I know--You're all paper thin

Garrett Briggs . 25 . Professional Witch-For-Hire . Asshole . Internet Guru/Sensation

[artsandmagics]

Seeing the little box did nothing to change his mood when his shoulder still felt heavy and it didn’t exactly take his mind off of certain things either, but it moved his mind in a different direction for the moment while pushing the weight back just a little. The thoughts that had him calling out Garrett’s name to get him there, the thoughts that had him huddled back against the wall in his room, those thoughts were still there, but they didn’t stand at the front of his mind as he squinted his eyes at the thing the other kid was holding. The thing he was looking at with a raised brow had kind of taken over his thought process for the moment. “You think the girls around school are going to buy something like that if it’s not exactly.. pretty?”

[princeofthenet-blog]

"What do you mean?" Garrett looked between Adrian and the little box in his hand, idly trailing his fingers through the music swirling in the air above it. "This thing is plenty pretty." But now that Adrian mentioned it, Garrett couldn't help but see the rougher edges of the charm, the parts he hadn't exactly...softened and instantly knew the other witch was right. Curbing his knee-jerk reaction of shutting the teen down, the sadness in the air nearly palpable, had him taking a breath and biting down on his sharp words he said instead, "What do you suggest."

[artsandmagics]

Not knowing what to expect when he walked into the room and not expecting what he saw were two very different things, but also two things that seemed joined together. While he wasn’t sure what he would see when he pushed the door aside and found himself standing in the room he hadn’t been in before, Adrian was certain it wouldn’t be something he had witnessed. There was no doubt in his mind that while he didn’t expect to see it, Garrett didn’t expect him to just walk in and see it, and that was about as obvious as anything else with the slight change in the man’s aura and the way he walked around the room now. The man looked comfortable and at peace sitting on the stool, yet now he was back to the same way most people saw him and the way Adrian saw him nearly all the time.

If he was honestly with himself, it was the same way anyone and everyone saw Adrian. Closed off, kept to himself, an asshole. Two peas in a pod, or something like that as he let his eyes follow the man he shared a bed with on many nights. The room wasn’t what he expected as he took a few more steps into it, but it would have been the same way if someone stepped into his own work space and saw the paintings he had laid around the place, or even the many just spread out around his loft. “So this is.. different.” The little trinkets he’d seen the other man selling were more expected than the horses and potions locked in the room when that was a whole new side to things and he still wasn’t sure how to react.

[princeofthenet-blog]

Different.

It was only habit, and years of dealing with the same response that kept the sneer off of his face, Garrett's back turned to the other witch as he shifted vials and bottles around on their racks. He'd heard that he was 'different' so many times while being shuffled through the system, he'd come to despise the word. Not that Adrian would know that, or ever would if Garrett had his way with things, but that didn't stop his hackles from rising in response.

"Yeah, well--you were dead to the world. I had some work to get done. Simple as that." Saying so reminded Garrett that he'd left breakfast in the kitchen hours ago, and his stomach was rumbling with hunger. "You eat?"

[artsandmagics]

Adrian had only stood there and watched, taking in the sight before him. It was different than he was used to, different than he expected, different in every sense when he had so rarely seen an aura that bright and never that he could remember coming from the man before him. There was always something, but never pure happiness. The smile still pulled at the corner of his lips as he saw the reaction and quick change that had Adrian still standing there. “No help needed. Not at all.” Instead of turning around and walking out, avoiding the usual awkward morning after moment and whatever would follow, Adrian stepped deeper into the room, his eyes scanning the room, moving back and forth between Garrett, the horses, and now the box held in his hand. “Cute.”

[princeofthenet-blog]

That familiar fear Garrett always got, the one that ate at the back of his confidence on those nights he forgot how important it was to sleep on a regular basis, was slowly curling up his chest in accordance with the embarrassment he felt being caught in a situation not many had ever seen. Garrett felt his expression was as closed off as it usually was, but his thoughts were still muddled and lost in the creation of his horses. Looking between the horses and Adrian, he tried to see it in the way the man did, but only came up with a number of ever increasing embarrassing stories, and snide remarks that would ruin whatever good feeling Garrett had been able to cultivate since waking up. If he were truly honest with himself, he would realize that the 'good feeling' he'd been having was coming around more frequently, and usually coincided when in the presence of a certain witch. 

"Right." 

Reaching out, he nudged the small horses into a box he grabbed off of a shelf and set them to the side, their soft wickers followed him as he busied himself cleaning up the mess his room had become, and not on the other witches presence. He expected ridicule, it was the main reason why he conducted all his sales online anonymously, because he could sell the high brow what they wanted, for pennies on the dollar, but the things he really loved, the things that got his heart racing and inspired him to create newer, and better, and interesting, those he only felt safe selling online, to people who would appreciate every little nuance.

