spirit &amp; soul

Rohan made a show of being wounded, grinning from ear to ear. "He wrote Anything Goes. You'd be oh, so easy to loveee." This came in a low singsong voice, and reaching out a hand, Rohan placed his gently atop his husband's. "I know. And I love you. I've never humored you either, for what it's worth. I adore every single nautical fact you've ever told me. And really...that surveying you were doing the day we met. I would have been so utterly intrigued even if you weren't the most handsome man I'd ever seen. Still are, by the way." He smiled. "It's good, though, right? We're doing it. We're living our life together. We win. You're my dream come true." He brought his hand up to plant a soft kiss to it.

"The truth is rarely pure, and never simple," Rohan murmured in a way that made it clear he was referencing or quoting something. "But hey...the cards are just pathways to thought, love. They can mean all kinds of things. What does it mean to you?" He hummed, managing a smile before moving to flip the following card. "The present. The Star." The card depicted a figure pouring water into a pool. "Fresh air after chaos. Both your consciousness and your subconscious are being nourished. Water. Land." He pointed to the image. "A path is lit up, even if you can't see the full breadth just yet. Healing is happening. Renewal. Survival. The promise of what survival allows."

Jonah let out a soft laugh at the singing, "You're ridiculous," he murmured, though there wasn't an ounce of complaint in it. "You were the distracting one that day actually." He nodded without hesitation, "We are, yeah. It's good. More than good. I'm pretty lucky, you're literally the dream." His gaze drifted down as Rohan revealed the next card as the star. "Hmm? Oh yeah no, I get that. And it is making me think, meaning might take a while to get to but paths and all that right? I'll get there." And where that was he wasn't exactly sure yet. "That's nicer than the last one." Renewal. Healing. Survival. He felt all those in many different ways, both in past and current too, healing and survival those seemed to be the beacons. "I don't know if I always notice it happening," he admitted. "I think I spend a lot of time waiting for the next thing to go wrong. But maybe that's true the promise of what it allows." His gaze returned to the card, a smile lifting faintly. "I do like the water symbolism, though. Feels very me."

Bex glanced over at Jonah, still across the patio from her. He hadn't moved closer since he'd come out and she was as grateful for the gesture as she was ashamed for needing it. "You don't have to say anything," she muttered eventually, dropping her hands to wrap back around her shins, hugging her legs to herself. "I know this isn't really...an easy thing to deal with." For her, for them. For anyone involved. She was sure it was even hard on Ronnie, even if the thought made her scowl again. Right now, Bex couldn't really feel anything except contempt for her ex-friend.

She sighed and tried to push the thought out of her head. She was afraid of being too emotional, of getting too angry. Her emotions were already a problem for her, she knew that-- she'd always been a reactionary and deeply emotional person-- and now she was even more dangerous than before. The strength and speed of being a vampire made for a much more deadly combination than just an accidental explosion of magic, even if she'd hurt people irreversibly before. "It's enough, you know," she finally mumbled, "just...you being here. Still." So many people had left her in her life, it was still a surprise to her when someone stayed.

It was worse on her, he could tell and it shouldn't have surprised him anymore, the way she thought about people leaving as though it was something inevitable, as it was something to brace for. Still, hearing it made something quiet and sad settle beneath his ribs. "Okay. You don't have to worry about that, okay?" he said softly. He picked absently at the grass between his fingers, eyes lowered for a moment. Jonah knew he couldn't promise to fix what she was going through, he didn't know how, couldn't make the discomfort and fear disappear with the right combination of words. But staying? Staying, he could do. "I'm still here, and will be here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day...I could keep going." He wasn't trying to make joke of the situation or make light of her feelings, just trying to alleviate the situation to something that had maybe draw even a little smile. "And if you need reminding again after that, I'll tell you then too."

