carpenterwithacoin

[carpenterwithacoin]

* (  𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐀 /  𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒.

These may have been edited for clarity or length or to better apply for roleplaying.

❛ I didn’t know you were a fan of horror movies. ❜

❛ Who doesn’t enjoy a good scare every now and again? Especially this time of year. ❜

❛ Ritual sacrifice. It’s slightly different. ❜

❛ There’s no flying in my life without you. ❜

❛ The only person you’re gonna scare is yourself! ❜

❛ This has to be our little secret, okay? ❜

❛ I got you something. ❜

❛ I love you, NAME. ❜

❛ All women are taught to fear power. Own it. ❜

❛ Oh, you had me at boys to torment. ❜

❛ Are you going to do something here? ❜

❛ You’re a rebel, NAME. It’s how I like my witches. ❜

❛ I’m done being a coward. ❜

❛ It’s not a tornado that’s coming. It’s something much much worse. ❜

❛ The witches are coming. ❜

❛ You’re cold. ❜

❛ Will you stay with me? ❜

❛ That sounds like a dream. ❜

❛ You don’t know what I’m capable of. ❜

❛ Hi there. ❜

❛ How did you get in here? ❜

❛ You’re only supposed to start missing things after you’ve said goodbye to them, right? ❜

❛ Just promise me you’ll be careful. ❜

❛ Can we take a rain check? ❜

❛ I don’t want to lose you, too. ❜

❛ That wasn’t so bad in the end. ❜

❛ And what time will we be spell-casting? ❜

❛ They would be so proud of you. ❜

❛ Everything has a price. ❜

❛ So dramatic. ❜

❛ I’m dying for a warm buttermilk bath. And a plate of macaroons. ❜

❛ I can get behind that. ❜

❛ I can see things, things I shouldn’t be able to. ❜

❛ You’re a terrible liar. ❜

❛ I’m so sorry. ❜

❛ You have to go. ❜

❛ You’ve done enough. ❜

❛ You lied to me. You did the one thing I told you not to do. ❜

❛ We have a big problem! ❜

❛ I’ve done something rather impulsive. ❜

❛ The best and worst things  happen in the shadows. ❜

❛ You changed your hair. ❜

❛ What if we start over? ❜

❛ I don’t think that’s such a good idea. ❜

❛ I don’t know if it’s safe for me to be around you. ❜

❛ I love you too much to risk anything bad happening to you. ❜

❛ Can I have one last kiss? ❜

[carpenterwithacoin]

[Text] Be positive, at least they’re not were-geese

[Text] But yeah I can see how that’s not sexy

[Text] How did you end up tangled in all that?

[ text ] –– foxes are built like nesting dolls. (Julius)

@holymanatarms

[Text] - What did foxes do to you, Julius? 

[Text] - Or is there another plague of were-foxes?

[carpenterwithacoin]

The coffee shop could indeed be a good place, though it wouldn’t be a coffee shop if used for a gathering. The exterior wouldn’t change as that part of the building was rooted in the mortal world, but the interior…. the interior was a different story entirely. It would be remolded and remade into what it needed to be to provide all parties with a comfortable and neutral environment.

At least, if Molly had any say in the matter. And considering this whole idea was her brainbaby in the first place, she had no doubt that she’d be doing a great deal of the preparations. Which included speaking with Mab and Titania. Neither of which was a thought that especially appealed to her considering the subject matter. They wouldn’t be pleased. If she built her case correctly, though, they’d have no other option but to agree with her that this might be the best course of action that could be taken.

Nodding, she half smiled at Alicia and pulled a face. “Oh, for the days of cellphones again, huh? It really is a pity that there’re no real global forms of communication anymore. It would make things so much easier. But, let’s face it,” she shrugged a bit before continuing, “if you wanted to bring a society to heel and truly make it so that rallying against a regime were difficult, the best way to do that is to kill communication.” She grinned, “Fortunately, I came prepared.”

Reaching into the pocket of her jacket, she produced a piece of crystal, the length of her palm and as wide around as her middle finger. The outside of the crystal had been carved with various runes and sigils, not all of which appeared to be magical in nature. Setting it gently on the tabletop, she slid it towards Alicia.

