I just killed off what was left of the optimist in me

Gia Rafferty • 32 • Human Owner of Read It Again Antique Bookstore You say my eyes are getting too dark now But boy, you ain't ever seen my mind

[giarafferty-blog]

george-chatwin‌:

“Right? I mean, I feel the same way. Not that - that’s not really an option, genetically speaking.” He was catching on his words, but that was nothing new. “What I mean is that I think I’d be the most awkward werewolf that’s ever lived.” He let out a chuckle with his next breath, tucking his hair back. “But Parzival, huh? Did you know Von Eschenbach could read or write? Everything was taken down through diction.”

"I think I'd have you beat on awkward werewolf there, bud." She let out a long sigh and tried not to think about how she'd be the only wolf slinking around the forest with her tail tucked between her legs, wearing a face that could grace an ASPCA commercial. If emotions were heightened, would her usual crippling fear give her an actual heart attack as a wolf? Happy for the turn in subject she nodded a bit more enthusiastically. "I did know, actually! Not terribly uncommon for the time, though. History of books is kind of my thing, job and hobby. They do say to do what you love, and I love books. The older, the better!"

[giarafferty-blog]

jcnathanknight‌:

Jonathan heaved a heavy sigh, fully expected whoever had been approaching to entirely ignore him anyway. There were the lucky ones if they had already gotten their word that they could leave, it only made him increasingly impatient. Although as he did receive a response in a timid tone, his eyes shifted over to the blonde. Someone who looked entirely familiar. Nearly identical to Isla Rafferty, who had mentioned that she had a sister as well before. “I — I appreciate that…” He gave a nod. “..You must be Isla’s sister, correct? I’m a friend of hers actually.” Jonathan explained, glad she seemed alright, though fully understanding the on-edge demeanor. “I’m sorry if I frightened you..”

"I know who you are," she said automatically before catching that it came out more than a little defensive. "I mean... I make it a point to know who is who around town... Try to keep one eye open at all times, I guess." She gave a small shrug still fidgeting with the zipper of her coat. "Isla's mentioned you.. It's why I wanted to come say something. I don't know what I'd do if something had happened to Isla—" She stopped, realizing that talking about her very much alive sister would only upset Jonathan thinking about his departed sister, with whom he'd been around for much longer than Gia's short life with Isla. "I'm easily frightened anyway. Drop a spoon on the counter and I’m a mile away, pretending it was a quick jog," she said by way of a subject change, trying to make a joke out of her seriously diminished mental state.

[giarafferty-blog]

itskarasykes‌:

“I have a suspicion,” Kara murmured, carefully wrapping the wound. No one was going to die tonight, not on her watch. Ideally no one would die tonight at all. She was holding onto that hope. This was just some crazy misunderstanding. Things had just…gotten out of hand. Now that they were taken care of, there was nothing else to be worried about. But if this was who she thought, if this was the Clave…this couldn’t be all they were responsible for tonight. The border call was also likely their doing. And the ball - they wouldn’t have missed an opportunity to attack the ball tonight, knowing everyone was essentially defenseless…Knowing that the Originals were all there, vulnerable. 

She needed to get back to the ball, to figure out what was going on, to warn them. 

She shook off the worry for now, knowing she had to secure the scene here before moving on. She’d check in with Dash, make sure all the injured were taken care of…and then head back. “It’s going to be okay though, alright? We’ve taken care of them.” 

As Kara said she had her suspicions, Gia was forced to think about an evil that wanted the town and not her. The Clave. The group of supernaturals who felt as if the human world should submit to them, no creature in hiding, no need to a safe haven. It was a group that had been so far off of her radar when she was in New York that she hadn't even considered them. Besides, what she'd heard was distant and removed from her. Like a child hearing about the Nazi party. They couldn't imagine it involving them... a boogeyman in history, meant to make one remember. 

Well the boogeyman had certainly made himself known tonight, and she felt an anger stir within her, past the worry and the fear. The one that remembered seeing her sister in an accident, that heard the gunshots. She wasn't scared of them like she was Selene... she was just pissed off that they'd intruded in her life attempting to make her a casualty if not a slave to their long term goals. "Taken care of? Cutting the head off of a Hydra doesn't take care of it... more grow back in it's place." The words were bitter but they weren't directed at Kara... the anger was at the situation and the pain growing in her arm as adrenaline dissipated did nothing but fuel that fire more.

