believer

Grace Kline | 25 | Earth Witch part time trouble maker. full time artist.

[gracexkline-blog]

dexforplay‌:

Judging by the look on the bartender/waitress/whatever’s face as he plucked a drink from off her tray as he walked by, she had been on her way to a table, not bottle service like he’d thought. He didn’t wither away from her stare, however, just held her gaze as he shrugged and took a long pull from his new drink. He lifted his glass to her as she rolled her eyes and stomped off in the direction she’d been heading and he turned back around, a triumphant smile on his lips as he made his way to the bar. 

Sliding into an empty seat, he turned to his left, drumming his fingers atop the bar. His eyebrows drew together and ran his fingers over his, admittedly, sad, scraggly facial hair. “Would you say I have a “creeper ‘stache”? I mean, sure, it’s looking a little… pube-y, but the cute baby face kind of saves it, doesn’t it?” He flashed a too-cheesy grin and batted his eyes for effect. 

Grace always enjoyed a night out and some fun.  It was usually her favorite thing to do when her long days of work came to an end.  She had taken a seat at the bar and sipped her drink, trying to spot someone there who seemed decent enough or interesting.  So far she was striking out spectacularly.  It was okay though.  She knew she’d eventually find someone worth chatting with.

When he spoke to her, Grace turned and looked at him, her eyebrow rising as she took in the mustache he’d been referring to.  “I think if you have to ask if it’s a creeper ‘stache then you probably know the answer already.”

[gracexkline-blog]

erinbarlowxx‌:

Having a Sunday off was rare in and of itself, but having the morning to herself? It had been so long, Erin hadn’t even been sure what to do with herself. Despite not setting her typical morning alarms, she had woken up at 6am and found herself unable to fall back asleep. Resigning herself to that fate, she started her day like always. Unused to having nowhere to be immediately, she had run out of things to do within a few hours. So, she went to the park.

A few clouds in the sky threatened rain, but after an hour outside Erin was beginning to doubt it. Laying out in the sun had grown boring quickly, and she dug around in her bag for the toys she brought for Walter. In true Erin fashion, however, the minute she flung the frisbee for Walter to chase after, the object veered and nearly hit someone. She barely had time to shout “Look out!” before she was chasing after it, an apology already on her lips. 

Spring was in full swing and Grace couldn’t have been happier about it.  She always felt so sad when everything was cold and dead, but now the world was brighter.  She had been going for a walk when she suddenly saw a frisbee coming right towards her.  Grace grabbed it and laughed.

“Hey Erin,” she chuckled, a playful smile on her lips as she approached her friend, the frisbee in hand.  “I’m pretty sure you lost something?”  She rolled her eyes teasingly and offered her the disk.  “How’ve you been?”

[gracexkline-blog]

raffeoftheseven‌:

Raffe let his eyes fall to the necklace as she gingerly picked it up, fingers running over the pendant. It was harder than he thought it’d be, letting it go, giving up those last pieces of the woman that he had loved. But he held no claim over Lucy. He was merely the conduit, bridging the two sisters together through what little knowledge he possessed. But it was still hard. He’d grown accustomed to the weight of it in his pocket, his fingers tracing its shape like a nervous habit. He’d done what he’d come here to do, but instead of feeling accomplished, he just felt wrecked.

He allowed Grace however long she needed to look over the items, to process the information, to sit with the heartache for as long as she needed. He remained quiet, eyes on his hands clasped on the table. When she finally did speak, his heart broke all over again, the threat of tears burning behind his eyes and in his throat. He swallowed and took a deep breath in before he finally felt brave enough to look her in the eye. “She never stopped talking about you or missing you. She loved you so much.” Another deep breath. “She found me in Pennsylvania. She was on her way to New York because she’d heard that’s where you had been last. I never got the chance to hear her entire story. She was really protective over what she told me for a long time.” He swallowed again, the thickness in his throat making it difficult to continue. Words that he tried to hide, even from himself, came bubbling up to the surface, bursting through his lips before he’d had the chance to rein them in. “It was my fault. If she hadn’t tried to help me…”

He dropped his head into his hands for a moment to gather himself, squeezing his eyes shut so tight that no moisture would dare to escape. After a few moments he looked up again, shaking his head. “I was unknowingly apart of some… fanatical religious cult. I had no idea that supernaturals existed. I didn’t know–” he gestured around to the coffee shop itself– “any of this existed. She tried to save me and they killed her for it. I’m so sorry, Grace. I’m so sorry.”

