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Post by Ventia on Feb 15, 2023 21:25:59 GMT -5
(( Thea)) It was the day after the meeting, Jackson and Rikara had been escorted to one of the many apartments on the Nightstar Territory that at first Jackson didn't really have any intentions on staying, he would use it as a portal stop for all intents and purposes, going back and forth from his room to the borrowed one but then they had got there and the simple yet homey feel of the apartment had changed Jackson's mind. Two-bedroom suite with a large kitchen and entertainment area, each room with its personal bathrooms. It was perfect for them, giving them the option to sleep separately if they wanted to yet large enough in each bedroom for them to share. They even had a car waiting for them the next morning, Jackson took it as a sign that Andrew didn't want him teleporting around where the ape couldn't track him down and accepted the bribe with a cheeky grin. With Rikara gone on her sudden girl's day trip to the Town with his younger siblings and their friend, it was only Jackson who pulled up to his father's house that morning, using the borrowed car since Rikara had been picked up and well wouldn't know how to drive it anyway. He cut the engine and left the keys where he had found them, in the cup holder because he couldn't be bothered to hold onto them. Got out and closed the door. Thinking how amusing would it be if someone stole on His Pack's property and Jackson would be innocent in the matter because hey he thought it was safe enough. A chuckle. Yes well, Jackson never said he was perfect. He was still a petty person, and Andrew had rifled his feathers a little more than he allowed anyone to these days. Though Jackson knew it was all for naught anyway, the people in Nightstar-in New Dawn-these people, were too good for their own good. Saints, even the sinners were pure at heart here. He walked up the steps to the house and rang the bell, much as he had done the last night. And waited for someone to open the door, knowing the people inside, Jackson knew he wouldn't have to wait long. "Oh, hi." He told them as soon as the door opened, waving his hand and giving them his best Sunday smile.
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Post by Thea on Feb 17, 2023 0:34:18 GMT -5
The scents of fresh fruit and cooking meat wafted out from Penny's head and into the open air. With the exception of Jewel, who left about thirty minutes ago, the Constantine Household had a late start to the morning. Since most of the extended family had spent the night, Avery and Nathaniel tag-teamed feeding the clan, with the woman stressing that her sister-in-law didn't get enough to eat.
Penny was a late sleeper anyway, usually reluctant to separate from her mate's fuzzy warmth. Sleep still clung to her hazel-green eyes. Though the more she registered who she was staring at, the more alert she became. And the more intrigued. "Hi, cousin," she replied, returning the white-toothed smile. "You know, I see the resemblance, but there're subtle differences too." She turned on her heel then, waving a hand for him to come in. "I'm sure Uncle Nate knew you were coming. He and Mom are cooking breakfast."
*
Jasper had been up for a few hours now. Not that he got very much sleep nowadays. What little of it he tossed and turned, thoughts of Jade swirling in his head and torturing him in his dreams. She hadn't been gone for very long, but every day she was gone left Jasper both terrified and bereft. Every minute she was down there with this ... Hagar was a minute too long. Was he torturing her? Raping? Killing her over and over again in some hellish loop?
There was some part of him that knew he was acting differently than normal. That part was like a separate entity of himself, watching from afar as he paced his bedroom floor. Soared the skies on restless wings. Slammed mouthy Guild members against walls and fractured ribs. His metallic sculptures were scattered around his living space, broken and neglected as the only thing that consumed both his waking and sleeping thoughts was the mysterious state of his mate.
Today, however. Today was going to change that.
Growing up he had heard little about his older brother Jackson. He knew that Jackson watched over him and his siblings, bestowing gifts magically on certain occasions. Yet it wasn't until last night that he was able to put a name to a face. And with that face came the opportunity to see Jade. To make sure that she was alive as the beast within him assured. He knew that his mother didn't like him. If it were any other situation he would stand behind her. But this? He would be stupid not to take Jackson's offer.
He would make a deal with the devil himself if it meant seeing Jade again.
Dressed in a new t-shirt and the same pair of pants he wore yesterday, Jasper took the steps two at a time down to the main level, where the scents of breakfast tried to entice him. Before Jade's disappearance, it would have, goading him to take straight from the sizzling pans. Not today, though. There was a different kind of hunger about him. A hunger that had little to do with food. As soon as he landed in the living room, Penny turned her head from leading Jackson into the kitchen. "Good morning, Jasper!"
*
Thea felt out of her element.
The usually-bustling outlet mall was quiet this morning, the sun shining gleefully on the shop signs. She's been to these stores before, but not since the quads were pups. It had been a family excursion then, in which they were all getting corresponding outfits for family pictures. But now? She was there with Kate, Harley, Lynn ... and Rikara. A supposed girl day in which the main goal was for her to find a decent outfit for her first date.
Just the thought of it sent pulses of nervous energy through her body. If it weren't for Katie literally pulling her out of bed this morning she probably would have already canceled on Luc. "Where to first?" she asked, her stomach twisting in different types of shapes.
"Well, we start at the head and work our way down," Rikara said matter-of-factly, her face covered in concealing foundation to mask her marking. It was better than the exhausting way she gets oggled by strangers. "Where is he taking you?"
"Axe throwing," Lynn piped up. "At a local social club, right?"
"Yeah, and then dinner afterward. Hallie said 'flirty casual'." Thea crooked her fingers in the air for quotations. "Whatever that means."
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Post by Ventia on Feb 17, 2023 1:56:01 GMT -5
Still in his lion form, X stepped in between Penny and the newcomer and gave his mate's cousin a warning growl, showing his open maw before turning around when Penny did, rubbing his head against her thighs still keeping himself between her and the other man, his red eyes ever watchful of Jackson.
"Why thank you, cousin, for my warmest welcome yet." He winked at her guard dog showing he was harmless before closing the door behind him with a flick of his magic, about to head farther in when the sounds of footsteps running down made him stop by the foot of the stairs to meet his eager half-brother.
"Yes, hello Jasper. Good to see those bags under those eyes. I find it easiest to work with the sleep deprived. However, you should eat something. If I have to listen to your stomach growling, I'd likely get a headache. Come on, I was just about to say hello to dear ole dad." Jackson clapped Jasper on his shoulder before walking on toward the open kitchen where he could spy Nathaniel and Avery cooking away and setting plates.
"Morning everyone." He grabbed a seat by the end of the table and looked back behind him signaling Jasper to follow and sit next to him.
