beloved ghost

Nate Windsor. 30. figuring it out

[dusktildcwn]

She grabbed her book out of her suitcase before closing it for good and then shifting over to the sleeping area. Which... how was that going to work? It seemed her mind was just starting to consider that now that they were in the tents, getting ready to eventually sleep.

Letting out a dry laugh at the RV comment, Cece turned her attention back to Nate. "That was a little outrageous for two people, don't you think? It looked as if it could hold the entire coven in it. Was there any set up that you were really hoping to get? I think I was more worried about worst case scenarios during the whole game." She hadn't even had time to be excited about their set up until the game was over and it was certain this is where they'd be sleeping.

"No, you're safe." She teased, her voice just as playful as his own. "I tend to keep to my space." Her head cocked as she thought out loud. "Which, speaking of. How do you want to do this? I can take the left side of the tent and you can take the right? Or... do you have a preference?"

[nate-windsor]

"So outrageous," he agreed, mouth pulling into a conspiratorial smile. Honestly, for as grand as it was, he had to wonder if it was actually drivable. And the logistics of how they'd gotten it through the woods. But he didn't voice any of those concerns in favor of answering her question. "No, same. I feel like I was too focused on the ones I didn't want to get to worry about preferences. I would have felt really bad if you had to rough it in a net up in a tree or something."

He still felt a little bad, anyway, that she was stuck with him at all. But as far as he was concerned, they'd gotten one of the better choices with plenty of room. It made the whole 'realizing they were two strangers who now had to spend the night together' thing a lot more palatable.

"Oh, well, too bad for you, I'm a windmill at night. Just full starfish doing cartwheels in my sleep." He laughed, teasing, and then considered their space a little more at her question. "I don't have a preference. I'll be a right guy."

Something about the situation made him feel inclined to fill any beat of silence with conversation, so he nodded his head in her direction, eyes landing on her book. "What're you reading?"

[dusktildcwn]

She couldn't help but look at him with playful suspicion. If she had noticed anything the past few days, it's that people were willing to do whatever to win. But by his tone alone she felt as if she didn't have to worry about him trying to steal a Coven playbook. "Hmm, okay. But I'm watching you." She said, smiling soft as she lifted her chin.

Noting the way he hesitated before giving his full name, Cece decided not to mention it. She wasn't exactly certain why he might hesitate, but that was not worth pressing. Instead she straightened the flower crown on his head and say, "It's lovely to meet you as well, Nate."

Giggling at the mention of turning him into a goat, the blonde shook her head no. "No, I can only summon a goat, but I have no powers to change your form. You're safe, promise. Perhaps I even put a protection charm in the crown." She didn't, but she'd let him think that was the case if he was so inclined. "As for getting ready for the game, I'm not very strong at archery. Not like my brother and sister, that is. So, I've decided not to worry too much on how I'll perform." She looked him over as she crossed her arms in front of her. "I couldn't help but notice you are far far away from your team. Aren't you scared you'll get reprimanded for speaking to the competition?"

[nate-windsor]

"Keep watching. I might do a trick." He shot her a wink, head ducking toward the ground a moment later, a playfully sheepish smile on his face as his eyes flicked back to hers.

His eyes widened in surprise and awe, still so unused to magic and this supernatural world in which he now belonged. "You can summon a goat? Can you summon anything, or just goats? Think you could summon me a noble steed to distract from just how bad I'm going to be at this?"

At the mention of his dawdling all the way over here, he glanced back at where the CONS were all gathered before turning back to her. He shrugged, a half smirk playing on his mouth. "Worth it for the crown. Bonus points for a giant goat steed, but I'm not greedy."

[totallytwitterpated]

Nicholas Galitzine, British actor

[efexumukoroxlc]

"Hm?" Spinning around from the broken section of wall he had been examining, trying to decide if it were a hint or simply poor construction, Efe raised his brow. He knew a few things about inspections, about investigations, of course; they were natural parts of his career path in fire prevention. But this felt more like a game of Clue than a serious arson procedural. Still, he resolved to try his very best. "Well, I don't know if all trees are useful, man. A lot of people in this town don't adequately care for their rotted trees. Fall into power lines, onto homes, you know," he replied in what seemed to be a joke but sounded mostly sincere. Taking the paper, though, he gave it a look over, narrowing his eyes. "Handy...handy tree. Hmm. What do you mean about paper? Because it, like, comes from trees?" He gave a low breath, thinking for a moment, features hardening into concentration. "Oh! Palm. Palm tree. Handy. Get it?"