Grace’s heart felt heavy as she listened to everything he was saying.  She could barely breathe.  Her chest was too tight and she thought back to the last time she had ever seen her sister.  Lucy had been so happy...and now everything was messed up.  Everything she knew about her past was flipped on it’s head and now she was left to clean up the pieces.  Lucy was gone and Grace needed to understand how that happened.  She needed to know who her sister was in the last fifteen years and who he had been to her sister.

Helping him had gotten her killed.  Grace wanted to be angry, but she knew Lucy was a goodhearted person.  She knew how deeply she cared about other people and she knew that if Lucy died to help him, then she wouldn’t want Grace to be angry.  She’d want her to help him too.  Still, that didn’t make the pain stop.  Tears dripped down her cheeks as she looked down at the pendant in her hand.  For one brief shining moment she thought she could have her family back, but the spark was put out quicker than she ever expected.

Maybe if they hadn’t been separated, they wouldn’t be in this situation.  Maybe Lucy would still be alive.  Maybe Grace should have gone looking for her.  There were so many what ifs floating through her mind, but at the end of the day, it didn’t matter.  Grace was still the one sitting there and Lucy was still dead.  She had questions about him too, about how he could possibly have been wrapped up in something like that, how it could have gotten her sister killed, but they were questions for another day.

“Who were you to her?” Grace finally asked him.  She had to know.  She had to understand why Lucy had been so willing to stop and help him when it cost her everything she had.

[gracexkline-blog]

murphyslawx‌:

There was a lot of truth to Grace’s words. Murphy had found out pretty quickly that the only place of note, so far, was Reid’s club, and it was where she found herself more often than not. But she was easily bored, and she knew that if she kept up this routine, it would grow stale quickly. With luck, and the right person, surely this town had more to offer her. As the days ticked on, however, she was beginning to doubt it.

Eyeing the girl as she spoke, Murphy found herself oddly surprised to hear that they were almost in a similar situation. Her issues with the Knights drove her here, searching out her sire like a frightened child. It was certainly a change. “Compared to most other places, I’d agree. It’s definitely… different, here. At least these people know how to have a good time during the Changing. A good place to hide in, for sure. No one would look for anyone of worth in a place like this.”

Grace looked over at her and smiled.  “Oh yeah, they do know how to have a good time on those nights.  It’s every other night that’s a problem,” she chuckled.  “I was in New York before I came here,” she admitted.  “The culture shock is...a lot.  I’ve gotten used to it though.  Maybe we’ve just got to find other like minded people and have fun with them?  Then nothing would ever get truly boring.”  She chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

The suggestion was one she assumed would be laughed off and dismissed, but Grace meant it.  Sometimes to make it in a small town you had to find your people.  She needed the people with the big dreams, wild streaks, and the sense of adventure and something told her she was right up that alley.

[gracexkline-blog]

reidcassidy‌:

Reid’s serpentine smile spread like wildfire as he watched her slip from her stool and stand before him. He allowed himself a long look, a languid trail of his eyes as he took in the entirety of her. He threw back the rest of his drink and reached into his pocket for his wallet. Standing, he tossed way more than enough money onto the bar top before slipping his wallet back into his pocket and turning to her. “We shall.”

Once outside, Reid led her towards the street. A sleek black town car sat waiting beneath a street light. As they approached, the driver came around to the passenger’s side, impeccably dressed, and pulled open the back door to the car with a pleasant smile. “Mr. Cassidy,” he greeted. 

Reid nodded to the man in return before letting his gaze trail back to the pretty little thing beside him. “One of the perks of sticking it to the man is keeping a driver on retainer,” he told her, his voice low and quiet. His grin was wide and boyish and he stepped aside to allow Grace to slide in first. “After you.”

The cool night air did little to stop Grace’s over-excitement.  Her heart still beat a little too fast as Reid took her outside.  She was glad she finally had found someone interesting and worth her time in a town like this.  However, when the car pulled up and the driver got out, Grace couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well aren’t you a man full of surprises,” Grace mused with a slight shake of her head.  She was definitely curious.  Not many people in the middle of Nowhere North Carolina seemed like they’d have drivers on retainer, even if they were sticking it to the man.  There was more at play, but Grace didn’t care enough to dig in.  She was more interested in getting back to his place and letting loose just a little bit.

