nature boy

ezekiel cuizon | witch please touch grass

[ezekielxcuizon]

BASICS:

Full Name: Ezekiel Lorenzo Sanchez Cuizon

Age: 33

Occupation: Artist & Architect — Unemployed in LC

Species: Witch ↪  Botanical Communication, Familiar Manifestation, Electrokinesis, Intangibility

About Page: click here // Full Bio: click here

PERSONALITY:

Positive: Artistic, Kind-hearted, Carefree 

Negative: Guarded, Idealistic, Indulgent

[ignoringevery-omen]

She couldn't help but watch the bird kind of longingly, an itch to sketch her tingling through her fingers, though she didn't dare look away from Ezekiel. "Hurt isn't what makes me shitty." The vampire replied deadpan. It was a lie, but he didn't need to know that.

She could almost see the shift as she spoke, the civility cracking, just a little, the anger underneath bubbling through. She knew the feeling well, a need to repress to put up a front. The hateful creature he saw her as was her front, just as the picture of calm was his. "The con was horrible, I apologise for that. You were the poor sucker we lured in and we hurt you. It's not fair to anyone - but you're right, it was survival and I would do it again if we had to." She was cool, her voice clear - like they had swapped personas. "But you're also an idiot. You being here is a threat in of itself. You know too much. They came here to be safe and protected. If we get kicked out... no, if they get kicked out, I don't know if I can protect them." It was more honest than she had been in a long time, lord knows why she was being truthful with Ezekiel of all people.

The revelation about the ring shocked her, her eyes widening slightly at his words, fingers absently reaching for the men's watch she wore on her wrist everyday, her brother's watch, thinking about the pain she would feel if someone took it. "I'm sorry about the ring."

"I'm not like her." Her voice caught on the words, and were more of a gut reaction more than anything. She schooled herself, she wouldn't let him see the hurt that Dilan had caused her. "I knew what I needed to know. We screwed you over, you knew that - who knows what kind of trouble you could have caused us. They are my family, no matter what. I will do anything to protect them, and I will sleep like a damn baby afterwards." It was a little cruel, but it was needed. "You seem like a good person, and I hate what we did to you, and you don't seem like you want to hurt Dilan despite everything that has happened. But if you do, I don't care what is happening with us, or how crappy I feel about the part I played in conning you, I will protect her."

"Yippee for me I guess." She replied sarcastically. "It's been nice knowing you."

[ezekielxcuizon]

"Right, just how you are then. Got it." It was a little hard to believe, and he knew from experience that people sometimes were more than who they showed the world, yet the desire to crack through her exterior to maybe gain some real insight into the person she actually was, was near impossible and entirely unwanted.

"I'll tell you what I told Dilan," he said, "I come from a long line of witches, who are both powerful magically and not, and that's not a brag, just a fact. So, do you think if I really wanted revenge I'd wait this long?" He almost wanted to laugh. "I do understand the need but your apology is shit if it follows with a 'I'd do it again' so keep that to yourself. But it is interesting that you keep saying they and excluding yourself from the ones you call family...oh...you don't consider yourself a part of theirs." Now he did laugh a bit. "You're hopeless and a real idiot if you don't know how family works."

It was only because he had eyes on her that he caught the subtle shift in her movement, his gaze travelling to catch sight of the watch. Something that struck him a little bit outside her usual style, something that had him pause, a thought going to the possible reason for it. He didn't know her, nor did he want to, but sentiment was not as easy of a thing to hide despite effort. "I didn't think you could apologise with sincerity, but I'll accept that. You do seem to understand this in a way then."

While the initial betrayal had hurt, festering into a lack of muse and a defeated sense of purpose, he did move along as best as he could with his life. And now, seemingly with a loose end tied, maybe he could finally wash his hands off with this mess. "I don't care if you don't like hearing it, but you are," he stated again, firm in this belief since that's what his observations told him. "Tell me how you plan on protecting if my existence in the same place as you all is such a big threat." His words held the makings of a taunt. With a tilt of his head Althea disappeared, and nature around them grew to a quieter hush when Zeke stepped forward, the barest hints of a smile as he did so. "What trouble do you think I'm capable of? Me being good is a choice, I can choose not to be but..." he trailed off, eyeing her up and down, "You're not worth my effort. Dilan less so."

An eyeroll and a scoff followed her reply as he brushed past her, his parting words were as sweet as ever. "Fuck you."

END.

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Rio?" Brie blinked over at Zeke. Her brows knitted as a sigh slipped from her lips, slightly disappointed by the name he had selected. "I thought you were going to ask about the Reeds. They're have way more juicy stuff to dish about, but Rio's cool. We met in New York and are kind of friends, though she likes to maintain a certain mysteriousness about herself and is super wary about others getting too close. Her, Dilan, and Leyla used to be this sort of package deal. They were like a makeshift family and often like to get into trouble, but a few years back, there was this ball at the Emerald Hotel where we all were held captive but this crazy witch who called herself the Catalyst. The witch was on some weird tirade and had a revenge vendetta against the previous Council members. Anyways, she called us all sinners and told us we couldn't leave until we voted people in the room to get hurt by various means. The last one standing got to make it out alive and Dilan nominated Rio to die before she could volunteer herself so they started to rub shoulders then, but they forgave each other and everything was all fine and dandy until recently. I'm not really sure what happened, but after Covechella they haven't really been hanging out. I think it's over some boy, but I'm not really sure. Other than that, she's a curator at the gallery Art in Motion, she's a Sagitarius, she likes to go clubbing, she's a bit of a flirt but in a fun way, she's really into wearing the color black? Anything you're wanting to know in particular?"

