#gianna morelli

[jessisart]

gianna morelli: ex-hunter, current brujah, knife enthusiast NICK'S YOUNGER SISTER WAS EMBRACED AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH 💀

[gianna-palazzolo]

BASIC INFORMATION:

Name: Giovanna Palazzolo. 

Nickname: Gianna to most. Gigi to her family and close friends. 

Birthday: July 24th.

Age: 32.

Gender: Female.

Place of Birth: London, United Kingdom.

Places Lived Since: Hereford, United Kingdom.

Current Residence: Camden, London, United Kingdom.

Nationality: British.

Parents: María Morelli (mother, originally from Naples), Giancarlo Palazzolo (father, originally from Agrigento)

Aunts & Uncles: Emilio Morelli (maternal uncle) 

Number of Siblings: Nine. Five brothers: Carlo, Marcello, Francesco, Roberto and Antonio. Four sisters: Chiara, Sofia, Laura and Caterina. Gianna is five out of ten, and was the first of her siblings to be born in London instead of Sicily. (For my reference, the order: Chiara, Carlo, Marcello, Francesco (dad’s prison time gap) Giovanna, Roberto, Sofia, Laura, Caterina, Antonio.)

Relationship With Family: Very good. Even though they sort of encouraged her to leave at an early age (hence her signing up for the army at sixteen) she never begrudged her parents that. There were a lot of kids living under the same roof, and it wasn’t always easy for them. They never went without love, but they sure went without a few luxuries that her friends at the time had, and whilst it might’ve been hard to deal with back then, she definitely looks back on her childhood now knowing how lucky she was to have what she did. She’ll take seeing her parents in a happy, loving marriage, spending as much time with their kids as possible over it all being substituted with material things... Gianna definitely prefers what she had. Was close to her father, in particular, and that remains the case to this day. There are ten siblings all together, and whilst she’s naturally closer to some than others, family is hugely important to all of them. There are no rifts, there’s no drama, no estranged siblings. They genuinely all get along when it matters (arguments and disagreements are always sorted quickly) and she’s fully aware she’s lucky to have that. All of the sisters are equally close, one hundred per cent inseparable no matter how far life takes them from each other, but of her brothers, the eldest, Carlo, is her absolute rock. Loves him to fucking death, and he’s for sure her best friend in the world. Marcello and Francesco have since moved back to Sicily to work for the Cosa Nostra, so she’s sees them the least. Doesn’t hold it against them, though. They’re still always there when it counts.

Happiest Memory: The trips they’d take to see her paternal grandparents in Sicily as a kid. They were few and far between because getting them all over there was a logistical nightmare, but she still visits whenever she can to relive those moments where her family was free of London for just a little while. Gianna loves London, and being British, but there’s always a part of her heart in Italy, for sure. They try to all get over there once a year, together, as a family, and apart from the times where work kept her away, they usually manage it. Her happiest memories will be her happiest yet to come, too.

Childhood Trauma: Not really. Though I’m sure finding out her family moved to London after her father did prison time for the mafia was an...unusual pill to swallow. He was very honest about it, though, and she appreciates that.

PHYSICAL:

Height: 5'11”

Weight: 140lbs.

Build: I mean. She’s built enough that you might question trying to fight her idk. Not insta fitness model style muscle mass but enough of it to get some looks at the gym. The abs, man. She works hard on those abs.

Hair Color: Brown.

Usual Hair Style: She wears it up in a ponytail specifically so she doesn’t have to do anything to it. Gianna cut her hair into a short bob whilst she was in the army, and was pretty excited to grow it out once she left, until she remembered that requires actual work to maintain. So yeah, usually up, because she’s lazy.

Eye Color: Dark brown.

Glasses? Contacts?: Neither.

Style of Dress/Typical Outfit(s): Big Gianna vibes here. Usually just blends in. Nothing too in your face, because she’s used to trying not to attract attention. 

Typical Style of Shoes: Flats. Anything as long as they’re flat. Can she walk in heels? Absolutely. Does she ever want to? No.

Jewellery? Tattoos? Piercings?: Wears a gold St. Christopher medal that her Nonna gave her at all times. Has three tattoos. One of Mary on her right forearm which can be found here. All of the Palazzolo sisters got matching ‘sorella’ tattoos, in different fonts, on their left arms, which can be found here. (Gianna’s is the middle one, pretend there are two others okay.) Had to get an underboob tat because she can, and it reads ‘be beautiful in your own way’ and can be found here. 

Scars: Many. Most that she will never discuss. 

Unique Mannerisms/Physical Habits: None.

Athleticism: Very high. Marathon level runner. Sure not afraid of weight training at the gym, either, and could undoubtedly give some of the guys a run for their money. Keeping fit is a big part of her lifestyle because it’s pretty engrained into you in the military. Especially if you’re going to make it through SAS selection; she really went overboard on the being fit thing because it was the one variable she could really control. I think she had ideas about having a more laid back approach to it when she left, but it didn’t work out that way. It’s something she enjoys. Too much of a habit to shake. Actively trains in both boxing and Muay Thai. Loves playing football almost as much as watching it. 

Health Problems/Illnesses: Eh, she went through some pretty heavy shit whilst she was in the SAS, not going to lie. I imagine there’s a little PTSD going on, but nothing bad enough that she’s willing to confront it. Yet, anyway. Nothing physical, though. 

INTELLECT:

Level of Education: Rudimentary secondary school education. Signed up to the army before she ever got to sixth form to take her A-Levels. Look, she’s not super smart, but she’s not unintelligent, either. School just wasn’t for her. 

Languages Spoken: Italian and English natively. Spanish fluently. Intermediate French. Enough Russian to get by if she’s thrown into a conversation with one. God forbid.

Level of Self-Esteem: Healthy. I wouldn’t say she’s arrogant, but confident. Doesn’t beat down on herself like a lot of people. 

Gifts/Talents: Not really, as much as she wishes she did. Maybe if she’d had one, she wouldn’t have ended up in the military...

Mathematical?: Eh. Sort of, if she needs to be.

Makes Decisions Based Mostly On Emotions, or On Logic?: Logic. 

Life Philosophy: Family first.

Religious Stance: Roman Catholic. Though certainly not as staunchly as some of her family is, much to the disappointment of her mother. 

Cautious or Daring?: Daring. It’s in the motto...

Most Sensitive About/Vulnerable To: Oh, her family, without a doubt. If anything were to ever happen to them, she’d lose her mind. Apart from that, I don’t really think she’s sensitive to much at all?

Optimist or Pessimist?: Pessimist. Hard not to be in her shoes.

Extrovert or Introvert?: Mid-ground.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Current Relationship Status: Single.

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual.

Past Relationships: Nothing with any real longevity until Jasper Menzies. They’d pretty much planned a life together until he decided, out of nowhere, that cheating on her with Lara Rutherford whilst she was deployed was a good enough reason to throw that all away. Broke her heart, honestly. She really did love him, in spite of the absolutely glaring differences in their starts in life.

Primary Reason For Being Broken Up With: I think career first was a problem for a lot of people who tried to date her. They didn’t like being second priority, which is fair enough. Gianna doesn’t blame them for that.

Primary Reasons For Breaking Up With People: Honestly, she can be kind of fussy. If the vibe isn’t there, she won’t stick around and waste her time. 

Ever Cheated?: No.

Been Cheated On: Yes. 

A Social Person?: Somewhere in the middle. Though she’s not introverted by any means, and is definitely comfortable around people. she also needs time to wind down. Some of her work took her away from her friends and family for extended periods of time. And then, sometimes as part of those deployments, for weeks on end, she’d only see the same handful of people. Gianna likes to be social, but she’s learnt to cope without. I think she’d changed a little since coming home.

Most Comfortable Around: Her family. Her former SAS squad. That’s it. Everyone else, thus far, she still has a little guard up.

Oldest Friend: Doesn’t really keep in touch with anyone pre-military. Hasn’t spoken to anyone from her school years since she left. Has a couple of girls she went through basic with that she still stays in touch with, though. 

How Does She Think Others Perceive Her?: I cannot tell you how much she doesn’t care enough to put any thought into this.

How Do Others Actually Perceive Her?: Not a clue. I guess she’s a bit of a difficult one to figure out because she doesn’t really share much. Gianna tries to be a nice person, though, so I don’t think people would view her negatively.

SECRETS:

Life Goals: Eh, she’s working on that. Doesn’t really know what the fuck she’s doing right now, because she’s still trying to transition back to (sort of?) normal life. For a really long time, her entire life was focused around succeeding in her career, and now that it’s gone, I guess she’s trying to find something else to focus on.

Dreams: Retiring to a vineyard in Sicily. That’s the whole dream. 

Greatest Fears: Gianna certainly fears failure, and that might be the only thing she’s ‘sensitive’ to apart from her family. Any of them getting hurt is a major fear, too, of course, but that goes without saying. 

Most Ashamed Of: Nothing. Genuinely. Gianna tries to live her life avoiding regret, because you can’t change the past. There’s no point dwelling on it. I think she’d prefer to focus on doing better than being ashamed, even if there was something that would meet that mark. Maybe crying over Jasper, because he’s trash af.

Secret Hobbies: Not being interesting.

Crimes Committed (Was she caught? Charged?): Hahaha. Is it illegal if you’re doing it for the government? No, then. I guess there’s plenty of time as she explores her work for the Sovrani to make up for that, though. 

DETAILS/QUIRKS:

Night Owl or Early Bird?: Early bird.

Light or Heavy Sleeper?: Somewhere in the middle. Leaning toward light.

Favorite Animal: Ferrets. They’re fucking chaotic and she loves it.

Favorite Foods: Sfogliatelle. Anything with Nutella on it ever. Sweet stuff, generally. Also seafood. All the seafood ever to have existed.

Least Favorite Food: Pesto. Worst Italian ever.

Favorite Book: The Foundation series by Asimov.

Favorite Movie: The Matrix.

Favorite Song: Time of the Season - The Zombies. 

Favorite Sport: Football! This girl supports Roma like no other.

Coffee or Tea?: Coffee. Espresso with one sugar.

Crunchy or Smooth Peanut Butter?: Neither. 

Type of Car She Drives: Driving? In London? Pass.

Lefty or Righty?: Righty.

Favorite Color: Pink.

Cusser?: Not often. Gianna prefers not to, but sometimes they slip out if she’s particularly mad or upset with somebody. Never around her parents, though. That’ll earn a good clip around the ear. 

Smoker? Drinker? Drug User?: No to smoking. Drinks very regularly, in true British fashion. Never used any drugs, and never will, grazie.

Biggest Regret: Answering this question earlier.

Pets: Three moon jellyfish that she never actually named because she can’t pretend to tell the difference between them. But she loves them, though. Adores them. Never really had pets whilst she was in the army because of how long she had to be away from home at a time, but I think she’d like a dog one day if she can ever afford her own place. It might be a nice change for her, and she had one growing up.

[fictionz]

New Fiction 2023 - October

Another October in the can! And now I wish I could snooze through the real horror that is the holiday season. Maybe I'll stay in October forever... forever... forever...

Here's the long version (since Tumblr blocks too many links in one post).

