orangeflamewrites

[orangeflamewrites]

◤ This blog is now archived.     If you wish to follow my other blog, just drop me an IM                        and I’ll follow you from  my new blog  ❤ ❤   ◢                                               

[orangeflamewrites]

You have been bitten by the random encouragement bug, because the person who sent this thinks you are a beautiful person and a fabulous role-player! Pass it on to ten beautiful, fabulous people YOU know and let them know how wonderful they are! ♥

Thank you soooo much <3 This means a lot <3

[orangeflamewrites]

You have been bitten by the random encouragement bug, because the person who sent this thinks you are a beautiful person and a fabulous role-player! Pass it on to ten beautiful, fabulous people YOU know and let them know how wonderful they are! ♥

Thank you soooo much <3 This means a lot <3

[orangeflamewrites]

◤ I will be making a lot of changes soon.            Moving the blog, changing/adding characters.     I love writing with all of you, so obviously I will keep you informed.       If you want to drop any threads, please feel free to let me know. I will contact you individually too.       Hope you’re all doing well! Wish you the best with everything! ❤ ❤               ◢

[orangeflamewrites]

Trying to control her sobs, Stella cringed away from those knives, breath caught in her throat as she tried to escape their sharpness. The cold metal sent shivers down her spine, but it was nothing compared to the nausea she felt as the metallic tang of blood combined with rust hit her nose. Blood, Kalyan’s blood. “What are you?” The brunette breathed, as he seemed unaffected by the punch to his face. She was sure it wasn’t that soft a hit to have absolutely no effect. She had hoped she’d be able to land a kick, instead she felt a slash before the pain ripped a scream from her lungs.

Warm blood trickled down her leg, as she struggled against the hand that was now gripping her throat tight. Her long, painted nails clawed at that unfailing grip. Her efforts at trying to plant her feet firmly into the ground to stop him from pushing her backwards didn’t work either. He was much stronger than her petite form could match. Straining and struggling, Stella was beginning to tire out, her chest heaving hard to get some air into her lungs. Though, hearing that Kalyan wasn’t dead brought a sliver of relief to her, a silver lining around the dark cloud that was gathering around her. Her supernatural husband will continue to live. This surreal place didn’t affect him thankfully.

As his grip tightened, Stella felt her vision begin to blur. Black spots appearing before her eyes, clouding her vision. Just as she was beginning to embrace the idea of death by strangulation at the hands of a creepy man with knife fingers, he let go. The brunette fell like a rag doll, gasping and coughing as she massaged her abused neck while greedily taking in gulps of air.

By the time she managed to sit up, she felt the atmosphere around them shift. The eerie music once again filtered in. Widened eyes darted from one side to the other. Clowns with holes, closing in on her. Her heartbeat sped up, racing like a wildly so much so that she could hear the drumming in her ears. But, as the clowns stepped closer, something niggled at Stella’s brain. ‘Who knows, dreamworlds are fickle.’ “Dreamworld. This is just a dream,” she muttered under her breath, slowly sitting up straighter. Kalyan’s words continued to echo in her ears and, along with her own heartbeat, drowned out the creepy music. 

Another thing that she realised was, that the thought of Kalyan’s death had terrified her more than the clowns or the holes. Sure they still disgusted her, and made her skin crawl, but the cold dread that she had felt when she saw those knives tear through his chest, was unparalleled. Wasn’t he trying to push her towards the pipes? Stella looked back at the hissing, steaming pipes behind her. She knew it was going to hurt as hell, but maybe that’s what she needed. The wound had woken Kalyan up, hadn’t it?

She was glad that her tormenter had moved back to give those clowns space. Hopefully, she’ll be able to make it. “You can’t scare me, you sick fuck!” She roared as she heaved herself to her feet — fuelled by a surprising amount of adrenaline —and sprinted to the pipes despite the cut on her leg still bleeding and paining like a bitch. Because he had pushed her back towards them, when he was busy strangling her, there wasn’t much distance to cover. Closing her eyes, Stella braced herself and took a deep breat, then pressed herself against the pipes. “AAAHHHH!” The scream that erupted almost tore at her lungs.

When her eyes opened, she was being held up with hands under her arms. “Kalyan!” Pain, fear, all forgotten, Stella wrapped her arms tight around her husband’s neck and hugged him as if her life depended on it. She pulled back slightly to look at him with giddy relief before crashing her lips to his.

