Xander Karr

Scars are just a treasure map for pain you've buried too deep to remember. The wolves knew when it was time to stop looking for what they'd lost, to focus instead on what was yet to come.

[retired-tactical-mind]

We’re Closed || Xander & Nika

[retired-tactical-mind]

nikafields:

She smirked, turning around with a shrug and walking out into the lobby of the bar. Nika began to place the chairs on top of the tables and blowing the candles out that sat there with barely a movement or flicker. She always loved the air candles created around them – very personal and very warm. 

“You know what I mean, ya big grump.” She called over her shoulder, walking to the corner of the bar to grab the broom and began sweeping under the tables.  Nika chuckled at his response of calling him a distraction. 

“Don’t let it get to your head, now.” She shot him a playful glare that faded into a smile as her eyes went back to the work in front of her. It had been awhile since they’d conversed like this. It pleased Nika to see he was still on his toes, well. 

He knew exactly what she meant and he should make his way to his bed. A shower and the comfort of his bed called to the wary old bones, but she was here and she was still working and he couldn’t, in good conscience leave her along. She was strong, she could take care of herself, but people were going missing. He wouldn’t leave her alone. Not right now. “You’re stuck with me, Nika, stop arguing with me.” 

He stacked the coasters and laughed when she shot back at him. “Too late,” he told her. He was never going to let her forget that she considered him a distraction. “Distractions can be good things, after all. Though, I suppose that depends on the type of distraction you’re looking for.” 

[retired-tactical-mind]

We’re Closed || Xander & Nika

[retired-tactical-mind]

nikafields:

“Ow!” She growled, rubbing her forehead where he flicked her. It was nice to see, though, he wasn’t in a grumpy mood. Her eyes followed his movements with a soft, caring smile on her lips before tripping over her own feet when he rocked his hips into hers. With a small ‘oof’, she bumped into the bar counter and caught herself. “Bully!” Nika mumbled and turned around to watch him. 

“I don’t know!” Nika shrugged, crossing her arms against her chest,”Maybe it’s my plan to make sure you break something so I can overtake this place.” Never in her years could she ever imagine taking Xander’s place, though. There would be an uproar and in no way shape or form, could she even imagine she would be fit for the job. She couldn’t stand people, on most days. They were exhausting.

A rush of tension ran over her body and her knees were growing weak. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second before reopening them and blinking at Xander. Tomorrow she would make it her mission to take a dip in the Lake. She would have to or else she would pity the fool who crossed her path come tomorrow morning. 

Nika walked up behind him, stretching out her tense knees, and pinched his neck before plopping herself in front of him. “Well you,” Nika poked him square in the chest,”Listen here. Go home..” Her voice turned soft and so did her gaze. “God only knows what you put up with all day.” Xander took care of her and the most she could do was take care of him back. “You know I don’t mind you being here but if you haven’t noticed, you’re kinda a distraction!” Nika joked with a flirtatious roll of her eyes. Xander was a handsome of a man. But then again so was every person of Spiritvale. It was almost like the movie, The Stepford Wives. But in real life.

He glanced back at her, a grin etching his scruffy features. “I knew it,” he told her. “I always suspected you were trying to kill me or maime me. Just biding your time until you could spring into action and get rid of me. It all makes sense now.” The bar was in no danger from her, he knew that, though his voice belayed no joke as he spoke. He was completely serious. “I’m going to put that in my will. Just as an after. If I die, Nika did it.” Others had tried and failed, but he knew he was safe with her. She was his best bartender. She’d been with him for over a decade. If he were to ever leave for an extended time, she’d be the one he left in charge. 

“I’m already home, Nika.” He lived on the grounds, a bit away from the Boathouse itself but he was home. His eyebrows lifted and he turned back to her, “Is that so?” He asked. “A distraction, hmm?” He could be a distraction, he was very good at being a distraction, but he hadn’t actually been trying to be one currently. 

[retired-tactical-mind]

Harvest || Xander & Clara

[retired-tactical-mind]

clarawinden:

Autumn was an intensely special time for Clara.  It always had been for her people.  It was the time of year to hunt the big game for the winter months, when the buffalo and moose bayed and bellowed, the time of year to gather the last of the good herbs, the time of year to bid farewell to the summer’s warmth and ready for the winter ice.