The TL;DR:

Short Stories

"Snatched from the Brink" by Mary E. Penn (1878)

"The Canal" by Everil Worrell (1927)

"The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror" by Carmen Maria Machado (2020)

"The Time Remaining" by Attila Veres & trans. Luca Karafiáth (2019)

"CUE: Change" by Chesya Burke (2011)

"Last Call for the Sons of Shock" by David J. Schow (1994)

"The Real Right Thing" by Henry James (1899)

"The Haunted House" by M.A. Bird (1865)

"The Island of Regrets" by Elizabeth Walter (1965)

"The Stolen Body" by H.G. Wells (1903)

"The White Priest" by Hélène Gingold (1893)

"The Man Who Went Too Far" by E.F. Benson (1912)

"Mater Tenebrarum" by Pilar Pedraza & trans. James D. Jenkins (2000)

"Menopause" by Flore Hazoumé & trans. James D. Jenkins (1994)

"Señor Ligotti" by Bernardo Esquinca & trans. James D. Jenkins (2020)

"Shambleau" by C.L. Moore (1933)

"The Pit and the Pendulum" by Edgar Allan Poe (1850)

"The Village Spectre" by Gianna G. Maniego (2002)

"The Fog Horn" by Ray Bradbury (1951)

"The Lady of the House of Love" by Angela Carter (1979)

"The Woman's Ghost Story" by Algernon Blackwood (1907)

"Black Bargain" by Robert Bloch (1942)

"Vastarien" by Thomas Ligotti (1987)

"The Doll" by Daphne du Maurier (1937)

"The Transferred Ghost" by Frank Stockton (1882)

"The Shadowy Third" by Ellen Glasgow (1923)

"The Daemon Lover" by Shirley Jackson (1949)

"The Interval" by Vincent O'Sullivan (1918)

"The Phantom Cyclist" by Ruth Ainsworth (1971)

"Couching at the Door" by D.K. Broster (1942)

"Bloodchild" by Octavia Butler (1984)

Audio

Tales from the Crypt Presents: Dead Easy by A.L. Katz & Gil Adler, performed by Sean Astin, Jake Busey, Tia Carrere, Brett Cullen, John Kassir (1995, 2022)

Comics

"Birds of a Feather" by Stephanie Phillips, Maan House, Giorgio Spalleta, Justin Birch, Chris Sanchez (2021)

"The Origin of Vampirella" by Budd Lewis & Jose Gonzalez (1981)

"Do You Know... the Beast-Man?" by Richard Howell, Colleen Doran, Kevin Cunningham (1992)

"Good Ol' Fashioned Vanilla" by W. Maxwell Prince, Chris O’Halloran, Martín Morazzo, Good Old Neon (2018)

"For Better or Worse?" by Richard Corben (2016)

"Werewolf!" by Frank Frazetta (1964)

"Chickadee!" by Aya Rothwell (2016)

"The Evil Dead" (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) by Richard Floyd-Walker (1986-1987)

"Famine's Shadow" by Rachel Deering & Christine Larsen (2014)

"A Pretty Place" by Emily Carroll (2023)

"The Thing from the Sea" by Wally Wood & Joe Orlando (1951)

"The Living Ghost" by Frank Belknap Long & Fred Guardineer (1948)

"Essence of Life" by Gail Simone, Tula Lotay, Jared K. Fletcher (2013)

"Hag of the Blood Basket!" by Al Hewetson & Sean Todd (1971)

"The Fisherman" by Franco, Tressina Bowling, Wes Abbott, Sara Richard (2022)

"Dental Plan" by Joy San (2019)

"Frankenstein y el Hombre Lobo" by Unknown (1946)

"Man's World" by Keith Giffen, Mary Sangiovanni, Bilquis Evely, Mat Lopes, Taylor Esposito (2017)

"Shadow of Death" by William M. Gaines, Al Feldstein, Graham Ingels (1953)

"Smoke and Cedar" by Abby Howard & Alina Pete (2016)

"I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison & John Byrne (1994-1995)

"A Dog and His Boy" by Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Jill Thompson, Jason Arthur (2006)

"The Horror Beneath" by Leah Moore, John Reppion, Timothy Green II, Michelle Madsen, Nate Piekos (2006)

"Shadows on the Tomb" by Joe Certa (1952)

"The Muck Monster" by Bernie Wrightson (1975)

"The Duel of the Monsters" by Archie Goodwin & Angelo Torres (1966)

"The Willowdale Handcar or The Return of the Black Doll" by Edward Gorey (1962)

"Inside You" by Valerie D'Orazio & David James Cole (2014)

"Soylent Teen" by Jordan Morris, Liana Kangas, Ellie Wright, Jack Morelli (2023)

"The Gris-Gris" by Jim Keegan & Ruth Keegan (2004)

"Fair Ground" by Jo Duffy, Mike Manley, Jackson Guice, James Fry, Kevin Cunningham (1992)

Video Games

Haunted House dev. Atari (1982)

Castlevania dev. Konami (1987)

Clock Tower dev. Human Entertainment (1995)

D dev. Warp (1995)

Friday the 13th dev. Atlus (1989)

Silent Hill 3 dev. Konami (2003)

Five Nights at Freddy’s dev. Scott Cawthon (2014)

Movies

It Lives Inside dir. Bishal Dutta (2023)

The Company of Wolves dir. Neil Jordan (1984)

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare dir. Rachel Talalay (1991)

Honeymoon dir. Leigh Janiak (2014)

Organ dir. Kei Fujiwara (1996)

The Bride of Frankenstein dir. James Whale (1935)

The Royal Hotel dir. Kitty Green (2023)

House of 1000 Corpses dir. Rob Zombie (2003)

The Nun II dir. Michael Chaves (2023)

The Godsend dir. Gabrielle Beaumont (1980)

Hatching dir. Hanna Bergholm (2022)

The Velvet Vampire dir. Stephanie Rothman (1971)

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter dir. Joseph Zito (1984)

A Haunting in Venice dir. Kenneth Branagh (2023)

Piggy dir. Carlota Pereda (2022)

A Night to Dismember (The Lost Version) dir. Doris Wishman (1979)

The Blob dir. Irvin Yeaworth (1958)

Embrace of the Vampire dir. Anne Goursaud (1995)

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls dir. Andrew Bowser (2023)

Exposed to Danger dir. Yang Chia-yun (Karen Yang) (1982)

Saw X dir. Kevin Greutert (2023)

The Birds dir. Alfred Hitchcock (1963)

Slumber Party Massacre II dir. Deborah Brock (1987)

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island dir. Jim Stenstrum (1998)

The Being dir. Jackie Kong (1983)

Kuso dir. Steve (2017)

Visible Secret dir. Ann Hui (2001)

The Exorcist: Believer dir. David Gordon Green (2023)

The Love Witch dir. Anna Biller (2016)

Bones dir. Ernest R. Dickerson (2001)

Bedevil dir. Tracey Moffatt (1993)

Television

Regular Show - "Terror Tales of the Park" I-VI (2011-2016)

The Simpsons - "Treehouse of Horror Presents: Not It" (2022)

Tales from the Cryptkeeper - Seasons 2 & 3 (1994 & 1999)

[doubleattitude]

Radix Dance Convention, Denver, CO: RESULTS

High Scores by Age:

Rookie Solo

1st: Skyla Edger-’Hallelujah’

2nd: Prairie Wilkins-’Older Than I Am’

3rd: Lucy Tang-’You Are A Memory’

4th: Jsde Peterson-’Fly Me To The Moon’

5th: Ava Azar-’Halo’

6th: Abby Fowle-’One Moment More’

7th: Quinn Nash-’Tiny Dancer’

Mini Solo

1st: Savannah Manzel-’Fly Me To The Moon’

2nd: Karson Koller-’Asht’

3rd: Isabella DiBenedetto-’Amen’

4th: Ella Miller-’For Now I Am Winter’

4th: Lily Haas-’I Can’t Stand The Rain’

4th: Mariah Reuvers-’Sleep’

5th: Harper Potts-’Fireflies’

5th: Julian Aranda-’Jump’

5th: Emily Benjamin-’Roxie’

6th: Avery Burgard-’Fancy’

7th: Marley Dechant-’Control’

7th: Kate Casa-’Isn’t She Lovely’

7th: Emily Bell-’Na, Na, Na’

7th: Ella Birdsong-’The Garden’

8th: Tori Barrett-’Borderline’

8th: Evelyn Cherry-’This Is Us Colliding’

9th: Kinsley Odom-’Insight’

9th: Natalie Lira-’Tiny Dancer’

10th: Annabelle Winterbottom-’Red Alert’

Junior Solo

1st: Coltrane Vodicka-’Moon River’

2nd: Campbell Clark-’I’ll Be Seeing You’

3rd: Taryn Miner-’Make You Feel My Love’

4th: Alegra Post-’What If Birds Were Screaming’

5th: Vanessa Lira-’Convolution’

6th: Genesse Craft-’The Beat Goes On’

7th: Gianna Montoya-’Burn It Up’

7th: Morgan Jensen-’Fields of Gold’

8th: Grace Grieve-’Mask, Gloves, Soap, Scrubs’

9th: Brynlee Morton-’Where Did Our One Go?’

10th: Ruby Spencer-’What You Want’

Teen Solo

1st: Lola Iglesias-’Letters from a Traveler’

2nd: Ayla Rodriguez-Ping’

3rd: Olivia Taylor-’Why Try To Change Me Now?’

4th: Maliah Howard-’Sei La Vita’

4th: Maya Howard-’Telehumo’

5th: Kennedy Peterson-’Build It Up’

5th: Soleil Nelson-’Cetana’

5th: Emerson Ramos-’Rebel Angel’

6th: Davina Ephraim-’Hurt for Me’

6th: Devon Stutz-’No End To New Memories’

6th: Sara Allen-’This Land Is Your Land’

7th: Abbey Schmidt-’Letters Make No Meaning’

7th: Teya Pak-’Pathogenic Agent’

7th: Gwendolyn Cherry-’Shiny Stockings’

8th: Eliane Dean-’Both Sides of the Moon’

8th: Jamir Nuanes-’Fresh Prince’

9th: Addison Ihler-’Boyfriend’

9th: Avery Trammell-’It’s Time To Go’

9th: Chloe Jachowicz-’The River’

10th: Emma Broome-’Death’

10th: Lauren Feichtinger-’Labyrinth’

10th: Tea Anderson-’Verses of My Soul’

10th: Kendall Hoffner-’Wait’

Senior Solo

1st: Sithumi Sinley-’Genesis II’

2nd: Vivian Unkart-’What’s It Gonna Take’

3rd: Maycee Budge-’Footprints’

3rd: Liesl Brauch-’Grower’

3rd: Grace Coleman-’Walk On’

4th: Mia Maxwell-’Locomotive’

4th: Bronson Dahmer-’The Pain Room’

5th: Bella Donatelli-’Away Go’

5th: Jasmin Conner-’The Egg’

5th: Shaelynn Rounds-’The Radical Self’

6th: Maddie Myers-’Catalina’

6th: Vincent Maizland-’Slow Descent’

7th: Madison Skinner-’Always On My Mind’

7th: Angelee RiAli-’Gabi’s Story’

7th: Remy Wright-’Moments Passed’

7th: Annie Cellar-’Psalm’

7th: Sophia Price-’Shahmaran’

8th: Piper Northburg-’Concerto’

8th: Taylor Piper-’Tender Skin’

9th: Sydney Carlin-’Salvatore’

10th: Teigyn Holt-’L.J’

10th: Trip Babcock-’Slip’

10th: Sophia Meza-’The Watering’

10th: Kendall Moller-’When I Fall In Love’

Rookie Duo/Trio

1st: A Dance Place-’Seize The Day’

2nd: The Dance Movement-’When She Loved Me’

3rd: The Dance Movement-’Heartbeats’

Mini Duo/Trio

1st: Stars Dance Studio-’Rescue’

2nd: A Dance Place-’You and Me But Mostly Me’

3rd: En Face Studios-’Where Do I Go From Here?’

