.”[/color]

[color=577d06]”Yeesh, bored? You want bored, there’s a little place somewhere in North Africa, I think outside Libya, where the desert meets the coast. There’s rocks and sand and then ocean, and it just stretches on and on for what looks like forever. I think I maybe threw a thousand rocks off that coast and into that ocean.”[/color]

He looked almost at peace. Fond of the memory.
[color=577d06]”You spend a lot of time just sitting around in the Army.”[/color]
Bending his neck a bit, he stole another kiss from her lips; a small one with not so much gusto as the first time he tried it. [i]Clearly settled down.[/i] Then he pulled away; not far, and he kept his hand in hers.
[color=577d06]”Once everything’s safe, we’ll go. You can see the places I served; some of them were really beautiful.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]”Beautiful but boring?”[/color] Trisha laughed softly. It was a melodic, joyful sound. She was completely unbothered that he was jumping into things with the suggestion of an overseas trip. Surely thinking that far forward meant he was less likely to drop her quickly? [color=d1b300]”I’m sure we can make it interesting… I’ve never actually been overseas. Not cause I lack the money, of course, just the company. My mom’s job is her life, so when I was with her she’d never want to go away… and can you imagine if my dad took us all on trips? It’d be a nightmare, him and twenty kids!”[/color] 

She rolled her eyes at [i]that[/i] image. They wouldn’t even make it past the airport, even with a private jet. Not that she would ever agree to a trip involving her siblings. [color=d1b300]”I thought about going by myself when I took a gap year- just travelling around and enjoying myself, but Ezra’s much stingier than dad. He said he’d pay for a week away, but that wasn’t really what I wanted.”[/color] She shrugged. 
[color=d1b300]”I’d like to see all the places you served. That sounds nice, we should definitely go.”[/color] 

[color=577d06]”As far as I’ve been told, right now is a fantastic time to go back. Now that everything’s settled down and money’s starting to be made by industry over there again, it seems like things are on an upswing.”[/color]

He finally managed to find desire in something other than her attention, and pawed his beer before slugging it down in a few gulps. His gaze looked at the pool table, then at her, then back and forth another time.
[color=577d06]”So… Whose place do we wind up at?”[/color] he giggled.

[color=d1b300]"Hmm,"[/color] Trisha hummed thoughtfully. [color=d1b300]"What's your place like? Do you live with your family? I don't really know how the temple works… My place is pretty nice, I've got a big room and bed, but at least one of my sisters will be back tonight."[/color]

Though she had no idea when Sabrina would be back, or if she was even already home. Probably not. Hopefully not. [color=d1b300]"The bees can survive one night alone, they're pretty self sufficient, just clingy."[/color] 

[color=577d06]”I am actually living in Leon’s apartment right now, since Mom won’t let him stay there. He’s got me staying there with Mia, making sure things don’t get dusty. It’s big, and not so far away. Can you believe there’s such a thing as a [i]basement penthouse?[/i]”[/color] he shook his head, thinking of his brother’s cavernous existence in that dungeon of an apartment. But, it was so big there was essentially two different apartments, meaning he didn’t have to worry too much about Mia poking her head around.

[color=577d06]”It’s got a certain aesthetic, I won’t lie… Our whole family has a sort of uh… Goth-witch thing going on? Like, it’s all dark wood and black furniture. Even the stainless steel fridge is like… Laminated black or something, I don’t know. But, I do know he wouldn’t mind me having company, and Mia’s side of the apartment has been hers for like a year now, it’s all separated.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]"How does a basement penthouse work? Isn't the whole point it's the top floor?"[/color] Trisha got a little too fixated on the specifics of that for a moment, drunken mind slowly catching up with the rest of what was said. [color=d1b300]"Soooo it's a basement, and it's filled with loads of dark decor… it kinda sounds like a dungeon."[/color]

She bit her lip to hold back another bout of giggles at that. She didn't really care what it looked like - her place was decorated by her sisters, and her own room was only half decorated by herself while the rest was designed to keep the bees happy. A goth-witch aesthetic was fine. [color=d1b300]"So long as you don't lock me up in Leon's scary gothic dungeon- apartment, then let's go there. Our place isn't separated at all. My sisters are pretty unavoidable and as much as I love my bees, they can be a bit of a pest when I have guys over."[/color]

Oh. Whoops. [color=d1b300]“Not that I do often. Just friends and stuff, y’know, the bees don’t see the difference.” Nice save.[/color]

Casey giggled at her, shaking his head.
[color=577d06]”Dude… I don’t care.”[/color] he laughed, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her. His whole torso twisted around gently, rocking her back and forth. He pulled away, rubbing her shoulder.
[color=577d06]”One dude, a hundred dudes… Being insecure is for kids. If there was some sort of problem, I’m sure you’d tell me…”[/color]

There was a small pause in his voice, and then he grimaced.
[color=577d06]”Which… Alright… Maybe not to ruin the mood but…”[/color]
He paused again, shaking his head.
[color=577d06]”There’s this Temple member… She’s one of my Mom’s little minions, and I think she’s been told to hang on me or something, but ever since I got back she’s been fucking obsessed and I have zero interest in her whatsoever…”[/color]

His lips parted into a cheshire grin. [color=577d06]”You’re way more fun, she’s… She creeps me out, honestly. I promise, I’m actively avoiding her as much as possible.”[/color]

The warm comfort Trisha felt from him seemingly not caring about her past, and the comforting hug that came with it, froze in her chest. It was difficult not to let her smile slip. [color=d1b300][i]Being insecure is for kids, Trisha, come on.[/i][/color] It was just one girl, where she’d been with many… One very present in his life, where hers were all exes she’d never seen again. But he wasn’t interested in her! She sounded like a mother sponsored stalker. [color=d1b300]But what if she’s nicer? Prettier? Smarter? No, that doesn’t matter.[/color]

