• Logout
  • Beqanna

    COTY

    Assailant -- Year 226

    QOTY

    "But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura


    The First Annual Scortoni BQ BBQ.
    #1

    WATCH THE FLAMES CLIMB HIGH INTO THE NIGHT

    "No, I didn't forget to send out the invitations, they're all just late!"

    She's standing in the kitchen, glaring out the window with her arms crossed over her beefy chest. Toni stands behind her, chuckling and kissing her tattooed shoulder, mumbling that she needs to relax and maybe crack the wine before the guests arrive. Something about being too high-strung without a little help. Her elbow shoves into his ribs, issuing a loud ooph, but in the next moment, the husband and wife are laughing and kissing, Scorch's finger tips finding Toni's ticklish ribs, Toni scooping her up and tossing her on to the couch.

    But the play can't last long.

    They both move, Toni to the backyard to start barbecuing the burgers, Scorch to kitchen because she forgot to set out the sharpie for the red solo cups (there are fifty guests invited, you think she's letting them anywhere near the crystal??). Booze and punch are strewn all across the vast kitchen counters and island, with two large living rooms to take said drinks to, or really anywhere in the house. Six or seven bathrooms, the outdoor swimming pool with the slide that Toni built this summer, the wine cellar, the tv room for the kids, the yacht on the ocean, the backyard and its many benches, swings, tables, fountains and knicknacks, oh and of course the barn, the loft, any of the master bedrooms, one of the trails through the forest, their in-home theater room, the room with the disco ball in the ceiling - shit, they were about to have a lot of drunk people, just absolutely fucking everywhere.

    When the sharpie has been located and placed before the mighty red cups of intoxication, Scorch smooths her black muscle shirt down over her stomach, the vine-and-rose tattoo on her left arm twinkling, the sleeve of flame on her right even more so. A hand goes up to her head and runs through the short, spiky red-orange hair found there, pushing it back and out of her emerald green eyes and freckled nose.

    She's about to run and ask Toni if he remembered to bring glow sticks for the kids when it gets dark and their drunk parents don't want to deal with them -- when the doorbell rings.

    Well, shit.

    "Come on in!!"

    Let the chaos begin.

    Scorch

    Once Khaleesi of the Amazon Jungle



    Welcome... To the Island. And the family barbecue! I was going to send out a bad ass invitation to everyone, but pm only let's me pm 5 people at a time, so FUCK. I'll tag those invited below, if I forgot someone, let me know omg. Also, close family friends are invited as well.
    Here in Scortoni Town, everything is pretty much a sandbox. You want there to be a room I didn't specify? A car to take you to mcdonalds? Maybe your human characters live on the Scortoni Town island, in their own villas? WHO KNOWS. It's all about you, and getting to know the family >Smile
    Did I mention that the whole family is human here? And also that any dead characters are magically alive? Also, by no means do you have to respond to the post before you, in chronological order, or even react to anyone at any point. If you want to make it easier, tag the character your post pertains to. Smile
    Magic traits are... ALLOWED, but only because I trust you hooligans to use them NICELY and in a funny and awesome way :| I feel like we're all goofy enough to let some magical bullshit slide - because why the hell not. MOSTLY THOUGH THIS IS ABOUT DRAMA. BRING YOUR HUSBANDS BRING YOUR WIVES BRING YOUR DAMNED CHILDREN.

    And feast.

    @[Hestoni] @[Noori] @[Kaida] @[Simeon] @[Shahrizai] @[Ea] @[Leilan] @[Wrynn] @[Sarkis] @[Vi] @[Volcan] @[Philomena] @[Trekk] @[Nihlus] @[Cerva] @[Atrani] @[Daemron] @[takei] @[Trekori] @[sunfyre] @[starfyre] @[Reshi] @[Ramiel] @[sela] @[Kha] @[Sabrael] @[Grimdark] @[allure] @[Ilka] @[caspien] @[Ether] @[Illum] @[Heartfire] @[Rapture] @[Longclaw] @[Wolfbane] @[Wildling] @[daye] @[Augusta] @[luster] @[Cimmerian] @[Kagerou] @[echion] @[Quark] @[brunhild] @[Malka] @[Myrina] @[Nocturnal] @[Tarnished] @[Caw] @[Katriel] @[Set] @[Errant] @[Lea] @[Crito] @[Rhy] @[Sunday] @[Brennen]
    [Image: scorch2.png]
    Reply
    #2
    He knows she’s just excited as him about everyone coming over, but her excitement is expressed entirely different. While Scorch prowls through the house like a caged panther, Hestoni bustles around the house making sure everything is perfect. He’d spent the hottest of the summer months sweating over the slide that will drop their grandkids and great-grandkids into the pool, carefully chosen the alligator and whale floaties that now drift in the chlorinated water, and picked out the best meats from their local meat shop. They’d practically had to buy an entire herd of cattle to feed the number of people Scorch had invited.

