#katze contemplates!

[meaningofaeons]

That jing yuan x vidyadhara!reader fic has got to be one of my favorites of all time so far, like the potential of them learning to love one another again as completely different persons and all the angst as reader may watch as Jing Yuan is the one getting hurt this time around during the quest and find themselves worried to death (also possibly rediscover glimpses of their memories together through dreams)

Jing Yuan has just got me wrapped around his finger 😔 smh

AWWW OMG THANK YOU IM SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT!!!

yeah I KILL for angst at all times and after seeing so many vidyadhara quests where the vidyadhara fell in love w/ the same person in this reincarnation as their past reincarnation .... oooogh.... the potential

considering vidyadhara can't remember anything about their past life since it was essentially a different person entirely, I just picture jing yuan trying to show reader pictures of them together and reader can feel some intrinsic emotions from that past life but it's just .... they can't remember it. it's not in their mind. it wasn't their life, their current life that is.

and seeing jing yuan be so forlorn over dan heng not remembering dan feng and telling him staunchly that he is NOT dan feng, and jing yuan's quiet, soft acceptance.... imagining that he has 10x as difficult a time accepting that his past flame, his lover, looks just like he remembers... but they aren't the same person ..... .... .. AUUUUUGHG (₌ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣ ᆽ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣₌)(₌ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣ ᆽ ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣₌)

#katze contemplates! #anon #jing yuan #jingyuan #jing yuan x reader #jingyuan x reader #hsr x reader #honkai x reader #honkai star rail x reader #jing yuan x vidyadhara!reader #ill tag future drabbles/works w that from now on #or ill just tag #vidyadhara!reader

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading update: March 2024

March was so !!!!!! so fucking long, but that means that I got to read a lot of books - more than I did in January or February. they're pretty all over the place in terms of quality, but I think they're also all going to be pretty memorable in one way or another. shall we discuss?

what have I been reading?

The Ballad of Perilous Graves (Alex Jennings, 2022) - I bought this novel at Crescent City Books in New Orleans last June, then tucked it away to wait for exactly the right moment. and I'm so glad I did, because it was a gorgeous little flash of NOLA in the middle of a gray midwestern winter funk. this novel is so, SO steeped in celebrating the art, history, and culture of New Orleans, creating a version of the city filled with talking animals, living songs, and moving graffiti that hardly even feels that different than the real New Orleans. and in this book, Nola is distinct from New Orleans; there's some interesting multiverse stuff going on in the city that might be really interesting to my fellow fans of Dimension 20's Unsleeping City and N.K. Jemisin's City We Became. not every part of the book totally worked for me: the parts of the books following the kids - the titular Perilous "Perry" Graves and company - are definitely the strongest, and the actual details of how the plot got resolved got a little muddled for me before the surprisingly abrupt end. but! it must be said that the vibes are immaculate, and vibes will get you really far with me. I want to see a thousand more stories set in this world.

Thank You For Sharing (Rachel Runya Katz, 2023) - with god as my witness this was one of the most boring romance novels I've ever read, and that's saying something considering I literally just read Red String Theory. what I really adore are romances that take place at around an 11 on a scale of 1-10, under circumstances where absolutely no normal person should even be able to contemplate fucking but our protagonists power through because they're horny to a degree that renders them clinically unwell. this book was hovering somewhere around a 2; it's literally just two adults having jobs and hanging out in pretty mundane circumstances. the only thing that really strains my belief is that an otherwise well-adjusted woman is still upset about something that happened at summer camp over a decade ago, but I guess if she wasn't mad about something then the protagonists wouldn't be able to have a conversation about their feelings to show off how good they are at therapy speak.

Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent (Dipo Faloyin, 2022) - genuinely one of the most excellent pieces of nonfiction that I've read in a hot minute. Faloyin's book consists of interconnected essays that just dazzlingly brilliant, in turns solemn, sardonic, and sly, always ready to offer the audience a little wink as it subverts expectations. Faloyin walks the reader through the history of several African countries, from colonial looting to rocky political regimes to the common tropes that plague modern media with depictions of Africa as universally backwards, impoverished, and struggling. I really felt like I was *learning* while I was reading this book and learning the specifics of so many places that are often portrayed as interchangeable in American media. I really sincerely can't recommend this enough, it's an excellent read.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Kimberly Lemming, 2024) - I can't in good conscience say that I enjoyed this book, but it is kind of a great read if you enjoy updating your housemates on the latest bullshit in your horny fantasy romance. Lemming's in a weird middle ground where she's putting a lot of effort into the backstory of the world that justifies our protagonist (who's named CINNAMON HOTPEPPER!!!!) meeting and hooking up with a demon (who's also a dragon, because all monsters are just a subspecies of demon. I'm not crazy about that but the worst part by far is definitely that his dragon form has hair) but also stops giving a shit about it the second it's not necessary. like (spoilers) but all of the human characters are REALLY chill about finding out that the goddess they've been worshipping for CENTURIES is actually an evil lich? and there's another human character who pretty casually watches the city where she's spent her entire life get razed to the ground by monsters with absolutely zero remorse, which is genuinely bananas. also this book misses SOOOO many opportunities to be really nasty horny because it's so focused on hyping up Cinnamon and Fallon's all-consuming five day spiral into unhinged magical demon marriage. even the "light bondage" promised in the content warning was disappointing; the emphasis was definitely more on the "light" than the "bondage." what does a bitch have to do to find a decent monsterfucker book. for the love of god please.

It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror (ed. Joe Vallese, 2022) - I've heard a lot of hype about this book, an anthology of queer writers musing about the queerness that draws them to the horror genre. I was expecting the essays to be of an analytical nature, but it turns out they're much more personal. that's not necessarily a bad thing, but some of these essays ended up falling SUPER flat for me, with weak analogies that felt like the result of authors remembering at the last second that they were supposed to be relating their life to a horror movie somehow. which isn't to say that there weren't high points as well, but overall the collection was low lows and medium highs for me.

Sex Criminals Volume One: One Weird Trick (Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, 2014) - I'm trying so hard to remember to read comics that aren't 30 year old Batman stories, and my friend Emily lent this to me months ago when I helped them move, so it seemed like high time to get around to checking out Sex Criminals. the premise is fun! what if time stopped when you had an orgasm? then what if you met someone else with the same ability and the two of you could have sex and run around in a time-stopped world together? and then what if you robbed banks? and I'm a huge fan of that. the writing isn't the most gripping thing in the world, and now that it's a decade old I find that it feels very emblematic of the kind of aggressively offbeat, Whedon-ish writing style that felt like it was really unavoidable in the 2010s, which I can't say has aged MAGNIFICENTLY for me. but I'm willing to read more, see where this series goes, and give it the chance to really win me over. stay tuned for Volume Two!

Rental Person Who Does Nothing (Shoji Morimoto, trans. Don Knotting 2023) - I can't decide if I want to sit Morimoto down for dinner to pick his brain or just skip the niceties and put his brain in a jar to study it, but either way this guy definitely has something fascinating going on. tl;dr: in this memoir Morimoto recounts his experiences using Twitter to let other people hire him out as a person who will do nothing. "doing nothing" covers all kinds of things: accompanying people to eat a meal that they felt too self-conscious to eat alone, keeping someone company so they don't get distracted while they should be working, or waving goodbye to a stranger at a train station. he's not paid for this, either, or at least doesn't charge a fixed rate; all the Morimoto asks for is the price of his train ticket to meet clients, who sometimes buy him extra gifts as a thank you. there are so many FASCINATING ideas presented in this book about work and value and interpersonal connection, and yet the book clocks in at under 200 pages. Morimoto isn't here to tell you how to feel about anything he's done, only to present some experiences and let you unravel the meaning for yourself. and I guess that's sort of brilliant. throughout the memoir he's adamant that Rental Person doesn't offer advice or tell anyone what to do, offering only basic responses when prompted. telling someone else what to think or attempting to offer up any wisdom gleaned from his rental work would count as doing something, wouldn't it? I really recommend checking it out for yourself and deciding what you think, especially if you're in a slump seeking something quick, engaging, and easy to read.

#reading updates #bookblr

[masterjedilenawrites]

How would you imagine the delta boys to react or what they would do when they get back after a rough mission??

Aww this image of battered, downcast Deltas made me so sad... 😢 I just want to protect and love them, your honor.

Boss: Holds himself together for a bit. There's plenty of debriefings and paperwork to get through once they're back, and it won't do for him to be emotional during any of it. He's also hyper-sensitive to the feelings of his squad and he doesn't want to feed into their misery with his own. He won't be overly positive, but he'll maybe try a small pep talk or some comforting shoulder pats as they separate to cope in their own ways. The first time Boss is alone is when he hits the showers, and that's when he'll finally acknowledge his own feelings. He'll let himself take a longer shower than normal, indulging in the hot water hitting his skin while he stands there, motionless and melancholy. There may even be a few frustrated tears that get swept away with the water.

Fixer: Is such a grumpy boy. He doesn't like missions that don't end well, that don't go according to plan. He will be analyzing every detail from the mission, mulling it over and over in his head to figure out what went wrong, and venting about it to anyone who will listen. He never puts names to his feelings, let alone give himself the time or space to properly deal with them. His anger comes out in his speech, clipped and annoyed. His fear becomes pools of sweat along his hairline. His guilt manifests into tinkering and planning, trying to find improvements in both technology and strategy so the difficulties they faced today don't persist into the future. His name is Fixer for a reason; he will not rest until he finds a way to fix whatever broke on this mission.

Scorch: Is simply tuckered out. He will be uncharacteristically quiet as he shuffles his feet out of the ship and toward home base. The playful glint usually found in his eyes has been dimmed as he fights off his exhaustion. He sits numbly through the debriefs and for once doesn't have any quippy retorts when told what to do. As soon as he is able, he collapses onto any decently comfy surface and sleeps for a good, long while. He really can't process such devastating emotions, not when they're so fresh, so intense. He can't fully sleep them off, but the nap diminishes their sting, and allows him to get some of his spunk back, too. When he wakes, he'll be back to his usual self, but will have random moments of melancholy as he slowly processes the events of the mission.

Sev: On the outside, he doesn't seem much different, simply dark and broody as always. But on the inside, he's hurting. Bad. Nothing gets him down quite like a failed mission. He takes full responsibility, even for the things outside of his control. He can't help it. If fighting is the one thing he was made for, how could he brush off failure? Whether or not these feelings come to the surface depends on who he's around. If Fixer is pacing about and venting, then Sev will likely blow up in anger. If Scorch crashes on the bunk next to him, Sev will sit in contemplative silence for as long as his brother sleeps. And a shoulder pat from Boss? However quick or innocent, that's what impacts Sev the most. He'll disappear and let himself cry over the comforting gesture.

Everything Tag: @damerondala, @dangerousstrawberrypie, @fallingforthem, @harleyevanstan, @imabeautifulbutterfly, @justanothersadperson93, @misogirl828, @itsagrimm, @error6gendernotfound, @theroguesully, @clonesimp, @techie-bear

+Delta Squad Tag: @marvel-starwars-nerd, @hanbetired, @lackofhonor, @theclonesdeservebetter, @salaminus, @katzs-current-obsession, @rebel-finn, @the-mom-friend-dot-com, @pickle-rick-y, @flowered-bicycles, @lucyysthings, @severalseashellsbytheseashore, @moon-wrecked

(Join my tag list here)

#star wars #delta squad #rough missions #delta squad saturday #angst o'clock #hurt/comfort #but mostly hurt #boss #fixer #scorch #sev

[tigrextoque]

@donner-katze​ kebab: “Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we were all happy or nothin’ to begin with.” //ginger snaps meme for the 'ggio joins wandenreich' verse maybe?? 👀👀

Oh, how sad. You guys invade worlds, but you’re tragic behind it all? Really, I’m about to cry. Piss off. -- No, no. It’s thoughts like that that’s going to ruin the efforts he’s put into surviving this long. Subduing any ill-intent he may have initially held, he simply stared for a solid second before contemplating his standing. A Sternritter of all things, on the verge of dropping something surprisingly valuable. Who knows. “-- Is that so?” He questioned, turning partly to her; not yet daring to face her directly with his entire form.

