One Nice Bug Per Day
will byers stan first human second
$LAYYYTER
Love Begins
ojovivo
Andulka
No title available
No title available
PR's Tumblrdome
noise dept.
macklin celebrini has autism
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Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
YOU ARE THE REASON
Cosmic Funnies
Xuebing Du
Jules of Nature
No title available
Three Goblin Art
DEAR READER
seen from Suriname
seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from Taiwan
seen from United States
seen from Saudi Arabia
seen from Colombia
seen from Philippines
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Canada
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seen from Australia
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seen from Algeria
seen from United States
@soulsburned
𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 —
𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒔𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 — independent and highly private multi - muse ft. muses from teen wolf , until dawn , the quarry , && more. written by ANNA ( 30 + . EST. she / her . ) minors dni. formerly: terrorsmade , stardustvein
affiliated with ; @empireburned , @afterdecay <3
𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆'𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓
𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠. 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠. 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡. 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡.
at least one of their days hadn't been completely miserable. it's a low bar, to be sure, but tabitha finds herself feeling grateful that nothing dire seemed to have happened with jade. " it's crazy to think about all of the things that people have left here over the years, " she muses. idly, tabitha wonders how many of the bracelets she'd made had ended up in that collection; it's not a thought she decides to pursue. as if sensing jade's realization about the hand holding, tabitha runs her thumb lightly over his skin. " poor donna ... this is probably the longest she has ever gone without keeping herself busy. " empathy tugs one corner of tabitha's lips into a faint smile. " how did that go? and how are you feeling? "
' it's like the contents of a big ass garage sale down there ... ' he comments , free hand raising the cup to his lips again. jade takes another swallow of the tea , trying to ignore the jolt of electricity that the light brush of tabitha's thumb sends through him. ' she's definitely a worse patient than I am. ' jade leans slightly to place his own cup on the coffee table as well , then straightens carefully. ' she was pissy , and I was pithy. ' he smirks , evidentially quite proud of that word - play. ' I'm fine , it just hurts when I breathe ... and move ... no biggie ... '
babysitter. a breath of a laugh, though mirthless this time, pushes past her lips as her brows lift, her head bowing in a nod. " well, that's certainly an option. " fatima understands the feeling; she hadn't been too keen on having a conversation with donna either when she had first arrived. " but you're not being kept here, " she adds earnestly, resting her chin against her knuckles. " you're welcome to leave my company at any time if that's what you want. all i'm trying to do is help. " even if said help isn't necessarily desired at this point in time.
for a little while, fatima's content enough to sit in silence. she doesn't know if mike's going to answer her question, and frankly if he doesn't, she's fine with that. the last thing she wants to do is push him when he's already resisting enough as it is. however, when he does finally provide an answer, fatima replies with a smile. " i think there are a few other people here from california too, " she says at last, casting a quick, aimless glance around at the people milling about outside of colony house. however, choosing not to elaborate on that (there's no point in really focusing on where they'd all come from, since they're trapped here now), fatima instead focuses on the husky that had joined them. " you have a beautiful dog, " she compliments, watching the husky with a genuine smile. " we don't get many pets here, so when they do show up, they get plenty of attention. what's their name? "
' and go ... where ?? exactly ?? ' mike spreads his arms wide , his annoyance undeniable. true , there are certainly other places in this town to go , places where he could ditch little miss babysitter but ... what fucking good would that do for him ?? apparently , he's still going to be fucking trapped here , what difference did it make ?? as if leaving this picnic table and going down to the diner would suddenly make this all more palatable ... mike's considering shoving splinters into his nail beds when fatima speaks again , and his shoulders slump further.
