#also basically everything he can eat is poison to him because rice after a while triggers the gastritis and pasta is pasta

[coffeeworldsasaki]

My dog is currently doing an hunger strike to fight against the great injustice of having to eat rice instead of pasta, keep him in your prayers

[yandere-sins]

Poison for Miya Osamu please!

Our good boy! Thanks for requesting ^-^

Poison - “How dumb did you think I was? Of course I knew of your little prank.”

»»———————— ♡ ————————««    

As expected, Osamu was overjoyed when you offered to make dinner for him.

It was one of the rare nights that Atsumu wasn’t around to bother the two of you, and ever since Osamu had instructed you on making basic dishes that didn’t need dangerous tools, you had regained some freedom when it came to food. Much to your delight as well as his.

It was never a big thing that you cooked - or rather prepared - for him, and Osamu was always by your side, watching over your shoulder. In the relationship you two had, there would always be a certain degree of mistrust, but at least it wasn’t as overbearing as when you were with his brother. And eating your onigiri or sandwiches made Osamu as happy as if you had just kissed him, which gave you a lot of plus points with him. It was nice to see him relax after a long day at work too, and it always worked in your favor to please your captors.

Not least because it gave you back your hope. Hope to make a change in your life.

It had been far too long since you started to surrender to what they were saying and doing, just so you wouldn’t get hurt. Regaining the tiny bite of freedom to prepare your own food had made you realize the dependence you had on them for everything. It was their schedule you suited your day to, you justified going to the bathroom to them, and you asked for them to bring home things you wanted to eat. In a way, it was infantilizing, and in another, dehumanizing.

As Osamu was now, you’d never think you could have a chance against him. Even if you managed to trick him, you didn’t want to imagine the lengths he could go to that you hadn’t seen before. The worst you had seen so far probably wasn’t the worst he could be. If the twins were together, you thought your chances to be below zero, but now that it was only Osamu, you hatched a plan. Only, he had to become weaker than he was in his current state.

It had been weeks in the planning, ever since the first few times he let you prepare food for the two of you. Building up trust as you chatted away normally with him while forming rice balls and other cold delicacies, you used a few bad days to push your two kidnappers over the edge enough to sedate you. No one said it would be easy, but it was excruciating not to get caught storing away the sleeping pills they used on you. More than once you were ready to give up and return to pleasing them for your own sake, but you persevered in the end, all for this moment.

“Can you set the table?” you asked him, innocently enough. Even if Osamu had stuck to your side like glue at first, he was now more willing than ever to play pretend with you, especially if you asked him sweetly. Just as if you two had a normal relationship and were fond of each other, that’s what Osamu preferred to believe. Nodding, he set aside his glass of water, brushing his lips to your head before reaching over you for the plates, arranging them at the counter with his back turned. Immediately, you reached into your pocket to retrieve the capsules, opening and spreading them over the white rice balls you had prepared. 

Just as quickly did you wash the leftover casing of the medicine down the drain, pretending to wash your hands before picking up the bowl of rice and bringing it to the countertop on which you usually had dinner at. Osamu had watched you again after setting the table, so you gave him a smile before taking a seat, waiting for him to follow. Everything so far had been going exceptionally well, but you composed yourself to not give away the excitement you felt.

You snatched the one spoon you two usually used together to scoop up some of the rice, trickling soy sauce onto it and holding it up to him. Osamu’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as you offered to feed him, and you calmly, with a big grin, said, “Aah!” to animate him to eat. Seeing his ears grow red in response as he hesitated to take the bite gave you the confirmation that you needed that your plan was working.

Finally, Osamu took the bait you offered. When you quickly scooped up a second spoon to give to him for good measures, he didn’t even raise a brow anymore before eating it. Yes, the boys may be your captors, but they weren’t perfect, and you had been their weakness all along. It didn’t need the second spoon for the medication to hit, but you were convinced that it was better safe than sorry.

It didn’t take long for it to take effect either, and you thanked Atsumu only this once for needing very effective travel medicine. Osamu took a big sip of his water right after the second spoon, and by the way he grew weary and nervous at the same time you knew something felt off to him. “Are you okay?” you asked, feigning worry as you scooped up a third spoon to give to him. “Yeah, just got a bit dizzy there.”

One more can’t hurt, you decided as you gave him a sympathetic smile, knowing he couldn’t resist your kindness, eating out of your hand again. He was barely able to swallow the rice, holding his hand over his mouth, and you saw in his eyes how torn he was between wanting to keep eating with you but also wondering if the food was spoiled.

“I don’t feel so good,” he finally admitted, and you furrowed your brows worriedly. “Do you want to lay down?” you were quick to suggest, and Osamu nodded slowly, not unhappy as you offered to help him back into your room. Seating him down on the bed, you fluffed up the pillow, feeling nothing less than pride that ran through your body as your plan worked out so perfectly. 

“Could ya bring me the water?” Osamu asked as he laid down, and you simply smiled as you complied, returning to the kitchen to fetch his glass.

Patience, you told yourself. Nothing good would come from rushing it now.

However, when you returned, Osamu seemed already out of it, chest slowly rising and falling. His eyes had yet to fully close, and out of your own experience, you knew that it was only a matter of minutes now before he’d fall asleep. You set down the glass, pretending to still be worried as you placed your palm on his head, feeling for temperature. “Are you okay?” you mumbled quietly, and he still reacted with a grumble. He was too awake for your taste. Once he was fully gone, you’d be safe to find the keys for the locks and get everything you needed. But as he was now, you’d still have to wait for a little bit longer.

“I’ll get you a blanket.” Standing up, you turned to leave when a sudden grip around your wrist held you back. Surprised, you snapped back around only for Osamu’s hand to tighten more and more until it was hurting you while he reeled you in.

“You usually need about 5 minutes before it takes effect, don’t ya remember that, [Name]? I do because I always have to hold you down until then.”

His voice was back to normal, no slurred words or grunts and nods this time. Osamu sat up calmly, pulling you closer until you had to kneel down on the mattress to comply with his strength. “W-What are you talking about?” you questioned, feigning ignorance while you were pulled over Osamu and onto the spot next to him on the bed.

“What I’m saying is, we still have another minute or so until the drug ya gave me will put me to sleep. What should we do until then?”

Next thing you knew, Osamu was on top of you, holding you down by your hands and sitting down on your legs to restrain you. “Drug? What drug? I didn’t give you any such thing!” you nervously defended yourself, twisting your wrists in his grip. This should have been way easier, and Osamu should have failed to keep up his strength. Was it his build? Or because you put it into food? Did the medicine affect him so differently than you were used to?

“Come on, [Name], how dumb did you think I was? Of course I knew of your little prank. Didn’t you notice me watching as ya put the damn stuff on the rice?”

Your heart sank as you listened to his words. You thought you were quick and stealthy as you prepared the food, so how could he notice? “Also, I know you hadn’t taken the pills for a while. As I said, you always stop struggling after five minutes, asleep after eight, but your times had been messed up the last few occasions we had to give them to you. I have to know it, I am the one taking care of you, don’t ya know that yet?”

Biting your lip, you felt yourself panic inside. This was bad, pretty bad. Until the sleeping pills really started to work, Osamu was in charge, and he didn’t seem pleased either. When he suddenly let go of your right hand, you quickly clawed into his arm that was still pinning you down by your left, hoping that with combined strength, he’d let go. You completely missed him reaching into his own pocket and bringing his hand to his lips, only noticing the white capsule sticking out from his mouth when he reached around your chin and made you face him again.

But before you could react and slap the pill out of his mouth, Osamu had brought his lips down to your yours, breaking through them even though you struggled to keep your mouth shut. His tongue playing over yours didn’t stop you from rejecting the pill he transferred to you. Osamu didn’t linger for too long - even when he was mad, never overstaying his welcome - but before you could spit it out, he clasped his hand over your mouth. Finally letting go of both hands your hands, you used them to try and pull his hand off you, but before long, he had sealed your nose off as well, giving you no other chance than to swallow if you wanted back your air.

Even though you wanted to pretend to swallow it, Osamu didn’t retract the moment he saw you gulp for the first time, waiting it out until he deemed it most likely that you indeed swallowed. Unfortunately, with enough saliva, it slipped past your tongue and down your throat easily, tears shooting up your eyes as you realized that you couldn’t have stopped it. Only then, Osamu let go, and you snapped for air, frustrated cries escaping you.

“Why did you do that!” you complained, and Osamu didn’t flinch away as you pounded your fists against his chest in anger. “Why did you even swallow the food if you knew I put something in it?!”

For a while, Osamu kept quiet, letting you live out your tantrum before you finally gave up on your anger. Catching your hands as they fell to the sides, he kissed them both gently while you felt more and more drowsy by the second. Only now you realized what he gave you, the feeling very similar to whenever the twins had drugged you before. “Why did you eat it?” you mumbled, the sobs slowly but surely dying out with the rising sleepiness you felt.

“Because I love you,” Osamu said nonchalantly. Suddenly, his whole body seemed to collapse, and you could be glad your arms blocked him from falling square onto you. Up to the last point, he had still made sure you wouldn’t be bothered more by him, as you were able to push him off you, the sleeping pills’ effect almost making it seem like he was dead as he laid beside you.

It had been the perfect plan; you just didn’t think that Osamu was that attentive. There was still a lot you had to learn about the twins, but there would most likely be something new to experience the moment you woke up again and having to face an angry Osamu. But maybe one day. Maybe you could do it another day.

But you had your doubts that it would get any easier from here on out.

[jimlingss]

can i request a yoongi chef au? i feel like yoongi's culinary skills are underrated, and I'm just a slut for chef aus in general

Anonymous said: Hi I saw ur request open posts for the new year!!! Could u write more yoongi stories🥺?!?! Your stories are so fantastic and i’m thirsty for more yoongi lolol🤪(hopefully u get enough votes to do more of him haha)

I feel like Jin’s the one who’s usually written as the chef, prob because he’s the better known chef in BTS, but you’re right! There’s gotta be more chef Yoongi!AUs, so here you go!!!

↳ Buttering Up

2.2k || 100% Fluff & Flirtation || Min Yoongi || Chef!AU

He clearly doesn’t know who you are.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

You hum, arms crossed as you eye him up and down. His black hair is practically a bowl cut, bangs covering his forehead. He’s in casual clothes — a taupe trench and black pants — looking like he’s ready for a trip to the grocery store rather than to cook. You wonder where this child crawled out from.

“You’re Yoongi?”

“That I am.” He approaches the door of the restaurant before plunging his hands inside his trench coat pockets. He fishes out the key and unlocks it, ushering you inside. “Hope you don’t mind that the restaurant’s closed down.”

You mind much more that he left you waiting on the cold city street for over ten minutes. You still can’t believe he was late. The audacity.

“I would’ve liked to see how you and your staff do your dinner service.”

“Unfortunately, we’re booked full for the next two months.”

You scoff — how doesn’t he know who you are? You’re a food critic who’s brought highly regarded restaurants to their knees through a review of five sentences. Your words alone has had rippled effects in the industry. Even the most talented chefs hold their breaths when you taste-test.

You make Gordon Ramsey look like Mother Teresa.

This Yoongi character is much too arrogant to not respect you. His new and upcoming restaurant might have raving reviews, but you’ll see what’s really going on.

“Sit wherever you’d like.”

There are no waiters in fancy garb, no hand sewn tablecloths made of silk. He doesn’t even pull out the chair for you. Instead, he’s off flickering on the lights of the restaurant while you choose a wooden table and chair right in front of his open kitchen — which is a horrible mistake in itself.

Open kitchens have always been a concept that has fallen short in your eyes. It’s much too noisy during dinner service and it gets smelly fast. Who actually wants to leave smelling like butter and oil?

It’s something you note as you get settled. 

Your coat drapes at the back of the chair and then you watch him. Yoongi’s taken off his trench as well, revealing a white long sleeve that he’s beginning to roll up to his elbows. He’s lean and his build is small, but somehow, he’s far from being scrawny. You gawk at the veins running up his forearm until he casually asks—

“Do you have a preference for wine?”

“I’m fine with any.”

He hums and comes over from the glass cabinet with a bottle of chardonnay and a wine glass. Yoongi pops the bottle easily and pours into the pristine glass with a mere tilt of his wrist. You watch the stream fill the glass a quarter way full.

“Is there a menu?”

“You don’t need one.”

Your brows raise. “Excuse me?” 

“If I were you, I’d put myself in the chef’s hands entirely and go with their recommendation.” He strides away, placing the wine bottle on the other table and then he turns with a glint in his eye and his mouth slightly crooked upwards. “Unless, of course, you don’t trust your chef.”

Oh. He’s confident. 

You can’t wait for his ego to blow up in his face.

“Fine then.” Your head tilts upwards. “What’s your recommendation then?”

He rounds his way to go into the kitchen that’s only a few meters away from where you sit. “Risotto with grilled chicken breast, topped off with caramelized onions, mushroom, grilled zucchini and sautéed tomatoes.”

You roll your eyes. What a basic dish. Isn’t it just rice? And with chicken breast?! Ew. It's guaranteed to be bland.

“Alright then.” You give a smile that might be more mocking than intended. “We’ll see how it tastes.”

Yoongi starts and while sipping the chardonnay, you take a good look at the restaurant from your spot. The place is rustic with a hint of contemporary. There’s exposed brick, wooden tables and chairs, and low, yellow lighting. There’s nothing particularly impressive about the place.

Soon, the sound of rapid, rhythmic chopping fills the space and then sizzling. You watch him intently. And you’re appalled. This Yoongi guy commits the worst cooking sins — his pan is cold when he starts throwing on ingredients. He cooks with olive oil. He overcrowds the pan. And he doesn’t even taste test once as he cooks.

What the actual fuck. 

There’s a line between arrogance and insanity, and he was crossing it.

You cringe when he starts using his metallic spatula on the non-stick skillet.

Is he even qualified to run a restaurant?!

Or maybe your assistant sent you information about the wrong restaurant? Or maybe this was not the guy you were supposed to be eating from. What if he poisons you or kills off all of your taste buds?! Your career would be ruined.

“Everything going okay?” you pipe up.

He glances up at you for the first time, eyes peering past his bangs. “Yep. Should be done in five.”

Food is simple. It either tastes good or it doesn’t. But the higher up you go and the fancier it gets, the more convoluted the food tastes with bland flakes of gold and the same old truffle shavings. That or it’s entirely boring and unoriginal. 

Or in this case, it might kill you. Which would be the first. And you’re not happy about it.

You feel unsettled when he plops the dish in front of you.

“Chef’s recommendation.”

“Thanks.”

You feel unsettled because it actually smells good. The aroma that fills your senses is flavoursome and buttery, and the thyme on top adds a fresh hint. You’re also unsettled because the plating isn’t actually bad. It’s been presented in a pasta bowl with wavy designs and the chicken breast is thinly and neatly sliced on top. It’s clean. It’s bright. It’s colourful.

But the most lethal poisons are the appetizing ones.

“Are you going to wait until it gets cold?”

You look up, brows raising at how he’s gotten comfortable in the chair across from you. Usually the chefs and waiters or waitresses like to skedaddle off and leave you to your own thoughts, too afraid to stand in your intense scrutiny. But Min Yoongi twists off the cap of his water bottle and casually downs it in front of you.

“I’m just looking at the presentation.”

“Tastes better than it looks,” he exhales after swallowing his water. 

Your expression becomes skeptical. But you take the silver spoon beside you anyhow and decide not to waste any more time.

The spoonful goes into your mouth. He watches you. You chew.

Instantly, you halt. 

The flavour hits your tongue. Creamy. Thick. But each individual grain of rice still has some firmness with a discernible texture. It’s been done al dente. There’s sweetness from the caramelized onions. An earthy flavour from the mushrooms. A zesty touch from the thyme. The chicken breast is somehow still juicy and the tomatoes burst on your palate. 

Suddenly, you’re thrusted back into your childhood. Those summer days spent in the cottage. Sun-kissed cheeks, dirtied knees, cotton dresses. You can hear your late grandmother in the kitchen. The way she calls out that it’s lunchtime. You can feel the comfort of family and love.

It feels like you’ve become the food critic in the ratatouille movie. 

You almost cry.

“What do you think?”

You clear your throat. You have to be honest. There’s no way you can lie about something like this. “It’s good. I think...this is the best risotto I’ve ever had. You cooked it perfectly and the toppings you chose were absolutely immaculate with this dish—”

You look up at him. Min Yoongi has an enormous, cocky smirk plastered across his stupid face.

It’s entirely off-putting. 

“But of course,” you quickly add, “there are many ways you could improve on it. You could add cilantro—”

“That would unnecessarily drown out the notes of thyme you taste,” he rebukes without a single beat and you scoff. 

“I noticed you didn’t add any pepper to it which could deepen the flavour.”

“Except this dish doesn’t need it,” Yoongi deadpans. “You don’t need to help me make any adjustments. I think I know what I’m doing better than you are. Just do your job and I’ll do mine.”

You suck in your cheek and narrow your eyes on him before you take another bite of the risotto while it’s still hot. “The food is delicious, but I must say, the company really spoils it.”

Yoongi’s slumped with one cheek resting in his hand, elbow on the table. He lazily stares at you with that smirk of his. “Really? Because if I didn’t know any better, you look nervous rather than annoyed.”

You scoff for the second time. “Why would I be nervous?”

“Maybe you didn’t expect the food to taste as good as it does and that makes me unexpectedly attractive,” he states plainly. You almost choke. You hit your chest as you sputter. “Or maybe you’re intimidated by me. I’ve gotten both before.”

You wipe your mouth with the napkin. “I’m afraid you’re not very perceptive, Min Yoongi.”

“Really? I think I am.” He smiles, the corners of his mouth quirked. “I’ve read your reviews before.”

You’re unamused. “Have you now? So you must know how difficult I am to satisfy.”

His smirk is sly and it’s jarring against his softer, more tender features. He’s smaller than the men you’re used to being around, but somehow it feels like he’s taken up the entire space of the restaurant. His focus on you is sweat-inducing. Even if you don’t want to admit it. 

“I don’t think so. You’ve just been eating shit food,” he says bluntly and your brow cocks. “You just need someone good you can trust. Someone who can take care of you properly.”

You’re not sure if the double entendre is purposeful. You wouldn’t put it past him.

“And is this someone you?”

Yoongi shrugs and sits back. “It could be.”

You grab your glass of chardonnay and gulp the rest in an effort to stop the conversation before it completely derails into a different direction. Yet, Yoongi’s half-lidded and darkened eyes stay on yours with each swallow. He’s unfazed. Unbothered. And that bothers you even more — bothered in a way that makes your face hot.

There’s a clack as you put the wine glass down and gasp. 

“I’m a professional.” You won’t be swayed so easily. “I can’t be bribed.”

“Of course.” He blinks as if he doesn’t know what you’re talking about. You glare at him and he gestures to the dish. “Please. Keep eating.” 

You finish the plate.

“Do you want any seconds?” he asks as he gets up.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Yoongi lingers, all too brazen and fearless. “If you don’t get any more now, you might have to come back for more.”

This time, you don’t try to hide the roll of your eyes. “That’s a presumptuous assumption.”

Yoongi smirks and his voice is husky. “After getting a taste from me, everyone comes back for more.

You scoff.

Min’s Restaurant Review

Three nights ago, I ate at Min’s Restaurant and met the main man in the kitchen. Unfortunately, he is a difficult person to interact with. I hope no one has the disservice of having to speak to the chef behind the dishes. Doing so may as well ruin the experience. Furthermore, his cooking methods are unconventional and unorthodox. It was completely shocking to watch.

However, and what I would consider most important, the food at Min’s Restaurant is spectacular. What Min’s Restaurant lacks in likeable personnel, they make up in the served cuisine. The meal that was prepared for me not only subverted my initial expectations, but overcomes, what I consider, what the food industry is lacking in this modern age exactly. Without unnecessary garnishes and ingredients, the flavours of Min’s Restaurant are both light and deep. It was an undeniable delight to consume and for the first time, I licked my plate clean. 

It is undoubted that the man behind Min’s Restaurant has the hands of god.

You should have pride.

But you’ve always loved good food. It’s your Achilles heel. It’s the one thing you’ve been passionate about since you were a kid. The reason why you love your job.

Even after writing such a review, you find yourself booking another reservation. But as a customer instead of a critic.

Of course, they were booked full for the next six months, largely thanks to your review, and they swiftly refused you with numerous apologies. But they called back not ten minutes later. You have a feeling that your name finally sunk into them — that he had something to do with it. 

That theory is confirmed when you arrive. The person in question is next to the seemingly nervous hostess as the noisy kitchen echoes throughout the busy restaurant. 

In the low lighting, Min Yoongi stands there with a relaxed smirk. As if he was expecting you. As if he knew you’d come crawling back to him to eat out of the palm of his hand, literally and figuratively.

You hate that he’s right.

“Welcome back.”

[maatryoshkaa]

Stray Kids as Roommates | Thread

some roommates-to-lovers fluff coming at you!

Bang Chan

You guys are the pair that n e v e r sleep

Turned his room into a home studio; probably would have thrown out his bed and turned his room into an office if you hadn’t stopped him

You often fall asleep to the sound of his humming and tracks muffled through your bedroom wall

You see the most of him during exam season, while pulling all nighters

He’s always in the kitchen making his 14th cup of coffee when you get up to go to the bathroom at 3 am

Lots of deep, meaningful conversations over late night snacks

You swear you’ve heard him talking to his Goku figurines during the unearthly hours of the morning

You’re the only one Chan lets ruffle his fluffy dandelion bedhead in the morning

Takes care of you more than he takes care of himself

Always asks you how your day went when you get home and insists on listening even when he’s been awake for over 48 hours

Always there to give you advice and comfort you when you’re feeling down! A living breathing mental health hotline

Walked into your room when you were studying for finals at 2am

You were in your pajamas, hair a mess and eyes barely open

And that was when Bang Chan decided he was in love with you

Ah, the couple with matching bags under their eyes.

☽ Read the rest of the boys under this cut! 

Woojin

Fried chicken takeout for dinner is a big Friday night thing

Kind of like a big moral support teddy bear, his hugs are the greatest

You steal half his closet in the winter because his hoodies are the comfiest

Literally the dad of your household

Checks up on your health and how you’re doing every now and then

Pushes you to finish your work and makes sure you’re not procrastinating

Honestly, your grades are soaring thanks to him

Helps you with homework

Your parents love him

Always saves and brings you good things to eat

Tucks you in at night when you can’t sleep nyahh i’m soft

And a couple times, when you wake up shaking from nightmares, homesickness or stress, he’s always there to comfort you, lying there until you fall asleep again.