He’s already there. Might as well use this for some long-missed humoring. “So you’re saying you and your little girl band didn’t have it easy in the beginning?” Pause. In some twisted way, Ggio might have just been sympathizing with their case. Or rather, immersed in it. “...Considering how you carry yourself, I can see that. Why don’t you sit down and tell me about it then. Burden of proof is on you, after saying something like that.” To an Arrancar, no less. Maybe glimpses of his old social self were showing again. Maybe he just accepted that it’s better to play along with the role he took up on himself.

#donner-katze #this is legit my first wandenggio interaction #wandenreich ggio verse tag pending

[metamoonshots]

A famend accounting professor from the College of Notre Dame, Peter Easton, has delivered a stark revelation through the Sam Bankman-Fried trial. Easton’s meticulous evaluation of Alameda Analysis and FTX’s monetary data unambiguously affirms the mishandling of buyer funds. The federal government enlisted Easton to conduct an exhaustive examination of the monetary panorama of FTX and its sister hedge fund, Alameda Analysis. Drawing on his experience in scrutinizing monetary statements, Easton’s findings make clear vital discrepancies. Easton’s Audit Sheds Gentle on FTX’s Troubling Funds Easton’s evaluation systematically unraveled situations the place funds have been traced again to FTX customer deposits. This complete audit revealed an alarming development: buyer property have been being diverted for functions past their meant use. These buyer deposits predominantly funded mortgage repayments, charitable donations, enterprise investments, and actual property acquisitions. The gravity of the state of affairs turns into abundantly clear when contemplating the chronology of monetary imbalances. Easton’s evaluation illuminated a troubling deficit that emerged as early as the primary quarter of 2021. By June 2022, the disparity reached staggering proportions, with a shortfall of $11.3 billion between buyer foreign money deposits and out there funds. Not confined to conventional foreign money, Easton’s scrutiny prolonged to cryptocurrency holdings. His findings disclosed that FTX grappled with over $3 billion in unmet cryptocurrency liabilities from buyer deposits relationship again to January 2021. The investigation additionally revealed that FTX’s acquisitions of Modulo Capital have been funded utilizing shopper deposits. Equally, a good portion of FTX’s investments in SkyBridge Capital have been sourced from buyer funds. Furthermore, the vast majority of the alternate’s substantial $550 million funding within the crypto miner Genesis Digital Belongings was derived from buyer deposits. It was additionally revealed that FTX utilized buyer funds to repurchase everything of the agency’s stake held with competitor alternate Binance. The latter’s CEO, Changpeng Zhao, stated in a 2022 publish that the corporate had obtained over $2.1 billion in Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoins and FTX’s FTT tokens as a part of the repurchase. In 2019, Binance made an undisclosed funding in FTX as a part of a strategic partnership between the 2 corporations. At the moment, FTX was processing $500 million each day in trades, a major distinction from the over $50 billion it reached at its peak. Alameda Analysis’s Involvement Easton’s evaluation delves deeper into Alameda Analysis’s involvement. Even when Alameda had utilized all out there funds for spot margin buying and selling on FTX, it will have fallen considerably in need of protecting its excellent buyer liabilities. Moreover, Easton highlighted a vital commentary: all accounts with the “permit adverse” function on FTX have been completely owned by Alameda. This revelation raises pertinent questions in regards to the interaction between the 2 entities. Former FTX lobbyist Eliora Katz additionally testified on Wednesday, revealing a stark dissonance between Sam Bankman-Fried’s public assurances about FTX’s safety measures and the undisclosed realities that led to its collapse a yr in the past. In a Home Monetary Providers Committee clip, Bankman-Fried emphasised FTX’s transparency and risk-monitoring system, contrasting it with the opaque practices of Wall Road through the 2008 monetary crisis. Nevertheless, prosecutors and FTX insiders, who've pleaded responsible, introduced a special narrative, citing insufficient monetary record-keeping and the diversion of buyer funds to Bankman-Fried’s buying and selling agency, Alameda Analysis. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $100 (Unique): Use this link to register and obtain $100 free and 10% off charges on Binance Futures first month (terms).

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[sinceileftyoublog]

Winnetka Music Festival: 6/16-6/17

Alejandro Escovedo

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Unlike summer street festivals in other “affluent” Chicago suburbs--Alejandro Escovedo’s words, not mine--the Winnetka Music Festival chooses established and up-and-coming independent, original artists in favor of the usual rotation of the same five cover acts. 

The Wallflowers

Friday night, the headliner was a band that unexpectedly signed with New West two years ago: none other than The Wallflowers, the long-running project of singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan. Yes, they played the major songs from beloved major label sophomore record Bringing Down the Horse: the eternal “One Headlight”, the Adam Duritz-featuring “6th Avenue Heartache”, the “Sweet Jane”-riffed “Three Marlenas”, blasted jam “The Difference”, and Southern rocker “God Don’t Make Lonely Girls”. Though the aforementioned Counting Crow was nowhere to be found, the rest of the band brought down the horse house. Ben Peeler’s shimmery steel guitars shined alongside the churchy keys of the band’s biggest hits. If Dylan’s voice was raspy and understated, the instrumentation delivered the emotional punches, especially on songs from their latest Exit Wounds like “Roots and Wings”, where Dylan reflects on where he came from and what’s allowed him to move beyond. And the encore contained two covers of songs by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; considering Dylan’s father played in a band with the late, great Petty, it (perhaps unfairly) feels like The Wallflowers covering Petty is more appropriate than a version from any other Americana band. They were certainly crowd pleasers. After a speech about the paradox of “rules are meant to be broken,” Dylan proclaimed one mantra he’s learned to follow: “If you got a good thing, keep it going.” I can’t think of a better phrase to sum up everything about The Wallflowers, from that one set to their entire career.

The Dip

Proceeding The Wallflowers on the same stage was another singalong-friendly band, Seattle R&B/funk septet The Dip. Yes, they were masters of style and tempo. Jacob Lundgren’s prickly guitars propelled the existential “Crickets”. Mark Hunter’s bass and Jarred Katz’ drums buoyed the strut of “She Gave Me The Keys”. The fluttery horn section--trumpeter Brendan Carter, tenor saxophonist Levi Gillis, and baritone saxophonist Evan Smith--were given ample space to solo and meander through the extended jams of “She Gave Me The Keys” and “Sure Don’t Miss You”. Throughout, Tom Eddy’s soulful lead vocals and charismatic banter and context helped make a decidedly retro band sound fresh and contemporary.

Escovedo

If there was an outlier in not just the bands I saw but the whole festival, it was Alejandro Escovedo. He admitted it, noticing that unlike The Wallflowers and that night’s main headliner, Michael Franti & Spearhead, “We don’t get you movin’ and dancing.” The band took their time to sort through some sound issues and eased into their set, beginning with the languid “Wave” and echoing “Sometimes”, respective showcases for synthesizer/keyboard player Scott Danbom and drummer Mark Henne. Eventually, Escovedo and company became energized, laying down power pop burner “Break This Time” and Escovedo’s two most popular tunes, Chuck Prophet co-write (and dedicated to the hurting Jesse Malin) “Always a Friend” and “Castanets”. But it was the tunes in between that stood out. Escovedo introduced “Dearhead on the Wall” as “a song about taxidermy and Buddhism”; as he’s aged, the way his voice trembles on his more contemplative tunes is almost gothic in character, effective even if not purposeful. He muffled his vocals on “Sally Was a Cop” and “Teenage Luggage”; non-fans, town locals, and passersby likely didn’t expect to hear the words, “America's a blood-stain in a honky-tonk kill” emanating from the stage as if through a megaphone. Then again, with a discography like Escovedo’s, nobody knew what to expect, and he delivered a masterfully taut collection of his finest songwriting, leaving the band the opportunity to straight up choogle.

So, yes, the Winnetka Music Festival, which is presented in collaboration with SPACE in Evanston, is not your average Chicago suburban street festival, and certainly not one I would have expected even 10 years ago, let alone growing up on the North Shore of Chicago.

#live music #winnetka music festival #alejandro escovedo #the wallflowers #new west #the dip #mark hunter #space #bringing down the horse #jakob dylan #adam duritz #counting crows #ben peeler #exit wounds #tom petty and the heartbreakers #tom petty #bob dylan #the traveling wilburys #jacob lundgren #jarred katz #brendan carter #levi gillis #evan smith #tom eddy #michael franti & spearhead #scott danbom #mark henne #chuck prophet #jesse malin #new west records

[inapat16]

When paintings talk in the cinema (1/4)

The cinema industry has been influenced by paintings since it’s beginning. Since the 19th century, famous directors like the Lumière Brothers or George Meliès searched for inspiration in the famous painting of there era. The Pathé film Le duel après le bal filmed in 1900 is completely inspired by the painting Le Duel après le bal masqué by Jean-Léon Gérôme, an important painter who has inspired many other films This tradition of making “living pictures” in cinema has remained through the years and has been an effective way for the filmmakers to connect with an audience who shares the same cultural values.

Nevertheless, in this article I would like to focus on the paintings that appear in the movies as a symbolic gesture of the director. More specifically, I would like to talk about the museum sequence in Brian De Palma’s film, Dressed to kill. This movie is a horror-thriller about sexual frustration, transgenderism and violence against women. Although the film was largely criticized by some feminist movements for the portrait of transgender people that De Palma depicts and for the use of violence against women as entertainment, the film was nominated for the Golden Globe Awards among others.

The sequence at the Philadelphia museum of art is one of the most famous of De Palma’s filmography.  The sequence opens with the statue of Diana by sculptor August Saint-Gaudens. This statue represents the goddess of the hunt naked, which refers to what its going to happen next in this scene. A woman (Kate) and an unknown man follow each other through the halls of the museum. In this sequence, Kate wants to seduce an unknown man in the museum but she hesitates a lot which provokes a hide and seek situation between the two of them, as if they wanted to hunt each other. De Palma’s choice to open the scene with this statue is interesting since this piece of art generated a lot of debate because of the fact that the goddess was represented naked. This resonates with the issues aroused by the film about women’s sexuality and women’s representation.

The following scene shows Kate sitting in front of a painting inside the museum. This painting called West Interior by Alex Katz, is a female portrait that depicts a middle aged woman. At first, Kate is just looking around but when her eyes meet the painting she stares at it melancholically, imitating the same look that the woman portrayed has. The framing of these scene reminds us of the framing of Madeleine in the movie Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock, who was an important inspiration for Brian De Palma. Just after the look of this two women meet, Kate turns around to look at a young couple who is lasciviously flirting. Then, she sees a man trying to flirt to another woman who is contemplating a different painting. These scenes reinforce the feeling that Kate is feeling sexually frustrated and that she has a strong desire to seduce and be seduced even if she’s married. The fact that the painting in front of her portrays a woman of approximately the same age as Kate, enhances the feeling that Kate is troubled by the commonly questionings that middle aged women have about their sexuality and their capacity to desire and be desired at that age. It is obvious that this painting elicits mixed feelings for Kate and she decides then to distract herself from these thoughts pulling out her agenda. She looks at the painting one last time, with a more serious look and then she stares contemplating the painting next to it which is Reclining Nude by Tom Palmore. After contemplating this painting of a sleepy gorilla, she writes in her agenda “nuts”. We don’t know if this has to be for her shopping list for dinner or if this translates how she’s feeling. Either way, these paintings have an effect on Kate in a mysterious way, they reflect what’s going on through her mind. She’s confused, frustrated and contemplating these paintings is somehow a way for her to channel her discomfort. Finally, a man sits next to Kate and starts contemplating Katz’s painting. This changes the whole atmosphere of the scene since Kate starts to get nervous but also excited. She’s craving for this man’s attention. At this point, the hunting dance starts as this unknown man does not give her the attention she wants. De Palma has often used the “obsessive tunnel-vision”[1] to manifest a sort of harrowing desire between men and women. The two of them start chasing each other through the museum and the camera follows them. We can see a lot of nude paintings in the museum which strengthens the sexual atmosphere of the scene.