Grace slid into the car after flashing a smile.  It was nice.  Maybe she should have been nervous, but she knew she could take care of herself.  She spent so many years doing it that it was second nature at this point, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t step back and have some fun.

“I’m already impressed, Reid.  I feel like you’re the type of man who’ll keep me guessing up until the end.”

[gracexkline-blog]

josephinevidales‌:

“Thank god you’re chill ‘cause I swear some people stay so fucking pressed over this sort of thing to the point that it truly kills my vibe.” Offering Grace a smile as she mentioned not turning down a drink, the werewolf was very quick to move past her and motion towards the bar with a flick of the head. “But that’s perfect so consider this your lucky day! Though I’m sure you get plenty of people offering you drinks, hm?” She teased, nose scrunching in a playful matter. 

Grace laughed and rolled her eyes.  “I don’t see the point in getting my panties twisted over something like this, yeah?  Seems to me that people who get pressed over something so trivial have a lot more problems in their lives than they’re letting on.”  She moved with her over towards the bar and shrugged.  “I guess, but I can be pretty picky.  I mean, I’m not going to accept a drink from just anyone.  Then they’ll think it’s an invitation to take me home and I just don’t wanna deal with that awkwardness.”

[gracexkline-blog]

alekimala‌:

Aleki didn’t really have a choice in the bath location. He didn’t really bathe though, he cleaned off with the soap and used the water to rinse off, not really bothering with his hair. He had practiced some of his powers earlier and was dirty from the wolf running around, so he had to get clean. Seeing the women, he couldn’t tell if she knew what he was doing, she said swimming, so maybe that’s what she thought?  His toiletries sat on a rock in his towel, and he swam over, using the cloth to dry his face off to get a look at her without water in his eyes, “ I’m a pretty warm person,” The wolf did that. “ and it’s not that cold.”   

“Uh huh,” she hummed, not really buying the explanation he was giving her.  Granted, Grace had been homeless enough during her teen years to recognize the signs.  Though there was something very different about being homeless in small town North Carolina and homeless in New York City.  Thankfully, that was all in the past now and Grace didn’t have to dwell.

“You must have boiling blood to make early spring waterfall water not cold.  Unless you’re a water witch.”

[gracexkline-blog]

josephinevidales‌:

“Woooow that’s… that’s truly something,” Sophie quipped as politely as she could to the guy that was currently talking to her as she waited for her drink to be served. Of all the people that could go to a club, why was she always stuck with the weirdos that felt the need to make corny jokes? Not even the funny kind of corny jokes but the kinds that dads tell that only make things awkward. Choosing to ditch her drink, the werewolf was very quick to give the excuse that she had to go to the bathroom before turning around and hastily walking away. But in a crammed place, there was only so much room to maneuver and she was soon bumping into someone full force, “Carajo!” She pipped as she turned, hand brushing back long strands of jet black hair, “You know, now is normally a time where I’d make a joke about dancing but I’m tired so hopefully my sincerest of sorry’s is good enough? If not, that’s kinda all I got unless you want a drink? Several drinks?”

Grace was having a good time out.  It wasn’t unusual for her to hit the clubs, but it was something she’d been doing a little less frequently.  The news about the cure and all the people suddenly returning to their lives had her more than a little spooked.  Add in the news that her sister hadn’t actually been dead for the last fifteen years and, well, Grace had a lot to process.  Maybe that was why she decided tonight was the night to drink.

When she was bumped, she turned to face the person who did it before laughing.  “It’s alright,” she reassured her.  “I mean...no harm no foul, but I also would never say no to a drink or two.”  After a few men were trying to hit on her, an escape with another woman seemed like a great way to deal with the situation.

