Kaylessa Valven's Story

PHOENIX WOODS

outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be

xxxsome things have changed
xxxwe don't fit like we used to
xxxit's hard to ignore if it's worth the wait
xxxit might just fool you

“Two lattes, a grilled chicken, chorizo and red pepper sandwich, and the Woods Special. Can I get my two favourite customers anything else?” Phoenix asked, provoking a giggle from the two old ladies in front of him. They confirmed that no, they were perfectly happy, and Phoenix told them to call him over if they did need anything. They were approaching closing time, but he knew that Daisy and Phyllis would be out well in time for them to close up. They came in at the same time every day, like clockwork, and always ordered a latte each. Sometimes they would treat themselves to a pastry or a cookie, other times, they would stick with a sandwich, others, just the coffee. But they’d been coming since he opened, and they had stayed coming, even after the attack. And that meant a lot.

And, bang on time, Daisy and Phyllis left, leaving them with plenty of time to clean up. Usually, Phoenix took as much time as he and the staff needed clearing up, but tonight was different. He didn’t rush anyone, but it seemed they were out in record time. Later that evening, there was going to be a town meeting of some kind to try and put a plan in place to prevent something like the festival attack happening again.

Phoenix would have been lying if he had said that the thought of it didn’t make him more than a little nervous. Following the attack, people had stopped gathering in public. The most people he’d seen in one place was his daily lunchtime rush, and even then, he could see the look of anxiety on their faces, the way they looked over their shoulders any time the bell on the door rang. People were afraid. But apparently this was a call to action. An attempt to try and take things into their own hands. And after everything that had happened, he couldn’t blame them.

In an attempt to distract himself, he’d spent the night before baking. He had filled a tray with his ultimate comfort food brownies to bring to the meeting with him, but he also had a smaller box balanced on top. Phoenix had said he’d swing by Alex’s with them to drop them in to his abuela, but in reality he didn’t want Alex to have to walk through town alone. Phoenix had been finding it hard, but it was nothing compared to Alex. And probably understandably so. Phoenix didn’t like to dwell on that night. The memory of seeing his best friend on the ground, covered in his own blood and the way that Phoenix had just… left still haunted him. He could only imagine what it was like to have been the one on the ground.

He called his goodbyes to the rest of the staff as they locked up, pulling his coat on and tucking his scarf into it. Winter had fallen as harsh as ever, and he knew it was a matter of time before it began to snow. At least this winter, he lived right above the cafe and had a functional heating system, meaning he didn’t have to venture too far into the cold every morning. He didn’t waste time walking the familiar path back to the house, eager both to keep warm and get out of the dark. He’d never been afraid of the dark. The things that went bump in the night were commonplace in this town and often showed up first thing to his cafe in search of their usual coffee and croissant, before going home to bed. But all that had changed now.

“¡Hola, Abuela! Te traje unos brownies!” He called as he let himself in to Alex’s house. “I’ll leave them in the kitchen!” he added, switching back to English. He’d picked up a decent level of Spanish having spent a significant portion of his childhood in their house, but Abuela frequently bemoaned his grasp of grammar. He left the box of brownies into the kitchen and stopped to kiss the old lady on the cheek as he did so. The old lady chuckled and called out in Spanish, telling Alex that Phoenix was here.

---

ROSIE THOMPSON

outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460

xxxshe's a killer queen
xxxgunpowder, gelatine
xxxdynamite with a laser beam
xxxguaranteed to blow your mind

Rosie had gone straight from class to the town hall to help set things up. She hadn't organised the meeting, hut she'd been spreading the word and encouraging people to come, despite how afraid they are. She'd drawn the line at telling her students, though. She wasn't risking any of them getting hurt if anything did go wrong. They were kids. This wasn't their fight, as much as they might have wanted it to be.

And even if she hadn't organised it, she'd somehow found herself being asked to speak. Maybe it was just because, if she could control a class of rowdy freshmen, she could control a crowd of scared townspeople. Or at least that was what she told herself to calm the slight anxiety. She dug her phone out of her bag and sent a few texts.

To: Markus
you better get your ass here tonight because i've somehow been roped in to speak

To: Zada
babe apparently i have to talk at this thing so you better be coming

Things had been rough on everyone since the attack. But sitting at the top of a classroom, staring down at the empty chairs of students who had been murdered... she'd gotten her freshmen to rearrange the classroom so those empty seats weren't there and so their classmates wouldn't feel as they were sitting in their fallen classmates' seats. Rosie had wondered if she would have been able to make a difference if she had gone. If she could have saved even one of their lives, would it have been better? Or would she have been beating herself up that she hadn't done enough? She took a deep breath and took her seat on the stage as people began to trickle into the hall. She couldn't dwell on that now.

TRAVIS GRAVESON

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #8B4513

xxx Older than water, stubborn as stone
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for all that you've known
xxx Oh these days, oh these days get heavy
xxx Hotter than friction, subtle as sound
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for you to come around


Since the attack, Travis had only reported back to the organization once, and he wasn’t exactly happy with what happened, telling off people and throwing a few chairs as some people tried to make excuses while others weren’t sorry for what they did, one of his more spoken out coworkers bragging about how she easily killed a fae and enjoyed the scent of their mystical blood. He was quickly promised it wouldn’t happen again by his supervisors and to just continue gathering information, that they need to do more and that his job wasn't done yet. As he was walking out one of the higher ups stopped Travis and reminded him why he was doing this, these creatures were monsters, and they killed innocents, including his parents. Trav just nodded and headed back to Greythorne.

Over the time Travis spent many nights at the pub after closing up his store, along with many other people trying to grieve over what had happened and most days helping clean up the chaos from the festival and offering help whenever he can, though some people that would previous shop at his store were now weary of him, not because they suspected him, but because the attackers were humans, and so was he; guilty by association. Though after a couple weeks people tended to stop giving him a side look and continue their business at his and him trying to just be kind and nice, not caring about gathering much information over the last couple weeks, but he did know about a town meeting happening.

The night of the meeting Travis had started closing shop early, it didn’t matter too much as business has been slower since the attack. He finished sweeping and put his broom back in the closet and started locking everything up, double checking his apartment before throwing on a jacket and heading to town hall.

While walking Travis pulled out his trusty silver flask that he kept on him and took a swing before tucking it back into his inside jacket pocket. Though as he did so he stopped and took a look around, he felt as if someone, or rather in the town of Greythorne’s case, something was watching him. He scanned between buildings and bushes but couldn’t spot anything, but could've been any sort of supernatural. Trav sighed and just continued walking before getting to town hall a little early from the meeting and going in through the side door.

When he entered the room he snuck around to the back wall to just observe and see what was going on, as well as minimize eyes on him, alot of the creatures here are on edge and with it not many humans came to the town meeting in fear of being possibly targeted or discriminated against. He noticed certain people were already here, Rosie on stage and giving a slight wave, the two were on good terms and he had offered to help set up but she politely declined. And by the amount of floral jewelry and nature trinkets people were wearing assumed the little half-elf Kaylessa was somewhere, always trying to cheer people up.

When he leaned against the back wall he did notice another familiar face across the way also sticking to the back, Neden, and watching them out of the corner of their eye digging through their pockets. Trav quickly assumed one of two things, either something to fidget with, or some sort of weapon. Which if the town wasn’t already on edge he would’ve also been carrying something to protect himself, but for now all he had was his silver flask, which he took another swig out while crossing his arms, smirking when he saw Kaylessa run in and quickly go up front, chuckling a little bit to himself.



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KAYLESSA VALVEN

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500

xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore



The night of the attack Kaylessa was scrambling, trying to help as many people she could and used up a majority of her energy doing so. She spent the next two days in a deep sleep that left some people worried for her, but when she woke up, she still had a smile on her face, even though she did feel sad for not saving more people. Over the weeks she tried cheering up people of the village but for once people wouldn’t smile due to their grieving and Kaylessa became a little secluded, spending most of her time in the surrounding woods and just taking time to think to herself and figure out what she would do.

When the information came out about a town meeting, Kaylessa spent the whole day collecting various flowers, leaves and other things from the surrounding area and making crafts that she would try to hand out at the meeting, maybe the slightest gift petting smiles on faces.

Kay arrived at the front of the building with a small table littered with trinkets made from feathers, necklaces with numerous rocks, colorful flower crowns and other small handmade knick-knacks about 30 minutes before people were going to arrive to get ready. While most people had jackets and other pieces of clothing to keep them warm in the colder weather, Kaylessa just wore a simple dress with numerous handmade jewelry and a pink and blue flower crown, another benefit of her heritage and powers is that most weather effects don;t bother her like others.

As people started to arrive Kay insisted them taking whatever they want and was glad to see a few smiles were made by her gifts. Though when she saw Violet she let out a little squeak and stopped her from taking one of the flower crowns on the table. “Wait! I made a special one for you!” She just about shouted as she turned around and dug through her small cart of boxes before pulling out a special crown she made just for Violet. It was made out of mainly violets and other small trinkets and held together by a woven thread of twigs and grass. “Here, I thought you would like it.” Kay said with a bright smile on her face holding out the crown to Violet.

Kaylessa was running low and about to head inside when she heard a familiar voice approaching and turning to see her favorite witch, Alex, also walking with Phoenix. “Alex!” She said as she ran around the table and hugged Alex. She hadn’t seen him in awhile and only heard about what happened to him at the festival. “Glad you’re okay and made it.” She said as she let go and took a step back. She quickly blushed and giggled as he complimented and flirted with her. “Well you’re looking great, would look even cuter wearing this." Kay said as she quickly grabbed a flower crown and jumped up putting the crown on Alex's head, taking a couple tries.

Kaylessa packed up her remaining thinks and pulled them closer to the building before walking in. She quickly skipped to the front and waved over Rosie and tossed her a necklace made with feathers from numerous birds and flowers. Flashing her a smile and turning around and taking one of the few remaining seats left, meeting starting soon.

A l e x Garcia

Outfit - #3a0a4d

After the attack, Alex spent a solid three days alone; he'd locked himself away in his bedroom, let his phone die, and only came out when he could no longer take the silence and solitude of his own grief and fear. Though he couldn't clearly remember much of what had happened between the attack and waking up the next morning. He vaguely remembered the text messages and calls he received, and ignored, between the attack and his phone dying; but when he finally charged it back up after those few days, he'd been completely overwhelmed. He'd only sent a message of any kind to three people: Phoenix, Jaiden, and his boss. In that order. His parents had clearly been updated by his abuela, and only his father bothered trying to reach out to him again in the weeks after the attack, though Alex wasn't sure if he found it comforting or not.

Alex returned to work faster than most of the people in his life would have liked. There was a lot of work to do after the attack, and as difficult as it was, Alex threw himself into it, working hard to give everyone they'd lost the best care he could. He felt a certain amount of guilt: he'd been having dreams and feelings about something terrible for weeks leading up to the attack, but he'd never thought anything like that would happen. Who would have?

He hadn't been sleeping well, not that it was unusual for Alex to not be sleeping, but every time he closed his eyes, he found himself back there. Somewhere between alive and dead, and running for his life. That he could remember clearly, and the dreams were so vivid he wondered if they weren't real, if he was going back there in his sleep. It seemed impossible, but impossible things happened every day in Greythorne.

Now Alex sat on his bed, half-dressed, thinking up excuses to get himself out of going to the assembly. On one hand, he genuinely wanted to hear what the others in the town had thought up to prevent another attack; it was an obvious concern of his, but he didn't know if he could handle it. He'd had a full-blow panic attack the day before when his abuela had touched his arm to try and get his attention. He didn't want to have yet another public incident. He didn't want to be that person.

He heard the front door open. Phoenix was there. Alex wondered if he just ignored him, if he would leave. Somehow, Alex doubted it. He stood up, and pulled a tee shirt over his head, calling out, "¡Espérame! Voy enseguida." After his grandmother. As soon as he opened his door his puppy, (who seemed to not understand that he was a ghost, though Alex couldn't blame the dog for not grasping the concept) dashed down the hall, straight towards Phoenix. "He can't pet you, you know." He called after the ghost, who ignored him in favor of barking and running between- and through- Phoenix's feet, which Phoenix was blissfully unaware of. Alex smiled at Phoenix, though it didn't reach his eyes, and said "I'm almost ready to go, just let me-" He gestured vaguely at himself as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a sweatshirt that he shouldn't have left on the table, and pulled it over his head. He turned and kissed Abuela on the cheek, before turning for the door, calling, "We'll see you there, right? You're just waiting on Louise?" Over his shoulder. The woman shot Phoenix a quick look, as if to say 'good luck', but she didn't say anything other than to briefly confirm that was the case.

Alex grabbed his keys and his coat, and headed out the door, shrugging on his coat as he walked down the sidewalk. He only spared a sideways glance to make sure Phoenix was following behind, but he knew he would be. He didn't have much to say, so he shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked. He kept an eye out, scanning for anything unusual in the growing darkness. He had tried to avoid going out after dark since the attack, though he had found himself braving the dark to go to the bar a few times, almost more in an attempt to pretend things were normal.

At one point, once they had nearly arrived, Alex reached out and grabbed Phoenix's arm, pulling them both to a halt. It was only Carl Peters, crossing in front of them. Alex had known the older man his entire life. Alex quickly dropped his death grip on Phoenix's bicep, "Sorry," He quickly mumbled, hardly loud enough for even Phoenix to hear, "I don't know what I... I panicked." He didn't dwell on it, picking up the pace to the building. He couldn't wait to be back indoors.

