phantomtownx

[phantomtownx]

Haiden wasn't sure if her reappearance tonight was stupidity or bravery. He had a million questions running through his mind. What was she really here for? Or was she like the rest of the humans here, offering themselves on a silver platter in hopes to become a creature of the night. She didn't seem the type, but he had been wrong before. Her words actually caused a genuine chuckle to erupt from his throat. His grin bright and illuminous under the flashing neon lights. "You walk into my club and expect not to see me again?" Maybe she didn't know, but the way people parted liked the red sea wherever he went should've gave her some type of clue. What he was about to ask next was foolish, but was going to do so anyway. Despite her smell causing a sort of ravenous hunger within him. "Dance with me?"

At this point Kora knew she was being incredibly stupid for coming back to this club after all that she saw. Her mother had warned her about how brutal and ruthless vampires were. Despite her family history and their line of work she was constantly being sheltered from this world and the savagery that came with it. But last week changed everything. It opened her eyes to a world she didn't know and it led her right into the lions den. The chance to prove herself was right there and all she had to do was seize it. She worked so long and so hard for this. She needed this. If that meant she had to put herself into danger...so be it. There was also a morbid curiosity. A slight complication in her plan that made things...confusing. Haiden was...she didn't even know. He was hauntingly beautiful, that was a fact. He was deadly, everything she couldn't stand and yet...she hoped if she dressed a little more revealing, a little more bold, he would spot her easy in a crowd of thousands.

Even with all of that faith in herself, she still was surprised to see it work. A shiver ran down her spine the moment he was close. Like her body just knew he was coming before he even made his presence known. His words almost made her flush, but she kept her composure as best as she could. "I did," she said, looking up at him. The world seemed to quiet around them, despite them being in the middle of a club. She wondered if that was another trick his kind could do. "I didn't think....I didn't think I'd actually see you again."

[phantomtownx]

"I almost doubted you there for a moment until you initiated a pinky promise." He teased, locking his pinky with hers. while maybe a little silly it was a sacred promise between him and the lost boys. he knew leilani would be the type to honor one too. he watched her intently, trying to re-create her foot placement on her own board. "what? right when you're teaching me the ropes. never." he smiled brightly at her. she was right about the sun though, but he'd only leave when she wanted too. despite not knowing what he was doing he was having fun. "okay, what's next?"

" i won't laugh , " she swore , holding her finger up for him to hook his into , a pinky promise , before turning her attention back to the boards . " i put my feet there . . . and there , " lani gestured , unsure the proper way to do anything , but she knew what worked for her . " to keep my balance . but , if you don't want to do this , we can do something else . " she was grateful that he would hang out with her at all , and while she had faith he could be great at it one day , she also understood not everyone was into the same things she was . " it's hot out here , anyway . "

[phantomtownx]

it was true, he needed to relax but this was much as a break for him as it was for her. if they weren't traveling up above to the land of the living the underworld could get pretty boring. And it's king? Had become her only source of entertainment. she tilted her head slightly at his response, a smile tugging at her lips. surprised he was willing to indulge her request, there was still time to back out if he really wanted too. "we're pretty simple creatures, so don't get your hopes up too high." sliding off the desk, she met him on his side of the desk and offered her hand to him. "c'mon hot head."

it was almost as if he forgot , at times , that she was only human , too . he had spent plenty of time around humans , enough that he could never see them as anything but weak . pathetic . useless . megara , however , was none of those things . it was interesting , having a new perspective after all this time . " i must admit , meg , i am curious . " his smirk only faltered as he chuckled , cogs churning in his mind as weighed the decision . the world would not end because he missed a few hours . and , frankly , he wouldn't care if it did . there was also a part of him , an alarmingly large part of him , that wanted to spend more time with her . " how do you plan to entertain me with your mortal comforts ? "

[phantomtownx]

hi! do you have any open starters?

oh my goodness, i don't yet but i'll get right on that!