    He didn’t mind at all.

    Scorch’s agitation allows him to transition smoothly into their play. He’s delighted to find her underneath him on the couch for a moment of gentleness before the crowd arrives. But eventually he’s moving toward the backyard, where the grill is ready to get the burgers going, and surveying their land. It’s a widespread island, with a large backyard dotted with palm trees and beach-grass cut short for timid feet to run through. Hestoni can smell the salt and waves not far away, where their island kisses the ocean, and a wide smile spreads over his face.

    He can’t wait for the empty spaces to be filled.

    ——

    It’s been a damn long time since she’s seen any of her family members. Kaida has spent much of her life as a travel blogger (an occupation which has since expanded to include her own YouTube channel) and recreational hippy. She has to admit her favorite places to travel are the thick rainforests in the Amazons and India, where the trees crowd in and the animals make so much noise you can feel the vibrations in your head.

    Her parents’ home will bring forth its own wild rainforest, especially if Scorch is going to invite as many people as Kaida thinks she will. Despite her mother’s brash, spitfire personality, she has always held a deep affection for her family and a tenderness very few notice about her. Hestoni noticed it when they first met, and he has perhaps been one of the only ones to coax it out of her enough to spread the love outward to include their family.

    There’s a gaggle of children clustered at the door when Kaida comes in, auburn hair tied up into a messy bun and warm brown eyes crowded by a starry sky of freckles. Two tousling teenagers shoot accusations around the embrace of their father and the eldest of the family gives a loud laugh right after she steps through the threshold.

    “God, teenagers! They never get old.” Her delight dies away for a moment when she catches the sight of her mother; how many years had it been since she saw her? The childhood disgust she once held melts away as she steps closer and touches Scorch’s arm with one hand wrapped in a rose-and-thorn tattoo.

    ——

    Sunfyre and Starfyre come along more for the alcohol than anything. Although their mother had relinquished the pair of them to the wild ways of adulthood, they still play with the dangers of parties and intoxication as though they were fleeting teenagers. Sunfyre’s bright teal hair dances against her back as she looks over the wine cellar, a bottle of vodka with a few shots gone already in her hand.

    “Damn, sis, our grandparents are loaded!” Starfyre smirks from across the room, leaning against a shelf with her blue-purple stained hands crossed over her chest. She’s been on an art kick recently, maybe even making a profession out of it, and she’d had a bit of time to get some work done on their flight over. Sunfyre takes another shot of the beverage, already fully intent on getting blacked-out in order to survive this ‘dreadful’ situation.
    Reply
    #3
    The girl lays on her bed, pale locks spread out around her in soft curling waves. There was to be a party tonight, and her mother (as she so often did) had cleaned her up and fixed the hair she was unknowingly crushing. All Mina wanted was for her younger (or older) cousins to arrive so she could play. Perhaps even her friends would show up at the island villa... With a small smile, she is off in a flash, bare feet slapping down the hallway towards the stairs. She hears her mother greeting people at the door, and her face lights up. Mina practically flies down the staircase, her joyous giggles echoing through the already crowded house. Her mother is surrounded by their family and although they aren't truly the child's blood they have always felt that way. She runs around the room hugging random legs and smiling up at faces whose names she couldn't really remember (she was only six after all). After a hand full of excited, "Hello!"s she twists away from the growing group and makes her way to her mother. Desperately she wants to be picked up by the auburn-haired woman but she settles for standing at her feet, staring at the children gripping her legs. 

    "Mama where is Kha?"
    She asks, genuinely curious as to where the other adopted hestoni child may be. Momentarily the same question arises for her father as well. Though the second thought is quickly dismissed and she knows he is probably outside. As she awaits an answer her pale blue gaze turns to her jean-clad legs, her pale hands dropping to dust off imaginary dirt from the light washed material, she scratches at sweater-clad elbows and bushes golden hair from her thick lashes before returning her eyes to her mama.