danielrileys

"This is my year of being more adventurous. Nothing screams that more than a boat ride. Yes, it is. I have no doubt that it will be." The small ripple of waves under the boat made Daniel feel uneasy for a moment. In his youth, he had been on more boats, but with modern technology, he had forgotten his sea legs over time. "Thank you. It's been .. quite sometime since I've been on a boat. If anyone knows about sea legs, it's you." The vampire leaned against the boat, hoping that would steady him. "I think it's a fitting name. A bit more sentimental than a few of the names I've heard for boats over the years. I do. Nature is very healing. It reminds you that the world is so much bigger than you. What made you love the water so much?" Daniel asked, his smile soft as he nodded. "Not silly at all. I can understand the sentiment, actually. Sometimes there are things, places, and people that we just feel drawn to. It's a part of us; we just can't explain why."

Daniel gave a tiny, playful salute to Jonah. "Aye, Aye Captain. First signs of uneasiness, I'll let you know."

#— convo;#c: daniel riley #c: daniel 002

Jonah smiled warmly at Daniel. "Let's make it a good one, then." He eased the throttle forward, letting the boat gather speed gradually. "Honestly, sometimes I think my sea legs are better than my land legs," he admitted with a laugh. "Put me on a boat or on a board and I'm fine. Put me on solid ground and suddenly I'm tripping over absolutely nothing." The boat rolled gently over a swell and Jonah found the exact spot between a crest and trough adjusting his stance without thinking, his body moving with the motion as naturally as breathing. "Oh yeah? What kinda boat names have you heard?"

Jonah nodded as Daniel spoke, gaze drifting out toward the horizon as he gestured toward the expanse around them. "It's hard to take yourself too seriously when you're surrounded by something this big." For a moment, he simply watched the sunlight dance across the water's surface. "I grew up with the ocean practically in my backyard. Spent more time in the water than out of it, really. Then, I built a career around it because I loved learning about it, but honestly? I think that came after? I just..." He paused, searching for the words that Daniel supplied. "Exactly that! Hard to explain. I've always felt... calmer out here? More myself. When everything gets loud, or complicated, or feels like I'm being pulled in ten different directions... the ocean doesn't really care. It's just itself. The tide comes in and goes out. Storms happen. Things change. It keeps moving." Even when it was rough, he knew what to expect out here, he knew how to read it, how to move with it instead of against it. A quiet laugh escaped him. "Sorry, you asked a simple question... but that's my answer. I don't really have one reason." His gaze drifted across the water once more. "It's one of the few places I've felt like I belonged without having to think about it."

thxprophecy

"uh, yeah, they said they had friends here.. so, i thought it would be fine. i guess i could've stopped in new york and done the typical thing but i guess cove style felt more natural." she shrugged softly with a light laugh. laughing it off felt better than staring at the sea sad about it like she had been. maybe it was just the courage of talking with a stranger that made it easier to deal with. "two months?" she asked, eyes wide. "that's a long time... i've never been away from home or anywhere more than a week for family vacations." she said, "i guess now i'll stick around here. must not to be too bad if you came back, yeah?"

#— convo;#c: josephine howlett #c: josephine 001

Jonah let out a soft huff of amusement. "Most people would vote for New York, wouldn't they?" It probably made more sense. Bigger city, bigger opportunities. Even if his own arrival in Lunar Cove hadn't exactly been natural, there had always been something about staying that had felt right. "But I get it," he continued. "Big cities can be... a lot. Personally, I don't think I'd pick New York. This place..." He paused, searching for the right word. "...for all its weirdness, it's easier to breathe here."

At her surprise, he shrugged lightly. "I went back to see my parents, so it honestly didn't feel that long." Then his expression shifted, eyes widening slightly. "You' haven't?" There was no judgement in it, only mild surprise. "Okay, that's fair. I used to travel quite a bit before I ended up here, so I guess my perspective's a little different." He looked back out at the ocean for a moment before shaking his head. "But no, it's not bad. Complicated? Sure. Dangerous than most places? Definitely. But not bad." He shrugged a little. "It's okay if it doesn't feel like home yet," he said, glancing over at her. "You've only just gotten here. There's time to figure things out."

