BLACK WAVE

gal ikeda-schwarz | 34 | witch | force field projection & electrokinesis

[galxwarz-blog]

The offer wasn’t accepted immediately, green eyes still looking over the food she was eating. Colton realized that by now anyone who didn’t already know he was the Sheriff, and wasn’t so heavily intoxicated they hadn’t noticed him, was aware he’d walked by several times.

“That still doesn’t answer my question of what rugelach is.” He repeated, finally stepping forward to take a seat in the chair she’d pushed forward.

Picky eating wasn’t something he was known for and Colton didn’t plan on turning the food down. Considering all the food and alcohol that was being passed around he asked out of curiosity.

           The man finally sat down, and Gal pushed her bowl of rugelach to the center of the table. “Think of it like… small croissants with, uh. You roll it over sweet things, when you’re making it. Chocolate, cinnamon, fruit. Other stuff I don’t know the name in English.”

           “You are Sheriff, right?” she asked. “You’re here to keep an eye on everything. Make sure everyone is safe, yes?”

[galxwarz-blog]

Plenty of security had been put into place to make sure both the music festival and the town were kept safe during the duration of the event. Paranoia that the Clave would make an attempt on the town while the attention was focused on the festivities had Colton dividing his forces, another potentially risky move that the werewolf had been forced to make in order to keep those who decided against attending monster jam safe.

Not giving himself many breaks Colton was on yet another round across the grounds filled with drunk supernatural’s. Green eyes searching for any hint of a sign that something was about to go wrong. His exterior calm not matching the way his stomach was turning. His attention eventually settling on Gal, gaze lingering long enough for her to notice.

“Sorry.” The apology came immediately when he was caught staring even though it was accidental and the werewolf was in no way judging how she was eating. “Uh…” He paused in his walk, eyeing what she was eating. “What is it exactly?”

           A more careful examination proved that Gal had been mistaken. It was visible, in his posture, in his eyes and in his expression, that this man wasn’t just ogling people – he was working. And Gal had been spying for the Kegnshtel long enough to recognize what someone on the lookout looked like.

           And, if Gal clocked him that easily, she had to assume the very people he was ready to stop did, too.

           “Sit down and come eat rugelach. That isn’t working”, she said, pushing the chair across from her table with her foot. “Trust me.”

[galxwarz-blog]

“You would think,” he said with a nod, remembering that there were peaceful times at the musical festival. “And it wasn’t all bad. But there was more tension there. An agreement wasn’t in place between species to be on friendly terms at Woodstock like there is at Monster Jam. Or Monster Musical Fest, as it was back then. And while they weren’t all intolerant, there were some humans who only liked to pretend they were peaceful people.” Nate gave a sad smile. Monster Musical Fest had still been so new all those years ago. Only two years old when Woodstock happened, if he remembered right. “A lot’s changed since then, though, and it’s been for the better.” Realizing he didn’t know the woman, he extended a hand. “Nathaniel Greyson, by the way. Pleasure to meet you.” 

           This was what Gal enjoyed about talking to immortals: they were walking history text books, but a lot more entertaining.

           “Having a first seat to history is the only good thing I think immortality has”, she said, thinking of her father, her siblings, Hoshiko… outliving every single one of her loved ones was too high a cost for any benefits immortality might bring.

           The surname set off alarms inside her head. Had they been in another city, she wouldn’t have jumped conclusions, but given where they were, it wasn’t as much as “jumping to a conclusion” as it was “making a very reasonable deduction”.

           “Gal. Schwarz”, she said, giving a shake of his hand with her own four-fingered one, just barely swallowing back the Ikeda. Although she wouldn’t change her name back to its maiden form, introducing herself with two surnames almost inevitably led to questions about where her spouse was, and the answer “I don’t know, I never confirmed the body” wasn’t nearly as funny as she thought it was. Or so she was told.

           “I heard only straight, white, Christian, cisgender men want the ‘good old days’ back”, she commented. “What do you think?”

[galxwarz-blog]

Ezra raised his eyebrows and grinned. “I didn’t say anything,” he said. “I was just waiting for a chance to say hi, when you weren’t occupied with…” He squinted at the dish. “This. What is this? It smells good.”

           When Ezra squinted at the plate of rugelach, instead of staring at it with the awe and respect it deserved, Gal was offended on a personal level.

           “This, my good boy, is happiness. Peace. The story how God rested on day seven is lie. Truth is he said: be happiness, and rugelach was created.” This was, actually, a story Gal had told her daughter when she was little, and Ariel had firmly believed in it. It was a little heartbreaking to tell her that it wasn’t what had happened, and Gal had the sneaking suspicion she’d never been forgiven. With a wave of her hand, she added: “Sit. I will change your life now.”

