“Trees are 50% off!” Laurel chimes as she rights a wreath above the front door to Just in Bloom. Over her shoulder, she tosses a cheery smile to those that approach. A small row of bare Christmas trees line the front of the shop, waiting and eager to be brought home and decorated. “We have some beautiful Douglas Firs left, and a few lovely Pines! This one has a wonderful temperament, very sweet.”
LOCATION : Downtown Holiday Market
Cassandra used to love the holiday season. The chilly weather, the light and decorations, getting together with friends and family over hot chocolate or mulled wine. But now, the snowy streets and holiday cheer only served a a reminder of her darkest moments, and the ones she lost. Normally, she would spend her time holed up in her apartment with a bottle of wine (or two), and while that still sounded tempting, it was also beginning to get a little too depressing, even for her. So, she donned her comfiest coat and began walking the downtown streets without any real destination in mind, only away.
Her wandering feet lead her to the bustling holiday market, and though she hadn't intended to buy anything, she found her curiosity–and penchant for spending–take hold. While perusing, she stopped by a particular stall, marveling for a moment at all the options with muted amusement. “Jeez, they have everything here, don't they?”
For: @meaganfinley
He’d been out and about in Belgravia the whole morning, all for the satisfaction of catching a British notable exiting a house that clearly wasn’t his. Sometimes, the job really resembled what he figured would be a private investigator’s duty. He didn’t mind it so much. Waiting around left him time to organize his afternoon intervention, also in Belgravia. Good thing with assholes and important people : they often ended up living in the same neighborhoods.
The cheater caught in 4k and the pictures sent to the office, he’d stepped out of the car for a smoke break, and resting his arse on the back of the bench, taken a look at the woman heading his way, ready to serve her a smile and a greeting. Instead, he’d recognized her, and the smile didn’t falter away, but grew from polite to the shit eating type. “Mrs Finley? Have you finally decided to divorce? Shopping for a house, aren’t we?”
Fandom: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Jon Bernthal characters
Characters: Mr. McCarthy, Elizabeth McCarthy (OFC)
Pairing: Mr. (Joey) McCarthy x Elizabeth McCarthy (OFC)
Summary: After Greg poses the question about cancer, Mr. McCarthy heads home to his wife but can't shake the news. He knows she would have the answers.
Word Count: 1,888
Rating: SFW
Warning: Mentions of cancer
AN: This idea popped into my head as soon as the scene where Greg asks Mr. McCarthy about Leukemia played out. Joey was also the first name that came to mind for the character since we don't get a first name. Not sure why. Enjoy!
The gentle hum of jazz was the first sound that greeted him as he walked through the door. It brought a smile to his face as he toed off his boots and settled his keys onto the hook set by the door. A few new books lay scattered on the ottoman, along with a notebook and various colored pens. He would have taken a moment to peek over what the work of the day had been if he hadn't been as eager to see his wife.
While they had been together for some time, it was only recently that they married and there still was that new sense of pride in being able to call her his wife. The thought was enough to put a smile on his face. A couple of his co-workers had asked about the ring that they had spied and it had generated some talk around the school. It had been an amusing addition to the day. No one had expected him to settle down. He kept quiet about his personal life normally so any sort of change would come as a surprise to any of them. No one needed to know every little detail. Besides, the longer that no one asked, the longer he could just keep her to himself. Not that he had an issue showing off the relationship. Joey had never really been shy about much. No, it was more of a desire to spend what free time they had together unencumbered, enjoying the company of the other soul that understood. Perhaps it was selfish but he couldn't bring himself to care.
Joey found himself leaning against the door frame leading to the kitchen. The sight before him warmed his heart and reminded him of just why he loved coming home. Liz was swaying softly, singing just under her breath to the steady rhythm coming from the small speaker in the corner. The kitchen smelled wonderful and he realized just what she was making while enjoying the soft moments to herself. One of his favorites, cutting noodles while the soup had to be simmering in the pot on the stove. He was a lucky man and coming home to this just reminded him of that. He cherished each of these small moments.
Coming up behind her, his hands found her hips as he pressed a kiss to the back of her head. A deep breath in and he found the soothing scent of lavender still clinging to her. He had never found any sort of scent on a woman soothing before Elizabeth had entered his life. Now he couldn't help but relax when the familiar smell carried in the air.
"Evening sweetheart." He heard the soft gasp that left her, knowing that he had surprised her, before laughing as she slapped at him blindly. The waving motion barely tapped his side and he had to suppress a laugh.