[gracexkline-blog]

alekimala‌:

There were ups and downs to living in your vehicle, sure, living in a home would be so much easier, but with a truck he was able to just leave if he wanted to, whenever he wanted to. But maybe it was fate that his truck was parked outside the sign to Shadow Falls, a small town where he can stay undeclared and it can go mostly unnoticed. But the truck was his home, the bed of the truck holding a real bed, covered by folded out planks to keep it dry, the majority of his life in the passenger seat, stuffed so the only seat for a drive was his own.  The hardest part was keeping clean. When he could afford it, he would get a membership to a gym, to keep it shape, but also use the showers. But he had ran into the last of his funds and until he could find a job, the falls was his bath. Parking near the shoreline, he looked around, it was just too late for any others to be around, right? Stripping down, he moved into the lake and started to clean himself off the best he could, but a rustle down the path made him stop, his ears twitching from the new sounds as he turned towards the source.

Sometimes Grace just needed to get out of town and get more in touch with her magic.  For an Earth Witch, the woods were the best place to do that.  She had hiked out, happy to get in touch with nature and see more of the foliage blooming with the beginnings of spring.  It felt good.  It energized her more than her house plants, no matter how much she loved them, ever were able to.

What she didn’t expect was to emerge from one of the hiking trails near the falls and find someone bathing in them.  Ew.  Granted, Grace had gone swimming in the falls plenty of times.  She knew people who had even hooked up there before.  But using it to bath just seemed...weird.  As much as she loved nature, that just didn’t seem clean enough for her.

“Sorry,” she murmured before stepping back.  “I, uh, kinda figured it was still a bit cold to be...swimming at the falls.”

[gracexkline-blog]

reidcassidy‌:

A slow smile spread across his face, predatory and alluring. He had cast a line and she had taken a nibble. And maybe she’d cast one of her own judging by his own piqued interest where they was usually only stark boredom. His eyes had fallen to her lips, where she’d bitten down on them, where she was now smiling at him playfully. He imagined himself sinking his teeth into them, too.

Her suggestion was like music to his ears and he grinned at her, not unlike the cheshire cat. He was nearly purring when he spoke again. “I’d offer up my home, but I’d hate to come across as too forward.”

Grace sipped her drink and focused on Reid’s expression.  He was grinning, pleased with how things were going.  Grace was too.  It seemed that their interests had aligned in exactly the right way.  Truthfully, she’d forgotten what it was like to find a halfway decent guy in a bar.  They were usually all creeps.

“It’s not too forward,” Grace replied.  Maybe it should have been, but she was looking for fun.  Whatever the night had in store for them back at his place was something she’d be open to.  After all?  Where were the rewards in life without a little risk?  

She hopped off her stool and straightened her skirt out while flashing him a coy smile.  “Shall we?”

[emmymatthews]

Sinners  | Emmy & Grace

[gracexkline-blog]

emmymatthews‌:

Emmy nodded as she listened to Grace’s experience in Shadow Falls. There was always this underlying sense of anxiety staying in the witches quarters at Radleys and not interacting with any other witches. Being a loner she was comfortable keeping to herself, but sometimes she wondered if her presence was stepping on anyone’s toes. It put her at ease to know that the witches in town weren’t this intense crazy cult, and that they were pretty chill.

“Thanks, that would be so cool.” She responded to the girls offer of being a liaison between her and the other witches in the community. “Covens aren’t really my thing…but I’m always down to meet more witches.” She explained. “Also, if you ever want to grab a sober drink in the daylight away from the noise and men breathing down your throat I’m down.” The offer had a sense of vulnerability behind it, Emmy wasn’t one to extend herself, but moving into town was suppose to be about change, and she was trying.

Honestly, Grace didn’t understand witches that didn’t want to be in a coven.  You had more power in a coven and you had an extended family that was always there for you.  What was wrong with that?  It seemed like the best idea ever in her humble opinion.  Still, she knew better than to try and push a coven on someone who didn’t want it.  Maybe she’d naturally change her mind at some point in the future.

“Sure,” Grace replied.  “That sounds like a good plan.  She dug out a scrap of paper from her clutch and wrote her number on it.  She handed it over to Emmy with a smile.  “That’s my number.  Text me and we can set something up sometime.”  It would do her good to have a few more friends in town.