"Morning Jackson, and Jasper I'm glad to see you decided to join us today. Take a seat and eat something." Nathaniel said coming out and setting down the newest plates piled up with food, they always ate buffet style whenever they were feeding more than just one family since everyone had different preferences and could eat double that of a normal person. He too had noticed that Jewel barely got through the lone plate he had set for her earlier and was also worried about it.
"All jokes aside," Jackson added looking at Jasper, "you're going to need it."
-
"So something cute that you can still move around in, that's also your style. I don't see you that much of a dress girl, Thea. Though I think you would look stunning in some of them. You're already cute as is, but let's soften it up a bit." Katie glanced at Thea's choice of clothes for that day, the skinny jeans and cute black top along with her boots made for a cute outfit already.
She pursed her lips and then nodded as if she made a decision. "Alright, let's head over to forever21. Last time I was there, they had the sexiest boots and cute tops that I think would look amazing on you, Thea." Kate linked her arms with Thea's and steered her and the group down the mall's wide hallway.
"Let's stop by Hot Topic and Spencers too, they always have at least one good thing." Harley added, smiling at Rikara and Lynn as she walked along the end of everyone taking on a sort of guardian role in the group having promised both Jackson and Jareth that she would take care of the girls even though she was sure everyone here could take care of themselves.
"A date huh," Harley mumbled and wondered when was the last time she had gone out on a date with Ludin. Besides having to hide their relationship-still-Ludin was a busy man and with her still living at her parent's house, the most she could do was sneak out in the middle of the night to fly over to Ludin's place and spend the night there. They spent time together but hadn't really gone out of the house much for a date. She was a little jealous yet scolded herself for it at the same time.
It had been longer for Thea, everyone was genuinely happy to see that Thea still had some kind of interest in the opposite sex, in going on dates. They had all worried that she would continue to be alone, from what they had been told Thea had probably the worst luck in men, in love. Two mates that came and went, all that history that time, for naught.
Harley wasn't the only one crossing their fingers that this baker boy of Thea's would prove the old wives' tale of third's the charm.
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Post by Thea on Feb 18, 2023 1:57:57 GMT -5
It was then that Penny remembered how protective X was of her.
Having grown up in such a tight-knit family, there really wasn't a reason for him to be, even though looking back she could see the subtle ways that he was. When they had been kidnapped by those religious fanatics, he had shown that side even more. But with them having their own house, in which they spent most of their time together in their animals' fur, Penny had forgotten how ferocious a red-eyed white lion weighing nearly 700 pounds could be.
She reached a hand behind her, brushing two fingertips against the rounded edge of X's ear, silently telling her mate that she was fine as she took stock of one of her younger cousins. Poor Jas, she thought. An image of her aunt Jewel popped up in her mind's eye, then. Pale-faced, with dark circles under her eyes as she rifled through Penny's fundraiser. It had been so long ago, but seeing Jasper like this was like she was in that New Dawn clinic again.
"I'm not hungry," Jasper said, which had Penny shaking her head slightly. She knew that he had a huge appetite, much like Aunt Jewel. For him to turn down food? It concerned the lioness.
Jasper scowled at his older brother, the urge to snap at Jackson to get a move on held back by sheer will. Well, actually by the manners that his parents instilled in all of them. He grunted in displeasure at the hand that clapped his shoulder, but he made no other sound as he stalked behind his cousin and brother. He didn't dare look Sybil's way as she and Ruby sat contentedly by each other, though knew that they were thoroughly enjoying the bond and the food they shared. X and Penny took their self-designated spots not too far away from the mated women, with Penny stitching together a plate for X as he worked to take his human form. His parents' cats were perched in their usual places too, with Berlioz watching from atop the fridge and Toulouse begging at the sink for scraps.
Slowly, he sat down beside Jackson, pressing his elbows into the clothed surface of the table to cradle his chin on steepled fingers. How could he eat, knowing that Jade was in a different dimension, likely fighting for her life? He had no appetite. Jade took it with her, along with everything that made him who he was. "How so?" Jasper finally asked, looking at the man that made himself at home.
***
"Me?" Thea scoffed. "Cute? Ha." Thea has never seen herself that way. Cute or beautiful or any other similar adjective. It wasn't that she was self conscious. It was just that ... well, she never allowed herself to see herself in that light. She was a fighter, fluent in violence and bloodshed. Sure, she's calmed herself down in recent years, but the time she spent in the Arena didn't leave much room for femininity. And neither did her role as director of a whole organization of assassins. She thought that she was okay with that.
Now that she was thrust into a situation in which it called for her to look good, she didn't think she could do it. She could dress in the finest of silk, don the daintiest of jewelry. But as she followed her sister, cousin, best friend and the woman that could be her twin into the department store, she wondered if she could really pull this whole date thing off in general. "I've actually worn a few dresses before," she said, remembering how awkward she felt in them. Like they aren't made for people like her and she was trying to be someone she wasn't.
"Ooooh, Hot Topic!" Lynn exclaimed, returning Harley's smile. "They always have the cutest Funko Pops."
Thea had to chuckle at her cousin's excitement. "I can easily spend all day in there. And Spencers always makes me want to get a body piercing." Though with her high healing rate, she would have to keep the jewelry in. She didn't know if she had the patience.
"You should then," Rikara said in what she hoped was a helpful tone. "If it is something that weighs on your mind there is a reason for it. More likely it means that you are meant to have a piercing."
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Post by Ventia on Feb 18, 2023 17:39:27 GMT -5
"Simple, food is fuel. Do you think it's easy to hold onto your conscious when you've been neglecting your health? Here, let's do a practice run." Jackson leaned forward on the table extending his hand towards Jasper's face, with his pointer finger held out Jackson released a fraction of his dark-natured power meeting Jasper's eyes his own taking on a brighter sheen.
"Try to stay awake." He told the boy and touched Jasper's forehead with his finger, his power snapped like a thunderbolt zapping into Jasper. It was his incubus power, meant to make the boy fall into a deep slumber but not at its full power. Jackson watched as Jasper's eyes fought to maintain the eye contact they had, but within seconds he saw the boy's eyes roll back to his skull and then he was passed out on the dining table.
He watched his sleeping brother not realizing the fond smile on his face before looking at Nate who was still standing there, watching them. "He's got spirit, I'll give him that."
"He's been through a lot, Jackson. Cut him some slack. Imagine if you lost Rikara. You'd be handling it a lot worse, I bet."