The use of these paintings in this scene is an intelligent and effective way for the director to communicate to the audience the feelings and thoughts of the characters using purely symbolic images, without any dialogue. In fact, the whole sequence unfolds almost entirely without dialogue and that’s what makes this scene so successful and emotionally strong. De Palma achieves a “pure play of visual exposition and associative storytelling”, by using specific techniques of framing the artworks, organizing the space and the figures and choosing specific viewpoints that allow the viewer to feel and understand through the image and the paintings.

Laura Cárdenas

[1] Roderick Heath, “Dressed to kill (1980)”, 28/10/2020 : https://filmfreedonia.com/2020/10/28/dressed-to-kill-1980/

[don-lichterman]

Twitter Reportedly Hires Top Law Firm to Sue Elon Musk for Suspending $44 Billion Acquisition 

Twitter is contemplating legal action against Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk over his decision to terminate a $44 billion (roughly Rs. 420000 crore) takeover deal. As per The Hill, the microblogging site has hired a large New York-based law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP as it prepares to sue Musk. Twitter will file its lawsuit in Delaware next week. Meanwhile, Musk is being represented…

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#elon musk #lipton #quinn emanuel urquhart #rosen and katz llp #sullivan #twitter sue elon musk hire top us law firm wachtell lipton suspended usd 44 billion acquisition deal  twitter #wachtell

[theeurasianpost]

Twitter hires top legal firm to sue Elon Musk for ending $44 billion deal

Twitter hires top legal firm to sue Elon Musk for ending $44 billion deal

Twitter is contemplating legal action against Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk over his decision to terminate a USD 44 billion takeover deal. As per The Hill, the microblogging site has hired a large New York-based law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz LLP as it prepares to sue Musk. Twitter will file its lawsuit in Delaware next week. Meanwhile, Musk is being represented by the law firm Quinn…

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#Featured #Featured2 #WorldFeatured

[fandomworldofdreams]

Bloodsport

Part III

Hannibal Lecter X Reader X Jim Moriarty

Warnings: Violence, language, sexual situations

"It has been two days. I have reached my limit of tolerance." Hannibal dropped the plate of food down before you. "Eat."

"Who is it?" You challenged.

"No one you need concern yourself with. They're already dead, why put them to waste," was he simple reply. He had a glint in his eyes, almost hoping you'd continue to challenge him.

You had spent the past two days unmoving in the room you had woken up in. Mainly staring at the wall, trying to devise a plan of escape.

You had an idea, but no success was guaranteed.

"No."

He stared at you, gaze unwavering.

"I'm not fond of violence. It serves me no justice. But I am not opposed to it. This is your final chance, Y/N. Eat." Hearing his deadly tone made you slightly reconsider.

You turned your head towards the window without a word. He left, gently shutting the door behind him.

Always the gentleman.

It wasn't until an hour later the door opened, both of them entering. Hannibal took a place in the corner leather armchair, while Moriarty sat on the edge of the bed, smiling at you.

"What has your dear brother informed you of about me?"

You raised a brow at him.

What was he getting at?

You shrugged. "You're his enemy. A consulting criminal who hires people to do his dirty work. You are bored, looking for someone to match you and keep you busy."

He seemed content, yet almost offended.

"I own the crime world."

"My bad, Godfather." He scrunched his nose before chuckling.

"Sherly and Will are off limits when it comes to pushing you. After all, it's their test. Dr. Watson, Mycroft, and Ms. Katz. They are expendable."

You immediately stiffened at the mention of your close friends and eldest brother.

"Get on with the implication and demands," you snapped making his smile grow.

"You're so much fun! Dare I say, almost as much as Sherlock. Anyways, it's simple. You eat and bathe and do everything to keep yourself in healthy shape. I won't make a phone call that may cause my snipers fingers to slip at their positions. Mycroft is probably in meeting, talking with every possible person to find you. The good doctor is consoling Sherlock. And Ms. Katz, well she's watching crappy telly like you two used too. Digging through morgue reports in a desperate attempt to find anything."

You glared at him, then turned your gaze to Hannibal. "Quid pro quo, Doctor," you said. He tilted his head at you. "No meats, I won't eat another human. Salads, beans, anything else." You slid your gaze back to Moriarty. "I'll even play you in a game of chess."

There was a silence where they both seemed to be in deep contemplation. "Agreed," Hannibal spoke and you nodded, grateful.

You followed soundlessly, trailing behind them to the kitchen where Hannibal prepared a grilled cheese and fries. You sat on the stool to the bar.

Every detail seemed to merge together and not connect. The cabin was comfy beyond all else. A feel of home. Not somewhere killers would bring their prey.

"Why out here?" You asked. "You could have trapped me in a shitty basement somewhere and called it a day. Less hassle. You two also work, well, at least Moriarty does."

Hannibal paused his cooking for a moment.

"Clever girl," Moriarty hummed. "Come. Sit."

He gestured to the chess board as Hannibal placed the food next to the opposite seat of Moriarty. You hesitated before complying.

He grabbed the queens and closed his fists around the pieces, one in each.

He then placed them behind his back and brought them back out for you to choose.

You pointed to his right hand, he opened his palm to reveal the white queen. You nodded, taking it and making your first move.

Your knight moved to F3.

He shrugged, moving the pawn in front of his king.

Arrogant, but a pro.

It wasn't until you got a pawn that he spoke.

"Putting you in a basement doesn't fulfill our entire plan. It's not entirety about them. You serve a great purpose too." You noticed the move of his queen.

"What would you say Sherlocks greatest flaw is?" He asked when he dismantled your knight. You bit your lip and he tsked.

"Honesty, kitten. I gave you truth, your turn."

"His inability to express himself" you said, softly. He looked at you expectantly. "He lacks honesty within himself when it comes to his emotional state."

He seemed bored with that answer.

You swiped his Bishop. He smiled softly.

"Will you let me speak with my brother? Or Will?" Your eyes were pleading and he seemed to consider your request. An amused look on his face.

"If you win, you can call lover-boy."

He said nothing else and moved his piece. You felt the pressure and started to internally panic.

Calm down, you won't win if you're distracted.

You focused as he was closing in. He left an opening, waiting for you to move to grab hold of his piece.

You hesitated a moment.

Then you saw it.

You swiftly moved your queen, blocking his king in.

"Checkmate." The words fell from your lips with a breath of triumph.

Will.

He chuckled to himself and it almost made you question whether he let you win. But it didn't matter.

Moriarty glanced at Hannibal who had been watching the exchange.

Hannibal pulled out a burn phone, dialing a number and holding it out to you.

You went to grab it, but he pulled it back, pressing the speaker button and setting it on the table.

Ring, Ring, Ri- "Hello?"

"Will!" Your voice cracked and you heard shuffling.

"Y/N?! Where are you? What have they done to you?!"

"I'm okay, love. I haven't been hurt."

"Hannibal, you son of a bitch let her go!" The smirk that fell over Hannibal's face sent shivers all over your body.

"And what will you do if I refuse, Will?" Hannibal asked. He stalked closer, placing his hand on the back of your chair making your spine straighten and tense.

The voice that came fron Will was one you did not recognize. "I will hunt you down and kill you with my bare hands." Your mouth fell slightly open.

"Will no-" a hand clasped tightly over your mouth and Hannibal leaned forward.

"I look forward to the duel. You will have to find me first, of course. And I'm growing rather fond of Ms. Holmes. I'd find her soon if I were you, I'm sure she would taste wonderful." Though you knew he was a cannibal the way he enunciated portrayed a sexual innuendo underlying his tone.

Will heard it too.

"Hannibal-" Moriarty hung up, tossing the phone on the floor and crushing it with his expensive shoe.

Hannibals hand did not leave your face, but instead slid down to brush your throat.

You breathed in a shaky breath.

"Tell me yours and Wills happiest memories together." His breath tickled your ear and you clenched your jaw.

"No."

He smiled at you, playfully.

"Then our fun together can truly begin, little dove."

---------------------------------------------------

Tags:

@viviace

#hannibal lecter #bbc sherlock #hannibal lecter x reader #james moriarty #jim moriarty #jim moriarty x reader #nbc hannibal #sherlock #will graham #will graham x reader #Bloodsport

[meaningofaeons]

(ﾐΦ ﻌ Φﾐ)ﾉ

I am super interested in writing a manhwa/royalty AU series or headcanon series about reader x the HSR men.... is anyone interested......

#katze contemplates! #think like... remarried empress #OR “I fell into a reverse harem game”!!!! oooo!!! #I don't write smut so nothing spicy but #I feel like it'd be cute #and fun #I love manhwa plots #hsr #hsr x reader #honkai #honkai x reader #honkai star rail

[klaineharmony]

Newsiestober, Days 4-6

I am early in posting this for Day 6, but my day tomorrow is crazy. Read Days 1-3 here if you missed the premise. 

Pumpkin/Young Newsie/Bat  732 words. The next night, Jack was visiting with Racetrack and his husband Spot; the three of them had already made plans to have dinner a couple of weeks ago, and despite their impromptu meal at Katz’s, Race had persuaded him to still come over for drinks and dinner. 

“Spot hasn’t seen you in ages,” he said reasonably, “and you know Tyler will be excited to see you, too. There’s no reason to upend our plans, Jack. C’mon, I see you at work every day, but Spot and Tyler hardly ever get to see you.”

Jack had agreed, and so here he was, cheerfully eating Sean’s incredible stir fry. (Racetrack was allowed to call his husband Spot, as it was a childhood nickname that had stuck, much like Jack used Racetrack for Tony, but woe to anyone else who used anything other than his given name.) Their adopted son, Tyler, was seven, and a hilarious handful of a kid who constantly kept them on their toes.

“So, Tony tells me you found a haunted building last night, Jacky-boy,” Sean said devilishly. 

Tyler straightened up in his seat, his eyes wide. “Really, Uncle Jack?”

Jack shot a dirty look at Racetrack, who shrugged eloquently. “I don’t know about haunted, bud,”  Jack said, addressing Tyler. “It was an old tenement building down by Katz’s, and it was under construction, so it was definitely spooky, especially walking by it at night.”

“It would be cool if it was haunted, though!” Tyler said, bouncing excitedly in his seat, and Jack laughed.

“I suppose, if you want to think of it like that.”

 “You could see ghosts,” Tyler said with relish, grinning, and this time all three men at the table laughed at his enthusiasm.

“All right, ghost hunter, finish your stir fry and we can carve the pumpkins after dinner,” Sean chuckled.

Tyler’s eyes lit up again at the prospect. “Can I cut the pumpkin open, Dad?”

“Your papa and I will do the tops, but then you can carve whatever you want,” Sean promised. “We’ll watch, so that you don’t hurt yourself, but we’ll only help if you need it. And it’s your job to scoop out all the guts, so that Papa can roast the seeds.”

Tyler turned pleading eyes to Jack. “Will you stay and help, Uncle Jack?”

Jack smiled and ruffled his hair. “‘Course, bud. I wasn’t going anywhere.”

“Yay,” Tyler declared. “I want to carve a bat in mine!”

“A bat, huh?” Jack said, still smiling. “Any particular reason?”

“Papa took me to see the bats at the zoo. I really liked them,” Tyler explained. “They were friendly, and they make cute sounds.”

Jack’s heart melted. Tyler was rambunctious, but so smart, and sometimes his earnestness caught Jack off guard. He looked at Racetrack, and saw the warmth in his friend’s eyes as he looked at Tyler, and knew his own face must look similar.

“Well, I think that’s a great reason,” Jack said, ruffling Tyler’s hair again. “I’m sure the bats liked you, too.” 