"Joey McCarthy! What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" She whined playfully but never stopped working on dinner. He loved that even rattled, she rarely lost her composure. It was one of the first things that he had noticed about her when they met.
"I couldn't help myself. You looked so peaceful. Love it when you sing and dance like that."
"And you had to go and ruin it." He kissed the back of her head again, swaying to the music with her. He didn't have to see her cheeks to know that she was blushing. For as fired up as he could be in school, these soft moments were far more common in the household. Not that he didn't get excited and child-like in his enthusiasm, but he was a bit more mellow here, with her.
"Nah. Just added to it and that's a fact." He teased. "What made you decide on Khao Soi tonight?" He rested his chin on her shoulder and watched as she finished cutting the noodles.
"Thought it might be a nice surprise. Didn't know what your day was going to be like and I had to take a break."
"I saw the notebook." Forced to step back so she had room to continue cooking, he moved to grab himself a water. "Did you get stuck?" It was rare that she would abandon her own research in favor of cooking, no matter what. It must have meant that she had to leave it. Now that he was looking at her, he could see the frays on the well worn long sleeve shirt of his that she had taken. Apparently it was comfortable and comforting while she worked but the sleeves told him how frustrated she had been when or working.
"Hit a snag." He could hear the frown in her voice. "The data didn't add up so I had to backtrack a bit and dove into some similar projects to see what was found and what problems they may have run into. It's just not making sense. So either I'm missing something I'm not seeing or the experiment itself was flawed."
"I'm sure you'll get it figured out one way or another." He wasn't even going to attempt to understand what it was that she had been working on. He was skilled in a lot of areas and knowledgeable in many but when it came to the hard research she performed, he was lost. He tried to look it over and understand, always willing to expand his knowledge. Even if it was over his head.
"It just feels like if something is wrong, all of those people wasted time that they won't get back. Things they could have done with loved ones, bucket list things. Their time is limited and they were generous enough to grant it to try to help others. And if there's nothing to show for it…" She paused and Joey could see just how affected by it she was. He stepped forward again and turned her around so they could look at one another.
"It isn't a waste of time and they wouldn't feel that way. They knew what they were getting into and wanted to do it. Just like you said, to help others. If something is wrong, then you know it for next time. It's all a step in the right direction. Data to be compiled and figured out, giving you the opportunity to just improve on it." She didn't look at him right away but found herself sighing and nodded. He tilted her chin up and pressed a kiss to her forehead, cheek, and finally lips. "If there is anyone who knows how to handle this, it's you sweetheart." Finally a small smile came from her and he felt relieved. She took this all to heart, and being a cancer researcher, he couldn't see her being anything but empathetic and passionate about it. It was part of what had drawn him to her in the first place.
She pressed a hand over his heart, eyes dropping for just a moment to where it lay, before they raised again.
"What would I do without you?" Now would be the time for teasing.
"Be locked away in that awful one bedroom apartment you had, crouched over your research, and probably not eating the way that you should." She rolled her eyes but was clearly more at ease than she had been before. "And you know it's true. Can't deny it."
"Yeah yeah. As if you are any better," she grumbled playfully before giving him a little push back. "Let me finish dinner." He allowed the push and backed up with a smile. She looked adorable right now. He had left her in a better mood than when he had found her so it was mission accomplished.
"I'm going to go shower. I'll be out soon." Letting her finish cooking in peace seemed like a good thing now that he had cheered her up a bit. She could enjoy what she was doing rather than focus on what she hadn't been able to figure out. He fully understood the need to take a break from the research if things were not going the desired way. He had been there himself plenty of times.
The dinner was a quiet affair, though it often was. They took the time to enjoy the food and each other's company after the long days that they each faced. There wasn't a need to fill the silence. It was soothing enough to be sitting across from one another, sharing occasional glances.
It was only after he helped her clean up and they were settled on the couch did he bring what was on his mind up. The new documentary that he wanted to watch would be on in a few minutes so he had a little bit of time before he ended up throwing their normal evening routine off.
"Had a student ask about leukemia today…" Immediately, her head snapped. So quick he actually was worried about her neck. His hand came up off of her shoulder to rub at her neck for a second before dropping back down.
"Why?" Liz knew the answer but needed the confirmation. She didn't like to assume but most high schoolers only asked questions about cancer for a small handful of reasons. All of them were personal. Joey was quiet for a moment.