[orangeflamewrites]

“Of course, I know just the—” The brunette halted her enthusiasm abruptly, remembering that they were supposed to be doing this the simple way. “—designs! I have a pinterest board with decor ideas. Hopefully, that’ll come in handy,” she concluded more soberly, a little awakwardly, but definitely with happiness.

Looking back at the boxes — the many, many boxes that they needed to shift — Stella contemplated on his suggestion, “Umm, if we move the boxes to the rooms, won’t they come in our way if we intend to paint?” Her question was genuine. She was sure she’d end up tripping on some or the other box. Plus, she didn’t know much about painting, but was sure the dripping paint would spoil the contents of the boxes. “Why don’t we sit down and decide on shades for the rooms? Then order some paint?” She looked around again. “I mean, sure my last place was all whites and blacks, and shades of grey. But, this beige is definitely not the pastle I’m too fond off unless it’s in fall. What do you say?”

Moving - Damon & Stella

[orangeflamewrites]

Kalyan‌:

“For fuck sakes, Stella, what!?” He muttered sharply as the other had started to talk “ I’m fiiine, get off it already.” Rolling his eyes a bit then he snarled slightly before looking away from her when she continued to talk “ Yeah, well my health isn’t very fragile.” Nodding then as she continued “ I’m not human, five bullets is really nothing.” He laughed then before adjusting himself to get more comfortable.

As she teased him he made a disregarding noise at her “ Oh please. You don’t actually believe something that stupid, do you?” He smirked back, thinking about how Human, Stella truly was. A favored creature, indeed. Leaning back in the chair he continued on listening to Stella, glancing lazily around the room and giving a nod every couple of seconds “ My dad usually abandons his children and summons weapons out of a ring.” He laughed, then shook his head at the idea of the person he called father, being his father.

While Stella had been asking him twenty questions he narrowed his eyes slightly “ You were shot, you need medicine, correct?” Then as she went on he grumbled “ What, am I not allowed to have more clothes, what do you mean where did I get them? What’s it to you, they are my clothes.” He gestured to the soup then and waited for her to finish. Once she had he moved to the window and dealt with that before Stella was commenting on it “ Well you can’t just walk out of the front door, now can you? And the windows in these places aren’t easy to crawl out of. So yes, destroying the window.

Though there wasn’t any time to sit and have conversation about it when he had just ripped a window out of a wall. They had needed to go so he scooped the other up and climbed onto the opening he had just made, blood dripping onto the white windowsill before he jumped off and down to the ground below. Crouching as she commented on his landing he gave a bit of a sneer ” Well, let’s just say I’ve had a lot of practice in landing, hm?“ He knew he could have landed a lot better than he had, but given the circumstances, it hadn’t been the best way to land. As she then told him she could walk he let her go and do just that.

Standing then Kalyan inhaled deeply before looking around ” Yes, a car. Right this way. “ He points in the direction they would need to go then and then starts walking, keeping in pace with her as they made their way to it. At her question though he had to laugh before turning his head away ” Oh, probably five, major laws. Maybe…I haven’t actually stopped to think about it.“ Kalyan continued walking with Stella till they were at the car "Climb in the back and have a nice rest till we get to this destination of yours.” A moment later he was in the front seat and starting the car, ready drive once Stella had secured herself.

While she didn’t believe that he was unscathed, that snarl definitely prevented her from pressing the matter. She didn’t want to irk him when he had been so good to her, through all the madness they had been through today. So, she shut her gab and focused on the soup. Though, she did enjoy teasing him about how he’d called her pretty. However, at the mention of his father the brunette seemed equal parts curious and confused. Summon weapons out of a ring? Whatever did that mean? But, one thing was clear, he did harbour some sort of unpleasantness towards the person — supernatural beings were persons too, right? Not in the mortal sense of it but, a person nonetheless — he had just referred to as dad.

With a sigh, she put a pause on her questions. They’ll have plenty of time to argue once they were some place safe. Hopefully. “I was just asking because...” She glanced down at the hospital gown that was a little too flimsy for running away from the bad guys.  “You don’t have any more to spare, do you?” The brunette asked, finishing the last of her soup. “I wouldn’t mind your bullet riddled t-shirt from before,” she added with a soft laugh. That was purely in jest.

