#para: jade

[vanoincidence]

Not the Right Banshee(s) Pt. 1 || Van, Jade, Max & Tina

TIMING: current. LOCATION: regan's apartment. PARTIES: @highoctanegem @vanoincidence & the terrible twins (max and tina). SUMMARY: jade is dropping van off after work, but what's waiting for both of them comes as a bit of a surprise. CONTENT WARNINGS: none!

The apartment probably smelled like her, from the time they all packed mice together. The place probably had one minuscule teeny tiny bit of glass scattered somewhere from the time she exploded a glass of Sprite. There was probably a strand of bleached blonde waiting to be found. Jade doubted Van and Thea were too meticulous with their cleaning. So Jade couldn’t, she just couldn’t get herself to go up to that second floor. Even though Van had asked every night she’d brought her home from work. It would be fine, okay? Everybody who ever went through a gay girl breakup knew how intense everything felt at first. (Not that… they weren’t dating dating) (But…) And sure, her cats and blasting CRJ were the only things injecting dopamine into her system these days. But she’d be bouncing in no time! She was Jade. She did not mope.

She waved Van goodbye, watching her walk up to her apartment, refusing to go until she saw the lights turn on. And then, satisfied with her friend’s safety Jade lowered her face shield. She considered doing a round or two of deliveries and calling it a night. But something flashier caught her attention before she could find her phone: A lonely woman in the corner of the street. She looked a little lost, so of course, Jade had to be kind and helpful, cause maybe she could kickstart her rebound tour if she played her cards right. She lifted her shield again, hoping her eyes still sparkled, and flashed a confident grin. “A little late to be out at night, babe. Can I help you with anything?”

Regan Kavanagh was sloppy. It was the first thing Max learned about her, back when they were training together. She’d been so embarrassed for Regan. It was sad, really — to be activated at such an old age. Regan had been practically geriatric in human terms. Didn’t they only live a few decades? Max had tried to keep this in mind at first, had tried to cut Regan some slack, but… she was so sloppy. She’d proven as much in her childish escape from Saol Eile, and proven it all the more in the mess she’d left behind in this pathetic, human town. An apartment with her name on it, two children living inside. What did she expect to happen? How did she think this would end?

So, Max had been watching the apartment. There was so little room for error here. She was to prove herself, to bring pride to her mother, to prove that she was worthy of the gift Regan Kavanagh had tried to toss aside. The children in the apartment needed to die, but so did anyone else who knew about them. Killing them first could spark panic, lead to problems. It would be sloppy. And Max wasn’t sloppy.

There was a woman. She dropped off one of the apartment’s occupants sometimes. Max had done some digging the first night she saw her. People in this town were fond of social media, and this woman — Jade — was no different. And, like many Wicked’s Rest occupants, Regan Kavanagh was all over the woman’s blog. Fate, she couldn’t believe it. How was Regan this bad at something that should have been her birthright? Wasn’t she humiliated by it? She should thank Max for what she was about to do. She should be so grateful.

Max forced a smile onto her face as Jade approached. She wasn’t particularly good at it, but she’d learned to use her youth as an advantage. No one seemed to suspect young girls of anything. Foolish. “Aye, I’m a bit lost, actually,” Max replied, Irish lilt raising the words. “Maybe you can help me out. Mind if I borrow your phone?” She just needed Jade to get close enough to touch. Then, things could be over quickly. It was kind of her, really, to plan on doing this fast. Usually, Max preferred to play with her food. Maybe she’d ask Tina to incapacitate the two upstairs so they could take it slow with them.

Even if Regan hadn’t visited the apartment often (aside from when bringing mice inside), it still felt weird to live there without her in town. She should’ve gotten used to it by now– the way it felt more like the doctor’s home than her own, despite being void of any trace of her. Van was grateful, at least, that Jade hadn’t stopped taking her home at the very least. After waving her goodbye, she pushed through the door, kicking it to a close behind her. 

“Um…” Her heartbeat picked up a tick and she flexed her fingers against the tote bag she still had pulled over her shoulder. “Are you…” Why had she been sitting in the dark? That was weird, too. “Who are you?” Van frowned, noticing that the woman was wearing shoes indoors. “Hey, that’s not very polite.” 

She’d hated Regan forever. Regan was a bad banshee, and Regan was old, and that was stupid. Max thought so, and so Tina did too. She’d spent so much of their classes rolling her eyes, whispering to her sister and laughing. Both when Regan wasn’t looking and when she was sure that she was. To make matters worse, she’d ended up in some stupid human town in stupid Maine of all places. Didn’t she know that American humans were some of the worst there were?

There hadn’t been a moment’s hesitation when she and Max were offered the chance to come to the town. It was another chance to prove just how good she was, to help everyone back home, and to make her mother proud. Tina also wanted Max to be proud of her. Her sister was absolutely perfect, and once she’d forgotten the name of the bone in your little toe and her sister never would (what did it matter that she’d thought there was a special name). So when they’d found the apartment, where mice used to be, she’d been delighted. They could get rid of stupid tiny humans that Regan was apparently fond of, and be on their way. The very fact that Regan had moved the dead mice was unforgivable, and a reason to kill someone in return, and it wasn’t like human lives mattered. Besides, Tina wanted to look at the metatarsal bones in a human’s foot. It seemed like it’d be fun to do.

She’d broken into the apartment while her sister went off to find some lady named after a stone, and she’d ripped one of the pillows on one of the chairs apart when she’d first noticed that the mice weren’t there. Gods, she was going to murder Regan when she got her hands on the traitor. Still, Max was outside somewhere, and Tina sat herself down on one of their chairs, arms crossed, legs crossed, a grin covering her lips when the door opened. It was only one of the stupid tiny humans who borrowed the apartment from Regan, who’d somehow gotten Regan to care about them, like the failure she was.

And this human had the audacity to call her ‘not very polite’. Tina fought away the urge to break her neck right away. It was important to take your time, to have fun. “Van, oh my god!” She put on as falsely cheerful of a tone as she could, Irish lilt incredibly present. “I’ve been wanting to meet you! This is where I say bestie, isn’t it?”

Jade unbuckled her helmet, hanging it on one of the handles. It would be super rude to approach and not show her face. How else would the stranger know Jade was super friendly and super down to have fun? And look, she had to keep saying it, okay? It was the only way it’d start to feel true. And that was the only way she’d eventually move on. She had to move on. (The ring on her left hand signaled otherwise) (But…baby steps). Unfortunately for Jade, upon closer inspection this lost woman looked pretty young, actually, dashing all hopes she had of taking the first step towards getting over Regan. Oh well, too bad. She tried! 

The Irish accent did something, okay? Her knees went a little weak. Regan didn’t even have a strong accent, but… but. She was in that ‘everything reminds me of her’ stage. (Which now included a broom with a white brush, a chicken wing, and Wednesdays). But that was totally different from moping, cause she did not mope. Back to what mattered, Jade wanted to be super helpful and nice to the young girl. She watched Barbie, she knew all about girl solidarity.  There was less sway on her hips, now that gay thoughts were out of the way. “Yup, totes, hang on,” she reached inside her leather jacket, pulled out her phone, and handed it to the girl without wasting a moment. (And…Oh. Right. She should probably change her lockscreen too, if she was serious about moving on). “I’m Jade, by the way” she grinned, extending her hand, “and I can totally give you a ride if you have somewhere else to go. I was dropping off my friend”. 

Max was all poised to grab the woman by the wrist and end the whole thing right then and there. A solid scream would do it, just one yell. But… she happened to glance down at the phone, to catch sight of the lockscreen and find Regan’s face staring back up at her. The very sight of it filled her with a rage she didn’t quite understand, made treacherous emotions swirl in her stupid chest. Because it wasn’t fair, was it? None of it was bloody fair. 

Regan had no idea how lucky she’d been. In Saol Eile, she’d been treasured. She’d been a tool so often utilized, so much so that Max had often found herself envious in a way she’d never admit to. She was a better banshee than Regan was — a better banshee than Tina, too, though she felt less like bragging over that — and yet Regan had been desirable. A doctor, as if that wasn’t a shameful thing to be. So how was it fair that Regan could come here, to this stupid little town with these stupid little people, and find herself treasured all over again? How was it fair that some woman had Regan as her lockscreen on her phone in a way that was just as telling as it would have been to wear a locket with her photo around her throat? Max had known that Regan was a failure. But to this extent? 

A swift death with a single scream didn’t seem right anymore. Max was angry, though she shouldn’t have been. Max was annoyed, though she was above such things. Max wanted to make this stranger hurt because Max wanted to make Regan hurt, because nothing about any of this was fair. Regan should have to pay for everything she’d done, for betraying a people who had only ever been looking out for her.

The banshee’s smile was sharp, and she turned the phone to face the woman, lockscreen like an accusation. “She’s pretty,” she commented. “Shame she’s such a disappointment, isn’t it?”

“How do you know my name?” Van stared at her, keys dangling between pinched fingers. She’d seen on tik tok how to use them as a weapon, but was it fucked up to use them on another woman? Then again, she had killed two women. She was not the good person she wanted to pretend to be. She was a woman killer, all things considered– though, she hoped this wouldn’t be another. She willed the anxiety to subside, to not create a black hole beneath the girl in the chair that would ultimately swallow her whole. “I only have like, two best friends. Maybe three, or four. I don’t know.” The number was growing, but something told her that this stranger didn’t actually care about that. 

Van flattened her back against the door, sweat dotting the back of her neck as uncertainty made her stomach roll. She quickly grabbed her phone out of her pocket and texted Jade. Somebody is inside of Regan’s apartment. If this were anything like a horror movie, she’d look up from her phone and the girl would be standing in front of her with a knife or something. Van half expected it as she looked up from her home screen. “I um– do you– are you here for Thea? She doesn’t live here anymore.” Maybe this was all being blown out of proportion. Maybe the girl in the chair knew her because Thea actually had brought her over! Or, based on her accent, maybe this was a long lost cousin to Regan who was bringing her the postcards she had asked for! 

“Why wouldn’t I know your name, Van. Van, but not like the car!” Tina’s voice rose to a pitch that she thought her mother would’ve been proud of. Except what mummy dearest would be most proud of would be if she could murder this girl and clean up Regan’s giant mess. Regan had always made messes, and yet back home, people had like, worshiped her. Which made no sense. Not when she’d become a banshee when she was so old and, on top of everything, and been a traitor. Which was why Tina knew she had to murder the little girl in Regan’s mouse-less apartment. 

“Well, you could make that ‘or four’ into an ‘or five’ if you wanted to?” Tina bat her eyelashes before pushing herself up from the chair. “I’m here for you and Thea actually. Special double fun.” She began wandering around the apartment, turning on her heels every so often. “I wanted you both to show me fun together. Pretty please?” Her lips formed a perfect pout (she’d practiced, because apparently humans were easily swayed by this sort of thing). “I just wanted to have fun, and you’re so,” abhorrent, “like, totally gorgeous.” Her stomach turned at that, but she wouldn’t let that get to her. “So I think pretty people can have more fun than ugly people, right? Is that crass of me?”