[galxwarz-blog]

"gal" is two thirds of the word "gay" which is very appropriate because i'm two thirds gay energy

- schwarz, gal

[galxwarz-blog]

Anya looked over at the woman, trying to identify her accent. “Ukraine?” she guessed. “I didn’t say a word, although I was thinking that you look like one of the girl squirrels from Alvin & the Chipmunks with your face stuffed like that. Although I guess they were probably chipmunks, too, but what’s the difference, really?”

           That accent. Even with her hearing aids, even after being in America for months, Gal could still identify when a Russian person was speaking.

           The invasion by the Russians, followed by the decades as their yard, and the subsequent chaos of when their little communist utopia collapsed, had left a bitter taste in the mouths of proud Ukrainians such as Gal and her family. Although she had only been 7 years old when they officially became independent, she remembered the hunger, the misery, the despair.

           Most importantly, she remembered the russification policies, how her teachers would refuse to answer her questions unless she spoke in flawless Russian, how her classmates made fun of her, and the school staff would turn a blind eye.

           Gal inhaled deeply. This woman, specifically, was not responsible for the injustices Gal, her family and her country had suffered. To snap at her would be… unnecessary.

          “<Are there any other animals you want to compare me to, or are you done?>” she asked in surzhyk, the bastard child of Russian and Ukrainian the closest to Russian she willingly spoke -- especially to a Russian. Her little, innefective but highly satisfying payback

[galxwarz-blog]

           The town event was a great excuse for the restaurant Gal’s mama and bubbe had set up to get more visibility. So they set up a booth for Babba Yaga, the best Slavic and Jewish cuisine in Hollow Grove, amidst all the others.

           And, well, Gal was a sucker for just about everything her bubbe made, so it was no surprise that she was mostly watching the festival rather than partaking in the festivities, much preferring to jam as much rugelach as she could into her mouth at once. It was probably not the most attractive she’d ever been, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

           Which is more or less what she wanted to say to the person that was staring at her, but Gal was thought it could be an opportunity to put in a good word for her family’s restaurant.

           “What? I dare you to eat one of this and resist the rest.”

[nathanielxgreyson]

Saying his goodbyes to Cher and the pack they’d once come across in Sweden, Nate gave the woman one last hug before waving to the others and leaving them to catch up in peace, beer in hand as he explored the grounds while he waited for her to take the stage. His eyes were open for anything suspicious, knowing a place full of supernaturals was a perfect target, but he had to admit, it was nice to be out where the energy was buzzing. “It’s amazing how much has changed since the first musical fest,” he mused aloud with a smile. “Can’t say it’s all a bad change, though. Woodstock was far less friendlier than this.”

[galxwarz-blog]

           Nursing a Santorini Sunburn (Gabe had gotten her hooked on the damned thing), Gal was attending the festival mostly because of her daughter. Ariel didn’t need an adult breathing down her neck all of the time, as she was a relatively responsible teenager, but she had insisted that Gal be there anyway. Maybe it was because neither of them was entirely acclimated to their new country, or maybe Ariel had simply noticed her mom had been too isolated, too miserable.

           When she heard someone speaking, she turned around, finding someone who was… very vaguely familiar. Maybe someone who she’d helped through the Kegnshtel?

           “Woodstock. The drugs festival. I thought a place like that would be very accepting of everything.”

[galxwarz-blog]

Text: Logan - Gal

Logan: Sadly I meant to send it to "Allie" and I forgot to type in the "ie" so it sent to.... "all". Including family.

Gal: OH NO. Do you need help running away from country? Changing your name? Operation to change face? I watched Face/Off.

[galxwarz-blog]

cxlebbennett‌:

Caleb raised an eyebrow as she struggled with his words, and he couldn’t really blame her. He tended to talk without moving his mouth too much, so he didn’t make it easy on her. Most of the time they spoke through text, to meet up and do what he needed to do, and leave it at that. Long conversations simply weren’t part of the deal.

“Hey I didn’t say you weren’t perfectly lovely, I just meant you look like you’ve had a hell of a day,” he pointed out, slipping his hands in his pockets. “Well, I mean…I did just save your life,” Caleb replied with a raised eyebrow. “I’m getting by on blood bags for now. Figured you could use some R&R from last time. Feeding takes a lot out of someone.”

