not for long...

They say we are what we are, but we don’t have to be I’m bad behavior but I do it in the best way I’ll be the watcher of the eternal flame I’ll be the guard dog of all your fever dreams. muses nav.

[justkoralis]

The pier was humming like it knew a secret. Koralis leaned over the railing, wind threading through her hair, the night wrapped around her shoulders like it had personally chosen her. The ocean below was restless, not angry, not calm, just thinking too loudly. She liked it best that way. Honest. She felt it before she saw them. The person on her right. Breathing a little uneven. Staring a little too long at the water. Without looking over, she said, “If you’re debating something dramatic, at least wait until the tide shifts. It makes everything feel more cinematic.” Now she glanced sideways, eyes bright and far too knowing for someone who claimed to be minding her business. “You’ve got that look. The ‘I came here to clear my head but accidentally found my feelings instead’ look.” A pause. A small, crooked smile. “Happens to the best of us.” A gull cried somewhere overhead. The waves smacked the pier like applause that didn’t quite mean it. She straightened, brushing salt from her palms. “So. Are we staring at the water in solidarity, or are you going to tell me why it’s staring back at you like that?”

[immcrtalsx]

Aiden looked up, laughing softly, "Busted," he stated, "Though I'm not thinking about something dramatic but I am in my feelings a little bit," he explained and shrugged, "Water hasn't done anything to me. It's just calming to look at. Why are you out here?"

[mcnstercus]

"No nuts or peanuts, right?" he asked, a small confirmation of accepting a plate if it didn't include his allergies.

[immcrtalsx]

Aiden shook his head, "No, man, no nuts or peanuts. I wouldn't put that anywhere near you," he replied with a smile, "All the allergen stuff is done over there," he gestured to another area of the kitchen.

[thorodinson]

[fairywilds]

VALENSIA'S EYES IMMEDIATELY LIT UP at the question . ❝ psychic ?? ❞ she repeated , pointing at herself . ❝ no , no . if i was psychic , i'd know where my lighter is , ❞ she paused , then gestured vaguely toward him . ❝ honestly , it was the whole vibe . you have very strong ❛ i know where the nearest first aid kit is ❜ energy . also , i'm pretty sure i have seen you around the hospital when my grandmother was in there for an extended stay . . . ❞ sia explained , ❝ plus , you got that tired-look about you , like , ❞ she caught how that might have sounded judgemental despite her intentions . ❝ you know , the kind that could only come from good , honest , responsible , hard work . . . ❞ she continued to survey him , mostly thinking out loud at this point . at his next words , though , her amused grin softened . ❝ huh . ❞ for once , she didn't immediately fill the silence . ❝ that's actually kind of annoying , ❞ she admitted after a moment . ❝ because i was low-key hoping chaos had some sort of divine selection process . it would've made things feel way more personal , but i guess it is true what my little brother says to me , and ❛ the universe really doesn't give a shit about me ❜ . ❞ her gaze dropped briefly to everything scattered around her feet before she slowly started picking up the items and returning them all to her purse . ❝ sorry . that probably sounded weird , or too much , but . . . whatever . i just — ❞ valensia shrugged one shoulder . ❝ sometimes it feels like crazy stuff happens around me so often that eventually i start wondering if i'm the common denominator , y'know ?? is it me ?? am i the problem ?? ❞ the admission slipped out more easily , and honestly , than she intended . thankfully , she recovered quickly . ❝ anyway , if you happen to see anyone that's not me carrying around a bedazzled lighter , i'm completely expecting you to take them out , and steal it back for me . i'm holding you too this , too . ❞ she declared, and chuckled .