Rohan smiled, meeting Jonah's eye. "They must like you. Careful, though. They're also rather incapable of being buttered up." He hummed softly. "Don't go Cole Porter on me. It'll make me melt," Rohan teased. He broke into an easy laugh at that. "I think maybe you have intentions you don't know about, hm? It's okay. I appreciate you humoring me. You humoring me is how we ended up on that first date. Can you believe we have an anniversary coming up?" Rohan wrinkled up his nose with genuine, simple mirth.

For a moment, however, he studied him with softer gravity, searching Jonah's expression for any glimmer, any revelation. As much stock as some part of him placed in these cards, he knew they also offered no solid promises, no fixes for all the things that hung heavy over this town. But there was light too, Rohan knew. There was love. Extending a hand, he flipped the first card. "The past. The Five of Swords." Rohan swallowed. "Victory, but at what cost? Conflict that leaves everyone a little worse off. Someone plays dirty, and we're left picking up the shrapnel. A reminder...to choose our battles with care." He shifted a bit in place. "For what it's worth, my love...we've survived. Bruised. But here."

"I should know who Cole Porter is, shouldn't I?" Jonah chuckled softly. But brows furrowed slightly at what Rohan said next. "I know I joke around but I'm not humouring you. Not then or now. I don't know if I have all the right intentions or questions or whatever, but... this does mean something to me." He definitely had not be humouring him the day they had met. That day shifted everything into place. The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile at the mention of their anniversary. "I know," he said, sounding faintly disbelieving. "It keeps slipping my mind when I get too into work but then remembering again gets me all over again. Time goes by so quickly."

Jonah's attention shifted back to the cards as Rohan flipped the first one over. The Five of Swords. Victory, but at what cost? He stared at it for a few seconds longer than he meant to. "Well... that's fun." But there was no real amusement to the words. Was it really victory or did they endure it all because they had no other choice? His thoughts drifted through the past months without settling anywhere specific. Too many things had happened. Too many moments of fear tangled up with relief, of surviving one thing only to discover another waiting around the corner. At Rohan's reassurance, Jonah's nodded, "Yeah, that sounds about right. I think I'd take that." Looking back down, he gave a nod. "What's next?"

It was a nice sentiment. Bex was still unsure if she agreed, because she certainly didn't feel like the same person. She felt foreign and wrong in her own body. Again. Every sound and sensation was so loud. Even her clothes made her feel uncomfortable sometimes now, the fibers of the stiffer fabrics so much more prominent as they rubbed on her skin. It made her feel nauseous with it, sometimes. Even her blanket, that first night, had made her feel like she wanted to crawl out of her own skin. She'd always been sensitive to things like that, anyway. This all just made it one-hundred times worse. "I know," she said eventually. "It's just...nothing feels the same." She lifted her hands and put them over the muffs on her ears. "I don't feel the same."

"Yeah," he said finally, voice low. "I get that." He could imagine pieces of it, but imagining wasn't the same as living it. "I don't think I'd feel the same either." When everything with his eye had happened at the aquarium, he had quickly packed it away. He had felt the same then, how could he, it was a drastic change, but there had been bigger things to worry about then, bigger hurts belonging to other people. An eye didn't compare to Rohan losing magic entirely, or the fact that there had been a death, or the aquarium being damaged. All he'd really known how to do was show up where he could and move himself along. "I don't really know what to say that's going to make it better," he admitted. "It's a hard adjustment. Just... you don't have to carry all of it at once, or all alone."