Junior Duo/Trio

1st: Evoke Dance Movement-’Everything Is In Line’

2nd: Move By Morelli-’After Everything I’ve Done’

3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’Broken Chords’

Teen Duo/Trio

1st: all my feidns

2nd: bettet then today

3rd: nostalgia

3rd: when doves

Senior Duo/Trio

1st: thinking about you

2nd: lose somebody

3rd: everything all at

Rookie Group

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Boogie Shoes’

2nd: The Dance Movement-’Imagine’

2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Name Game’

3rd: Studio West Dance Center-’Home’

Mini Group

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Celloopa’

2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’SuperSonic’

3rd: Studio West Dance Center-’Choo Choo Cha Boogie’

3rd: A Dance Place-’Cover Is Not The Book’

Junior Group

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Ice Age’

1st: Sweatshop-’Rock It’

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Tambourine’

1st: Mpact Dance Project-’The Cubs’

2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Give A Little’

3rd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’O My Love’

Teen Group

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Our Love’

2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Moonlight’

2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Where Is The Love?’

3rd: Sweatshop-’Hope There’s Someone���

3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Life Within’

3rd: Empower Dance-’Open Hands’

3rd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’The Thing’

Senior Group

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’I Never Thought That You Could Be Left In My Chest’

1st: Empower Dance-’Lying Down’

1st: Studio West Dance Center-’Masters of Deception’

2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Lover Please Stay’

2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Verona’

3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’Wings in the Grass’

Rookie Line

1st: The Dance Movement-’Might Not Like Me’

Mini Line

1st: Mpact Dance Project-’Hey Pachuco’

2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Wind Beneath My Wings’

3rd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Nasty’

Junior Line

1st: Sweatshop-’Comin in Hot’

2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Back For More’

2nd: Sweatshop-’The Sun Will Rise’

3rd: Sweatshop-’Glory’

3rd: Sweatshop-’Hermetico’

3rd: Sweatshop-’Shelter’

Teen Line

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’The Day It All Crashed’

2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Change Will Come’

3rd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Take Me Coco’

Senior Line

1st: Sweatshop-’Is That Alright’

2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Nunc Dimittis’

3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’A Town That’s Right For Me’

Mini Extended Line

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Raise Your Voice’

2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Sleeping Beauty’

Junior Extended Line

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Divas, Queens and Bees’

2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Love’

3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Flood of Everything’

3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Ooh Child’

Teen Extended Line

1st: Studio West Dance Center-’Into The Realm’

1st: Mpact Dance Project-’You Can’t Sit With Us’

2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Basshead’

2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Out of Line’

2nd: Studio West Dance Center-’The Swarm’

3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’All Night’

3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’Di Mi Nombre’

3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’La Mordidita’

3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Missy’

Junior Production

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Step in Time’

2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Let’s Dance’

Teen Production

1st: Mpact Dance Project-’It’s So Overt, It’s Covert’

2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Roaring 20s’

High Scores by Performance Division:

Rookie Jazz

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Boogie Shoes’ 2nd: The Dance Movement-’Might Not Like Me’ 3rd: Studio West Dance Center-’Home’

Rookie Tap

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Name Game’

Rookie Contemporary

1st: Studio West Dance Center-’Petite Fleur’

Rookie Lyrical

1st: The Dance Movement-’Imagine’

Mini Jazz

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Nasty’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Forever More’ 3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Self Love’

Mini Ballet

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Sleeping Beauty’

Mini Hip-Hop

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Keep It Up’ 2nd: Studio West Dance Center-’Wheels On The Bus’

Mini Tap

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’SuperSonic’ 2nd: Studio West Dance Center-’Choo Choo Cha Boogie’ 3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Just Got Paid’

Mini Contemporary

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Celloopa’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Dare’ 3rd: Studio West Dance Center-’September Song’

Mini Lyrical

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Wind Beneath My Wings’ 2nd: A Dance Place-’Firework’ 2nd: A Dance Place-’This Is Me’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’It’s Impossible’ 3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Keep Climbing’

Mini Musical Theatre

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Raise Your Voice’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Hey Pachuco’ 3rd: A Dance Place-’Cover Is Not The Book’

Mini Ballroom

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Conga’

Junior Jazz

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Tambourine’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Let’s Dance’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Love’ 3rd: Sweatshop-’Hermetico’

Junior Hip-Hop

1st: Sweatshop-’Comin in Hot’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Divas, Queens and Bees’ 3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Welcome to the Party’

Junior Tap

1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’I Love Your Smile’

Junior Contemporary

1st: Mpact Dance Project-’The Cubs’ 2nd: Sweatshop-’Shelter’ 3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Flood of Everything’

Junior Lyrical

1st: Sweatshop-’The Sun Will Rise’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Give A Little’ 3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Ooh Child’

Junior Musical Theatre

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Step in Time’

Junior Ballroom

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Sweet Like Cola’

Junior Specialty

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Ice Age’ 1st: Sweatshop-’Rock It’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Back For More’ 3rd: Sweatshop-’Glory’

Teen Jazz

1st: Empower Dance-’One Last Time’ 1st: Empower Dance-’The Upside’ 2nd: Studio West Dance Center-’Without You’ 2nd: Sweatshop-’Disco Pop’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’All Night’ 3rd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Anything I Do’

Teen Ballet

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Don Quixote’ 2nd: Studio West Dance Center-’Recomposed’ 3rd: Sweatshop-’Allegro from Paquita’

Teen Hip-Hop

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Missy’ 2nd: Studio Wesr Dance Center-’Just Gang’ 2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Jay-Z’ 3rd: Sweatshop-’I Believe’

Teen Tap

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Where Is The Love?’ 2nd: Studio West Dance Center-’Get Down’ 2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Back in Black’

Teen Contemporary

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Change Will Come’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Moonlight’ 3rd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Life Within’ 3rd: Studio West Dance Center-’The Swarm’ 3rd: Studio West Dance Center-’Love More’ 3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’Out of Line’ 3rd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Basshead’ 3rd: Empower Dance-’Finish Line’ 3rd: Empower Dance-’Open Hands’

Teen Lyrical

1st: Studio West Dance Center-’Unknown’ 2nd: Sweatshop-’Ghost in the Wind’ 3rd: Sweatshop-’Feels Like This’

Teen Musical Theatre

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’The Day It All Crashed’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’You Can’t Sit With Us’ 3rd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Cell Block Tango’

Teen Ballroom

1st: Mpact Dance Project-’La Mordidita’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Sax’ 2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’When I Grow Up’

Teen Specialty

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Our Love’ 1st: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Take Me Coco’ 2nd: Studio West Dance Center-’Into The Realm’ 3rd: Sweatshop-’Hope There’s Someone’ 3rd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’The Thing’

Senior Jazz

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Tainted Love’ 2nd: DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’My Game’ 3rd: Sweatshop-’Escalate’

Senior Ballet

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’La Bayadere’ 1st: Sweatshop-’Dirt’

Senior Hip-Hop

1st: Sweatshop-’Shoot the Shot’

Senior Contemporary

1st: Studio West Dance Center-’Masters of Deception’ 1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’I Never Thought That You Could Be Left In My Chest’ 1st: Empower Dance-’Lying Down’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Verona’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Dissolving Tension’ 3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’Wings in the Grass’

Senior Lyrical

1st: Sweatshop-’Is That Alright’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Nunc Dimittis’ 3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’Don’t Leave Me’ 3rd: Mpact Dance Project-’Lover Please Stay’

Senior Musical Theatre

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’A Wild, Wild Party’

Senior Ballroom

1st: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Smooth’

Senior Specialty

1st: Mpact Dance Project-’A Town That’s Right For Me’ 2nd: Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’All Together Now’ 2nd: Mpact Dance Project-’Side Effects’ 3rd: Sweatshop-’The Enchanting’

Best of Radix:

Rookie

The Dance Movement-’Imagine’

DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Boogie Shoes’

Studio West Dance Center-’Home’

Mini

Studio West Dance Center-’Choo Choo Cha Boogie’

Mpact Dance Project-’Hey Pachuco’

A Dance Place-’Cover Is Not The Book’

Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Dare’

DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Celloopa’

Junior

Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’Step in Time’

Mpact Dance Project-’The Cubs’

Sweatshop-’Comin in Hot’

Teen

Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’The Day It All Crashed’

The Dance Movement-’How to Win’

Sweatshop-’Hope There’s Someone’

Empower Dance-’Finish Line’

Mpact Dance Project-’Moonlight’

Studio West Dance Center-’Into The Realm’

DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Take Me Coco’

Senior

DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’I’ve Known Your Heart’

Sweatshop-’Is That Alright’

Empower Dance-’Lying Down’

Mpact Dance Project-’Nunc Dimittis’

Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’I Never Thought That You Could Be Left In My Chest’

Studio West Dance Center-’Masters of Deception’

Studio Standout:

Sweatshop-’Is That Alright’

Studio West Dance Center-’Masters of Deception’

Mpact Dance Project-’Nunc Dimittis’

Michelle Latimer Dance Academy-’The Day It All Crashed’

DanceSpace Performing Arts Academy-’Take Me Coco’

A Dance Place-’Youth’

[rhetoricalrogue]

31 Days of Wayhaven, Day 24

Prompt: Enchantment Rating: PG-13 for language, adult-type touching, and Nicky being Nicky Words: 4,332 Characters: Nicolo and Isabela Morelli Summary: This reunion isn’t going quite the way Nicky planned.

For the @31daysofwayhaven event.

His daughter had kept in touch with him far more than Nicky ever thought he deserved.  It was strange, but not in a bad way, to receive texts from her or to be on the phone for hours on end, listening as she filled him in on the life he had missed out on.  They’d laughed together, and on multiple occasions, cried together, but he was honored that she would so readily include him in her life.  She’d explained the reason she was still alive: she may have inherited her looks from his side of the family, but her mother’s magical abilities had carried over.  She’d laughed that when she and her mother went to restaurants without glamour, they were often mistaken for sisters, especially since Gianna had chosen to stop aging at the same age her mother had done the same.  He had wondered if Tony had inherited the same since he was slightly older in looks by a few years, but Gianna had laughed and told him that no, as someone part fey, her son’s long lifespan was tied to his father’s.  It was a lot to take in at once, but Nicky was grateful that he had this opportunity to get to know the family he hadn’t known he had better.

