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hoggleswart · 2 years

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TWO YEARS OF NOXTMS ( DAY TWO )

ft. dudley dursley , liana burke , julius crabbe , luca moltisant , eulalia karkaroff & theodore budak .

( @ddudleys ) — from the very first day i joined nox, from the very first second tbh, i have been obsessed with your dudley & that obsession only continues to grow. the development ?? the original ideas behind him ?? the fact you’ve taken a character people so rarely play and moulded him into someone with so much substance is an utter delight. his character truly brings me so much joy to read. i love that he’s become involved in the magical community. i love how he talks and thinks. his little gestures. i just love dudley dursley. i would lose my mind if someone so much as plucked a hair from his head. just post my unfollow now, i’ll convert this into a vicky’s dudley dursley fanpage instead.

( @valiantiisms ) — i am !!! forever !!! thinking about the burkes since you brought in liana. and i mean that in a good way. the best way. ezekiel is one of my newest muses. i created him solely for nox and i was so very nervous about that, which makes me even more thankful to have liana around. i love how much thought you’ve clearly put into their character. the way you’ve considered their childhood, their relationships, their views on certain life events. you’ve really gone above and beyond to develop their story, and it shows every time we write or talk. the way liana is soft, but also someone i know i absolutely do not want to anger or upset is something i am completely obsessed with. very looks like a cinnamon roll, but could actually murder you if necessary vibes. sending my adoption papers through for liana to sign any day now, thanx.

( @dolors ) — i feel like i need to start this by first making two declarations. 1. i live and breathe the crabbe family. i am so very attached to them all and it would’ve been easy to dedicate an entire post to them & only them. 2. it was …. damn near … impossible to pick just one of your characters because cherry? cherry !!!!!! you are a true genius when it comes to writing. every single one of your muses own a piece of my heart. the thought you put into them and their background is always outstanding, breath-taking, other words i can’t think of right now. so many times i’ve forgotten anton karkaroff isn’t a canon character because now i know him, i couldn’t imagine the universe without him and the exact same thing is happening with julius. reading his interactions is a bit like reading my favourite shakespeare play. there’s tragedy, there’s bittersweet humour, there’s heartbreak. there’s everything. i’ve had so much fun getting to know him since you brought him into our crazy, little world and i can’t wait to delve even deeper. 10/10 would support him pushing any of my characters through a champagne fountain, even arthur.

( @woesbegone ) — time to repeat my earlier declaration ^^^ i live and breath the crabbe family !!! rachel, i genuinely don’t know ? how to put into words how much i adore this character of yours. it was hard enough picking just one because i could’ve easily gushed about antigone, ginny, mary, everyone, but luca in particular? i am on my knees ready to propose. you had me the second you said ‘fiona gallagher parallels’ and you have been delivering ever since. in my house, i support girls who brawl. i hope she kicks zeke’s ass one day over her shitty apartment. fully support it. a great bonding experience for them both. i love how fierce luca is. i love how ready to take on any challenge she is. the day luca attended the malfoy manor ball as a server is the day i bought her engagement ring. but above all, i love how much luca cares about her siblings. those raw, do-anything-for-them family vibes is something i find? so relatable and so fun to read. i’m also constantly *eyes emoji* at her threads with marcus and percy. i find the dynamics / connections so neat and can’t wait to see where they go. all in all, i’m obsessed. i will be starting a luca’s anonymous support group imminently as i imagine i am not the only one suffering from this obsession.

( @hvllcwedground ) — mozzie, where do i even start !!!! with this one ??? eulalia vivienne karkaroff could squash me like a damn bug and i’d simply thank her for the attention. i was very torn between gushing over her or blaise because they both hold themselves with such presence that they consistently live rent-free in my mind, but in the end, it had to be eulalia. there is something so captivating about every eulalia thread i read. the way you write her mannerisms blows me away. there’s always so much elegance and poise. the way you just know if looks could kill, her body count would be higher than her husband’s. she literally oozes power and i think that’s her right. everybody thinks zeke works for anton, but truthfully, sometimes? i think lil bit he works for eulalia more. that’s the real boss. i’m off to make eulalia for minister posters.

( @tiimetvrners ) — this was originally going to be helene because we love one hot, boss-ass bitch who’s also a good mom ! then kasper tried to takeover. my fave lil troublemaker, definitely drew the paternal short straw with zeke as his dad, but ultimately, i had to go for theodore. it’s where my heart automatically led me because i simply ? love theo !!! so much. his one liners make me smile stupid whenever i read his threads. the way he holds himself with this air of .. ‘i literally couldn’t care less’ abt some things is such a slytherin alumnus vibe. he’s blunt and and funny, and i genuinely just think about him a lot. A LOT. he’s swell.

#nox.task #!! DO U KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS #to not just gush over EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER #bc let me tell u -#i would Die for them all #i love u all and ur all bursting with talent

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changeling-kisser · 3 years

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GENESIS - Session 81 - 03/18/21

Things continued to be tense!!!

Things I forgot to mention from the last session:

We managed to solve the lever and door puzzle, and by we solved it I mean Argos brain blasted and dragged all the destroyed sentries between the doors while they were opened and prevented them from closing.

He also got Antigone un-stuck in a lightning trap by using the rubber balls we found in the basement to block the lightning and let us pass through a hall of lightning traps safely.

We then found a study room of sorts!

Continued into Session 81:

We found Thorn! He was unconscious on a table in the middle of a ritual. Disrupting the ritual had the potential to leave lasting side effects on the patient inside the ritual, so the party debated on whether or not to disrupt the ritual or not. (Mostly Nil didn’t want to, but they were eventually convinced to.)

We needed to find a third run to properly interrupt it though.

We solved a puzzle involving rearranging all the books that had been left out on the tables by... Okay so, each month on Eberron corresponds with each of the dragonmarked houses, right? We had to arrange the books, which were about each House, in order based on which month came first.

Anyways, solving this opened up a secret passage that lead us to the third rune. We disrupt the ritual, Thorn wakes up, and it’s very clear most of his memories had been wiped. We debate a little more on what to do next, because a portal had also opened up in a nearby room and some of us wanted to jump into it first, while the rest of us wanted to bring Thorn to Rose immediately.

We end up bringing Thorn to Rose, Rose is horrified at what’s been done to his friend and flies into a rage, nearly lashing out at us. Nil steps up and manages to talk Rose down, we all fill him in on what Merrix had been doing while reassuring him that Merrix’s actions are not in line with the rest of flesh-kind who wish to actually help warforged. Rose demands we take him to Merrix.

We HAPPILY oblige, hoping to watch Merrix get his ass kicked.

LITTLE BIT OF BACKTRACKING FOR CONTEXT:

We contacted Merrix d’Cannith to try gaining permission to enter The Cogs, because our Waymarkers all pointed to somewhere below The Cogs once we united them all. He invited us to dinner at his manor.

