[easternalpha-blog]

“She’s eighteen,” Felicity said, “I was older when I went to college,” she explained at the confusion on his face. Her heart sank at the ‘nice’ word. God, seeing Justin and Alex again was really messing with her head if she was back to feeling like her heart was in her throat because someone thought she did a nice thing. What he said next made the explanation she was trying to come up with fly out of her head. “It’s–” she trailed off. There were no words to describe how awful it was. “it’s horrible,” she said finally, “It’s never easy to lose a parent but at a young age–” she shook her head, “I’m sorry you had to know anything about that.” From the way he talked about his family’s rough patch, Felicity guessed it was a lot closer to home. Her own family situation was fucked up but she had been an adult when she lost her parents. Obligation fueled a lot of the people she knew. And she had known more people than she wished who had fallen apart saving people. So to hear someone speak about their job and saving people with passion in their voice was refreshing. Cocking her head to the side she looked at him carefully. Everything was leading her to believe he’d joined the proverbial party around the time of the ‘rough patch’ he was talking about. That was usually how it went anyway. Plus being around two newly turned weres was reminding her just how insane they could be. At the very least the man sitting across from her didn’t look like he was about to claw his own skin. She wondered if he guessed what she was. “So I have another question,” she said, “do you get sick days?” she asked. Around the full moon wolves usually took one or two days off depending on how they reacted to the urges. 

[jasonreedcoh]

‘‘Gotcha.’‘ Jason quickly nodded as Felicity finally cleared the confusion. It wasn’t unusual really -- and Jason spent a few years early on, after he joined the squad, to actually go back to school but that thought faded away as soon as he realized he was making some real money in the real world. The college idea went right out the window, especially when he familiarized himself with what he now became, the transformations, the pain and glory of the entire ordeal. It was bittersweet feeling, or an experience, but it was now the very real part of him and he stopped running away from it a long time ago when he understood there was no use in that. Felicity, however, seemed to have really understood what he meant when he explained himself. He wondered if she had lost someone, apart from the niece’s father, because her reaction seemed as if it was all very real and recent. He knew better than to outright ask, though. Besides, her next question startled him. His eyes shot right up at her, a little confused, a little reluctant to answer her. Of course, she couldn’t have possibly known, and she was probably asking this for an entirely different reason, but it did make him sweat. ‘‘I--uh...’‘ He started off, unsure what to say. It wasn’t in his nature to lie, so he just had to circle around the truth instead. ‘‘Well, I mean, I’m probably the one guy there who doesn’t really have much to come home to, so I spend a lot of time there, working overtime. I just stay, you know how it is.’’ He attempted a smile here. ‘’And every once in a while, to answer your question, I do, in fact, get those sick days.’‘ Jason explained, trying to be nonchalant about it but it was obvious that the topic suddenly got serious. ‘‘Why?’‘

[timotheechalametz]

[easternalpha-blog]

“Stealth,” she said, “I like the element of surprise–most of the time anyway,” she added. She liked Jason. As a rule she liked people who didn’t waste time with boring small talk and she liked honesty, even if it wasn’t thee whole truth. “well she was,” Felicity said, “but then she grew up.” Which was the point, but sometimes it was still hard to wrap her head around. “oh it is,” she said, “but I was older when I went, I’m glad she gets to go now.” Of course she had been older because when she was the age most people went to college education was very different. Of course the life expectancy was also under thirty so there were some changes she was glad for. “thank you,” Felicity said softly. She never knew what to say when people expressed their condolences to her. It didn’t feel like she had a right to her own feelings about him. And the state of them when he had passed on–well, there were other people who had needed comforting. She was a big girl, she could deal with it. “yes, really,” she joked back. Her laughter shifted into a genuine smile. “A firefighter?” she repeated, “that’s a pretty incredible job,” she said, “you ever get used to running headlong into danger when most other people are running away?” 