“It’s not nearly as good as a cellphone, but it’ll get the job done. At least once. When you’re ready and in a safe place,” that second part was extremely important, “you can activate it by bleeding on it. Or freezing it. I’ll know where you are and will find a way to get there. It might not be easy and may take some time,” many of the Ways had either been permanently closed or had collapsed on their own, “but I’ll find a way. The closer you can be to here would be best.”

In the meantime, she’d start laying the groundwork for getting the Queens on board with her scheme. For that part, she’d need a hell of a lot of luck.

Molly snorted with laughter at her sister’s reply, a somewhat sly look crossing her features. “Oh, I don’t know. I mean, the Middle Ages was a pretty good time for us. We were regularly gifted with gifts of milk and honey and people took care not to irritate us. For obvious reasons.” Nasty pranks and child thievery being only the tip of the iceberg on that front.

The humor in her expression faded as blue eyes grew serious once again. “Gather who you can. I’m not sure what allies you may or may not have, but anyone you trust not to be in league with the Black Court would be helpful. Books often held worlds unto themselves. Who’s to say that this isn’t the start of a very epic book-saving adventure?”

Alicia eyed the crystal, Izitayel’s curiosity melding with hers for the split second it took the Fallen to evaluate the artifact. Afterwards it was only hers, and the Denarian took out a small rune-engraved pouch from her jacket before taking the crystal and carefully putting it inside, next to a few other trinkets she valued, either for emotional or practical reasons. 

“Note taken,” she whispered, her smile serene. “It has been a really long time since I’d seen something like it. Thank you.” It would be slower and more dangerous for both parties than the messenger apps back when they’d been human, but it was infinitely better than using doves or sentient messengers. 

“It’s not just cellphones that I miss, but also the Internet. The Paranet was very useful in the fight against the Black Court.” She admitted, after a while. It had fallen, like most global infrastructures, some time in the past. 

Alicia couldn’t help a sigh, albeit a good-humored sigh, at Molly’s laughter. “Yes, I guess you had it nice by then. But people also died of afflictions we could cure when we were children, and that’s a nuisance.”

It wouldn’t be so annoying if Alicia kept to the Order, but she was usually somewhere else and having allies and a decent network of people that didn’t hate her was, at the very least, practical. As practical as an epic book-saving adventure, for starters. 

“The Black Court would say it, if we let them.” Not that she was going to. It was an amusing idea. “Finding books it’s not complicated, even if it’s tricky at times. Protecting them, though… Everybody could be a thrall, and of those that are not, a good number of them end up meeting the Knights and joining them. It’s a bit of a nuisance.” She admitted. “At this rhythm, if we destroy the Black Court, we’ll end up living in a society of barbarians. And as much as being a warlord doesn’t disgust me, I’d like them to be at the very least clean barbarians.” She half-joked.

"Why?" - winterladymolly (You knew this was coming! 200 AU? :) )

@winterladymolly

In another day and age, maybe in another place, the wind would have toyed with Alicia’s hair. As things went, the air was very cold and very still as Alicia pondered the question, tilting her head to the side.

It was a fair question. Alicia breathed out, unfazed by the chill, and considered it for another second. Molly deserved the truth by virtue of being her sister, but that assumed that the Lady wearing her face was still Molly. 

Moreover, the truth had changed over the years. From each skirmish to each battle, through duels and wars, slowly shifting as she herself became the person she now was. 

“Power.” Alicia said, after another breath. “I guess it was the power, maybe the chance to live forever.” 

The Denarian had made peace with outliving her family, only finding about Molly long after. Time had gone by and she hadn’t sought her, telling herself that it would only open old wounds. She wasn’t so sure of it now, when facing a High Sidhe Lady in her eternal combination of jeans, sweatshirt and boots. 

Alicia toyed distractedly with the handle of the sword hanging on her belt, distantly aware of Izitayel’s attention. It was not pain or sorrow she was feeling, it was simply a bone-deep coldness. 

“You can see why I had to leave.” 