[nate-windsor]

"Palm tree," he said, palming his head as if that had been so obvious. He was turning out to be a pretty poor partner in this. Internally, he scolded himself. Mistakes were not an easily forgivable thing in the Windsor household, nor was being deadweight, so the pressure was on to do something useful. Even if that pressure only came from him.

Palm tree, palm tree, palm tree. The words echoed through his mind like a mantra. "What does that even mean?" he asked, the question mostly rhetorical as he failed to spot what he thought he was supposed to be looking for.

And then, on the wall, there was a small framed photo of a beach scene with a palm free in the forefront. He moved towards it, reaching out to pull it off the wall. Hung only on a nail, it came off easy, but nothing was hidden behind it. Nearly defeated, he went to hang it back up before turning it over to find a key imbedded in the frame. It was a strange shape, almost fork-like with four circular prongs sticking out from the handle.

He held it up, turning back to Efe as he discarded the photo. "This probably goes to something?"

[jroycethethird]

setting: campgrounds, first night

featuring: j. royce van doren iii & nate windsor @nate-windsor

After settling into the tent, and marveling at the whole thing — it was his first time doing something quite like this, after all — Royce found a moment to politely excuse himself from Aiyla, needing to do one small thing aside from brushing his teeth and his nightly routine before intending to close off from the rest of the world and just be with her for the rest of the night — check in on his favorite little sister. Not that he was worried exactly about Cece. He had promised to believe in her and support her no matter what… But as her older brother, it was only right to check in, wasn’t it? What would be so wrong with ducking his head into her lodgings and being sure that she was safe and sound? Try as he may, he would always be just a little concerned for her, and the last thing that he needed while being alone with the Fae Queen he’d done so horribly wrong this past week was to be distracted by fretful thoughts for his sister. What if she ended up with that dreadfully high net and rolled off of it? He just needed to be sure she was fine and secure, that’s all.

Walking about the campgrounds, smiling pleasantly at fellow coven members but avoiding most eye contact with others — and their curious thoughts at seeing who he’d paired off with — the witch glanced about for the familiar face he sought, finally stopping once to ask that jovial dolt of a vampire if he’d seen his sister around. About this tall, hair spun from gold, sweetest smile you’d ever seen? The towering fellow pointed towards a blanket fort, and he let out a sigh of relief. That seemed safe enough, and cozy, albeit a bit open... Perhaps it would be fun for her. Drawing closer, Royce had realized he couldn’t remember who she’d paired with, but shook his head at the thought. No matter — likely she was paired off with a friend. Perhaps her human boss… Windy? Winona? What was her name? He tried to recall it as he drew closer, having it surely at the tip of his tongue for a proper greeting as he ducked his head in to see—

“….Grocery Boy?” Left Royce in a truly baffled tone as his brown eyes landed upon none other than Nate Windsor, alone in the blanket fort that was supposed to be Cece’s bed for the night. Cece’s bed… Not his bed, of course. Friends could visit (were they friends??), but there were rules, and they were all winding down for the night… Did he look like he was settling in, or was he just visiting like Royce was? But surely… No, of course not… His darling, sweet as a pie, innocent little sister was not sharing a blanket fort for two nights with this guy. This stranger, this wild card he had no inkling of and who he surely could not trust to be beside her for two nights. The giant vampire was mistaken. Of course he was, this was not Cecile’s teammate, or her lodgings, it was just a silly misunderstanding, but… His eyes landed on a familiar suit case inside the blanket fort, one that his duplicates helped lug into the campgrounds for her. That’s Cece’s suitcase, alright, but then… “What in the devil are you doing here?” His mind was instantly flooded with a deep sense of denial as he looked at the other, the furrow between his brows deepening as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the young man. “You’re not bunking with Cece Van Doren.” He said it as though it were fact, as though he could will it. But he knew he couldn’t. He knew the rules for this event, how they all had to be paired off, how they couldn’t swap bunk mates, and yet… Royce just couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Cece… sharing a frankly romantic looking blanket fort with a boy. She’s not supposed to like boys yet, she’s too young to like and canoodle with boys, he thought incredulously, forgetting in an instant that the sister in question was a grown woman.

[nate-windsor]

This was the first time Nate had had this place to himself. While it was so much nicer than many of the other sleeping arrangements other people had been saddled with, he couldn't help but see just how romantic it was. The blankets, the lights, the stars. It all felt like a lot more on his own than it had when he and Cece had both been here before.

And then, because he was the universe's current favorite joke, Cece's brother materialized. It'd been hard, trying to reconcile three versions of the same man into the one that currently stood in his doorway. First, he'd been the guy in the garden. Then, he'd been the one Daphne was happy to wave in his face. Now, he was Cece's brother— a very over-protective one if his words and the look of disbelief on his face was anything to go by.