Jade’s smile turned bittersweet, looking at the lock screen. “She’s my… we were…” Thanks to this stranger, at least she realized now, how weird it was to still have her picture there. And actually, her smile disappeared completely with the follow-up comment. Her gaze flickered to the girl. Rude? But also… familiar. “Um, she’s not a… why would you say that?” Jade didn’t particularly care, at this point. She’d decided to stall, cause the vibes were definitely not great anymore. Was it cause this girly had the nerve to insult her… Regan in a very specific way? Partly, but also, the accent, and the… slow heartbeat. And the fact that she’d been standing there the whole time while she and Van said goodbye. Fine, maybe she did have some of that slayer paranoia (Emilio might be proud).  

Possibly the worst (or best, depending where you looked it from) timing of all time, her phone lit up with a notification, Regan’s face coming to life again. Van. What could Van be texting about so soon after going inside? Did she forget something in Jade’s delivery box? She could see the preview easily, even if the stranger still had her phone. Somebody is inside of Regan… she read. Well, not anymore, technically. She looked up to the second floor. Finishing the equation: The stranger, the accent, the insult, someone inside Regan’s… apartment. And sure, it could all be a giant misunderstanding they could laugh about later, but for now, for Van, she’ll think of worst-case scenarios. “Change of plans!” she said cheerfully, beaming at the stranger. “My friend wants me to stay. We’re getting pizza, watching a movie. So, maybe I’ll call you an Uber or something, yeah? Here let me…” She reached for her phone, attempting to get it back. 

We were… Were what? Max could make some assumptions, of course, the kind that made disgust curl up like a living thing in her stomach. There was something else to it, too, something far uglier. 

For a moment, she remembered being a child. Young enough to remain unactivated, scampering around with Tina and aware of the massive weight of duty on her back even if she’d had no way to comprehend the magnitude of it just yet. She remembered the boy she and her sister used to play with, the way she’d loved him. She and Tina argued once about which of them would marry him someday. It was a childish notion, a foolish one. She should have known better. She still remembered the way it felt when their mother plunged the blade into that boy’s chest, still remembered her first scream bubbling up from her throat and ripping out of her mouth. 

Regan should have known better, too.

The only real shame to all this, Max thought, was that Regan couldn’t be here to witness it. She could have learned something from this, the same way Max and Tina had learned something from that worthless boy’s blood staining the grass. Maybe there was some way to pass along the lesson. Would Regan recognize Jade’s finger if Max brought it back to her? Or would an ear be a better option? 

The phone in Max’s hand lit up, and she glanced down to the notification. Ah. So the child upstairs had met Tina. Max made a mental note to chastise her sister later for not taking the child’s phone first. Tina was lucky that Max already had Jade occupied; otherwise, things could have gotten far messier. 

“Ah, ah, ah.” Max held the phone behind her back and out of reach with one hand. With the other, she pulled a long, thin knife from her pocket. “We’re only just starting to have fun, aren’t we? I’d hate for you to miss it. If you’re good, I’ll even take you to see Regan again.” Her eyes flickered down to Jade’s fingers, the sharp smile on her lips widening a little. “Parts of you, at least.”

Van winced at the increased pitch of the girl’s voice. Maybe she didn’t have a great memory, but Van felt like she remembered some things. Specifically girls, especially brunettes. She stared at the stranger, eager to match the face to a name she might have forgotten. Was this Diana’s friend? But then she’d mentioned Thea, and Thea had no idea Diana existed. If this were any less creepy then maybe Van would’ve fallen victim to the way the girl bat her lashes, but if there was one thing about Van, it was that she was perpetually anxious– always thinking that the person in front of her had ulterior motives. “I don’t…” 

She looked down at her phone to see if there was any response from Jade, but there was nothing. Disappointed, she texted again, come back and give me an excuse to leave!!!!  Van hoped that she’d get a reply. “That is kind of rude…” Van blinked at the girl, astonished by the way she didn’t seem to care about the implications of what she was saying. How could somebody be so rude? “I think I’m actually– you know, I’ll let um, I’ll let Thea know you came by? But I have to actually go back to work. My boss told me to come back.” She waved her now locked phone in front of her, reaching for the door knob. “Feel free to like, hang out!” She opened the door, making an attempt to slip through. 

This human was so lame. Not even finishing sentences. Tina wondered which part of her would be best to bring back to Regan. A clavicle was always nice. It would involve a decent bit of work too, which was fun. Not that Tina was here to have fun, but if she just so happened to have fun amidst everything else, that was a more than alright coincidence. 

“Why’s it rude if it’s true?” She batted her eyelashes at this useless waste of a child. She’d been close to a waste of a child, once. Though Tina firmly believed that she’d never been a waste. Her and Max’s mother had to have truly pleased Fate in order to be blessed with daughters, and so the little boy who they both fell in love with, whose freckles practically glowed in the sun, well, he had to die. Tina had nearly given herself a scar on her hand from her brief, stupid attempt to keep from screaming. She wanted to scream, though at first it had been more out of horror before it transformed into something beautiful.

“I don’t like liars.” She pouted. “Liars are awful, and what would Regan think if she knew that someone she loved,” Tina gagged, “was such a big baby of a liar?” Now Van was trying to slip through the door and Tina slammed it shut. “No. Nuh-uh. You’re not leaving. Well, you might, but by the time you leave you won’t be a-waare of it.” Her voice turned sing-song.

Ugh. Was there anything worse than someone absolutely killing the vibe? Well, her being killed, probably. (But it was a tight competition. Neck to neck). Jade sighed, letting the woman hold the phone away from her. Using her height to her advantage was a little rude too. The way she pulled a knife, though? Hot! Objectively speaking. Jade could still appreciate a slay. And right, the math. So this chick totally knew Regan then, but she didn’t exactly sound fond of her. Which was a total red flag. Who wouldn’t be fond of Regan? 

Wait. Was that… a threat to her fingers? As if this couldn’t get any worse. That was definitely a line being crossed. “Nuh-huh. These make people very happy, how about we negotiate different parts… I love banshees, you see. There’s no need for this to be an unpleasant affair…” Jade trailed off, hiding whatever nerves she might be feeling in an easy smile. She wasn’t worried about herself. Pft. If things got worse, she had that iron dagger Regan gave her concealed somewhere. (And actually… had Regan known something like this would happen?). But if she was being threatened with a knife, she didn’t wanna picture the same being done to Van. Van, who easily freaked out. Van, who melted chairs, and opened portals that swallowed people. Well, actually. Maybe that was exactly what they needed. But it wasn’t worth the risk. The longer she stayed chatting with the stranger (she didn’t even give a name, so rude) the chances of Van getting hurt increased.

“Look, I’m not the type of girl who pulls a knife on a pretty girl without their consent…” Instead of backing away, Jade approached, her eyes fixed on the woman, paying no attention to the knife in front of her. She let it poke against her abdomen, relying a little too heavily on the power of being a captivating speaker while she got a hold of the pommel on her back. “Unless they lack a heartbeat, I guess, then…fair game. Hey! What I’m trying to say here…I really don’t wanna hurt you. Certified banshee lover. Two out of two banshees prefer me. But—” she drew her iron dagger swiftly, and with a precise movement, she pushed it against the woman’s collarbone. Just the right pressure not to stab (she was a woman of her word). It would surely sting like a bitch, though. Jade clawed the back of her neck, keeping her in place. “I really want my phone back, and to check on my friend, pretty please? I don’t want this to go any deeper,” she taunted, with another jab of the blade.   

The fact that this woman even uttered the word banshee was proof enough of the depth of Regan’s failure. For a human to be able to recognize one of them on so few context clues was disgraceful, and Max felt a burning forest fire of anger simmering in her chest. How much had Regan told her? How many secrets had she whispered between bedsheets, betraying her people over and over again with soft touches and quiet declarations? Max hated her more in this moment than she’d ever hated anyone else before. She wanted to take Jade apart piece by piece in retribution, wanted to make sure Regan knew that she’d died in pain and suffering. She was not allowed to have say in whatever punishment Regan was handed by those in charge back in Ireland, but she could punish her with this. She could make sure Regan suffered through the people she’d clearly been foolish enough to allow herself to love. 

(Would Regan feel as Max had all those years ago when her mother’s blade found its home in the throat of a boy she’d been sure she loved? She barely remembered the feeling now, had forced away all the negative emotions associated with it in order to focus instead on the joy of activation, but Regan clearly didn’t possess such skills. For Regan, this would hurt the way Max wanted it to. There was some joy to be found in that.)

Her anger only increased when a blade was pressed against her throat; a blade of iron, if the burn was anything to go by. Had Regan shared this secret, too? Max’s lip curled up in an expression of disgust at the thought. “The dramhaíl you met in this town lost their right to call themselves banshees the moment they began spreading secrets to things like you,” she said lowly, tilting her head back slightly. There was no fear reflected in her eyes. If Max died here, it would only be because Fate willed it to be so. But… something told her she’d be just fine.

Quickly, she plunged the knife in her hand forwards, jerking her head back and away from Jade’s blade in the same fluid motion. She aimed to incapacitate rather than kill; Jade’s insolence and Regan’s affection for her had come together to forfeit any right the woman might have had for a swift death.

The mention of Regan made all of this fall apart. All of her previous thoughts about who this girl was practically blew up in her face. Van stared at the brunette, wide-eyed. What did she know about Regan? Was it really the postcards? Had Regan told her grandma about Van wanting to kick her in the knee? Were these Regan’s sisters? Nieces? Were they mad that she had suggested such a thing? No! Regan wouldn’t be a narc, not like that. She would definitely keep all of that a secret, right? “I’m not a liar. I just don’t think you’re very nice, and I don’t like not-so-nice people.” Van practically hissed out the words as she tried to put space between herself and the brunette. 

She slipped away from the door, stepping towards the table that now had mismatched chairs surrounding it. So much for the new chairs, they’d be destroyed anyway. “Something super bad is going to happen if you don’t leave.” Maybe something would swallow them both up. Would Regan be upset with her for killing a family member? Then again, Van didn’t even know if they actually were family. They didn’t look anything alike. 

Regan must have cared about this child. Tina found herself bristling at the thought. Not that she’d wanted Regan to care about her (that would be bad, to have someone like that care for her). Still, the fact that Regan had found people to care about just made Tina all the angrier, all the more ready to end this child’s life and send evidence of that to Regan. Maybe she’d splurge and get a sparkly ribbon. That would probably surprise Regan, and not in a fun way. “I am nice. Or, well, I can be.” Tina shrugged, “if I’m given enough reason to be.” Which as of right now, she was pretty sure she hadn’t been.

