Kai @malachai-dragoumis - Tumblr Blog

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open. Red Moon

She was sitting at the bar, closest to the back. Her usual spot and after a long shift it might be her bed. Alicia was still nursing the beer she ordered almost an hour ago. Her eyes drifting from her gran finally, the woman talking loudly, almost enough to hear her clearly but obviously was excited for her story. She loved seeing her grandmother having fun, relaxed, but Alicia knew she’d been the one having to stumble up the stairs with her and then having to get herself home.

Her shift still lingered on her shoulders, Alicia was tired. What else could she do though? She straightened up in seat, gently bumping a few shoulders as she did.

“Hey can I get an energy drink or a coke.”

In a small town, there were few places to go especially when you are on an island. Many of the locals spread out to the different bars. Tonight, Malachai decided to hang out at the Red Moon. One, he loved going to Santana for advice. Even if he never used it, it was still nice to know the woman cared about his well being. And two, he wanted a few drinks.

At the bar, he was on his third beer when he suddenly heard a familiar voice. A bright smile came across his lips as he looked over towards her. “Alicia, what’s up? What are you doing here?”

#c: alicia

marcus-darring

“I’ve seen a few recent things but I don’t really pay attention to much. I read more than I watch.” Marcus replied as he took the controller from him. “With reading I get to do things at my pace and reread things if they don’t sink in or I don’t understand it first. It’s harder to do that with tv and movies. Especially if you’re watching it in a theatre.” He looked down at the device in his hand and brushed his fingers over the buttons and triggers trying to get a good sense of how to hold it before anything started.

“Shoot everything that isn’t you. I think I can stick to those instructions.” He chuckled a little and took a quick sip of his tea before anything started. “Okay ready.” Marcus had never really done this before, just hanging out with another man. There had been plenty of men he’d interacted with over the years he was in education but he’d had so little friends back then and of course now he’s was in a situation where he was having to build his social circle back up. It was nice though to have a real distraction from the horrors he’d just woken up from.

“I get that man, you are a book worm and all. I think that is cool knowing stuff and all.” Kai did not want to push the other male into anything he was not interested in, but he still thought a movie night sounded fun. “It is all good man, I was just thinking a movie here. But if that is not your thing I completely understand.”

Kai nodded, “seems like you got it bro.” With those words, he pushed start. Things went at a nice pace as the game gave a brief synopsis and went over the controls for the game. Once both of them seemed prepared, he turned to Marcus. “Ready?” And with that he started the game on medium figuring it was best to start off slow until he got the hang of the game. Running through the game, he began shooting the aliens and heading towards the correct points. “Oh if I die just find a place where I can respawn and I’ll do the same if you die.”

#c: marcus

jez-dragoumis

A part of Jez wanted to ask him how he was so sure of that,that she wouldn’t leave, that New Orleans was really home. The blonde herself wasn’t so sure of that. Wasn’t home supposed to be where you felt at ease? Where you felt like you fit in? Because if that was the case then New Orleans had never really been home to her. For as long as she could remember it had always felt suffocating, stifling. Even with her siblings there she had never really felt like she belonged in that city. So what made Kai so sure that she wouldn’t ever leave? She thought about it more often than she liked to admit, felt like if she was ever going to do a favor for herself leaving that city should be it. And yet she had always stayed. Perhaps because there were too many people there she cared so deeply for. “People move all of the time, Mal. Would it really be so shocking if I did?” Perhaps to him it really would be.

“In all fairness, if he’s that shy and he was uncomfortable? It probably wouldn’t even be about you. It’d be about socializing on a daily basis.” Of course Jez didn’t entirely buy it when he reassured her that he’d be careful, that he’d be cautious. Kai had a habit of jumping headlong into things without thinking them through; he lived by the seat of his pants and did whatever popped into his head at the time. He always had. “If you get hurt I reserve the right to say I told you do.”

