KazAlkemi

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Kimiko, don’t. Just go. I can’t do this right now,” he said, hands fisting at his sides. He didn’t want to hurt her, but if she didn’t take the hint soon, Avery would have no choice.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassi opens her eyes to glance at the door before she sips her tea and settles back. ”Okay,” she says before she drifts off again.

Cass remained in the bathtub for a while. Her tea was gone, and the water had turned lukewarm before she shifted to wash off the herbs and salts. Cass drains the tub and stands to towel off. She walked over to her counter and applied some of the oils and lotions she liked to put on after bathing. At this point, she was simply going through the motions of living. She combed out her wet hair and soaked up most of the water, and left it to hang loose and dry.

Max remained with her, a watchful eye while Cassiopeia dressed in loose lounge pants and a sweatshirt. He left the bathroom with her, going to the chair in the corner of her room and hopping up to loaf on the edge. Max closed his eyes, but he wasn’t sleeping. He was simply resting.

Cassiopeia walked around the kittens playing on the ground and sat on the edge of the bed next to Nic. She folded one of her legs on the bed, and it rested against Nic’s side. He was shirtless, and Cassiopeia stared at him. Her mind was curious and searching, looking for ways to process the day. She lifted her hand and traced the lines and grooves of Nic’s stomach before resting her palm flat against his abs. Her hand barely encompassed his torso. She smiled at that and the thought of this strange human lying in her bed, waiting for her.

”You have questions,” she stated. Cassiopeia pulled her eyes away from Nic and looked into his eyes. ”Ask them.”

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery snaps his head to look at Kimiko when she touches his chest. His eyes are golden yellow, his wolf dangerously close to the surface. His wolf growls in approval, and Avery slides off the bed and goes to the door. He opens it up.

”You need to leave,” he said, his voice completely void of emotion.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassi smiled and nodded. ”I will,” she promises. When Nic leaves, Cassi reaches forward and picks up a carrot. She examines it closely before taking a bite. It takes her a while to chew and swallow it, and she doesn’t pick up another. She does pick up her cup of tea though, and inhales the warm, comforting scent before she settles back in the tub and closes her eyes.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery’s fingers twitch at his sides from the need to pull Kimiko back. She’s not happy; that is very clear. ”I mean with everything that just happened tonight… Emotions are a little high. I don’t…I can’t…I mean I… I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

He couldn’t quite look at Kimiko again as he stumbled for the words that wouldn’t hurt her but also stop the night from progressing. His wolf protested, wanting nothing more than to keep Kimiko under his hold and within his protection. He could look after her better than Caden could. She was his. Avery froze when the thought, the feeling crossed his mind.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden drained the water from the tub after wrapping the towel around his waist. He blew out the candles and dressed in his usual attire for sleeping.

Nero was splayed out on the bed, taking up as much room as the little imp could. The image was endearing, and a smile played across his lips. If only he could share his deepest feelings and emotions with Cassi in their true form. Maybe then she would understand.

Caden crawled onto the bed, kissing Nero’s shoulders. He pushed their, well, his, t-shirt up their back and kissed the two dips in their lower back on either side of their spine before he laid down. Caden kept his back to the bedroom door and pulled Nero into his side, curling around them.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia watched Nic as he moved about her bathroom, laying everything out for her so it was within easy access. She watched his eyes dip for the briefest of moments before he asked for permission to remain in her bedroom.

Cassi didn’t mind Nic’s eyes wandering. If anything, she wished she could just pull him into the tub with her — even though there was no way the two of them would fit — and kiss him. But she didn’t want the first time he saw her naked to be after a night like tonight.

”You can stay in the bedroom; on two conditions. You put your clothes in the dryer, and you stay with me all night,” Cassi said.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery breaks eye contact with Kimiko as she leans in. His eyes fall to her lips before they meet his.

Avery closed his eyes as they kissed. His hand slipped into her hair, and he pulled her closer. A fire started to burn within him from the kiss, which had Avery pulling back from the kiss.