Tyler smiled at Jack, and resumed eagerly eating his stir fry; apparently carving pumpkins was the right incentive.

When they were all done eating, Race had Tyler help him clear, and Sean looked at Jack contemplatively over the table.

“Seriously, Jack. What was with that building? It’s not like you to get jumpy about a construction site, even an old one.”

Jack sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Honestly, I have no idea. It felt . . . familiar, somehow, and when Race and I got over to it, I just put my hand on the corner of the building. And it was like I had a - flashback, or something, but it was just voices. And not anyone I know - except it felt like I knew them, like it was a memory.” He tilted his head back, closing his eyes. “I sound insane.”

“No more insane than usual, Jacky-boy,” Sean joked, and Jack glared at him halfheartedly. Sean’s lips twitched, but his expression was kind. “There’s a lot we don’t know about the human brain, Jack. You could be stressed. You could actually be remembering something you’ve forgotten. You could have associated the building with something you’ve read, and it came back to you when you saw the construction. Don’t let it get to you.”

Jack let out a breath, feeling a little bit of the tension drain out of his shoulders. “Thanks.”

#Newsies #Newsies 1992 #Newsiestober #Newsiestober2021 #300x3 #Klaineharmony writes

[rabi-ank]

Ai no Kusabi : character analysis through cigarette psychology or « Maybe finally an explanation to why everybody’s always smoking (aside from the obvious) »

I stumbled across an interesting picture online about « cigarette psychology ». Since the characters in the first AnK smoke so much, I decided to give a shot to identify the way(s) each character holds their cigarette. I haven’t seen anybody talk about this before and I do not know if it was a deliberate artistic choice from the animators to « hide » all these details, or I’m just reading too much into this.

Anyway, it becomes very interesting to analyze the characters and how they may feel during these scenes. I’ll only do Riki and Katze here, from the 92-94 OAVs. Luke and Guy (2012’s), and others smoke too.

Ok, let’s start with Katze, of course since he’s the first that comes to your mind when talking about smoking !

Katze : The direct, cautious businessmen from the sidelines.

There were three patterns I could find in Katze’s cigarette mannerism :

Pattern E : Very tense individual, direct, straight-toward, inclined towards stubborness.

E1 : Just before Katze starts to talk about his past as Iason’s furniture. I’d say he’s feeling tense?

E2 : Katze talking to Kirie, asking him if it’s a yes or a no. That’s straightforward. Maybe has a little of F?

E3 : Extinguishes his smoke before ordering Riki’s capture. Is very direct.

Pattern C : An intellectual, a very brainy type of guy, a contemplative character.

C1 : Katze welcomes Riki in his office. Switches in his black market boss persona. Brains are in motion

C2 : In the aircar outside of Riki’s. Thinking to himself about Riki and Iason’s relationship, and quoting the title. Here has also that « man from the sidelines » behavior.

Pattern I : Very pessimistic, excessive in business caution.

I : Reporting to Iason and talking about moving Riki to Apathia and the risks of him working on the black market. In business mode, but much more focused.

Riki : Pessimistic, contemplative dreaming mongrel (plus a bit of Iason)

C : Here, he is on the balcony, in contemplative state ; remembers the past, with hints of pessimism.

E1 : tense after finishing his cigarette, his (not) « last one ».

E2 : returning to Eos, leaving the slums and Guy. Made his choice.

Pattern H : A dreamer, always off on a tangent.

H1, H2 : Iason and Riki share a smoke. After both acting out of character, each confessing their love for each other (Iason saving Riki, Riki returning to Iason). Are they dreaming ? It doesn’t matter anymore, they’re both smiling at last.

Tell me what you think about this and if you agree with my choice/interpretation. 

#ai no kusabi #katzescarface #riki the dark #iason mink

[dustedmagazine]

Wadada Leo Smith — Trumpet (Tum)

Photo by Petri Haussila

Braithwaite & Katz · Wadada Leo Smith - Albert Ayler

In his self-published book from 1973, notes (8 pieces ) | source | a new | world | music: creative music, Wadada Leo Smith touches on some of the concepts he employs in his music as follows. “each single rhythm-sound, or a series of sound-rhythm is a complete improvisation. in other words, each element is autonomous in its relationship in the improvisation. therefore, there is no intent towards time as a period of development. rather, time is employed as an element of space: space that is determined between the distance of two sound-rhythms… just as each sound-rhythm is considered an autonomous element in an improvisation, so, too, must space and space/silence be considered.” While that concept of “sound-rhythm” has been central to Smith’s music over the last five decades, it is particularly key to his solo recordings. Starting with his first release, Creative Music - 1 (Six Solo Improvisations) in 1971, by my count one of the first solo improvised trumpet recordings, Smith has continued to probe solo recordings as luminous settings for his explorations of sound and space.

The 3-CD set Trumpet is his most recent, part of the Finnish Tum Label’s celebration of Smith’s 80th birthday. Tum label-head Petri Haussila invited Smith to record for a week during the summer of 2016 in his hometown of Pohja on the southern coast of Finland. The recordings took place in St. Mary’s Church, a medieval stone structure and Smith reveled in the experience. In an interview in Downbeat, he reminisced “We would get up in the morning, have breakfast, go to the church, record. Have a slight lunch, record and go home — have a sauna. Then, I would go to my room to work on whatever I’m going to do the next day. It’s almost like not being in an ordinary community — definitely a way to maintain my focus and my creativity.” That relaxed focus comes through in the 14 pieces captured over the three discs, with homages to friends and influences including Albert Ayler, Miles Davis, Leroy Jenkins, James Baldwin, Amina Claudine Myers and Reggie Workman. 

Unlike his earlier solo recordings, Smith sticks solely to trumpet, leaving aside flugelhorn, percussion and vocals that were integral to his earlier work. The trumpeter’s instantly identifiable tone sets the stage on the opener, “Albert Ayler,” reflecting on the dedicatee’s multiphonic surges and open sense of melody, aptly capturing Ayler’s spirit without even obliquely referencing his compositions. “Rashomon: Parts 1 — 5” takes the conceit of Kurosawa’s film, recasting five improvisations which transpose and transform the same long-tone thematic material into a diversity of compact musical statements. “Metallic Rainbow (For Steve McCall)” is another homage that pays respect without direct reference. Smith and McCall were early collaborators, and his tribute hangs shimmering resonances of tones evoking the way the drummer worked with layering reverberations with affecting abstract lyricism. 

The second disc starts with the meditative musings of “Malik el-Shabazz and the People of the Shahada,” a reverent celebration of Malcolm X’s spirituality. “The Great Litany,” which follows, is a meditative dive into the teachings of a 13th century Sufi saint, a five-part study in tranquil stillness and reflection. Pieces dedicated to explorers Leroy Jenkins and Amina Claudine Myers touch on Smith’s roots in the AACM community in Chicago. The Jenkins tribute calls up the music the two made with Anthony Braxton in the late 1960s, with slowly considered pacing and the meticulously restrained placement of notes while the piece for Myers is imbued with tranquil admiration. 

The central part of the final disc are two suites. The first, “Discourses on the Sufi Path,” is Smith’s obeisance to Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh whose writings have been core to the trumpet player’s understanding and practice of Sufism. The five lissome studies build upon each other with grace, introspection, and elation. “Family — A Contemplation of Love” is a soulful celebration of the family unit, tying his solo investigations outwards toward social engagement. These four pieces are some of the most lyrical of the set, with clarion playing calling up his deep-rooted knowledge and indebtedness to the lineage of jazz trumpet. The closing “Trumpet” is a compact summation of all that preceded, reveling in the tone of the instrument resonating in the stone church. Tum Records has ambitious plans for the rest of the year, with releases by his Great Lakes Quartet, a trio with Vijay Iyer and Jack DeJohnette, a multi-disc set of Smith’s string quartets and a set of duos with drummers. Whatever comes, this one is an auspicious start to the series. 

Michael Rosenstein

#wadada leo smith #trumpet #tum #michael rosenstein #albumreview #dusted magazine #jazz #improvisation #solo

[shachaai]

Title: Commencer Par La Faim Chapters: 13/? Rating: Explicit Warnings: Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Main Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter Characters: Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter, Abigail Hobbs, Jack Crawford, Alana Bloom, Beverly Katz, Jimmy Price, Brian Zeller Other Tags: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta/Omega, Beta Hannibal Lecter, Omega Will Graham, season 1 AU, Mpreg, Unplanned Pregnancy, Fuck First Feelings Later, Unless You’re Hannibal: Fuck First Fascination Always, Cute Moments and Murder, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Alana Bloom/Will Graham, Minor Alana Bloom/Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, Dream threesomes, Fucked-up Erotic Body Horror Dreams(ex), Will lets an alarming number of things slide as long as people feed him, the only miscarriages you will find here are miscarriages of justice, cumulatively canon-divergent, this is a long slow ride to bittersweet city but we stop numerous times at fluff fort on the way, Murder tableaux as courting gifts, or: corpses to show that special someone you care

Summary: Though he doesn’t particularly like the beta, for many reasons, sleeping with Dr. Hannibal Lecter had seemed like a good idea to Will at the time - not least of all that doing so prevented Lecter from ethically providing analysis of him to the FBI. But then, somehow, it seems that Hannibal can actually understand the way Will thinks, and that, in a world of madness, gore and shockingly beautiful murder, Will might have actually found a true friend. Whom he is still painfully attracted to despite all their differences, despite society and everyone telling them they’re unsuited for each other, and who still seems to be deeply attracted to him. Discovering he’s pregnant just complicates matters, because that’s just what Will needs when he’s already got murderers to catch, a demanding boss to appease, a surrogate daughter to defend and a brain on fire. Complications. [A Season 1 AU: loosely follows events after Apéritif, with a large omegaverse jump to the left.]

Chapter 13: croquembouche Hannibal takes some time to process his emotions about recent revelations. Will contemplates the heart.

#Shacha fic #Hannibal

[icarialex]

Discord Threads

Who: Zoey Katz and Kassandra West @kassmeifyoucan​

When: February 12th

Where: Little Icaria, Beach, then Zoey’s doorstep

What: Zoey takes Kassandra out on a date. Before Robin beats Kassandra up and she shows up to Zoey’s a bloody mess.

Zoey

Once they were seated, Zoey decided to reply to some things Kass said as they were walking. “Amaze you? By shapeshifting? It’s not really something I worked hard to obtain. I was just born with it. Comes with the mom being Demeter thing,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. Zoey was happy to talk about her mother. While the two weren’t close, she had a better relationship than many others on the isle. The blonde understood that being a Goddess and a parent didn’t really blend well. Still, she appreciated that her mother seemed to try and check in on her when she could. Quickly getting tired of the idea of sitting across from Kassandra, the blonde moved to sit on her side of the booth and just quickly maneuvered the table settings to accommodate what she wanted. She’d never understood why it was customary for people to sit that way. Dates were supposed to be an intimate affair. Sitting across made conversation easy, but seriously limited touching. She’d rather just turn her body slightly while talking. “Oh,” she asked playfully as she reached for her glass of water that was just placed at their table. “Is that because only you want to see me naked or are you protecting my honor,” she asked over the rim of the glass before taking a sip to hide her smirk slightly. 

.

Now that they were next to each other again, Zoey reached for Kass’ hand and started absentmindedly playing with her fingers. “Me? No, not really,” she said with a shrug. “I stopped by my parents’ house this week for dinner. Even though we literally live less than eight minutes away from each other, they still think me having my own apartment puts me in a whole new world or something.” The illustrator affectionately rolled her eyes as she talked about her dad and step mother. They were such a silly duo, and anyone that met them could see where Zoey got her quirky and affectionate nature from. “I don’t know if I’d call having a woman wrapped in a bedsheet boring, but hey, if that’s your boring I’d hate to see you having a wild time.” She made sure to keep a smile on her face as she made light of the situation. Although it made something stir in her abdomen, she could deal with it more easily now that the two of them weren’t being so odd anymore. 