“Something bad will happen if I do leave, though.” Tina pouted. Well, bad for her. Maybe good for this child, though she was fairly sure it was considered bad like, in general. At least that’s what Max and their mother and everyone else back in Saol Eile. “Besides, I want to have fun with you.” She hadn’t said the word banshee, but if she had, then Tina would’ve had half a mind to snap her neck right then and there, even if it would ruin some beautiful bones. “So, you’re totally not getting me out of here, leathcheann. I really wouldn’t push your luck if I were you. Fate has a way of taking things into its own hands.”

The blade pricked against her abs as it went in, and Jade had to swallow the grunt scratching her throat, unwilling to give the stranger the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. (First the threat to her fingers, now going for her abs. It just felt a little homophobic, didn’t it? What did she have against her?). And like, it was hardly the worst way she’d ever been stabbed, but maybe she should save those thoughts and comparisons for when she wasn’t in fight mode, and she could really look at the wound. Which now felt sticky and warm against her shirt. UGH. Another shirt ruined.

“I really wish you hadn’t done that,” she whined, feeling the strain as she tried taking a full breath. Not too bad, still super annoying. She brandished her own dagger, forced to move past the sting. Alright, Jade had manners, she didn’t want to hurt this lady, like… at all. It felt super unnecessary and wrong to harm banshees after collaborating so vigorously with two of them, but she started it, okay? Surely they would understand if they were here. (But they weren’t here, were they? They choose to leave. She chose to leave) The reminder of their absence was enough to spark fire behind Jade’s eyes, she lunged forward, tackling the stranger to the ground. She was never too good at physical combat but she always did love a good tackle. The few seconds where the opponent tried to grapple with the fact that someone half their size pushed them on their back was a super nice ego boost. This girly wasn’t even like, vampire strong so… all the more fun. Not as fun? The freaking knife, still jabbing inside, cause Jade had to hand it to her, girly had a stubborn grip (babies would be jealous). Jade did not waste those precious seconds taunting her like she would’ve any other time, though. She sank her dagger with brutal strength into the girl's shoulder, pinning her there for a moment. She was not the main problem.     

Jade took full advantage of the adrenaline dump to get back on her feet and dash toward the apartment. Not a care in the world for her abdomen. (She was so gonna regret that. But, later) (What mattered now was Van). What if the intruder was more ruthless than the girl who tried to kill Jade? What if they didn’t enjoy a sassy little convo before getting down to it? There was no scream, that was good no? From either Van or the stranger, who Jade figured was another one of Regan’s extended family coming for a visit. (Also why were they here at all? Did they miss the memo that Regan and Siobhan were going back to Ireland? They were totally missing the welcome-back party). Jade didn’t make past the entrance before the sounds she dreaded to hear reached her ears: Commotion upstairs. Her heart raced against her chest, and her shallow breathing made it harder to calm it down. “VAN!?”

“I don’t think that’s true! Because somebody who is nice wouldn’t be making like, weird threats and stuff!” Van wasn’t exactly sure what this woman’s intentions were now that Regan had been brought into it. Didn’t the brunette know that Regan had left them for Ireland? Why was she here? What sense did that make? The whole postcards thing didn’t make sense either, because Regan was pretty adamant about Van not getting any, and it didn’t make sense to send somebody rude like the girl in front of her with them. Didn’t Regan know her better than that? Van didn’t like mean people! She’d been surrounded by mean people. 

“You are like, super confusing!” Van put some distance between herself and the brunette, eager to find another exit. There wasn’t one, but maybe she could lock herself in a room and then the girl would grow bored, and– 

She heard Jade’s voice from outside, desperate and terrified. It was unlike Jade to sound like either of those things, and Van bristled. Anxiety pulled like threads from her, rationalization collapsing upon itself as she finally understood that this was her in danger. “JADE!” Van echoed the older woman’s worry, throwing herself back towards the door. She grabbed the knob, yanking it open. Behind her, the floor of Regan’s apartment began to melt beneath the girl’s feet, and her own, too. She slipped, desperate to get out. Finally, the door was opened, and she pushed herself through, grabbing onto Jade’s arm as she shot out into the dusk. 

She wished she had a dagger on her. Well, she did have one, but the child was jumping about too much for Tina to potentially waste a good throw. Not right now. She’d find the girl later and take care of it then. She just hoped that Max wouldn’t be too pissed off at her. “Maybe it’s not a threat! Also, maybe threats can be sexy and cool!” Tina shrieked, ensuring that this child would go away with at least the slightest bit of ringing in her ears.

“I’m not confusing.” Okay, another shriek. Just for fun. This trip was mission-based, but if she had some fun hurting humans who mattered to Regan in the meantime, then she got some extra benefit out of it all.

Except then there was another voice and Tina didn’t like that. She didn’t like that one eensy-weensy bit. Jade. That was the name of whoever was on the other side of the door, and that was also the name of the human who covered everything to do with Regan all over the internet. It was revolting. She jumped out quickly after the girl – after both of the humans – before they disappeared and Tina double-timed it down the steps until she was outside. Her face in a deep scowl, she stomped over to Max. “Where the heck did they go? Is fuath liom na idiots sin! We need to go find them and take care of this.”

There was a moment of bliss as her blade slid into the woman’s stomach, and Max’s eyes danced with the joy of it. There were few sensations she enjoyed more than this, save for that which came with the life leaving a person’s body. But there’d be time for that, too, wouldn’t there? She’d cut Jade up into such small bits, make her an unrecognizable collection of fingers and toes and teeth and hair. She’d bring it all back to Ireland in a Ziplock bag, present it to Regan with a smile on her face. Would Regan feel it before the plane landed? Did she love Jade enough to scream for her from across oceans, continents away? Max wanted Regan to feel it. She really did.

Perhaps it was these thoughts that distracted her enough for Jade to get something of an upper hand. The wretched little rat surged forward, slamming into her and knocking her back. Max kept hold of the knife all the while, giving it a vicious twist that was only half involuntary as her back hit the concrete. Then, there was the burning pain of an iron knife in her shoulder, and the weight on top of her vanished as Jade ran into the building. Max let out a scream, shaking the streetlamps and shattering the windows of the nearby buildings. 

This wouldn’t do. This wouldn’t do at all. By the time Max got back to her feet, Jade and the child had vanished, and Tina was circling around to meet her outside. “You should have killed it,” Max snapped, gripping her bleeding shoulder. “Did you even draw blood? Ugh. It doesn’t matter. Come on. We can’t leave this job unfinished. But, Palatine? I’m killing Jade. You can take the infant. If you think you can handle it.”

Without leaving room to argue, Max grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled her forward. They had unfinished business to settle.

#para: not the right banshee(s) #para: jade #para: tina #para: max #wickedswriting

[realmackross]

PARTIES: @highoctanegem, @realmackross TIMING: After midnight on April 25th SUMMARY: Jade confronts Mack after her shift at Dance Macabre. WARNINGS: head trauma tw, infidelity tw, unsanitary tw

Even at a distance, Jade could hear the slutty bass pumping inside Dance Macabre. She couldn’t recognize the track, (and Shazam didn’t have the keen ears she did) but still, Jade bopped her head from her position anyway, wishing for a second she was out having that kinda fun. It was like a fleeting thought though, cause she knew how priorities worked. How commitment worked. She knew it was more relevant than ever, after the last few Ls she took. Slaying undead always came before grinding against strangers in the club. 

Just like B.E.P said, tonight was gonna be a good night. Jade had been keeping an eye on her favorite archnemesis for about two weeks now. Learning her schedule, scouting the neighborhood. Their next (and final) meeting had to be iconic. Too much time had passed since their goo adventure (which had been wrapped up very loosely in a “To be continued” ribbon), so what better time to circle back than now? (Probably, when she wasn’t like nursing both a stab wound, and a bullet wound, but alas).

Despite the nature of this particular undead, Jade still carried her stakes (there were plenty of vampires tingling her senses in the vicinity after all). But as always, she carried the star of the night on her back. Nope, not the crossbow: A sword. It’d been Ruby’s at one point which was the only reason it had remained in such perfect conditions before it was given to her. And like, decapitation was so not her favorite way of dispatching undead, but she was excited to play with new toys. And the gun was a bust since her encounter with Monty so... Plus, she was gonna look so hot wielding it too.

And then Jade spotted her, the one and only, coming out of the personnel door. She let Mack walk, cause she wasn’t dumb (just a little impatient), she wouldn’t risk getting attacked by a horde of undead if they saw her harming one of their own. When she was isolated enough, Jade came out from where she was hiding, coming face to face with the woman who once stole her boyfriend. (She didn’t approve of going behind a woman’s back) (She was a girl’s girl after all). Her eyes twinkled in the moonlight as her gaze fixed on Mack’s. She was in such a good mood despite recent losses. “Oh wow, look what the cat dragged in…or well, out, technically. Looking good, babe,” she grinned, strutting closer. “You’re missing that goo shine though”.

—

For weeks Mackenzie had felt the odd sensation that eyes were on her. It had honestly been quite a while since she had felt like she was being watched. In Hollywood all eyes were on her 24/7. Camera lenses, fans, paparazzi, but this had felt different. This had reminded her of the one fan she had experienced that had gone too far. The one who she had come home to find lingering in her bedroom waiting for. But ever since coming to Wicked’s Rest, the eyes that followed her had slowly died out as she became just another resident of the small and extremely strange town.

But tonight, she felt it again. Felt it on her way to work and as she was leaving to go home for the night. It was someone lingering in the shadows, and while Mackenzie didn’t like the idea of being followed, at least, in the short amount of time she had been a zombie, she knew she could defend herself in more ways than one.

It wasn’t until she saw the person come out and open her mouth that the young zombie’s guard was finally let down. And with a huff of frustration, the blonde rolled her eyes, “Seriously? Are you the one that’s been following me the whole fucking time? I knew you were obsessed with me, but this is just getting ridiculous, Jade. Am I gonna have to get a restraining order for your dumbass?” Mackenzie shook her head in annoyance, “What do you want? An autograph? A picture? A lock of hair to put with your shrine? Come on, man. It’s been a long night, and I just want to go home…without you following me.”

—

Jade snorted, immediately revitalized by Mack’s reaction. It had been a while since she’d gotten the thrill of arguing with someone. What was up with that? Was that what maturing looked like? Why did it have to be so boring? “I don’t know about this whole time, that might be someone else. I’d say two weeks, maybe?“ She moved her hand back and forth, estimating. Mack’s further annoyance earned her a cackle. One Jade cut short, cause like… she didn’t want to draw too much attention after all. “Oh, babe…I’d go for someone more famous if I wanted to be a creepy stan, you’re totally safe.” Sorta. The sword she was carrying would beg to differ.