[immcrtalsx]

"I'm not sure that's exactly how being psychic works but I guess I wouldn't actually know," Jon replied, chuckling. He raised an eyebrow again, impressed by the deductions, "Alright, Sherlock. I get the point," he teased. His face softened from the teasing to one of concern and reassurance, "It's fine. As you said, I'm a doctor. I hear weirder stuff all the time," he paused, "If it helps, I don't think the universe gives a shit about anybody. From my own personal experience and with everything that's been happening lately. I can't imagine there is some kind of omnipotent figure who controls everything," he explained and shook his head, "It doesn't sound like you're the problem, unless you're actively going out of your way to cause problems." As she spoke again, he laughed, "I did take an oath to do no harm but I'll see what I can do."

[detectivehartwell]

The coffee was bad. Sabine knew it before she even tasted it. The little diner on the edge of Main had never pretended otherwise. It stayed open late, it was quiet, and it didn’t ask questions. That was enough. She sat at the counter instead of a booth, coat folded neatly over the back of the stool, sleeves rolled just enough to show the edge of a silver ring she never removes. A case file lay open beside her plate, pages clipped, annotated, precise. No wasted ink. She didn’t look up when someone took the seat beside her. She registered them anyway. Weight shift. Breathing pattern. The faint smell of rain on fabric. “You’re either here because you need something,” she said calmly, turning a page, “or because you think I do.” Now she glanced over. Dark eyes. Assessing, not hostile. Just thorough. “If it’s the first one, start talking. If it’s the second, you’re about twelve hours late.” She closed the file with a soft tap. No smile. Not cold. Just steady. “Get on with it. Let’s not waste each other’s time.”

[immcrtalsx]

Noah raised an eyebrow, "What an interesting way to greet someone," he commented, "Is that how you normally talk to strangers?" he questioned. As a response to her question, he raised the coffee pot in his hand and gestured to the counter between them, "This is my diner you're in. Only checking if you want a top up."

[hxrricvnes]

HE COULDN'T TAKE HIS EYES OFF THE BUNDLE IN NOAH'S ARMS... there was a part of him, deep down, one he'd never fully admit to anyone else, that started to believe he wouldn't get this. not after everything. and yet, here he stood, watching his best friend hold the most precious thing to him. “ i know... ” he agreed softly to noah's first statement. though he quickly found himself chuckling at the rest. “ why would you bring that up?! ” he glared jokingly. tone full of amusement. watching noah look at cici, seeing THAT look on his face told gray everything he needed to know. cam and him agreed, but watching noah really made it offically. “ hey, actually, there's something cam and i wanted to ask you. ”

[immcrtalsx]

"I just had to. I'm your best friend, it's in the job description," Noah replied, chuckling but not taking his eyes off Cici. What a little miracle she was. He knew how much Gray and Cam had been wanting this and he was overjoyed for them. Finally, he looked up, raising a brow at Grayson's words, "What's up?"

[hxrricvnes]

SMIRKING A LITTLE AT HIS COMMENT, ariyah shrugged it off. mainly because he spoke the truth. “ if you say so. ” she mumbled out. ari didn't mention that she believed the faction had been here l o n g e r then anyone realised... nor did she mention that they've also been quiet lately. she was waiting for the other shoe to drop at this point. “ maybe i should learn how to enjoy the quiet a bit more. ” the but it puts me on edge was left unsaid.

[immcrtalsx]

"I do say so. I'm very often right, people should start listening to me more," Noah shrugged, a smirk hiding behind his expression, "Most people can't. Quiet unsettles a lot of people, makes them suspicious."

[fikazephyr]

"Knock knock." Cassie's voice rang sweetly into the room, her knuckles tapping lightly against the door as she poked her head through. She smiled at the sight of her sister packing, and the expression only widened when Campbell looked up. The fairy's body buzzed with nervous excitement as she carefully approached. "Hi..." Cassie's attention drifted from her sister's smile down to their newest, and tiniest, family member. How was it possible that she could already see traces of her sister in such a small, wrinkled being? "Cam, she's beautiful." The words came out an awed whisper. Her posture softened as she hovered near her sister, looking back with soft admiration in her gaze. She scoffed lightly, a happy, gentle sound. "And you—" You're the happiest I've ever seen you. "—you're glowing, Campbell. You really are."