He finally seemed to find his voice on that last leg of their walk, clearing his throat, "Sorry I haven't..." He trailed off, as if unsure of what exactly he was apologizing for, before saying, "Things in town are just so weird, now. You know?" He glanced over at Phoenix, they'd seen each other since the attack, of course, but most of the effort had been delegated to Phoenix's shoulders. Alex felt like a shell of himself, and maybe he looked like it, too. He didn't know.

Kay's voice calling his name made Alex smile, it was bright and genuine, and he returned her hug enthusiastically. His face fell slightly when she said she was glad he was okay, but he recovered quickly, flashing her a charming smile and saying, "How could I be anything but perfect with you around?" He took a short moment to take in her appearance before leaning in slightly, as if to tell some sort of secret, "You look fantastic, as always." He couldn't help but laugh as she struggled to put the flower crown on his head, and leaned in to kiss her cheek before saying, "Thank you. I love it."

He would ditch the thing as soon as he could without hurting her feelings, but it didn't hurt anything to leave it on for now.

As they walked inside, Alex suddenly realized that he desperately didn't want to be stuck sitting in a crowd of people, and turned to look at Phoenix, "Where do you want to-" He stopped, seeing a seat towards the back, on the end of a row, and changed his mind about asking Phoenix's opinion, "Here okay?" He asked, as he sat down, clearly not overly concerned with his friend's opinion.

---

Z a d a min Albahr

Outfit & jewelry - #78b0ad

After the attack, Zada hadn't known what to do. She hadn't lost anyone she was particularly close to, though her neighbor's house was now vacant, and seeing the dark windows every evening was occasionally heartbreaking, so she just carried on her life like normal. The only notable additions to her daily routine were helping to clean up the town, and trying to become more a part of it. Greythorne was her home, no matter how she felt about some of it's residents, and she didn't want to lose it. She hadn't felt so at home since she left the ocean, all those years ago, and she wasn't willing to lose it.

She'd kept herself busy that day with chores around the house, and an extra long bath. She was going to have to skip out on her swim because of the meeting, but she didn't mind, she wanted to find a way to help the town, even if her contributions were small. Especially if she got to kill more hunters, or even if it just let to their demise. Perhaps vengeance wasn't the most helpful motivator, but Zada had found that it served humans perfectly well, so she had never once felt guilty for it.

She was just getting ready to head to the meeting when she read Rosie's text, and didn't bother to reply, instead opting to perfect her lipstick. It would be more helpful if she arrived early enough to get a good seat, where Rosie could maybe easily glance on a friendly, and hopefully reassuring face. For all her flaws, Zada was nothing if not supportive of those she cared about, and she cared deeply for Rosie.

It wasn't a long walk to town hall (it wasn't a long walk to most places in town), but Zada still found others shuffling inside ahead of her. She smiled at Kaylessa, who was handing out trinkets by the door. It seemed trivial, and somewhat childish, but Zada knew she had good intentions. The people of this town could use some cheering up, and there was probably no better person for the job. Zada really had no use for any of it, but picked up a little trinket, ensuring it wasn't something meant to be worn, and thanked the girl as genuinely as she could.

Once she made it inside, she quickly pushed her way up to the front, taking a seat and looking up at Rosie. She flashed her friend a hopefully reassuring smile, she could never tell, as she had been told that she looked somewhat terrifying when she smiled with her teeth. She settled in, knowing she would have to wait a few moments while people trickled in, and she hoped that no one would talk her her. Her general vibe was normally enough to deter people from her presence, but this town had done nothing if not surprise her.

PHOENIX WOODS

outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be

xxxsome things have changed
xxxwe don't fit like we used to
xxxit's hard to ignore if it's worth the wait
xxxit might just fool you

Alex had been like this for weeks but it didn’t hurt any less to see him like this. The hollow smile did nothing to reassure Phoenix, but he returned the smile anyway. Phoenix returned the look that Abuela gave him with a small reassuring smile, promising to look after him.

Alex didn’t wait particularly for Phoenix, only glancing to make sure he was following, but Phoenix caught up easily. It was like being with somebody else entirely as they walked in silence. Before the attack, there had seldom been a silence between them, always filled with laughter or teasing. Now, Phoenix knew not to try and fill the space with noise. Even he found it hard to know what to say.

The contact of Alex’s arm pulling him to a stop shocked Phoenix out of his thoughts as he mentally prepared himself for an attack, but he saw nothing. Just Carl. Phoenix took one look at Alex’s face and thought for a moment about suggesting they ditched the meeting and went back to his apartment instead. And then Alex started moving again, apologizing in more of a mumble than anything. Alex actually spoke as they reached the town hall. Phoenix just shrugged. “It’s okay. I get it. Everything’s different and weird and… Just… know I’m always here, okay? Even if you just want to get drunk or drink tea, or… I dunno, sit in silence on the floor. Any time of day or night.” They’d been friends long enough that he knew he didn’t have to say it, but sometimes a reminder was needed. Alex clearly wasn’t in a great frame of mind right now. And besides, there was plenty of nights when Phoenix found himself awake at three, four, five in the morning, unable or unwilling to go back to sleep.

Phoenix was glad that the first person they ran into was Kay. It was hard not to smile in her presence, and her energy was practically infectious. Her outfit put them all to shame as they huddled in their jackets and scarves. He left the two of them for a moment as he went to put the tray of brownies down for people to take as they pleased. He got back just as Kay put a flower crown on Alex’s head, struggling to balance it on his curls, and Phoenix couldn’t help but laugh. Then she bounded away, and Phoenix could see the slight change in Alex’s expression. He wasn’t in a flower crown mood, but Phoenix knew he didn’t want to hurt Kay’s feelings. And so Phoenix very obviously reached over and stole the flower crown from his head, balancing it on top of his hair instead.“Bullshit, we all know I’m the cuter one wearing this,” he declared.

Alex started to ask wear Phoenix wanted to sit, before darting to an unoccupied seat.“This is perfect. I’m afraid if we sit any closer to Rosie’s skirt without sunglasses, we might do permanent damage,” he joked. The exact location of the seat hadn’t escaped Phoenix either, but if he was being honest, he was happier here too.

He caught that familiar, sickening scent before he saw her. He didn’t even turn around to acknowledge her, not wanting to grace her with a reaction. But he could feel her eyes on him, see her out of the corner of his eye. But instead he kept his eyes forward, trying desperately to keep his expression neutral despite the twisting in his stomach and the anger that rose within him. The only outward reaction was a clenching of his jaw as Camila kissed Alex’s jaw. She slunk away and Phoenix had to resist the temptation to glare at her as she did so. Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of Rosie getting to her feet and walking to the podium, the room starting to fall silent at that single action.

---

ROSIE THOMPSON

outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460

xxxshe's a killer queen
xxxgunpowder, gelatine
xxxdynamite with a laser beam
xxxguaranteed to blow your mind

The hall filled up relatively quickly, which Rosie was pleasantly surprised by. She spotted Kay bounding around, handing out flower crowns and trinkets. The small smiles they produced didn’t escape her notice, and that meant a lot. People looked scared, and confused, and angry. A smile wouldn’t change or erase any of that, but it was a start. It made things seem a little less terrible. Kay quickly ran up to the front and threw her a necklace, which Rosie caught and pulled it over her head, before going to stand at the podium as the last few stragglers came in.

“Good evening, everyone,” she said, and silence fell over the room. “Okay, wow. This isn’t high school English, don’t worry, guys, you can relax,” she added, getting a few giggles out of the crowd. “It’s wonderful to see so many of you guys here. Thank you to the wonderful Kaylessa for these trinkets and to everyone who brought anything. I know that things have been scary… and I know people are afraid. But we rallied around tonight, and that’s a good start. We fought them off once and we can fight them off again. So, let’s get this started. First, Chief Kaner is going to discuss what the police force is doing and what volunteers are needed for them, then I’ll open the floor back up for a discussion. So please welcome Chief Kaner to the stage and hold any questions until the end.”

Rosie took her seat as the police chief stood up to drone on about increased vigilance and whatever. He had never been the most engaging of speakers, but Rosie had long ago perfected the art of listening to boring speakers. Her students tried, but some were always more engaging than others. It was only as the crowd gave polite applause that she came back to herself, getting to her feet. "Thank you, Chief Kaner. So, now that we're aware what the police are doing, it's time to discuss what we can do. So, first up is... voluntary patrols. I'm aware some have already been running, so would anybody like to fill us in and let us know what we can do to help?" She asked, glancing down towards Markus. She highly doubted he would speak up, but maybe someone else might.

x

x

e l i j a h x p a t r o v

x

t h e x v a m p i r e
#7B5653 || Outfit || townhall

TRAVIS GRAVESON

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #8B4513

xxx Older than water, stubborn as stone
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for all that you've known
xxx Oh these days, oh these days get heavy
xxx Hotter than friction, subtle as sound
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for you to come around


As more and more people came in, Travis started taking note of was and wasn’t there, as well as what type of attitude their body language gave off. Most people were slow and hesitant, alot of darty eyes, and a couple long stares at him. He saw two of the witches, Alex and Phoenix, Alex looking paranoid and scared of being here, and Phoenix wearing a flower crown, and seeming more of a caregiver in his movements and how he spoke. . Trav hadn’t seen much of Alex since the attack, hearing he was injured but miraculously survived, he was curious about what happened but hadn’t figured it out yet and knew now wasn’t a good time to ask questions.

Travis ignored most of the others coming in, taking small notes in his head and just acknowledging their presence whenever they would look at him, it wasn’t until a specific demon walked in that caught his eye. Camila. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she walked over and teased Alex, mostly ignoring Phoenix. He knew about her behavior and how she interacted with some of the other beings in Greythorne, but she still intrigued her. Most demons he faced served someone or something, but she more so served herself and her own wild fantasies. He didn’t turn to face her as she walked up to him but knew she knew he knew she was coming.

Camila commented on him smelling differently than before, a little like hell. “Well you know better than everyone we all have our sins. And I might be able to smell the difference in people, but it’s safe to bet most people smell different after the attacks. Fear, paranoia. I might not be able to smell it, but its there.” Travis was a little surprised when she kissed him and walked away, though it wasn’t the first time she had done so, especially in a teasing manner, but still left him wanting more. As she walked away he turned his focus back on the crowd and finally up onto Rosie as she began to speak.

Travis listened carefully, keeping mostly a serious face shown while others relaxed and gave lighthearted laughs to her jokes. Next was Chief Kaner, a Druid, and Trav rolled his eyes at his generic talk about vigilance, looking out for each other, and not being afraid to speak up. Basic stuff that he had heard numerous times throughout his military career. Though what caught Travis’ attention was when the vampire Elijah stood up and gave a speech to the crowd. Trav actually perked up and listened to what the man had to say, curious and fascinated by how he went on and his words, but for a vampire that is a few hundred years old, Travis knew he had some practice. As Elijah finished, he took his seat and the room was quiet.

Travis straightened up his jacket and pushed himself off the wall before starting to walk down the middle. “Well, while Chief’s and Elijah’s speeches were great, thank you you two. I gotta point out something Elijah had said. ‘put aside petty differences and settle the feuds in our community’ to quote him directly.” Travis said as he turned around as he got to the stage and leaned against it. “Look around. We’re suppose to be a community, but the few humans like myself that live in Greythorne, most aren’t here. And it’s because they are scared and afraid, even some of have left Greythorne because some of their close friends wouldn’t talk to them anymore. I’ve heard talk at the bar about how ‘we should kick all the humans out of Greythorne' just because the people who attacked us were humans.” He paused for a second, taking off part of his jacket to reveal his left arm and a healing bullet wound. “But they attacked all of us, not just the ones that aren’t the same as them.” Travis pulled his jacket over. Though the bullet wound was from that night of the attack, it was self-inflicted so he could have a cover story. He wore a sling for a little bit and had to refuse Kaylessa’s many offers to just heal him.

“I got nothing else to say besides that. And I, as well as the few other human’s left in Greythorne, would appreciate it if they were stalked each night by Nymphs and Shapeshifters.” Travis said as he started walking back to his seat. He could feel the eyes staring him down, but as well as some of the guilty looks from supernatural’s that felt bad. He wasn't sure why he even spoke up as it would put more eyes on him, but he felt like he needed to say something, he had seen first hand some of the humans being treated like they were the ones who shot attacked their neighbors, and heard some nasty things at Camila's pub.

KAYLESSA VALVEN

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500

xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore



Kaylessa sat forward and listened to what Rosie and Chief Kaner said with her undivided attention. She went to many of Chief Kaner’s meeting in the past, usually sneaking in or bringing goods to pass around to the small people part of the Greythorne’s police force. Most people lived in peace in Greythorne and if there were any incidents or problems between people, they would usually be solved before Kaner’s people stepped in. Kay was one of the first people to start clapping after Chief Kaner got done talking but quickly stopped as Elijah stood up and walked to the front of the hall to give his speech.

Kay was engrossed by Elijah’s speech and she hung onto every word he said. She was scared at first when he said they would be back and they would need to be ready, but he was right. He spoke about how everyone can do something, but Kay wasn’t sure what she could. Besides her healing power,which she almost exhausted herself to death with, there wasn’t much she could do. She wasn’t much of a fighter as she was never taught how to since not much happened in Greythorne, and if something did, her mother or Rosie would keep her out of trouble. When Elijah there was less of an applaud as people tried to take in what he had said.

Travis spoke as well, and Kaylessa could tell and feel that people didn’t exactly like him or what he was saying, or even both. She didn’t really understand why they felt that way. He was just saying what he thought was needed, which was the purpose of this meeting, as well as sharing that he was hurt as well. Kaylessa remember the day she walked into his store and saw him in a sling, and quickly tried to heal him, but he told her he wanted to let it heal on his own, it was how he had done with all his scars; its what made him human. She also didn’t understand why people didn’t seem to trust Travis, he had brought new business and items to their town, always offered to help around with people and even gave Kaylessa numerous gifts, there was no way she couldn’t not trust him.