' cool , ' he deadpans , the remark off - handed as if he's barely paying attention to the words coming out of her mouth. which is true ... but , he supposes , at least she has eyes ... for the first time , mike's features seem to soften at the edges. ' oona , ' he answers , reaching out to the husky once more to smooth back her fur. it's more for mike's own comfort than the dog's , oona doesn't yet know that anything is actually wrong ... ' she's a siberian husky ... ' mike's eyes flick back towards colony house , his expression going slightly cold once more. ' is that going to be a problem ?? '
" yeah. " tabitha forces a small smile, giving his hand another gentle squeeze. " yeah, i know. " even if that means that she never leaves this place, she'll do everything she can to ensure that her children and victor do. taking another small sip of her tea, she sets the cup on the coffee table. " please tell me your day was better than mine, " she implores, a breath of a laugh leaving her lips. " did you find the rubik's cube in the basement? "
' oh , it was definitely better ... ' he states confidently , mostly because he hadn't had to deal with ethan and victor's survival training ... only had to hear about it second - hand ... ' yeah , there's a bunch of cool shit down there ... ' slowly , jade begins to come to the realization he doesn't really need to be holding her hand any longer ... and yet , he makes no move to pull away. ' caught donna breaking her bedrest rule , so that was fun ... '
the irritation, the anxious energy, the fidgeting — it's all stuff fatima has seen countless times before, but even now, she can still sympathize, can still remember her first days in this place and the terror that had seeped into her very bones. it's not a time she would ever wish to relive, nor would she wish it upon even her worst enemy. but like it or not, it's something mike has to contend with, and if nothing else, fatima hopes to be able to ease him through it.
his question pulls an involuntary, quiet laugh from her lips. " sorry. i'm not laughing at you. i just hear that question a lot. " fatima clears her throat softly, trying to wipe away the faint flicker of amusement that has rested across her features. " i keep telling donna we need to come up with a different name for it, but ... " her shoulder lifts in a shrug, and she leans her elbows against the picnic table. " basically it's just a fancy way of saying that i'm here to keep you company and help you get situated. as situated as you can be in a place like this. " she offers a sympathetic smile, allowing him a moment to process. " so, where are you from? "
the laugh immediately causes his eyes to narrow --- it's out of place , unwanted. it doesn't feel right to hear a sound that had once rung out in the halls of blackwood pines here , in this place ... even with the apology , it does little to sooth his irritation. ' babysitter , ' mike offers it up flatly , his gaze dull and hopeless. it isn't until a flash of white off to his left pulls his attention that a hint of life seems to return. mike lets out a low whistle , and the white husky happily trots over to her master , seemingly unaware of the awful turn their lives have taken ...
mike's hand outstretches to the dog , fingers lightly scratching behind her ears. oona sits , her tail lightly wagging over the grass. he's quiet for so long that it seems as though he'd opted out of answering her question , or , if one was giving him the benefit of the doubt , hadn't heard it ... but finally , on an exhale he states ; ' california ... ' then , looks back to fatima with his brows raised --- happy now ?? it seems to say.
whether it's for jade's benefit or for hers, tabitha draws comfort in their hands finding each other once again. she returns the squeeze, slowly nodding her head. " he was alone for so long, " she murmurs, brows lightly furrowed. " he said that he made friends with random objects to feel less lonely. and then he found these toys and dressed them as his sister and his ... " tabitha trails off, biting her lip as her gaze falls to her cup. his mother. her. " i couldn't stand to hear any more of it. " her head lifts once more, gaze finding jade's. " i promised them both that i am going to get them out of here. i need to get them out of here, jade. " even if it's the last thing she ends up doing.
the more she talks , the more his stomach seems to churn. he keeps his grip firm , his thumb lightly brushing over her knuckles. ' hey , we will ... okay ?? ' jade , in spite of the slight discomfort it causes , scoots closer to her on the couch , moving into territory that ethan had previously occupied. then he turns , almost mirroring her position so that he can face her head on when he speaks. ' we're all getting the hell out of here this time , alright ?? this has to the time we do it right ... '
" i don't think i have ever seen a kid that excited about a rubik's cube, " tabitha replies with a wry smile that remains mostly hidden behind her cup. sometimes, especially in this place, it really is about the little things in life. " oh, you like to show off? " even though it's phrased as a genuine question, there's no denying the playful glint in her eyes that showcases her teasing. " i hadn't noticed. " not that she really minds much anymore.
unfortunately, all of the joking ebbs away fairly quickly as jade asks about her day. " it was ... " tabitha pauses, mouth shifting to the side as she contemplates the best way to describe the events of the day. " a lot, " she decides finally, the words leaving her on an exhale. adjusting her body a little, she settles with one leg tucked underneath her, her cup of tea cradled gently between her hands in her lap. " we ended up down at that truck victor goes to sometimes so that he could teach ethan how to survive when we're all gone. " tabitha pauses, her head shaking slowly. she'd hoped to rid ethan of that notion from the start, but it hadn't gone as well as planned. " the things victor had to do to survive alone for so long ... it's heartbreaking. "
' you're hilarious , did you know that ?? ' jade deadpans , truly attempting to look as if he was annoyed by her teasing , but it's not going great. the corner of his mouth slowly quirks up more and more until he has to raise his tea cup again to hide the curve of his lips. even so , the well - trained eye will be able to spot the way his eyes crinkle at the corners.