[artsandmagics]

While the door had been pushed closed, that didn’t stop Adrian from slowly and quietly making his way through, pushing it open just enough to move past it and into the space that had been hidden away. A workroom, which wasn’t what he expected, though he didn’t exactly know what to expect. His eyes barely scanned the room before landing on the familiar figure sitting down on a stool, the same figure he’d woken up in bed with too many times to keep count at this point. Not needing to see Garrett’s face, Adrian could see the aura of someone happy, someone enjoying themselves, someone who woke up on the right side of the bed. The moment he opened his mouth to speak, even if he had no idea what to say, that was the same moment he finally took in the tiny horses running about. It quickly had him closing his mouth and crossing his arms over his chest as he stood there and took in the sight with a smile tugging at his lips.

[princeofthenet-blog]

Garrett nudged the horse that had become attached to him back towards its fellows with a soft chuckle. Moving to his feet, he shoved a hand through his hair, causing the disarray to become more pronounced, and moved around the table in search of another project. Pulling a small music box off of the top shelf, knocking over a few vials in the process, he turned back towards the table and stopped in his tracks. Garrett felt the faintest flush curl up his neck at being caught in the midst of working by the one person he felt unsettled by. Depending on his mood that unsettled feeling could be a good, or a very very bad thing. Dropping his arms, music box in hand, he slowly set it down on the table and raised a brow at the other man, ignoring the horses that had surrounded the new curiosity of the music box. "Can I help you and your little voyeur problem?"

[artsandmagics]

It would have been an understatement to say that the vampire was annoyed, and even a little at himself when he had decided to kidnap the witch and bring him back to his place. That was a decision he was starting to question more and more as time went on. It was even more now as he glared at the witch, but still didn’t let him go. “I think maybe we’ll continue with the game. What do you think?” It was childish on his part, not letting the guy go, but he sure as hell didn’t trust him, even if his life depended on it. At this point though, it kind of did, and it caused him to take a step back while releasing the grip he had on the witch.

[princeofthenet-blog]

Garrett bit down on the groan, the vampire's words elicited, but he didn't hold back on his eyeroll, using the exasperation in his expression to hide just how exhausted he was. Leaning against the wall once the vampire had released him, he tried not to make it look like he was using it to stay upright. "I'd actually prefer to be let go, but hey--what do I know." Garrett felt around for his magic, and tried not to let a wash of panic rush through him at how little he could find. He'd used most of it on that transportation spell, andcould feel it embedded into the ground. All he needed was to make his way there and speak the final word and he'd be free--now just to make it there before the vampire could catch onto what he was thinking.

[artsandmagics]

After closing his eyes for a moment, Adrian let his head hang back against the wall behind him and the kid by his side and took in the silence. It wasn’t comforting, but it wasn’t exactly uncomfortable either. He still wondered why he said Garrett’s name when it only meant the kid had now seen him at his lowest — to this point. It was starting to seem like a bad idea when he heard the soft music that caused him to turn his head and squint his eyes at the object. “What the hell is that?”

[princeofthenet-blog]

Glad he seemed to garner Adrian's attention, minus the heavy weight of sadness covering him, he held the music box out for his inspection. "Little charm I've been working on. Thinking about making more and selling them around school for a few bucks. Know how much the girls like things like this, and could probably make one to play whatever song the person asked for. Maybe."

[princeofthenet-blog]

Online Chat || tonicareus & hexitup

hexitup: i know for a fact you'd be a very happy person if you did hack my webcam.

hexitup: you know...you do seem oddly...happy. either you hacked my webcam or you got laid.

hexitup: or both. :D

tonicsareus: wouldn't you like to know ;p

[artsandmagics]

At some point it went from the late night text messages that lead to Adrian trying to sneak out in the morning and usually failing, to the man spending the night and waking up to the smell of food the next morning. There were the many awkward morning after moments that got tossed in, along the occasional morning when he’d  woken up and made breakfast with the guy who was only supposed to be a booty call. Any twists and turns his life took didn’t even match what was currently going on.

Nothing to that point could really match Adrian waking up in a bed that wasn’t his own and feeling comfortable in it. It was beyond him how it all happened, but he tried his best to not think about it and didn’t dare bring it up each morning he woke up and hadn’t sneaked out, only stayed for a short period of time for a bite to eat and even what felt like comfortable silence — and that was something that never existed. He wasn’t surprised when his eyes opened and no one was in the bed beside him and it lead him to the kitchen just the same as other mornings. The only surprise was the fact it was empty, aside from the cold french toast he tore a piece off of and popped in his mouth before roaming around and soon catching sight of an aura that lead him in the direction of a room he’d yet to venture into.