“Woojin?”

“Yeah? Shh, don’t worry, I’m here.”

You always sit outside the bathroom and listen to him sing in the shower

Until he suddenly opened the door in nothing but a towel and you couldn’t face him for weeks

He thought your furiously blushing face was the cutest thing he’d ever seen and teased you about it, 

Until you finally kissed him to make him shut up

Hint: it worked wonders.

Minho

Saturday night dance battles are a t h i n g

Doesn’t do any chores unless he notices you’re feeling tired

Tried to cook once and probably accidentally gave the both of you food poisoning

Remember when he cooked rice cakes in the unwashed metal pan I’m--

Likes you a lot more than he lets on

Like, you’d mention craving a certain food or not having saved up enough money for something, and voila, the next day it’d be sitting on the kitchen table.

“What? It was on sale, just lying around. Don’t think too much of it.”

Clowns you for every little thing, but the moment he hears someone make fun of you, it’s on sight

Bicker like an old married couple, lots of back and forth catfights

Evenings falling asleep on the sofa, both tipsy and giggling while his two cats snuggle up around you

Arguing over who the cats love more

Endless crackhead antics; the neighbours probably hate you

Insists on walking his cats around the apartment complex, when in reality he just wants to spend more time with you

Everyone already knows you’re basically dating but you’re both too stubborn to admit it

Probably hooked up once or twice, or more than once or twice ;)

Changbin

Honestly when you first got him as your roommate, you were terrified

Because this 5’6 ball of dark is intimidating as frick

Realized how soft he really was when he whipped out his Munchlax plushie

Petty arguments with him are impossible because he speaks so fast

So you just let him win

Makes you kill the spider

Always manages to convince you to watch horror movies at 1 am

Probably as an excuse to have you in his arms if you get scared ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) he thinks he’s slick

Perfected the “stretch and put his arm around your shoulder” move

Made a special playlist for everything you do together: good vibes for breakfast, upbeat jams when doing the chores together, chill indie mixes for cozy evenings in doing work

Insists on helping you around the house

Bringing you fresh ice coffee, cookies, and convenience store hauls whenever he gets off work

“B-but the Peperos were on a buy one get one free sale 👉👈”

Suggests playing the pocky/pepero kiss game to which you smack him in response

But you end up giving him a quick peck anyways, and he freezes, stunned

You run off, face red, Changbin chasing after to you with a wicked grin

“What was that? Is that buy one get one, too, because I want another oneeee!”

Hyunjin

The chillest roommate, but when he gets hyper oh m y

I ain’t gettin no sleep cos of y’all, y’all not gettin sleep cos of me

You have to wake him on the weekends because this boy would sleep until the evening

You want to let him rest, though, since he’s always out and working so late ;(

Secretly takes so many candid, soft pictures of you and saves them as his wallpaper

Loves to take you shopping and dress the both of you in matching #OOTDs

Hypes you the heck up

“She’s sister snatched today! Skin glowing, outfit on point -- oh look at that SMILE! Do the thing again -- oh my gosh. You’re killing it, y/n!”

Gives you fashion advice and beauty tips, although you keep bugging him for his skincare routine cuz damn

Probably share skincare products

Always do face masks together but fail at keeping them on because the two of you keep laughing at the stupidest things

Sometimes he has to put you to bed when he comes home late, and you’ve fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him to get back

Can’t resist kissing your forehead sometimes when tucking you in

At moments like these, he finds himself wishing for a sliver of a chance that you might feel the same way he has

He’s honestly so damn obvious though, getting you matching “roommate” things when he goes out -- plushies that remind him of you, little snacks when you’re down, cute accessories, you name it

This boy also forgets that he talks in his sleep -- and is very hard to wake up

So one morning, you’re leaning over his bed, about to shake him awake, and hear him mumble

“y/n, y/n, y/n...i like you sooo much...what do i do?”

You nearly choke on your toast, effectively waking the boy up, and he stares at you, half-awake and mortified.

“What? Did I--did I say something in my sleep?”

The smug, blushing smile spreading over your face is enough to send him diving back under the covers as you begin to tease him

Jisung

So comfortable to be around, he’s basically your best friend from day 1

Except for the fact that he’s so. Damn. LOUD

Noise complaints filed from the neighbours, the landlord, the neighbour’s dog, you name it

Another soft bean whose bedhead you love to ruffle

I mean have you seen My Pace dance practice? That boys mane has a mind of its own--

Brings you lots of cakes and pastries from cute bakeries when you’re stressed

A responsible boi™ ! always helps you out around the house.

Grocery shopping together? What a concept

Except he piles the cart with chips and snacks when he thinks you’re not looking

Lots of late nights binging movies on Netflix

This boy loves moves

But he loves them even more when he watches them with you ;D

Afterwards, you’re both too lazy and comfortable to move, so you end up falling asleep cuddled up against each other

Always runs away and hides when you ask to see his songs

You find scraps of hastily scribbled lyrics and ideas strewn around the house all the time

Little phrases like “i think i love you” and “my heart beats impossibly fast when i’m with you”

So you manage to collect enough to bring them to him and tease him about it

Jisung gets all quiet, though, instead of whining like he usually does, and you quickly apologise, thinking you’ve gone too far

You reassure him his writing is amazing

“It’s not that.”

He finally looks you in the eye, the intensity of his stare making your heart stop for a moment.

“They’re about you.”

Oh, how the turn tables.

Felix

i hate him sm, blease

Why did you even agree to room with him

Rooming with Felix is a one way trip to insanity -- we going ✈️✈️ acid trip

You can hear him yelling yeets and yeehaws when he plays Fortnite while you do your homework, and you swear you’re t h i s close to putting his head straight through his screen

Video game marathons when you’re not busy though, you have to admit, are the bomb

Probably convinced you to make TikToks with him

Makes you do all the viral challenges, including the couple trends

Honestly the most fun guy to be around ever

Your daily dose of memes and sugar

Knows when to be down to earth and serious, though!

Gives the best massages when you’re overworked and runs you a bath, promptly ordering your favourite takeout and making sure to feed you

Building pillow forts together on rainy days and snow days, and having sleepovers!

Binging vine compilations together during said sleepovers

Sending each other memes at 1 am when you’re both simultaneously procrastinating on homework

You basically became a couple without really going through the confession stage; it just sort of happened

“Hey, ‘lix?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“I think I kinda like you.”

A sideways smirk. “Well, yeah, you’ve dealt with me for this long.”

The best-friends couple: soulmates, and, more importantly, partners in crime vine

Seungmin

Sweetest roommate!! Honestly you feel bad for even asking him to do chores

Has a bit of an evil side, though

One second he’s flashing you an angelic smile, the next he’s roasting you for your selfie skills on your recent Instagram post

You make one (1) complaint about the living room being messy, next thing you know you wake up and it’s spick and span

Cooks?? Really hecking well?

Sometimes you wonder if you signed up for a roommate or a housekeeper

Your apartment is so clean

Taking evening strolls together after dinner and taking pictures at the park

Walks you to and from work/school like a little puppy, and gets anxious if you’re late coming home

Doesn’t know how to show how much he cares about you and gets frustrated with himself

So he indulges in the little things, like packing you cute little lunches with sticky notes on the containers

Little notes around the house on days he stays out working late, like make sure you’re eating! And don’t sleep too late!

Honestly, you fell for him the moment he first smiled at you

Once, he was working overtime nonstop, and you didn’t get to see him for over two weeks

When he finally came home on time, you couldn’t help tackling him in a big bear hug

After he got over his initial heartbeat racing a thousand miles per hour, he dropped his head into the crook of your neck, hugging you back tightly

No words were needed, you missed each other’s presence so much, it seemed to say itself

I love you, and I missed you.

Jeongin

Is this boy even old enough to rent out a room? He is babie

So incredibly shy when he first meets you, but warms up quickly

Owns animal-printed pajamas and onesies

You both had a mini celebration when he got his braces off, complete with banana milk and animal crackers

You are both babie

An early bird, always wakes up before you

You wake up to him shaking you and laughing at your scrunched up face

“Wake uuppp, y/n, you’re going to be so late!”

“Ergghhhh.”

Can’t clean to save his life; always ends up breaking something or knocking things over

So he’s in charge of doing the laundry

Had a fat mental breakdown when he realised that meant your underwear

Your apartment is littered with figurines and plushies that both of you collect and don’t have the heart to clean out

“Jeongin, where are y----” you stop. “Why are you lying face down on the ground?”

“...we’re out of banana milk.”

Another hidden evil bean who clowns you for everything you do once he warms up to you

Baby boy!Jeongin switches to Savage!Jeongin in a matter of seconds

Also makes you kill the spider

Helps you cook, but only if you tell him how to do everything or he’ll freak out

Putting mukbang channels on the TV while eating together and watching in comfortable silence

Loves watching you eat and has a million derpy pictures of you saved on his phone

Poor boy has no idea how to tell you he’s falling head over heels with you

Accidentally blurts out “I like you” during a screaming contest

Lots, I mean LOTS of awkward laughing as Jeongin feels his face heat up, watching yours do the same

The longest moment passes, and Jeongin is getting ready to disassociate when you’re finally able to open your mouth and scream back,

“I like you, too!”

Baby boy found his soulmate.

[nettheworldonfire]

Bottle v.s. Boob

Breast is Best is our little girl's motto. In fact, if she were old enough, Olive would probably have the bumper sticker. This is why weaning my 6.5 month old, before her body or mine is ready, is a pretty devastating feat. Let me start by saying, I think formula is amazing. I have no qualms with those who choose to formula feed for their or their baby's best interest. Formula has everything a baby needs, built right in, and has the convenience of being able to be given by ANYONE (in theory). I went back to work at 3 months postpartum with Charlie. I was never able to keep up with a demanding pumping schedule, and slowly, my supply decreased, making Charlie exclusively formula fed by 8 months. Knowing I was headed back to work and that this might happen, we got him used to the bottle right away. We made sure he would take formula and everything went very smoothly. This time was different. Knowing I would be home with Olive for a year, I didn’t NEED to bottle feed. Still, I would obviously appreciate a break, or need one to write my dissertation, so we tried the bottle here and there. She would take an ounce on occasion, but often spit that up quickly, and sometimes violently refused, allowing milk to pool in her mouth and causing her to gag/choke.

Finding out that I have about 2 weeks to wean Olive may be the worst part (thus far) of this entire ordeal. Nutritionally, I think we can get her to eat what she needs to. She eats a lot of healthy solids. Fruit and vegetable purees and small pieces of fruit like pineapple, avocado, watermelon, and banana. She's eating eggs, yogurt, a little rice, noodles, and puffed rice snacks. There are plenty of other things I know she can and will enjoy eating - and I have been doing some research on high fat and high calorie foods. We've already started adding formula to yogurt and puree mixes, and she doesn't seem to mind. I can use it as the water in macaroni and cheese, or syringe it in her if absolutely needed. Plus, the pediatrician believes that with the types and amount of solids she eats, as long as we keep her calorie intake high enough (and not let her stuff her face with puffs and teething crackers) she should be fine. The issue is that Olive uses nursing as a sleep aid. When she's tired, that's all she can think about - the mom-nip. She is violently opposed to any other form of nipple entering her mouth, won't take a pacifier, and gets more and more frustrated. She does eventually calm with rocking and bouncing and singing, and will fall asleep in less than 20 minutes. She does not self-soothe and I have no interest in letting her "cry it out" - especially considering what is going on right now. Overnight, Olive cluster-feeds. I know this is more about comfort than hunger, but it works for us. She basically goes right back to sleep, making my life easier and not waking Owen and Charlie, and she's content. She pretty much sleeps for 10-12 hours most nights like this (waking to feed and drifting back to sleep). It isn’t perfect, but it works for us.

Once I realized this would have to soon end, I started keeping track of things. On Tuesday night, she woke up to feed five times. On Wednesday night, when I actively tried to change the routine, she woke four times and one of those times I rocked her to sleep instead of nursing. Last night, she woke up twice and I managed to only nurse her once. This involved one 4:30 a.m. fiasco, but it was manageable. Between the sleep deprivation of this sort of thing and being sick though, I am exhausted. And she generally seems less happy, which makes my heart heavy. This isn't the first time my body has failed me, but it is the first time my body is failing someone I love, and that is hard.

Aside from the emotional turbulence this is causing for everyone in the house, I also have the horrible awareness that stopping nursing will bring back the postpartum period hemorrhage that I so dread. (And I apologize if that was too much information, but want you to be aware this will not be the last time I do that in this blog - so the decision to be grossed out is yours).

Yesterday, I saw the amazing Louisa at the Breastfeeding Resource Center. This organization was a godsend when I was having challenges nursing Charlie as a newborn and I went back with Olive just for a refresher. When I emailed them to ask for tips or help with weaning, they again stepped up to the plate and were kind and informative, making me feel like I had a team of knowledgeable ladies in my corner (I know, I have hundreds out there ready and willing to advise and help, but this resource has just been incredible). That being said, there wasn't much "success" at this appointment. Olive wouldn't take the MAM bottle for them (I purchased one at their request to bring along to appointment). We've now tried the Enfamil disposable nipples (Charlie loved these), Tommy Tippee (Close to Nature), Spectra, the Mamijumi (some minor success), and the Honey Bear sippy cup that the doctor suggested, also. She’s also tried a variety of sippy and straw-style toddler cups. Nothing seems to be quite perfect, but we are going to keep trying. The BRC also gave me a nipple shield, typically used on a break to help a baby who struggles to latch to mom’s nipple. Several people mentioned that this may ease the transition from breast to bottle - so I would like to try (and it saved me the few dollars I was going to spend. Good thing too, because I am spending like $500 trying to find a bottle or pacifier or anything to soothe this little lady). The one thing that Lousia suggested which may be a game changer is birth control. She said many women take it to help reduce their supply. That may really make life a lot better. I HATE pumping. And to pump just to throw away my poisonous milk (that my daughter wants so badly but can't have) would just be torture. And how long will it take for me to naturally dry up? Plus - she could potentially nurse for comfort still if my body isn't dispensing anything into her mouth. I will obviously follow up with my OBGYN about the birth control and lactation question - but the BFC seemed to think this was an option. It could even help with a gradual decrease and therefore, a more natural wean.

I had always planned to look into medication for anxiety and moodiness after I was done having babies and breastfeeding, so I spoke with my primary about that this week. I've been struggling for a few years but didn't want to start anything I would have to stop during pregnancy or nursing, so I held off. I suppose this is a little bit of a silver lining. I am going to start Lexapro to combat some of the anxiety that is obviously getting worse with this looming shitstorm. I took Lexapro for a few months in 2010 when I had a little mental health struggle about six months after my dad passed away. I didn't love it. While I do think it did what I was hoping it would do (which was to help me break a weird cycle of crying/depression), it made me very, very tired (like needed to pull over to sleep during a 30 minute drive home from work tired), and I weaned off of the drug within a few months. I was lucky to not need it again. In 2012, before my Whipple I had HORRIBLE anxiety and a few attacks for which I was prescribed Xanax to help calm me (just a few days before the procedure). That definitely worked, but I felt under the influence at work, and probably shouldn't have been driving - so that wasn't ideal either. We will see how Lexapro does this time around and if I don't see much of a change - I may be asking you all for your favorites. My doctor is starting me on a very, very low dose to try to avoid the exhaustion, and we will go from there. Think happy thoughts.

In other news, after getting booted to Thursday for my biopsy, I got the automated call reminding me of my Monday appointment today. So I tried to speak with a real human and couldn't get ahold of anyone to check. It would be nice to know if I am having a procedure on Monday before Monday (for childcare, my mental health, planning, etc.) so if you have any idea on how to get this information (hospital is Nazareth) then please share!

On Monday, I have to call the OBGYN, the pediatrician, and Penn (to schedule my second opinion, for after the biopsy results are in).

* Dark side: Denying your baby a basic necessity is totally depressing.

* Bright side: When Olive is weaned, I am going to get so freaking drunk, you just watch.

* Next steps:

2/20/20 at 9:00 am - Liver biopsy under sedation (or is it 2/17/20 at 11:00 a.m., who knows)

3/2/20 at 10:15 am - Oncology appt. with Dr. Rose

* Inappropriate, but totally relevant, GIF -

[mittensmorgul]

Lately I keep thinking about John, Mary, and Dean. We know Mary is a terrible cook -- I'm assuming that most of the time, John cooked, since things were tight financially for the Winchesters at the time, which leads me to think that he didn't ascribe to rigid gender roles and their marriage was egalitarian. But Dean did his best to become what he assumed was the perfect housewife (cooking, cleaning, child-rearing), which begs the question: where did these notions come from?

Hi there! This is an interesting question. :D

I’m not sure we have any evidence that John was a good cook, or that he did much cooking at all. We know that in the few scenes we have of Mary in the past:

in 4.03, Mary’s mother is the one preparing the meal they share with Dean. Mary herself is in no way involved with this preparation. We only see John eat a couple of times in diners.

in 5.13, Mary is preparing dinner for her and John when Sam and Dean show up on their doorstep. She even pulls the Mom Line of smacking John’s hand away from the basket of rolls on the table to tell him to wash up before dinner. What we learn in s12 about how she bought meatloaf and pie from the Piggly Wiggly leads us to believe that her “homemade” dinners were more often than not purchased pre-made and heated up at home.

We also learn about Mary making Dean tomato rice soup when he was sick as a child in this episode. But you know, Campbell’s makes tomato rice soup in a can, so it’s not likely something she slaved over from scratch, you know? But a small child wouldn’t understand or know that.

in 5.16, in Dean’s Heaven Memory, Mary makes him a PBJ and pours him a glass of milk, then offers him some pie. And again, we know now that she likely bought the pie already made.

in s14 we learn that the one thing Mary did actually make was a terrifying dish known as “Winchester Surprise.” And we’re led to assume that the “surprise” is actually surviving eating it. :P

But what do we really know about John cooking for Sam and Dean? Nothing, really, aside from one of Dean’s comment in 8.21:

“Alright, here we go. John Winchester’s famous cure-all kitchen sink stew. There you go. Enough cayenne pepper in there to burn your lips off, just like Dad used to make.“

So we know John at least cooked them one (1) thing. We also know both through flashbacks (like in 3.08 and 9.07) as well as comments Dean and Sam both have made throughout the series (marshmallow fluff mac and cheese! it’s exotic!) that Dean did a large portion of the food prep for him and Sam over the years.

But also, the recipe for kitchen sink stew (also known as “everything but the kitchen sink soup”) is basically “throw everything you have on hand into a pot and boil it for a while.” Rice, beans, noodles, veggies, meat… whatever you have, it goes in the pot. Making it isn’t really a demonstration of culinary mastery, especially if the main flavor that comes through in the end is “will burn your lips off.”

I’ve always felt that John was more likely to go for fast food, diner food, or low-prep food like the aforementioned stew, or the ubiquitous PBJ, or even like… stuff microwaved at the Gas N Sip that has often been described as a staple in the Hunter Diet. I don’t think we’ve ever had any indication that John ever really cooked.

And yeah, Dean did his best to learn to cook (and the rest of the stereotypical “housewife” chores) partly because he understood that John needed him to fill that role. Not that Dean ever understood how Mary may have relied on prepared meals from the Piggly Wiggly to cover her shortcomings in the kitchen, but he would’ve ASSUMED (especially based on his shock at Mary’s confession in 12.02 that she didn’t cook) that she was a good cook. I mean, where did Dean get most of his knowledge about the duties a mom was expected to fulfill? Mostly from television, from possibly observing other mothers in the wild, or from babysitters they had over the years (like Donna in 5.12 who watched them for months at a motel in Massachusetts when they were children).

So Dean did have Responsible Adult Behavior modeled for him, but never in an actual home setting in reality, you know? Donna’s JOB was cleaning and tidying the motel, so he would’ve picked up the how-tos while she was watching out for him and Sam. But he probably picked up even more from watching TV and movies.

Then it came to making their limited resources into something that wasn’t horrifically boring. When they only had a loaf of bread, some assorted sandwich fixings, a box of cereal, and some canned food to last them a week or two until John came back again, he had to get creative to keep from losing his damn mind, you know? There’s only so much spaghettios a person can eat before it’s like OKAY ANYTHING OTHER THAN THIS PLS.

Who knows, he may even have begun watching cooking shows on television in attempt to learn something about making their food taste better. Maybe he watched Julia Child or Justin Wilson or Graham Kerr (being three people who had regular cooking shows back in that era), and decided this was something worth devoting a bit of his time and attention to, for his own sake as well as Sam’s and John’s.

Imagine after the incident he related to Mary where he’d burned his attempt at Winchester Surprise, he realized he needed to actually get some proper training in this cooking thing before he either burned down their motel by accident or poisoned them all from cooking something wrong, you know?

There could’ve been a million reasons why he’d want to become good at cooking, not the least of which was because Dean himself really enjoys good food. I mean, look at the pleasure he takes in a good slice of pie or a well made burger. He appreciates what goes into cooking a tasty and satisfying meal, and he derives a lot of personal pleasure from eating.

@thejabberwock doesn’t come around these parts much anymore, but has a tag for “tactile dean” that I think this theory fits under, as well. Taste and pleasure through eating is just as much a part of this sensory fulfillment for Dean as physical touch. So of course he’d be interested in pursuing it when given the chance.

Such as during his year at Lisa’s. In the final scene of 5.22, he sits down at Lisa’s table to a meal she prepared, but by the montage at the beginning of 6.01, Dean himself is doing some of the cooking, entirely at home in Lisa’s kitchen and hosting backyard barbecues. He also demonstrates his mastery of the grill in 8.14, proving that with the resources to obtain good quality food, he’s just as competent as anyone else at preparing it well. Food is just important to Dean in ways that it’s not to Sam.

Sam eats to live, to be healthy, to maintain his body and fitness. Dean eats for the sheer pleasure of it. I think he’d enjoy cooking just for the pleasure of it, too. He was so damn proud of his “nesting burger” back in 8.14.