Once we arrived, it became apparent to us that something was wrong with the warforged working under Merrix. They all said similar things to one another, they were all suspiciously chipper, they all had THE MOST PLAIN WHITE BREAD HUMAN NAMES IMAGINABLE, and they grew incredibly cagey when pressed about their past, how Merrix helped them, or anything about Merrix past surface stuff and praise.

Merrix tried to make it seem like he had the wellbeing of all warforged in mind in everything he did, but none of us trusted that was true.

Nil immediately suspected brainwashing. Freegift suspected some kind of reprogramming. Antigone found a warforged named Rose (who is someone Nil was asked to find for a changeling woman Barnie), and after Tig helped Nil sneak upstairs, Nil finds out that Rose has a close friend who came to Merrix for similar help dealing with PTSD. Said friend’s name is Thorn, and Nil was told that if they found him, to say hi from Rose.

... but also Nil was trying to convince Rose that if he stayed at the manor, he was going to get his brain washed. Rose demanded proof of this, so Nil and the rest of the crew set out into the basement to look for Thorn as said proof.

BACK ON TRACK NOW:

At the dinner table, Percy is slumped forward in tummy agony after eating ALL of the undercooked brownies Antigone got roped into making. We burst in, Rose dragging Thorn with him by the hand.

Rose confronts Merrix, the party has his back while blocking one of the exits, Nil moves to the other doorway so Merrix can’t try to run an escape while they, Nil, and Aelinor all add their voices to Rose’s as we confront Merrix about how shitty it is for him to be wiping the memories of traumatized warforged and turning them into his perfect little slaves.

Merrix tries to defend himself, doubling down on how he only wants to help them. We go back and forth for a bit, he eventually asks us all (a group of heavily traumatized individuals)

“If you were given the chance to undo all of the pain and suffering you’ve endured, would you not take it?” to which all of us immediately yelled “NO!!!” and then pressed the importance of proper help and therapy, along with how down-right horrible it is to take away the autonomy of a living person (warforged.) Merrix doesn’t budge at first, and it almost seems like he’s going to move to escape through one of the windows, but then one of his warforged servants approaches him in distress from all of the yelling and asks him, “I’m sorry Lord Merrix, did I do something wrong? Is there something I can do to fix this?” which wakes Merrix up to his own handiwork. He immediately grows horrified at what he’s done, and becomes apologetic.

Upon seeing genuine remorse, most of us soften our tone and give Merrix a starting point on how he can make right all the wrong he’s done, and how to properly be a good ally and help warforged in general.

He then opens up to us about the ritual itself, (which we already know requires bonding warforged to quori) and makes a hint as to who the first patient was. We have a growing suspicion of who it is, but upon realizing we did not actually step foot into the portal that opened up when we placed the runes on the table, he welcomed us to go back into the basement and look for ourselves, unable to tell us himself.

We. RUSHED. Back down there like kids on the way to a candy store. But not before consoling Percy, who was incredibly upset that the first member of her own house that she finally felt like she could trust, had once more let her down. (She had gotten into a fight with Jorlana that night, so she wasn’t feeling very good about House Cannith)

Argos also ends up inviting Percy to come along with us, as he figures she has a right to witness what her house has done, if she so chooses. (Not like, to rub her nose in it, but just like “Hey. We know you want to help undo the pain your house has caused. This might give you some fuel to your fire, also you deserve to know your own history.”)

And then we rushed back down to the portal. And jumped in.

END SESSION.

H O O..... ALSO SORRY THAT I DON’T HAVE ANY DOODLES FROM THIS SESSION, I WAS WAY TOO ENTHRALLED TO STOP AND DRAW.

#tabletalk-Wayfarers

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juultones · 6 years

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ok hi angels!!!! betty and i are looking for our small bbs’ ragtag group of best friends!! these little fools have been nearly inseparable since a fateful recess in first grade (though, of course, someone could have joined later on, we’re not picky!!!!) and have been there for the good, the bad n the real fuckin ugly. these people are especially important to sam bc they’ve each hosted his ass for a week or two (one summer, in one case) when things at home got shitty and i’m just REAL EMOTIONAL about them all showing up to rehab once to spring someone IDK OK BIG FEELINGS!!!!

they’ve also been SOULBONDED by an e p i c bus trip across north america the summer after they graduated in the bus they lovingly restored, care of someone’s hippie uncle for a 16th birthday. they share clothes, weed, stories and literally finish each other’s sentences and are just!! good!!!! supportive!!!!! babies!!!!

we’re talking pissing off the aleutian islands, getting kicked out of two hostels in montréal, general fuckery and an unending, PERHAPS UNHEALTHy group text that has been maintained for approximately 8 years (and fuck sam can’t u give up the android!?!?)

requirements: at least a reasonable interest in the outdoors, undying loyalty to #thekrew, and Something keeping them connected to magnolia!!!

they should all be between 21 and 23 depending on birthdays, but should be fairly close in age bc they’ve grown up together!! obviously if your character came later we can sort it, but they should have gone to school!

lots of.. inter-group dating over the years? but sam and antigone are married and these idiots were their witnesses on like fuckin horseback in yosemite or s/t disgusting

sam desjardins // 22, nick robinson park ranger, sarah antigone desjardins // 22, christina nadin, reptile handler, betty jordan mooney // 22, face, veterinarian asst, britt first last // age, face, occupation, player first last // age, face, occupation, player

#fmsrp #requests

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arctic-rising · 6 years

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1-5, 9, 16, & 37!!

tysm for the questions!! this got…real long.

1. Write from the perspective of an outsider of your lair, what is their first impression? How have they discovered this group? How are they greeted?