Jumping out of a window was definitely not her first choice, but — as Kalyan had pointed out —it was their own reasonable one. So, she didn’t question him any more and let him take the lead. As she stood there on the sidewalk, in a short hospital gown, though, she couldn’t help blushing in embarrassment. It was one of those rich brat moments in which she thought, ‘I hope I’m not found dead in this.’

Walking didn’t hurt as much as she had anticipated it would. Maybe it was the painkillers that were still numbing the pain that would hit her soon. But, for now she could comfortably walk, albeit slowly, with Kalyan and hold a conversation. “Five major laws? Not bad,” she joked. They reached their getaway car, quicker than Stella has thought, and good too because she was beginning to get tired. Stupid injury!

A gust of wind brushed against her arm, that seemed cooler than she felt. More like wet. Confused, she looked down at her arm only to see a smear of blood. “What the—” before she could complete her sentence, she noticed a big patch on the gown that she was wearing. It couldn’t be hers, she didn’t feel the stitches rip. Wait, her stitches were on the other side. “Kalyan... you’re bleeding.”

Her eyes slowly rose to meet his, the warm hues swimming with worry. “Did you let any of the nurses even check you?” She didn’t care if they were in a hurry. He was hurt and in need of medical attention. Without waiting for a reply, she reached under his jacket to feel the side of his abdomen that was against hers when they jumped out of the window. “Good god! Kalyan!” She stared at him wide, unsettled by the blood on her palm.

“We’re not going anywhere till you’re all patched up,” the brunette lawyer declared, crossing her arms over her chest.

[orangeflamewrites]

thank you so very much for helping me even though you're not an rph. i mistakenly thought you were when i saw a posting from jacktherph, i guess that explains why i was unable to find a wid, that should've been my first clue lol. again sorry, but thank you oh so very much for helping me anyways!! <3

You’re welcome! <3<3 I hope the names helped.

And, it’s totally okay. Who knows, this might just be the push I needed to get my own rph rolling haha. Take care!

[orangeflamewrites]

The little girl seemed strangely familiar, as if he knew her. Though, in the moment, Zain focused on helping the girl to her feet and making sure that she wasn’t hurt. Interestingly, unlike many children, this child didn’t start crying. Zain was impressed. “What’s your name, kid?” He asked sweetly, hoping for a positive response, so that he could locate her parents or guardians. But, as the girl opened her mouth to reply, a familiar voice floated over the festivities to tickle his ears with a name so not so uncommon but close to his heart.

The voice and the name ripped at the organ that was supposed to be his heart, one of the rare moments he realised that that shrivelled up thing still existed, and was capable of feeling. His expressive eyes lifted, from the fall of the saree gliding up all the way till he reached the face he knew, from the voice, he’d find. But, it still didn’t prevent the way his lungs sucked in an involuntary sharp inhale. The warm cocoa hues, the only soft thing about his features, widened, shattering all the tenderness from a few seconds ago. “Naina?” The name uttered was a cross somewhere between that from a guy who had seen a ghost, and someone whose heart had suddenly filled with inexplicable joy. Hence, it came out a little strangle. Clearing his throat, he sounded a little more dignified, much like his normal self, “Naina Mathur. This is a pleasant surprise.”

zain

The party was in full swing. The happy couple seemed unable to keep their eyes, or hands, off of each other ever since the priest pronounced them as newly weds. “Ugh,” the brunet groaned looking away from the nauseating display of affection. Sure it was their happy day, but it wouldn’t harm them to behave a little decently. Thankfully, there was endless supply of alcohol, courtesy of the doe-eyed couple.

Sipping on the champagne, Zain wondered why was he even there. Sure, he’d been invited but, it wouldn’t have been out of character for him to decline the invite, and send his wishes by post instead. Alas! At least, the view was nice. The vast expanse of the still lake waters, soothing to the eyes. The tranquility of the surrounding mountains, cocooning him in comfort. He took another sip of his drink. “Huh?” He frowned down at the empty glass at his lips.

He had just turned around to go get a refill, when something – more like someone – rammed against his legs. “Watch it!” He growled, glowering at the person, before his features instantly softened. The little girl had fallen down down from the impact. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. Let me help you.” The usually gruff man spoke in an uncharacteristically gentle tone, helping the little girl to her feet.