[princeofthenet-blog]

Hours had passed in his little workroom, long enough that Garrett had manipulated the small horse to neigh and act like a real horse, as well as a few more. The herd of horses were currently prancing around his work table, dodging between vials and forgotten charms, while neighing their joy. Garrett sat on his stool, chin pillowed on his crossed arms where they rested on the table's edge, a small smile on his face as he watched his creations enjoy themselves. One of the horses, speckled with faint spots, broke away from the rest and cantered to where Garrett rested, begging for attention, that he happily gave, running a finger down the horses back in silent reverence. Their life wouldn't last long, a few hours at most, but it didn't make him any less happy to know that it had worked.

[princeofthenet-blog]

Garrett isn't entirely sure when the 'one night stands' turned into Adrian spending the night and one, or both of them, making breakfast in the morning before the pair split ways. For his own peace of mind, he chose simply not to think about it. 

This morning was one such morning. A text message declaring a need for the 'finer' things, a night filled with rigorous activity, and now Garrett was up, at the crack of dawn, making enough food for two. Curling his nose at the french toast, he slid the last plate onto the island in his kitchen, and grabbed a piece as he wandered towards his workroom. It was still early, early enough he knew Adrian would be hours from waking, and he didn't have any pressing jobs to finish up, but that didn't mean he couldn't tinker with a few projects he'd had to push to the side for other things. He still had that toy mechanical horse he hadn't figured out how to make neigh, yet, and a few other things he could tinker with until Adrian woke up and the inevitable awkward 'morning after' could begin.

[artsandmagics]

The reasons for the witch still being alive were a very small number and only getting smaller as time went on. If the man didn’t know anything and had nothing to share, Adrian had half a mind to just kill him in that moment. Letting him go wasn’t an option when it wouldn’t do either of them any good — not that he cared about the life of the man he had trapped. One thing he wasn’t willing to do was risk his own for someone or something he didn’t know or care for. This whole situation wasn’t something he cared for and the witch had been getting on his nerves for quite some time now, and it was only getting worse.

Though Adrian wasn’t sure it could get any worse, he seemed to be mistaken when he felt a tongue move across the palm of his hand. It caused the corners of his lips to pull downward into a frown that soon became a scowl. “That was… uncalled for.” And disgusting, but that went without saying as Adrian pulled his hand back and wiped it across the front of his jacket but not yet taking a step back. “Even a little childish, don’t you think?”

[princeofthenet-blog]

Garrett's grin was wicked as the vampire pulled his hand away, no sense of self-preservation left within him. He was dead either way, so might as well annoy the vampire enough he would make Garrett's death quick. "What else did you expect when you ask questions and don't let me have a chance to answer? Now, you going to let me go, or we going to continue this idiotic game?"

[jjhammond]

It wasn’t another spur of the moment that had them ready and on their way to watching a movie at the theater they found themselves in. Perhaps it was on Julian’s part when the man wasn’t willing to spend another minute in his house at that time of day when noise was pulsing through the walls and being alone seemed better. It had seemed better until Xander showed up and swept him off his feet, and kind of in the literal sense when he so easily got in the car and agreed to the movie that Julian now stepped up to the counter to order the largest popcorn they had for. The second it was packed to the rim and paid for, Julian stepped aside and threw a piece of popcorn in his mouth before looking at the guy hugging the icee and candy to his chest. “You better not be a hog.”

[princeofthenet-blog]

Xander's only response was a bright grin as he managed not to dislodge any of his swag and stole a piece of popcorn of his own. "You'll just have to find that out for yourself, won't you." With a wink, he was turning on his heel and heading for the theatre, mentally congratulating himself on being so smooth. A self-deprecating snort left a moment later as he lead the way into their movie and immediately headed for the back row, dead center. "You know anything about this movie?"

[subjectontherun]

There was no doubt in her mind that they both had their own handful to deal with, plus whatever else got thrown in their direction. It appeared to be more than a handful a piece, but that barely seemed to phase her when this was the one thing she had been doing longer than anything else. Either fighting or being locked away from the rest of the world. Anything before that was a distant memory and held little to no value at this point in her life or even before now. Charlie rarely even allowed herself to wonder about a time before she was snatched away.

While one went down, another came onward and it was all followed by her striking forward just the same as the first time. Though at one point, Charlie felt a pair of arms reach and wrap around her. It was unexpected, yet she easily took care of it and the man who soon regretted it as the back of her head connected with him and he soon fell to the ground. All on the ground, like the many others that were sent after them before now and the many others that would come after them once again. It seemed never ending when all they wanted was to be free of it.