And heck, how many different schools did Dean cycle through over his educational career before he finally dropped out? Being in a town for a week here and there may have given him a bit of a chance to drop in on a few Home Ec classes along the way, too. Maybe he’d even specifically ask to be put in a cooking class in school– both because they were more often than not full of girls he could hit on, and because he might be allowed to take home his class projects and have something to feed Sam for dinner that he wouldn’t have to pay for.

But considering how often it seems Dean was left alone in charge of Sam when they were children, he had a vested interest in learning for himself how to “run a household,” including everything from cooking to cleaning to childcare, since it was all literally dumped on his shoulders, and nobody else was consistently there to do that stuff for him.

My guess, in tl;dr fashion, is that he picked it up from a combination of observing various babysitters over the years, from watching tv and movies, and out of the sheer necessity to make sure he and Sam didn’t draw suspicion from teachers or other locals that they were the victims of neglect and bringing unwanted attention from family services organizations. I mean, there’s deep-seated reasons he was antagonistic toward the social workers in 12.04, you know? John must’ve drilled it into him from an early age that they needed to maintain secrecy about their lives from “civilians,” and the need to protect themselves from well meaning but seriously unprepared social workers from trying to interfere in their lives.

All more than enough reason for Dean to make a study of all of this for himself.

[leggigoesabroad]

you can’t spell awesome without me

Lyric from Taylor’s NEW SINGLE!!  It’s called ME!  It’s actually called that, with the exclamation point and everything.  It’s as dope as you’re imagining in your head right now.  And some people, like my coworker Mary who laughs at everything I say, do in fact think I’m awesome.  (She’s such a great audience.  Now I look at her immediately after any joke I make just for the reaction and validation.) 

Well, well, well.  Leggi goes abroad again.  I’m doing a site visit for work in Vienna and Prague for a few days, and then on to Paris on my own (with an alarming amount of details in between yet to be determined, I should really get on that.)

I sit here at 10:25 pm in Vienna, Austria, in a gorgeously authentic Viennese apartment with stupid high ceilings and ornate decorations, in a fluffy-ass robe after I finally showered the airport off of me.  Left Denver at 4 pm Friday, landed at Munich at 9:45 am today (Saturday) local time, long layover, then a quick 45 minute flight to Vienna where a private driver awaited me.  I feel that weird feeling of not knowing which way is up and which way is down and what year it is, in only the special way you get when you’re traveling across the ocean.  I had so many things I wanted to tell all of my people while I was flying, but obviously had no service, so I did the same thing I did with Hayley when we flew to Thailand: wrote down all my thoughts for a future blog.  Luckily for you all, HERE THEY ARE, the undiscovered gems of the Denver to Munich economy class Lufthansa flight.

- Get on board and scope the movies, immediately knew I was going to watch “Beautiful Boy” because apparently something about Timothee Chalamet and poignant flights just feels right to me.  I almost watched “Call Me By Your Name” again but I don’t think the married woman next to me wants to watch Timothee have sex with a peach.

- Girl in front of me just aggressively reclined her chair back to it’s fully back position 20 minutes into the flight and I fear this is my new normal for 9 hours.

- I now find myself actively wishing ill upon her.

- Hey, only 8 hours 57 minutes remaining!

- Why is tiny, frail, drug-addled Timothee Chalamet also just like SO HOT? I don’t understand his appeal at all and this is coming from someone who sees his appeal.

- He reminds me of Jennifer Lawrence.  Someone who is so weird and awkward and seems like they just accidentally fell into acting yet are brilliant at it.

- I think it’s his voice.  You know how I’m into voices.

- She sat her seat up to eat.  I’m just sad knowing how temporary it will be.

- The woman next to me sounds exactly like what’s-her-name from Who’s the Boss, the mom.  Judith something?? When she talks I sometimes purposefully don’t look at her so I can imagine it’s just Jonathan’s mom.  Didn’t that kid grow up to be gay? Or commit suicide?  Really hope it’s the former.

- She just turned on the Canes/Islanders game 1.  She has no idea what a personal affront this is. :(

- Okay, she switched off of it and turned on Notting Hill.  I almost suggested she pause and wait for me to catch up and we could watch in tandem while I tell her all my favorite parts, but Timothee just relapsed and I’m invested. 

- Dinner is chicken, rice, a salad, a roll, cheese and crackers, and a blueberry crumble dessert thing.  Not bad!!  Though I do miss the filet and unlimited alcohol from business class...

- Chalamet plays such a convincing drug addict wow wow wow wow wow

- Reminder: google crystal meth sobriety success rate.

- I feel as if they’re getting ready to tuck us in for bed and I’m not ready.  Sleepover anxiety.  Dad?? Dad!  You can come get me now.

- Flight attendants are walking around with open bottles of water and wine topping people off.  Da real MVPs.

- Yep.  The post-meal recline was just as jarring as I thought it would be.

- This bitch in front just literally re-did her pony tail and then threw it over her seat, spewing over my screen.  No idea what to do here.

- Well now Timothee is having heroin sex in the shower so maybe the peach scene would have been better.

- I didn’t know there was a more recent Jason Bourne movie.  Now I don’t want to take my sleeping pill.

- Took the pill.  Reminds me of when I had wine and an Ambien with Debbie on a flight to Switzerland and had to hold her hips on the way to bathroom like a toddler because I couldn’t see.  Now we wait!! Also Jason Bourne just had to watch his ex-boo Julia Stiles get murdered in front of him :( 6 hours left.

Ensue four hours of half sleep, half wake.  Land in Munich like an absolute zombie and it SHOWED.  Business lounge guy turns down my club pass and I manage not to cry.

- Fall immediately asleep on an airport bench like one of those creepy airport sleepers.  Kind airport lady wakes me up about an hour later very concerned that I’m missing my flight to Stockholm, as I guess I was near their gate.  I awoke as if from an exorcism and shouted “NO! VIENNA!” at her, before realizing she was worried about me and then I profusely apologized and fell back asleep. 

- No one in the middle seat on the way to Vienna!  And a full-sized Kit Kat given to us BEFORE take-off!  Hear that, Southwest and your fucking plane crackers?

- Can anyone explain to me how airplanes work?

- Seat mate just watched intently as I poured out my entire pharmacy looking for a caffeine pill... 

- What did we do before medicine and pills?? Then I remember Jamie on Outlander crossing the sea on a several months-long voyage and vomiting every day for months with no relief.  He was basically Princess Kate. (”Um, Matt Bomer was on White Collar.  Princess MEGHAN was on Suits.” - Champions, NBC)

- When I see customs and the two options are “declare” and “nothing to declare”, I always think of Ilana in Broad City when she goes to the seafood restaurant and the waiter asks if she has any allergies she’d like to disclose (audience knowing she’s super allergic to seafood.) “None that I...would like to disclose.”

- Driver had my name on a sign!! First time that’s ever happened to me! I really wanted to stop and take a picture but I also had to act like I been there before.

Got to the apartment and a lot more happened after I settled in, including our local host Karin immediately clearing my chakras after hearing my dry cough by explaining magnetic energy to me and tapping a voodoo doll while I meditated next to her.  It’s as weird as it sounds but I dig her.  I feel as if she gets me.  

Tomorrow we’ll sleep in a little bit, have lunch, and then go on a private 3-hour guided city tour.  Vienna, HERE I COME!  We’re not allowed to post more than one pic per city on social media per: work rules (re: not making other people jealous and looking like dicks, which I personally think is bullshit, so I’ll be sharing stories via the ‘close friends’ option on the ‘gram.  Eat your hearts out, I’m in Vienna and Prague for free.**)

**Had to purchase hundreds of dollars of supplies to soothe my anxiety about the trip, and as soon as the trip is over will do two years of free labor as the villa lead, but hey, for now, shit is free and maybe I’ll finally meet my international husband and we’ll both just ~~know.  When you know, you know.  But you can never KNOW...

Xoxo this gossip girl is a jet-lagged bitch and will be wittier and more thorough tomorrow.  Though for everyone’s sake, I hope we never get another blog like the one recounting the food poisoning/bloody amputated foot/Duncan’s one night Russian stands/quarantine room.... ever again.  

[ussjellyfish]

hold to the now, the here 8/?| teen | philinda, family | Agents of SHIELD

family and emotions and being together, many thanks to @holdouttrout, @crazymaryt and @imaginationallcompact. Sorry this one took a little longer, end of the semester woes...

thanks for enjoying this! 

The team hides out in a cabin in Germany and has some time for little things, like family dinners and board games. Melinda's nauseated again, but everyone looks after her and she doesn't hate it. Not even a little bit.

(also on ao3)

Pressing her forehead into Phil's t-shirt, she sighs, eyes shut. He pats her arm, finding her fingers and pulling her hand up to his chest. It's so early that it's still dark, and behind the curtains, rain patters on the window. That makes the whole thing so frustrating. She's not hungry, doesn't need to be awake, and yet... Her breasts itch, heavy even though they're pressed against his back.

Rain patters against the window, wind whipping around their little cabin in some half-hearted storm. The window's open a crack for fresh air, and in early autumn, they didn't need a thick blanket. At least, Phil didn't. She's still cold. Jemma says her body temperature is a little high, which is normal. Whatever passes for normal now.

Phil rolls over, wrapping her tighter in his arms, holding her close to his chest. "Hey."

He smells familiar, better than the foreign sheets and the pine trees outside the window.

"You okay?"

What does she say? Her head hurts, throbbing if she moves and her stomach's rising into her throat.  He strokes her hair, probably still half asleep.

"If I don't move."

"Try to go back to sleep."

"Very wise."

He chuckles, because that's his response to that tone.

"I'm sorry. You need sleep."

"I'll take a nap." Yesterday she fell asleep while he read his book and Jemma pointed out, almost proud, that it was the third time that week. It's lazy, complacent. They could be found and need to run, but the bags are packed enough. Fitz and Daisy have enough surveillance on the cabin that they nearly went out after a bear, icers in hand.

They're all right today, maybe even tomorrow.

"It's just a couple more weeks."

"So you say."

"Optimism is kind of my thing."

"I know." She's going to throw up, maybe not in the next hour or so, but definitely before lunch. She makes a little disgusted sound and buries herself closer to him.

"I'm sorry." He keeps running his fingers through her hair, dancing them over her scalp. His fingers are cool little points, like rain.

"Don't be."

"So be happy you want to throw up?'

"It's for a good cause." She nearly loses the last word in a whimper. Maybe she shouldn't speak. He can talk for both of them, that's always worked before."

"The garbage can is next to the bed. I've got you. It's all right."

Beats throwing up on the floor. Maybe she can focus, think about something else.

"Not very romantic."

"You kidding? This is the most romantic."

His standards are suspect, but if she keeps her eyes closed, her stomach's not as bad.

He kisses her forehead again. "I've got you, what else could I need?"

Whistling around the cabin, the wind whispers at them while the rain drums down. Focus on that, on him, on her breathing, focus on anything but her stomach. Maybe it'll go away if she goes back to sleep. If she can figure out how to go back to sleep. Where's Phil's book when she needs it?

She runs through the basic forms in her head, poses, maneuvers, everything she's drilled in since she was a child. That helps, that she can focus on. How her limbs should move is a positive thing, something she can control about her body, not this. This is outside of what she knows, what she understands about her own flesh. Right now, her breasts still hurt, they're hot, heavy inside her skin, and none of her feels like hers.

Maybe it's not. Maybe it's like some kind of parasitic infection, their traveller, taking over her over.

"Sleep," he whispers. "Listen to the rain. You can hear it in the trees, not just on the roof."

He loves the middle of nowhere. Heavy forests remind him of home, fishing in the woods with his parents. He'll teach this one how to tease fish out of water with a line. She's only ever found ponds useful when they're frozen, but maybe that's how they balance each other.

It's still raining when she wakes up again, and he's gone. She rolls onto her back, hands on her chest. The bed's cool without him, and she pushes off the blanket, trying to focus on the cold, and the sound of the rain. Just hold still, wait for it to pass. It'll pass. It's just hormones, and she can beat them.

"Hey," he starts, setting things down next to the bed. "I was hoping you'd sleep a little longer."

"It's cold without you."

"And without the blanket."

She waits.

Of course he talks. "Stomach's still bad?"

Nodding once is enough movement to force her to swallow, and he sits beside her, reaching for her hand.

"I brought crackers, and Daisy found ginger ale at the store. She's really good at shopping."

"No."

"No?" He leans down, stroking her hands. "It might help."

"No." She sits up, which makes her stomach roll like a jet pulling a hard six.

He moves towards the garbage can, and she'd laugh except they might actually need the damn thing. "Gently."

"I'm not eating in bed, Phil."

"That's it?"

"It's nice, having a--"

"Okay, okay." He reaches for her shoulders, holding her steady. "How about the floor? I promise I'll sweep."

Meeting his eyes without daring to nod, or even speak, she shuts her eyes when he gets it. Phil picks her up, and then they're sitting together on cool wood, leaning against the bed. His arm stays around her shoulders, firmer than her own control.

"Sorry."

"You can--"

"Didn't want to leave you. FitzSimmons are still making breakfast anyway. Beans and toast--"

Squeezing his wrist makes him reach for the little plastic garbage can and he sets it just beyond her knees. "And oatmeal. I figured that was much safer."

"My parents used to make rice porridge."

"Yeah?"

Thinking about them is easier. Her mother always had to go to work, but her father would sit at home with her when she was sick, make sure she ate, and then watch whatever was on television. Usually it was terrible.

Rubbing her shoulder with his right hand, he opens the plastic sleeve of crackers with his left. "Eat, Simmons swears it'll help, and she's been buried in books all morning."

Taking one saltine cracker, she holds it like poison.

"I got you out of bed."

There's no way to put it into words that her body isn't her own right now and she has no way of fighting back. She takes a bite as if it's going to kill her, but she doesn't throw up, not with a mouthful of dry cracker, or after she manages to swallow.

"It's okay," he continues, still smiling. "This is the hardest thing you have to do today, by far. Everything else is downhill."

It takes three bites to finish the first stupid cracker but she releases the death grip on his knee. Maybe it's not that bad. Maybe Jemma is right. He cracks open the can of soda, passing that to her. Her sweaty hands slip over the condensation on the metal, but it can sit on the floor, it's all right there.

"Your last blood test was good, hormone levels were high, which is probably why we're here now, but Jemma says it's all very positive. Even this part, though I know it's unpleasant."

"Not bad."

"You're staring at a can of ginger ale like it's radioactive waste." He kisses her hair, stroking the sweat from her forehead. "I won't even mention the worst option, that'll really make you throw up."

Coffee's never made her nauseated, but the acrid burn in the back of her throat suggests that she doesn't want to push her luck any further than she already has.

"Hey." He draws her attention away from the ginger ale she still hasn't trusted herself to drink. "Better or worse than before your wedding?"

It's an unfair comparison. She could only blame herself (and him) for the hangover, but this means something. It's not even just the anticipation of marrying Andrew, of starting that life together, this is a life. This is that squirming, laughing, little child she never thought she'd have. That she doesn't deserve.

"Better."

"That's the most positive thing you've said."

Taking a breath, she steadies her hands and takes a sip. The bubbles sting the back of her nose and the sugar clings to her tongue, but it doesn't come rushing back up.

Footsteps pad over the old floor and those blue socks have to be Jemma's. Daisy rarely cares enough to make hers match.

"How's it going?"

"We've had better mornings, though she says it's not bachelor party bad, so we're still doing all right."

Jemma crouches down beside them, kneeling on the floor to look at her face. "Did you know your stomach acid is actually affected by your hormones? Which can add to the sensation of nausea but tends to soften the detrimental effects of reverse peristalsis."

Makes sense. Everything else is enslaved to her hormones, why not that?

Jemma touches her forehead, her fingers much cooler than Phil's. "Your body temperature's still elevated, and you should be careful to make sure you're staying hydrated, especially if you do end up vomiting."

"Thanks."

"It'll pass," Jemma promises. "Statistically most nausea ends with the first trimester, and you're more than halfway through that now. You can start thinking of it as the home stretch. That probably doesn't help at all." Her little smile is very kind and very soft. "You'll get through this, and it'll be worth it. I personally don't have a lot of experience with babies, but I think I'm going to really love getting to know this one, even though their brain won't be advanced enough for any real kind of interaction until several months after birth."

"Good to know." Phil turns his smile towards Jemma, and he probably hasn't looked at any of the books about how to parent an infant yet, he's focused on now. Probably hasn't thought much beyond this moment, where they're going next, how he'll keep her safe.

She doesn't let anyone else worry about that. Daisy, Jemma and Fitz fuss, and they're protective, but Phil's the only one who she really allows to hover.

"Everything okay?"

When she opens her eyes again, Fitz sits next to Jemma, his hands on his knees. "I made the most boring porridge imaginable, and it might be a little better warm than cold, but if cold helps, then it's right there for you."

Daisy leans in the doorway, her hair falling over one shoulder. "It's still raining as if the sky's angry with us, maybe even hailing, so we were thinking we'd play board games, if you're up for it."

"Distractions are good," Phil answers for her, rubbing her knee. "And this usually passes by mid morning. Breakfast helps." He turns his face to her, almost stern. "When you eat it." He presses another cracker into her hand and she can't remember the last time she had an audience so intent on her ability to finish it.

"Daisy's pretty sure she downloaded the instructions for the newest game in English, but she could be cheating."

"You're just disappointed you didn't take the German elective at the Academy."

"It didn't seem relevant, we've been on the same side since World War Two ended, and Hydra was really supposed to be gone."

"Well--"

"We know how that went."

"Come on, May," Jemma insists when she's done arguing with Fitz. "Try the porridge, that should settle things a little." She offers her hand, and Phil's right there. Fitz and Daisy stay close, ready to fuss as much as everyone else.

Melinda can't even hate it. All of their care is rooted in affection and concern because she and Phil took them all out of what was familiar, shook up what all of them thought was important. Jemma and Fitz getting married was a start, an unravelling of the way they functioned as a team, and this just tugs at it. She's mentored all of them, protected them, and now they hover around the kitchen table, talking and laughing while she stares at the bowl in front of her like it's an endurance test.  

They're her family, and this child is theirs too. Too bad she can't share the nausea with the affection.

Jemma touches her shoulder, smiling again, and brings her more tea before she takes away the mostly empty bowl of porridge; the last few bites are impossible. Phil pats her hand under the table and she's never seen Daisy look so happy about her turn washing dishes.

Fitz makes sure the table is close to the sofa so she barely has to move as they lay out the game.

Spending the entire day killing time while the rain pours down and they wait to be certain of their next move, doesn't even feel like an operation. It's a vacation. This is the holiday in Europe Jemma and Fitz joked about and never got to take. The family vacation Daisy's never had a chance to have. She's travelled with Phil across the world, shared bedrooms and tents, even slept rough a few times., but this time it's intimate, close in a way they've never been before. She wakes up against his chest and falls asleep listening to his breathing.

She could be doing anything with them and it would be wonderful. Playing this strategy game that Fitz is so convinced he's winning is pleasant, even takes her mind off her headache.

She should have done something, made this happen years ago, but perhaps the timing wasn't right. Maybe they had to look a miserable future in the face to realize what they had to change here to make it better. She rests her head on Phil's shoulder, shutting her eyes and listening to them work out who won.

Fitz nearly drops his pencil in surprise. "May won by eighteen points."

Phil starts to chuckle, then kisses her hair. "I'll get more tea."

"I'll get biscuits," Jemma adds, jumping up to follow him.

"That's not--" Fitz pauses, scratching the back of his head. "You were collecting rubies, that's not, that's not a stable strategy for the long term."

"It worked."

"This time." Fitz starts setting up the game again.

Daisy raises her eyebrows and sits back. "Again?"

The first round took most of the morning, They'll need to break for lunch and the rain's still pouring down. Phil kept smiling at her, toying with her hair because he knew she'd win, and Fitz apparently did not.

"Eighteen points, and you've never played this game before." Fitz taps one of the tokens. "It's supposed to be difficult."

Phil and Jemma return with more cookies than they could ever really need. He grabs one and pops it in his mouth before he sits down. Jemma starts pouring tea while Daisy and Fitz stare.

"It was difficult."

Toying with the inside of her wrist, Phil smiles that very knowing smile. "She likes difficult games."

"Yeah, we all like games, but one of us won by eighteen points."

"Maybe you'll win this time."

Leaning closer, Phil nuzzles her ear. "You'd think he'd remember what they say about specialists and winning."

"Maybe he skipped that day."

Dais slips next to her on the sofa, reaching across for a cookie. "What are you two whispering about?"

"May doesn't lose board games."

"What, like ever?"

"Or cards." Phil passes her a cookie and shrugs. "Never play cards with May."

"Noted."

"I'm not evil."

"You are, actually indeed evil."

"There's a strip poker story, isn't there?" Daisy looks at Jemma who sips her tea and leans back.

"Well, lets hear it while Fitz sets up the game he has to win."

"I don't have to win."

"Uh huh."

Phil makes the story grandiose and ridiculous at the same time, spinning it so their long dead friends seem to be there again. There are several asides, random pieces of backstory that have to be added on, sometimes they backtrack. The cookies disappear and Fitz loses the game not just to her this time (she's up by eleven) but to Daisy as well.

He shakes his head. "All right, all right. Hopefully you like pasta because it's one of the things I'm better at cooking, and Jemma couldn't find buffalo mozzarella."

"Or prosciutto, possibly because I couldn't ask for it the right way."

"Can we ask for anything the right way?"

"We do have those dumplings? We can make soup, soup is good, right?" Fitz looks first at Jemma, then to Phil and Daisy before he meets her eyes. "I don't want to--"

Melinda rolls her eyes at him. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure, because you still look kinda..."

"Kind of pale, really-"

"Not quite green-"

"Maybe a shade-"

"Something on that side of the spectrum, still very beautiful, of course."

She laughs a little, weary but amused. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Yes."

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt."

"Seriously, you're like, fucking hot."

"Thank you, Daisy, that's--"

The acute awareness of just how much she's going to miss them hits her like another wave of nausea and she stops, just staring at them. Phil rubs her back, because he gets it. He's saying goodbye to them as well and it'll be so quiet until they see them again.

"Thanks."

"Don't get emotional on us," Daisy teases. "We're counting on you to be stoic so the rest of us don't cry."