The way the conversation shifted made Kai uncomfortable. All he wanted was to get on good footing with his sister again. Reason he came to apologize, but now the discussion shifted and it cause an uneasiness within himself. “Timeout are you thinking about moving Jez?” He questioned. Why even talk about this unless she wanted to leave. “Cause this is like the first time you have ever really said anything like this before and it makes me worried. Like you just want to disappear or something.”

Kai nodded, “I know that. I didn’t mean to say it was about me, but I just don’t want to make him more uncomfortable.” When it came to people, Kai tended to have a pretty good idea how to act around them. It just didn’t extend to his family members and maybe it had to do with the fact he knew they always accept him. He chuckled, “fine you can tell me you told me so.”

#c: jezebel

lilithxcarlisle

She would admit she was impressed. Lilith didn’t think there was anyone who could get past that werewolf’s walls, but if anyone could, it’d be Kai. “Maybe she finally just opened her eyes and saw the guy the rest of the world sees?” she countered, not really feeling sympathetic toward Rydell so much as she did toward Kai. He was a good guy, and honestly, even with his immaturity, she was sure he would treat any woman well. “Regardless, I’m glad you think it went well.” Then again, Kai was prone to optimism where most people wouldn’t have any. Sometimes Lilith wished she could be more like the warlock in that respect.

“If that’s the case, send her my way, man. I’d rather hire someone I sort of know rather than a stranger. Or, I guess at least someone who’s a friend of a friend? You know what I mean. I can’t continue without help for much longer, so I need to suck it up and figure out how to be a boss,” she admitted with a grimace, not being a fan of being in charge of anyone but herself. The grimace was replaced by a flush of red in her cheeks, the shifter ducking her head to take a sip of her drink. “I’m not that awesome. I certainly didn’t expect it either, but the more I started to think about it, the more sense it made. We’ve been best friends for awhile - I think it’s always maybe been a little closer than that, but I wasn’t willing to admit it.” Lilith paused for a moment, thinking over her relationship with Alex, a warm smile creeping over her features at the thought of him. “He’s so sweet. I wouldn’t say we’ve gone on like, an official date, but you know me. I don’t need anything fancy, and he knows that. It feels serious though, and I know he’s serious. We just– it’s easy and comfortable, but new and exciting at the same time. I swear I’m not even making sense,” she finally finished with a laugh. “Enough about me though. How exactly did your date go with Rydell?"

Although Malachai was not necessarily someone who had self esteem issues, he could not help to wonder how the rest of the world saw him. A lot of people had very little expectations from him and he knew most did not see him as the brightest person in the world. Still, he smiled knowing his friend meant it as a compliment and he was just getting too much in his head. And that was not the greatest place to be. “Thanks, hoping she will go out with me again.”

Kai eyes widen with excitement. “Really? I think you like her, she is super sweet and very talented. I will have to tell her about you and that you are hiring.” Plus two of his favorite bakers in the same place seemed like it would work out in his benefit. He rolled her eyes at her words about yourself. “Yeah you are Lil.” As she spoke, he was happy for her. It seemed she really was happy and that is all he ever wanted for the shy shifter. “I know you don’t need anything fancy, but still that is amazing you two are happy. I don’t know the guy personally but know he is friends with Dan. And any friend of Dan has to be a good guy. And I think he has a sister too. Plus if he makes you comfortable that really is all that matters, the security in that.” At her question, he brightly smiled. “Well, we went to this little event going on in the French Quarter and it was a whole bunch of food trucks. Kind of just wandered around, ate a lot. You know.”

#c: lilith

jez-dragoumis

“And what if for some reason I wasn’t here anymore?” Jez wasn’t trying to sound mean or harsh with her brother. She asked the question as politely as she could but it was a reality that Kai would have to face one day. It didn’t matter how much the blonde may have loved him or as close as they had always been. There may come a point where she wasn’t always just going to be able to be there for him. It could be for a number of reasons but it was a very real possibility nonetheless. “What if something happened to me? Or if I moved? Life throws all sorts of things at us, Mal. Most of which we aren’t ready for. So maybe appreciate your sisters a little more, huh?” She was teasing him, slightly, but it didn’t hurt to remind him he was lucky to have two sisters who loved him. Some siblings didn’t like each other at all.