"Yes, I would." Jackson didn't even like the thought of losing Rikara again, look at what happened the first time, he had cast away all his feelings other than hatred. Had sulked in the darkness, barely making it out before Rikara came into his life again and pulled him completely out of his own ass.
He patted Jasper's head, his power rushing upwards to go back to its master, and waited the few seconds it'd take for Jasper to wake up again.
X took the chair next to his mate, sitting between her and Jackson, and stretched his legs out from under the table. Sometimes he forgot how big he was in his human form, being the tallest in the family with the exception of a few of them, so he was glad once again that everything in the Constantine family was designed for tall and big people.
"Penny." His voice sounded rough, raw, X didn't talk usually. He'd never learn until Penny came into his life. When he made a request a few years back that he wanted to learn how to speak, his mate had come to his aid as she always did, and taught him with more patience than a Saint. Even though he had already been learning for two years, there were still sounds that he struggled with, words that he didn't care for, but being able to speak with Penny made it all worth the struggle.
"Thank you, honey." He said it slowly and hoarsely, reaching over to press a quick kiss to her cheek before turning over to look at the pair by the end of the table, he had felt the magic being used, and it left his fur on edge. He didn't like magic, that much X knew, which meant he was starting to dislike this Jackson person even more.
Ruby paused from taking a bite when the sound of someone hitting the table caught her head, she watched Jasper stay down there for a second, watched as her brother and nephew spoke for a bit, before Jackson did something again to make the air in the room feel a little colder, and then Jasper was sitting back up again. She sighed, looked back at Sybil, and squeezed her hand from under the table happy that their bond was working the way she wanted it to, with her being able to sense exactly where her mate was.
Ruby had been testing it lately since that night, a little obsessively she thought, leaving Sybil alone in Nate's house while she walked away and then tried to find her solely by following the bond's pull, and then grinning to herself when she did find her mate. She even tested it out when Sybil went out to work, surprising her mate when she was getting lunch with a bouquet of roses and an invitation to eat together. Needless to say, Sybil said yes and Ruby treated her out to her favorite Mediterranean restaurant before getting her back to her workplace, with only seconds to spare with how clingy Ruby was of Sybil.
-
"But not the right dresses." Kate clarified, "And yes, you're very cute Thea, well more hot than cute but I find you cute all the same." She winked, still pulling her along happy that they basically had the mall to themselves. There was some traffic in the early morning, but not enough to really bother them. No instead, the other mall guests seemed to give their five-woman group a wide berth, whether that was because something in their human minds told them to not get close or because they were all too hot it was too intimidating to get close, Katie didn't mind and quite liked the fact they could enjoy their time alone without the usual annoying pickup lines made by too cocky males.
The girls nodded at Rikara's comment and Harley said, "I have lots of piercings and I always feel good with them on. They don't get in the way of my shifting as much as you'd think. Plus, find one cute enough and you'd probably won't want to take them off either way."
"We should also get matching tattoos one day Thea." Kate brought up randomly before steering the girls into the store they'd finally arrived at. "Okay, we're here. Get ready for the time of your life, Thea. Let's go shopping!" She grinned, raising her voice in an excited way, and with a skip to her step, she lead them all in the store as if she was preparing for battle, because what date wasn't a battlefield in disguise?
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Post by Thea on Feb 19, 2023 0:08:00 GMT -5
Jasper's arms had collapsed under his chin, falling limply to his sides as his forehead met the wooden table with a big thunk. Sybil had jumped at the sound, dropping a chunk of pineapple onto her plate. Penny worked to keep her laughter in her throat, knowing that the situation did not call for it but the sound of Jasper's head hitting the table was a little bit funny. She cleared her throat a few times, then turned to X as he sat down beside her.
"You're welcome, love," she replied, smiling at her mate as she started to work on her own plate. She loved helping X, whether it was with his speech or making his plate. Did he ask her or demand her to do those things? No. But much like her mother her love language was acts of service. That was how she showed her affection and appreciation.
She paused in the middle of making her own plate, feeling the sensation of magic once more before turning her body to X's rigid form. One hand moved to X's neck, bringing his attention back to her with a turn of his head. There she pressed her palms to both her cheeks and brought his face down to kiss his forehead. He won't do anything to us, she reassured. He's just here to help Jasper.
Jasper shot up as soon as he realized he was awake, taking in a much needed breath. He looked down at his fingers, wiggling them before he scrubbed his face with his hands. Suddenly he hissed in discomfort, rubbing his forehead where he hit the table before sending a death glare to Jackson. "What the hell, man?" he snapped, eyes taking on the primal Constantine yellow. "Quick fucking way to get your ass put in the dirt."
"Too early for sparring," Avery interrupted blithely, knowing how it can be around here. Avery believed it when Jewel said Jasper was exhibiting the same quick temper Thea had, and that once you got him going there was no stopping the freight train until it burned out of gas. She would be worried had it not been for her own husband acting out of character ever since Penny and X were kidnapped. She took a quick glance at Tim before she turned around at the oven beeping, chest aching for the one thousandth time.
"Ugh, no," Penny said in an exaggerated manner. "My partner is getting shmoozed by a British boy halfway across the world, please lets not do any sparring until she gets back."
"Maddox is not British."
"That accent says otherwise."
***
Thea definitely felt like she was in a battle.
Five women dispersed into the store, with Katie leading Thea to the back of the store where dressing rooms waited them. She sat on the chair in one stall, knee bouncing with anxious energy for a few minutes, biting at one of her fingernails habitually. Two minutes later, she stood and faced the mirror, examining every pore, her wrinkled forehead, her teeth. What was it for Luc to ask her out? What stood out to him? Because she couldn't see it. She let out a breath harshly, checking her phone for what seemed to be the thousandth time even though he hasn't texted her back yet.
Was this really her life right now? Preparing for a date that wasn't with Kenneth? Is she finally starting to move on and dip her toes into the dating world? No, that couldn't be. She was Thea Fucking May Constantine, and she didn't have time to worry about men. They were repeat offenders in the disappointing department, taking without asking and leaving without notice. Besides, she had work to do. There were other Keith McClellans out there. More institutions like the Arena to dismantle. More victims to save. What was she doing, playing pretend? Dating was for people like Hallie, with the hopes of love that she's only seen Lynn and her mother have. Not Thea, who was only good at killing and getting angry.