           “I was joking”, Gal soothed quickly, smoothing down any wrinkles from the front of her suit jacket. “You have jokes in America, right? There is one even in White House.”

           Well, that was disappointing. Although Gal was on top of her bills, college seemed to approach exponentially faster, and the tuition was absurd, especially for someone who had not been prepared to afford it, who had suddenly lost half of her income, moved to another country, had to help finance a restaurant and build clientele – both for the restaurant and her psychologist’s office. Ariel had already been accepted, and Gal kept telling her not to worry, but the truth was that although they could make ends meet, Gal was already trying to sell the car.

           “Don’t spare me”, she told Caleb, not unkindly but right to the point. “It takes a lot of my blood but puts a lot in bank account. And I need it.”

[galxwarz-blog]

thedevilishbartender‌:

“It’s just a saying. Nothing to be intimidated about.” The bartender replied simply, listening to her order as he thought about it. Smirking at the brunette, Gabe went under the counter and pulled out an ornate tiki mug – the kind that was really kitsch, was made out of ceramic and was molded to shape like an ornate, tropical carved head decoration out from the Polynesian islands. He has had some of it for something he made that would please, as Gabe fished out a couple of bottles: a Pisco, a bottle of Jamaican rum, Blue Curaçao and Mastiha, measuring all of them and mixing them in a shaker, before he dumped crushed ice into the tiki mug. “I can’t give you my phone number.” Gabe chuckled. “Because the last thing a woman like yourself needs is sex with the bartender.” He began to shake rather vigorously. “But I can give you a good alternative if that didn’t sway you.” He stopped, straining out the contents into the mug and added more ice before garnishing it out with mint, an orange wedge and some bitters, before pushing the mug to her. “A Santorini Sunburn.” The bartender offered.

           “Not intimidated. Just annoyed by reminding that priests exist”, Gal corrected, chin propped up on her hand as she watched Gabe add alcohol and God knows what else – not that she particularly cared, anyway. As long as it did the job, wasn’t poisoned and tasted sweet, she accepted it.

           “What a woman like myself needs is --” her wife, her mind supplied. Gal told it to shut it “-- someone who will lick it and help pay her daughter’s tuition. She doesn’t really care where any those things come from. Be Caleb’s fridge doesn’t pay for everything.” Speaking of money, Gal was beginning to regret not choosing a boring old beer. No doubt it would have been cheaper. What had she decided to treat herself, again?

           “It does look pretty”, she conceded, bringing the drink closer to herself. “Thank you, bartender.” When Gal took a sip, she definitely regretted not choosing a boring old beer, because this was delicious, which meant she would no doubt order it again in the future. “Wow. And is amazing. Congratulations.”

[galxwarz-blog]

emmettbryson‌:

Earlier in the week, Emmett’s phone had met its end in the form of a completely destroyed screen. His experience with smartphones was still limited with the vampire learning how to use them within the last few recent years instead of decades prior when they had come out. Recognizing his lack of knowledge he was more than willing to admit his need for assistance.

Not expecting that Gal would be taken so off guard, he hadn’t announced his presence sooner. Her movement catching his attention, drawing his gaze up from the phones he’d been looking over to the fist flying towards him. Quick reflexes kicking in. His hand shooting out to catch her wrist and stop her wrist before it could make contact. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Once he was sure her clenched fist was no longer on a path directly towards his throat Emmett loosened his grip. 

           Gal blinked, finally recognizing her supposed aggressor, and horror immediately filled her eyes. Her four-fingered fist dropped. “Emmett. Oh, God, I am so sorry, I – I didn’t recognize you. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

           “Мама?” Gal turned around, eyes scanning her daughter for injuries, not quite recovered from her scared. Ariel was making her way over, eyeing Emmett suspiciously. In an English with far less accent than Gal’s, she asked: “Who is this?”

           “Oh. Darling, this is Emmett Bryson. Emmett, this is my daughter, Ariel”, Gal said quickly, still looking unfathomably guilty about having nearly punched him. “I’m really sorry again, Emmett.”

[galxwarz-blog]

Text: Logan - Gal

Logan: While your daughter has good taste, I'm not a fan of that word in /that/ context. Very cringe-worthy.

Gal: I very much agree. I now regret moving to this country. Who were you trying to send the picture to, anyway?

[galxwarz-blog]

cxlebbennett‌:

Sometimes it managed to escape him that Gal was deaf, but they rarely spent time chatting randomly. Still though, he tried to commit it to memory. “Well I prefer you alive, because you alive keeps me alive,” he pointed out, only half joking, signing out the words for her to make it easier. 

