Time: 8:23PM
Date: 02/2021, before Valentine’s Day
Setting: Alleyway, so mistakes can be made
He needed to get his mind off of things and he already tried being a responsible adult. Going to work and using it as a distraction from his worries wasn’t doing enough for him. So he found Hale and decided to chill out with her. He pulled his arm from her shoulders and stumbled backwards until he felt the wall behind him. Truman let out a small chuckle before giving her a bright grin. “So…” He started and then let a bloated pause get comfortable as he collected his thoughts. How could he say this properly? Which words could he use? Tru chuckled again and then pushed himself off of the wall. “You know… Zinaida… right? You know… You and her… Her and you… You two are pretty hot.” Another pause. “I’m not trying to be a pig or nothing. It’s just. I appreciate… Uhh… Nah, I still think you two are hot.”
@hcleavci·
Hale was fucked up as it was. Seeing the Shades, well... Sure, they did a number on her, but what more could possibly come her way that would mess her up even more? It was laughable, really. At this point, the vampire really wasn’t sure if it were possible to become as unhinged as she was. But, fuck it, right? What does she have to lose? The only responsible thing she kept up with, as hard as it was, is school. Hale still pushed herself to go to classes, even though she really wasn’t sure why she was still going... Maybe to keep a little bit of normalcy? But, again -- Laughable. Hale gives a groan as Tru puts his arm around her, then stumbles back, pulling her with him. “Dude,” Is all she says with a sigh. When Truman begins to speak, Hale is only half listening. Mostly because it sounded like Truman hadn’t thought his words half way through and Hale didn’t feel like listening to her friend ramble. It wasn’t until he finally got to the end of his sentence when his paused words finally clicked. “... Oh, my God. Just comes out and say it.” Hale rolls her large eyes at her friend. “You wanna have a threesome, don’t you? Is that what you’re tryna say?” A thick brow arches in question before an unladylike snort leaves her. “You fucking idiot.” She laughs and shoves Truman by the shoulder, shaking her head. “I’ve thought about it, too,” Hale says without hesitation. There’s a breif pause as she looks over at Truman, a hint of vulnerability in her eyes. “You two are, like, my only friends... The last thing I’d wanna do is fuck up our friendship, you know? ... God, that sounds so fucking lame, but...” Hale shrugs, looking away.
“ The look on that guys face” Harris replied as he was cleaning blood off his hands from the altercation. If there was one thing he loved about his job, it was the excuse it gave him to deal with people without any repercussions. The move to Lethe with his girlfriends was a necessity, but he was quickly finding thing’s to amuse him in town. And messing with the general public and getting away with it was the highlight so far. “ I mean really, in a town full of supernaturals, that guy was still shocked I could throw him out of a building. He must be surprised about everything in life. It was hilarious” Harris chuckled as he crossed his arms and started looking for his lighter. “Aw fuck, must have dropped it. You gotta light?”
Hale’s latest and possibly last ever conversation ( if you could even call it that ) with Yuri over text message left the young vampire almost hyperventilating on her bed. She was so angry and heartbroken toward what had just transpired. ‘ We’ll take it day by day, ’ Yuri told her in the hospital bathroom. Despite trying to still go through the act of taking her own life, there was a piece of Hale that still believed him. She believed that he would be there with her, helping her with, well, everything, she guessed. She was wrong though. Just like everything else. Hale seemed to be terrible at putting her trust in the wrong sort of people. Not wanting her roommate to see her in such a state before coming back to the dorm, the fledgling washed her face, applied makeup and put both a cute, though rather revealing outfit and plastered on a large smile as she left the college campus to go downtown by herself.
At CHURCH is where Hale could be found for the whole night, dancing with strangers and kissing new friends. After spending some time in a dark corner, with a few fae and a nymph, all high and drunk, Hale peels away from the group and stumble outside of the club. “Huh?” She asks the man who beings talking while dusting off his hands. She narrows her large eyes at him as if that will help her concentrate on his words. It doesn’t. The more he talks, the more the buzzing in her head grows. “A light? A lighter?” She asks, hoping she got it right as she opens up her clutch. She hopes she’s right. “One moment, one moment. There’s so much shit in here.” Hale sighs. There really weren’t many things in her clutch. Some money, a small baggie of white powder, lipgloss and her new, just-as-shitty-than-the-last phone. “Ah! Here we go!” The vampire exclaims, pulling out the lighter and tossing it over to the man. “Ugh, so... Sorry, but... I missed half of what you said before... You work here?”