As if on autopilot, she opened her phone and traveled through the apps to message Luc, about to tell him because she was called in to work. But then a text popped up with a cheerful ding - from her mother, with her motherly timing. Let me know how the girls' day goes today! Proud of you <3
Tears came, hot and fast. Thea wiped them quickly so as not to freak Kate out as she started handing her clothes. "Okay, that sweater is cute," Thea murmured half-heartedly.
"I picked it out!" Lynn said from the other side of the door. "Be proud."
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Post by Ventia on Mar 3, 2023 3:43:28 GMT -5
"Yes yes," Jackson chuckled leaning back on the chair and looking up at the infuriated Jasper a half smile clinging to his face despite the effort to tone it down, he couldn't help it, Jackson was just that type of a man. Mischief might as well have been his middle name, for his way of doing things had a lot more playfulness than the serious way that his own grandfather had taught him.
Jackson might have been an excellent pupil, but a teacher? Rikara aside, Jackson couldn't be bothered to teach anyone. It was boring to have to wait for the student to understand, and exhausting to have to find the words to explain it in a way even a simpleton could understand. He was lucky Rikara was extremely intelligent and bright, she quickly grasped his intentions in ways others couldn't do before her. Sure he put in the extra effort because it was her, but still Jackson really was a poor teacher.
He stood up, meeting Jasper's angry eyes, they were the same height practically the same build as well, Jackson could see a lot of himself in his younger half-brother especially concerning the rage that was filling the boy.
"Let's save the fighting for later, you'll have plenty of chances to try to do what you just said. Though I doubt it." Jackson scoffed, rolling his eyes before letting his gaze fall back on his kin.
"Get your shit together." His voice went sharp, his eyes brightening.
"You're angry. You have every right. Your girl was taken right in front of you, that shit is never fun. But you think your anger right now is going to help Jade? Do you think you can just bulldoze your way into everything in life? Make things up on the fly? That's a quick way to get her dead, get yourself dead, get your family dead."
"You want to save her right? Yeah, you fucking do. You need my help with that, which means from this point on, you need to listen to me. If I tell you to eat, you fucking eat. If I tell you to sleep, you fucking sleep. Conserve your energy. Conserve the rage and anger. Hone it like a fine blade so you can destroy the real bastard that took her from you. Stop taking it out on your family, stop taking it out on yourself. You think you're superman just because you're a little stronger than the rest of the human population?"
"Let's get something straight. There will always be someone stronger than you. Than me. Than anyone. There's so much shit out there. Know what's stronger? The people behind you, beside you. So cut it out, I didn't come to babysit a teenager. I came to help, you might not like the way I do things well too fucking bad, no one does. That's just who I am. But trust me when I say, everything I do has a reason. You need to learn to go to sleep but keep your consciousness awake. So that you can dream walk. You've been so sleep-deprived that you're just going to fall into a deep sleep at this point and you'll never meet Jade like that. You need to build up your resistance. So I don't care if you get mad if I decide to test you when I want to, you do your best to find a way to stay awake, in your mind. Understand? Now eat, so we can start the training."
Jackson looked down in front of them, plates had been set for the both of them, Nate had turned back towards the kitchen. He turned to the rest of the family and sighed, reached for the coffee that had also been set down for him and took it, taking a long swallow, when it had just the right amount of sweetness he felt both surprised and relaxed.
He sat, placed the cup down and started to silently eat his breakfast, ignoring the rest of them for a moment as his mind wandered to Rikara. She was going to leave, and might as well be ripped away from him in a similar fashion to Jade and Jasper. Anger was the first to rise, as it always was, but the determination to do everything in his power to stop that from happening was bigger, stronger, and deeper. He wouldn't act out, wouldn't waste time hating the world, no he would be cold and serious as he made his plans, many plans, to keep her in his life.
I know but the way he goes about it, X grumbled under his breath as he reached for the thick bacon on his plate and bit into it tearing the piece in two, his red eyes darkening as he watched the two of the males stand up to each other. The urge to stand up as well was strong, with any dominant figure intruding on his home, but because of his Penny X was able to continue sitting down relaxed as anyone could be at that moment.
-
Was Katie pushy? Sure she was, she's always been pushy. When she was young, she would make Jareth train after hours with her just so she could get a better feel of the moves their mother had taught them that day, she'd make Reaver get out of bed just to join her on one of their daily adventures, she'd make her mother drive all the way to the next town just so she could get a certain pair of boots or whatever else she wanted at that age. Point was, she knew she was pushy.
She wanted things to go her way, most times than not, she truly believed her way was the right way, the smart way, the only way. Better for everyone, if you wanted to say. That helped her when she was the leader of her little mercenary group, saved plenty of lives, and so on, but most days or not, it wasn't so great in making friends. She had been told by many people that she was too pushy, that she didn't understand that she was being an ass, that she was wrong. That she was pushing them when they didn't want to.
It wasn't like she didn't know this, Kate knew she wasn't always right but she also knew that her intentions were right.
She wanted only the best outcome.
She wanted Thea to get out of her comfort zone and fight for something that might actually be something. She wanted her friend to fall in love, to be in love, and she wanted it to be a success. Which was why she was being this pushy even though she could already feel some tension in the air, could see from Thea's eyes that she was going through something at this time as she passed her the different clothes to try on, and yet Katie kept her lips closed not making a comment besides for telling her that this one was cute or to try this one next.
She closed the door, giving Thea privacy, and gave Lynn a look as she breathed out lightly.
"Let me see when you're done!" She chimed in a bright voice and smiled at the older lady who was passing them by to get to another stall.
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Post by Thea on Mar 11, 2023 7:31:33 GMT -5
For the time that it took Jackson to give him the "get your shit together" speech, Jasper rode a roller coaster of emotions that left him quite literally shaking with the desire to follow through with his threat a few minutes ago.
At first, it was rage. He's felt that sort of feeling before when he overheard a Guild member talk shit about his parents. Now it was directed at Jackson, causing his body to tremble just slightly and eyes to turn yellow very quickly. The desire to actually put his older brother's ass in the dirt rode him hard, with his animal counterpart egging it on shamelessly. How dare he tell him to get his shit together, as if he had any right to? Only yesterday, he barged into their lives with a card that told him to assassinate Hallie of all things. Now he's giving him the talk about how his rage was hurting his family. That if he kept this up everyone including his was going to die.
