waywardwraiith

[waywardwraiith]

zelda could not imagine being anywhere other than vegas. not only because this is where her family is, but because it's all she's ever known. sure, she'd traveled plenty but no where is quite like her home. nothing sparks the same excitement in her, nothing quite like the neon lights that tell her she's home.

she takes the lighter, lighting up with a smirk before handing it back. "thanks, by the way," she mumbles around the cigarette before taking a drag. she blows the smoke out the side of her mouth, eyes squinting as she follows mac's finger.

"you an avid people watcher?" she asks with a laugh. it's amusing, for sure, and she's done it plenty. especially all those years she spent slinking around in the shadows.

to mac, it seems like nothing’s been happening in vegas. sure, there was the stuff happening with the families, but besides that, vegas was boring. they weren’t feeling a thing. all the pretty lights and glittering neon signs did nothing for them. the last time she felt this was with shelby and miciah, and she ended up deserting her family in the middle of the night. man, if they could see her now. he’d probably think she’s immature, and her daughter wouldn’t even know who she was. but that was an impossible scenario -- and mac, despite her love of fantasy and sci-fi, didn’t want to think about that one. so she left her space in the bullpen to come downtown. maybe people watching would light a spark in her.

sitting on a bench, mac takes out their notebook, and begins to observe the people around her. that one had blue hair, maybe they’d diyed it when they were a child? and that girl walking by, what if she’s on her way to her first date with the potential love of her life? that’s the variety of people, no two are the same. just like snowflakes.

feeling someone sit down next to tthem, mac doesn’t respond. it’s only when she asks mac for a lighter that she looks up. “sure, okay, one second,” she fumbles around in her messenger bag, looking for her cheap bic lighter. “i know this shit is in here somew- and there it is. here you go,” she hands the lighter over to the girl next to her, and sighs, pointing to a person nearby. “see that guy over there? pretty sure he’s an artist, leaving his studio. if i had to guess, i’d say pottery or painting, judging by the stains on his hands.”

[waywardwraiith]

zelda looks expectantly at the stranger, unaware that she hadn't heard her. that's when she notices the headphones though, and the blonde nearly shrugs it off and resigns to herself, cigarette-less. but then it seems they do eventually notice her, and she chuckles slightly at their surprise. she slides the dud of a lighter into her back pocket, before taking the one that is eventually handed to her.

"thank ya," she mumbles around the cancer stick, striking the lighter to ignite the end. she takes a deep inhale, holds it for a moment, then blows it out the side of her mouth.

she retrieves the pack of cigarettes from her pocket, holding it open for the stranger. "you need one?" she asks as she also hands back the lighter she'd been given.

tunes were blasting into her ears from the walkman clipped to her hip, the rhythm of something upbeat cushioning the world around her in static warmth. she had decided to take a break from the leisurely stroll she’d set out on with her spotted companion, watching the sun dip below the horizon, though the city hardly noticed — this was vegas, after all, and the lights never truly went out. still, things felt a little more muted, a little less everything, once darkness fell. less urgent. less loud in the ways that counted. they missed california sometimes — or maybe they just missed the ocean. there was something about the waves, the vastness, the rhythm of them folding into shore, that grounded them in ways that neon signs never could. but, truthfully, this was home now; there wasn’t anywhere she’d rather be than close to her family. absently scratching behind the ear of the dalmation seated neatly in front of her, she noticed how the dog’s attention had fixated on the person beside them. oh — were they talking to her? pulling her headphones down to rest around her neck, elodie blinked in mild surprise, trying to catch up to the moment she’d tuned out of. a cigarette dangled from the woman’s lips, unlit, and a lighter rested in her hands, unused. “oh! a light?” they shifted to dig through the depths of their well-worn tote bag. “hang on,” sifting through its contents; keys, gum wrappers, a tangled pair of spare earbuds, a half-melted lip balm, a completely melted chocolate bar, a sheet of colourful stickers — and finally, the lighter, buried near the bottom. she held it out with an easy smile. “here ya go.”