"It'll fly by," Phil promises, touching her cheek in a way that makes it better and a hundred times worse. Even Daisy's going and they haven't been apart from her for more than a handful of days since she was off on her own, and she's hours past when her nausea bugs her, but this is harder. She can't just empty her stomach and take this away. This will stay with her, nag like an old injury.

Daisy can move quickly, and insivisibly through the world, she's done that before, and she has backup out there if she needs it. Bobbi and Hunter are within her reach, and Mack and Elena are in South America. Daisy can collect them, assemble a team again. She'll be fine, absolutely fine, but they'll be without her. She and Phil will have each other and a quiet house thousands of miles away from everything, and not their team.

That has to be enough for awhile. A kind of retirement, a long vacation, a break they needed, nausea and all. It'll be fine. Even if thinking about letting them go makes her eyes sting. She doesn't usually struggle to keep her emotions in check, she can use them, but now Melinda buries her forehead in Phil's shoulder, shutting her eyes and steeling herself. They're all leaving tomorrow, but she'll have him.

She always has him.

Phil runs his fingers over her back, between her shoulder blades.

"Come on Fitz, let's see what soup looks like," Daisy announces, smiling a little.

"We could just put beer in it like everything else," Fitz jumps up to follow her.

Jemma lingers, circling to study her face. "How's the dizziness?"

"I'm not-"

"Of course not, you'd never be dizzy, anyway, let me check your blood pressure."

She could resist, argue that she's fine, but this is how Jemma cares, so she obeys. Phil, sweet and soft as he is, sits beside her, resting his hand on her knee.

"Daisy's fake passports should be enough that we can fly, they shouldn't check us too closely, we'll be within the European Union and that tends to be lower security." She slides the blood pressure cuff up Melinda's arm, moving her shirt. "Of course, the trains are easier, and Daisy's fake Russian visas for you are much better than the usual fakes people use to travel, and once you get to China you'll just blend in, right?"

"I won't," Phil teases, his hand finding the back of his neck. "But I'm used to that. Confused tourist, beautiful wife."

"You got lucky."

"I did."

Jemma watches them and the needle on the cuff, counting under her breath. "We'll be able to keep in touch, we have the links Daisy made us and encrypted emails. It won't be long before we see you again."  She blinks, smiling even though has to sniffs. "You will be missed, both of you." She glances down for a second and then looks back up. "It'll go so fast."

"The mornings do not."

"I know, I'm sorry. I can give you some antiemetics, but those are really designed to stop you from vomiting, not really take away the sensation that you might." That little wince is almost too sweet.

"It's all right."

Phil smiles at Jemma, a little skeptical. "You know she'd say that anyway."

"I do, which is why I wish I could do more." Jemma releases the cuff, and nods. "Your blood pressure's still a little low, so I want you to take it easy, make sure you drink enough water, eat regularly, stand up slowly if you've been sitting for awhile, and keep up your tai chi, because that should help your body feel more like yours."

"Thank you, Jemma."

"Of course, it's really my pleasure, I- I am so happy for you."

Every other time they've hugged, Jemma's started it. Not that Melinda minds, she's not used to responding to affection, rather than initiating it, but this time, she hugs her close. Jemma relaxes against her, exhaling slowly. Phil pats her back, and then he's with them, wrapping Jemma up tight between them.

"Be careful, please."

"We will."

"And look after each other, remember to eat healthily, put avocados in your green smoothies because you really should increase your fat intake, especially for the first trimester."

"We'll be fine," Melinda promises her. "Phil will make sure we eat well. He can't stop cooking."

"Cooking for family is one of the great pleasure in life."

"That's how I know we'll see you, soon. We're family."

Melinda's eyes sting. She could fight it, but there's no reason to. Not today. Her eyes are wet when Jemma pulls back, and she stares at her, blinking back her own tears. "I always wanted a big family."

In the kitchen, Daisy and Fitz laugh about something, and Phil touches her cheek, easing her tears away.

"Don't tell them she cried, I want it to be a surprise, just imagine the looks on their faces."

Rolling her eyes only makes Jemma laugh and Phil leans close to kiss her.

Daisy and Fitz emerge from the kitchen, Fitz holding a potato with the most perplexed expression.

"What? Everything okay?"

"We're fine." Phil's far too pleased with himself.

"I just wanted to check May's blood pressure and then we started talking about splitting up."

"I thought we weren't talking about that at dinner," Daisy reminds them. "Just, let it wait until tomorrow and we can all hate it then."

"It's hard for all of us," Fitz adds, fidgeting with the potato in his hands. "But we'll find each other again, we always do, even across time and space. One little planet's pretty easy."

"I know."

They crowd around her again, dinner momentarily forgotten and instead of mocking her tears or staring at them in awe, Daisy touches her shoulder, and Phil's. "You're going to be so cute when we see you again, because baby Agent will probably be kicking and you won't be able to stop talking about it."

"I think that's normal."

"I'm not sure I like kids," Fitz says, kneeling down in front of the sofa. "Never know what to say to them, never spent any time around babies, but this one, I'm excited to know, because we can teach her how to hold a wrench, and what kind of screwdriver to use and watch her figure out basic kinds of physics. She'll even have to figure out gravity. That's pretty cool, if you think about it."

They spend so much time hugging and crying that dinner's going to be late, really late, which is probably why they promised not to talk about splitting up tonight. Phil can't resist rolling up his sleeves and saving dinner (he loves cooking) and Daisy ends up sitting on the sofa beside her. Daisy hands her another tissue and shakes her head. "I used to think you didn't even have tear ducts."

"I didn't, Jemma put these in last week." Melinda keeps her expression neutral and Daisy laughs. Her laugh has such light in it.

"You're going to be amazing parents, you know that right?"

"We wouldn't be here without you."

"Stuck in Germany?"

"Not that kind of here."

Daisy just looks at her, patient and confused, and Melinda sighs, grabbing her hands.

"You, Jemma and Leopold, helped bring us here, reminded us that we could want something more than work, and we needed that, because we'd forgotten we were more than agents."

"Kinda easy to become a workaholic when you're literally saving the world, isn't it?"

"It seems like everything else should come first. That you owe that to the world because you can protect them."

"That doesn't mean you don't matter, that you can't want anything for yourself. You deserve this, more than anyone. You know that, right?" The way Daisy can say that with such certainty means that they've done better with her training than they ever achieved by themselves. That maybe in this rebirth of SHIELD and all it stands for they can have a little room for their own lives. That Daisy will make different choices and she won't realize what she wants so late.

Almost too late.

Phil wanders back, asking a gentle question about what they want to drink with dinner, but Melinda's still crying and now Daisy's started.

He crouches in front of them, his hand on Melinda's arm. "I didn't know you were so disappointed that you can't have wine with dinner."

"You're going to be such great parents, you know that, right? It'll be all dad jokes and mom faces and Baby Agent's going to be so loved."

Phil nods, and the way he looks at Daisy holds so much affection that his eyes are liquid. "May was always going to be a great mom, but you helped me feel like I could be a father."

Their relationship has always been special, close in a way it took Melinda and Daisy much more time to achieve. When Daisy hugs him tight, so tight that he gasps a little as he's dragged onto the sofa. Melinda touches her back, resting her hand on Daisy's shoulder.

"You're such a dad," Daisy insists. "How could you not know that?"

"He's a little dense."

Phil feigns indignation, kissing her cheek. "I'm going to tell Mack and Elena you cried."

Mack lost his daughter, so telling him will carry a weight that she can't even imagine. This child of theirs is barely more than an idea, and losing it would cut deep. Losing one that she’s held is unimaginable. Phil kisses her forehead when she’s quiet.

“I love you.”

That makes him tilt his head, running his fingers along her cheek. “I love you too.”

Melinda keeps Daisy close, but she doesn’t try to retreat. She stays when Phil heads back into the kitchen to finish dinner, and her arm wraps around Melinda’s shoulders.

“You’ll send us ultrasound pictures when you have them, right?”

She nods. “I don’t think there’s much to look at.”

“I’ve never seen one, but I think I want too.” Daisy hugs her tighter. “Take care of him, okay? Don’t let him get lost in Russia.”

“His Russian is terrible.”

“You’ve said.”

“It’s been terrible for years.”

Phil smiles at her from the door to the kitchen. Muttering that he heard that in his wretched Russian.

“I don’t have a cat either.”

“I didn’t say cat,” he pauses, the shakes his head, “I think. What’s the word for cat?”

“кошка.”

“Show off.” He offers his hand to help her off the couch. She doesn’t need it, being lightheaded is no worse than any of the concussions she’s lived through, and Jemma’s fussing is unnecessary. Still, his fingers are warm, and the way he runs his thumb across the back of her hand makes her smile.

Daisy slips away into the kitchen, leaving them alone in the living room and Melinda watches her dark hair bounce on her shoulders.

“She’ll be fine.”

“I’m not worried about her.”

He takes her other hand, holding them against his chest. “I think we can handle a few months together, just you and me.”

“Sounds like a honeymoon.” Kissing his cheek, she rests against his neck. “Don’t tell my mother. She’d kill me if I eloped again.”

[x-wearethefuture-x]

♫ ☂ ✧ ( Seunghyun ) // ☠ ✎ ✈ ( Sooyeon )

@numberxixSend me a symbol and I’ll tell you:

Seunghyun♫: my muse’s favorite song, band, and/or music genreSeunghyun will listen to just about anything, though this is because he usually doesn’t pay songs much mind and keeps them on as nothing more than background noise. His favorite genre as a kid was the 60s and 70s rock music that is mother used to listen to all the time. He was especially fond of the Beetles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and so on. Still, he feels plenty of nostalgia for those, but he purposely avoids listening to them most of the time now. They can trigger bad memories and depression in him under the wrong circumstances. Currently (and this is rather odd, so just hear me out!) he actually listens mostly to female k-pop groups. He’s really fond of APink, for example. Generally speaking, the happier the song sounds, the more likely he is to listen to it. Now, that probably sounds strange for a guy like Seunghyun, but there’s a reason for it. First of all, they’re just catchy, you know? Something easy to listen to without having to pay it too much mind because the lyrics don’t generally mean much out of the ordinary, anyway. And if he /does/ focus on the lyrics, that helps, too- they pull him out of his own head and give him something a bit nicer to think about. Second, they’re great mood boosters. Again, the catchy, bouncy, beats tend to kind of help him out on an emotional level. Third, and most importantly, is that he likes listening to them because there’s usually at least one girl in each group who has a voice similar to his mother’s singing voice. It was a bit plain, not exceptional by any means, but lovely to listen to. And though it’s been years and he can’t recall his mother’s voice exactly as it was, it’s nice to sometimes catch little memories that he’d thought he’d lost just because the way someone hits a specific note triggers a memory of his mother in him. But, yeah. He just really likes girl groups xD Though it’s rare that he’s caught listening to them by anyone other than Kyuhyun or Chanmi because he doesn’t listen to music much.☂: my muse’s favorite season or time of yearWithout a doubt, winter. He enjoys the purity of it all- a blanket of white snow covering the muddied and dead imperfections caused by autumn. The snow covers up the “mistakes” brought on by the onset of the cold weather, and it’s draws him in an odd way. He doesn’t care for Spring, though. The weather is fine (aside from the rain), but symbolically it’s about rebirth and resurrection and such and it’s just a reminder of the power inside of him that he refuses to use. It also seems unfair to him- if things like flowers can return, regrow, after a harsh winter, why can’t people return from equally as horrible things? It’s kind of a selfish disdain for the season. Neither of these are things he ever talks about with anyone because he’s not sure that most people would understand.✧: what my muse’s netflix queue looks likeDocumentaries. Sci fi. A few Disney movies and comedies here and there. He also watches kdramas sometimes- they’re a guilty pleasure of his. If he watches things alone, they’re usually going to be documentaries about space or science fiction, though. Stranger Things, Twin Peaks, X-Files (though that’s not available to stream anymore- damn you netflix!), Mr. Nobody (one of his favorites), and things like that. He likes them because he, himself, is kind of a science fiction and it’s entertaining to him to see what other things people can come up with that may or may not rest in reality. 

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Sooyeon☠: my muse’s biggest fearPlain and simple, her biggest fear is death. Partly her own, partly that of others. She has a lot of anxieties, in general, but nothing quite compares to that. She has some neurotic behavior in relation to it, too. Though she’s medicated so it’s not always apparent to people who don’t know her best. It’s little things generally- like if someone was previously texting her back quite steadily and then they stop without warning she doesn’t think “Oh, they’re probably busy” instead her mind starts spiraling into “What did they say they were doing? Could that potentially be dangerous in some way? Were they alone? If something happened, was someone trusty worthy there to help them? Maybe there WAS someone like that there with them, but they were both injured/killed? Or maybe the other person had a psychotic break and killed them? Or maybe they’d been planning it for weeks? Should I call them? Should I try texting again?” and so on until they answer. As for her own death, she sometimes has this fear of eating out in public because “What if it’s been poisoned? Or drugged? Can I trust the person who made this? Can I trust the person serving it to me?” Even with some random food products that you’d pick up from the store regularly can trigger it without reason- like a loaf of bread or a bag of rice or a gallon of milk that she’s afraid may not have been handled properly or may have been sabotaged by someone in the production line and could, inevitably, cause some sort of horrendous death. Usually her fears occur solely in her head so people don’t notice them, even if she’s not on her medication- but they can be debilitating.If you’re very close to her, she’s probably low-key mentioned it a time or two and seeing signs might be a little easier... but if you’re not exceptionally close to her or don’t have the same issue yourself or know someone with a similar issue, it may completely pass by you.✎: what my muse’s best subject in school is/wasSciences and maths were Sooyeon’s best subjects in school. At least while she was /in/ school. She was really interested in biology, even before she found out that she was a mutant. She liked learning about the way living things worked, how they evolved over time, and how everything’s connected- things like that. Math was another favorite for the fact that it was very logical. She was good enough at math that she was two years ahead of the rest of her grade before she finally ran away. Even while she and Seunghyun (and eventually Angelica) were on the run, she would go out of her way to spend a few hours here and there reading biology books at a local library or brushing up on her math skills. Once at Xavier’s where they were put back on a regular learning regimen, she picked it all back up very quickly and was always at the top of her class (though not always in /first/, mind you- just top 5). She almost went to university to be a biology major where she would then narrow her field of interest down so that she could go into something more specific. That, of course, didn’t end up happening.✈: where my muse would go if they could move anywhereHonestly, Sooyeon is entirely content right where she is. Though if she didn’t have her current profession keeping her someplace in the city, she’d rather be living somewhere with a little more seclusion. Not /too/ much, because that’s basically /asking/ to be in a horror movie! But somewhere with just a few neighbors and a big back yard. If she was to move out of the country, though, she would want to move back to Washington state near where she spent the first years of her life living with her father. If their old home is still there, that would be her ideal place of residence. 

[hazelleves]

Shadowhunters Cooking Show Au

Co-created with @deliriumkitsune (peep the crossover, blink and you’ll miss it.)

Based on this video.

Valentine is the mean judge. Not even critical, just mean read: tramatizing.

Luke is the nice judge, and will try to make the contestants feel as comfortable as possible.

“This dish is absolutely fucking horrendous, which piece of shit made this hellhole?”

“Don’t listen to him, I happen to think the, er, texture is not that mushy, so 8/10 :)”

Yes he somehow conveys smilies in his speech sorry I don’t make the rules.

Jocelyn was the neutral judge but she just kinda disappeared one day and nobody knows where she went

Legend says, the person who makes the worst dish that season will face her wrath, whatever that is

However, Jocelyn who? Lydia is in town now motherfuckers

She is the most honest out of them all, and tells it how it is, however she also writes 15 page essays on why you should have used x spice instead of y spice

“You know, the texture is a bit mushy, but the flavor of the sauce is to die for. It’s so succulent and rich, I can tell it has a savory taste, did you use oyster sauce” five years later, “and thats why using basil was such a smart choice.”

The fourth panel is for guest specialty judges, Like Raphael and Meliorn.

Raphael doesn’t say anything, he just tells them his score, which is probably a .00000283748384/10

He’s fucking scary. End of story.

Meliorn on the other hand is a bit brutally honest, but not purposely mean.

“I can’t lie to you, honestly this is one of the driest steaks I’ve ever had in my life. However, these potatoes are actually good, wow, color me surprised.”

Sometimes the judges argue about who has the best dish

When that happens the show reverses, and the judges compete against each other with the contestants being their judges

Whoever wins holds the overall judgement.

Now what we have all been waiting for: THE CONTESTANTS

Clary cries

A lot.

Honestly she came on this show to have fun but keeps getting attacked by this Valentine guy?!?!

“Who is this guy and why does he hate me,” she probably says while sobbing

It’s okay though because Luke has got her back.

She is actually a decent cook, and specializes in mac and cheese, who knew?

“…the special ingredient was lobster, and you made lobster mac and cheese?”

“Yes, is that a problem?”

“No.. we were just expecting a little more pizazz.”

“You don’t know pizazz until you taste the oven baked goodness of five cheeses mixed beautifully with the smooth elbow pasta, and soft, juicy lobster.” She says with passion, fire burning in her eyes, and her fist clenched at her chest.

Clary accidentally gave Valentine food poisoning, but when they cut the camera to her in a one-on-one shot all you could see was the chair and wall, and hysterical laughter in the background, and the occasional foot coming from the bottom of the screen.

Alec rolls his eyes anytime she speaks, and this time he rolled them so hard that his eyes almost got stuck.

That’s not the only thing he rolls, surprise, it seems that Alec loves baking after all.

But he’s still not your bitch.

He makes cinnamon rolls because he says they remind him of his boyfriend.

Actually no, of you said that he’d make cutthroat kitchen a reality, but we all know it’s true.

“Why is the little girl touching my cinnamon ?”

“Alec, bro chill, the ingredients are for everyone.”

*Alec looks into the camera like the office*

Speaking of Jace, the shows eye candy

He takes any and all opportunities to flirt with the entire cast.

Even that one camera guy Raj, the fans think he’s talking to them, but no.

“Hey Raj ;)))” “Wow Clary, you’re hair looks as amazing as this carrot.” “Simon, is it hot in this kitchen or is it just you?” “Magnus, you’re like a full on meal today wow.”

Jace no, you’re embarrassing yourself. Not to mention every flirt has to be a pun.

He?? Put?? A?? Egg?? In?? The?? Microwave??

“At least I won’t be in last place.”

Yeah, no, that spot is saved for Isabelle.

S H E W R E A K S H A V O C

when she walks in the kitchen they all walk out.

“Ohh, uhh, spaghetti with vanilla pudding, lemon, and alfredo sauce. Creative.”- Luke smiles painfully, in between bites with his thumb up.

“I made it in honor of my mom, seemingly sweet, but bitter on the inside.”

She gossips about everything and knows everyone’s secrets.

The only reason she is still here is because of Luke and Lydia, who are two of the only three who will eat her food.

Speaking of the third lets meet Simon.

HE IS A GREAT COOK PASS IT ON.

Vegan everything, if you hate tofu, you’d love it after eating his food.

“I get my inspiration from nerdy nummies, she has taught me everything in life.”- You heard it yourself, everything he makes is some nerd shit.

“You recreated the Millennium Falcon out of s'mores??” A very shocked Raphael utters his first words.

“Ummm it’s not food if you can’t play with it.” He says while looking at Alec’s uniform plate.

“Alexander’s plate is just fine,”

Magnus is a food god.

It’s like he uses magic or something ;)))

He once made Valentine cry.

His dishes are top A++, he had Lydia writing up 50,000 page essays on them

He is also really nice to the other contestants, giving them advice and tips.

He especially likes helping his biscuits Clary and Simon bc he just can’t help it okay, they are his mini apprentices.

He is not allowed to go near Alec for the fear of a monopoly forming.

One day an episode got cancelled because Magnus’ cats started to burst in and eat at the dishes

The whole room was full of his 16 cats and the judges fell out of their seats and the contestants are trying to shoo them off their food BUT GET THIS they don’t touch Magnus’ food he basically called them to sabotage the contest

And get this

They constantly start food fights with each other, and flour, rice, and other crap gets ALL over the place.

Once, Izzy messed up so badly, but nobody wanted her to leave so they all jacked up their dishes and tied for last place

The show runners were forced to make the show a team v team v team and had to get more teams of people last minute.

Their captain’s name was peter, or percan, or whatever. He loved cooking fish.

Then another team lead by a woman who is strangely good at cooking and likes drawing with sauce

Well her team wins and surprise it was Madzie in a glamour all along

Glamours were banned from that point on.

But Magnus and Alec were both proud and taken by surprise that their kid beat them

Wow this was really long my sleep deprived brain went on overload, please feel free to add on to this

[chvrchesrp]

Okay, as of now, you can pick up from where this transcript leaves off. You’re able to write threads on the dash that take place directly after this transcript, or the next day/etc up through March 1st.

Below is the long transcript of tonight’s Chat portion of the event. I broke it up into 5 parts with mini-summaries to try and make it a little easier. Tl;dr summary:

War definitely began, holy Batman, the fights were fighty. There was lighthearted discussion of the food being poisoned once Satan showed up. Magda faced her fears and confronted Satan to ask for safety during the night. Satan felt ganged-up on but agreed to a truce after some coaxing from Renee. Adele invited Satan because 'everyone deserves a chance' and Josh, Maria, and Zoe heartily disagreed with her, causing Zoe to lash out at Adele. People continued to try to have a good time. Elijah and Isaiah supported Adele. Babylon got jealous of Maria and Zoe. Renee brought arm candy. Satan went over and squared off with Magda on his terms. Magda tried to make peace but when he refused, she threw a cinnabun at him. Shibah and Raziel had words with each other. Shibah told Satan to leave, but Satan lingered to say a few words to Adele. After being comforted by Donato, Magda left with Maria; Raziel argued with Magda through the cab window. Shibah told Satan to leave again, which interrupted Babylon comforting Adele; Satan and Babylon left. Kezia got mad about all the posturing. Zoe tried to calm her down and told Shibah to back off. Crowley spent most of the night smoking joints outside and Adele ran outside for a breath of fresh air only to get fresh doubts instilled in her by Crowley. Kiara arrived with baklava. Kezia confronted Kiara to ask about her mom and basically learned she is dead. Raziel pulled Kezia away from Kiara. Zoe went outside to get Adele and ran into Renee, Renee's man friend, and Isadora and effectively lost her shit. Belial showed up with booze. Babylon came back and is drinking with Zoe on the roof.