[jasonreedcoh]

‘‘Well, in that case, you certainly have it in general. The element of surprise, that is.’‘ Jason added, shaking his head slightly and another pleasant smile. He wasn’t exactly sure how did they get from gossiping about the arguing couple to weaponry, but he didn’t care much in particular -- it was more than interesting. ‘‘Ah. So wait -- is she not eighteen?’‘ He couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled, but there were two possibilities: either Felicity went when she was over eighteen, or her niece is one of those children extraordinaries, who get to go before their time. ‘‘Either way, it’s really nice of you to take her in and under your wing. I know how it is when you lose a parent at a such a young age.’‘ Jason admitted; he didn’t even feel or hear himself say those words out loud -- usually he wasn’t very keen on talking about it. But there was something he could connect with now, he was eighteen when he lost his mother and his sister. ‘‘Errr-- that’s a very frequent question when people hear I’m a firefighter.’‘ He laughed. ‘‘Honestly? Not at all. For a while I’ve been struggling over what I wanted to be, after high school, because my family went through a rough patch and I... but yeah, this has always been my call. There’s this crazy adrenaline rush whenever you know you’re helping someone, help them save their life and the lives of the people they love. It’s what keeps me going.’‘ And maybe Jason was a little crazy himself. Most people -- or at least his colleagues -- still feel the nervous jitters when they’re about to go to the field and jump into a burning building. Jason, however, feels as if he just blacks out in those moments and his primary focus is getting to the people and saving them, with very little or no regard to his own life. Perhaps that was a part of the guilt he felt over his mother and sister dying when he was driving, or a side-effect of him transforming into a werewolf, he couldn’t tell, he had never met another one to ask.

[rickscosnett-deactivated2022122]

Stephen Amell on WWE Raw.

[rafecollier-deactivated20151124]

Tristan’s smirk grew as his friend seemed to play along. It was the best kind of relationship, one where he didn’t have to worry about saying ridiculous things. Jason would appease him. “Oh no one is aware of the woman’s coalition. Not even the feminists.” He held one finger up to his lips in the hush motion and couldn’t stop the laughter. Leaning back in his chair he shook his head again. “Jason, Jason. We need to go out. We’ve got to get you laid, brother. There’s too much fine tail around town to be going to waste like this.” Tristan waggled his eyebrow at his friend across the table. “You can play scrabble with her afterwards.”

[jasonreedcoh]

‘‘Damn, and how exactly did you come across this hidden knowledge, then? Please tell me you didn’t sleep with one of the members,’‘ Jason crossed his arms against his chest, his gaze very interrogative of Tristan, although he was obviously joking. ‘‘If I didn’t know better, I would assume you’ve become a little too obsessed with me getting laid. I really think I’m good for now, but whatever.’‘ Jason shrugged. ‘‘I’ll go with the flow, then. So, any suggestions as to where do we go out? Getting laid is not a promise.’‘ Jason quickly added, because with Tristan you really never knew. He could meet him halfway and go out with him, but he was really not that crazy party guy caliber. He burst into laughter. ‘‘Oh, man, and here I thought I’d get to play with you.’‘

[easternalpha-blog]

“Well that depends on the weapon,” she commented, “I’m not a fan of guns really,” Felicity said. They were efficient but if she was given the choice she didn’t like the distance. Or the sound. Actually it was mostly the sound. Back when she’d been far more prone to murder first, ask questions later, she had craved the closeness with her victims. But that had been a long time ago. “she’s eighteen,” Felicity said, “about to officially start college,” in truth Mellie had been taking college level courses for a while and found a lot of high school work less than stimulating, but they had agreed that socially she needed to be with her peers. “No,” Felicity said, “he passed on when she was a kid.” It had been ten years and the idea of that span of time still blew Felicity’s mind. Big events like high school graduation carried a bittersweet note for the young woman and the father she still wanted back. “oh is that where they’re hiding it?” she joked back with a raise of her eyebrows, “I thought I smelled sap on you,” she added with a chuckle. 