As she pressed her hands over her earmuffs, Jonah let the conversation rest there. He didn't rush to fill the silence or offer more reassurances. Some things couldn't be fixed with the right words, and he suspected this was one of them. So he simply stayed where he was, a few feet away in the grass, giving her the space to feel whatever she needed to feel.

readbentweenthelines

"I don't want to type-cast you, mate. Feels rude," Ben teased. "Gardening sounds lovely, though. What are you thinking? Gonna do something at your and Rohan's place or the community garden?" Ben had considered doing something with their backyard, but the space was a little tight for any sort of vegetable garden. There might be something said to some herb plants, though.

Ben laughed softly. "Jonah should be easy, certainly. But I though Bandi wasn't that hard. Maybe I should've just stuck to Ben. It's short, sweet, to the point. Even folks here in the states have heard of the big clock, too."

#— convo;#c: ben anak bandi #c: ben 007

"Bit too late for that, I'm afraid," Jonah replied with a laugh. "I've been referred to as the fish guy a lot of times now, and I do think some people truly believe that? Worse things to be called I suppose...like bendy." He stifled another chuckle, as a quick apology followed, "sorry." It was terrible, really, to get a name so wrong, but he hoped Ben didn't mind the jest. "At ours. We have a decent yard, figured might as well do something else other than tend to fish. Have you tried your hand at gardening? Could use tips."

He nodded, "Most times yeah. Rohan does trip them up though. Which I don't understand how. It's also very straightforward." Jonah couldn't help but laugh again. "Nah, it's not hard. That's very true, though. Maybe you should try that next time? Ben, like the clock."

gazingatmestarry-eyed

"You're tellin' me!" Her words a quiet whine from beneath the boards of the dock. Through slivers of light her face was visible, allowing her glimpses of the man who walked above, too. "Yeah? That's what I hear.." She shared with a gulp. It unsettled her to think about, but so did leaving the cove. Where would she even go now? Apparently, there were people in the human world who wanted to kill her. Apparently, there were people in the supernatural world who wanted to kill her, too. At least here she had her sister, and the other fae. A couple old and new friends alike as well.

"Huh?" Charlie popped her head out curiously as she was told to wait. "Oooohhhh." Her head bopped, which she realized he might not have been able to see before she said, "Right, that's me! At Charlie forecasts on Lunar Link if you want to follow me for all the latest weather updates." She quietly laughed at herself after her little ramble. The sound faltered at the mention of using her siren abilities to predict the weather. "Uh, well... you see?" Her accent began to show a little more than before. A soft, southern lull. "Unfortunately, I'm not too good at all that siren stuff? I'm learnin'..er, well I am tryin' to. It's hard." She admitted. "You're Jonah the fish guy, right?"

#— convo;#c: charlotte mckenzie #c: charlotte 002

He listened as she introduced herself, "I'll remember that, thanks," he said with a nod. He would've gotten this phone out and followed right away but he didn't want to be perceived as rude. Instead, focused as she began explaining about her siren abilities. He caught the shift in her voice, the uncertainty beneath it, and shook his head slightly. "That doesn't sound unfortunate to me. Sounds normal actually." He gave her a small smile. "I spend most of my time studying the ocean and there are still things about it that surprise me."

At the mention of his name, he let out a quiet laugh. "Am I officially 'the fish guy' now?" he asked. "I spent years getting degrees and somehow that's what sticks. Not complaining though. That's me." It didn't bother him at all though, been called worse. "And for what it's worth, I think siren meteorologist sounds a lot more impressive than human fish guy."

When his husband sat down across from him, Rohan allowed his face to rather instantly light up in a way only Jonah could cause. He leaned in theatrically, dropping his voice down low. "Oh, hello, mysterious stranger. Welcome." He brought up a hand to his temple as if receiving a message from the beyond. "I see a vision of...a handsome dark-haired man in your life. This person must care about you very, very much. Did I mentioned he's also very, very handsome?" He settled back into his seat with a smile.

Shaking his head at himself, Rohan laughed as he took the offered bag; he tucked it discreetly beside himself on the bench. "I can't pretend that. It makes my heart far too full to be so seen and so loved." He took Jonah's hand into his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You are very mysterious, though. Truly. Thank you."