[color=d1b300]"She sounds like the opposite of fun,"[/color] Trisha shook her head, ignoring the self-doubt beginning to rear its ugly head. They’d just met! She was perfectly fine, if it was obvious there actually was something there she could just leave. No problem. No problem at all. [color=d1b300]"Don’t worry, I wouldn’t get jealous of someone like that… Especially if you’re avoiding her. I trust you."[/color]

She reached out to take one of his hands in both of hers, one on top and one on the bottom. Her fingers curled around his hand and she gently squeezed it. Pretending to not care about it came as a second nature to her. [color=d1b300]"And if she’s bothering you, I can scare her away with the bees… But is it like a your mom setting you up situation? Is that what happens in the Temple?"[/color]

Casey took a harsh inhale through his lips as she asked the last question.
[color=577d06]”Ahhh… It isn’t. We’re not Moonies, it’s an actual magic cult. Sometimes she’ll make suggestions to certain members, but The Philosophy is more or less against arranged marriage. It’s supposed to be against the Luxine Paths, allowing the magic to flow between people naturally.”[/color]
He shook his head, frowning a bit as he waved his hand.

[color=577d06]”Leon told me, honestly. I mean, we grew up together, I thought she was creepy then, I knew she always liked me… But now she’s one of my Mom’s maidens, and every time I’ve come home since she’s been hanging around trying to get closer. Leon says she’s… My Mom’s regretful, and wants to make up for the past.”[/color]
He sighed, looking around at the bar and finding it more empty than it was before.
[color=577d06]”I got the short end of the stick. I’m the middle kid of five, and I didn’t Kindle like my other siblings. So, I always felt like I was just a burden, and honestly my folks never-”[/color]

He very abruptly interrupted himself, taking a deep breath and looking down at Trisha with a furrowed brow.
[color=577d06]”Do you [i]really[/i] wanna hear this shit?-”[/color] he asked with a certain intensity to his voice. It was very clear it wasn’t frustration, so much as sincerity. Something in his look screamed for attention. [color=577d06]”-I mean you said you had, what, twenty siblings? That can’t be any easier, right?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]"Probably more, but it’s fine. We all have different moms, we didn’t all grow up together, it really wasn’t so bad."[/color] That was a complete lie. Trisha spent most of her time in the Vanburen mansion, going between tense fights with her siblings and locking herself in her room to study. Her mom blamed her for everything. She hated most of her family. But she also didn’t want to talk about it. She [i]hated[/i] talking about it more. That meant revealing all the ugliness that lay beneath the surface. 
[color=d1b300]"None of us had magic, either. It was just like normal siblings, with ten extra! So… it really wasn’t as bad. It must have been rough to be the only one that wasn’t kindled."[/color]

Hesitating for a second, Trisha closed the slight gap between them and hugged him. She tilted her head up so her chin rested on his chest and she could still sort of see him. Comforting people wasn’t something she was good at, but physical contact always helped, right? 
[color=d1b300]"I do want to hear it."[/color] Partly because she didn’t want it to turn on her. She could tell him how she understood, of course. There were similarities… but no way. Why would she tell [i]anyone[/i] about how she felt like- was- a burden. [color=d1b300]"I want to know more about you, and that includes the shit family stuff- no promises my bees won’t accidentally sting anyone, though!"[/color]

Casey shook his head, giggling gently as he held her tightly. 
[color=577d06]”It’s just… God, Elise was like four? Or something when she Kindled. Leon had his ceremony when he turned six, Junior went up in flames at age five… Quite literally I was a frustration for my parents. Everything was exclusionary. Studying, playing, like it was them and me. Mia, my youngest sister, she… She’s like [i]in love[/i] with Leon. She was Dad’s favourite hands down, and all that love she had for him went over to the big guy, so she doesn’t really care about getting ignored. But then she Kindled too as a little girl: It was the only reason my old man was so willing to play the doting Daddy, I figure.”[/color]

He scrunched his face, turning his head to stare at the few balls left on the table. His eyes trailed up and across toward the bar, then back to her face. She was looking up at him with warm eyes.
[color=577d06]”Point is, I felt really alone. And by the time I became an Adult, I was a lost cause. By then Dad was gone and Mom was dealing with Sonnenrad and the aftermath of the Stygian Snake stuff. Nobody batted an eye when I packed my shit and hit the Recruiter’s office. The war looked kind of good to me. Better than what I’d been through, and if I worked hard I’d have a family for life.”[/color]

He blew air upward and away from Trisha’s face, blowing his bangs toward the ceiling and smiling at them.
[color=577d06]”Now look at me, I’m leaving them too. But, I mean… Imagine they didn’t treat me any different once I Kindled? Turns out, the Military’s got a whole secret branch for people just like us. That’s where I ended up. Either way, it was four years. And for each full year of active wartime service, I ended up earning my pension. Retirement. My stint in the Reserve since has been assisting in structuring a plan for an Adept Reserve Corps. Government sponsored Military Wizards.”[/color]

He grinned at her as he spoke about his work, beaming as if it were the only real light in his life.