He’d asked Gianna to not let her mother know about him.  Part of him wanted to go to Isabela to confront her, but another part of his was afraid to.  What would they say to the other after so long apart?  What would she think of him?  They hadn’t even known the other for more than a week, what did they have in common, aside from this daughter that he hadn’t even known about?  He’d changed over the years that his life had been prolonged, he wasn’t the same person that he had been then.  Of course, the core things that made up his personality were still the same: he was as opinionated as ever and his temper still flared hot at the slightest of provocations, he still had the same sense of humor about the things he always had, and he still had the same need to wear well-tailored clothing and have the finer things in life.

He also had the same love of women that had led him to this fate, though to be fair, he had ceased any and all affairs the moment he found out that Isabela was still alive.  He still flirted, because it wouldn’t be him if he didn’t, but Nicky hadn’t acted on any of the flirtation since, especially once his daughter had told him that the magic that had kept him from true death was meant as a matrimonial bond.

Marriage.  The word was foreign to him, to be bound to one person and one person alone for the rest of his life.  He didn’t have anything against the idea, just that it was something that he never thought would apply to himself, even when he was alive.  He still didn’t know how he felt about being married without his knowledge or his consent, but he figured that now that he knew, Isabela deserved his fidelity.  He had to laugh at that.  His lack of faithfulness had been his undoing all those years ago.

Thinking back, he didn’t know why he had strayed from her and her bed.  Maybe because it had felt too right, that it had scared him to find someone that he could have easily seen himself in love with.  Maybe it was because he didn’t want to be tied down to one person that he pushed her away before more permanent ties could be made.

Or maybe, just maybe he had cheated on Isabela with another woman because he had been a feckless asshole with no real care for the feelings of the women he claimed to be fascinated with.  He was three hundred and seventy-two years old, he could call himself out on his own bullshit.

Nicky squared his shoulders and brushed invisible lint off the front of his (expensive) leather motorcycle jacket.  He stared at the little wrought iron fence that separated the charming house in front of him from the street and pushed the gate open.  The tingle of protective magic all around him made the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end, but he kept going, pausing with his knuckles braced at the door.

This is stupid, Morelli, he thought.  Just knock and be done with it.

It took a while, but he heard footsteps come to the door.  There was no peephole or window, and the breath that he didn’t need caught in his throat at the sight of the woman who answered it.  The glamour she wore to make herself look like an older version of herself shimmered gold over her body like a second skin before fizzling and sputtering out, leaving behind a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, dark hair curling about her elegant shoulders and skin smooth and rosy.

The rose tint that filled her cheeks with such life seemed to drain from her face as she stared at him, her beautiful eyes widening as she took him in.

“Buona sera, mia cara,” he said, giving her a wink.  “May I come in?”

Isabela slammed the door in his face.

Nicky looked at the door that had missed his nose by inches.  “Can we talk about this?”  He knocked again.

“Go away!”

“Come on, I used up all my mileage to fly out here!”  He rattled the doorknob, but found it locked, just as he expected.  “Can we at least speak like civilized people?”

“I have nothing to say to you, you pig!”  Nicky heard slamming and realized she was closing all the windows around one side of the house.  Running in the opposite direction, he rounded the corner and jumped the low spiked iron fence to the backyard.  As expected, the back door was open and the screen door was unlocked.

“Is this how you treat your husband?” he teased, eyes widening as he dodged a cast iron skillet she swung in his direction.

“Get out of my house!” She grit her teeth and swung again.  “How did you even find me?”

“It wasn’t easy!”  He dodged another hit, his feet moving backwards until she forced him out onto the back porch.  “It only took over three hundred years!”

“I thought you were dead!  You should be dead!”

He moved again.  “I am dead!  You made it so I can’t get any peace!”  Nicky let out a grunt as the skillet connected with his shoulder, but his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly and twisting in a way that wouldn’t hurt her, but would make her drop the pan.  “Now can we please talk like adults inside before your neighbors call the cops?  I don’t have much of a rap sheet, but I would like to keep domestic -” He paused as pain sparked through his body.  Looking down, he noticed that he hadn’t seen Isabela fumbling in the pocket of her dress for a knife.  A knife that was currently sticking out of his chest.  He looked at her in disbelief and she looked back, her eyes wide in fright.

“Ow,” was all he had time to say before the world went black and his body crumpled to the ground.

He didn’t know how long it had been before he came to, but he guessed it wasn’t long, judging by the slant of late afternoon sunlight coming through the kitchen window.  A shuffle of movement made him turn his head towards the sound and he found Isabela curled on the floor, her arms around her legs and her eyes staring at him.

“This was my best jacket,” he managed to say, mouth dry as it usually was when he came back to consciousness.  “I’ve been shot at, chased by things with claws in it, and the person that ruins the leather is my own wife.  Fitting.”

“I’m not your wife,” she whispered, voice hoarse.

“Tell that to your magic.”

She shook her head.  “It wasn’t supposed to work.  It shouldn’t have worked.”

Nicky grunted as he slowly sat up, one leg extended and the other brought up so he could rest his arm on his knee.  “What shouldn’t have worked?”

“The spell.  I was young, inexperienced.  I was angry.”  She sniffled.  “I didn’t mean for it to work.”

Nicky looked at her and let out a slow, low laugh.  “So you’re saying that this spell you cast on me was an accident?  Something you did in anger?”

She slapped her palms on the floor and glared at him.  “Don’t laugh at me, damn you!”

“Oh, sweetheart,” he breathed, wiping tears from his eyes as he continued to chuckle.  “You have got to admit there’s some cosmic irony going around.  It’s either laugh or scream, babe.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t left me for some...some…”  she stood up and glared.  “I can’t even describe her anymore, but the fact is that you decided that you had enough fun in my bed and wanted nothing more to do with me!”

“I was young!”

She held her hand to her chest.  “So was I!  Youth is no excuse for breaking my heart!”

He sighed and closed his eyes.  “I know that now.  You have absolutely no reason to forgive me, but I do want you to know how sorry I am for hurting you.  It was wrong of me and I apologize.”

His words seemed to take some of the wind out of her anger.  “I loved you once,” she told him, wiping at her cheek.  “I think, in a way, I love you still.”

He got up, wincing as the wound in his chest pulled his muscles tight as it continued to heal.  “You loved the idea of me, Isabela.  We barely knew the other, how can you love me?”

She narrowed her eyes as she came up to him, hand reaching out to trace the ragged hole in his once pristine leather jacket, the tips of her fingers warm against his skin.  “Soulmates exist, idiot.”  Isabela jerked back slightly when Nicky let out a barking laugh, his hand coming up to gently wrap around her wrist.

“Sounds like something my grandson told me a while ago when I first met him.”

Isabela stood straighter.  “You met Tony?”

“Oh, he was pissed at me.  Had we not been in public, I bet he would have swung at me.”

She snorted, her lip barely curling up in a smile.  “He’s a good boy, my Tony.”  She swallowed hard.  “He takes after your side of the family, you know.”

He smiled and ran his thumb against the back of her hand.  “So does Gianna.  You named her after my grandmother?”

Isabela bowed her head and swayed towards him.  It felt right to hold her close with his free arm, her head fitting in the crook of his neck as if it were made specifically for that purpose.  “You weren’t supposed to know about her.” Her hand twitched under his, fingers splaying out over his chest.  For the briefest of moments, he could have sworn his heart, rusty from disuse, had given a faint thump. “I didn’t want you to know about her.”

He looked down at her.  “Why not?”

“Because she was mine.  You already stole my heart, Nicolo, I didn’t want you to come back and take my little girl.”

“Our little girl.”  He leaned back so he could look her in the eye.  “Was that why you vanished?  Made it so hard for me to find you?”

She nodded.  “I was still so angry.  At you, for making me fall in love with you and then running off to chase the next skirt that struck your fancy. At myself, for falling in love with such a fickle man.  I wanted you to hurt as much as I hurt, so I bound you to me and disappeared.  I wanted to see how long you would search for me.  I wanted you to grovel at my door, to beg for my forgiveness.”

“May you never know the peace of the grave,” Nicky murmured.  “Do you know how long I thought that you had cursed me that night?”

She frowned.  “Like I said, I was angry.”

“Did you know,” he started, moving aside so he had some space between them.  The faint scent of roses that clung to her skin made it hard to think.  “I went back the next night?  I wanted to talk things through with you, maybe see if there was anything I could save.”  He remembered how they had parted, both of them screaming at the other and Isabela throwing a pot in his direction.  

He hadn’t been as quick then as he was now, the pot glancing off the side of his head and drawing blood.  

“Why didn’t you?”

He shrugged.  “Sort of couldn’t when I got caught by a hulking slab of muscle I owed money to and he stabbed me to death and left me to rot in a ditch.”  He watched as she winced, her hand going sympathetically to her throat.  “Hey, but I guess I can’t really be too mad at you, had you not cast your spell, I would have been dead a long time ago.  I would have missed out on so many things: indoor plumbing, high speed internet, fine Italian motorcycles…”

He couldn’t help but move closer to her, his fingers tipping her chin up so he could look in her eyes.  “But for all the things I got to witness, I also missed out on so much.  Getting to know you, our daughter growing up, her son growing up.  I regret missing those things.”

Isabela gave a short huff of laughter.  “That wasn’t something I was expecting to hear from you.  You were always so brash and cocky with your words.”

He grinned.  “Don’t worry, my mouth still gets me into plenty of trouble.  I’ve just had over three centuries to do some personal growth.”

“Are you angry with me?” she asked, biting at her lip.  

“I was,” he confessed.  “I was angry for the longest time.  You have no idea how long I searched for a way to end this existence I believed you’d cursed me to, how many ways I sought death, a true death, out if only to free myself from waking up whole and unscathed.”

She leaned towards him again, her eyes squeezing shut.  “What stopped you?” she whispered.

“Nothing.  I dove in the line of fire and got shot in the face last week like it was nothing, just to save one of my teammates.  They’ve helped though. Gianna told me that the two of you know about the Agency.  I’m an agent with Unit Delta.”  He tapped his chest.  “No heartbeat or heat signature makes me the ideal infiltration specialist, and I’m handy with disarming locks and security systems so the rest of my team can come in behind me.  I’ve worked with multiple groups on several occasions since joining up, but the one I’m with now, they’re like family to me.  They’re the brothers and sisters that I didn’t know I was missing until I found them, and while knowing that someday I’m going to outlive them all, they make me not want to look for that final peace as often.”

Isabela licked at her lips before nervously biting at them again.  “So, where does this leave us?”

Nicky spread his hands and gave her a look that silently told her he didn’t have a clue either.  “I don’t know.  I’ve been in contact with Gianna and she wants me in her life.  Tony’s texted me once or twice now that he’s had a chance to cool down and think about things.”  He looked at her seriously.  “I don’t want to lose contact with them now that I’ve found them.”

“I don’t want you to lose contact with them either.”  She took a hesitant step closer, reaching out for him as if she couldn’t help herself either.  “I wanted…” she took a shuddering breath and ran her hands over his jacket, fingers gripping the edges.  “I often wondered what it would have been like had we been together.  To watch Gianna grow, to see how we would have grown together.”