[phantomtownx]

"everything." she stated again quietly. carmen eyed the towel he was holding but she needed to get this weight off her chest first. "I was awful to you. you hurt me, but you didn't deserve that." chewing the inside of her cheek, remembering the night she tossed her drink into his face. the countless arguments they had since she slammed the door shut on him. she reached out, slipping her hand into his. gripping tightly as if he was the only thing left tethering her to this world. "you're my best friend swizz. i miss your snap chats, racing with you, late night fast food runs. your stupid smile, and how stubborn you are, watching trash reality with you. it might be selfish of me, but i just miss you, swizz. having you in my life doesn't hurt as much as not having you at all."

closing the door behind them , he stepped into the bathroom , reappearing a handful of seconds later with a towel for her . he wanted to ask if she was okay , but he knew carmen , and if she wanted to talk . . . she would . so he said nothing , waiting until she turned around . swizz didn't know what he expected to hear , but he knew it wasn't an apology . it caught him off guard . as far as he was concerned , she didn't owe him one ; everything that had gone wrong between them was his fault , and only his . he knew that now . " hey , " he spoke gently , taking a step closer but hesitating to embrace her , " what – what are you sorry for ? you didn't do anything wrong . "

[phantomtownx]

location: da club.

starter for: @lcvelythings

it was instantaneous. Haiden could sniff her out a mile away. Which amused him slightly since he could never pick apart the scent of multiple humans together. They all reeked the same. Except her, there was a sweetness to it. Like pomegranates. What peaked his curiosity even more is that she was here. Again. After last week he was certain she'd be frightened off for good. Hell any normal person should've been. Yet it allured him even more that she decided to come back. Which made all the alarms go off in his head, but he ignored them. Acting like a teenage boy rather than a centuries old being. Slinking between bodies that were meshed together on the dancefloor he followed her scent intricately until he found its host. Towering over her his eyes glinted with a hint of mischief and excitement. Perhaps he needed a new toy...

"You came back."

[phantomtownx]

she remained silent, her eyes searching his expression in an urgency to drink in his features before she could forget them again. carmen didn't even respond, swiftly moving past him and making it only a few feet into the living room. her feet remained planted, refusing to move any further. this wasn't her home anymore, for all she knew his girlfriend could be in the next room. she wouldn't break that boundary, even if showing up like this was the most pathetic thing she'd ever done. her eyes scanned the area, seeing if anything had changed in her absence. she wasn't sure why she was doing it, in all honestly she didn't want to know. she gripped her jacket tighter to her body hoping for warmth and receiving a cold wet embrace instead. she couldn't hold it back any longer, her emotions completely taking over as she turned slowly on her heels to face him again. waterworks were already making an appearance. "I'm so sorry for everything."

he was sure he was hallucinating , or dreaming . it wouldn't be the first time , and it wouldn't be the last . but as he stared at her standing on his doorstep , there was something that felt more real about it ; maybe the pulsing in his head , the exhaustion , the heaviness in his chest . he never felt that in dreams . " carmen ? " he didn't realize he was only standing and staring until her name fell from his lips , bringing him back to reality . if this was not a dream , she must be freezing . and possibly hurt , if she came to him of all people . the thought stung , knowing he was the first one she would run to some time ago , but now . . . " what the fuck are you — get in . " taking a step back , he moved so she could slip inside past him . " it's pouring out there . "

[phantomtownx]

"it's impressive." nico admitted in admiration. any of his skills paled in compression to this. sure he had good aim with a slingshot and liked to keep up with his fitness, but having good stamina didn't quite save him from the waves of a brutal ocean. it didn't matter though, he just liked watching her. he trailed behind her, shaking the droplets from his hair and set his board down next to hers. "Okay, but promise you won't laugh at me." even if she did, he wouldn't care. he liked hearing it, it had become one of his favorite things. "so--i just step on it?" he asked a little timidly, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. he knew leilani wouldn't make fun of him, but he had to admit he was out of his element.