Though the person who spoke that surprised Kay the most was Markus, who was usually known to be more secluded and quiet. What he spoke of didn’t really of importance to Kay since she already believed Markus, Neden, and the others on the patrols would keep them safe and prevent anymore attacks. She was actually on her way out when she just about bumped into Travis talking to Neden about if he could help even though he’s human and they might not want him. “Oh! I think Trav would be helpful, he told me stories about him being in their weird human fighters thing” Kay quickly said before Neden could get a word out, standing next to the human. “It’s called the Army, but atleast you’re getting closer with how you describe it Kay.” Travis quickly corrected her with a smile and light chuckle. “Yeah yeah, but if these people are humans, sorry Trav, then maybe he could help. Like they used stuff that hurt us more than hurt him, so maybe?” She continued. She wasn’t exactly trying to vote for Travis to be part of the patrols, but more so speaking her mind and what she thought might help. Travis was a much more of a help to the patrols than she could ever be.

---

---

Markus Valegood

Lycan | outfit : herex|xhex: #063A67

xxxWake me up
xxxWon't you wake me up
xxxI'm caught in a bad dream
xxxCaught in a bad dream


Markus had withdrawn into himself and his own mind as a way of escaping reality as he walked back to his chair. He didn't like talking in general, nevermind a large crowd of people. But the people needed some more assurance by one of their longtime residents, and if the knowledge of him being of the patrols helped, so be it. And seeing some of the residents breathe a little easier after his small and short speech made a small form on his face. The awkward silence soon after his bit ended didn't last long as the back doors opened and stepped in a few figures. Markus rolled his eyes as he should have known that damn idiot wouldn't just slink in through the back. It wasn't like them. If he knew Neden as well as he did, he knew they wouldn't come into a place quietly, not like that. He also should have noticed that Neden never stays to the back, unless something is truly wrong. He listened to their short speech and nodded in agreement. They were fully accepting of anyone that showed interest in joining, well, mostly anyone. Few exceptions.

His attention was snapped back when Rosie spoke up, concluding the meeting after a few more short words. He watched as she began to make her way over to him. Turning his head to the side to speak to Jaiden for a moment, "I'll be a short moment, I promise. Just gonna talk to Rosie for a moment." he gave the witch a small smile and pat on her head as he turned and met Rosie halfway. Giving them a bit of a distance from the others. "Well, I'm glad to know I was the wasn't only one feeling awkward during that then." he said with a small wink, taking a quick glance around the room. Turning his attention back to the Siren in front of him as he spoke, "What? You're saying mine was any better?" he said with a small scoff with a wave of his hand.

"I'm just glad to be able to help raise anyone's spirits. Even if that speech of mine was, shitty at best." Markus said with a small chuckle. He made some slight eye contact with the others as his eyes scanned the room, quickly going some than others who he gave some lingering looks before passing onto the next. "Anyway, before your favorite over dramatic person makes their way over here-" Markus started, seeing that Neden had begun to make their way towards their general direction, knowing full well they'd come and talk to the two of them very soon. "-what Neden said is true. Things are perfectly fine. We haven't seen anything....out of place in a few weeks. But, we're keeping an eye out, or two. Per your request, Rosie. I'll be sure to update you as soon as anything pops up." he said as he gave her a small nod and began turning on his heels to leave until he felt something grab the back of his jacket's collar and pull him back towards them. He knew who it was, and at this exact moment, he was not in the mood to deal with them..

---

---

Neden Isimir

Fallen Angel | outfit : herex|xhex: #4f5154

xxxI've been chasin windmills for as long as I have been
xxxFound my Dolcinea but I don't remember when
xxxStill I can be your hero when that love comes to an end
xxxSomehow you lost your wonder in your quest to feel alive

The rest of the meeting was finished off by Rosie after she gave her last few words and closed the meeting there, figuring everyone had heard enough as well as the mood was clearly souring every second. Better to close it off there than to continue on. Silently Neden looked around for a few short moments, giving the three Spriggans a nod of their head, and they seemingly disappeared into thin air, which garnered a few strange looks from those that witnessed it. For those that didn't know Spriggans, they were able to make small bursts of teleportation, or that's what others considered it to be. While in reality, it was camouflaging themselves. Neden cleared their throat as they looked around the room, others were busy talking amongst themselves, as well as Rosie and Markus beginning to chat between them. Neden would make sure to bother them soon enough. To be fair it was rather important. What had been of most significance to Neden was how many didn't seem bothered by the latter speeches during the meeting, but perhaps it was for the best. What was worth taking note was that Travis had asked if he was able to join the patrols, even if he wasn't the most liked in the town. Neden was going to answer, but Kaylessa gave her two cents, and clearly wanted him to be apart of it and that he'd do great. Neden chuckled slightly and simply said that they'd think on it and let him know by the end of the week and that someone would reach out to him by then.

Now with that out of the way, Neden slowly stalked their way towards prey. A small smile plastered on their face as they stalked their way over, seeing the individual quickly turn on his heels to leave, to only meet Neden's hand on the collar and was pulled backward. "Well that's rude. Where you headed off too now?" they teased as they set Markus back down, letting go of his jacket. Slinging an arm around Markus' shoulder Neden turned and looked at Rosie as they spoke, "Also, Markus here told you about what we found over the week, right?" they questioned. The look on Markus' face said all that they needed to know. Softly biting their bottom lip as they spoke, "You didn't tell her yet, did you?" Neden said with a sigh as they backed up, rubbing the bridge of their nose as they took a moment to think. After giving themselves a moment they looked back up, index finger and thumb of their right hand still pinching the bridge of their nose, "Ya see, we ran into a bit of a...a hiccup last week? And uh...we uh...We have a guest." Neden said as they quickly gave Rosie a look that she would know by now. Slight raise of both eyebrows and quick dart of the eyes. It was enough of a sign for her to pick up on.

"Now look, we got it handled. There's just a reason we were going to wait to tell you, but I thought Markus had already told you by now. But I see he hasn't so...I'll let you grill his ass for that, while I go get ourselves some coffee? Cupcakes? Brownies? Anything?" the fallen angel said as they began to back away from the two in hopes of being able to get some refreshments as a distraction, but mainly as a way of Rosie giving Markus the full heat of the situation, and not them. At least not entirely.

---

---

ROSIE THOMPSON

outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460

xxxshe's a killer queen
xxxgunpowder, gelatine
xxxdynamite with a laser beam
xxxguaranteed to blow your mind

Rosie just raised an eyebrow and shook her head a little as Markus asked if his speech was any less awkward. “It was fine, not shitty at all, Markus. You need to give yourself a little more credit,” she said, with a half grin. The update at least put her at ease. She couldn’t go on the patrols, what with having to mark papers and prepare for her classes, but Markus had at least been keeping her in the loop. In a time like this, she'd found herself taking some degree of leadership on this thing. Mostly, she used the information to advise her students to stay away, or to answer any questions they did have. She couldn't do much, but she could try to protect them. Markus turned to walk away, having updated her in his usual brief manner, but instead Neden reappeared in their usual energetic manner.

The grin on Rosie's face rapidly disappeared as Neden mentioned what they’d found during the week. “No. No, he didn’t.” She said, turning to stare down Markus. She just sighed as Neden explained that they’d had a hiccup. And that they now had a guest. She knew exactly what that meant, unfortunately. It meant things were now more complicated than they had been two minutes ago. Neden disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared under the pretense of getting food. Rosie turned fully to Markus.

“Were you going to bring this up?” She asked, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow. “Markus, if there’s one of them, there could be more. What are you going to do with our little… problem?” She asked, keeping her voice low, little more than a hiss to prevent anyone overhearing. “We need to deal with this.” She glanced around and saw Travis looking at her, giving a wave. She smiled back and return the wave, before turning back to Markus. “As quietly and as quickly as possible.”

To give Markus his credit, he told Rosie the full story once they left, away from where they might be overheard and cause a panic. They thought the hunter might be a valuable source of information, but he hadn’t said anything yet. His training was surprisingly good, and he hadn't cracked yet. But he couldn’t stay locked up in Markus’ basement forever, and they needed to do something with him. They spent the next few days trying to hatch a plan. Rosie could use her abilities to get him to talk, reveal everything him knew. But she wasn’t eager to do that. If he escaped, her giving away an element of her ability could potentially be used against them. It was only when she was in Travis’ shop, picking up a few things for dinner, that she had her brainwave. Getting a human to talk to the hunter could work. Let them think there was somebody on their side. Someone who could help. And they wouldn’t be giving away a tactical advantage.

Their plan came together relatively quickly after that. Rosie made a stop into Phoenix's café on her way home from class and managed to talk him into bringing Jaiden and Violet out for drinks. Markus and Rosie had both agreed that they needed to get Jaiden and Violet out of the house, just in case things went wrong. And a third party would keep them accountable. That and, well, from what Rosie could see, they all needed a night out with friends. She hadn't seen Jaiden that withdrawn since she'd first arrived in Greythorne, and now she was possibly worse than she had been then. And as much as Phoenix was pretending that everything was fine, Rosie knew it wasn't. She didn't know the details, but the marked absence of Alex from Phoenix's surroundings seemed to be part of the problem. And Violet had changed too, but possibly the least. Rosie could still see the old Violet every time she went to Markus'. She'd changed, of course she had. They all had. But Rosie could still get a smile out of her, which was more than she could say for some of the others.

She headed straight over to Markus' after class. Travis wasn't going to be finished for another while, but Rosie wanted to be there early in case Violet and Jaiden needed more persuasion, and because, as ever, she had essays to be marking. She wasn't sure whether or not Neden would be coming or if they were doing patrols that evening.

---

PHOENIX WOODS

outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be

xxxsome things have changed
xxxwe don't fit like we used to
xxxit's hard to ignore if it's worth the wait
xxxit might just fool you

When he'd woken up the morning after the meeting, everything had felt like a horrible dream. And then it hit him again. None of it had been a nightmare. It had happened. And it felt like somebody was kicking him in the chest all over again. But he'd gotten up, as normal. He'd gone for his run, taking a different and slightly harsher path, but one that he knew meant would pose less of a risk of running into Alex. He'd gone home, showered, and gone to work.

And that had been his routine. Pretend everything was normal. Pretend that he didn't stare at his phone, waiting for a text that didn't come, writing texts he'd never send. Pretend that it didn't feel like somebody had cut off his left arm. Sure, he didn't need it, but not having it made things so much harder.

Abuela still came in, like she always did. Phoenix couldn't lie to her, couldn't tell her everything was fine. He gave her her usual supplies of bread and pastries when she came in instead of dropping them over before or after work.

"He misses you too, Phoenix, querido. He just can't say it." He didn't need to say anything. Abuela could always read him like a book, and lying would be a waste of time. He just smiled sadly and handed her the bag of baked goods.

Get up. Go for a run. Go to work. Pretend like the dark circles under his eyes didn't give away the fact he was snatching only a few hours of sleep every night and that that sleep was seldom restful. Nightmares plagued him from the moment he closed his eyes. And it wasn't like he had anyone to talk to them about.

He knew from the moment he saw Rosie's face that she was back into "caring english teacher" mode, and it at least gave him a couple of seconds to brace himself. But she didn't mention him, just said that she'd been around at Markus' and thought Jaiden and Violet needed a night out. He didn't know how she managed to talk him into agreeing to bring them out. But she had always been extraordinarily persuasive, even without having to use her abilities, so he found himself having committed to the plans.

He'd taken his time getting ready, waiting for an excuse to arise that would mean he didn't have to go. Going would just be a few more hours of pretending that everything was fine. It was bullshit, everyone knew it, but Jaiden didn't need his stupid crap on top of everything she was dealing with. He'd even put on eyeshadow and eyeliner to stretch it out, but eventually, there came a time when he had to leave to go meet Jaiden and Violet at Markus'. Shoving his phone in to his pocket, he turned and left, making his way across town.

He knocked on the Markus' door and was let in by Rosie, who chattered in her usual charming way, giving out about her freshmen. He just smiled and nodded, forcing a laugh at appropriate points, and mostly just prayed that Violet and Jaiden would appear soon. He loved Rosie, but he just... wasn't in the mood for that constant chatter right now.

TRAVIS GRAVESON

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #8B4513

xxx Older than water, stubborn as stone
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for all that you've known
xxx Oh these days, oh these days get heavy
xxx Hotter than friction, subtle as sound
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for you to come around

Travis thanked Neden for even thinking about it and said he’d be waiting and they know where to find him before they walked off, watching as they wont over and talked to Rosie and Markus. He gave a wave over to Rosie before leaving, as well as flashing a smile to Kaylessa and telling her to stay safe out here, she just nodded and ran off to do whatever Kaylessa was going to do, not many people can tell her what to do, and even if they do she probably wouldn’t listen half the time.

The next day wasn’t anything special then the last, the meeting didn’t really cause people to act differently or change their feelings about how safe or unsafe Greythorne was. Travis was actually going to head back into town to resupply and get an update with his supervisor as well as tell them what he’s learned, which he didn’t get much since the attack. Was this because he honestly couldn’t find out much information besides the patrol, or because he didn’t want to and almost felt betrayed by his organization, he wasn’t even sure.

But when Rosie came in and told Travis about how Markus and Neden’s group had caught someone, he knew he couldn’t head back yet. He had to find out who it was and make sure they wouldn’t rat him out. Thankful with Rosie asking for help Trav knew they hadn’t broke him, yet. But knew it was only a matter of time, especially with some of the powers these monsters had. He agreed and told her he would come over after he closed up shop for the night.