    "I want to go play. Is he sleeping?"
    If he was it would be up to her to find entertainment, she never had been one to beg for attention and didn't see herself begging for it in a room of relatives she had only met once before. 

    ((TO make it flow im pretending she knows everyone but there are obviously gaps since she probably would have met them when she was adopted (baby baby) so feel free to introduce yourself again! <3))
    Reply
    #4
    Hundreds of miles away, Katriel watches the flames devour the invitation. It burns quickly and with too much smoke, as low-quality paper so often does. The light of the flame reflects off the pale marble of the fireplace, though the invitation is the only thing burning there this early in the afternoon.

    Perhaps she'll have one of the help lay a fire this evening. Best to cover even the ashes of such an embarrassing reminder of her failures. She is eternally grateful for Lone Raven and Associates, the premier law firm of Scortoni Town for finding the legal loopholes allowing her to forever disinherit that branch of the family.

    The trail of her silk gown rustles against the Persian rugs as she turns to leave the study, and it slides silently up the marble staircase in the foyer as she ascends to the second floor drawing room. The late afternoon sun illuminates the hundred acres of rolling hills that she owns, and Katriel sighs happily. Only yesterday she'd received a letter from the orphanage that once owned a parcel of the acreage. In the letter, the director had pleaded, appealing to Katriel's better nature to convince her that the children would be turned out onto the streets if her plans to destroy the building to place her koi ponds were to continue.

    Katriel reclines on a settee, opens a copy of Koi Weekly, and uses shreds from the orphanage's letter to bookmark her favorite varieties.
    Reply
    #5
    When the invitation came in the mail, Brennen jotted the date down in his phone calendar, set a reminder for a week out so he could pick up an appropriate hostess gift (he’s not a barbarian), hung the invite on the fridge, and promptly forgot about it. When the reminder came up he added some wine and chocolates to the weekly grocery list and checked the calendar to see which kids he’d have that day. A manageable number, thank God; with only Bethanie, Sorenson, Dagny, Olivier, Cagney, and granddaughter Kellyn staying with him for the weekend. It could have been worse. If he’d needed to rent a bus to get them there, he probably would have passed on the party, but he could fit the seven of them in his SUV. That’s why he has the thing, after all; his day-to-day car is much faster and more stylish.

    But concessions have to be made when you are surrounded by a swarm of children; sometimes he thinks he should install a rotating door on the front of the sprawling house instead of the standard, so he doesn’t have to listen to it open and close as his kids come and go at all hours of any day – whenever they want, really. Most of them live with their moms full time and visit, but some split their time more equally and some like Sorenson, Cagney and Kellyn have always live with him full-time. If any more of them lived with him at any time, he’d need a compound instead of a mansion. But – it’s time to go. He strides to the foyer, to the base of the huge marble staircase, and yells up the stairs. “Kids! Time to go!”

    By the time he walks out the front door and slides into the driver’s seat, they are clamoring into the dark navy SUV. Dagny and Ollie get shoved to the back, the hazards of being the smallest. Well, really Kellyn is the smallest but she’s so small for her size that she still has to use the booster seat installed in the second row, so she gets a pass. Cagney is the last one in after locking the front door and checking his daughter’s seat belt, and they get on the road. It’s not a far drive, but it seems to be speeding past quite quickly – Brennen lifts his eyes to the rearview mirror and pins his granddaughter with a disapproving gaze; “Kellyn, what have we said about temporal changes on people who haven’t asked for them?” The red-headed girl scowls back at him and slumps in her seat, and the car goes back to its regular speed. Brennen glances at his son in the passenger seat and Cagney looks sheepish, but they say nothing. He makes a mental note as they pull into the driveway to talk to his son (again) about letting Kellyn get away with things she shouldn’t. Losing his wife shouldn’t make him a pushover as a parent.

    But hopefully there’s not much mischief she can get up to here, under the watchful eyes of like a gazillion adults. He hands the keys off to the valet and climbs to the door behind his gaggle of children, chocolates and wine in one hand and snagging Kellyn in his other arm, not sure he’s ready to let the six year old loose by herself yet. “Behave!” he calls after the others as they slip into the group of adolescents already inside the house. He’s not particularly worried about Beth and Sorenson, who are quite mature for their ages even at 17 and 16, but the 12-year-old twins can be known to get up to mischief just like Kellyn.