The young spiral twirled around her companion, twisting among the towering reeds. The skydancer, a map clenched in their claws, laughed as they caught sight of flashes of purple scales. “When do you think we’ll be there?” Impressive stalks of bamboo clattered against each other as the little dragon zipped through it, and then back onto the well worn path. “Well,” The skydancer tilted their head as they looked over the map, “if my calculations are correct, we should arrive there…now!”The tall bamboo- tall enough to reach towards the clear blue sky, seemed tiny in comparison to the massive painted gates that rose into view. Two stone towers with green and orange banners flanked the gate; shadowed figures darting around the structure could just be made out as plush clouds glided over head. The closer the duo approached, the louder the song of wind chimes became. When the shadow of the arch passed over them, they could make out heavy ropes draping bowls of unicorn dust and cerdae sparkle; the golden and red glitter contrasting against the green painted doors. A massive wind flight symbol had been engraved and then painted over in white across each door, splitting it in half when the gates where open. The spiral gasped in delight and fluttered through the open doors. The skydancer followed, smiling as they kept pace with their friend through the crowds. Dragons of all kinds and all flights mingled through the cobble streets- some filtered into inns and taverns, others went straight for shops while some were content to sit underneath over hangs and watch. The spiral soon fluttered back and wrapped herself around her friend, clinging to their fur as they walked. Her wide eyes darted around, moving from a snapper in furs to a ridgeback in armor, then over to a smattering of fae. “You alright there?” The skydancer asked. The spiral looked up at them, her purple eyes turning a soft lavender in the sunshine. “There’s so many dragons here. So many. Didn’t you say this place was hidden?” “Yes! It’s hidden to those outside of the Plateau, and this place’s allies I’d assume. But, if you’ve been around here for a while you can figure out where it is easy enough.” “But how did you figure it out? And where did you get that?” She poked at the parchment with one toe. The skydancer laughed and tugged it away. “This? Got it from a friend! Who got it from another friend, and that one got it from their uncle, and that uncle got it from another friend. Probably.” The skydancer gracefully slid out of the way of an armored bogsneak who bared a white wind flight symbol. She nodded respectfully, and was soon lost to the crowds. “You see, GuidingWinds is a trade hub. It has to rely on visitors to survive, but it wants to be a safe place at the same time, yes? So, tell me friend, what’s the best way to spread word of your little home to your neighbors, and your neighbor’s neighbors without letting all of dragon kind know?” The spiral frowned and thought for a moment. She shrugged. “Word of mouth, but of course you through in some rumors to help keep things under lock and key. You know, some lizards don’t believe this place even exists! But us wind folk know, annnd because we like our reputation we tell others about this place! Only if we like them though. It’s no good ratting your lovely neighbor out when they’ve been nothing but kind.” The spiral blinked, her eyes going impossibly wide. “No- that’s so clever! But what happens if a bad egg gets in anyways?” “That’s what the kingdom champions are for dear. You saw that bogsneak back there, yes? She was one of them- they’re an elite force that keeps the peace, and collects treasures and goods for the kingdoms personal stock. They’re awfully nice until you break the rules. Then they’re not so nice.” The duo’s conversation continued as they slipped through the streets, two smears of color adding to the sea of manes and scales in the afternoon light of the Kingdom.

2. Is there a class difference in your lair? If so, how do the ‘lower’ ranks of their society live? If not, how do they maintain equity?

Ooo, yeah there’s very much a class difference. Thankfully the big wigs up in the castle (mostly lucien and azuleopa) do their best to make sure the treasure is being spread equally throughout the kingdom. Some dragons have more things because they either came into the kingdom with more money, or they’re just really good at saving up and making good investments. Another factor to keep in mind is the fact that the kingdom gets the majority of its cash via trading with visitors and merchants, so how popular someone’s product is can absolutely influence how much money ya got, and more over how comfortable your home is.

uhh the main reason why the royals are rich is probably because taxes. Merchants, both outside and inside the kingdom gotta pay a fee to keep their business legal and approved within the city, but the tax itself is determined by how much you normally sell in a month. there’s math that i can do with this but i dont wanna.

3. How is discipline dealt out? Is there a legal system? Fair trial? Vigilantism?

The criminal is normally arrested and placed in temporary holding cells within the castle until Toxin and Arctic can find a time to determine their fate. If they decide that the crime was a minor offense, they’ll decide that the criminal has to do some time of sitting around in a cell before they can leave. Bigger offenses can lead to banishment or long-term imprisonment (or both, if you don’t rot away in the prison first)

4. Are there any important figures in history involved in your lair? Who are they and why are they significant?

Yes! Two dragons (who have been exalted) named Percy and Iolite were some of the first dragons within the clan before it became the kingdom it is now. Toxin, Arctic, Zaleka, Tahara, Phobia, and Adelaide will tell about stories about them if you ask nicely, but they always seem a little sad and wistful when retelling those tales. Percy was a scribe and Iolite was a very sneaky warrior, although both were said to have had hearts of gold. Iolite and Dawn initially trained Zaleka, and Percy helped plan the initial layout of the kingdom before they left. No one knows where they went, mainly because the dragons that knew them won’t talk about it…

and as a side note, Arctic, Toxin, and Dawn are all pretty important historical figures too but they’re still around

5. How has history constructed & molded your lair’s culture, morals and ideals, if at all?

As mentioned before, Dawn and Iolite trained Zaleka to be the fearsome warrior that she is today, and Zaleka went on to pass that knowledge down to the kingdom champions she’s trained. Kingdom champions have a special type of fighting style that utilizes their strengths to their absolute extent by boosting their skills with their innate magic. For example; Tokyo, a wind skydancer, is SUPER fucking fast already, but he uses his wind magic to make himself extra speedy, which lets him get in and out of situations fast and land a tooooon of quick strikes. Each kingdom champions’ fighting style varies, so it’s difficult to anticipate what’s gonna come next!

The kingdom def puts a lot of emphasis of just being nice to each other. The kingdom used to have a nasty serthis problem, and before they were able to fortify themselves a lot of dragons were lost in the conflicts. You don’t know when someone is going to meet their end, so just being kind to others in what moments you have with them is something the founders of the kingdom really emphasized after they lost a lot of their clanmates.

9. What is the political climate? What are some issues currently in the public’s eye?

the fact that literally every single prince and princess has died except Kima is very much a sore point with long term residents. some have blamed Blister, some have blamed the gods, and some think there’s something else going on. most are just thankful that Kima survived though.

another strain is from the events of Bounty of the Elements! haven’t actually gotten to that with the main lore arc, but because of a lot of the internal conflicts within flights (especially fire flight) trade and merchandise has been lacking in some places.

16. Who holds authority or is looked up to in their society? Do they hold any real power, or is it more of a concept?

Regina and Rahab are the queen and king, so of course they are at the very top of the food chain and technically have the most power. Arctic and Toxin have the most favor and influence over the population because of their history with GuidingWinds itself, and in the kingdom Dawn is the most powerful in terms of magic while Toxin is the most powerful in terms of athletic skill. Andromeda, Lotus, and Ana are pretty tied when it comes to who has the greatest potential to be more powerful than Dawn, and Antigone has the greatest potential to be more powerful than Toxin.

also Gaia is a super powered technically immortal druid but she doesn’t care about climbing the power ladder, so she’s more than content with selling weird plants.

outside of the kingdom is a different story. there’s some uh, demigods running around. Balthazar is one of them and is often called ‘the fighter’ because of his prowess in combat. he’ll absolutely reward you if you kick his ass but it’s super difficult, so don’t get your hopes up. he can also transform into a featherback boar at will, so there’s that. Ruthe is the other demigod! she’s called ‘the caster’ because she’s mastered all types of spell casting. she’s also incredibly difficult to beat, but she won’t reward you for kicking her ass. you might be able to convince her to teach you some tips on magic tho! Ruthe can also transform into a powerful beast, but i have yet to choose which one.

