amelie's writing blog

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

F for fanatism - Anna & Edouard

“I think I will still have to disagree with you on that one, Mr. De La Croix.” She wondered if use of his family name would at least make him realize that she was trying to be respectful, that above all else, she believed in respect, in treating others with kindness. Even if he’d never stop killing, his words were still valid - still worthy - they just needed to be smoothed out a bit. If only because with the vitriol that they held now, any supernatural being who overheard him might have further reason to do harm, and even if she knew some (himself and his sister included, perhaps, sometimes) might think that her rhetoric was nearly as deadly as the creatures she was so fond of.

It was an incredible relief - almost in a way that she couldn’t quite place - that he was here, talking with her, and though she’d never thought him to be stupid, confirmation that he could hold a conversation that didn’t just result in calling vampires or other beings names was a relief. One that made her feel quite a bit as though having more conversations, even once he was out of her class (perhaps especially then, though she couldn’t place why) was something that she wanted.

She wanted to listen and wanted to help him understand her viewpoint, but also to truly and fully analyze his, too. Though she wouldn’t give up her belief that everyone (even supposed monsters) had a capacity for good - or at the very least, were deserving of respect - she wanted to see what he had to say, see if she could at least get him to admit that some of them deserved respect - even vampires. Even the undead that she knew would be most difficult to have him budge on.

She’d always been patient, though.

Besides, if they talked, she might get to look at his family’s library - she knew that they had to have one - most hunter families did, from what she knew from her research. If he respected her at least enough, then he might let her see it. Anna didn’t think for a single moment - there was nothing that even crossed her mind - that she might want to venture to his family’s library with him for any other reason.

“I do think the whole blood of fair maidens deal is a bit outdated,” she raised an eyebrow at him. “Is your belief rooted in your religion, or does you religion serve to validate your pre-existing belief?” She didn’t necessarily expect an answer - she wasn’t sure what sort of one he would give her, if any, but she had to pose the question. Getting him to think, rather than throw out pre-prepared and rote answers, would satisfy her a great deal.

“Not all, but I do take your point. Though, then, does that not prove that humans are monsters much like the beings you seek to rid our world of? The civilizations you speak of are human.” She unwrapped one of her mints for herself and placed it carefully in her mouth.

“You will do it, and we will discuss it. I am looking for neutrality, remember.” There was a small smirk that appeared on her lips. The very fact that he was willing was all the proof that she needed.

“I appreciate it, though I do not believe that you can fault me for checking.” She tapped her fingers on her desk, pausing before she added. “I think that, for this time, you can call me Anna. If it so suits you.”

While it was by no means a surprise to see her disagree with him once again, Edouard was however left wondering why she would make the switch to his family name. Was it an attempt to show her respect, or to put more distance between them? After all, he couldn’t be surprised should she fight the natural course of things to avoid ever being friendly to someone who killed her dear beasts and monsters.

And yet, he could tell that she did not expect for him to sit down and listen, for them to have a conversation. What he did not expect, was to wonder if perhaps they could have more of those conversations. It had not taken him long before he realized that he enjoyed the confrontation, even if it only involved words and figures of speech. It was a nice change from the fights he was used to, and he wasn’t too used to talking to someone who had arguments and wasn’t only motivated by their feelings, their friendships. How tired he was of seeing someone cry and throw a fit over him being a bad person.

There was a part of him who suspected that she only cared to prove him wrong but he had noticed how interested she seemed in debating those issues. If they would probably never agree on this subject, the both of them were willing to discuss it.

Listening to her wouldn’t be too complicated. She was a good teacher. Even if he disagreed with her, he had found himself listening to her with interest.

“That was a joke,” he admitted with amusement. Chewing on his lip, he took the time to examine her question. His religion had nothing and everything to do with it. The texts confirmed what he already knew, but he did not think that God had sent them on this Earth to defeat evil. His grand father, on the other hand, probably would have agreed with this dogma. “I wouldn’t believe in a religion that contradicts my beliefs,” he finally replied.

“Maybe, but I am going to protect my species either way.” If they were monsters, then they would be the last monsters standing. He knew that she had a point here, but she wasn’t teaching him anything new. Edouard had made his peace long ago with the fact that he had gone too far to ever come back from the places he had been.

”I remember,” he wouldn’t have rolled his eyes in front of a teacher. And so he blinked and shook his head.

“Are you going to call me Mr. De la Croix the whole time? Because that’s not something I can agree with, Anna.” The name felt foreign to his tongue, as if he shouldn’t have been using it, but with her permission, he didn’t see why he shouldn’t have used it. “Alright then. I’ll email you the details,” which meant that it was best if he did a good job keeping her safe.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Le diner

“I think that there are things that both of us can be thanked for.” She murmured back, though her eyes fluttered shut for one moment as his hands found her skin under the hem of her shirt, incredibly warm - practically electric, the way that her body so easily responded to his touch. She moaned just slightly, leaning into him - and part of her wanted to say forget the dinner, let us instead go back to your bedroom - but they would have time for that later, after dinner. They were trying dating, and that meant more then spending hours in bed together. She pulled on his arm for a moment as he moved away from her, grabbing his hand to kiss it before finally letting him go. “I do not think I am the only one to blame, you know. You have managed to tempt me quite often.”

“Well, someone needs to do quality control.” She giggled, though she knew he would know that she wasn’t being serious. Claire knew that she might be particular, but she never thought of herself as someone who was cruel. There was little point in being so, even though she was aware that coming from the social class she did, sometimes others might expect that of her. She always intended to prove them wrong. “Mmm,” she murmured again, her body relaxing into his. How utterly unfair, again, she found herself thinking, but she was just slightly too distracted to fully engage in that. “You know, I think I like when you teach me, Sébastien.” She turned to look at him, pressing a kiss to his lips, biting them as she pulled away. As he pulled her closer, she moved one of his hands back to the spot it had found before, under the hem of her shirt, against her skin. 

“Well, they are an improvement upon that dish you served me before, but I think that there is always something that can be improved upon.” She didn’t expand, instead offered him a smirk that she knew might infuriate him later, but it was not malicious. She knew that his question invited some sort of similar response.

“It is far too beautiful to be kept indoors - though I can think of some activities I might like to do later on that are better suited for indoors.” Another comment followed by a shrug, rather than expanding. It was important to live in the moment, and she still couldn’t help but feel the same excitable uncertainty in her stomach that she’d felt when he’d asked her to try this out, just a week ago. It was a nice feeling.

He returned to where she was, and she grabbed the plates. “You know, if you want to stare at me, I think I look even nicer in the evening sunshine.” Claire kissed him again, pulling at his shirt for a moment before she let go. “Should we see if I like the taste of these?”

“I’m thankful you demanded to speak with me that night,” pressing his lips against hers, as a mean of punctuation, he went on with the rest of his sentence, “and I’m thankful that you fell for my natural charm,” there was another kiss, and a smile on his lips. The exorcist had trouble recalling a time when he had last been so comfortable letting someone get close to him like he did with Claire. Not in a physical way, now that was something that never had been an issue (and it was no wonder this was how he had first gotten close to her), but personally speaking. He let her see through him. Not completely yet, but he could tell that she saw him. “I’ve done that?” Smiling as she took hold of his arm, he turned to watch her kiss his hand.

“You did not just suggest my cooking was anything if not quality,” he laughed, unable to truly keep the offended look on his face for more than two seconds. Had he not known her better, had it been the night they met, he wouldn’t have had trouble looking at her with anger, but not anymore. How could he have been angry at her, when he held her against him, when he could tell that she felt comfortable in his arms. “If you like it, I suppose this could be the first lesson of a long series,” he offered, reaching out to his solicited lip with his thumb. “Careful now,” and yet his expression demanded more of her not so gentle touch. His hands back on her skin, he let his eyes travel to the plates, rather than her face, which he assumed would probably infuriate her to some level.

Still, his thumbs drew figures on the soft, warm skin. Sigils, though she couldn’t possibly have been able to tell.

“I think the only improvement you needed was my company,” with a playful wink, he removed his hands from her, shooting her a glance as he made his way to the patio. You didn’t exactly have a view on the Eiffel tower her, or on anything truly interesting, but a sea of rooftops was not so bad, was it?

“Scrabble? Don’t be silly, we can play Scrabble out here,” with a knowing look, he stood by their table for the evening, taking the plates from her hands to set them down on the table, leaning into the kiss. “Pardon my French but, putain qu’est-ce que t’es belle,” pecking her lips softly, he let go, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Mmh? Yes, absolutely,” pulling her chair away from the table, he invited her to sit, and introducing the different elements in her plate, took a seat himself. “Bonne dégustation.” He invited her to start eating, as he served himself a glass of water, and her a glass of wine he knew would compliment her food.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

F for fanatism - Anna & Edouard

“I do not think that killing is ever an ideal solution, nor something that should be encouraged. However, I also believe in working to best understand others.” Anna raised another eyebrow. It would serve you to do the same, went unspoken, though she knew he’d consider it implied enough, even if he didn’t get it precisely from what she was saying.