For most of the day Travis was distracted with what Rosie had told him, trying to figure out what he was going to do. They expected him to interrogate the other human, get whatever information out of him, thinking a human might be more relaxed with someone they could relate to. It made sense, good plan, but Travis couldn’t risk this guy possibly giving information that could expose him. But then it hit Travis what he had to do. He could control what type of information the monsters would receive, be a man on the inside, feeding both sides information that he felt they would need to know, but then there was still the loose end of the man who had gotten himself captured…

Travis finally finished closing up shop and grabbed some things from his small apartment before heading over to Markus’, a place he hasn’t been to but scooped out a few times when he first arrived to Greythorne. The walk was quiet and Travis could once again feel like someone, or something, was following him. He knocked twice before little Rosie opened the door and let him in, he thanked her and walked in, chuckling at Rosie's outfit of choice. “You look nice tonight, glad you’re not letting all this damper who you are Rosie.” Trav said with a smile as he walked into the main room, seeing Neden and Markus already there along with a few others, though he was surprised Alex wasn't here with Phoenix. “I’m assuming this means my application was accepted Neden?” He said with a light chuckle trying to lighten the mood, and probably failing. “Well, when do we get started?”

KAYLESSA VALVEN

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500

xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore


Kaylessa smiled as Neden said she would consider working with Travis, she just wanted everyone to be nice to each other and knew that they would need to work together to get through this, and that Travis working with the others would be a start to this. She returned a smile to Travis before turning around and skipping back through the hall to grab her small cart and walked down the aisles of chairs in between people starting to clean up. Kay would quickly grab some of the trinkets she made that some people had left behind and put them in her cart, as her way of helping clean up and to also re-purpose her creations for another time. She knew most people didn’t hold onto everything she made and wasn’t too upset.

As the building started to empty out Kaylessa said bye to everyone and headed back outside to grab the rest of herself and head home, though when she got outside there was something on the ground to the side of the pathway in a patch of grass that caught her attention and she ran over to see what it was. A flower crown, on the ground ripped apart and destroyed on the ground, the same crown she gave Alex earlier.

Kay picked up the pieces of the crown slowly, a little frown on her face and set them on top of her cart. She knew some people didn’t like the crowns she made, but no one had ever destroyed one before, and she always thought Alex liked her and liked her crowns. Kaylessa skulked back to her home with her belongings, thinking and trying to figure out what this meant and why Alex would do this.

The next few days flew by and Kaylessa didn’t do much out in the town of Greythorne, she was more in one of her cleaning moods and cleaned and rearranged her place again. Though as she got almost done cleaning she found the destroyed flower crown from the day before, thinking back to the night, and decided she needed some advice and was curious about some stuff and headed out. First she went by Phoenix's store to ask him about it, but he wasn't there, or atleast ignored her bangings on his store's doors. The next stop was the lake, hopefully Zada would be there to talk.

“Zada! You out there?” Kaylessa shouted towards the water as she plopped down on the grass by the shore of the lake holding the crown, hopefully her mermaid friend would be here. If she wasn’t though Kay wouldn’t mind just laying down and staring at the sky. It was when she heard the breach of water that she looked back to the water and saw Zada. “Hey Zada… sorry to bother you but…” Kay paused for a second looking at the still damaged crown in her hands, before setting it down it down the grass. “I gave Alex this crown last night, and I found it like this. Why would he do this? I thought he liked me, liked what I made. What if he hates me, and just barely puts up with me. I get people don’t always keep the things I make them… but no ones ever done this.” She said staring at the ground, trailing off. “It… it hurts…”

Z a d a min Albahr

Outfit - #78b0ad

The days following the meeting had been like any other for Zada: she woke up, leisurely got ready for the day, gathered up anything that needed to be returned to the library (or, in some cases, Rosie), and went about her day. But the last few days had been peppered with thoughts of how she could help the town. She really wasn’t much of a fighter, and wasn’t sure how much help she could be on patrols (what would she do if she encountered a hunter? Yell for help? Run for the lake and hope they follow?) Neither seemed to be particularly good ideas, so she decided to focus her energy on helping the others in town that may not be up for a fight. The town needed a plan, they needed to know what they were going to do when the hunters returned, and Zada wasn’t convinced that anyone competent was going to step up to get that job done.

Still, she wasn’t sure she’d lived in town long enough for many of the citizens to really trust her, or her judgement, and while she didn’t think they should be putting off emergency planning, she also didn’t think it should necessarily come from her.

So she spent her time much like she always had: filling it with books, music, and her evening swims at the lake. No one really worried about her much once she got to the water: only a fool would go swimming with a mermaid. She had eaten the hunters that had encountered her during the attack, so she was fairly certain that they wouldn’t be properly prepared to deal with her if she were in the lake when they returned.

This particular evening was no different: she was enjoying a swim in the cold water, though the cold didn’t bother her much. Still, many of the other residents of the town would balk at the idea of venturing into the lake this late in the year, if any of them went near it at all. Her clothing was stashed nearby; folded neatly on a tree stump just out of splashing range, which was generally a good indicator that she was there, even if she was beneath the surface of the water. She knew there was a good chance that the lake would be freezing over soon, and she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could before then. She tried to stay alert, in case anything happened, but it was hard to listen for anyone approaching with your head underwater.

She did think, however, that she heard someone calling out from the shore. She swam upwards, so just her eyes and the very top of her head was out of the water. Kaylessa. That seemed… Strange, that she would come to the lake. Zada went back under the surface of the water to swim closer to the shore. She let her head and shoulders come out of the lake, treading water to stay in place, and listened as Kay quickly spoke. Zada wasn’t sure she fully understood the young woman’s problem (why anyone would want Alex to like them was a mystery to her), but she still listened with that cold indifference on her face.

Zada looked from the flower crown, to Kaylessa’s face, and briefly considered her words before speaking. She flashed a small smile, lips closed, before saying, ”I don’t know Alex well,” This was the truth, they had only spoken once, and Zada decided he was too obnoxious to even look at, going forwards, ”But I do know him to be a foolish and impulsive man, which makes him worse than many of them.” Tentatively, Zada crawled from the lake, her fin slowly turning back into a pair of legs. The transformation was as painful as it looked, but Zada was used to it, and seemed unaffected.

Without bothering to cover up or get dressed, she scooped the ruined flower crown off the ground and sat beside Kay, silent for only a moment, ”Most every man you encounter will hurt- or at the very least disappoint- you, regardless of your relationship. I’ve found it to be in their nature: they’re destructive creatures.” She shook her head, ”At any rate, I would say he doesn’t deserve your creative abilities to be wasted on him, at the very least.”

KAYLESSA VALVEN

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500

xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore



Kaylessa kept her eyes on the lake, watching the moonlight shimmers off of the ripples of the water as Zada talked, though she did notice her pick up the flower crown. Listening closely as she described what little she knew of Alex, as well as men as a whole, though ending on the note that maybe Alex isn’t good enough for her creative nature to be wasted on and doesn’t deserve her kindness.

“But Zada, I enjoy it. Most people just say thank you and move on, he would always say nice remarks. Compliment me. Not just Rosie saying I look nice today, but more personal.” Kay said as her eyes floated from the river over to the crown in Zada’s hands. Thinking back to what he had said to her when she saw him at the town meeting. ”How could I be anything but perfect with you around? You look fantastic as always.” They felt like more than a typical compliment, like they had feelings behind the words.

And it wasn’t just then, the two always had an interesting dynamic while in school and close friendship. Kaylessa always felt like there was something else and assumed with how Alex treated her that they were the same, but right now Kay felt like he just hated her. “Should I say something to him? Maybe say something to Phoenix or Rosie? They know how he is and might know. Though Phoenix wouldn’t answer the door… Maybe he doesn’t like me either… I guess you are right Zada. Thank you.” She said before leaning over and giving Zada a hug, not really asking first nor caring. Kay quickly stood up and ran back into town, leaving the flower crown with Zada.

PHOENIX WOODS

outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be

xxxtell me what i'm gonna do now
xxxcause i feel a little lost without you
xxxi'm a little bit lost without you
xxxhear me, hear me out.

Phoenix held his hands up in apology as Jaiden jumped with fright. It was easier to scare all of them now, but especially people like Jaiden. People who had lost somebody special to that attack. He still felt a little bit of guilt that after... well, that he hadn't been totally there himself in the days following. He should have been there for her, should have been there for everyone. And he'd tried but... his heart, his mind hadn't been in it.

He just smiled as she said going to his apartment sounded better. He couldn't help but agree. At first, it had seemed like a good idea but now, he realised his mind wasn't in the right place for partying or drinking. Going back to his and doing nothing and not having to do it alone sounded like the best option. "It's fine, I get it. We all... we all had stuff to deal with. And besides, we're here now, right?" He said with a slightly forced smile. "That counts for something." There was no point in pretending things were normal. They weren't, they were so very far from normal. And they both knew it. But at least they weren't totally alone.

"Well, then, we better go before Rosie chases us out with a threat of a Hamlet essay or something," He joked. "Do you wanna go see if Violet's coming or not? I'll see you guys outside," he said. When he stepped outside, it was cold enough that he could see his breath in the air. He'd always hated winter. It was too cold and the days were too short, with never enough sunshine. No amount of snow or frozen clouds of breath would make him change his mind on that.

He frowned as he swore he could hear footsteps, feel another presence, just out of sight. He took a step or two away from the house. "Hello?" He called, starting to wonder if his imagination was beginning to play tricks on him.

---

ROSIE THOMPSON

outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460

xxxwho's a heretic now
xxxam i making it sense
xxxhow can you make it stick
xxxwaiting till the beat comes out

Travis insisted on going down alone. He did have a point however, so Rosie just smiled and nodded. Waiting was easier said than one, however. The whole time, she felt like... something was wrong. Like something was going to happen. Travis seemed to be gone a while, and it was putting Rosie on edge. Then she sighed and got to her feet. "Screw this, I'm going to check on them."

The minute she was within sight of the hunter, he lurched out of his seat. She didn't have time to do anything more than scream before he had grabbed her, something sharp pressed against her neck, and his hand clamped firmly over her mouth. Her blood ran cold as he called her a siren. He already knew what she was. They'd already lost their element of surprise. Then two gunshots rang out and the hands grasping her fell limp as the hunter fell to the ground.

"It's... It's fine," she said as she stared at the body. She also was okay with him being dead if it meant she didn't get a nail driven in to her neck, but they'd just lost a valuable source of information. Especially considering he already had information on them. Then Markus burst in. Rosie caught the look at her, but before she could move to stop him, Markus had Travis pinned to the wall. "Markus-" she warned, but a distraction arrived in the form of Neden. "I'm fine," she said, folding her arms as they asked her if she was okay. Then she separated Markus and Travis, ordering Markus to go cool down. Rosie led the way upstairs, flopping down onto the couch again as they reached the living room.

"Leave him out in the woods, someone or something will deal with him," Rosie suggested as a way of dealing with the hunter. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed Travis was limping slightly as he entered. "Is your leg okay? He threw you over that chair pretty hard," she remarked with a small smirk.

0000P H O E N I X 0 W O O D S 000000000000000000|00000000000000000 K A Y L E S S A 0 V A L V E N

hexcode
#c4a7be 0 | 0 #FF4500

outfit
phoenix 0 | 0 kay

---

---

Kaylessa skipped from the grass that was between the lake and the town until she got back into town, holding on the destroyed flower crown, looking through some of the shop windows until she got more towards the outskirts, where most of the residents lived, cutting through the woods to admire the plants and to enjoy some time away from the bustling town. Kay loved all the seasons, and besides spring when all sorts of flowers, trees, and fruits would bloom, but she really enjoyed the calmness and how everything shined in the winter. Plus the coldness didn’t really affect her.

While walking closer to the edge of the forests met a clearing, she heard someone talking out loud, saying hello. Kay peaked through some branches and saw it was Phoenix and darted out towards him. “Phoenix!” Kaylessa just about shouted with a smile and went to hug him, but then remembered the conversation she had with Zada and what she had told her, and just backed off Phoenix and her frown slowly dissipated. “Sorry…” She apologized, holding the crown close to her chest and not making eye contact with Phoenix.

Phoenix jumped a little as somebody ran out from the trees, relaxing a little bit when he saw that it was just Kay. He smiled and held out his arms to match her hug, raising an eyebrow a little when she stopped short, pulling away. “It’s fine. Everything okay?” He asked, noticing the way her eyes didn’t meet his and the way she cradled something to her chest. It was after a moment he realised that it was a flower crown, a little battered and the flowers a little wilted. He knew immediately what it was. Alex’s flower crown, the one Phoenix had hurled at him when… Just thinking of what had happened made it feel like somebody was kicking him in the chest. He held out a hand. “I can fix that for you if you want,” he said softly, guilt settling into his stomach like a weight.

“No!” Kaylessa just about shouted, pulling the crown away from Phoenix as he reached for the crown. She stared down at it, now thinking about the question he asked her before offering to fix it. Wanting to bring up the reason she was upset, that she liked Alex and thought he liked her back as well, and how she’s hurt by what he did to the gift she gave to him. “Everything s not okay.” Kay bursted out after the pause of silence between the two. “I like Alex, and he did this! And I thought he liked me but then he hurts me by doing this. And then you ignore me by not answering the door.” She continued, no longer with the expression of sadness or gloom, but a little bit of annoyance and spark in her words. “Zada told me the truth, about how men are.”