" i've been surfing since i was a few months old , " she laughed , which wasn't a lie . she definitely wasn't in control of the board then , but her father would take her to the waves with him . it was a distant memory , one she wasn't sure she truly had on her own or fabricated from stories and pictures . . . but it was a nice one , just the same . " if i didn't know what i was doing by now , that'd be sad . here , maybe i can help . " stepping further into the shallow water , she gestured for him to stand on his board again . she didn't know how to teach something that was second nature to her , but she could try . " let me see your foot position. "

[phantomtownx]

fuck, fuck, fucking christ. he knew mason was following, his deals had been sloppy tonight. usually orion was one with the shadows, but everything was seemingly going very wrong. his right abdomen was killing him, keeping his palm tightly against the wound as he tried to pick up the pace back home. he knew he was losing a good amount of blood just from how light headed he was beginning to feel. no matter how he was feeling though he had to deal with the nosey rat first. it wasn't the first time mason and the boogie man had crossed paths and he knew this probably wouldn't be the last either. orion hissed in pain through his teeth as he towered over the man. "do you want to tell me why you're following me around? detective ?"

LOCATION : some dark alleyway FOR : @phantomtownx ( ya know who )

fucking hell . he'd lost him . to be a detective , he sure managed to do a horrible job at tailing his target . . . but mason liked to believe the other man was just too good at evading , at knowing , somehow , he was being followed . even more reason he needed to keep up . there was no telling what he was doing out here , and mason would never figure it out at this rate . staring out at the street , all signs of his very existence gone , he inhaled deeply , frustration in his breath before he turned . coming face to face with — " shit . orion . what a . . . coincidence . "

[phantomtownx]

"for a god." she corrected smugly, something she most certainly was not. initially when meg traded her soul for her ex she envisioned a lot more bloodshed involved whilst being the devils assistance. not to say that there wasn't dirty work to do, because there most definitely was but she was more like his sales representative. his ticket to the living world, a barter for souls. "You're really asking me? Isn't this your playground?" She teased playfully, the smirk never leaving her lips. "But if you're asking--" she drawled out her words in a suggestive manner. always trying to find ways to get under his skin, her flirtations always skating between a thin line of vulnerability . "I know a thing or two about mortal comforts." her features contorting from one of teasing to something rather serious. "take the day off, for once." it was stupid to worry about a god, and yet here she was doing it anyway.

he watched her , every approaching step , a flicker of something unreadable dancing in his otherwise cool eyes . reaching for a pen by her thigh , sliding it across the surface of the desk , his gaze didn't leave her face . she wasn't wrong ; all the dead had was time , and he wasn't particularly wrapped up in his work today . he was bored . he would not admit it , but he would much rather entertain this than another stack of papers . " a day is nothing , " he remarked , they didn't operate on the same timeline — but a day could feel more like a century than a handful of seconds when they were all spent alone , bleeding into one another . a smirk toying at his lips , he leaned back slightly in his chair . " what do you propose i do instead , my sweet ? "

[phantomtownx]

location: idk ur mom ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

for: @xnocturnalsx

emory had never been the sort to agree to an arranged marriage, but this instance was a little different. a business deal was sealed between two sets of rich parents and a six carat marquise diamond. The groom to be? Blake Sinclair. He had been Emory's childhood crush ever since they were little and used to be running around their parents jeweler shop and into their teens when they traveled the world together on shared family vacations. While this was a dream come true she had never bothered to ask if it was his too. She could only assume it was based on how he acted around her, and seemingly he was interested as much as she was. It didn't matter if he didn't want her, she'd become anything he'd wanted if meant they could stay together. If he said jump she'd ask how high, crawl on her hands and knees towards any direction he demanded. Pathetic maybe, but she was in love. emory lounged upon a white chaiste couch fidgeting with her wedding ring. exhausted from a days worth of shopping. a dozen luxury brand bags scattered amongst the floor. her feet were aching, leaning down and about to undo the buckle of her stiletto's until she heard the front door creak open. her face immediately brightened at blake's presence. instead of chastising him on where he'd been the past few days like she wanted too, she settled into the doting house wife persona. leaning back into the couch, she lifted one smooth leg into the air, arching it towards him. her black dress sliding down her thigh and exposing more skin than what was considered decent "blakey, help me take off my heels please."