Teaching at the university meant that she didn’t usually kick students out. Not even for disagreeing with her, which she knew that many did. No - in Edouard’s case it was being it was incessant - he never let up, and more importantly, his interruptions had caused his classmates who actually did want to learn to become unfocused, and she could see the way some of them looked at him, too. A couple in particular (from the small group who truly seemed to see the world the way that she did) had even emailed her, or, in one case, spoken up, telling him to please be quiet, some of us are here to learn. Anna had to admit that it had been hard to keep the smirk off her face when that had happened. Kicking him out, much like giving him a failing mark, was something that maybe made him notice made him aware that at least in her class and her office, he wasn’t the center of the universe.

She had noticed that the way he carried himself had changed since he’d come into her office. Though at first he’d entered in his usual manner, his posture, his manner of speaking, nearly everything about him - had all changed in the time since they started actually talking, since he’d stopped complaining about his grade.

She still had no intentions to change the mark, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t edit a few things with his final grade. He wouldn’t get the highest mark in her class, but she didn’t like to let anyone fail. 

After all, education’s purpose should be to learn, and as long as those in her class tried to do so - let themselves be curious - she never failed anyone. It was something else others in her department looked down on her for.

“I suppose that nothing stops them - being that they are immortal - and I respect that death gives us purpose, but I do also believe that sometimes it is important to understand what happens if people do not.” She leaned forward, giving a shrug. “Do you believe in a higher being? The afterlife? If so, is that not a manner of living forever according to some?” It wasn’t a challenge, not exactly, but more something else for him to think about.

She didn’t move as he pulled up his sleeve, but part of her wanted to run her fingers along the scars - because she was intrigued by everything about what she studied, even the less glamorous parts. “What if yours does?” She replied, a question for a question. “Sympathy has never once ended a civilization. War has.”

She quickly regained her composure. She shouldn’t have been surprised he’d looked into her. It didn’t matter. Didn’t matter that if she were anything but human, he’d have kill her or had her colleague do so.

“I would not be. You are good at finding things that specifically support your viewpoint. I would like to see you more able to research multiple sides. That makes you a stronger person.” A shrug at his remark. She hadn’t expected him to think highly of Romeo and Juliet. “If you are as good at research as you say, I challenge you to find that for me - and not from familial journals. Something more neutral.”

His next comment - turned question - surprised her. So did her answer, because before she’d thought it through, she could hear herself responding with a “yes, I would like that,” and she blinked a few times. Anna grabbed the candy wrapped and threw it into her waste bin. “If your offer was, in fact, genuine.” 

“I never claimed it was ideal, but rather the only long term option available to us,” he did not enjoy it. Oh it provided for more catharsis than one could need in a life time, but it had always felt more like a burden that he ought to carry, along with his sense of duty, his sword, and the belief that he was doing all this for the greater good. Through his action, not only did Edouard protect his family, he also protected their town, and by extension, its population.

Which meant that even if she wasn’t willing to listen to him, or if she was hellbent on teaching the most reckless things to her students, endangering them and herself, he would protect her too, because it was the right thing, the good thing to do. If he had been furious upon receiving his grade, and not one bit appeased upon reading his annotated copy, all traces of that anger seemed to have vanished now, appeased, it seemed by her rhetoric and her calm demeanor. Edouard had shown this facet, this side of himself to her before, in class, but in front of her whole class, of so many students, he understood that she couldn’t have taken the time to argue with him now.

A part of him felt resentment, not for interrupting her, but for making such a fool of himself. And although it had not even begun to dawn on him that she was the reason he wasn’t fond of that, this fact still remained.

He doubted that she would change his grade, but that wasn’t really why he had come into her office, was it? If he failed her class, he would just take it a second time. And a third. Made him wonder for how long she would be able to take his cynicism before allowing him to pass. No, he had walked into her office with the belief that perhaps he could change her mind on the matter. At this moment, all that mattered to him was that she listened to him, or at least, allowed him to show her the truth.

Empirical data was simply not something a researcher such as herself could pass on, just like he didn’t believe for a second that she would refuse to get a look at their library one day.

“What happens if people do not, is humans writing about monsters, the kind that eat children and drink the blood of fair maidens,” he commented, ever so cynical. Those novels scrapped at the surface, only revealing a small part of the horror that waited, in the dark, that waited to crawl out. “I’m a Catholic, yes, which is why I don’t believe that they should roam around like that,” a being that started to wriggle its way away from a cross was an unholy creature.

“If I remember well, a number of civilizations were overthrown, vanished, because they were too kind to another one,” their country was built on the blood of innocents, so really, he did not have to look far to find his argument.

He offered her a smile. There was nothing mischievous to it, but rather the reassurance that she could too make mistakes.

“Fine. I’ll do your assignment,” her expression had him laughing lightly. No, he really wasn’t fond of William Shakespeare’s most famous work. “Like I said, I will do your assignment, and there will be no doubt on the matter anymore.”

Her answer was welcomed with another one of his smiles, and while he would make sure that nothing happened to her, he just knew that she wouldn’t be able to disagree with him anymore, once she would have seen them, and the things they could do. “Of course, couldn’t have been more genuine than that,” he assured her. “You will not regret it, professor.”

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Just as she’d let him plan out the whole day, Claire was more than keen to allow Sébastien to guide her up the multiple flights of stairs and into his flat. Despite having been out for the better part of the day, she couldn’t help but feel invigorated - happy - relieved. Everything had gone well so far, helping to push aside any anxieties that she still had about taking this next step.

It was not something she’d ever bothered to do before - ever been able to, before. Her schoolwork was too important, or she simply didn’t care to know someone outside of the bedroom. Even if she hadn’t been willing to admit it, she’d wanted more from Sébastien for some time before a week ago, when they’d agreed to test the waters and go on a date.

Now she knew that even if (when) she did spent the night tonight, both of them would wake up together in the morning. There would be no leaving at one o’clock in the morning, sneaking out as though they’d never even been there. No leaving after showering at eleven at night, with excuses of work or anything else. No - now, she knew that much like the few times this past week that they’d been together, she would stay, curled up against him, only adjusting to better fit together as either of them moved throughout the night.

She slipped out of her shoes and pressed a kiss right back to him, holding the both of them there for a small moment before she followed him back over to the kitchen.

“I did, as a matter of fact.” A smirk rested on her face as she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow at them. “Though you should thank me, because otherwise you - we - we would have never had the pleasure of getting to know one another.” The smirk changed to something softer and she moved closer to him. “Do I have to give you a special reward if you win this rematch, hm?” Claire pressed her lips against his cheek. “Seems only fair, I think.”

“Oh, I should thank you,” biting on his lower lip, he watched her move closer to him in awe. His hand found her waist, like they often did, and with the tip of his fingers, he made it his mission to find the hem of her top, lifting it just enough to place them on her skin. Sebastien told himself, that one day, perhaps, his instinct wouldn’t guide him into leading them both to the bedroom, but as that had been the way they met, the way they grew to know the other a bit better with each meeting, it seemed natural to be drawn into the warmth, the sensuality of her body. “You temptress,” he finally replied, extricating himself from her arms to go back to his pans.

“Do you want to help me with the plates?” He proceeded to get his hands on the beetroot juice and caramel, drawing fine circles alongside the edge of the plate. “First we do this,” he explained, handing her the spoon so she could try it on the other plate. Then, he decorticated each and every step, up until the last one. Slipping behind Claire, Sébastien planted a soft kiss against her neck, his hands running along her forearms onto her hands. “We’re gonna place this right here, and,” another kiss to congratulate her, “this goes here.” He paused. “Almost done,” he let go of her hands to wrap his arm around her and pull her close to him.

“What do you think? Looks good?” He had no doubt that she would find something to say, whether witty or infuriating enough to drive him wild. He had never fought too hard to get the upper hand on her, when it came to words, he knew that she would have him beat any hour of the day. He was thankful for the other places where she might feel more vulnerable.

“While you finish here, I’ll go set the table outside, it’s too sunny to eat in here,” besides his apartment was tiny enough as it was, they could claim all the space available. With one last, perhaps a bit too lingering, look at her, the chef was out of the kitchen, leaving her to choose what the final touch might be.