Maybe it was a touch petty, but Nate found the amusement in his current situation. He and Cece were just friends— freshly that, even— but keeping it vague enough to allow this guy's mind to wander down all the darkest paths on his own was too attractive to resist. He stood, crossing his arms over his chest, the barest hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "I am bunking with Cece, actually. Cozy little spot, right?" His grin widened. "You looking for her? I'm not really sure when she's supposed to be back, but I'll let her know you stopped by."

[daphnebishop]

It's not about the crown, Daph. She'd wanted to tell him she knew it wasn't. Wanted more than anything to ask him if any of it was about what either of them thought? She had wanted all the answers before she knew what had happened to Ronnie, her desperate pursuit of them all had led her here, holding crumbled petals with an ache in her chest she couldn't free herself of- it wasn't about the flower crown, no. It was about him, about being here, moving on when Daphne was right where he'd last left her. She had answers, but it did not absolve her of all the grief so intimately entangled with her love and regret that she could not figure out where the ribbons had begun to even understand how she could untangle them.

She looked to him the moment he said her name the way he had, a silent snap of her gaze; then what was it? She should have asked, but the weight of her name from his lips pushed her to her feet and had Daphne wordlessly walking away. She'd cried in front of him once; pride would not allow it a second time. It seemed all Daphne could do these days was walk away.

[the camp grounds]

Hell, that was what this place was...purgatory? Whatever religious metaphor you believe in, Daphne had considered them all. It didn't matter in the end. It boiled down to the fact that this all felt like a punishment. One she would have happily slipped away from if she had not in some small and significant way believed she deserved it; years of coasting through life, unapologetic in her pursuit of answers, she'd never paused to ask herself what came next. What when you have all you've ever wanted? Will the sacrifices be worth it all, then? A selfish part of her liked to believe if she had given this up, this pursuit of her sister then maybe she would have learned to be okay. Ronnie still would have existed here, even if she didn't know. Daphne chased the thought away, it was unthinkable, her sisters were more a part of her than the heart aching in her chest at times. When she felt there was no way she could possibly go on, no way she could face another damned day she did for them, because of them.

She'd paid the price for it, lost more than she bargained for and rather than being afforded the kindness of slinking away in secret to lick her wounds she was forced to face them, again and again like a bruise he pressed each time he crossed her line of sight. It made this weekend especially cruel, while he teamed up with a friend who didn't deserve her ire, and still watching them together, knowing they went to bed in the same place, doing God knows what it settled inside of Daphne with an uncomfortable weight she could not walk off. No matter how long she walked, circling the field over and over before dawn had broke, before dew clung to grass.

Daphne couldn't sleep anyway, not in the joke of a shelter she and Aspen had won. This was all a fucking cosmic joke. Step over a line if all you've done your whole life is cross lines! She stomped against the ground as she paced. She should have left, but all paths led her back here anyway. Unwillingly to abandon Aspen or face whatever retribution she'd have to deal with if she escaped the social experiment early. After a while, when walking did nothing to alleviate her aching, Daphne sunk into the grass near a calm portion of the riverbed. Her grief anchoring her in place, she sat in silence, her gaze fixed across the river as she contemplated, not for the first time, leaving.

Daphne felt him sit, her breath hitching, her gaze unmoving as he spoke. She opened her mouth to speak, all the words collapsing behind her teeth. He was glad. A whimper of a sound, easily missed, struggled past the knot of emotion in her throat. Daphne turned silently to look at him. For what felt like ages, she said nothing, her brows furrowing together, a forlorn frown. You could have found out with me if you answered the letter, she thought with a bitter tug of frustration.

She knew, deeply, in some part she couldn't face, she'd done the cowards thing in leaving with a letter, as if it gave him a choice. A choice he made, she reminded herself, steeling her cracking resolve. Daphne couldn't tear her eyes away from his face. If this was to be her penance, then at least she could do is allow herself the stretch of silence between what she hoped and what was true. "Is this what we're doing now?" She asked, "Pretending?" Daphne exhaled with a nod, she could pretend too, if he had read her letter he'd have known she had left looking for Ronnie, the first real lead she'd had in months. She shuddered a breath, "I didn't know I was a witch...I still struggle to believe it. Believe any of it...like werewolves?" She rose a gaze over his face, her chest tightening. "I told you I was leaving to look for Ronnie. That I finally had a lead worth following," Daphne paraphrased her unanswered letter, "I didn't think you'd care if I found her or not. Silence is pretty loud, Nate."

[nate-windsor]

Immediately, Nate's guards went back up. He bristled at her tone, at her words, at the way she seemed to intent to keep them on unsteady ground while he had swallowed down his own heartbreak to try and form some sort of truce. If only so they could make it through this weekend unscathed.