”Kimiko, I… I don’t think I can do this in light of everything and with you being under the protection of Caden.”

Avery knew he could keep kissing Kimiko. He rather enjoyed kissing her, and it stirred something within his wolf that was new to the both of them, but his honour and loyalty to Caden outweighed his own desires.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden’s body fully relaxes when Nero whispers the words back to him. Everything will be okay because they have Nero. He doesn’t know how, but he knows it will be.

Caden wrapped his arms around Nero and held them close for some time before suggesting they get out of the tub and go to bed. The emotions of the evening had certainly taken their toll, and all Caden wished to do now was to sleep with Nero in his arms.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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The knock on the door has Cassiopeia’s eyes sharpening until she hears Nic’s voice. Right. He’s in her house. Nic is looking after her. She’s safe. She’s not in the 18th century.

”Yes.” Cassi kept her arms wrapped around her legs in a way to keep herself covered.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery freezes when Kimiko closes the distance and rests her hand on his chest. His eyes don’t waver from hers, even though Kimiko’s flicker to his lips and back. The heat from having her hand on his chest has Avery finally moving.

The warning signs Avery was receiving earlier in the day are quieter now but are still present. She only kissed you because she was terrified. Maybe that was true, and if it was, tomorrow would be back to normal.

Avery shifted his hand from behind his head and brushed Kimiko’s cheek. ”I’d do it again,” he said honestly. It was in his nature, but he also knew he would come running if she called him.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”You’re not going to lose me,” Caden promised. He captured Nero’s hand, turned it over, and kissed their hand. ”I love you, Nero. From now until the end of time. And when this world ends, I’ll find you in the next.”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia remained under the water for some time, coming up only when her lungs started to burn. She took a deep breath in after resurfacing, and sat up. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she turned her head, resting her cheek on her knee, and stared at the door.

Nero led the demons that slaughtered her family. Yet Caden still defended them. Cassi thinks back to Nero’s reaction to the memory, but she’s having a hard time determining if their reaction was because they were genuinely remorseful or terrified they were caught.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery smirked when Kimiko started to show annoyance with him already. His eyes flickered to her lips when she stated what had happened. He looked back into her eyes and answered.

”You kissed me first.”

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”It would have been our wedding, but Cassi and I called it off. We were packed and ready to leave when they attacked. No. We had no idea there was a deal made with the demons. We didn’t know why they attacked. As for the rest of your questions, I don’t know. We can still go through with completely the mating bond if you want, but I’m worried about you not healing.”

Caden answered as many questions of Nero’s as he could. He ran his hand through Nero’s hair, glad they were feeling warmer to his touch.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Once the door clicked shut behind Nic, Cass dropped her head in her hands and started to cry silently. ”Max, what am I going to do?” she whispered. She leaned forward, looking down at her familiar. He looked up at her, having nothing to say.

Cass remained seated for another minute before she made herself stand. She unzipped her outfit and struggled to get out of it, but once she was free, she kicked her clothes into the corner of the room before she climbed into the bath. She hissed from the heat hitting her cold, damp body. The shelves around her bathtub held herbs and salts that she added to the water. Lavender to relax, peppermint to soothe, and rosemary for clarity.

She sunk into the tub, dunking her head under the water to try and cleanse her mind.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery watched the movie, not really focused on it, but it gave him something to do aside from staring at Kimiko in her too-tight clothes. Maybe he should just give her a sweater. No. That would make it worse.

He felt her shift on the bed, moving closer to him, but Avery didn’t look at her until she spoke. He cleared his throat, trying not to react too much to the memory of her lips on his.

”Ya?” He looked at her, not being able to help himself.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Forever,” Caden responded. He kissed Nero’s neck once before pulling back. He sees their tears and wipes them away. Caden has a feeling there will be a lot more tears shed tonight.

