Other Worlds Than These

I get lost in the world sometimes Star-crossed, looking out for a light But it won't shine So North Star come and guide me to you In the wake of my own confines I will wait for the day you call through the skylines And I'll be waiting I'll be waiting

[xendlessendeavor]

[text: Gabe] Hey Card left something in his room for you. Looks like a note

Nolan: oh...really??

Nolan: you just pulling my leg?

Nolan: ...i'll be there to grab it

[thejaxon-reed]

Shit happened, right? It just so happened it was all his fault this time. Even if he might not admit it. Jaxon was not proud of how he had handled the situation with his boyfriend, let alone the way matters appeared to have lined up somehow...but he needed a little bit of time to stew in it. Give Hollis the space he needed. It don't mean it wasn't hard, though. Big picture? He had ruined the only good thing to ever happen to him after Lucille for the exact same reason: appearances. The discomfort it caused him to seem anything other than tough.. or maybe it was fear?

Eitherway, the alpha was in a mood tonight. In fact, he was the one to sit alone this time..at some..cafeteria early in the morning, his arms bent over the table as he looked down on his coffee. His body language should have been a giveaway but someone did not care to notice.."If you know what's good for you, you'll get out of my face in two seconds." the male said without looking who had just touched his arm. And he meant it.

@calamitousstarters

[xendlessendeavor]

Ever since he got word that the damn vampire that was going to slaughter him left, Nolan had an extra pep in his step. However, in the same vein, Cardelle left, thus taking Nolan's pep back. What sucked even more was that Nolan didn't even know about it. He heard it through the grapevine. He had always considered Cardelle to be his best friend (besides Hayden, of course) but it was apparent that wasn't the case. It was fine. That only stung immensely. He'd get over it in no time.

Wanting to hit his lab early (mainly because he couldn't sleep), Nolan found himself at a local café, waiting for his latte, when he heard a grumble from a very bothered person. His gaze shifted and we watched the interaction, noting how the person immediately left. Nolan blinked a few times. He had seen that guy around. He was fairly certain he knew who it was. Grabbing his cup, he almost cautiously approached, "Hey, man. You're Jaxon, right? Hollis' boo thang?" He smiled, offering his hand, "I'm Nolan. Heard a lot about you."

[carmenberzatt0]

Gary Mendez 5.04 A Bird In The Hand

[frccdxm]

Hayden smirked, glad to see he was at least doing well enough to smile, she figured. "Right, tabling that thought for later," she chuckled, then listened to him explain. She hadn't brought it up because she didn't want to push him to talk before he was ready, but in this case she really did want to know what was going on. Emotional stuff she wasn't always good with, but problems with vampires? That she could do. "Yeah, of course," she nodded, moving her hand to lay on his chest, trying to be comforting, although it also allowed her to feel if his heart ever started racing when he would explain. "Which part of the night is bothering you the most?" she asked to try and get him to open up.

[xendlessendeavor]

If there was one thing he truly appreciated about Hayden, it was that she was always trying to get better at talking about things in general. It was no secret that Nolan was a talker. He would talk about anything really but he really liked to talk about how and what he was feeling, which he knew wasn't her cup of tea and he didn't want to force her to do it, but she was his girlfriend... He smiled softly as she placed her hand on his chest and he released a breath, trying to figure out where to start. There was just so much going on in his head...

"All of it." Nolan answered softly, "It keeps me up at night. I feel like I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since..." He frowned and shook his head, "I'm..." He started to speak but he cut himself off, closing his brown eyes. Nolan knew he wasn't the strongest guy in Calamity. In fact, he was far from it, but he liked to try and pretend for Hayden, "I'm scared." He finally said, "I'm really...really scared, Hayden."

[psychicpinenut]

[deathbeckons]

She had followed him, not from his original destination it seemed but a lone human travelling throughout the state was always something to investigate in her mind. Even if it led to nothing, he still had a soul that she was sure would be useful to her. Azagi had wondered if he'd sensed her presence when he sped up, but it seemed to be more weather motivated than anything else. Her hopes of taking his soul were dashed when he moved to neutral territory, at least, she couldn't do it so obviously anyway.

Still, Azagi decided to follow it through; maybe the human would say something useful. They were always spilling information that they didn't realise was important, or could actually tell others something. "Oh jeez, thank you!" She hated faking happiness of all things, but Azagi had gotten good at it. "A coffee with a little whisky kick?" Azagi asked, "If you have whisky, that is."

[xendlessendeavor]

"Ooo, fancy." He said with a flick of his brow and he laughed, "We definitely do. Well, Buttercup does." Nolan laughed. He often referred to Beserkers as his, which he knew was far from the truth. However, he did get free booze, which was pretty great. And considering it was pretty early, no one was really in there and it was raining cats and dogs, he assumed it would be fine if he stepped behind the bar and made some fancy coffee, "Give me like five minutes and I'll be back." He said with a nod before he disappeared into the back of the bar.