[carpenterwithacoin]

The faint smile that touched her lips was mirthless, her eyes moving up to meet Alicia’s briefly before returning to the rather unpleasant task at hand. “Mmm… that is usually the assumption. But, there is an old saying about assuming. I can’t speak for what other Knights of the Cross receive with their Swords. I can only speak to what I had beforehand in relation to what I was given.

Snorting faintly, she shook her head but took care not to jostle the other woman. Had the roles been reversed, Vadoma was more than certain she’d have been unconscious from the pain. She had every idea that the Denarian was only still awake by the grace of the fallen angel she shared a body with, but even that could really only last for so long. “At the risk of sounding incredibly rude,” her dry and somewhat amused tone indicated that she didn’t, in fact, care if she sounded rude or not, “kindly allow me to continue with what I am doing. That is, if you’d like to leave here in something resembling one piece, today.”

Alicia followed her counsel and began to expound upon what had happened to put her in such a state. The Knight listened, carefully moving the other woman’s arm as she tested both to see how the limb moved near the joint, and to see what sort of reaction was had. As expected, the arm wasn’t felt, but it would be. Nodding a little, as much to keep Alicia talking as to herself, Vadoma moved the arm quickly and firmly to reset the joint. There was a very satisfying “popping” sound as things moved back into place.

She needed to keep the other woman conscious. At least long enough to move her. The fact that she wasn’t dead already meant that whatever it was she’d been facing probably hadn’t survived, but she wasn’t willing to rule out the possibility that someone - or something - else wouldn’t be sending reinforcements.

“This fortress. Was it something that was preexisting and fortified to make it safe, or was it something that had been built up over time? How far is it from here, and what direction?” Perhaps they would be able to pick up additional survivors along the way. She smiled a little once again, though this time, there was a softness that hadn’t been there before. “It is probably poor judgement on my part, but I don’t think you’ll be dying today. What I do think is that there are still people who need not only your help, but your protection. And that it’s time they gave you a little help in return.”

There were humans that had gifts, for one reason or other. Wizards, for example, and sorcerers or minor practitioners. There were also those who had one quality, be it because of who their parents had been, or maybe another reason. There were many possibilities, and Alicia had to admit that while it was not the time, she was sincerely curious. In another age she’d wanted to use that curiosity and she’d studied to be able to do so. 

But Vadoma was right, and Alicia chuckled, painful as it was, at her words. 

“Go on.” She rasped, the smile not really gone until Vadoma started moving her arm. At first there was nothing and then the blaze of pain, as unexpected as bright, had her on the edge of fainting. She didn’t yell, and that was her Fallen’s action more than her, but it was close. 

“It existed.” Alicia managed to answer after a while. Her throat felt raw. “We... improved it. It’s west. Of the former settlement. It’s... not far?” She considered. “Three hours, maybe, at human pace.” 

Much less for her, had she been able to run. But she couldn’t, she was now helpless, and she very pointedly not looked at Vadoma as the Knight next spoke. 

Alicia had spent years with the settlement, and she had planned on spending many more. She wanted to see them survive the end of the world, this age of darkness, and maybe even rebuild a society like the one she’d been raised in. She missed it much more than she’d ever admit, not even to herself. 

“All they can do,” Alicia admitted, her voice barely a whisper, “is offer me a place to rest. It will be enough. They do not have what humanity had before all this.” She added, shaking her head slowly before looking at Vadoma again. “So thank you, whatever your reasons are. The settlement is open to you, if you ever need it.” 

It was not the safest idea. Even now, there was a part of her that was terrified of Esperacchius, of simply knowing it was nearby. But the offer had been sincere, and she didn’t regret it. Even if Alicia may never be able to trust Vadoma, some debts mattered. 

"I'm here... I'm here now." (lostintimenoutoftouch BC!AU))

@lostintimenoutoftouch

It had all become a cycle of sorts, sometime before she lost track of the days. There was only so much power she could channel, after all, and only so many wounds she could regenerate. Only so many hours she could escape the pain and walk in dreams before she had to go back to that cell. 

The dreams Izitayel could offer her got weirder as Alicia got closer to waking up again, she was somehow getting used to it. At least the pain would end, and she knew it, as long as she survived. But the dreams were shorter every time and this was the first time she’d heard a voice in them. 