[ezekielxcuizon]

It was only after she mentioned the Reeds did he click onto his want to know about them as well. "Them, too." But if wondered if it mattered anymore, he'd be countries and continents away to care about any of it. Something he needed to tell Brie at an official capacity at osme point, but he really was terrible at goodbyes. For now, he popped a dumpling in his mouth and listened intently, even if he couldn't help the roll of his eyes. "No, she thinks she's cool. Difference. Yeah, I know they're a package deal."

He grew silent at hearing about the ball. While he didn't doubt that this town would have its fair share of troubles, past and present, given that he had gone through a chaotic ordeal himself not too long ago, a witch with a vendetta was intriguing, especially something with such high and horrible stakes. "That sounds like a nightmare, what hell goes on in this town?" he remarked wide-eyed for a brief moment. "But that doesn't surprise me about Dilan, she's selfish." He had heard from both the women about protecting who they considered family, and while the sentiment was good, he couldn't see them actually doing that with honest intent. This in a way proved his point. "Hmmm. No, I'm good, I think I know enough. Tell me about the Reeds."

[ignoringevery-omen]

"No, you're special." She replied with a cock of her head and a small smile on her lips, from anyone else it might sound like a compliment, but from her she knew it would come off as nasty. She had given him an image of her, and it was by no means unwarranted, that she was mean and cruel - it was the way she viewed herself - and she knew that image would speak volumes to him.

"Unfortunately sometimes horrible is the best option." She replied with a shrug, she wouldn't apologise, as far as she was concerned she had done nothing wrong. She didn't need to be liked, didn't care if he thought her a monster, she would bear the weight of that if it protected her family - or whatever tatters remained of it. "For what it's worth, you turned up here out of the blue and knew too much, you were the threatening one, if you can believe it. It wasn't personal." It was honest, far more honest that she would typically be.

[ezekielxcuizon]

Say the word and I will drop stones onto her head.

Zeke told his familiar to not do such a thing as he gave Rio a cold stare, leaving it be without any further comments. Civility, though not warranted for the likes of her, was still maintained despite his want. However, Althea was not so charitable with her squawks soaring overhead, their link translating them into words he should not and will not say. "I don't know what hurt you're carrying but it's not a reason to be shitty."

He didn't want his mind and heart to be weighed down with the rest of what she continued with but damned if that didn't bring about a rise. Anger wasn't a thing that came quickly to him, not even when he'd been at the rage cage, yet now, shadows lengthened on their own as he tried not to tap into magic he shouldn't in this moment. "It is personal," he said, voice sharp and tinged with an unshakeable bitterness. "It's been personal the moment you all decided to con me." The reason being said out loud didn't offer any catharsis, just added a new layer to his irritation. "I understand now it was a survival thing, but I was in no way threatening to your existence, left you all be for five years and really wouldn't have showed up here if Dilan didn't still have my mother's ring." He had tried to forget about it, but to write off something that was precious to his family filled him guilt with each passing year and with thoughts always going to that, it naturally led to him thinking about Dilan more. "I see why you call each other family, or used to, I don't fucking care, but you're like her. Assuming and accusing without knowing all the information. I don't know if it's audacious or just plain stupidity that you said I knew too much, when it was your scam that made me see true colours."

The picture that painted itself of her, of all this, was not a good one and he didn't care enough to put in anymore effort to correct it. "You're in the wrong yet I''m paying the price for it." Sensing the shift in his tone, Althea flew down and landed to perch on his shoulder, a comfort in the tumult of his thoughts. Turning away from Rio now, he smoothed her feathers with a gentle hand, "I'm sorry to be hiding you under shallow skies." Better out there than in here. "Very much the case, yeah, we'd fare better away from here." What truth that held, he didn't know, but he had existed outside these walls and this was only meant to be a temporary stop anyway, as much as he did like this place it solidified more and more that this was no longer for him.

"Congratulations are in order for you," he said, finally turning to Rio again, "You won. This place, this community, despite its own worry, I felt like I could be free... magic out on the open, I'm not used to that feeling. But I realise, I can't truly be myself. You said you were here first, now you can be here last. Come the new year, I'll be leaving. I hope you feels less threatened." With that he began to leave.

[moonglowmagic]

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Dilan sat there quietly listening to him talk, while a part of her wanted to pretend to have outrage over his comment about her doing the same, she couldn’t muster up the energy to fight. “It does tank trust, I’ll agree with you there. As for the whole closed off thing, that’s more recent.” She admitted softly. Right now she wanted nothing more than to self isolate and disappear. “I’ve put myself out there more times than I can count only to get burned repeatedly. Which is probably my karma for everything I’ve done.” She knew that she had a lot of bad karma that she was still trying to work out. “I can’t keep putting myself out there for it to end badly.” She was so tired of nothing good ever coming from anything she tried.