It had him thinking of Jade, though, which he guessed was the point. What was happening to her right now? Was she all right? His mother's comment yesterday caused his stomach to lurch, but he pushed it away. Right now he couldn't fathom Jade being pregnant. It was bad enough with just her going through what he could only assume was torture. The thought of his mate and his child being subjected to this Hagar's every whim scared him. His throat contracted painfully, causing him to swallow in hopes to loosen the sensation.
His body stopped shaking, then. He sat, defeated, knowing that Jackson - regardless if it was his place or not - was right. Jasper knew that his family was worried for him. About Jade. And he knew that Jackson was his best bet to see her again - a stepping stone in the right direction. He forced himself to eat slowly, figuring that Jackson would say something about that as well. But as the tension of the room dispersed, his knee bounced urgently.
He needed to see Jade again.
***
Thea knew Kate had the best of intentions. That was why Thea hadn't walked out of the store yet. Instead, she tried out every single article of clothing that was given to her. There were some that she didn't bother showing the group - whether it didn't fit or that she didn't like how it looked on her. But there were some outfits that she would show them, obediently going back and forth to try on different suggestions and combinations.
In the end, Thea walked away with a new pair of boots courtesy of Kate and the dark-striped off-the-shoulder sweater Lynn picked out. By the time that they filed out of the store Thea was feeling a lot better. Or at least a lot less scared of what tomorrow would bring. "Where to next? Spencer's or Hot Topic? And what are we doing for food because I could go for some in a little bit."
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Post by Ventia on Mar 11, 2023 17:10:42 GMT -5
On the other side of the table, Timothy finally stood up his current plate clear and the plate he had set for Avery more than ten minutes ago had gone cold so he slid that one over to his side and took the empty plate, walking into the opening of the kitchen where Avery and his brother busied themselves with preparing breakfast. He paused, watching the two of them for a second as they stood side by side washing some of the earlier plates, chatting lightly in the way that people who were close usually did.
For a second, Timothy felt like an outsider. When was the last time he and Avery had chatted about nonsense so easily? He had thought they had gotten better this last year but it was at moments like this that he realized how much damage he had done in his relationships with both his mate and his children. A stab of jealousy from seeing Nate making Avery laugh hard hit him in the next second, but then it died away as he watched them smile with tired eyes at one another, and also Timothy knew he was to blame for all of this.
He cleared his throat, and Nathaniel glanced around as Timothy continued on toward them. He paused by Avery's side, her scent caught at the back of his throat and he breathed out slowly relaxing as he leaned an arm around her, not touching her per se but close enough he was almost crowding her as he dropped the plate in the sink lightly.
"You should eat Aves." He said in her ear as he bent down, before straightening and giving his brother a look before taking a step back.
"I can at least wash some dishes. You should eat something too Nate." He leaned against the counter, meeting their gazes.
"I was about to. I think we've just about finished anyway right Avery?" Nathaniel said without missing a beat, his eyebrow quirked at something he saw in his little brother's face but he smiled gently at the pair of them.
"I'll bring this out," Nathaniel grabbed the latest batch of food and then made himself scarce heading towards Jackson and Jasper.
Silence fell between them two, the light chatter behind him seemed to fade into the background. He swallowed again, unsure of what to say, unsure what was the right thing to say at this moment, in any moment when they were alone. This was all his fault. Avery didn't deserve this, she was such a good person, the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the best goddamn thing in his life and here he was too afraid to even touch her anymore.
He had blown up before, lashed out, became withdrawn...and she still stood by his side, even now when he was both hot and cold, one foot in and one foot out, she was still by his side... He knew what he was doing wasn't working yet he couldn't think of anything that he could do to better things. His confidence in himself had sunk ever since he hadn't been able to protect Penny that day.
Her scent called to him again, sweet and fresh it tickled his nose, Timothy lifted his gaze not realizing he had looked down instead of at her eyes, he met them now and held them. Her hazel-green eyes were already looking at him, the light still tinkled in them like hope flaring even though he could see the light circles under her eyes. His arm, limp by his side, twitched his fingers began to move towards her, towards her arms that were hugging her chest, as she stared up at him lightly biting her lip.
His finger hesitated a breath away from her exposed elbow, the sleeves of the long sleeve rolled up but already loosening, still watching her eyes he touched her elbow gently with only his forefinger before his ring finger slid between her skin and the fabric of her shirt, his wedding ring caught in the light and Timothy felt his fingers twitch again, grasping her elbow in a firm grip before he loosened his grip in the next heartbeat yet instead of pulling away like he always did, Timothy stubbornly kept his fingers against her skin.
Warm and soft, his thumb came to stroke her underside letting his fingers brush down the length of her arm before he paused by the junction of her breasts where she was still hugging herself. He swallowed and lightly tugged on her wrist, her arm gave way immediately and he touched her hand, holding her gently in his larger hand.
"Is this okay?" He asked lightly, trying to remain calm keeping his lower back planted hard against the counter, to keep him from either fleeing or hugging her tightly. In reality, there was only one thing Timothy really wanted. And he knew he could no longer keep doing what he had done before. So he was going down a different route, albeit slow it beat doing nothing.
-
"Well Hot Topic is before the food court so we could make a quick stop there, but if you're really hungry we can just go straight to the food court." Katie said from Thea's side, she wasn't that much of a breakfast person there were many days when she wouldn't even eat till like two in the afternoon, even though her mother was very big on breakfast. The number of pancakes she'd eaten as a kid would attest to that.
"Honestly I'm pretty hungry too, Aunt Avery and Dad's cooking before we left was making my stomach pretty unhappy about skipping out." Harley teased as she twirled the little bag on her wrist, she had found a pretty shirt and some new leggings she couldn't resist leaving without.
Katie chuckled, "Food court it is!"