37. Are there any common domesticated animals used as livestock, labor or transport? How did this happen? Are they common place?

have i been meaning to figure this out for a while? absolutely!

have i actually figured it out yet? nope

short answer is that they probably have a bunch of the goat and bird based familiars. which ones, i have yet to decide on. i will say that southmarsh podids are absolutely used to pull carts and stuff like that.

#TYSM FOR THESE!!!#lore archives #sh33pskins

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cleverfoxhound-writes · 6 years

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A writing commission for @maki-washu featuring @mellon-collie ‘s dnd character Maxwell Gascoigne and (my dnd OC) Antigone Astmai.

Tagging: @yesitsmejt @mellon-collie

Word Count: 3066

"We've been traveling for how long now? I’m exhausted," the taller man of the group yawned.

"We've been traveling for two days and you haven't done a thing to be tired over,"

"Come on Antigone, we fought devils, hellhounds and whatever else decided to get in our way. Why are you being such a hardass?" Max scoffed.

"Because I was the one that made sure we didn't get lost on our way here," Antigone shot back.

"Children calm down and let's find an Inn, some hot food, drinks and call it a night," The smaller woman sighed.

"A drink sounds perfect right now," Max sighed.

The trio of travelers had just reached a smaller town on their path to the capitol. They had traveled from the dangerous forests of Ulvenwald and continued northeast to avoid the forests. They reached the small and sleepy village of Evercall. The village seemed simple and quiet but even in their weary state, they knew danger slept in the darkness.

The group made their way to what looked to be an Inn, tied up their horses, made themselves comfortable in the tavern and ordered food and drinks.

"You should have seen the look on his face," Max laughed and almost knocked over his drink.

"You're shitting me, after all of that it was his sister and mother working together?" Shine replied with almost as much vigor as the man.

"That sounds super sleaze," Antigone commented.

"I know, I know," Max chuckled. "Believe me I got the hell outta there when I found out. I'm not dealing with that crazy ass shit,"

The man chuckled before he took a long swig of his drink.

"My, My, My old man you have so many adventures involving women," Antigone began.

"If there's a woman in distress it is my duty to help,"

"Unless she's a fucking vampire. You best believe I didn't forget that shit you got us into with that one woman," Zhine began as she slammed her giant mug down on to the table.

"Aw, come on Zhine, she was in distress, I had to help her,” Max replied.

"You didn't have to," Antigone smirked.

"Yeah until she tried to take a bite out of you," Zhine snorted.

"Yeah...that kinda ruined the mood," Max sighed.

"No kidding," Antigone sneered.

"Look, we got rid of the town's problem," Max laughed.

"You’re lucky the pay was good," Zhine sighed.

The trio were on their way to the capitol to decipher a dream that came to them and only when they defeated the man called Siegfried they discovered their dreams were connected to one another. One finished the other while another began another, and it all centered on the unsuspecting item they carried. For now, they would rest for a few days to recover and took smaller jobs from the townspeople.

"Alright, I'm heading to bed. Try not to drink yourselves stupid," Antigone said as she stood up.

"No promises," Zhine replied

"You know what Antig..." Max began.

"What?" Antigone questioned.

"You never drink with us...why is that?" Max questioned. The blonde haired woman took a moment before she answered the man.

"I can't hold my liquor,"

"Well shit. Who knew that our silent little sniper can't hold her liquor," Max chuckled as he watched the woman disappear up the stairs of the Inn and took a drink.

"I figured as much. I've only seen her drink tea every time we've been to a tavern," Zhine added.

"Hmm...the more you know," Max said and leaned back in his chair. Zhine nodded and took another drink.

"Say Zhine...when we get to the capitol...what do you think will happen?" Max asked somberly. Zhine arched an eyebrow as she shifted in her seat, it was unusual for the man to sound so somber.

“I don't know. I'm sure once we get to the capital we'll figure it out," Zhine replied. A sigh came from the man across from her and soon he downed the rest of his drink.

"I guess you're right,"

"Nervous about something?" Zhine questioned. Max hesitated for a moment and replied with shrug.

"Not really, it's just been a while since I've been back,"

"We're not going to be attacked by all of the women you've wooed and stood up are we?" Zhine arched an eyebrow at the man.

"Nah. I'm sure most of them have forgotten me," Max chuckled.

"Mmmhm. There will be that one woman who is obsessed with you and will try to kill Antigone and me just to have you to herself," Zhine said as she tapped her nails on the table.

"That's terrifying, Zhine please," Max chuckled.

"I'm just saying," Zhine shrugged.

"You two will be fine," Max smirked.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Zhine said and downed the rest of her drink.

"Have more faith in me Zhine. You're the only one that does,” Max laughed a bit.

Zhine arched an eyebrow at the man again, he laughed but she knew there was something deeper behind that laughter, a hint of sadness. They didn't know too much about each other's pasts but what she did know is that he had suffered something tragic enough to leave the church and whatever else he had behind.

"I'm sure Antigone does...even if it is minuscule," Zhine replied. Max scoffed.

"Awww does out little hot and cold blondie friend hurt your feelings that much?" Zhine laughed and kicked her little legs.

"Sometimes," Max sighed heavily.

"You drama queen. She believes in you as much as I do," Zhine replied.

"You say that, but I’m sure she’d leave me to die if she had the choice," Max waved off the smaller woman's comment.

"Stop, she won’t and you two would be up shit creek if I got kidnapped. And you two better come to rescue my ass or I’m haunting the both of you," Zhine huffed.

“That’s a terrible thought…how about another drink?” Max suggested as he waved down the barmaid again. The woman smiled and approached the man with her tray, a smile on her lips.

“Hello, again Miss beautiful,”

Zhine sighed as she watched the man casually flirt with the woman, it was going to be a long night.

The next few days, the trio did small jobs for the village people too afraid to venture outside the safety of the village, they gather materials, herbs, rescued fellow villagers that had gotten lost.

Three days had passed since they arrived and today was their last stay in the village, the sun was barely over the horizon as the two women awaited the last member of their crew. Antigone bounced the shared party gold pouch in her hand before she securely placed the pouch in her travel bag.

“At this rate, you two can drink yourselves stupid,” Antigone commented.

“I will test that theory once we reach the capital,” Zhine smirked.

“By all means. We have enough to evenly split if we need to,” Antigone replied and adjusted her hood.

“Trying to run away Antig?” Zhine arched an eyebrow.

“Far from it. I’m stuck with you all until whatever….where’s the old man?” Antigone noticed that the man was missing.

“I went to his room to wake him up and heard something from his room. So I assumed he was awake,” Zhine began.