[gracexkline-blog]

giannasalsbury‌:

Like clockwork, Gianna was soon distracted from her thoughts on trivial resolutions towards something that she actually thought about more often than the average person as a pastry chef. It had always been a fair fifty fifty split for the siren but that didn’t mean she didn’t have her preference. “I feel like I should be saying that both are valid and should be given the chance to shine in the limelight but my heart is always going to prefer a good brownie. There’s just so many options with a brownie but it a blondie it can be rather restrictive unless you start adding fruits or caramel. I did, however, once try to make a half brownie half blonde concoction which was… interesting to say the least.”

Grace nodded.  Choosing a brownie was definitely something she could get behind.  After all, Grace loved chocolate and had always had a bit of a sweet tooth.  “Tell me more about this half and half marbled blondie brownie combo.  Or at least I’m assuming it’s marbled?  Is it like those cookie brownie things you can get at Dominos?  I bet it tasted incredible.”

[gracexkline-blog]

thevigilantevamp‌:

Donning his mask and signature dark clothes, Gabe kept to the shadows of the trees in the woods. The city proper was usually safer– more vampires, succubi, and incubi went to the nightclubs to feed and drink their troubles away. The other supernaturals, however, took to the woods. The harpies needed to fly, the sirens need to swim, the wolves needed to run. Most witches got their power from nature, save for darkness witches. This fact also was known by hunters, who ran in groups to take down any and all that they could.

On full moons, Gabe would dart between trees, keeping his heightened sense of smell and hearing keen on his surroundings. That was when he heard a zip and a crack through the air as a bullet or arrow seemed to have ripped across a distance and strike a tree. Then an unmistakable crack as a bullet soared through the air. The scent of blood just faintly wafted his way and he ran in the direction of it. It wasn’t a werewolf, or harpy. This one was more similar to a human’s blood scent: a witch.

He dashed silently through the trees until he came upon the sight: three hunters towering over a small witch–whom Gabe recognised as Grace, the witch who worked at the magic shop. The hunters hadn’t heard him yet so he took advantage. He zipped up behind one of them, hands gripping the top of his head and under his chin, then twisted his head sharply with a sickening crack. The man fell to the ground instantly from his neck breaking. By the time one of them registered what was happening, Gabe had already snatched the dagger out of the second one’s hand and plunged it into his chest.

“Run!” He told the girl as the remaining hunter panicked and fumbled with their gun, aiming poorly at Gabe and firing into his shoulder. Gabe staggered for a moment before lunging at the remaining hunter.

Grace was terrified.  She didn’t know what was happening.  Her brain was frazzled and she felt dazed.  There were hunters and she couldn’t think to cast the right spells.  She needed help or she was going to die.  She knew that much, but then suddenly the shadowy figure was there, taking out the hunters and yelling at her to run.

She was overwhelmed, terrified, and nervous.  Scrambling to her feet, Grace moved as quickly as she could.  She got up and ran, but looked over her shoulder.  She couldn’t leave him when he tried to help her.  Still dazed, Grace used magic.  She conjured up vines to begin restraining the hunter in the hopes it would protect her savior, even as she hid behind a tree out of the way.  

If she left and he died...then what?  She would feel terrible and blame herself for what happened, even if it wasn’t her fault.

[gracexkline-blog]

raffeoftheseven‌:

He could tell he wasn’t winning himself any points. If anything, he was just being successful at driving her away, making her (reasonably) distrust him. He hoped he had the key to earning that trust in his pocket.

The walk was short and heavy with tension. He’d imagined this conversation was going to be awful, but it was gearing up to be pretty excruciating. He could be thankful for small miracles, however, when they walked into the coffee shop to find it relatively empty. He led her to a table near the back, feeling a little weird for not purchasing a drink before taking a seat. But he’d known of people that had spent their entire day hunched over a computer after buying only one, so surely this wasn’t completely abnormal.