“Dye…color,” he explained, chuckling a little as he reached out to brush off her shoulder, clearing his throat as he slipped his hands in his jacket. He could tell something was bothering her, his brow furrowing slightly as he reached over to squeeze her arm gently. “Are you really okay? You look like hell..”

          You alive because you alive eats me alive. God, she was going to throw that stupid watch into the toilet and flush it. To make matters worse, she had picked up very little ASL so far, so all she recognized were the signs for you, because and me.

          “Oy gevalt!” Given how many curses she strung along in both Yiddish and Ukrainian (a bilingual upbringing will do that to you) and how quickly she did it, even someone proficient in both languages would have trouble keeping up. Despite her endless profanities, Gal managed to dig out one of her hearing aids, which she turned on and shoved into her ear with the practiced moves of someone who was used to putting them in at a moment’s notice. Finally allowed to properly communicate, Gal pretended she wasn’t a touch starved, mourning wreck barely keeping it together and gave him a confident smile, that was, in truth, barely a quirk upwards of the corner of her lip.

          “Calling lady ugly. Not very gentlemanly of you”, she joked, running her fingers down her hair to smooth it down. “Did you find me on accident or are you hungry?”

[galxwarz-blog]

Text: Logan - Gal

Logan: Okay I tried just for you and it turns out there is no "warmer" lighting in this entire house.

Logan: at least I have fun selfies to last a lifetime now tho!

Gal: If you know the word "selfie", you are not too old to send penis picture.

Gal: My daughter looked over my shoulder and said "DADDY". I dont know how I feel about that but I thought you should know.

[galxwarz-blog]

cxlebbennett‌:

He’d recognized her the moment he saw her, but their arrangement wasn’t exactly about friendship. He paid good money, and she gave him what he needed to survive. It was a decent trade. But friendship wasn’t apart of it. She was nice enough, but being friends might’ve made it a little harder to feed off of her if he started to feel bad about it. 

When he grabbed her, he hadn’t thought twice, only concerned with keeping the motorcycle from running her down, and by the time they were on the curb of the street, he gave himself a moment to process, pulling away to look down at her. “You do realize you’re human right? That you can die?” he asked with raised eyebrows, though there was amusement in his gaze. 

“I would imagine so. Good thing I’m around to keep you out of trouble.”

           In the short time Gal had been deafened, the amount of lip reading she’d learned was none. Thankfully, she’d given in to Ariel’s pestering and gotten herself one of those ridiculous Apple watches, and used it for the sole purpose of downloading a speech-to-text app.

           According to it, Caleb had just said: You do realize your still human right that you can dye. I could imagine so good think I’m round keep to out of trouble.

           Stupid technology.

           “I’m not afraid of dying.” Afraid of making an orphan out of Ariel? Yes, terribly.  Death itself? No. Not for a long time – and she had the near-death experiences to back it up. “What is ‘dye’ with Y?” she asked, eyebrows knit together as she stared at the screen. “And you couldn’t keep me out of trouble even if you wanted to.” Which he only did because he didn’t want to lose his snack. As painfully alone as she was, Gal couldn’t lie to herself and pretend anyone in this town besides her family (and maybe Gabe) cared for her. Not that she’d ever been a very social creature, but she missed her siblings-in-arms at the Kegnshtel, and, above all, her wife, blessed be her memory.

[galxwarz-blog]

cxlebbennett‌:

“Whoa, hey!”

He hadn’t exactly expected someone to zoom past on a motorcycle, yanking the other person out of the way quickly so they didn’t get hit. Had he been human, they’d probably both be in trouble, but luckily vampire speed put them on the other side of the road and safely away from the bike. 

“Are you alright? Everything in it’s place?”

           The thing about hearing aids, was that they weren’t comfortable. There were tricks, both of the human and the magical kind to help, but the truth was that wearing them all of the time was a bitch. With the skin around her ears irritated and red, and no clients to see, Gal had decided to forgo them for the day, while she ran errands.

           Out of the blue, there was the roar of an engine, an arm around her waist and a chest right in front of her nose, a gush of wind, the churn in her stomach of moving too fast. Instincts of a lifetime fighting kicked in, and electricity began crackling over her fist, until she recognized the smell. You didn’t spend so much time with someone sucking the blood from your wrist like a leech without learning to recognize them quickly.

           “Дерьмо!” Gal cursed, only then realizing what had happened. “Asshole!” she shouted at the bike driver, who most likely wasn’t even hearing her. “Thank you, Caleb. After everything, dying run over would be... very humiliating.”