[immcrtalsx]

Campbell beamed. She had always been a proud mama bear to her siblings but now she really was a mama bear and she was over the moon about it. She was glad that could be seen by her family as well, "Well, I'm still in a little pain but I do feel like I'm glowing now that I've showered and recovered," she admitted.She watched as Cassie stared at her daughter and then glanced back down at the infant, "Do you want to hold her?"

[howmcnythings]

"You're welcome. I figure you deserve to hear it, after growing and expelling a whole person and all," Calypso told her. The young blonde shook her head quickly. "No," she said. "No thank you. I mean, it's not that I don't want to touch my niece, I just.. Babies make me nervous, a-and my hands are cold and she won't like that."

[immcrtalsx]

"I'm not sure expelling is the correct terminology but I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless," Campbell replied, laughing softly. She nodded, "It's okay, there's no rush. She'll only be a newborn for a little while anyway," she pointed out and sighed, "God, I hope it doesn't go too quickly."

[howmcnythings]

"You know, that's the one thing I don't love about spring and summer," Primrose said, digging her fork into one of the noodles on her plate. "You can't eat outside without wasps," she said, looking at two that kept circling her and her pasta salad as she sat there at the picnic bench. "The worst part is, I never know if it's real wasps, or really determined shapeshifters who're trying to get my goat."

[immcrtalsx]

"I don't think I've ever met a shapeshifter that determined," Campbell admitted as she sat at the next table with Cici, rocking her gently as she slept." She made one hand available and brought it down to the ground, waving her fingers in a flourish. Two flowers grew from the ground and, as if my magic, the bees shifted direction and moved towards them instead, "That will keep them busy for a while. It's a trick I taught myself on the family farm. Completely irresistible flowers."

[hxrricvnes]

THE LAUGH THAT LEFT HIM WAS QUIET, warm and utterly h e l p l e s s. grayson ducked his head for a moment, shaking it as his thumb brushed over the back of campbell's hand. “ we're not even twenty-four hours into this one and you're already negotiating for another? ” he teased, glancing at her from beneath tired eyes. “ cici, your mom is a menace. i hope you know that. ” the smile lingered on his face, but softened as he watched campbell reach for their daughter's tiny hand. for a moment, he simply looked at them. really looked. his wife. his daughter.

h i s f a m i l y.

the realisation hit him all over again, stealing the breath from his lungs just as effectively as it had the first time. “ yeah, she is. ” his voice dropped quieter. “ beautiful, i mean. ” though whether he was talking about cici or campbell was impossible to tell. maybe both. grayson's gaze settled on their daughter, watching her impossibly small fingers curl around campbell's. he felt his throat tighten. “ there were days i thought this might never happen. ” the admission came softly, honest in a way he rarely allowed himself to be. “ not because i stopped wanting it. i just... after everything, i didn't know if we'd ever get here. ” his eyes found campbell's again. “ but we did. ” the words were simple. they carried years inside them. the loss. the separation. finding their way back to one another. the fear that had followed them through every step of the pregnancy. all of it.

grayson lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss against her knuckles. “ it's not perfect because everything went right. ” his smile was small but certain. “ it's perfect because it's ours. ” his gaze drifted back to cici before a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “ though i am gonna need the two of you to take it easy on me. ” he nodded toward their daughter. “ one carr woman already keeps me on my toes. now there's two of you. ”

[immcrtalsx]

"Like you don't enjoy the process of making one," Cam murmured with her teasing smirk widening, "I don't know... it took us a while to get here but it would be nice for her to have a sister or brother. I'm not saying we need a Carr-number of siblings but," she shrugged, "Something to think about a bit later, I guess."

Campbell's face flushed at his agreement, still feeling like she did at the beginning of their relationship when he complimented and flirted with her. He wasn't subtle in possibly speaking about her or their daughter and she didn't fail to notice. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it, "I always thought we would get here... eventually. I didn't give up hope, even when it felt like I was going to."