[waywardwraiith]

despite it certainly having its drawbacks, zelda had really embraced vampirism. it had made her feel more in control of her life and her circumstances, made her feel a lot less helpless-- not so weak. not to mention, her newfound abilities gave her plenty of tools to terrorize the family that had betrayed her. that was worth a thousand sunrises.

sure, not being able to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin sucked. but she'd just have to get over it, she supposes.

zelda smirks as she looks over at iris, giggling slightly as she's nudged. "godawful is right." she takes a drag of her cigarette, squinting to get one last look at the setting sun. "god, me too. slinking around everywhere, always looking over my shoulder, it was really getting old." a small sigh is exhaled, "you got any plans today?" she asks curiously.

It's moments like this that Iris misses the most, the human ( or vampire ) connections that formed over the passage of time, it was easy with zelda though after what they had been through with everything that had happened- between most people in the world the blonde sitting next to her was one of like 7 people on the planet she could easily get along with or even trust. Tilting her head up towards the sky for just a moment; watching the fading colors of orange, reds, and yellows streak across the sky as she caught the fading sunset. She missed the sun- missed the warmth on her skin and not having to wear thick glasses every-time she wanted to leave the house durning the day or the drowsiness she felt. "Well can't speak for everyone in this godawful town, but I've missed you." She smiled, giving the other woman a nudge. "I'm glad you've been able to stop hiding as much as you used too."

[waywardwraiith]

"ah, really? never got around to reading those books myself," zelda says. fantasy had never really interested her, at least before all this happened. now that she knows fantasy is a little closer to reality than she realizes, it interests her slightly more. "maybe i'll have to get into those."

zelda takes another drag of her cigarette, effectively finishing it off. she rubs it on the ground to snuff out the little embers then tosses the butt into a nearby trash can. "see, i'm from here so luckily i never had to deal with people like that growing up. at least, not really," she shrugs.

"that's good then," she nods. "nah, i'd say azazel's pretty badass," the blonde giggles. "it's been real nice talking to you, y'know?" looking over at him, she flashes a grin.

He nodded at her response. It wasn't like the books were all that groundbreaking these days. There were plenty more books out there that could have done the same sort of things, had they been more prominent. Had the right people, at the right time, been reading them. Azazel was an avid reader, so he had ready plenty of things in his time, which made deciding on which books he might have really liked, or was just infatuated with at the time of reading them, only to change his mind some time later, while reading another book, “I think as far as classical reading goes, it's still got something to it. But I'd definitely say Lord of the Rings has it beat, for me.”

“I suppose you could say that. Teasing, more like, for some of them. Others were frightened. I'm from a small town, religion, or superstition, anyway, seems to take great hold of small towns.” He grinned a bit, “I had to learn to understand that they were just ignorant.” Plus, his name wasn't his biggest issue, growing up in a small town. As far as anyone in Jarbidge thought about him, the name came last in their considerations.

Azazel gave a shrug, “It's something you get used to, eventually they get over it. Or they don't. I could say that it's not really hindered me.” He got pretty good chances, got into a good university, and joined a good career that made him individually wealthy. He worked with the Vitelli's. Up until his disappearance, he felt just like everyone else. Now, no one could really look at him, and that really fucked him up more than he wanted to admit, “That's real cool. I think Azazel's not too bad, I mean, for a devil.” He laughed.

[waywardwraiith]

zelda always enjoys being right as well. especially growing up in a house like hers, a family like hers, it felt good to be right. to be able to get the upper hand on someone, to prove that you're smarter or better than them. after her and her sisters had grown distant and more at competition with one another, she found herself striving to be the one who was right often. to impress dear old peter.

but she shakes off the thoughts of her childhood in favor of being in the moment with azazel. she nods along with what he says about f. scott fitzgerald. "yeah i liked his stuff well enough, i guess." then again, a tragic love story like the great gatsby just isn't really up her alley. she can see why her mother liked it though.

"damn, did they make fun of you for it or something?" she asks curiously. "eh, yeah, i could see that with some religious folk. it's stupid, honestly, but then again i've never really been all that religious so i guess that's why i think so," she shrugs.

He was used to smoking occasionally before he disappeared. But since then, he had been feeling much more stressed. Much more exhausted. Much less relaxed. It was worse than when he started, preparing for all the tests. Skipping grades. University. All the stress of those things, combined, was not as bad as this strange vice that had its hold on him. Swallowing thickly, he watched Zelda, wondering for a moment what it could possibly be for her. But she was not willing to elaborate.