Bopping around the kitchen, he put on a pot of coffee and grabbed a couple mugs, setting them on the counter. Opening up another cabinet, he found a jar of whiskey and poured some into the mugs. Nolan wasn't much of a whiskey drinker but he had to admit, it sounded nice. Before long, the coffee was brewed and he was stepping back out to the bar to find that woman. With a smile, he brought her the cup and placed it down, "Hopefully it's good. If not, there's cream and sugar I can get from the back." He chuckled, sitting down across from her, "I'm Nolan, by the way. I don't think I've seen you before."

[frccdxm]

Hayden had been taking any excuse to be close to him ever since he was attacked, so by now she was pretty comfortable with Nolan's head in her lap, her hand in his hair. They hadn't had much of a conversation about the serious stuff from the attack, clearly Hayden wasn't great or used to serious feeling conversations. She moved her hand and looked down when he turned his head to look at her, and she thankfully decided to think before she said the first thing that came to mind. "Um...do you want my initial dirty thoughts answer or is this like...a mental feel good thing?" she asked, because if it was the latter she wanted to take a few seconds to think of a good answer.

[xendlessendeavor]

Rolling over so that he was laying on his back, he looked up at his girlfriend and a small smile crossed his lips, "Well. It's technically the latter." He said, chuckling, "But if you wanted to the first later today, I wouldn't object." Nolan added in with a flick of his brows. He really did want to talk about everything with Hayden, however. It was really eating away at him that he hadn't yet and he knew that sooner than later, it was going to come to a head. That vampire was going to find him and he was going to have to face the guy. He didn't want Hayden involved but considering they were an item, she should probably know that, yeah, things were probably going to be bad, "Is that okay?" He asked, "We don't have to talk about...anything if you don't want." Nolan knew serious things were not her favorite topics.

[xendlessendeavor]

Random lyric starter for @deathbeckons (Azagi) Song is The Shower Scene by Ice Nine Kills

Looking up at the sky as Nolan walked out of the Refuge, he noted how fucking gloomy it was. He audibly groaned, picking up his pace, not wanting to get stuck in the inevitable rain that was about to happen. However, he wasn't that lucky. About five minutes into his walk to Berserkers, the rain decided it needed to downpour. He groaned once again and began to speed walk towards the bar. The quicker he got there the better.

A good power walk later, he was approaching the hub for his lab, his girlfriend and his general place to hang out, and he noticed someone else walking up. Speeding up a bit, he grabbed the door the for the woman and held it open for her, "Come on in. The weather is dreadful." He said with a sigh and followed her inside. With a huff, he ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head, "Coffee? I think we have coffee around here." He muttered. He could go for something warm, personally. He wasn't so sure about her.

[xendlessendeavor]

Random lyric starter for @frccdxm (Hayden) Song is Feel Good by Bo Burnham

Even weeks after Nolan's unwarranted attack from a vampire, he still wasn't feeling great. Sure, his body had healed but his mental health certainly hadn't. He wasn't sure if it ever would. He would walk around Calamity on eggshells. Nolan would look down every alley, just in case that lunatic was going to show up. He would look behind him constantly. He barely slept anymore and that was the real travesty. Nolan really liked to sleep. The only thing that ever made him feel any type of way besides terror was hanging out with Hayden.

Today, the two were hanging out in the Refuge together and even there, he was uncomfortable. Probably because all he could think about was how all those people were probably going to die because of him. Sitting around in his villa, Nolan was laying with his head on Hayden's lap. He hadn't really talked about how he was feeling with her. He would always have a smile on his face around her. He didn't want her to worry. But he just couldn't shake it today, "Not to alarm you..." He said, a bit softer than normal, as he turned over, looking right up at her, "But I...haven't..." Nolan sighed, "I haven't been feeling too good. And I just...I just want to feel good." He frowned, "Any tips?"

[xendlessendeavor]

@frccdxm

A box is placed behind the bar of Beserkers with a little note, "Merry Christmas, Buttercup. I'll see you later."

[xendlessendeavor]

[text: ???] Are you healing well ratoncito? We are due a chat very soon.

[Nolan]: i was hoping you forgot

[Nolan]: cant you just leave me alone?

[xendlessendeavor]

[Nolan]: i just dont know what to do with this 

[Nolan]: either way i lose

[Nolan]: either i lie forever about never getting better and then you find me

[Nolan]: or i tell you i’m fine and you find me

[Nolan]: so why don’t we just cut out the cat and mouse game?

[xendlessendeavor]

[text: ???] Are you healing well ratoncito? We are due a chat very soon.

[Nolan]: i was hoping you forgot

[Nolan]: cant you just leave me alone?