Yuri listened without interrupting. Deep down he was angry, angry at whoever had done such a horrific act. However, it suddenly clicked in Yuri’s mind who was responsible. When he found Hale, there was a familiar scent that lingered on her, but he couldn’t pinpoint as to who it is. Once she mentioned vampire, his gaze went cold and fists clenched tightly in an attempt to suppress his anger. He needed to talk to Luke and the only reason why he wasn’t going to the problem of all this was because his cousin would be the only one to get through to Emira. It would be reckless of him to go after a psychopath. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say, but an apology was the only thing that came to mind. “Don’t listen to her Hale…This was personal and you were used as a casualty to get her message across…” He paused as he licked his lips, unsure of how to diffuse the situation. He understood that Hale’s thought process was probably a complete mess with so many questions and overwhelming fear and guilt, but he didn’t want her to think of such things. “Let’s focus on healing and moving forward from this. I can alter my schedule and check up on you for the week. If you don’t feel comfortable being alone you can stay with Katia and myself in our cabin for a few days until you regain your strength. It doesn’t have to be long, but that’s only if you want to.”
Suddenly, Hale reached out towards him and pulled Yuri in for a hug. It was unexpected that he didn’t react to it right away, but slowly he brought his arms around her waist and held her. He didn’t say a word since it was best that way and once they let go, his gaze softened as he took a good look at her. His bluish-green hues searched for the truth of how she felt at that moment, but she wasn’t revealing anything to him despite the gut feeling he had. Something wasn’t right, but he didn’t want to over step and assume. Perhaps she needed a breather, some space and so he did what he was told and got up from his seat to leave. “I’ll be right back.”
And with that being said, he left the room. Yuri didn’t even have a chance to get her water, in fact he stopped halfway and decided to head back on instinct. He didn’t find it right to leave Hale on her own, not in that state, nor in her condition, However, by the time he arrived to her room, there was a team of hospital personnel including security trying to access it. “What’s happening?” The staff explained that she’d locked the door and there was no response on the other side. It didn’t take long for Yuri to react as he was about to kick down the door, but security held him back and pointed out that the doctors and nurses had a key. “Hale! HALE!!….Fuck! Listen! None of you will enter. It’ll only be me. I cannot afford to lose her again, so I can’t have any of you interfere!” They all backed off, knowing that it was best not to anger a Sokolov and allowed him to go into the room. The mention of sedatives and magical herbs to sedate the vampire came into play, but Yuri declined the use to do so. He just needed to talk to Hale, to set her straight.
Eyes wide, he noticed that she wasn’t in her room. His first instinct was to look at the window, but there was no signs of an escape. Without any thought, he jogged over to the bathroom and attempted to open it. Locked. Cursing under his breath, Yuri called out to the vampire and yelled, “Hale, I’m kicking it down!” Once the warning was said, he went ahead and forcefully kicked the bathroom door down. His eyes landed on the blood that came from the broken mirror, before looking over to Hale. His heart dropped at the sight of what she was holding. Glass pointed towards him, Yuri held his hand up and whispered, “No…Please Hale…C’mon…Don’t do this…” The stake that was aimed at her chest caused him to panic as he didn’t want her to follow through with her untimely death.
“You’re losing blood.” he pointed out at first. “Drop the shards, please…Let’s talk this through…” Clearing his throat, he looked over his shoulder and yelled at the staff to close the room’s door. He didn’t ask twice and they did what they were told, leaving the werewolf and vampire alone. “I know what it’s like.” admitted Yuri as he took a step forward. “I know what it’s like to be on the end of not wanting to be here anymore. In no way am I trying to dictate how you feel since we both have our own reasons of wanting to go…” He’d done it more than once and despite being sober and feeling his best self, there were days where the thought of leaving this world lingered in his mind. “I just…Hale, you can’t go.” Technically, he should be the last person doing a pep talk to prevent someone from killing themselves. However, Yuri had to try.
“These feelings…The guilt, the emptiness, being a burden…It’s difficult to subside. I get it. However, to give up and let go of everything and everyone…I just feel as if you have that fight in you, to keep going…This isn’t the end all be all Hale.” He held his hand out for her to take, he needed her in his arms now. The stake and the shards needed to go. “Please. We’ll take it day by day—rest, but don’t quit. This progress will take time and be a bitch, but you’re Hale fucking Yildirim. Hell, I’ll be with you every step of the way and whether that’s a good thing or bad, I just want you to know you’re not alone. Now please, drop the shards and stake.”