“Hard to imagine you living with someone shy.” Kai was the epitome of a social butterfly. And of course he dismissed her concerns. Kai always did. Whatever luck had followed that boy around his whole life made him reckless and care free; it made him act like nothing could ever touch him. Except that wasn’t true. He was just as fragile and easy to hurt as anyone else. Why he liked to insist he wasn’t?Well, that was beyond her. Luck was one thing and yes, he had been unnaturally blessed with it. But life didn’t care about luck. “Humor me,” the witch requested. “And promise you’ll be careful. You can be a pain in the ass sometimes but you’re my brother and I love you and I don’t want anything to happen to you. Okay?”

Malachai frowned at his twin’s question. The boy could hardly think one day into the future, let alone think about the possibility of Jezebel not being there. Truly the notion bothered him, it has always been the two of them. And anything else seemed wrong. “Don’t talk like that Jez, please. And we both know you aren’t going to move. This is our home.” A sigh left his lips. “I do appreciate you both, you both know I love you.” It was true his sisters were better at showing their affection than he was in many ways. And both of them bailed him out more than they should. But he did love both of them dearly.

“It took some getting used to. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable and all.” Malachai knew his sister had right to be concerned, but he was never one to think things through. The boy always lived in the present. Never planning things out and doing things on a whim. And as far s he could tell, he was happy and everything always worked out. “I promise sis, I’ll be careful. The two of us have to stick together and all.”

#c: jezebel

marcus-darring

“I don’t think so. I’ve watched science fiction before, I’m sure I could survive whatever you throw at me.” He was trying to be as optimistic as he could. Video games were new to him and it was likely that he was going to fail miserably once they got into the actual game. Still, having a bonding moment with Malachai was nice. Every moment he got to spend with someone Marcus felt less and less like a monster that needed to be shut away. He felt normal and that felt better than anything he had experienced in ten years.

Marcus sat himself down on the couch, putting his tea down on his coffee table. He figured he best leave Kai to setting everything up. He would only press something he wasn’t suppose to or pick up the wrong disk. “So Halo is a shooting game with aliens?” he asked innocently. “Is there a story to it?”

“What? Man, we are going to have to do a movie night soon too. Get you caught up on things.” Malachai commented, surprised to hear he has never watched science fiction before. Although he knew the man was a bookworm, for some reason he always pictured him watching sci-fi on occasion.

Kai set everything up and brought the controllers to the couch, handing one to Marcus. “Okay, it is going to give us a brief introduction and teach us the controls.” He told the man. “Yes, we pretty much shoot everything. Just don’t shoot me, because we are going to be playing co-op.” He brightly smiled and nodded. “Yes, it is super cool. It will tells us before the first level and after each level we learn more. Ready man?”

#c: marcus

rydell-lafontaine

“You might just be the only person who thinks so.” To others it may have seemed self-depreciating. Like perhaps Rydell hated herself. And in some way she supposed she did. Not in any way she’d ever admit to others; not in any way easily perceived. She simply had a hard time with liking herself most of the time. She was rude and cold; she was brash and didn’t give a damn about what others felt most of the time. It was learned behavior, something she had brought into her being a long time ago. If she was that way she stayed safe, she stayed clear of the crap and the drama that life could bring. And then no one could hurt her either. But it didn’t mean she liked herself. It was just not a truth she’d ever voice.