    He waits for the crowd to clear a bit, and then offers his gift (the wine & chocolates, not the kid, he wouldn’t wish this one on his worst enemy, much less a friend) to Scorch. “For the lovely hostess,” he says with a half-grin. Flirting with Scorch is a harmless endeavor because she’s happily paired off with Hestoni and in no danger of falling in love with him or falling in bed with him. “Kellyn, say hello,” he prompts the tiny girl in his arms, and she gives a deceivingly innocent smile and utters a small “Hi,” the girl says. “Who are you?”. “This is Scorch, it’s her house. Scorch, this is my granddaughter.” Not that he doesn’t have children as young as Kellyn, but not many. Her father has already disappeared, of course, probably to get happily drunk and temporarily forget his wife’s in a coma. He has the grace not to do so at the house when there are kids in residence under a certain age or maturity level, but surrounded by other drunk adults this party will be fair game. “The rest of my hooligans are…somewhere, but this one is the biggest troublemaker.” Kellyn shakes her head ‘no’, and turns to Scorch. “Are there are ghosts in your house? Grandpa got rid of ours.”

    Yes, Brennen thinks, yes he had. He was tired of his five-year-old granddaughter talking to people he couldn’t see, occasionally about things she had no business knowing at her age, so he’d had several different ghost experts and exorcists and such over to de-spirit his mansion.

    ----------------------------

    As his father predicted, Cagney headed straight into the kitchen where the drinks are set out, grabbing the sharpie to scrawl his name on a solo cup in bold, dark letters. Then he surveys the options before decided the generic punch will do (the one labeled “adults” not the one labeled “kids”). He starts to ladle himself a whole cupful, but a shout from another room ruins his concentration and he spills it down his light gray shirt. “Shit,” he mumbles under his breath, and glances furtively around. No Brennen – good. He reaches for the threads of time and slides it back just enough to have not spilled on himself, and tries again with a steadier hand. Success – good.

    He takes his cup and starts to head out towards the voices he can hear on the patio, thinking about how he just looked around for his dad when he used his powers like some kind of nervous teenager. He wasn’t being irresponsible like Kellyn in the car, there was no reason for him not to fix his mistake. But, ok, he can see dad’s point; his casual use of magic in front of the kids might be encouraging some of them to be a little too cavalier about the whole thing, including his six year old daughter.

    But honestly, he’s still mostly a teenager himself at 23. After all he was married at 16, had a kid at 17, and was a single dad living with his own father again because his wife was in a coma at 18. But thank all that is good for Brennen, because Cagney certainly wouldn’t be managing half as well as he is if he was living alone with the girl who reminds him so damn much of Elite. Not looking where he is going he trips on the door threshold and almost falls face-first into the pool but another grab at the threads of time saves him, and so it’s just his string of startled expletives that hang in the air over the chlorinated water. He blushes, running his free hand through his red-going-early-gray hair. “Sorry,” he mutters out loud without even raising his eyes to see if anyone heard or saw him.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------

    “Stick together,” Bethanie calls to the twins as they sprint away at the entrance of the house, headed straight for the pool. She doubts they’ll get into that much trouble – Dagny is a wild child, as her currently blue-and-yellow dyed hair attests as it sticks up from her head in short spiky waves, but her twin is a settling influence on her. His sandy blond head is the last thing she sees of them as the disappear around the corner with their backpacks full of swimsuits, towels, and pool toys. They live in a huge mansion year-round with dad, but he refuses to install a pool. Something about insurance skyrocketing and living within 15 minutes of the ocean anyway. Sensible parenting, really, but she can’t blame the twins either for complaining that dad won’t spend a little bit of his gobs of money on something they really want.

    Personally, Beth likes visiting dad because as much as she loves her other two sets of younger twin siblings (her mom and step-dad’s kids), she likes that Brennen rarely expects them to help care for the littler kids when they visit. He has plenty of time for that, and hires nannies when he doesn’t. Edmond and Neraza both work full-time, and they don’t believe in hired help, so Bethanie is expected to help a lot with 12-year-old Nylee and Alysanne, 10-year-old Conner and Riagan, and 5-year-old Osvya. Sometimes she is jealous of Sorenson for living with dad full-time, but she knows it’s partially because the better school for him is here. She could live here, too, if she wanted to break her mother’s heart more than Sorenson already has. “So, what do you want to do, Sorenson? Go swimming?” He gives her a look and a small shove. “Yeah, not a chance. How about we try and get tipsy? Dad will be too busy with Kellyn to notice.”
    Reply
    #6
    They've been coming around to her parent's pretty often these days, now that they're back together - rings on and everything. They'd never legally finalized the divorce, so in that aspect, it was easy. And even to be seeing Scorch and Hestoni again wasn't too hard - they'd had their own fair share of fights and hardships (looking at you dad, mister sacrifices-himself-to-the-devil). But this, this was ENTIRELY different.