[color=577d06]”But, it’s gotten heavy at this point. They asked if I wanted to take my commitment to the next level, but… It just didn’t feel right. It wouldn’t be the same separating myself from what made me.”[/color]
He gently shrugged his shoulders, taking a deep breath.
[color=577d06]”And… I think that’s it.”[/color]

Trisha’s drunken mind struggled to keep up with all the information, but she got the basic points. Siblings that kindled insanely early, feeling othered in the family (which she could relate to), joining the army for another family, and then… military wizards?
[color=d1b300]"You’ve been through a lot,"[/color] she said softly. She was honestly surprised he’d told her all of that. How was it possible to be so open? Was it nice to do that? She felt a hint of irrational jealousy, even though the only person stopping her from opening up was herself. [color=d1b300]"I didn’t even know it was possible to kindle that early… Well, I don’t know much about kindling at all. Or about the magical army- well, obviously, how would I?"[/color] 

She laughed slightly, looking up at him as she tried to figure out what else to say. It didn’t seem like he was looking for her to say anything about it. Thankfully. As much as she was surprisingly good at listening when in a good mood (rare), she was awful at… saying the right thing. Normally she didn’t even care about that. Did she in this case? She wanted to keep up the good impression, at least. She liked him enough to bother… and there were similarities to her own life, military aside. She understood and this was someone who could maybe understand her. So, just like earlier, she went with the physical response - stretching up to press a soft kiss to his chin before lowering back down into the hug. 
[color=d1b300]"Even if you don’t do the… Military Wizard stuff, I’m sure you’ll find something. Maybe make another family too- wait, I mean find. And a future that’s all you."[/color] 

At first, he felt like there was some kind of disconnect. Maybe he’d simply gone into too much. Granted, he [i]had[/i]. She was in no way shape or form supposed to know about the Rainbow Act or the ARC Program. But, she didn’t seem to shy away from him. Rather, she got closer, and he felt her warmth in his arms as she talked about making a family and a future. She was hopefully right, and he couldn’t help but want to crack a joke.
[color=577d06]”In the spirit of taking things slow, I won’t ask you to help me out yet…”[/color] he grinned down at her.


[color=577d06]”Do you even want to finish this game? Night’s young… We could be anywhere besides melting into one another in this bar room…”[/color] he offered to Trisha, not exactly excited for the prospect of going out into some big crowd. He was, however, ready and willing to follow this girl into a room full of landmines. 

[color=d1b300]"Yeah, that’s an at least three months in thing,"[/color] Trisha joked back, smiling up at him. It was something that was easy to joke about and less easy to ignore the niggling combination of fear and want in the back of her mind. She was her mother’s daughter after all - the mother who’d fallen hard for a man who’d cheated on and abandoned her just after Trisha was been born. 

She pressed her face against him for a moment to forget about, before leaning back and glancing around the bar. She hadn’t really been bothered by pool in the first place, even though she’d gotten quite into trying to get better at it. As soon as they stopped playing, any interest was lost. There were quite a few better places they could be, but most would be quieter than normal thanks to the halloween festival. But… well, she wasn’t really sure what she was feeling up to.
[color=d1b300]"I’m not really bothered by the game, let’s go somewhere else. Why don’t we…"[/color] she dragged out the last word, eyes shining mischievously. [color=d1b300]"Go back to your place? Heh, surprised? I’m not really feeling up to going somewhere busier- and I’m not dressed for anywhere I normally go anyway."[/color] 

Casey’s smile went from tentative and forced confidence to genuine and instantaneous elation. He even did a little dance, swinging both of their hips about in unison.
[color=577d06]”Oh, shit, Halloween night horror movies… Unless you’re a chicken, in which case we’re still gonna watch them. It’ll just make you hold me closer.”[/color]

His hands moved to take hers, and he began to bring her out of the bar.
[color=577d06]”You wanna get some food on the way back?”[/color] he asked back at her.

[color=d1b300]"Do I look like a chicken? Wait, don’t answer that,"[/color] Trisha rolled her eyes. She’d fought the Stygian Snake when she was fourteen, she didn’t exactly scare easily… but it would be a good excuse to climb into his arms and get properly close without seeming like she was trying to speed things up too much. Which, honestly, she was happy to take things slow… at least in terms of going beyond kissing. She still wanted to get physically close. 

[color=d1b300]"Oh yeah,"[/color] Trisha nodded, absentmindedly swinging their joined hands as she thought about it. [color=d1b300]"I haven’t eaten since lunch and the magic bone fixing food, let’s grab something. I’ll eat almost anything, so your choice."[/color]

Casey made a long, sideways grunt of pleasure.
[color=577d06]”There’s a fuckin’... Chicken place. I honestly don’t know where it is in the city, but I’ve ordered from it like six times while I’ve been here and they deliver and somehow it’s hot and crispy just like if you went there. And they even do falafel, like if you don’t eat meat? And I made sure they use a different fryer than the chicken goes into, since Mia’s a little herbivore.”[/color]

He turned back around, forgetting his jacket at the booth they’d originally sat in, then made it back to pull it over Trisha’s shoulders. His arm wrapped her tight, and they were both able to proceed into the chilly coastal street. The old lanterns lit the sidewalks, the taller street lights and traffic lights on the boulevard bathing the streets themselves in a separate glow altogether. 

The place was clogged with trick-or-treaters doing the business route; a tradition Casey was unfamiliar with until today, when he’d been tasked with running around to a few different Temple businesses with boxes and boxes of whole chocolate bars.
There was even parent-child trick or treating, where the various local businesses would have candy for the kids, and either some sort of shot or snack for the weary parents to find equal joy in. Frankly he thought it was kind of smart, keeping the parents and kids both in the safe eye of authorities. The SPPD, he figured, was out in force tonight in blues and crews. No telling what scary clown or anime character had a badge and a gun behind the makeup.

