SouffleGirl123

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

_{A @SouffleGirl123 & @HaleyTheRandom collab; Featuring Mary & Lilith.}

As the morning sun peeked through the blinds, Lilith yawned, reaching her arms above her to wrap them around the pillow that her head rested on. Taking a deep breath in, the young woman quickly noticed a few things in her pre-awakened daze.

First and foremost was the pounding sensation in her head. Next was the scents surrounding her - familiar, but not the ones of her own bedroom. She couldn’t hear the morning news on the TV, nor smell of pancakes being made on the stove. The realisation was enough to startle Lilith’s eyes open as she was met with the scene of painted walls and carpeted floors.

”Fuck,” she breathed, starting to put the puzzle pieces together in her head.

Sitting up, Lilith fumbled around the bed trying to find her phone.

That was when she spotted the pile of clothes beside the bed.

”Fuck”,” she hissed again, giving herself a quick once over. It only took a moment's notice to realise that she was wearing Miles’s t-shirt. If she wasn’t in her own room, wasn’t wearing her own clothes -

Glancing around the room once more, Lilith shouted one last ”Fuck!” before immediately regretting it as her head began to throb.

Doing the best that she could to collect her jeans off the floor, Lilith fished her phone out of her pocket before putting on her pants. She had multiple missed calls from her grandfather - no doubt that he was pissed. Notifications for multiple social media platforms danced across her screen, confirming what she already knew - last night had been one for the books.

Sitting back down on the bed, Lilith unlocked the device and began to scroll through her most recent photos, doing the best that she could to remember the events from last night. She barely had a moment's notice before her stomach flipped, making her jump up from the bed. Muscle memory took over as she raced to the bathroom, quickly slamming the door shut behind herself.

Mary had just returned home from her night shift and swung open the front door to immediately be greeted with the slamming of another. She didn't have to investigate, she already knew it'd be the bathroom. Although Miles seemed to rarely need to spill his guts the morning after a party anymore it would still happen on occasion.

"Mi-" her callout was quickly cut off as a simple No floated into her head from her divination magic. Whatever poor girl he dragged back with him? she thought back at the voice. Her divination just felt like a game of 20 questions most days.

Yes The word seemed to miss something, as if there was something more to that yes. Mary sucked in a breath as it seemed to immediately hit her. Lilith?

Yes

Mary gave a sigh, dropping her bag by the door and making her way to the bathroom. She wished she could say she was surprised but with all the workarounds to keep Lilith and her son separated she expected to either find Lilith in his bed or Miles half-dead eventually. She just didn't expect it to be so fast, or honestly for it to be the first option. She gave the bathroom door a couple of hard knocks. "Lilith, sweetie? Can I come in?" she calls in through the door.

Behind the closed door, Lilith was sitting with her legs pulled up to herself, her arms resting on her knees as she buried her face in the dark corner she had created. Thoughts ran through her head at a mile a minute, only making the splitting headache that she had worse. She had half a thought to just sit there for as long as she could until she heard the knocks, quickly followed by the sound of Mary’s voice.

If Lilith wasn’t currently in the situation that she was, Mary’s presence would have been more than welcomed - just like always. For now, however, Lilith reached up to open the bathroom door before re-burying her face.

”I think I fucked up,” she groaned.

Mary took a step back as the door slowly swung open revealing the rather pitiful sight of Lil on the bathroom floor, face lowered at the ground. It caused a knot to form in her stomach, she hated seeing Lilith like this. She gave Lilith a half-smile. "Darl, I love you but I ain’t sitting on the bathroom floor with you. I’d never get up,” she half jokes, keeping her spot in the doorway. That was when Lilith finally spoke up. "Well, is someone dead, dying or pregnant?” she asks.

As Mary spoke, Lilith put all of what little energy she had into getting herself up off of the floor. She would have fallen over if it hadn’t been for catching herself on the sink. When Mary had finished speaking, Lilith began laughing. Tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

”Actually, yeah,” she managed to get out between manic laughs. ”Carlisle and I’s friendship is six feet under, and gramps is goin’ right down with it.”

With so little words Lilith had seemed to overload Mary with information. She took a moment to just process all of it, blinking a couple of times as she wrapped an arm around the young woman’s shoulder to stabilise her. "Let’s- uh- let’s get you some coffee and an aspirin first,” she says softly, trying to not let the effect Lilith’s announcements had on her.

She remains silent as she directs Lilith across the hall to the dining room, the question of her statement about John nagging at her. As she pulls out the chair she failed to hold it in any further and quietly asks "What’s happened to John?” her voice small, moreso to hide back emotion more than anything else. She knew it was a fruitless endeavour with Lilith’s empath abilities yet she tried all the same to quell her fear in anticipation.

Focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, Lilith had finally stopped laughing. The feeling of shock still lingered in her bones, but at least she could act composed again. Sitting down, the young woman took a strong interest in the pattern on the table cloth. Watching Mary move around was a difficult task.

”He um…” Lilith hadn’t expected to break the news to Mary - especially like this. ”He has stage two pancreatic cancer. Said he’s been driving back and forth to Seattle so you wouldn’t know.” The thought made Lilith half-smile before slipping away. ”They offered him chemo, and he told them no. He said that he doesn’t want to fight it… and that I shouldn’t fight him about that.”

Mary exhaled a sharp breath. She suspected something had been amiss with her godfather but she never put a finger on it, nor did she expect it to be this bad. "Asshole," she mutters under her breath. Starting a pot of coffee, she used her back being turned to her advantage to let stray tears run down her face. That man had been a second father to her her whole life. After her parents returned to North Carolina he'd been the one watching Miles and making the meals until Claire moved to Tanner. That fact that she was going to lose him stung. The Montgomery clan seemed to be slowly dwindling in size and Mary wasn’t sure how much more of their losses she could take.

After taking a moment she composed herself, wiping the tears from her eyes as she pulls 2 mugs and a packet of aspirin from the shelf. Juggling them all to fit in one hand she grabs the pot in the other and carries it all to the table. After the coffee is poured she takes a seat before Lilith with a sigh. "And what did you do so wrong to wind you up on my bathroom floor in a fit?"

While Lilith was grateful that Mary hadn’t pushed the subject of her grandfather, her stupid empathy powers couldn’t help but pick up on the other woman's emotions. Feeling Mary’s sadness was enough to make Lilith start crying too. Quickly wiping her face while the older woman opened the cabinet, she began picking at the skin around her thumbs as anxiety settled in.

Coffee and aspirin were more than a welcomed sight right now, and Lilith gratefully helped herself to both. Taking a sip of her coffee, Lilith crossed her legs in the chair with a sigh of her own before turning her attention to Mary.

”So last night, Carlisle threw this welcome back party or whatever for the Coven members because morale was low when we met yesterday morning. It started earlier that day, because Carlisle tried to confess that he had feelings for me or whatever, and then here comes Miles out on the veranda and there’s this whole conversation where he’s all like ‘I miss you Lili’” Lilith began on her ramble, doing the best Miles impression that she could. With a deep breath, she continued on, still talking rapidly. ”So then because of those awkward ass moments, I went home and told gramps that Miles was coming to Sunday dinner, and we argued about that and I ended up drinking so he drove me to the party. Then shit happened and I wound up kissing Carlisle and telling him I didn’t feel the same way. He freaks out. I throw the bottle of the tequila I just drank at his head. At this point it's getting hazy, but I do remember me and Miles drinking on the couch and me telling him about John… then something about the barrier falling and Carlisle dying but not really dying. Also something about werewolves. Next thing I know, I wake up pantsless in your son's bed.”

With another sigh, Lilith raised her mug in a sarcastic cheers like fashion before taking another drink of her coffee, waiting on her second mothers reaction.

As Lilith talks Mary nods her head between sips of coffee just trying to pick up the barrage of information coming her way from Lilith’s mouth. "Well…” she says simply, trying to figure out what response to give as she was left almost wordless in the information overload. She wasn’t even sure if she picked up on it all. "Sounds like you had the hell of a night,” she takes a sip of coffee as she mentally shifts through all the information again.

She had questions, so many questions, but she knew barraging a hungover Lil with them probably wasn’t the best thing to do right now. "Ok, so how are you holding up? Any wounds?”

”None that I’ve noticed, really,” Lilith replied quietly, still trying to piece together the parts of the night that she remembered. ”Mary. How do you know if you have alcohol poisoning? Because I’m pretty sure I drank way more than I was supposed to last night.”