This time she woke up still in pain, her wounds not even closed, her body once again more of a prison than a house. But she was still hearing that voice, and it took her a few seconds to open her eyes. 

The voice wasn’t a dream. 

“Vadoma?” Alicia coughed, before her body started shaking in the barest imitation of laughter. 

Somebody had come for her, yes, but it had been a Knight. Like the ones she’d fought against for centuries, yes, but also the one she’d fought besides. 

Was this how it all ended, then? Alicia had expected she’d go out in a blaze of glory, or doing something worthwhile. She wasn’t sure why, in truth.  

“They don’t know.” Alicia rasped. “The settlement is safe.” 

 That, at least, she could be proud of. 

[carpenterwithacoin]

That Alicia had understood her meaning didn’t surprise Vadoma in the slightest. One of those surprising people she’d referenced was the Denarian, herself, as previous experience had proven they were not usually good people. Or helpful people. There was bound to be an ulterior motive in the other woman’s actions and her unlikely teaming with a mortal settlement, but for the moment, those motives were well aligned with her own. Ridding the world of the Black Court and the undead that they created and used to subjugate what remained of humanity was one of the higher priorities on the Knight’s list of things. If that meant she needed to partner for a time with someone who should be her opposite, then so be it. It wasn’t her place to question, merely to do.

Could be two, or it could be five. When it came to the undead, that was a pretty large margin for error. Still, the other woman’s words brought forth a very soft chuckle. “Always ready? I’ll be remembering that in future.” She just hoped that the other three with them were as ready as their intrepid and unlikely leader.

It wasn’t two, but it wasn’t five either. Only four, with three of them being some horrid mixtures of things that had probably once been living. Alicia crippled the humanoid zombie as it lunged at her, its trajectory taking it back to where the other three of their party waited. The Denarian shifted into her other form, causing the Knight a brief moment’s hesitation. Not because she was afraid, but because as terrifying as the new shape was, it was also beautiful in its own strange way. She didn’t have time to truly study the way it moved, though, as one of the bat-wolf-badger?things came at her. A second one moved in as well making the attempt to flank her, bringing a cold grin to her lips. A second blade flashed out as she readied herself, her center of gravity dropping a bit as her muscles tensed.

Clearly thinking she was the least dangerous of their opponents as she wasn’t large and scary, nor was did she have companions near her, they both rushed in at once. The smaller of the two went for her calf, while the larger snapped at her arm. Gracefully, Vadoma danced out of the way of the calf biter, narrowly avoiding the nasty looking teeth of the larger one. The dance continued, as the creatures seemed to anticipate her movements, managing to get out of the way of her blades when’s he went for a strike. That wasn’t good. They were more intelligent than some of the other things she’d run across.

Either that, or something was using their eyes to see and moving them from afar. That wasn’t at all a happy thought. If that were the case, then those doing the controlling knew they were there, how many were in the party, and what they all looked like.

A lucky blow took out the smaller one, leaving the larger to snarl at her, the bristly looking fur along its neck and spine raising. Crouching more to be more at its level, she glanced back to where the three had finished off the one Alicia had hit. She didn’t dare to take her eyes from her foe for too long, lest it attack when she wasn’t ready for it. “It’s a rather fun game, but we need to end it. The sooner the better.” She could go over her suspicions with the Denarian once the undead were dispatched.

One of the bestial zombies snarled, and Alicia met the snarl with a similar expression of her own as she went back to the one she’d chosen as her first dance partner. In her Battle Form she was bigger than it was, though maybe not more agile. It was smarter than the humanoid had been and Alicia found it now kept its distance, watching her intently as it looked for a moment to lunge. 

Not far behind her, not that the room was enormous, Alicia heard her team finish the humanoid zombie and she couldn’t help a certain pride. They were good, and they were following her. She didn’t order them to go after those bothering the Knight, however, they’d already do that on their own. 