On the small wooden table, there wouldn’t be a lot of room for many things, save for their glasses and their plates, but he knew that they could count on his sister’s many flowers and potted plants to keep the atmosphere warm. Still, he set down a white table cloth and, cutlery and napkins. Returning to her side, he had a look inside the plates, then back at her. Though there was a twinkle in his eyes, he didn’t say a word, leaning his forearms against the counter as he looked at the woman.

[words-from-the-hive]

Le diner

His hands on her waist, Sébastien had accompanied Claire’s first steps in the staircase. Living on the 5th floor with a constantly out of order elevator was not exactly fun, especially when he finished his shift at 1am, and had an entire day of work to weight on his knees.

If he was being honest, he might have walked a lot more today than he did on a regular day at the restaurant, and yet, rather than exhausted, the young chef felt full of energy and ready to get started on the next stop of their tour of carefully selected locations ; or so he called them. It was no wonder, then, that they were now stopping at his apartment, for dinner, and for the night.

While he could only assume that she would have a comment to make on the matter, Sébastien told himself that it was about time that he made her dinner, and there was no better place for it that a kitchen that he knew. Now her kitchen was much better, had better appliances and he’d seen a few things laying around the cupboards that were much nicer than the plates he would use, but he knew, or rather hoped, that in the end, she wouldn’t even think of those details.

Leaving his keys on the counter, he had kicked off his shoes and headed to the kitchen. She knew that she could remove her shoes now that she was inside, and so he didn’t bother telling her that. Planting a languid kiss on her lips instead, the young man let go to get a hold of his apron, which was promptly tied around his waist. “Now if I recall, you had a few things to say on the first meal I ever cooked you,” licking on his lips, he shot a look at her as he took out the ingredients for their dinner. Most his preparations had been made early in the morning, before he met with her by the Seine. “Which is why I’ve decided to go for a rematch,” he explained, as he turned on the oven and the stove.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

F for fanatism - Anna & Edouard

“I do not defend killing of any sort.” That was true, even if the way she presented it was far less nuanced than she intended - than she truly felt. If she had any chance of helping Edouard understand multiple perspectives, putting it in black and white might have been for the best. Grouping him as being just like everyone else had worked, or so she figured. He was decently good at keeping his cool - which was something that she could respect, if she thought too much about it. 

Though, she supposed that she had known that at least to a degree, because even if he’d gotten angry with her during her classes, he’d taken some time, and even though Anna loathed his pompous attitude, she knew where to give credit where it was due.

She had figured that he wanted to make her feel small, that making her seem crazy in front of other students, but he hadn’t succeeded, and she had no intentions on believing his side of things (after all, she saw it as overly prejudiced), but she did have a desire to talk to him. To understand how he saw the world. After all, most like him just wrote her class off as nonsense - or, a few times, attempted to tank her ratings. She could respect that even if she was positive he’d talked poorly about her (and her class) outside of class, and even if he ignored her comments and requests, and even if he argued during class time - he was there, which meant maybe he was actually curious. That he actually wanted to learn.

Or perhaps she was entirely naïve.

“Do you think that all would live that long? Perhaps if they were given a chance to live their lives, they would not become the same sort of creatures you describe.” She didn’t know, not entirely - but she did believe that at least some of the behavior was decided by the way that they were treated. “I think that if given the chance to understand, we might be able to figure out a way to better work through things.” 

She offered him a smile, though it was not the same bright way that she did in class sometimes, when discussing a particularly interesting topic, but a smile nonetheless. Anna didn’t know how Edouard would take it, but right now she didn’t so much care one way or the other.

His next words made her tense up for one moment. Would you have killed me if I were not? she thought, but didn’t voice. “You do seem to be one to do research when it might benefit you.” A small shrug followed. She wasn’t going to let him unnerve her, if that was what he was attempting to do. “Human as they come.” And though she didn’t know if he’d believe her, despite her fascination with the supernatural, she had no desire to become one of them. Just to understand and respect them, as best as she could. Always with an understanding that she might never fully do so.

“No, but I do not think that killing them is the proper course of action, either. Ever read Romeo and Juliet? I do not like to cite it too often, but it has its purpose. Someone kills someone, someone else kills that first someone in honor of the first-dead someone, and everything spirals.”

She nodded - giving a pause in her thoughts before continuing, “but what made them dangerous? Perhaps they would not harm if they were not threatened. They were both going in circles just slightly, but the points still stood, and they were conversing, which meant something. It had to.

She couldn’t help but match his smile as he took the mint. Even that, that small giving it meant something. “No, I just find that you do in fact have the ability to converse with me. One might even say that I find it refreshing.”

“Of course you don’t,” he wouldn’t insult her by asking how she felt about the murder of things that were technically pronounced dead a long time ago already. Something told him that she wouldn’t exactly get riled up about it, but instead bore him to death with a perfectly sensible argument on the nature of death in a world where one could come back from beyond the veil ; an argument, he was sure, wouldn’t convince him at all.

Edouard eyed her, lips curled up as he remembered the few times she'd finally kicked him out of class. Whether it was in tutorials or in lecture, she seemed not to take the time to listen to his agitated arguments on the dangerousness of the nocturnal and macabre creatures of the town. As he sat across from her, the man was less vehement than he had been in their past arguments. It should have been the other way around as it was easier to attack someone isolated, and God knows he was well informed on the matter.

As surprising as it were, he found himself listening to what Anna had to say.

Her peers found her brilliant. He found her annoying, irritating, and he could not bear in any way the blissful air she sometimes had as she dwelled on the question of the presence of this or that cryptid in the North of the United States.

However, we now did not seek to keep this unfortunate tendency that he had to want to make her feel uncomfortable in his presence.

Without anyone to see him, judge him or make the slightest comment, Edouard had become more reasonable, or at least less inclined to establish a balance of power between the two that would be in his favor. He was her student, and she was his professor. As it should be. Time would tell if his desire to have control of the situation would come back the next time there would be an audience for their conversation.

“Ms. Webster, these creatures are immortal. What could possibly stop them for living so long,” if not for me. He had noticed that she didn’t seem one bit interested about how it was that he did it. Well aware that she wasn’t fond of violence, Edouard knew, however, that she was curious, and so it surprised him. “Death gives us a purpose. We know that we have an amount of time given to us, and it gives us purpose,” as opposed to immortals. Call it boredom or madness, eventually, they snapped.

The man rolled up his sleeves. His forearms were covered with thin pale marks. Lines and curves. Scratches and bite marks. Some were old, some almost all healed up from two nights ago. As he replied to her next question, his finger idly ran above a bump of flesh. “What if you are wrong, and your ideology leads us to the end of our civilization?” He didn’t smile back this time. When talking about such worrying matters, he didn’t have the heart for it.

The way she reacted to his revelation was not lost on him. He hadn’t meant to scare her. He didn’t want to scare her. His gaze softened. After all, Anna Webster was not entirely oblivious to the dangers of this town. Part of him had wondered if she wasn’t simply a daredevil in disguise, but at the mention of a hunter, a trained killer having approached her, she had tensed. “You would be surprised at how efficient I can be in the research field,” once in a while, he and his sister would stumble upon a creature they had never fought, and instead of heading head first to the battle field, Edouard and Esmé could spend days searching on the subject. Their private library was rich enough and if all failed, they could count on the university’s documentary collections.

“I’ve read Romeo and Juliet,” his gaze crossed hers, a hint of malice in his eyes. He hadn’t ever been able to stand Shakespeare’s work. “If you ask me, there must have been a series of murders involving people being drained dry,” he suggested. Hunters had evolved in a certain way to respond to certain needs, after all.

“Don’t tempt me, Ms. Webster. I would be more than happy to take you out, on a late night trip to the cemetery,” she would soon find out what made them dangerous. “Is that something that you would like?” Unwrapping the mint, he left the wrapper on her desk and brought the candy to his mouth.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Let the sun shine - Alain and Evelyn

She enjoyed the feeling of the summer air on her skin. Even now, over a year later, she did find herself still craving the feeling of cold, but being thrown into incredible amounts of sunshine and summer heat did so something to cure that, just a little. Alain’s lips on her shoulder did a great deal to make those thoughts go away - ones that she still didn’t know how to bring up to him. She knew that she would have to, one day, but not right now. Not when they were in tentative, though beautiful, bliss.