[jasonreedcoh]

‘‘Also true,’‘ Jason remarked with a slight nod. He wasn’t a big weapons guy, but he knew facts as well as details of the things he liked. He couldn’t talk about traditional Japanese swords -- katanas -- or bombs for instance (on the opposite sides of the spectrum, at that) but he could talk about possibly all generations of Glocks, for example. ‘‘I see,’‘ He said slowly. ‘‘Is there something else you’re a fan of, then? In terms of weapons, of course.’‘ This seemed like an unusually different conversation to be having with a stranger, but Jason was almost intrigued. At least they didn’t talk about how nice the weather was. ‘‘Oh, I thought she was a kiddo,’‘ Jason smiled, thinking about it. ‘‘College, huh? That must be hell of an exciting adventure to embark upon.’‘ He personally never had the chance, but that was alright with him. Hearing about the absent father, Jason’s smile faltered slightly. ‘‘Sorry to hear that.’‘ He muttered, ready to jump into another topic. ‘‘Sap, come on, really now?’‘ He raised his eyebrows at her, releasing a laughter. ‘‘No, no,’‘ He shook his head; better to stop it before it went too far and she really assumed he was a lumberjack. ‘‘I’m actually a firefighter.’‘ He finally admitted. Part-time creature of the night, but that was better tucked away, out of sight.

[elenathorpe-deactivated20150606]

“I guess not.” She replied plainly, with half a shrug. Elena watched as he jumped up from his seat slightly, seemingly much more eager than her to go on this walk. Keeping her arms crossed over her chest, she turned on her heels slightly to follow him out the door of the diner. The were rolled her eyes in a dramatic fashion as she exited the place in front of him, clearly not amused by words. “Yeah, all the time, it’s a favorite hobby of mine actually.” The bitter sarcasm laced her tone heavily, and she made sure to flash him a condescending smile right after she spoke. Elena wasn’t sure where Jason was leading her, or why she was even following him in the first place. Clearly she wasn’t hiding the fact that she wasn’t into this, and it wasn’t like Jason had been forcing her to tag along and converse. Yet here she was, walking right along side him, right into the park and she made no move to break away. “A lot of things would be better than watching that train wreck unfold.” She replied truthfully, nodding her head along. “All that jazz though…the hell is all that jazz? Is this gonna be one of those walks in the park the leads to a conversation of you trying to get to know me or something?”

[jasonreedcoh]

Jason was a bit puzzled. Perhaps he did or said something wrong? He tried to recapitulate what’s been happening for the past few minutes -- since the moment he spoke to her or was ti vice versa? -- and he didn’t see anything that was potentially problematic. He raised his hands defensively at her; keeping his friendly posture and smile on, as always. He really didn’t have ulterior motives, he barely ever had those really, but he could understand how she would think so. ‘‘Hey, if you feel like walking away, I’m not going to stop you. I was on my way out anyway, and you seemed bored and uncomfortable in there, so I thought -- why not take a walk? Unless you have something better to do.’‘ He finally shrugged, trying to explain himself. The look on her face -- the condescending one -- made him a bit uncomfortable but he wasn’t so easy to dismiss people at first glance. Or second. ‘‘So you don’t want people to get to know you?’‘

[lillianroth-blog]

Lily couldn’t hide her amusement as Jason rattled off his thoughts. Glancing back over at the arguing couple she had to admit it was about as amusing as watching a telanova. You had no idea what was really happening but the dramatic theatrical value was on par to keep you watching. It was nice to indulge in someone elses drama in times like this. “You’re right she enraged. Not just mad, not just angry, but that level of anger that usually leads with someone being strangled. Now the sister would be an interesting development and it would make sense why she’d be so mad.” Lily commented with a chuckle. “Even worse if she was younger, no woman likes to be traded in for the younger model and in this case she was literally the younger model. The real question here though is how young. I mean he does look like a serious creep so one could assume as young as 18. Either way this is getting interesting. How long till she slaps him you think?” Lily asked curiously, finding it really amusing to be creating such a story with absolutely no idea what was really going on.