Phoenix quickly withdrew his hand as Kay snapped at him. This wasn’t like Kay. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her so angry and upset in all the years he’d known her. He wasn’t even entirely sure he’d even seen her even the slightest bit angry. There was a moment where neither of them said anything… and then Kay began ranting. The minute she said Alex’s name, it felt like a punch to the gut. He found himself glancing away, not quite able to look her in the face. The thought of Kay liking Alex… it didn’t sit right with him, and he didn’t know why. Then she accused him of ignoring her, and he turned back. “Kay, I wasn’t home, that was why I didn’t answer the door.” He snapped, perhaps a little too harshly. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, trying to get his thoughts in order. I thought he liked me. Why was that sentence weighing so heavily? Why did the whole rant feel too heavy, too uncomfortable?

“I should… probably be honest. I… I damaged the flower crown. I stole it from Alex during the meeting to tease him. Then… we argued, and I got angry, and I… threw it on the ground. I’m sorry. I was upset, and I wasn’t thinking straight. So… let me fix it?” He asked again. “And for what it’s worth, Kay, I know exactly how exactly how men are.” He said with a knowing smile. It was forced and it didn’t quite meet his eyes. He forced the smile to stay in place, even as it hurt.

Kay’s eyebrows stayed scrunched you as she had a look of annoyance on her face, and it didn’t seem to change much when Phoenix said he wasn’t home, if anything she just looked more pouty as she exhaled through her nose. He should have been home. She wanted to talk to him, it wasn’t until he spoke again that her expression actually changed. She was confused. So Alex didn’t hate her, but Phoenix destroyed the crown. And the two friends were shouting and mad at each other? Something she’s never seen or heard of between the two. “Why?” Kaylessa asked bluntly, not saying much else. Phoenix quickly asked her to clarify what she meant. “Why were you and Alex arguing? You two are like, super friends.” She asked again, curious about what was going on, moving on about the flower crown.

Phoenix just frowned as Kay asked why, before she elaborated that she wanted to know why they were arguing. He sighed, having to take a moment to get the words straight. To figure out what he wanted to say. To wonder if he should say anything. It was between him and Alex but… she probably deserved something in response to him damaging the crown.

“It’s… it’s complicated, Kay,” he eventually got out. “I… Alex is dealing with a lot right now, Kay. He’s hurting. And… I messed up during the attack, and that hurt him, and… I was only going to make things worse. So… we’re not really talking right now, I guess.” He explained, shrugging a little. He couldn’t look her in the eyes, and there was a lump in his throat that was slowly making it harder to breathe. “So are you going to let me fix that flower crown or not?” He asked, holding out his hand.

Kaylessa turned her head and had a confused look on her face as Phoenix said it was complicated. She never understood why people said that, always confused her. But as Phoenix continued about him messing up and then not talking, a frown came across her face. “Oh.” Is all Kay said, only sort of understanding what he was saying, but felt like she shouldn’t ask anymore.

When Phoenix spoke up again about fixing the crown a smile came across Kay’s face. “Yes!” She exclaimed and handed it to him. “But you keep it. Give it to him when you talk again.” She said with a smile and shine back on her face. “Wait.” Kaylessa said out loud before thinking for a second. “Does Alex like me then?” She asked, looking up and Phoenix, genuinely wondering and since the two were such close friends Kay thought he would obviously know. “He’s always giving me really nice compliments. Not like Rosie or Travis saying stuff, but ones that meant a lot…”

Phoenix managed a smile as she handed the crown back to him. The minute his hand touched it, the flowers began to bloom again, their colour returning and their leaves returning to strength. It only took another minute or two before the whole thing was back to its former glory, a few more brightly coloured flowers having grown around the frame. He went to hand it back to her, but she insisted he keep it and give it back to him. His smile slipped. She made it sound like that was a given. The way Alex had acted that night, Phoenix wasn’t sure he’d ever want to talk to Phoenix again. Her next question made his gaze drop to his feet, the lump in his throat threatening to close off his breathing.

“Kay… I’m not saying he doesn’t. But… Alex is like that with everyone. He’s always giving compliments and he flirts with everyone he talks to.” Everyone except me. “Just… I don’t know. He’s… I don’t think he’s in a place for anything like that right now, okay? I… I don’t want you getting hurt over this.” But what did he know? Alex had been like that with everyone but him. And now look where he was. Maybe Alex had never really cared for him at all and had only put up with him, desperately searching for an excuse to get rid of him.

Kaylessa stayed quiet as Phoenix spoke, not entirely sure how to feel with what he was saying, if it was true or not. He would never lie to her, but what if he was just wrong about Alex’s feelings towards her. She felt something special between the two. Maybe just like with the two arguing, Alex’s feelings were complicated and Phoenix didn’t understand them. Though before Kay and Phoenix could continue, Jaiden and Violet showed up. Kaylessa had a smile come across her face as she saw the two girls. “Hi!”

PHOENIX WOODS

outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be

xxxtell me what i'm gonna do now
xxxcause i feel a little lost without you
xxxi'm a little bit lost without you
xxxhear me, hear me out.

Kay's bright "hi!" was an abrupt change in tone, and Phoenix turned to see Jaiden and Violet were back. Their presence was a welcome distraction. He'd told Kay the truth and... he could tell she didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to see her get hurt, but if she wasn't going to listen to him, there wasn't much else he could do. Not now, at least. He didn't want to continue with this conversation either. All of the guilt, the anger, the pain of the past few days was sitting in his chest like a physical weight.

He forced a smile as Violet asked Kay if she was coming with them. "Yeah, we're going back to mine, just to relax for a while. I've got brownies and we're probably going to make some hot chocolate and find something dumb on TV to watch. You want to come?" He asked. He liked Kay, he really did, but the thought that she might keep asking questions and talking about Alex wasn't exactly one he was totally okay with. But he wasn't going to just walk away and not say anything. And besides, she might cheer Jaiden and Violet up a little. That would be worth it.

"I also have that tea you love," he said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Come on, it'll be nice." Being in groups like this made the absence of Alex feel all the worse. He had always just been there. It had been said more than once about them that they practically came as a pair. Phoenix could handle being alone. It was when it felt like he should have been there that the hole was felt. But what could he do? He wasn't going to risk making things worse. As much as he wanted to, he knew he wasn't the right person right now. So he'd just have to... wait and hope. Just like he always did.

"Come on then, let's go. It's too cold to be standing around like this," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and heading back towards his apartment.

---

ROSIE THOMPSON

outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460

xxxwho's a heretic now
xxxam i making it sense
xxxhow can you make it stick
xxxwaiting till the beat comes out

Rosie just nodded as Neden said they were going to deal with the body. Rosie had learned that when it came to Neden, it was generally better not to ask too many questions. She didn't react, simply stared at her shoes as Trav asked them all to at least listen to him. And then Neden left, leaving the two of them alone for a few minutes.

"I'll tell them you did it to save me," she said quietly. "They'll... they'll respect that much. But I need you to tell me something, and I need you to tell me the truth," she said, sitting forward and holding his gaze. "Travis, how did he know I was a siren? He called me pretty little siren and knew to cover my mouth. I don't look like a siren from mythology."

But before Travis could answer, Markus came back in. He still looked deep in thought, and Rosie looked at Trav. Don't say anything. She got to her feet. "I think we could all do with tea, yes?" She said in her usual bright banner, brushing herself down and heading out to the kitchen. She pulled down a few mugs and put some water on to boil, leaning against the counter as she did so. Suddenly, things seemed much more dangerous. Things had felt... wrong since the first attack, but the feeling was worse than ever. Nothing like this had ever happened before. She knew that much. And she'd heard the stories, of towns like this that were destroyed and its surviving inhabitants forced to move and scattered across the world. She didn't want that to happen again. She wouldn't let it happen again, not if she could do anything to stop it.

PHOENIX WOODS

outfit : herex|xhex: #c4a7be

xxxno i've got nothing to lose
xxxexcept everything you are
xxxi'm not looking at the moon
xxxi'm staring at the stars.

Even if it had been the last thing he’d wanted to do at one stage, he was glad he brought the others round. It made him feel a little less alone for a while. It made things feel a little more normal. Made it a little easier to deal with. But it couldn’t last forever, and all too soon, he was alone again. He went back to his repetitive routine. Run, work, sleep. Repeat, repeat, rinse and repeat, over and over again. Sometimes he went to Markus’ to see Jaiden and Violet. He perfected his Opera Cake recipe at 3AM one morning. Abuela still came for her bread and pastries, and Phoenix pretended he was more okay than he actually was. She’d always been able to see right through him, and her sad smile as she left told him that that hadn’t changed. But it was either that or probably end up crying at work when he spoke to her, and he refused to give in to that.

Kay appeared to have forgiven him, at least. She still asked if he’d spoken to Alex again, and he’d force a smile and shake his head and say no, they were just too busy. The flower crown still sat on a bookshelf in Phoenix’s apartment, the only place he could find for it where it wasn’t going to be staring him in the face every time he walked into the apartment. She still seemed convinced that Alex had genuinely meant the flirting, and he wasn’t sure what else he could do or say to convince her otherwise. How could she not have known that he was like that with everyone? Was it because she’d only ever really seen him with Phoenix, and he had never been like that with him? Or did she just really believe that he was different with her? He’d told her to bring him the brown flowers she mentioned. Maybe the flowers might make him smile and it would be worth it.

He didn’t want to leave his apartment, but his cupboards and fridge were so low that he really needed to get groceries. Travis always stayed open a little later to serve the night-dwellers, which meant that Phoenix was able to call in after work. Travis was pleasant as always, but Phoenix wasn’t particularly in the mood for a chat. He took his groceries and left again.

There was a strange energy in the air as he walked back to his apartment. He couldn’t explain it, but it was… oddly familiar, and not in a good way. It was a tension, as if something bad was about to happen.

He’d just gotten back into his apartment and put the groceries down on the counter when he heard the first scream. Something told him to slam the door and lock it, told him to hide. But instead, he sprinted back down the stairs, back into town. The hunters were back. He met one almost at his door, but before he could react, a vampire appeared from nowhere and tackled the hunter, their teeth already in the hunter’s neck. Phoenix turned and ran, running back towards town.

He didn’t expect to see Abuela there. He wasn’t, however, surprised to see her punch a hunter who was at least a foot taller than her in the face and knee him in the groin. “Abuela! Where’s Alex?” He called. He didn’t give a damn about their fight, he needed to make sure he was safe. He hadn’t dealt well with the first attack, so if they were going to be attacked again, he had to try and help. “He went to the graveyard!” Abuela called back, and Phoenix took off running again, avoiding the hunters as best he could.

---

ROSIE THOMPSON

outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460

xxxi'd sit alone and watch your light
xxxmy only friend through teenage nights
xxxand everything i had to know
xxxi heard on the radio

Rosie and Travis excused themselves from Markus'. He insisted on walking her home to make sure she got home safe. And it was there that he told her the truth of why the hunter had known who she was. She wasn't exactly happy about it, but it did make sense at least. It was an answer.

The next few days were quiet. Too quiet. Neden and Travis stayed passing on the information from the patrols, and everything was quiet. Considering they'd captured and killed one of the hunters, Rosie knew that quiet was certainly not a good thing. It was a matter of time before they retaliated. And they needed to be prepared. The patrols got bigger and patrolled for longer. She and a few of the other teachers stayed after hours to make sure the kids who stayed late got home safe, walking or driving them home themselves if needed. They were preparing for an attack, if they couldn't make it obvious.

So when she heard the screaming start from town, she knew exactly what it was. She'd stayed after school to make sure the drama kids got home from rehearsal safe. When they'd announced they were doing a production of Macbeth, Rosie had gotten roped in as director. It was turning out better than she'd imagined, but that afternoon, she hadn't been able to focus on any of it. She was just getting her stuff ready to leave when the screaming started. She and the others had prepared for this. Their first priority was to get the kids home safely.

She and half a dozen sophomores had ended up too close to the centre of town, where the worst of the attacks seem to be concentrated. She'd decided that it wasn't worth getting them all home, and instead was going to bring them back to hers. There was enough room and she could keep them safe. And then a hunter ambushed them. Her kids were ready to fight, but not as ready as Rosie. He hadn't expected her to take flight and kick him in the face from the air. But he recovered quickly and grabbed her ankles, yanking them towards her. She leaned into it and drove the force of her weight into it, knocking him out. She hit the ground and yelled for her students to run. And they ran, just like she'd told them to. They were kids. They didn't need to fight this fight, they needed to be safe. She got to her feet and started following them, catching up to them easily. She was going to protect these kids, no matter what. No matter what she had to do.

KAYLESSA VALVEN

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500

xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore

That night Kaylessa really enjoyed hanging around Phoenix, Violet, and Jaiden. She didn’t really hang out with people in a tight group like them, seeming to be more of a free spirit that floats around sharing with anyone and everyone, but she did like it while it lasted. Kay didn’t really understand insider jokes before but now the group of four had a couple of their own and she would treasure those and when she left in the morning, she likes watching the sunrise reflecting off the snow, she made them promise that they would do this again, maybe even with Alex.

The following days were more so normal from Kaylessa, either saying hi to Phoenix and asking about if things are better with Alex and if he’s talked to him, but always getting the same answer of not yet and they aren’t ready to talk. Kay really wanted to talk to Phoenix about Alex but knew from Phoenix’s energy and demeanor that she should leave it at her asking the simple question and changing the subject. She would also try to see Alex but somehow she always missed him and his grandma would answer the door saying he was either busy or not there, Kay occasionally leaving small gifts for him.