“No. I suppose not.” He was rarely wrong. Not because he liked being right. But because his brain was always thinking, overthinking, constantly running scenario after scenario of what could go wrong. What needed to be done to do things right? It was madness. But it was safe. Perhaps he was just paranoid and was scared to be wrong. But he couldn't very well go around also agreeing that he wasn't wrong. People got really weird about it, he had learned a long time ago. Jealous, honestly.

Reaching up a hand, he rubbed his chin for a moment, and nodded as she told him the reason for her naming, “That makes a lot more sense. We had to read some of his books in high school. I think I was probably thirteen when I first heard of his wife.” He thought back to the book, “Not a bad read, honestly. And it is a very good name.”

He laughed weakly as she commented on his name, “Sick? Huh. I wish my classmates had thought it was cool.” He smirks, too. “Guess it's 'forbidden' or something to say it in some circles. Or at least it is in poor taste.”

[waywardwraiith]

"you're probably right," she chuckles slightly. though she has a feeling it'd be real hard to really destroy this new body of hers. or at least, she thinks so. even all these years later, she's still learning the bounds and limits of what's possible as a vampire.

"you're not wrong," she shrugs, flicking the ashes from the end of her cigarette. she takes another drag, leaning forward to put her forearms on her knees. she bites on her lip a bit, allowing for a few beats of silence. it doesn't feel awkward though, just natural. no use in talking his ear off, after all. and gods know she definitely could if she really wanted to.

the blonde chuckles when he mentions the game. ever since it came out, people always asked, as if she clearly isn't older than it is. sometimes it can be annoying, but she isn't bothered by his light teasing. "nah, think my parents got it the idea from f. scott fitzgerald's wife, actually. my mom was a big fan of the great gatsby."

another flick of her cigarette. "that's actually a pretty sick name," she tells him, looking over with a smirk.

Watching her, he nods at what she said, “That's not that bad, then. No use destroying your lungs over trying to look cool.” Doing it for anxiety was not cool, either. But at least there was a better reason. Inhaling sharply, he looked away, a sharp pain numbly stabbed at his gut.

At her question, he lifted his head up and looked at her. He steeled himself, ignoring the feeling like he was burning inside, “Ah. Yeah.” Lifting his hand from his stomach, he tilted it a bit, “I don't look too much into that kind of thing, to decide on my personality. But, I think it's good to be able to be alone sometimes.” Not exactly lonely. He noted the severe change in how people looked at him these days, from before he disappeared. It made him feel lonely. Boxed out.

Azazel grinned at her as he listened to her, “It really can.” He let the quiet rest between them, just staring at the sky, pretending he was okay. He still had plenty of time before it got so bad that he could get home. As Zelda introduced herself, he looked over to her again, “Zelda? From the game?” Obviously, she was born before the game, he was just teasing. Pausing, he thought of the Legend of Zelda games for a moment, “I'm Azazel, you know, like the fallen angel. If you're really into the bible.” He laughed a little bit, then shrugged. He wouldn't say his parents were.

[waywardwraiith]

zelda had become intrigued by all things witchy in more recent years-- basically, since she'd been turned. before then, she hadn't given spirituality or religion much of a thought. it hadn't ever been too big of a topic in her home growing up, and that certainly is not surprising. peter weiss is a godless man, that's for damn sure.

"that's good then," she says with a nod, flicking the cigarette to rid it of the ashes building up at the end. "it's been alright.. the heat could tone down a bit, but other than that it's been fine. running a few errands here and there, can't wait to head back home to snow though." her cat, a white long-haired feline she'd taken in as a kitten off the street. "feel like i haven't seen too much of you recently, though. you been pretty busy with work or what?"

Giving a small smile, they said "Thanks." They'd had that lighter for a long ass time--in fact, it wasn't even originally theirs but instead, their foster-mom's. She was quite the witchy woman herself and she'd given it to Aurelia as a gift. The moon tarot card helped to remind Relia that things were always changing and more often than not, things were not always as they seemed. Just like the moon, people went through phases. It was always good to keep in mind.

"Thank you," they said, taking the cigarette and the lighter. Lighting their own cancer stick, they took a drag as they shrugged in response to the blonde's question. "Eh, can't complain, I guess. It's been a pretty quiet day at the shop but I don't really mind that. What about you? How's your day going?" Zelda certainly intrigued them--she seemed like such a mystery and Relia didn't know the exact details of how life had brought the blonde to where she was now but they had an inkling that it had something to do with her shady family.