“And it always made you sad.”  He leaned down and brushed his nose along the side of hers. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too.”  Nicky didn’t know who moved first, but his lips were pressed against hers and he felt as if he were a man slowly dying of thirst suddenly being given water after years of searching for the barest drop to drink.  He inhaled sharply as her hands pulled him close, his own hands moving to her hips and lower to lift her up onto one of the kitchen countertops, which she went gladly, a moan spilling from her mouth as he left her lips to trail a hot line of kisses down to her neck.  His hands slid over her legs, the material of her dress moving up until he had it bunched at her waist.

And that’s when he realized something that broke him out of the haze he’d fallen under.  Something he hadn’t felt in centuries.  “Nicolo?”  Isabela’s lips dragged along his jaw and he groaned when she nipped at the patch of skin where his jaw met his throat.  “What is it?”

He made a strangled noise as he slipped his hands under her thighs and tipped his hips just so.  “Um, that.” he told her, mouth muffled by her shoulder, grinding against her just to check to see if he wasn’t dreaming that something that hadn’t happened in a very long time was actually happening.  For science, if you will.

She gasped and wrapped her legs around his waist.  “Yes, that,” she purred, dragging her fingers through his hair so she could kiss him again.  “It may have been a while since I’ve been with you, but I definitely remember this part.”

“No, you don’t understand, Bella.”  His hands moved upwards until he could run his thumbs against the underside of her breasts.  “I haven’t felt this for anyone.  Not since before I died that first time.”  His laugh was a little on the wild side, and he let out a curse when she used her legs to pull him tightly to her again. 

“Wait, are you telling me…”

His eyebrow arched up.  “That this is the first time my cock’s gotten up for a woman in almost four hundred years?  Yes.”

“That you’ve slept with other women?” She angrily shoved at his chest and kicked out at him, aiming for the suddenly very apparent bulge in his jeans.

Instinct had him swerving his hips out of range.  “Hey!  We broke up!  You cursed me to this half-life!”

“We were married, you jackass!  How could you run around behind my back?”

“I didn’t know that!” He eyed the skillet she had on a nearby counter and grabbed it before she could reach for it.  “You made it impossible to find you and figure out what the fuck this whole spell you put me under was!”

“Did you even try looking?”  She hopped off the counter and balled her fists at her sides.  Nicky was just grateful she hadn’t grabbed at another knife yet.

He wagged a finger at her.  “Don’t you even start.  I spent years looking for you!  When I couldn’t find you in Sicily, I moved to Italy.  When I couldn’t find you there, I went to nearby countries to look for you.  Fuck, I spent months this year alone looking for you, so don’t you bring that into this!”  He angrily gestured at his groin, the long-absent erection slowly vanishing as they yelled.  “But it doesn’t explain this!”

She had the good grace to look the tiniest bit contrite.  “So I may have cursed you a little after that last argument.”

“A little?  You call not getting this up, even with my own hand, little?”

“I was angry!  You left me for another woman, did you think I wanted you to be able to use it with anyone but me?”

“Three hundred and seventy-two years, Isabela!  And this whole time I thought it was because my heart wasn’t pumping blood to vital organs!”  He dropped the skillet onto the table in the small breakfast nook and glared.  “Why didn’t you just curse my dick to fall off while you were at it?”

“That can still be arranged!”

Nicky took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.  “Okay, so this isn’t going quite the way I had envisioned.  We need to take a step back, maybe take a breather?”

“What makes you think I want anything to do with you?”

He arched his eyebrow.  “Because you said you wanted to, like five minutes ago?”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest.  “That was then.  Now I just want you out of my house.”

“Careful, carina.  You look gorgeous when you’re angry.”  Sure that she was unarmed, he swooped in and gathered her in his arms.

“I should bite you,” she growled.

“Kinky.  I’ll file that away for future reference.”

She unfolded her arms and instead of pushing him away, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him closer.  “Why should I think that you’ll be faithful to me now when you weren’t faithful to me all these years?”

“Because, Isabela, I haven’t slept with a woman since finding out that you were still alive.”  He leaned down and pressed a brief peck on the tip of her nose.  “It’s been two months, it’s a record.”

Isabela made an indignant sound.  “It’s been three hundred and seventy-two years,” she replied.  “I haven’t wanted anyone else but you.”  She stretched up onto her tiptoes and pressed her mouth against his, her body all but melting at the touch.

He reluctantly broke the kiss.  “Then I hate to make you wait another minute, however…”

“What?”

He looked down at her and cupped her cheek in his hand.  “I was a jackass who didn’t know what I had before.  I’m still a jackass, but I want to do this right.”  He leaned down and pressed the barest of kisses to her forehead.  “Let me take you out.” Another kiss, this time at her cheek.  “Treat you to dinner.” His mouth barely grazed the corner of hers.  “Take you to bed.”  His lips curled upwards into a wicked smirk when he felt the moan buzz at her throat. 

“Fine, but it better be soon,” she pouted, fingers sifting through his hair before tugging.  “As in tonight soon.”

Nicky nipped at her lips before moving away, the warmth from her body already missed.  “Ah, but my darling, I haven’t a thing to wear.”  He wiggled his fingers through the tear she had made in his shirt and his jacket.  He laughed at her frustrated growl.  “Some of us should have thought about the consequences to stabbing one’s spouse before sticking a knife in their chest.”

“If you’re just going to tease, then you can leave.”

He winked at her.  “I’m just happy that I’m able to tease.”

“Out.”  She pointed to the back door.  As if by magic - and Nicky had to laugh at that! - the screen door opened on its own accord and stayed open, waiting for him to exit the way he came.

“So, can I call you?”

“You don’t have my number.”

He fished in the jacket pocket to pull out his phone, which had miraculously been saved from the knife from earlier.  “No, but Gianna does!”  He hopped the back fence again and made his way to the front yard, whistling a jaunty tune the entire time.  He stopped when he got to the front of her house in time to see her leaning against the front door.  “You never answered me, may I call you?”

She waved her hand in the air, as if dismissing him.  “I’ll think about it.”

“You are a cruel, cruel woman.”

“And you are a rude man who thinks it’s fair to work a woman up and then leave.”  She stood there at her doorway as he walked down the street, the faintest refrain of some song she hadn’t heard in centuries carrying on the wind.  “Idiot,” she murmured, shaking her head.  She couldn’t help the smile that worked its way onto her face as she closed the door and leaned against it.  Well. That was certainly not what she expected to deal with when she woke up that morning.  Running her hand over her hair in an attempt to put it back to rights where Nicolo had mussed it, she sighed and sank down onto the living room sofa.  Reaching for the phone that was on the coffee table, she hit a pre-programmed number.

“I should be angry at you for not telling me about your father being around,” she said without preamble, listening as her daughter tried to deflect with Mama, it’s so good to hear you! “But I’m guessing that he asked you not to say a word.”  She ran a hand over her neck, shivering as she remembered how Nicolo’s lips had felt there just minutes before. 

“Give your father my phone number,” she told her, her voice clipped and fast, almost as if she were getting the words out before she thought better of it.  “And tell him I expect a phone call soon.”

With that, she hung up the phone and got up, heading to put her kitchen to rights after the love of her life had barged in and moved things around, humming that same tune of love found after years apart without even realizing it.

[abatelunare]

Bookcrossing

Oggi sono passato dalla postazione di bookcrossing poco distante da casa mia.

I libri che ho lasciato in precedenza sono già spariti. Il che è assai positivo. Vuol dire che qualcuno ne è rimasto incuriosito. Per contro, è stato fatto un po’ di ricambio. Tolte un paio di letture per ragazzi e qualche thriller di quelli che vanno per la maggiore, questi gli autori presenti: Raffaele Morelli, Willy Pasini, Gianna Schelotto, Paolo Crepet e Erich Fromm. Ho lasciato giù due libri “doppi” (nel senso che li avevo già, ma non mi ricordavo di averli), uno che non leggerò mai e uno che ho letto ma non mi ha convinto troppo. E ho preso Crepet e Fromm. Due in cambio di quattro. Ci può stare, dài.

[babiepeche]

“do you want me or do you not?”

we both know if we kept it up you would have only gotten hurt worse in the long run — little did he know that single text would haunt her for the next five years. whenever she’d have movement and thought about him, she’d always stop herself from missing him and think of that text.

“i’m hearing one thing and i’m hearing another”

I can't go into my marriage knowing you're hurting — always was the next train of thought would be followed up with that text. what did he actually feel for her? was it all some sort of game? was it a bet that she was unaware of? what was she supposed to do with all the love she had for him? there was nothing that could be said and nothing that could be done. their fate was already done before they could even start.

“happiness is a butterfly try to catch it like every night it escapes from my hand into the moonlight”

a sympathy of crickets lurked in the summer night in italy as the couple walked together around a lake. joe stopped on the middle of the bridge, he lifted gianna up to sit on the stone ledge of the stone bridge. “what’s on your mind?” she asked him wrapping her arms around his neck and he stood in between her legs with his arms wrapped around her waist. “i love you.” joe said as he studied her face. for a moment that was meant to be happy, she wasn’t. “say it again.” she said to him. maybe if he said it enough times, he would start to sound like elliot. “i love you.” joe chuckled. “again.” she said closing her eyes— if she closed her eyes, he would look just like elliot. joe laughed “arachidi why are your eyes closed? i love you.” gia smiled finally satisfied now that he looked and sounded like elliot. “because i want to savor this moment with you and kiss you. i love you too.” she said back to him and pressed her lips against his. “you’ve never kissed me like that.” joe said once he pulled away with a grin.

“gianna. you need to get out of bed this instance. we are meeting joe’s family in two hours! you need to start getting ready.” gia’s mother scolded her as she turned on the lights and pulled open the curtains aggressively to force sunlight through the room. she went to yank the duvet from over gianna; with red eyes, nose and lips. “we don’t have time for your stupid emotional tantrums. get up.” gia shook her head and was about to cry again. “gianna what’s going on?” her mother sat down next to her and ran her fingers through her hair. gia finally told her mother everything that happened with elliot during his engagement, she was silent the whole time. gia started to cry harder once she finished her story. mrs. morelli let out a sigh before smacking her daughter across the face. “i didn’t raise a whore for a daughter!”she yanked gia by the arm getting her out of bed. “you better not utter another word about elliot fletcher ever again. you never speak of this. especially joe.”

“if he’s a serial killer than what’s the worst”

she was going everything right. she loved joe. he loved her. her family loved him. his family loved her. business between their families would easily merge together. it was the perfect reunion. joe even let her design her own ring with a jeweler. it was a matter of when and where he was going to pop the question.

“… i can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you. gianna morelli, will you marry me?” joe said as he got down on one knee pulling out the ring box and opened it. only to present her with something so ridiculous gotti. what happened to her ring? joe looked to her and the ring as she was silent and the look on her face. “i thought you’d like this one better.” gianna quickly smiled nodding her head. not wanting to ruin the moment between them. “no don’t worry, i love it. yes i’ll marry you.” she jumped into his arms kissing him.

“yes i’ll take a refill on my water and can i have two cannolis as well?” gianna asked looking to the waitress. joe cleared his throat, which made her eyebrow raise. “no to the dessert but grab the water, thank you.” gianna just stared at him until the waitress left. “why can’t i have it?” she asked him. “because you already had dessert this week. if you’re still hungry, we can get your small bowl of steamed vegetables gianna.” joe looked at her. “don’t look at me like that arachidi. you’re perfect the way you are, i’m just helping you maintain how you look.” gia rested her back against the chair as she bit the inside of her cheek. “you’ll thank me later.”