“The sooner, the better.” Alicia echoed, her voice only slightly lower than it would have been on her human self, as she made a choice. The Battle Form was comfy, freeing, powerful. But it would take too long, so she took a risk and charged against the animalistic zombie. Only instead of attacking with her claws, Alicia went back to her human form mid-stride, reaching for her sword and drawing it in a well-practiced motion. The zombie, which hadn’t seen that coming, was taken by surprise and it was enough time for Alicia to end the acquaintance of its head with its body. She still stabbed it through the heart and through the chest, just in case, sighing at the thought that now the Knight had seen one of her favorite tricks. 

Behind her, she hoped, the combination of a Knight and three humans may have ended the last menace. 

“You’ve ever seen one of these?” Alicia asked Vadoma, taking a second to check on the one she’d destroyed. 

Dead men walking, some are dancing

[carpenterwithacoin]

Molly bit her tongue to keep herself from giving her sister some self important speech about how with great power came great responsibility. She was pretty sure that Alicia already knew all of that, and that there was a part of her that didn’t care. Maybe it still did care, but one day it wouldn’t. It wasn’t like she wasn’t faced with her own version of that same thing. “I get it,” she replied softly. “I won’t ask that you be anyone other than who you are,” there was a slight emphasis on “you”, “just try not to lose yourself in it? I have every idea that it won’t be easy to just…. give in to the rush of the power, but I just…. really hope that you try.”

The last thing she really wanted to hear was that Sanya and Butters had had to go toe to toe with her sister. And that someone had gotten hurt. Or worse.

As far as when things had changed for the two of them…. it seemed that the timelines were rather similar. The Winter Lady couldn’t help but wonder if that was also part of some nefarious scheme of some sort. One of them received a Coin in their locker, and the other just happened to be at the right place at the right time to receive a very special “gift”.

No, that was really unfair. If there was some mastermind behind it all, it was some power that was greater than anything on earth. Molly hesitated to say “God”, but maybe that’s what it was. Because she’d accepted tutelage from one of the fae, she’d opened the doors for even more of herself to change. It was really her own fault.

“I just wondered. Not too far off from when things changed even more for me. Kind of a strange coincidence.” She half smiled, almost feeling the liquid in the bottle start to call her name again. She was trying to pace herself, but this was a strange and oddly uncomfortable conversation.

She started to ask what the odds were, realistically, that Alicia would have to flee from a given situation, then stopped herself. Depending on what exactly was happening and who was involved, there was a very good possibility that the Denarian before her would have to run away. If she was still herself enough to do so. Molly didn’t have the best idea of how the relationship between the fallen angel and its host worked. Maybe it was like those sci-fi movies and books where the alien rode around inside the person’s body and mind. Like Venom. Yeah. Or something.

One thing that she was sure didn’t have an alien of any sort riding around inside it was Mouse. No, he was just something different entirely. She’d just started to swallow another mouthful of beer when Alicia’s question caused her to choke a little. Regathering herself, she shook her head, eyes watering a bit as her body decided the liquid was going to go down rather than back out her nose. “No… I…. no. I mean, it might answer some questions that I have, or it might just make more. I… don’t know that I’m ready to see that.”

It took another couple of seconds for the beer to fully settle down her throat and into her belly. As per its usual, Mac’s brew was starting to make her stomach feel warm, and that warmth would spread to the rest of her body. She’d need to pace herself. “How long do you think you’ll live?” she asked, the question very soft.

It was probably arrogant of Alicia to simply nod, her smile not really faltering at her sister’s request, and she knew it. But she’d defined herself by her lack of power, of options she liked to find safety. She’d seen the world and there had been no going back, and there was no way she’d abandon the power she’d found. But she believed, she couldn’t not believe, that she could remain herself. 

Izitayel’s presence curled around her heart, as comforting as curious, but the Fallen remained silent. 

“I am still me.” Alicia said, softly. “And that’s not changing anytime soon. Just as I hope Winter won’t take my sister away.” She added, her voice level. “If we are ourselves, let’s remain ourselves.”

The beer was good, and the room warm enough, but still Alicia felt a chill through her spine when Molly talked of coincidence. Few things were coincidence, and Izitayel agreed. 

But some can be. 

Maybe. Like many great questions, there may not be a definite answer. 