“Tonight? You seem to give me the lead on most things,” she retorted. Fortunately, she didn’t need to look at the menu really to know what was best on it. She was a big fan of Little Icaria and had been more times than she could count. It was also her dad’s favorite place to take her since it opened. When their waiter returned, she smiled at him as she asked, “Can we get a bottle of the Pinot noir please? Also, I’m going to have the sea bass, and this beautiful woman is going to have the lamb. Lamb medium please, and the sids that they come with is great.” With that put in, she was happy to see him take away their menus. Since she was paying, she didn’t need Kass looking at prices and then getting all unnecessarily self conscious. “I’d order appetizers, but seriously, the plates are such a nice size here that we will not finish our main dishes if I did.”

Kassandra

Kassandra tried not to feel some sort of jealousy at the way Zoey could so easily talk about her Godly parent. Family, really. Not once had Kass ever even mentioned her father to Zoey. Not out of hiding, just out of not really seeing the point. Okay... Maybe a little bit out of hiding. Part of her wanted to say something about her father, give some more common ground to bond over but before she could even say anything, Zoey was doing the unthinkable. The brunette blinked slowly in shock as her friend decided that sitting across from her just wouldn't do. Now she was sitting next to her, their legs touching. As if on instinct, or maybe because she didn't know what to do with it, she moved her right arm so it was laying along the back of the seat. "Hi there." Gods. Who the fuck said that after something as innocent as just sitting closer to someone. Grabbing for her water, she began to drink from it greedily. That is until Zoey asked her if she wanted to see her naked. Kassandra's eyes went wide, almost slamming the cup down as she choked, water going down the wrong pipe for a moment. "The uh... The choice of who sees you naked is uh... Up to you." She  managed to squeak out, clearing her throat with a well-timed cough.

It didn't take long for Zoey to do that thing where she got bored and needed to do something with her hands, Kassandra being brought out of her panic to only fly straight into another wall. The blonde had now acquired her hand and was playing with her fingers causing Kass to bite her lower lip. Instead of thinking about how much her heart was pounding or how ridiculous she was being for getting nervous over absolutely nothing, she tried to focus on Zoey talking so freely about her parents. Once again she wanted to say something about her mother or even Kratos but it was just hard to get the words out. None of them seemed right enough. Or happy enough. Once again, Kass wasn't prepared for the mental whiplash as Zoey talked so nonchalantly about the woman that she'd seen in her room a while back. Clearing her throat once more, she shrugged. "She wasn't boring. That was just... Not memorable." Eyes closed in a wince, ducking her head for a moment. "That sounds awful. I just mean... She wasn't meant to be anything more than a.... Nevermind. I'm just digging myself a deeper hole."

Letting out a deep breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding, Kassandra watched with a slightly shocked expression as Zoey ordered for them both. Sure, she'd offered the idea up to her on a silver platter but Zoey didn't even really look at the damned menu. She must take people out to dinner often. Which, of course meant that this wasn't a special occurrence. This was just something that made Zoey... Zoey. "I'm excited to eat the food. I trust your judgement." For a moment she stayed silent, mind wandering off to other things until she tuned back into the woman sitting next to her. "My uh... My dad likes to joke about how he blessed me with my gifts." She inhaled sharply, pushing past the uncomfortable feeling swirling in her gut. "Honestly, the strength is a pretty nice thing to have as a girl. Especially growing up where I did. My mom never really knew how to deal with the fact that I was super strong. She wanted me to hide it so I did. Wasn't allowed to play sports because she didn't want me hurting the other girls. I snuck them though... Until I broke Spencer's leg and then that kind of stopped." Kassandra looked down at the table, focusing on the napkins and the silverware. "Sorry if I'm not good with talking about my parents. Mom isn't uh... Anyway. And my dad is kind of busy. Ya know... Being a God and all. You might have heard of him? Kratos." Somehow, telling Zoey who her father was didn't feel nearly as scary as it did when she had to tell her boss. "He's kinda cool. Kind of a dick too. Guess that's where I get it from."

Zoey

When Kassandra started nearly coughing, blue eyes went wide as she tried to rub her back. Honestly, she should probably feel bad, but she didn’t. Getting a reaction out of the woman who so often tried to play it cool was fun. She also had no other way of learning if any of the confusing feelings she was feeling were returned. Well, unless Kassandra decided to just broach the subject which she doubted. From what she’d learned of the woman so far, that didn’t seem likely. “Mmm — that it is, and me asking you if you would want to be the one who saw me or just want to defend my honor wouldn’t take away that choice,” she agreed with a nod once she was sure her friend was done choking. “But you mentioned how you might feel which has me curious about what’s going through that pretty head of yours.” Complimenting Kass was becoming easier and easier for Zoey. Words of affirmation were always easy for her in regards to anyone she cared about. 

.

People sleeping around for fun was not an unknown concept to Zoey, and she didn’t judge it. Just because it wasn’t something for her didn’t mean that she thought it was wrong. The blonde just knew herself well. Sex wasn’t something she held in a high regard, and she needed to feel something for someone in order to even contemplate going there. Although, her thoughts towards the act were wavering due to the thoughts plaguing her mind lately were changing, and it had everything to do with the person sitting next to her. “You’re not digging yourself into anything with me,” she said gently as she absentmindedly drew patterns on Kass’ palm. “I don’t judge sleeping around. If that’s something you can do, then awesome. If it makes you happy, then who am I to judge? I just know myself to know I can’t because I am not someone who gets sexual unless I have a connection with someone. Doesn’t make my way of seeing things better than yours or worse. We’re just different.” Zoey hoped that explaining the way she thought about it would stop Kass from thinking it was in any way horrible or shady.

The waiter brought out their bottle of wine quickly and poured them each a glass before disappearing again. “My dad brings me here whenever he wants to go out to dinner. It’s why I’ve tried just about everything,” she said with a light laugh. “His philosophy is that he has to try everything once, so that makes tackling menus a game of sorts until we’ve covered it all. I’ve never ordered for someone though, so hopefully I did okay. We can also just pick at each other’s food since the portions are so big to get a bit of everything if you want.” Zoey didn’t really know the protocol for these things, but she was just going off instinct. Even if Kass didn’t tell her if she didn’t like something, she could rely on her observation skills to figure it out and adjust. “You have enhanced strength,” she asked curiously as she learned more about the woman besides her. “I will officially never feel bad about sitting on your lap or jumping on you.” The illustrator taking leaping jumps to greet people she really cared for wasn’t new. At least she knew with Kass that she wouldn’t have to worry about toppling them both to the floor. “I can’t imagine what it was like growing up in a world where you had to be careful with powers since I grew up here. I’m glad you eventually found your way here though so you can just be yourself. That has to be less stressful.” While her shifting had gotten her trapped in the zoo a few times, that was a very mild consequence in comparison to what could happen outside of Icaria. “School covered a ton of theGods, so yes, I’m familiar with your dad,” she answered with a smile. However, it quickly turned into a frown at Kass’ following words. “You’re not that. You’re sweet, a little awkward, and really silly when you want to show that side of yourself. I really like you, and who you are,” she said with a shrug.

Kassandra

Green eyes found blue as Zoey responded to her with such earnest and honest words. And then her brain melted as she realized that the blonde said that she really liked her. Her mouth went dry and all sensible thought left the damned window as she just held her gaze for a moment that probably stretched on far longer than most would deem acceptable among just friends. "I uh... Thanks, Zoey. It means a lot. I just don't really feel comfortable around people. Not anymore. But with you, I don't know... It's different. You're different." Kassandra's eyes went wide, squeezing Zoey's hand for a moment. "I don't mean that in a bad way! I just meant, like, you make me feel like I can be the me that... That I haven't been able to be in a very, very long time. I actually, uh--I kind of forgot she existed for a while." She wasn't even remotely about to go into how that girl had basically been dead in the water for a decade, not really wanting to ruin this date not date that they were on. Date. Her mind drifted back to the earlier bit of the conversation that had kind of gotten broken away from when Zoey asked about how she felt with her being naked due to her shifting. Everything went blank for a moment, not even realizing she'd started speaking until it was too late.

"I'm pretty sure that if I ever saw you naked, I'd short circuit. Have you seen you?" Her brain slowly caught up with her words, thankful that Zoey couldn't see the hand that was resting on the back of the booth as it was now gripping the material tightly. "I definitely now see what you mean by awkward." She wanted to facepalm but one hand was gripping the booth and the other was currently being held by Zoey, trying to not melt with how she was drawing random shapes and patterns against her skin. "I'm glad I found my way here too. The place is growing on me. And, well...." Kassandra trailed off, her other hand that had been trying to maintain a grip on her sanity moved of its own free-will and found itself placed lightly on Zoey's upper back, gentle circles being rubbed. "You kind of were the reason for all of that. So thank you." She smiled gently, far too gently for her liking, and quickly moved her hand back to its previous positioning. Part of her wanted to down the wine that was on the table and the other part of her wanted to actually give her full and undivided attention to Zoey without anything fogging her mind. The wine remained untouched.

Zoey

Kass’ words had an effect on Zoey, and she was trying very hard to keep it under wraps. Acting on those feelings without even fully understanding what they meant wasn’t smart. Plus, if she did and messed up such a feeling of comfort for her friend, she’d feel terrible. Still, her blue eyes couldn’t help themselves as her eyes looked down towards Kassandra’s lips for a millisecond longer than could be passed as innocent before snapping back up. Words still couldn’t leave her lips which only made the air grow thicker because those green eyes weren’t helping. Never someone to get lost in the physical, Zoey felt herself being drawn further into a space she didn’t understand. Luckily, the waiter chose that moment to bring their food down, and she was thankful. She had no idea how that would have gone, and she needed a moment to catch her breath. After thanking him, she turned towards Kass again. “I’m happy I do that for you, but don’t think this is one sided. You make me very happy. My favorite days lately are the ones where I run into you, or when you find some excuse to come by my shop. You’re different to me, and I guess our different goes together.” Zoey couldn’t even explain it. Could she draw it? Probably, but words? Those weren’t always her best friends.

“Why would you short circuit,” she asked quietly as she spread the napkin out on her lap. She needed to understand if it was just because she was beautiful, or because it was her. That was a large distinction. “I know I’m attractive, but you there are attractive women everywhere, and you’re too smooth typically to short circuit. So, why?” Where her courage was coming from, she didn’t know. It wasn’t like she’d even touched her own glass of wine. She was too busy focusing on the company besides her to even think about it. 

Regrettably, she released the hand she was toying with and moved to work on her fish. There were many bones that needed to be taken out after all if Kass was going to try some. “I find your awkward endearing, if that helps,” she said with a giggle while working on the task at hand. “You don’t have to thank me. You’ve made this place feel even more like home which I didn’t think was possible, so we’re both happy. Now,” she started as she took a piece of fish with her fork before turning towards Kass. “You have to try this. I can’t believe you’ve been in Greece and haven’t tried our seafood. It’s criminal, Kass.”

Kassandra

Did Zoey just... No. No definitely not. She'd clearly seen things. Licking her lips, she was thankful for the waiter showing up at the perfectly imperfect time to bring them their ordered food. As she stared down at her plate, she felt her cheeks heat up, bringing her hands back to her sides in order to grab at the silverware. Part of her began to panic as she looked at the food that was waiting to be eaten, knowing that Zoey would cackle when she told her why she looked so awkward. Luckily for her, the blonde decided to speak up about--Wait. Oh no. Not luckily. Oh Gods. Her cheeks were blushing a deeper shade of crimson once more, fingers tightening on the silverware so much so that she felt them wince beneath her grip. Placing them down as gently as possible on the table, Kass let her hands go to rest in her lap. Like always whenever she got nervous or antsy, she began to play with her fingers, staring down at her lap in thought. She didn't know why this always happened when she was around Zoey. Granted, if she really allowed herself to truly go there, she'd figure it out quick enough. But something in her wasn't ready to admit it, definitely not out loud and certainly not in her own head. Not yet, anyway. So she smiled warmly at Zoey, the facial expression turning into a cocky smirk as she wrapped her hand around Zoey's and leaned over to take the offered fish meat off of the fork. Logically she knew she could have just reached for the fork and taken it into her own hand but this was much more tempting. Pulling away and chewing the food, she looked at Zoey thoughtfully as she swallowed. "I'm sorry that I'm a horrible human being. I will be sure to turn myself into the police under the crime of not ever having seafood in my life." She held up two fingers in a mock 'scout's honor' knowing full well that wasn't the hand signal.