“Well the people who raised me. They’re not my birth parents, but they always treated me as their daughter. Hell I don’t even know if by the time the mirage wore off if they even cared.” Knowing she was throwing complicated things out without a second thought, but her carefully crafted demure was long gone. “Before you ask, I’m a changeling. Which is complicated in itself. I have no idea what happened to my birth parents, I’m guessing they’re dead since they never came for me or Leyla or…” Hande. The name still stung a part of her and it was just more unresolved trauma. “But when I was eleven my parents were arrested for stealing.” She explained with a shrug. “No and yes.” Crossing one leg over the other. “Zeke, I survived long before you.” It wasn’t a dig at him, just the truth. “I was taught how to be cute and to steal from a young age. After my parents got arrested, I had to survive on my own. I spent a year in a house with nobody but myself, then Leyla found me.” She explained, crossing one leg over the other as she got comfortable on the couch despite still having her coat on. “After that— we did what we needed to have food and shelter. Usually it wasn’t with great people.” They had always picked targets carefully, but sometimes there was some who slipped through the cracks. 

Giving a laugh when he said she could have dropped hints or clues. “That’s sweet that you think that, but this relationship started off on a lie. By the time everything settled there was no going back, I had Rio and Leyla to worry about too. Also let’s be real I’m not fit for prison.” She admitted with a forced laugh. “You can say you wouldn’t have had me arrested or could have helped, but let’s be real for one second.” Holding up a finger for him to give her a minute while she continued talking. “But there was no way me telling you the truth when I was that far in with you, that this worked out. I mean let’s be real, if I had spilled everything do you honestly think we would have ran off into the sunset? Or would you have exiled me? Cause to me I just skipped a few steps ahead and did the enviable.”

“What do you want from me?” She asked honestly looking over at him. “Zeke I physically don’t have it in me to fight you on this anymore, so that’s why I’m saying you can stay if you don’t want too.” She was depressed and tired from everything that had went on, now she felt like a shell of a person. “You’re right I have.” Agreeing with him once more and she nodded. “You don’t think this is also how I feel? All the time. I’m alone.” She admitted softly, letting her hands drop to her lap. “It’s not that having you here is— bad, just I don’t know what to do with you. I mean I don’t know if you were going to turn me in or not? I have a family to protect. Or well had. Now I have Leyla.” She explained before looking down at her hands and twirling her thumbs. Barely even looking up when he said the ring was the goal. “Zeke, I’m not worth knowing. There’s nothing good or redeeming about me. I’m a bad person. Rotten to the core.” Getting up from the couch, she stood there still not making any effort to move or take off her coat. “If that’s the case Zeke then do what you want. I’m trying, but I have nothing to give anymore.” Letting her hands drop to her sides. “But for the record, the door is open if you want it to be.” 

[ezekielxcuizon]

He quietly agreed that it indeed was karma, didn't voice it of course, seeing how her demeanour was more quieter and muted, starkly different from what he seen when he had arrived, he felt it would've been best to keep such thoughts to himself despite them fighting to be released into the open. But still, the light shake of head couldn't be helped, "I don't know the exact manner of what you're talking on but you do know that's how life works, right? Even for me, who's had a relatively comfortable life, things end badly or different from how we expect it and that isn't the end of things? Our perceptions doesn't always match reality and that should be fine. Live and grow, it's nature."

This information was a lot to say the least, and he wasn't sure how to exactly respond let alone process, and to be told she was a changeling on top, he tried to remember what the history was behind that, but he supposed it clarified a little into what she was saying. "Or...?" he prompted, "There's more siblings that were changelings?" As she continued, he rose a brow to her talking on survival, "And what, you think my family existing for generations is a simple task? Our magic traces back to the origins of my country. Do you think we wouldn't have kept you and your siblings safe? Granted, yes, you didn't know I was a witch, but that wouldn't have been a secret for long. There were moments where I tried to tell you as well, but couldn't at the advice of my family. Looking back now, maybe that was a good thing." While he didn't suspect that she would reveal their magical origins, given that she was fae herself, but one couldn't be too careful, much like her resilience and fight for survival, they too had to keep caution.

"I understand," he said softly. "You did what you had to do. I can't fault you for that. And yes, we did start off with a lie, but you're definitely not destined for prison." A brief moment of levity flickered, then quickly faded as his expression hardened. He waited before speaking again. "That's what I'm realising about you, you assume too much. You script out how you think things will go, and then you treat that as gospel. You don't know how I'll react. You don't know me at all." His voice grew firmer. "What? It doesn't have to be a sunset ending or exile, or whatever you're imagining. We could have sat down and talked. We're adults. I was in love with you. When things get tough or complicated, working through them should be the next step. But that's where you skipped a few steps." He pointed, "You made the call. Sure, you did what you had to for survival and yes, you had Rio and Leyla to think but you decided it wouldn't work and you all left to start a new life and I was left wondering how to pick up the pieces of mine."

A tired sigh escaped him. "This is not a fight, at least not on my end, I'm trying to understand, but I understand conversations aren't your strong suit." He paused, considering her. "And why is that, Dilan? You have family, friends, if you asked someone for help, they wouldn't refuse. They care. Even Rio. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so hostile toward me. You say you have a family to protect, and that's true, but it works both ways. I don't know how you can't see that."

He scoffed slightly, "I said my family was powerful, didn't I? And that is not just magically. You don't think I could've turned in you the second you left? I didn't have to wait five years to get justice. I don't know if you believe that or will stick to whatever narrative you conjured up in your mind, but I wouldn't have turned you in." He didn't say it but there was a pause in which the words would have sat, she was not worth the revenge. Maybe in another life, maybe if he was a different person, but not for this one. "If you didn't have my ring, I wouldn't have cared this much to seek you out."