"Another one was diagnosed with it. One of his friends. He doesn't have too many so I think it's weighing on him more than he realizes. Didn't know much about it and was looking for some answers." He sighed and held her a little closer. "Kid spends lunch in my office daily. He isn't great socially. I think the friendship with the girl is good but I'm worried about the outcome if things don't go well." Liz shifted to face him a little more, rubbing his chest absently.
"I'm sure I have a few articles and a book or two that would be reachable enough to a teenager if you want to offer them. It might help ease his mind, at least understand what is happening a little better. Create some reasonable expectations of what this is going to do to her. In case things don't turn out well. Better to be prepared even if it isn't easy." He had been hoping that was how she would answer. Any sort of help that he could get for Greg, he would. He had seen how the kid was closed in on himself. The fact that he was even asking showed that he cared. Even if he liked to pretend that he didn't.
"That would be perfect. I think Greg will actually take the time to read them. This means more to him than he's letting on."
"It's not an easy concept for anyone to understand, let alone a teenager. If he needs to talk…" She left it open ended, not wanting to seem too forward.
"I'll let you know. I don't see him being the sort that would have any desire to though. He has a hard enough time talking to his peers." Joey sighed and gave her another squeeze. "Thank you." She leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"Nothing to thank me for." The documentary started and the two quieted down, settling in for a routine night between them.
TIMING: Current
PARTIES: @chasseurdeloup & @letsbenditlikebennett
SUMMARY: Kaden shows Ariana how to make proper croissants and they share some real talk about what happened with Lydia.
CONTENT: Mentions of sibling death and gun use
If you had told Ariana seven or so months ago that she’d be hanging out at Kaden’s apartment and getting a baking lesson, there was no way she should have believed it. By nature, they were supposed to be at odds. At least, that’s the narrative that the world tried to thrust upon them. Growing up with Celeste, she never fully bought into it, but Kaden had seemed to be a diligent hunter. One who she feared the moment she realized what he was, but that fear was far from her now as she rolled out the dough for the croissants with a determined look on her face. The layering on these required more precision and concentration than she preferred. Cooking had always been preferred to baking, but the latter had started to grow on her. She was careful with the rolling pin and looked back to Kaden once the last layer was rolled out. “You said we chill the dough again after this, right?” With confirmation, she set the dough back in the freezer and smiled at Abel who was diligently waiting by the entrance to the kitchen in hopes of some scraps. “Sh- Putain,” she looked back at the freezer, “Sorry croissants. Are all French pastries this challenging? These make biscuits look like a cake walk.”
“Yes, chill it and we’ll go from there. Oven has to preheat still, too.” It was strange to think that Kaden was willingly inviting a werewolf over to his apartment. And not to kill them, either. If it wasn’t for the pinpricks parading down his spine, he wouldn’t really think of Ariana as a werewolf at this point. She seemed so human. And she was a good person. That much he didn’t doubt, not at this point. Still not something he could have pictured a year ago. It should feel wrong but instead, there was some comfort in having her there with him in the kitchen, to not be alone. “Not all of them, no. Some of them are more challenging than this,” he said with a smirk as he continued to prep their work stations. He wasn’t sure what exactly it was about baking that was so calming, stabilizing in a way. Maybe it was because he could focus on just what was in front of him. And none of it had anything to do with monsters or nightmares or any other bullshit. Just flour, sugar, butter, a recipe, precise steps that had some room for experimentation, but still straight forward enough that there was minimal guess work. And as much as he’d resisted ever becoming a teacher or trainer for hunter bullshit, he was almost enjoying sharing what he knew with others. Another weird thing he never expected. “It’ll be worth it though; the work. There’s nothing quite like a fresh croissant. You’ll see. All others will be ruined for you.”