naturally , the mood can always downshift rapidly ... his simple , well - meaning question about her day brings back the more somber atmosphere , and jade lowers his cup to lightly rest in his lap , one hand still grasping at the handle. drawing in a deep breath --- whilst trying not to wince as he does it --- jade squeezes his eyes shut as he tries to visualize all that ... his free hand moves to rub against the back of his neck , a sigh escaping. victor was , in a very tangible way , their his fault ... and it tears him up inside to think about it , and imagining something similar happening to ethan ... jade's hand drops away from his neck and reaches for one of tabitha's , unsure if the squeeze was more for her comfort or his own. ' fuck ... ' he practically whispers , giving his head a slow shake. ' that's ... pretty fucking awful ... '
ethan eagerly watches as jade mixes up the cube again, looking excited to get his hands on the puzzle once more. " okay! " he answers, taking jade's hand and giving it a shake. " is it okay if i take it upstairs now? "
" i think that's okay, right? " tabitha replies, throwing a glance over ethan's head at jade. once ethan gets the go-ahead from jade as well, he heads up the stairs, skipping one every so often. tabitha listens to his footsteps as they grow fainter, a small smile on her face. she's quiet for a few moments more, taking another long drink from her cup. " thank you for doing that, " she says at last. " i think he really needed it. "
' go for it , ' jade says with a nod , dropping ethan's hand as soon as the shake is completed. there's no denying the smile on jade's own face as he watches ethan head up the stairs , nearly everything else forgotten as he watches the boy's genuine excitement. it isn't until ethan has completely vanished from view and tabitha speaks again that he turns his gaze back to her. ' I don't think I've seen a kid that excited about a rubik's cube since I was one ... ' jade comments casually , then shrugs off her thanks. he takes another drink from his own cup before letting out a soft breath as he leans back against the couch.
' pfft. don't mention it , I like showing off ... ' and whilst there is some truth to that statement , a lot of it is that showy bravado he often wields like a shield. ' how'd everything go with you today ?? '
while ethan is certainly eager to give the cube another try himself, he's even more enthusiastic about watching jade do the whole thing as quickly as possible. he takes the stop watch he's offered, familiarizing himself with the buttons quickly. once he has his thumb securely on the start button, he gives a nod, pressing it down when jade gives the signal.
tabitha's elbow rests against the back of the couch, her head leaning against her knuckles. she's already set her tea aside, ready to watch the whole thing herself. there's not much for entertainment around this place, especially recently, and it's a nice change to be able to just sit and focus on something that isn't their likely impending doom.
jade calls time and ethan quickly presses the stop button, looking at the watch face. " wow, forty-nine seconds! " he exclaims, showing first his mom the stop watch and then jade.
" now you know what time you have to beat, " tabitha jokes, leaning in to press a kiss to the top of ethan's head. " i'm sure you'll be faster than jade in no time. " her gaze is almost playful as she lifts it to find jade, taking up her cup of tea once more.
forty - nine seconds. it's certainly enough to impress the ten - year - old , but jade meagerly shrugs in response. ' I'm out of practice , ' he says , then begins to work on jumbling up the cube once more. once he's satisfied that he's done his job , jade hands the cube back to ethan. ' feel free to hold onto it for awhile. oh , you can bring it by my room before you go to bed so I have something to keep me busy when I enviably can't sleep. deal ?? ' jade holds out his hand for ethan to shake on it if he agrees to the rubik's cube terms of service ...
' he'll be kicking my ass in no time , ' jade agrees , carefully leaning forward enough that he can grab the cup of tea off the coffee table. slowly , he raises it to his lips and takes a small sip.
tabitha clocks the look jade gives her, nodding faintly in acknowledgement. and then she's listening and watching as jade explains and demonstrates the best method for starting to solve the rubik's cube, her gaze occasionally shifting to ethan to see how he's doing with the information. for his part, ethan appears to be raptly paying attention.
