let the spirits in;

[maddcxaquinc]

have you ever wanted 2 roommates? 👀

“Nope.”

[ofhotheads-blog]

Get to know the people in my muse’s life.

Send me a symbol and I’ll tell you about…

🌟 …someone my muse trusts. 💔 …someone who broke my muse’s heart. 💕 …someone my muse loves.  😒 …someone my muse hates. 🔥…someone my muse would die for. 💀 …someone my muse would kill for. 👻 …someone my muse considers a best friend. 💘 …someone my muse has a crush on. 🔪 …someone my muse hurt in the past. 👀 …someone my muse likes, but doesn’t trust. 💩 …someone my muse dislikes, but admires. 👿 …someone my muse used to like, but doesn’t anymore. 😉 …someone my muse has had sex with. 💋 …someone my muse used to date. 😜 …someone who makes my muse laugh. 👪 …someone in my muse’s family. 👑 …someone my muse is jealous of. 👊 …someone who hates my muse. 👫 …someone who has a crush on my muse. 👌 …someone my muse has only met once, but will never forget. 🍓…someone my muse has never met, but wants to meet. 👰 …someone my muse would consider marrying.

[maddcxaquinc]

* gabriel nikephoros‌

The incubus had nearly laughed the moment he’d realized Maddox had not just one roommate, but two. A shapeshifter and a witch, both strangely dedicated to a genasi’s cause. Corinth Bay was a strange place, but then again, Mads wasn’t just any genasi. The man was gentle, though not during sex. The man had entered his house to escape and Gabriel was more than willing to indulge. After all, Mads and he had christened every room in the house.

Now, he was looking up at the ceiling, his fingers tracing idle patterns on Maddox’s chest. Eventually, he turned to look at the other, “So you have two roommates instead of none. How’d that happen?”

After so many years running from a coven that likely wanted him to serve the consequences for what he had done, it was a city that dealt the hand. In the span of only two years, he had suffered more within the city of Corinth Bay than any other he had passed through. The sleepless hours had turned to sleepless nights, and eventually he had required something to force his mind to shut off for even a few hours. But with the appearance of two reminders of his past, the prospect of getting a restful night of sleep had gone back out the window. Perhaps that is why he had shown up at Gabriel’s, or perhaps he needed something to distract him from --- well, everything.

“Thanks for the reminder,” words spoken after he’d turned onto his side, head propped up so that he could look down at the other. “They’re friends from my childhood, I couldn’t not offer them a place to stay.” Even with the memories seeing them drudged up for the genasi. 

[maddcxaquinc]

* gabriel nikephoros‌

Gabriel sat down beside Maddox once he gave the other some tea, moving as close as he possibly could. His fingers ran idly through Maddox’s hair, barely pausing at the other’s faltering sentence. It made the incubus lean forward to press a kiss against Maddox’s temple, “I know what you mean.” He figured he’d save the genasi the grace of saying it, shaking his head, “Like how I feel after spending five days with you,” he murmured, thinking about how he’d been staying as long as possible with the other man before finding one person a week to take a soul from. He wanted to stay as true as he possibly could, with some semblance of normality for Mads as well. “I can’t be cursed – this is something else. Something bigger.”

The warmth of the tea eased the tension in his muscles, but not even it could resolve the fear that was creeping in at the edges. What if this wasn’t simply a one time occurrence? What if this spell --- curse --- whatever the hell it was, lasted much longer? Even the fingers in his hair, the lips pressed against his temple couldn’t drag him from the thoughts threatening to tear through him. Five days --- the reminder was a punch in the gut, ripping the air straight from his lungs. It would never be enough, not when Maddox knew what Gabriel needed to do in order to stay alive. “So it’s not a curse, and a spell that big would require far too many witches, anyway.” His gaze focused on the tea within his hand, his other resting upon the other’s thigh. “You’ve been alive a long time --- you’ve never seen anything like this before?” His gaze lifted now, seeking out Gabriel’s as the question lingered.