“You think something happened to him?” Antigone asked. Zhine shrugged.

“He’s an adult…” Zhine trailed off.

“Really Zhine…”Antigone began. Zhine sighed and crossed her arms.

“I’m mad that you’re right about this,” Zhine began as she started for the entrance. At that moment, the said man strolled out of the Inn and over to the two women.

“Morning ladies,” Max smiled.

“And here I was thinking that something may have happened to you,” Zhine began as she watched the man slick his hair back with a smirk.

“Couldn’t pass up a hot bath,” Max replied.

“I’m sure that’s not all you passed up either,” Antigone murmured.

“What was that Antig?” Max asked as he looked at her expectantly.

“It’s Antigone,” Her sharp blue eyes locked on to his green ones.

“So cold, c’mon you call me old man let me have some fun,” Max replied. The woman rolled her eyes at the man and crossed her arms.

“How are everyone’s rations looking?”

“I think we should be good. Antigone said that there should be one more town before we get to the capitol…” Zhine began

“I don’t know how long it’ll take us to get there though. With the weather it can vary,” Antigone spoke up.

“An estimate?” Max asked.

“Two to three days?” Antigone replied. The two nodded and began to check their travel packs for their rations.

“I think we should stock up a bit more just in case,” Max suggested.

“Sounds good to me,” Zhine nodded.

“Let’s meet back here in an hour?”

The trio agreed before they split up and gather what they needed for their travels, after an hour they were on their way out of the village. Just as they reached the village entrance a young boy ran over to them.

“Excuse me sir are you the leader?” the boy asked as he looked up at Max. Max glanced at the other two before he spoke.

“Not entirely. What can I do for you, my boy?” Max asked.

“I have a message from the winds that traveled through the village when you first arrived,” the boy began.

“The winds?” Max questioned.

“What do you mean?” Zhine questioned

“It’s a religion that focuses on nature, using the spirits of nature to tell them what the human eye can’t see or feel,” Antigone spoke up.

“The message…someone is coming for you…something bad. They’ve been following you since you left,” the boy trailed off.

“Since we left?” Max repeated, confused by the cryptic message.

“That doesn’t explain a lot,” Zhine commented.

“Lauden!”

A woman quickly ran up to the boy and began to usher him away from the trio.

“I-I apologize for my son. Please pay no mind to what he says,” the woman began.

“Woah now. Wait a minute,” Max said as he slid from his horse. “Your son was explaining to us what he heard from the winds. Do you know what he’s talking about?”

The woman sighed and introduced herself as Cecelia and explained that the winds had told her and her sons that someone is searching for the trio. Cecelia also mentioned that the man that lived in the manor in the Eastern part of town had disappeared months ago and recently his body was discovered with his head decapitated from his body. The wife of the man had been looking for the killers ever since.

The trio thanked the woman for the information and her warning to take care while on their journey. The first night was uneventful, and as the second night was when they struck.

“Zhine!!” Antigone shouted as she tried to follow after the dark-garbed men that had snatched the gnome only to be stopped by another dark-garbed man.

“Get the hell out of my way!”

“Antigone watch yourself!” Max shouted and blocked a blade by one assailant and narrowly dodged an arrow aimed for his head. The arrow pierced through his hat and flung it from his head.

“My hat!”

A bright light seemed to explode from her hands as she charged the man, the man barely dodged the attack and missed the follow-up attack that came from her. Max impaled one of the men and savagely twist and ripped the sword from the flesh of the assailant. Max sensed the second man behind him and barely dodged the man’s attack. Though he was able to dodge the weapon he was not able to dodge the claws that sliced his side.

“S-shit!” Max cursed as quickly jumped back to avoid counterattacks. A loud whistle echoed through the forest, a signal to retreat and just as fast as they appeared they vanished.

“Fuck!” Antigone cursed as she tried to keep up with their escape path, and failed. She quickly ran back to the man distraught by the ambush and the kidnapping when she noticed that he gingerly held his side.

“Y-you’re injured,” Antigone commented as the man grunted and stumbled a bit. He took a blow for the woman, he used himself as a distraction so that she could land the killing blow to one of the vampires.

“Nope. I’m fine, it’s just a scratch. I’ll be fine we have to rescue Zhine. Who knows what they will do to her,” Max sighed as he slicked back his hair and held his side.

“Old man don’t pull this tough macho man shit on me. I can smell blood on you,” Antigone said as she watched the man retrieve his sword that had fallen from his hands moments ago.

“Didn’t know you were a bloodhound Antig,” Max grunted as he reached for his sword.

Antigone remained silent and fumed with anger at the man, she could clearly see that he held his side. She knew he was injured and yet he continued as if nothing bothered him.

“Those vampires…do you think they’re the ones that Cecelia’s kid was talking about?” Max asked as he turned to face the woman. ”What’s with the frown?”

“Those vampires had the same insignia that Lambert wore on his clothing back at Siegfried’s manor,” Antigone replied.

“Figures, you’re not hurt are you?” Max questioned.

“I’m fine,”

“Can you pick up their trail? Max asked as he winced.

“Yeah,” Antigone replied as the man placed his hat back on to his head.

“Let’s get a move on. We have to save Zhine,” Max said quietly. “These vampires are stronger than I thought they were,”

“Mm…” Antigone knelt to the ground as she began to look for traces of where the vampires retreated.

As the woman searched the area momentarily she disappeared into the brush, Max looked at his hand through the foliage of the forest some of the light from the moon trickled through the brush and gave him enough light to see the crimson liquid that coated his hand.

“They came from Evercall,” Antigone began. He quickly dropped his hand behind his back before she could see the blood.

“How long will it take us to get back to Evercall?” Max questioned.

“We don’t have our horses so…three hours if we push ourselves,”

“Then let’s go. We don’t have much time,” Max said as he started to walk and stopped and turned to Antigone.

“Uh…you should probably lead,”

Antigone nodded as she looked around the forest and began right, Max silently followed after her.

It took the duo two hours to reach the gates of Evercall and an hour to reach the manor.

“Listen, old man,” Antigone began.

“Hm?” Max glanced at the woman as he continued to survey the manor.

“…Max…,” Her words whispered and the tug on his jacket shocked him and caused him to instantly stop.

“You called me—“Max began. She held up an ungloved hand to his mouth, her crystal blue eyes focused on his green ones.

“I…can’t do this alone….I need you to do this with me so please don’t get yourself killed,” The softness and sincerity of her words were foreign to him but welcomed.

“Antigone…you really are a piece of work you know that?” The man chuckled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You don’t have to worry. I promise,” Max promised as he looked down at her.

“Let me heal you,” Antigone whispered and placed the palms of her ungloved hands on the man’s wound. “Thank you…Antigone,” Warm flooded the man’s side as the wound on his side began to heal and the pangs of pain ebbed away.