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Post by Thea on Mar 12, 2023 18:04:02 GMT -5
Avery was tired. Not just in the "I only got a few hours of sleep" tired. It was a bone-deep tired. She knew where it came from. It didn't take a genius. She was tired of the way Timothy treated her. Not that he was abusive - of course not, no one around here would stand for that. But he hadn't acted like a husband for a long time. There were no more movie nights, where they made fun of the bad acting or the cheap props. Gone were the days when they just lay in bed and held each other. She couldn't remember the last time they had sex. She stopped making apple pie at home because he never ate it. Her husband felt like a stranger. "I scavenged while I was cooking," she had said, his close proximity making her breathless and her naive heart skip a beat. No matter what she thought of him, her body still remembered. What it was like before Eva and Penny. Before Penny and X were kidnapped. It didn't seem to recall her lonely nights, where she lay curled in their king-sized bed crying herself to sleep. Or how she stopped texting him because he barely replied to her with one-word responses. He's told her before that he didn't feel like he was worthy of her. Yet no matter her reassurances, he kept his distance. Yes, it was getting better. Slowly but surely. She was just tired of things going slow. When he touched her, she stood still, like she would any wild bird that came into her father's aviary. Avery held in the scoff she had for equating her husband to that, but it was such a rare thing for him to touch her. She learned not to move too quickly. Learned not to even touch him at all. Instead she watched him. How his blue eyes revealed nothing to her anymore. The way he seemed to keep a brick wall between them despite his reaching out. She felt like someone was pressing a boulder against her chest. "Yes, that's fine," she said smoothly, daring a small smile even if she didn't feel like it. How many times has she told him that touching her anywhere was fine? She took a small breath in, stomach curling in knots, then exhaled softly. She let the hand he held stay where it was, while the other habitually pushed up her glasses. Would this be a good time to tell him all of the things that was going on on her side of the family? Her grandfather reclaiming his throne in the pride with unnatural powers? Jaye's uncontrollable shifting getting worse? No, surely not. Not when Jasper is dealing with the loss of Jade and Hallie is all of a sudden a "prophetess" to a world that they didn't know existed. Everyone had enough on their plate right now. "So since you're part vampire does that mean you're going to grow fangs?"
***
Thea was glad that they made the consensus to hit the food court. The smell of breakfast had Thea's stomach growling as they walked out the door, but she barely had time usually to eat breakfast. She tended to ignore any hunger pangs until she couldn't any longer, her responsibilities as Guild Director overtaking her time to care properly for herself. Was she bitter about it? A little. But it had been one such particular time that led her to meeting Luc. So at least there was that.
The smell of fried cheese balls and greasy burgers tantalized her, causing her mouth to water. Of course, there were other food options. One such was a vegan place that Rikara decided to visit because her alien stomach couldn't digest all of the preservatives or carbonation that was traditional fast food. But she met them at an umbrella table, a giddy smile on her face. "I am always surprised at how quickly they create the food."
Of course, everyone else was charmed at Rikara's words. It was as if she had been born yesterday, experiencing everything Earth had to offer with wide eyes and optimism. Every time Thea looked at her "twin" she had to resist the urge to choke-slam her. Sitting there with her too-green salad with apples and walnuts and a zesty lemon wedge, drinking her water with the gusto of a connoisseur. She oozed elegance. Like her shit didn't stink.It made Thea sick just watching her.
"It's not quick all the time," Lynn piped up before popping an ice cream-coated french fry in her mouth.
"It is not? Is it not called fast food?"
"Well, yeah," Lynn agreed, dipping another fry mercilessly in her ice cream cup. "But sometimes they get busy. So busy that the supply is lesser than the demand."
Rikara's face lit up as if she understood basic economics. Being a princess, Thea figured begrudgingly that she would.
"Well, that's putting it almost too simple," Lynn backtracked, then took a sip of her soda with extra ice. "It's too much demand, not enough manpower to create the supply."
Thea had to resist the childish urge to mock Rikara's hum of understanding before she asked what "manpower" meant. But before Lynn could respond to that all five heads lifted and looked around at the sound of a distressed call for help.
"I can't find my baby!"
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Post by Ventia on Mar 27, 2023 4:18:31 GMT -5
The minute he did it, said those stupid words again, Timothy knew he messed up. Again. Still, he kept his fingers on her wrist unable to not notice her spiking pulse. It sent a lazy thrill through him, knowing he still had some kind of reaction from her, that she still held feelings for him. Guilty reassurance, Timothy felt sick in his stomach at himself.
His throat closed again like it seemed to do every goddamn day now, and Timothy could only watch Avery in his stoic silent demeanor as she tried again, meeting him farther than he was meeting her, her last comment was enough to shock his throat as he found himself chuckling lightly, his rigid body suddenly going slack. He let go of her wrist to press that hand to his lips, trying to stop his still light chuckles.
Her warmth, her scent, touched his lips sinking into his gut, ah Timothy missed this. It wasn't perfect, not from a long shot, but they were still there, together, and he could make it all better.
"I might, I haven't experimented too much yet." On the topic of their new lineage, Timothy had put some thought into it. Him surviving the Arena could have been part to his vampiric blood, however dormant it still laid at that time. Even now Timothy couldn't see many big changes within him after learning of it, but that didn't mean that it wasn't there. Like a sleeping beast, it laid in all of them now and could awaken at any given point. Their lifespan now doubled, he was sure that they were going to find out all kinds of new things about themselves.
But coming back to Avery, he dropped his hand down and gave her a smile, it felt different from all the smiles he's been giving her. Those had been stiff, unsure, sometimes barely noticeable. With distracted eyes, that were hard and cold on some days and completely empty in others. He'd certainly been a dick. His eyes softened, he really didn't deserve her.
But Timothy loved her.
He always would.
And he didn't want to let her go.
"We could experiment together." His voice was deep, he didn't care to keep his voice lowered nor was he looking at anywhere but at Avery. Watching her eyes, her body, the soft bouncing curl that was begging for some attention right next to her glasses, what her hands were doing, then deeper as he tried to block out any sound other than Avery and Avery alone. Her heartbeat caught in his ear, and his throat tightened again, his lips twisted sideways for once not minding the reaction, not feeling like it was something negative.
Hadn't it always been this way? Wasn't it just him overthinking everything that was the problem to everything. Yes. He knew this already, yet it still struck him like lightning lately.
"Things have been a little sharper lately," He mused in a faraway voice but was most certainly still paying attention to her.
-
Harley had been smirking at watching the group's exchange, especially her older sister's facial expressions however faint they were until the news of the missing baby, her heart instantly began to beat on overdrive and instead of waiting to stop and stare she was up and out of her seat, Chinese food forgotten as she made her way to the young adult who was only a few tables down from them.
The girl seemed to be their age, late twenties at the most, her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy bun and the look of panic in her blue eyes was something that any mother would know-any person with a heart for that matter would know. A memory hit her hard and Harley stumbled as a child's face flashed in her gaze, those blue eyes just like the frantic mother in front of her, red bled in next until only the empty space in front of her was left.