[maddcxaquinc]

[maddcxaquinc]

[maddcxaquinc]

* gabriel nikephoros‌

Maddox was off balance, and Gabriel could really only hold the other up so much. The incubus was tired, but not tired enough to leave Mads to his own devices, not in the state he was in. “What happened?” He couldn’t understand what the genasi was trying to say, not when he was fumbling through sentences and unable to form something coherent. Gabriel was unnerved by it, but he put his palm against the other’s cheek, meeting his gaze. “Okay, okay. We’ll go.” The incubus felt like he was moving sluggishly, but he pulled Maddox along, their fingers intertwined tightly. 

Once he reached the safety of his own apartment, he put a hand out to take a breath, “Okay, we’re here. C’mon, go inside.” He pushed open the door, waiting for the genasi to enter before he followed after him, “What’s wrong? I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

The moment that they crossed the threshold into Gabriel’s apartment, Maddox felt a sense of relief wash over him. Stepping away from the other, he barely made it a few feet before his hand reached out, pressing flat against the wall to steady himself. “My magic ---,” he started, gaze moving to seek out the incubus. “It backfired. I used a spell against that vampire, and it affected me, not him.” There was a dull pain within his head, but it was subsiding as the spell seemed to be wearing itself down. That’s when he was able to fully take in the sight of the other, the way in which he seemed more exhausted than usual. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

[sethkate]

[maddcxaquinc]

* elias taylor‌

     Elias no longer possessed any magic, but he was certain that from one moment to the next, something about the festivities changed. He could see it in some of the faces around him, in the way behaviors changed. Not for the first time that night he thought that he should have just stayed home. His own four walls provided safety and security, and nothing about this place was doing just that. Elias had just pushed past a few people who also behaved rather strangely when he noticed the exchange between two men just a few feet away from him. He couldn’t hear what they said, but when one of them stumbled back without any physical impact it seemed, they collided.

        He gasped quietly, more out of surprise at the impact than because he was hurt. His hands lifted up as if to show innocence, that he had done nothing. “Are you okay?”, he asked cautiously, afraid he might have attracted anger without meaning to.

The collision to another body had Maddox instinctively turning, hand lifting with another spell working its way to the tip of his tongue. But the flare of pain, the look of shock on the other man’s face had it dying immediately. What the hell was happening? Fingers curled down into his palm, nails biting into the flesh as he tried to focus past the pain. “No --- yeah, I’m fine.” He couldn’t focus properly, couldn’t figure out what the best answer to Elias’ question was. But he knew that being in that spot wouldn’t be good for him, nor the seemingly human man before him. His hand reached out now, gripping the other’s shoulder as he tried to steady him, “You need to get out of here. Something’s --- happened.” But how did he explain that there was a hungry vampire in the area? How did he warn someone that might not know about the supernatural world?

[maddcxaquinc]

* benny alvarez‌

The festival seemed to be going strong as Benny walked around and took in the revelry. He himself had decided to try a few drinks and get in on the carnival. However, there was moment when there seemed to be a shift in the crowd around him. He could see faces change and some almost seem confused by what was happening. There was something he could only slightly pick up on. 

He had been focused on trying to figure out what was happening when he felt someone stumble into him. Turning attention to the new person Benny did what he could to support the other. With concern he looked at the other person and asked “Hey, you alright? Have a bit to much to drink?” the feeling to assist the other took over as always in situations like these

The pain was a white hot flare, sparking through his being like nothing he had felt before. It was largely different to the pain he’d felt in recent days. And the fact that it happened immediately after his spell, well --- that was worrying in itself. It was almost enough to distract him from the hands that were currently on him, seemingly holding him up from a fall he’d almost taken. “What?” For the questions didn’t immediately register with him, Maddox damn near trying to push his hand through his temple. “I --- yeah, yeah. Maybe I have.” But that didn’t seem right. This wasn’t the oncoming of a hangover, or a headache from the consumption of too much. No, this was something entirely different, something much worse.