Ariana nodded along to Kaden’s instructions in regard to the croissants. They were somewhat familiar with her’s and Athena’s previous attempts. Apparently baking with hunters was one of her new hobbies. It was strange, being so firmly planted in the middle of two so very different worlds. Even with Alcher coming around and respecting her way of thinking, everything left her feeling like she didn’t quite belong anywhere despite her dream of finding her own supernatural community. A pack of sorts. But she had to believe she was making a difference. Kaden, a werewolf hunter who by all indications had been good at hunting and believed in what he did, had her in his home yet again. Though he seldom liked to admit it he cared for her. A whole ass werewolf. A small one, but still a werewolf nonetheless. He saw her as a person. He saw Regan as a person. Morgan, too. He even chose not to kill Lydia. His connections had to be making some sort of impact and she had to believe she was helping make things better somehow. The spaced-out look on her face was brief as she quickly remarked, “More challenging? I guess that’s why French cuisine is so renowned.” Still, a question sat on the edge of her tongue, but she smiled calmly anyway though her fidgeting hands likely gave her away. “If these aren’t the best croissants I’ve ever had, I want my money back,” she joked knowing full well she didn’t pay for any of the ingredients. Finally, she bit the bullet and leaned against the counter not caring all that much for the flour getting on her. She looked to Kaden somewhat cautiously. “Can I ask you something?”
Kaden smiled as he watched her try to process a baking process more complicated than what they were doing now. “Hey, there’s a reason I usually stick to pies.” He made sure the counter was sufficiently floured and ready to work, double checked the oven. Yeah, all the could do now was wait a few minutes.”Not that I don’t enjoy a challenge, just sometimes it was nice to work with a little less precision, a little mindlessly, I guess,” he added with a shrug. Especially if he was looking for some relaxation. Pastries where one wrong decision ruined the whole thing was far from relaxing. Stress found him easily enough outside of the kitchen, he did what he could to minimize it here. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll get your heavy investment back if these don’t turn out, Ari. Don’t worry.” He almost said he promised. Almost. He ought to know better than to use that word by now. Somehow the air around them shifted slightly. He couldn’t describe it. At first he wondered if it was just the chill down his back nagging at him once more, but that wasn’t it. “Sure. What?” he responded as he rested against the counter across the way, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
This was easily the most relaxed Ariana had personally ever seen Kaden. They’d spent a good chunk of the afternoon baking and joking around. It felt like this was the way things were supposed to be more often than not. “Well, you make damn good pies and I get to eat the pies so no complaints here,” she said with a small smile. She hoped the question she had to ask wouldn’t completely ruin the mood, but it had been on her mind for weeks now. With how evident it was he cared for her, it was clear something changed and her curiosity had never been easy to keep at bay. With confirmation it was okay to ask, she assured, “I know I’m not supposed to use this word, but you’re not fae and I want you to know I’m serious-- So I promise that no matter what the answer is, I’m not going to judge you or think any less of you.” After all, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing he chose not to kill someone. She leaned against the counter and softened her features though her eyes were still inquisitive. “Why didn’t you kill Lydia? What stopped you?” It wasn’t a question that could be sugar-coated, but she kept her tone soothing as if to verbally cue that she was upholding her promise.
Kaden’s mouth pulled into a thin line at the word “promise.” Sure, she had a point, but it did nothing but make his stomach churn at this point. The word was laced with so much pain and turmoil now. Funny how much a stupid singualr word could mean. But this was Ari. It was safe. Safe as it could be at least. Weird enough he thought of a werewolf as “safe.” Still, he waited, arms crossed, and nodded, waiting for her question. He didn’t know what he expected her to ask, but it wasn’t that. He pulled back his shoulder blades, shifted his stance and looked away, as if the answer could be found by staring off somewhere in the distance. His fingers pulled at the cloth of his shirt around the crook of his elbows. It didn’t help him sort through anything much. “I don’t--” He bit at the inside of his lip, pulling back his words. Even if he wasn’t sure how to articulate his answer, he knew there was one. Somewhere. He knew. Deep down. It was somewhere. “I just…” He sighed and dropped his arms and rubbed his temples. “I just couldn’t.” He couldn’t meet Ari’s eyes either. “I was there and I had the knife to her chest and I just… I couldn’t do it. Something about…” He shook his head again and struggled to find a way to describe it. Nothing about explaining felt right. His choice felt wrong no matter how he framed it. But at the same time, he didn’t think he’d have done anything different when push came to shove. And what he made of that, he didn’t know. “I just couldn’t, alright. I-- I couldn’t be like her.”