[waywardwraiith]

zelda takes a deep inhale from the cigarette, holding it in her lungs for just a moment before blowing it out the side of her mouth, away from them both. luckily there's no breeze going on right now to blow it back at them. unluckily, it's pretty hot today so the lack of breeze kinda sucks as well. she looks over at iris as she holds up the tote bag, nodding her had.

"mhm," she nods. being a vampire, she knows how difficult it can be at times to get things done. they don't just burst into flames in the sun like legends once said, but it's definitely uncomfortable to be out during the daylight hours. which then limits the possibilities to whatever is open during the night-- lucky for them, they're in a city that hardly ever sleeps.

"not too bad," she tells her with a shrug before taking another drag. "yeah... y'know, it's been weird, not hiding like i used to. feels a lot different actually showing my face." a small chuckle falls from her lips, "feels good though."

Rubbing her palms together in a relaxing motion as she watched Zelda light up, Iris smiled for a moment- for some odd reason her brain was calmed by the familiar motion. It was one she was used too at least from the blonde in times of stress ( and everyone was fucking stressed lately...well minus those few days at the wedding ) it was something for her brain to focus on rather than the words or the pain that lingered in her chest.

Giving a slight shrug and lifting up the tote bag; filled with food items, a case or two of beer and a couple new tee shirts that she couldn't help pass up.

"Needed to stock up on some important things for the day- but you know how it is sometimes. How are you? It's been a couple day's since I've seen your head of hair running around this town."

[waywardwraiith]

zelda finally looks up, noticing that it's relia she's happened to sit next to. what are the odds? she offers them a small smile, nodding her head when they greet her. she takes the lighter from them, looking it over for a moment to appreciate the design. "cute," she remarks, smirking at the sight before using it to spark the cigarette.

"yeah of course," she nods and pulls the pack back out, retrieving a single smoke and handing it over to them, along with the lighter they'd lent her. "how's your day been so far, hm?" she asks curiously before taking a deep inhale and blowing it out the side of her mouth.

she's always found relia to be an interesting person, having gotten to know them through cyrek. they aren't especially close by any means, though zelda wouldn't mind getting to know them more.

Relia was on their lunch break and with one of their employees manning the register, they figured they might as well get some fresh air after being cooped up all day. Of course, they loved their store and they were proud of it but it was still a job. It was most likely already a 100 degrees out but even so, they took the opportunity to stretch their legs a bit.

As they made their way over to a nearby bench, they recognized the blonde almost immediately and if they were being honest, they were shocked she was even outside. Up until just a few weeks ago, Zelda had been laying low and it was a little odd getting used to seeing her out on the street. The two had gotten to know each other due to their time with the Cactus Cats. "Hey Zelda," they said softly with the faintest of smiles, taking a seat next to her. When the blonde inquired about a lighter, Relia nodded and dug through their bag for a moment, a second later holding out their lighter: a black lighter with white outlining with a picture of the moon tarot card that read 'La Lune.' "I'll lend you a light if you lend me a smoke," they said, a small smirk on their face. It seemed like a pretty fair trade, right? Besides, it wouldn't be the first time. They weren't necessarily super close but they were all fighting for the same cause, weren't they? Besides, if Cy trusted her, so did Relia. They trusted their friend's intuition.

[waywardwraiith]

"yeah, guess you could say i'm feeling the same," she shrugs it off, clearly not wanting to get too much into it. she doesn't need to go pouring her heart out to a stranger, it'd do her no good. "funny 'cause i know it's real shitty for you, but somehow it still seemed appealing."

"really?" she asks curiously. "i mean, not like i can't handle being alone or anything... guess i'm just a real extrovert, who knows." she certainly doesn't want to admit that she can get quite lonely, because who wants to hear about that?

"you're not wrong there." another drag pulled from the cigarette, more smoke pouring into the dusk. "this city can really chew you up and spit you back out if you're not careful." there is a few beats of silence before she speaks again. "name's zelda, by the way... and you are? if ya don't mind me asking."