He struggled to find words as he took a seat across from her. He drew in a long breath as he tried to buy enough time to figure out where to start. The time did nothing but delay the inevitable so, instead of the words that failed him, he reached into his pocket, the necklace feeling heavy as lead as he slowly pulled it out. Giving it up might not have been the hardest thing he’d ever have to do, but it was definitely up there. Silently, he set the necklace down on the table, his eyes drawn to it for a long moment. “Lucy was my friend,” he said for the second time that day, his voice thick. He met her eyes finally. “I met her almost a year and a half ago. She…” He swallowed, dropping his gaze again, the burning threat of tears behind his eyes. “She was killed. I’m sorry.” The words broke a little, impossibly hard to form in his throat. But he knew it wasn’t going to be any less painful if he took forever to get to the point, right? The end result wasn’t going to change. He reached into his other pocket, hands clasping around Lucy’s long dead cell phone. He didn’t know if the necklace would mean anything to Grace, but Lucy had worn it every single day he’d known her, so even if it hadn’t held some kind of special memory from the past, maybe it could now. The cell phone had been the only other thing she’d had on her and he knew there was at least one picture of her on it. Of them. She’d snapped it the moment after he realized she’d been trying to sneak a picture so he’d been glaring at her while her own head was thrown back in laughter. He used to hate that picture. But he thought Grace might like to have it anyway. 

“I don’t know if these will mean anything to you, but they’re all she had the day she–” He didn’t need to say it again. Couldn’t. “It was all she had on her. I thought you might like to have them.”

There was a piece of Grace that wanted to bolt, to just up and leave before he could say anything else.  What happened to Lucy and here parents was not something she liked to talk about.  She kept it close to her chest, hidden in her heart.  Even her friends didn’t know the truth.  She’d never told Tae or Erin about Lucy or her parents.  She’d always been cagey and vague when talking about her past.  It wasn’t comfortable.  It was heartbreak that she hated.  She wanted to keep that tucked away, but he was bringing back those feelings and that loss.  Grace didn’t know how she felt about it.

They moved into the coffee shop and she sat down, anxious about what he was going to say.  She wished she had a coffee, just something to occupy her hands with while they talked.  It was an uneasy situation.  Grace just wanted things to go back to normal, but then he started speaking and she quickly realized that normal didn’t exist anymore.  “Wait...Lucy was alive?” she asked as a lump formed in her throat.  However, as quickly as the hope was given, he took it away.  Her sister wasn’t alive.  She was alive.  She spent fifteen years mourning someone who wasn’t dead, but now it was too late.  Lucy was dead.  

Tentatively, Grace reached out for the necklace, her fingers brushing over the pendant.  That was when the tears started brimming in her eyes.  She could remember when Lucy got that necklace.  She’d helped her mom pick it out to give her for her thirteenth birthday.  It was special.  She picked it up, her finger brushing along the top.  There was so much missed time...why didn’t they tell her she was okay?  Why were they separated in the foster system?  Had she known Lucy was alive, she never would have run away.  She wouldn’t have been homeless.  Her whole life would have been different.

She reached for the phone then, her finger brushing over the screen.  “What happened to her?” Grace asked.  “Where...where was she?  Did she...did she miss me?”

[gracexkline-blog]

murphyslawx‌:

“It wouldn’t be the first time someone cursed my name,” she said with a wry smile. It was a fact that she enjoyed for the most part. The thought that, come morning, no matter how inebriated a person got they were still able to remember her. It gave her a rush of power, of control, albeit a small one, but she latched onto it like a lifeline. It felt a little childish after all these years, but Murphy took her pleasures wherever she could, and it wasn’t as if anyone had to know.

Observing the woman’s lax attitude and lack of hesitation when it came to the liquor, Murphy was amused by the balls on her. Not many approached her so casually, and even less were so open to accepting a stranger’s booze, but for once she couldn’t find it in herself to be upset about it. Maybe she really was desperate for company.

With a short laugh, Murphy shook her head at the other’s words. “I wouldn’t call this town lovely. It’s a hellscape. Where fun goes to die.” A bit dramatic, even for her, but at least she was being honest about it. Nothing had gone right since she showed up in town, and it wouldn’t be long for even the luster of Saints and Sinners to wear off. “But yes, I’m new to town. It’s unfortunate, but I’ve got friends here. What’s your excuse?”

Grace laughed, swirling the alcohol in a glass as she focused on Murphy.  “A hellscape is definitely how I would have described it when I first got here,” she told her with a nod.  Moving to Shadow Falls, running from her problems...it was a lot for her and the culture shock between New York and Shadow Falls was huge.  She needed some time to adjust.  “It is pretty awful here unless you know where the fun is.”

Thankfully she had been able to figure out where some of the fun was.  At least that was something.  It gave her a chance to fit in with the locals a little more, which was exactly what Grace needed.  If she was fitting in then maybe she’d be safer.  Maybe the Hopkins hunters wouldn’t track her down if she was just a normal girl.