“Whatever Mouse is, he’s powerful. I guess power’s not nice to look at with the Sight, but still. I may look for ways to find out, I’m really curious. All the times I’ve had to team up with Matthew to bathe him and now he appears to be more than a very smart dog.” Alicia laughed. 

It all froze when Molly asked her next question, and Alicia took a long drink from her bottle, if only to give herself some time to think. 

Potentially until the end of time. Came Izitayel’s answer. 

Potentially. But that was not likely. 

“I don’t have the slightest idea.” Alicia admitted. “Assuming I survive the upcoming years, if I pick well my battles, at least for some centuries. I want to hope for a few millennia.” She shrugged, her smile a shadow. “But think of what we’ll see.”

Pin meme: “MOVE!” ~ carpenterwithacoin

When it came to builds, Alicia was smaller than Molly. Hence, the force of the other girl’s shove caught her completely off guard. Sprawling ungracefully where she landed on the floor - very much unlike a cat, who lands on its feet - she looked up, clearly of a mind to snipe at her sister. She half expected Alicia to be laughing at the drop she got on the eldest of the Carpenter siblings. 

What she didn’t expect was to find Alicia staring down an oversized troll, of the literal sort not figurative, with something along the lines of murder in her eyes. ���Uhmm….I suppose now is a bad time to ask what the hell?” 

@carpenterwithacoin

[carpenterwithacoin]

For all my writers struggling with weaponry of the sword variety. 

[carpenterwithacoin]

[ text ] –– foxes are built like nesting dolls. (Julius)

@holymanatarms

[Text] - What did foxes do to you, Julius? 

[Text] - Or is there another plague of were-foxes?

[carpenterwithacoin]

[Text] I mean, we can always discuss it

[Text] If all goes well, I might be back in Chicago tomorrow...

[Text] They bring crazy, good light and the ocasional shifter

[Text] I'm pretty sure I've just seen a werellama

[ text ] –– enthralled by the moon? staring at a lot of clouds and flowers? you may be entitled to compensation. (itsawildx2ride)

@itsawildx2ride

[Text] What kind of compensation are we talking about? 

[Text] Not that I stare at the clouds or flowers, that’s too dangerous, but the moon is beautiful today.

[carpenterwithacoin]

So a typical apocalyptic omen, I see.

If you have the original text, I know someone who specializes in ancient languages and could get a decent translation.

[ text ] –– centuries ago, scientists learned the sun doesn’t revolve around the earth. the sun, they proved, is just a blind god wandering in circles. ~ carpenterwithacoin

Uh.

So the sun’s forgotten where he’s parked and can’t see for his own glare. Makes about as much sense as anything else. Are you okay?

[carpenterwithacoin]

Didn't look good. Is it vampires, like last month?

[ text ] –– centuries ago, scientists learned the sun doesn’t revolve around the earth. the sun, they proved, is just a blind god wandering in circles. ~ carpenterwithacoin

Uh.

So the sun’s forgotten where he’s parked and can’t see for his own glare. Makes about as much sense as anything else. Are you okay?

[carpenterwithacoin]

[Text] love ain't nothin but a number (Coin!hbc-dresden)

@hbc-dresden

[Text] And yet numbers rule the world

[carpenterwithacoin]

[ text ] –– turns out the screaming in your home is just a ghost child who’s haunting the house that cursed her soul.

I was pretty sure it was the neighbors, but this is a pretty disquieting thought. How do you know? I did all the tests and there seemed to be no haunting.

[carpenterwithacoin]

That's an hypothesis I could get behind.

And while I am okay, the Paranet woke up flooded with variations of that message. I've been told to contact you, so well, there's that.

[ text ] –– centuries ago, scientists learned the sun doesn’t revolve around the earth. the sun, they proved, is just a blind god wandering in circles. ~ carpenterwithacoin

Uh.

So the sun’s forgotten where he’s parked and can’t see for his own glare. Makes about as much sense as anything else. Are you okay?

[carpenterwithacoin]

[ text ] –– enthralled by the moon? staring at a lot of clouds and flowers? you may be entitled to compensation. (itsawildx2ride)

@itsawildx2ride

[Text] What kind of compensation are we talking about? 

[Text] Not that I stare at the clouds or flowers, that’s too dangerous, but the moon is beautiful today.