But just cause this was her favorite nemesis, and cause this deserved more flare than just getting down to it, Jade decided to answer some questions. “We have unfinished business,” she sighed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mack’s expression didn’t agree. “And, nope…it’s not Brody. But like, that’s still a thing that happened and makes me a little mad,” she conceded, taking two steps forward. “I’m talking about that whole…chomping on people thing.” There. Now they both knew this was justified. “I knew that first time, when I delivered your food, why even bother pretending? Then little Ariadne confirmed it, but we were pretty busy with the goo at the time, weren’t we?” She tilted her head, wondering if she should be done. If that was enough. But that hadn’t worked with Monty, so maybe she should go back to her regular style. Yapping till they had enough. “I usually like taking the ones with the…” she pointed two fingers down, signaling fangs. “But why not expand my horizons, yeah? Sorry for the exposition, it’s been like a season, I needed to recap for the audience at home,” she pointed behind her, to absolutely no one.  

And, oh… there was more in Jade’s script. “Don’t take this personally though, having a rival is like… so good for the ego. And I’m gonna miss the back and forth. Even if right now it’s a lot of forth. It’s not often I get under someone’s skin so easily,” a beat, then perfectly timed, “eh.” She flashed a smile. There was no need for this to be unpleasant. And Mack should know. “I’ll be good to you, I’m not really one for brutality. I’m here to help end this… curse you’re stuck with,” she narrowed her eyes,  “you want that, don’t you? Not having to crave human flesh. Not having to lose control and become a monster who hurts others,” her voice dropped to something more honest, her brows pinched together in concern. “I will help with that”.  

—

Mackenzie thought about the amount of time for a moment. It had been about two weeks since she had been feeling…off, “Yeah, I’d say two weeks is about right. Of course it would be you. It’s always fucking you.” She looked up to the night sky and let out a growl of frustration, “Please! For once! Can I have a break from Buffy the Fucking Vampire Slayer!?” Mack’s fists were clenched and her jaw had tightened as she looked back down with narrowed slits for eyes. If she was ever judging one to the point that she had hoped they would just disappear into a cloud of glittery smoke, it was Jade right now.

As Jade droned on and on and on, Mack found herself slowly unclenching her fists. In fact, by now she was yawning. Glancing down at her phone to see what time it was. Twiddling her thumbs. Hell, she was almost tempted to run off and grab a drink from inside Dance Macabre and come back, by the time Jade had finished talking, “Are you finished with your Holier Than Thou monologue? This isn’t a fucking movie, Jade. If you’re here to fight, which judging by that big ass sword hanging on your back, you are, then lets fucking fight. I’m probably going to kick your scrawny ass anyways.”

By now, Mack had woken up. She was popping her knuckles and cracking her neck loosening up. It had been a minute since she had actually gotten to fight somebody, and if it hadn’t been Jade she was about to face, she might have been more excited. No, the excitement would come when the bitch was laying on the ground eating her words. “And yes. To answer your question.” She already knew what Mack was anyways, “I would like to be rid of this curse of having to live off of human brains to survive, but you’re not going to be the one to rid me of it. I will help knock that ego of yours down a few pegs though.”

—

“Wow, not even one bit of regret for the people you’ve hurt? Come on… That’s pretty low, even for you. Then again, I should've expected it, after Brody,” she clicked her tongue, genuine annoyance simmering in her chest. It was always disappointing when monsters were content with their atrocities. It made it less exciting, for Jade. She felt way less accomplished taking out someone who didn’t care about what they’d done. Which, it should be the opposite, right? She should find so much joy in disposing of that type of beast. (She knew Ruby did, Jasper too). But how could she find a lost cause delightful? She always preferred helping over executing, the way she’d seen Onyx and Amber do. 

But she wasn’t gonna let Mack’s unapologetic attitude get to her head. She had this. She did. Wicked’s Rest would have one less zombie roaming the streets by the end of the night. That’s what she should be focusing on, not on whether Mack had any guilt over the whole brain eating. “Hey! That’s a step too far, like… we don’t have to lie, you know?” she rolled her eyes as Mack came for her ass. She did make one point (half a point, maybe), calling out the fact that Jade was not the most adept fighter. While Mack had done all those stunts back in Hollywood. “Besides, I’m aware it’s not a movie. Do you think they’d have two female protagonists with agency? You know Twitter and Reddit would be rioting, they’d call it woke trash,” she scoffed, looking to gain a few seconds to consider her first blow.

Mack cracked her knuckles in defiance and like, Jade had to respect that. It wasn’t a movie, no duh! but was there anything more fun than someone willing to rise the stakes and serve the plot? The script might be a little skewed in Mack’s favor, but Jade was nothing if not confident she could make this work. Even after Metzli. Even after the banshees. Even after Monty. And oh! There it was, some remorse (she should’ve skipped a few pages before bad mouthing her rival). “You should be honored, actually. Most slayers would just rip your pretty head off without giving you a chance. I’m at least giving you the time to talk. We’re totally passing the Bechdel test”. She pulled out the sword, at Mack’s request, emulating one of her greatest inspirations, CRJ. The blade shone in the moonlight. It didn’t get much use, considering zombies were relatively new in her repertoire. “Only the best for ya,” her lips curved in a challenge, beckoning Mack to draw closer.

—

She had let Brody’s name slide when she had said something before. But, now, to unknowingly claim that Mackenzie had no remorse for the people she had killed, especially Brody, had turned her annoyance into anger. She wasn’t going to play this cute little IRL simulation of a video game, Jade thought she was living in anymore. No, this was Mack’s undead life. She had to live with all the lives she had taken. Even the people she hadn’t killed, because she still survived off of their brains. The thing that made a person who they were, and everytime Mackenzie took a bite of the graymatter that kept her whole; the most important part of a human being that helped them to survive when everything else in their form was shutting down, she regretted it. Copious amounts of pepper and hot sauce could never make the remorse and guilt taste good. But this was what she was. She was far from perfect, but fuck if she was going to let another cocky hunter come into her life and try to tell her how she fucking felt.

“You don’t know a fucking thing about me or my life, Jade. I’m tired of all you motherfucking hunters coming at me and telling me that how I feel is wrong. That how I choose to live my life and how I’m trying to atone and live with myself is wrong. So you can either take your pretty sword and scurry back to your ragtag team of assholes right now. Or I’ll take your pretty sword and shove it so far up your ass that it makes a shish kabob out of your Pretty. Little. Brain.”

Mackenzie snarled as she began to inch closer ready for a fight. She had needed this ever since Jade had first shown up on her doorstep. And while she could never bring back the people she had hurt. And never apologize to Brody and tell him how much she missed him and loved him and how much guilt she felt with each step she took, she could hopefully get Jade off of her back for good; whether that meant life or death for the latter.

—

Jade took in Mack’s anger, raising her sword just a bit higher in case a raging beast lunged at her. But for now, all the bite was in the other woman’s words. And… Even when it was Mack in front of her, a woman who had stolen her boyfriend, a woman she enjoyed tormenting for the sake of it, Jade felt a soft pang in her heart. Sympathy. That’s where Mack was wrong. Jade didn’t care how every other slayer approached hunting, that was their business, she didn’t dispute other people’s codes. But she was different. Not like other hunters. She was… a good hunter (...wait!). The thought slipped out of her mind before she could cling to it, chew on it for a bit, and get something nutritious out of it, cause Mack needed to be interrupted. “You don’t have to live with yourself, is what I’m saying. Forget for a second that you can’t stand my face. If you want out of the Z-life I can give you that out. You don’t… deserve what happened to you. Or living like this. Whoever did it should’ve been taken care of, way before they got to you”.

And that was it, wasn’t it? What Regan didn’t understand, what Van couldn’t get. It was all a freaking cycle. Why did no slayer get to Mack’s maker? Who failed her? Struck young and in her prime and with so much to live for. Who neglected their oath? Was it a hunter who went soft too? Who added grey into the black-and-white world of protecting humankind? Forgiving a monster that should have never been allowed to go free? Had said monster claimed to be a good monster too, possibly? Jade couldn’t allow herself to become part of the cycle. Jade couldn’t fail Mack, or the people Mack might turn if she lost control (when. Sadly it was always when). Jade could break the cycle –this cycle– tonight. She would. The grip on her sword tightened and… wait, a shish kabob!? “Hey! That is offensive,” She narrowed her eyes, but her mouth betrayed the seriousness in her tone. Cause she totally appreciated her brain being called pretty. (Someone across the ocean would agree with that).

Alright, there was snarling now. Mack was pissed (at the wrong person, mind you), and it didn’t look like they had more pages on the script to go over. Action sequence time. She wished she had warmed up her muscles. She felt a little tight, even if her wounds were close to healing. But if she chopped Mack’s head off quickly, that wouldn’t matter. She mirrored Mack’s stance as she approached, brandishing her sword as she stared into her rival’s eyes. All she could think of before either moved, was the tragedy that was Mack’s life, all too clear in her pained eyes. Not for much longer, Jade promised, before striking.

She wasn’t sure who made the first move, things always happened fast when it came to tussling, but a beat later Jade collided with a hard body, and crap… Her original plan to go for the head went out the window. She dodged a few punches (taking on several of them as well), before finding the right angle to impale Mack with her sword. Right in the abdomen. She twisted the blade before pulling away, shoving the woman back with a kick. She would not repeat the mistakes she made with Monty.

—

Mack refused to listen to Jade’s side of the story. Even if she believed she was doing the right thing, Mack wasn’t going to be some mercy killing that the slayer could write off as a job well done. No. Despite being dead, she was still a living and thriving being with feelings and a life, and she was going to make sure the other woman knew that.

Without giving it any more thought, Mackenzie found herself charging forward towards the hunter. Fists balled, she decided to go easy at first. Punches here and there were sometimes dodged and other times not, but being in a fight with someone who had the advantage of a weapon; especially one with extra length, had always proved costly at one point or another, and unfortunately, Mackenzie met that fate early on.

Feeling the blade being impaled into her thin frame caused Mack to cry out. Though the pain wasn’t as bad as if she had been living, she could feel the pressure of the blade being lodged in her belly and then twisted for added impact. As Jade’s foot came up to meet her, the zombie felt herself stumbling backwards, but had managed to catch herself before hitting the ground.

Her eyes bore holes into the other woman as she put a hand to her stomach and pulled it away barely covered in a slow moving sludge. Now, Mack was pissed. She knew this wouldn’t be the thing to take her out, but it would enrage her, and before she would let the zombie part of her take hold, it was time for her to put her black belt in karate to use, “You’re gonna wish you had never done that.”

Poised in a fighting stance, Mackenzie lowered her head focusing her eyes on Jade, before lunging forward and knocking the sword out of the woman’s hand with a roundhouse kick, returning once more to fighting stance, before sending a blow of well placed kicks and punches in Jade’s direction as hard and fast as she could in order to keep the other woman from having an advantage on her. She knew the more energy she burned, the faster her feral zombie side was going to come out and coordination would soon be lost, but if she could just keep her mind intact long enough to take out Jade, she could deal with the zombing out stuff later.