Naina loved weddings, getting dressed up, seeing all the happy faces, tearing up when the bride officially joined her life to the groom’s, it was all perfect. A little tug came on her saree and she yelped before looking down only to see her daughter staring up at her with a bright grin. “Mumma, can I go with Ashfaq chachu to get a lemonade?” Naina looked up at one of her closest friends and nodded, allowing her daughter to go off with him, thankful that he was taking care of her as Naina helped along with all the wedding festivities.

It was only when she was searching for her daughter and Ashfaq that she caught sight of a familiar face. It couldn’t be. What was he doing here? And why was he holding onto her daughter’s hand? “Zara–come here,” but in all the noise, her daughter couldn’t hear Naina’s voice which meant that extremely unwillingly she was going to have to come face to the face with the man who she had loved for so many years; the man she’d never admit to still being in love with. “Zara..” she finally stepped closer, not missing the way his eyes darted to hers, her own staying trained on her daughter, knowing that she needed to get away from him as soon as possible.

[orangeflamewrites]

do you know of any male indian names (he is of kannada and tamil indian decent). if possible could you please suggest names that have the possibility of nicknames? thank you so much.

Hey, dear anon!

This is my rp indie blog, and I don't do rp help. Though, I did help my dear friend @jacktherph with a few names. I had some time on my hands, and I guess I have a fair idea of my country (haha) so, here's a list of potential names, under the cut.

First names:• Aavi• Hayder*• Kanen (the closest nickname I can think of is 'Kenny')• Karthik• Prithvi• Rudhir (the closest nickname I can think of is 'Ruddy')• Salim*• Surya• Vishnu (the closest nickname I can think of is 'Viz')• Yash

Last names (Kannadiga):• Shenoy• Cariappa• Wadiyar• Hegde• Bhat*

Last names (Tamil**):• Iyer• Kumar• Murali• Ravi• Rehman***

*Muslim name, not region specific** Tamilians usually don't use last names, because last names are caste identifiers. They usually use the initial their father's first name as a prefix to their name. But, for the sake of convenience and to avoid confusion, I've listed a few last names that are common among them.*** Rehman is not necessarily a Tamil specific Muslim last name, but I took inspiration from A.R. Rehman.

P.S.: I tried to keep them as modern and diverse as possible.

Disclaimer: I don't have perfect knowledge of the southern region. Have spent only a few years of my childhood in Bengaluru. So, anyone reading please pardon me if there are any mistakes. 

[orangeflamewrites]

Orion hadn’t expected things to move as smoothly as they did over the dinner. While the heartache didn’t cease, it dimmed, considerably. He felt more relaxed with Harper despite being aware of the whole picture, the whole time. Maybe this is what he needed. Some time with her, to get that closure he didn’t get. Maybe if he said bye now, it wouldn’t hurt as deep, as bad as it had been.

While he hadn’t intended to stay for coffee, but he couldn’t get himself to leave just yet. A little more, a little more, he told himself over and over. Now, as they sat beside each other on her couch with coffee in hands, he told himself that lie one more time. Just a few minutes, and then he’ll leave.

He chuckled at her words, taking a sip of his coffee. It was just the way he liked it. Startled grey-blue hues looked up into Harper’s eyes. “How did you— I mean, it’s perfect! It’s just the way I like it.” An awkward save, but he did manage to smile, to make up for it.

A Dinner Guest - Harper & Orion

[orangeflamewrites]

[Time Skip]

Their first two dates had gone splendidly, much to Stella’s surprise. And she had found herself not just interested in, but immensely eager to see Marcos again. There was something so surreal about him. The way he made her feel, Stella had never felt like that with anyone ever before. When she was with him, it felt as if she was the only one in the room, for him. All of his attention was on her at all times, in every way possible, he could even anticipate what she wanted, which was strange but it didn’t worry her. He was charming, and easy to talk to. He didn’t mind her taking control, but he way also always strangely in control at all times. They were both equal leaders, no clash of egos. 

Her thoughts took a pause as she walked back to where Marcos was seated, on the plush couch in the living room of her penthouse, with two glasses of rosé in her hands. “I know this doesn’t match the first two dates that we had, but I wanted something small and private. I hope that’s okay with you?” She offered him one of the long stemmed glasses, before taking a seat beside him. “I promise I’m not being a miser,” the brunette added with a chuckle, taking a sip of her wine. She was dressed comfortably for the setting, yet well enough to not disappoint Marcos by looking frumpy.

orangeflamewrites‌:

“Touche!” She chuckled. Those shining hues of his were too alluring, and Stella felt a magnetic attraction. As if, she’d known him for a long time. Which obviously wasn’t possible, since Marcos was a recent client of hers. Smiling warmly at his response to the compliment. She genuinely felt comfortable with him, maybe a little too comfortable for her mental peace even. What were those feelings, Stella decided to go sort them out later, at home. For now, she would enjoy her date.