Her old friend was fortunate to have a goodly orchard of fruit trees on his property and it had become something of a tradition for the two of them to go apple picking every fall.  The old wolf and the old medicine woman.  On the rare occasions that Clara did show her face around the town it was almost always in Xander’s company and today was no exception.  

She laughed softly when he’d detected her presence, long before he’d actually seen her.  The vampire shoved her hands into her jeans pockets, old and long faded things much like the flannel shirt draped loosely over her torso.  She didn’t dress to impress, nor did she have to - not with Xander.

“Sorry my boy,” she said, walking over to the base of the ladder.  “Had something to take care of this year before I came out.”

Xander knew all about the harvest time. The witches in the town spent their time harvesting and drying their own herbs and he spent his time helping Clara do the same. It was Samhain, the time of year when the harvests were just about over and the ground barren for the winter. He had wanted to get the apples off the trees before the cold truly started rolling in. In a town this close to a mountain, the first frost could come anytime. The plants needed to be cared for so that it wouldn’t hurt them for next year. 

A smile graced his lips even as he went back to work plucking apples from the trees. “No matter, you’re here now. I hope everything is alright,” he said. He wasn’t digging for information, though if she wanted to pass along her day's exploits she knew he would listen. 

Once the bucket was full, he grabbed the handle and started down the ladder and over to the large wheelbarrow. He passed Clara on his way and paused to place a soft kiss on her cheek. A welcome gesture. Before walking over and dumping his haul. 

[retired-tactical-mind]

Harvest || Xander & Clara

The harvest season was among them, herbs, roots, and other fruits, all ripe for the picking. The grounds of his Inn were littered with fruit-bearing trees. Stone fruits for the spring and summer and apples for the fall. He spent all year pruning and planting and taking care of the plants and when the time came, they rewarded him for his efforts with the fruit they bore. He loved this time of year. The crispness of the fall air, the sweetness of fires in freshly cleaned places. The need for a jacket and warmer socks. It made working easier because the sun didn’t beat down and heat the skin. 

At the moment, Xander was standing on a ladder, a bucket placed at the top of it, apples spilling into it. He only had a few trees, but for the few trees he had, he would likely collect enough apples to keep him in pies and sauce and butter for the whole year. That was, of course, if Clara made it all for him. Xander had never been very good in the kitchen. He had cooks for that at the inn. 

A crunch of a branch behind him and the shift in the wind told him his friend had shown up and grinned. “You’re late,” he said glancing back at the woman. “I was starting to think I would be doing this all on my own this year. It’s not like you to keep me waiting.” Xander and Clara had been good friends for many years. A couple of loners that enjoyed the company of wild animals more than people. 

@clarawinden

[retired-tactical-mind]

We’re Closed || Xander & Nika

[retired-tactical-mind]

nikafields:

Was Xander actually getting snappy with her? Half of her wanted to laugh but the other half was actually intimidated. As he advanced to her, she stopped breathing for a few seconds and lowered her gaze, listening to his words. 

She raised her gaze again to meet him straight in his eyes, turned her body to fully face him, and stood on her tippy-toes to try and be as half as tall as him. “Unless you don’t want me around. I can take a hint.” She mocked him in a lowered, rusty voice. Nika didn’t know what Xander was thinking or what kind of mood he was in – but the joke was a risk she was willing to take. He did a lot and he deserved to light-heartedness in his day. She narrowed her eyes at him to mimic his rough and tough looking face, but couldn’t keep it serious – resulting in her slowly but surely bursting out into a laugh. Xander and Rae were the two people she could actually laugh around and she appreciated it. She needed it. 

Nika rocked back onto her heels and spiked an eyebrow with a smart-ass smirk.”Look old man,” She stopped herself from laughing at the irony. Only if he knew how old she really was,”I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.” She teased again. Maybe it was her lack of sleep that was making her so silly. Whatever it was though, she almost didn’t mind it. 

