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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Avery was startled by Kimiko's sudden hug. He wanted to embrace her and hold her close. He wanted to kiss her neck and massage her shoulders. He wanted to ease her pain, but he couldn't. Avery gently rested his arms around her back, and shut his eyes.

He could hear her breathing and her heartbeat. It was the most soothing sound in the world to him. The smell of her soap tickled his nose and Avery was pleased that his scent was starting to mingle with hers. The wolf inside him settled quietly into the background, happy with this piece of information.

”If you keep thanking me, I'm going to get a complex,” he teased her.

Avery slid one of his arms lower, keeping his hand away from her ass, and scooped her up with one arm under her but and the other along her back. Essentially Kimiko sat on Avery's arm. He didn't want to tip her over in a bridal carry in case the change caused her to become dizzy again.

Avery walked along her bed and knelt on the edge of it before he gently lowered Kimiko down. He slipped his arm out from under her, and rested his hand briefly on her hip to make sure she was stable.

”Was that okay? Did I hurt you?” The concern and worry was thick in his voice.

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 paused when he felt Kimiko's grip on his wrist. He looked down, admiring the way her hand contrasted with the colour of his skin. ”On the contrary, I'm looking forward to hearing you snore again,” he teased her.

Avery knelt down beside Kimiko and brushed his fingers through her white hair. ”Don't worry. I'll be here when you wake up. I'll probably sleep beside you once I'm done eating if you're okay with that.”

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Caden

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

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Caden enjoyed every time Nero made a happy noise or had a happy wiggle because of something Caden said or did. He enjoyed it even more that he enjoyed Nero's company enough that they could do something as mundane as research, but it was the most important thing to Caden at the moment.

Caden pulled forward some texts written in Japanese and flipped through them. He often found that every culture, language, or religion had their own take on lore but if you compared the facts, especially when it came to Heaven and Hell, it all lined up. And the Asian cultures usually held more information than people cared to pay attention to.

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 stops eating to watch Kimiko. She opens her eyes again and he watches her pupils to make sure they dilate properly. He picks up his water and drinks it before wiping his hands.

”Okay, I think it's time for you to have a nap.” He stood up and grabbed the supplies Cassiopeia had given him. The tea he could make for later, but the rub he could put on her neck and shoulders before she went to sleep.

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Caden

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

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Caden sets his books aside and looks over the list Nero made up for them. He smiled. ”This is good. Thank you,” Caden said and kissed their cheek.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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Cassi wants to stay awake simply to spend time with Nic, but she reminds herself that he'll be there when she wakes up. Cassi smiles and cuddles into Nic. She moves around until she finds a comfortable position and falls asleep rather quickly.

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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”You’d have to find the rest of them first,” Avery said chuckling.

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Caden

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

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While Nero started work on the inner workings of Hell, Caden continued looking for information on Mundus.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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Cassiopeia breathed a sigh of relief. She set her tea on the nightstand, and turned back to hug Nic. ”That's okay. I'm liking the idea of being stuck with you.”

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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”Works for me. Then I can remain a man of mystery,” Avery said, and wiggled his eyebrows at Kimiko before popping the last piece of steak into his mouth. He grabbed the other plate of steak and potatoes, and started working on that.

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Caden

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

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”No, I'd leave the handwritten accounts as is. If anything I would preserve them to keep them from being damaged,” Caden said.

He leaned forward and pecked Nero's lips. ”Let's keep working then,” he said.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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Cassiopeia took another sleepy sip of her tea. She was rather tired. Cass opened her eyes and shifted to look up at Nic. ”You'll stay with me, right? I mean I know you probably don't need to sleep like I do or will sleep because you're too worried about me to actually look after yourself properly but you won't leave, right?” The words tumbled out of Cassi rapidly, but her eyes were full of worry. She suddenly hated the idea of being left alone.

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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”I don’t know. Do you think you deserve more than one question a day?” Avery asked in between bites of his food.

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Caden

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

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Caden sipped his wine while Nero spoke. He set down his glass and nodded in response to Nero’s offer to tell him more about the dynamics of Hell. ”It wouldn’t hurt to know the different dynamics and how to approach them,” Caden agreed. ”Do you want to write them down, or would you rather talk, and I can type what you say?”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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Cassiopeia rested her head against Nic’s arm again and nodded. ”That seems fair. You probably didn’t eat anything today anyway. What with you running around to look after me and everybody else.” Cassi sipped more of her tea before closing her eyes. The tea was warm in her hands.