She grinned at his scoff, though his remark after he coughed made her raise an eyebrow. “No, just trying to get another drink for myself.” She took the bottle out of his hand, taking a sip for herself. “Yes, well, I am rather pleased that nobody has succeeded.” Do not let your grief hold on too tightly right now, “as I would rather miss your cooking.” She grinned. Though Alain’s cooking was some of her favorite, they were both at the point where it was possible to joke about what she was, about how she didn’t truly need to eat. She never would have imagined finding someone who did manage to somehow accept her - someone who was human especially. She still hadn’t talked to her father in years, but were she to ever talk to him, she only wanted to say told you so. Told you someone could love me. Except she never had spoken back, back home. She’d perhaps overly internalized it. He’d never said it in so many words, anyhow. Simply hidden her away, made her play human. That said more than anything else could.

She frowned as he moved the strap of her dress back onto her shoulder, and again as he placed his hand against her neck. She let a small, though satisfied whimper escape her lips. No matter what she managed to do, he could always get the upper hand - regain control somehow. Which she loved - loved how he took control, how well he knew her. “It did not used to be this way.” As much, at least. Though even back in the States, he’d always managed to turn things around in an unexpected way. That was, once he’d realized the months she’d spent attempting to flirt with him while being more cautious than usual. She’d valued their friendship too much to get up the courage to risk ruining it. Evelyn could feel herself straighten just slightly as his gaze left her eyes, except she let him pull her closer once again. “We -” could change that. “Are,” she settled on, instead, even though she knew he could feel her heartbeat race just a bit more as he touched her, even if everything was perfectly acceptable for the outdoors, and hardly considered any grand gesture of PDA (at least no more than their seating positions already were). “As are you, my love.” She glanced around them too, and once again, the sight of children in the sand sent a phantom ache throughout her body. It had happened at the café too, and Evelyn wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to make of it.

“I suppose so. Though some of my happiest times there were the months I shared with you - both before and during our relationship, should you need specification or clarification.” She continued to kiss along his collarbone, his chest, his neck, his jaw. “I know - but I - I just do not think I have it in me to lose you again.” The kisses stopped for a moment and she looked at him with wide eyes, “yes, well,” her voice lowered impossibly low, “you shall not lose me either. Just throw salt somewhere and I cannot possibly leave. Though you know I will never leave you regardless, right?”

“Oh, you would miss my cooking?” His eyebrows raised as he realized what she meant by that. He couldn’t recall the last time she actually finished a plate he prepared for her. Jokes about the way she fed would have not been welcomed with a smile a year ago. Though he still had nightmares, now and then, they weren’t as draining as they used to be, and, for the past two months, he couldn’t count one single bad dream.

Sitting up, his hand found its fit against her cheek as he gave her one more kiss. If he had known of the doubts in her mind, of her thoughts regarding her father, he might have not picked this as an opportunity to come and tickle her while he smiled against her lips. “Missing my cooking, sure, you would be missing my cooking.” Wish a sigh, he found himself once again with his face close to hers.

They couldn’t keep their hands to themselves and they couldn’t stay away from one another for a long time. This reminded him of his youth, and though they hadn’t been happy times for the most part, there were some people then that were worth it. Evelyn was someone who was worth it now. Worth putting down his sword, worth starting over, worth following around wherever she would go. He knew that this was premature, but part of him knew that one of the reasons he had stopped hunting was the look in her eyes as she found out what he was. It had haunted him, and it wasn’t an expression he ever wished to see against in her eyes. Fear just wasn’t natural for her, and though now he fully realized why he hadn’t liked to see her this way, Alain knew that it had more to do with the way he wanted her to look at him, than it had her nature.

Though Alain knew exactly what she referred to as she mentioned his past shyness regarding her, the man had no regrets as to how he had handled things then. Ever since the first time he had seen her, on her private property, by accident, the hunter had found the woman charming, although it was only later that he started to consider Evelyn as more than someone beautiful and witty that he could share further than conversations with. And those moments were all important to him, and though sometimes he wondered if he shouldn’t have taken the first step sooner, things were so natural now that he was comforted in their respective choices. The name she had hand picked for him left him wondering whether it could be love that he already felt for her, or whether this was simply affection. Alain knew himself well enough to know that he was incapable of sleeping with someone he didn’t care for, but strong feelings had never been necessary. And so he wondered, how he would feel if right now, she just stood up and decided that she were done with him. It was silly, and a bit complicated to do as she was traveling around his face leaving a trail of kisses, ghostly and soft, on his skin. And yet, as his thoughts left him with an emptiness in his chest and a blank look on his face, it was only her next words that pulled him out of this state. “We’re stuck with each other else then,” and though he still struggled with his invasive thoughts, she then managed to make him laugh. Yes, he did love that woman. “I’ll have some salt delivered to the house by tomorrow morning,” his smile reached his eyes and he left his arms wrap themselves around her. All was well in this late summer afternoon.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

F for fanatism - Anna & Edouard

.

“Everyone’s opinion matters to me, regardless of whether or not I agree with it.” It was true - it was part of why she’d gone into teaching, after all. It was a place where she could examine all opinions without being too looked down upon. Too being the operative term, because her tendency towards letting all her students explore their ideas to their heart’s content was certainly not something that other professors always permitted. “So yes, as much as you might think yourself above everyone, you are included in that group.” She raised an eyebrow at him. She knew there was no way that he was used to being spoken to like this - in a way that wasn’t solely filled with admiration and an eagerness to do whatever he pleased. Besides, it was a simple truth - even if his family did have more power than most, he was still part of the group.

“Few make it, and would you not feel a need to perhaps cause a bit more havoc, as it were, should you live to be one thousand years old?” A pause. “You might be inclined to think of just how long that is - and who is to say that it is not a natural progression, one that we cannot possibly study in humans or other beings?” She tapped her fingers against her thigh, offering him a shrug. She knew he’d have a comment back to her, even if he chose to keep it to himself.

A part of her wanted to grab one of her pens and fiddle with it - but she knew that to Edouard that might be taken as giving in. Not that they were in a fight - for one, he was a student, and for a second point, she was not trying to argue, simply make her point. Hope that she could maybe, even if just for a millisecond. He wasn’t speaking to her with as much disgust as he had during the class itself, so that was something already, and she couldn’t help but smile again.

Any number of her coworkers might have accused her of being charmed by Edouard De La Croix and his way of being, but she didn’t see it that way - she was simply relieved to converse with him, and to properly discuss things. That was all.

He almost called her Anna and she bit her lip for one moment, at that. The correction was noted - another sign that maybe he had a bit more respect for her than he let show in front of his classmates. Either that, or he was a remarkably good actor. She didn’t doubt his acting abilities, but that particular slip of the tongue and the correction that followed hadn’t seemed to be part of that. “I am aware that you hunt. I would have had to be quite utterly blind to not put the pieces together. Just so you know, I am, myself, entirely human. Though I suppose you might well have deduced that yourself.”

“Not all humans,” she shrugged, “plenty get off, plenty get far less severe sentences than what might be needed - and I should never think to say that anyone deserves death, but getting out of jail due to connections,” she raised an eyebrow at him, “does not seem so very fair, now does it?” He wouldn’t take it as her stating that he deserved it, only that humans had their advantages too, even if those were different than the supernatural. “Humans kill, and standard animals do as well. I - look, I am aware that you do a service of taking care of the town in the way that you best see fit. Yes - I do have some semblance of an idea, but have you thought that some of these deaths occur because both sides have exacerbated how poor the relationship is? That the wanting to kill has become mutual because both sides expect such things?” She pushed the mints towards him again, “I am sorry for your losses, but I know of people - things, you might call them, who have also lost those they love. I do not think animals deserve to be put down either, so I think that argument may not work so well on me, my apologies.” The return of the raised eyebrow showed that she might well have not been so sorry.

.

Her words regarding opinions had more echo in his head than they would have had a moment ago. In his family, he always had heard that wolves didn’t concern themselves with the opinions of sheep. The more he spoke with his teacher, and the less he considered her to be a member of the cattle. Not quite a wolf yet, but perhaps could she be somewhere in between, someone who wished no harm to both the wolves and the cattle. Not a shepherd then, but that definitely made her a lot more human than he was.

He was still holding onto that thought when she attacked him on his status.

The diabolical woman.

He meant no harm by this. Her reasoning was to admire, even if it played at his disadvantage. When was the last time someone stood up to him?

Of course she knew that the easiest way to his nerves was to strip him of whatever it was that made him feel special : his status as a student, as a member of the town’s society, as a hunter. So now he was just a regular student and a regular citizen too. He didn’t give her a lot of time before she started tearing down his status as a hunter as well.