But of course it couldn't be that simple. "I'm trying here," he said quietly through his teeth. But it was her admission about only finding out about the witch thing and then the casual drop of werewolves that shut him right back up. A muscle feathered in his cheek as he clenched his teeth, staring out into the water and wondering how such a wide and devastating chasm could have opened up between them. They were strangers with history. He didn't know what to do with that.

His head snapped back toward her, his back up immediately when she said she'd told him she was leaving. His brows furrowed, all the betrayal at her desertion turning into a righteous sort of anger as he looked at her. "What are you talking about? You didn't tell me anything, Daphne. You just left. You were just gone. So don't tell me about how fucking loud silence is. It's all you left behind." A bitter laugh and then: "Well, that and divorce papers. I guess that said enough for you."

[itsronniebish]

Dodgeball wasn't really Ronnie's sport. She was taking the "dodge" aspect of the whole thing very, very seriously. She'd done a back handspring to get out of the way, turning around to look for that asshole of a clan advisor to stick out her tongue, only to hear her name coming from someone she'd never expected to see in Lunar Cove. "Holy fuck, Nate?"

Seeing him was one thing. Watching him get whacked with a dodgeball thrown at Mach 5 was another. "Holy fuck, Nate!" She ran over to him, kneeling down. A dodgeball hit her in the back, but she didn't really pay it any mind. "Hey, hi. You good? Holy shit, what are you doing here?"

[nate-windsor]

Nate's hand pressed to the side of his head despite the fact that the ball had glanced off him relatively harmlessly. He was on his ass but the only headache currently taking form behind his eyes was the very obviously not dead girl in front of him.

He waved off her concern, glancing over for the thrower in time to catch sight of a scary brunette. Well. Seemed like he had a type. He blew out a breathy laugh, fixing his gaze back on the impossibility before him. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here? I thought you were dead." He'd think he was hallucinating if he hadn't seen her before he got hit in the head. Maybe she wasn't technically family anymore, but he'd loved and lost her like an honorary sister, too, and the relief was staggering. "Holy shit, Ron. I don't know how but it's so good to fucking see you."

[gazingatmestarry-eyed]

closed starter || @nate-windsor Nate & Jake at the camping retreat.

The sleeping bag he'd been given to endure two days camping was all but useless seeing as it didn't cover Jake past his shoulders. He found a better use for the bags when he challenged Nate to a hop sack race in his and Song's sleeping bag. He didn't think his camping buddy would mind, but he certainly didn't risk asking Song to find out. "Okay, so.." Jacob began to lay out the race's path. He spoke with one hand, while the other held up the sleeping bag he was already standing in. "...we go down this hill, allllllll the way across the field, around those two trees, then back up! Sound good? Wanna go on three?"

[nate-windsor]

Nate hopped as he pulled the sleeping bag up as high as it would go. Peering down the slope of the hill, he didn't have to be a seer to know this was more likely to end badly than not. But that was a chance he was willing to take for some good stupid fun. "Back up?" Nate questioned on a laugh. "So we're not planning on using our legs at all tomorrow, got it." A firm nod and then he put on his game face. "I'll count us down. One, two, three!"

And they were off. Jake had about five inches on Nate so his only hope was gravity taking pity on him and taking the giant out. But with the wide smile on his face that felt in no part faked, he didn't mind an impending loss. It just felt good to feel good.

So naturally, that was about the moment that he felt himself tangle up in the sleeping bag around his feet. He stumbled, caught himself with a few frantic hops, and the moment he thought he had his balance again, he was down and rolling like a bowling ball. The pin? Jacob Sullivan.

[skyecarrington]

Nate & Skye - campgrounds @nate-windsor

Skye left his tent with a sizeable yawning stretch after a late afternoon nap. This whole week had been like summer camp for Skye, the sort of camp he wanted to attend as a boy but had never been afforded the chance. Not when his mother had other ideas, reminded of them when he caught a familiar flash at the food tent Skye sauntered over, plucking a piece of fruit from the table, "You didn't want it, did ya?" he tested, offering it out to Nate with a boyish smile. He had taken notice of some oddities, largely in the withering stares given to him by a leggy brunette, "If looks could kill," he whispered, leaning in close, his dark eyes darting to the woman in question, "What did you do to piss the leggy one off?"He pressed while turning his back, feeling the sharp bite of a roll of her eyes. Skye blew her a kiss which he was surprised to see her catch and flip him the bird. He laughed, "Fiesty, damn..." He offered a look of sympathy to his friend, piling his plate high with food. "C'mon let's find some shade away from all the shade."