“that could happen to a girl who’s already hurt i’m already hurt”

gianna sat on her knees with an abundance of white fabric around her, staring at her phone screen with elliot’s contact pulled up. “why are you hiding? what’s on your phone? what are you doing?” mrs. morelli asked she yank the phone from her hands. elliot fletcher contact was up. “it is your wedding day! get the fuck over him!” her mother pushed her out from behind the room divider. “stop it! i just have to talk to him!” gia turned to attempt to grab her phone back but it got aggressive and mrs. morelli tripped and fell. gia caught herself, pausing in her tracks. she knew only the worse was to come. her mother got up in silence, deleted his contact and went into the bathroom dropping the phone in the sink with the water running before leaving the room.

“if he’s as bad as they say then i guess i’m cursed”

“thank you.” joe smiled as he placed his back down on her feet and grabbed his phone from the stranger. he noticed how the stranger looked at gianna. “why are you dressed like that?” joe asked her. “like what?” he looked down to her unzipped suit that exposed cleavage. “you were just saying how much you liked it back in the cabin?” she looked at him confused. “i thought you were going zip up more when we left. you’re just walking around here looking a fucking whore.” gia started to get teary eyed. “what you think your mother didn’t tell me? might i add on our wedding day.” he said towering over her. “stop crying. get yourself together. you’re going to make people stare and think that i’m the asshole.” he yanked up her snow suit and pressed a kiss on her lips.

“i was one thing and now i’m being another”

“where are you going?” her husband as he reached down to help zip up her suitcase. “i told you, it’s on the google calendar. my commission piece that’s out of town.” she stood up. “oh… yeah. how long will you be gone?” he scratched the back of his head. “a week or so. i’m not really sure. no longer than two weeks.” she said nodding her head. “don’t worry carmen will keep you company.” joe gave a deer in a head lights look. gianna chuckled. “i’ve known about her for three months now.” joe grimaced. “don’t look so proud of yourself.” gianna shrugged her shoulders. “at least i know she can’t play dress up in my clothes because of her massive tits. do you watch what she eats too or did she have an eating disorder before you?” gianna shot back pushing her bags into the hallway. two maids started to take her bags down to the car. “is that what you think i gave you? an eating disorder?! i’m helping you be more food conscious.” joe yelled at her. “fuck you i’ve been food conscious my entire life. you’ve just made it worse!” she yelled back at him as she went down the stairs. “i hope the jet crashes.” joe shot back over the railing. “because you don’t have the balls to divorce me? suddenly remembering whoever cheats with viable evidence gets to take everything?” gia grinned and smiled at him before leaving

[vibezhq]

good  news, GIA MORELLI!  you  stunned  us  at  your  interview  and  you’ve  officially  landed  a  job  here  at  Vibez. congrats!  you  have  12  hours  to  send  in  your  account  to  accept  your  position  for  the  company  or  we’ll  have  to  offer  your  spot  to  someone  else.  ( ariana grande is now taken )

( Ariana grande, cisfemale , she/her ) have you heard about GIANNA “GIA” MORELLI? they’re a 23 year old ASSISTANT in the CULINARY team. i don’t know what their last job was, all i know is that they’re originally from UPPEREAST SIDE, NYC. carol in hr said that they’re kinda PRETENTIOUS and MELODRAMATIC but jessica in marketing insists that they are LOYAL and AMBITIOUS. at the end of the day, no one is worthy of the instant hype here. i just hope they get to achieve their dream of being CULINARY LEAD one day. According to the latest Vibez quiz, their Disney soulmate is ALADDIN ( D, they/them, 23, pst)

[giancarlonicoli]

8 mag 2020 10:48

E SE GLI AMANTI FOSSERO AFFETTI PIÙ STABILI DEI CONGIUNTI? - NON SOLO FERGUSON E ANTONIA: NEI MESI DI LOCKDOWN MOLTE COPPIE UFFICIALI SONO SCOPPIATE MENTRE QUELLE CLANDESTINE SI STRUGGEVANO DI PASSIONE. DIEGO DE SILVA: ''GLI AMANTI SOPRAVVIVONO AI MATRIMONI CHE FINISCONO E A QUELLI CHE NASCONO'' - MORELLI: ''PERDERE IL PROPRIO AMANTE VUOL DIRE PERDERE L'ENERGIA PRIMORDIALE DI CUI ABBIAMO BISOGNO''

-

«Con gli amanti siamo nel cuore del fuoco, è il luogo in cui la sessualità lavora in modo più significativo. L' eros non è, come pensiamo noi, il mondo degli istinti, ma è il mondo della trasmutazione: facciamo l' amore perché si secernono sostanze che rigenerano il nostro cervello e favoriscono l' evoluzione interiore. Perdere il proprio amante vuol dire perdere l' energia primordiale di cui abbiamo bisogno».

Elvira Serra per il “Corriere della Sera”

Gli amanti ai tempi del coronavirus hanno molti volti. I più famosi sono quelli di Neil Ferguson e di Antonia Staats: lui è il direttore del Dipartimento malattie infettive dell' Imperial College di Londra che ha convinto Boris Johnson ad abbandonare la strada dell' immunità di gregge e a optare per un più ragionevole lockdown, valido per tutti tranne che per se stesso e per Antonia, l' amante incontrata a casa sua ben due volte durante la quarantena. I giornali inglesi lo hanno crocifisso, e non tanto perché lei è una donna sposata (il suo è un matrimonio aperto), ma perché lui è - era, prima delle dimissioni - un consigliere del comitato Sage per l' emergenza.

Al di là del ruolo, e delle inevitabili conseguenze, Neil e Antonia hanno ricordato a tutti una cosa molto vera: gli amanti clandestini non si sono estinti con l' applicazione delle misure anti contagio.

Come sa bene l' anchorman spagnolo Alfonso Merlos, alle spalle del quale, durante una diretta via Skype, è comparsa semi-nuda la collega Alexia Rivas (va detto che quest' ultima si considerava già la sua fidanzata, dettaglio sconosciuto dalla titolare in carica Marta López). A dimostrazione del fatto che, a dispetto delle definizioni giuridiche assunte dal Decreto del presidente del Consiglio dei ministri del 26 aprile, gli amanti sono «affetti» ben più «stabili» di quanto non lo siano parenti e affini, fino al sesto grado.

Lo scrittore Diego De Silva, autore tra gli altri di Terapia di coppia per amanti , lo aveva intuito già il primo aprile, quando su Twitter aveva scritto: «Una grande distinzione alla fine del coronavirus sarà fra chi si ama ancora e chi ha smesso di amarsi». A noi del Corriere , per telefono, dice che i protagonisti del suo romanzo appena citato, Viviana e Modesto, avrebbero escogitato qualunque cosa, pur di vedersi: «Intanto è una leggenda quella che gli amanti sono clandestini: la verità è che sono coppie ufficiali, che sopravvivono alle epoche, ai matrimoni che finiscono e a quelli che nascono. Sono molto più stabili di molti matrimoni allo sfascio».

Anche la terapista di coppia Gianna Schelotto annovera, tra i pazienti che in queste settimane ha continuato a seguire via Skype, amanti condannate più che mai ad aspettare. Racconta: «Il coronavirus ha dilatato la loro sofferenza e in certi casi ha aumentato le loro paure, per via della convivenza estrema e prolungata con i partner ufficiali».

Lei è convinta, però, che non siano pochi quelli che hanno fatto come Ferguson e Antonia: «Gli amanti non sono prudenti di per sé, sono sempre convinti che nessuno sappia e nessuno veda, si sentono più invisibili del virus». Se poi durante la quarantena hanno preso decisioni drastiche, la psicoterapeuta cita I Nuovi Angeli e la canzone Anna da dimenticare , e smorza: «Non è niente di definitivo: sono le "grandi decisioni decise mai"».

Allora ecco cosa è successo agli amanti dal 9 marzo scorso: molti hanno continuato a vedersi, molti si sono sentiti solo per telefono, molti sono rimasti appesi a messaggi che arrivavano in differita su WhatsApp, molti sono caduti, vittime collaterali di incidenti domestici (come la comparsa improvvisa della moglie o del marito durante una video chiamata). Altri sono stati scoperti. E alla fine non è successo niente. Perché, lo spiega lo psichiatra Raffaele Morelli, direttore di Riza Psicosomatica , la parola «amanti» significa «coloro che amano».

E non smettono certo da un giorno all'altro. «Con gli amanti siamo nel cuore del fuoco, è il luogo in cui la sessualità lavora in modo più significativo. L' eros non è, come pensiamo noi, il mondo degli istinti, ma è il mondo della trasmutazione: facciamo l' amore perché si secernono sostanze che rigenerano il nostro cervello e favoriscono l' evoluzione interiore. Perdere il proprio amante vuol dire perdere l' energia primordiale di cui abbiamo bisogno».

[jessisart]

doodled some fun "gardens of time" met gala concepts for vegas vamp, featuring nicky, gianna, and cameron!

(extra long babbling about outfit concepts beneath the cut ⬇️)

so I thought a bullfighting look for nick would be really fun a) because just structurally I was trying to approach this from a "don't draw nicky with his tiddies or stomach out challenge level impossible" direction, trying to avoid the usual silhouettes I default to with him and his fancy clothes, b) bc it's spanish which is very toreador in and of itself, and c) it represents a tradition often gilded and romanticized that many people view as being barbaric and inhumane, which is how nick often feels as a toreador himself!!! the jacket itself is representative of this too, literally roses being delicately held together only with a thin string of pearls and translucent fabric, like the facade of grace and romanticism trying to hide the monstrous truth of being kindred is only barely holding itself together in nick's eyes

gia's was hard bc I was having a hard time picturing her in any kind of florals or traditional "opulence" while still maintaining Her Vibe so I went with "decaying" leather instead, which also was a fun dark wink to both her forensic science background and also her previous stint as a hunter (also..... lesbian. gotta have the shoulders and the underboob out. them's the rules)

whether or not cameron understands the context of the theme and is deliberately going full in-your-face luxury as a message to how much he doesn't care about poor people in an angry mob OR if he just wanted to be sparkly and pretty and ignored the context of the theme completely is up in the air bc it's honestly extremely funny either way. but also I liked the idea of him coming in with something BIG and EXTRAVAGANT and EYE-CATCHING but still chic and cunty and very pop-star bc regardless of the theme EVERYONE is going to be looking at HIM and that is a THREAT. giant statement hand-constructed (he paid for the physical therapy of the hands that constructed it, it's fine) flower coat with a bare midriff and pink leather pants. also visually wanted it to connect to midsommar a little bc I thought using a visual from a frankly haunting horror film as a ~slay~ was very up his alley. ALSO PIXIE BOY HAIR to remind everyone that he is ~just a lil guy~ 🥺

[gianna-palazzolo]

what do gianna's parents think about her choice of career?

I'm going to assume this means potential involvement in the mafia, as opposed to her former career in the army, but feel free to tell me so if you meant the other.