“Really?” He asked, knowing it was true to him when he picked up the terrible habit of it. He didn't think it hit the same now, after all these years. But still, it felt natural to him enough now that it made him think it was relaxing. He nodded his head weakly, “I know when I first started smoking, I was looking for something to help mediate the feelings I was having at the time.” He guessed it was just stress from school. It was not, however, peer pressure. Though picking up the habit at the same time as others did helped in its own way.

He was good at conversations, but he was not everyone's cup of tea. Though he also was not the most socialable, “I don't mind it sometimes. But I'm preferential to being on my own and not being messed up about it.” Though these days, like everything in his life of late, that too had come with a severe and disturbing change, and being content alone, and feeling like you could be a burden if anyone knew something was impacting your ability to function, making you seclude yourself, was different. And he wasn't content anymore, but feeling caged. Of course, it was only a mental prison, and he was the only prisoner.

“Oh, very strong, I am.” He teased back, nodding his head with a silly expression. Then let out a sigh, “No. I just don't have many options. But these days it's risky not to be a little dangerous.” Especially when you could be caught by dangerous people after dark, “But I don't think I'm dangerous.” Glancing up, he lifted his head, staring at the sky, “Says' all dangerous people. Just before proving themselves wrong.” He joked. Too bad the stars aren't out yet.

[waywardwraiith]

In what ways has someone hurt you? Who?

"HA! that's a good one! no really, it is." the blonde can't help but to laugh because the most obvious answer is her sister. the next best answer would be her father, basically just go down the family line and she can name a number of ways in which she has been hurt by them. "let's just say there's plenty i could say, but i won't. no use in picking at old wounds."

[waywardwraiith]

What brings you nostalgia? Why?

"try not to get nostalgic, honestly. i don't really have anything to be nostalgic about anyways." sure, there were good parts about her childhood and past in general, but for the most part it's been a chaotic mess that she doesn't much like thinking about.

[waywardwraiith]

"i've found that to be pretty true just recently, actually," she chuckles slightly. "never really cared for smoking much before. dunno what made me even decide to pick it up, but i guess here i am," the blonde shrugs before taking another drag. "see the talking to other people part i don't mind so much actually." she's always been able to strike up a conversation with just about anyone with no problem at all. look at right here, right now for instance.

"i get that," she nods. her own hours can be pretty random and scattered, now that she's taken over the mining company. she hadn't really thought too much about how much work it would take when she took it over, but there's no going back now. and besides, it brings in some good cash.

"really? must be a tough guy yourself then, huh?" she's just messing with him, really. she doesn't mean anything by it. however, he must have some kind of skills in self defense if he doesn't worry about just passing out whenever and wherever.

As much as he was into the sort of thing, nights were often thought to be about in superstitions. He had no idea himself if anything inhuman lurked out at night, as he had heard rumors here and there. It was, to him, probably just a gang of stray dogs, or something like that. So when someone said something in the way Zelda had, he had only two thoughts about it. One. They were a bit too confident. And two, they had been a part of a group that could back up the claim. Anything else was out of the realm of reality. But, beyond these initial points of thought, he could not care less. Because she was alone, here and now, besides him and the odd person who was also ending their own day, who might wander by.

So it was confidence, he decided. Azazel nodded at her thanks, “Smoking at the end of the day, especially a pretty rough one, can be relaxing.” Putting the matchbook away again, he nodded as Zelda gave the bare minimum for his question. Which was fine, it wasn't like he was wanting or needing her life story. Stretching within his space, he grinned, “Errand day always sucks. Zipping around. Talking to other people. ” Not having a car, like him, made it all the more exhausting. With her question, he rubbed a hand on his neck, “Ah, you know. Work. I have some pretty rough hours.” Plus, having a sleeping condition was not helping with everything else, he thought. “I'm not much concerned with the dangers of napping on a bench, though.”

It was choosing a spot to sleep, or collapsing and stressing the shit out of people who he didn't want in his business. The most harm they could do with him casually resting on a bench was bug him.

[waywardwraiith]

zelda hadn't even noticed who it is she's sat herself next to. not until the woman finally speaks up, which then causes a smirk to pull at her lips. blondie. the teasing nickname makes her chuckle slightly. honestly, she usually doesn't tolerate nicknames well, but iris gets a pass.

"just bought this one actually," she holds up the plain bic lighter, stark white. some people say they're bad luck, but she doesn't seem to mind. sliding the bic into her pocket, she takes the zippo and ignites it, lighting the tip of the cigarette and inhaling.