[giarafferty-blog]

jcnathanknight‌:

Drumming his fingertips against the hospital lounge chair, Jonathan heaved out of impatience. He was waiting for the official word to get the hell out of there. And to pass the time, his eyes only stared out the window, the chaos that ensued as a result of the Blood Moon replaying over and over, plaguing his thoughts, only instigating the angered drive to avenge it all further. He didn’t need to be here anymore, he’d turned out alright in the aftermath of the violent altercation with a member of the Clave. There were many far more injured that needed care than a lousy mandatory check that apparently everyone harmed at the ball had to go through. “I’m fine. I’m getting out of here.” Jonathan blankly stated at the seeming sound of nearing footsteps towards him.

Gia hated hospitals, as a general rule, but she'd had to come back to have her arm checked. She'd just finished her appointment when she saw Jonathan sitting rigidly in the hall. She hadn't actually spoken with him before but Isla had mentioned him as a friend and she wanted to express her condolences for his loss. At his tone, she was starkly reminded that he was more than a friend and brother... he was a vampire. "I..." She felt automatic fear swell in her throat and took an instinctive step back. "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss." She fidgeted with the zipper of her coat just to have anything to distract from the discomfort.

[giarafferty-blog]

islarafferty‌:

“I should tell you it’s a salad or the remaining half of a sandwich I know you won’t enjoy.” She set the container down on the hospital tray and moved it towards Gia’s bed, letting out a sigh. “I didn’t make it so don’t get too happy but I figured if you were desperate enough to leave the house after we talked, I guess you deserved something good enough to soak up any alcohol remaining in your system.”

Now that the worst of the evening was over and Gia had survived the shot to her arm, Isla was angry with her sister for leaving the slight protection of their home. She sank into the chair next to the bed, pulling her legs up to rest her feet on the end of the hospital bed. “What were you thinking, Gia? It’s not like you or I have spent time actually learning how to defend ourselves unless you’re keeping even more secrets from me and you secretly owned a dojo or something in New York.”

She made lazy grabby hands as the container was moved in front of her and opened it, smiling at the food before her. The smile fell the instant she heard the scolding tone of Isla's voice that sounded so much like their mother. She rolled her eyes to hide the guilt at her sister bringing up the secrets. She didn't understand what Gia was protecting her from and Gia couldn't say any more on it without ruining Isla's life. "I wasn't expecting a Clave attack, obviously. Not that you have any room to talk, who goes investigating an alarm at their work instead of sending in more than one cop?" She gave Isla a pointed look, as if to say 'two can play this game, sis'.

[giarafferty-blog]

george-chatwin‌:

“It’s about - well currently I’m researching coven activity in Paris in the 13th century, but on a more broader spectrum it’s about magical applications, sources, and effects throughout history. There’s, um, there’s a lot to find when you know what to look for.” He could bend over marriage records and, with some detective work, note the symbol of a witch jotted in one corner. Similiarly he could read about a pig being put on trial for the murder or a child and recognize the signs of recent vampiric or wolf activity. He nodded at her words. “So you don’t want to be like that then? You like being human?”

"13th century, huh? I've dabbled in that. A year ago I found one of the few illuminated scripts of Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach for a client. Then he died the next month and it was donated by his family to some museum." She was rambling, but it kept her mind in a place she liked. Talking about her old books. When he asked if she liked being human she sat up and scoffed, finally looking at him again. "Let's just say I have enough issues with being human, adding wolf instability and emotion on top of that might just get me committed."

[giarafferty-blog]

itskarasykes‌:

Delivering the news that someone who had attacked them for no reason what so ever was still alive, but barely, so that the woman was safe from her werewolf curse, for now at least, certainly didn’t come with celebration in Kara’s mind. Of course it was good that Gia hadn’t killed the man and hadn’t triggered her curse…but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t still happen with time. Or, Gia could die tonight just from the sheer amount of blood she was losing from her injury right now. Either way, balloons and confetti certainly wasn’t on the forefront of Kara’s mind at this moment. 