[jasonreedcoh]

‘‘God, I hope not,’‘ Jason said honestly, but he could not contain his chuckle. It was becoming a problem. If he were to raise his voice more, it would be almost rude. But then again, were these people not rude by arguing in such a public place in such a public manner? It was probably not his to judge. But the whole situation did bring him back to his high school days. When you just cannot help but laugh from the back row at the teacher who’s got something stuck in between his teeth and you know, you know it’s so wrong but it’s impossible to stay completely silent. ‘‘That’s like the ultimate betrayal. Her boyfriend with her sister.’‘ Jason shook his head, shrugging. ‘‘What if the poor guy isn’t entirely to blame, though? Maybe the sister was leading him on with clear intention.’‘ Now they’ve delved further into fantasizing. ‘’I honestly hope not younger than 20.’’ As Lillian continued, it was barely a few seconds before she asked the question that the girl ended up slapping the guy. ‘‘Owww!’‘ Jason covered his mouth, staring back at his table, because looking up would have been his doom, probably. ‘‘There goes your answer.’‘

[amellywoodsource]

[unholynature]

Had it not been for Samantha still being alive, Austin would’ve probably taken his own life the moment he lost everyone else. It was strange how one moment his world was perfect, how he had everything he could’ve ever wanted, and now his entire life was shattered into pieces. Luckily the alcohol helped, and he was able to at least find a bit of his past self to bring to the table when talking to someone like Jason. “I highly doubt that. I mean, I’m not hitting on you or anything man, but there’s gotta be some women out there that are dying to get at ya.” He began, trying to boost his confidence just a bit. If Austin wasn’t on the market anymore.. Well he wasn’t sure if he was or wasn’t… then someone had to fill the town void. “Well I mean, you are old. In today society, you and I are both considered old. At least I don’t look it, unlike you.” Taking a sip of his drink, Austin let out a small laugh and teased with the man. “Is that so? Tell you gotta tell me how.. I can’t stand the quiet. I feel way too depressing when I’m alone and it’s quiet.” That, and it gave him far too much time to think - and thinking was what killed him.

[jasonreedcoh]

This was the moment when Jason had definitely burst into a fit of laughter. Austin’s ‘i mean, i’m not hitting on you’ got him in an amused mood. ‘‘Are you sure you’re not?’‘ He asked rhetorically, messing around -- he knew he was not, but still he was going to have fun. Thinking of what he said, Jason knew he was right, and that was what mostly got to him, but he wasn’t going to show it. The truth was, his friends from the fire department had lady friends, lots of them, and Jason went out with a couple of those just to give it a shot -- it never worked out. It was difficult when Jason held such a huge secret. His last girlfriend told him that she couldn’t deal with such an emotionally damaged person, and the one before her could not handle the feeling of something being kept from her. But Jason really did have an emotional blockage of sorts -- he could never let a girl find out about him and his wolf side. It was too important, too scary, too big of a bite for anyone to swallow. It took him years to get over that and he could feel himself still not being proud of that side of him. Besides, he had other worries on his mind than finding a girl. He spent his life searching for an answer of what happened that night of the car accident, who was the person he hit, that possibly bit him, and why did the person vanished into thin air after that incident. And how could he explain this to Austin, ultimately? It was better to just brush it off in a joking manner. The way he always did. Jason nudged him painfully in the ribs -- not enough for the man to actually not be able to handle it. ‘’Haha, such a funny dude. Have you considered a career in stand up comedy? I can arrange stuff for you, I’ve got connections.’‘ Jason shook his head, still smiling though. He scratched his scruff absentmindedly and shrugged. ‘‘Well, it’s not that I’m a loner or anything, but I get too much action during my work day as it is. People screaming and being scared all the time takes a toll on you. If you spend the day saving someone’s life from a 10-story-building, it kind of exhausts you in all spheres. Doesn’t make me want to become a party animal.’‘ He explained as much as he could.

[lillianroth-blog]

Lily had managed to escape the office in hopes of getting a quick lunch and checking in with her nanny to make sure Cam was doing okay today. Taking a seat along the wall she ordered her food and made the call. Talking to Cam while she waited for her food, she was oblivious to her surrounding  as she talked to him, she soon heard the yelling. “Cam sweetie, mom will talk to later sweetheart, I love you.” She said before looking around to see where the noise was coming from. The waitress brought along her food, also pausing as they stared at the woman hitting the man with her purse. “Yikes,” Lily commented and the waitress smiled at her knowingly and nodding her head before she headed back behind the counter. Looking around she smiled when she recognized Jason sitting not far from her looking rather amused by the whole thing. “ Lord help him.” She commented smiling at him. “Do you think he cheated on her with her sister or her best friend?” Lily joked.