[maddcxaquinc]

* cora dayal‌

“He’s dreadfully boring, for one. I mean really Mads. A librarian?” She shook her head in his direction, the disbelief on her features plain as day, “And he’s hiding something, I can tell.” The man was defensive, knowledgeable, well-read, intelligent, he seemed worldly but hadn’t been much further than this sleepy little Grecian state. Cora had been young when she became quite good at sussing out a person’s intentions, and she had known plenty of men like Gabriel. Suave Lotharios who thought the world should bow before them simply because they were blessed with an adequate bone structure and a minute amount of intelligence. “Just be careful, and I’ll play nice. For now.” Cora assured him, “If he hurts you though, I will kill him.” She promised, her friend could take care of himself in the department of his own love life, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see any further wounds inflicted upon him. As stoic as Maddox appeared, Cora knew that beneath the veneer of death this man wore, beat the soft heart of a boy who so desperately wished to be understood.

“Really? I find it kind of sexy.” He noted before a smirk caught the edge of his lips. In the beginning, that’s all Gabriel had been to Maddox. A librarian, the man that showed him where the books he needed were. Then it had just been a bout of fun, a means to distract himself from the intruding paranoia of staying in one place for too long. Now --- well, now Gabriel meant more to him than he was willing to admit. “Aren’t we all, though?” There was the soft cant of his head, a brow piqued as he gazed down at her. Maddox knew what Gabriel was hiding, and he knew what letting that secret out meant for the other. So he kept his mouth shut, played along as if he hadn’t the slightest idea that the seemingly human man was anything but. “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he affirmed as he steered them towards one of the booths. He needed a refill, and he knew that Cora needed to loosen up a bit. “Anything happens, and you’ll be first in line for a piece of him.”

[maddcxaquinc]

* gabriel nikephoros‌

“Maddox–?” Gabriel caught the genasi as he fell backwards, though it took an alarming amount of strength to do so. He felt winded. Since when did he feel this weak? He had technically absorbed a soul only two days prior, and he was looking forward to ending the rest of the week with Maddox. Temporarily light-headed, he held on to Maddox to not fall over himself, “Are you okay?” He glanced around the other’s shoulder, catching sight of the vampire that looked more than desperate to eat the man. “Fuck. What’d you do to piss him off?” It was a mild joke, grabbing on to Maddox’s wrist before he dragged him out of the vampire’s sight and into a mass of people to hide. “What happened?”

The pain was blossoming within his own head, as if the intended target had been himself instead of the vampire. Even the sound of his own name being spoken didn’t immediately register with him. But the feeling of hands on him, holding him up even when he wanted to fall to his knees forced his attention. Gabriel. His hand instantly lifted, reaching out to hold onto the other as the heel of his palm still pressed against his temple. “No, I ---,” but the statement died upon his tongue, eyes screwing shut at the pain that rippled through him. “He tried to --- he was going to ---,” he was speaking in incomplete sentences, head unable to form a complete one in his current state. He was mildly thankful when he was pulled away, but soon found the crowd of people to be too much. “Gabriel, something’s wrong. We need to get out of here.”

[maddcxaquinc]

Where: Port of Corinth Who: Open to anyone ( @corinthbaystarters​ )

The shift in the magical currant was almost palpable. Even in his intoxicated state, he could understand that something had happened. That something had gone terribly wrong. He could see it in those around him, written plain as day upon their features, that they felt it too. In that instance, he knew he needed to find Gabriel, to find Lia; anyone that meant anything to him. But he’d barely made it a few feet before a cold hand wrapped itself around his forearm, effectively pulling him to a sudden stop. The mention of being hungry dawned on him, broke through the haze within his head to sound the alarm bells. He knew what awaited him even before he turned to take sight of the vampire.