As they started to walk, Casey proceeded to fall into one of his favourite Halloween games. His eyes scanned the crowd for the absolute worst costumes, and they instantly found a target. He leaned in and down to Trisha.
[color=577d06]”Woah, hey… You see that over there?”[/color]
He had his arm around her shoulder, and slyly tucked his hand beneath her chin. His outstretched finger, and the guidance from his hand, pointed her gaze directly at… 
[color=577d06]”Is that an actual fucking bear?”[/color]

It was the [i]worst[/i] bear costume Casey had ever seen. His tone was absolutely venomous with sarcasm, and he was already giggling like a school child.
[color=577d06]”Holy shit, why is nobody afraid of that?”[/color]

[color=d1b300]"I am,"[/color] Trisha mock gasped at the sight of the costume, turning towards him as if to hide her face against his side. She snickered, side eyeing the tragic bear. She was surprised, but also absolutely elated, that he was quite happy to mock the awful costume - he’d initiated it! It meant she didn't have to worry as much about what she said. [color=d1b300]"It’s absolutely terrifying, I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight!"[/color]

Pressed close in against him, Trisha’s eyes darted about for the next target. She honed in what she thought was supposed to be… well she wasn’t really sure. The person was wearing a purple shirt with balloons taped to it. 
[color=d1b300]"Are they supposed to be… grapes?"[/color] she not so subtly pointed in that direction with another giggle, lips curling into a sneer. [color=d1b300]”It’s so bad it’s actually fucking horrifying- some people shouldn’t be let out of the house."[/color]

Casey’s head tilted back as he giggled to himself at the prospect of such low rent budget grapes. Rather than keep the thoughts in his head, he let them spill out.
[color=577d06]”Maybe a nearby piano will fall and turn him into the worst wine you’ve ever drank?”[/color] he grinned, laughing loudly as the crowd was able to swallow up whatever noise he made. He scanned, pointing again.

[color=577d06]”And there it is! Right on queue, the fucking… Look!”[/color]
It had to be some sort of prop or float. It wasn’t actually bad; in fact what he was pointing at was extremely well made. It seemed to be a float, or some kind of liftable lightweight prop of the Flintstones car with the massive road roller wheels. Inside was a family, seemingly content with their unified Flintstones cosplay being their answer to Halloween. They even “pulled up” to the different candy stations, taking what they could and continuing on.

[color=577d06]”Jesus Christ, I mean… Kind of impressive actually.”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“So embarrassing, though, imagine being dragged around by your parents like that,”[/color] Trisha giggled, looking at the kids and thinking about how mortified they must be to be dragged around in the back of a Flintstones car. Or maybe they were weird and enjoyed it… that was an even worse thought. [color=d1b300]“Glad we're not on the road trying to get past that-”[/color]

She looked around with a grin, eyes widening as she spotted what was more of an embarrassing costume than anything. She pointed towards a couple seemingly dressed up as a plug and socket… not bad, but kind of disgusting.
[color=d1b300]“Do they not know there’s kids around- oh fuck, they have kids!”[/color] She laughed as caught sight of the young children following behind them. 

[color=d1b300]“You know, my first halloween in college they did this weird thing where they paired up people from the dorms I was at and made us do halloween costumes together. Like absolutely no choice, have to match. I think it was some weird kind of hookup thing organised by older students… Anyway most people did something funny, or like a friend pair- but there were these two who showed up as the fucking cookie monster and a cookie. The guy was going about talking about how much he wanted to eat her out- it was awful. Can’t believe I had to remember it because of their costume. [i]Never[/i] ask me to do something like that.”[/color] 

[color=577d06]”Never ask you to… Let me eat you out? Or dress up in matching Halloween outfits?”[/color] he laughed, looking down at her and waggling his eyebrows. Of course he knew what she meant, but there… There was something about the tradition that made his heart warm and soft.
[color=577d06]”C’mon, if it was the right group outfit? What if we did like… The Frog and the Toad, or if you had kids, you wouldn’t dress them up like-”[/color] he stopped himself dead, a bead of sweat forming and slowly dripping down his forehead with the thought.

[color=577d06][i]The Bees…[/i][/color]

[color=577d06]”Now, hear me out… The uh… The bees? Can we… [i]Can we dress them up?[/i]”[/color]
Casey’s hands were pressed into one another like a prayer, eyes welled up with sincerity and genuine interest. The same expression as when he was talking about Pool, or his previous line of work, now lined his face. 

Holding onto her hand, Casey felt the softness and warmth. There was something terribly comforting about it all. Comforting enough that he had almost talked about the feeling of always wanting to dress his family up in a matching outfit… Dumb. Cute.
He got that same image from dressing the bees up in little ties or bonnets, or having them form a moving shape like some sort of small animal that the hive could all make.

[color=577d06]”O-or, like, have them walk around as like a crocodile or something?”[/color] he laughed, only slightly nervous about what her reaction would be.

[color=d1b300]“Don’t ask me to dress up in [i]weirdly sexual[/i] halloween outfits,”[/color] Trisha rolled her eyes. A cute couple outfit could be fun, and with kids- Her smile slipped. There was a stab of fear and pain that came with the mention of her having children. She [i]wanted[/i] to, but it was a sensitive subject… time they’d known each other aside. 