"Darl, if you had it bad enough you’d be in a gurney in the ED corridor by now. Why, how much did you drink?” she asks, taking another mouthful of coffee.

Taking a moment to think, Lilith sorted through her memories and did the best math with what information she had. ”A few shots with John… the bottle I had while talking to Carlisle, and I think I drunk at least another half bottle while talking to Miles?”

As Lilith recounts the amount of alcohol she drank the night before Mary couldn’t stop herself from spitting all the coffee in her mouth out in shock, a couple of coughs escaping her after. "I’m sorry, you- what?!” she splutters looking the girl over. She seemed fine. Hungover and emotionally wrecked, sure, but fine. "Child, how the hell are you still standin’- well, sittin’- right now?”

Unable to stop herself from laughing, Lilith took another sip of her coffee while shrugging her shoulders. ”No idea, honestly,” she replied, a small smile still lingering on her face as she reached for her phone.

Scrolling through the notifications once more, she couldn’t help but sigh. She had messages from anyone and everyone - all except for Miles.

”Do you mind me askin’ if you’ve heard anything from Miles this morning?”

Mary just looks over Lilith once again, shaking her head with a scoff. "You Montgomerys never cease to amaze me,”

As Lilith asks about Miles, Mary pulls out her own phone and looks at her notifications. Nothing. Not that she expected anything. "Nah. Take it he hasn’t sent a word to you? Knowing how these mornings go he’ll be on autopilot mode most of today anyway, you probably can’t count on a message,”. She purses her lip before taking another sip of coffee. The question that played on her lips became too hard to contain anymore. "What exactly is goin’ on between you 2? I ain’t your pawpaw, if you get back together you ain’t getting a talking to from me I just want to know. Are we still avoidin’ or what?”

Watching Mary reach for her phone, Lilith couldn’t fight the giant knot growing in her stomach. Did she even want to hear from Miles? Why did she care if he had messaged his mom or not? This was just a one time thing, right? Some weird glitch in the matrix? As Mary confirmed what Lilith already knew, the girl nodded her head in silence.

Notch in the bedpost routine. Got it.[ she thought.

With another sigh and the shake of her head, Lilith answered Mary’s question.

”I don’t know what this is,” she grumbled. ”I don’t think I’d have any problems seeing him around, and he is coming Sunday, after all. We have to work for the Coven…” Catching herself as she noticed that she was thinking out loud, Lilith rolled her eyes at herself. ”I don’t want to avoid him - I never did. I was just scared of what would happen if we saw each other, and well… now we know. So no,” she added with a laugh. ”I’m relieving you from your guard duties.”

Mary gave a soft chuckle at Lilith's words, topping both of their mugs up. "For what it's worth, he does miss you." For as much as they had hurt each other in the past, a selfish part of Mary had always hoped Lilith and Miles would find each other again. It'd sure make her life a hell of a lot easier but she also knew Lilith brought out the best in Miles.

”Thanks,” Lil said as Mary filled their cups. ”I think it’s reasonable to say that we could be friends again, if we tried. Don’t know about much else, but…” Shrugging her shoulders, the young woman sipped another drink of coffee from the mug in her hands. Replaying Marys words over in her head, Lilith’s mind ran wild. What would have happened if things hadn’t happened the way that they did; what if Lilith had followed Miles off to college?

”I’ve missed him too. I know that might be hard to believe with me avoidin’ him and all, but it’s true. No matter how many other guys I liked, I always found myself comparing them to Miles n’ such. My mind always seems to drift back to him, in one form or another.”

"I know. You've been pining after him just as much as he has you for as much as neither of you would admit it," she says, sipping her coffee. "Does your paw paw know where you are or should I be expectin' a call soon?"

As Mary’s words settled in, Lilith’s face burned red. ”He was expecting me home last night… hasn’t heard anything from me. I have a couple missed calls myself, but my head hurts way to bad to hear him yell at me right now.”

"Want me to tell 'im you were feeling sick as a dog so I picked you up on my way home? I can fix you some breakfast, pop on a movie, whatever will get you over the hangover,"

Pondering the thought for a brief moment, a small smile crept across the young woman's face. ”That would honestly be perfect. Thank you Mary, really.”

What Are You Listening To?

Why is this my current jam? I have no clue but it's a bop

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

Catherine, Victor
& Caitlin

A collab with @Inertia and @Wayward

---

Cat had never seen Victor angry before let alone full of rage as he was now. It would be frightening if she didn’t know him well enough to know this was out of character for him. She’d spent the fight on the sidelines, delivering healing to those who needed it but she tried to stay close to Victor. He seemed to have a personal stake in this fight and she wanted to be ready to heal or hide him if things really went south. She’d been unlucky enough to take a couple hits from the wolves but luckily they weren’t horrible wounds.

As the remaining adversaries fled Catherine’s eyes flickered to her friend as she worked on healing the scratch on her right shoulder, leaving the one on her left arm for after. She closed the short distance to Victor as she did so. ”Well, that’s gotta be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen you do,” she half jokes, nodding to his canine victim on the floor feet before them. ”Really, though, are you alright?”

Victor was still seeing red. He would’ve chased Lucien down to the ends of the earth but he stopped himself as he looked to his fellow coven members. His eyes landed on Catherine and then to her wounds. It was like a bucket of water had doused his rage. “No, I’m- I’m fine. Rather, are you okay?” He replied with a strained voice. “I didn’t mean to get anyone else- the coven… involved with my family’s issues.”

At the sound of Victor’s pained voice Catherine’s face drops slightly, she hated seeing the man carrying this on his shoulders. ”Hey,” she replies gently, placing the hand of her now fully healed right arm on the man’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. ”It’s fine, we’re all ok. Just bruises and cuts, ok. We’re all gonna be fine.” She stays silent for a moment, taking her hand off of the man’s shoulder to heal her other wound. Many questions plagued her mind, it seemed she knew a lot less about Victor than she was led to believe. Regardless, she didn’t want to overwhelm him with a barrage of questions. ”When you said you had family stuff I didn’t realise it was this intense. Who is he?”

“That was my cousin, Lucien Crowe. Next in ‘line’ to becoming the head of the Crowe’s.”

The walk from the library back to the foyer felt longer than it was. For Cait, it was a welcome feeling, allowing her to shake off the experience and reflect on what she had done. Slowly, trembling legs steadied and her breath eased. By the time she reached the end of the corridor she had found her center again.

She stole a glance at Daniel before he split off; he seemed to be harder on himself than he needed to be. If there were anything more to it though, Cait wasn't about to go digging.

Now alone, Cait looked out into the foyer, spotting quickly the person she most. It wasn't exactly an ideal circumstance for reconnecting with a friend. But it was still something, or so she figured.

"Hey, Vic. You good?" She approached calmly and casually. "That was some Sub-Zero shit right there, she spoke with a slight shake in her voice, and nodded at the frozen husk of a werewolf still lying on the floor. She looked at Catherine, whom she had seen healing a wound from across the room. "Catherine, yeah?

Victor let out a breath, calming himself even more as Cait appeared. “Hey Cait.” He said with a low voice, “Good to see you come out of that attack seemingly fine. I am really sorry about this whole thing. I didn't mean for any of it. I didn’t think they would go this far.

Catherine's head turns as her and Victor's conversation was cut short by a new voice. She long led to know more about the Crowes, there seemed to be more interesting there than she could ever imagine. At Caitlin's question Catherine dipped her head in a nod ”And Cait, right?" she questions. Her eyes flicker to Vic, this would be a conversation for later it seemed. ”You looked pretty cool out there,”

"I… did what I could.Cait's eyes circled about and fell back on Cat and Victor. She nodded to Cat. "Got lucky to not get banged up. Wouldn’t have gotten through without Daniel though; I think he took some hard swipes though. She nodded out toward the other Coven members.

Victor’s expression twitched as Cait mentioned Daniel’s wounds. As far as he was concerned, anything the Crowe’s did to his Coven members was on him. He didn’t voice this thought, however.

"Gotta say, Vic, your cousin's quite the piece of shit. But i guess you already knew that better."

“You don’t know the half of it.” Victor chuckled hollowly, “And now that he knows of you guys, he won’t let go. It’s like I cursed you guys with that douche Lucien.” He thought back to their childhood, Lucien was almost like a brother to him back then but something changed. “Lucien wasn’t always like this. If I had to guess, his family did something to him. Not that I am making excuses for him, he deserves something for what he’s done.” Victor surprised himself. He didn’t like opening up about his family, but he feels like his fellow Coven members deserve to know, given how they’re entangled with the Crowe’s now.