”What do you want to ask me?”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cass looks at the video Nic shares with her and smiles despite everything. ”Tell them thank you…” She looks away and leans over to shut the water off. As of right now, Cassi doesn’t feel like she’ll be okay. This isn’t something that can easily be let go of.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Avery eventually finds a channel that is showing a couple of Star Wars films. He sets the remote on the bedside table and rests his free hand on his chest. Avery looks at Kimiko.

”Something tells me none of us wants to be alone tonight,” he said.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”No.” Caden said. He tilted Nero’s chin up to look at him, and Caden shook his head. ”No, Nero. Didn’t you hear me? I’m not losing you. I’m not letting you go, and you’re not staying in your house. This is your home now. You are my home.” Caden buried his head into Nero’s neck again, his tears soaking into Nero’s skin.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia sniffed, brushing the tears from her face with the towel and nodded. ”Okay. Tell them I’m sorry for keeping you.” She looks up at Nic and wonders why he’s still here. The power she exerted was something people feared about her, but here Nic was, treating her just as tenderly as he had all day.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Kimiko waltzs past Avery and immediately jumps onto the bed. Avery stares at her in disbelief. He shakes his head and closes the bedroom door before he picks the remote up from the edge of the bed.

”Sometimes. Specifically if Caden has a high-profile client or someone visiting. Or if I just want to be alone.” He walks over to the unoccupied side of the bed and moves the pillows so he can be semi-seated.

Staff housing was good, and he had a great set-up, but sometimes socializing after a long day was the last thing he wanted to do.

Avery rests one arm behind his head and flips through the channels on the TV, looking for a movie or something to watch.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden drifts against the edge of the tub, bringing Nero with them, and he rests his head against the edge of the tub. A few stray tears fell down Caden’s cheeks as he processed the events of the last hour. Finally, Caden takes a deep breath in, holds it, and exhales loudly. He opened his eyes and looked at Nero.

”I want you to know something first before you ask me all those questions swirling in your head. What has happened, what you’re past revealed, doesn’t change anything for me when it comes to you. I don’t know what is going to happen with me and Cass, but I’m not loosing you.”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Cassiopeia smiles briefly, but it quickly falls away. ”Okay, if you want to get me a towel from the hall closet, I can look after my bath. Could you also give the cats some food, and some treats? They’ll show you what cupboard everything is in.” Max brushes up against Cassi’s legs before he curls on the floor beside the bathtub. ”Well, Wayland and Calypso will show you,” she whispered.

Cassiopeia looked back at Nic, fresh tears threatening to fall. ”Will you stay tonight? I don’t…I don’t…” The tears started to fall, and Cassiopeia started crying all over again.

Chicago After Hours -- Paused (indefinitely)

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Avery Zain

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Location: Caden's House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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”Well, from personal experience, this one,” Avery said, gesturing behind him. ”I’ve never stayed in the master, but that bed is a King size whereas this is just a Queen,” Avery said and stepped aside for Kimiko to see.

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Caden

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Location: Caden’s Home – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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Caden obliges Nero and wraps his arms back around them. Caden holds Nero close, resting his face in the crook of their neck, but Caden doesn’t hold them for long. Nero is freezing, and Caden doesn’t like that. Slowly, Caden starts to help Nero undress before getting them into the bathtub.

With Nero taken care of, Caden starts to strip down as well. It takes a while for him to peel his clothes off. Everything sticks to him, but once he is free, he steps into the bath and pulls Nero into him.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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Location: Cassi’s House – Chicago, IL
Skills:

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After being home for some time, the warding working to dampen her powers, and the cats sharing their comfort, Cassiopeia is more coherent when Nic picks her up. She wraps an arm around him, nervous he’s about to drop her, but Nic effortlessly carries her up the stairs and to her bathroom. Once Cassi is sitting, she stares at Nic, ignoring his other questions.

”Did you carry me inside as well?” Obviously, he did, but he didn’t register that he was that strong until now.