[color=d1b300]“The bees?”[/color] Trisha tilted her head. His expression, and the warmth of his hand around her own, was enough to stop her from spiralling to a place where she’d snap at him. She would just ignore the mention of children. [color=d1b300]“I don’t know, I’ve never tried… Probably. They do what I say, but the more there are the harder it is. Has to be more general then- and where would we get clothes small enough to fit them? Do you know a bee tailor?”[/color]

She laughed slightly, smiling again. [color=d1b300]“Having them form something would be easier… I’ve done that a couple of times when practising! But little outfits on them would be cuter. Maybe I should start training them for next halloween, then we can all match.”[/color]

Casey nodded happily, smile still on his face with a big toothy grin.
[color=577d06]”That… I’m sure there’s a wizard somewhere in this town who can make tiny clothes. I imagine a bunch of tiny, like… Dresses? Like little handmaiden gowns, since you’re a Queen and all.”[/color]

It was an unexpected plus moment; calling her a Queen. He’d not even been thinking of it when the word tumbled out of his mouth, just the bee thing was so convenient. Besides, she hadn’t beaten him at the table. She was still vulnerable to the bee puns and the Dad jokes, so he figured he was safe no matter which way he phrased that. 
And hell, who could know? Being a Queen was in, if he was to believe all the women in the Temple at least. 

The magical world they inhabited was, as Casey had learned in his years coming back to the Temple in a slow but impending way, a wonderful tool for showing people what empowerment for themselves really meant. It was a tool that people could feel strength in, and translate that feeling into their everyday lives.
It was hard to think of them as a Cult with talk like that. So many things felt like they weren’t, like the glassy surface of it was so clean and shiny that you didn’t mind the bloodstains on the underside.

What he did know is that she was a Vanburen, and a magical one at that. Adjoined to some Bee spirit, which she had little training in. It was all very [i]cute[/i] to him. Whatever was, simply was.
[color=577d06]”Whatever you think of, we’ll find someone to make it. I’m sure it’ll be a bitch to dress them all though.”[/color]

His eyes hadn’t stopped looking for a good costume roast, but they were also coming up to where they had to turn off the boulevard and onto a connector. The building in the distance ahead of them on the next main road was the one they were aiming for, and the open restaurants and shops handing out candy gave way to closed businesses and offices that were all either closed early or hadn’t opened to begin with. It was a bit darker, but the old fashioned street lamps still shone bright enough for them to see one another clearly.

Not to mention the headlights and taillights of the cars, which gave it all a far more electric light kind of vibe than Casey loved. 

There were far less people on the sidewalks overall here, so he shrugged and thought of something else to occupy them.
[color=577d06]”Ooh, yellow punch buggy.-”[/color] he pointed, flexing his arm toward Trisha. [color=577d06]”-Do it, you get the first one! So you know from now on to be on your guard when we’re together!”[/color]

[color=d1b300]“Huh?”[/color] Trisha squinted at him, and then at his arm. Was this some kind of weird temple thing? No, that didn’t seem right… Was it something you did when you had friends you actually walked around with? Or siblings, maybe? She could get a vague idea about what it was from the name - spotting something yellow, obviously. Punching him? Well alright then. 

She wound back her right arm, punching his flexed one with about half her strength… Which probably wouldn’t feel like much more than a tap to someone in the army, but it wasn’t that bad a punch! She wasn’t incredibly weak or anything. 
[color=d1b300]“Wait, so how does this work? I need to know what I’m looking out for, otherwise it’s [i]very unfair.[/i]”[/color] She then belatedly realised he’d been pointing, and followed his finger to the yellow car he’d spotted. [color=d1b300]“Ohhh… I’ve never played this game before. I think I’ve got it. You better watch out, I’m very fast.”[/color] 

[color=577d06]”Oh, yeah… One of those [i]German[/i] cars. Frankswagon or something.”[/color] he snickered to himself knowing full well what the brand was.
[color=577d06]”I don’t know who came up with the game or whatever, but when we made it to Berlin you can’t imagine the bruises that we had on our arms. They don’t call it the People’s Wagon for nothing, y’know?”[/color]

It was funny how the streets looked so similar.

Casey was about to ask her about Europe, and about what she’d seen of the Islands across the Pond… But thinking back that far in their night gave him an image of little tin trays in bed. Croissants and tea and eggs.

[color=577d06]”Oh, shit! Y’know, you’re gonna have to give me the address for that bakery tonight, so in the morning I can make sure you still get your breakfast in bed…”[/color] he grinned widely.


Trisha had no idea that they called it the People’s Wagon, or really anything to do with the car… or cars in general. Sure, she drove one, but she’d only learned a year ago and hadn’t bought it for herself. So she just nodded along, pretending she definitely understood and knew anything about that. 

[color=d1b300]“Oh, are you sure? It’s a bit out of the way from here… You gotta drive at least.”[/color] Trisha pulled her phone out of her pocket, quickly typing in her own address then scrolling to find the bakery. The maps app showed it as a thirteen minute drive, which compared to the short walk from her house was… more effort than she’d be willing to put in. She held up her phone to show it to him. [color=d1b300]“I’m not set on it being from here, any breakfast I can eat in bed will be a pretty amazing breakfast. I hate getting out of bed.”[/color] 

She smiled, trying not to feel too warm and fuzzy about his willingness to get breakfast for her like that. He’d have to drag himself out of bed when it was still early… That was a lot, for her as someone who hated getting out of bed at any time in the morning. It was always a massive fight with herself and the bed itself. 
[color=d1b300]“Oh, you should give me your number as well while I have this out,”[/color] she shook her phone at him, smiling more cutely with her eyes and nose slightly scrunched up. [color=d1b300]“Don’t want you to run away tomorrow or anything.”[/color] 


[color=577d06][i]Run away? Why would I run away?[/i][/color]
Casey took the phone and began to put his number in. Usually he didn’t have it, so she’d be a reason for him to keep it close.  Rather than use his own name, he put in “POOL GOD” in all capital letters, then handed it back to her with a smirk.