Now that Cassi’s nausea had subsided, all she was really struggling with was a headache, but when she closed her eyes, it seemed to be a bit better. The only problem with that was it was making it very difficult for Cassi to stay awake. The emotions of last night and the events of today were catching up with her. It was only mid-afternoon, but Cassiopeia was exhausted.

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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Intrigued, Avery sets his knife and fork down to take a sip of water before accepting the sandwich from Kimiko. He takes a bite and chews carefully before swallowing. ”Huh, who knew.” Avery finished off the half Kimiko shared with him before he dove back into his steak and potatoes.

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Caden

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

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Caden watches Nero while they talk. He smiles softly and brushes his fingers along their shoulder. ”It’s okay if you do. It was a large part of your life. In some ways it will always be a part of you, even if you aren’t actively involved with Hell anymore,” Caden said.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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”Oh…Actually, it’s starting to come back… Ooo, ya,” Cassi said, taking a sharp intake of breath, resting her hands on her stomach before she looked helplessly at Nic. She was faking it and probably doing a horrid job at it, but his shoulder massage had felt so good she could only imagine what the foot massage would be like.

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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”Mmm, more selfish and possessive than brilliant. I’d rather you smell like me than anyone else,” Avery confessed. He sat down and started digging into his steak, which was cooked more on the rare side. Foods with high iron were always better for Avery after a shift. He ate a few pieces of his steak before looking at Kimiko and her sandwiches.

”What kind of sandwiches?” he asked, very confused.

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Caden

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

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Caden read through a book written in German that went over lore on demons. It mentioned Lucifer and Lilith, along with the idea that demons where their children, but there was nothing specific on Mundus. However, the hierarchy was interesting. Caden wrote a couple of pages of notes before setting the book aside.

He stood up and poured Nero and him a glass of wine to go with the snacks. Caden sat back down, resting his arm on the back of Nero’s chair, and read over their shoulder again.

”I have a feeling Mundus and knights of hell lore is going to be limited.”

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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”I wouldn’t mind that at all, actually. I could clear out a drawer for you,” Cassi said, liking the idea of having a stash of Nic’s clothes in her house.

She sipped her tea, letting the warmth soothe her nerves and her stomach. ”It’s okay,” she said and rested her head against Nic’s arm.

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 transfers a plate of food onto the table to eat when Kimiko holds her arm out. He smirks at her before taking her arm. When he first walked in, Avery could just smell her shampoo, body wash, and the laundry soap Caden’s cleaners use. With his nose closer to Kimiko now, he could still smell the lingering effects of the werewolf pack and the warehouse. Avery frowned, striped off his sweater and handed it to Kimiko.

”I had a feeling the scent would linger, so I brought this for you to wear,” Avery explained.

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Caden

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

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”It’s never too early for alcohol,” Caden declared. He walked over to his desk after setting more books on the table and called down to the kitchen for salty snacks and a couple of bottles of wine.

”Okay, snacks and drinks in route,” Caden said before he joined Nero. He sat down next to them and pulled a book and his laptop over to start his research.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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Cassiopeia picked up her cup of tea and inhaled the soothing scent of ginger tea. She settled into her pillows and smiled at Nic. ”I have everything I need now. Thank you, Nic. For everything.”

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 waited until he heard Kimiko invite him in. He opened up the door before wheeling the cart inside.

”They made me lunch. We weren't sure how hungry you would be, if at all, so they made some sandwiches, but you can have some jerky if you want,” Avery offered.

He pushed the door shut with his foot and wheeled the trolley over to the table in Kimiko's room.

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Caden

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

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Caden piled books onto a table with the more relevant volumes on top. He looked down at the list Nero had compiled and turned.

He rested a hand on the table and the other on Nero's back as Caden leaned over them to read their notes. He rubbed his hand subconsciously along Nero's back as he read.

”It looks good, babe. Do you want anything to eat or drink while we work?” Caden asked, and went to grab a couple more books he missed.

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Cassiopeia Claire Alistair

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

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Cassiopeia smirked and set her phone back onto her nightstand. ”Shoulders and ankles are covered,” she assured Nic. Max was curled up on the end of the bed, and shifted his attention when he heard Nic and smelled the tray of goodies he had.