"what've you been up to today, hm?" looking over at her, an almost genuine smile takes over.

Finally able to put away her heavy almost pitch black shades, Iris smiles as she steps out of her errand run for the day- stuff she couldn't do later at night even though this city seemed to be awake 24/7 and it was part of the reason she love it being what she was. Sitting down for just a moment and resting her head in her hands for a moment, her hair shielding her face as she felt someone's weight next to her ( mouth on auto-pilot getting ready to spit out some insult )

All she had wanted was one fucking moment to herself before she had to head home and deal with the feeling of numbness ( or she called her girl who always made her forget her troubles. ) but the voice made her snap up, her whole body relaxing the second she heard it.

Iris chuckled slightly and nodded, pulling out a black zippo offering it out to the familiar looking woman. "You know you should really start testing those before you leave the house, it saves you from moments like this blondie" She teased eyebrow raised.

[waywardwraiith]

zelda smirks devilishly at him, satisfied with her playful little dig. "me? nah. would've told you if i was gonna, anyways. but sure, why not. 'm always down to meet someone new. what's he like?" cyrek had of course mentioned his brother on occasion, but she still knew very little of the mysterious figure.

for a moment, she thinks of the mess she's gotten herself into here. becoming friends with cyrek in the first place had been all about furthering her own goals. but now here she is, years later, at his damn wedding-- fully tangling herself in his personal life. it shouldn't be this way, she should've kept her distance and yet...

"well i would surely hope not," she laughs slightly. "nah, you? fuck up something like this? no way." the blonde is just teasing, but really she couldn't see him fucking up something like this. he loves stella too damn much for that.

"yeah i'll mention it," a nod of her head as she leans back in her chair slightly. "me? shit, i don't even know... y'know, i used to dream of having some big fairytale wedding as a kid but then as i got older, i dunno... just doesn't seem like that kinda thing is really in the cards for me." it's just her being pessimistic, honestly. zelda's been so focused on her vengeance that she's kind of neglected the whole aspect of her love life. not say she wouldn't want love, but then again it could potentially hinder her goals so...

You say that like I'm not used to it at this point. "Save fuckin' up my ego for your toast. I know Kael's gonna say about five sentences and bugger off." His best man could surprise him, who knows — people were making exceptions for the grandiloquent occasion. "Did you bring a date? I was wonderin' if I can introduce you to my brother. Hate to see him be a wallflower on my big day, but..." The blonde was more akin to Cyrek's defunct code; outgoing without trying too hard to be gregarious or presentable.

He let out an unsavory snort, entertained by the imagery provided of Zelda looking any less than pristine — that wasn't to say he didn't think of her as emotional; most of those who he called friends these days were, or they likely wouldn't survive his crash-outs over minor inconveniences and emotional spirals. Safe to say, the groom was frequently a spring that was wound too tight and bound to suffocate someone of their oxygen. "A bunch of people wasn't gonna stop me from sayin' how much I love her today. I nearly shat myself thinkin' I was gonna fuck it up." Stella deserved perfect for her special day. Theirs, really.

Twisting in the chair to face her fully, he propped the sunglasses he'd been wearing on the top of his head, a twitch of a smile on his face. "The reception's all her, I gotta say, so you should definitely tell her you like it, y'know. I would've married her in a paper bag at the courthouse the day after we got engaged. You think you'd do somethin' like this if you did? Get married, I mean."

[waywardwraiith]

sure, zelda definitely has her weaknesses-- she's learned that over the years since she'd been changed. however, she's been changed long enough to know how to use her strengths and defend her weaknesses. while plenty of people would probably be nervous being out on their own on the mean streets of vegas, she just isn't.

she nods her head, "that's for damn sure." she squints her eyes at the sight of the sun now disappearing on the horizon. time for the night to really come alive. "thanks," she mumbles around the cigarette, leaning slightly closer to make it easier for him to light it. "hm?" taking a nice long drag, she blows the smoke out the side of her mouth, away from the two of them.

"just a long day, ya know?" she shrugs, having no issue discussing vague details with the stranger. she's always been social, after all. "running errands here and there. needed a few moments to finally just sit," a slight chuckle falls from her lips. "and what's got you so tired that you're fallin' asleep on a bench, hm? if i'm allowed to ask."