Ah, there it was. Asking him to place himself in the shoes of a monster was not new to him, although, the last time he had done it, it was to better his defensive skills. To feel empathy for these things simply wasn’t something they did. He could have brushed it off had it not been for her next comment. Really, who was he to understand the toll such a time spent on Earth could do to someone. It was true that young vampires always cried that they didn’t wish anyone any harm. Older vampires didn’t bother to explain themselves. “Regardless, you can’t possibly defend what they do. Being ancient doesn’t give them a right to dispose of sentient beings this way. We’re meat to them,” and that wasn’t something Edouard was wiling to allow. He returned the shrug to her, a lopsided grin on his face. “Imagine what would happen, if there were more of them? Soulless predators, with the wits of a human?” Though he still smiled, the look in his eyes was a grim one. She would have a response to give him, but that didn’t mean he would change his mind. Yes, what they did to young vampires was unfortunate, but that was the only way to control the population.

Though he knew that she wouldn’t accept his reality as the truth, it mattered to him that she saw or understood his point of view. Her classes always seemed to side with the poor, innocent, misunderstood creatures. It was time to set the record straight.

His eyes caught sight of her reaction to his little slip. She seemed to be enjoying this, the way he stumbled on a simply thing such as her name, the way he had to justify himself for his opinions and beliefs. He was sure she knew what was going on with him before, but now, there was no doubt to have about this. As for her being human, well... “One of the professors here is a hunter. I asked her a couple months ago about you. She did confirm that you were indeed human.” It would perhaps come as a surprise to her, but Edouard had to check.

“So because our system is flawed, they should just get a get out of jail card?” And of course it made him wonder what she thought of him : did she think of him as a murderer?

His eyebrows furrowed, however, as he took notice of the woman’s influence. Why did he care for her opinion? Of course, she was his professor, and he had always been taught to respect his tutors, but that didn’t mean that he had ever cared for whatever it was they thought of him. “So is this really a question of who shot first?” And that might have led to a Han Solo joke, had he been talking to his friends, but it simply wasn’t the moment for jokes. “I don’t see why we would have started hunting down harmless creatures. See, wolpertingers? I’ve never harmed one of those. I wouldn’t harm an akaname,” with a one shouldered shrug, he leaned forward, reluctantly grabbing a mint from her box. This time, as he caught sight of her raised eyebrows, he met it with a smile. “What I’m saying is amusing to you?” He inquired, as his expression remained unchanged.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

F for fanatism - Anna & Edouard

Perhaps she had been harsher with the grading than what his essay properly deserved. However, she knew he came from a family, from a place in the town (and in society as a whole) that granted him the belief that he was correct, always. That his opinion, no matter how bigoted or one-sided it might have been, was entirely correct. So perhaps she had wanted to get his attention, and asking him politely in class to work to understand a different viewpoint had yet to work. This - something tangible, something that would be on his record, that he couldn’t ignore. “If I were?” She replied, relaxing back into her chair for a moment, raising an eyebrow.

He believed he had the world in the palm of his hands, that much she knew. She knew his family, and knew that his parents were likely even more extreme than he was. He was charming, too. She’d noticed the way he was always surrounded by his peers, ready to crack a joke. She knew that her beliefs made her not so popular - to people like him, and to others who believed that what she taught was simply fantasy. That dedicating one’s life to such studies were ridiculous. She’d heard what people said, but that had never deterred her. “Few make it to that point.” It was true, but not entirely. Not in binaries. “I - no, I do not mind the expression, nor do I mind getting down to the bare bones of it.” If that was a way to get to him, then so be it. Her gaze fell to his hands before she readjusted it, looking back up at him. “I do. Or, I have quite a bit of an idea.” 

She couldn’t help the small smile that rested over her lips at that. Another one, so soon after the previous. She didn’t know what exactly it was, but for all that she found herself consistently frustrated with his behavior in class, actually talking to him was something new. It was a different side of him, one who was willing to speak in the way she’d hoped to get him to in class. Or perhaps that was her imagination. 

She had always been told that she saw too much good in everyone. Her love of the monstrous was proof enough of that. She could his smile and tucked the fact away for later. That maybe she’d be able to make him see some sense, even if not entirely.

“Those sorts of ideologies exist with humans,” or with those like yourself and your family, “too. If humans do not care about others, they might simply wish to do away with all. There are documented cases of vampires - or other non-human beings - living peacefully with humans. If you judge based on appearance only, there leaves a lot to be understood - a lot that one will never understand.” She shrugged at his question. “No. I acknowledge that in your eyes, that makes me naïve, but it is my true belief.” She pushed a small bowl on her desk over to him. “Mint?”

.

He had doubts for a moment, on whether she would even grant him an answer to his question, and in a way, she didn’t reply. Instead giving him a question for him to answer to, once again. He assumed that this was just a habit for her, having her students question everything they were so sure of. “Well, if you were, I could only wonder why it is that you care so much about my opinion. Does my opinion matter to you, Ms Webster?” He was starting to wonder if perhaps, he wasn’t just another monster for her to dissect, one in which she would try to find goodness of heart. If she were to ask, he could have told her that for all he loathed those fanged abominations, he was always incline to giving a fair treatment to those who deserved it. She loved these things, he vowed to protect mankind. Certainly there was a drift in terms of opinions here, and he didn’t see how she intended to get him to change his. His purpose had ties to the divine. It was biblical. Those things, they belonged to the book of Revelations and the book of Job, along with the Leviathan, the locusts or the dragon.

“Few make it to that point, but those who do, they wreck havoc and destruction. I wonder why.” He did not. It was simple. Childish. Their nature was to do evil.

Although she seemed a bit taken aback, struggling to reply to his harsher language, he didn’t think less of her for it. This kind of innocence was endearing and made him realize that even as their opinions diverged, it was unlikely that he would leave her to die if she was ever to end up being in danger. It was bound to happen, when you tried to teach a beast how to act like a soft cat.

Oh. So she knew. “Oh please. Just say it, An- Ms Webster,” now that wasn’t the kind of familiarity he aimed for. He was used to calling people in a way they were uncomfortable with to gain and show he was in control, but this was not it.

And as he saw her smile, he was comforted in his thoughts. If anyone was in control right now, it had to be her. She pushed him in the direction she wanted him to go, all while sitting comfortably in her office chair. It would have been frustrating if he hadn’t been willing to play along.

“Humans go to jail. These things roam around freely. The police, they simply state : animal attack.” The newspaper of the day didn’t fail to confirm his story. If you looked at the last page, you could find that the fisherman that had disappeared about a month ago, had washed up on shore, missing a few selected organs. An animal attack. Right. And so, her reply to his question, as it came from a place of genuine worry, brought a frown to his face. “Why can’t you see that we would be better off without all these monsters? They kill people,” once again, his voice had rose, although this time, he hadn’t taken notice of it. “Do you have any idea how many people die keeping you all safe? How bad things would be if we weren’t there?” She knew of what he was, so why should he bother to keep hiding? “I’ve lost people to them. And people still keep thinking they ought to be saved. They are like rabid dogs. No one cries when you do the right thing and put them out of their misery. So why is it different here?”

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Let the sun shine - Alain and Evelyn

“Maybe so,” Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “I was only speaking the truth, after all.” She fought to refrain from closing her eyes again as his hand ran against her thigh (even though it would have been so easy to just close her eyes and get lost in the moment, in the way she always could, when he touched her). Instead, she chose to look at him with a soft gaze, to return her hands to his chest, to run her fingertips against him there, now. She could feel his heartbeat under her careful touch, could feel the warmth of his body, the curve of his chest.

Grief, she had learned, had its own sort of flavor, even if it wasn’t one she was used to. Even if it wasn’t quite tangible, always - and even if the only other feeling she knew the taste of was fear (and it wasn’t a taste, as she’d explained to many people - more of a feeling). Even if Alain hadn’t vanished in the same way that others had, she’d still grieved for him, and she knew she owed him an explanation of what had happened during the time they were apart, but it was hard to talk about, still. Doubly hard, given who she was grieving, and the fact that for all that she trusted him implicitly he would not see that particular loss in the same way that she did. She would tell him one day, she promised herself, but one day down the line. Maybe then it would be easier.

“You know I would not do something just so basic for you.” She murmured. Of course, the ideas she held as extra for him were far different than what she might have wanted for herself, but that was part of the beauty of who they were - how even though they were rather different, they managed to understand one another so much (even more so, this time around) and managed to fit together better than she would have ever imagined. He grounded her in ways that she wasn’t ever certain she would be able to thank him enough for. Everything was still new this time around, and she still found herself hiding what was going on when people at the bookshop asked if she was seeing anyone - what her plans were for the evening - for the weekend - but she found herself spending nearly as much time at Alain’s place as she spent at her own. The thought of the school year starting up again made her feel uneasy, if only because it meant less time around him. “Well, if you say I am, then perhaps it must be true.” She pulled one of the straps of her dress down over her shoulder, offering him a smirk that was clear even with her eyes. “Such a shame we are outdoors, no?” 