He looked at her for a second then gave a firm nod, "Alright. If you say you're not worth knowing then my efforts in wanting to know you would be wasted. I didn't think you were wholly bad, I know you're not rotten, circumstances made you act the way you had to, but if you want to keep pushing people away then that's a choice I suppose I have to respect. I can't chase after you anymore. I'd hoped for a cleaner start, or at least a chance at one, but I see you're not ready for that." And with that he felt a decision being made without thought, a blessing he supposed, yet he felt his heart twist with something unknown. "I wanted the door open but I cannot and will not force you to give me something in return when you keep saying you don't want to or can't seem to. This has to be a two way street." He offered a sad, final smile. "We began with a lie, I don't want to start another one with force. Maybe... maybe this is it. You don't have to worry or think about what to do with me anymore. Much like how you've done in the past, let me make that choice for us now."

[efexumukoroxlc]

"Chill? I work with fire, man. Physically impossible for me to chill." Efe knew this was a bad a joke but he delivered it with enough gusto to cause the neverending fear he was turning into his father to flicker. All the same, the fireman gave a roll of his eyes, relaxing a bit. In truth, as far as his friends and neighbors in Lunar Cove went, he did suppose he was among the more grounded. This was not something he would ever say aloud, of course, but he had spent plenty of time chasing around others engaged in reckless behavior. "Was it Linden? Sorry. You don't have to tell me." He was, however, flipping through his knowledge of the various witches around town.

Averting his gaze, Efe gave a low hum. "Sure. Sometimes my dog and I run the nature trails. I like to...pick up litter. I know that must sound terribly exciting." But looking back up, he managed a softer smile. "Is that how it's talked about...out there? I mean, I don't really...I've always been inside of it, you know? When I was growing up, witches, vampires, werewolves...they were just things that existed. As everyday as anyone else. In any case, I hate to say that it hasn't. The amount of hunters who pass through here? We're circled in red marker." Efe grimaced at that. He supposed the mirage was doing its job by keeping them somewhat at bay, but with each new day, more and more enemies seemed to trickle through. He had the sickening sense some were even living among them.

Efe swallowed hard, his voice dropping. "Between you and me, I think there's some kind of...I don't know. Network. Some sort of secret society maybe. That snuffs things like that out before they happen. Does that sound made up?" Maybe it did, but he was not in charge of things around here. His knowledge of the inner workings of supernatural Councils in Lunar Cove and beyond was limited. "It's weird to say, but on the outside...have you ever gone to a shopping mall around Christmas? It's almost like I want to spend all my money. We have plenty of damn good little shops and all, but let me tell you...there's something about a big flashing department store." This all seemed to be some kind of bit.

[ezekielxcuizon]

"What's the liquid thing you use to put out fire? That's gotta have some chill right? Embody that," he said with a laugh, and a light shake of his head, "I get being on guard is something that comes with the profession, but easy, man, it's cool." It was not something of his nature, always one that was too chill, too easy going, grew to be a downfall in some situations. "It was!" Zeke said with an eager nod, "You know him? I'd put him on some sort of watch if that's at thing you guys do. He was smoking in the woods and forest fires are no joke."

Zeke couldn't help but laugh again, "Hey, no, that's needed! Would be nice if people had the decency to not litter but that's not always the case. The trees appreciate it too, so thanks from nature itself." He shrugged at the question, "It's hardly talked about much really, we have to keep it quiet out of…well death. Pass off our kind as stories that humans made up, it is what it is. Would've been nice to talk about be open with it, being on the inside as you say, but that comes with a feeling of being trapped. And yeah, exactly that, this town is a target." There weer positive and negatives to all things, but with magic it seemed there really was no win. "No where feels safe which really keeps solidifying the fact, at least for me, that we might just be wiped out for good." It was a horrid and grim claim, one that sagged his shoulders and mood right down, but that seemed like their reality.

"A network? Oh, that's interesting." Even if was a speculation, he was willing to trust a local rather than dismiss as something untrue because with this town, it might as well be the case. On talks of malls and Christmas, mood shifted, "I hear you. It's very tempting. Small town charm and all, right? Malls are a league of their own, though I'm sure, a big store here wouldn't be out of place. "

[cantfightmoonlight]

@ezekielxcuizon

"Okay, now that we have our dumplings and bao buns, buckle up," She declared as she settled into the seat across from him. "All you could possibly want to know about Lunar Cove town happenings and gossip starts now. So, pick a person and get ready for me to dive in, because it's gonna be a doozy."

[ezekielxcuizon]

Zeke untied his scarf and carefully set it down beside him as the food arrived. "Buckled." It became increasingly clear just how little he truly knew about this town. Knowing its history was one thing, but understanding the people—the true heart of any place—remained a mystery to him. One person immediately sprang to mind when Brie asked to name a person, but he hesitated, unsure if he wanted to delve deeper into Dilan's world, there was already so much she'd shared that he needed time to process but after a moment's consideration, he shifted his thoughts, focusing on the next name that kept grating on his mind. "Alright," he said, "What's Rio's deal?"