Ariana watched him calmly as he struggled to answer her question. It was a loaded one, she knew that, but it was also important. Kaden wasn’t exactly the most open when it came to verbalizing what was on his mind and even when he did, it was mostly French swear words. Not that she faulted him for as much. The more strained Kaden’s words sounded, the softer her own features became. He needed to know that no matter where he was currently at, she wasn’t going to fault him or abandon him. Something told her he was getting better, seeing other supernatural people as well… people. “You mentioned that before,” she said calmly, “There just has to be a why there. Even if you haven’t figured it out yet.” Then what he said next caused something in her to crack. Her head snapped up abruptly and she looked a bit alarmed by what he said. She quickly assured, “You could never be like Lydia.” Even if in their own ways, they had both been killers, intentions mattered. While Lydia needed to eat, she didn’t need to torture those poor humans. She didn’t need to use her words to hurt others who weren’t even her food source, but Lydia did all of those things with little regard. That wasn’t Kaden. She struggled to make eye contact as his own gaze cast away from her, but she continued, “You’re nothing like her and you won’t ever be like her. I can get that Lydia had to feed, but what she did- she tortured people needlessly. She hurt people intentionally just because she could. To exert her power or whatever. That’s not you. Even if you- You do what you do to help people.”
Still, his answer left Ariana with more questions. Questions she wasn’t sure wouldn’t make Kaden lose any sense of cool he was trying to maintain, but even if he did get annoyed with her, she was sure they’d be able to snap back so she asked, “Do you see her as more than a monster then? It’s okay if you do. I don’t think I could have killed her either as much as I don’t mourn the fact she’s gone.”
Kaden wrung his hands together in thought. So much so that when he looked down, all the flour he’d coated them with had been wrung away. Putain. He turned to wipe them with the white powder, coating them just enough to repel any of the dough they would be working with. Not that he needed to right then, they weren't going to handle the dough for a bit. But he needed to do something. He had to. He hadn’t done anything in that clearing. Well, that wasn’t true. He did something, but it wasn’t enough, was it? A group had to clean up after him, after his choices. Ones that nearly got him killed. A few times. He’d been rubbing his hands back and forth to shake off some of the excess flour, but he’d realized once again that he’d wiped off too much. Fuck.
“I-- It’s not like that,” Kaden started, wanting to run his hands through his hair and thinking better of it, settling to rub the flour deeper into his skin instead. “I know I’d never torture or-- But that’s not…” He pinched his eyes closed and shook his head. He wasn’t sure if this was who he should be having this conversation with of all people. As much as he cared about Ari, as good hearted as she was and as instrumental as she was in taking Lydia down, she was still a kid. Right, sure. A kid who to deal with so much death already. Things no one was prepared for. He looked back at her and tried to remember himself at that age. What Oscar would have thought he was ready to hear, and what Kaden at that age would have thought in comparison. Maybe he shouldn’t use Oscar as a goal post. Still. Maybe this was fine. Right? Putain.
“She nearly killed me, Ari,” Kaden said, looking back down at his hands. Hands that had destroyed as much as they helped create, maybe more. Deadly hands. He took a sharp inhale before looking back to her. “She had a gun to my heart. Point blank. And I got lucky it was out of ammo.” He’d been there on the other side of the gun, of the death. He saw the look in her eyes before she was sure she was going to kill him. The fear had left her from earlier and all that was there was cold determination. The clarity that she was right. The look he was sure so many creatures had seen painted on his face before the twist of his knife or the bullet left the gun. He’d faced death hundreds of times in his life. But he’d never been on the other side of the hunt like that. Not once. Usually it was a kill or be killed that was still the prey fighting back. This was… different. “I was on the other side of it and I-- when the tables turned. I couldn’t choose it. To be what she had intended to be.” It made him weak, foolish. To let her go after all that. To abandon all his training for the sake of some stupid thought of his soul and its fate. What did his morality matter for the greater good? Apparently more than it had in the past. “I don’t know if I see her as anything other than a monster. She was-- That wasn’t the point. Not-- I couldn’t be on the other side of the knife. For some fucking reason.” The dough had to be ready by now. He swung the freezer open and pulled it out and placed it on the counter. Like it was of any importance. Like he was allowed to play at being normal.
Ariana watched him intently as he processed what she’d asked him. The way his hands couldn’t seem to keep still was more than indication this wasn’t an easy topic. She’d never been under the illusion it would be, but it was still difficult to watch Kaden struggle all the same. His hands kept brushing the flour away only to re-coat them in flour moments later. As if the physical movements could tie any of this together in a nice, simple way. But that’s the thing, this wasn’t simple. There was no way it’d ever be simple, but it was important. She wished Celeste was here. If anyone could help Kaden figure all of this out, it was her. But she wasn’t here. She wouldn’t ever be here to offer her wisdom again, so Ariana would try to bring some of her energy to the conversation the best she could. “Alright, maybe it’s not the point, but it’s still an important distinction. Something you stand for.”