[nate-windsor]

Nate was admittedly distracted, missing the flash of chaos that was Skye until he was in front of his face with that knowing little smirk he wore. Refocusing, Nate's eyes honed in on the proffered fruit. He shook his head, a grin curling subtly at the corners of his mouth. "I was actually just waiting around for some live mukbang, so eat up, baby. Nice and slow."

Nate's grin slipped at the mention of 'the leggy one', his gaze sliding towards Daphne and then back as his stomach swooped uncomfortably. Would it always feel like that? Like that half second of panic when your foot messes a step on the stairs?

He allowed himself to be pulled, frustration mixing in with the discomfort as Daphne faded from view. Why did it feel like he was the one who had done something wrong here? "Yeah," Nate said, drawing out the word as his eyes trailed after the space where Daphne had disappeared. He slid his gaze back to Skye. "So you know that ex I told you about? The one that left in the middle of the night?" He widened his eyes and raised his brows giving a little nod of his head back in her direction. "She and Legs are one in the same." He laughed, the sound a little stilted and awkward. "Not really sure why she's decided to be mad at me, but no better time for it than being stuck in the woods for a trust building retreat, I guess."

[dusktildcwn]

Who. Cecile Van Doren & Nate Windsor @nate-windsor Where. Echo Acres. Sleeping Arrangement #8. When. Night time. Friday the 19th.

"I hope you're okay with this sleeping arraignment." Cece said over her shoulder as she began to shuffle through the small suitcase she had brought with her. A few days worth of clothes, her bathing suit, her skin care and other toiletries, and the book she was currently reading.

Folding up the clothes she had worn to the event - she had just showered and changed in the bathrooms - she placed them in the suitcase and turned to Nate. "I think we got pretty lucky. I was so afraid to end up in that changing tent or the mattress on the lake." But no, they had comfortable blankets and a beautiful view of the night sky. Braiding her damp hair into a pigtail, the blonde looked up at stars peaking through the fabric of the tent.

"Do you snore? I don't think I do."

[nate-windsor]

Nate was trying to take up as little space as possible, situated in the corner as he picked through the bag he'd brought with him. He'd packed with a reckless sort of abandon, unsure what he'd need in a camping situation. The only real experience he had with wilderness "retreats" of any kind was, well. Not this. And so he found he was way less prepared than he would have liked now.

"I mean, it's no sixteen story RV or anything, but I'm not going to complain." He couldn't help but think of Daphne and her sleeping arrangements. And their conversation earlier in the day...

Blinking, his gaze shifted back to Cece and he snorted. "I've never had complaints, so we'll go with no." He narrowed his eyes on her, lips quirking only just at the corners. Playful. "Are you a kicker? Am I in danger?"

[nicocastillo]

·✥·

"Well, you're a wiser wolf than I am, then," he acknowledged, meeting Nate's smile easily. Out of the reckless things he'd done in his life, tipsy surfing had to be pretty low on the list, despite its obvious dangers. He was glad no one else was around to hear that, though, knowing he'd get a talking-to even though he'd stopped with that sort of thing years ago. Nico observed the good humor sliding from Nate's face as recognition swayed past the fog of alcohol, presumably, and sighed internally. He desperately missed the low stakes of just talking to another person, wolf or otherwise.

But he refocused swiftly and leaned back, one elbow on the bar, his posture relaxed to let him have a little extra space. He tilted his head in acknowledgement of what Nate shared. "Fair enough, the Cove's, uh... a bit of a mixed bag, for sure. I grew up here, but I lived outside for a time, too. Can't say I know what it's like to have no idea that we're all out there," he added, referring to the supernatural community in general, "but the upside of making it here is that you've found the place full of other people who do, and a lot who've probably been through much of the same as you."

He let that sit for a moment, and then added, "How're you adjusting, so far? I don't need details if you feel weird talking about it, but if you need anything—if you're looking for work, or a place to stay, some help during the full moons—I can point you in the right direction?"

[nate-windsor]

"Sounds like a nicer word for boring, wise." Nate's lips tilted into a half-smile. He wondered when it was exactly that he lost his wildness. Or perhaps he'd never been given the right place to nurture it. But it was much easier to shift his attention to the not knowing of it all than his own existential crises. "It's definitely a mindfuck. I'm not really used to being so out of my element." He probably hated that the most if he was being honest.

Nate's eyes, which had trailed to the counter, to his fingers absently tearing a cocktail napkin into tiny pieces, slid back to Nico at his question. He just looked at him a moment, taking the measure of a perfect stranger and weighing just how honest he wanted to be. Because he did want to be honest. Almost as much as he wanted to lie, to tuck his fears and uncertainties back behind that little locked door in his mind. He'd been brought up to never be a burden, to be seen and not heard. It was incredibly hard to shake that notion now.