Releasing a deep breath, Charlie made her way towards her companion and the man he was nearly choking the life out of. Though she only caught the last part of the conversation, the words the man sent to kill them had spoke, it was more than enough to send an unwanted chill down her spine while anger rose up within her. “That’s just fantastic,” she spoke, sarcasm lacing her words as she tilted her head towards Zed. He was ready to kill the man and she was more than ready to let him, but only if the man didn’t know a way of getting the trackers out. “How do we get rid of them?”

“Y-you can’t.”

“Oh?” Tilting her head to the side, staring daggers at the man, Charlie raised a brow in his direction. “You might want to rethink that.” Perhaps if the man knew a way to get them out, Zed would spare his life long enough for it to actually be done — though Charlie wasn’t counting on it.

[princeofthenet-blog]

Zed's expression, if he were any other sort of creature, might've reduced into anger, but unfortunately for the man held within his grasp, all emotion left him. He was nothing more than the killing machine they had bred him to be and his hand tightened infinitesimally more on the man's throat, causing him to choke and scrabble at his grip with his gloved hands. He waited until the man's eyes started to glaze over from lack of air before loosening his grip enough for him to pull in a lungful of air.

"Now. Where are they."

The agent seemed like he might argue again, but Zed only had to tighten his grip once more for the man to splutter in response.

"Alright! Alright. They're under the skin int he base of your spine. But you can't take them out without a surgical te--"

With a sharp crack the man's words cut off and his body slumped to the ground as Zed wiped his hands off on his pants with a sneer of disgust. 

"Pathetic."

[jjhammond]

A light laugh passed Julian’s lips while he followed towards the concessions, chancing a quick glance around before looking at the guy beside him. “Make it cherry and I think there’s a chance.”

[xander--harris]

"Cherry, got it." Xander grinned and headed to the counter, following through on his declaration and ordering the biggest cherry icee they had. Inserting two straws and hugging the icee and candy to his chest, he moved to the side with a flourish and waited for Julian to order, stomach flipping in that faint hint of nerves he’d been able to write off since meeting the man. This was more work than he usually had to put into getting a man into his bed, but Xander had to admit, it was turning out to be a lot more fun than usual. Although, he wouldn’t say no to another round of making out, preferably in the back of the movie theatre, with cherry flavored lips. Oh yeah, he was definitely going to make that happen, if his libido had any say about it.

[jjhammond]

"I wouldn’t dream of insulting you like that. Clearly you are the king. I’m just surprised you haven’t seen it more," Julian found a teasing smile on his face as he didn’t bother pulling his arm back, only letting Xander lead the way. As they reached the door, Julian finally pulled his arm free, if only to reach out and open the door for Xander. "Juliet can open the door too, you know."

[xander--harris]

"Can Juliet also buy popcorn?" Xander’s grin was quick as he walked through the open door, chancing a small bow and walking towards concessions. "Because if so, I’m pretty sure I could swing getting the biggest icee they own and that jumbo pack of gobstoppers."

[jjhammond]

“Only twelve?”

Julian did everything in his power to hold back the full blown grin and the laughter that so very wanted to be released, but he ultimately failed in the worst way when both slipped out as he slid out of the car. “Very smooth, Romeo.”

[xander--harris]

"What, like you’ve seen it more? I highly doubt that. I’m like the king of Baymax. No one has seen it more than I have, not even the characters in the movie." Xander’s grin was in full force, far too pleased with himself at getting the other man to laugh so openly with him. Straightening, he gave Julian a wink as he closed the door behind him, and wrapped his arm through Julian’s to pull him towards the movie theatre. "Only the best for my Juliet."

[jjhammond]

Pick the right movie and it’s very unlikely you’ll find any screaming children in there anyway. Just don’t go for anything Disney related or you’ll be screwed.

I’m not so sure a car ride can equal a date, and as much as I’d like to say yes — well.. it all depends on how dark the theater gets. We’ll leave it at a maybe, or very possibly.

[xander--harris]

"So, Big Hero Six is out? Guess that’s fine, I’ve already seen it, like, twelve times."

“‘Maybe’ I can work with.” Grinning, Xander pulled into the movie theatre parking lot and found a spot for his car. Unbuckling, he got out of his car, motioning for Julian to wait, and with a not-so-smooth slide over the car’s hood he was opening the other man’s car door, with a bow. “My good sir.”

[jjhammond]

Doesn’t seem so bad. Drive-in theaters are a bit extinct around here though, so I hope you don’t mind being in-doors with crying children and too many people for anyone’s liking.

[xander--harris]

Indoors I can do. Screaming children I’ll just have to deal with, but I’m sure there will be plenty of things to help me do so.

Now, the big question of the day, am I allowed to kiss you in the dark of the movie theater, or is that only a ‘third date’ kind of thing, because I’m totally willing to let this car ride equal our second date.