Xander stared Nika down, which wasn’t that hard considering how much shorter she was than him and kept his face impassive when she mocked him. He brought his hand up and lightly flicked her in the forehead. “Grump,” he said smoothly as he brought his hand down, a sly grin spreading across his lips. It was pleasant to see that despite the fact that he was technically her boss she still felt like she could mess with him. Her imitation of his voice was comical and the laugh that threatened to burst from him while he tried to remain stoic was not easily kept under wraps. Especially when her laughter floated through the empty bar.

His laugh rang out and a smile beamed, white teeth gleaming. “Listen here,” he said walking past her, his hip cocking out to nudge her as he went. “How about you worry about yourself and I worry about the danger of breaking a hip. Unless, of course, it happens because my bartender is shit at mopping floors and I slip and fall.” 

[retired-tactical-mind]

We’re Closed || Xander & Nika

[retired-tactical-mind]

nikafields:

Nika caught X’s little grin and couldn’t help but grin as well. It felt good to make good people smile. But oh shit did she forget about the back. 

She gave him a look that read,’Really?’ and a contrast statement followed,”Xander I’m a big girl. I love your offer but I’d rather be here right now then at home.” The Boathouse was her therapy. It got her mind away from bad memories that slipped into her head. It made her worry about more present problems and situations. 

And even though his offer almost sounded orgasmic, she wanted to finish her work. “You probably have more important things to do anyway.”

Xander gave her a patronizing look that told her she had to know she was full of shit. “It’s my bar, Nika,” he told her flatly. “This is my something better to do.” He loved his bar and the Inn. He liked the hard word and working with his hands. The grounds were always expertly kept, clean and inviting. Xander liked the busy work. 

He set the glass on the bar and walked to her. “I know you’re a big girl, if you don’t want to go home, you don’t have to, the bar is always open to you, but you are allowed to accept help. Unless you just don’t want me around. I can take the hint if that’s the case.” He had no issues calling it a night, but to the old wolf, sleep was a rarity as it was. It was perhaps one of the many reasons why one of his best friends was a creature of the night. 

[retired-tactical-mind]

We’re Closed || Xander & Nika

[retired-tactical-mind]

nikafields:

Rayne’s name wasn’t a strange name that never showed up in the bar’s vicinity. She was either causing chaos here, or one of the guys were always looking for her. Nika almost felt like she was Rayne’s lil personal assistant. But then again the girl was at The Boathouse religiously so it wasn’t hard to know what all went on in her life no matter how hard Nika tried staying out of it. 

“Oh -” Nika cooed at his question. She looked around the bar and questioned if she had cleaned well enough. A few chairs needed to still be pushed in from her mopping, but other than that everything looked normal and clean. “N-No!” She furrowed her brow and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Get some sleep.. Or.. whatever it is you need.” A small chuckle came from her lips. “This is my everyday therapy!” Nika opened her arms out wide and shrugged her shoulders up to her ear. “Who doesn’t love cleaning up vomit and wreaking of potato water all day long?” 

Xander let a little smile slip across his lips, a chuckle making his Adam's apple bob. “I wasn’t sure if you were done in the back or not. Haven’t been back there, after all.” The front looked fine save for a few chairs that needed to be put up, but he had interrupted her in her cleaning so he wasn’t going to falt her for not having them up. “But in answer to your question,” he lifted his beer, drinking it, “no one likes cleaning up vomit. I hope you tossed the asshole out.” 

Xander gave Nika free run of the bar when she was on. What she felt was appropriate for the customers was what happened. The customer was not always right and he would never put up with any sort of mistreatment of his bartender. “Potato water is nasty, why don’t you leave whats left to me. I think I can handle three chairs. You should get outta here.”

[retired-tactical-mind]

We’re Closed || Xander & Nika

[retired-tactical-mind]

nikafields:

A warm feeling overtook her on-edge body. The voice was a familiar, welcoming one that always made Nika relieved to here. She listened as his footsteps grew closer and closer as she relaxed herself. 