TRIGGER WARNINGS!! Mention/discussion of abuse/assault.

The 5 ‘Sections’ and their summaries:

INTRODUCTIONS. Dissent and poison discussions.

THINGS HEAT UP. Magda confronts Satan. Zoe fights with Adele about his presence. Tensions rise with Josh, Maria, Kezia, Babylon, Elijah, Renee, Isaiah. Raziel baits Shibah about Cassiel. Crowley, Isadora are dismissive. Satan agrees to a truce.

AND THE PARTY ENSUES. Crowley kisses Magda in public. Baylon gets jealous of Maria’s attention for Zoe. Adele takes a breather and goes back to hosting rather than fight right now. Zoe is hurt. Shibah chats up Kezia. Tensions die down a bit. Donato arrives. Satan gets a mysterious text message. Vodka smoothies happen. Babylon and Satan try to leave, Renee tempers them. Crowley tries to smokes up Raziel. Magda apologizes to Adele and encourages her to connect with Zoe.

SATAN’S ENCORE. Satan baits Magda. Shibah tries to cut Satan off. Zoe prays to Raziel to bring him back inside. Tensions mount in the room, Kezia becomes uncomfortable. Raziel comes back in and tries to halt the situation. Magda makes a peace offering by trying to give Satan a piece of cinnamon bun. Satan rebukes and ignores Magda, as well as ignoring Raziel, addressing only Shibah. Magda throws the cinnabun at Satan and goes to be comforted by Donato and Maria. Magda decides it’s best to leave, asks Donato and Maria to smooth things over inside, Maria decides to leave with her. Shibah commands Satan and Babylon to leave. Kezia has an outburst. Babylon apologizes to Adele. Raziel has words for Shibah. Raziel reprimands Magda. Satan and Babylon leave; Satan has a parting statement for Adele, Babylon and Shibah face-off. Outside, Crowley tries to convert Adele. Shibah apologizes to Kezia.

PESTILENCE ARRIVES AT THE SCENE. Kiara arrives with baklava. Kezia has a message for Shibah, to think more about what they’re leading than that they’re leading it. Zoe gets very concerned seeing Kiara. She tries to get herself and Kezia to find Adele and leave. Kezia becomes entranced by the idea of confronting Kiara about her mother’s whereabouts. Zoe prays for Raziel to come back inside. The baklava really is delicious. Belial appears with wine to comfort Adele. Isadora baits Zoe and Zoe takes the bait, fighting with her nemesis. Kezia demands answers, Kiara withholds them. As that escalates, Zoe prays to Babylon of all people for reinforcement to try to tend with Kiara. With Satan gone off, Babylon comes back. Crowley offers Donato cupcakes. Raziel tries to take Kezia away from Kiara, but Kezia refuses and presses Kiara more; then she goes outside with him.

___________________________________________________________________

1. INTRODUCTIONS.

Dissent and poison discussions.

Magda wandered in to the potluck—she wanted to put on a brave face, but also she wasn't one for cooking, really; takeout was her friend and Maria was the better of the two of them, so she just kind of tagged along. She brought some cupcakes, but they were funfetti with pink icing, something she'd made out of a box. But hey, it was something. She put it on the shared table and looked around.

Kezia sat on the counter having just stuck around after her shift. Her eyes wandered -- everyone seemed happy enough, a good-natured meeting of neighbors. Blowing out a sigh, she leaned back on her hands and kicked absently, beat up Vans marking the bottom of the counter.

"Cool," Isadora said, glancing up from her phone at the cupcakes, one dubious eyebrow raised. "It's like I'm at a kid's birthday party."

Magda snorted at Isadora, never really put off by her. "Hey, at least they taste like childhood and nostalgia, we can't all be chefs. What did YOU bring?"

Following Magda in, Maria set down a crockpot filled with chili and frowned slightly. These sorts of things had a tendency to go badly, but she could understand the attempt. "I like kids birthday parties," she said, defending her sister's creation.

Babylon rarely bothered with dates, but this one offered both brownies and a ride. She'd traipsed in early (for once), Satan at her side, and staked out a spot near enough to the potluck to keep an eye on "things".

Crowley sauntered in with a box of cookies she had stolen from a kid's soccer game party earlier, eyes roving around the building. While they lingered on Magda for a moment, she glanced over to Kezia and grinned, unable to help herself from winking over at her. However, she didn't approach the young woman yet, preferring to head over to Babylon. "Babs, I didn't know if you knew this but there appears to be a Satan on your shoulder."

Adele stood back in quiet amazement that people had actually shown up ( needing to remember to put more faith in believing herself ) as she smiled and greeted those who entered, but never standing still long enough to let her nerves get the better of her or so she hoped. There were familiar faces, ones that she'd never seen before, and a few that she never thought would have showed as such an event. It only made her feel more strongly about her position on having it in the first place as she put the finishing touches on the table full of food, smiling over at the nearest face. "Don't be afraid to dig in, we don't want all this food to go to waist," she replied faintly, a touch of exhaustion across her brow before she wiped it away with a wider grin that eclipsed it.

Zoe appeared from the back, untying her apron and hanging it on a hook before moving to set a plate of fresh tempura on the shared table. She was in a particularly edgy mood lately and startled when she caught sight of Satan, becoming incredibly tense. Moving back towards Kezia, she exhaled shakily, "Can I pass on this next time?"

"Coconut rice." Isadora shrugged; it was somewhere on the table, in some bought-to-use-once container. The only thing Dad ever taught her that she could still remember how to make. She favored Maria with a brief, flimsy smile. "Nice. I bet you even get home before bedtime. What is that, seven o'clock?" Izzy paused. "Is it past your bedtime now?"

The wink from Crowley brought a slow smile over Kezia's face but it tempered at the sight of Satan, of Babs, of Zoe. Setting her teeth together, she mustered a smile for her best friend. "Dude. Preaching to the choir," she said softly. Inconspicuously, she linked their pinkies together. But she couldn't help the way her gaze wandered back to Crowley, before scanning over the rest of the crowd with interest.

Isaiah wandered in, nothing but a plastic container of some very malformed cookies in his hands. He beelined to Adele, "I think that these," he wiggled his container of treats, "really should go to waste."

The grin Babs flashed Crowley was nothing less than shit-eating; she would expect no one else to notice she was higher than hell, figuratively, than the younger demon. Kezia's eyes certainly didn't go unnoticed-- Babs lifted a hand and wiggled her fingers Kezia's way. "He made a convincing case for attendance. Want a brownie?"

Magda nodded and didn't sass back, for once—at least Isadora had made something real, which she couldn't account for herself, and the dwarfing she felt with that only made her feel smaller when Babylon and Satan walked in. She was glad Naomi was nowhere in sight, but it took everything in her not to bolt. Magda looked for Adele, wondering—knowing he had to have been invited—but wondering if she could manage whatever he would do. She stood, ever so slightly, behind Maria, trying not to hide by Crowley.

Maria ignored Isadora, looking past her to lift two fingers in greeting toward Zoe. She would have left to go speak to her instead, a far more pleasant source of conversation, but this time she was not going to be separated from her siblings.  Not while Satan sat in the corner.

“Just here to make sure she doesn’t get away with pretending these weren’t store bought.” Satan deadpanned at Crowley, looking more and more disgruntled the more of the interior he took in, and of course, Adele beaming like some pure force of hosting prowess right in the center of it. “Might as well eat them, everyone else is already probably convinced they’re poisoned."

"Nope!" Adele told Isaiah with a small laugh, taking the container and opening it up to set it with some of the other desserts, both a mixture of her own creations as well as some that'd been brought by others before she turned back towards him. A quick embrace, one that couldn't have been stopped even if given the chance, before she pulled back but didn't release him hands until she gave them a comforting squeeze. "If they don't get devoured tonight, then you can bet that they're gonna end up with some people that'll love 'em just as much as me for you bringin' them. Everythin' that's left over is gonna be donated to the soup kitchen afterwards so," she nodded as she spoke before letting his hands go. "Thank you."

A sigh blew from lips as Renee walked in, a murmured comment, cutting between her and the man whose hand she’s got her uninjured one intertwined into. “Are you sure you want to meet them? We could go back to my place and have really great sex instead,” she said, though he shook his head, as she figured he would. “I want to meet the people you associate with.” At that, she shrugged, “Be careful what you wish for, dearest,” she said softly, before following him to the table where he casually dropped some sort of casserole onto the table, a thing he’d made for the occasion because Renee insisted she didn’t cook with him too, and he felt badly showing up empty-handed. Then, she gently tugged him off to the side slightly, before starting to discreetly point out familiar faces and feed him names as well as slight pieces of information about each of them.

"You're so sweet," Isaiah said to Adele, ears perking up at the word 'poisoned' from another of the attendees. "D'you think people actaully would poison anything here?" Isaiah's eyes were wide; a little bit suspicious at the people he didn't recognize

"Ah, that's cool, that's cool," Josh said, appearing over Adele's shoulder. He mixed the boozy part of a smoothie with the straw. "This is pretty--" Fuck him, that was a whole pack of demons. "--cool. Uh--who all did you invite?"

"A brownie? Always." Crowley didn't wait for Babylon to even offer the container to her, greedy fingers snatching one of the squares up. In turn, she offered the box of cookies. "I think they're macadamia nut, I'm not exactly sure yet. Didn't really buy them myself." She arched an eyebrow at Satan, canting her head to the side. "What a good gem you are, Satan." She faked a look of surprise. "Are you telling me you didn't poison them for once? How surprising." She caught sight of Renee and both of her eyebrows went up. "Bow chicka bow wow, Renee brought a beefcake."

Kez hopped from the counter, leaving Zoe with an affectionate tug in her hair, and tracked carefully to the table of food. She popped a cookie in her mouth and snagged an extra for Zoe. Heading for the smoothies, she sniffed out one with rum for herself and one with vodka for her friend. Catching wind of a conversation, she chuckled. "Poison might be welcome..."

Elijah ran his hand through his hair, eyes set on the bowl in his hands. Mac & Cheese wasn’t exactly the best thing to bring to a potluck and considering the many people already inside, he was wondering if he should go in at all. But one look inside had him meeting Adele’s gaze and he knew he had to step in. With a sheepish smile on his features, Eli made his way to the shared table and lingered there as he took a look around the place and the familiar faces as well as the ones he hadn’t met yet, before casually making his way towards Isaiah and Adele. "Do we know everyone here?" He asked quietly, wrapping an arm around his best friend's shoulders as he grinned at Adele.

"Yo, Vice! Who's your date?" Izzy called out from her perch on against a tabletop.

Shibah knew she'd be a few minutes later to Adele's party, but as she placed her stuffed shells -- tradition Italian like her mother taught her -- she was certain the hostess would forgive her. After scanning the room she smiled at Adele and gave a small wave. She made eye contact with each person she passed as she made her way towards an empty bit of counter in search of a drink.

Adele tried not to laugh, or deny the fact that she'd heard the same thing before her gaze fell on the source before she whipped her hair over her shoulder and faced Isaiah once more with a blinding smile. "If you want, I'll try anythin' you're interested in eatin' first just to prove that it ain't poisoned, trust me." She heard an all too familiar voice over her shoulder that had her trying to keep her cool as her smile only wavered ever so slightly at the sight of Josh talking to /her/ of all people before she managed to catch herself. "I uh... everyone? Everyone that I could... you know, spread the word an' all that good stuff. I'm glad that you came tonight."

Zoe let her pinky hook with Kezia's, grateful for her friend's presence and raised her free hand to wave at Maria, giving her a small smile. When Maria made no move to come towards her, she resigned herself to sitting on the countertop, only to have Kezia hop off and make a move for the food. Bristling, she let her fingers dig into the countertop and watched, anger boiling in her stomach as the thought occurred to her that Satan had been invited. Adele had invited Satan to this, to be with them.

It certainly wasn't the first time the surly bulldog at her side had snapped at a friendly face. Babs didn't expect the hand she squeezed his elbow with to offer him any reassurance but extended the gesture all the same. She couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride as she took stock of Renee's "beefcake", displaced as the feeling was. "Damn. She's got a hotter date than I do."

"Hopefully by the night's end, we will?" Adele chewed on her bottom lip, holding back her smile at Elijah when he came in and found himself situated between her and Isaiah as her gaze was caught on the sight of Shibah, taking her breath away that she'd actually come.  Maybe Jairus hadn't been wrong in  saying that people would come, giving her a small boost of confidence as she waved back.(edited)

"What if i eat like six servings of Leggy's mac n' cheese? I doubt that's poisoned," Isaiah said, but smiled at Adele's offer. "How y'doin, Eli?"

Plinking down the gathered goodies for Zoe, Kezia followed her friend's line of sight. "Be cool, Sodapop." There was a note of warning in her voice, though. Catching sight of a few friendly faces, Kezia chucked a /shaka/ to Josh and Isaiah.

Of all the things that Raziel had to do, going to the potluck was relatively low on the list, but he'd still shown up. Empty-handed, having had a dish delivered on his behalf earlier that day, and uncharacteristically later than he normally would have been, the angel brushed lint from the shoulder of the dark gray long-sleeve shirt he was wearing as he made his way inside. His gaze picked out familiar faces, lingering on the ones that were likely to cause trouble, and wound his way through the crowd without greeting anyone and grabbed a drink, vodka, to start the night off with. Maria gently steered Magda away from Isadora and the food table, moving them both toward Joshua. There was a small crowd around Adele so Maria didn't try to engage her in conversation yet, posing her words to her brother instead. "One wrong move from Satan and we're out of here. Agreed?" "You're gonna get bogged down in all that mac 'n cheese that someone's gonna have to roll you out of here," Adele told Isaiah with a smile, glancing over to where she saw Zoe and Kezia as she gave them a small wave and a hopeful shrug of her shoulders at the night's turn out. "Everyone?" Josh said to Adele, eyeing up Satan. His hands balled up into fists and he had to force them open. He glanced down to Maria, speaking close and quiet. "Agreed. Get yourself out of here." "Hopefully," Elijah agreed, a frown appearing on his features at Isaiah's words. "Poisoned?" The question left his lips in as he tilted his head. "Why are we talking about poison here? --But yes, you should, I make the best in town, let's be real."

Maria shook her head, fully in older sister mode. "No. All of us." Having located a gin and tonic Shibah turned to survey nearby company. "Good evening, Raziel." Shibah gave a nod to the angel, keeping half an eye on the gathering crowd of demons that had appeared. /Poisoned./ The word moved through the room like a goddamn fog. Babs nudged Satan with one knee and shot a black look his way, muttering "Jesus Christ, can you use your inside voice?" Magda didn't mind being moved by Maria toward her sibling and toward Joshua—and she echoed Maria's sentiments. "I'm not leaving you again." "If i die from over-eating mac n cheese it's just how i want to go." Isaiah's eyes darted around the room -- so many people he didn't recognize. "Yeah, some rando mentioned 'poisoned' and it's just... y'know? A thought that sticks?" "Anyone who wanted to come," Adele replied simply,  not stressing on the fact that most of her didn't believe that anyone WOULD have come. "Nothing is poisoned, goodness... if everyone thinks that then no one is gonna try anythin' tonight." Satan huffed out a laugh as he rolled his eyes, far from oblivious to the glares being thrown their way. “You brought a much less popular date too. Do you think it’s because I didn’t bring a casserole?” The title Vice grabbed Renee’s attention instinctively, the label as much a part of her as anything else. Glance lingered on him for a final moment, as she whispered to him, “Well, no getting out of it now.” Then, eyes flickered from him to Isadora in an instant and a smirk crossed lips, before she called back to her, “A not so well-kept secret of mine, now.” Making the decision she didn’t want to scream across the room, she crossed to the tabletop, Izzy’s perched herself on, bringing him along before facilitating introductions. “Isadora, Liam. Liam, Isadora." "Pardon me, loved ones, I see a Ivan I wanna speak to." Crowley turned to look at both Shibah and Raziel, taking in the sight of the possible new God. Licking her lips, she strolled over to them, looking nonchalant. She spoke to Raziel first, green eyes running down his pretty face. "Where's your cabbage? Aren't Russians supposed to bring cabbages?" Josh grimaced. Both Magda and Maria's arms and legs were unbroken--for now. "I can take him," he insisted. If I have to, he finished in his head. The bottom of her smoothie cup vacuumed and Kezia gave a dark laugh. "I'm gonna need a few more of these, ya know?" Leaning back, she tossed the cup into the garbage can behind the counter. "Especially if we're gonna be singing Kumbaya." Elijah's gaze flickered between Isaiah and Adele, then around the room at everyone who'd attended. "Okay, nothing's poisoned so we should all just.. dig in?" He shrugged. Why would anyone think that in the first place?

2. THINGS HEAT UP.

Magda confronts Satan. Zoe fights with Adele about his presence. Tensions rise with Josh, Maria, Kezia, Babylon, Elijah, Renee, Isaiah. Raziel baits Shibah about Cassiel. Crowley, Isadora are dismissive. Satan agrees to a truce.