    "Shahrizai and Ilka and Ea and Ramiel are going to judge us so much!" Noori's addressing Trekk now, though her eyes are trained on the mirror in which she gazes, trying to get her earring right. The kids are in their rooms getting ready, and they're already late, and GOD are they a mess. The stunning red-head turns to pout at her disheveled but disarmingly handsome husband. "They have perfect marriages, and they don't have illegitimate children. I'm probably the worst older sister in the history of EVER."

    But whatever the case, they couldn't turn back now - she'd confirmed with Scorch that they were coming for the weekend over the phone just the other day. Finalizing her outfit (a nice pair of dark jeans, some heels, and a shirt that could almost pass for respectable if it weren't for the plunging neckline. But Trekk is used to it at this point. Plus, he gets to see her naked every night of the week - so he shouldn't complain too much. She really, really is a sight to behold. A perfect ten.), Noori runs down the stairs and bolts through the kitchen, yelling at her sons to turn the lights off behind them as she leaps into her stylish town car and starts the engine.

    "Okay, so there's going to be lots of people there! Are you boys ready for that?" Her glowing green eyes glance back to her sons in the back seat. Takei huffs, perhaps speaking, perhaps not - you can never tell with that boy. Trekori on the other hand looks more excited than perhaps either parent has ever seen him - his outrageously blond locks spilling over purple eyes the glimmer and compliment the big, silly smile that the six year old wears. "I can't wait to play with my cousins!" The little boy chirps, reaching around his back to worry at his wings - a nervous twitch. But for once, the nerves are good, and with the image of her youngest child nestled happily in his carseat, she returns her eyes to the road and finishes the long drive.

    ---

    "I don't think I'm ready for how many people are here," she mutters later to Trekk as they push their way through the entrance. The valet has taken care of the car, and now there's just the hellos to endure. She'd forgotten a host gift - she is a barbarian, we can't all be Brennen's level of civilized - and is absolutely freaking out about it. But suddenly her vision becomes clearer, and she's setting Trekori down to scamper off somewhere.

    Kaida.

    Leaping through the crowd, Noori ruins the moment her twin sister and mother had been having, her legs wrapped around her sister's waist as laughter rings from her lips. In the buzz of it all, Scorch gets pulled away, but there's tears in the woman's eyes as she watches her eldest daughters reunite.

    Slipping back to the hardwood floor, Noori looks hesitant for a moment, but then smiles. They'd had their own hardships, but there's alcohol here, and a long time to get to know each other again.

    "Hey, Kaids. Long time no see."

    --

    When mother places the little boy down, he's momentarily shocked by the freedom, clinging to Dad's legs for a few minutes. So many big people around!! But as the novelty wears off, the curious child detaches himself and runs to Grandma, but it's not her she's interested in. He sees her all the time when they come over for lunch or a play date. No, it's the little girl wrapped around her legs, and the other little girl held in a stranger's arms, that interest him.

    "Hi Grandma!" He chirps, grinning. Then, he turns to this Brennen person and tugs on his expensive-looking jacket. "Excuse me sir, but Mina wants to go play with Kha and I think she should come too!" He's pointing with a skinny hand at Kellyn, his wings absolutely vibrating behind him in excitement. When the little girl gets put down, Trekori grins wider. "Hi, I'm Trekori, and this is Mina, and we're going to go find Kha! It'll be an adventure!"

    Well, it'll be an adventure for the two girls! Trekori already knows where Kha is. They'd spent lots of time this summer playing video games in his room, because that seemed to be one of the only things that actually interested his strange, ghostly little cousin. Grabbing a hand on both sides, Kori starts running out of the entrance room and down large hallways, laughing all the way.

    Eventually, they come to a room near the east side of the mansion, and he makes big eyes at them, putting a finger to his lips. SURPRISE, he mouths. Then, ONE, TWO, THREE!