She sucked in a breath, held back from crying out as a pain so tender struck her core, and gripped the back of the plastic chair as she came back to the present. In a breath, she began.
"Do you need help?"
"What?" The young girl snap as frustrated tears were now building in her eyes.
"Do you have a picture? My family and I can help you look for your missing baby. How long has it been since you last had eyes on them?"
"Oh." Tears fell as she sucked in a breath. "She was just here, I was only looking away for a second to fix her bottle." She bit on her lip, and looked around again the half empty baby stroller by her side was missing the most important thing, the baby seat and the baby.
"It's okay, it wasn't your fault. This is supposed to be a safe place for you and your family. For everyone. Please let me help, my name is Harley and here are my family and newest friends." Harley smiled as they approached, "This is my older sister Thea, our newest cousin Lynn, and our two new friends Rikara and Kate. We were just talking about a little thing called manpower just before you got our attention, and I think you need as much manpower as you can get right now. And we would love to give you a helping hand, if you're okay with that."
"Yes, yes please, I'm sorry I'm not thinking right. I'm Lisa, my daughter is eight months old her name is Jasmine. I have so many pictures," she grabbed her phone off the table and began to unlock it.
"Great. Lisa, let's exchange numbers and a picture would be great too. Go to one of the front desk's, let them know what's happening, they might be of help too. Maybe they can check the cameras. We'll look around and keep in contact with you. And you us. Okay?"
"Okay, okay that sounds good." Lisa then exchanged numbers with Harley sending six different pictures of her almost one year old including the selfie they took that very morning where it showed the dark blue baby seat with a pink dangling baby toy hanging on the strap and Jasmine who was wearing a pink onesie, white bottoms, and a lighter pink open jacket. A white blanket was cocooning her in the seat along with a tiny dinosaur toy to keep her company. Her feet were covered in white fluffy socks, her shoes no doubt with her mother.
While Harley dealt with getting all the information sorted out, Katie and the others drew closer. She wasn't sure if they were doing what she was, which was getting a feel for Lisa and Jasmine, she was taking deep breaths, already separating this little area from everyone else. Though babies didn't have that many distinctive scents compared to an older person, there were still many smaller variables that caught the werewolf's nose.
The hunt was on.
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Post by Thea on Apr 4, 2023 22:01:42 GMT -5
Avery's response was to hum, nodding as if she figured that was going to be his answer. It hasn't even been two weeks since they all found out. Vaguely she wondered if she would start having a thirst for blood since she and Timothy have marked each other. Then a few seconds later she threw it out completely; surely that would have happened shortly after their union. It felt like it's been ages since then. And despite her newfound knowledge in "certified ass-kicking" (Avery's term for mixed martial arts) leading her to have drawn blood against her opponents, Avery had no desire to drink it.
Then her thought process led her to think of how absent Timothy has been. Did Timothy even know Ruby was giving her fighting lessons? Surely. But with the exception of today, Avery has seen so little of him. She knew she hasn't said anything to him. Has Ruby? Or Penny? Guilt wormed its way into her intestines, leaving her feeling the lowest of the low. Should she? No. Her husband has checked out of her life in every aspect except physically. This, at this very moment, had been the most they'd interacted. Even so, Avery felt like she was purposely keeping things from him.
All the while, an ivy-like blush crept onto her face, starting in her cheeks before working its way down her neck. Never had she felt so bashful around her husband. But she was today. After so long with no intimacy, the way Timothy was looking at her - as if she was the only person in the room - as he kissed her hand, felt all at once foreign and familiar. His experiment invite sent a little thrill down her spine, causing the blush to deepen. And hope fluttered in her stomach on butterfly wings. "If that's what you want," she conceded softly. "Sharper?"
Her phone dinged shortly after, with a special ringtone that announced Penny's text messages. She knew that if she didn't answer it Penny would continue to blow her phone up until she did. So with reluctance she pulled out and opened the text.
It was a picture of Avery and Timothy, when he had kissed her hand like the perfect gentleman. And of course, the picture had a high enough definition to show just how red Avery was. Around their heads was a bright pink heart, and in the bottom left corner were three emojis with heart-shaped eyes.
Avery chuckled, but before she could send a response or even attempt to show Timothy, their daughter sent another message:
Mom and Dad, sitting in a tree.
(Because they're birds LOL)
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
Avery looked up at Timothy with a small smile. "We have an audience."
***
Thea hated her responsibilities.
Being the leader of a guild of assassins had some perks, sure. But if she could shirk them like Selena so blithely did, she would. Rarely did she have a day without having her phone going off with some Guild-related message. Up until now, she thought she was going to have one of them. No messages meant no pressing matters that needed to be tended to. No pressing matters meant she could relax.
Yet as she dragged herself behind Rikara's urgent steps, resisting the urge to whimper like a whipped dog, she pulled her phone out to send a text to the head of the hackers. Checking the cameras was a good idea, but if the workers at the front desk didn't have any authorization to look at the cameras without a subpoena, they would have been fucked. Thankfully the Guild employed the best of the best. They could pull up footage of the last twelve hours without leaving a trail, sending it directly to Thea's phone if she needed it. Which would be great.
I have the baby's scent, Lynn said in the New Dawn link with the air of a dutiful soldier. She and Thea had grown close, so Thea knew at least some of Lynn's history as a part of a "superhero" squad led by the government. With her heightened senses she was treated like a bloodhound and attack dog. While Thea hated learning of such degrading work, she was glad they had her expertise.
It'd be stupid not to call the police, but my experience is that they won't be here immediately. When it comes to babies like this, time is not on our side. Thea slammed her phone into her back pocket, then gathered everyone's shopping bags. "I'll take these to the car and then start in the parking lot."
"Let me come with," Rikara interrupted, who was carrying her own shopping bag. Thea hadn't bothered to take hers, not thinking about her even being a part of this impromptu search-and-rescue mission. A blast of white-hot anger seared the inside of her chest. Yet before she could sear her with what she really wanted to say Rikara moved with the grace of royalty, not giving Thea the chance.
Thea clicked her teeth angrily, swept her gaze over the rest of the women there, then stormed off behind Rikara.