The wink made her laugh softly, even as her cheeks tinged a tad pink. “I’m full of surprises,” she replied playfully, despite his faith in her abilities to not screw up. As they went back to scanning the menu, Stella wondered if it’d be a good idea to let this continue. If her dad came to know that she was getting involved with a client… Who cared? She was way past that now, the brunette told herself, and redirected her attention to Marcos as he spoke up. “That sounds like a splendid idea! I enjoy variety so… let’s do that.” She looked around to catch the eye of the server that was assigned to their table.

Marcos felt the hope within him rising, but he still damped it down a little. While this was going well, there was no telling how she would truly react when she was alone again. So he was planning on showing her the best time that he could, and tempting her into spending additional time with him. As she looked at the menu, he looked at her. Everything in her called to him, and he was sure that even if he wasn’t aware of who she truly was… He would still want her. 

“Wonderful. Then let’s go for the mushrooms, calamari… Bruschetta? And stuffed artichoke hearts.” he suggested to her, not even looking back to the menu as he made the suggestions. And then, of course, some bread.” 

[orangeflamewrites]

Jeremiah‌:

Quite frankly Jeremiah didn’t realize just how he was seeming to act until Stella said what she did. So wrapped up in the real threat that was now posed to her, her safety was all that he could think about right now … or at least it was until she expressed her concern. Looking to her with a sharp expression, it was only a brief moment later that Jeremiah’s features softened a bit before a hand came and drug down over his face, letting out a heavy sigh as he shook his head and took the bottle that was offered to him. 

“No … no I’m not breaking up with you,” he spoke softly, bringing the beer to his lips to take a good and long drink from before he began. “You know I do my best to keep you from harm, right?” looking to her, his expression grew more sober as he spoke. “Somethings come up … and I need to be able to keep you close for a while until I can get it sorted out…”

The sharp expression made Stella feel a little guilty about even making a joke about such a thing. She’d thought it’d make him smile but, she was clearly wrong. “I was just kidding,” she added softly, giving him an apologetic smile. Seeing him so distraught made her sigh. God, she felt so helpless. Slowly, she took a seat beside him, turning to look at him with an open and understanding expression. Whatever it was he wanted to talk about, she wanted him to know he had her full attention.

She smiled warmly at him when he expressed it clearly that he wasn’t breaking up with her. Her bottle of beer untouched, the brunette sat there waiting, trying not to look as anxious as she felt. She understood he needed time, it was clear that whatever he had to say was difficult. The next sentence puzzled her, but Stella bobbed her head in multiple earnest nods. “Yes, of course, love.” As he continued, it only confused her more. Reaching across to take one of his larger hands in hers, Stella gave it a gentle squeeze. “What has happened, darling?” She paused. “You don’t need to tell me everything but... at least something for me to understand the situation? Are you in danger?” Her knitted brows conveyed how worried she was for his safety.

[orangeflamewrites]

Charles‌:

“Oh you think I would never ? Do not try me Stella”Charles teased her as she kissed his jaw “ Well in the bar’s bathroom but it is not romantic at all so… We should go back to my place and get naughty there…Does it sound like a plan for you?”

"I spent quite a few months without you. So, I'd prefer not to try you on this subject,” she whispered, giving him a soft smile. Her eyes widened at his idea. “Not romantic but, definitely scandalous!” There was a naughty gleam in her eyes, but Charlie knew as well as her that she wasn’t the sort to have a quickie in a public restroom. “That definitely sounds like a great plan,” she replied brightly, slipping a hand into his.

open to girls and boys

[orangeflamewrites]

Damon‌:

After spending some time in Stella’s home, and Damon getting a little tired of feeling looked down upon, the pair decided that they could move to a more neutral place. They found a decent sized home that was still within the city, but not in the posh neighborhood that they had been in before. They made sure to get two bedrooms, that way if they decided to start sharing a room, they could use the second bedroom as a guest room. 