Catherine noticed as her friends face twitched at Cait's comment but she pursed her lips and said nothing, instead waiting for Victor to say his peace. ”Think they come back? We're really not in a state to go chasing after them right now," She looks around the room of dwindling numbers. 2 of the council members had disappeared now which would hardly help. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment, looking between Cait and Victor. ”Look, Vic, this isn't on you. You can't help where you come from. I'm pretty sure it was you saying that to me a few years ago,"

"Yeah." Cait agreed with Cat's last comment. "And for what it's worth, we all know you're nothing like they are."

A smile crept on Victor's face, a burden off his shoulders realizing his friends wouldn't abandon him. A nagging fear, that. “... I think we should reconvene with the rest of the Coven members. Let's hope they take the meeting of my blood family as good as both of you have.”

Edgebaston Academy - SoL High School RP

_{A collab with: @SailorSadie}

---

---

Much like Alistair, Persephone was up early in the morning. Unlike her brother Persephone was not going to get up early just to stand at the side of the school gate to prove a point. She didn’t need to, her presence would do that alone. Instead she meticulously ran through her long multi-step skin routine, thinking about the new year ahead. She felt mixed about it, for one she was excited to be truly on top of the food chain as a senior, ready to rule the school one last time, but she wasn’t really sure what to do when the year ended. She had good enough prospects, even if those prospects were daddy’s business endeavours and money, but she wasn’t really sure where she wanted to go. High school was fun. It was cushy, she knew everyone and how to show them all she was simply better but soon she’d need to find new ways to get to new people.

A sigh expelled from Persephone’s once again pink-painted lips. Sabrina should be arriving at the school any moment now. She picked up her phone from the table, opening her messages. Nothing from the girl yet. She sent her 2 simple words I’m waiting. She hoped the girl would get the hint, then again if she didn’t Persephone didn’t mind, it’d be something else to hold over Sabrina’s head.

As her heels continued their noisy assault on the tiles headed to the LeRue dorm, she glanced down as her phone pinged. Sabrina’s eyes widened a bit at the message waiting for her. With a clearing of her throat, she sped up her steps and clutched her purse against her chest. She couldn’t have Persephone waiting on her, it was supposed to be the other way around. She dreaded any kind of torture the girl would put her through if Sabrina kept her waiting any longer.

Nearing the room, she paused before making sure nothing on her body was out of place. Giving a slight nod at herself, she stepped into Persephone’s room and offered the girl a bright smile. ”I’m here. Sorry. I made it.” She looked the girl over and nodded approvingly. ”Oh, your outfit is to die for.”

”’Rina,” Persephone greets the girl simply, remaining facing the mirror. You’re late but I suppose I should have expected that, knowing you,”[/color] She turns in her swivel chair with a click of her tongue and eyes her friend up and down studying her for all her imperfections. It seemed Sabrina had gotten tanned in her time abroad and had gotten extensions. Part of Persephone liked her friend’s new look, the long hair suited her but she couldn’t let that ego inflate too much, lest Sabrina think she could do something out of line.

”Why, thank you,” she replies to her girl’s compliment, teasing her blonde waves with her fingers. ”Daddy bought it for me in Toyko, can’t be seen wearing the same outfits as last year on our first day, can we now?” She looks over her friend again more exaggeratedly, ”Well, one of us can’t be at least,”

Sabrina tried not to look too offended at the jab of her tardiness. Clearing her throat, she shifted her purse on her shoulder and shifted her feet. She didn’t even have time to stop by her own dorm to set everything down, she was too worried about not making it to Persephone on time.

Her eyes ran over Persephone’s outfit once more and she beamed, ready to speak about Tokyo when another jab hit her. The grin on her face faltered a bit before she quickly looked down at her own outfit to scrutinize it, even though she already knew it was brand new as well. She cleared her throat once more and forced a grin on her face. ”Well, I knew better than to outshine you.”

”If that's the story you're going with," Persephone replies, swiveling her chair back to her mirror. She stands up and wraps her perfectly manicured hand around the strap of her bag, throwing it over her shoulders. ”How's the riff-raff looking this year?"

Sabrina took just a moment to smooth out her outfit and allowed herself time to take a breath when Persephone’s back was turned. She ran a hand through her slick extensions and was glad when the conversation steered away from her. Rolling her eyes, she scoffed and shook her head. ”I really don’t understand how this school allows some of them in. That redhead bouncy whatever her name is was at the front gate with your brother, and I’m pretty sure I heard that Erik guy’s motorcycle. A few mice were in the halls as I made my way over to our dorm, so. It’s not looking very promising.”

Persephone listened with pursed lips, bobbing her head at her friend's works. ”Well that's no good, this place is going to be an utter wreck after I- I mean we- leave," she turns to the door of her room. ”What's fair about letting in the druggies and foster home kids in? Because they're poor, that should mean luxury is handed to them," she scoffs, nodding to the door for Sabrina to open it. ”I guess I should go see the damage for myself,"

Hurrying back over to the door, Sabrina opened it and stood to the side, knowing Persephone would want to exit first. She rolled her eyes in agreement and shook her head. ”They’re just going to continue to bring this place down. I don’t know how they expect us to all coexist together. They could literally like, kill us.”

”Exactly!" Persephone agrees, walking through the door. Her pastel pink stilettos echo click click with every step as they hit the vinyl floor of the twins' recreational area. ”How was… was it Hawaii?" In all truth Persephone knew her friend was in Bali but even though they had essentially grown up together she felt she couldn't let her guard down with the woman. It was funny, it seemed in their mothers' persistence for their daughters to be friends for their own benefit they put the girls in a position they put Persephone in a position where she had to keep her almost soulless front in front of Sabrina, never truly being able to be close. Sabrina probably experienced something similar but Persephone never cared to ask what it was.

Sabrina did her best to keep up with the young woman; Persephone always walked fast and with a purpose. She admired that about her. Holding her purse strap close to her body, she kept closely behind her and tried to keep her breathing even. Wouldn’t do to pant. With a clearing of her throat, she had to force herself not to roll her eyes. She knew her mother had been in touch with Persephone’s mother all summer. Letting out a slow breath, she plastered a grin on her face, choosing to ignore the slip up. ”Bali was amazing. Sun, boys, the ocean. It was beyond perfect. How was your summer?”

”Oh, nothing too exciting, did a couple of weeks in Tokyo, a few in Europe, a week in New Zealand. Y'know, just the usual places," she says casually, walking through LaRue hall not once glancing back at the other girl to see if she could keep up. As they get to the double doors at the end of LaRue Place a concierge opens them with a nod. Without playing him any mind she walks out to the hustle and bustle of many more students. she stands in front of the doors, eying the crowds. Squeals and yells bounced around the courtyard accompanied but the sound of idle chatter. ”Yeesh, we really have some work to do this year. I heard they took on more delinquents this year. They should at least tell us who they are. Like, I'm not looking to get shanked at my school,"

”Right?” Pausing for a moment to catch her breath, Sabrina looked around the courtyard as well and scrunched her nose. ”I mean, what if one of those things came up to us- I mean, you, and thought he had a chance? Or her. Heard there’s a lot of questionable sexualities this year.” Sucking in her bottom lip with her teeth, she tilted her head in thought. ”How are we even supposed to know what class they belong to?”

At Sabrina's first statement Persephone gave a chuckle. ”Please, they can try all they want. It's only a complement… and some fun when they're told they can't have all this," she says? Readjusted her hair as she step put into the pavement of the school. ”You don't have any of those freaks on your mind do you, sabbie?"

”What?” She blinked before following her out, her question finally processing in her mind. ”No! No, of course not. They’re below us.” Though there are some fine looking ones. Sabrina shook her head and put a grin on her face. ”Only the best for us. Besides, I think I made a new friend this summer. He’s all the man I could need, trust me.”

At Sabrina bringing up the 'friend' Persephone stops in her tracks and turns to face the girl. ”Sabrina, you can't trust that someone on the other side of the world is going to wait just for you and do you really just want to be another option?"

Stopping just short of running into her, Sabrina blinked and furrowed her brows. She shifted her feet as she meekly shook her head. ”No, but it isn’t like that. He said he’s from the states. Didn’t really get into much detail, but. We’re just friends. Keeping it as friends. Besides, I’m too busy with you and school, so.”