Leaning forward, Campbell caught his lips in a kiss after he finished kissing her hand. She couldn't help herself. She was just elated. She had to keep pinching herself to make sure this was real, "Ours," she agreed, smiling as she pulled away, "Oh please, you've always been able to handle me better than anyone."

[mcnstercus]

"What? Aiden, oh my God, that's amazing," Sloane said, getting up and moving to wrap her brother in a hug. "That's all that needed to be done? Just have her speak to the ancestors? That seems a bit too easy. What's the catch?"

[immcrtalsx]

Aiden hugged his sister back, grinning as he held her tightly, "I guess so. I mean we never had the opportunity to ask them so directly before," he paused, "I don't think there is one. I pled my case and she agreed. She said I just needed to not waste this opportunity and do something good with it. Guess I'm trying to figure out what that is."

[jasperlior]

Jasper laughed as she stepped aside to let Nic in, shaking her head. “You know, one of these days I’ve got to realize she outranks me on your favorites list.” There wasn’t an ounce of jealousy in it, only affection. “Kitchen,” she nodded toward the back of the house. “She insisted on helping Nahla make cookies, which, in five-year-old, means there’s flour in places flour has never been before.” As if summoned by name, a tiny voice rang out from down the hall. “NIC!” A blur of strawberry-blonde curls and purple polka-dotted socked feet came barreling around the corner, flour dusting Sapphire’s cheeks like she’d lost a fight with a bag of sugar. Jasper smiled despite herself, folding her arms as she watched. “Hmm, I’m starting to think you outrank me on her favorites list too,” she teased, looking back at Nic. “You haven’t even gotten inside yet, and you’ve already been promoted to celebrity status.”

[immcrtalsx]

"Listen, babes, I love you and all but we both know that little girl has me wrapped around her finger," Nic replied, grinning. Jasper and Sapphire had been her way of staying connected to Ruby. That wouldn't change because Ruby was back. She felt like she could be completely herself with them, without the drama outside. She was mid-laugh when her favourite kid in the whole universe came barrelling into the hallway, "Saffy!" she exclaimed, opening her arms for the other. She didn't mind the mess she was covered in, "Hey princess, I hear you're making cookies."

[mcnstercus]

closed starter - zoya & blaise ( @immcrtalsx )

"How do I tell Mom to butt out of my modeling life. She just booked me another gig. It's like she thinks that I can't get my own, which I can, but I have curated the best schedule for me in order to keep on track with event planning."

[immcrtalsx]

"Oh, come on, Z, you know this is her way of bonding with you," Blaise replied, "I'm sure it's not because she thinks you can't do it. She was never very good at bonding with us through talking, this is how she does it."

[immcrtalsx]

"Good morning," Nic greeted as the door opened, knowing full well it was early afternoon. She smiled, "Is my favourite girl in?" she asked, walking further into the house and looking around for Jasper's daughter, Sapphire.

@jasperlior

[howmcnythings]

Ruby loved seeing the smile on Veronica's face. It had always been one of her favourite things to see. After she died, she would watch to see if she could catch a smile here and there, and it would give her a moment of peace. "I mean, all the baby fish eggs die at the beginning, does that count?" Finding Nemo admittedly was her favourite. "Okay. Gore. Horror. Did that Terrifier movie ever get a sequel? If not, we could just watch the first one. I remember it being gross."

[immcrtalsx]

Nic shook her head, "No, not enough gore. I can't believe we're discussing this about a children's film," she retorted, joking. Her face then dropped at the next question, "Wait, you haven't seen any of the Terrifier sequels? Oh fuck, I feel a movie marathon coming along. There are three."

[mcnstercus]

Logan dug his fork into the lo mein. "So what's been up with you, give me something to think about and live vicariously through instead of thinking about anything about my Lupus."

[immcrtalsx]

Veronica tucked into her food, pondering on his question for a moment. She had done a few exciting photography projects recently but that wasn't anything new, "Ruby is back," she finally decided to say, "You should have seen me, I was a blubbering mess," she admitted, laughing.