“Eh,” Grace said with a shrug.  “I was looking for someone...I needed something of a change.  Figured I could definitely get that in a place like this.”  Whether or not Grace would stay in Shadow Falls truly remained to be seen.

[gracexkline-blog]

reidcassidy‌:

His eyes drifted to her toned legs as they crossed one over the other. He dragged his gaze slowly up the length of her until he met her eyes again. Her sweet comment brought a low rumbling sound of amusement from the back of his throat. She was turning out to be quite the delicious surprise indeed. 

He pursed his lips and nodded thoughtfully at the information about herself she’d given. It would likely never come up again, never be an important fact for the future, but he filed it away anyway. Just in case. He’d lived in New York once, though he hadn’t been back since the 60′s, and even still, he could understand the culture shock. New York had always been more progressive than North Carolina. It was only the memories that drew him back, kept him circling the south rather than moving on for good. “It’s like time travel in the worst way,” he agreed with a throaty chuckle. Her next question gave him pause and he let the electric silence between them stretch until he was sure it was palpable. He smirked devilishly and instead of answering her question, he leaned in just a little closer. “If twenty questions isn’t satisfying to you, I’m sure we could think of something else.”

Grace could feel the air between them.  It was practically crackling with tension and that excited her.  Truth be told, it had been awhile since Grace found someone in this town interesting enough to spend time with.  Her coven members and Erin not withstanding.  Sometimes Shadow Falls was not exactly the bustling hub she’d love for it to be.

“That’s honestly the best description I’ve ever heard,” Grace chuckled.  She leaned in, completely fascinated by the things he was saying.  She bit her lower lip and wondered exactly where he had been hiding during her months in Shadow Falls.  Certainly he would have made things more interesting.

Tilting her head, Grace brushed her hair over her shoulder with the back of her hand.  “I do love the whole twenty questions vibe,” she told him, playfulness dancing on her lips.  “But maybe we should get out of here?  Go somewhere more...quiet if we’re going to play a get to know you game.”

[gracexkline-blog]

raffeoftheseven‌:

Raffe blinked his confusion, trying to recount the pieces of the story Lucy had told him while trying to make sense of Grace’s reaction. He would be the first to admit he didn’t know everything about their past. Lucy had given him bits and pieces, surely thinking she’d have nothing but time to fill in the blanks. She’d told him about the night the hunters had attacked, how she’d been separated from her sister and her parents had been killed. He knew she’d spent time in different group and foster homes, knew she’d done what she could to find Grace from the moment she aged out of the system until she’d found Raffe in Pennsylvania. 

Her long silence made Raffe suddenly rethink this whole thing. He blinked again at the question. “Before…?” And then it clicked. Lucy had been injured that night. Badly, from how she’d made it sound. Maybe Grace hadn’t known she had made it out. Maybe Grace had believed, all this time, that Lucy had died that night along with their parents. Panic seized his chest for a moment as he tried to decide how to proceed. “Perhaps we should sit first?” he suggested, treading lightly, trying to give away nothing that might scare her off and probably just confusing the poor girl more. 

Thankfully, the coffee shop wasn’t far from where they were. He was still learning his way around, but he did know that much. He resisted the urge to apologize but he knew he was about to upend her life and everything she must have thought she already knew. He nodded his head in the direction of the coffee shop. “Shall we?”

If she was honest with herself, Grace was skeptical of him.  He appeared to be dancing around saying something and she didn’t know what.  Something was going on with him and he knew her, but how?  Lucy wasn’t that much older than Grace, and Grace had been ten when her family was killed.  Maybe it made sense she didn’t recognize him.  People changed a lot in fifteen years.  She couldn’t deny that at all.

There was a piece of her that wanted to tell him to go to hell and leave her alone, but curiosity was getting the better of her.  Why did it matter now?  Why did he look for her now?  Her sister had been dead for fifteen years.  She’d been on her own, bouncing around foster homes before she finally ran away.  Nothing he had to say would change what had happened to her.

“Uh, sure, I guess,” Grace mumbled while she took a few steps in the direction of the coffee shop.  It wasn’t scary, but it was confusing.  What did he want with her?  She couldn’t wrap her mind around it.