" i think i get it, " ethan muses, glancing from the rubik's cube up to jade and then back again. the part jade had just explained seems doable, at the very least. " can i try it from the beginning? " he asks, holding his hands out again.
" you know, " tabitha starts, running her free hand soothingly down ethan's back, " there are people who can solve that thing in under a minute. probably even less. "
" really? " ethan turns his head to look at his mother, who nods her confirmation. then he's looking back at jade again, curiosity and intrigue in his features. " how fast can you do it? "
jade takes the cube back and casually begins twisting it back into a jumbled mess. he's just about to hand it back to ethan when tabitha speaks up , and then ethan's directing another question his way. ' been a hot second since I've actually tried ... ' he says casually , then reaches for the stop watch he'd also managed to nick from the colony house basement. ' wanna time me ?? ' jade asks , and wastes no time in handing ethan the watch instead.
once ethan agrees and is ready to hit the button , jade signals him to start the stop watch. then he sets to work , following his same method of working on the green cross first , fingers rapidly twisting pieces of the rubik's cube. his brow furrows in concentration , eyes solely fixed on the puzzle cube until ; ' time !! ' and glances over at ethan to make sure he's hit the correct button to stop the timer. ' alright , how'd I do ?? '
the boy doesn't acknowledge his mother's presence (if he even notices it), too focused on the task at hand. ethan considers jade's offer, the conflict playing out briefly in his features before he nods. " i wanna see how you start it. " he hands the rubik's cube back over to jade, eyeing it intently.
meanwhile, tabitha returns to the kitchen to finish making her tea, pulling two mugs from the cupboard once it's ready. she pours tea into both, carrying them back out into the living room. " how is it going in here? " she asks, looking between the two of them. with jade's hands occupied, she sets one of the mugs on the coffee table in front of him, then moves to sit on the couch at the opposite end.
" jade's showing me how to start solving it, " ethan explains, leaning back a little so he's more settled against his mother now that she's there. she leans down to press a kiss to the crown of his head, smiling over at jade.
' alrighty ... ' jade takes the cube back and for the most part , returns it to ' factory settings ' --- aka , he makes it look like a jumbled mess again. by the time he's twisted and turned all the different sections to be sufficiently jumbled ( because where was the fun in solving something if it was easy ) tabitha has returned with two mugs , jade notes. a simple enough act of caring from a woman who is proficient in it , but it still manages to make a hint of warmth bloom in his chest. he glances at her , hoping his expression manages to convey his gratefulness before he focuses back in on ethan.
' so , you wanna make sure your first priority is making a cross. some people say you have to start with the white side , but it's bullshit. pick whatever you want ... ' as deftly as his hands had been on the violin strings , jade starts with the green. once he's twisted the pieces around to show ethan what he means , green pieces aligned to where just the outer four corners of the green side are different colors , he holds it out to show him. ' you wanna start from this point , or should I turn it back to how it started ?? '
" no, " ethan replies simply, ignoring the question jade tacks on. it's not the first time jade's been surprised to find that he doesn't know what something is and it probably won't be the last. he smooths out his hair after tabitha leaves, taking a seat on the couch next to jade. looking at the rubik's cube as it is now, with different colored squares all over it, it seems almost impossible, but ethan's never been one to back down from a challenge. " sure, " he answers, shrugging one shoulder as he reaches for it. a few moments are spent turning it around in his hands, taking a good look at all the colors and their locations. then he starts tinkering with it, turning the columns with a look of pure concentration on his face.
tabitha pops her head in while she waits for the water to boil, a fond smile on her face as she leans against the wall to watch. it's nice to see ethan focused on something with lower stakes, something with an actual, tangible solution.
" how am i supposed to get this one square off of here? " ethan asks, turning it for jade to see where he's gotten stuck; one side of the cube is all the same color except for one errant square.
jade doesn't hesitate to place the cube in ethan's hands , watching as he slowly begins to fiddle with the puzzle box. he admires the boy's approach , the way he seems to size it up and strategize before he ever makes a move. most kids --- he thinks , jade never had much experience with children before ethan --- would just immediately start twisting and turning willy nilly. most children would likely play with it for a few minutes and then get frustrated or bored. but ethan is not like most children ...