    At the count of three, he opens the door and the three children burst screaming into Kha's dark little hole of a room, lit only by the screen that flashes in response to the buttons the child pushes.

    "Kha!!"
    Reply
    #7
    The invitation had arrived some time ago but she’d shoved it under a stack of mail she planned on ignoring. That is until her mother called and mentioned her youngest sister’s husband having also received an invitation for his family to attend. Burnt had not liked how the conversation with her mother had gone at that point. It left a sour taste in her mouth and somehow she ended up being volunteered (voluntold was more like it!) to take her nephew so he could meet the family.

    She’d met the brat only once and learned that her sister had practically stolen him from his birth mother because he looked so much like his father. Burnt could not fathom the odd open relationship Femur had with Longclaw but whatever, it worked for them. As of now her sister was long overdue with their first child and still had two more they’d “adopted” at home. So the arrangements were made and Burnt would be picking up her nephew Wildling just in case his father couldn’t make it.

    Worse, her mother mentioned that her father Nish might be there. She’d thought him dead or at the very least, completely absent from her life. So on the day of what she presumed to be some fucked up family event, she dresses in a simple understated way: jeans and a soft t-shirt that flattered her body and made the freckles on her face more noticeable beneath the haphazard mane of reddish-brown hair. Sighing, she took one last look in the mirror before leaving her house to go pick up her appropriately named nephew. 

    Meanwhile - -

    “Mom! Moooooommmmmm! Mommy! Moooooooooooom!”
    Came the incessant call from a boy to his mother. He was freckle-faced too and somehow already had a smudge of dirt on his cheek despite having had his face washed minutes ago. The feigned desperation in his little voice forced an exasperated sigh from his heavily pregnant mother’s lips before she found him sitting half-naked in the floor of his room.

    “Wildling, I thought I told you to put a pull-up on five minutes ago. Goodness child! Your aunt will be here any minute now!” Femur sank heavily to the floor and helped her son with his pull-up and pants. The boy was on a blue and purple color streak and she’d allowed him to have his hair dyed at that age in those colors with kid safe hair dye to be just like daddy. Just as she managed to get one shoe on the boy, she heard a car honking from outside and Wildling tore out of the room in an excited flurry of motion that Femur wished she felt. All she got instead was shortness of breath and a kick in the ribs from Longclaw’s overdue son in her belly. 

    She managed to corner her son downstairs in front of the big bay window and get his other shoe on while also extracting a hug and a kiss from him. “Be good for your auntie okay?” she admonished him to which he just gave her a cheeky grin and ran out the door to where his aunt waited, leaning against the passenger side of her car with the door to the backseat open. “Aw man, a booster seat? I’m too old for that!” he huffed and puffed until one look from auntie Burnt sent him scrambling into the seat where he sighed and promptly crossed his arms over his chest in toddler petulance after she buckled him in.

    Burnt couldn’t believe the mouth on that kid. Or the vocabulary he possessed at such a young age. Femur had warned her though that he was becoming a handful despite how cute he looked. The next time she glanced back at him in the child safety mirror she had installed in her car for times like this, her nephew had fallen asleep. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not that he napped before the big get together but too late now as she pulled up to the curb behind a long line of cars. Shit, this many people were here already?

    Burnt wasn’t the type to panic but she really only knew her mother’s side of the family well. She parked the car, woke her nephew up and managed to drag a half-sleepy and stumbling kid up to the door. She tentatively lifted a hand to ring the door bell but it opened before and a gaggle of children spilled out. Wildling perked up and tugged at her hand but she refused to relinquish him just yet - he was her only lifeline here, so she scooped him up and carried him inside not knowing what to expect...
    Reply
    #8
    He’s still not sure how she had convinced him to go. Gun wasn’t much for family besides her if he was being honest with himself and he wasn’t. He stood in front of the mirror practicing what he’d say to her family once the introductions were made. All he saw was his sorry reflection holding a hand out in offer of a handshake and a smile that didn’t quite fit on his mouth. 

    What in the hell did Caw see in him?! He’d asked himself that question a million times over as his blonde-haired tanned reflection stared back at him with dark haunted eyes. Gun had managed to find a clean shirt and a pair of jeans but he still looked like he’d just stepped off the cattle ranch. Just like the stubble he’d shaved off his cheeks was back in a faint fuzzy shadow and he was too lean to be seen at the side of the lovely Caw.