—

She watched zombie “blood” ooze out of Mack’s abdomen, icky fluid sticking to her shirt, some of it coating Jade’s blade. It was kinda interesting, she couldn’t deny it. She rarely got up close and personal with zombies so to see their full physiology on display had Jade’s eyes going wide. For like, half a second, okay? She was supposed to be a pro. (Onyx would’ve tossed that word around ‘rookie’ if he’d seen her, right?). Speaking of being or not being qualified, her cheek throbbed where Mack had landed a few nasty punches, and she was pretty sure the warmth on her face came from her own busted lip. (That and well, the metallic taste in her mouth). But she was fine, she was cool, those were minor setbacks at most, and she could take down Mack if she wanted to. She was better off seizing the offensive than waiting for the right time to counter-attack. 

So, of course, she inched forward when Mack tumbled, lifting her weapon. Jade readied for an overhead attack, to slice with intent and speed. Hack as much as she could on the first try. She didn’t want to extend this longer than it should. (And risk getting bested in combat, again). Too bad there was no such thing as a one-person fight. Cause Mack surged forward and canceled her attack with a genius move, hitting her wrist and kicking the sword off her hand. It clattered onto the ground and Jade wasn’t quick enough to reach for it, cause again, Mack charged forward with fury. And for a moment (or two) (or three), all Jade could do was block and absorb as many hits as she could. 

But it wasn’t enough. Mack’s kicks and punches were too precise for Jade’s deficient training. If she ducked a fist, a foot hit her belly half a second later. If managed to push Mack an inch away, she returned with a vengeance. This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid. 

A particularly strong kick knocked the air out of her lungs, followed by an arm swinging at her that made Jade lose balance. She tumbled backward to the ground, gasping for air. There was not much oxygen getting in, there was blood. Everything was blood. Her lungs burned. But two feet away: her sword. She crawled the small distance, seizing the handle before a shoe could crush her fingers. She rose from the ground and sliced forward. It didn’t matter how much of Mack she cut, as long as Jade slashed something. As long as Mack backed off enough to gather herself.

— 

Mackenzie was charging forward again hoping to get the jump on the sword that lay on the ground, but it was too late. Jade had pulled another slice through the air, this time cutting into the zombie’s neck leaving her once again pulling back on the defensive so as to not get impaled, but the tip of the sword had done enough damage leaving Mack’s neck wide open and more blood oozing out. And unfortunately for them both, it was the damage needed to send Mackenzie’s body into a panic.

Everything that had been keeping the living dead woman alive was now reverting into emergency mode, and instead of leaving her with enough sense to leave the situation, Mackenzie began stumbling forward towards Jade. Any sense of humanity that had been in the woman’s eyes before was gone, but with the lack in brain cells came an increased strength that left her with one goal in mind, food.

As she stumbled closer, Mackenzie managed to aimlessly send Jade to the ground with an increased blow to the stomach, and instinctively dropping to her knees, she crawled on top of the slayer and began pounding into her chest and face with heavy, limp fists on the brink of taking Jade’s head in her hands with one goal, and one goal only…consuming the woman’s brain.

—

Something shifted. A couple things shifted, actually. Mack’s gaze was hazy now, somehow both lost and focused on Jade. What remained of her… humanity, for lack of a better term, slipped away as she let the monster inside her take the wheel. She knew zombies got rowdy like that when they were hurt, she didn’t need the reminder. Mack’s movements were also different from the black belt martial arts fighter she’d been in the beginning. She stumbled forward, gait all wrong, all feral, looking at Jade the way Regan would look at her sometimes. (Except with none of the gayness). She was a snack, plain and simple.

But Jade wouldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t. Becoming Mack’s meal would be so humiliating after dishing it out. The sword pointed forward as a threat didn’t dissuade Mack this time, cause there was no Mack to dissuade. It was the creature now. She aimed for the neck again, desperate to slash and tear any flesh there, until the neck couldn’t sustain her head anymore. (Her belly was sick just picturing it, she was not a butcher), but when she pounced, she was met with Mack’s response. A tackle that was a hundred percent effective, throwing her to the ground, her head bouncing as it hit the asphalt. Ouch. She saw stars, and she didn’t have to be a genius to know when something was gonna bleed. She couldn’t worry about that. Her hand was still grasping the sword, by sheer stubbornness at this point. She could stab Mack, she could if…

The zombie crawled on top of her, supernatural strength overpowering her own special hunter sauce. Fists pounded on her chest and her abdomen. Like Jade was nothing but a steak to tenderize. Or well, a peach to beat to a pulp (but peaches were a sensitive topic). And oof, she heard a crack, maybe. Jade wasn’t sure anymore. Her sword had slipped off her hand while she tried in vain to protect herself from the beating. She couldn’t breathe. She was coughing out her own blood, trying to clear her airway. She gasped, frantic, almost in vain, blocking one blow to the stomach only to get another savage fist right below her collarbone. 

Was this it? Was she letting Mack take her out? Oh, something was definitely broken, radiating pain all across her ribcage. And nope, it wasn't her heart. (That one still hurt the most, somehow). And that… Regan. Her mind inevitably shifted to the one responsible for the more agonizing pain, as she held onto Mack's wrist long enough to stop the battering. Maybe her brain was supplying comfort images before she kicked it. Kinda nice! It could only be improved if they were accompanied by a sweet saxophone in the background. She would take a highlight reel with the best of Regan if the next punch was the one to end her, thank you very much. 

She wasn’t sure how, (plot armor, maybe), but there was a split second of clarity, where Jade realized she was giving up. Which was actually? So offensive and out of character coming from her, the most determined person on the planet. Come on! She couldn’t bite the dust yet. Regan would know. She said so. Would she scream? Jade wasn’t sure how that worked. Surely there was like, a distance limit, a radio, something for that kinda stuff. A geo-block, like on Youtube. (Ireland would geo-block her death) But nope! She’d never wanna be the one to help Regan test that out. And on a real note, there was a ring on her finger that dictated she had to live for a couple more decades, actually.

Jade hooked her leg behind Mack’s upper thigh, hips bucking forward, letting muscle memory be the MVP as she flipped them over. (It would be her core strength, saving her when nothing else could). She braced all her weight onto her right palm, and for the split moment she had the zombie shook, Jade allowed herself to... well, she couldn’t breathe, but recharge, maybe. She had no punches left in her though, she was positive. Her arm was trembling, not just from holding her weight, but from the wounds she’d picked up last week. But Jade had a knife… she had a knife. She reached the back of her belt, almost dying right on the spot from the sharp pain shooting up her ribs, but her fingers worked diligently to unsheath the weapon. There was no thought behind anything. It was just life or death. It was her hand, a knife, and the promise of salvation. And at last, some survival instinct kicked in. 

She plunged the blade into Mack’s thigh, hilt deep, pouring every drop of energy left, the tendons in her arm bulging from exertion. She retrieved the weapon, going back in again, and again. The monster wailed beneath her, and Jade had to resist the violent shoving against her shoulders attempting to knock her out. And then nails trying to dig into her scalp. (Not her hair, anything but her hair). A knife and the audacity would not be enough against this Mack. She stretched (ouch) to her sword, noticing the Claddagh ring stained with her own blood. Another incentive: She had to go home to clean it. 

So Jade slashed. And she felt sick, bile (or maybe blood, it could be blood) rising up her throat with every desperate wail beneath her. How could Parker ever do this? She was not a butcher. But as long as the sharp end of her weapon met flesh, tore muscle and tendons, and severed the limb to the point where amputation might be the only answer, Jade had a chance to escape and not be chased. Regan would not scream for her tonight. 

Of course, the adrenaline of getting close to victory made her cocky. Jade thought for a second about going for the neck, finishing her job while at it. But not only was Mack clawing and scratching her shoulders, looking to hold her tight enough to chomp on her head, she was also transforming into a more unrecognizable monster. (Weren’t they both?) Nope, how about some self-preservation? She had tested Monty this week already. Jade had to pick her battles. She stabbed with the sword one final time, pinning Mack there while she crawled away from the body. Somehow, she scrambled to her feet. Barely. She felt like fainting. Blood was sticking to the back of her head, her ears ringing, vision blurry. Oh, she was not gonna be able to get too far. (And not to alarm the audience at home, but… would she even make it?). She didn’t need far. She needed away from Mack so she couldn’t hop to her. Away enough for some poor soul to become Mack’s chance at survival instead of her. That was a failure in itself, wasn’t it? Jade was putting her life above those she swore to protect. Great. She might bleed to death alone (the way she always thought she would go, anyway) and be reminded she was nothing but the sum of her mistakes? It was a little rude.

Once she reached safety she’d call Emilio. The rest of her friends would be horrified if they found her beaten to a pulp (and half of them had gone to Ireland on chill vacay, anyway). Her knees buckled and she hit the ground again. Crawling it was. Jade would do what needed to be done, getting farther and farther away from Mack, no mental power to quip a promise of revenge. And when she couldn’t see Mack anymore, when she tucked herself into an alley, back against the wall, everything went black.

#para: last one standing #para: jade #wickedswriting #head trauma tw #infidelity tw #unsanitary tw #thank you for letting mack be a part of this madness!!!! ♥♥♥

[mirisart]

You know, I love that everytime a new Pokémon game is out, everything is full of crossovers again. Characters and their signature Pokémon, even a whole team up or battle scenarios or whatever. It’s awesome because there is always at least one Pokémon that suits a character, don’t you think?

#twisted wonderland #pokemon #jade leech #Shroomish #paras #Morelull #Foongus

[singclow]

Pequeños sketchs nanana~

Eien grandecito tendrá los ojitos de su padre, osea, mientras crece sus ojos terminan cambiando de color para que sea el copia y pega de su papi x'D

Ya Jade, ah Jade, en su edad adulta mantiene el pelo cortito porque le es más fácil cuidarlo, como duerme mucho es simples.

#Eien #Jade #algo random #no se mas que poner #para no matar el blog

[detritivoresquad]

I'M GONNA BE GREEDY AND ASK FOR TWO:

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

✏️ Do you write every day?

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

Oh, this answer will probably be surprising. Of my AO3 fics that award goes to He’s Not a Harlequin; She’s Not His Columbine. These comments in particular remain unreplied to but are often circling around our mind. The energy you receive as a rarepair author in a larger fandom can be very rewarding if you manage to avoid antis. (It was also written for Iolite’s wife for her birthday, so the sentimental aspect of the fic definitely plays a role.)

That said, second place easily goes to our best work, Fetters of Love. Every comment has us telling our co-author/fiancee in excitement.

✏️ Do you write every day?

Yes, invariably. My head is always full of words, and I typically make 1-2 new WIPs a day. I also roleplay quite a bit when I'm not jotting down AU ideas, dialogue snippets, or writing prose straight.