Azazel nodded at her comment. He supposed that he should have guessed that by now. It seemed to be the latest fashion. But also, with everything else going on, he wasn't interested in testing that, “Oh. Good then.” It was interesting, nonetheless. These days, the night seemed a lot more wild. Remaining quiet, he thought back to the night he woke up not too long ago, howling from wild coyotes in the desert around him, or whatever was out there. His memories of things before then a blur, ravaged by this sudden weakness and sickness.

Digging through his pockets, he finds a matchbook, taking it out of his pocket and shaking it, “Don't we all. Need breaks, that is.” Looking away, he yawned after clarifying what he was talking about. Looking at his watch, he guessed it wasn't awfully late in the evening, yet, “Here.” Pulling one of the matches off, he strikes it and leans over, holding it to the tip of the cigarette, “Mind me asking what you needed that break from?” Once the cigarette was lit, he shook his hand, putting the flame out, “If not, that's fine. Just call me curious.”

[waywardwraiith]

🧪

🧪 RP RELATIONSHIP MEME — MAD SCIENTIST EDITION

🧬 Personality:

grating || irritating || frustrating || boring || confusing at best || awkward || unreasonable || psychotic || disturbing || interesting || engaging || affectionate || aggressive || ambitious || anxious || artistic || bad tempered || bossy || charismatic || appealing || unappealing || creative || courageous || dependable || unreliable || unpredictable || predictable || devious || dim || extroverted || introverted || egotistical || gregarious || fabulous || impulsive || intelligent || sympathetic || talkative || up beat || peaceful || calming || badass || flexible

🧠 First Impression of Them:

I hate them so much || I don’t like them || I don’t trust them || they annoy me || they’re weird || I’m indifferent || meh || they seem alright || they’re growing on me || truce || I think I like them || I like them || I’m not sure if I trust them || I trust them || they’re cool || they’re genuine || I think we’re going to get along || I really like them || I think I’m in love || oh fuck they’re hot || I love them

🕸️ Level of Friendship:

none || stranger || wary ally || temporary associate || co-conspirator || reluctant friend || I tolerate them || casual friend || true friend || emotional support || best friend || ride-or-die || I’d kill for them || I have killed for them

🩸 Would You Save Them in a Life or Death Scenario?:

no || not unless I’m paid || probably not || if I could benefit from it || maybe || yes, without hesitation || I’d trade myself for them || I’d revive them in a cursed ritual || I’d rewrite time for them

🫀 Romantic / Intimate Potential:

none || no interest || hate-fueled tension || I fantasize about them || drunk kiss once || friends with benefits || one-sided crush || mutual pining || messy situationship || power couple in the making || I’m obsessed || we’re doomed but I want it anyway || I’m afraid of what I’d do for them || already together || it’s complicated || too dangerous to love || yes, but it will destroy us

💋 What Is the Chemistry Like?:

nonexistent || platonic only || subtle and slow-burn || unspoken but obvious || volatile and intense || toxic but magnetic || they complete each other || obsessive || calm and safe || taboo but irresistible || dysfunctional || gentle and healing || tragic but real

🥀 Romantic Past:

no history || never met before this || one kiss and years of silence || ex-lovers || friends-to-lovers || enemies-to-lovers || something almost happened || on-again, off-again || they broke my heart || I broke theirs || tragic ending || rekindling old feelings || never stopped loving them

🩹 Emotional Damage:

none || unspoken tension || betrayal || abandonment || broken trust || guilt || grief || shared trauma || jealousy || fear of hurting them || fear of being vulnerable || I blame them || they blame me || we hurt each other || it’s still healing || we’re trying again

🕯️ Would You Betray Them?

already have || definitely || if I had to || only if they betrayed me first || depends on what’s at stake || never || I’d betray others for them || I’d die before I betray them

🧪 How Morally Aligned Are You With Them?

polar opposites || uneasy alliance || occasional agreement || it’s like looking in a mirror || I admire their goals, not their methods || we’re built the same, just on different paths || we could be a powerful force together || I want to change them || I want to understand them || I think we were meant to find each other

🧷 Comfort Level With Them:

zero || anxious || defensive || on edge || unsure || depends on the day || they make me feel safe || they see through me || I can be myself with them || I can’t tell if I’m safe or trapped || I crave their presence even when I shouldn’t