Leaning back so she wasn't invading Zoey's space as much, she took a hold of her glass of wine and almost downed the entire thing. Hopefully Zoey wouldn't notice the absolutely insane move but given the fact that she could feel the heat of her gaze, it was safe to say she'd seen it all. And to make matters worse, just because she couldn't quite put a finger on how she felt towards the blonde didn't mean that her brain wouldn't fuck her over at every little turn. Which is why she started talking. Again. "I realized I never answered your question from earlier. But to answer it now... You're you, Zoey." Her words came out in a smaller voice than she would have expected it to. "There could be a thousand attractive women around and... And none of them would be you." After a moment where everything felt too real and she realized that everything had just stopped in their little pocket of the restaurant did she offer up an awkward chuckle. "Anybody else who didn't think the same is lying." There. Make it seem like some obvious thing that everyone else thought of. Yeah, that's super believable. She could slap herself. For fucks sake. Instead of doing that she chose to focus back on the food that awaited her, picking up at her utensils once more. Her brow furrowed, nose crinkling cutely as she stared down at the dish. "In other news, I regret to inform you but I grew up for the first half of my life being a vegetarian. So uh--I don't exactly know how to eat this." She quickly held up a fork. "I eat meat now! I just, ya know--its always been like. Oh look a burger. Oh look, chicken nuggies. Things that make sense and don't require previous knowledge other than open mouth and chew."

Zoey

If Zoey’s eyes didn’t become a darker blue due to the woman’s actions, she’d be surprised because she felt everything within her become thicker. Perhaps that wasn’t a word many would use in the situation, but it was the only one that made sense. An overwhelming feeling of desire became like a fog that covered the rest of her senses and mind which made it very hard to focus on anything else. Her eyes wanted to drift again, and once again she wasn’t successful at stopping their trajectory, but she did move them up once again quicker. “You’re a tease,” slipped past her lips before she even realized, but she didn’t regret the words when her ears picked up what she had said. How could the woman not see the effect she was having on the illustrator? The deeper breathing, glances, and comments were going to give her away sooner or later. Not to mention the date that she’d somehow manage to slyly get. “I’m glad you’re experiencing it with me then,” she replied honestly once the lust induced fog cleared a bit. “Although, turning yourself in won’t be necessary. I’ll take responsibility for you and correct this atrocity at once.” Playful was always an easier territory for the two of them. It seemed to lead to less trouble. 

Zoey noticed how quickly Kass seemed to drink her wine, but didn’t comment because she went through her own glass a little quickly. She then poured them another. With all the food around them, she knew she wouldn’t feel it too terribly. Thankfully she’d put down the wine bottle before the other woman spoke again because if she hadn’t, she was positive that it would have been dropped. Her food was forgotten for the moment as she shifted her body, so she was almost completely facing Kassandra. “Many people don’t see what you do, and I’m happy they don’t. If they did, what you tried to do would be successful. I’d actually believe your attempt to shrug it off as something less important than it is.” The blonde knew that if she said more, that she would genuinely get emotional or spill her own feelings that she didn’t make sense of herself yet. Zoey almost panicked at the mention of not eating meat until Kass clarified. Then, an endearing smile appeared on her face. “Cut the meat similar to a steak. The big piece that’s like hanging away from the bone is the best. Promise, there isn’t a wrong way to eat it. I won’t even judge if you picked up the bone and ate it like a wing,” she promised with a smile.

Kassandra

"Babe, you haven't experienced the kind of tease I can be." Kassandra muttered under her breath before nodding decisively and looking at the dish. "Alright I'll try. But if I eat it weird... Blame my mother." With a little awkwardness she began to cut the lamb in a slightly horrific manner and grumbled softly to herself. "Damn thing..." Finally after too many painstakingly long seconds, she got a decent size bite and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Well, I have to say that you've really outdone yourself on this whole ordering thing. This is actually really good." For a while she just ate her food in silence, sneaking glances at the other woman. She wasn't too terribly hungry after the day of nerves, trying to get up the gumption to actually talk to Zoey. Of course she'd offered up some of her food for Zoey to take, happy to return the sentiment. Now she was sipping at her water, refusing to go any further down wine lane. She'd just finished pushing the plate away, one hand on her stomach and the other having returned to the back of the booth. She was about to start talking about the rest of their evening when she noticed that Zoey had some wine on her upper lip.

For what wouldn't be the last time that night, Kassandra's body reacted of its own accord. Without even thinking, she turned her body more towards Zoey, her full attention to those lips that she desperately found herself wanting to kiss more and more. The hand that had been resting on her stomach moved toward's the other woman's face. "Hey you uh... You've got..." Kass trailed off, biting her own bottom lip in concentration as she brought the pad of her thumb up to trace along the curve of Zoey's lip, effectively getting the wine. Her breath hitched as she realized what she'd just done, hand frozen just a few inches away from Zoey's face. Someone cleared their throat, snapping her out of her trance. It was the waiter, asking if they wanted anything to go. "O-oh. Uh, yeah that'd be great. Just a second, I can pay for dinner." And just like that, whatever moment had been happening or almost happened was broken as Kass moved away to reach into her back pocket to grab for her wallet, effectively putting space between her and the woman that was causing all reasonable thought to leave her body.

Zoey

At Kass’ words, Zoey felt her body heat up and fill with anticipation all at the same time. “What if I wanted to experience it,” she said in a bit of a challenge. The artist had no idea what was happening, but she wasn’t overthinking it. All she knew was that she wouldn’t regret it since it seemed she wasn’t navigating the confusing waters alone. If she was, Kass would have let her down easily by now. At least, Zoey thought so. As the dinner kept on, she offered up more bits of her fish to the woman beside her. They were comfortable around each other, and it was different. Yes, she and Theo had always been comfortable, but he was more of her best friend. The atmosphere she was in during dinner was one with an undercurrent of wanting which she wasn’t used to and was growing to like. It was exciting, and she liked not feeling bashful as she took in the woman beside her, “I’m glad you like it.” 

When Kass touched her lip, Zoey felt her breathing stop for a moment. Actually, she was positive every part of her froze. Without even thinking, her lips puckered slightly to kiss the finger. Noticing that the hand stopped in midair, the illustrator reached for it and was about to tug it towards her to pull Kass forward when they were interrupted. She didn’t know whether to groan or be thankful that they didn’t share a kiss in the middle of Little Icaria, but she took the moment to regather herself for what felt like the millionth time. A smirk did appear on her face when she heard the waiter say the bill had been taken care of. He thanked her by calling her Ms. Katz as he handed her the receipt to sign. “I handed my card to the hostess when we got here,” she said without looking up as she calculated the tip to answer the silent question. “I asked you out, so I pay. That’s how it goes before you argue, and unless you have a creative way to shut me up, I’m quite stubborn.” Flirting was so easy with Kass which was weird. Zoey was sweet, funny, and caring, but smooth was not an adjective she’d use. Yet, there she was.

When their to go boxes were returned to them, Zoey took the brown bag and stood up from the booth. “Are you ready, darling,” she asked as she offered her hand to the woman she was struggling to continue thinking of as a friend.

Kassandra

'What if I wanted to experience it'. Her mind was a wreck. Zoey just kept saying and doing things that were slowly killing her. And what's worse is that she didn't know how to take it. On one hand, Zoey could just be a really easy-going flirt. And on the other? Zoey could actually be feeling whatever tension there was that had filled up this whole damned restaurant. Either way, Kassandra was trying desperately to find some sort of balance. It was barely possible, since just looking at Zoey made her want to throw all rational thought out the mother-fucking window and just kiss her until she was breathless and whimpering her name. Swallowing thickly, Kassandra tuned back into the present, brought back to her senses by Zoey standing up from the booth and offering her hand. Had... Had she just called her darling? The brunette blinked and took the offered hand as she scooted out of the booth. She was sure she'd missed something else that was important from the conversation but honestly, after what she'd said earlier? Everything else was a blissful blur.

As they began the walk towards the Inn, Kassandra kept quiet for as long as she could manage, just giving small squeezes to Zoey's hand to let her know that she was still mentally present enough to acknowledge her. It wasn't that she couldn't talk. She just was afraid of what she might fucking say if she did decide to open her mouth. Everything inside of her was screaming at her to do two very different things. Part of her wanted to invite Zoey to her room and have her way with her for the rest of the evening. The part of her that was definitely winning wanted to just do something as equally dumb--like hold her hand and just talk to her until the wee hours of the morning. Like some kind of fucking sap. No. Whatever was happening, or trying to happen, she couldn't let it continue. Right? She didn't do getting hurt. And whatever was happening would definitely lead to heartbreak. Be it her own or Zoey's. And she honestly didn't know if she could handle hurting the other girl. The problem with that is that's what she always did. She ruined people.

Once they got to the Inn, Kassandra took the leftovers out of Zoey's hands. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." She teased before doing another unthinkable, leaning down and kissing Zoey on the cheek. As she turned around, her eyes widened. Why the fuck are you doing this to yourself, Kassandra. She's probably just flirty with everyone and this doesn't mean anything. Do not even remotely think about fa--nope. No. She wasn't going to even think that word. No way. As she made her way into her room, she put the food into her mini-fridge and checked on her puppy. He was fast asleep and she didn't have the heart to wake him. It had only been about an hour and a half since she'd left so he'd be fine. Her eyes fell on a hard-case, wondering if this was really a good idea. Without thinking too long about it, Kassandra grabbed her car keys off the dresser and then grabbed the case, quickly exiting her room. Going out the back entrance, she loaded her car with the item and closed the trunk before getting inside and driving out to the front to where Zoey was waiting. "Shall we?"

Zoey

“Oh yes, because I’m just going to bolt on you,” she teased. Anything else that she was thinking of replying with fell dead on her lips due to the kiss on her cheek. Kass so far didn’t initiate affection, which didn’t bother Zoey, but then she did something to take her completely off guard. It left her only being able to follow the woman with her eyes as she went to her room, which only gave her something equally as problematic to focus on. The blonde wasn’t the type of girl to focus on someone’s butt, yet, there she was staring. Fortunately, Kassandra didn’t turn around. That would have caused her to blush profusely. 

The more time she spent around Kass, the more positive she was of her feelings. Emotionally she knew she was drawn, but the physical aspect was new. Then again, it had been a long time since she’d had a crush on anyone. After her break up, she didn’t really allow herself to go there. Not because she didn’t want to or was hurt, but because she wanted to learn more about herself before trying anything with anyone else. Then, whatever was happening decided to slap her in the face. Fortunately, she was taken out of her inner musings when a car pulled up and Kass got her attention. “And you told me not to go anywhere. You have a get away car and everything,” she teased as she opened the passenger door and slipped in.

“You do know we could have walked,” she teased lightly. Zoey herself didn’t even have a car. The island was so small she never needed one. Her father taught her how to drive since it was apparently a right of passage, but other than practicing every so often, she never used the skill. Since they were heading to the beach, the blonde reached for the bottom of her shirt and lifted it up over her head. She shook her hair out of the braid she had it in and relaxed against the seat. “I have a blanket in my bag. I actually am totally one of those girls that has just about everything in her purse.” It was why she carried what looked more like a satchel or knapsack than a traditional purse.