So he didn't. Not with his wedding song still playing over the speakers. He could feel himself edging toward overwhelmed and overstimulated. "I think I'm doing alright," his pause was filled with a wry grin. "Considering." He laughed to drive home the point that he was just fine. "But I really appreciate that, man. Genuinely. And I'll probably take you up on at least one of those at some point. Think I'm probably just gonna head home now, though. This song's kinda killing my buzz." He fished into his pocket for his wallet and tossed a handful of bills onto the bar. Plucking up another cocktail napkin, he scratched his number across it and slid it over. "My phone's dead, but here. You know, if you wanna catch some waves after a midnight bender or something."

[dusktildcwn]

Cece had found that she deeply enjoyed making flower crowns. The day prior Kui had been kind enough to show her how to make them with fake flowers. The blonde had been so taken by the task that she had watched a few videos that night on how to make them with real wild flowers and figured that would be her task today.

You know, if her brother requested she sit out of any more competitions.

All of her teammates might be stretching or strategizing just how they planned to win the archery matches, but Cece was content with sitting in the plush grass and letting her fingers move the flowers into the right place. It was a nice, easy, motion. Almost like crocheting. After a while Cece found she was even able to take her eyes off the crown and look around at all the groups.

She was surprised to see a semi familiar face nearby. The recent customer from New Leaf, looking for books on werewolves. Was he apart of the pack? No based on his uniform, the CONS. Hmm...they weren't exactly close by on the field, and she couldn' help but wonder how he wandered over here. She gave him a bright smile regardless.

When he asked for one of her crowns, Cece was a bit surprised. Half of them had been test dummies that were now falling apart, the only one really holding itself together was the one she was almost done working on. But the point of making flower crowns was to share them with others, was it not? She wouldn't deny him the pleasure. "Sure, let me just finish this one." Standing, Cece got a bit closer to him and brought the chain up to hover around his head to test the size. "You know, if you're looking to be all nice to pull The Coven's strategy out of me, I will save you the trouble. Poppy or my brother will probably be your best bet." She teased, looking up from where she had just, finally, closed the flower crown chain.

As she leaned in to place the crown on his head, she playfully whispered. "They tell me nothing." Stepping back so she was no longer in is personal space. "I don't believe I introduced myself when we met before. So terribly rude of me. Cecile Van Doren. But most everyone calls me Cece." Any other day she'd extend her hand to shake, but she already feared the previous close proximity would be too much for her dear parents if they had somehow spotted the interaction.

[nate-windsor]

Nate feigned offense, pressing a hand to his heart as his mouth fell open. "I would never," he insisted, tone ambiguous enough to leave room to doubt him. At her prompting, he shot a quick glance toward Team Coven but he couldn't stomach tracing their faces for too long before his eyes trailed back to hers.

His lips pressed into a smile as he bowed his head enough to accept her crown. "Well, Cece, it's nice to meet you. Officially." He grinned, flashing teeth. "I'm Nate," he hesitated a moment, hating the weight that attached itself to his surname and hoped its influence didn't reach all the way out here, "Windsor. But most everyone calls me Nate."

His grin remained as he narrowed his eyes on her. "You know, I couldn't help but notice you're out here making flower crowns instead of getting ready for the game. This isn't an anglerfish situation, is it? Now that I've put this crown my head, I'm not going to be cursed to, like, turn into a goat or something, am I?"

[daphnebishop]

She gaped at him, the crumpled petals still pressed in her hands, stunned for a moment by his demeanor only to rationalize in some small way she deserved it. Even if she'd deny it, tossing the crumpled flowers at his lap, she narrowed her eyes, sitting up on her knees, "You were wearing-" she slipped, eyes wide at her sudden burst. Daphne shook her head and fell back on her heels, unable to look at him directly. "I told you this damn town was dangerous," she threw up her hands as the nonsense left her lips. She knew it for what it was and huffed. "It was a safety arrow," Daphne defended firmly, "Do you really think I'd shoot something pointy at your head?" She leveled him with a sharp look, if you think me so bad say it aloud. If you believe me capable of all these horrors, then say it, she thought on repeat as if she needed it, needed to know how much he had loathed her. After all, he did not call, he did not reply, and he decided months ago that this was over for him. She only needed him to push her further until all the love she still held released her over the edge into life after him.