Rohan nodded along as the other continued. "I quite agree. And I suppose I am still technically magic in my way. At least as far as vampires are concerned." Cocking his head down at the cards, Rohan rolled his shoulders. "It doesn't have to be a literal question. It can be just...a sort of intention. Or we can do a general open reading. Sometimes the query is revealed along with the answer." He hummed, looking up to meet Jonah's eyes. "We'll do a simple three-card spread, okay? Past. Present. Future. Cut the deck. Deal three." He waved his hand across the table with a flourish before gesturing at the stack of cards.

Jonah huffed out a quiet laugh, shaking his head, "Wow. The cards work fast," he teased. His expression softened at the touch, "Well, you make it pretty easy ,” he said quietly, a simple undeniable truth. He looked down at the cards, listening as Rohan explained. "An open reading sounds nice," he admitted. "That's probably better than trying to force a question. I don't even think I have an intention? Sorry, that sounds bad."

Past. Present. Future. His gaze lingered on the deck as his thoughts drifted. So much had happened recently that trying to divide his life into categories felt almost impossible. The past bled into the present, and the present seemed determined to spill into whatever came next. A few years ago, he would have said his life was relatively straightforward. He studied the ocean, spent time with the people he cared about, and worried about things that made sense to worry about. Now it felt like every week brought another revelation, another mystery, another reminder that the world was much stranger than he'd ever given it credit for. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he cut the deck as instructed and picked three random ones. "Alright. Let's see what they have to say."

Bex glanced over at him sideways. "This is fine," she said, staying curled in her ball, "there's enough shade." It wasn't like she needed much shade, tucked into herself like this. She wasn't about to unfurl and lay out, anyway, even if there was more shade. She just wanted to be outside, where she could feel the air on her skin and the heat from the sun, even if she wasn't directly in it.

Everything felt weird, awkward. Not right. Just like her. She didn't want this to ruin her home, her family. She tucked her head in, not wanting Jonah to see her eyes tearing up. "You're not bothering me," she muttered. "This is your house."

He hesitated for a moment, then quietly stepped off the porch and lowered himself into the grass a few feet away from her, not close enough to crowd her, but close enough that she wouldn't feel entirely alone unless she wanted to be. "Yeah," he said softly, drawing one knee up as he rested an arm over it. "But it's yours too. It's suddenly not going to change even if things feel like they've changed. You're still you." Jonah's expression softened further when she tucked herself away again like she was trying to disappear. "When Rohan became a werewolf, I didn't see him as someone different. Same with when I saw Brie was alive and a vampire. Circumstances changed, not the person, at least not to me."

readbentweenthelines

"That's not too long. Was the video good, or was it just cat videos for ten minutes?" Ben asked. Maybe he should have said fish videos instead, but he didn't want to tease Jonah too much. Ben felt that probably happened a good bit in general, especially since he'd been around enough for family dinners and holidays.

Ben grinned. "I'm glad you were amused. It wasn't that bad. Maybe the computer messed up the name. Who knows?" he asked. He couldn't help but agree. "It's strange. Busy but slow. Slow motion but with a lot of people around." Another name was called, neither of theirs. "Is it under you or Rohan? I'll help keep an ear out."

#— convo;#c: ben anak bandi #c: ben 007

Jonah laughed a little, leaning back in his seat. "You wanted to say fish videos didn't you? I have range, okay. It was a gardening videos, been thinking to plant for summer." He wasn't about to confess that before that it had been clips from marine documentaries, but that would've been easy to guess anyway. By now, he had made quite the reputation for himself on being a fish nerd. He didn't mind it much.

His smile lingered as Ben defended himself. "Probably. There's a lot of variables here." He agreed, glancing around, "Yeah, slow motion is right." It wasn't bad all thing considered, and at least now he had more company than just videos. "Mine. Thanks. I think they should say it right, but hard to tell now."