Persephone cocked her head, ”He said? Don't tell me you've never met him? He could easily be one of the deli- you know what, nevermind. You do you, boo. We have an assembly to go to," she says turning back toward the school and continuing on the path. ”Have you seen Al this morning, I guess I should know where he's put himself this morning,"

Sabrina did her best to hurry after her, her heels clacking against the pavement. She had wanted to change clothes from her trip before the assembly, but of course Persephone didn’t even bother to consider that. With a sigh, she pushed her hair off her shoulders. ”Last I saw, he was being himself with whoever arrived at the main gates. He could possibly still be there.”

”Predictable," she replies with a shrug. Keeping her course for the assembly. She cared for her brother really but he seemed so set in his routine. As she walked past some of the junior she greeted a couple with backhanded comments, a couple of other with compliments on their clothes before turning to Sabrina and mimicking sticking a finger in her mouth. ”Man, this year must be the worst. What do you think this hellhole'll look like when we leave?"

She couldn’t help a snicker as Persephone continued to judge everyone’s clothing. It was like they never parted. With a shake of her head, she looked around at everyone, making eye contact with a few boys who were up to her liking. ”Oh, naturally it’s going to fall apart. Who’s going to be left behind to make sure it’s a prestiged establishment?”

”No one, Sabbie, that's who. Now, the back to school dance is coming up and I need someone to go with," she says, scouring the area all the same as her friend. ”The problem is is there actually any eligible men here anymore? It seems the few that seem fine can just never remember how much I add to their value alone,"

Sabrina stopped and blinked at that. She had completely forgotten about the back to school dance. Her nose scrunched as she looked at all the eligible people on the courtyard. There was one person she had in mind for herself, but they were only a secret. Couldn’t out themselves just yet. Or maybe ever. Clearing her throat, she folded her arms across her chest and shrugged. ”Too bad most of the good looking ones are poor. Maybe Sebastian? Or Lucas, you still like him, right? They’re good choices for you.”

”Sab, ewwwww,” Persephone complains, scrunching her nose, as her friend suggests 2 of her most recent exes. ”That’d be like drinking my vomit, I’m not going back to guys who can’t understand how amazing I am,” she chastises. With another sweep of the grounds she gives another sigh. ”Let’s hope someone comes up soon. What about you? Have you got someone to go with?”

Her cheeks flushed a bit at Persephone’s comment about her exes. She knew, of course, they were her exes, but didn’t she always go back and forth with Lucas? With a sigh, she nodded slightly. ”You’re right, you’re right. Apologies. They definitely didn’t appreciate you.” Sabrina bounced lightly on her heels as a small grin spread on her face. ”I don’t know, yet. The school year has only just begun. There’s so many new prospects that could be exciting.”

”I suppose you’re right,” Persephone sighs. Thinking through the guys at school the face of one did come to mind but she shut it down instantly. There was many freaks she wouldn’t be caught dead with and he was one by far. Not that she had feelings for him, jut her stupid brain picking someone memorable- but not in that way she commanded her thoughts. ”Senior year, let’s make the absolute best of it,” Persephone muses before stomping into the multifunction hall.

Edgebaston Academy - SoL High School RP

Oliver Grundy & Melicia Gibbs

_{A collab with: @RogueFox}

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Something Melicia wasn’t ready for was how overwhelming she’d find the whole environment. The issue was less the sheer number of people but everything else, the way everyone seemed to just want to get in your face perkily offering maps and guided tours, the delighted screeches of teenage girls being reunited with their friends and even just the size of the place. It was all a bit too much. After gingerly grabbing a map the teen beelined for Independence house and checked in. As soon as she had her key she went straight to her room, closing the door behind her and expelling a relieved sigh. The walls were far from soundproof but the chatter and the yells were more manageable. Why was everyone so damn perky?

Placing her case and bag next to her bed she opened a map some way-too-happy senior handed her. She needed somewhere quiet, a place to get a breather from the chaos. Her eyes came across the library on her map. perfect. Leaving all but her keys and map behind she leaves her room to start her search. Unfortunately for Melicia, crowds did not make map reading all that easy, not to mention all the noise. She ended up finding herself very much not at the library but in front of who-knows-what building, trying to find her placing on the three fold map in her hands.

Oliver stepped outside and took in a deep breath, taking in the familiar sights around him. There was a bit of hustle and bustle still going on, but in all of that, he noticed a girl who seemed decidedly lost. She seemed to be staring intently at her map. She was also really cute, and had a vibe to her, the way she was standing, gazing at the map. Oliver decided quickly that he should probably offer to help her. He walked up and waved, despite her not looking at him at all. ”Um, Hi!” He shifted his stance and let out an awkward breathy chuckle before continuing. ”You just seemed a bit lost, I might be able to help out. I was here last year.” He seemed pretty confident, albeit a little awkward. He was grinning, but it didn’t seem as bubbly as the others, more as if he was thinking about something funny.

Melicia was soon snapped out of her deep thinking and brought back to the school proper at the voice of the ginger haired boy. Her face scrunched slightly at his greeting. Another one she couldn’t help but think to herself. At least his words were less obviously forced optimism but rather more genuine. ”Uh, yeah,” she mutters, folding her map, it seems she wouldn’t need it for now. ”I’m just tryna find the library, these map ain’t too great for navigatin’,” She continues on in her southern drawl.

Oliver chuckled a little as she mentioned where she was going. ”Ha, really? I’m actually headed there right now. I always liked going, so I wanted to go see it again. I kinda missed it.” He took a few steps in her direction, motioning for her to follow. ”C’mon, it’s actually not too far.” He took off at a surprisingly brisk pace at first. He looked back and adjusted his pace so they could both walk comfortably. ”I’m Oliver, by the way. It’s nice to meet you. You just looked pretty lost, and I’d feel bad if I didn’t at least try to help, you know?”

At the boy's beckon to follow Melicia obliges, seeming to stay a couple of paces behind his own, she was in a little less of a rush it seemed. Eventually he slowed so they were walking side by side. ”No, no, I appreciate it. I'm Melicia," she responds, offering her hand to shake.

Oliver beamed as he shook her hand. He was visibly energetic, but if there was any doubts, that handshake would have quelled them. ”That name’s pretty badass. A lot cooler than mine.” He chuckled as he came to a stop in front of an older looking, yet well kept, building, Northfield Library. ”Here we are. Looks pretty cool compared to some of the other buildings. Sort of like it belongs in a fantasy movie or something, with a ton of secret passages and stuff.” He trotted up to the door and opened it for Melicia. As they entered, he decided to press for a little more conversation. ”So, how’d you end up here? I got a scholarship cuz I’m pretty good with computers.”

As the pair came to the step Melicia couldn’t help but be absolutely taken away by the building before them. Old? Yes. but the kind of old that reeked with pomp and grandeur. She was sure anything would be better than the little wooden cart that served as her ‘library’ over the past year but this was so much better than she ever could have expected. Even her local library growing up, not that she ever really stepped into it to find out. At his question she hesitated slightly, running through her fabricated story in her head. This was a new start, she wasn’t going to taint that with the word of her being a felon getting out. ”Academics myself, topped my class in maths ‘n’ sciences last year and got recommended to come here, I think my homeroom teacher was an alma mater or somethin’” she lies, well not a total lie. While they didn’t really grade in prison when you’re one of the few doing the work she could only assume she was right. ”But, uh, computers. Impressive. I ain’t ever been too good with those things. Did you come from far?”

He grinned and nodded. ”That’s awesome. Math kind of annoys me, but science can be cool. Hey, if you end up taking any computer classes, I could help you in exchange for you helping me with math!” He made his way a little deeper into the library and took a deep breath. The scent of books danced in the air, bringing with it several memories of days Oliver spent on the computers or reading in a nice secluded corner. He was usually pretty social, but everyone needed a little alone time, and this was the perfect place to find it. ”Not really, actually. Only live a few hours away, in Greensboro. How about you?” He smiled at her politely, genuinely interested in her and where she came from. His eyes gave away his sincerity.

As they entered the building Melicia's eyes didn't quite know where to rest. From the grand shelves stocked with books to the oddly high-tech computer lab. She really did like libraries, she had decided. ”Oh, um, Raleigh. Not near the city or nothin' so I guess not too far either," she responds, glancing at the boy next to her to get a proper look at him. ”I was just gonna get a book and read for a bit but if you want to join me…" For as much as Melicia valued her alone time and wasn't much for small talk she really did need friend and Oliver himself seemed nice enough.