jade senses more than sees that tabitha has wandered back into the threshold between the rooms. it takes an enormous amount of willpower not to look at her , to keep his focus focus on ethan and his little furrowed brow. but he said nothing , gives no tips. not until ethan actually asks. ' good question , ' jade murmurs , holding his hand out in offering. ' want me to show you how I normally start , or do you wanna keep trying on your own ?? '
there's never a moment of relaxation in this place, never a moment to catch one's breath. she and ethan had gone to colony house to visit donna for a bit, but the whole time, tabitha had been able to sense that the fears brought on by their adventure with victor were still at the forefront of her son's mind. it's for that reason that she'd insisted on going to see victor as well in the hopes that she might convince him to reassure ethan that nothing bad was going to happen to him. instead, victor had continued to insist upon teaching ethan how to survive alone and no amount of dissuasion from tabitha could change his mind.
it hadn't been something tabitha wanted to humor, but she'd gone along with it for a little bit, at least. by the time their outing had come to an end, she was fairly sure that she'd actually managed to get through to both of them, had promised that neither of them were ever going to be left alone again.
it's with that promise in mind that she and ethan finally return to the house. ethan lets go of his mother's hand as they step inside, immediately spotting jade. " hi, jade, " he greets with a small smile, beelining towards the couch once he catches sight of the object in jade's hands. " what's that? "
behind ethan, tabitha offers up a tired smile of her own. " i'm just going to make some tea, " she announces, though whether she's mostly speaking to ethan or jade, she's not sure. running a hand over ethan's hair gently, she heads to the kitchen to do just that (and to take a moment to breathe on her own).
@soulsburned
jade has sort of gotten used to functioning whilst in pain ... kristi had told him that laying around really isn't going help much in the grand scheme of things , that the standard of care for a cracked rib was basically suck it up , you big baby ... so , he'd gotten some steps in , swung by colony house ... found this sick ass rubik's cube and got a little something for his pain management ... something he doesn't dare utilize at this point in time , not when the likelihood of someone walking in on him is rather high --- no , he'll save that luxury for later on in his room , and with julie's latest development , he might get away with it as well ...
instead of smoking pot like a stoner kid behind the bleachers , jade is fiddling with the rubix cube when tabitha and ethan re - enter the house. jade barely glances up , fingers deftly twisting the colorful cube. ' hey , ' he greets ethan , but his gaze falls onto tabitha and lingers there , knocking several seconds off his run ... then , he snaps back to ethan , brows drawn together. ' you don't know what a rubik's cube is ?? fuck , are we old ?? ' this second part is directly more at tabitha , who he watches as she ruffles the boy's hair and heads for the kitchen. as if answering his own question , jade lets out an exaggerated sigh and holds it up for ethan to see. ' this is a 3D combination puzzle. it's good exercise for your brain ... the goal is to get all of the colors matched up on all the sides ... wanna try ?? '
" probably at the bar, you mean, " tabitha shoots back, once more aiming for something that feels like a joke, something to break up this tension that has nothing whatsoever to do with the stress she'd been holding in her limbs. fortunately, it isn't long before jade pulls his hand away; unfortunately, she can't ignore the disappointment that wars with relief in her chest. " that's okay, " tabitha reassures him quickly, carefully shifting until she's on her back again. " you did more than enough. " of course, she hadn't taken into account the space she'd eliminated when jade had first begun his ministrations, and it makes her brain malfunction briefly as she realizes how close they still are. " thank you, " she murmurs softly, her gaze roaming over his features.
' most likely ... ' he offers up lightly , the half - shrug clearly stating ; can you really blame me ?? if jade had planned to futher his reasonings behind the frequency at which he'd hung out in the bar , that goes out the proverbial window when tabitha rolls back over onto her back ... she's even closer now , their shoulders lightly touching. some part of his brain has alarm bells ringing , but it feels dull and muted. out of focus. tabitha is the only goddamn thing in focus ... ' uh , yeah ... of course ... ' his voice sounds distant to his own ears , like they come from someone else's mouth. you should move. scoot away. put some distance between you ... that part of his brain shouts warnings , but jade isn't listening. reaching out , his fingertips lightly brush against her cheek as he carefully pushes a strand of hair back behind her ear.
briefly, tabitha wonders how exactly she'd gotten into this situation. it's not a displeasing situation, by any means (and that, inevitably, is the problem). but the truth of the matter is that it is helping; tabitha can feel some of the tension uncoiling itself. " yeah, " she replies quietly, her voice breaking slightly. she clears her throat, brows pulling together as she repeats herself more strongly. " yeah. i think it's helping. " her eyes close as she focuses on that feeling, reminded once more that it's jade's fingers at the nape of her neck, and that earlier chill makes itself known again. " where were you the last time i needed this? " tabitha jokes, trying to take attention away from it.