    God he wished she’d let him pick her and the baby up but she’d declined, having already committed to riding with family. She had texted him the address and with one lady forlorn look in the mirror, he shut the light off and left. He spared little expense on the finer things in life unless it came to spoiling her, but his battered old Ford truck made it to the destination she had given him and up the long winding drive full of fancier cars. He hoped it wasn’t a judgmental family and could only think of being at Caw’s side in just a few minutes. 

    Gun parked and walked up to the door. Shit! He’d forgotten the gift sitting on the counter in the kitchen. Damn it all to hell! He was failing at this already even as he raised his hand to knock on the door, surprised to find it swinging wide open and himself being ushered in by some unknown woman who assumed he was family. All he managed was a quiet stutter, “I - I - I’m l-l-looking for C-c-caw.” but the woman ignored him and left him in a parlor room full of other people. Gun began to shrink back into the doorway and wrestled his cell phone out of his pocket to text Caw and let her know he was there. 
    Reply
    #9
    He's got music blasting out of his blue chevy, the windows rolled down, one hand hanging out of the driver's side with a cigarette clutched there tightly. The phone in his other hand blings as a text comes in, I'm coming!!, but it's another two minutes and a new cigarette later before a figure appears exiting the apartment building he's parked at. Nihlus grins at the sight of the other man, appreciating his narrow hips and skinny chest, such a little thing, and beautiful, too.

    "Hey sweetheart," he says when the truck door slams. Nuage looks terrified if he's being honest with himself, but that's okay. Nihlus flicks his cigarette, then leans across the space between them to place a warm kiss on the other's lips. He's leaving again quickly, grinning at the way his counterpart trails after his retreating lips - such a perfectly needy boy.

    "Are you ready?" He's pulling out of the parking lot regardless, the cigarette smoke wafting through the car despite the open windows. While he's busy maneuvering the streets in search of his grandma's house, the two chat easily, as lovers are wont to do. About five minutes in, Nihlus frees up his left hand by tossing the butt of his smoke, switches hands on the steering wheel, and moves to firmly grip Nu's left knee. His thumb brushes up and down his thigh mindlessly.

    When they arrive, there's a shitton of other cars. Nihlus looks to Nu, watches as his face falls in even more terror. "You said it was only family!" Nih grinned, squeezing Nu's thigh and opening the truck door. "I might not have mentioned the size of said group." The doors slam again, and they walk around the truck, meeting in front of it. Nihlus wraps his arms around Nu's thin shoulders, standing a good foot taller, having to bow his head far to look into the boy's beautiful blue eyes. "Will you forgive me?"

    They spend a while kissing before actually making any progress towards the door.

    Reaching out to intertwine fingers, and squeezing when the other looks at him as if he's crazy, Nihlus opens the front door and they walk in.

    For a while, there's not much time for Nihlus to say anything to his partner - he's busy waving over heads at some distant cousin, hooting some profanity at another, or ruffling the heads of nephews and nieces. But it's not long before he's coming up to some rather important figures.

    "Brennen!" He exclaims upon sight of the elegantly dressed gentleman. Releasing Nu's hand (and praying to god that the dear boy doesn't burst into tears without him to hold on to), Nihlus grasps Brennen's forearm and pulls him in for a good man-hug. "Good to see you here, I hope everything at Ice Incorporated is going well. Sorry I had to leave ya, tell the guys I miss 'em."

    He turns to another then, his mother, Noori. It's a sort of sheepish but content smile that graces his lips, and he allows himself to be kissed and snuggled and preened for a minute or two. "I love you too ma, and yes of course I'll introduce myself to Trekori. No, I haven't crashed my truck, and you're silly for worrying." He leans forward, planting a kiss on the tiny woman's forehead.

    Next comes Scorch, and he grins at her more openly. "Hey Grandma. Good to see you again." Scorch nods easily, a knowing smile dancing across her lips. They've shared some special times together... But more on that later.

    When Nihlus realizes that the man standing next to his mother is Trekk, the father of the majority of his siblings, Nihlus pulls a half-assed smile and waves lamely. "Hey man." What else is there to say.

    Finally finished with the hellos in this area of the house, Nihlus steps back and re-clasps hands with Nuage, who has presumably not yet died of terror. "Everyone, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Nuage." Scorch smiles wider and nods, and Noori absolutely beams. "It's lovely to meet you Nuage, you're the first person Nih's ever introduced to the family!" It's a bumbling mess from his mother as usual, but she means well and Nih squeezes Nu's hand encouragingly.