“Oh, nice, you’re from NC too! You’d be surprised how many people come here from other states.” Oliver seemed to light up as she offered him to join her. ”Sure! I was actually just gonna look at the manga for a bit before the assembly. I’d totally be down for reading… next to each other? That sounds weird, I know.” He laughed a bit and shook his head. ”It can be nice to just have someone friendly nearby though. And if you feel like talking, we can do that too!” He looked around for a minute, getting his bearings in the library again. ”What kind of book were you thinking of reading? I can point out where they are, save the hassle of poking around. Though I guess poking around is kind of fun too.”

At Oliver's request for what she wanted to leave Melicia gave a shrug. ”I hadn't thought about it, honestly. I guess we can just poke around? You don't have t' join me in looking," she eyes the long shelves of books before her, she didn't even know if she'd have the time to decide. Part of her just wanted to get lost in the land of books.

Oliver shrugged, his trademark grin on his face. ”I’m down for poking around.” He stepped forward, looking at the books in front of them. They were nonfiction books, mostly biographies. He found himself following the bookshelves, unsure if Melicia was nearby. He looked up quickly, realizing he had wandered a ways away. He looked around, seeing if he could spot his new friend. His backup if he couldn’t find her was to just head to the manga, pick something, then look around for her.

Melicia got lost in the library but this time it wasn’t the bad kind of lost. It was the kind that was almost freeing after being confined to a handful of open areas that she knew every nook and cranny of this type of ‘lost’ was almost comforting. She dragged her finger across the spines of the books, the smallest of smiles played on the very edges of her oft downturned lips. Eventually she picked up a random book from some recommended section in the fiction section and, having forgotten that she wasn’t alone, took a seat at one of the library's many tables.

After not seeing her as he scanned the surrounding area, Oliver decided to press on and grab something to read. He could try finding her after that. He went to the dedicated section for manga and grabbed a volume of “Don’t Tease Me, Miss Nagatoro.” He had seen the anime adaptation, but wanted to hop on the manga to find out what happened next. After selecting his book, he walked around the sizable library. Luckily, it didn’t take him long to find Melicia, seeing as the library wasn’t currently very busy. He pulled the seat next to her out and sat down, shooting her a smile. ”Find something good?” He inquired cheerfully. He opened the manga and held it against the table so he wasn’t holding it in the air.

Melicia just pulled up her book, revealing the cover for Ender’s Game, her eyes not straying from its pages. She puts it back down so the cover is flat on the table, remaining silent for a while as she takes in the first pages. When Oliver was comfortable reading his book, and she had read up to a good breaking point a few pages in, she spoke up. ”Is everyone here always so damn perky?” she asks, her voice in a gruff hushed whisper. Her eyes remained on the book, as if she was still reading the words but really she was just avoiding Oliver’s eyes. Eye contact was never her forte.

Oliver began reading after she had shown him the cover, having figured that she was content to just read quietly. As her voice broke the silence, he looked over at her to see her still focusing on the book. ”Not really. It’s really mostly for these special occasions. I mean, there are some people who are always perky, but it’s usually not like this.” He attempted to keep his voice soft, but even then it was relatively loud for being in a library. ”There are a lot of quieter places you can go even on days like today though.” Oliver’s expression changed a bit, resembling something like concern as he seemed to have just put two and two together. ”I can give you some alone time if you need it. I understand wanting some peace.” His voice did drop to a quieter tone now. He was feeling a little guilty for following her around and not picking up on her wanting to possibly be alone sooner.

”Hmm?” Melicia looks up from her book with a shrug. She didn’t mean to make Oliver feel out of place. Sure, he was a little loud and puppy-doglike but he wasn’t really a nuisance. ”Nah, you’re cool, I guess,” she replies simply before looking back down at her book. ”You could stand to be a little quieter though, don’t want the library staff after you, do ya?”

Oliver felt a bit of relief as she answered. He chuckled and nodded as she recommended lowering his voice. He made an attempt to keep his voice lower as he responded. ”Yeah. I sometimes don’t notice how loud I am.” He looked back down at his manga, flipping the page. ”Do you mind if I call you Cia? I was thinking about your name again, and thought it might be a cool nickname.” He grinned over at her after speaking.

”Hmm?” Melicia muses once more as Oliver asks another question. Honestly she'd rather sit in silence, lost in the words of her book but she also didn't want to scare off the one genuine person she'd met today. Oliver was a good person, she had decided, and Melicia need some of those in her life. ”Yeah, sure. Call me whatever,” she says somewhat dismissively as her eyes flicker to the next page of the book. Realizing she may have been coming across as rude she lifts her head to meet the boy's gaze. ”And what do people call you?”

”Cool! I guess some of my friends call me Oli, if you like that better you can use it.” Oliver watched as her focus stayed on the book. He decided he’d let her be the next one to speak, after all she was trying to find the library and he just happened to tag along. He felt pretty comfortable next to her too, not finding her to be rude or anything. He focused on his manga, and in a short time, finished it. He sat the book down on the table and leaned back, still chuckling at some of the events in the story.

”Oli, 'aight," she echoes back before returning to her book. In that she embraces the sweet silence of the library, the scent of the pages and the feel of them between her fingers. She doesn't say another word until a bell rings over the school. She looks up into the ceiling in confusion before pulling out her dingy little phone to check the time. 1:45pm. It was then she remembered there was an assembly she was meant to be at. Really both her and her new guide should be at but in the fluster of her brain and the fear of doing anything out of line she stood up. Her chair squeaks as it's pushed across the floorboards.

”I gotta go, but it was good to meet you… Oli," she says as she closes her book, leaving it atop one of the stocking carts and backing toward the door. ”Uh… bye," she calls back before accidentally backing into a cart. She readjusts herself then turns for the door, following the crowds out.

Oliver looked at his small screened off-brand smartphone, seeing the time. “Oh right.” Before he could elaborate that he should be going too, she had already set her book down and backed toward the door. After she said bye, he held up a hand in a wave, seeming a little confused by her sudden departure when they both had to go to the assembly. ”See ya, Cia.” Oli grinned at the amusing coincidence of her name and his usual farewell matching up. He put his manga on a return cart and jogged to the doorway, where he was immediately slowed by the migrating crowd of students.

Sum up your week in roleplaying in just 3 words

Full of anticipation

Edgebaston Academy - SoL High School RP

“Gibbs,” A gruff voice calls from the outside of Melicia’s cell. Melicia looks up to see the burly figure of one of the juvy’s very many stone-faced guards. “Come with me.” As the guard unlocks the cell door Melicia picks up her small box with the few belongings she decided to keep and silently follows the guard down the hallway. With it being exercise time all of the inmates were outside leaving the halls eerily quiet. She was first taken to collect the few items she had on her when she was admitted, just her clothes, wallet and her earrings and a fresh set of civilian clothes- just a basic pair of jeans, a white top and a beaten looking red jacket. It wasn’t until she was fresh out of prison garb and pulling out the broken off teeth of a plastic comb from the holes in her ears did it properly hit her that she was finally getting out of the hellhole. She gripped the sides of the small sink in the grubbly little bathroom of the processing area as emotions swirled inside of her. Mixtures of fear and excitement, joy and unease, anticipation and the feeling that a small part of her was going to miss this place. They all tugged on her heartstrings in different ways, causing the threats of tears in her eyes. The brunette took a shaky breath before putting her first of many earrings back into her left lobe piercing. Oh, that was a feeling she never thought she would miss, the weight of the cold metal on her ear. It seemed so mundane yet it had been well over a year since she’d known that feeling.

After she had gotten changed Melicia went through the final forms and was briefed over her parole expectations and support services before she was escorted out of the prison’s confines by 2 burly guards. In the parking lot stood Molly, Melicia’s case worker, leaning against her little white kia. “Six-thirty, they told me, 6:30am on the dot but here I am at 7:45, still waiting for you,” she complains as Melicia comes into earshot. Melicia just gives her a half smile in return. Unlike many of Melicia’s fellow prisoners she was lucky to just have the one case worker through her whole sentence, and Molly was a good one. Despite a rocky start the pair had built a rapport over Melicia’s time in juvie.

"Regardless, congratulations on your release. How're you feeling?" The older woman questions, pressing the button on her key causing the car to make a little chirp as it unlocks. Melicia shrugs in response as the woman opens the boot of the car and takes the box from her.