Prior to the mention of nearly killing Kaden, Ariana had still been leaning against the counter keeping her arms calmly at her side. The idea of Lydia killing Kaden made her hands ball up into fists. Her anger was all directed at Lydia, but she tried her best to keep her features gentle though her face ended up looking like more of a grimace. It reminded her just how much Kaden getting killed was a distinct possibility. The thought only made her want to lock him away in this apartment, but she knew he’d never stand for that. “You’re only here because the gun was out of ammo,” she said, her voice coming out as a strained whisper and her fists clenching even tighter. The more he spoke, the more questions she had. He couldn’t be her when the tables were turned, but hadn’t he been so many times before? Lydia was far worse than any werewolf she’d ever met so she was having a difficult time understanding. She took a few deep breaths and reminded herself, Kaden was still here, and even if this didn’t make sense to her, they still had each other.
“You couldn’t be on the other side of the knife… or gun,” Ariana asked slowly, still not entirely sure on what to make of that. The fact she was important to him was enough to show Kaden’s values were changing, but not in a way that seemed concrete as of yet. Now she felt tense. She wasn’t sure how to clarify without making Kaden feel defensive. She’d meant what she said, that there was no judgment on her part. People were capable of some pretty amazing things when people believed in them and hell, she believed in Kaden. Maybe other wolves would think she was foolish for it, but time and again, Kaden had showed up for her when it mattered most. “Look,” she started, “I’m not trying to- What I’m going to say, I don’t mean it in a bad way. I just want to understand. And I think you need to understand. You need to know where you stand so you don’t get killed out there.” There was a good chance he’d tell her to drop it, but even if he at least thought about it, he was one step closer to making his own way. Keeping himself safer by not putting himself in a position of fighting someone he couldn’t kill. She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and finally let her hands relax. “You’ve been on the other side of the knife before,” she reminded him gently, “Something has to be different-- even if it’s you.”
Something he stood for. Right. More and more, Kaden wasn’t sure what he stood for. Everything had softened from black and white to shades of grey and it was harder to have a clear picture of what he did and didn’t support. And if that was good or bad, he couldn’t say. His hands clenched into fists for a moment before releasing them, a small puff of flour floating in the air around them as he let the tension fall away. It was strange to hear it put so plainly, coming from her mouth of all places. He’d be dead if the gun hadn’t been out of ammo. It just lent credence to the question of whether he should have even confronted her in the woods by himself. Maybe not. Probably not. What good had it done. He wanted to slink down against the counter and fall to the floor to sit, just collapse into himself with the whole thing. But he wasn’t alone. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Ari, tense and clearly struggling to calm herself down. He wasn’t going to fall to pieces in front of her. Not if he could help it, so he gripped the edge of the counter instead, held himself up, like nothing was wrong.
His knuckles went white as he held it tighter, a little more with every difficult question she posed. “That’s what I said, yeah,” Kaden confirmed, tersely. He wanted this over and done with. Nothing would change by dragging this up, would it? And she was too young to carry all this. He was sure of it. But she kept poking at it, prodding. “I know that,” he said, his voice snapping harsher than he’d meant to. “I know,” he repeated, softer this time. “I know I need focus but it’s not…” It wasn’t simple or clear anymore. “I’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about me, alright?” He turned away from her, and back towards the fridge to grab the dough, a silent savior from his thoughts. The sooner they were baking, the sooner he could drown all this out. “That was my point, Ari. I’ve been on the side that kills. Not the one that--” The lump in his throat didn’t let the rest of his words flow free. “So yeah. I don’t know. Doesn’t matter right now. Grab the rest of the dough, alright?”
Ariana watched on as she could see Kaden struggling with himself. While his distress and confusion were both visible, they didn’t quite make it to his words outside of a bit of a bite in his tone that he immediately softened. Her own flour covered hands started to fidget. This was something he needed to face, but maybe this wasn’t the time or she wasn’t the person. Part of her longed for Celeste to be here, she could help him through this and he wouldn’t feel obligated to be the strong adult in the room. She sighed and finally said, “Okay then. You can say that, but I’m still going to worry about you. Kind of comes with the whole giving a shit thing.” She tried to convey understanding in her features. There was no furrow in her brow or scrunch in her nose. Just calm eyes that tried to let Kaden know he wasn’t being judged here. “And that’s okay. You know that, right? I hope you know that. Maybe I can never really understand, but it does matter. Even if it’s not me, you should talk to someone and figure it out… though I have been told I’m wise beyond my years.” She said the last part a little more lightheartedly to get Kaden to stop looking like he might further grind down the flour. “But yeah, yeah, I’ll grab the dough and you can show me how it's done.”