    When all the fuss dies down, Nih steers Nu towards the kitchen, where there's bound to be something to drink and help his boyfriend relax. There's a guy in there, but he's just leaving for the patio, so they don't get to exchange many words past "hey."

    "How are you doing, baby? You were amazing out there." He plants a kiss on Nu's temple with the words before turning to the counter loaded with booze. Then, as he's pouring them both a rum and coke, his half brother walks in.

    "Takei," He says, unsure of whether to grin and embrace the red-headed man or to simply nod and pretend like their mother wasn't a slut. Instead, he compromises, handing Nu his drink and then draping his arm over his shoulders. "This is my boyfriend, Nuage. Are you bringing anyone today?"

    Well, so much for subtlety.
    Reply
    #10
    She’s running late… again. She got the invitation several weeks ago and had told her assistant to put it in the mandatory section of her schedule. Apparently mandatory doesn’t have any meaning unless it’s work related. The stupid slut had not only double booked her, but double booked her with a diplomat’s luncheon! When flipping through some files she found the invitation again and got that sick feeling turning in the pit of her stomach. Scorch was going to kill her! She presses her hands to her desk, taking a deep breath letting it out before composing herself to call the inept little shit into her office.

    Folding her hands in her lap she stares at the door waiting for the girl to walk in. When she does she looks a mess, shaking, glasses crooked, shirt misbuttoned, and her skirt skewed. Hestia can’t decide what is worse the state the girl is in, or the fact that she would even think of coming to work like this could ever be acceptable? She doesn’t say anything though, just sits there piercing the child with her eyes, coldly making her feel as uncomfortable as possible. Why didn’t you tell me I had that BBQ to go to? she’s calm, to calm. The girl fumbles around dropping files, stumbling in her heels, and Hestia loses her patience you’re fired. She picks up her purse heading out the door without a second glance. Getting into the viper, she gives instructions to her driver as to how to get to Scorches house. She begins texting the diplomat’s assistant trying to push the meeting out as far as she can, hoping its enough time to at least be able to spend a few minutes with Scorch.

    Can’t you go any faster?! We’re late, the driver looks nervously out the windshield, and Hestia purses her lips. Her annoyance climbing as she remembers that she’s supposed to bring something. We must stop by the store first. Gawd why can’t anything just be simple? The parking lot is packed and the driver has to take her to the doors before driving off to find a spot to wait for her. She starts looking in the fruit section, but nothing catches her eye, then she spots a rose at the end, the same kind that grew on that bush they were so fond of when they were younger. She ghosts a smile at the memory, snatching a bundle of them. Scorch would remember them. She then heads over for the liquor section. What to get, what to get. She waits for something to catch her eye, then she spies a malt whiskey. Checking the proof this time there is a gleeful smile. Exactly what they need!

    She scurries back out to find her driver after practically shoving her way through the checkout line. Getting in, she carefully lays the roses down, and the whiskey along side it. Going back to her argument with the assistant. She finally has it worked out when they arrive at the house, turning her phone off she shoves it in the only place a phone can fit on a tight pocketless skirt. Hestia tosses her thick black hair over her shoulder. The unencumbered waves falling sexily around her shoulders. She’s short, thin, pale and has a hella head o’ hair. With sharp green eyes, its not many that can avoid looking at her when she comes into a room. She slips Scorch a kiss on each cheek before handing her the flowers. Grinning Got us something for later, private after party? Catch me up on all you’re madness? Hestia teases her with a peak into her purse at the good stuff she has hidden. No way in hell was one of the children going to sneak this bottle!

    She takes the flowers telling Scorch she’ll get them into some water. When reaching the kitchen Cagney is there sneaking some drink, but Hestia pretends not to see. Instead fussing over the arrangement and searching out a vase. I won’t tell, she says in response to the shit comment. When the flowers are done she starts meandering through the house, looking for all the old haunts. She finds her mother’s guitar stuffed away in one of the back rooms along with a photo of her. So beautiful, she smiles in fond memory brushing away the dust. Setting her bag down on the bed. She blinks back the moisture picking up the guitar to sit on the edge of the mattress and begins strumming. Trying to bring it back into tune. So many people she doesn’t know. She came here for Scorch, and she’ll stay for Scorch, but finding this old thing makes listening to all the little mongrels running around worth it.
    [Image: 345k45w.jpg]
    Reply




    Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)