Damon walked around the house, taking everything in after they picked up the keys and dropped off a few boxes of their things. He ran a hand through his hair before leaning against the counter in the kitchen. “What do you think? I know it’s not luxury, but I think it’s better than what I had before our wedding bliss.” he partially joked.

While she loved her penthouse, it was the only place she’d ever felt at home before, Stella hadn’t been oblivious to Damon’s discomfort. She had not appreciated how people around them treated him, not too apparent but subtly enough for it to be palpable. So, when the topic came up, she kept her own feelings aside to look at the matter neutrally. It was in the best interest if they moved to some place where they both felt comfortable. If they were going to make this arrangement work, then that was a step towards progress.

She had to refrain from getting movers and packers to move stuff into their new house, and set it for them, saving them any headache of settling in. She had promised Damon she’d try to do things normally. As they walked in, the amount of unopened boxes made her a little nervous, but never one to be afraid of work, Stella determined herself. She was still surveying the boxes, making a mental plan of how to start, when Damon spoke up. “Honestly?” She turned to look at her husband. “I feel good. I didn’t even realise how... empty the penthouse was. This place is not horribly large, and the quaintness of it is so appealing.” She smiled exhaling a long breath. “I’m just trying to think what to begin with. What do you suggest?”

Moving - Damon & Stella

[orangeflamewrites]

Marcos‌:

“I know you were, if not it wouldn’t have taken so much effort on my part.” The words certainly just teasing, his eyes shining a little with mirth. “But I am very glad that I didn’t make you uncomfortable, that was never my intention. “And… I am flattered that you think that, and I like to think that really is the kind of person I am.” Regardless of if it is true… He knew his brothers would not necessarily agree with her, but that didn’t matter. 

“I truly doubt that you could do so at this point.” He winked at her a little and smiled as he nodded and returned his attention to the menu. “Very well. I am partial to stuffed mushrooms, and to calamari. Perhaps we could get one of the samplers, and get 3 or 4 different things.” he suggested, glancing up at her as he spoke before he looked back down.

"Touche!” She chuckled. Those shining hues of his were too alluring, and Stella felt a magnetic attraction. As if, she’d known him for a long time. Which obviously wasn’t possible, since Marcos was a recent client of hers. Smiling warmly at his response to the compliment. She genuinely felt comfortable with him, maybe a little too comfortable for her mental peace even. What were those feelings, Stella decided to go sort them out later, at home. For now, she would enjoy her date.

The wink made her laugh softly, even as her cheeks tinged a tad pink. “I’m full of surprises,” she replied playfully, despite his faith in her abilities to not screw up. As they went back to scanning the menu, Stella wondered if it’d be a good idea to let this continue. If her dad came to know that she was getting involved with a client... Who cared? She was way past that now, the brunette told herself, and redirected her attention to Marcos as he spoke up. “That sounds like a splendid idea! I enjoy variety so... let’s do that.” She looked around to catch the eye of the server that was assigned to their table.

[orangeflamewrites]

Closed starter for: @saavcns. Plot: Naina and Zain are exes that haven’t spoken in years and run into each other at a mutual friends wedding. Zain has tried to moved on in everything he’s done but hasn’t been able to, and “hey whose child is that? Why does she seem suspiciously like him?” Characters: Naina and Zain

The party was in full swing. The happy couple seemed unable to keep their eyes, or hands, off of each other ever since the priest pronounced them as newly weds. “Ugh,” the brunet groaned looking away from the nauseating display of affection. Sure it was their happy day, but it wouldn’t harm them to behave a little decently. Thankfully, there was endless supply of alcohol, courtesy of the doe-eyed couple.

Sipping on the champagne, Zain wondered why was he even there. Sure, he’d been invited but, it wouldn’t have been out of character for him to decline the invite, and send his wishes by post instead. Alas! At least, the view was nice. The vast expanse of the still lake waters, soothing to the eyes. The tranquility of the surrounding mountains, cocooning him in comfort. He took another sip of his drink. “Huh?” He frowned down at the empty glass at his lips.

He had just turned around to go get a refill, when something -- more like someone -- rammed against his legs. “Watch it!” He growled, glowering at the person, before his features instantly softened. The little girl had fallen down down from the impact. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. Let me help you.” The usually gruff man spoke in an uncharacteristically gentle tone, helping the little girl to her feet.