Open starter @lunarcovestarters Location: A picnic table

In some ways, a black cloud still lay over Lunar Cove, a creeping, writhing darkness that revealed itself in the frayed expressions on his neighbors' faces and in the heavy stench of turmoil, still clinging to the air. But nature did not deign notice the troubles of the insignificant creatures flitting about the planet's face. Time moved on.

Spring had planted strong roots by then, warm weather, blue skies, and the chirping of insects, sounds where everywhere else rested silent. Rohan sat now at a table on the green, spreading out a few cards from the tarot deck he'd own even before coming to this town. He looked up when a shadow fell across him. "Hm? Oh, hello. I'm afraid I can't really...it's not literal magic anymore. But humans have used these for divination as much as dark witches. Why not werewolves? Do you have a query?" He gestured at the seat across from him.

With a finger pressed theatrically to his lips, Jonah slid into the seat opposite Rohan. "Shhh," he whispered, leaning in slightly. "Pretend I'm a mysterious stranger. I don't want the cards catching a vibe and skewing the results." The grin tugging at his mouth made it clear he knew exactly how ridiculous that sounded.

The moment he spotted Rohan setting up tarot on the green, Jonah had wrapped up his conversation with a coworker with a quick clap to the shoulder and an absent catch you later before making a beeline over. There was something about seeing Rohan settled in the sunlight that drew him in without much effort. Besides, this sort of silliness, he felt was needed at the moment. He also slid a small paper bag across the table toward him, faint scent of fresh pastry drifting out from it. "Also, pretend I didn't buy that specifically because I know what you like. I have a reputation of mystery to maintain."

"There's magic in mundane things," he continued, "And in werewolves. You can't convince me otherwise." Coffee cup in hand, Jonah took a sip before glancing down at the spread of cards with open curiosity. "Query?" he repeated thoughtfully. "I don't know if I really have a question exactly. Or maybe I have too many and none of them make enough sense to ask out loud yet." His eyes lifted back to Rohan then, softer around the edges. "You're the expert here. What am I supposed to do? Think of something specific? Or do the cards just... decide what you need to hear?"

with: @jonahxrivas where: outside the house

Bex was sat in the grass, knees curled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her shins tightly. She was tucked into the shade of a tree, staring out at the yard and the fence, occasionally lifting her gaze to the blue sky. Every time a bird flew by overhead her eyes would flick up, unable to ignore the sound, even with her ear muffs still placed over her head. She was trying to get used to all the sounds and how loud and present they all were now, but it was so much easier said than done.

She dragged her gaze over when the backdoor opened and turned her head just enough to watch Jonah step out. Subconsciously, her body tightened and recoiled. Jonah was just so...human. She could smell it. It made her nose crinkle. He wasn't even bleeding. What a terrible thing, to think of a friend's blood like a snack. Her mouth watered and she blanched, tucking her head away.

She didn't know what to say to him anymore. She didn't really know what to say to anyone, anymore. "I can go back inside," she finally mumbled, "if you wanna be out here."

Jonah slowed the moment he noticed the way she tensed. He tried not to react to it outwardly, though something about seeing her curl further into herself made his expression drop from the neutral look he had worn to something more of a concern. He knew the change would be overwhelming in ways that was impossible to fully know unless you lived through it yourself. But knowing that intellectually and actually seeing it were two very different things. Seeing her sit there with her shoulders drawn tight, flinching at sounds, pulled at something helpless in him.

"No, it's fine," he said softly, stopping a few feet away rather than coming any closer. "You were here first... but..." His gaze flicked briefly toward the sky, toward the sunlight filtering through the yard. "Do you want me to put up more shade? We've got those big beach umbrellas." He leaned lightly against the porch railing, hands slipping into his pockets as he looked to her. "I can go back inside too if you want me to? Or call Rohan even, if you want his company? I'm not trying to disturb your peace. Just came to see if you wanted anything."