“Let’s keep it working, yeah?” She said simply, fumbling around through the cabinets and things ain the back of the truck before managing to find some bandaging. “I’ll wrap it up tight for now, try and slow some of this bleeding until we can get you to the hospital and get a proper look over. How does that sound?” 

Gia simply nodded, her mind not even taking in the concern in Kara's voice. She was too busy replaying all the mistakes she'd made tonight, starting with leaving the house. Or maybe before that when she'd opted to drink too much while relaxing at home. She should have stayed in and kept reading instead of venturing out to find food. 

"Who do you think these people are?" Gia asked, absently as her arm was being wrapped. She thought for a second that Selene had sent an army for her, but once she'd been shot, that idea was gone from her mind. Selene would want to torture her slow and spend all her time giving a villain's monologue. These people weren't with her.

[giarafferty-blog]

george-chatwin‌:

He nodded, biting off on mentioning that fate had already gotten her kicks in where he was concerned. “I work on campus,” he told Gia. “I’m a teacher’s assistant while I work on my thesis. I say work, but uh, it’s more like indentured servitude, you know?”

He rubbed absently around the edges of his bandages. “Are you - I mean, will your wound heal when the sun comes up?”

"What's your thesis on?" Gia asked continuing to guide him into distracting her from her own stress. He wasn't offering up much, so she'd just keep asking questions. It worked well enough to keep her mind off of its need to drive her toward insanity. But the distractions wouldn't last long when he asked a question of his own, reminding her of exactly what she didn't want to think about. "Nope. Come sunrise, I'll still be shot in the arm. Just another scar to add to my collection." She couldn't help thinking about the man in the road who had grabbed her. "There was a moment tonight where I wondered... but luckily fate decided to take pity on me for once."

[giarafferty-blog]

isaacbyrne‌:

He chuckled as she poked him in the chest, before putting on a show that she might have wounded him by holding the spot. “It is true that you shouldn’t ever let one take you to a secondary location - secondary locations don’t usually lend themselves to good outcomes. But, no, you can trust me and I’ve been alive far too long to start fucking with anybody now. And this is what I mean when I say I don’t think you needed me coming to your rescue either time.”

He let the amusement fade from his face at the sight of her frown. It probably wouldn’t be the first time he said the wrong thing or did something to bring about a frown from her, if he was honest with himself. “I didn’t say you were a bother, Ms. Rafferty. And I didn’t mean you’re too much as if I couldn’t handle it.” He was going to have to choose his words more carefully moving forward. Navigating dating, if that’s what it was, after so many years of marriage, was definitely going to take a minute. Or two. “I believe Hair of the Dog is still open and they’ll probably be able to get a burger to you faster than if we went and purchased everything and took it back to a home kitchen.”

“Please, let me take you out there and at least get some food in you. That way, at least, I know you won’t still be wandering the street in search of a meal.” Even though she continued to look away, he waved a hand towards his vehicle. “I may also use this opportunity to take a trip to the observatory, since I’m no longer in pajama pants with a bowl of popcorn on my lap. But I’d much like to see you settled first.”

She'd used his last name as an attempt to be distant and formal and she damn near glared at him when he'd done it back to her. She was growing more certain that her attraction to this man was one sided by second. When he suggested Hair of the Dog she looked in that direction for confirmation, even though there was half a town between her and the actual building. It would take a bit of a hike but she could do it. 

With a sigh she turned back to him and shrugged, giving in. "I'll take the ride... but I'll buy my own meal. I wouldn't want to misinterpret the evening, after all." She walked back to the car and thought about climbing into the back seat, making it look more like an Uber ride than a ride from a friend. Gia decided that might be a little too childish and slid into the passenger seat, shutting the door and leaning her head on the window immediately. She was frustrated with Isaac in more ways than one, and it was starting to kill her buzz.

[giarafferty-blog]

itskarasykes‌:

I just wanted a burger.

Why was it always like that? It was supposed to be something so simple - getting something to eat, having fun with the town coming together for a party - these things weren’t supposed to end with gun shots and blood and death. Not in this town. Not if Kara has anything to do with it. These people were the people she’d vowed to keep safe, but that did tend to get more difficult when outsiders came in and stomped on everything good. 