“I have,” the werewolf replied with the slightest shrug of her shoulders though she wasn’t even sure why he asked that. It wasn’t a bad question or she supposed even that bizarre. But it also wasn’t one she had anticipated he would ask. “Some of mine, some for co-workers. Designed a lot for clients. We have designs there for people to pick from. You know, standard stencils and stuff. And they’re pretty popular. A lot of people like them. They’re simple and standard, you know? And we get a lot of people who like to do the matching tattoo thing. Siblings, friends, married couples. So it’s easier for them if they can just pick one from the stencils.

“But I prefer to tattoo original designs. Some people come in with their own drawing and we create a stencil. Some just come in with an idea. And we draw it up. Sometimes one version, sometimes a bunch. It depends on how concrete their idea is. But it’s always more fun to do something that’s just for them. Something you make that people decide to put on their skin permanently.” Rydell paused, bit her lip, realized she was talking way more than she wanted to, than she had intended to. “Anyway, it’s just a job at the end of the day. Nothing life changing, you know?”

“Well everyone else is wrong,” Malachai stated as a matter of fact. Yes, Rydell did not make it easy on people to get close to her. Often times she maintained a barrier that few people could penetrate, but Kai managed to get small glimpses of the woman and truly she was astonishing in his eyes. In his mind, people just needed to stick around more and they too would see what he saw.

From what he heard most tattoo artists did their own designs for people. Also would draw out what people had envisioned for themselves. However, he was not exactly sure how things like that went in the parlor. Mainly cause he has never actually been inside one. Malachai preferred to blame it on his family, say it would be disappointing to get ink on him. However, most people knew the man was not a fan of needles. Even hated getting shots to the point he had to look away and get a lollipop afterwards. “That is pretty cool! You truly are a talented person, I wish I had artistic abilities.”

As she continued, it was nice to see how dedicated she was to her job. Just all the different scenarios that played out at the shop. “I dunno Ry, it seems like you do a service for a lot of people and I know people appreciate great art. I think it is really cool personally. I like it when you talk.”

#c: rydell

rydell-lafontaine

“More like you don’t want to know what you’re hiding. Guess you’re hiding things from yourself.” Rydell raised both eyebrows almost as though challenging him to contradict her, to deny that. It seemed highly unlikely that anyone, especially someone in his family could live without hiding something. Kai liked to be the good guy, the friend to everyone.But he was still a Dragoumis. And while the family name didn’t intimidate or frighten her, while she didn’t let herself care what the family name meant? She doubted that there could be a single member of that family without any darkness buried inside of them. Darkness tended to flow through families like a disease. So if nothing else? He was either hiding that realty from everyone else or himself.

“Haven’t you learned by now, Malachai?” The angle of her neck was getting tedious and if she were human it would probably hurt from tilting up so much but in reality it was just annoying- and didn’t make her look away or look down. She remained with her face close to his, their noses nearly touching once more as she spoke. Far too intimate, far too close to things she’d rather not think about. “Nothing frightens me. Certainly not a bunch of witches and warlocks who amassed power through dark deeds.” It was a lie- if only in the whitest of senses. Some things frightened her but not Kai. Not his family.

Inside the werewolf flinched when his hand touched her face though her face remained the same. Contact like that from anyone always made her uncomfortable. It was too close to kindness, to caring. It was something she had rejected her entire life. “And you just proved yourself to be the delusional one. No one would ever consider being stuck with me a blessing. So you’re either delusional or just plain insane. Which one is it, Kai?”

For someone who hardly could keep his mouth shut, the woman’s words silence him. It was a scary thought hiding something from yourself. Some part of him had an idea of what he may be hiding, but it was not something he wanted to face. As everyone was concerned, he destroyed that part of himself when he was younger. Although, if he were honesty with himself he could feel the darkness lurking within. Just waiting to find the right opportunity to rear its ugly head.

“You talk about hiding things, yet here you are saying nothing frightens you.” Malachai looked directly into her eyes. “Everyone is afraid of something Rydell.” Although many people knew of the Dragoumis name, their history it seemed many people started taking the family less seriously than they used to. Kai of course did not mind, but he knew if his family ever wanted to regain their former glory it would take many of the supernatural world to come together and stop it. And maybe that was something else that frightened him. Not knowing what side he would take if it were to ever come.