[jasonreedcoh]

Casting his glance sideways, Jason spotted a very familiar face, a blonde he unfortunately did not have the time to get to know very well. All he knew was that she was related to Tristan and since him and the guy were on friendly terms, there was no reason for Jason not to get properly acquainted with Lillian as well. He knew that she was supposed to be some hot shot in the Roth industries, so she must have been a busy gal as well. He decided to play along with her estimation of the scene. It was bound to be fun, anyway. ‘‘Err-- well, let’s see.’‘ Jason said, an amused smile dancing on his features. ‘‘Considering the fact that she’s terribly enraged and I heard her say something like ‘she’s younger, are you a perv’ -- don’t take this too seriously, I could be wrong -- I’m thinking it was her sister. Which is...’‘ He trailed off, musing on the thought as his gaze traveled to the distance for a second. ‘‘... strangely disturbing, especially because we don’t really know how old is her sister.’‘ Of course, this was all just playfully building up on a probably completely different story, but he went along with it.

[unholynature]

This was a new side of Austin that everyone was able to see. He had lost everyone in his life.. His two best friends, people he grew up with, his family and now Samantha. Everything in Austin’s life was getting taken away from him and it was certainly taking a toll. People could see that he wasn’t the same. They could tell that the man who ran around with a ridiculous smile on his face, and drunk, was no longer there. Before, Austin drank and went out to have fun. Now he drank because he didn’t want to feel, and left the house because it no longer felt like a home. His life was falling to pieces and it was more than obvious. However, he no longer minded. Austin didn’t care what anyone said anymore, or how they felt toward him. He had nothing left, and that made it so he didn’t worry or care anymore. “No? Well why the hell not?” He began, thankful they weren’t talking about him anymore. “I mean aren’t you like this cities hottest firefighter? I’m shocked no one is trying to get at you.” Austin teased the man. “Dude, you need to get out more. And I don’t mean get out to places like this. Go out and have fun.. You’re thirty or something right? Which means you ain’t getting any younger. You gotta enjoy your youth while you can.” If Austin had the chance, he would do it. “I am free to have fun. Had a stressful time lately so I feel like I can’t, but I’m always willing to try.”

[jasonreedcoh]

Jason forgot about the teasing times with Austin -- or with anyone, really. He forgot how it felt to just genuinely joke around because he got so stuck in a routine of sorts, his job requiring of him to be alert and serious and awake at all times. Hell, considering the situation at home, Jason was known as the only guy on the squad to take double shifts frequently and not be bothered. It was always better to stay at the station than at home. ‘‘I don’t know man, women perhaps disagree.’‘ He dropped his head as he laughed, shaking it for a moment before looking up at him again. ‘‘Nah-- you aren’t going to use the age card, are you?’‘ He raised his eyebrows at him, feeling even scolded. ‘‘Maybe I like my peace and quiet.’‘ That has only become the truth in recent years, and that was not how Austin knew him. Not that Jason was ever a party animal, but he was known as the athlete at school, those kind of went hand in hand. Maybe. 

[artemisfairfax-blog]

Usually she would try to be more social and become best friends with this man – mostly because she needed to cause of her cover and the other reason being cause she had seen him hanging out with Austin. Austin of course being someone that didn’t really have that many friends left anymore. Ever since Damien decided to drop a bomb in the hotel it had managed to kill off his best friend Wyatt and no one had any idea where the hell Xavier was. Not that she really cared but she could related. Austin and her were not friends but they knew each other and she knew enough about how he was feeling to actually feel bad for him. Not to mention that his wife has managed to get herself a new attitude on life – a bitchy one at that. “That they are – marriage – last form of slavery but no one actually believes me. Yeah I am sure the flowers being another kind would be like the worst thing ever.” She said with dramatics laced around the words smiling. “No – I was born in China and then raised in California. I have been here for five months now. Five long months.” she shared moving her sugar packs around.