Yuri’s familiar voice boomed on the other side of the door and Hale has to close her eyes for a moment. Of course, it was him. Of course, it had to be him to see her like this. She already knows he’s going to try and help her, because that’s what Yuri does, it’s who he is. On and off the clock, he helps those around him before helping himself. Even if it’ll ruin him. “I have to... Need to... Want to... Please, leave... Just leave.” Hale gives Yuri a sad smile, “That’s the point.” She says, laughing sadly through her tears. Yuri pleads with her to drop the glass and she only grips it tighter, the jagged edges cutting into her soft palm. Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, shaking her head. She wished it were anyone else standing in front of her right now, but it wasn’t, and it was tearing Hale up inside emotionally, “No, you don’t!” She yells back taking a step back, as Yuri takes a step forward, her heels hitting the bathroom wall with a small thud. “You don’t understand! I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to be apart of this world.”
It was so hard to explain. She doesn’t want anyone knowing about her family and what they’ve done, what they do. She doesn’t want anyone knowing about Fayre and what she continues to feel about the supernatural creatures roaming these lands. Hale felt like she was caught in the middle, forced to pick between two lesser evils, and she didn’t know what was the right choice. This. This choice, though, seemed to be it. “I’m scared... All the time... All I think about is how I'm going to make it through the day... It's like a toothache that won't ease... I have a chance to make it go away... If there's anything you should understand, it's that... And let me go through with this.” Hale can feel of tunnel vision coming on and now way to stop it. It was as if she were seeing through a straw, or wearing blinders. In this state, she can’t see beyond her circumstances, and really doesn't believe her pain will ever end.
You have that fight in you... Fayre said almost the same thing when they crossed paths for the first time in four years. Fayre said she was a fighter, better than the rest of them. Hale didn’t believe it then, she doesn’t believe it now. It made her feel like an impostor. She also thought these words were lies to make Hale feel better about herself. “Stop it, stop it, stop it!” Hale shakes the piece of glass at Yuri. “Get away from me, Yuri!” More tears continued to fall. She just wanted this over with. Her eyes flicker over Yuri’s shoulder, making sure it was just them still. She wonders if he’s just buying his time, saying all of this to her, to get her to talk and listen - to confuse her. Hale let’s out a small, scared and pain whimper as her bottom lip quivers. Her eyes find Yuri’s again. “You don’t know me and I’m sorry that you don’t. Yildirm isn’t even my last name.” Hale sniffs, shrugging gently and gives the werewolf a weirdly sheepish smile. She didn’t realize how good she was at keeping herself hidden from others until this moment. It was better this way, no one really knowing Hale Avci. Subconsciously, maybe she had this moment planned for a long time. If no one really knows you, it’s easier for them to move on.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way...” She repeats back, round eyes glazing over to another moment in time. Her sights are still stuck on Yuri, but she doesn’t see him. She wishes she could take these painful memories and put them in a box, hide them under her bed or in a closet. She wishes she didn’t have to live with these memories that she doesn’t know what to do with. They just hurt her. Every waking moment is a painful one for Hale because of her last moments with her mother. Even before then, when Seçil was slipping away from her. “My mom said something similar, before she - she...” Her voice is light, dreamlike and preoccupied...“She said she would look out for me and be right beside me and that she would protect me and I believed her.” Instead of desperation, anger filled her veins. Her hold on the take becomes so tight that the item in her hand threatens to snap beneath the force she’s placing on it. Her eyes come back to Yuri. “You can’t promise me that either. No one can. No one can promise anyone anything.” Hale applies more pressure to the stake, causing a burning pain to errupt from the pierced skin.
“Huh?” Hale mimcks, but not out of mockery. It was because it was a sound that was supposed to convey confusion, but Zinaida wasn’t showing any of that, but Hale certainly was. “I meant it in a good way, though. Meaning, like, you bring stability and structure into peoples lives. That’s fucking good.” And this was coming from a fledgling who hasn’t had discipline, stability or structure in her life since, well - possibly around fifteen years old and then it just got worse as she got older. Hale gives a light gasp and places a hand over where her still, unbeating heart, faking being hurt and offended by Zinaida’s words. “Are you saying that you don’t want to know every single aspect of my life? And here I thought we were getting along!” Hale chuckles and rolls her eyes playfully. Alright, so she’ll continue with the strange compliments when it comes to Zinaida. Duley noted. “No. I have a short attention span so reading articles on Wikipedia isn’t exactly a forte of mine. Besides, hearing it from someone who was actually there is so much more interesting. Again, short attention span, so if you were to tell me anything interesting I might zone out, but I’ll definitely still get more out of it than just staring at a computer.” Spotting the school in sight, Hale moves to stand in front of Zinaida, walking backwards. “You can head out now and be free, if you want. I can make my own way from here.”