#although to be totally transparent FOL and A Wife's Place (my two collaborative fics) are both rps turned into fics #I consider the way I write para rp to be the same hobby/skill as writing prose #but I differentiated them bc I do a lot of both and will turn to one if I'm not getting anywhere with the other #{ds;jade} #also not greedy haha ;) thank you for the asks

[iristhedeadflower]

THEEEEEEEE BABYYYY

#THE BABY!!!!!!! #para jade 🥰 #iris violetta s3: priscila’s revenge #violetta #3x17 #jade lafontaine #matias lafontaine

[sunnysideof-archieve]

     o nó no estomago era inegável e incomodo. sinceramente, desde que pisou naquele salão, sun tinha esquecido até que sentimentos ruins existiam, de tão envolto na aura de felicidade e paixão daquele lugar. então, em contraste a isso, quando a lua começou a brilhar, parecia que um peso enorme foi colocado em seus ombros. sun tinha o coração disparado como se preparado para correr dali a qualquer minuto, e os músculos estavam tensos. não sabia de onde aquelas sensações ruins estavam vindo, mas sabia que algo não estava certo.

ao menos, tinha seu par para a valsa. jade sempre foi sua melhor amiga, seu pontinho de conforto, a melhor pessoa que ele conhecia e isso lhe dava um alívio momentâneo, mesmo que ainda se sentisse um pouco esquisito. sun segurou a mão dela, os dedos entrelaçados, enquanto olhava meio nervoso de um lado pro outro, tentando descobrir o que estava acontecendo, esperando algum pronunciamento oficial. e quando veio da fada madrinha, yoonseon olhou para seu par, levando-a até a pista de dança tão quieto que nem parecia o rapazinho hiperativo que era normalmente. — estranho, não acha? não a gente dançando! mas, uh, essa coisa toda...

@minihook

#♡ ⌗ it may feel like I’m seducing you; if so I'm sorry ┉ paras #jade

[wtfnoa]

noa had found herself wandering the streets of new york, it was getting to dusk and the cool breeze had kicked in a little so she was making her way back to the arconia. she was gonna make herself a home made pizza and run herself a bath. she just needed a night in. need some me time. as she walked through the gates of the arconia she noticed her housekeeper jade oh the ground trying to pick up some pieces of paper that were blowing away in the wind. noa quickly crouched down to help her pick them up. the grab a few pieces before she turned the last one over and noticed it was a photo. a familiar photo. this was her photo. well she thought it was anyone. she had the exact one. she was in this first. “uh jade. sorry. but i have to ask. why do you have a photo of when i was younger?” noa asked with a small smile. she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. @jcdecllghan​

#⤷ ★ noa’s para threads ★ #noa & jade

[afranciscomiradiezblr-blog]

Esta es la imagen y algunos datos (O no) la “Historia” la pones tú ¡La tuya! ¿Lo harás?… Tallas de jade...¿...?

El jade [1] es el nombre con el que se conoce comercialmente un grupo de minerales , normalmente la nefrita (Ca 2 (Mg, Fe) 5 ((OH,F)Si 4 O 11 ) 2 ) y la serpentina , aunque también a veces el cuarzo verde y la californita, una variedad de vesuvianita . La jadeita (NaAl(Si 2 O 6 )) de color verde es la piedra de jade más valiosa. [2]

Desde hace más de 5.000 años se utiliza el jade en China y Mesoamérica como material para fabricar utensilios y adornos. A lo largo del tiempo se desarrolló un verdadero culto del jade. Los objetos de jade tenían (y tienen) fama de amuletos que atraerían la suerte. En sus orígenes el jade era tan duro y resistente como ningún otro material. Por eso se utilizaba también para elaborar armas y herramientas.

De principios ya se intentaba vender otros minerales con la denominación de jade. Esto se logró de mejor manera con el mineral llamado serpentina (o "Jade de China", "Jade nuevo"). La serpentina no sólo tiene el mismo aspecto que el jade, sino que aparece en los mismos yacimientos que la jadeita y la nefrita. Es un material algo más blando y menos resistente que el jade. Al trabajar mucho mejor que el jade se ha establecido como sustituto preferido del jade en los últimos años. En el valle del río Motagua en Guatemala , se encuentra uno de los yacimientos más ricos del mundo.

#Desde hace más de 5.000 años se utiliza el jade en China y Mesoamérica como material para fabricar utensilios y adornos. A lo largo del tiem #¿Historias cortas para no dormir?

[smileflowcr]

jade, qué requisitos son necesarios para ser tu novia ah ??? *le pegan* (?)

“¡Ninguno! Si fuese por mi todas las chicas serían mis novias, pero algunas no aceptan la poligamia o solo gustan de hombres, ¿Puedes creerlo? ” simples criaturas, no saben lo qué se pierden (?)

#el único requisito es que hagas un contrato con ella para que te devore el alma(????) JASDSAJGDADA #BUENO NO #PERO SÍ QUIERE TU ALMA(?) XD #grccve #( dialogue: jade )

[vanoincidence]

Bones of Payment || Van & Jade

TIMING: end of november. LOCATION: at van's old elementary school. PARTIES: @highoctanegem & @vanoincidence SUMMARY: van needs bones! jade can help her get them! CONTENT: none~

Van wasn’t sure what she needed to dig up a grave, but she knew she needed an accomplice. When Jade had arrived after delivering a few pizzas and the end of both their shifts was drawing near, Van considered her options. She didn’t want to disturb anybody’s grave, not really, but she knew where her third grade class gerbil was buried, and if Regan wanted bones, then she would get bones. Maybe she could have outsourced them, but where would she even get them? She’d seen a Tik Tok about bones and how they were usually inhumanely dispensed across the United States. Van didn’t want to contribute to that economy. 

So she waited and watched Jade carefully, only speaking once the other looked like she was getting ready to leave through the back door. “I need bones. Will you help me dig up my third grade class pet so I can get bones?” Van couldn’t remember if she had told Jade what the bones were for, but she was almost positive she had. “It’s for Dr. Kavanagh.” So maybe it didn’t matter if she hadn’t, because she was explaining what she needed them for anyway. “For rent. She wants me to pay her rent with bones and I don’t have bones except for the ones in my body and she says she wants those, too, but I told her I’m getting cremated, so she can’t have those. There are bones at my house, I think– my next door neighbor had a gerbil, but there’s goo, so I can’t get those bones. Help me get the bones.” The words came out in one big breath and she felt a little lightheaded as she watched for Jade’s reaction. 

Jade was really loving life as part-time for Sly Slice. Don’t get her wrong, the unpredictability of food delivery apps was like, so her tempo but something about that steady paycheck was doing it for her. Maybe that was growth, maybe that was maturing. (Ruby would be so proud). Jade could only hope it didn’t turn her into some boring old lady. Like Van already thought she was. Speaking of Van, she looked a little twitchier than usual when Jade entered the shop after she wrapped up her last order. She smiled at her anyway, cause she knew the girl loved running on a few hours of sleep, so maybe she was like… tired, not nervous. 

Jade absolutely did not expect the word vomit that came out of Van as she readied to call it a night. She stopped in her tracks, giving herself a little time to fully process what she’d been told. Right, yup. Nope, she actually heard that right. Van needed bones, again. She knew this was a recurring issue, apparently. “Oooh, yup. I can…” Hearing the name Kavanagh didn’t elicit some sort of Pavlovian response in her, no way. (She did wipe her chin, just in case). She didn’t expect Regan to be a landlord. That was like, a little problematic of her, actually. A bit of a turn-off, if she was being honest. Like, traitor much? But she had her own red flags to care about first, before she could judge others’. (Like double texting, nothing else). Regan being a landlord aside, there was still Van’s issue, which mattered more than whatever she felt for the doctor. But maybe… if word got out that she was the person who helped Van get those bones, that could work in her favor too. From all sides, this looked to be a win-win situation. Maybe not so much for Van, though. Who was like, being bullied by a greedy landlord. But for her gay agenda? Totes. 

“I can totally help, babe!” Jade got out as quick as she could before Van could faint. Her eyebrows pinched together, her head tilted, waiting to see what was coming next. Nothing, apparently. That was all the girl wanted to say. Her hand circled around the room. “Is um… is that anywhere close? Your dead pet’s grave, I mean. We can go on my bike if it’s not. I have an extra helmet. You’re not…like, scared of Roxie, are you?”

Instead of looking distraught, Jade seemed contemplative. That was a good sign… right? Van held her breath a moment longer before her chest heaved. She took to leaning against the wall, not really sure what had gotten into her. She should’ve just told Dr. Kavanagh she would have paid like normal people did. Why did she want bones, anyway? Couldn’t she use money instead of bones? After learning that she was a medical examiner, it made more sense, but wouldn’t she be covered in bones? Van was ignorant to most things happening across Wicked’s Rest, but she wasn’t dumb enough to ignore the death count. It was unusually high, which meant that Dr. Kavanagh probably had access to tons of bones. It was obvious she didn’t care about the legalities of any of any of this. 

Jade told her that she could help and Van felt the weight (literally) lift off her shoulders. She slumped against the wall and nodded, thankful that she didn’t need to do any more convincing. Their conversation online had told her that Jade would’ve been the kind of person she could trust in a situation like this, but it was still a weird request to begin with. At her question, Van nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Um— not far, like— maybe fifteen minutes?” She counted on her fingers even though there was nothing to count. Van knew that her old elementary school was goo-less— it was one of the locations they’d set up for temporary shelter. “There might um, be some people here? Because of the displacement or whatever, but…” Maybe it wouldn’t be that weird, Van could lie about losing an earring. She would make sure to take one off, just in case. “Roxie…” The bike, right. Van shook her head. “I don’t— no, I’m not afraid.” A little afraid, but it should be fine. “I’ve never… ridden one before. You’re not going to kill us, so it’s fine, right? I mean, if you do, then she’d get her bones.” Was that the intention? Jade wouldn’t kill her, would she? Van eyed the woman suspiciously for a moment before pushing away from the wall. “Do you also have a shovel? If not, we need to get one.” Why Jade would have a shovel on her, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t exactly have access to one at Dr. Kavanagh’s apartment.

Jade let out a tiny, delighted laugh, looking at Van visibly relax against the wall. She was a little pissed at Regan for making this girl so stressed, actually. And for what? Bones? It was kinda ridiculous, in her opinion. (Alright, fine. She understood Regan a little too) (Her landlord price would be Crunchwraps Supreme, which by all accounts, were far superior to bones). 

She clapped with similar enthusiasm, already bouncing on her feet. “Well let’s do it then! Fifteen minutes is nothing!” her eyes sparkled encouragingly, but Van stayed in her spot, despite it, clearly having some doubts. That was okay, not everyone was ready to jump into action immediately, like she was. “Roxie! Yup. Oh, it’ll be so fine, you’re gonna love it. I’ll make sure it’s not a bumpy ride. Stop that, you’re not gonna be bones. Pinky promise.” She’d had several people on her bike before, and not a single one of them had complained about her riding skills, so she was confident she could make Van’s first experience a good one. At least, her argument was convincing enough to get Van moving this time. Except, not really… cause she also had more questions. (And actually? It was a good thing someone was asking the right questions) (Had it come down to her, she would’ve been at the school five minutes ago, and decided there what she wanted to do).