The man that had been hit by the car, the first Clave member they’d actually come to encounter, he’d certainly seen better days. You didn’t usually end on the wrong side of a bumper otherwise. Honestly, Kara had assumed he was dead - but he also hadn’t been her biggest concern. She’d had to verify that Isla and Gia were okay, that Posey was okay, that George was okay, that Haylee and Dani were okay. They were what mattered. But as she bent down to press her fingers against his throat, there was a feeble thrum of a pulse still present.

As she returned to the truck and found Gia in a fit, Kara tried to calm her down. “Hey - hey, Gia, relax, just breathe. He’s still alive. Let’s focus on you though, okay? We’ve got to get you to the hospital and checked out. Just focus on breathing for me, deep breaths.” 

Gia couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her at the words "still alive". She couldn't handle knowing that she'd become a wolf after the night from hell, and Kara had just delivered the news as if it was an afterthought. It should have come with balloons and confetti and a fucking marching band. She laughed until she was out of air and her stomach hurt. "Thank God!" she said finally when she'd calmed down. 

"I don't care about my arm, it still works, and the heavy bleeding is probably normal..." She probably should have taken into account the amount being due to her bloods inability to clot quickly because of the alcohol in her system thinning it out. Or well, a sober version of her would have commented on it. This version of Gia didn't care about her arm so long as she knew she wasn't going to grow a tail every time the mood was full. She couldn't deal with werewolf emotions on top of her already fragile state of mind.

[giarafferty-blog]

george-chatwin‌:

"Well fate’s kind of a dick right now,” he muttered. He fidgetted and moved forward so that he could sit at the end of his bed and place his bare feet on the cold linoleum floor. Despite the doctors orders he still wanted to pull off all the monitors and go back to the observatory. He couldn’t be much help but at least he wouldn’t be useless.

“I’m - it’s George. Uh, Chatwin.” His fisted his hands in the blankets, embarrassed to be blabbing on about an appendectomy at a time like this. His gaze fidgeted to her bandages and then back to the floor. “They probably just threw us together because we came in at the same time, you know.”

"Keep talking shit about fate and you're going to get fucked by it." Gia gave him a small smile to let him know she was kidding. She listened to the beginning of him telling her about himself but he stopped after saying his name and left it at that. "Well, George, I'm Gia... and maybe it was because we came in together or maybe their sorting us alphabetically." She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "Or maybe we're just here because they can discharge us pretty quickly. You'll be here for observation, and I'm here until they've decided that my wound doesn't have any hard to detect issues."

She didn't mind having to stay there overnight, she just wished she had her sister their with her. Gia was so used to having Isla just a holler away, and knowing she wasn't... well if felt as isolating as when she rand to Boston to heal from her attack. No one to lean on, only herself to trust to heal. "So what do you do, George? I happen to own a book shop that not many people visit unless their old and feeling nostalgic."

[giarafferty-blog]

george-chatwin‌:

@giarafferty

What exactly did you talk about when you were stranded in a hospital room with someone after a near death experience? When the tests were done, the IV’s placed, the monitors plugged in, he sat in his bed and looked at his hands. His headache pulsed at his temples, the jagged cut over one stitched and bandaged, and still he felt the need to fill the silence with something. Anything. It wasn’t long till sunrise now. “So, um, I kinda had my appendix out when I was twelve. I let it go for so long it nearly burst and it-” he paused, tucking his hair behind his ears, “I mean - what I’m saying is, uh …I think they have really good chocolate pudding.”

Visiting hours were over and Gia didn't have a single book to keep her occupied. It didn't help the the TV in the room was broken and she couldn't sleep with the dull ache in her arm. So she stared at the ceiling wondering if it would be rude to play a game on her phone. The silence had become cloaked over the room, and when the man in the bed across from her spoke, Gia jumped at the sound. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Well, pretty sure food is what got me here in the first place so... you can have my pudding." 