There was a part of this that literally tortured Magda, to be cowering, to be waiting like prey, to have to stand behind her brother's strength, her sister's wisdom. She couldn't live in fear—she'd done it too many years and had just got out of her hole a month ago and she wasn't willing to Groundhog Day it back in. Eyes flashing between Maria and Josh, she—she did what a fool would do. “Cool," Isadora said, favoring Vice's Liam with a crescent smile that lasted for about two seconds. Zoe huffed quietly next to Kezia and nodded, "Please, share. I don't know how I'm gonna make it through all of this." "Don't be stupid," Maria snapped, though she wasn't truly annoyed with Joshua. The situation just made her tense. "There are too many people here. Let the Angels handle him if anything goes wrong, grab a civilian and get out. Meet back at my place if we get separated?" "i think it was the linebacker squeezed into regular people's clothes that said it? He seems the type." Isaiah tried not to smile at his comment, it was mean but it wasn't wrong Magda sighed loudly—if the spirit of this event was togetherness, then that wasn't going to work divided as they were. Besides, Raziel was here with her this time, and she refused to feel as vulnerable as she was. The redhead spitfire walked right over to where Babylon and Satan were standing, her Louboutins toe to toe with Babylon's, but her eyes were for Satan. "Hello." Kezia cast her eyes to her friend, snagging on sticky edges. "Dude. Say the word and we can bail early. Horde a bunch of the alcoholic drinks and find a pier to drink under?" With that, she hopped up again with a smile and set about gathering a few drinks and plate full of the food for her and Zoe to share. With a side-long glance, Raziel took in Shibah's presence there. He bit his tongue, refraining from snapping out a comment about how she now wanted to play at amicability, since they were in public. "Where's Cassiel?" He'd barely gotten the question out when Crowley's recently familiarized face appeared and brows rose, something akin to amusement on his mouth. "Potatoes, too, but I'm fresh out of both, it seems. So sorry to disappoint, Crowley." Josh saw it as it was happening. "--da--" he managed to croak. "/Shit./" No sooner had Maria laid out a very sensible plan that included the three nephilim sticking together than Magda was gone, standing toe to toe with her own nemesis and Maria's ex. "Jesus Christ." Magda looked Satan up and down. "Monsters always clean up nice, don't they? Only way they survive in the world. Think we can agree, for the evening, for you to keep your shit in check?" Satan didn’t bother concealing his surprise as the all too familiar redhead made a beeline for them through the crowd and he waited for her with a grin that would’ve been placid on any other face. “Fancy seeing you here, Magdalene. Bring anything good for the group? Cobbler? Fresh apple pie?” Zoe's eyes tracked Magda's movements, watching carefully as she moved towards Satan, unable to stop herself from getting up to follow her. She all but ignored Kezia for the moment, stuck in one state of mind as she got close, but not too terribly. And now Zoe too. "Shit is right," she muttered, following her sister and her girlfriend into the eye of the storm. "He never should have been invited," she tossed over her shoulder at whoever wanted to listen, more than a little annoyed. Babs' smile was surprisingly docile and wholly genuine. She admired the human's sheer cheek; that move would put Abaddon to shame. "Cute shoes, Magda." An amused smile passed across Renee's face at Izzy's reaction, before he glanced at her uncertainly,  uncomfortable at the less than entirely warm reception. She had warned him. However, then Renee's eyes flickered across the room and noted Magda standing near Satan and Babylon. "If you'll excuse us," she said calmly, before crossing to the assembled party and placing herself right behind Satan, leaning forward with no warning and whispering to him, "Don't." Shibah opened her mouth to reply but before she get a word out Crowley had slipped into their conversation with mutterings of cabbage. Shibah raised an eyebrow as she sipped her drink. "Plenty of vodka though." Elijah’s gaze followed his best friend's to the guy in the back, and an eyebrow raised. "Sounds about right." Though while Is was distracted, he subtly reached towards Adele's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before letting go in case anyone's gaze drifted their way. "You got this, it's going to be fine." He whispered, as he leaned back against the wall closest to them. "That fucker never should have been invited," Josh said, a growl in his voice. He glanced at Adele. "Listen, you know--that guy is bad fucking news, okay?" Magda smiled nonchalantly, face unperturbed, "I would think that more to your taste, seeing as you were the one force-feeding apples last time I checked." She flickered her attention to Babylon, more suspicious now of the beautiful woman than she'd been before, to have the Beast on her arm. "Thank you," she replied, but compliments weren't why she'd come. "I can't breathe with you here," she said to Satan directly. "I know that pleases you. I don't care. Can you or can you not keep your shit in check tonight? Are you even capable?" Crowley laughed, unable to help herself at the angel's comment. All around her were members of the Church of Virtues and angels with only a few Sinners and even fewer demons but Crowley wasn't worried. She knew she could take at least a quarter of these fucks in a bar fight. She glanced over her shoulder to where small Magda was staring up at the towering Satan. That's my Girl, she couldn't help but think. She glanced back at Shibah and nodded, looking very serious. "Aye, and that'll be a good thing when someone eats far too much and needs the liquor to vomit up all the food." Maria stood silently behind Magda, arms crossed. She hoped to look menacing, but knew that even with a different face Babylon would know she was hardly that. Zoe was hovering behind Magda, both protective and fearful, running purely on adrenaline as their last encounter with Satan flickered through her mind. She felt Maria beside her and exhaled, "Why would Adele invite him? Why is he here? Who is he going to hurt this time?" Magda was Crowley's, wasn't she? The little shit with the hair like fire and mouth to match. If for no other reason, Babs decided-- however abruptly-- that she'd go out on a limb to distract Satan and prevent another 'mishap'. "He's behaving. He brought brownies." "Perhaps a visit to the emergency department might be in order after such a thing." Shibah raised an eyebrow. "Will you be needing such a visit tonight, Crowley?" Kezia glanced at the confrontation and bristled. Zoe had joined but Kezia was keeping her distance. Her eyes caught on the anger in Josh's face and she sighed -- lesser of two evils. "Dude," she intoned softly, coming up to his side. As nonchalantly as possible, she tucked another drink into his hand. "You cool?" "I appreciate the brownies—or rather I'm sure Adele does," Magda said coyly, "but I think the Beast can speak for himself." More people. The grin faded away. “What, no making friendly conversation?” Satan snapped at Renee, thoughtless, “Don’t you have someone to be looking after? Or is he proving to be more of the ‘crawl away alone to die’ sort?” It wasn’t the first time he’d found himself caged in on all sides, but never before had it been by a group of women quite like this. “And Madga, I thought this was supposed to be a peaceful meeting. Which of us is playing rabble-rouser here?” "Mm." Isadora pushed off the table, wandering over to the liquor. "Limo fight, part two." Adele's eyes fell on her hand, feeling Elijah give it a small squeeze of strength before she shot him a small smile and nodded. "Everyone deserves a chance," she told Josh before her eyes were on Zoe. Magda snorted. "I'm not the one with the millennia  old track record, so I am within reason to ask the question. I want to know what we're all getting into. If you say you're cool—well, I'll doubt it, but at least I'll function civilly further away." "He has had /lifetimes/ of chances," Josh shot back. "And he still takes whatever and does whatever." Again, Raziel cut his gaze sideways at Shibah's comment about vodka. He didn't bother wasting the energy with responding, ignoring Crowley's comments too, as his attention had been brought across to the gathering of demons and humans and Nephilim across the room. He knocked back the rest of his vodka before making his way over, gaze sliding across the faces of Satan and Babylon and Renee. "I hope no one's causing anyone trouble over here," Raziel said, positioning himself so that he could see both sides and he, rather pointedly, put his gaze on Maria and Magda. "It's starting to look a little... West Side Story-ish." As the situation behind her grew even tenser with the words being fired back and forth, Crowley couldn't help but smirk over at Shibah. "No, I don't think so. However, I definitely might make my way over to one of Lucifer's virgin sacrifices. Do you want the deets, Shibs? Gotta get those supposedly Godly hands bloody, yeah?" She looked her up and down, clicking her tongue. "I must say, if you're going to be God, you're gonna have to try to not be as disappointing as the last one." She shook her head regretfully. "I don't see you living up to that expectation though." Zoe couldn't help but whip herself around, totally changing direction and tactic as she heard Adele tell Josh that 'everyone deserved a chance.' She was so angry, so fearful, her feelings unchecked as of lately and she couldn't seem to help herself. "HE deserves a chance? After what he did to Magda? After what he did to ME? Do you really believe that, Del? Do you?" She was almost shaking in her fear and anger and the betrayal she felt was palpable. "They're saintly," Babylon drawled Raziel's way, making a poor show of hiding her discomfort. "Coming at us like a pack of hyenas." “Then start doing it. Your siblings over there are champing at the bit for an excuse-” Satan gave Josh  a gaunty wave over Magda’s shoulder, more of a patronizing waggle of his fingers than anything else, “- and as much as I would love to test out the probability of it going well for them another round, I don’t think Adele would be very happy about her block party heading that direction.” Here, Renee freed her hand from Liam's, and placed it upon Satan's shoulder, fingernails digging into him, sighing as she's made herself into a target- though better her than someone else. "Don't make this unpleasant," she said softly, before pausing a moment, "And I'm currently only interested in looking after you. No one else."(edited) Kezia went stiff at all the shouting, immediately uncomfortable. The cup of smoothie in her hand strained as her grip tightened. Maria uncrossed her arms and snapped sarcastically for Raziel's benefit. She was just here to make sure Magda didn't get into trouble, not to stir it up further. "Oh, for fuck's--" said Babylon. For the first time in a long time (centuries, most likely), Satan found himself wishing Belial would appear, if only to get his pet out of the way. "Don't patronize me." His eyes still never left Magda's face, but the focus of his words was clear. "I asked a simple question. You still haven't answered it. That's all I want, Satan, an accountable answer. I know you might just lie, but at least I want to hear it, that tonight, there's truce between us, and then I'll leave you be. There are cinnamon buns with my name on them,” sighed Magda. Adele took a step back at the intensity of Zoe's words, trying to straighten herself back up but she felt like she'd taken a punch to the gut at the strength of her words. "Zoe... I.." She was at a loss for words. "Maria." Raziel's voice was cold, and nearly as icy as his gaze. His gaze lifted, catching sight of an agitated Zoe and Adele nearby. "Go check on Zoe." He was here now, and more durable than her if things broke down with Satan. Even as his eyes remained on Magda's, Renee knew the comment was aimed at her. "Then play nice and give Magda the answer she wants to hear." A smile passed across face, "It's not very difficult." It might not have been difficult, but Renee was certainly making it that way. Babylon couldn't help shooting her sometimes-friend an exasperated little and what the fuck are you doing? look. Isadora nudged Kezia. A vodka smoothie of her own condensed in her hand. "Don't sweat it. Betcha Vice talks him down." Maria frowned, but looked over her shoulder at Zoe. She looked more brittle than Maria at the moment and that was a situation she was more likely to be able to diffuse. She sighed and squeezed Magda's elbow before slipping away across the room again. One arm slid around Zoe's waist but she didn't speak just yet, waiting for Adele to answer what seemed like a valid question. Josh was somewhat past words--not his specialty, anyway. He crossed his arms, standing at Zoe's back over her and Maria. Zoe felt Maria's arm around her waist and relaxed just slightly, the warmth of her girlfriend giving her the tiniest bit of calm. Her voice and expression were still pointed though, still angry as she took in the sight of her best friend. A beat, Satan silently weighing the options of letting the situation be versus turning the smoothie bar into something more like a meat locker. "Alright, Magda." He finally said, voice defaulting to a neutral coldness. "Tell Renee she's more likely to keep her hand if she removes it from my shoulder, and I'll play nice with all the neighbours."

3. AND THE PARTY ENSUES.

Crowley kisses Magda in public. Baylon gets jealous of Maria’s attention for Zoe. Adele takes a breather and goes back to hosting rather than fight right now. Zoe is hurt. Shibah chats up Kezia. Tensions die down a bit. Donato arrives. Satan gets a mysterious text message. Vodka smoothies happen. Babylon and Satan try to leave, Renee tempers them. Crowley tries to smokes up Raziel. Magda apologizes to Adele and encourages her to connect with Zoe.

"Now if you pardon me, beloved dove. I gotta be the belle of the ball and say hello to someone." Crowley passed by Kezia and couldn't help but pause to place a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Take a breather, kid. Let me handle this. Demons and angels don't even compare to crackheads." She rolled her shoulders back, light glinting off the black leather before she strolled forward again. She wasn't kind in elbowing people out of her way. Her green eyes swirled with mischief as she shoved her way to place a hand on Magda's shoulder to spin her away from Satan and into the chaos demon's arms. "Don't even wanna come over to say hi, babe? Rude." Crowley didn't let her speak before she swooped in and placed a kiss on the redhead's lips. And there went Clara-- Maria-- wrapping herself around Zoe's waist like a second skin. Jealousy was an unfamiliar enough sensation to make Babylon's teeth grate together. "Looks like an all-sides block party really means 'whites only'," she muttered Satan's way. Guess we should've read the fine print.

The touch from Crowley was unexpected but did help. It helped to know that she wasn't the only one in this for some kind of cooperation. Shaking her head a little, Kezia edged back to her seat at the counter. With Maria gone, Raziel turned his gaze back to the others. Renee's presence was grating on his nerves, too, but she couldn't be as easily ordered around. A response to Babylon's comment about 'whites only' was on the tip of his tongue when Crowley swooped in to plant a kiss on Magda's lips. He felt his brows lift, despite his normally well-restrained expression, before blue eyes rolled slowly. "Now that that's out of the way, are we done here?" Crowley took a step back from Magda and patted the woman on the chick, nodding approvingly. "Just wanted to see if those lips were as soft as they looked when you danced." She glanced to Satan and clicked her tongue. "Thought maybe I could taste the prophecies but alas, it appears I was wrong." Crowley spun and bumped her hip into some passing woman, "accidentally" knocking her down so her glass shattered along the floor. "Yikes. That's my b, I'll admit." Maria rolled her eyes at Adele's lack of response, a soft snort of derision escaping from her lips. Adele was supposed to be Zoe's best friend. Maria refused to believe the girl could be so naive as to be fooled not only by Belial - which wasn't entirely her fault - but also by Satan. "Come on, Zoe, Kezia is looking lonely." Shibah pressed towards Kezia, preferring to keep an eye on the fray in the middle of the room rather than join in quite yet. "How's your evening going?" She asked, the growing friendship with the demon on her mind, though not voiced out loud. Magda nodded her head; he seemed almost—disappointed? Deflated? She couldn't believe for a second he actually wanted to /talk/ to her. So she matched his neutral cold tone and looked at Renee, "You're more likely to keep your hand if you remove it from his shoulder," her eyes dead mimic for his. She almost thanked him—almost—but couldn't bare it, couldn't even believe it, but it was the best she was going to get. Almost said something about kicking him in the balls again, but refrained, for Adele's sake. She kept her word, though, she backed off. If Satan wanted to make small talk... well, they'd see, like always, how the night went. Kezia mustered a smile for Shibah, bopping a laugh. "Oh, just peachy," she said, a little breathlessly. Between surprises kisses and racial innuendoes, Kezia wasn't feeling very welcome, to be honest. Magda was surprised that Crowley planted a kiss on her lips, right in front of Satan, and then brushed it off like she should have done something else. Slightly rankled, she let it slide with an internal 'chaos demon' kind of sigh before looking for Adele. She wanted to know what went into the cinnamon buns. As tension dissipated and Satan's acquiescence lingered in the air, followed by Crowley's actions, Renee removed her hand from Satan's shoulder as suggested. Another soft comment from her followed, made for Satan's ears only, though it was loud enough that perhaps Babylon or anyone close could hear it. "And do not bring up Belial to me right now. Now enjoy your evening." Then she turned away from the gathered group, facing Liam with a smile. "Sorry, dear. I did tell you, be careful what you wish for," she said with a shrug, before recapturing his hand and tugging him away. Shibah winced slightly at the tone of Kezia's voice before nodding in agreement. It does seem to be that kind of night. "I'm glad you're sticking it out though. Feels like I haven't seen you in weeks, and it's nice to see you out of work. err... off the clock I guess. Might be nice to try and make it a habit." Though the assault from all sides seemed to be over, Satan’s hackles still refused to go down entirely. “Remind me, Babylon,” He ground out, jaw clenched tight as he watched Madga and Crowley’s brief collision, “Was this your idea or mine?” Kezia let her shoulder bump against Shibah in a friendly manner. "Yeah, I guess it has been awhile. I've been on the waves or at the gym mostly in between shifts," she reasoned. Not to mention, seeking out answers about her mother. "Yours," Babylon muttered sidelong towards Satan, turning a look that was only just shy of a glower towards Renee's retreating back. "Some fucking party." Zoe felt betrayed and hurt, her chest aching as she tried to figure out why it felt like the world was crumbling around her, following Maria and Josh's lead over towards Kezia. Deflating a little, she exhaled shakily, "I... probably shouldn't have snapped. I don't feel great right now." Looking up at Kezia, she 

Kezia shook her head at her friend's apology, smile a fine line. "You cool?" ashed asked, eyes trying to divine something past words. Timing wasn't always Donato’s strength. Was it a benefit or a curse that he had apparently missed something that left quite a bit of tension in the air? He didn't quite know. Either way, he entered the room and sought a familiar face, seeing Magda's first. And so, he crossed the room, matching pace with her as she walked to wherever she was going. "I miss something?" "That does sound nice." Shibah paused in thought for a moment. "You know, surfing is one of the few things I've not had the chance to explore yet in my lifetime. Would it be strange to ask you for a couple of lessons? I'd pay you of course." Shibah looked up as Zoe, Maria and Josh approached and smiled. "Evening, Zoe. Something on your mind?" Maria gave Zoe a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Later, perhaps, she would bring the situation up with Adele but this seemed like...not the best timing. Zoe was too emotional to handle any response. And honestly, what could Adele say? There was no defense Maria could think of that would satisfy her. "Kezia, where did you get that drink? Please tell me there's alcohol in it." Kezia waved her hand. "You wouldn't have to pay me. I'd probably just be out ther eon my own time anyway." Grinning to Maria, she nodded. "Of course there is. "She pointed to the counter with the alcoholic smoothies set up. "One of us is wrong and I don't think it's me." Satan was halfway through one of her grocery store brownies before he realized it, decisively turning his gaze out the window rather than continuing to scope out the crowd. Left well enough alone, his mind was more on the text message still pulled up on his phone screen than this mess of emotional conflict, "Second question: why are we still here?" "I need one of those!" Shibah looked towards the counter with excitement. "Coming up," Maria said, scooting away quickly and grabbing smoothies for all of them. "I have no idea what flavor these are, but I don't care. Everyone grab one." Satisfied for the moment (though still annoyed that a near altercation had come up anyways), Raziel glanced at both Satan and Babylon. "Enjoy your night." The sincerity in his tone was more or less forced, but it was there, before he made his way towards the back of Smooth Moves. He paused at the grouping of Shibah, Kezia, Maria, and Zoe. A look of concern was given for Zoe, before Raziel brought his gaze to Shibah. "I'm stepping outside for a moment. If anything happens, I trust you to handle it." It was the friendliest he'd spoken to her in weeks, or months even. He didn't linger before heading outside, wanting 'fresh' air rather than the tension-heavy one inside. Adele stepped backwards when she watched her best friend walk away, hurt and wanting to talk to her but didn't get the chance. Instead she excused herself from the people she'd been talking to moments before, no longer in the mood to talk, as she ducked behind the table and took a swipe at one of the cakes with a finger as she tasted vanilla. It tasted like nothing at the moment. "Poor life decisions." Babs' eyes were on Raziel's broad shoulders as the angel made a well-timed retreat, too aware that he was the only one who'd moved to their defence. "I'll see you out." Shibah raised an eye at Raziel's retreating back. "Of course." She frowned, frustrated despite his almost friendly tone. "Thanks, Maria." She took a smoothie with a smile, mind buzzing with annoyance over Raziel. Before Raziel made it all the way out, Magda managed to squeeze his hand and whispered, "Thanks for having my back," as he trailed past. Zoe was grateful for the smoothie that Maria handed her, nodding her thanks and moving closer into her side. She was more comfortable nestled between Kezia and Maria, her eyes trying not to find Adele across the room no matter how desperately she wanted to. Responding lightly to Kezia and Shibah, she smiled softly, "I'm cool." She gave Kezia a meaningful look that explained she was anything but. She was trying. A glance backward as they were retreating by Liam, had him catch the glower Babylon sent in her direction, a thing he quickly notified her of with some curiosity. And so, Renee parked him at a seat, offered him a smile, before murmuring, "Give me one moment." Then she crossed back to Babylon, "Don't be angry with me for seeking to keep the peace by tempering Satan even if it was their fault. He's the one who could turn this room into a ruin," she said softly. "And this isn't the place." The close-enough-to-an-apology that Renee offered tempered Babylon enough to slow her stalk. "Could've. Won't. We're leaving." Magda hovered by Adele, but she seemed engrossed in her thoughts, so Magda almost didn't want to interrupt. Had she ruined everything? She just wanted a promise of safety, something they could all look back at, and she didn't think that was a crime to ask him to keep to some basic standards in public places. It wasn't lost on her that every place there'd been an issue, it had been public. Granted, Magda was dramatic, but—she couldn't help it, it was the effect especially he had on her, because of what he'd done. Her skin was crawling with anxiety by the time Donato approached her, but she was happy for a familiar, steady face. Crowley peered up as the familiar blonde stepped outside of Smooth Moves, looking at him through the acrid smoke rising from her joint. "Off to buy yourself a cabbage or are you off to go horseback riding with Putin?" She questioned, almost blending in with the shadows. Satan had nothing left to say to Renee, not even a change in expression to mark her return to their corner of the room even as the pair was attempting to make their exit, just an insistent, "It's time, Babylon." Kezia sent a sad smile to Zoe that said she understood. Her body was still humming with the earlier confrontation. Moving away from the couple, she dropped a friendly kiss to Zoe's cheek. Let her talk to her girlfriend, that should help. She made her way to the food table, loitering by some macaroni and cheese. A glance to Satan followed both of their speeches, an apology living and dying on her lips for a moment, before she shrugged. "Then go." Then Renee shook her head and turned away once more, returning to where she had been before. Babs pressed a hand to Satan's lower back, not pushing so much as urging. The last thing she needed was the pack descending for an encore round. Right behind you. Adele noticed that she wasn't alone as she glanced up and saw Magda, finger in mouth as she was caught red handed trying to eat her feelings as she hid her hand behind her back with a sheepish look in her face. "Sorry, I know... I shouldn't be eatin' without a fork. An'... sorry 'bout," she couldn't even say why she felt the way she did as she waved her hand in the air, gesturing towards everything that she felt as Zoe was on the other side of the room, where Adele wanted to be but couldn't move her feet. Maria's voice was pitched low, intended only for Zoe. "You okay?" And he'd thought he'd be alone, if only for a moment, out here. Rolling his eyes, Raziel turned to face Crowley as his hands, one still warm from Magda's brief squeeze, slipped into the front pockets of dark jeans.. "Putin and I aren't friendly, actually. I loathe him. What's your fascination with cabbage, anyways?" Granted, it wasn't as bad as 'moose and squirrel' jokes. Magda scrunched up her face, answering Adele and Donato somewhat simultaneously. "I just asked Satan to promise a truce because I couldn't convince myself to be here with my abuser without it, but apparently calling a spade a spade made everything—worse, and now I just feel guilty." She didn't excuse Adele's finger-eating, but in a moment of fuck it, she did the same thing, trying to comfort herself with sweetness. "You shouldn't feel guilty, that's my job tonight," Adele told Magda with a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes as she glanced down at the table and suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. Magda shook her head, "I'm the fucking Prophet," she said in a self-deprecating voice. "I have to learn to deal with this. I'm a moving target and he... well, I don't know, I just — I reacted instinctively. But folks are calming now?" she said, tentatively. She looked to where Adele was looking, over at Zoe. "You—you don't have to stay with me, I'm—I'll be okay." "Ah, I see," Donato said, before noting that Satan appeared to be on his way out, and deciding that there wasn't anything he needed to do about that. "Are you good, Magda? Where's Raziel?" Crowley shrugged, bringing the paper up to her lips again. She didn't respond for a moment before she held the joint out toward Raziel. "I watched Avatar the Last Airbender recently and I wanted to see if the Russians loved their cabbage as much as the Cabbage cart guy did."

4. SATAN’S ENCORE.

Satan baits Magda. Shibah tries to cut Satan off. Zoe prays to Raziel to bring him back inside. Tensions mount in the room, Kezia becomes uncomfortable. Raziel comes back in and tries to halt the situation. Magda makes a peace offering by trying to give Satan a piece of cinnamon bun. Satan rebukes and ignores Magda, as well as ignoring Raziel, addressing only Shibah. Magda throws the cinnabun at Satan and goes to be comforted by Donato and Maria. Magda decides it’s best to leave, asks Donato and Maria to smooth things over inside, Maria decides to leave with her. Shibah commands Satan and Babylon to leave. Kezia has an outburst. Babylon apologizes to Adele. Raziel has words for Shibah. Raziel reprimands Magda. Satan and Babylon leave; Satan has a parting statement for Adele, Babylon and Shibah face-off. Outside, Crowley tries to convert Adele. Shibah apologizes to Kezia.

“Actually, you go ahead.” Like a dog with bone he couldn’t quite leave alone, Satan’s eyes fixed once more on the Nephilim behind one of the tables. “There’s one thing I need to resolve.” Leaving Babylon supporting nothing but thin air, Satan turned in his tracks, what remained of the skittish crowd parting before him as he turned the script on Magda’s earlier bold approach. Zoe responded lowly to Maria, "Not sure. I'm trying." Adele shook her head. "I don't think she wants to talk to me right now." Kezia's body tightened, bracing for another confrontation. She followed the slow track of Satan's path with her eyes. "Fuck tonight, seriously," she muttered low under her breath. "You don't have to stay," Maria assured her. "No one would blame you for leaving." She turned her head, spine stiffening as Satan made his way back toward Magda. "Fuck." Raziel's brows furrowed, trying to decide just how those two could be remotely connected. "How does that... what's the connection there?" "I think Raziel is outside, I tried to catch him on the way out but then I lost track," Magda admitted. To Adele, she said, "You can ask, I guess? If she needs space and time, that's fair, but if she'll talk—and you wanna—you can. Or you know, maybe focusing on hostessing will give yourself some ti—" and then she trailed off as she saw Satan draw near again. She steeled her jaw on reflex. There was a second of silence, a second of Satan assessing the girl from a place of pure calculation, somewhere close to amused she’d had the gall to approach him at all before. “You still seem worried that I’m determined to be here just to make your life a living hell,” He was all too aware of how close he stood to her, the memories such an infringement might awaken. “So let me make one thing clear, Magda. You are useless to me at this point. And therefore you are safe. Make of that little tidbit what you will.” Shibah had watched the room from a distance most of the evening, but as Satan swept the room. Quickly she stepped between him and Magda.  "I think you are finished tonight, Satan." Zoe felt Maria tense and looked up, watching Satan move over towards where Magda and Adele sat. It didn't matter how angry she was, she was not about to let either of them get hurt because Satan wanted to prove a point. Putting down her cup, she slid out from Maria's grasp and followed Satan over to the pair, praying desperately to Raziel that he might come back inside if things went sideways. "Here for cake, right? Vanilla?" A tremor ran through her body but her voice didn't shake as she reached out to swipe some of the frosting in front of the two girls. "You know, the cabbage dude from Avatar the Last Airbender. I've never seen anyone love cabbages that much, not even the Russians with all their cabbage dishes. Been to Russia a couple of times and they love cabbage almost as much as we Irish do." Crowley tried again, wiggling her hand to once again offer him the joint. "You gotta binge it sometime, dude. It's A+."