It wasn’t that Nika despised the bar.. In fact she called the Boathouse home. But it wasn’t helping that her body itched to be in the water for just a few seconds while the dead wooden building sat on top of the lake. She wasn’t able to slip out of her clothes and into the water when the humans and even the other supernaturals rode her every nerve. It was quite a tease. 

Nika pasted a soft grin on her face as she buffered the space in front of her, keeping her back facing the door still. “The usual.” Nika raised an eyebrow and chuckled under her breath,”The usual drunkards and loners – the teenagers with the fake I.D’s” She turned her head and rested her chin on her shoulder.

“The place hasn’t been torn into bits and pieces, yet, so I assume it was a good night.”

Xander drank from his glass, the cold beer wetting tired vocal cords and smoothing his scratchy voice. He enjoyed the bar and the work that went with it. The cleanup and the patrons didn’t bother him. None of it seemed to bother the old wolf with the gruff voice and watchful eye. 

“Ah,” he said with a nod once he’d swallowed his swig. “So Rayne hasn’t been in tonight.” It was a statement, not a question. The woman had an ability to destroy the bar without thinking. Her quick temper and lack of patience often caused at least one patron to end up a few bruises. He couldn’t even count the number of times they’d had to redecorate and rebuilt because of her. 

“Did you want any help with finishing up? I’m sure you’re anxious to get going.” He was looking to go to bed himself, but he understood she would be too. While he’d spent the day going over topographical maps with Clara, she had been busting her ass at his bar. It was the least he could do. 

[retired-tactical-mind]

Welcome to the Salty Spitoon, how tough are ya?

I run the fucking place, what do ya think?

[retired-tactical-mind]

We’re Closed || Xander & Nika

The day had been hell, to say the least.

Money hadn’t been a big concern to Nika, but tips had been shit all day.. Almost as shitty as the people whom walked in to swallow her bottles of sin, whole. What had been the fascination with alcohol? Where she came from, alcohol had been forbidden due to it turning people into mischievous devils. Were people so unhappy with their lives that they had to drown themselves in sour potato water?

Whatever their reasons, she didn’t mind to listen - it gave her something to look forward to in the mornings and damn was she a sucker for a good storytelling. …..Even if the storyteller couldn’t pronounce his every two words correctly.

Soft indie music played in the background as candles illuminated the wooden Boathouse with a warm glow. The moon hung high and bright in the night sky and shown gracefully through the glass windows. This was Nika’s favorite part of the day – quiet and peaceful nights with a full stomach and nowhere to go.

Her black work boots tapped loudly against the wooden floors as she made her rounds to each table to wipe and sanitize them of any puke or dirty fingerprints. Nika hummed softly to the music and pulled her knee-long cardigan closer to her body. She found it funny how cold she got on land but in water she was content no matter the temperature of the water. Speaking of which.. She needed her dip. Nika’s muscles felt cramped and she could notice her knees growing weak - a sign her body was craving to be in the water.

“Look.. We’re closed!” She hissed unintentionally with her back to the stranger and door. Read the sign… Nika selfishly thought. Maybe if she kept her back to them they would get the hint and leave. But then again you could never come in between a drunk and his liquor.

Long days were part of the charm of the life he’d found in this tiny little town. This had changed considerably over the years, but the charm of the town and the hustle and bustle never really did. People came and went and Xander stood firm in where he was. He liked this town and the people in it. If he hadn’t, he would have left with Asher. The two of them, Alpha and beta, could have started over with ease, but he hadn’t wanted to leave. Perhaps that had been because of Rayne, but even now, after the pair had parted ways, he had no desire to lock his doors, pack up the truck and hit the road. 

“It’s just me,” he said as he walked in. He could hear the annoyance in Nika’s voice and it made the old wolf smirk slightly. He liked the bite Nika had, he kept her around for that. She’d been a steady employee for over a decade. He paid her well and made sure she knew she was valuable. “How’d the night go?” he asked as he walked over to the bar and pulled out a clean glass. He poured himself a drink from one of the many taps and cocked a hip on the bar. Most of the place was clean but there were a few spots that needed more work. He’d take care of that a bit later. After he had his beer. 

@nikafields

[greensarrow]

You see this? This is the kind of thing that just tickles my balls.