[waywardesouls]

@lunarcovestarters

LOCATION : Just in Bloom, before Christmas Day

“Trees are 50% off!” Laurel chimes as she rights a wreath above the front door to Just in Bloom. Over her shoulder, she tosses a cheery smile to those that approach. A small row of bare Christmas trees line the front of the shop, waiting and eager to be brought home and decorated. “We have some beautiful Douglas Firs left, and a few lovely Pines! This one has a wonderful temperament, very sweet.”

LOCATION : Downtown Holiday Market

Cassandra used to love the holiday season. The chilly weather, the light and decorations, getting together with friends and family over hot chocolate or mulled wine. But now, the snowy streets and holiday cheer only served a a reminder of her darkest moments, and the ones she lost. Normally, she would spend her time holed up in her apartment with a bottle of wine (or two), and while that still sounded tempting, it was also beginning to get a little too depressing, even for her. So, she donned her comfiest coat and began walking the downtown streets without any real destination in mind, only away.

Her wandering feet lead her to the bustling holiday market, and though she hadn't intended to buy anything, she found her curiosity–and penchant for spending–take hold. While perusing, she stopped by a particular stall, marveling for a moment at all the options with muted amusement. “Jeez, they have everything here, don't they?”

[ezekielxcuizon]

Location: Just in Bloom

Holding two cups of hot chocolate that warmly thawed his fingers, Zeke jogged lightly toward the flower shop, careful to avoid spilling a single drop. The lively hum of human voices blending with the gentle rustling of leaves and soft chatter of plants made the shop even warmer than he remembered.

Spotting Laurel, he made his way over and extended one of the cups. "Hey. For you." The soft murmur of the Pine caught his ear, boasting about its impressive height and how proud it was of itself, made him chuckle softly as turned his attention back to Laurel. "It really does have a nice outlook," he remarked, "How are sales going? Seems like the place is buzzing today."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Which guy?" She tilted a curious brow up toward Zeke, always being down to gossip and was happy to hear news on her fellow residents. "He does know that is like asking to start a forest fire, right?" She pointed out, before a bright smile broke across her lips as Zeke swung and shattered a bunch of cups. "Now you're getting the hang of it! See? It's fun, no?"

"I've been smashing things, but if you want to see it so badly, then," She swung her bat into a TV so hard that the whole thing exploded into pieces along with the bat, courtesy of her super strength. "Whoa. I didn't know it could do that and yeah, calm is a good word for it. I feel weirdly at peace, you know? Though it might be time to go, unless that is we want to explain to an employee what happened to their bat?"

[ezekielxcuizon]

"Linden. Do you know him?" Zeke had to think a second before the last named clicked, "Reed. There's a couple more of them about, but he's the one I caught smoking. Laurel, on the other hand, is lovely." At her talking about fire, he nodded quickly, "Exactly. And it's not good for the plants either! They tell me as much. Except...well, he told me about a tree he hangs around?" Zeke hit another object at the thought of it, "I find it suspicious that the tree vouched for his smoking habit but I took its word. Still don't trust the guy though... is that bad?" He didn't think it was, but then again, it was a judgement made at first impression.

Zeke could help but laugh at the force behind her hit, "That's more of what I meant. Nicely done. Weirdly this has been fun for me too, but yeah, seems like enough hitting for the day...even the bat agreed." He laughed once more. "I'm sure it happens a lot though, right? There's a lot of folk with super strength. Employees should expect it."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Okay, well, then, think about all of the pollution that is killing our planet! Think of all of the dying and screaming plants and how awful they've been treated and now smash those glasses," She exclaimed, gesturing at the row of glass cups for him to try again. "Not hard enough, man! Not hard enough! But, no, you're not ruining the mood. This is supposed to be fun. If you're laughing, then the mood is very much not ruined and sort of yeah," She nodded along, not that she was really one to know for certain. She was a far cry from a therapist if she'd ever seen one. "Hey! It's not my fault you seem humanly incapable of channeling a very normal emotion. I thought I was spending the day with my friend on a fun afternoon out. How was I supposed to know that I went on a friend hang with the modern version of Mother Freakin' Teresa?" She teased, rolling her eyes lightly over. "There! You did it! I'd give you a round of applause, but I don't really want to be like those white people who clap when the plane lands and," She let out a small sigh, nodding in agreement with his assessment. "They likely would, yes. But they also threaten to piss in the Seine when they go on strike, so let's not go around pretending they're all that classy."

[ezekielxcuizon]

As the minutes passed, Zeke felt himself unwinding bit by bit as he listened to Bri talk about nature and the state of the earth, he couldn't help wonder if she used the same tactics on Jonah to get him to do something. "Speaking of plants and pollution," he said, idly twirling the bat between his fingers, "I ran into a guy who was smoking in the woods." His tone held a clear note of disappointment, one that seamlessly carried into the swing he took, connecting cleanly and with enough power to shatter the cups in an burst of fragments. Zeke turned back to her with an easy smile.

"Good. Glad I'm not killing the vibe. This is a fun afternoon. I know it's called the Rage Cage, desired emotion practically in the name, but I dunno, I'm more calm mad? If that makes any sense." Her calling him Mother Teresa made him laugh, along with the bit about people clapping on planes and another painfully accurate comment about Parisians. "Fair points. But hey, you should channel that French outrage and smash a few things yourself. Show me how it's done."