' good ... ' he manages , mostly because he doesn't know what else to say ... jade's barely able to get his mouth to work , concentrating both on the task at hand and the closeness of their bodies. ' I dunno ... probably around here somewhere ... unless you're gonna try to tell me you haven't been stressed like this since getting into town ... ' slowly , jade releases the pressure point at the base of her skull and lets out a lengthy breath. ' I , uh ... I don't remember any more right now , ' he admits sheepishly.
" it's no more bullshit than anything we've encountered here, " she counters with a shrug. admittedly, if she'd heard about it before arriving here, tabitha would certainly have thought it was a load of garbage. after encountering literal monsters, however, very little is off the table these days.
" jade, " tabitha starts, the beginnings of a protest clearly on the tip of her tongue. " this really isn't necessary. you're supposed to be taking it easy. " the last thing she wants is for him to worsen the injury because he's trying to help her. but jade's about as stubborn as she is, and tabitha knows he's not going to let this go until she complies. with a sigh of resignation and a clear look of displeasure sent his way, she turns on her side, inching a little closer to him to try to prevent too much unnecessary stretching on his part. tabitha clears her throat lightly, trying to make herself a little more comfortable. she reaches automatically for her hair as he brushes it aside, holding it in place and out of his way. and while tabitha had expected some kind of reaction in herself to whatever pressure point he was aiming at this time, she's not quite ready for the chill that runs down her spine, branching out across her limbs. if that somehow escapes jade's notice, it's unlikely that her intake of breath will.
' tabitha ... ' he counters immediately , matching her tone with surprising accuracy. when she fires the dirty look his way , jade merely grins and does a turn over motion with his hand. if he notices the extra little scoot she makes in his direction , he doesn't acknowledge it. not verbally , at least. but he notices , of course he notices ... in this position , their legs are practically touching , one slight movement from either of them would inevitably cause limbs to brush ...
and almost as if his thoughts had willed it to happen , mere moments after he presses against the back of her neck , jade feels the shiver that runs through her. he hears the intake of breath ... he lightly clears his throat , finding the same circular motion he'd used with the other pressure points and asks in a low murmur ; ' all good ?? '
once more, her eyes open, head turning slightly to look at him. eventually, her gaze lowers to her hand in his, the movements of his thumb that are strangely efficient in making her nerves feel slightly less frayed. " really, " tabitha remarks, sounding somewhat surprised. tech and holistic practices don't really seem like they go hand in hand, but what does she really know about either? it does track though, she supposes, considering his methods for trying to unlock their memories. regardless, she's oddly grateful for his knowledge at the moment.
" am i supposed to know what reiki is? " despite the wording of the question, her tone is light, the faintest traces of humor behind it. it strikes tabitha more acutely than ever in this moment just how different their lives had been before arriving at this place. and yet they'd both been destined to find this place, and each other. she tries not to think too hard on that, focusing instead on jade's question. " my shoulders, down into my neck, mostly. that's always been where i tend to hold the most tension. "
' yes , really ... ' and this time , it's almost laughable that tabitha sounds kind of ... surprised ... ' I'm open - minded as hell , for the record ... plus you'd be surprised at the risk of carpal tunnel for people who sit around and code all day ... ' by the time she speaks again , it's jade's turn to look dubious. ' it's an ancient japanese art of spiritually guiding your life force energy ... which , now that I say it out loud does kind of sound like bullshit , but ... ' hey , up until he'd gotten here , all monsters and supernatural stuff had sounded like bullshit , too ... if anything , being trapped in this town has sufficiently expanded the possibilities of what is real in this weird ass world they live in.
' alright , turn on your side ... facing away from me ... ' jade hopes that he's proven himself enough that tabitha will just do this without further questions , but he's prepared for them if they arise. ' this would be a lot easier without a busted rib ... ' he mutters under his breath , but is still determined to do his best. once she's followed his instructions , jade carefully moves her hair out of the way --- while trying not to get too distracted by the fact that he's touching it --- and applies gentle pressure against the base of her skull.