Daphne shuddered to think; it once felt impossible, but it still, in many ways, felt impossible. Everything she had been asked to release had claw marks through it. Did he doubt that? Did he not notice it in the months following Ronnie's death? How it consumed her every waking moment. Not even an empty grave had kept her from looking for her sister around every dark corner. She settled beside him, clearly in no hurry to go anywhere. Help me let you go, she thought as she swept curious eyes across his face. She had been the one to leave, leaving the drawn-up papers on the dresser with the letter he decided warranted no reply. All she had taken with her was what she wore, hidden under the collar of her shirt. Looking away, rolling her eyes, "You're fine," I'd never hurt you, not physically, she thought. The emotional damage was another story, "I tried to fix it, okay?" She gestured to the flowers in his lap. Something so small, and it meant so much.

Her cheeks burned, and Daphne inhaled a shaky breath, "I didn't-" she almost lied, she didn't mean to, but she had. She had meant to knock it off his head. Unable to look at it, while he smiled so fondly for something...someone who wasn't her. Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you ask me where I was? She wanted to ask and yet the words stuttered against her chest, trapped between the uneven thump of her heart. She didn't want to know, not if it would further break her heart. Not if it would be the thing that forced her to let go...what a terrible thing to be at odds with herself, to know what she needed, but to be unable to resolve with what she wanted.

[nate-windsor]

Nate bit back a retort along the lines of I don't know what you're capable of anymore because what was the point in saying it? He didn't want to hurt her. Even if he was still reeling from the choices she'd made for them both. So he grit his teeth against the words that wanted to form and swallowed them back down.

Instead, he listened, confusion pulling his brows together as he realized she thought his problem was the flower crown and the way she'd destroyed it. Truthfully, it wasn't until this moment that he realized she'd been targeting it specifically. And for what? Because a girl had made it for him? If so, that was rich considering she'd spent the entire challenge openly flirting with another man.

And there was, of course, the fact that she'd left him.

Still, he took the crown in hand. "It's not about the crown, Daph."

But she was already walking away.

{{{ TIME SKIP }}}

He'd secured his tent (and thank god they'd snagged a good one, he'd begun to worry that by aligning herself with him, Cece would have to suffer for it) and now found himself wandering the campgrounds. He did have to admit that the exercises they'd been put through really had, at least for him, made him feel more like part of a community. Maybe he could find a place here after all.

It was that thought of home that lingered on his mind as his eyes fell on Daphne. His easy steps faltered a moment, feeling caught off guard and unprepared for another fight. Maybe this wasn't his place. Maybe he should leave it to her since she found it first. Fuck, since her sister was here.

His head was spinning.

She hadn't spotted him yet and with her back to him, she seemed much more relaxed. Peaceful even. It made something settle in his chest uncomfortably. But he found himself making his way toward her, anyway. Perhaps there was some way they could make this work.

"So," he said, drawing the word out as he settled into a spot beside her. His eyes were fixed ahead as hers had been, his energy non-confrontational. "You're a witch, huh? And Ronnie." He blew out a breath through puffed out cheeks. "I'm glad you have her back." It had been the final thing that destroyed them, after all. Her need to find her sister, his desperation to keep her beside him. He'd traced and retraced their steps and it always led right back there.

[nate-windsor]

what: campfire retreat - dodgeball who: @itsronniebish & nate.

Nate narrowly avoided a ball that came flying at his feet seemingly out of nowhere. He had to admit that his heightened senses had sharpened his reflexes quite nicely. It wasn't cheating if basically everyone was dealing with some version of the same thing, right? And it was so nice to lose himself in something for once, to just shut off his brain and pretend like he wasn't fully aware of his proximity to his ex-wife. One that had made quite a show out of flirting with Starched Shirt Guy.

He was feeling totally fine and cool about the whole thing.

And it was about the time he'd solidified that as his inner mantra that his eyes fixed onto another Bishop entirely.

Nate had a vivid memory of a time when he was seven years old, swinging from the monkey bars. He'd gotten too cocky, skipping three bars at a time. When he went for four, he missed, fingers slipping from the bar as he fell flat onto his back below. The next several moments he could only lay there gasping as he fought for breath.

This felt a lot like that, staring someone he knew to be dead right in the face. Because Veronica Bishop was here. And she was very much alive.

He didn't realize he'd stopped, didn't realize a ball was hurtling towards him with stunning accuracy.

"Ronnie?" he asked in disbelief.

The ball hit him squarely in the face.

[nate-windsor]

who: @efexumukoroxlc & nate. what: paired event - escape room.

"I think I found something," Nate said, plucking up the little strip of paper. Despite telling himself that he needed to chill, he still felt an obscene amount of pressure to do this and do it well. He wanted to impress. He would be horrified with himself if he was just dead weight. "'All trees are useful. But what type of tree is the most handy?'" His eyebrows furrowed as he looked toward his partner. He held out the paper in case Efe wanted to read it for himself as he began to glance around the room for anything that might make sense. "The most handy," he repeated under his breath as he scanned. "You think it could be something like paper? Or...?"