[phantomtownx]

sams fingers twitched at his side, longing to reach out and take her hands in his. an offer of comfort and reassurance but he held back, jaw clenched tightly. figuring she needed to let whatever it was bothering her all out at once. so he would do so without causing any distractions. he let her words sink into him, and he couldn't blame her not that he ever would. he didn't want to project his own trauma that began to seep into his core at her statement. he knew what it was like to want to be needed, and he knew he became a burden to most people because of that desire. especially his parents, but adeline was different. this wasn't about him, it was about her. squatting down in front of her, he finally reached out and claimed her hands in his. his calloused thumb caressing the back of her palm softly in circles. "addie, do you think this makes you a bad or awful person? Because it doesn't, it just makes you human."

she didn't answer at first . it felt horrible to say . cruel . she wasn't sure why she was telling anyone this now ; the weight of the guilt , she guessed , was just getting too hard to carry . if it didn't come out , she was going to collapse underneath it . " he's going to want things to be the same . he's going to need me . " after everything he had been through , after always being there for her , how horribly selfish she would be to not help him . the alternative , him not coming back , was worse , but then she didn't have to face it . she didn't have to own up to anything . " before he . . . " she couldn't even string the words together . it was so awful . she squeezed her tear - filled eyes shut , unable to look at him as she said it . " i cheated on him . "

[phantomtownx]

location: the beach.

for: @sweetapparitions

the sun was beating down hard upon his back, and unfortunately for him instead of getting a nice golden tan he'd sooner look like a lobster. just another freckle to add to his ever growing collection on his body. but even in the heat he didn't mind, because all he could hear was the crashing of waves. watching leilani in awe as she caught another wave just perfectly. he was still trying to catch his breath from getting knocked on his ass by the last wave. his legs were straddling either side of his borrowed board from the surf shack, grinning wildly as leilani met him again at the edge of calmer waters. "How do you make it look so easy?"

[phantomtownx]

VICTORIA PEDRETTI via nikkideroest on Instagram (January 21, 2024)

[phantomtownx]

location: the underworld.

for: @sweetapparitions

Meg could never understand Hades obsession with conquering Olypmus. Sure he was dealt a shit hand, ruling over the dead instead of the skies and all. But as morbid as it sounded meg found solace in the underworld. She never had a home to call her own, and this was as close as she had ever gotten to one. Opening the large oak doors to his office that creaked with each inch always alerted him to her presence or to his minons--either or. With her chin held high she sauntered towards his desk, hips swaying with each step before setting down atop the corner of the desk. Ignoring the mess of papers that were strewn about. "Are you just going to lock yourself in here all day long mr. doom and gloom? The dead can wait you know." She mused, trying to get a rise out of him. She could easily slip into her confident facade for just long enough until his burning gaze met hers. Then it would all be game over.

[phantomtownx]

location: swizz's apartment.

for: @sweetapparitions

this was wrong, in so many ways. carmen was never one to be a homewrecker, but she missed her best friend. was that so wrong? it was too late to turn back around now, the buzz in her system was making her courageous. besides what was the worst thing that could happen? reject her? swizz has done that plenty of times before, it'd be nothing new. it was pouring rain tonight, and a little past midnight, but she was sure he'd still be awake. unless he became a changed man since being a taken man, but she doubted it. this was more of a experiment than anything. she needed to know, did he still want her as much as she wanted him still? sopping wet and shivering her knuckles met the hard wood of the door and knocked a couple of times. holding her breath until the door opened revealing the person she wanted most. her eyes speaking a thousand words her mouth wouldn't dare to say. "hey, you busy?"

[phantomtownx]

velma glanced up from her book mentally preparing herself for what was about to come next--but from the unsteady wobble of his stance she could caculate a few guesses. "for what exactly?" his mom inquired, before marking her place in her book and setting it down next to her lap. "you know i'll always love you, that'll never change." as much trouble remus seemed to bring she could never be furious with him. she had grown under a household of two parents that didn't love each other and only used her as a pawn of torment against each other. and with not being able to bear kids of her own until Theodore arrived, remus was her whole world (and still was.) she'd always dote on him, no matter what. "now are you going to tell me exactly what you did?"

LOCATION : her house ?? FOR : @phantomtownx

he didn't know why he always did this . why he always slipped up .

the world spinning , remus gripped the stairwell , trying to steady himself . " i'm . . . sorry , mama . " he knew he must sound like a broken record , but it was true . he didn't want to be such a disaster . he didn't want to disappoint her , give her reasons to disown him . " do you still love me ? "