There was a spell already forming on his tongue, one that he had been perfecting over the last few days. He couldn’t have possibly known the consequences that one little spell would have on him. For as soon as it left his tongue, the pain flared up within him. He immediately faltered backwards, stumbling back into the crowd and into another body, hand pressed against his temple. “What the hell?”

[maddcxaquinc]

* cora dayal‌

“Yes, but I truly dislike this one.” Cora said emphatically, she could tell Maddox was amused, but she could also tell when he wasn’t being completely forthcoming with her. He could keep his secrets if he chose, he should have known by now that there was nothing he could keep from her for long. Maddox brought up the little exchange she’d had with Gabriel in the town square only a few days prior, the man had caught him at a bad time; truthfully, there was never a good time for Gabriel to approach her. Cora had hoped she at least made that clear. Cora took a step back to weave her arm through his, she wished to protect him always, even if that meant she needed to save him from himself. A life of mundane monotony, tied to some dreary librarian was a destiny not nearly grand enough for her closest and oldest friend. Maddox was as a brother to her, and Cora loved him dearly. “I imagine he went crying to you, tears in his eyes, ‘she was mean to me Mads.’” Cora pretended to pout before she rolled her eyes. “Go on then, say it.”

“Alright,” the word slipped forth as he made a means to sober himself up a bit. The amusement was wiped clean from his features, Maddox forcing his attention onto her. “I’m listening. What is it about him that you dislike so much?” Because it couldn’t simply be that she thought he could do better. She had disliked every single guy that he seemed to come into contact with, regardless of whether he even planned to stick around or not. He knew how protective she was of him, just as he was of her. They shared a special bond, one that he couldn’t find with anyone else that came into his life. A life that he owed a great deal of to Cora. Even now, he kept close to her, arms linked as they moved through the crowd. “Tears in his eyes, huh?” He cracked a soft grin in her direction, before he cast his gaze away from her. “You already know what I’m going to say. I’m not going to ask you to like him; believe me, I know that’s a losing battle for me. Just ---,” he hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to say what he needed to. “Just don’t do anything to physically hurt him, alright?”

[maddcxaquinc]

* gabriel nikephoros‌

Gabriel couldn’t help but feel content. The anxiety he’d been feeling leading up to this conversation seemed to melt away. No matter where he looked for pushback, Maddox wouldn’t rise to meet it. It was like he’d found the most empathetic genasi on earth. “It’s just something I think you deserve,” he said finally, meeting Maddox’s gaze. The genasi deserved the most the incubus could give, but he could never give him everything. It was cruel what the fates decided, and how Nike had taken away his choice in the first place. Though maybe it was an eternal punishment for a single act of retribution, no matter how deserving his father had been. “I trust Temira. She knows I’m immortal.” 

Huffing out a breath, he tried not to laugh. What would happen if they found that loophole? Took away the curse that kept him alive? He was certain that he’d no longer be…anything. The magic would fade, and it was probably the only thing keeping his human form around. One thousand years of this, and he was still nothing but a knight in another game of chess. “I know, Mads. But if I take everything away, there might not be anything left.” Swallowing back the fear he felt, Gabriel leaned up to press another hard kiss against the genasi’s mouth. “Even if nothing works, know I treasure every moment with you.”

Deserve. It was one of many words that plagued his conscious. For what he had with Gabriel was something that he did deserved, but not in the sense that the incubus meant. With Nike’s curse looming over them, with Gabriel needing to seek out pure souls to replenish his energy with, Maddox would only ever get a portion of the other. And it was precisely what he deserved, for stealing away the portion of his parents’ lives that they would never get to live. So he waited, made no move to comment on the statement, until the conversation was steered back to Temira. “I’m sure she’ll help in whatever way she can.” That much was obvious, given already how much she helped Maddox with his nightmares.