Malachai was soft, gentle with her as his hand touched her face. The man’s thumb softly rubbed against her cheek as his eyes remained locked with hers. “Perhaps you never gave them the chance.” He countered. “It doesn’t matter what you think. I know our destinies are intertwined whether you believe it or not.” He eventually dropped his hand from her face and softly smiled. “I’m going to head back in, but Rydell there was a spark right here between us. You don’t have to agree, I know what I felt. I will be seeing you around.”

#c: rydell

marcus-darring

“I don’t play video games so I don’t know what I would like. I don’t even know what games you have.” He admitted. Though Kai had only lived with him for a small while the living room had transformed a little with the new console and gaming set up. It was nice. It made the place look a little more lived in rather than staged. “Maybe not any scary games? I know there are some games that are horrors and have jump scares and such. I probably won’t be best with those types.”

He was open to learning more about things that Kai liked. He hadn’t had friends in such a long time that he’d only ever been focused on his own interests. Learning what someone else enjoyed and seeing them enjoy it was a quintessential part of friendship that Marcus was finding he quite liked. “I should warn you. I’m a very quick learner.” He smiled as he headed out of the kitchen, his tea back in his hands, Nova at his heel.

Now that made it hard, Malachai wasn’t sure if he should start Marcus off with something light or just throw him in the deep water. “Well I have a lot, but how about we just play some Halo? We can play co-op and work as a team. I think you might like it.” He raised a brow. “You don’t think shooting aliens is scary do you? If so, we can hit it old school and maybe do some Super Mario or something else.”

It was nice Marcus was taking an interest in the things he liked, Kai made a mental note he might try and do the same. But it was a bit scary given Marcus appeared to be super smart, while he had trouble with a lot of things. “Oh? Good thing we are playing on a team or I might be nervous.” While Marcus followed behind him, Kai went to the living room to set things up and handed him a controller once he saw him. “We can go through the training so you understand the buttons and all.”

#c: marcus

jez-dragoumis

“Oh, it’s just me you don’t behave with while staying with?” The blonde arched both eyebrows in question, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly and threatening to turn into a smile. She was teasing him,yes, but when she had let him stay with her? Kai was pretty much still just Kai. He never really changed much of anything and they both knew it. Even when he drove Jez up a wall he never really changed anything. “So, good to know.Guess it’s because I’m your sister, huh? Don’t feel like you need to change when you’re around me.”

Jez wracked her brain to try to figure out if she knew the person he was saying he was living with at all but decided that, no, she clearly didn’t know him but she also hadn’t heard of him. For all the people she knew in the city? It was rather surprising that her brother managed to be roommates with one that she didn’t know at all. But,well, they were entitled to know different people. Jez had never had a problem with Kai having his own friends. “Don’t know him but it’s good that you like him. I’ve heard of situations where roommates don’t get along at all. It gets messy and frustrating when that happens. Just…be careful, Kai. Something weird is going on in this city. Watch your back. Okay?”

“I behave...somewhat.” True, he felt he could get away with more with his twin. All his life, she defended him and put up with his lack of responsibility. It wasn’t intentional, he just felt more at peace with her and never really thought twice about it. “I guess, I dunno.” He responded honestly. “Guess I figure you are stuck with me so I do what I want.” He chuckled, hoping to keep it light.

“Yeah, I never really had a roommate before so I dunno. I mean technically I’m his roommate cause I live in a bedroom in his house.” Kai tried to explain. “He has a pet doggy and kitty cat.” The warlock continued all excitedly about Marcus. “I think we will get along, I mean he is a bit shy and keeps to himself most of the time. But there are times where he wants to hang and stuff. I just try not to press his buttons.” At the mention of the city, he gave his eyes a roll. “I’ll be fine. Nothing to worry about.”