[nate-windsor]

who: cece & nate ( @cecevandoren ) where: sometime before archery. i think we talked about when but i can't find it now so let's just pretend we're all on the same page.

There was no real reason why Nate should have been this far out when the rest of his team was readying themselves on the opposite end of the field. Under the guise of limbering up (a few side lunges and arm swings) he meandered further and further away from team CONS. But more importantly, team Coven.

He'd intended for the weekend to be when he immersed himself fully into this little community, where he made friends and connections, and maybe even learned a thing or two about himself. And he was pissed as hell that he was allowing his fragile heart to take it all away from him. That he was allowing her to take everything away from him.

Again.

And it was at about that point in his woe-is-me inner-monologuing that he spotted the blonde. He recognized her from the bookstore, the overly attentive clerk who'd been desperate for a distraction.

Well, it was time for her to repay the favor.

As he drew closer, his gaze honed in on the flowers in her lap, her hands busy and rhythmic. It was already beginning to take shape and the closer he came, he realized it was a flower crown. Something about that struck him as wholesome, and one side of his mouth quirked in a smile. "Can I get one of those?" he asked by way of greeting, nodding his chin in the direction of the crown.

[daphnebishop]

Daphne & Nate after archery @nate-windsor

Winning didn't feel as good as it typically had in the past, not when her stomach was a bitter roll of unresolved, unsaid things making a fool of her. Many of the competitors had found their way to food while Daphne had taken to pacing, contemplating if she should leave this damned town. She had enough money to start over; maybe in a few years, she would forget this place, forget him. Daphne knew better than that, knew forgetting wasn't something she could do, even if she wanted to; fucking magic. The twisted supernatural reality felt like the punchline to the joke that was her entire life. Insanity was easier than the twisted supernatural reality, insanity she could explain, there was an answer for it, but this? This was some fluke of nature that had made her this way. Why was a question she had yet to answer. She doubted there would ever be a moment it was as clear as Daphne longed it to be; her eyes caught a flash of crumpled flowers, her heart fell into the pit of her stomach with a frown. Another why she had yet to answer.

Carefully picking up the flowers, she smoothed the petals in the palm of her hand, some fell the the ground, no matter how she tried it wouldn't look the way it had before she had shot it off his head. She made careful work, trying to put it back for several moments, her frustration mounting. The more she tried, the less it looked like it was supposed to. Her brows creased, each following breath more shallow than the last, why the hell can't you fix it? She thought as she accidentally crushed a small petal in her hand with trembling fingers. Daphne worked on the crown until her frustration threatened to rip it apart and leave it nothing more than floral confetti.

She sought him out with the remnants in her hand, dropping wordlessly to the space beside him. Daphne uncurled her fingers, "I shouldn't have done that," she admitted. It wasn't an apology, not when she knew she'd do it again, knowing she wasn't sorry she had. Only sorry that he had seemed so terribly sad that she'd gone and broken a nice thing again. Daphne drew a small breath, unable to look him in the eye. "It needs better knots to not be so delicate," she said and immediately wished she had not, "I just mean, I tried to." She shook her head a little, "It doesn't matter," she decided, keeping her gaze stubbornly anywhere but his face. Daphne knew the damaged flower crown was only one of the many questionable choices she had made, none she truly wanted to face, nor was she sure how to explain when she doubted he would believe anything she said regardless.

[nate-windsor]

Nate was... processing.

In his defense, there was a lot to process.

First, there was the omnipresence that was Daphne. Even when she was out of sight, he could feel her. It was like some sort of cosmic joke. How could he still be so in tune with her frequency when she'd pulled the plug on them?

Then, of course, there was the fact that she was on team coven. Coven! Daphne was a witch? Since when? How many parts of herself had she kept from him? Had he ever known her at all? As far as he knew, you didn't get bit by a witch in order to become one. So, it stood to reason that she knew. She wound up here, didn't she? Supernatural capital of the fucking world, probably.

And in the middle of all of that, he was still desperately trying to find his place here. He needed this place, needed to learn who and what he was now. He was dangerous and he felt so out of control and he thought he could pretend like everything was just fine. And then Daphne had gone and shot an arrow at his head. He didn't understand it. She'd left him. So why couldn't she also leave him alone?

Nate had all but run off that field once the game was over. He was angry and he was confused and he wanted as far away from all of that as he could possibly get. So it only made sense that Daphne seemed to materialize beside him.

His head swiveled in her direction, brows lowering as his defenses immediately went up. "What that fuck was that, Daphne? You shot an arrow at my head."