[jasonreedcoh]

Jason raised his eyebrows at her in a very curious manner. Slavery of marriage -- he had never thought of it in that way. Granted, there were one too many failed or broken homes for a lot of children to believe what Maisie was saying, but he just... he could not. ‘‘What makes you think like that?’’ He asked. Perhaps it stemmed from the fact that Jason had a perfect little childhood, all up to his Senior year of high school when the tragedy hit and unfortunately destroyed everything the man had ever known of a good life. His home, his family, his dreams, maybe even his sense of belonging. There was no denying that Jason felt uncomfortable in his own skin and that he longed for the security of a home and family. He knew that if he was ever to start his own, he was going to do everything in his power to keep it as safe as possible. Partly why he was a fireman -- saving lives and families on daily basis. ‘‘China, huh? That sounds almost exotic.’‘ Jason said with a smile, nodding. ‘‘So you’re basically a Cali girl. What brings you to our little town here, then? If they travel, most people tend to go to New York City or something as fancy as that.’‘

[elenathorpe-deactivated20150606]

Elena clicked her tongue and thought for a moment on his words before speaking. “Yeah I guess that’s true, and if you are, at least you seem to have some common sense left to not lose your mind out in public. I mean I could be wrong, have you gone crazy on anyone in public lately?” Slight confusion crossed the were’s features at his question, and an eyebrow quirked. The girl was shocked to say the least, not a lot of people would actually ask her to take a walk with them. Knowing full and well how she came across and that she typically made shitty company to hang around. Of course she could just say no and walk right out, and usually that would have been her go to option, actually always. But for some reason she wanted to humor his idea, and wasn’t in as bitchy of a mood today. Getting up from her seat she threw away her trash and walked back over to the male. “And what exactly would be the purpose if this walk hmm?“ She asked as her arms folded across her chest, and head cocked to the side slightly. “Elena.” The raven haired female introduced herself next, short and simply.

[jasonreedcoh]

‘‘Uhhh... Well, you never know. I wouldn’t really bluntly tell you even if I did, would I?’‘ Jason feigned a guilty facial expression and then burst into a short-lived, yet genuine chuckle. He jumped lightly to his feet when he deduced that she was not going to say no, although her entire attitude seemed as if she wasn’t in a chit-chatting mood. And really, he didn’t have a proper answer to her next question. Jason was just that kind of a guy-- casual to no end, lending a helping hand to whoever needed it, even a total stranger. Not that Elena needed help per se, but sometimes it was good to take a walk and clear your head with someone who knew nothing about you. ‘‘What, are you going to tell me you don’t have a habit of meeting absolute strangers and taking random walks with them?’‘ Jason asked rhetorically, in a joking manner, as he opened the door for her before they left the small diner. ‘‘Just thought it might be better than to stay in and watch the embarrassing show. Fresh air and all that jazz, if you will?’‘ He offered, shrugging his shoulders as his feet carried them to the nearby park, almost on their own.

[easternalpha-blog]

“Does anyone not?” Actually she knew several people who didn’t, but those weren’t exactly the kinds of people she liked most days. She had a weakness for blades though. Some days, the worst days, she felt she had more in common with weathered metal and sharp edges than she did with the living and breathing people. Not that she indulged in acting on those feelings anymore. “crime rate,” she said and then shook her head, “well, not for me I mean,” she continued, “for my niece. She lives with me and her father didn’t want her anywhere near that place,” she said, “I wanted to honor that wish.” Her success rate in that was pretty god awful at the end of the day. And though some part of her was filled with sadness at the thought, the rest of her had decided that if he had such a god damn problem with it he could come back and tell her himself. She grinned outright at the tone in Jason’s voice. Sarcasm was an art she never stopped appreciating. “hmmm,” she said looking him up and down. Though the looking was a formality. She was a wolf before all other things and though sniffing him would have been strange, it wasn’t necessary. She could smell the soap on his skin and the damage from cleaning under his nails. He was used to using his bulk too. He didn’t hold himself like someone who sat down a lot and she was willing to bet that his muscles weren’t from pumping weights twice a week. “forest ranger,” she lied with a note of enthusiasm. 