[xendlessendeavor]

hxlfcrxzy​:

[???] You did not answer my question.

[???] That is unwise. I thought you were smarter than that.

[Nolan]: i don’t know what else you can do make my fate worse.

[Nolan]: i’m healing fine. you’d come and find me regardless, would you not?

[xendlessendeavor]

[text: ???] Are you healing well ratoncito? We are due a chat very soon.

[Nolan]: i was hoping you forgot

[Nolan]: cant you just leave me alone?

[xendlessendeavor]

frccdxm​:

Still feeling pretty embarrassed, Hayden kept her face snuggled into his chest, her arm wrapped around him. It was the most comfortable she had ever been, she could practically feel her eyelids weighing down on her. “Alright, well you just tell me when you want to, cause I’m ready to get on my knees,” she teased, mostly just to see what his reaction would be. She sighed happily when he kissed her face, then got more comfortable in her current position, wrapping one of her legs over his. “Thanks for understanding,” she murmured. “Is it ok if I stay here a while? It doesn’t hurt?” she wondered, knowing she’d fall asleep if she didn’t get up soon. She didn’t want to move, but she wanted him to be comfortable even more.

.

He couldn’t help but smirk at her comment, chuckling softly, “It’s hard to pass up when you put it like that.” Nolan joked as he brought his fingers up to card through her long, brown hair. He had been wanting to do that for so long and finally, he was able to do it. Wow, that was awesome. Even with his injuries and his trauma, Nolan was still finding a way to smile. What the fuck was that?

Pushing that thought aside, he nestled down a bit further onto his pull out bed and he held Hayden tightly (but not too tight). “Of course.” He said softly and smiled, placing his cheek against the top of her head and closing his own eyes, “I’m...pretty exhausted.” Nolan admitted. Sure, he had been out cold for a while but the adrenaline had successfully worn off and all he wanted was to sleep, “No, no.” The male said with the utmost honesty, “I’m good. Doesn’t hurt at all.” Even if it did, he didn’t want to ruin this moment. He loved it too much, “Get some rest.” He said softly.

[xendlessendeavor]

hxlfcrxzy​:

-

It was no real surprise that Cardelle was more than happy when the conversation changed, fully aware of how uncomfortable all the vampire talk was making Nolan, not to mention his own anxieties about the vampires returning, crawling spiderlike up his back so that his hairs were standing on end, that feeling he used to get when he thought Demitri was watching him from the shadows. He shouldn’t have pushed Nolan for all this information, he knew that, but it gave Cardelle a heads up he previously hadn’t known he’d needed, an awareness that there was another vampire after him, specifically him, one that wasn’t afraid to use Card’s friends to get to him. He could formulate a plan once Nolan had left.

For now, they needed to celebrate something.

“Hey, that’s great!” He gave a genuine smile, “I knew you two had to be a thing at some point! You’ve been crushing on her for…how long now?” He gave a gentle nudge to Nolan’s side, only gentle so not to accidently prod any other injuries the man may have. Nolan was a good guy, one of the best, so kind and sweet and constantly putting everyone else first, his latest ordeal proved just that, and he deserved all the happiness in the world. Although, Card couldn’t help the tears that formed in the corners of his eyes, happy tears that Nolan had finally found happiness yet somewhat jealous that his own happy ending had been stripped away. Both at the hands of vampires, who would have thought. The Mackie cleared his throat, keeping the smile painted on. “So, you got any hot dates planned for when you’re fully healed? Or is she the one planning the dates?”

.

A smile crossed Nolan’s features from Cardelle’s words and he turned his brown eyes downwards and dropped his head a bit. He wanted to be happier about it but it kind of felt like he was rubbing into Cardelle’s face. That was pretty shitty of him, wasn’t? The guy just had to send to him boyfriend off into the woods so that he wouldn’t be killed and there he was, telling him his good news. Ugh. It made Nolan sick to his stomach that he even thought it was a good idea. He sighed, “A while.” Nolan admitted with a shake of his head. Well over a decade, if not more. They grew up together. It was hard not to be in love with her.

He slowly lifted his head and he caught the tears in Cardelle’s eyes and that guilt came crashing back immediately. Even his cheeky question didn’t help it, “Oh... I don’t know. We didn’t... think that far.” Nolan hadn’t, at least. “But we can just...change the subject.” He said almost instantly and waved his one hand, “I don’t know why I brought it up. That was...fucking gross of me.” He laughed a bit sadly and shook his head, glancing towards the door, “Unless you want me to go. I probably...already ruined your day.” Probably? He definitely did. Nolan sighed, “I’m sorry, Card. God.” How fucking stupid was he?