[carpenterwithacoin]

TEXTING MEME ⟶ WELCOME TO NIGHTVALE TWEETS ( 2013 / part two ) always feel free to tweak the sentence to fit your muse.

[ text ] –– the bee pit is closed for renovations.

[ text ] –– if you could only see the world as it really is! it’s beautiful and on fire and awful.

[ text ] –– don’t forget there’s a BIG GAME this weekend. no one’s sure what the game involves, but there will be consequences.

[ text ] –– let’s pretend this never happened.

[ text ] –– the hideous screaming coming from inside your walls is technically a haiku.

[ text ] –– when you die, try to rot quickly. the cemetery trees look underfed.

[ text ] –– centuries ago, scientists learned the sun doesn’t revolve around the earth. the sun, they proved, is just a blind god wandering in circles.

[ text ] –– the stars don’t mean anything. they’re just being ironic.

[ text ] –– measure a man by his actions. then measure him by each of his limbs, weighed separately, refrigerated, blood drained.

[ text ] –– most owls are staying in the forest to plot important things. the superb one speaks of mice and alchemy and prophetic dreaming.

[ text ] –– no one is talking about mountains. why is no one talking about mountains? secretive mountains control the media, that’s why.

[ text ] –– a bird in the hand is worth a plastic bag full of miscellaneous animal hearts.

[ text ] –– should crippling fear of life be taught in schools?

[ text ] –– the sky is a conspiracy.

[ text ] –– when life hands you lemons, use them to cover the smell coming from the floorboards.

[ text ] –– turns out the screaming in your home is just a ghost child who’s haunting the house that cursed her soul.

[ text ] –– the optimist sees a glass that is half-full. the pessimist sees a rotting deer.

[ text ] –– listen to your heart. just hold it up to your ear and listen. it should sound like chili being stirred.

[ text ] –– unearthing a time capsule dated 1913 that contains the bones of a six-armed man, two ukranian hymnals, and an eight inch statuette of a honeybee.

[ text ] –– are other people even real? probably not.

[ text ] –– there are painful consequences for kindness.

[ text ] –– missed connection: you were a bird, so was I. we lived centuries apart and time is weird.

[ text ] –– the post office doesn’t exist, mail is not a thing. communication is fake.

[ text ] –– hey girl you must be tired because you’ve been running all night from that basilisk.

[ text ] –– let’s stare at the sky until we forget who we are.

[ text ] –– passengers on the left have a nice view of themselves dying, on the right you can see mountains or something.

[ text ] –– filled with blood? got bones all inside you? covered in skin? we can help.

[ text ] –– the long debate over whether or not skin is necessary is finally over.

[ text ] –– i’d like to thank the eyeless deer that silently stalk my dreams for believing in me.

[ text ] –– smdh if you don’t grow oak trees from your chest.

[ text ] –– I like my coffee like I like my nights: dark, endless, impossible to sleep through.

[ text ] –– life is like a box of lonely, terrifying, painful chocolate.

[ text ] –– keep some bees in your chest cavity, just in case.

[ text ] –– the bees are dying because they never learned how to love.

[ text ] –– enthralled by the moon? staring at a lot of clouds and flowers? you may be entitled to compensation.

[ text ] –– do you want to know a secret? me too. let me know if you find out any.

[ text ] –– if we’re both unmarried at 35, let’s agree to become trees.

[ text ] –– thankfully, mathematics cannot be proven.

[ text ] –– don’t let numbers tell you what to do. you are blood and earth, not theory and chalk.

[ text ] –– the human soul weight 21 grams. it’s a dense lump of grey clay wrapped in a cloth and buried beneath an unfound tree.

[ text ] –– foxes are built like nesting dolls.

[ text ] –– if you love something, set it free. if it returns to burrow into your chest and die, it’s meant to be.

[ text ] –– love ain’t nothing but a number.

[ text ] –– things that hurt: knives, lightning, breathing, reading, talking, looking at the moon, paraphrasing, and recycling.

[ text ] –– anything is possible if you believe in yourself and only in yourself and don’t care about what’s real.

[ text ] –– it’s fine if you believe in thermodynamic laws, but you don’t need to force everyone else to believe it.