[jasonreedcoh]

Jason glanced at her again. ‘‘Well,’‘ He started off, his shoulders shrugging in accordance. ‘‘There are people who despise weapons. Which is justified, I’d say, considering what’s been happening around the country and worldwide these days...’‘ He trailed off, thinking back to the recent school shooting he’s heard of. Luckily enough, he never had a chance to act on duty because none of those -- luckily again -- happened anywhere near his area, but still. And it was just one example, there were tons of other misused weaponry cases that he knew of. He raised his eyebrows at her mentioning her niece. ‘‘Really? That’s nice. How old is she?’‘ He asked, finally getting to finish his cup of coffee. ‘‘Is the Dad not around anymore or...?’‘ By the sound of it, it seemed as if he was not in the picture anymore, but it could be just jumping to conclusions. It was safer to ask. He laughed; subtly but kind of proudly. ‘‘I’m flattered, but you were close. Lumberjack, actually.’‘ It was his time to joke around, just to see her reaction. ‘‘Always has been my dream job. The woods -- it’s where the party’s at.’‘ It was almost funny, the thought, how the final part of his joke was not even a joke.

[easternalpha-blog]

“Oh I never use a weapon without a reason,” she said, “and that video sounds plenty powerful.” Just showing your whole hand for no reason was never a good idea. She’d learned that one the hard way dealing with her siblings. Every time you thought you were at the bottom the floor fell out beneath you. “’crazy’ is a nice word for it,” she said. New Orleans had been the sight of what she thought of as ‘the family wars’, where all the various supernatural families went up against each other and everyone else was collateral damage. To say the crime rate went through the roof was a huge understand. In the beginning Felicity thought it was really really stupid that wolves were so obsessed with a swamp, but a few weeks in the city and she could see why. She couldn’t explain it, but she could feel it. “I bet that’s what you say to all the girls,” she joked. Folding her arms she tried to decide if she believed him or not. “So what’s your job then?” she said, “wait, let me guess: competitive eater?” 

[jasonreedcoh]

‘‘So, what does that mean? You like weapons?’‘ Jason was well aware what she meant, but now he had a feeling she perhaps like the shooting ranges. Jason himself found strange pleasure in it, although he did not carry an actual gun. And it was not unusual for him to see girls of her caliber there. The thing about those was the simple fact that being there gave him a piece of mind where all other sounds are blocked out and there’s nothing else. That kind of clarity. ‘‘So why did you decide to leave New Orleans, then?’‘ He asked, dropping his head and shaking it at her next comment. ‘‘If you knew me, you’d know that’s so untrue.’‘ He added honestly; he wasn’t much of a flirt in the first place. He was more of a worrier to give time and space to anything else. ‘‘Ha-ha, so funny. And no, it’s actually a-- wait, can you guess? You already striked out once.’‘ He thought it might be interesting.

[elenathorpe-deactivated20150606]

Elena shrugged casually at his words, she understood what he was saying, but she didn’t feel the same. “I don’t think there’s anything to feel sorry for. Sure he obviously did something stupid and probably deserved all that, but really she shouldn’t have let herself get that worked up. I mean is whatever that guy did honestly worth making herself look like a complete basket case? I doubt it.” Typically fights between couples like this had something to do with one of them cheating, or some other idiotic reason that she just couldn’t bring herself to care much about. “Well what else should it be called then? These people know that they’re in a public place, and instead of choosing to fight and keep their personal shit behind closed doors, they cause a huge ass scene right in the middle of the place. And I really wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up on youtube or whatever later on, like most unnecessary fights do.” 

[jasonreedcoh]

Jason shrugged; she had a valid point. ‘‘Eh, probably not, you’re right. But I have a feeling basket cases are all around these days. Hell, maybe I’m a basket case as well, you never know.’‘ He offered a friendly grin as he shrugged. However, she seemed to have been annoyed by the scene -- he could understand that. Not everyone likes a real life soap opera to unfold before your eyes while you’re trying to eat or just have a quiet late afternoon. Jason was done with his meal and coffee and his helping side pushed him to offer something else. ‘‘If you’re free, we can take a walk instead?’‘ He brought up his hands defensively, just in case she was going to think it was creepy. ‘‘I’m Jason, by the way.’‘