It was a bitter sweet realization. For on one hand, Gabriel could be finally free of the curse placed on him. Yet on the other hand, he may cease to exist entirely, stricken from this plane to live amongst the spirits of another. “Whatever you want to do, I’m right by your side.” Even if that meant saying goodbye. He couldn’t force his hand one way or the other, but he would be there every step of the way. Even now, he welcomed the bruising kiss, tried to not let his mind wander with what it could mean. “Hey, I wouldn’t have wanted them to be spent any other way.”

[maddcxaquinc]

* connor morgan‌

The Genasi was right, he probably should have been at least monitoring the booth, but he assumed that the cashier and Adam had it covered. “The apprentice burned the brownies,” he replied, the bottle in his hand brought to his lips for a swig- he was at the point of lazy drinking- “so I’m makin’ him watch the booth and no partying for him. In his defense though, he hasn’t done anything like this in at least a month and a half. Dunno what happened.” He peered up at Maddox, one eye open, “are you dressed up as Thanatos? That’s too on the fuckin nose, mate.” He peered into the glass that Maddox was holding, “need some more?”

There was no chance for Maddox to stifle the chuckle at Connor’s words, imaging the catastrophe at the bakery when the brownies came out burnt. Just envisioning it could send him into a fit. “Lucky you, not so lucky him.” Festivals were certainly an opportunity to make some extra money, but Maddox had been more keen on enjoying it than working it. Even at the mention of his attire, he cracked a grin. “Now Connor, is that any way to speak to a god?” His voice took on a deeper tone, Maddox in a surprisingly playful mood. He would surely blame it on the wine. Which was soon enough being finished off, before he extended the glass out to the other, “Always.”

[maddcxaquinc]

* gabriel nikephoros‌

Gabriel usually didn’t care as much as he did at the moment. If someone had a soul, they were fair game. However, he’d made the unfortunate choice to befriend other creatures here, and people who had souls. Not that he had any issues sleeping with friends who had souls, but there was an added layer of regret to everything he did. Maddox was almost always on his mind. It made him anxious and reserved, though maybe that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He placed his hand on Maddox’s chest once more, “Hey…only if you think she can help. I’m not going to say that I’ve never looked for something, but I don’t think…” Gabriel huffed, leaning in so he could rest his forehead against the genasi’s shoulder. 

“No, no. I don’t think so.” This was a curse. He’d never gotten a single thing from Nike, he’d simply pissed her off. “I wasn’t….I don’t know.” How could he explain it? “What I did, Mads, doesn’t really just forgive itself. You’d think it would, but Nike was a bitch. She told me that there wasn’t a single ounce of peace I’d get until I was dead. And even then? Hades is waiting for me.” It wasn’t really the explanation he was looking to give, but the incubus was always trying to think of ways that he could not over-share, either. “Something helped him. And something gave him the ability to help others who’ve lost their souls, too. He gave that much away between crying about how I’d taken some of his soul.”

It wasn’t often that Maddox would do anything for another. When it came down to it, there were only a handful of others that he would risk it all for. He had been selfish in his past years, had kept to himself, and used his added powers only for his benefit. He’d lied, tricked, and conned people out of their hard earned money, all so that he could continue to live in fear. But he was done with that, ready to press forward into a better life for himself. And that started here, with Gabriel at his side. “If this is what you want, I’ll do anything to help you. And Temira is a good place to start with that.” For with her help, Maddox could reach out to the far corners of the ethereal plane, to seek out spirits who had lived centuries ago. Perhaps in one of them lay the answer they were looking for.

“If there’s one thing I know about magic, there’s always a loophole.” Not even death could stop him. Lifting his hand to place atop Gabriel’s, he kept them close, voice low as he spoke to the other. “So much has changed since her curse was placed on you. We can find something --- anything to maybe reverse what has been done.” But that left too many questions in his head, ones that he didn’t want to dwell on in the moment. For if they did find a cure, what would happen to Gabriel? Would he become human, revert back to what he had been before the transformation? Or would he be released from this hold, sent to live peacefully in the afterlife? “If that’s so, then maybe whoever gave him the ability can help you. I’ll find Noah, see if I can get anything more out of him.”