Jade bit the side of her lip, shaking her head in disappointment. “Um, nope. No shovel. Maybe if I had like, known you were planning on this. I bet I would’ve found one,” her eyes widened when an idea crossed her mind. “Ooooh, it could’ve been a whole girlies trip! With snacks and…” she trailed off, having a smidge of self-awareness to understand Van was not in the mood for that. She cleared her throat. One of the best things they had going for them right now, was that Jade was zero distracted by… gay stuff. Cause Van, as beautiful as she was, already felt like a little sister to her. So she could actually put the wonderful brain she had to good use. “There’s a hardware store near, I’m like… positive. Something with a ‘W’? I pass it every time I come here!” she twisted around, her thumb pointing behind her as she could simply determine which way the store was. (A sense of direction wasn’t exactly one of her talents, but that didn’t stop her from believing!). “I mean, they have to have some, right? OH—Or! Maybe they have gloves, and we can dig with our hands.” She beckoned Van to follow her outside,” come on, we’ll make a quick stop there”.

Jade seemed confident in her abilities, so that should have, in theory, put Van at ease. She couldn’t help but feel like her life was turning into a very stupid movie. The kind that were lost to under the table releases, and only film guys named Timothy knew about them. It was a silly thought and she knew it, but her head was full of silly thoughts lately and it was hard to expel them when things like this kept on happening. 

Things like this being full grown adults trying to convince her of their worth. Van blinked at Jade before giving her a small nod. “Okay, no shovel, but we can um, we can probably find one.” It shouldn’t be that hard. This was a town with shovels, she’d seen plenty. Maybe they could break into a gardener’s shed, or the custodial shed. Would she even really remember where the gerbil was buried? She hoped so. This all seemed like a loss, in all honesty. 

“A girls…” Really, Van wasn’t quite sure what Jade was trying to get at, but she did seem excited to help, and shouldn’t she be grateful for that? She wanted to be grateful for that, so she sucked in a breath and nodded. Jade was devising a plan for a shovel and Van shook her head, “don’t you know anything about committing crimes? We can’t leave a paper trail.” 

She thought about Debbie, for a brief moment, and her stomach twisted. She wondered if she was bones now, or if her body was still decomposing in the pit. Guilt settled over her quickly and she felt her mouth fill with iron, anxiety pulling at her seams. “We can— a shovel should be at the shed, um, you know how to pick locks, right?” Jade looked like the kind of person who did know how to pick locks, but that was none of her business. Van nodded before pushing away from the wall, following after Jade. “You don’t think we’ll get in trouble for this, do you?” 

Jade’s eyebrows pulled together as Van dashed all her wonderful (half-baked) ideas. Well, okay… better not suggest anything else then. She didn't understand what was happening very well. But Van was anxious, that she knew. She could totally be patient with the girl as she navigated her thoughts and feelings. She was twenty at some point, too. (Her twenties were so fun though, she couldn’t relate). Calling this a crime was totally pushing it, though. “I thought we weren’t… doing anything illegal. How’s looking for your old guinea pig wrong?” Like, it was hers, technically. “Do you mean potentially entering somewhere closed? That’s cool, I can totally flirt with whoever and get us inside, no need to trespass”. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, regarding Van with respect. “What do you know about crime, babe? Do you also get all your knowledge from TV shows? Cause, same”.

So the shovel was a no, for now at least. Not a store-bought one, but possibly they could find one in a shed. Jade didn’t argue with Van’s logic, it tracked. And they would need to pick locks, potentially. She beamed at the girl’s assumption. “Oh, totally. I once dated a guy who taught me all about it,” and by that she meant, she watched him do it for twenty minutes, bored out of her ass, and then made out with him against that same door when he failed to pick the lock. But she knew the basics, okay? She had this, she was super confident she did. How hard could it be anyway? They made it look super easy on TV. 

Once they made it to her bike parked outside Sly Slice, Jade reached for her extra helmet, helping Van with it. “I’m positive we won’t get in trouble, babe. It’s not like we’re digging up a real… person, are we?” She mused, adjusting the chin strap. Her hands squeezed Van’s shoulders gently, grinning proudly at her once she was good to go. “You look so badass” she chuckled, spinning around and reaching for her own helmet. Safety first and all. Regan would probably be pissed if she let anything happen to Van. (Well, actually) (She wasn’t sure. Those bones would be up for grabs, wouldn’t they?) She climbed onto her machine, leaving enough space between her and the delivery box for Van to fit with no issues. She was part of the short club too, so they were gonna be super comfy. “I’ll go slow…ish, so you can give me directions, okay?” Jade did not wait for confirmation that Van was on board with the plan, as soon as she sensed the girl behind her, she started the engine. Her voice rose above the noise. “Hold on, but try not to strangle me okay?” There was a time and place for that, but she was not going to joke about it with Van. And with that thought out of the way… they hit the road.   

Jade reassured her that there was no crime to be committed, that they would be just entering a place where flirting might ensue. The thought of having to watch Jade flirt with whoever it was that might catch them made her head spin. Van wasn’t sure what having an older sibling was like, but this sure felt like that. At Jade’s question, she nodded slowly. “I mean, yeah– I don’t like, go out and commit crimes or whatever.” She definitely did. The most heinous one was beneath her belt, even if she repressed the memory as best as she could. Still, she wasn’t about to explain to Jade that she had committed two murders already– that was for Van to know and for Jade, or anyone else who hadn’t been there to never find out. 

Van nodded, glad to know that at the very least, Jade would be able to get them into a tool shed, need be. She wasn’t sure why she was following through with this plan, or why she wasn’t questioning Dr. Kavanagh more about her need for bones, but she was feeling extremely pressured to follow through with her end of the bargain. What somebody could want with bones over money, she couldn’t be sure, but she wasn’t going to complain about giving somebody something else other than money, that was for sure. 

“No, no not– it’s a gerbil, I swear!” The last thing she needed was for Jade to think that she was running around digging up all the graves, but then again, she seemed pretty chill with what they were about to do which, if Van were smarter, maybe she’d question that, too. Instead, she was just glad that somebody was willing to help her. She could have probably asked Nora, but Nora lived in a literal crypt which meant that they’d probably dig up real human remains, and she wasn’t ready for that kind of thing, especially not when it was for a doctor who would definitely know that they were not animal bones. Van felt like a child as Jade put her helmet on her. She wobbled beneath the weight of Jade’s hands, and even though they were within like-height to each other, she felt so much smaller. Van looked at the back of Jade’s bike apprehensively before finally getting on, gripping the back rack to steady herself. “Okay, I mean– yeah, that’s fine.” She liked to skateboard, and she liked to go fast, so this wouldn’t be that much different, would it? The bike started and she could feel the thrum of it in her chest, and in the pads of her fingers. Jade was shouting over the noise and Van opened her mouth to ask what she was saying, but instead the bike lurched forward and Van found herself grabbing onto Jade’s waist. 

They moved forward and instead of the anxiety from before, Van felt exhilarated. She wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. The noise of the bike mixed with the wind in her face felt freeing in a way she hadn’t experienced since Debbie died. She… liked it, if she were being honest with herself, but she still held onto Jade tightly, even while leaning forward to shout out directions to her old school.

They arrived safely, which Van was grateful for, despite her newfound love of motorbikes. She hopped off, a little sad that she’d need to take the helmet off. Her fingers felt numb, but not in a way that meant they were cold, just that they’d been resting on something at a constant vibration– she could feel it in her legs, too. That was slightly less uncomfortable than the latter. She turned around to look at the fence, then to the big tree that she knew the gerbil was buried under. “The fence doesn’t look like it’s locked…” The tool shed to the left definitely was, though. Inhaling sharply, Van took off the helmet and nodded. “Are you um– are you ready?” 

At this point, Jade wasn’t sure if it was a gerbil, a guinea pig or something else entirely, (all those little things looked the same to her. Was that… problematic?), but in the end, it was all irrelevant. She was here to help Van, not get specific about which animal was dead and buried. As long as it wasn’t another one of those metal-eating rats, she was totally Gucci with whatever they found. 

She and Van were so alike, actually. In the sense they both didn’t like to go out and commit ‘crimes or whatever’, so with that important detail out of the way, she was happy to guide the girl to her bike and introduce her to Roxie. It was a super fun ride, all things considered. She was used to jitters from first-time riders, but Van did so well. She wasn’t even yelling in her ear (except for the instructions, duh) nor was she gripping too hard like the people who freaked out on her usually did. It went so smoothly, that they even made it to Van’s old elementary school in less than the estimated fifteen minutes. (She would’ve bragged a little more about how good a ride she was but like, the circumstances or whatever).  

Climbing off the bike, she removed her helmet and followed Van’s gaze, smiling at the observation. Luck was totally on their side, it seemed. “Sweet! One less thing for you to worry about, babe.” She wasn’t sure if that was actually true. If anything would be ‘one less worry’ for Van, but Jade couldn’t help being extremely positive. (That was good though, right? Balanced energies). She locked the motorcycle, reaching for Van’s helmet once she took it off, putting it away inside her delivery box. “I’ve been ready since like…you first asked me, yup” She nodded, marching toward the shed. 

“You wanna go check and make sure there is something in there for us to dig?” This wasn’t like, a crappy horror movie where the villain was lurking in the shadows, so they could totally split up, right? Nothing would happen to them. And if it did, she was carrying that knife strapped to her ankle. But that was a break in case of emergency type of situation. “I’ll go unlock that shed for us” she spoke confidently, reaching inside her jacket for a bobby pin. Score. She flashed Van one of her brightest smiles before heading left of the field, eyes on the prize. 

Really, how hard could it be? Jade could always use a little of that… enhanced strength in her if it came down to it. As long as it didn’t look, you know, like someone forced the door. (She was smart too, alright?) Before she even touched the shed, she made sure to look around for cameras. They were pointed towards the building, which would keep her concealed if she succeeded at breaking into the shed.  (Which was kind of a bummer? Because she looked pretty hot. It should’ve been immortalized in tape, really). She inserted the pin and prodded aimlessly, gaze lifting to follow Van. 

“Yeah, I guess.” Van looked at the fence, no longer sure if this was a good idea or not. Why was she even doing it in the first place? It was so dumb! She could get arrested! She could get Jade arrested, and after telling her that she didn’t go and do illegal things, that seemed like the opposite of what should happen. But Jade seemed sure of herself and so Van took a deep breath, allowing for the confidence in her company to dissuade any of the anxiety she felt begin to creep up. 

“Um…” She looked at Jade, confused as to how she’d do that without actually digging things up. “Do you have like, a bone device or something?” That seemed like a dumb question. But maybe there was a sign of some kind– after all, they had gone all out for the funeral of the little thing. It’d been years ago now, and Van had to wonder just how many other things had been buried along with it. The thought made her sad, but time passed just as it always did, and things were bound to die, weren’t they? 