Kaden paused a moment, still facing the dough on the counter. He would have to turn and face her eventually. Where the conversation went from here was up to him. “I haven’t been out. If that makes you feel better. On the full moon. Not for a while.” He looked down and noticed he’d been tracing small circles in the flour on the counter. He quickly used his palm to brush them away, clear the slate. He took a deep breath and finally faced her, letting it out as a sigh as he saw her face, seeing how hard she was trying to reach out. He tried to focus on what he knew. Ariana was a good kid. He wasn’t going to let her die. She was also a werewolf. He hunted werewolves. Where did that-- No. Focus. She was a werewolf who he wanted to protect. Even though she’d nearly killed him. So that meant he was questioning his codes. It had to. There was no other way to frame that, as much as he wanted to. That was something he had to grapple with. And soon. But he wasn’t sure how. Putain. Ari was so willing to help. But at the end of the day, she was still a kid, though. As much as she was like her sister, she wasn’t her. He gave her a smile, genuine but still small. “Thanks. For, uh. Just thanks.” He grabbed a small handful of flour and threw it at her, biting back laughter. “But no more bullshit. It’s time to bake.”
“Ah hello my lovely viewers welcome back to another addition of universe 20 news. After my first smaller broadcast the powers that be or everyone resident favorite statera god of this very universe saw fit to give me an more upgraded news room and even building. So welcome viewers to Res novaes universe 20 news. “
An figure wearing an casual green shirt and what appeared to be white gloves becomes more illuminated however the head of this news caster was not human. Instead what connected to an robotic looking neck was an tv. The tv in question appeared to be that of an futuristic looking model yet the face looked pixelated or like one of the those blocky emojis an sorta weird combination of high and low tech. His face showing information pretaining to each story as he talks.
“News across the universe has been grim and good as of late, reports on the war front tell that seshats armies have finally managed to take steps forward introducing new technologies which our sources say come from hell. Soul solders have been seen wearing what look to be brimstone and fire looking armor and buildings on the front line have the same appearances the cruel military factions weapons having no effect against this more hellish armor. As well as the whispers that seshat has initiated another alliance this time with an denizen of hell. Sources dont say who as this news is still in development but rumors are circulating that sir pentious is this new benefactor. @asksirpen {mention only} Though this has yet to be confirmed.”
“Elsewhere in the universe there has been two rumored sightings of the mysterious illusion mask..its user haven't been seen since an series of events that took place on earth in the early 2000′s resulting in the destruction of the shadow mask.”
“Void news! We recently got an update that the elder council featuring some of the eldest of elder gods and the first elder to meet up probably in reaction to the serious of rift tears due to 3 of the 5 masks shattering..Thank you inanis for this information.” The tv screen flickers to an smile before returning to the neutral face.
“Now the news your probably all waiting for. The chaos mask shattering sources confirm that the old serial killer that worked on earth from the 60′s to the early 2000′s resurfaced before quickly going into hiding after an leak in seshats plans that the robotic genuis was trying to find the chaos mask..for what reasons we may never know now. The killers movement are unknown until killings resembling the signature of the crimson killer began appearing in hell..Jeez hell is sure an popular place right now huh? I was on the ground for this one and it was an doozy. Now the exact events are shifty but stat helped fill in the blanks. An denzien of hell by the name known as “candy” {@candies-stash mentioned only} seemed to have some effect on the control of the controlled killer. The mask having been almost mind controlling the killer.”
“With the killer now free of influence the killer took actions into their own hands and shattered the mask in two. Causing the horrifying earthquake rumbling earlier in the year. With the mask shattered an entity of chaos escaped the mask bringing an cataclismic event in hell or atleast near ground zero of the shattering. An hurricane an mother of storms tore through the southwestern part of the hurricane. Luckily we were around for ground zero. Who knows where 666 news was probably too busy with another newscast on the same five murders while an hurricane ripped through an section of hell. { @askkilljoy mention only} Well thats all the time we have for today join me next week for another addition of universe 20 news.”