Honestly, her dad has absolutely no room to judge and he knows that. The whole reason he came to the UK was because he served time in prison in Sicily for his involvement with the Cosa Nostra, and they gave him a clean break as a thank you for not flipping on them. Two of her brothers (as well as both of her paternal half brothers) are still involved with them in Palermo. From her mum’s side, she doesn’t judge her brother (Emilio Morelli) for working with the Rutherfords, so she can hardly judge her daughter for choosing a similar path in life.

Do I think they’ll be happy? Of course not. The mob is dangerous, and nobody really wants their child caught up in something like that. Are they going to be super dramatic and disown her or try to guilt trip her out of it? Not at all. If anything, her father will probably be the type to offer her advice rather than discouragement because he knows she’s going to do what she wants to do, regardless. The best he can do is help prepare her. Gianna is an adult, and they’ll let her make her own choices.

[rhetoricalrogue]

31 Days of Wayhaven: Day 10

Prompt: Blood Rating: G Words: 1910 Characters: Winona Adams, Farah Hauville, Nicolo Morelli Summary: Farah accidentally connects two dots while dishing out on some gossip. Note: Blood, bloodlines...stretching the prompt a little? Who, me?  Tony first showed up in a few headcanon posts of mine as my detective Aubrey Miller’s best friend/ex-dance partner before she came back home from the City.  He’s apparently evolved from a throwaway mention minor character to a bridge between Aubrey and Unit Charlie.

For the @31daysofwayhaven event.

“You should have seen the look on his face!” Farah bent over in laughter before flopping onto Winona’s bed.  Unit Bravo was stationed at the Facility closest to Wayhaven while their new warehouse headquarters was being built and it so happened that Charlie was also in between missions.  When Farah had found out about how Winona had joined up with the Agency, she had made a beeline to introduce herself, practically bouncing off the walls in excitement and hoping that her Echolian hadn’t gotten too rusty after seven years.  Nate was incredibly good at the language, but no matter how fluent he was, it wasn’t like speaking her mother tongue with another native speaker.

Just hearing the same language spoken so fluently made the pangs of homesickness that hit unexpectedly now and again hurt just a little bit less.  They still felt like a knife being twisted in her side, but at least they didn’t take her breath away or knock her to her knees as often.

“You shouldn’t tease him so,” Winona chastised, reclining on her side and peeling an orange to share.  Winona liked spending time with the youngest member of Unit Bravo.  The exuberance and sheer joy that radiated out of her reminded her of her own younger sibling that hadn’t made it through the rift she’d fallen through before it had closed almost immediately after her.

Her hands trembled for a moment, the peel of the orange caught between her fingers.  Her brother would have loved having these available year-round.

“But he makes it so easy, Winona!”  Farah took a segment of the orange she offered, nibbling at it to acclimate herself to the taste.  The first burst of sweet yet slightly tart flavor always overwhelmed her senses, but she really did like them.  She sighed as she popped the rest of the segment into her mouth.  “I just wish Adam would talk to someone about how he feels.  I mean, Aubrey is head over heels for him, I just don’t get it.”

“People express their feelings differently,” Winona commented, peeling another segment.  “And sometimes fear makes expressing those feelings openly difficult.”  Her thoughts went towards Cameron and Penelope.  She and Nicky had lengthy conversations on how the two of them should just say how they feel about it instead of living in a constant state of mutual pining.  The unresolved sexual tension between them was so thick that Winona often felt it buzz along her skin.  It was a struggle to not feed off it - had it been two other people than the ones who trusted her the most, she wouldn’t feel guilty about topping off her energy or using her pheromones to give them that extra push they needed to resolve things - and whenever things flared up between them, she found herself raiding the Facility kitchens for anything sweet to distract her from the yearning hunger that made her fangs extend and mouth water.

It was a good thing that Unit Bravo was around.  She and Mason had an...agreement.  The no-strings, casual sex he offered was worlds better than the slightly formal, businesslike encounters that the Agency offered.  The participants were volunteers, and she made certain that they had a good time, but it always felt more like a visit to a clinic instead of a more natural sensual moment.  Cam and Penny had been sparring in the training area earlier and what Winona had walked in on made her think that seeking out Mason’s company for an evening was a good idea.

Farah rolled onto the mattress until she was on her stomach, her feet kicking in the air.  “I still don’t think Adam fully understands that this guy who came for a visit was just a really good friend of Aubrey’s.”  She’d been in the middle of sharing a recent incident where some man had dropped into Wayhaven unexpectedly on his way to another city and had decided to surprise his very good friend.  Apparently Detective Miller had been a ballerina before settling in Wayhaven and this man had been her longtime dance partner.  And apparently, Adam hadn’t taken it well seeing the current object of his unspoken affections interact so easily with a man from her past.

The best part of it was that this man had been a supernatural being himself, though from how Farah described him, he had clicked with Aubrey long before he realized there was something special about her mutated blood.  Farah had giggled about the fact that Aubrey had tried her hardest to make everything in Wayhaven appear normal so he wouldn’t catch on to the Agency, and then this half-fey guy turned around and threatened the four vampires bodily harm if his best friend got hurt because of them as soon as she was out of the room.

Farah was right.  Winona would have loved to have seen that unfold.

“He was a cutie though,” Farah said, digging her phone out of her pant pocket.  She swiped around until she found a good shot.  “See?”

Winona looked at the picture, smiling as she took in the relaxed, easy smile on the detective’s face - she’d only been briefly introduced to her once during her initial stay and Winona could tell that she had still been taking in the fact that beings such as herself existed and that she had a murderous vampire hunting for her.  It had been a lot to take in, and honestly, Winona was surprised that Aubrey had taken it as well as she had.

Then she focused on the man next to her.  Yes, he was attractive, but there was something oddly familiar about him that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  Zooming in on his face, she had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.   “What did you say this guy’s name was?” she asked, zooming in further.  His eyes and the way his mouth quirked as he smiled made her dig out her own phone and pull up a picture.

“Tony.”

“Last name, Farah.”  She zoomed in on her phone and held it side by side with Farah’s.

“I don’t know, something Italian?”  Farah rested her chin on her hands.  “Something with an M?”

“Morelli?”

Farah snapped her fingers.  “That’s it!  Wow, that was a great guess!”  She started when Winona all but jumped out of bed and rushed towards the door.  

“Nicky!  Get in here now!”

***

“Are you certain this man’s name was Morelli?” Nicky asked, holding Farah’s phone as he paced around Winona’s bedroom.

“Yeah, he’s a famous dancer in the City.”

“It checks out,” Winona said, holding up her phone to show Nicky the quick Google search.  “Do you think that the two of you could be related?”

He frowned.  “Morelli is a common last name, it could be coincidence.”

Farah squinted.  “Are you sure?  I mean, the two of you look awfully similar.”

Nicky stared at the screen, his eyes boring holes into the picture.  “None of my mother’s family survived the plague of 1656.  I was only a child then, but my grandmother would have taken in anyone who had made it.”

“What about your sister?” Winona asked, sitting at the edge of her bed.  She resumed peeling off segments of orange, purely to give her hands something to do.

“She only had one child, and they died along with her and her husband in the earthquake of 1693.”  He pointed a finger at her.  “And before you ask, no, I didn’t have any children.”

“Nicky, you did sleep around a lot,” Winona pointed out.  “Like, a lot-a lot.”

“But I was careful!  I admit, I may have been a bit of a -”

“Horny dude who couldn’t keep it in his pants?”

Nicky glared at Farah, who just laughed at him.  “A romantic with a great love of women,” he pointed his finger at Winona in warning for her to not chime in.  “But I was extremely careful to leave without leaving a…”  he searched for a word.  “Little souvenir behind.”

“Well!” Farah hopped up from the bed and snatched her phone away faster than Nicky could react.  “I know one way to solve this!”

“Wait, what are you doing?”

She pulled up her contacts and pressed down on the one named AUBS that was bracketed with little ballet shoe emojis and sparkly pink hearts.  “Getting info from a source.”

“No, you don’t -”

“Too late! Hey Aubs!  How’s it going?”  Farah bounced a little on the balls of her feet while listening to whatever Aubrey was saying.  “Quick question: you know your dreamboat best friend?  Ha, okay, so thanks for telling me he’s single, that’s actually really useful info, but I was wanting to know a little bit more about him.  What’s his mom’s name?”  She twirled on the ball of her foot in a lazy, half-pirouette that she’d been working on with Aubrey.  “No, no reason at all, just really interested!”

Nicky scoffed.  “Like that’s not going to raise suspicion.”  

“Gianna?  Gianna Morelli?  That’s really pretty!”  Farah gave Nicky a glance and raised her eyebrows to see if the name rang any bells.  He shook his head when it didn’t.  “Okay, so maybe a little weirder question, do you happen to know who his grandma is?  I remember you talking about her and how she made the best chicken soup that one time the whole cast of a production got sick.” She gasped and pressed a hand to her chest.  “Aubs! Of course I listen to you, I’m offended you’d think otherwise!”

“Well?” Nicky asked, resuming his pacing.  Farah waved a hand at him to get him to quiet down.  

“Oh.  Okay.  Can you call me back as soon as you ask then? And ask where from Italy she was from!  Oh, cool, thanks!  Okay, byeee!”  Farah clicked off the phone.  “She said she didn’t know, she’d have to ask Tony.  She’s always known her as Nona Morelli.”

“Did she know where she was from?”

Farah fidgeted with a curl of her hair and was tempted to drag it out, but thought better of it when she saw that Nicky was incredibly tense.  “She wasn’t quite sure where, but she said Tony’s grandma always talks about Sicily and how she goes back to travel there every so often.  She’s really big on historical preservation and does a lot of work with the older cemeteries.”

All three of them jumped when Farah’s phone rang, ABBA’s Dancing Queen chiming out.  “That was fast!” she said by way of a greeting.  “Okay, fine, confession: I may have shown off a picture to some people here at the Facility and Tony may bear a remarkable resemblance to one of the other agents in another unit.  No, no, not a supernatural.  He’s human, just dead, like really dead. It’s a long story.  Anyhow, what sort of news do you have?”  Farah sat on the bed and kicked her feet in front of her.  “Uh huh.  Uh huh.  No, it’s probably not likely they’re related, but think how neat it would be!”

“Her name, Gallinetta.”

“Oh!  Isabela Morelli?  That’s a really pretty name too!”  Winona shouted out a warning as a loud thud made Farah turn around. Her eyes widened when she saw that Nicky had fallen to the floor, his hand clutching his chest. “Uh, Aubs?  I’m gonna have to call you back.  That dead guy I told you about?  I think he just fainted.”

[rhetoricalrogue]

31 Days of Wayhaven, Day 16

Prompt: Grief Rating: G Words: 1,009 Characters: Nicolo Morelli, Gianna Morelli Summary: it took longer than expected for Nicky to hear back from his daughter.

For the @31daysofwayhaven event.

It took Gianna three weeks to get back in contact with Nicky.  Apparently Tony had given his mother Nicky’s phone number, because there was a text from an unknown number that just listed a time, place, and a message of I would like to speak with my father.