“Let’s go,” Antigone said as she slipped her hands back into her leather gloves.

When the duo reached the inside of the manor, they were greeted by not Lambert’s wife but his sister along with the same dark-garbed men that attacked had them hours ago. The woman held the unconscious gnome woman hostage and was determined to have revenge for the death of her brother with the death of each of them, Zhine would be the first.

The battle was long and torturous and yet they persisted. Through the wounds and afflictions, they suffered the two continued they couldn’t give up they needed to save the woman. If one fell, the other was there to help the other up to continue to push them towards their objective. One by one, the vampires fell until the woman was left, with the last of her strength Antigone aimed her bow and released her last arrow, the arrow hit its mark in the throat of the woman. The female vampire fell to her knees and choked and gagged on her own blood.

“May you burn in hell,” Max growled as he brought down his sword on the woman’s neck. Instantly the woman was dead.

“Antigone you—“Max began as he turned towards the woman who collapsed. A soft groan came from the woman as she pushed herself to her hands and knees. Max quickly checked the unconscious woman and picked her up before he went over to the woman and extended a hand to her.

“We did it,” Antigone exhaled and took his hand.

“We did, you did good Antigone,” Max said as he helped her up. A faint blush spread across the woman’s cheeks as she stood.

“L-Let’s get out of here,” Antigone said and began to wobble out of the grand hall.

“Right behind you,”

“You two are friendlier now…what happened while I was gone?” Zhine sneered.

“I will not hesitate to make you walk Zhine,” Antigone threatened the woman that was situated behind her.

“Oh, so something did happen…did you two kiss? Was he a good kisser?” Zhine asked.

“He’s too old and not my type so I don’t know nor do I care to know,” Antigone replied tiredly.

“I like nice girls and not ones that torment me or call me old,” Max replied as he glared over at the two women. Antigone scoffed as the woman behind her laughed.

“It probably would have been gross…” Zhine commented.

“I’ll have you know I’m very talented with my—“Max began.

“Too much information old man. Please before I vomit,” Antigone gagged.

#Writing Commission #dungeons and dragons #dnd #dnd fic #Maxwell Gascoigne #Antigone Astmai #Zhine Mueller #maki-washu #Foxhound Writes #fanfiction #fanfic #is this really considered fanfic??#CleverFox Writes

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welcometophu · 7 years

Text

Not Your Destiny: Chapter 8

Marked Book 1: Not Your Destiny

Chapter 8

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Ángel wakes up to the feeling of something poking him in the back, while a warm body lies on top of him, pressing him into a too-thin, too-hard mattress. He shifts, and Gabi groans, patting his chest.

“Don’t move,” she mumbles. “You’re softer than Luca’s couch.”

“Why am I on Luca’s couch?” While the couch has been pulled out as a bed, it doesn’t look as if anyone bothered to make it up. Ángel is wrapped with Gabi in a pair of blankets, with a pillow shoved under Ángel’s head. Gabi’s head is tucked against his chest, and she presses her hand against his chest again when he tries to roll away.

“We all came to one place after last night,” Gabi mumbles, patting him gently as soon as he stops trying to move. “You and Tanner and Hayley were totally smashed. Sam was kind of gone, too. Zita went home after; Danny would’ve killed her if she stayed out. But everyone else pretty much stayed here.”

“Luca’s place,” Ángel clarifies.

Gabi is silent, then makes a noise that sounds like no.

“Not Luca’s place,” Ángel tries again.

“’S’complicated,” Gabi mumbles. “It’s a really big place. But this is Luca’s couch.” She grabs the blanket, pulls it up over both of their heads. “It’s a shitty couch, but we should just keep sleeping. Easier than walking to my room.”

“You have a room and we’re… here. Did we…?” Ángel sits up, spills Gabi off to one side. He’s still wearing his jeans and his shirt, everything but his shoes. Gabi’s in sweats and a different shirt than he remembers.

“Fuck, no.” Gabi sits up, pushes her hair out of her eyes. “Ángel, I wouldn’t have sex with a guy so drunk he couldn’t think straight. Or not-straight. You may have waxed poetic about some guy’s ass last night, I don’t even know who. I sat on you to make sure you didn’t do something you’d regret. Besides. You kept saying you didn’t want to sleep alone, and Hayley and Tanner took one of the guest rooms.”

No, no, it’s okay, you guys go sleep together. I mean sleep. Just don’t. Please? I mean, I can’t tell you no, but really, maybe not tonight? It’s only been like a day, and Hayley, you’re better than that.

His own voice echoes in his head, and he winces at the memory of leaning on Tanner’s shoulder, lecturing them both. “Fuck, I was kind of an ass.”

“Kind of,” Gabi agrees. “But I don’t think they hate you. They were both pretty much plastered, too.”

Ángel falls back against the pillow, groans when the spring digs into his back just above his kidney. He closes his eyes, presses the heels of his hands against his eye sockets. “I can’t remember half of last night. After I started dancing again. After I told you guys about the soulmark ritual.” He groans again, long and loud. “And fuck me, why did I start telling you guys all my personal shit, anyway? It’s not like you care.”

Gabi rests a hand on his shoulder. “We care. Sort of. I mean, we’re stuck with you for another month, right? And you’re almost family for Maritsa and Cleto, which makes you our family once removed. Also, you should be warned for next time that Zita plus alcohol is a really potent combination for spilling your guts. You are not the first to fall prey to that. Danny won’t drink with her, and they’re married.”

Ángel opens his eyes slowly, rubs the sleep from them.

Then stops.

Because fuck.

There’s ink on his wrist: a sleek spotted cat with tufted ears and chin, poised to pounce, with a simple circle behind it. The skin around is slightly red, the color faded as if it burned into being hours before.

“What…? Oh.” Gabi leans in, sniffs at his wrist. “Yeah. It’s done now.”

He grabs her hands, twists them both. “It can’t be you. We touched—”

“Several times and it was still clouded when we talked last night, yes,” she says. “It’s not me. Hey.” She reaches for his face, cups his cheeks carefully. Her fingers are to the side of his eyes, blocking out the light so all he can see is her. “It’s okay, Ángel. You’re going to be fine. Whoever it is, they’re marked too, right? How hard can it be to figure out who got a surprise tattoo last night?”

“Unless they were drunk and think they got a real one,” Ángel says. His chest is too tight, and his hand curls into his shirt, twisting it above his heart. “They have no idea. I don’t know who it is. I touched someone last night, and it’s—they’re… fuck. I don’t know.”

“Breathe.” Gabi says, and Ángel does his best.

His skin itches, and his wrist aches like burning now that he’s seen the mark. He’s wide awake now, heart hammering, and he feels like his bladder is going to burst if he doesn’t move soon. “I need to go,” he says, and she lets him go, pulls backward to give him room.