By that time, they reached the street crossing with the residential building staring at them. It was a beautiful turn of the century building in the old downtown of the city. This particular section of roadway was built on some serious slabs of stone, meaning that a basement was going to be a sturdy construct were it not for the expense. But, back in the days when the city was first built, there was a need for the blasting and the carving to be done, and the building that had been built on the spot first was a storage area for the local fishermen. It was just a basement then.

Later on, The Cannery Hotel was raised in its place, utilising the basement space as both a kitchen and a pantry. Now it was Casey’s brother’s apartment, which he found to be incredibly strange. But, the Temple owned the building; or, the family who did belonged to the Temple. Casey remembered very little of his time spent there as a child, in their family home in the basement of the Cannery. But as soon as he could, Leon had apparently moved back in. After being there for just under a week, he’d grown used to the feeling of seeing that big brick facade again after so many years.

Crossing the street, Casey was sure to walk with Trisha at his front with his hands out of his pockets. The last thing he wanted was to be caught off guard in the event that a crazy driver may break the rules and laws of the road and accidentally crush them. He wanted to be able to at least throw her out of the way.

There was a gated parking lot to the side of the building, and rather than going through the front, Casey paged in at the gate and a small side entrance unlocked. He let her into the parking lot first, then closed the gate behind him as he followed.
[color=577d06]”Haha, I tricked you. I bet you weren’t expecting home to be a [i]parking lot[/i], and now we’re gonna lay on the pavement together!”[/color]

It was a stupid joke, and he made a dumb face as he said it, still leading Trisha onward toward an actual side entrance to the building.

[color=d1b300]“You can lie on the pavement alone, my tiny, frail body wasn’t made for anything but a comfortable bed,”[/color] Trisha laughed, though she rolled her eyes at the stupid face he pulled. She looked up at the building, and around the parking lot curiously. She paused at the actual building entrance, looking up at Casey. [color=d1b300]“If it’s a basement, are there no windows and shit? I’ll need to send the bees I still have with me back if there isn’t… they don’t handle being trapped so well.”[/color]


[color=577d06]”I guess you’d just have to sleep on me then.”[/color] Casey grinned, almost not hearing what she was saying about the bees and the ventilation. When he finally processed it, near the top of the stairs, he stopped.

[color=577d06]”Oh, nah there’s windows.”[/color]  he said, physically swinging his arm down toward the row of thin rectangular windows that lined the building at floor level, each one with a small open space that was grated off to make sure they didn’t leak and flood the apartment inside. It looked like they’d even been decorated with different pots and flowers that seemed to be half in the process of moving inside.
[color=577d06]”I’ll go around opening them when we get down. The bedroom is on this corner here too, so it’s got two different walls with them. Plenty of air and natural light in the mornings.”[/color]

Light was unnatural in that fucking apartment. Condo? He’d had a hard time distinguishing the difference his entire life.

He popped the side door open, and it led into an immediate stairwell with properly old wooden stairs and fancy hardwood floors. Rather than turning left to go up, Casey obviously turned left to go down. It was actually two flights with a landing in the middle, at which point they were met by a fairly nondescript wooden double door. There was a keypad lock, as well as [i]several[/i] locks.

[color=577d06]”This is where Leon and I come in. The other entrance is Mia’s, since she doesn’t drive. She comes through the front. Chances are, even if she makes it home, we won’t be seeing her. And if you do, just spit. She’ll get the message.”[/color]

He wasn’t in the business of being scandalous about his little sister, but he hated that nobody seemed to have a lid on her. But he wasn’t her Dad, and he wasn’t going to go snooping through her room for heroin needles. If Leon said things were fine, things were fine…

Casey proceeded to undo a total of [i]seven[/i] locks from this set of double doors before finally swinging the weighty, reinforced metal door open for Trisha to enter.

And by God, the room was black. It was like being swallowed by the void, this side entrance hall walls were completely coated in practically Vanta Black paint that seemed to swallow every bit of light. On the wall, or built into it in places, were different picture frames and awards. The fixtures were all gold, backlit by dim, almost red halogen bulbs. Directly to the right seemed to open up to some kind of office or lounge space, dark oak bookshelves and a massive desk flanked another case full of trophies and awards. A fancy computer sat on top of the desk, an equally large chair with a [i]wolf head[/i] as a head rest was swung to look out at the hall.
At the end of that hall, on the right hand side, a door was open, but the inside of the room was blocked out entirely by a wall of curtains that kept it private even with an open door.

Past the hall itself, a black quartz countertop and island duo sat on equally dark stone tiles, with bronze and white accents in the backsplash, and dark bronzed metal work on all the appliances and hardware, even down to the knobs on the cabinets. Adjoining was… Some kind of function wall? It was like a hotel conference room, a false sliding wall blocking off a part of the apartment that was probably once a massive dining area. 
There was also another hallway that led to a couple of doors; probably a closet and maybe the same section of the place that was closed off as Mia’s living space.

But in the part of the open room that was available, a massive ring of black leather couches were sunk into the floor with some kind of crazy kotatsu table that had a heater and, you guessed it, fancy spots to place your drinks that would keep them frosty so you didn’t leak condensation onto the glass and leave rings.

You didn’t guess that? Oh…

There was an equally big entertainment centre, though the centre itself was devoid of a television. Rather, there was a projector and a pulldown screen, which was down and hiding whatever could possibly be on the other side. 
There was a hint of it being a picture frame on the bottom edge, however, and feet lined the small sliver of visibility. To the right of the entire ordeal, another door was open slightly ajar. Casey made his way to it and swung it open, entering in.