Magda kicked up her chin and looked at Satan full in the face, not willing to let him see her crack or falter, not now. Those moments would be for later, when no one could see the fear leak out of her. No, for now, she was steel, and the backbone was a proud one, not a wish bone, but a triumph she'd tried to rebuild since October. "I worry you're here to make anyone's life a living hell." She stepped forward so their chests were nearly touching. He would be able to smell her perfume as she pushed her own screams from her mind. "I am never useless." Her eyes flickered around the room. "Shame you're going so soon, after all that, tucking tail. I'm hardly a threat—No? You should at least stay and feast." The response was veiled and layered, but she meant that last part, for Adele. Not wavering in her stance before Satan, Shibah gave Magda's hand a quick squeeze of support while her flashing eyes never left Satan's face. Something bitter eeked under Kezia's tongue, like the moment before a big swell, but not as fun. As more and more gathered, she stayed hugged against the wall. "Cabbage.... is an acquired taste." Raziel replied, blue gaze dropping to the offered joint. It wouldn't effect him, wouldn't even cause the slightest bit of change in the chemicals of his body, but before he could either accept it or deny it, he felt a pull within his head. A voice, Zoe's, calling him back inside. Clearly, Shibah hadn't handled whatever was happening. A quietly hissed curse in Russia left his mouth as Raziel turned and swept back inside, gaze immediately singling out what and where the problem was. "Maybe I wasn't clear enough, before." His voice was only a step above a growl as he approached the group, gaze roving from one face to another. "This-" One hand waved, encompassing the air between Satan and Magda, and ignoring Shibah's position between the two. "-This is over. You, both, were invited here under peaceful pretext. If that can't be maintained, I would be happy to rectify the situation, outside. Am I clear?" Magda, shot through with adrenaline and running on sugar and little else, squeezed Shibah's hand back—the first time she'd really touched the Heir. It was odd—almost oversensory, when trying to handle Satan, it was hard to have a would-be God she barely knew at her side, but it wasn't unwelcome. Eying Adele hopefully, Magda picked up a bit of an untouched cinnamon bun and a plate, putting it on it, and broke a piece off—she held it out in her hand daintily, Eve offering food to the Beast. “Poor, battered martyr. Your bravery is inspiring.” The disdain was clear, Satan’s gaze starting to slide from Magda’s steely mask and onto the face of the other girl who’d come up to them — a face that he strangely enough recognized, a connection that would have clicked into place (with possibly disasterous implications) had it not been for Magda’s second surprising action of the night drawing his attention back. He looked down at her offering for a brief moment before the curling of his upper lip made it obvious what his response would be without him even vocalizing it, choosing rather to acknowledge the angelic presence that had joined their group with a curt nod and zero change in expression. “Shibah.” Maria was relieved to see both Shibah and Raziel move in to back Magda up. She would have preferred Zoe stay out of it as well, but maybe Raziel would sent her back the way he'd sent Maria earlier. Zoe let her eyes flicker back and forth between Magda, Satan, and Adele for a moment before using all of her focus to cut herself a piece of cake, her comment seeing to go unnoticed in all the other tension. Satan came over to say... Magda was safe? That was... odd, but not unwelcome. Raziel was there, attempting to get everyone to calm down, but it seemed that the standoff was not coming to an end any time soon. Zoe simply tried to block Adele's body with her own, should things turn violent, watching and waiting and trying to eat the cake that tasted like ash in her mouth so close to Satan. Magda huffed. "Please. Go fuck yourself, then, I tried. Was hard enough to find your balls to kick the first time." She tossed the plate so that the icing would land on Satan's shirt and then just left, not wanting to be among strangers. She let Shibah play at whatever she would and instead coiled herself next to Donato, needing his energy, his grounding. Maria cursed under her breath as Magda literally threw food at Satan. Perhaps if this devolved into a food fight they could avoid an actual fight, but that was likely wishful thinking. She slid off her stool quickly, moving to stand with Magda and Donato. "Was that really necessary, Mags?" she asked softly. Shibah bristled at Raziel's interruption. The situation was being handled, perhaps not in the way /he/ would have done, but Magda was speaking for herself, she did not need other's words foisted upon her. But strangely Satan's attention turned to Shibah instead. "Satan." She replied.  "It is time to take your leave. Take Babylon with you." No smile lit her face, no attempt at pleasantries here.

As things once again began to escalate between Satan and Magda, ending with Magda throwing icing and a plate at Satan, Renee shifted slightly from her position in Liam's lap, intending to once again involve herself, before he wrapped arms about her and shook his head, "Don't Renee. I don't want to see you do that again. You've already been hurt enough lately." Here, she sighed, before leaning back into him. "Fine. This is my world, though, dear. It's not without its fights. If you want to know who I associate with, this is part of it." Magda looked up to Maria and said, her voice finally the tone of all the bravery gone out of her, "He made me a non-person, Mar... I tried and he just talked to Shibah instead. I'm just not going to engage, not that it stopped him when I moved away before." Her eyes asked her to understand. "I asked him to stay." "He should have just left," Maria huffed. "I get it, I do, I just... I want one gathering that doesn't end with someone bleeding. Is that too much to ask? Adele never should have invited him, I don't know what she was thinking." Another outburst and Kezia's frayed nerves snapped. "Oh honestly!" she blurted out. "What the fuck?" Shaking, she turned and dropped her hands to the table, back to the meager crowd and shoulders tight together. "No—you know what, it's me. It's me. I'm going to go, I'll be okay, I'm going to go. Let them stay. This night doesn't deserve this," Magda replied. As was his way, Donato simply observed for the most part as Satan returned, doing nothing to draw attention toward himself or away from the already involved parties. Eyes rolled as Shibah tried to assert herself, but he otheriwse paid more attention to Magda and Maria. "She was trying to be kind," he said, passing no judgement either way on Adele's motivations. "Magda, stay. No one wants you to go." There was a brief silence in the wake of Madga’s last gesture; Satan standing there with a violent inner conflict scrawled clearly across his face. “I think,” He finally managed, “That may be the wisest thing you’ve ever said.”  As for Raziel, he got as much attention as Renee had been afforded at the end of she and Satan’s interaction. In the company of the cherub’s competition, perhaps ignoring him in favor of talking to Shibah was more of an insult than anything Satan might have pieced together from words. “Maybe next time, Shibah.” Magda kissed Donato on the cheek. "Thank you, but it's probably best. You can help smooth things over, I know you can." With that, she moved past everyone and just removed herself from the situation, hoping it would let everyone calm down. If she was the problem, she could be big enough to solve herself. Overhearing Maria, Adele shrunk further into herself and wished that she could just disappear at that moment despite Zoe's presence and the need to to talk to her and fix what she'd done that night in trying to make things right for everyone. It didn't work. So instead, she stepped back and away from the table to put some distance between her and everything. Zoe looked up at Kezia's outburst, concern coloring her features and helping her block out any of her own emotions. Extricating herself from the situation with Satan, Shibah, and Raziel to the best of her ability, she gave one last look towards Adele to make sure she was safe before she moved over towards Kezia and called out softly, "Kez?" Moving closer, she placed her plate down on the counter next to her friend and warned, "I'm behind you, I'm gonna touch you, is that okay?" Placing a hand gently on Kezia's, she looked at her with worried eyes. "If you're going, I'm going," Maria said, following her sister. A small smile passed across Donato’s face at the kiss pressed to his cheek, before he shook his head, disagreeing with the idea that she was the problem, though he did as she suggested and stayed and simply watched her leave. He'd check in on her later, if Raziel didn't beat him to it. Or perhaps he'd check in anyway. Kezia exhaled slowly at the sound of Zoe's voice. She nodded lightly to answer the question. Eyes closed, shame of some kind replaced the fear and anxiety. "Sorry. I didn't mean to--" Her shoulders rolled shrugging. "This is so fucking stupid," she muttered. "Dogs pissing in circles." Adele's retreat brought her closer to the corner where Babs had tucked herself, watching the wholly unnecessary drama unfold. The foibles of humans were less a concern by the day. She reached, not thinking twice until it was too late, for the little churchmouse. Babylon's warm hand ghosted over Adele's sharp elbow. "I'm sorry." That everything went to shit. That they ruined your night. That I couldn't keep him under control. The second the plate left Magda's hand, Raziel's eyes rolled to the ceiling, tongue pressing hard to the roof of his mouth. "Bozhe moy." Muttered under his breath before he steeled himself for an outburst from the demon, though it never came. The lack of acknowledgement from Satan didn't bother him. He was just glad to see that Satan had maintained his cool, for once, and agreed to leave. The angel turned then, gaze cutting disdainfully down to Shibah. "That should have never gotten that far, Shibah. When I say handle it, I mean handle it." Voice a low growl, the angel cast a sweeping gaze over at the rest of the group, only just restraining his irritation, before he turned and headed after Magda. "What was that, if I may ask?" Zoe nodded in agreement, squeezing Kezia's hand. "These types of things don't normally go particularly well. We keep trying to mend the fences but then there's... you know, Satan... that doesn't help." Shutting down her own fear and anger into a small box that she could tuck away, she questioned, "You wanna go? We could go to the beach, sit and listen to the waves. You came, you saw, you realized why this job is so ridiculously hard..." Magda kept walking and hailed a cab, saying over her shoulder as she felt chastised, "I can't right now, but folks in there—they still have a chance to have a good time. I'm not a good time right now, and that's okay. I didn't think I was asking for that much, but I guess I was, and that's okay. I love you. Goodnight." "Very good." Shibah said by way of dismissing Satan. She kept Kezia in sight as she replied to Raziel. "Magda has a right to speak for herself, cake was thrown, not rocks or knives." Her tone was final, she would not take direction or criticism from Raziel tonight, or any other night for that matter. Slowly, Shibah approached Kezia and Zoe, watching the pair, uncertain if she should inject herself in their moment alone. With her breath caught in the back of her throat at the touch to her elbow, it took Adele a moment to realize that she hadn't imagined it but rather had nearly backed into Babylon who was still there. "I though you'd left..." She shook her head. "Don't be, it wasn't your fault... it was mine,  I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have done that. It was, thoughtless of how Zoe an' Magda.... how Naomi an' all of of them might have felt with him here. I just..." What did she want? She wanted everything to be okay, was that so much to ask for? Some days, it felt that it just might be. There was long moment. Broken by a breathy laugh and then, quietly, "It wasn't just him, ya know?" Turning, Kezia met Zoe's eyes carefully. "That was all fucking stupid, from everyone." She shrugged, eyes flickering to Adele, the third of their Powerpuff trio. "Don't wanna hurt Adele's feelings." "Magda, wait!" Maria called, jogging up to join her. "I'm serious, I'm coming with you. I don't want to stay." She looked entreatingly at her, silently begging her not to make her go back into that shit show when this was a perfect reason to leave. En route to the door for the second time that night, Satan paused by Babylon and Adele, not even bothering to offer either of them a smile that would've come out more of a grimace either way. "Well, I hope you've learned something of value, unlike all your little friends." This aside to Adele, his eyes burning into her. "I told you to be careful where you extended your hospitality, didn't I?" The familiar voice cut through the crowd and Shibah turned in an instant. "You were instructed to leave." She ordered to Satan, a hand coming to rest on Adele's shoulder, eyes narrowing as her patience began to wear thin. The cab pulled up and Magda looked softly at Maria, "It's up to you. I think it might be better to help people accomplish what Adele set out to do—I just, I wouldn't have come if I thought he'd be there, I—I tried. But don't let me ruin it." She didn't know who could clean it up, but she knew it couldn't be her, and she knew it didn't have to be Maria. Adele stilled when Satan stopped before her, not even bothering to try to smile for not the first time that night. "I'm sorry for you," she told him with a shake of her head. "I hope you're happy an' you got what you wanted tonight." She didn't, but that didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying. Zoe watched Kezia carefully, responding, "That's true. People aren't really interested in getting along for the greater good or anything right now. Infighting is just as stupid as fighting with Satan. He just... he shouldn't have been invited. He shouldn't have come. But he did and then... things spiraled. I want to understand where Adele was coming from, but everything is too fresh." Sighing heavily, she leaned into Kezia explaining, "I feel better being away from him, but Magda's got a lot of demons to deal with. I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't escalate. Turns out, I didn't help with that much." Looking over at Adele, between Babylon and Shibah and faced with Satan, she shrugged, "No way you can hurt her feelings more than I did." "Can you fuck right off for once, Shibah? We're clearly leaving," said Babylon. "You have both overstayed your welcome, I'm ensuring the message is clear, Babylon," said Shibah. Maria shook her head, "I can't this time. I'll text Zoe, she'll understand. If I stay, I'm going to put my foot in my mouth or lose my temper and make it worse. I'd rather stick with you." She pulled open the door of the cab and slid in without hesitation. "Forgive me, Shibah, I overlooked the part of your history that designated you the patron guardian of smoothie shops." Satan had another small tic of annoyance at Adele's persistent optimism, though her downtrodden expression was at least consistent with the general mood. Kezia bristled visably as voices raised again. Nodding to Zoe, she waved a hand over. "That," she spat out. "All the fucking posturing that just escalates and you could all just let it go." Her eyes darted between Shibah and Satan, Babylon and Adele. "Honestly, you are all so fucking stupid with the baiting and snapping." Her spine straightened. "There are more important things than the size of your dicks." "I won't stop you this time, Babylon." Satan had zeroed in on the demon now, determined not to stretch his patience any further than it was already being tested. "Do you want to stay here and comfort Paula Deen here over her failed brunch, or are we leaving?" Raziel broke into a light jog, closing the short distance between Magda and himself so that she wouldn't leave before he'd spoken to her. He stepped alongside her, one hand lifting to press the door of the cab firmly shut. His gaze didn't stray to Maria as she joined them, but remained firmly on Magda. "What you're asking for is understandable, but not in this situation, Magda. This wasn't hosted by the Church, it was hosted by Adele, who was trying to do something good for everyone. I understand what you were trying to accomplish, but this? This wasn't the right venue for it." He released his grip on the door as Maria moved towards it, allowing her to climb inside. "I don't blame you, and I'm not angry at you, understand that. If you're going to leave... that's fine with me. I know Adele would prefer it if you'd stayed. Crowley, probably, would do the same. Think about it, alright?" Babylon bristled so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash, ignoring Kezia and Satan alike. "You're such a fucking hypocrite, princesa. The only ones picking fights are you and your cronies. Great to know that patience and humility are still virtues." Zoe put a hand on Kezia's shoulder, both in support and hoping to calm her, and explained evenly, "Shibah, this is not your party. This is not your job and not your call. This is Adele's party and frankly, no one asked you." Turning to Babylon she offered, "Babylon, do you want a smoothie? I can put tequila in it." "Babylon." The tide of disent seemed to be turning on another immortal and Satan was eager to make his way out while it wasn't aimed his way, he'd seen enough of the little shop to know what he needed to for his plans for the end of the night. Kezia felt helpless and small. She wanted it all to stop -- wanted to go back home to Pasadena, wanted Mom and Dad to stop fighting, wanted her Mom to come back. Wanted her Mom to come back and this group of people who were the only ones who knew anything were too busy yipping like trumped-up chihuahuas. Turning, she stalked away from the center of the room and put her back against the wall, arms crossed tightly. Adele held up her hands. "Please," she wanted them all to stop fighting before things got out of hand again, ignoring the dig at her character as she glanced around at everyone and knew that they wouldn't stop if they stuck together. An event that she'd hoped would have the opposite effect as she pressed her lips together in a thin line. "Can we all just... take a breath, please? I'm sorry you didn't enjoy yourself or that you had the need to.. do what you did, but you've had your say... everyone has... so please..." She shook her head, out of words as she ducked out from them all to  gather herself and a breath of fresh air as she head straight for the door and walked outside. "Your Church has turned their back on you, kid." Crowley commented from where she still lingered in the alley, eyes focused on the fragile pale figure in front her. Adele. Charity. Funny how charitable she was to everyone but no one was charitable right back to her. It amused her to see the Church of Virtue was as hypocritical as she had always known it to be. "I think you should hunt for another." Watching Maria's girlfriend intervene with success almost gave Babylon a stress rash. "Fuck," she muttered, eyes turning upwards as if praying to their dead God for strength. "Raincheck, Zoe. Thanks." And she meant it. "But I've gotta get out of here five minutes ago." "If you want," Magda said to Maria, again, and then her eyes narrowed surprisingly at Raziel, who had never been the target of her ire. "This isn't about any fucking Church. Heaven knows if it wasn't for you I'd probably pledge Sinner. Not everything is politics, Raz, thought it might be for you. Last time I saw him, he hurt Naomi almost as bad as he hurt me the time I saw him before that. So sorry for asking that he assure a fucking truce for the night—what's the right venue for that? When's the right venue for me to ask for my safety when my every interaction with him has involved assault?—but he couldn't just say Okay, he had to be HIMSELF about it until I stepped away, and when I was aside, he approached ME and baited me, and I responded by fucking trying! I know it was Adele throwing it or I wouldn't have tried to feed him, to assuage my abuser! I tried to be nice and he pretended I wasn't even there! That I wasn't human! AGAIN! That Shibah was the only relevant being! What am I, I'm just a pig to be stuffed, so whatever." She stopped speaking and closed the cab, rolling down the window. "I don't blame you and I'm not angry at you. Go be God. I know Adele would prefer it if you fixed it. But you're not me, and I can't. I'm sorry." "A second Exodus seems to be the way the night is going." Satan offered his hand down to where Babylon sat, his expression a mirror of her own frustration. Zoe nodded to Babylon, full of a sincerity that surprised her, and exhaled, "Any time. Get home safe, however that is. That goes for anyone else leaving." At Adele's words Shibah ignore Zoe's commands and Babylon's snark, removing herself from main crowd to work on cooling off. A few moments later she neared Kezia, though kept her distance as she doubted the girl wanted her company. "I won't come closer. I simply wanted to apologize for upsetting you tonight, Kezia." She started to back away, uncertain how much longer she would be staying tonight.

5. PESTILENCE ARRIVES AT THE SCENE.

Kiara arrives with baklava. Kezia has a message for Shibah, to think more about what they’re leading than that they’re leading it. Zoe gets very concerned seeing Kiara. She tries to get herself and Kezia to find Adele and leave. Kezia becomes entranced by the idea of confronting Kiara about her mother's whereabouts. Zoe prays for Raziel to come back inside. The baklava really is delicious. Belial appears with wine to comfort Adele. Isadora baits Zoe and Zoe takes the bait, fighting with her nemesis. Kezia demands answers, Kiara withholds them. As that escalates, Zoe prays to Babylon of all people for reinforcement to try to tend with Kiara. With Satan gone off, Babylon comes back. Crowley offers Donato cupcakes. Raziel tries to take Kezia away from Kiara, but Kezia refuses and presses Kiara more; then she goes outside with him. Babylon drinks with Zoe on the roof.

Kiara casually strolled in toward the table with a big plate of baklava with chocolate frosting. Three hours late was better than not arriving at all, she thought. "Well, there are less people than I anticipated. Disappointing," she announced. "So where should I put this?" "They haven't..." Adele felt her shoulders rise and fall, letting out a heavy sigh as she brushed back the hair from her face to glance over at Crowley with a twist on her lips that wasn't a smile or a frown. It was the confusion that she felt in her heart at tonight's gathering. "I should have known better... I should have paid more attention, or I should have been better at... thinkin' about Zoe an' Magda's feelings 'bout tonight." But she hadn't. That weighed heavily on her. Babs slid a hand into the one Satan offered, letting her nails bite into his skin hard enough to leave crescent-shaped marks. She knew he'd understand that she needed it-- needed to flash her canines and shriek at someone, and he was by far the safest option to weather the temporary storm. "Get us gone." Kezia's shoulders shifted in a manner nearly reptilian. Eyes landing on Shibah, she felt sympathy trekking through her but she swallowed it. "You all would do better to think about what the fuck you're leading than the fact that you're leading it, ya know?" Zoe nearly dropped her smoothie as Kiara -- or the being that used to be Kiara -- entered the building, with a plate to pass to boot. Eyes flickering over to Kezia and Shibah, she made a move towards Kezia and murmured lowly but seriously, "We have to go. Now. We have to leave, Kez. And we need to get Adele."

Noting Adele walk outside from her vantage point, and seeing Crowley follow, Renee figured that now was as good a time as any to actually get herself invovled in things again. And so, she shifted, intertwining her hand in his, ending the conversation they were having about nothing particularly important, before stepping outside and crossing to Adele and Crowley with him in tow. A frown crossed her face first, aimed at Adele, before she spoke. "I'm sorry Adele. I can't imagine this was the evening you were hoping for."