“Oh.” replied Zinaida after processing what Hale meant. She shrugged nonchalantly and gave a generalized reply, “I do what I need to do, but thank you.” She didn’t like to look too hard into her work, if she did then each case would drive her crazy as she overanalyzes them and wondered if she should have taken a different approach. At the inquiry, Zi stared at Hale, but eventually lets out a soft chuckle as she shook her head. “Well since we’re getting along, it’s up to you whether you’d like to disclose such information of yourself or not.” She then nodded in understanding at the short attention span spiel that the other vampire was going off on. “Noted, I’ll keep that in mind for our next encounter.” She then gestured a wave to go on ahead and bid her goodbye, “Okay. It was nice meeting you Hale, have a good night.” Zinaida didn’t make a move at first, but within seconds she disappeared before the other vampire.
“Huh?” Zinaida didn’t look confused, nor did her tone display it, but she meant it. “Discipline sounds harsh, but professionalism is needed. The cases I deal with aren’t easy to begin with.” After learning the vampire’s name, Zi nodded and replied, “Likewise.” She then rolled her eyes at her comment, yet a slight smile crept onto the social worker’s lips. This was certainly a reminder that she takes her work seriously. “Alright, alright. I comprehend where you’re getting at. There’s no need for that unless you’re my case.”
Walking in the direction of the college, Zinaida listened attentively to Hale’s response and shrugged. “To each their own.” She remained unfazed at Hale’s enthusiasm after nailing what she wanted to hear. “You’re welcome.” Not sure why she’d be proud of that, but Zinaida didn’t mind it seeing as it could have been much worse. Turning a corner, she continued on and looked over at Hale as she inquired further about her age. “I do not recall, perhaps…the toothbrush? Look, it was over a hundred years ago Hale, besides, you could Google it no?”
“Huh?” Hale mimcks, but not out of mockery. It was because it was a sound that was supposed to convey confusion, but Zinaida wasn’t showing any of that, but Hale certainly was. “I meant it in a good way, though. Meaning, like, you bring stability and structure into peoples lives. That’s fucking good.” And this was coming from a fledgling who hasn’t had discipline, stability or structure in her life since, well - possibly around fifteen years old and then it just got worse as she got older. Hale gives a light gasp and places a hand over where her still, unbeating heart, faking being hurt and offended by Zinaida’s words. “Are you saying that you don’t want to know every single aspect of my life? And here I thought we were getting along!” Hale chuckles and rolls her eyes playfully. Alright, so she’ll continue with the strange compliments when it comes to Zinaida. Duley noted. “No. I have a short attention span so reading articles on Wikipedia isn’t exactly a forte of mine. Besides, hearing it from someone who was actually there is so much more interesting. Again, short attention span, so if you were to tell me anything interesting I might zone out, but I’ll definitely still get more out of it than just staring at a computer.” Spotting the school in sight, Hale moves to stand in front of Zinaida, walking backwards. "You can head out now and be free, if you want. I can make my own way from here."
“Nonsense, you’re still you,” Ytel spat as she said she was no longer human. “You have your memories, your desires, maybe a different appetite but…” He shrugged, unsure if she was a werewolf or vampire or what. Could vampires even eat cupcakes? He sat down across from her, helping himself. At her confession he nodded and pulled the cupcake towards him. “Did you buy it or did he give it to you or…? Cat’s outta the bag, you said the words aloud, you’re another year older. First of many birthdays, I reckon.” He peeled the liner from one side of the cupcake and took a bite, enough so that he couldn’t speak for a few moments as he chewed and swallowed.
“I’m not so sure about that.” She gives an unsure laugh, pulling her the sleeves to her shirt over her hands. “I have memories that I don’t want, desires that I can’t control, and an appetite that makes me want to throw up because when I was human, I couldn’t stand the sight of blood, and now it’s the only thing keeping me alive, so...” Hale trails off, shaking her head and looking away from the man. She didn’t mean to allow that to come out, she’s usually better keeping stuff like that away from people, but today was sensitive. Hearing the comment about having many more birthdays after this one, Hale was unable to hold back a groan while rolling her head back dramatically to look up at the sky for a moment. “I sure hope the fuck not.” Lifting her head, brown eyes find the man again, blinking slowly.