Then came the attack. Kaylessa was just out walking through the town when she heard screaming and was shoved aside by some of the citizens running. She stood up confused and peaked around the corner and saw the horror that was happening. Another attack, like at the festival, where Kay exhausted herself to a coma, and whenever she would ask Rosie or someone about what all happened they would never give details and change the subject to something more joyful. But now, now they were attacking again. Kay then heard another set of screams and knowing the only way she can help is by healing she went towards them.

Kay kept to most dark alleys but started crossing one of the parks in the town when she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground, letting out a scream behind her mouth being covered. She finally saw who was holding her down and quiet, some person she never recognized, with weapons and masks, a Hunter. ”So you must be the little half-elf. A healer not a fighter. Now we can’t be hav-” Kaylessa kicked the man in the shin which made him loosen his grip and she quickly stood up and starting running. ”You bitch!” The man yelled out and started chasing her.

While trying to get away Kay accidentally made a wrong turn and ended up in a dead end of some stones and thick hedges that she knew she wouldn’t be able to get through and when she turned around the Hunter was blocking the only way in. The man smirked and raised his gun aiming at the half-elf. Kaylessa stumbled back closed her eyes, scared and not knowing what to do. But what she heard next wasn’t what she was expecting, instead of gun shots, she heard a yell and a sound of a scuffle. When she opened her eyes after awhile, she saw the hunter was no long standing and being a threat to her, but on the ground unmoving, and saw a familiar beast figure, Markus. He helped her up and asked if she was okay. “Yes… thank you. I’m sorry for being weak…” She mumbled out as he made sure she was okay.

Markus made sure she was safe and asked where she was going. “I… I don’t know. I just wanted to help. Have you seen Phoenix, or Alex?” Kaylessa asked as the two ran through the town. ”You’re asking about Alex? Him and Neden were talking about something at the cemetery and I heard a scream from over there.” A small druid said to Kay and Markus, seeming to appear out of nowhere. ”But so much has been going on and pretty sure Neden can take care of themself and Alex.” Before anyone else could say anything Kay took off towards the cemetery.

Kaylessa ran as fast as she could, ignoring everything around her as she headed towards the cemetery and when she arrived and dashed through the gate she saw two things that froze her in space. First was Neden, she now had large black wings coming out of her back that seemed to mezmerize Kay. And then she saw something that was much worse than Neden’s beautiful wings.. Alex clutching onto Phoenix who did not look so great. Kaylessa decided she would ask about Neden later and rushed over to Phoenix and Alex. She didn’t look as bad as they did, just a little dirty and a bruise on her face from being thrown into the ground. “What happened?!” She shouted, quickly putting her hands over the bloodied wound of Phoenix as the others explained what had happened.

Usually when Kaylessa used her powers, she would feel a little bit of herself drained of some energy and a warm glow come from her hands, but right now she was feeling nothing, as if her powers weren’t working and she wasn’t healing Phoenix. “I… It’s not working. I can’t heal him. Why can’t I heal him?” Kay kept trying and trying. She could heal Phoenix but she could feel some of his life essence draining from him. As she sat there with her hands over the wound some tears started rolling down from her eyes.

P H O E N I X WOODS

A L E X GARCIA

---

---

At first, Alex thought that Phoenix must have been fine. He had to be fine. He’d… He’d taken down the hunter. He knew it was all just wishful thinking, there was just already so much blood. He felt like he was going to be sick, but nodded at Neden when they told him to do his best with the wound. Phoenix had been apologizing, and as much as Alex would have loved to have a heartfelt conversation, he needed to keep calm in this moment, and found himself repeating words that were spoken to him shortly after he’d been attacked, “Don’t- Don’t apologize. You never have to apologize for this. None of this is your fault.” He wasn’t talking solely about the attack, of course, and maybe Phoenix would understand, but he didn’t really expect Phoenix to be thinking about much apart from the pain he was feeling. “I know you’re in pain but we need to try to stop the bleeding, okay?”

Blood didn’t typically bother Alex, but seeing Phoenix this way was difficult. He hesitated for a brief moment, trying to decide if he should do something about Phoenix’s clothes, but ultimately decided that he didn’t want to waste the time. Phoenix could be more properly bandaged when they weren’t in so much immediate danger. He tried to work quickly, but his hands were shaking-he was scared. He didn’t want Phoenix slipping away, so he decided to try talking to him, “You’re gonna be okay, alright? I’m… I’m not leaving your side, okay? I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” It wasn’t long before Neden was telling him that he needed to get into town, and they were right, Alex just didn’t know how he was supposed to do that. Not that Phoenix was particularly large, but they were so close to the same size, and Alex was afraid he might hurt Phoenix more.

Before he really got the chance to work that out, though, he heard a gunshot, and suddenly Neden was apologising. At the gunshot, Phoenix flinched a little, but looked around nonetheless. “Neden?” he managed to force out. Alex had never felt more hopeless, or helpless. He didn’t know what he was supposed to, or what he even could do. He heaved a sob, “I’m so sorry, Phoenix. I’m trying, but I know it’s not good enough. I know. I was too late.” He went to brush Phoenix’s hair off his face, but just ended up smearing blood on his forehead.

Neden couldn’t be gone. That wasn’t right, it was too brutal a death, too harsh, too quick. And then Alex was apologising again, sobbing. It hit Phoenix then. It was too late for him. Alex wasn’t going to be able to get him to help quick enough. “Alex...I’m scared,” he sobbed.

Alex didn’t seem particularly phased when Neden walked back over, maybe he was too focused on Phoenix, or slightly in shock, or maybe he just didn’t care, but he genuinely didn’t seem to notice the changes at that moment. He shook his head, “He’s in pretty bad shape…”

His vision had gone blurry enough from the pain and the blood loss that he didn’t recognise the figure that approached Alex. He wanted to yell a warning, but just couldn’t get it out. And then he heard Neden’s voice. Not clear enough to hear what they were saying, but clear enough to know it was them. Was this what Alex meant by seeing spirits? Were they this familiar, this… soon? But he wasn’t ready to go. He could feel his vision starting to fade, feel himself starting to pass out from the blood loss. Instinctively, he grabbed Alex’s hand, hoping for something to anchor him to reality. But it wasn’t enough. Everything went black.

But only for a second. When he opened his eyes, he was gasping for air, feeling like he’d just surfaced from cold water. Everything looked the same, but he knew it wasn’t. Alex was still there, clutching… what Phoenix presumed had been his hand, except his body wasn’t there. And Neden-

Neden was there. Neden was there, and they were alive and… they had wings. Strong, powerful wings. Had… had they always had them? What had happened to them? The only other winged creature he knew were sirens like Rosie, and Neden wasn’t a siren. They were talking, but the words sounded as if they were coming from underwater. He couldn’t make them out, but he didn’t need to. He could see the tears streaming down Alex’s face regardless. Phoenix reached out, went to put a hand on Alex’s shoulder, but instead his hand passed straight through. “I’m sorry,” he murmured again. He sat cross-legged beside Alex, ignoring the tugging in his gut, telling him to go somewhere else. “I’m staying right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Phoenix had clutched his hand, and then his body went limp. Alex tried to tell himself that everything was going to be okay, but he swore he could almost feel a presence hovering nearby, but he told himself he was imagining it. Even if it were real, this was a graveyard at night, of course there were spirits here: he could see them everywhere he looked. He felt a heavy darkness settling into his heart, but before he could linger there, he heard Kay’s voice, and had she not immediately gone to help Phoenix, Alex may have all but thrown himself into her arms for comfort. When she asked what happened, he shook his head, “There was a hunter, and then…” He took a deep breath, he couldn’t even say the words. “It happened so fast, Kay.”

Then Kay said it wasn’t working, and that was when Alex knew that it was probably too late. For a moment, he felt like the ground had opened up to an endless abyss, and he was falling farther by the moment. Then he remembered something; when he’d been attacked, he’d almost died. They couldn’t heal him, either. He’d been so confused and had wandered away, he would’ve died had Violet not fetched him back from the beyond. He looked at Kay, “Kay, if you can, just keep trying. I…” He licked his lips nervously, “I have a plan.” He didn’t tell her that he had no idea if he could do it or not: he’d not gone fully into an incorporeal plane since he’d nearly died, and he was fairly sure it wasn’t going to be an easy task. He briefly looked around, and though he felt a faint presence to his side, he didn’t see Phoenix anywhere but laying in front of him. He chose to take that as a good sign. “I’ll be back, okay?”

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but the sounds of the attack, the knowledge that he had no idea if this would work, the pain and pressure of potentially losing the person that he’d shared so much life with, it was all too much to bare. His heart began to race, and nothing but images of death and destruction filled his head. If he couldn’t pull this off, he knew he’d rather be dead, and if he couldn’t calm down, he knew he would fail. He opened his eyes and looked up to the night sky, pleading silently for some strength. Something inside him knew he couldn’t do it, and just when he’d given up and accepted it, closed his eyes for a moment of private grief, he felt something spark within him. It was familiar and entirely unknown all at once, but he was sure he knew what it was. He could almost feel the earth beneath him calling out to him, thanking him for the sacrifice he’d given. While he knew it wasn’t him, that this wasn’t his doing, there was so much blood on his hands. He didn’t think what he wanted to do required sacrifice, but maybe if he took responsibility for whatever arcane thing the spirits were planning, he could make it through the veil. “Okay,” He mumbled, barely letting the word past his lips. “Yes.” It was suddenly colder than he’d remembered. “Did I do it?” He asked, aloud. He looked ahead, as if to gage Kay’s reaction, but everything sounded like he was listening from underwater, and looked blurry; out of focus. He couldn’t even really see her face. It was, altogether, less disorenting when you weren’t dying, though.

It felt like ages, but was probably seconds, before he turned to the presence to his side. To Phoenix. They were there, sitting side-by-side. For a moment, it reminded Alex of childhood. Sitting in the backyard, looking at the stars far past time for bed. He wondered if they would have done things differently if they knew this was where they’d be. It took a second for him to find his voice, but when he did, he said, “Hey,” He saw his breath evaporating in the air; he was alive, and clearly not meant to be here. “We need to get you back, okay?”

Phoenix could feel his heart breaking as Kay rushed to his side, going to heal him straight away. It was too late. He knew it, could feel it in that constant, growing, almost overwhelming tugging feeling in his chest to go somewhere else. But he wasn’t leaving, not until he literally had no other choice. He could see it in Kay’s expression as she realised it wasn’t working, his wound wasn’t healing. He knew that staying was probably just prolonging the pain for all of them, but… he wasn’t ready to go.

And then he glanced back at Alex, and saw something like realisation spark in his expression. And then he closed his eyes. Phoenix watched, ignoring the worsening pull in his chest. He needed to see what Alex was trying to do, he needed to know.

And then he heard Alex’s voice, clear as day, not distorted like it had been. Did I do it? What exactly had he been trying to do? Phoenix was about to ask, and then Alex turned to look at him. His breath was a cloud in the air. Phoenix hadn’t even realised he hadn’t been able to see his own breath, but it probably made sense.

“What are you doing, you idiot? This isn’t safe for you, you shouldn’t be here.” It was only then that he fully processed what Alex had said. “I don’t- I don’t know if I can go back. I don’t think I’m supposed to.”

Of course, here there were, Phoenix nearly dead, and he was worried about Alex. “Don’t worry about me,” Alex said, sounding much more confident than he felt, “I’ll be fine, I’ve done this before.” He failed to mention that he’d been nearly dead, and had almost gotten himself and Violet both killed, but he didn’t think those details were necessary. When Phoenix said he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to go back, Alex just shook his head. “We do lots of things we aren’t supposed to, Phoenix. It’s… It’s what we do.” He paused, briefly. He knew that this place held a powerful sway over the dead and dying, he’d been here before, and he remembered that it was hard to resist, at first. The fact that Phoenix was even still here was a good sign, but if he wasn’t willing to go back himself, Alex wasn’t sure if there was much he could do. Not without some serious consequences, at the least. “Phoenix, I… I missed you. And, um…” He sighed, “I don’t like life without you around, so I’d rather not lose you today.” He reached out for Phoenix, but let his hand fall to the ground between them, instead.

He smiled a little as Alex reminded him that they had a habit of doing things they weren’t supposed to. That had been their entire lives together. They hadn’t ever listened to what they were supposed to do. But this wasn’t like his mom telling them to go to bed and them staying up playing Pokémon or watching cartoons or whatever. This was… bigger. Alex’s words made him sigh and look away a little.

“I… I missed you too, Alex. And I am so, so sorry. I shouldn’t have left you like that, back at the festival but… seeing you like that I… I couldn’t. I couldn’t watch, and I couldn’t help you, and I was so, so scared. And I was so powerless. And…” he managed a small smirk. “And then when it… happened to me, you still came and tried to save my ass. I just… it’s so strong, Alex. It’s so strong.”

Alex nodded, “Sorry I couldn’t do more.” He was quiet for a moment, “I didn’t see it in time, or I might’ve been able to stop it.” He sighed, “Or something. I was being selfish, wasting time. You’d think I’d know better, right?” He studied Phoenix for a short moment, as if he was afraid he’d forget his face if he looked away. “I can’t make you come back with me. Well, I probably could, but that would go horribly wrong, and that’s not really the point, I…” He shook his head, as if to force himself to stop talking. Babbling on wouldn’t do either of them any good, so on the off chance that he couldn’t convince Phoenix to at least try to return to his body to be healed, he said, “What happened at the festival wasn’t your fault. I was just angry at the world, at myself; I was feeling hurt, and I felt guilty, scared, and jealous.”