She recognized him from one of the many car wrecks that night. He'd been in the truck too but she'd been too preoccupied with her worry about triggering her curse that she hadn't exactly been chatty. "So, first we're fire truck friends, and now we're hospital roomies." She let out a long sigh and shrugged, wincing at the pain that shot through her arm. "Why don't you tell me about yourself since fate keeps demanding we be close." The alcohol was out of her system and she was just restless now, needing the distraction of someone talking to her about anything so she didn't think about everything she'd just gone through. Her mind was fragile enough without thinking more on how close her arm was to her chest and how the bullet could have done much more damage.

[giarafferty-blog]

itskarasykes‌:

As soon as she was sure another shot wouldn’t be fired in their direction again, that every Clave member was down, Kara’s attention turned quickly to Gia. Fortunately, the wound didn’t look as if it would be fatal as long as they stopped the bleeding and got it taken care of at the hospital. Were they out of the worst of it, yet? She couldn’t even question it, couldn’t let her guard down - not when there were so many civilians in her charge and so many that needed tending to.

“It’s okay, Gia, you’re alright-” Kara reassured, immediately assuming her panic would be about the wound to her arm. But when the words hit her she turned her gaze in the direction of the fallen man who had been hit by a car earlier, whom Kara had assumed dead. It only took a minute for the dots to connect and understanding to dawn on her, squeezing Gia’s hand as she grabbed onto her. If the man that she’d thrown off of her and in front of Posey’s car was dead - would that mean her curse would be triggered? 

“It’ll be okay, Gia – I can check, I’ll go make sure one way or the other - but you’ll get through this, okay?” She tried to give her a smile though the situation didn’t feel like it warranted one. “Let’s just figure this all out first, okay?” Kara steered her towards a seat on the truck, one hand still holding onto Gia’s and the other closing over the wound after she inspected it for a brief moment. “Can you hold pressure on this for me? Hold pressure and I’ll go check, okay?” 

Gia nodded and sniffled, yelping as she held the cloth tight on her bicep, trying not to fall over from the fact that this was all too much. "I just wanted a burger," she said softly as she sad where Kara had directed her. She wasn't telling the cop so much as putting it out the universe that she didn't appreciate the change in plans. She watched Kara go and felt like she couldn't catch a breath. He couldn't be dead. If she triggered she'd probably lose her mind along with her status as a human. 

As soon as Kara was back Gia was almost hopping up, willing herself to stay seated as the truck began to move. "Well?! Is he..." She felt bile and some of her many Irish coffees begin to rise in her throat. She turned and lurched for the open window, letting the contents of her stomach go as stress purged anything she might have had left in her. She slumped back into the seat and coughed a bit before looking back at Kara, hoping for an answer to the question she couldn't even ask.

[giarafferty-blog]

Jesus fucking Christ! Getting shot hurt like a bitch. But beyond that, Gia's mind was still on the man in the road that Posey had hit. "Is he dead?" she asked the closest person to her. Isla had moved closer to the front to find something to stop the bleeding and Kara had stayed with Gia. "Is he dead? Oh God, he can't be dead. I can't go through that." It would have made no sense to anyone else, but Kara, a wolf would understand the repercussions of causing someone's death. 

She reached out with her uninjured arm and her hand found Kara's. The tears in Gia's eyes weren't from the pain... well, not totally. It was from the stress of the evening, sobering her quickly. "Please don't tell my mom," she whispered to Kara. Okay so maybe she wasn't completely sober. But she didn't want her mother getting her hopes up about a trigger. It seemed like the kind of thing Beatrice would want. God only knew what she'd done to become a wolf, after all. || @itskarasykes

[giarafferty-blog]

Through and through. The words played over in Gia's mind as she lay in the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV. The events of the night still swimming in her mind, hazier with the pain killers in her system. She'd just wanted a burger and instead she'd almost killed a man and got shot. She was still trying to understand what the chaos meant. If the clave could try to attack when human... what would have stopped Selene? She'd been so stupid to try venturing out into the night. 