[efexumukoroxlc]

Efe gave an almost overly apologetic shrug, his shoulders rising and falling in one large, self-conscious motion. "I don't know. I guess I never really thought that hard about the implications of it, man. I'm sorry. Did I make a face? I didn't mean to make a face. I'm not, like...completely unversed in magic or anything. I was married to a witch for a time." His gaze fell. "Oh, don't worry. You're not, like, scaring me or anything. I'm glad you like it!" This sounded less convincing, but Efe managed to say it with a smile, genuinely worried now that he was overcompensating. He softened, recentering himself.

"Ah. I'm...sorry. It was the first time hunters attacked us when we found out about..." He trailed off, mind turning back several years to that day, still so fresh in his mind. But maybe it all was better unsaid. "Yeah. One day at a time, I guess. I just...I sort of feel like we're overdue for a win, you know? It's got to happen, doesn't it?" Efe swallowed.

"To tell you the truth, it's not nice. But I guess it's so...someone doesn't leave here and accidentally reveal it to the world. I understand why things are the way they are." Even though he himself would never knowingly bring harm back to Lunar Cove, he supposed others might. But at the same time, Efe had not been granted a choice in the matter; he had not asked for a life in this place. And he did not think it right to have to abandon his childhood entirely to leave it. He managed a smile, though, if only to mask these more dire thoughts. "Wait 'til Christmas. It'll start tomorrow actually."

[ezekielxcuizon]

The way he over-explained, the animated gestures, it was a bit endearing, and eased some of the tension in his own mood. "Chill, man, you're doing fine," he said, a small chuckle escaping him. "Someone once called me weird for talking to plants when his own sister does the same thing. So, you're definitely on the better side." Catching the past tense, Zeke offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry that ended," he said, but he quickly shook his head, slipping back into reassurance. "Seriously, you're fine. I'm just glad I'm not scaring you. Tell me though, you much of a nature person?" he asked hoping to ease Efe's worries on the matter. "Outdoorsy type?"

With a casual wave of his hand, Zeke brushed off the apology. "It's alright. I didn't even know this place was real until a few years ago. Before that, it was just a story." A myth in it's own right, much like supernatural kind itself, both tales and truth. "I hope it stays that way. For everyone's sake." What good was a place that promised safety, but couldn't deliver? He felt it first-hand, how hunters destroyed, their hostility and ill-will that they carried, but this was supposed to be a sanctuary, wasn't it? Even in the few months he'd been here, he could see cracks starting to form, the division between communities and groups. Maybe that was the problem. Too many strong personalities, too much power in one place. Did all that potential just make things worse? And did he even want to be around long enough to find out?

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's what I was told, and it makes sense. The risk of trouble outweighs the benefit of exposure. But then again, you have to wonder what if it was the magical folk who let it slip? I mean, I know about the accords, but that's still trust-based, right? When it comes down to self-preservation or maintaining secrecy it's hard to tell what people will choice." He let the thought simmer for a second before allowing his mind to divert. "That, I understand all too well," he said with a smile, "It's the same back home."

[moonglowmagic]

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“I did. I try to keep promises. I mean I know that seems strange given everything but,” Trailing off as she rambled on for a minute. Staring down at the ring while she waited for him to take it and she questioned why he seemed to hesitate. 

The silence between them was defeating and you could have heard a hair pin drop. Rather than sit in it though she just started to talk once more. Unable to set in the uncomfortable any more than she had to right now, which seemed to be often. “I know it wasn’t.” While she wanted to reassure him that her promise wasn’t false either, they both knew it was it. Everything even down to her name had been a lie. While there had been little moments of truth, they had been few and far between. Sighing softly at his words and she let her hand drop to her knees. Wondering if she should apologize again, or if at this point it was just hitting the same wall over and over. “Just cause one person burned you doesn’t mean everyone will.” She exclaimed softly. “Don’t close yourself off because I’m a shitty person.” Reaching over and putting a hand on his arm. “I know it doesn’t make it better, but I was doing it to get by, to survive. I had nothing after my parents went to prison. It was literally just me until Leyla found me at twelve.” Thinking about her so called parents made her heart ache, she knew that she’d never truly see either of them again. 

“Well what other questions do you have if there is any?” While she wasn’t feeling her best she was willing to let her guard down some to answer him. “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to Zeke.” Sighing heavily, she knew she’d probably end up regretting this one way or another. “The door is open if you want it to be.” Shrugging as she made no effort to move off of the couch. “What do you want?”

[ezekielxcuizon]

The sound that slipped from his lips was hollower than he'd meant it to be, but then again, false promises and empty reassurances deserved nothing less, he thought. "No, you're right. Not everyone will, but it sure does tank trust pretty damn quickly. What you did was shitty, yes, but do you ever take your own advice? You can't tell me to no close people off when you're doing the exact same thing."

He was about to go further, ready to point out on the way she'd been avoiding him during his time here, when the next words out of her mouth stopped him cold. "What the fuck? What do you mean your parents went to prison?" Maybe it shouldn't have been such a surprise, she was a con artist, after all. and hearing this now made it like it was some twisted family business. "Is that why you couldn't tell me about your life?" He grew quiet, trying to think back on their past conversations, but years had passed since and now it was hard to recall anything but the coldness between them. "I think, though," he continued, "if you’d trusted me even just a little, dropped a few hints or half-truths, or something, I could've helped you in some way."