That was the closest thing to an apology Alex could muster, and he hoped it would be enough to ease the burden in both of their souls. “I know what this feels like, it’s horrible, and it’s tiring, and you feel like if you just listen to that pull you can finally rest, but…” He stopped, he could feel raw emotion building up inside of him, threatening to boil over, and he would be in danger if that happened. “So many people in this town love you, Phoenix. We can’t lose you.” He reached out and placed a tentative hand on Phoenix’s shoulder, “I’ll help you, if you’re willing to try.”

It felt… good to finally be talking like this. They’d never fought before, never had to apologise for anything, and it felt like there was a weight being lifted from Phoenix’s chest. They should never have led it get that far, and he wished they could have had it under different circumstances. But they’d said what they needed to say.

And Alex was right. The constant tug in his chest was exhausting, and there was a tiny part of him that just wanted to… let go and follow it. But he was far too scared to do that. He didn’t need convincing to try. But before he could say that, the tug suddenly strengthened, almost taking his breath away, almost overwhelming his self control. He gasped a little. “We have to try. I’m… I’m not ready to go yet. But we need to do it now. Tell me what I need to do,” he said, instinctively covering Alex’s hand with his own, clutching on him like an anchor all over again. The contact made it easier to ignore the almost overwhelming pull, and he grabbed Alex’s other hand almost without thinking.

With his hands in Phoenix’s, Alex suddenly realized he wasn’t fully sure of what to do. It had been so instinctual when it was him, and he quickly tried to think of what to tell Phoenix to do, “I remember that I just had to go back,” He shook his head, “You haven’t gone far, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.” He turned his head to look at Phoenix’s body, and then out towards the town. He didn’t know if Phoenix was going to have the ability to do this on his own, and if he was being honest, he didn’t remember how he’d done it, himself. He didn’t feel like he’d done anything special, but he remembered what Violet had said to him, “It helps to focus on your life, the things you don’t want to lose.” He found himself squeezing Phoenix’s hands, as if he was afraid he would blow away if he let go.

Alex could still feel the raw power from Phoenix’s blood, even as the ground soaked it up; he could feel the pull, right in his chest. It practically called out to him, demanding he do more. It would be rude to waste so much human blood. Besides, there was a nice fresh body, plenty of healthy, robust spirits. And here he was, wasting his time on one that was about to move on. He almost physically shook his head at the thought; Phoenix wasn’t a waste of time, that wasn’t him, but he wasn’t sure where it came from. “Phoenix,” His voice was steady, sure, “Go back. It’s not time to rest.” It wasn’t a request, or even direction. It was almost a command, but gentler. “Thank you for everything, but I still need you.”

The pulling was only getting stronger, to the point that Phoenix was becoming sure that Alex’s hands clutched in his were the only reason he hadn’t gone yet. When he’d first arrived, “back” had felt… closer. As if he was just beneath the surface of the lake, but now he was sinking, too deep to swim back. But he tried. He pushed back against the pull fighting back. It felt useless, it felt impossible, but he pushed, focusing on that feeling of Alex’s hands in his. And then he heard Alex speaking. I need you. And all of a sudden, the pull was gone, or maybe Phoenix pulled some last strength from somewhere, but he gave one last push-

And opened his eyes, his body reflexively taking a gasp of air and starting to cough. The air was cold against his skin, he could feel his own blood soaked in to his shirt and sticking to his skin, he could feel the steadiness of the ground beneath him. He was back. He was back. He’d done it. The realisation almost made him laugh with relief.

“Alex-” he said, pushing himself upright, ignoring the slight spinning in his head as he did so. “We did it,” he said, still a little breathless, but smiling, smiling so wide.

One moment, Alex was wondering if it was working, or if he should give up and start saying his goodbyes. Then Phoenix was gone. Wait! Phoenix was gone? Panic gripped Alex for a moment, but then he heard muffled laughter, and he knew it had worked. He didn’t know why, or how, but it worked. Phoenix did it. It was when Alex heard a distant, otherworldly rumbling that he remembered just how much danger he was in.

It was time for both of them to go home, if they could. He finally let himself relax, and quickly found himself back in a more corporeal form. He suddenly felt exhausted, all of his muscles sore. Still, he couldn’t resist returning Phoenix’s smile with one of his own, tired as he was. “You did it.” He reached out to hug Phoenix, a part of him fiercely relieved, and another horribly afraid to hurt him. In the end, Alex had him in a firm, but gentle, embrace. “Never do anything like that again, you idiot.”

Phoenix returned Alex’s embrace, but held on as tightly as he could, smiling into Alex’s shoulder. “I’ll try not to make a habit of it,” he laughed, moving away to look Alex in the face again. Alex, who had literally risked his life, and probably his soul, to save Phoenix. And even if he himself didn’t know it, Phoenix wasn’t sure that he had brought himself back at all. There had been a moment where he thought the fight had won- and Alex had pulled him back. He’d literally saved Phoenix’s life. He couldn’t have done it alone. And maybe it was the fact he was still a little dizzy, maybe it was the fact his heart was still pounding with the adrenaline of it all, maybe it was everything about the scenario, maybe it had nothing to do with it. But Phoenix leaned in and kissed Alex, a hand moving up to cradle Alex’s cheek as he did so.

To say that Alex was surprised was, perhaps, an understatement. For a second, he acted almost like he didn’t know what to do. Maybe it was something about the relief of Phoenix surviving, or how this whole ordeal had reminded him of feelings he thought he’d buried and forgotten years ago, but Alex found himself kissing Phoenix back, hands grabbing at the back of Phoenix’s shirt. He gave Phoenix a soft, and almost sad sort of smile as they broke the kiss. “We should go.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Before someone else almost dies.”

KAYLESSA VALVEN

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #FF4500

xxx If I'm a bad person, you don't like me
xxx Well, I guess I'll make my own way
xxx It's a circle, a mean cycle
xxx Sometimes I wanna fuckin' scream or run away,
xxxI can't excite you anymore

Tears were rolling down Kaylessa’s cheeks as she kept trying to heal Phoenix, and it should have been working but it wasn’t. She couldn’t lose Phoenix, one of her best friends that listened to her ramble and just let her be herself without complaining. All the times of hanging out as his cafe and just sit on the counter and talk while he was cleaning and closing up shop, would never happen again if he would to leave. She didn’t want to even think of the word die or death, she didn’t want to accept it.

It was when Alex said he had a plan and to keep trying. Kaylessa was confused at what he meant, not entirely sure what plan or what he could do that would help Phoenix since she was the one to be known for healing people. Alex then closed his eyes, and Kay could feel as if he spirit wasn’t there. She felt Neden’s hand on her shoulder and turned to look back at them. “What, what’s going on?” She asked, wiping away some of the tears on her face.

The two left in the living world sat there waiting, Kaylessa occasionally trying to heal Phoenix again but nothing coming from it and then just staring at Alex. He looked peaceful at this moment, unmoving and full of serenity. She reached over and gently grabbed Alex’s arm, lightly rubbing it and waiting for him to come back. “Please…” Kay mumbled under her breath and taking a glance back at Phoenix who still hadn’t moved since she showed up. She was scared, she had never really lost anyone close to her before, and the closest thing to that was her mother leaving, but she promised they would see each other again and Kaylessa would be taken care of in Greythorne. Right now she never had a chance to say anything to Phoenix, not even a goodbye or a thank you for being her friend.

But then there was a gasping for air and Phoenix sat up. This scared Kaylessa at first, letting out a little squeak and making her back off a second as she was frightened, but then filled with joy as Phoenix was alive. “Phoenix!” Kay shouted with joy with a smile on her face. He was alive, and she was happy she wouldn’t have to mourn the death of a friend right now. She wanted to give him a big hug and let him know how happy she was he was still with them, but knew to give Alex a chance first, the two were best friends and knew they would be happy. Kaylessa at this point was standing as she filled with joy and energy, but then in one moment that all went away and she froze. Phoenix had kissed Alex, and he was kissing him back.

Kaylessa was confused and full of a whole assortment of emotions. She didn’t understand. Kay had told Phoenix everything, confessed how she felt about Alex even wanting to talk to him about everything, about them. But right now she was frozen in disbelief, not knowing how to feel exactly. Why wouldn’t Phoenix tell her how he felt about Alex? But then she realised it wasn’t his fault. No, it was hers.

Before either of them turned to talk to her, before they could notice how she felt and the tears forming in her eyes, Kaylessa took off running. How could she be so dumb to not to understand what was between Alex and Phoenix? How could she be so pathetic to actually believe Alex likes her the way she liked him? How could she be so stupid not to see that? And many more questions rushed through Kay’s mind as tears fella off her face and she ran, away from Alex, away from the fight, away from everyone.

Kaylessa ran with tears falling down her face, not even taking the time to wipe them away as she pushed through bushes and under branches. She finally had to stop when she entered a clearing at the edge of the lake. She spotted a tree that she used to climb a lot when she was younger a few hundred feet away and darted towards it. Kay looked across the frozen lake, the moonlight glistening off the thin sheet of ice that had started to form with the temperature dropping. She wiped her tears away and started climbing up, eventually maneuvering her body on a long branch that hung over the lake.

Kay sat with her legs hanging off the branch and just staring across the lake. At this distance there was much less screaming and yelling, the gunshots sounded distant. “Why am I so stupid? Of course Alex doesn’t like me. I should have known.” She asked herself in between sniffs and wiping her eyes and her runny nose. She didn’t want to go back into tow, she didn’t want to face Alex or Phoenix with her shame. Violet and Jaiden were even there when Kaylessa was asking Phoenix about Alex, they probably thought of her as an idiot for how she felt.

“Maybe I should run away… Never come back. No one will miss me, Alex-” Kaylessa was talking out loud when the branch was on suddenly broke, causing her to scream before sending her and the branch crashing through the ice of the lake below. The fall knocked the wind out of Kay so when she went to try to breathe she took in a mouthful of water and accidentally swallowed, her throat burning from the ice cold water. She tried to scream for help but couldn’t get enough air into her lungs, just struggling against the water and the layer of ice above her. Kay could barely fight against the water as her limbs started to feel heavy, her vision started to delude until she finally felt a calmness as she slowly closed her eyes. The last thing to cross Kaylessa's mind was the last word she had said before falling, Alex.

TRAVIS GRAVESON

outfit xxxxxxx hex; #8B4513

xxx Older than water, stubborn as stone
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for all that you've known
xxx Oh these days, oh these days get heavy
xxx Hotter than friction, subtle as sound
xxx There'll be no forgiveness for you to come around


Travis let out a light chuckle as Rosie let out a few remarks about her helping him when he was the one actually helping her. As he turned around he watched her quickly put down another Hunter with minimal effort and only a few shots. “That’s my girl…” He said with a smile under his breath after she called after him and the two started sprinting through the woods towards town.

As the two ran Travis spotted Zada helping others as well as a hunter closing in on them. But before Travis could say anything Rosie was already in action, going full Siren. She was quick to get on top of the Hunter and say, no, sing, something into his ear. Trav kept his gun trained on him until he was out of sight and fighting his fellow hunters. He kept a watch out while Rosie and Zada held a small conversation about keeping people safe. While scanning the area he saw a familiar small figure running, Kaylessa. Though it wasn’t running or skipping like she usually does when she was in a good mood but there was urgency in how she moved. He thought about following after her but didn’t want to ditch Rosie behind, so he waited and was going to bring it up to her.

Rosie was quickly back by Travis side. “Hey. Kaylessa was running, she seemed scared or something. A way I haven't seen her before. I think we should make sure she’s okay.” He said to her as he looked back into the town. There was less gunshots going on and he felt as if the tide was turning back into Greythorne’s favor. Rosie quickly replied and agreeing to his worry about the half-elf and Trav led the way in the direction he saw Kaylessa was going.

Travis finally got through the woods and stopped when at the edge of the clearing before the lake, but not seeing Kaylessa anywhere in sight. The lake was clear as the ice had started to form across it over the last couple nights, Greythorne was getting deeper into the winter season. But he couldn’t see Kay anywhere. “Hmm… Do you see her anywh-” Trav was cut off as he heard a scream and barely caught the glimpse of something falling and crashing into through only a short distance from them. “Kaylessa!” Travis shouted as she went into the water and didn’t come up. Zada was all the way back in town and even if Travis ran full speed and his leg wasn’t already injured he probably wouldn’t make it to her and back in time. Him and Rosie would have to act now.

“I’m going in after her.” Travis said as he was already running towards the edge of the lake taking off his jacket, ignoring whatever Rosie was saying. He knew she would think of something, probably something smarter than willing diving and and swimming into the mostly frozen lake, but he had to act now. He fired a couple rounds from his rifle quickly to loosen the ice and dived in and swam in the direction he saw Kaylessa fall.

The cold water felt like needles pricking against his skin, stinging into his already wounded leg. The moonlight shinning through the ice was surprisingly clear and he quickly saw Kay, he watched her struggle as he got closer but eventually seeing her limbs fall loose and her body start to float on its own. Travis was luckily a really good swimmer from his time in the military and could hold his breathe for an extended time, but feeling of the water was nothing he could of ever been prepped for. He quickly got to Kaylessa and swung her arms around his neck and started swimming back towards Rosie, hoping he would make it in time.

As he swam, it got more difficult for Travis to move his limbs. He could feel his skin starting to get numb as he got closer to his entry point into the lake. Just a little bit further… just stay with me Kay… He thought to himself. Travis started to get worried as his vision started to get darker, the cold water not exactly helping, but he could tell he wouldn’t be able to hold his breath much longer. Trav felt like his body was going to give out, he bursted through the opening by the edge of the water and crawled out, pulling Kaylessa out and laying her across the lake bank. Travis was shivering and his teeth was chittering from the cold.