She could hear noises beyond her room, wondering how much worse it had been for others. Isla had stayed by her side and the look on her sister's face was exactly why Gia had kept the secrets about Selene. She didn't want to cause that panic in the one person she was closest to in the world. When Isla came through the door holding a to-go container, Gia let out a sigh. "Please tell me that's something high in fat and grease? I'm starving." || @islarafferty

[giarafferty-blog]

dashhastings‌:

Dash had to chuckle at her wordplay as he shook his head. “Awh shucks, thank ya, ma’am,” Dash said pulling at his tie feeling really uncomfortable his little monkey suit get up. It wasn’t exactly ideal for patrolling either. “We are in fact all human but please just be careful. It doesn’t mean people aren’t going to be less assholeish then normal, plus it also means people will result to more primitive forms of being shit heads like guns and such. I just need you to be careful, okay?” Dash warned with a look of concern and smile crept across his face as she talked about the burger. “You know I can escort mi’lady to the Hair of the Dog, its a rather fancy establishment,” Dash said jokingly. “I have no doubt we can find you a burger.” He teased.

"Oh I have stuff for regular protection too!" She dug around in her purse and pulled out her taser. It was by no means a small object, but one of the guns. She'd also had it modified to be more powerful than the ones police carried. She wanted something that would allow distance should she need it between her and someone coming to collect her for her ex. "Don't tell Colton though," she said waving it around lazily. She didn't remember it being so heavy in her hand. "You don't go through what I've been through and not learn to be prepared!" She tucked it back away in her bag and turned back to him. "I hope Hair of the Dog didn't go and get all fancy for the ball. I need a burger and I don't wanna get dressed up for it!" She slide closer to him and nudged him with her arm. "You'll have to get it for me if that's the case, Mr. Fireman!"

[giarafferty-blog]

vampirexromanov‌:

Cordelia raised an eyebrow, laughing a little. “Did you just make a vampire pun?” It was brilliant, but then again, Cordelia was a sucker for puns. “Damn, girl! You’re a total badass, aren’t you? Maybe you should be walking me home.” There was no sarcasm in her voice, clearly believing the lie entirely. “I mean, I can box, and I’m damn scrappy, but I can’t fight to save my life. Unless it’s LARP. Man, I’m damn good at that sort of thing.”

As promised, Cordelia walked in the middle of the one side of the road, not really concerned with cars. “Oh, yeah. I’ve got every Sailor Scout outfit made, including accessories. Jupiter’s my favourite to be, though. Mostly because there’s no wig involved. I don’t have a Mercury wig, because the last time I cosplayed her, my hair was short, and I just died it blue. I don’t make for a bad Mars, either. But I do make a sexy Tuxedo Mask, do I not?” She asked,, giving herself a spin, chuckling a little as she winked at the other. “You forgot cosplaying, so really, I’m an extra credit geek. I’ve been playing D&D since it came out, more or less. And that was in seventy-four or six. No goals on being a Dungeons Master, though. Probably the only Slytherin with a total lack of ambition.”

She could go with the light conversation being started, and she turned around to begin walking backwards, no shame as she started singing the theme song to Sailor Moon, rather well.

Gia hadn't meant to make a pun or a joke at all, since she didn't find a single thing funny about Selene or the memories of her. But in her drunken state she couldn't help but be proud of her unintentional play on words. She gave a shrug and simply said, "boxing is fighting. And probably causes more damage than you realize. Can't say the same about the role playing though. But you have to be well choreographed for that to enjoy it any not hurt anyone else I guess." She didn't know much about it beyond surface facts. "A colleague of mine wanted me to get into that but I prefer to keep my swordplay to reading, television, or... bedroom, I guess." 

She let the woman go on about the characters as they walked, not able to put faces to the names since it had been so many years since she'd even seen an episode, and in all honesty she was more interested in the enthusiasm behind the comments than the actual characters. Nerds and geeks had a way of warming her heart since she was one too. A book nerd and history geek. Sadly, a more widely accepted kind of geek, more than the things Cordelia was explaining. "Very.. alluring." She said about the cosplay by way of agreement. She doubted she would ever again consider a vampire sexy, if only for the fact that she understood what that sex appeal hid. 

"A Slytherin vampire... How unsurprising," Gia said with a small smile. "I'm a Ravenclaw, myself but I figure anyone who knows my shop would guess that. Rare books and all that? I couldn't possibly be a Gryffindor." She snorted at her own shade thrown on the one house that seemed to show up when braggy people did.