The place in question turned out to be a tiny cafe in a hole in the wall in Chicago’s Little Italy, which had been quite some ways away from where he was currently stationed.  The distance didn’t matter much, Unit Delta had been grounded and basically given permission to act as otherworldly civilians, so he had packed his bags and hopped on a plane.  He’d never been there himself, but was instantly charmed by the ambiance - and did his fair share of charming himself, the little old ladies who ran the cafe had patted his cheek affectionately and told him that it was so nice to have a young man his age carry a conversation with them and use some of the older, slightly outdated terms that had grown out of practice.

He was on his third espresso when the hair at the back of his neck seemed to lift.  While he couldn’t do anything himself, he hadn’t been trained to recognize magic when he was in the presence of it.  Without turning, he could tell that it was an old magic, interlaced with influence from the fey courts.

“My son takes after you, Nicolo.”

Nicky’s lip trembled as he took Gianna in for the first time.  “And you take after your mother, Gianna.  Though I see a great deal of your aunt in you too.”

She put shaky hands to her lips and shook her head.  “Mamma tells me I have your eyes.”  Gianna let out a sob.  “She’s right.”

Nicky was out of his seat in a flash, arms wrapping around her in a hug three centuries in the making.  He was grateful that she held onto him just as tightly, her breath warm against the side of his neck.  “I’m so sorry,” he told her, leaning back only enough to wipe at the tears that had made tracks on her cheeks with his thumbs.  “I don’t know what else to say, except that I’m sorry for missing out on everything.”

“Did you look for us?” she asked, moving away and sitting down at the chair he pulled out for her, her hand wiping at her face as she sniffled.

“I did.”  He held up his cup and silently motioned for the barista to make another.  “At first I combed all of Italy for your mother.  I spent years searching for her, but nothing.”

Gianna took the cup the waitress pressed into her hands, Nicky realizing that it wasn’t what he had ordered, but something off-menu, telling him that she was a regular.  No wonder the shop was empty save for them.  “You stopped looking.”

He nodded.  “I stopped looking.  I figured Isabela didn’t want to be found.  Even then, every so often I would pick up the search, extending it to nearby countries, but nothing.”  He reached out and touched her hand with the tips of his fingers. “I didn’t know anything about you, I swear I didn’t.  If I had, I would have looked harder.”

Gianna gave a watery laugh.  “Mama never told me much about you.  She’d always get this faraway look on her face and then grow so quiet.  I stopped asking about you because she would get so sad.” Turning her hands over, she wrapped her fingers over his and squeezed tightly.  “I was angry with you for a very long time,” she confessed.

“I can imagine why.  Thinking that a man had abandoned your mother and wasn’t around to see all the important things in your life...I would be angry too.”

She gave him a lopsided smile and oh.  It was as if he were sitting across from his sister just then.  A pang of grief hit him and he leaned over to press a kiss to the backs of his daughter’s hands.  “I would give everything if I could go back and do this over.  To do things right.”

“We can’t undo the past,” she told him, letting go of his hands and balling them into fists atop the table.  “But we can write the future with the present.” 

Nicky felt as if his heart was lodged in his throat.  “Would you have me in your life?”

She nodded.  “As much as you can be.”  She glanced at the phone he had on the table.  “My Tony tells me that you’re an agent with the Agency, yes?”

He nodded.  “It’s complicated right now, but yes.  I’ve been with them nearly as long as I’ve been…” he gestured to himself, belatedly realizing that he’d forgotten to breathe this entire time.  “This.”

“About that.” Gianna took a sip from her cup and tipped her head to the side.  “I can sense Mamma’s work all over you, but it doesn’t feel like a curse, not like you told Tony she’d done.”

He sat up straighter.  “What is it then, if not a curse?  She was so angry when she cast it.”

“I don’t…” Gianna paused, brow furrowing in confusion.  “Give me your hand, Babbo.”

Nicky was grateful that he didn’t need to breathe, or else hearing his daughter call him father for the first time would have caused his breath to stutter to a halt in his chest.  “What are you seeing?”

“I know this spell,” she breathed.

He leaned closer to her.  “Tell me, mia figlia.”

“This is no curse.  The spell you’re under is a blessing.  Mamma bound you to her as tightly as she knew how, so tight that death could never part the two of you.”

Nicky’s brow furrowed.  “What are you saying?”

Gianna leaned back and laughed.  “I’m saying, there’s a reason she started going by the last  name Morelli.”  She gave a little laugh and drained her cup.  “She married you, Babbo, even if you didn’t know it.”

[rhetoricalrogue]

31 Days of Wayhaven, Day 13

Prompt: Apology Rating: PG for Nicky and Tony’s foul mouths. Like grandfather, like grandson. Words: 1,482 Characters: Nicolo Morelli, Anthony Morelli Summary: Meeting his grandson did not go quite as Nicky planned.

For the @31daysofwayhaven event.

It had taken Nicky some time to gather enough courage to ask Farah to get back in contact with Detective Miller so she wouldn’t be surprised when he dropped by the police station, literal hat in hand, to explain his circumstances.  The detective - Aubrey, please just call me Aubrey - was surprisingly easygoing when it came to speaking with him.  She’d met him at a little bakery cafe for coffee and an exceptionally good apple crostata during a lull in the business day.  He’d been a little surprised that she had come alone, the way that the rumor mill around the Facility ran, he would have thought any one of the members of Unit Bravo would have accompanied her.  He’d almost hoped that they would have, seeing that it would add a little bit more weight to his story.

Aubrey had been quiet as he explained his past and how a chance meeting with Farah had clued him into the fact that he may have possibly fathered a child and the woman who had cursed him was an immortal witch.  She’d listened, quietly eating her dessert while sipping on coffee, before nodding.

“I’m doing this because I love Tony,” she said slowly.  “He’s the brother that I never had and my dearest of friends.  I also know his mom and I’ve been in contact with his grandmother.”  She thumbed through her phone before sliding it over to show a picture she had taken with an older woman and Nicky’s breath caught in his throat.  There was a faint shimmer around her that to the human eye would have been mistaken for reflection of light hitting her just so, though someone trained in spotting supernatural talents, such as he was, could tell that she was using a glamour to make herself look older.  Yet magic or no, there was no mistaking Isabela.  Over three hundred years apart and he could still have easily picked her out of a crowd if someone told him she was ten feet away from him.

“Thank you.”

She nodded before taking her phone back and chewing on her lip as she composed a lengthy text to her best friend before giving up and just dialing him directly.  “But if you even think about hurting him or his family, I swear I’ll kill you, curse or no curse.”

In the end, Aubrey wound up telling Tony that she had met a distant relative of his and wanted to see if he would be interested in meeting him.  Nicky guessed it had been a good idea, seeing that according to Farah, Aubrey still didn’t know that her dearest friend in the world was half-fey himself and it would be easier to explain face to face since both men were well aware of the supernatural.  

The meeting between himself and Tony had gone...differently than he expected.  He hadn’t been expecting much either, but for a man a little older than his age - and how hilarious was it that he was younger than his own grandson! - to walk up to him and say “So, you’re the one who knocked up my nonna and then hightailed it out of town.  What the fuck, man?” was definitely not on the list.

“Hey!”

“What? You don’t get to be indignant, stronzo.  You’re supposed to be dead.”

Nick glared at the finger Tony was pressing against his chest.  “I fucking am, you little punk.  Your grandmother -”

Tony let out a snarl that would have done Penny proud. “My grandmother spent centuries mourning your loss, you prick!”

He narrowed his eyes.  “Why would she do that? She flat out cursed me to never die.”

“Nonna Isabela would never do such a thing!”

“May you never know the peace of the grave doesn’t quite sound like she was giving me a damn blessing!”

“She doesn’t deal in -” He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.  “Fuck. You want to know where she is, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“And even if I refuse to tell you, you have Agency resources to help you find her?”

He stood up straighter.  “I do.” Okay, so that was a lie, there were rules in place to not misuse Agency property for personal gain, but what his grandson didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Tony stubbornly lifted his chin and oh. It was like looking in a mirror.  “And what about my mother, huh?  You going to ask about her, or were you just going to walk away again like you did nearly four hundred years ago?  She grew up without a father, you know.  Her mother never married, just told everyone who asked that her husband had died and she’d never love another.”

“I didn’t know about -” 

The anger was back, and there was something not quite human that flashed in Tony’s eyes.  “Doesn’t matter, you would have still left.  You look the type that fucks and runs.”  He threw his hands up and turned away, but then pivoted and pointed his finger at Nicky again.  “She loves you, you know.  When I was a kid, I would ask her about you, but then I stopped because she always got so sad.  She goes to Sicily every year to tend to graveyards because she’s hoping that maybe, maybe one year she’ll find your plot and she could get some closure.”  He narrowed his eyes.  “She called you her true love, someone she would have gladly bound herself to for all eternity.  She even took your last name and gave it to my mother.”

Nicky ran his hands through his hair.  “We only knew the other for a week!”

“Soulmates, jackass!  They exist, you know!”

It was Nicky’s turn to jab a finger into Tony’s chest. “And for your information, I wouldn’t have left, had I known about your mother.” He jabbed again.  “You don’t know a damned thing about me.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“I was excommunicated, for Christ’s sake!  My own sister thought I was a demon and disowned me when I showed up at her doorstep, still bloody from where some asshole had knifed me and left me to rot in a ditch!  I spent years looking for Isabela and nothing!”  He narrowed his eyes.  “Don’t you tell me that she was the only one living through pain.  Do you have any idea what it’s like to know that you’re dead, but never getting the chance to die?  I have tried poisons, explosives, knives, guns, everything and all that happens is that for the briefest window of time, I black out and experience the smallest amount of peace before I’m back, my body whole as if nothing had ever happened to it.”

Tony looked at him and while the anger was still there, it was as if someone had taken a boiling over pot off the stove to let it sit for a moment.  “So, what do you want?  For her to break her curse and let you rest?”

“Had you asked me that a decade or so ago, I would have answered yes.  I wanted to die for good for a very long time.”

“What changed?”

“Finding something to live for.”  He sighed. “Look, tell me where Isabela is or keep it to yourself, I don’t care.  Just...tell her and your mother that I’m sorry.  For everything.”  Nicky gave a faint smile.  “Gianna was my grandmother’s name.  She raised me and my sister when our parents died; she would have been happy to know that her name outlived her.”  With that, Nicky turned and walked away, belatedly realizing that two men shouting at the other in rapid Italian in a public area had gathered a bit of attention.

“She’s not here,” Tony called out.  “My mother.”

Nicky turned around.  “And if she were?”  He tried to keep the hope in his voice carefully hidden, but he knew that Tony had heard it anyway.

“She’s…” Tony also seemed to be aware of the few eyes that had drifted their way. “At home, with my dad.  She’ll be back in a week though, which may give her enough time to wrap her head around her father wanting to make contact.”

He swallowed and nodded.  “Thank you.”

Tony snorted.  “Don’t thank me yet, old man. I don’t know how she’s going to react, or even if she’ll want to see you.”

“Still, thank you.”

“What makes you think that my grandmother would want to speak with you after so long?”

Nicky tensed, but then decided to hide his nerves behind his usual charm.  “Because, nipote, how could she not?  Like you said, I am the love of her life.”

Tony groaned.  “Okay, now I want to see how this plays out. There’s no way that Nonna Isabela actually fell for that line.”

“Only time will tell if she falls for it a second time.”

[babiepeche]

gianna morelli’s iphone