As he opened the door fully, a shape skittered across the floor before hopping up onto the kitchen island.
For all the literal blackness of this apartment, it'd only be fitting that a massive black maine coon cat would also inhabit the space. His paws were huge, and he stared at Trisha with rapt interest.
[color=577d06]”That's Kane. Abel is next door, but chances are he'll be smacking at the door to the hall any-”[/color]

The door toward Mia's section thumped loudly. An ear piercing meow crawled out from under the door. Opening it would introduce Abel, the most contrasting creature in the house with pure white fur tinged to red in some places. He took his spot next to his brother, and now both cats were staring at Trisha.

Trisha stared right back at the cats. 

She hadn't had much time to take in the apartment - it's grandeur not all that impressive, considering where she was raised, but the sheer… darkness of the whole place was very different from what she knew. A lingering look had been given in what appeared to be the office when she followed Casey in, a hint of irritation sparking in her chest. But she moved on… to be met with two cats. She hadn't expected a single cat, nevermind two. It wasn't that she minded cats, but she had lost a few bees to them before. The bees weren't intelligent enough to be frightened, but the slight panic she felt at the thought agitated them too. She carefully got them to crawl from her shoulders to her neck, buried away underneath her long hair, before approaching the two cats.

"Hellloo," she said softly, stepping towards the kitchen island and holding out a hand for the cats to sniff. She then tilted her head towards Casey with a smile. "I'm not used to cats. Or any normal pets, honestly! Mum's family brought their dog when they visited one summer, but otherwise… didn't really grow up with any. They're friendly, right?"

Casey had already disappeared into what was probably his room. But at the question, he came back out with a smile on his face.
[color=577d06]”No, they’re both rude jerks.”[/color]
[color=f0a278]”Rude!”[/color]
[color=7888f0]”Oh, very rude, Brother. Evil Casey.”[/color]

The two cats exchanged a look which was transferred to Casey, then to Trisha.
[color=f0a278]”Casey girlfriend?”[/color]
[color=7888f0]”Noooo, Mia friend!”[/color]
[color=f0a278]”No, no! Here. Not there.”[/color]
They stood in unison, footsteps one hundred percent in sync as they made their way across the island to get as close to Trisha as they could.


[color=f0a278]”I Abel!”[/color]
[color=7888f0]”I Kane!”[/color]

Speaking cats… Talking, presumably magical cats… They both spoke again in unison, as if coming to a concise conclusion.
[color=#F0A278]"[/color][color=#EBA17C]Y[/color][color=#E7A080]o[/color][color=#E39F84]u[/color] [color=#DB9D8C]C[/color][color=#D79C90]h[/color][color=#D39B94]a[/color][color=#CE9A99]r[/color][color=#CA999D]m[/color][color=#C699A1]i[/color][color=#C298A5]n[/color][color=#BE97A9]g[/color] [color=#B695B1]a[/color][color=#B194B6]n[/color][color=#AD93BA]d[/color] [color=#A591C2]G[/color][color=#A190C6]r[/color][color=#9D90CA]a[/color][color=#998FCE]c[/color][color=#948ED3]i[/color][color=#908DD7]o[/color][color=#8C8CDB]u[/color][color=#888BDF]s[/color][color=#848AE3]![/color][color=#8089E7]?[/color][color=#7C88EB]"[/color]

Casey shook his head.
[color=577d06]”No, guys, Abel… Well, I think he got it right. Girlfriend?”[/color] he gave Trisha a cute look.

When the cats started talking, Trisha reflexively jumped. She shouldn't really be shocked by it, after all the magic she'd seen, but she was. At least her bees didn't really talk? They talked in a way normal bees did. She stepped away from the cats and their intense stares, and right next to Casey. 

"Oh." She finally got over the [I]talking[/I] cats and registered Casey's question. A smile bloomed across her lips, eyes curving into gentle crescent moons. She turned her head away from the cats and up towards him. "Yeah, girlfriend."

She immediately giggled afterwards, like it was her first relationship, leaning towards him and hiding her face against his arm. It was… different from how any of her other relationships had started. Normally she slept with someone, and then it started from there. So this was new in a way. "I can't believe you're introducing me to your cats first! Not that I need introduced to anyone else- but really, the cats, this is so embarrassing."

[color=577d06]”Well, you already know Leon, and… Well, they’re not just cats. They’re… Contemporaries.”[/color]
[color=7888f0]”Murder is within me!’[/color]
[color=f0a278]”And I was the first![/color]

The two cats both licked opposite front paws in unison, and one could be forgiven for thinking that they smiled up at Trisha.
[color=577d06]”Technically they’re the same cat, or so I’m told. Our dear old Dad exposed them to a very powerful Apparition, and they wear it with grace.”[/color]

Creepy cats didn’t dissuade or remove Casey’s smile from his face as he held onto Trisha. Girlfriend… He had something to do that wasn’t moping around now, and he felt excited. Happy even.
[color=577d06]”Do you two have enough food on Mia’s end?”[/color]
[color=f0a278]”I famished![/color] Abel’s eyes scrunched together like a cat’s often do.
[color=7888f0]”I ate him. Already full.[/color]

Casey rubbed Trisha’s arm in a comforting way before he stepped away.
[color=577d06]”Here, let me feed them, and give me your onesie so we can get it washed and dried. More comfortable than regular clothes. In the meantime, I can check if Mia has a pair of sweats or something that will fit you.”[/color] he said, holding out his hand.
[color=577d06]”And if you wanna shower or something, Leon’s room has the bathroom. The one we passed in the hall with the curtains. It’s a [i]really[/i]nice shower. Technically it was our parents’, so it had to be built a certain way for my Dad. It’s like showering in a cave.”[/color]

"You just want to see me in the bee onesie again, don't you?" Trisha joked half heartedly, trying to ignore the fact one of the cats had said about eating… someone? Whoever ‘him’ was. Hopefully it wasn't a person. She shuddered, taking his hand and squeezing it - more to comfort herself in the face of the eery cats. "Some sweats would be great- if they're too big it's alright, I'll make do! Maybe a hoodie or something too? Doesn't matter how big that is… the bigger the more comfortable, honestly. I wear a large sized one about the house a lot of the time.”