”I don’t know, honestly. I’m glad to finally be out but I don’t know. This school seems way too… proper? I reckon the freedom itself is a lil’ terrifying after bein’ locked up so long,” Melicia replies opening the back door of the car.

“You’ll be fine.” Molly responds, closing the boot and slipping into the driver’s seat. “I’ve got a suitcase for you, just state funded clothes and school supplies. I tried to pick out stuff I thought you’d wear but it’s slim pickin’s so don’t expect anythin’ too fancy. I’m still fighting to get the state to fund you a laptop. I did manage to get you this, though,” Molly passes a small touchscreen motorola phone. Melicia slowly takes it from the woman, turning it slowly in her hands. Man, she’d barely seen a phone in the last 15 months despite the light illuminating from the night guards hands and they distracted themselves with their devices. She turns it in her hands slowly. “I know it ain’t much but it’s better than nothin’,”

”No, no, it’s fine. Thanks. I ‘spose the new Melicia just rejects technology,” she half-jests before setting into her seat. As Molly starts up the car she watches as the drab grey building in the distance gets smaller and smaller. On to a new chapter.

---

---

Time: 11:16

As the little kia rolled up onto the curb Melicia couldn’t help but be taken aback by the grandeur of the place. Between her family home, oft in disrepair, and prison living in a place with such lush gardens and buildings so easy on the eye. Her hand floated to the handle to open the door until Molly spoke up.

“Melicia, before I let you go we need to go over the rules of your parole,”

”Oh, no. They went over it in processin’ so I’m-”

“I’m sure they did but procedure-wise I need to go through it again with you. Your parole officer will meet with you at 4pm on Wednesdays, Edgebaston is kindly allowing a meeting room in their office to be free for this. As time passes this will likely become less frequent. Taking into account the crimes committed it is not a requirement your peers be made aware of your criminal history but the staff have all been told. Parole is a privilege, not a right, if you're found committing even a minor offense your parole will cease and you will have to serve the rest of your sentence in juvenile detention. Do you understand?”

Melicia sighs, her eyes distracted by the grand gates. It was moments like these she was reminded her parole officer was indeed not just a family friend but someone doing her job. "Yes Ms. Molly," she sighs, unbuckling her seatbelt. Molly turns back to her with a softened gaze.

"Melicia, you'll be great, sweetie. Just take it a day at a time, okay? And if you need anythin', and I mean anythin', my number is in your phone," Melicia swore she almost saw a tear in her case worker's eye but Molly turned back to face the windscreen before she could be sure.

”Thanks, Ms Molly, for everythin'," Melicia responds, opening her door.

"The suitcase and backpack in there are both yours. Have fun, be good. I'll touch base with you in November,"

Melicia goes to the trunk and pulls out her possessions. She shoves the bots and pieces from her box into the beaten blue backpack and slings it over her right shoulder. She takes the suitcase in the other hand and looks at the large metal gates before her, seeming more inviting than the mocking steel of the prison cells. She gives a shaky breath to stabilize the butterflies in her stomach and takes the forst steps toward her new future.

As soon as she entered the gates she was greeted by blonde boy who called out "I didn't know that North Carolina had moose season, but here we are!" Melicia looked at him and scrunched her face in disgust, it was a weak insult at best. Then says nothing but moves on into the school.

The Witches & Warlocks of Tanner 2.0

A @Sailorsadie & @Soufflegirl123 collab
Starring: Delaney Barlowe & Miles Price

---

---

As the wolves lunged forward Miles coolly walked- well half-walked, half stumbled- over to Delaney, a smile widening on his face. "Delaney!” he greets her cheerfully as if they very much weren’t being attacked. "What’s new?” he asks, his eyes floating to a werewolf creeping around the side. As oblivious to the whole situation he looked, Miles knew exactly what he was doing. Between growing up training together and the many drunken bar brawls their benders had landed them, Delaney and Miles had a synergy about them when it came to fights, and playing wingman for one another but that seemed unneeded for either of the friends tonight.

Looking away from Lilith and Rowan, she groaned at the sight of the werewolves. She just couldn’t catch a break tonight. Delaney immediately perked up at seeing Miles and a smirk spread across her face. ”Typhoon!” Stumbling a bit as the rum still had full reign over her body, she nodded her head over to Rowan and wriggled her brows. ”You’ll never guess what happened.” For the moment she acted as if she were ignoring the wolves, but her body was vibrating with her energy, ready to aide Miles.

Miles follows the woman’s gaze to where Rowan was standing. Miles couldn’t help but make an impressed whistle, raising his eyebrows. "Well done. Not to brag but-” he nods toward Lilith while taking a step closer to his friend. "We still got it,” as he says those words he puts his hand out to high-five Delaney, only hoping she knew what he was asking.

Her eyes followed his look to Lilith and she raised a brow. Were they seriously on again? She was happy for her friend, but worried that this would end in total catastrophe. Again. Looking up at his hand, Delaney’s smirk widened. She was more than ready to kick some ass, though it was probably an incredibly terrible idea. ”Hell yeah we do.” She raised a hand and high-fived his own before wrapping her fingers around his hand to hold it. Her body hummed as her energy shifted to Miles.

A matching smirk spread across Miles’ face as Delaney grabbed his hand. "Oh, won’t our night’s lovers be pleased,” he jokes, gripping onto her hand in return as he feels the power running through him. Miles closes his eyes for a moment, honing into the wolf behind him, probing deep into its mind, its thoughts. With Delaney’s siphoned power he managed to push through walls usually near impossible for him to break into the mind. Soon he was in, staying connected was a struggle, he knew they could keep this up for too long but definitely long enough to cause some havoc. "So, where to first?” he asks Delaney.

Breathing in through her nose, out through her mouth, she blinked to wipe away the alcohol haze that was clouding her senses. Delaney’s entire body hummed as she looked around at the crowd forming. She smirked and glanced over at Miles, her hand squeezing his. ”You know me best, Miles. Let’s party.” She gave him a wink.

"Let’s go, disco inferno,” Miles replies, closing his eyes and calling for the wolf to bounce into his comrades. Claws flying, it was sent around the room hitting its friends that were at an advantage at inopportune moments and to take a couple of hits all the same. But with every hit Miles became more weary, control magic was a battle of the mind and attacking someone your loyalties lie with always brings its challenges. For a while it wasn’t too hard to hide, Delaney’s power definitely gave Miles the boost to stay in control for longer than he could dream alone. For a moment more he stayed silent, beckoning the wolf to pounce on another and deliver a bite to his friend’s bottom.

As Miles continued to siphon her energy, Delaney wobbled more on her feet. She felt like she was going to vomit everywhere. But, she sucked it down and kept her attention fully on the task at hand. Gripping Miles’ hand, she took a shaky breath and glanced over at him. Her eyes were shining bright with her energy, but were getting dimmer as time went by. ”Miles…We need to wrap this up and go to the after party.”

Looking over at his friend Miles could see she was just as worn as him. Sweat formed on his forehead resting dewey drops on his hair and brow. It didn't help that they were both incredibly drunk and Delaney somewhat fresh out of a fight but it was also pretty on brand for the pair. "You reckon you got the energy for a good ole bar brawl first? It's been a while." Miles suggests, beckoning the wolf toward them. With a final flash of power he subdues it before them. The wolf still stumbled and moved but seemed utterly dumbfounded in it's place. Miles drops Delaney's hand, hopefully they had the energy to fight.

As his hand dropped, the connection cut out. Delaney sucked in a quick breath at the loss. She studied the wolves in front of her, the realization suddenly hitting her that they could be in way over their heads. Still, she trusted her friend to have her back. Glancing over at Miles, she gave him a lopsided smirk as she brought her fists up in front of her face. ”Typhoon my love, I thought you’d never ask.”

Miles' eyes seemed to glisten at the thought of the oncoming fight. He knew they had maybe a couple of minutes before the wolf shook off its stunned state, hopefully that was enough. With that thought in the back of his mind he lunged at the beast, throwing a fist at it. "I suppose we'll need another drinking day soon, I think we'll both have news after tonight," Miles says nonchalantly over his attacks.

She waited until Miles threw the first hit before coming in for her own, not letting the beast have a second to respond as her fist slammed into it’s jaw. The two worked in perfect tandem, almost as if they had done this plenty of times. Which, indeed they had. As Delaney’s chest heaved with heavy breathing, she laughed a bit at his comment. ”Soon? More like directly after this. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to stay drunk as long as possible from this damn night.”