She did shut her eyes as he rested his cheek against her head. “I did not make it so easy, to be fair - but yes, you should have.” She adjusted her position, peppering kisses against his collarbone. “I missed you in a way that made my whole body physically ache.” After all, they were being honest, weren’t they? “I am only glad I did not lose you permanently.”

A soft smile on his lips, he planted a kiss on her shoulder, giving her no reply so as not to admit that she were right, at least to some extent. Leaning back once again, this time resting on his elbows, his gaze drifted away to the rest of the beach. People didn’t pay too much attention to the pair, everyone busying themselves with their own life, and so it felt as if it was just them, the soft summer breeze bringing some freshness to their skins as they bathed in the southern heat. Summers in the South were different to those they had known across the ocean. A dry heat, one that didn’t leave any humidity, any mercy. He reached over to get his bottle of water from under the parasol, taking a sip as she told him of her plans for his birthday : they elicited a scoff out of him. Coughing as the water threatened to go down the wrong way, he then cleared his throat. “Trying to kill me, are we?” He paused, and with a slow smile, he added, “you’ll have to try a bit harder. Many have tried, but no one has succeeded,” as far as dying was concerned, there were worse ways to die than to die by her side, he told himself. As long as she wasn’t holding a knife while he did. Yeah, he still couldn’t believe that she was wiling to take a chance on him. She must have known or have had an idea of the things he had done in his life. And yet, even if she did, he doubted that she could really be aware of how dark his heart once had been. One day, perhaps, he would tell her about his youth. He rarely spoke of it. After all, at her age, he had been still committing atrocities.

And yet, her playful quips managed to take this worried air on his face to the realm of past moments. Nibbling on his lip, he reached out to put the strap of her dress back on her shoulder, letting his hand take a hold of the side of her neck. That ought to solicit memories (although fresh ones) out of her. “Should I remind you that two can play this game?” Or that he had managed to keep his cool in much trickier situations in the past? If someone was to lose, he doubted it would be him. His gaze traveled down from her eyes to the curves of her body, and with the air of amusement on his face, who knew what was going on through his mind as he looked at her. “Such a shame we’re outdoors,” he agreed, laughing lightly as he held her against him. “You’re lovely, my dear,” kissing her hair, he once again had a look at their surroundings. Nothing but kids playing with the sand, couples enjoying the sun, and a few teenagers playing a game of volleyball in the distance.

“I don’t think we would have been happy there,” he wasn’t happy there. Hadn’t been for a long time. Having friends that often died before they reached the age of 40, risking his life every time he left for a hunt, being surrounded by death, that simply wasn’t the kind of life he longed for. Part of him wondered if he ever really wanted that. Her kisses were meant with a sigh of delight. “I’m not going anywhere. With just one leg, you know I wouldn’t get far,” he laughed.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Let the sun shine - Alain and Evelyn

“I am not incorrect,” she replied, her usual accent back. She frowned as he turned away from her, even more so as he leaned back - but he was still letting her sit on him, so at least she’d won on some level. She grinned back at him, “I think Mr. Babineaux might be overreacting a little bit.” Evelyn couldn’t help but giggle, especially at his expression, She knew he didn’t mind it - knew that it all came from a place of love.

She continued to look at him, wide-eyed, as he observed her. She noticed the way his expression softened, and Evelyn let her own expression soften to match. Adjusting one of the straps of her dress, she regarded him carefully. “I would never dream of making you wait - I just figured we can do a little something extra for your birthday. I think I would be sad if you made me wait that long.” She knew that she got some looks, sometimes - that wearing more necklaces or scarves or if it became clear she had make-up on certainly made some eyebrows raise, but she didn’t care. She adored every mark he left on her body, either on her neck or elsewhere - however they came about. It was a new way of being for him, but she couldn’t manage to find any sort of fault in it. She liked to leave some marks of her own on him - though she’d done that a bit back before, back in Maine. She’d only refrained that time they’d ended up back at his place in lieu of finishing a meal at a café. “You truly think that is all I have planned?” She murmured, a low whimper of wanting escaping her lips as his hand rested against her neck, no matter how gentle it was. “There is much left unspoiled, but you will love it all the same. Besides, you know I like to tease.” Her eyes widened again, “or you know, give you something to look forward to. I should never dare tease you.” That much, they both knew, was a complete lie.

“It was.” Her expression fell again, for a moment, and she welcomed the way he pulled her closer again. It was too long and she’d felt so alone, so incredibly unmoored and sometimes she could feel herself slipping away, even now. “You are here now and so am I,” she repeated, her voice wavering for a single moment. She kissed him back and moved to rest her head against his shoulder, burying her nose against him for a moment. “You make my life complete.” It was the honest truth. She had no reason to say anything but, not anymore. 

“Mr. Babineaux? Over reacting? Has he ever done such a thing before?” Now he was not about to claim that he over reacted often, that would have been a lie (or maybe was he delusional), but in this instance, it perhaps might have been the case. Evelyn was too easy to bug for him to play fair. His hand running up and down her thigh idly, he kept looking at her, a soft smile still lingering on his face. He had always wondered what it was exactly that she saw, that she found in him. She was young, beautiful, and she was successful. There was nothing that should have led her right here, in his lap, and yet here she was.

Once upon a time, this would have made him insecure, but he was past that point now. Rather than confidence, it was trust that he had gained. After all, it was hard not to believe in someone who traveled across an ocean to be with you. Though he had yet to find out what it was that motivated her departure, he wasn’t exactly too eager to find out.

“Something extra sounds nice,” did he wonder what this offer could possibly hide? Absolutely. Surprises weren’t exactly his thing, especially when he was on the receiving end. Still he trusted that she knew him well enough to do the right things, make the right call. Of course, it was a shame that they had to go through break up to learn to know one another, but he liked their relationship a lot more already the way it now was. It had only been a few weeks, and yet he felt so comfortable around her. Although they were still rather discreet regarding their relationship, and still spent some of their nights apart, it seemed to him, that it would be a matter of weeks, if not days before they ended up staying over for consecutive nights, especially so as he was about to go back to work and only be available in the evening. “Oh no, it’s too late to go back. You’re a tease and there’s no denying it,” his smile grew tender, as well as the look in his eyes. This fondness felt familiar, but also natural. Although he didn’t expect to feel this way again so soon, it didn’t come too much as a surprise to him that he had developed feelings for her so quickly. The more time they spent time together the more obvious it became to him that he had truly missed her.

“I should have fought a bit harder for you, shouldn’t I?” His hand in his hair, he rested his cheek on her head. “You do too,” closing his eyes, he sighed. “I missed you.”

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Let the sun shine - Alain and Evelyn

“Do I?” Evelyn wrinkled her nose. “Well…” she pursed her lips to the side before responding in an over-exaggerated American accent, “you sound like this.” She replied, attempting to deepen her voice, turning her expression seriously for a moment. “I like cars and the night sky.” She giggled, kissing him again. “How did I do, Mr. Babineaux?” her voice returning to its usual cadence and sound.

“I think I do need to make up for it.” She looked at him, wide-eyed. “You know that I would not do something too big. Just important, and perhaps arrangements can be made for you to give me some extra special reasons to wear a new fall scarf.” She winked, “besides, you know that I always am looking for an excuse to shop, and…” her voice trailed off as she let her fingertips ghost across his chest. “I will make it something perfect for you, though appropriately celebratory, too.” She felt a surge of pride, much like she always did, as he looked at her outfit, took her in. Evelyn had always adored how he could desire her in such a perfect combination of ways - how he appreciated their deep conversations and her looks - her body, everything. “Though here I was going to try and get them to name a star for you…” a devilish smirk crossed her face as she continued to run her fingers softly over his skin.

“Lost time - well, you are correct, perhaps that is not quite the right word, but it was too long. I loathe the very fact that we spent any time apart.” Except that she knew that he must have known other hunters - and some of those might have taken it upon themselves to kill her, or hurt him. Her stomach clenched at the thought - of the latter especially - but she pushed it aside. They were together now, with no other maras or hunters to judge what they were doing. They were safe, open, and she let out a soft, satisfied sigh as he pulled her closer again. “I - I just want you to always be near me.” She kissed him again. “I do still say, for all that I regret not being with you these last couple years, I still stand by my thoughts that you have only gotten more beautiful.”

“I like cars and the night sky? Really?” He turned his head just in time for her to miss his lips. “Nah, I see how it is,” his accent much thicker than it should have been, he leaned back onto his elbows, putting some distance between the two of them. From this new distance, he smiled at her, his sunglasses dropping onto his nose as he did. “Well, Mr Babineaux thinks that this is outrageous. Simply outrageous.” Judging by the crooked smile, it didn’t seem like it.