[ text ] –– here’s a creepy thought.

[ text ] –– an ouija board, but instead of letters and numbers, pictures of cats.

[ text ] –– it is not only illegal, but physically dangerous to answer a rhetorical question.

[ text ] –– somewhere in every mirror is a faceless old woman standing very still.

[ text ] –– you’ll sleep when you’re dead.

[ text ] –– a name is a lie that keeps you from thinking you might be more than one single being.

[ text ] –– it takes more muscles to shriek in terror than to smile.

[ text ] –– loss is an illusion. you’ve never actually had anything.

[carpenterwithacoin]

The girl seemed slightly preoccupied, eyes glancing about as though looking for someone. Perhaps she’d come to the club with someone?  Either way, it wouldn’t matter too much to Izzy, the only thing that would really change was location. After all, there was always room for more and would make the next couple of days less tired feeling for all involved.

Whatever it was that Alicia was looking for, she didn’t seem to find it. Oddly enough, that pleased the vampire in a way she hadn’t really expected. Only having one along for the ride certainly made things easier. More dangerous naturally, but that was part of the thrill of the hunt. She also found that that night, she didn’t want to share.

She reflected on that as she completed the order, then turned back to Alicia. “Oh, they are,” she assured the girl, meaning the drink and its state of deliciousness. She hadn’t had one herself, but she’d been told by those who had had them that they were quite nice. Sometimes, if her prey had imbibed enough, she could taste it in their blood, and what she could taste was not displeasing. “If vodka’s your thing, I don’t think that you’ll be disappointed.”

It wasn’t often that things mortals did surprised her, but the kiss to the back of hand did exactly that. Izzy had expected the other woman would shake, as that was typically customary. However, considering the club and scene that they were both in that night, it really fit with the atmosphere. Most people would have found her touch to be a little disconcerting, and released her relatively quickly. Alicia was different in that as well, the warmth of the girl’s hand feeling alive against her skin as the contact was prolonged. She could nearly feel the pulsing of the blood just under the girl’s skin, so teasingly close. Had she still been able to do so without making a concerted effort, she might have blushed at the gesture. Instead she smiled, slow, and somewhat lazily.

“Alicia then. Though, if you really wanted, I’m sure there are all sots of nicknames that could be created. Lish, Lisha, Ali… and those are just to start with.”

Glancing down towards the martini glass in her hand, she idly swirled the liquid then extended it towards Alicia. “Appletini. It’s vodka based and really quite good, but not at all what I think I’m in the mood for.” Alicia had said she liked vodka, so perhaps she’d like the drink that had barely been touched while waiting for her own. Laughing softly, she reached up and tucked a tendril of hair back behind her ear. “Oh, I’ve been here before. I don’t always stay long,” or visit too often - one mustn’t be suspicious, after all, “but this is definitely familiar territory for me. How about you? You an every weekend kind of girl, or only when the mood strikes?”

“Vodka is my thing, yes.” Alicia laughed. “So I’m trusting you.”

Truth be told, she wasn’t really demanding in her taste of drinks. She’d gladly go for anything that didn’t taste bad, but Vodka had always been a preference of hers. 

She frowned, however, when Lizzy suggested a few nicknames. She’d heard some of them, mainly from her younger siblings, but still. 

“It’s not that there aren’t nicknames, it’s just that I’m not really fond of them.” She admitted. When Izzy offered her drink, moreover, Alicia gestured towards the cup. “May I?” She asked, curious now. 

One of her friends seemed to appear around the corner of Alicia’s field of vision, chatting with someone she couldn’t see. Well, they hadn’t left, that was good, and Alicia couldn’t help relaxing a little even as they disappeared again and she heard Izzy’s next words. 

“Not every weekend, but close enough.” Was her answer. “Though I’m usually closer to the campus. I’d say it’s the first time I’ve come here, but I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Do you know if they have some kind of terrace, or something where chatting’s easier here?” She suggested. “Or would you like to dance?”

She didn’t care to be as close to the bar, so as soon as she had her drink she’d gladly head someplace a little less crowded. That or dance, but she’d always been average at it, at best.