With every hit from Delaney, Miles seemed to have the perfect response and as did she for his attacks. The stunned wolf being a perfectly barely responsive victim helped too. Miles chuckled at Delaney. "Don't you have a… uh what's the name you use for him," Miles takes his strike to wrack his brain, Delaney had some great nicknames but they were hard to remember sometimes, "Hunky dunk! Don't you have a hunky dunk to get to after this?"

Her fists were starting to hurt each time they impacted the wolf. Damn thing had a hard ass head. At Miles’ question, she perked up and beamed as she remembered what she was doing just moments before. She did in fact have herself quite the date at the end of this night. ”Why, yes I do. And it seems as if you have a Twinkie of your own to party with.” With another hit to the wolf’s face, she huffed out a breath. ”Look at us. We’re finally getting what we want.”

Miles quickly inspected his knuckles, they had gone bright pink from all the punches, turns out wolves weren't as soft as he imagined. "I guess we're gonna have to postpone until later in the week," With his next punch he swore he saw the wolf flinch but Delaney's last line distracted him from bracing themself. "How'd ya know she was what I wanted," Miles replies with an eyeroll, a lame attempt to come off unconcerned by her having that conclusion.

Pausing at his comment, she glanced over at him and returned the eye roll. ”Oh, please.” Delaney shook her head and kicked her leg up, connecting her heel with the wolf’s stomach. She stumbled back and groaned. Maybe she shouldn’t do any kicks while drunk as all hell. ”You can pull that crap with other people, but not with me. You’ve been jonesing after her the whole time I’ve known you.”

Miles huffed as he felt his face grow hot. He hoped the pink in his face from the alcohol covered the colour change the blood rush supplied. "Oh shut it," he replies in jest. "I wasn't jonesing," In response to Delaney’s kick he elbows their adversary to get greeted by his 2 beady eyes aiming themselves at him. The spell was starting to wear if it seemed. "We might need something stronger soon,"

Delaney couldn’t help another eye roll. Of course the man was jonesing for Lilith. It was something he couldn’t really hide all that well. From her, at least. As the wolf finally centered itself on them, she let out a breath and held out her hand to Miles. ”All we need is one final blow. I can handle it. Can you?”

Miles nodded, grabbed her hand with a tight squeeze. Once again he could feel the power run through him, somehow he felt more sober and more intoxicated all at once. "Airhorns?" he offers, being his favourite sound to blast into the heads of his victims.

As she squeezed his hand, she gave a slight nod of her head before looking once more at the wolf. Her eyes narrowed as they glowed from her power. Delaney let out a slow calming breath, focusing everything on the power she was giving to Miles. ”Whatever you do, just make it count.”

At his friend’s command Miles gave a nod of his head. His grip on her hand tightened a little more as he pushed his magic back into the wolf’s head accompanied by the trumpeting sound of airhorns. Usually they were better for disarming or causing a headache at best but between the wolf already barely standing and Delaney pumping her magical energy into him Miles was able to make the sound ricochet, seemingly penetrating the brain itself. Harsher and harsher he beckoned the horns until, suddenly, the wolf fell to the ground. It was hard to tell if it was dead or just knocked out but with the threat gone for now Miles didn’t bother to check. With the adrenaline releasing him Miles could recognise the gifts of the fight. The achy hands and joints and a sleepiness that came from using most of your power. He hadn’t even noticed he was panting. Miles turned to Delaney and gave her a weary thumbs up, trying to gauge her condition.

As the power continued to be siphoned out, Delaney watched as the wolf finally fell. Her chest heaved with exhaustion. With the alcohol already overpowering her system, she wobbled on her feet. She looked over at Miles and returned his thumbs up before falling back onto the ground, her behind hitting the ground hard. Groaning, she ran her free hand over her face, cringing as her fingers brushed over her still broken nose. Her eyes drooped. ”Good, I’m good. How many more?”

As Delaney starts to stumble Miles makes an attempt to grab her arm but with the effects of his drinking also returning all he achieved was stumbling forward a couple of steps and laughing at his friend. At her question Miles looks around the room, despite the frenzy around them the werewolves did seem outnumbered. "I think they’re all in good hands,” he reports. "Should we get that nose of yours fixed? I would hate for you to leave a bad impression on your new beau,” Miles offers, holding out his arms to help pull Delaney up if she accepts.

She scrunched her nose up at Miles, immediately regretting the action. Delaney cringed before reaching up, wrapping her arms around his arms. She looked around, trying to spot Rowan. She groaned when she couldn’t see him. Maybe he didn’t see her fall. That would definitely work out in her favor. With a shake of her head, she looked up at Miles and her brows furrowed. ”For your information, he has seen me like this, and he thinks I could still be a model. So. Screw you.”

As Delaney wraps her arms around his, Miles pulls her up, unable to stop himself from stumbling back a couple of steps in the process. "Hey now,” he muses in mock hurt. "I’m just looking out for your wellbeing, if you wanna suck face with your nose all jacked up like that, be my guest,”

Stumbling a bit forward as she was pulled up, she grumbled and eyed the man. ”You can be an ass sometimes.” She let go of his arms and huffed out a breath. Looking around, she nodded a bit before looking back at him. ”Fine. Fine. Let’s go fix me up then see if anyone else needs help. But this conversation isn’t over. I want to know how you wrangled Twinkie back into your good graces.”

"That’s why you love me,” Miles replies to Delaney’s first comment, a cheeky smile spreading on his face. At her agreement to get fixed up, Miles starts wandering toward the alchemy lab, dropping a stray siren into another werewolf’s head in the meantime. Delaney probing brought Miles to stop and turn to her, his face once again twisting in a look of mock hurt. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. With my irresistible charm, of course. You don’t see me questioning how you got Mr Hunky Dunk so fast,”

Delaney was walking along with him to the lab before he turned to face her. She stopped in her tracks, wobbling a bit. Rolling her eyes at his comment, she brought her hands up, then moved her arms down. ”Pfft. With all this, of course. How could anyone resist?” She knew she looked like absolute crap at the moment, adding to the humor of her statement. Truth was, she didn’t know how she landed someone like Rowan either. ”You almost had this at one point yourself. But nope. Off limits to you, good sir. I am an almost taken woman.”

Miles stifled a laugh. "If I remember correctly, I did have all that at one point. We would have been far too powerful together anyway. Besides, looks like I’m essentially a taken man now anyway,” he slurs before spinning on his heel to continue the march to the alchemy lab.

She scrunched her nose then berated herself for the motion. She definitely needed to get her nose fixed. Delaney continued to follow after him as she huffed out a breath. She had forgotten that she slept with him at one point. ”Damn. Who in this place haven’t I slept with?” The thought sickened her and tears immediately misted over her eyes. Damn, was she drunker than all hell. ”Why would Rowan want someone like me then? I’m damaged goods.”

At Delaney’s first question Miles gave a chuckle replying with "You and me both,” but that was when she started tearing up. Miles turns his neck to look back at her. This was not the catch up he expected. He purses his lips, trying to figure out how to respond. "We call it experience. I don’t think Rowan’s gonna care how many people you’ve slept with, why should he? I got Li back- maybe- I think that means there’s hope for people like us yet,” As he talks he leads her to the alchemy lab, opening the door and ushering her in. The last thing they needed right now was either of them having a breakdown in the middle of the temporary battlefield.

As Miles spoke, she sniffled and nodded along to his statement. He was right. Of course he was right. ”Of course there’s hope for us. Look at us, we’re hot shit.” She moved past him and entered the lab, looking around. Delaney sighed and looked around. ”Is there any rum in this place? I need some rum, some potion for this nose, and then I’ll be all set to kick some more ass.” She moved over to the shelves and ran her fingertips over everything. She hadn’t been in this room in ages. ”Hope you know what you’re doing in here. I don’t need to down anything that’d give me two heads or some shit.”

"A second head coming right up,” Miles jokes, pushing past the female to get to the potions cabinet. Lucky for him, Carlisle had taken a couple earlier so Miles was pretty sure he was correct in his selection. He pulls a pink vial out of the cabinet, a word scrawled on the bottle that probably said healing but the handwriting wasn’t very legible. "For you, m’lady,” he says, resting the bottle on both his hands and holding it up to her.