Kassandra

"I know we could have walked but the idea of you walking back to your place after being in the ocean doesn't really sit right with me. Hence, car." She didn't add the fact that it was much easier to lug around a certain item via a car than on her shoulders. Kass put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot, one hand on the gearshift and the other on the steering wheel. She found herself restricting her movement, not allowing herself to reach over and grab the other woman's hand. This was getting far too close into dating territory, or at least a variation of that and well, Kassandra didn't do that anymore.It didn't take long to make it to the beach, after all, they were on a relatively small island. When Kassandra originally thought of Icaria, she had imagined it being much larger. This? This wasn't at all to the scale she'd whipped up in her head. But in all honesty? It was better.

As they pulled up into a parking spot, Kassandra turned off the car and got out to quickly jog over to Zoey's car door, opening it. "It's the least I can do for the girl that wined and dined me. Also... I'm going to get something out of my trunk and you're not gonna look okay? I promise you it'll be worth your while. Just... Stay here..." Kassandra positioned Zoey so she was staring out towards the ocean before going over to the trunk and opening up the case, pulling out the instrument and strapping it to her back. Walking back over to Zoey, Kass gently placed her hands over the blonde's eyes as her torso pressed up against the blonde's back. "So.. While you go out in the ocean and get incredibly wet, I'm going to stay on the sand. Where its dry and isn't an abyss of death." She didn't dare let her mind focus on how exactly she'd started out that sentence.

Removing her hands, she walked around to stand in front of Zoey, curling her finger in a 'come hither' motion. "And don't worry about me getting bored. I've got something to keep me company in the meantime. Besides, I'll start a fire so you'll be nice and warm when you're ready to come out." Kassandra took this time to sling her guitar into view. Green eyes found blue for a moment, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks. "Before you even remotely say something about me being adorable--hush. I learned how to play when I was younger by the principle at my school. Between that and choir, it was pretty much all my mom would let me do." Instead of waiting for Zoey to start towards her, Kassandra reached forward and grabbed onto the blonde's hand. Interlacing their fingers together, she began to walk backwards for a couple steps, pulling Zoey towards her for a moment until she turned to face the ocean.

Zoey

Zoey shook her head playfully as she got out of the car. “If that impresses you, then I need to have a serious talk with the other people who have taken you out on dates,” she said in mock seriousness. What she’d done wasn’t even that big of a deal. Honestly, she was a bit annoyed with her impulsiveness. If she’d thought things through, it could have been better. Although, the two of them always seemed to have fun together, so it didn’t bother her too much. As Kass went to the trunk, Zoey leaned against the hood of the car by holding her wait up against her palms as she gazed at the ocean. She followed orders even though she was very tempted not to. 

When she was guided towards Kass and then felt the woman press into her back, she felt her body temperature skyrocket. Instead of letting herself feel frazzled, she instead reached back slightly just to squeeze the woman’s hips slightly and pull even the slightest bit closer. “Abyss of death is a little dramatic,” she teased lightly. “Also, you think very highly of my self control if you think I will be able to resist making you wet too.” If innuendo was the game they were going to play, then she’d have to keep up. It was exciting and frustrating. While she had no idea if she’d make a fool of herself, for some reason she didn’t worry about that much. She knew any teasing that came from Kass would be playful, or apparently aimed at making her flustered.

When the woman finally moved to stand in front of her and beckoned her over, Zoey just smirked and moved to remove her shorts first. When she was left in just her bikini, she finally obliged and moved towards the woman. Although, blue eyes shined as she caught sight of the guitar. That was not at all what she expected. “Adorable wasn’t the word I was going to go with. Hot is more what came to mind,” she said with a shrug. When Kass turned to look at the water, Zoey moved beside her and bumped her hip lightly. “Do you want me to go in the water so you can warm up? That’s the only reason I’d go instead of staying with you right now. I would be perfectly content just laying beside you on the blanket and being with you.” She had the blanket in the bag and their dessert. It would be perfectly relaxing for Zoey, but she understood nerves, so she’d go in the water if needed.

Kassandra

The fact that Zoey was basically naked save for a bikini was enough for Kassandra to keep her gaze completely forward. She really didn't need to look like a complete and utter perv by checking out her friend. "Zo, you said you were gonna go to the beach and if that involves night swimming then don't let me take you away from that. Besides, you can lay down near me once you're ready to get cozy by a fire." Not to mention that would give just some time alone to her thoughts where she could mentally scream at whatever the hell was going on with this evening. Her train of thought led her back to when Zoey had mentioned how she'd have to have a serious talk about others who had taken her on dates. Did she tell her? Or did she just avoid the subject. It would probably be best to avoid it all together.

"I've uh... Never actually been taken out on a date." If Kassandra could look into a camera like she was on the Office, she would. Her mouth and brain were not in communication it seemed. "I've been on dates!" She quickly clarified, sighing deeply. "I was just the one that took her out on the dates." Her. Singular. Fuck. Stop giving away so much of your shitty, painful past tonight, West. "Oh look! A fire pit. That's nice, just means I get to light it and we'll be good to go!" Kass was thankful for the distraction as they neared the shore. Letting go of Zoey's hand, Kassandra looked around for a moment before spotting what she'd need. Setting her guitar down near the fire-pit, she walked a bit away to a rather large piece of driftwood. With ease, she lifted it up and brought it over to the fire-pit, setting it down with a loud thunk.

Kneeling down in the sand, she pulled out a lighter and began the process of lighting the kindling. Within a few moments the fire began to roar in front of her and she dusted off the sand from her hands. "Alright, I'll be here whenever you're ready to come out of the water. If you need me, call me. I hate the water but if you need me, I'll brave it for you." Kassandra said with a smirk. That was easy. Playful banter was so much easier than admitting that there was truthfully something going on. But Gods, was she finding herself more and more wanting to do something about what she felt every time she saw the blonde. But for now? For now she'd just sit by the fire, play her guitar, and throw her lust out the window. Cause that's all it was. Lust. Mmmmmmmmmhmmmmmm.

Zoey

“Kass,” she said teasingly in response before continuing. “That was before I ran into you, and I’d much rather be with you than burning off steam because I wasn’t seeing you.” She almost scolded herself for letting that out, but saying how she felt for those awkward weeks was a relief. She felt like a weight was lifted. “Also, you better know getting cozy next to a fire includes cuddling you when you aren’t playing. Just laying that expedition down now.” Still, she wouldn’t fight her on going into the water. It looked like a really nice night, and that didn’t mean she had to be gone long. 

“You hadn’t been taken out on a date,” she corrected lightly. Zoey didn’t know how much more clear she had to be about what her intentions were that evening, but she’d repeat it if necessary. “Whoever she was, obviously was an idiot if she didn’t want to treat you to something special every once in a while. I mean, I’d never taken anyone out on a date before until tonight, but I wanted to because you deserve to be taken care of sometimes too.” Zoey was thankful that she’d said that while Kass was busy setting up the fire because she didn’t know if she’d gotten it all out otherwise. Suddenly, she thought that getting a swim in was a good idea to get her emotions in check. “I could just shift into a water animal, but thanks for your courage,” she teased. “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

As the blonde walked towards the water, she stretched lightly. The temperature was perfect since Khione was no longer angry about her son being taken, and she quickly lost herself in the waves. Her mind was running in circles. Zoey was never the person to initiate things or even have thoughts that could lead to innuendo. She’d never felt the urge to go there. Still, with Kass, she felt like she was practically on fire. There was tension in her lower abdomen, and her mouth, Gods, it just seemed to work on it’s own accord. Before she realized it, she’d swam a good mile away from the shore. Not wanting to be gone too long, she turned around and headed back. 

As she walked back towards where Kass was, she couldn’t help but smile as she wrung her hair out over her shoulder. The other woman just looked so beautiful in the glow of the fire out by the water. She’d left her bag with Kass so she could set the blanket up to make herself comfortable. Zoey sat in front of the brunette. The fire was a nice way to dry off. “Are you sure you don’t want to go in? Your bra and underwear is essentially a bikini. Or we could skinny dip instead in a little while. There would be less people out and about,” she said with a shrug. She’d done it late at night and loved it. Although, her getting caught was much less likely when she could just shift into bird or something that made an easy escape. Plus, seeing Kassandra naked was not something she could handle. She’d surely explode from frustration and would not be able to resist touching.

Kassandra

Words escaped her as Zoey spoke to her before taking off into the night to go swim. For several moment she just stared at the flames that licked the air, not sure how to process anything. Had she meant like... A date date? Or like a friend date. She'd been on friend dates before, some of her former friends from academy calling them 'frates'. Biting her lower lip, she looked up from the fire to the water where Zoey was going out rather far. The woman relaxed some at the distance that was between them, worried that Zoey would suddenly develop the ability to read minds. So instead of thinking of that, she picked up her guitar after laying out Zoey's towel for her when she'd get back from her swim. Fingers began to pick gently at strings, chords falling into a rhythm as she leaned back against the drift wood. "I've watched my wild youth disappear in front of my eyes...Moments of magic and wonder, it seems so hard to find...Is it ever coming back again? Is it ever coming back again? Take me back to the feeling when everything was left to find..." Her voice carried out gently into the night, singing to herself. Luckily no one else seemed to be on the beach as she continued. "Cause it comes and goes in waves, it always does... It always does..."

Eventually that song faded out so she began to play another, followed by another and another. After a while, Zoey began to walk back and Kassandra chose to stop her singing. Gentle strumming remained as she took in the sight of the very, very attractive blonde in front of her. Her mouth went dry, trying to form words until she realized that Zoey had said something about skinny dipping. "As uh... Amazing as it sounds getting buck-ass naked and freezing my tits off, I'm good. I'm not really a fan of the ocean. I think going in at night would make it ten thousand times worse. But I'm glad you had fun. Now c'mon and get warm. I laid out the towel for ya." Kass patted the space next to her, giving a warm smile. When Zoey sat down, Kass took her jacket that she had on and wrapped it around the other woman's shoulders. "Before you even think about asking me if I need it, I'm fine. I run hot. And yes, you heard that right." Her grin was cheeky, trying to push past the feelings that bubbled up in her gut every time she flirted with her. For a while she just strummed on her guitar, not really doing any true tune. "We were sixteen," She started, not sure if Zoey would remember the conversation that they'd kind of had before she had gone in the ocean. "When I took her out on our first real date. We went to this abandoned park and I made a picnic for us. I couldn't take us out anywhere because we weren't out yet. Or at least... I wasn't. I paid for everything with my summer job money and it was great. That was the night we..." Kassandra trailed off, clearing her throat.

"After that though... I never went out on another date. Or at least anything that I qualified as a date. I tried in my senior year. This girl that I had kind of a thing for. Took her out to dinner and a movie. And then found out she... Nevermind. Just a bad experience all around. So I haven't really been on one in uh... A decade?" Her head ducked down, biting her lip as chords began to be played once more, a familiar tune drifting into existence. "Until tonight, that is. Do you treat all your friends to dates?" It was mostly a teasing tone but there was a hidden layer of worry that she'd been imagining the charge between them. What she'd do with that information, she didn't know. Either way, she didn't really wait for an answer as she started to sing along to the tune she'd been playing. "Somebody said you got a new friend... Does she love you better than I can?" Green eyes found blue, holding her gaze for a moment as she continued to sing softly. "Big black sky over my town... I know where you're at, I bet she's around... Yeah, I know it's stupid, I just gotta see it for myself..." Her eyes drifted away as she sang the next lyrics unable to look at her anymore out of fear that she'd go breathless. The fire was easy to look at as the shadows danced along her face. "I'm in the corner, watching you kiss her, ohhh... I'm right over here, why can't you see me? Ohhh... I'm giving it my all but I'm not the girl you're taking home, ooh..." Kassandra chose this moment to chance a glance up at Zoey, breath hitching slightly as she sang out the last lyric. "I keep dancing on my own..."