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Post by Ventia on Apr 12, 2023 17:52:03 GMT -5
Timothy glanced back at his wife's words, spotting his daughter smirking at him. He narrowed his brows at her, to let her know what he thought of her spying before shaking his head, then turned back to Avery a smile forming on his face from seeing her smiling at him, even though it was small it felt more genuine than most of the smiles she gave him. Hope fluttered for him too.
"Bad timing as always, my fault." He didn't want to stop though, this was the first time he was actually doing something right even if it was a very low percentage of rightness, Timothy still didn't want to let this feeling go.
"You sure you're not hungry?" He asked instead and couldn't stop himself from reaching out and tucking that bouncy curl behind her left ear.
"You should sit down and relax for a bit, I'll take care of the cleanup before going in to work."
-
"Lynn's still a little new to this Town, you should go with her Kate." Harley said to Katie once Lisa separated from them, after getting the girl's agreements Harley began her search in the opposite direction that Lynn and Katie had gone in, her eyes raking over everyone in the early hour. The fact that it was so early and partly empty was in their favor, of course scents still mixed too concentrated in the populated areas like the cafeteria or tiny stores with too many people, but when the hall stretched out wide and empty the scents were easily identified.
She jogged down the wide path, expanding her senses her sight was by far better than her sense of smell, yet it was still higher than that of a normal human. Her hearing was on par with her sight as well, and with her senses stretched out she could see hear and smell everything within a twenty-foot radius.
"Let's take turns going in the shops too. One of us keeps watch while the other goes in for a quick search." Katie matched Lynn's pace, a little excited to see another side of her almost sister-in-law. She only had so few chances to bond with Lynn just yet, though felt like Lynn was already accepting her and liking her as well.
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Post by Thea on Apr 13, 2023 2:17:00 GMT -5
Avery never told the girls how rough her relationship with their father became after Penny and X's disappearance. Avery never had the desire to break it to her eldest that her father hadn't been the same since then. The way she was raised hearing every little argument between her own parents never let it slip to Eva that her heart broke every day without her mate. But it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. There had been a chasm between them that not even the eagle within her could cross.
Today, when she looked across that chasm, there was a rotting, rickety bridge. On the other side of it was Timothy, making his way to her slowly but surely.
She answered his question with a shake of her head. While she could eat some more, she really didn't feel like making herself a plate. After pouring herself into every dish she made alongside Nathaniel, she had no energy to feed herself. Jewel warned her about the dangers of giving too much of herself when there was very little to take from. Avery couldn't help it. So to assuage her inner critic and the mini-Jewel on her shoulder, she compromised that she would eat something protein-dense before she worked out later today.
At his offer, she cocked her head to the left in a bird-like fashion. "You sure?" she asked, wondering briefly if he knew where all the dishes went like she did since she was often in her brother-in-law's kitchen. Sitting down did sound appealing; her feet were starting to get tingly from her standing up for a long stretch of time. What was even more appealing was staying right here, in Timothy's close proximity. Her self-imposed rule to keep her distance from her husband was all the more tempting to break.
At his nod, she heaved a dramatic sigh. "If you say so," she said, but the small smile she still had on her face showed that she was grateful. "I'm going to go sit by a certain someone and give her a lecture about eavesdropping." No, she wouldn't. Penny wouldn't listen if she did anyway. "See you when you come home?"
***
Lynn never left home without her gun.
Thankfully, this area was pretty lax about gun-carrying laws. It wasn't that she couldn't take this perp down without it. But it was like an extension of herself. A limb that - if cut off - she would have a difficult time adapting to life without. The Glock sat snug between her torso and the waistband of her jeans in its appendix-carry holster, a ready and willing partner since the very beginning. (How her family sneaked it out of the compound, she wasn't sure.)
She knew that Ventia can relate, and so could Katie. The first time she hung out with Katie, she found that out. It had broken her social anxiety dam almost immediately. So when Harley suggested that Katie go with Lynn, she was grateful. Katie was definitely better suited to ask people if they had seen the baby or any suspicious people. "Okay, great," she said, sliding into the search-and-rescue role with an ease she never had before. Was it because she was with Katie? Or outside of the government control? "We should check the bathrooms, too. Even the men's. Hopefully they didn't get far and we can get access to those cameras."
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Post by Ventia on Apr 22, 2023 4:22:42 GMT -5
"Alright," Timothy agreed but in reality didn't want to let her go, didn't want her to take even a step away from him, yet that wasn't realistic. He had to go to work, Avery probably had a full day planned as well and his tagging along would feel more like a nuisance than something welcomed. He couldn't remember the last time they went out together, she did most of the shopping while he just went from the house to his shop-it had always felt there wasn't a need for him to do anything else besides from that even though he had done some of those things at the beginning of their relationship.
"I'll try to come home early tonight," he said to her back and watched as she went very still for a second before looking back at him, that small smile still there and although her eyes were still uncertain, there was a small glimmer of hope in them as well.
Jackson had stopped listening to Nathaniel's nonsense chattering a while ago until his name being called pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced at them both, his younger brother and his father who seemed to be looking at him expectedly.
"Huh?" he questioned, placing down the fork that had been pushing his leftovers for the last few minutes.
"Will it be dangerous for Jas?"
"It shouldn't. Unless there's outside interference. With Hagar being a Reaper, and a damn good one at that if the rumors are true, he might find out and mess with Jasper's soul. Though that's a very big if, you are dealing with a pro here. Not many people have caught my magic at work." Jasper winked at his old man and glanced at Jasper's plate, satisfied to see most of the food gone he stood up.
"Alright, let's give this a go. If you have something of Jade's even better, where should we get this done, your room? Are we having a audience or what? Let's get this show on the road."
-
"Definitely." Katie agreed, "Maybe we should check the bathrooms first?" They were still near the food court and there were bathrooms there as well, she personally wouldn't choose those sets of bathrooms since it was so close to the crime scene but then again, who knew what a kidnapper was thinking?
At Lynn's nod of agreement, they did a double take back toward the food court and while keeping both their eyes and noses open, went for the bathrooms. The baby's scent was faint yet there, but instead of being in the men's bathrooms, it veered left to the woman's. Lisa had probably taken her here yet just to be sure, Kate stalked right into the men's bathroom ignoring the men present, and checked the stalls for any sign or scent of Jasmine. Not finding anything, she shook her head at Lynn who had followed her inside, and followed Lynn out of the bathrooms back down the hall towards the food court.
They began dutifully checking the stores and halls one by one while texting the other girls to see if there's been any development.
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