KazAlkemi

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
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Cassi stood with Nic for a long time. She was certain an hour or more had passed. Her tea was long gone before Nic turned to her, but she didn’t mind. Her mind had wandered while they stood in silence.

She thought about her family and how similar Ren’s words had sounded to her grandmothers all those years ago. She had overheard her grandmother and mother talking shortly before they were attacked. She hadn’t thought anything of it, but Cassi couldn’t scratch that itch in the back of her mind. Then, of course, there was Ren and his deal.

Ren’s deal with the demon was still valid. She had to tell Nic, but she had to fix this, too. She didn’t want Nic to be without any family. Not yet. The only thing she could think to do right now was the last thing she wanted to do, but who else understood the deals of demons better than a demon.

Cassiopeia looked up at Nic and nodded. She took his teacup from him before walking back into the bedroom. She set the cups down on the little table, he hand before she rubbed her hands.

”Do you want some help falling asleep?” She didn’t want to overstep, but Cassi was a helper by nature. If there was something she could do for Nic, she had to do it.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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”Well, you do owe me a date night,” Avery reminded her. He leaned in close and kissed her softly.

He honestly didn’t care about the pants or the little sparks she set off. Honestly, Avery loved Kimiko’s temper. It was fire and passion. He had gone toe-to-toe with her before they even dated, and part of him loved the banter; even if it had annoyed him to no end at the time.

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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Caden fell silent for a moment while he worked the tension out of Nero’s feet. He stared at the door, contemplating Nero’s words and the problems they found themselves in.

”I do agree, but I don’t want to push too much…” He paused in his task, looking back at Nero. The urge to know more and protect their mate from their past conflicted with the need to protect them now. Maybe they could run to one of Caden’s homes in Europe, the dragon found himself thinking. Of course, Hell was everywhere.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassi came to stand next to Nic, their arms brushing lightly as she stood close to him. She looked out over the city, listening to the sounds of nightlife.

”I know. We don’t have to say anything. We can just stand here for as long as you want,” she told him.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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Avery opened his eyes at the sound of Kimiko’s frustration. He smirked at her, watching the sparks land on the blankets and on his pants. One burnt a little hole in his pants, and he gently patted the other ones out on the blankets.

”You know, if you wanted my pants off, you could just ask rather than try to burn them off,” he teased her.

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Caden

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

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Caden sat next to Nero on the bed, removing his own shoes and socks. ”I think it would be best to operate under the worst-case scenario but hope for the best,” Caden told Nero truthfully.

He rested a hand on Nero’s bare leg for a moment before running his hand down to pick up their legs. Caden shifted Nero and plopped their feet into his lap before he started to apply a decent amount of pressure to the bottoms of their feet. He massaged Nero’s feet while he talked.

”The little Scotsman doesn’t look out for people unless he already has an interest in them. He obviously cares for you, and I take his warning seriously, especially after today. I’d trust your feelings that it doesn’t feel right. We should definitely contact him tomorrow. I’m sure we can find some creature or human up to no good to get your blood from them.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia turned to watch Ren make his way into the living room. She can't help but think that she was meant to help both of them. She fiddled with her hair and glanced towards the stairs, debating on if she stayed with Ren a little while longer or went to check on Nic.

In the end, she felt the pull towards the stairs the strongest. With a quiet good night to Ren, Cassi took the two cups of tea and headed up the stairs. She magiked Nic's door open and stepped inside.

She didn't see him in his room, but one look towards the terrace had he heading for that door. She opened it without using her hands as well.

"I brought you tea."

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Avery Zain

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

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Once Avery felt Kimiko was in a meditative state, Avery closed his eyes and found his forest easily. He tugged on the line connecting him to Kimiko, and smiled when he felt a tingling through his body.

"Okay, once you find our tether, I want you to just concentrate on that. This might...feel not good. As in wrong and like a part of you is missing, but it is the easiest way to tell if you can block and if it is working. Also, don't be surprised if it doesn't work for you right away. Caden seemed to have the knack for it but it took me weeks. Anyways, once you have our connection, I want you to try and dim it. You can think of it as a switch, or a wall, maybe pour water over the fire...Whatever analogy works best for you. Every once in a while, I'm going to tug on our bond. When I start to lose you, I'll know it's working, but if I tug on it and you come back, well, we'll have to keep working on it."

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Caden

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

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Caden tossed his jacket into the corner and started to strip off his shirt, smirking at Nero while he went about his task.

"You might, but I'd really rather you just tell me."

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
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"Well, that's what you have me for. If you have questions about the supernatural world, I can answer them or find the answers for you."

She took a minute to watch Ren drink some of his tea, sitting in companionable silence with him before she stood back up and prepared her and Nic's tea.

"Can I walk you to your room, Ren?"

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery chuckles but nods before sitting on the bed cross-legged.

"Okay, when you're ready, I want you to look for your center again like you did earlier."

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Caden

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

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Caden looked at Nero with a bewildered look on his face from Nero's crude humor before he laughed. "I think the second option would be a more difficult option to guess than the first."

He walked inside the room after Nero. He closed and locked the door before he went to the windows and ensured they were locked before drawing the curtains.

"Now, do you want to tell me why you are acting so nervous, or do I have to pry it out of you?"

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

Ezekiel Kel

Location: CHB – Dining Pavillion
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Ezekiel barely acknowledged when the others left to go get their food. He was turning, ready to just skip breakfast all together when he felt hands gripping his. Zeke snapped to and looked into the face of his boyfriend. Ezekiel blinked several times, focusing to absorb Demetri's words.

"I'm going to the trial. I have to be there to support Nancy," he said. Zeke looked down at Demetri's hands as they held his own. He sighed, shutting his eyes.