Kezia wanted to still be angry but Zoe's tone cut down her immediately emotional response. "Why? What's wrong?" Her eyes darted to Adele, uncertain and hating to feel out-of-the-know. Adele shook her head at Renee with a sympathetic smile. "I just wanted people to have a nice night together... thought it might work," she replied with a shrug. Her eyes fell on the man that she'd never met before as she offered her hand at him to shake.  "Adele, it's nice to meet you." Satan gave her a short nod, holding their clasped hands almost behind his back as they passed through the door - less to protect Babylon from further conflict and more to discourage any unfortunates who decided they needed to get their last word in with the similar brewing storm at his side. "Haven't they?" Crowley questioned, shaking her head with a quiet laugh. Crowley didn't have much faith in people and even less trust in them. Disappointment was constant in situations like that and for people like Adele, built up of trust and faith. "They turned pretty easily, didn't they? Zoe, Maria, Josh." She sighed, clicking her tongue. "I'm sure they'll 'forgive' you but only after they make you grovel for it." Her lips pressed together. "They're self-righteous like that. All of them." She looked to Renee, nodding in greeting and eyeing the man but looked back to Adele. Raziel bit his tongue, preventing himself for snapping back at Magda. Everything about this was politics for him, she knew that. He wanted to remind her that she should have known better than to approach Satan, in the first place, too. But that would only make things uglier than they currently were. His hand gripped the frame of the door once she rolled the window down, and he leaned down, peering into the cab. "I understand, болтун. I know what that and this means to you, but with him..." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Я люблю тебя." I love you. "Go have a good night, or what's left of one." Shibah's head whipped around at the new voice. "Listen to Zoe." Shibah agreed as she recognized Kiara.'s presence. "You won't want to remain here." As for herself, Shibah moved around the room, leaning against the counter ash she watched to see what would unfold. Adele shook her head. "They didn't... no, that's not what... I should have known better than to try an'... I don't know, mend things?" It was a frivolous thought now that she heard it out loud, wanting to help what couldn't be helped on a night like tonight. Zoe had every right to be upset with her, but she wished that it didn't hurt as much as it did as she glanced back at Crowley. "She's my best friend, I love her... an' I'll do anythin' to make things right by her...always." Zoe gripped Kezia's arm and fired off a quick prayer to Raziel explaining, "I need you to be calm. Remember when I told you about Pestilence? She's uhm... here. And she brought baklava. I don't know what that means but I think maybe getting out of here and taking Adele with us is the best course of action." At Adele's significantly warmer greeting, he smiled for the first time in a while, taking her hand and offering his name in return, "Liam." Then Renee spoke once more, "And that's Crowley," she said, nodding towards the other, before Adele spoke once more and Renee tried to gather context for the conversation she had entered. "Oh, Adele, this isn't entirely on you, but there is such a thing as a lost cause." Kezia's eyes brightened at one word: Pestilence. The Horseman. The one who knew. "Right," she murmured. "You get Adele and go to your apartment, okay? Get safe, find Maria. I..." She swallowed thickly. "I have to talk to her, Zo."

"Mend things? Is that a bad thing?" Crowley pushed herself off the wall and flicked the joint away, stepping toward Adele, expression soft for once. "You're true to your nature, Charity." Discord in the Church of Saints pleased Crowley, so she chose to sow the seeds of distrust even deeper. "Your best friend? I don't think best friends are supposed to shriek in rage at each other but I've never really had one myself, y'know?" Her expression grew regretful. "Jairus is dying, Adele. No angel secures that. Do you really think Zoe is going to even let you be considered a candidate for a position like that? Nah, she wants it herself but I guess that might have to be a lesson you need to learn yourself." She gently placed a hand on Adele's shoulder. "Should come to karaoke sometime." She stepped back, winked at her and turned to Renee. "As ethereal as ever, Vice but if you excuse me, I got a movie marathon to get back to." With that, she went strolling around the front. Zoe leveled her gaze at Kezia responding, "Remember that time when we don't do stupid things that get us killed? Cause that's always. I'm not going to leave you here with a fourth of the Apocalypse, that's just not gonna be a thing. I will grab Adele, sure, but not leaving you here." Looking back and forth between Kezia and Kiara, she prayed to Raziel even harder and saw Crowley come in the front door, wondering if that could at all be used to her advantage. Chaos demon, probably not. "Kez, I am begging you, please do not do the thing." Adele opened her mouth and shut it again at Crowley's words, finding nothing but an empty space where the demon had been standing by the time she even knew what to say that left her even more confused than she'd been moments before inside. Before tonight, she knew exactly where she stood with Zoe and the rest but now? She didn't have a clue and Crowley, undoubtedly, had a point. Though she didn't have time to dwell on it as she glanced back at Renee and the man on her arm. "I don't believe in that... even if I should," she told Renee with a half smile. Swallowing, Kezia didn't move her eyes from the woman, the Horseman. "I'm not going to do anything." Bring a smile up from the depths of her very being, Kezia loped toward the newcomer, Kiara, Pestilence. "Whaddup? I love baklava. Too bad you missed the fireworks earlier." Renee silently let Crowley push buttons and do whatever it was she was doing, since she herself had entered in the midst of a conversation, before shooting Crowley a warm smile as disappeared, making a note that she'd have to text her and ask what the hell ethereal was supposed to mean as related to her. Once Crowley disappeared, she allowed the smile Adele would be looking for to pass across lips. "I know, dear. We wouldn't be where we are if you didn't believe that." Zoe could have smacked herself in the forehead at Kezia's reaction to her words, knowing that Kezia was going to do that but having desperately hoped that she would choose to do... oh, maybe anything else at all. Deciding she had very little time, she rushed out the front door and around the corner to where she had seen Adele disappear to earlier, nearly running into Renee. "Oh! Uh, hi. Renee. Renee's manfriend. Adele? We have sort of a Horseman shaped situation in the dining room and I'm thinking we Powerpuff out of here post hasty?" She was still not pleased with Adele, but she certainly wasn't about to let her become Pestilence food or be known as 'the girl that threw that party where Pestilence killed everyone.' Kiara set down the plate of baklava at a random spot on the table, slowly canting her head to greet Kezia, corners of her mouth slowly twitching into a thin-lipped smile. "Well, hello, my dear Kezia," she greeted, curiosity piqued on her features upon hearing about the fireworks. "Oh? That's a shame," she said blankly. "What exactly did I miss?" Still not wishing to go back inside, Raziel loitered out front for a few moments longer after Magda and Maria had left, before choosing to round the corner of the building. He caught the pull of another of Zoe's prayers, brow furrowing, just as he entered the alley and saw Renee and Adele and the stranger he'd seen on Renee's arm all night standing there. Not thirty seconds later and Zoe burst outside, saying something about a Horseman. Pestilence, presumably, unless War had made its arrival already. "What, exactly, is going on?" Plucking up a square of pastry, Kezia took a bite and savored the taste. "Oh, a whole bunch of bullshit," she replied. With the mission, Kezia's nerves and anger has dissipated. "'My horse is bigger than your horse' and all that line-drawing bullshit." "Wow, Chastity, chill a little." The smell of a just-smoked cigarette wafted off of Isadora as she rolled up by Renee's side. "Pestilence isn't interested in little shit sins." "Apparently Kiara's decided to make an appearance now that things have quieted down," Renee commented calmly to Raziel. "Because the evening hasn't been exciting enough." Then an amused chuckle passed lips at Isadora's comment, "That reminds me, Izzy, dear, we need to talk about that at some point. Do remind me, hmm?" Zoe couldn't help firing back at Isadora, her one true weakness in life, snapping, "Right. Because she asked me for a demon to munch on so I guess us humans are safe and I shouldn't worry whatsoever about the demons attending. It's not like I care about them, right? Or is this just because Pestilence is your girlfriend?" Crowley eyed the baklava with longing, moving toward the plate before pausing to look at the Horseman. "Yo, real talk though, you didn't infect the baklava, did you? Because that looks good as fuck." She eyed Kezia, lips twitching at the sight of the ballsy human. "Wonderful." Raziel muttered, gaze rolling up to the sky overhead before it dropped, glancing over Isadora and to Zoe, still aggressively and uncharacteristically hostile. "Shibah's still inside, isn't she?" As the night had already proven, he couldn't trust her to handle anything. Zoe looked up at Raziel and exhaled, "Shibah has been just about everywhere she shouldn't be tonight, so I'm sure she is. Apparently this is her party to dictate attendance for and there's nothing like leaving everyone vulnerable with a Horseman to prove you'll make a good God." Kiara slowly arched an eyebrow, eyes averting to the way Kezia ate the pastry dessert, immensely pleased at the sight. "Humans," she said with distaste, rolling her eyes. As much as she disliked them, it would've bought her delight to watch them bicker amongst themselves. "No," she answered bemusedly to Crowley's question. "I wouldn't do such a thing to that. Eat to your heart's delight." Kezia's eyes wandered to Crowley watching and chewing in silence. Cocking her head to the side a little, Kezia corrected Kiara. "Not just us, though. Actually, mostly not us, really." Crowley met Kezia's gaze and despite the nonchalant look on her face, her eyes briefly flashed with a warning before she returned to trying to find the best piece of baklava to eat. She finally selected one and picked it up. "Bomb cooking, Pestilence." At Kiara's comment, Donato finally found himself spurred into action once more, having quietly been standing very far off to the side observing in a fashion that had left him all but forgotten about. Here, he crossed and picked up one of the deserts in question, and moved to join the periphery of the conversation, before biting into the desert in question. More gathered and Kezia shifted, uncomfortable. Too many bodies. She just wanted Kiara to herself, so she could find out what she knew... The look from Crowley had her curious. She blinked to the demon thoughtfully, before looking to the angel that joined in silently. "These really are good," she commented, taking another bit of the baklava." "I'd noticed as much, actually." Raziel spared a glance for Renee and Isadora before he turned to Zoe. "I'm going to go inside, see what needs to be sorted before the night goes entirely up in flames. Are you coming?" "I'll make it an appointment." Then, at Zoe's comment, a look of real confusion flickered over her face. Isadora masked it almost as instantly.  "The Church's tenets are do what you will and bear the consequences. Pestilence is now a consequence. They're demons. They know what they're doing. Also, I definitely saw like a third of the demons in LA catching a freakin' cab on the way back. If you were gonna hand a demon over, which by the way is like herding a fucking cat, you're def narrowing your selection a little." Zoe pointedly ignored Isadora in an attempt to rein herself in, her emotions spiking at completely random moments tonight, as she responded to Raziel, eyes flickering back over to where Adele was standing. "I need to do something first, I'll be there in a minute. Can you please get Kezia away from there as quickly as possible? I can take her home or I can ask Josh to." "Oh," Kiara said simply, internally chastising herself for arriving late when she had no particular reason to be. "Fascinating. Clearly, people need to inform me when angels and demons are about to fight," she said with a hint of sarcasm. More people had come closer, which surprised her none. She remained stoic, watching people eat her dessert. "This is the best baklava you will taste in your life." It was my mother's recipe, she almost revealed." Kezia smirked to Kiara, eyes bouncing along the other people near by. Fuck it. "So. You're Pestilence now?" Raziel followed her gaze to Adele before his returned to Zoe's face. "I'll see what I can do." He didn't bother looking at either Isadora or Renee as he headed inside, making his way across the smoothie bar to the gathering. He paused next to Donato, looking with mild interest at the plate in the younger angel's hands before directing his attention upwards. "What've I missed?"

"Nothing," Donato said simply, keeping voice soft. "Only everyone mostly clearing out and the arrival of a late... guest, whom I'm sure you can identify." Then he let a wry smile pass across face. "Her baklava really isn't half bad." "What? Oh my god. Who told you?" Kiara inquired with mild surprise, unable to help herself.

"Oh, okay," Isadora said when Zoe, too, refused to take bait. She held up her hands so that the cruel tips of her acrylics pointed to the sky. "Damn, you heaven-y folks are doing some cheek-turning tonight. Is it 'cause you know you can't clap back as hard as you want to and still think of yourselves as the 'kind, reasonable' ones? Or maybe you can't do it all. I think I only know one member of hashtag team saint who has any teeth." Kezia laughed at her feigned surprise. "The angel on my shoulder whispered it in my ear," she joked. Inside, her very organs were grinding together with the need to ask, to know, to demand. "But, so, that means you're behind all the death, despair, destruction, right?"

A quick smirk passed across Renee’s lips once more, at Isadora's baiting, content to stand quietly as Isadora cut Zoe to pieces just a little, a thing she, frankly, found amusing, before she finally weighed in just slightly. "Oh, Izzy, honestly I don't know why you're remotely surprised. This is typical Church of Saints behavior. Patience, kindness, et cetera. If you're looking for a real verbal match, you'd better search elsewhere."

Belial appeared from the shadows with a bottle of his favorite wine dangling  from two fingers and came up from behind to wrap his arm around Adele's shoulders, 'Well if it isn't my favorite saint, I brought goodies.' He held out the bottle of wine for her perusal and grinned. "Oh, well, at least the baklava is good," Raziel sighed, resisting the need to massage his temples. The need only increased as he watched the conversation between Kezia and Pestilence, anxiety knotting up the length of his spine. Kiara's gaze averted to the side, purposely done to look as if she was bored. While she was fairly sure she knew the question Kezia was dying to ask, she had little patience for her prolonging the inevitable. "Yes. Ask me what you want to ask." Steel worked its way into Kezia's expression, she skipped over Raziel without a second thought and met eyes with Kiara. "My mother is missing. No body found. I want to know where she is. How can I find her?" Zoe bit her lip so hard it almost bled, clenching her hands into fists as she tried to control how deeply she wanted to lash out at Isadora. Something about that woman got to her on a visceral level, something that was not helped by the fact she was spiraling due to the fact she had not dealt with her feelings regarding the fight with Satan whatsoever and containing everything you felt all the time for a state of perpetual zen was not necessarily all it was talked up to be. In some strange moment of desperation, she found herself talking to Babylon in her head, the need to have a presence there that was actually calming and rational overwhelming any other response. Any other response except Zoe turning to face Isadora in an eerily calm manner and responding, "Is that all? Explaining to me that you're 'hashtag' Team Pestilence and completely and utterly selfish isn't really something that requires a clapback. I think you handled that all on your own. Tell me, is it just because you're so attracted to Kiara that even murder looks cute on her, like a designer outfit,  or do you just really not care about anything in this world at all? Either answer is not particularly becoming of you. Aren't you supposed to leave the lack of action or care to Sloth? Oh. Wait. Your best friend Pestilence killed him under my Christmas tree. Are we done now? Cause I'm really hoping we're done now." Adele jumped. She was expecting the worst when Zoe met her gaze asking for a minute, but she wanted to talk  to her best friend and explain her actions. She wanted to make everything right but didn't know how to do just that when an arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her back against them and away from the where Zoe and Isadora were standing off. "Belial," she let out a breath of relief as she shook her head. "I uh, I didn't think you were comin' not that I would have blamed you... tonight hasn't been..." It wasn't what she had hoped for as she glanced back at him with a tired smile that didn't reach her eyes. Belial's eyes traced over the small group of people and finding them wanting, so focused back on the saint he'd come here for in the first place, "What, your happy little get together of all saints and sinners didn't end with sunshine and rainbows? Color me shocked.' Belial chuckled softly and pulled her further away from the group, "No worries, because the life of the party has arrived.' Kiara was internally cackling on the inside, all too amused with the stress levels in the room just at her presence alone. "Go outside," she began, taking a step closer to intimidate. "Second star to the right, 'cause darling, she's in Neverland." Belial's arrival automatically put Renee at incredibly tense. Shifting slightly, she pulled Liam close to her, leaning into him, a gesture made to encourage him to wrap an arm about her, which he did. In that moment, she leaned up, and whispered into his ear, "Belial," and then watched as his face tightened in displeasure too. She had told him enough that he knew how she felt. Still, she said nothing until Zoe, went on some kind of rant, only addressing the last of it. "Ah, Zoe, I'm afriad, Isadora was never particularly fond of Sloth. That dig, while an admirable attempt, would have been much less wasted on me" God FUCKING dammit! All Babylon had wanted was to enjoy the last of her joints in relative peace outside the smoothie shop from hell. Satan had nearly broken her wrist in his haste to get them both out of the potluck and away from the flock of so-called that seemed to be out for blood, only to drop and run. It was Zoe's voice that niggled at the base of her skull, compelling her back through those doors the way she had Raziel some minutes before. Her eyes were nearly as dark as the ink on her shoulders as she hovered, metaphorically, in the doorframe before crossing the threshold. Crowley finished munching on the baklava and turned her face toward some of the other dishes, wondering if she should go straight for dessert or just try some of the actual food. Lord knew she loved some sweet potatoes. In the end, however, she picked up a cupcake. Treat yourself, right? Another arrival -- rearrival -- caught her attention but Kezia just spared a glance for Babs. After all, she was about the get her answer. But Kiara's taunting only set her teeth on edge. "Very funny," she bit out. "Now give me the real answer. I know there are people who have whatever demon STD you gave 'em and are living. There was no body," she insisted. "Where is my mother?" "I think the party has long since been over," Adele told Belial with a shrug. Glancing back at Zoe, and the rest of them, and didn't know what to  do to fix what she'd done that night. Belial looked between Adele and the group, catching Renee's rather lackluster glance and the answering scowl on her arm candy's face. He sent the man a pleasant smile and wave, before turning his attention back to Adele, 'now you have my interest piqued. did someone die? because it seems to be a regular at these shindigs lately.' Crowley, holding two cupcakes now, focused her gaze on the unhappy looking angel in the corner. "What a babe." She commented to herself before strolling toward Donato. "I'd offer you a cupcake but word on the street is I don't want to give you my cupcake nor anymore of my Valentine's Day pickup lines that you were so unhelpful about." "I'm a Sinner," Isadora said, in a tone icy enough to rival Chastity's. "Kiara was cute while she was Kiara. We had a good time, but I'm over that. The Rapture is here, and I'm not fucking giving in on my Church. That's what I care about. Don't mistake me for a nihilist or a horseman groupie or whatever. While you're scrambling around, looking for a cure that eludes you at every turn, grappling with what I'm sure is a heady moral fucking dilemma, I'm doing what I can to show people that when the end is nigh, they shouldn't give in either. I'm a fucking fanatic, bitch. This is what I believe in." Adele frowned but it wasn't genuine, knowing Belial's sense of humor bordered on the verge of inappropriate. "The night's not over yet," she mumbled before she shook her head and tried another failed attempt at smiling. "No.. I hope that isn't how tonight ends. I just wanted people to have a nice night..." It was too much to ask for and she only had herself to blame as she hung her head slightly.

Oh, poor Kezia, desperate for answers. Kiara picked up a piece of baklava she had oh-so-lovingly cooked earlier in the day and slowly nibbed at a corner. "Oh you're not going to visit? It's quite the sight, I assure you," she said while her eyes gleamed with delight. "You won't get your answer until your dear, dear friend gives me what I want." Zoe did not wait for Isadora to respond, did not wait for anything, deciding that there were plenty of people in charge right now that were not her and if everyone was going to be one thousand percent ridiculous, she no longer had to care. She wanted to talk to Adele, she really did, but that would just have to wait until she could have a rational conversation or a single thought that didn't make her skin buzz. Seeing Babylon enter the shop again, she walked smoothly up to the demon and gently grasped her wrist, tugging her towards the back of the shop and into the kitchens where she wordlessly grabbed a bottle of tequila hidden in one of the back fridges and led them out a back door, beginning a climb up to the roof. Once she was sitting on the edge, she uncapped the bottle and exhaled, "Drink with me?" Under different circumstances, Raziel might have been quietly amused with Pestilence's response to Kezia. But, right now, it would have been inappropriate to be such a thing. He stepped forward, gaze drifting towards Pestilence as it spoke again. "Kezia, let's step outside." At Belial's smile and wave, they both frowned and he whispered to her, "Do you want-" before she shook her head.  Swallowing hard, Renee turned attention to Belial for a moment, knowing she couldn't ignore him forever. "Satan's presence made a mess of things," she said calmly. "Something you, no doubt, learned from him." Then she turned to Isadora, offering her a genuinely pleased smile. "Well said."

Donato: Head cocked for a moment, as Crowley approached him before eyes lit up with recognition. "And, pray tell, why exactly did you pick me for that?" Kezia's eyes narrowed at the non-answer. "What does that mean? What do you mean?" Her friend? Did Kiara mean Zoe? Why wouldn't she just give her a damn straight answer. She glared at Raziel, razor-sharp. "No," she said, full of force and just the single syllable. "What do you want? I'll get it for you?" When was the last time Babylon had permitted a human to drag her by the hand like a dog on a leash? She bit back on the answer but couldn't stop it before it could drift to the forefront of her eyes, flashing like a neon sign: Clara. How many times had the hand holding hers touched the new skin wrapped around Clara's soul? Something in Zoe had bid the saint to call her Babylon the sullied; Babylon obeyed, against her nature as it may have been, and let Zoe guide her where she would. "Depends. Are you going to push me off?"

Crowley: "Because I've yet to see you fully smile and because I wanted to try out some bomb new pickup lines on you. Is that so bad, doll? I'm not a cherubic cupid but I'm a sucker for sad little angels who grump it out more than anything." Zoe didn't look up at Babylon, letting her decide for herself whether or not to stay, before tossing back effectively a shot's worth of the bottle. "Nope. Even if I did, you can fly. That's kind of pointless."

"Nor will you see me smile," Donato said calmly. "I'm not particularly in the habit of smiling at pickup lines or for the sake of people who decide I'm their personal cause." Kiara continued eating her baklava like Kezia wasn't pissed at her or having a sort of existential crisis. "No," she shot back. "It can only be Zoe." Belial looked between Adele, and the stoic Renee and smirked, 'That /is/ what Satan does best, I will admit. Did he insult someone's dress, or try to choke them over the last cream puff?' Belial turned to Adele and raised a brow, 'maybe next time we treat it like Survivor. Piss off the hostess with the mostest, and you get sacrificed to a pagan god.' Kezia fought against tears, fought against the pit in her stomach that had been lurking since December, the voice that whispered there was no use. "I just want my mom," she said, voice cracking. She was horribly ashamed, mortified really, to appear so weak when she had been so determined to be strong. "You... I just want my mom." "Well done is better than well said," Isadora said to Renee, her voice still cold and empty. She stared a hole into the air where Zoe had stood. "They run the minute they can't get a clean victory."

For the umpteenth time that night, Raziel bit his tongue before he lost his temper with another human. He breathed slowly, reining himself back in, and watched Kezia instead of looking back to Pestilence, gauging her reaction before it cracked. "Would you like to step outside for a moment, Kezia?" He repeated. "My personal cause is making sure the cat island in Japan is funded for the rest of existence, don't flatter yourself, love bug." Crowley commented, taking a bite of her cupcake. "Tell me, angel, were you always so douche-y?" Kezia struggled to keep herself upright, solid. Wordlessly, she nodded to Raziel but didn't wait. Always graceful on boards, Kezia's feet stumbled and stuttered as she made her way toward the entrance. "Always is," Renee said eyes not on Isadora, as she agreed with her but on Belial, since it was topical to where they were. "But then, that's almost entirely the point of the Church of Sinners. Action even if there are consequences." Then she smiled tightly. "Lucifer knows I'll do it every time. Every single time without apology." Then she directly addressed Belial, "You know something of that, too, don't you Belial?" Glance flickered to where Zoe had walked away, "Take the victory in it anyway." Raziel cast a glance around for Donato, spotting Shibah's brother in the corner with Crowley. He debated saying something, lingering a few steps behind Kezia, but sharing her distress was something he'd invoked on himself. He followed her outside with another glance to Donato, hoping that the angel would be fine in Crowley's company.