Zeke shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping him at her audacity. "So now it's, 'I don't have to leave if I don’t want to'? All you've been telling me is to go!" He scoffed again with heavy disbelief. "If I want it to be? I've been here six months and all you've done is avoid me. Don't pretend you haven't. Even when we're in the same house, it feels like I'm the only one here." The discomfort that came with that made him want to leave many times, if not the town entirely, at least this place. "This was the goal, yes," he said, holding up the ring between them, "But I also wanted to know who you are. Who Dilan actually is except you never gave me a chance." Till now, when he was on the cusp on making his decision to leave or stay. "And if I'm being honest, I don't think you want people to know who you are, hell, I don't think you can even be open and honest with yourself." He let the words sit there for a beat, heavy in the space between them. "The door isn't open, Dilan, you closed it."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Oh my god, Zeke," Bri exclaimed as she blinked over at him like he was an alien who had just touched down to earth. "Just channel anger. It's not that hard! You have felt anger before in your life, haven't you? Because if not, are you Jesus Fucking Christ? Like what gives?"

"Okay, we're going to try this again," She let out a breath as she moved to rest her hands on either one of his shoulders. "Just hit the items as hard as you can. This is supposed to be fun. Like therapy, okay? It's good to release all of those feelings you've been keeping bottled up inside and this is safe space. No one is going to judge you, or well, I'm going to try really hard not to, no one is going to get hurt, and you can let it all out. If you've ever played a sport, it's like the vase is the ball and you are holding the baseball bat and, if you haven't, then, well, vous avez vécu en Paris." You lived in Paris. Anger should come ease to him. The Parisians loved to get offended. It was practically a past time!

[ezekielxcuizon]

"Yes, of course I've felt anger before...I'm not feeling it now." But it was the way she said it and her expression, rather than making him hone in on that feeling, it brought forth a laugh to the surface. "I'm trying!" More laughter escaped, "Am I ruining the mood, right now?" Though saying it, he did take aim to some objects like she said. "So, this is fun therapy?" He didn't feel any deep catharsis from current worries, but a lightness of a kind did fill him, and maybe that was enough for now. "Yes, yes, I know how hard you try sometimes to not judge," he added with a light teasing tone, "I've played sports, just more rock climbing than baseball." But he spun the bat a couple times, catching it and took another swing to an already busted monitor. "Parisians would take offence to this kind of sport, I'm sure of it."

[ignoringevery-omen]

@ezekielxcuizon somewhere in the woods, near the border to celestial hills

The seabreeze whipped gently at her hair as she continued to sketch across the page, the shape of the lighthouse amongst the rolling waves slowly coming into detail. The picture was a like a ghost, her hand so light you wouldn't be able to make out the picture from a distance. She was itching to add colour, the green of the sea, the grey of the sky - she wanted to resurrect her ghost.

She spotted his, unfortunately, familiar face as she was trying to keep her sketch pad balanced on her knees while drinking her coffee that had long gone cold. If she was a different person, and he were a different person, she might ask about his familiar, the beautiful bird she desperately wanted to draw. However, they were both who they were, but who she was was tired. "I really don't have it in me to be a bitch or threatening at the moment." She sighed when he was close enough that she sort of had to acknowledge him. "So I would appreciate if you would just act like I've been appropriately horrible."

[ezekielxcuizon]

If you're going to confine me again, let me fly now.

Zeke couldn't estimate how that twisted and choked him. He watched Althea for a while, soaring through the skies, weaving in and out, through the spaces between trees. Their voices too, a gentle hush in his mind, quieter with the season but still full of life in their own way. "I'm not going to restrict you ever, you can fly all you want."

Am I not going to be locked to your mind if we leave this town?

Magic was still a danger to be displayed outside, that he couldn't deny. He wanted summon his familiar wherever he pleased, let her observe from the skies, but he couldn't risk the exposure, couldn't endanger their livelihood, because she would be affected too. Bird and boy; they were linked in every way. "I don't know what to do." Althea squawks filtered as words in his mind, nature around him rose in answer too, their rustling settling in a language he knew practically all his life.

Zeke was hardly the man to stray from the beaten path, it was a guide to follow, a paved way that made thoughts not hyperfocus on any plant life beneath his feet, though sometimes it could not be helped if they grew wild. He muttered apologies, and the human voice ears caught in response was as jarring as it was annoying.

Mood shifted from solemn to a scowl in a snap. "What is it with you and your inability to start a conversation normally? Am I special or are you allergic to saying hello?" It was blunt even to him, yet the way deep croaks fell from Althea echoed like laughter. "I never wanted you to be bitchy or threatening, the fuck? No acting needed, you have been horrible." Maybe his response could have been less sharp, but it seemed like it was one what she wanted, and in a way it felt apropos. "So, yeah, there you go."

[efexumukoroxlc]

"Oh....Oh." Efe blinked a few times, evidently caught somewhat off-guard by this remark. He nodded, though, finding composure, lest he make Zeke feel ill at ease. "Do you...do you want some M&Ms? They're probably mostly chemicals to be honest?" For as much as he found himself envying others' supernatural abilities, maybe some of them really were more difficult than uplifting. But he would not presume the witch's feelings on the matter, as impolite as asking more felt.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if there are...other places out there. Like us. Just very, very well-hidden. Maybe we're not even aware of them? I guess Lunar Cove has people on the outside who try to keep track of these things, but..." He trailed off with a shrug, and maybe this attempt to find hope actually felt more dismal than anything else.