He gets his feet on the floor, and the room spins, head pounding as he makes it upright. He grips the side of the couch for a moment, then takes a step. He stops, turns back. “Bathroom?”

Gabi points at a door on one side of the room, while the door on the other side opens. Ángel just reaches the door she pointed to when he hears Luca ask, “Is Ángel all right?” and Gabi’s whispered response.

No footsteps follow him, and that’s fine. Good.

The door opens into a hall, and Gabi yells, “Left!” so he turns in that direction. One door stands slightly open, and he hurries to it, thinking that has to be it. He shoves it further open, stopping when it smacks into someone.

Yes, it’s the bathroom.

Sam and Max are in it, one in boxers and the other in sweats, lips locked as they lean against the counter. Sam grunts at the impact from the door, and Max blinks at Ángel, pupils large and black.

“Bathroom,” Ángel manages to say, his throat tight.

Max tugs at Sam and they both squeeze through the open door, leaving Ángel just enough room to get past them and in, slamming the door behind them. He falls to his knees in front of the toilet, waits.

His stomach roils, but doesn’t empty, despite the ache behind his eyes. He closes his eyes, lowers his forehead to touch the lip, groans quietly.

“You okay in there?” Sam calls out.

“I’m not dying,” Ángel replies, even though he feels like his heart is pounding so hard they must all be able to hear it. Maybe some of them can hear it. Clan. He hasn’t confirmed it, but Gabi keeps smelling him. They have to be Clan. Right? But Clan and Mages. The Mollicones and Maritsa and Cleto.

It doesn’t make sense in his head.

Nothing makes sense.

A knock at the door. “Do you need me to get you some water?” Sam asks. “You’re probably dehydrated. You had a good time last night.”

“Heard you did, too,” Ángel mutters. “Probably better than I did after we left Antigone.” He draws in a breath, relieved that it comes more easily this time. He lets it out slowly, pushes himself to his feet. “I’m okay. I’ll go to the kitchen after this.” He pauses. “If you tell me where the kitchen is.”

“Stairs are at the end of the hall. Go down, and to the back of the house. You can’t possibly miss it.” A soft rap against the door. “And if you need something, yell. There are enough of us here. We take care of each other.”

Ángel laughs dryly. He’s pretty sure no one can take care of this.

He takes care of business, now that his stomach is no longer roiling, and washes his hands. He tries not to look at his wrist, but the ink catches his eyes every time he glances down. When he exits the bathroom, Sam and Max are gone, but Gabi and Luca are hovering in the door to Luca’s room.

Ángel crosses his arms as he walks back to them.

“It’s going to be colder today than yesterday,” Luca says, nodding at Ángel’s short sleeves. “Want a hoodie?”

Maybe asshole isn’t the right word for Luca. Maybe savior, at least right now, although Ángel suspects he’ll be back to asshole later. Ángel nods, takes the soft grey Tampa Bay hoodie that Luca offers. Luca must have arms like an ape, because the thing is too long, covering Ángel’s wrists easily, and he takes another shuddering breath once they’re hidden.

Luca holds up his hands, wrists toward Ángel. Both are blank, and Ángel nods.

“Thanks.”

“Anything to make you stop stinking,” Luca says.

“I just don’t know how I missed it. When it happened to Hayley, she jumped like something bit her. She didn’t see it happen, she felt it.”

“You weren’t exactly feeling much after the amount of beer you had in you last night,” Gabi says dryly. “You should probably start the morning with some painkillers and a lot of water, or you’re going to be miserable at the garage.”

“We leave in thirty,” Luca adds, and that’s another small punch to the gut.

“Right.” Ángel’s still wearing yesterday’s clothes. He smells a little like beer, and he’s feeling that headache coming on. And every time he looks down, he knows that his wrist is there and he’s going to see some damned cat that means something to someone else and he doesn’t know what.

And the worst of it is, he doesn’t know what would show up to signify himself, either, so he doesn’t know what to look for. If he even had any idea where to look.

He wavers, uncertain. He tugs on the sleeves, pulling them over his wrists, curling his hands inside. “Sam said the kitchen’s downstairs?” he asks, because he just needs to get away.

“Yeah, Tony’s been up for an hour already, so there’s probably food out. He does that when Sam and Max crash here,” Luca says. “It’s easier than letting them go through the cabinets. Gives us some more control over what they eat.”

“They don’t live here.”

Gabi snorts. “God, no. They have an apartment. So do Maritsa and Cleto, although honestly, they stay here half the time because this place is better, so they might as well kick in for rent. Zita lives with Danny in the suburbs. Me, Tony, and Luca all share this place, and we’ve got three guest rooms, too. Big rooms, but it’d be better if we had en suite bathrooms. I have to share with Luca and whoever’s in the guest space on this floor.”

“It’s a huge house for the area,” Luca admits. He grabs his leather jacket, shrugs into it. “I’m going out for a bit. You should eat. Shower if you want, there are towels in the closet inside the bathroom. No one will mind if you use something. But you’ve only got twenty-five minutes now, unless Tony says he doesn’t mind if we’re late.”

“I’ll ride in with Tony, give you a few extra minutes. You need to drop Tanner and Hayley off anyway,” Gabi reminds him.

Because Tanner and Hayley are here as well. Somewhere.

Ángel gestures down the hall to the stairs he can see. “I’m just going to….” He fails to finish the sentence, but Gabi nods as if he did. He doesn’t wait for either of them to reply before he walks away.

The stairs at the end of the hall go both up and down. Ángel can hear footsteps on the floor above, plus he spots a small landing only a few stairs up, and another door there. Maybe a space over the garage.

It’s none of his business. This isn’t his house, and it’s probably the only time he’ll be in it.

He really doesn’t care how big it is, doesn’t wonder where that door leads and why there are so damned many rooms.

Still, he walks up the few stairs to the landing, pauses looking out through the window, his hand on top of the low bookcase. He’s somewhere on the outskirts; he doesn’t really recognize the area, but there are other houses, mostly low and close together aside from this one. It has a yard, and with three floors he already knows it towers over most homes. With the bright grass outside, and the wrought iron fence he can see in the distance, he wonders exactly how much this house and land cost.

And how the hell three people under thirty afforded it.

The idea that Mollicone’s is a mob front drifts back into mind, and Ángel tries to ignore it. He knows it’s not true and it’s honestly a horrible stereotype, but he also knows there’s money coming from somewhere.

His fingers trail over the wood, knocking into a small statue that is on top of the bookcase. Ángel crouches down to take a closer look, snickers when he realizes that it’s a cheap ceramic knockoff of Michelangelo’s David. When he lifts it, the words Florence 2001 are written in awkwardly formed letters on the bottom. He sets it back down carefully, not wanting to destroy something that’s so obviously a keepsake from childhood.

