#thread 25

[toa-masquerade]

You can't sit on the sidelines. You have to join in on the action. You're not afraid - you never have been. But this is all so new, and you feel so out of place. A deep breath, then you sprint to the first person you can see.

"You! Dance with me! Right now!"

[jodylinnel]

@elijahxxwilson​

“Slave!”

Jody yelled out towards Elijah across the ballroom. He knew who he was talking to, not just picking anyone. But it could be seen that way. He removed his mask, his pitch black eyes staring at Elijah until he was given some kind of reaction. He moved to cross the room, heading straight to him. Instead of a grab or vice grip, his blacken fingers, no smoke to be seen, slide across Elijah’s shoulder, to lay across.

“I’ve missed you.”

[dhanilyman]

Dhani was already at work in the library when he’d spotted Elijah walking past from the window. At least he hoped it was his friend. It sure as hell looked like him, but sometimes people just looked like other people. He glanced around to make sure he wouldn’t get caught being on his phone when he ought to be working and searched the autogenerated list the Institute provided from his phone. Elijah’s name was back on the list.

[text] Hey! Miss me too much huh? ;)

[text] Come over tonight and I’ll let you know how much I’ve missed you. I’m at the library right now, working, swing by if you want or have the time. <3

@elijahxxwilson​

[jodylinnel]

[ cont from here with @tommyheavyshield​​ ]

[text] Well I suppose a naughty boy should be punished?

[text] But we can leave that for later

[text] Meet me at Wade’s restaurant tonight at 7pm.

Jody and Tommy’s relationship had never gone that intimate. They’d had an intimacy of another kind between them. But this Jody, with his black eyes and blackened fingertips and pale, gaunt face with unexplained scars... He wanted more of things he’d not had here. Tommy and his devotion to Jody was sweet... but now Jody wanted more. This Jody wanted a lot more.

[jodylinnel]

[ cont from here with @edmund-elofsen​ ]

[text] Just catching up 

[text] And maybe selfishly I’d like your opinion on something. So. Drinks on me :)

Jody hoped that enough time had passed between them that Edmund didn’t actively dislike him anymore... But he was kind of counting on that. At least on indifference for the most part. His problem was a fucking particular one and he was tired of people who were so concerned with him giving him answers he felt were still just about his choice. ‘Ultimately it’s your choice’ and ‘Whatever decision you make I’ll help--’ The problem was he couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do. He needed a different perspective. He needed someone not so bloody concerned about him.

[jodylinnel]

@wildxhayes​

Once his house had been finished Wilder had a simple way to break in his new land, after stripping out of his clothes in the treehouse, he had climbed down the latter and soon a great grizzly bear was walking through the trees. It felt good to be in the woods, to experience his own land this way, there was a wide stream and he rolled in it for awhile in this form, comfortable and content to just lay in the water for a bit, not too concerned about the sound of something moving nearby, maybe if he was lucky, he could track down the pesky rabbit and have a nice natural lunch. At that thought he rolled out of the water and started to shake off, rabbit lunch sounded nice, and he’d have fun hunting it down, it had been too long since he’d hunted in this form.

Mouse was really after something, nose to the ground, his leash extended to a few feet away so he could trot out ahead of Jody. From the sound of something shaking it off it was probably another dog. A big one. Poor Mouse, the only little dog on the island, it seemed. They neared the stream, Jody loved a walk in the woods and often took Mouse out with him. His heart jumped in his throat seeing the bear and without thinking darted up to catch Mouse in his arms, though the chihuahua had stopped, stunned into silence as well.

“Fuck me...” Jody breathed, stumbling back and was grateful he’d managed to get his dog before the bear did. Goddamnit, what else was in these woods? He took a slow step backwards, clutching Mouse tightly to his chest with both arms. Slowly, he unattached the leash from Mouse’s collar. If anything were to happen to him, Mouse could run, at least. Maybe not outrun a bear but get out to safety. He doubted a bear would venture out towards campus like Mouse might think to do.

[jodylinnel]

@tamarapureheart​ 

[Text] Hey sweetheart.. I just wanted to check on you. Would you like to go for a walk tonight? I'm taking out Razzle for a walk in the woods. Should I come pick you up? Hugs.

[text] Yeah that sounds nice. Who’s Razzle? I don’t think I’ve met them?

Jody wasn’t sure if it was a pet or a person, but he hadn’t seen Tamara in an awful long while. Things had simply gotten in the way. There had been an attraction for sure, even a possibility of more but... They’d gotten busy. Of course. That seemed to be Jody’s problem. Here, he was supposed to be able to be himself, people liked him-- they loved him here... and he kept burying himself in his work.

[text] I’ll be ready in ten. :)

[jodylinnel]

[ cont from here with @winters-lust ]

[text] See you then.

Jody didn’t like Dark Desires. He never went there, apart from the incredibly distorted headache it gave him from too much of one color on each floor (a usual difficulty with his color blindness), he wasn’t a fan of the man who ran it, either. But he wasn’t about to let Winter have any kind of upper hand, including letting her know her choice of meeting place bothered him.

He filled Wat in, via text, one person he’d been keeping up to date on his issues. More than once Jody had accused him of compelling Jody into telling the truth. Wat just laughed it off, but Jody wouldn’t be too surprised if that had been the case. Jody waited outside, a lone bat headed towards him before Wat appeared, his converse shoes landing on the grass in an effectively dramatic puff of smoke changing from bat to vampire again.

“I don’t know what you expect to gain from this interaction.” Wat said, his hands in his jacket pockets as they walked towards the bar. He was here, as he said he would be, and that was enough for Jody.

“I just want the truth.” 

“From her? Good luck, mate...” Wat scoffed. “She’s a du Bois. They’re all crafty, manipulative liars. Except for Layla, obviously.” 

“You’ve dealt with them before, you’ve mentioned--”

“Not something I care to talk about, but trust me. Yes, I’ve dealt with this family before, why do you think I’m coming with you?”

“Because I asked you to.”

“Apart from that... However, now that the witch is out of the bag, I’m not exactly sure how willing Winter would go to make herself another pariah here. Again.”

“She seemed hell bent on ‘making Layla pay’... I think she’s succeeded.” Jody sighed a little, remembering catching Layla in tears more nights than not recently.

“How is she doing?” Wat asked, sympathetically. “The two of you?”

“We’re... managing. Layla’s not coping in the best way and I certainly haven’t helped... Hopefully after this I’ll be... better equipped.”

Wat looked doubtful and the rest of the walk was in silence. Jody opened the door to the bar, walking in with Wat. He looked cautious. Wat looked suspicious.