TAIINTED ; MORGAN DELMONT , @hellwolfie
THEY OFFER HER A GLIMMER OF A SMILE AT HER TEASING RECEPTION AND PUSHES the steaming cup of hot cocoa, plus a neatly wrapped snow globed shaped present towards her before sitting down. Their long, black, leather raincoat with a red lining rustles against the soft furnishing as they shuffle in their seat for the perfect comfy spot. ❝Wooin is my speciality or so I’ve been told. ❞ They tease back, letting out a brief chuckle, the kind that doesn’t quite reach their eyes despite their best effort to appear cheery ( perhaps it would have been better to keep their facial expression impassive, just so she wouldn’t see the hurt radiating through their skin ) and they flinch when their rose-gold wedding band catches the light of the winter sun, which causes it to sparkle like a Christmas tree bedecked in fairy lights. Should they even still be wearing it after everything Larkin put them through during these last few weeks.
❝I ―― ❞ Where to even begin is the question that plagues their mind and crimson red hues are quick to give her a apologetic look when they catch her staring at them ( they’ve been to lost in their mind to properly acknowledge her ). They flounder for several moments for words that could explain how they lost their job without painting their husband in a bad light. ❝ Larkin, brought my boss home the other night t’make me jealous and I guess they had been intimate because he began to kiss the back of my husband neck right in front of me as I walked through the front door, so punched him. ❞ With a sigh, they makes a dismissive gesture with their hand as their gaze moves over to the window to look at the horizon. ❝Larkin, didn’t know he was my boss or my Mama’s… Monique’s brother but after I punched him he fired me and I am now scrapin by doin’ jobs in the field of the paranormal, while tryin’ to figure out what I did wrong t’make Larkin want to sleep with someone else. Is it wrong t’say that right now Larkin is dead t’me, Moa? ❞
the pain in crimson eyes doesn’t escape her ―― there’s never been a moment where morgan’s emotions and thoughts haven’t been clearly voiced by facial expression alone. it seems self-evident that there’s another reason for the visit, beyond the hot chocolate and the small present that she, her slender fingers now wrapped around its shape, regards with subdued skepticism. the foible for knickknack has never been shared, maybe because otherwise age would come with slightly more mansions than she’d like ―― storage rooms, cupboards, entire houses filled to the brim with objects assigned a minimum of emotional value. she’s got her antiques, all right ; but when morgan’s gaze meets hers, it’s not the present that hinders the smile from persisting. and besides, she loves morgan because of the affection for the small things in life, not despite of it.
there’s a certain tone in their voice, apology aside : with one hand holding onto the warm mug and the other placing the snow globe onto her work desk, she settles on her own chair with a frown.
“ i don’t know what to say. i’m sorry. ” it’s an honest verbalisation. she’s liked larkin, doesn’t dare insist she knows him well, but after everything they’ve been through together ―― after all of her mistakes, the unmissable amount of them … noah, kua… teeth dig into the inside of her cheek when she regards morgan’s defeated silhouette. “ under different circumstances, i’d say you have a shit taste in men. ” there’s a brief laugh, entirely airy and unable to reach beyond the corners of her mouth. “ but, to be honest, i’m married to your other cheating ex, so. ” what’s the point in this ? her palm sets the mug down, fingertips dragging over her chin and lips : it’s disappointing, being so oblivious to the signs that larkin would cheat in the aftermath of their still very recent marriage ―― she should have seen them, should have recognised them. she out of all should have known and warned morgan. it’s unfortunate.
“ is there anything i can do for you ? ―― maybe not punch larkin, although i have a terrific left hook. … i could talk to your former boss ? see if i can do anything about you getting sacked ? ”