She smiled, holding out the onesie she’d somehow been carrying the whole time. “I won’t say no to a shower. I’m used to [i]pretty[/i] fancy showers, but never heard of one like a cave… Are there already towels in there?”

Casey considered for a moment, but one of the cats had it on lock.
[color=f0a278]”No! No towels, girlfriend! No towels [i]anywhere![/i]”[/color]
Their voices were like young boys, and they both laughed in the most horrifying and creepy twin-like way that they could.
[color=7888f0]”You use Abel as a towel… He likes.”[/color]

Casey frowned.
[color=577d06]”First, she’s Trisha. Tri-Sha. Second? Keep your crappy attitudes up, you’ll be doing the ouroboros thing in the street tonight, no chickens and no beds!”[/color] he asserted, sticking a finger up. 
The twins exchanged a look before batting their paws in unison at Trisha.
[color=#F0A278]"[/color][color=#E8A080]S[/color][color=#E09E88]o[/color][color=#D89C90]r[/color][color=#D09B98]r[/color][color=#C899A0]y[/color] [color=#B895B0]T[/color][color=#B094B8]r[/color][color=#A892C0]i[/color][color=#A090C8]s[/color][color=#988ED0]h[/color][color=#908DD8]a[/color][color=#888BE0].[/color][color=#8089E8]"[/color]

Casey looked at Trisha with a small frown.
[color=577d06]”Sorry, they get weird around new people who can hear them. Please, guys, refrain from being absolute jerks? Like, in fact, go next door. I’ll bring you your food when its ready, but we’re gonna have some private time here tonight.”[/color]
The twins gave a slight look of indignance, but spun to leave regardless. 

It may have only been an instant, but the twin cats appeared as a twisted mass of flesh and evil that was more than suitably horrifying for a Halloween’s evening, the image fading as they crossed the threshold into the other part of the apartment. 
[color=577d06]”To your earlier question-”[/color] Casey continued, closing the door behind the cats. [color=577d06]”-yes. There should be towels already in there. C’mon.”[/color] he turned, taking her hand as he brought her back down the first hall and into Leon’s bedroom. 

Pulling the curtain in front of the door back revealed that the place was an incredibly debauched dungeon-esque room, handcuffs still dangling from the massive bed’s ornate headboard. All manner of toys and paraphernalia were on display in a glass case hung from the wall. There was some other furniture and [i]structures[/i] that were clearly used in some sort of BDSM play; overall it was like being in some porn producer’s creepy bedroom. 
But pushing in a little further revealed the bathroom. It was, as Casey described, incredibly cavelike. The whole setup for the shower was actually sunk a few feet into the concrete subfloor, and the tiles mimicked real rock in their texture. 

It was like a glass-fronted grotto. There was also a toilet made of, you guessed it, black porcelain, and a black marble his-and-hers sink and countertop arrangement. And, yes, there were towels. Plenty of towels.

[color=d1b300]“I think I just learned far more about Leon than I ever wanted to,”[/color] Trisha shook her head in disbelief. Really, couldn’t he set up a second bedroom for that? Did he sleep in there? With the handcuffs above his bed? Trisha wasn’t really against all that, she’d tried it out a little bit before, but when it was the only path to a shower… Not something she wanted to see. Or know, about her… boyfriend’s brother. [color=d1b300]“Do you have to 
walk through that everytime? I think I prefer the cats…”[/color] 

She looked around the very large bathroom, which absolute dwarfed her (and she really wasn’t that small, she was average!). At least there weren’t any chains in here. Without being watched by any apparition-cats, or being in a BDSM style dungeon room, she was able to relax again. The bees that had been agitatedly clinging to her neck came out from under her hair, flying away from her and landing on one of the towels. They lay there contentedly. 

[color=d1b300]“This is pretty nice, even if it makes me feel [i]tiny[/i],”[/color] Trisha smiled, letting go of Casey’s hand and stepping further into the bathroom. Without even thinking she pulled her top off, dumping it on the floor beside her. It was only when she half turned back around that she remembered- shit! They were supposed to be taking it slow. She was wearing a bra, of course, but she shouldn’t have started stripping at all. [color=d1b300]“Oh, uh, sorry, I didn’t even think.”[/color] 

She laughed awkwardly, reaching out to grab a towel and cover herself back up.

[color=577d06]”Trust me, at their worst, you’d really prefer the sex room. Pray you never catch them in an argument, because Kane wins every time… The names are very delibera-”[/color]
She started stripping in front of him… He turned his head and shifted until he wasn’t even looking at her at all. By the time she looked at him, she was already looking at his back. 
[color=577d06]”Ah, it’s fine. I’d say I’m used to seeing people naked but that sounds weird out of context. There’s not a lot of privacy in the Army.”[/color]

Without  turning back around, he moved toward the door.
[color=577d06]”When it gets super steamy, a fan will turn on. I just didn’t want you getting scared by the noise. I’ll come back with clothes for you.”[/color]
And then he walked out, closing the door to leave Trisha alone with the massive shower.