Zoey

Without having to think about it, Zoey moved to sit beside Kassandra and stretched her legs in front of her while leaning back on against her palms. She listened as the other woman talked more about her past and tried to imagine what it was like. Her upbringing was so different. The artist knew how lucky she was to grow up in the home she did. Even though her father had zero idea about what he was doing at first, there was never a question about how much he loved or accepted her. “I’ve never had to do the whole coming out thing,” she said with a shrug. “My only relationship was with a guy. Well, Theo,” she said with a roll of her eyes but an affectionate smile was on her lips. “But my father knows that I don’t really care about gender when it comes to attraction or relationships. I go by what I feel. He doesn’t care who I bring home as long as I’m happy. Although, Theo perplexed him. Not because he wasn’t great. We’re actually still best friends. We just — there was no spark there. We love each other but not the way a couple should.” Explaining her and her ex’s relationship was always complicated. So many people had an idea of exs and how they should act, and well, Zoey and Theo could not fall further outside of that idea. “We broke up about a year ago.”

The question was an out if she wanted one, and the blonde knew that. If she wanted to, she could say she treated her friends the same way and be done with all the confusing, all encompassing feelings. Yet, she couldn’t lie. She’d hate herself if she did. Someone needed to take a leap of faith for Kass it seemed, and she’d hate it if she didn’t. “I don’t take people I consider just friends on dates, no,” she started explaining. “I mean, I may go out with friends to dinner, but I won’t call it a date unless I’m interested in something other than friendship.” There, she’d done it. There was absolutely zero grey area left about what she’d said. Kass couldn’t act obtuse about it anymore even if she wanted to. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying. 

The lyrics hit her in a way that made her sad. She’d felt them all too much when she’d seen the other women in Kass’ room. Jealousy. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to, but she was starting to say that a lot when it came to the woman singing beside her. When she finished singing, she took in a breath and let it out slowly. “You really have a beautiful voice,” were the first words out of her mouth. “You’re — you’re kind of a goober.” The blonde couldn’t help but chuckle as she said the words because honestly she was in a bit of disbelief. “For someone who doesn’t do this often, you don’t even realize how good you are at charming someone without even trying.”

Kassandra

Her heart pounded in her ears as she felt herself going into an almost out of body experience as Zoey's words floated around like a damned ping-pong ball in her head. She was interested in something other than friendship? The thought made her chest swell and a blush tinge her cheeks. Was this happiness that she was experiencing? It is. Or at least it was. Because as swiftly as the feelings of euphoria had entered her, they just as quickly were replaced with fear. She didn't let people get close for this very reason. What they had, whatever this was... She'd fuck it up. Just like she always did. First with her mom, then Aurora. Everyone else after that had barely been let in until all Kassandra had done was hollow herself out. No longer did she believe in romance or love. No longer had she thought she was worthy of being something to someone. First loves come and go, she knew that. She learned that lesson well. But when your own mother doesn't even want you.. When your own father doesn't even care until he can make use for you... It was all too much. When had her chest gotten this tight? Was Zoey calling her charming? She couldn't tell, everything around her was fuzzy.

Kassandra's breathing came in soft gasps, eyes wide as the guitar was placed down to the side of her. She blinked in surprise at what was happening, never having experienced this sensation before. Why was her chest so tight? She couldn't... She couldn't breathe. Looking up at Zoey in confusion, she opened her mouth to try to say something but all she did was gasp in air. Oh Gods, that made it worse. Beginning to hyperventilate, Kassandra stood up far too quickly than she should have, not even bothering to dust off her pants from all the sand. Her head swam as she stood tall, not knowing where to go. She was on a beach for Zeus' sake. This wasn't really an ideal place for whatever the hell this was. Her right hand flexed open and closed several times, trembling. "I... I can't... I can't breathe." The brunette managed to choke out, eyes wide and terrified. What the fuck was happening to her?

Zoey

The silence was unnerving, but what happened afterwards was even more. At first she let Kass walk away figuring she needed space after being made to feel uncomfortable, but then the more she looked, the more Zoey saw that she didn’t look okay. Without thinking, she jogged towards her, and it didn’t take long for the blonde to realize that Kassandra was having a panic attack. There wasn’t a lot of time to think about how her vulnerability and feelings had caused it. All she could think about was helping. So, she stood in front of Kass, grabbed her hand, and placed it on her chest. “Breathe with me,” she said as blue eyes locked with green. “Feel my chest go up and down and try to mimic it.”

After a few moments, she noticed Kass’s breathing come more easily. When she was sure that the woman was no longer having such a hard time, she took a step back to give her some space. Now that the major problem was out of the way, Zoey couldn’t help but remember what had caused it in the first place. It was the most obvious she’d been about her feelings and intentions which had led to the girl she felt them for having a panic attack. That was far from reassuring, and she’d be lying if she said that she knew where to go from there. “Are you okay?” That was much easier to focus on than her feelings. Focusing on someone else was always what she was better at anyway. “Do you want to head back? We can always hang out again another time if you’re not feeling great.” Giving Kass an excuse to leave was the nice thing to do. It was the only thing Zoey knew how to do. There wasn’t exactly a how to book for the situation lying around anywhere.

Kassandra

A hand reached out for her own and soon Kassandra's palm was resting on Zoey's chest. Nothing about this gesture was sexual however it was very intimate. More intimate than Kassandra was truly ready for but somehow, someway... It was helping. Zoey breathed for the both of them for several moments until finally her chest didn't hurt, her hands didn't tremble, and she could breathe on her own again. She wanted to thank her for helping her with whatever had just happened but the blonde was moving away from her, her heart sinking like a stone. The look in Zoey's eyes was one she never wanted to see, Gods, those eyes. "No!" Kass quickly spoke, realizing it came out more like a loud plea than the soft tone she wished she would have used. So she tried again. "No... Please. Don't go." Licking her lips, she took the small steps forward towards Zoey, hoping to close the distance that the blonde had put between them. "I'm sorry that I... That that happened. I've never had that happen. Not since my--I'd uh.. I'd forgotten what that had felt like." Another deep breath as she steeled her nerves, closing her eyes for a moment. "The truth is I'm terrified." I'm not good, Zoey. That's what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell her that she was poison. But she couldn't.

Fingers shook for a moment until they made purchase on Zoey's cheek, the backs of her knuckles softy trailing down the skin there until she tilted the other woman's chin up gently. "I wasn't looking for anyone." Those words were probably the most honest thing she'd ever said to Zoey, her chest tightening once more but swiftly deciding to push the panic aside for just one fucking minute. "And then I met you." There. That was simple enough. Right? "I don't know what is happening between us. But you... You scare me. And that's--Gods, that's not on you. That's all on me." She closed her eyes tightly, sighing. "Fuck, I'm not wording this right at all." Kassandra took the last few steps closer to Zoey, eliminating any major distance between their torsos. "I don't know what to do about any of this. I'm... I'm scared to do anything about this. About you. But Gods, I want to." Her forehead rested against Zoey's, unable to look at the other woman. "You make me feel like I'm on fire. You make me... Feel." The older woman could feel just how close they were, could tell that by the sensation of her breath puffing against Zoey's lips as her hand remained cupping her jaw. "Zoey... I... I really want to..." The brunette tipped her head closer, lips wanting desperately to search for the other woman's. She could almost taste--RING.

Whatever spell that had taken over her was broken as soon as her phone started ringing from her pocket. "I..." She rasped, voice low. Lower than Zoey had ever heard it. "I think I need to... To take this." Kassandra regrettably pulled away, grabbing her phone from her pocket as she held it up to her ear. Immediately she winced as someone talked sternly to her for several moments. Eventually she hung up, clearing her throat as she looked at Zoey helplessly. "Nugget woke up and is terrorizing the neighbors. I have to get back. Zoey..." She tried, still in close proximity to the other woman, not quite sure what to do.

Zoey

The blonde was so entranced with the words coming out of the woman’s mouth, and her proximity, that she couldn’t say anything. All she could do was wait with baited breath for Kass to kiss her which was what she thought was going to happen until the blasted phone rang. When Kassandra pulled back, Zoey tilted her head back towards the sky and closed her eyes. She needed to focus on her own breathing so she didn’t scream in frustration. When the phone call ended, the artist looked at her date again and gave a small smile. “Mmm, considering the owner of the Inn had to leave the island and left her sister in charge, who you’re currently with, I’d say you’re safe from too much trouble,” she added lightly to hopefully stop some of the worrying. It was something she’d meant to bring up anyway since she’d be at where Kassandra was staying more often. That was just a fun way to bring it up. 

Zoey stepped forward so they were close again, looped her index fingers in Kass’s belt loops, and tugged the woman forward slightly. “Let’s head back,” she started before leaning forward on her tippy toes and giving the brunette a kiss on the cheek. She lingered for a few seconds to hopefully quell the need she was feeling before pulling back. “This is always going to be scary. Not because it’s me and you, but it would be with anyone. Vulnerability always is. I’d love to promise I’d never hurt you, but that would just put me on a pedestal that wouldn’t be healthy,” she started as she tried to find the right words to give Kassandra some comfort. “You just have to figure out if I’m worth the risk of getting hurt over, and I don’t want you answering that now. Sleep on it. Take your time to figure this out and fight your demons. If you need help, I’m here.” 

With that, she took Kass’ hand, interlaced their fingers, and walked them back to where their belongings were. When they got back to the fire pit, she threw her shirt on again, and worked to get things packed up. “You didn’t ruin anything before you worry,” she said as she worked on folding the blanket. “So don’t let your mind go there.”

Kassandra

"Wait, I'm sorry what?" She was about to press further at the blonde mentioning that she'd be at the Inn more often, mouth feeling like it was full of cotton as she tried to process that. But then Zoey was getting closer again, the brunette feeling a tug on her jeans as she stutter-stepped closer. Her breathing almost stopped as Zoey leaned up on her tippy-toes to kiss her on the cheek. Green eyes fluttered shut from the contact, staying that way for several moments, even after the other woman had pulled back from her. So instead of opening her eyes, she just kept them closed as Zoey talked to her, trying to quell any and all fears from her mind. Whatever was happening between them clearly wasn't one-sided. Kassandra just had to be willing to do something about it. To put whatever this was into words. Fuck. That was a lot to process. Eventually she did open her eyes as a hand slipped into her own, following Zoey back to the firepit. It didn't take long for them to pack up their things, put out the fire and wait for Zoey to get her clothes back on over her beach attire.

The walk back to the car was silent as they walked, fingers still interlaced. Only when she needed to put the guitar up did she finally let go of the blonde's hand, regret filling her instantly. Once she got into the car, she turned on the ignition and took the car out of park, backing up before taking off down the road. The stereo connected to her phone via bluetooth and began to play a song softly through the speakers just in time for Kassandra to get up the guts to do what she hadn't on the ride over; she reached over and interlaced her fingers with Zoey's once more. 'I want you more than I need you and I need you so bad...Are you coming back? Are you coming back? I'm waiting...' Giving a small squeeze to the hand that was in her own, she kept her gaze focused on the road for the remainder of the time it would take for her to get to Zoey's home. When they pulled up, Kass got out of the car again to move around to Zoey's door, opening it up with a small smile. "I believe this is your stop."

Kassandra helped her out of the car despite not needing to, offering her a hand. Sure, it was because she wanted to instigate physical touch, something that she didn't know she craved. Keeping quiet as she walked the short distance to Zoey's doorstep, Kassandra waited until Zoey had reached the step that led into her home. This gave them more of a level-playing height and it honestly was what Kassandra was waiting for. Fingers tugged lightly on Zoey's, getting the girl to turn around to look at her. "You're worth the risk." She breathed out, licking her lips. It was honest and terrifying and she almost shook from the fear of it all. Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss to Zoey's forehead, staying there for a moment too long to be considered just a friend. As she pulled back, she gave another smile and began to walk backwards away from Zoey. "And hey," She started, hands quickly being shoved into her jeans pockets. "The next time you see me on your doorstep... I'll finish what I started." Her cheeks were tinged pink at the implication but she gave a small nod despite this, turning around and heading back to her car until eventually she was out of sight.

#zoey ft. kassandra #kassandra #cinnamon roll meets sinnamon roll