Rosie had yelled at Travis to get out of his wet clothes, something about hypothermia and the clothes would just keep him cold. “H-h-help K-kay.” He was able to barely mumble out in between short breaths, but she was already on helping Kaylessa. His limbs slowly moved as she took off his shirt, he could feel his body start to shut down from the freezing temperatures, but he knew if he gave up and closed his eyes he possibly wouldn’t open them. “R-Ro-Rosie… I’m… sor-sorry.” He breathed out, teeth still chittering.

ROSIE THOMPSON

outfit : herex|xhex: #cc0460

xxxi'd sit alone and watch your light
xxxmy only friend through teenage nights
xxxand everything i had to know
xxxi heard on the radio

Rosie made her way back to catch up to Travis. She'd noticed somebody running past them out of the corner of her eye, but hadn't seen who it was. When Trav said that it was Kay and that she'd seemed upset. She thought for a second, before nodding. The fighting seemed to be beginning to die down, and besides, she had promised she'd look out for Kay.

The lake was frozen over as they reached it, Travis having apparently seen Kay going this way. But there was no sign of her, and the area was apparently empty. She was about to suggest moving on. She didn't like lingering in this spot for too long, it always made her a little uneasy. But before she could say anything, there was a crash and a scream that seemed all too familiar. Something hit the ice and was there for half a second before the ice cracked and gave way beneath them. Travis was in motion already, running for the lake.

"Travis, don't! I can hold my breath for- oh you idiot," she swore as Travis ignored her and went into the water after Kay. So instead, she turned and screamed for help. They were under for a while, for too long. The water had to be too cold for Travis to stay under that long. If he'd just thought for one damn second... Sirens were built to withstand stormy waters, she would have handled it better. But no, he had to be the goddamn hero.

She sighed with relief as his head broke the surface again, followed by Kay's. He dragged Kay back out of the water, and Rosie was by her side in a minute, already assessing the situation. The cold wasn't an issue for Kay, but she had fallen from a height and had been underwater for a while. Travis, however, was shivering and soaked to the skin. "Get the wet clothes off of you, it'll only make you colder. Wrap this around you and put your own damn jacket back on," she ordered, pulling off her coat and hurling it at him. There was no way it would fit him, but it would be some protection against the cold. She needed to focus on Kay. She was guessing Kay had inhaled some water. "Come on, Kay," she coaxed as she began to pump her chest, trying to get her to coax up the water. "Yeah, well, next time if you just freaking take ten seconds to listen to me-" she said in response to Travis' apology, mostly focusing on what she was doing.

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Jaiden Price

Witch | outfit : herex|xhex: #800000

xxxWe've made such a mess of this place
xxxThere's blood stains on your face
xxxWatch everybody live and pray
xxxInvade in her life

Time seemed to pass by slowly as Jaiden made her way through the tow, tucking and ducking out of the way as Hunters and supernatural beings fought. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was going to do, all she knew was that she wasn't going to be on the sidelines again, not this time. After making sure that the group of children she had helped, were safe and secure with a group of fellow witches, she quickly left them and found herself running through the town square. The sound of her shoes hitting the bare asphalt beneath her weer muddled among the chaos. Stores and homes alike had been broken into as the Hunters ravaged the town in search of any targets. Jaiden stopped in her trace when she saw a young half-elf woman being thrown against a brick wall as a Hunter pounced at her from the shadows. The Hunter went for a quick jab at the side to silence the screaming half-elf, but in turn let out a pained scream as fire began to creep along his arm, spreading its way down his entire body as it spread, until he was entirely engulfed in flames.

The young half-elf collapsed to the ground, shaking and sobbing as she tried to regain her composure. Jaiden simply laid a hand on her shoulder as she comforted her. After exchanges words, the young woman ran off into a nearby building where some werewolves were allowing others to hide as they kept watch and fought anyone that dared to approach that they didn't know. Jaiden gave them a small nod before she turned and left, knowing full well that everyone in Greythorne was looking out for each other, they were all family after all. Jaiden turned and snuck through a darkened alleyway, knowing where she was headed. She had to find Markus, and she had a feeling she knew where he would be. But as she turned the corner, she ran into something which caused her to stumble backward. Slowly stepping out from the darkened alleyway was an awkwardly tall, yet terrifyingly muscular Hunter, dressed in full black. He silently stared down at her, his eyes never leaving her's as his face portrayed no emotion aside from a sick and twisted smile.

Jaiden slowly began to back away, and as she turned to run she felt an overly large fist grab her by the shoulder and all too easily pull her back into the darkness. She kicked and screamed, trying to get the hold the Hunter had on her loose, but it was in vain. His grip was too strong, slowly wrapping his other hand around her throat as he pushed her against the alleyway's wall. She could feel his immense strength, and sheer hatred for any and all none human entities. His skin was oddly cold and seemed to hold no life or humanity, but he was human in every sense. She struggled to get free, and as everything slowly began to grow dark as her lungs began to tighten and constrict as the air in her lungs was being forced out she began to slowly give up. There was no point in fighting back, losing consciousness and strength all too fast began to wear her down as well as using her powers as much as she had. With what remaining strength she had left, she attempted to at least try to burn his arm as a last attempt. She didn't know what she was alerted to first. The smell of burning flesh, or the sickening crunch and then the screams of the Hunter as she found herself slamming into the ground below as the Hunter was slammed to the ground and out of sight by some unknown force. Gasping for air as she turned onto her side after being forcibly slammed down onto her back, Jaiden's eyesight began to slowly return. Through fuzzy and blurry vision, she was able to make out a form in the darkness. Something was hunched over the Hunter, or what remained as crunching and flesh being torn apart could be heard. Jaiden slowly began to take a step backward but tripped over her own feet. She tried to focus on the form in the dark as it slowly began to approach her. At first it was hard to tell who, or what it was. But as the figure drew closer, an all too familiar face revealed itself.

From the dark hair, pale skin, and green eyes, a friendly smile spread across his face. The figure knelt down in front of her, saying something to her that she couldn't exactly understand as she was still trying to recover from the attack. All she could make out was, "Get to safety" and "I'm sorry." she didn't understand what he meant when he said it, but as she saw the all too familiar form of Markus begin to hobble away, she couldn't help but feel a ping of dread and worry. She watched as his all too familiar form disappeared into the darkness and was gone, leaving her alone in the alleyway. Jaiden slowly rose to her feet, feeling a small trickle of blood go down her forehead as she must have hit her head as she hit the ground. Jaiden gently touched her throat, feeling for any signs of damage or wound as her neck ached. She assumed the most was a simple bruise, but with how much the choke had, she doubted the gloves the man had were only normal gloves. She shook that thought out of her head as she had more important things to focus on. She looked out of the small area she was in, and saw more Hunters rushing into town. Taking a few deep breaths she decided to join the others once more, but was taken aback as what seemed to be large roots began to sprout and overturn the asphalt below her feet. She looked around as her heart began to beat rapidly as spriggans and the other treefolk easily overtook the town, protecting a few groups of others as more Hunters rushed them. The rogue Hunters were easily dispatched of, their bodies being torn to shreds or impaled by the treefolk. With the new arrival of the forest dwellers, Jaiden couldn't help but form a small smile on her face, with the small spark of hope with the arrival of them possibly meaning the tides were turning in their favor.

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Markus Valegood

Lycan | outfit : herex|xhex: #063A67

xxxI got everybody sleepwalking but they
xxxThey think they're awake
xxxAnd our hands always covered in shame, but
xxxIt won't wash away

Markus had made a bee-line for the town, his feet carrying him at an incredible speed as he rushed through the forest. He made a quick stop at his home as he had changed back into his human form before leaving where he had first shifted. He grabbed his gun, two knives, a small bottle from hidden underneath the floorboards in his room. Quickly shoving the items into his pockets he ran out of his home and back into the woods, there was civilians and Hunters alike. For those that lived in Greythorne, he told to hide in his home and that they'd be safe there if they so decided. He spotted two Hunters from the corner of his eye, and rushed at them with ease. Tackling one which he slammed into a tree, the other he quickly took out with a jab to the windpipe. The first Hunter slowly began to regain his composure as he slowly began to rise to his feet, Markus lunged at him with brute force, slamming him into one of the trees, which resulted in an old and pointed branch impaling the Hunter partially through his spine. Rendering the Hunter paralyzed. Markus watched as a small trickle of blood spilled from the Hunter's lips as the life in his eyes slowly faded. He turned around to see the other Hunter gasping for air as he rolled along the ground. Markus reach down, grabbing the Hunter by the collar of his shirt, hoisting him into the air and in one swift motion a crescent of blood filled the air as the Hunter's throat had been torn clean from his neck, his corpse falling to the ground with a thud.

Markus gave a deep exhale, wiping the blood from his mouth as he made his way through the forest and back into town. By the time he had made it back, spriggans and treefolk had already taken over the tow, helping to dispense of the Hunters as best as they could. A small smile creased his lips as he made his way through the streets, helping those that he could. A Hunter creeped out from one of the alleyways and snuck up behind Markus, who only turned around and in one swift motion, a knife had found its way deep in the Hunter's abdomen. A soft grunt echoed from his lips as the Hunter collapsed, the knife never leaving its place in his abdomen. Markus turned the Hunter over onto his back, removing the knife that had been lodged into the side of the armor, right below the ribs. Wiping the blade clean of the blood, Markus looked around, keeping the weapon in his right hand as he made his way through the town. Dodging out of the way, Markus huffed as a vampire flew across his path as she slammed a Hunter into one of the parked cars. He gave her a quick glare, but then a small nod and smile as he turned away and kept on making his way through the streets. He didn't exactly know where he was going, or who he was trying to find, all he knew was that he wasn't going to let his home be taken over by Hunters this easily.

He turned down one of the major streets in the downtown part and stopped. Something didn't feel right, it was too oddly quiet compared to the other streets he ran through. There was no signs of outward disturbances or fighting among supernatural kind and Hunter. Markus began to take a few steps back, when the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. By the time he had turned around, it was too late. That hot searing pain in his leg as another arrow was shot into the back of his leg, rendering him to the ground. Letting out a low growl he looked over his shoulder as two Hunters were crouched behind some cover atop one of the building rooftops. Markus slowly rose to his feet as he ripped out the arrow, snapping it in half. He ducked behind a few cars as he planned his next course of action for those Hunters, when he heard a few screams and then were silenced. Peering over the side of the car he looked up at the rooftop where those two Hunters were prior. Instead in their place, stood an unknown figure. At least, he didn't recognize it right away. It was one of Neden's Spriggans, Percy to be specifically.

Markus knew he could trust them enough to get what needed to be done. But now, he couldn't focus on that, he had more work to do. He rose to his feet, feeling the pain in his leg all but gone he began to walk once more. As he was walking past one of the larger alleyways, he heard a scuffle and a familiar voice. Kaylessa. He quickly dipped in through the alleyway, being sure to not make a noise or make his presence known until it was time. In the darkness, due to the faint light of the moon, he was able to see the form of Kaylessa being baked up into a corner by a Hunter. Watching as the Hunter raised his weapon, Markus jumped into action, tackling the Hunter to the ground and silencing him with ease as he snapped his neck in one swift motion. When the Hunter went still and silent, Markus stood up and turned, walking back over to Kay as he helped her to her feet. "Kay, are you alright?" he said softly as he held her up, making sure she was steady enough on her own two feet. He gave her a small nod as she confirmed she was okay, but shook his head when she apologized for being weak. "You're not weak, Kaylessa. I'd never consider you like that." he said with a small and genuine smile. The two began to get back into the action, and begane running through the streets once more. He was going to answer Kaylessa's question when she asked about seeing any of the others, but they were cut off when a young druid spoke up. Saying that Neden and Alex were in the graveyard. "Why would they be in the graveyard....Alex is an idiot-Kay don't....Ah fuck..." he muttered as he watched Kay run off in the direction of the graveyard.

As much as he wanted to give chase, he knew he had more to do. He continued going around the town and helping clear out the remaining Hunters. He had taken out two more easily as he snapped out of their necks and slammed the other's head into a wall. Markus walked past another alleyway and stopped when he heard muffled screaming and a struggle. Rolling his eyes he ran into the alleyway without a second thought and stopped in his tracks. He saw a Hunter pushing Jaiden up against a wall, slowly squeezing his hands around her neck. The life in her eyes began to fade, causing Markus to snap into action. He rushed the Hunter at full speed, taking him to the ground as Jaiden was let go and fell. There was a small scuffle for a minute as Markus tried to subdue the Hunter. He didn't know what happened exactly, all he knew is that before he had silenced the overly large Hunter for good, there was an unbearable pain in his side. Markus pushed himself away from the body as he struggled to catch his breath, everything hurt. The pain slowly coursed through his veins, as whatever type of coating the Hunter had used on the blade had started making its way through Markus' bloodstream. Markus slowly stood up as he grabbed his side, making his way to Jaiden. Helping her up as best as he could as he could feel his strength beginning to fail him. He looked at her through the pale moonlight from above, a small but saddened smile that reached up to his eyes as he looked at her, "I shouldn't have left you...I should have stayed with you. I'm sorry, Jaiden. I should have been with you. Just...Just get to somewhere safe and when this is over, I have something to say to you." he said as he gently cupped her cheek as he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before he disappeared out of sight and into the darkness as he struggled to make his way through the streets.

Markus made it down the street for about a block or two before collapsing, his back sliding against a wall of one of the buildings, a small blood smear as he sat down. His breathing was growing fainter and fainter by the minute as he could feel whatever was on the blade was affecting him more than anything else did. But, if this was how he was going to go out, so be it. Having fought for Greythorne-no. Having fought for his family and friends in Greythorne would have been enough for him, he just wished he could have done more..

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