Ezekiel wasn't one to open up about himself or the difficult stuff often, but over the last few months he had gotten closer to Demetri, not only physically, but emotionally as well. Frankly, Demetri was Zeke's best friend.

"I'm thinking about tomorrow...about what happens and what comes after...when Nanc leaves." He didn't want to be, but Zeke was terrified of Nancy leaving. He knew she would be fine, and hopefully happier, but he didn't know where that left him.

He had only be close to his mother, and then Kristin (sort of) when he got to camp. Now, he had Kristin, Nancy, Demetri, his half-siblings... Even Leda. There were so many people now that Zeke had grown unintentionally closer to, and now he was going to lose one by choice. Leda had been difficult enough. Whenever there was a rainbow Zeke found himself staring at it, willing Leda to pop out, laughing like her being gone for the last seven months had been some elaborate prank.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
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Cassiopeia smiled softly and stood. She walked into Nic's kitchen to prepare the kettle and hunted for which cupboard he had placed the tea in. She found the ones she had made for him and Ren, and smiled before she pulled the herbs out. She inhaled the comforting scent before she made them all a cup.

Cassi returned to Ren at the table and sat next to him. "I apologize for that... It hadn't been my intentions. I know reflections ponds can mean the reflection of good and bad, but my intention had been to create something that would remind you of them and what you still had now. I can do something more simple if you wish," she said, placing a hand back on Ren's knee.

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Avery Zain

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

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Avery chuckled before he wished the other two good night, and followed after Kimiko. He walked into the bedroom behind her and shut the door.

"If you're tired, we can just go back to sleep, darling. Blocking can take a mental toll when you are just learning."

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Caden

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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Caden let Nero take the box so he could close the trunk and lock the car. "Yes. That way I know who sets the code or comes and goes. It's mostly Avery who sets everything," Caden informed them. He offered to take the box back from Nero if they didn't want to carry it before walking back into the house.

Caden locked and set everything once more before leading them to their bedroom. Caden was hoping the contractors would be done in the next couple of days. He missed the room he originally shared with Nero.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
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Cassiopeia schooled her emotions to remain calm and strong for Ren. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

"It's okay, Ren. We can talk in the morning once you have a decent night sleep. Can I make you some tea?" she offered him. There wasn't anything Cassi could do about the demon deal tonight anyways. Besides, she had to check on Nic and potentially break his heart further tonight.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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"Why do you think every house I own is soundproofed?" Caden said with a smirk.

Avery chuckled and held onto his cocooned girlfriend. "Come on, let's head back to bed. Maybe we can practice some blocking if you aren't tired yet," Avery said and stood.

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Caden

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

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Caden looked down at Nero and smiled. "Alright. I'll go with you," Caden said and led them back to the front door.

He turned the security alarm off before unlocking the door and led Nero back to the car.

"Tomorrow we can set up a security code for you if you would like," Caden offered. He opened up the trunk of the car and pulled the box out for Nero.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Antoinette McCarthy

Location: Foyer – X-Mansion
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Antoinette read the message over a couple of times before she looked at the others. She rocked back on her heels, thinking about the last time she had a conversation with Mary, let alone saw her.

”I know she was searching for something, but Mary and I never talk much beyond mission protocols. Maybe we should find Edus. He has a tracking spell we could use. It isn't specific, but he can send us in her general direction at least.”

Jean was rather cryptic about what she thought was going on without revealing anything to the group. Which Antoinette found strange since this was Mary's home. Surely everyone here should know what was going on if Mary was in trouble.

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
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Cassi sighed, hanging her head and stared at Ren’s knees before she started talking. ”It matters what the stipulations of the deal were because if it was cancer, well, Li didn’t die from cancer. She died from the Chimera, which means the deal still holds. If you made the deal so it was just her not dying before her preordained time, then the deal could be void, and you don’t lose ten years.”

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Caden

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

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”That might be helpful, thank you, Kiki. We can decide on that in the morning. I need to talk to Cass about some things anyways. I’ll see if she wants to help unlock more memories. I have a feeling she might want to for personal reasons, but it might be too soon.”

With that, Caden stood up and grabbed his jacket. ”Don’t worry about tonight, Kiki. Between Avery and I, everything between us should be blocked well. We can start working on it tomorrow. Who knows, maybe you’ll pick up on it quickly.”

Chicago After Hours

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Nic&Ren's Apartment – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia’s stomach plummeted from Ren’s words, and she was fairly certain the blood drained from her face. She squeezed Ren’s knees and looked him in the eyes.

”I need you to remember as clearly as you can, Ren. This is important. Was the deal for Li not to die of her cancer, or for her not to die before her time.”

Deep down, Cassi knew the deal had been placed for the former, which meant Ren could die sooner than he was foretold to, which meant Ren had a ticking timeline.

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden&Nero’s House – Chicago, IL
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”Yes, like what happened earlier. Don’t worry, though, Caden was too far away to have been privy to the emotions this time. We figured out the hard way just how intense it can be if we don’t block the other out,” Avery confessed. He could chuckle at the memory now, but when it had first happened ten years ago, it was difficult to remain in control.

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Caden

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

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Caden smiled softly at Nero and squeezed their knee. ”We need their help, my little imp. If Kiki can read with you and you tell her what to look for, we can go through the books in half the time. Avery is already on it with upping security, and I’ve done what I can so far. I’m going to talk to Cassi about putting a magical trip wire or something on the property. She’s normally good at that sort of thing.”

Caden turned to better face Nero, and gathered their hands into his. Nero’s hands disappeared into a wall of black, and Caden continued to smile at Nero.

”You’re a part of this family now, and we look out for one another.”