Efe knit his brow. "Yes. I can understand that," he replied gently, finding illumination, perhaps, where he had previously considered it. "Not always for the kids, though. Everyone is bigger and stronger than you. It can be hard for them." He had been one of those kids, but this response came diplomatically because, after all, there was perhaps no right answer.

"Miss it? I didn't have it long enough to miss. I'm glad to be back to normal. Grateful. But it wasn't all bad for me, no. I was one of the lucky ones. But, to be honest, I do think I'd be a lot better at my job if I could just...will the water to do what I wanted it to do. Sure." He swallowed hard, trying another smile. "Yeah. Yeah. I was away for...ten years, and...you know, leaving here...I lose my memory, so." This was reality, but in this moment, the fact almost made him angry. Efe centered himself, not letting the sensation win. "Great. We appreciate it! The holidays are coming quick. The big ones, I mean. Not that Halloween isn't."

[ezekielxcuizon]

Zeke laughed bright as the look and reaction received was both expected and surprising, adding more truth to what Laurel said about people fining this strange. "I'm good on the candy, really. Relax man, what, you've never come across someone that can talk to plants? I don't want to scare you away from going to the Farmer's market, okay? They know their life cycle and purpose. It's fun to converse with them actually. Great sources of information." He looked around to the trees waving in the winds, having hushed conversations that he could be privy to. It made him smile.

"There were," he said smile dipping to something more sombre, "I existed in a place like that before widespread massacres. Communities, packs, covens, dwindled to just families, or worse, to just individuals." While he couldn't say what happened here, both what he heard and witnessed, wasn't a terrible thing, Zeke couldn't how much worse the stakes were outside these walls. "We do what we can though. Much like everyone here." It wasn't with intention that he removed himself when talking about the town, in all sense, he wasn't a resident, not fully, not at heart.

"Ah, no, it wouldn't be for them." When his own came to light, Zeke was forbidden to use them openly, but here that wouldn't have been a problem, bringing with it a difficulty of a different kind. "Fair enough. And, yeah, I suppose that would be really helpful. But that..." he brows furrowed with mild annoyance, "That isn't nice. I still don't get it, I understand the reason as it was explained but... doesn't seem fair." It didn't seem like nothing could be done about it either, which was a shame, ten years especially going by with a thought to the true nature of a place. Shifting thoughts, he nodded, "They come quick and fly by fast. Halloween does seem big in the States."

[cantfightmoonlight]

"Here, you try," She said, holding the bat out toward him. "Now, select an object and focus in on it. Imagine it being someone who wronged you or if that is too much, just focus in on every time you've ever felt wronged in your life. Let all that anger fester. All the times someone cut in front of you or grabbed the last poptart off the shelf before you could but it and then swing the bat, break the thing, and tell me how you feel afterward."

[ezekielxcuizon]

"Someone who wrong me?" Zeke could not, as much as he tried, hold back the laugh that bubbled through, along with a low murmur as he looked to the nearest object, "Oh, you have no idea." Despite it being far too easy picture that someone, he couldn't bring himself to both imagine it and smash said thing he was meant to portray onto. There wasn't anger, just a deep disappointment and distrust, and that couldn't be broken away so easily. "Cut in front of me, huh?" he mused, "I can do that. Annoyance works doesn't it?" As instructed he swung the bat, breaking the vase into pieces, a slight wince following through which he tried to hide. "Uhh, much the same feeling? Do I need to hit more things?"

[moonglowmagic]

Who: @ezekielxcuizon Where: Dilan's house

Dilan closed the door quietly behind her as she got home, she gave a half wave to Zeke. “Hey,” Finally getting out as she walked over to the couch and sat down next to him. “I promised you the ring and I’m here to deliver it.” She said before pulling out the ring out of the pocket of her jacket. Letting the silence wash over them as she held the ring in her hand and offered it up to him. “You were right, it’s not mine. It was given to me under a false promise.” She hated that she was this person, but she truly didn’t know how to be anyone else anymore. She wasn’t a good person, or even neutral, she was rotten to the core. “Now it’s yours again. I hope you find someone worthy to wear it. I know it’s hard to believe anyone especially after what I did, but you deserve real love Zeke, you’ll find them someday.” While she had loved him at one point, the version of her that had been with him wasn’t real. 

Crossing one leg over the other as she sat back on the couch with a hand on her knee. “So what’s the plan now?”

[ezekielxcuizon]

Clicking his phone shut, Zeke placed it beside him as Dilan entered and greeted her with a small nod of his head. "Hey. Right yes, you did say that." There had been scepticism of course, trust had long since gone and with it his belief in her seeing this till the end. But here it was; the end. So why couldn't he take it immediately?

Zeke allowed for the silence to wash over them for a few seconds longer, even after she broke it to explain and talk, he remained quiet and observing. "My promise wasn't false," he said finally, and in that breaking of his own stillness, he reached over and cupped the ring into his hands, absent-mindedly answering her in the same low murmur, "I thought I did. Real love." He shook his head, "I don't know what that is anymore." She was right to say he did deserve it, but finding it and truly allowing himself to feel it was the challenge he wasn't sure if he wanted to take up again.

It was a full bodied shrug that he returned with to her question. "I have no idea. This," he held up the ring, "Was the plan. Get some answers from you and then find out about the town. I've gotten all those." He looked to her. "I suppose I have to go, don't I? Leave town like you told me to, like I promised you I would."