He rocks back on his heels, lets his fingers drift over the spines of the books lining the two shelves of the case. All hardcovers, all old, and all well-read. He’s pretty sure some of them are older than he is, including a copy of a children’s book that’s so tattered that he’s afraid the binding would rip if he tried to pull it out. Still, he wonders what a book about a little girl named April and her kittens is doing here, alongside girl detectives and boy wizards, and not a few classics written long before anyone in this house was born.

The sound of laughter drifts up the stairs, and Ángel turns to go back down before he’s made a conscious decision to do so. He follows the murmur of Hayley’s voice, finds the kitchen just as Tanner bends down to lightly press a kiss to her lips. Hayley leans back against the long island, her hands framing Tanner’s face. His hands are on the marble, his body language cautiously staying out of her space except for where their lips touch. Sparks dance from her fingertips, lighting the tips of his hair.

Ángel coughs, and they break apart. A flush suffuses Hayley’s cheeks, but Tanner just grins.

“Dude, look at all the food. Real food.” Tanner gestures at the long, heavy oak table on one side of the huge kitchen. There are enough chairs to seat a dozen people, but no one is there currently. Plates line the table with bacon, eggs, fruit, bagels, along with two boxes of cereal and a carton of milk. It’s obvious that most of it has already been dug into, but there’s still plenty left.

Hayley reaches up, tucks her hair behind her ear then twists the strand around her fingertip. “Tony was down earlier, said he does this after nights like last night. He called us Gabi’s strays. Or Sam’s strays. I don’t know which, he kept changing it. He’s really cute, isn’t he? Tony, I mean, although Sam’s really kind of hot, too, and he and Max are so very hot together. Luca’s cute, too, and Gabi’s adorable, and did I hear that you slept with her last night?”

“Slept,” Ángel replies curtly, arms crossed, trying not to tug the wrists of Luca’s hoodie down. “I apparently used her like a teddy bear, or she used me as a mattress or something. And she’s kind of an asshole, and so’s Luca, but I like them. And I don’t really care how hot anyone is, I’m not looking.”

He’s not looking at anyone here, anyway. He’s touched them all before, he knows it’s not them. It can’t be any of them. Which means it’s someone anonymous out there… and… fuck. His chest tightens and he swallows hard, pressing his hand against his temple. The headache is starting to bloom, and he feels like he deserves every aching thud behind his eyes.

“Eat.” Tanner gets his hands on Ángel’s shoulders, nudges him toward the table. “Drink plenty of water or OJ or something, and you’ll be fine.”

Ángel picks up the pitcher of orange juice, heavily pulped and apparently freshly squeezed. His stomach turns.

He quietly puts a plate together of orange slices, a half a dry bagel, and grabs a bottle of water. He pushes Tanner’s hand away when Tanner tries to offer eggs for protein. “If I eat eggs right now, I’m going to puke,” Ángel mutters, and Tanner steps back.

“Are you okay?” Hayley asks softly, and her sparks prick along his spine when she touches the nape of his neck.

Ángel shakes his head quickly, regrets the motion immediately after. “Not really. I’m just going to go—” He trails off, not really sure where to go, but there’s a door on one side of the kitchen and he can see the sun streaming in through the window on it. He gestures with his plate. “There. I’m going out there.”

“Is it us?” Hayley asks, and Ángel turns so quickly that she has to grab his plate before it hits her.

He stops and they stand there, her hands curled around the edges of his plate before he pulls it back slowly. “It’s not you,” he says, and it’s only a minor lie. It’s them, and that kiss he just saw, and the fresh mark on the inside of his wrist that makes his arm feel heavy. It’s everything from the last few days and weeks. “I just need air.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Hayley says softly.

“I want you guys to give it a chance,” Ángel responds, and that much is true. Very true. He doesn’t want to distract them. He just… he just needs to breathe.

Footsteps, and Ángel’s attention shifts to the entrance to the kitchen. Tony stands there, brows drawn together in a deep frown. Tony’s gaze skips across Hayley, comes to rest on Ángel. Tony stares at him for a long second before his eyes drop, skimming over Ángel from head to toe. The corner of Tony’s lip curls slightly, and Ángel tugs on the sleeves of Luca’s shirt.

Tony crosses his arms, thumbs peeking out from the holes in his long sleeves. “Hayley. Tanner. Luca’s dropping you off. Ángel, Gabi and I will open the shop. Ride in with Luca.”

“I was going to.” Ángel gestures with his plate at the door to the outside. “Right now I’m just going to eat. Out there.” He licks his lips, inhales roughly and twists to force himself to turn away.

“Dude,” Tanner says softly as Ángel touches the door knob.

“I’m fine,” Ángel repeats, voice low, not giving him a chance to say anything else before he escapes, the door slamming shut behind him.

It’s definitely chilly outside, cold enough that he’s glad he’s wearing a hoodie, although compared to the temperature he left behind in New York, it’s balmy. Ángel sinks to sits on the step, sets the plate down with a clunk beside himself. He knows he needs to eat, but his stomach is churning, and the idea of putting anything in it does not appeal.

He needs to know more about the mark.

He fishes his phone out of his pocket, swipes to unlock it, and stops before opening the browser. There are three unread messages that must have come in sometime late in the night.

That’s okay, but next time let me know earlier.

I know you’re an adult, but still.

I worry.

Papi. And Ángel never went home.

He scrolls back in the conversation, finds the start of it.

Papi, heading to Antigone with the people from work. Tanner is bringing Hayley. They will bring me home.

Ángel remembers sending the original text from Luca’s car on the way to the restaurant. When Papi hadn’t replied immediately, Ángel had switched his phone to silent and forgotten about it, until later. Much later apparently, after Papi sent a text Ángel doesn’t remember reading at midnight: Ángel, where are you?

At least it looks like he replied to let Papi know that he was staying at Luca’s. He must’ve passed out before the new messages came in. He quickly types out a message for the morning.

I know, and I’m sorry. I was drinking, and Luca was our DD, and everything’s fine, except I’m hungover and going to work now. We’ll drop off Tanner and Hayley with his truck so he can bring her home.

Ángel presses send and shoves the phone in his pocket, leaving the sound off. Papi won’t be thrilled, but at least he knows they’re all alive, and that’s what’s important right now.

He presses the tips of his fingers to the bridge of his nose, tries to stave off the headache that is blooming rapidly. He’s hungover. He’s marked with ink he doesn’t understand, and he has no idea who he touched. And right now, he feels like shit. He twists open the bottle of water he carried out. He’s pretty sure that there isn’t much that’s going to help right now, but at least he’ll be hydrated.

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#welcome to phu #welcometophu #not your destiny #phu marked #marked

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