[xendlessendeavor]

frccdxm​:

Hayden was starting to backtrack her thoughts when he didn’t seem very into the idea at first, but then his lips met her cheek and he started leading them to the door and she figured everything would be fine. I mean, it’s not like the fae would just set up a trap to kill everyone, right? “Well it’s ladies first right? Such a gentleman,” she chuckled as she reached over to open the door and step inside. Once they were both through, Hayden’s eyes adjusted and she looked around to see they were in a graveyard. “Huh…not what I was hoping for…” she said quietly, since it felt wrong to speak loudly surrounded by tombstones. She tentatively walked forward through the graves, looking around as the mist seemed to settle around their ankles. It was then that she heard something stirring behind them, so she immediately grabbed Nolan and pushed him behind her, her fists clenched and ready. Horrifyingly enough, the sound was dirt being moved, and with wide eyes she watched as a dead, rotten hand pushed its way up from the ground. “Fuck,” she groaned.

.

Nolan wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting when it came to Fae and Halloween...however, a grave certainly wasn’t one of the things on his list. His gaze shifted around, extremely confused by the scene, “What the fuck?” He mumbled. At least Hayden was equally confused. His hand clutched around Hayden’s probably tighter than he meant as they began to move through graveyard. He could feel hands growing clammier and clammier as they walked together and he immediately felt bad for that.

He was about to apologize, however, strange sounds began to occur and his eyes went wide as Hayden shoved him behind her. As pathetic as it was, he was happy to do it and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, watching as a hand shoved it’s way out of the earth, “What the fuck is going on.” Nolan practically whined out, spinning around to watch behind them. Another hand shoved through the earth, then another and soon enough, the head and torso of man emerged as well. Nolan yelped and stepped beside Hayden again, “Th-...There’s....There’s a fucking zombie.” He laughed out because that’s just what he did when he was terrified, “What do we do? Is this real? This can’t be real.” Nolan rationalized as he watched several more hands emerge.

[xendlessendeavor]

hxlfcrxzy​:

-

He hated to push, he really did, but he could see the scientist on the verge of talking, so close to finally opening up about what happened and what monster it was that had done it to him. Cardelle’s own ordeal had been different, publicised in front of the entire state, sometimes wondering how he could even show his face anymore, but Nolan, poor Nolan, had to face it by himself, secluded and cornered by some beast that just left him out in the open to be found. They were the same, yet very different.

Cardelle listened intently, logging every single word to memory, building a picture of what the vampire could look like, narrowing down the potential threats he had coming his way. He wouldn’t lie, the way Nolan described the scene he’d wandered into made him feel sick, physically sick. Why vampires couldn’t be content with just feeding he didn’t know. Maybe fear had something to do with the way the blood tasted but Card couldn’t know for sure. And he didn’t want to think on it any longer. Tall. Bald. Mean looking. Well dressed. Spanish. None of these descriptions rang any bells with Cardelle at all, no vampire he’d faced in the past even close to matching this description.

The hunter pressed himself in closer again, one arm wrapping around Nolan’s shoulders, pressing his lips gently onto Nolan’s temple. “You don’t have to apologise to me, ever. But thank you, for opening up to me. I appreciate it.” He held him a little longer, giving Nolan more of the same, time to come to terms with things after reliving it not only for Cardelle’s benefit, but for the benefit of everyone. “You don’t have to think about him again. I’m not going to make you think about him again.” In fact, Card would do everything in his power to make sure Nolan never had to.

.

Nolan wasn’t happy with what he could recount of the vampire but honestly, that was about all that really distinguished him from the rest of them. He wasn’t even sure if what he had said would be helpful. Hopefully. All Nolan wanted was to give his friend a heads up in case the lunatic showed up and tried to him. At least he would know what the hell was happening. But Nolan was going to assume it wasn’t going to come to that. Currently, that vampire didn’t know where Cardelle was Nolan absolutely refused to tell him. It was just unfortunate that there was an ultimatum on his head. A shit one at that.

Noting Cardelle shifting again, Nolan immediately sighed as his arm wrapped around his shoulder and he relaxed just a bit, his shoulders slumping immediately. His friend said that he didn’t have to think about the vampire again but he knew that was just semantics. There was no way that Nolan would ever forget about him, nor would he leave his mind any time soon. The memory was going to burned into his mind for a long time. If not for the rest of his life (no matter how long that would be).

However, he wasn’t going to mention that. Instead, Nolan just smiled and nodded, “You and Hayden. You two will make sure of that, right?” He asked with a dry chuckle as he rubbed at his eyes again, “Wanna hear something pretty cool?” Nolan asked randomly, figuring that he could lighten up the mood again. He could only be so sad for so long, “I uh...” He began but cut himself off with a laugh, trying to figure out how to word this, “Me and Hayden are uh...dating now, I guess.” That was weird to say but man was it, “Who woulda thought, right?”