Eyeing the bottle, she reached over and took it out of his hands. She looked it over and couldn’t make out the writing. Huffing out a breath, she shrugged her shoulders. ”Well. Guess I don’t have much to lose. Bottoms up.” Delaney took another breath before taking off the cap and slamming the contents of the bottle back. Squeezing her eyes at the flavor, she set the bottle down and stuck her tongue out. ”Ugh. You’d think they’d make these things at least taste adequate. Pretty sure I just tasted feet.”

"Maybe you can be the next potion master, make that your life’s work, good tasting healing potions,” Miles muses, sliding onto one of the benches. "So, Rowan, hey? What’d he do to win your heart?”

She considered the notion and tilted her head. It didn’t sound too bad. She shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the spot next to him. ”Maybe I could. Couldn’t be that far away from bartending, you know? I’m always making new drinks at work.” At his question, she couldn’t help the slight blush creeping up her neck. Delaney raised a brow and looked at him. ”Uh, hello. Have you not seen the guy?”

"It’s the hair, isn’t it?” Miles teases, laying himself on the bench. His eyes were drawn to the ceiling. He didn’t know if it was the alcohol or the fighting but, man, was he tired. "Made you blush,” he tacks on before even looking at Delaney to confirm, he didn’t need to, he knew he was right.

Delaney rolled her eyes at him as she leaned back. She looked around the room as she let in a slow breath. She’d never really been in love before and didn’t know what the hell she was doing. Thankfully, she had her good buddy to get information from. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth before speaking. ”How’d you know you were in love with her?”

"Hm?” Miles initially replies as he tries to process his friend’s question. He remained in silence for a moment, mulling it over. Part of him wanted to claim he hadn’t thought about it but that was a lie, there were many evenings he lay in his dorm or little apartment in Olympia trying to figure out how he couldn’t fall for anyone else the way he had Lilith. Maybe not the same question but both came to similar conclusions at some point. "The first or second time? For when we started dating in high school? I dunno, I guess I kinda just did. We were just on the same wavelength about a lot of things I guess. But after that? Everything just kinda came back to her. Didn’t matter how far I moved or who I dated or slept with or whatever, it just didn’t feel right like they way being with her did. I dunno if that helps you at all,”

As she listened to his story, she continued to nod along. She felt the potion slowly repairing her face and she finally was able to breathe out of her nose. Delaney closed her eyes briefly in relief before opening them again. Glancing over at Miles, she watched his face as he spoke. She cleared her throat before looking down at her own hands, placed in her lap. ”Do you think you could love somebody without really having done anything with them?”

"Anything in what way?” Miles asks, sitting himself up to get a better view of his friend fidgeting with her hands.

Letting out a slow breath, she gave a slight shrug of her shoulders as she continued staring at her hands. She hated being vulnerable, hated showing anyone the soft side of her. But Miles was different. He had seen every side of her and never judged her. He was basically her second best friend. Delaney cleared her throat. ”Like, anything. No kissing, no intimacy…Just, them being them. Me being me.”

Miles shrugged. "That’s how Lil and I started, I would say ‘and now it’s going pretty good’ but we both know that until tonight that’s a big fat lie.” Miles thinks for a moment longer. He hated this introspection stuff but there was a comfort with Delaney that made it easier. Figures that the mind isn’t going to think someone who’s seen you at your messiest and drunkest state will think ill of you for much else. it seemed that introspection was all people wanted to do tonight "I guess for people like us that’s a breath of fresh air. We can’t rely on intimacy, you and I,”

Miles takes another sharp breath, he really hated this introspective admission of guilt thing. So, so much. With his mother already somewhat opening the discussion earlier, something was fresh on his mind. "You and I both know intimacy wasn’t really the building blocks of Lil’s and my relationship, not a stable one at least… not with me… finding my fill in other places,” as those last words came out, Miles’ voice became shaky. Sure, he used to hide behind claims of being in a casual relationship to sleep around but he’d never openly admitted the weight of his actions, never openly thought about it. He clears his throat, trying to hold himself back from also becoming misty-eyed himself. "It was kinda everything else that kept pulling me back to her,”

Delaney nodded along in understanding. She herself used to hide her relationship issues in the arms of several other people, never fully being open to show her true colors to one single person. Hell, she’d even used Miles at one point. She knew she couldn’t look at him as she heard the emotion in his voice. He wouldn’t want her to look at him, to see him miserable. The two knew each other well enough. In reality, her and Miles were very much the same person. It was true they couldn’t rely on the intimacy of another person. There was no vulnerability there. Their true intimacy relied on what happened when they were fully clothed. And it was scary as hell.

She gave a small laugh to break up the heaviness of the room. Delaney was about to admit something out loud that she hadn’t even admitted to herself. ”Well. Maybe it’ll be different for you and Twinkie this time around. You deserve to be happy.” With a forced breath out, she shrugged. ”And I’ve been realizing that I do too. And-” she paused for a moment before her confession. ”I think I may be in love with Rowan.” She quickly shook her head before continuing. ”Which is crazy, right? We haven’t really spoken about any kind of feelings to each other. Never really hung out except for at the bar. But there’s just- there’s something about him, you know?”

Delaney’s chest felt heavy. She needed another drink. With a shake of her head, she looked around and groaned when she didn’t find any alcohol. She definitely didn’t want to go back out there, either. Which brought her attention back to what was actually happening all around them. She straightened her back against the bench. ”So. Werewolves. What in the actual fuck, right?”

At Delaney’s confession Miles gives her a smile. "Then, good on ya, you deserve to be happy too. I say go for it, you’ll never know if it’s right if you don’t try. I guess we’re both starting to get a bit old to be sleeping around so much anyway.” Miles then swings his legs back around to lay back on the benches as Delaney reminds him of the battle raging outside. Right now it wasn’t really where Miles wanted to be, he was content here, even if his chest was tight from the deep conversation. "It’s a weird world. How’d you think they got in?”

She snorted at the ‘too old’ bit. Shaking her head, she ran a hand through her hair and winced when she caught the edges of some glass. Damn, she was a mess. Delaney sucked in her bottom lip with her teeth as she thought. The last thing she remembered before the party crashers was the barrier. Her eyes widened a bit. ”The barrier. It’s broken. I felt it.” She shrugged. ”I’ve always been able to feel it as this like, gentle humming thing, right? And now I don’t. It’s gone.”

"Oh, yeah, that happened,” Miles responds dryly as he’s reminded of the things that had pulled Lil away from him. "We… we should head back out, shouldn’t we? Don’t want to keep our lovers waiting too long, do we? We don’t really want people getting the wrong idea about us either- who the hell have I become talking like this?” Miles cuts himself off laughing. Only months ago he couldn’t care less about what people would think of anything he did. He suppose Lil added a level of concern for these things now. He wondered if it would last.

Delaney smirked at his laughing and nudged him with her shoulder. ”It’s us getting too old, remember? Starting to have responsibilities now. Sucks, doesn’t it?” She shook her head and stood before holding out a hand to help him up. ”Come on, my nose is all healed up and some of my energy is back. We need to go help the people we love.”

Miles smirked, clasping Delaney’s hand to pull himself up. "Let’s go be knights in shining armour or whatever,” he jokes. "And we’re due for another drinking night, I feel like we’ll have a lot to catch up on after tonight,” Miles walks to the door, pulling it open to the battle that raged outside.

What Are You Listening To?

Age of Darkness: Despair of the Golden Goddess (LoZ RP)

Meki awoke to the sound of the cuccos, their call seemed to beckon her all the way from the river. She'd noticed the water was warmer, well at least lacked the ominous chill of the other day. She gripped her spear in her hand to make sure it remained then pulled herself out of the water. She took a deep breath of the cool meadow air before completely removing herself from the river. She then made her way back to Kakariko Village.

Along the way children had gathered in their group in the puddles on the shore, all greeted her with waves and 'good morning'. The people of the village were so outgoing and welcoming. Meki responded back with waves of her own, answering the occasionally questions but dodging others, she had one goal in mind today, find the Impa woman many spoke of.

It took some time of Meki trying to recollect her bearings, without the direction of the water Kakariko village was a nightmare to navigate, and many questions to many villagers but eventually she finds herself at the bottom of a set of stairs to a simple house. She looks up at the door steps above her and takes a shaky breath. The woman might not even be home? Or perhaps she wasn't all that friendly. Pushing all the doubt down she calls out a shaky "Hello? Impa?"