Alain listened to his girlfriend as she exposed her plans for his birthday. Alright, it didn’t seem so bad. His faux air of outrage slowly gave room to endearment, and though he didn’t sit closer to her, it was only because he enjoyed looking at her from afar. “I don’t know if I’ll wait until mid September, I suppose you’ll have to shop for more than just one scarf,” he pursed his lips to the side, suggesting perhaps, that he felt bad about those unfortunate purchases she would have to make. Part of him wondered what it was that had changed that made him so much more eager to touch her, leave his mark on her. Did he restrain himself so much back then? Or was he simply scared he could hurt her? That she would know that this was what he could do? He hadn’t even thought about comparing it to the way he used to be with Audrey. She was a hunter, and he was much younger then. Clearly, things must have been too different. Except that now, they weren’t. “Well it’s not a surprise if you tell me what it was you were meant to get me. Now you’ve spoiled it all,” pouting, he reached out to run his thumb against her lips, down the curve of her jaw, and onto her neck, his hand resting there, softly.

“It was too long,” he agreed, and as he did, he caught sight of the slight traces of regret in her expression. His hand slipping down to her shoulder, he left his finger to dance toward the curve of her back, pulling her down closer to him. “Come here,” he said, voice almost a whisper now, almost hidden by the sounds of the tide and seagulls. “I’m here now, and so are you,” he kissed her back, then, his cheek resting against her forehead, sighed. “Everything is good,” just the two of them, spending times together. No more hiding, just enjoying the time they had been given.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Let the sun shine - Alain and Evelyn

“Nice mockery, though I do not think you have quite been able to manage the accent, I am sorry to say.” She brushed her nose against his, and there was not an ounce of malice in her words. “Do I truly sound like that?”

She supposed that even if she felt a bit uneasy about the reason behind beginning their relationship, it was better than if Alain had kept seeing her in secret. This assured her that he wanted her the most, even if Caroline’s words to her had managed to fasten themselves on quite tightly. If Alain did grow tired of her, she’d be heartbroken, but she would also take advantage of all the time that she did have. She did want him - all of him, even the pieces that had made her break up with him before.

It was still such an intense regret of hers that she’d even broken up in the first place - and though she’d fallen in love again, she’d missed Alain’s presence, and so it had only made sense to return. Even if the two of them were polar opposites on some things, they always seemed to fit together well. More well-matched than anyone who judged solely based on appearances might have assumed.

“Yes, yes really.” Even if his kisses were relatively chaste, she could still feel her body lighting up, and she could feel his smile as she unbuttoned his shirt - and though they were in a relatively public space and nothing too much would happen, she couldn’t help but shrug off her light sweater (under which was a sleeveless, thin-strapped dress - it was late summer, after all) before letting her hands find his jaw again, his shoulders, his chest - and grinned back as his forehead found her own. “It is, it is.” She inched closer to him (though there was already hardly any space left between the two of them. “It has been quite a few years, and I think I need to make up for lost time,” and for the birthday I never got to give you, “so I promise to make it absolutely worth it.” She responded to his kiss with another one of her own, slightly longer this time. When she broke away, she grinned. “I missed you whilst I was out, you know.”

“You kind of sound like that,” his mockery came with lighthearted laughter. His eyes shut closed momentarily while he smiled. His forehead resting on her shoulder, he looked at her, leaving a soft kiss on her jaw.

“Oh no, absolutely not,” he couldn’t remember the last time he celebrated his birthday. Literally. It had been his first birthday after leaving his childhood home. He must have been 24 years old then. Or maybe was he 25. Either way, he had woken up with a legendary headache and no memories whatsoever of the night before. He did remember, however, Audrey waking him up to Iron Maiden, on the stereo’s highest setting. “I don’t want something too big, you know?” Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, he leaned back to look her in the eyes, putting just a little bit of distance between them. Pausing in his stream of thoughts he had a look at her outfit. Now he couldn’t tell if this was new, but he didn’t recall her ever wearing such a thing back in Maine. The weather simply didn’t allow for much more than plaid shirts and heavier materials.

“Was it really lost time though? We would have never been happy for that long, keeping secrets like that,” he no longer was smiling. No, he didn’t believe that they would have made it, not when most of his friends could have been able to sense that she wasn’t human. And now the thought of losing her was crossing his mind. The hunter sighed, wrapping his arms around her, holding her against him. “I missed you too.” He could have stayed like that for a long, long time, just thinking of the time they had, the things they would do and the moments they would share. He did not understand what exactly it was that she saw in him, but there was a chance they would spend the rest of their days together, and he looked forward to it.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Let the sun shine - Alain and Evelyn

“Sometimes this happens.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Even English aristocrats do have the ability to get distracted.” Even though there was a certain heaviness she still held with her, around Alain, it was still easy to joke. Even if they both knew that bringing up too much about either of their childhoods wasn’t the route to go. At some point, more would have to be discussed, that much she knew - but right now she wanted to bask in the glow of their newly rekindled relationship. Even if so much was so familiar, there was still a certain pleasure in rediscovering things - and, now that they had nothing to hold them back - discovering what they’d been unable to explore back before, when there was still so much that each held from the other.

She also knew that at some point she’d have to tell him more of everything that happened. She wasn’t entirely looking forward to that, even though she knew that she owed him honesty. Even if it made him hate her, she owed it to him. Too much hiding had been their undoing last time, and perhaps, with honesty, they would stand a chance, even if the topic itself was a complicated and difficult one.

For now, though, she could smile at him and relax as his hands rested on her body and she flashed him a grin in response to the look he’d given her. She knew that she had her own space, but she preferred the one shared with him.

“You have, as a matter of fact.” Another giggle. “I think I am coming around to being okay with it.” She could feel his fingertip against her neck, and she knew exactly what was there, exactly what he was touching. She delighted in every mark he left on her (enough that sometimes she didn’t bother with a scarf or with cover-up), everything that assured her that she was his - and she never wanted to be anyone else’s for as long as she lived. She liked the way that he held her, touched, her, kissed her - and so she let her eyes flutter shut for another moment as his lips moved against her neck, letting a satisfied hum escape from her lips.

Eyes still closed, her fingers moved to find the buttons on his shirt and she undid a couple of them, letting her fingers run across his chest. “Just say the word, I can make time to go whenever you want.” Another hum, this time as she opened her eyes.

“Or so I was told,” he replied, with his poshest impression of what a British aristocrat must have sounded like, little mannerisms and all. He had yet to tell Evelyn that his family cut aristocratic heads during the French Revolution, but that was perhaps a story for another time.

Today, as the sun was high in the sky, and there was not a cloud in sight, he simply wanted to enjoy normalcy with her. They deserved it, and though he knew she mustn’t have been  feeling too comfortable yet with the idea that he left someone else to be with her, Alain preferred for things to be this way for a while, than to lead a double life once again : hiding things from Caroline wouldn’t have been something he could have done, because she deserved better than to waste her time on someone who didn’t want her anymore.

He had found a good friend in her, at first, and then feelings had gotten in the way of that. For a while, they just worked. Everything seemed simple, effortless, and there weren’t a lot of things they wouldn’t agree on, and yet, as time had passed, Alain had realized that perhaps being with someone so similar to him wasn’t something he wanted, or something he enjoyed in the long term. When it came to friendship, it seemed ideal. Perhaps would it have been easier if he had broken up several months ago. It would have been easier, yeah.

“Really?” His lips were soft on her skin now, and so they would remain : there was a time and place for everything, and he had never been too fond of showing too much of his private life in public. He smile against the crook of her neck as her hands busied themselves with the buttons of his shirt. This, he would allow. Only a special kind of people chose to keep their shirt on while spending the day at the beach, and he had only kept it on because he did not want to put on sunscreen. His forehead pressed against hers, he smiled, looking her in the eyes with amusement. “Well, my birthday is coming up, you know?” Closing the distance, he planted a playful peck on her lips. Knowing her, this would be quite something. It wouldn’t matter if they weren’t even a month old then. Good thing was : he had plenty of time before April.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

Let the sun shine - Alain and Evelyn

She’d gotten everything she wanted. Which, Evelyn supposed, was perhaps not the way to go about thinking about things when you were the reason someone had broken up with someone else. Caroline had said as much, explicitly, and though Alain hadn’t even appeared to hold a single ounce of blame toward her when it came to the break up, she knew it was true. Didn’t regret it, at least not entirely. She’d lost so much, and she needed Alain. He made her grounded, brought her back to earth in ways that she was still discovering for herself. In ways that she needed far more than she’d ever imagined.

It was a beautiful day, which was part of why she’d offered to go by the newsstand. That and, in her times of overwhelming emotions, she didn’t always want to subject Alain to how she felt like she was nearly drowning. Because she felt it too much, sometimes, and there was only so much she could ask of him. 

It was more than enough that he took her places, that he held her and and seemed to want to be seen with her, even so soon after everything with Caroline. Even though she knew he had to have gotten some sort of looks. That didn’t stop her from holding his hand, from letting his hand find her waist and from kissing him in public.

“Sorry, I got distracted.” She grinned, kissing him back as she handed him the crosswords. “There was an English newspaper, and I could not help but have a glance over it.” Evelyn nodded, “not a worry, we both know you eat more than I do.” It was easier to be light about these things, things she’d fought so hard to keep tucked away and hidden from him the first time around. She didn’t flaunt the fact that she wasn’t human, but it felt okay now to just mention it, even off-hand. 

She knew that she easily could have sat down next to him, but instead she elected to claim the same space as he was, her legs wrapping around his waist as she looked right at him, biting her lip and kissing him once he’d taken a sip of water, grabbing his glass from him and taking a sip before resting her arms over his shoulders, gazing at him. “Oh, Monaco would be lovely.” Is it because of Grace Kelly? I have a few pieces I could buy that you might - her thoughts were broken by his next words. “Oh, yes, of course.” She moved closer to him (hardly possible, but she always felt like she could be closer to him, it never felt like enough) and twisted a bit of his hair around her fingertips. “I would love that quite a lot. Do I get to drive?” She giggled, eyes lighting up. “Perhaps I shall get a new pair of sunglasses for the occasion.”

“You got distracted?” Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, he smiled as she told him the reasons behind her lateness, wondering just how much she missed her homeland. How long had it been since she last set a foot in Britain? Alain knew that she was scared of her father - as much as a mara could be scared- and he of all people understood and knew what wealthier people could be capable of. Old thoughts, thoughts of his father, of his sister came to his mind. How long had it been since he last saw her? Perhaps some things were meant to remain in the past, Alain realized. They couldn’t return back to America, and they couldn’t go to England either. He knew that whatever were the reasons that pushed her to come here, they had been motivated by something other than him.

The location, he knew she had picked because she knew he lived here, but that didn’t explain why she had left that town. This was a conversation for another time.

Though he didn’t protest as she claimed his lap as her own, she was welcomed with a bemused look from his end, as if to say : your towel is over there. How could he have forgotten that his girlfriend liked to be close to him ? It was perhaps even more true now that they no longer had anything holding them back, whether out here, where everyone could see them, or behind closed doors. He had instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist, his other hand falling on her bottom as she took the glass from him.

As he peered into her eyes, there was sunshine in his gaze, and as she spoke of sunglasses and driving, the man laughed with her. Her enthusiasm was not lost on him, nor the reasons behind it. “You are adorable, anyone ever told you that?” Gently biting on his lower lip, he reached out, his finger caressing a fading mark on her neck. He never thought he would be so fond of bruises. His nose now nudging at it, he kissed that specific spot, and though a part of him wanted more, Alain was content with enjoying what he had, this very special moment, special woman, that he had.

[words-from-the-hive]

Let the sun shine - Alain and Evelyn

Two weeks had passed since he had last seen Caroline. She had come back the day after they broke up, fetching all of her things without a single word for him. Sitting in the garden with his dogs and a copy of that book Evelyn had once gotten him, and that he had never read before, sitting in his lap.

“I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had.”  

He smiled as he read those lines -book authors and their false information- and now that they were sitting on that beach, he still had the same book with him. Sunglasses on his nose, he turned the page, waiting for Evelyn to return from the news vendor. Soon, he would have to go back to work, and he wanted to enjoy those last moments of quiet and peace with her, just as much as he wished for her to spend time with him, outside, where people might see them.

Alain was well aware that this meant that he could cross path with coworkers, students (although they preferred to pretend they had not seen him) and friends, but this time around, he did not want to hide. Hiding was what had caused them both so much pain the first time around, and now, he longed for something simpler. Rubbing at the stump of his leg, the man set down the book, straightening up to take a look at the sea before him. Normal water, free of flesh eating clams, enormous lobsters, black ink and lovecraftian monsters. Not those were things he did not miss.

“There you are,” he held out his hand so that he could get the crosswords he had requested of her, thanking her with a warm, soft expression in his eyes. “I had lunch while you were gone,” he explained, leaning over to give her a tender kiss. Their relationship might have not been completely new, it was blossoming still, and this came with its load of teenage like behavior. Claiming another kiss, he let go to get some water for himself. “I was thinking,” oh boy, she must have thought, “we could probably head to Monaco before summer’s over,” she had mentioned that she wanted to see the place, and he suspected is was because she wanted to live her Grace Kelly fantasy. The thought was endearing, and as he looked at her, you could tell that he was thinking of something else. “For Mauro Colagreco’s restaurant of course.” Not that it was in Monaco itself, but it was on the way there.

[words-from-the-hive]

violettebaudelaire​:

F for fanatism - Anna & Edouard

.

“No. Because of the content as well, though the form is also a factor. Writing essays is very much a multi-factorial process and if an essay lacks in one or more of those areas, then it does not get a high mark, that is all.” Her voice was measured, even, careful. She knew it had to be around people like Edouard, but she also was not about to just give into his demands simply because his family was one of the wealthiest in town. Just because he was used to getting whatever he pleased. 

Even if her thoughts were controversial, she still asked that in her class, people respected and critically analyzed what they discussed. She would not fault people for not finding every supernatural being fascinating in the way that she did, but she did expect for her students to have some level of basic decency when it came to their essays. Debates were fine, but this essay certainly hadn’t been that. Not in the slightest.

She’d recognized the parts of the gospel he’d written and, she supposed that she couldn’t truly be surprised at the inclusion of such words. The Bible was used fairly often to make a point, and for the man in front of her, perhaps that was a way that he figured he would solidly drive his point home. She had expected more, though, and this was why she’d asked him to come by. Perhaps her giving him a failing grade was not entirely fair, if she were to be honest, but it was one of the only ways to make her point since asking him to speak in a kinder way during class discussions got nowhere.

“They care for exploring the many ways in which beings different than you or I can live.” Anna looked right back at him, straightening her posture in her chair. “I do not claim for it to be a gift - I simply do believe that it is more complicated, and just because they have become this way does not mean they need to be eradicated, and I only believe that they should be treated with the same respect that I treat other humans with.” She couldn’t help but smile, just a bit, at his apology. Perhaps she was getting to him more than she had believed before.

“Not every single one of them. Some do their best to live peacefully, to use blood donated to the hospital that has gone underused.” She pushed his paper off to the side. “Some only take the minimum that they possibly can, and ensure that those who they take from survive.”

.

“You say this as if I had gotten a B-, you gave me an F. That doesn’t sound exactly like you were trying to be fair to me. If anything, it seems to me you are trying to catch my attention,” he could tell that she was trying to keep things perfectly professional, because, she would have been stupid not to know who his family  was or what they did for this town. And if there was something she wasn’t, it had to be stupid. He had read her published work, and if he disagreed with most of it, the fact that he had eaten each and every of her words said a lot about her. Perhaps was it why he hadn’t given up on her class too. His parents would have been upset if he decided to sign up for something else, but they would have forgiven him, their golden child.

“Alright. Let’s say we leave them to roam around. What happens when they are a millennia old?” They both knew that this was a critical point in a vampire’s life, one that marked their true dissociation from man kind, and, in the same time, the moment when it got really hard to get rid of them, even for someone like him, or his family. “If you don’t mind the expression, do you mind if I cut the crap? You must be aware of what it is that I do?” Regarding vampires, it was. If the scars on his hands hadn’t been any indication of it, all those bite marks and scratches, clearly his hatred for their kind had to finish that deadly painting.

Once again, she was not stupid. She had to have at least some doubts, and his question would certainly help her make sense of who he truly was, or why he refused to listen to her. How could he, when his line of work required that he didn’t care for their lives (or nonlives). He caught her smile as he apologized. He realized then that it  must have been the first time he saw it happen, but also that the woman had been blessed enough by nature to be both smart and beautiful. Perhaps should he not have been having those thoughts, and yet the sight left a feeling of ease linger in him. With a more relaxed stance, he smiled back, just a bit.

“I know they do, but what happens to those who don’t care about us? They would kill us both without a hint of grief or guilt,” it occurred to him that a vampire could have been asking the exact same question about him. Indeed, some slayers tried to make a difference between good and bad vampires. “Wouldn’t you feel safer if there weren’t around?” His question, as well as his worry, was genuine.