She took a deep breath, watching as Jade sauntered away towards the shed before she headed in the direction of the tree she remembered gathering beneath to bury the gerbil. She paused for a moment, noticing that there were several more headstones. Was she going to go to hell for this? Or whatever variation existed? Maybe she was already in hell. Maybe this was penance for all that she’d ever done– Diana and Debbie included. At least the gerbil’s name didn’t start with D. God forbid there be a triple D situation on her hands. 

After confirming that the gravesites were still there, she headed towards Jade, avoiding the distance of the cameras. If she remembered correctly, they barely even worked. Van cleared her throat, jutting a thumb in the direction of the large tree and the animal graves. “I found it, and I think that there are probably like, a lot of bones.” Would Dr. Kavanagh want all of those bones? It still seemed silly that she wanted them at all, and Van wasn’t even really sure why she was humoring the situation in the first place, but it was a little late to ask too many questions. “Did you find a shovel?” She peered into the shed, squinting past the darkness. There were a few different items hung up on the wall, and if Van were being honest with herself, it looked like something out of a horror movie. “I hope Jason doesn’t kill us.” 

“Nope! No bone device in me. If anything, my bone device is chilling in the morgue right now,” Jade smiled sweetly, blinking away the dreamy look on her face when the words sank in. “For fun! I mean, she’s not dead. My bone device… meaning doctor Kavanagh,” she clarified, before Van could like, freak out. (Not that it was a hard thing to achieve, mind you). Anyway, Van did as she was told, and both of them focused on their respective tasks for a few minutes. She had zero doubts they would be like, a dynamic duo. A dream team, of sorts. They beat that one metal-eating rat after all. The lock was picked just as Jade heard Van’s footsteps heading her way. (See? The movies never lied). She did a short victory dance, before walking straight into the darkness. She had the advantage of night vision, she knew she’d be able to see if spiders or rats were chilling inside. And thankfully, there were only tools. And a Bigfeet mug, that she was almost tempted to steal. 

“I found it yup!” she turned back to Van when she came in, reaching toward the nearest wall and grabbing the rusty-looking shovel. Jade pushed it into her hands, picking up on her concern. (At this point, she wasn’t sure if that was the way her face looked all the time) “Chillax. I’m not gonna let that happen.” She squeezed the girl’s shoulder, giving her a comforting smile even if she’d struggle to see it. “I’m too important to the plot to die in a tool shed,” she shrugged at her flawless logic, turning around to look for trash bags. “I do have like, a knife if we have to fight a classic horror villain…” she mumbled absently, focused on a different task. If Van mentioned there might be more bones out there, they should grab them all. It could be worth like, several payments. She wasn’t sure if it was a one-bone per-month type of deal or… How did that work, anyway? If they found a femur, was it worth more than a finger? “This should be enough,” she decided, waving three bags in Van’s face. They wouldn’t use them all, she didn’t think. “Lead the way!”

Jade didn’t remember ever shoveling. If anyone ever shoveled back home, it would’ve been Onyx. But that was the fun part, wasn’t it? It was like, unlocking a new useless skill set. Life really was just like The Sims, wasn’t it? They walked over to the giant tree with the tiny headstones, and something sad bubbled in her chest. She didn’t wanna think of Lullaby like this, ever. She just got her, and she was supposed to lose her one day? It was messed up. Her eyebrows pinched together. “What was their name? The Gerbil’s, I mean”. She took the shovel away from Van and sank it on the spot. How hard could it be to scoop up dirt? Not too hard, but definitely ‘a few attempts needed first’ hard. “You should tell me about it, if you want. Do you miss it…them?”

It was hard to believe that there wasn’t anything between Dr. Kavanagh and Jade with the way they spoke about each other. Jade, with confidence, and Dr. Kavanagh, with a hint of uncertainty and frustration. That seemed like a textbook crush, if Van had any say in it. Instead of commenting on any of it, however, Van stayed silent, mind working around the possibility that they were just two private people who wanted to keep things quiet until they were ready for some kind of debut. Though, Van couldn’t imagine a world where Jade was private at all– she seemed the exact opposite. 

Still, they had a job to do, no matter how strange it was. Van realized a little too late in the game that she could have gone about this in an entirely different way, but she was well past turning back now. She was grateful, however, to see that a shovel had materialized. She looked past Jade, further into the shed. She thought about the lunches she had had in there, all when the other kids decided they didn’t want to be her friend anymore. She wondered if the initials she scrawled into the metal with a screwdriver were still there. Deciding not to check for the sake of embarrassing herself with something that might no longer exist, she nodded at Jade’s comment. “You’re right, and we’re um, it’s too early for that.” In her life, or in the day, she didn’t bother to amend. “I wasn’t allowed to have knives.” The comment was absent of any real emotion– a story she’d told a dozen times. The responses were varying when it came down to it, and she figured that Jade would fit in with the rest of those who were bewildered. 

Van took the shovel from Jade and led the way to the spot beneath the big tree. It looked a little barren, but the grass was greener where the dead things were buried, despite the bitterness of winter as it crept over the town. She stared at the plots for a moment before she felt the shovel being taken from her and she looked up. “Um, its name was Daffy.” What if Jade thought she was obsessed with Disney? “We couldn’t choose a name, so some people wanted to call it Laffy Taffy, and others wanted to call it Daisy, so we ended… there.” Van shrugged simply, as if the story made the most sense in the world. When Jade asked if she missed the gerbil, she shook her head. The dirt turned over on itself, clumps of weeds and some worms visible from the pile. “I don’t think so, I mean, it was like, the closest I ever got to having a real pet, and it was cool, but…” She shook her head, “I don’t think I miss something that wasn’t ever like, mine, you know?” Van crossed her arms over her chest and watched as Jade worked, jumping slightly to the sound of the metal of the shovel thunking against a box. 

“Wait, I think you hit it.” Uneasily, Van crouched down and swallowed thickly. She smoothed her hand over the top of the box– an old thing with signatures and stickers and photos taped to it. She saw her classmates faces with bright smiles as they stood in front of the still alive gerbil’s cage. “This is it for sure.” She dug the box out the rest of the way and put it to the side, hesitating. “You don’t think he’s like, going to come to life like from that one episode of Fairly Odd Parents, do you?��� Did Jade even know what she was talking about? Probably not. She seemed too old to remember Fairly Odd Parents. 

Jade tilted her head, surprised by Van’s comment. Why wouldn’t she have a knife? She was old enough. By like, almost ten years, right? She was… she didn’t remember. Lots of those early hunting memories were super hazy. But it probably didn’t matter, ‘cause she grew to love knives, didn’t she? (Why was there a strange sensation setting in her stomach?) Her mouth stayed in a perfect ‘o’ shape, until she snapped out of her own memories associated with knives. “Do you want one? I could give you one… isn’t it a little unsafe to live in this town, just like… rawdogging it?” she took a quick breath, anticipating a potential anxiety-induced response coming from the girl. “I don’t think you’re gonna be out there stabbing people, fyi. But I mean, like… if you wanted something in case of an emergency. I have some retired ones that are still sharp enough. No pressure” she tacked on, unsure how effective the clarification would be for Van. 

It was nice that Van at least wanted to share something with her. As silly as a story about a third grade pet was. Learning anything about anyone in this town was like pulling teeth, she’d take what she could get. (And sure, maybe it was her own interest in emotionally unavailable people that kept drawing her to the wrong crowd, what about it?). Her eyes were bright as she listened, picturing a much younger version (probably not much taller) than Van as she shoveled. “That’s so cute,” her nose scrunched up in delight, taking away her gaze from the hole she was digging and glancing at the girl. Not having any pets wasn’t like, super strange or anything. Her family had that one guard dog that left for the farm upstate a few years after she was born. But Jade’s smile shortened into something pensive. Having Lullaby was like, the best thing that’s happened to her in years. How nice would’ve been to have someone back home to play with while everybody else was too busy hunting? “That’s super smart” she replied, realizing she’d slowed down with the shoveling. “I miss things that were never mine all the time.” She shrugged nonchalantly, digging with more ease now that she’d picked up a better technique. 

It resulted in her hitting the box a few moments later. “I sure hit it” she smirked, looking into the hole. Van was the one to reach out for the box, and Jade’s heart melted a little (a lot) looking at the picture of adorable tiny kids. She was so demanding Van to show her which one was her. But right, there were still bones to find, based on the headstones and Van’s memory. She got back to it, barely feeling the exertion. Actually… Would chicks dig shoveling? She could totally turn it into a way to show off her muscles. ‘Cause normally they weren’t super showy, but if she were to flex… Wait, Van was saying something. She cackled at the faint memory, “I don’t think so… Daffy’s been dead too long, he would’ve come back years ago” she reassured, entirely too confident in her logic for someone who’s seen some wild things coming back to life. But what good would telling Van about it do?  

She didn’t know what else she dug up, but Jade managed to find a bunch of other tiny bones. She picked up everything she could, (maybe even grabbed some things that weren’t even bones) grimacing all the way through. The things they (she) did for Regan. Yuck. It turned out three bags were like, way too many for all those little bones, but whatever. They got what they needed, the gerbil packed exclusively in one bag and the other findings shoved into another. Jade handed everything to Van, wiping her hands on the empty one. Ew. She’d need to scrub for hours to feel clean again. “Okay!” she panted, glancing at Van with a triumphant look. “I’ll shovel this back super quick so we can skedaddle.” Was it gonna be a perfect job? Nope, but she’d at least make the mess look like there were dogs playing around with the headstones, and not two grown women searching for bones. “Wasn’t this so fun?” she sang, patting down the soil with the shovel. “We should do it again!” One look at Van’s tension-filled face, had her regretting her words. “Or! Maybe we can do something more chill. I’d teach you to ride my bike for sure. We’ll… we can figure it out,” she laughed, wrapping her arm around Van’s shoulder and strolling back to the shed. They would leave everything as it was. No one would ever know Daffy was no longer buried. And like, no one else would care enough to go looking for him anyway.

Van flinched at Jade’s offer, shaking her head. “No, I don’t.. need one.” If anything, she was the unsafe thing. She already had two kills under her belt. Sure, the first hadn’t been on purpose, and maybe she didn’t drive the knife into Debbie’s skull like Nora had, but did that really matter? Wasn’t the intention what mattered? Or the power she couldn’t control? As Jade further clarified, she felt her skin prickle. What would happen if she had one? Would she accidentally hurt somebody? Even if Jade didn’t think she would, she was accidentally hurting people with her magic all of the time. “I think I’ll stick to like, butter knives. You know, for spreading jam and stuff.” She offered Jade a stiff smile, not wanting the older girl to think any differently of her for denying the gift of a knife. 

She felt a little exposed, recounting a story from her childhood the way she was. It wasn’t intimate or anything, but Van felt like it should have been by the way that Jade was looking at her. It reminded her of the way parents looked at their kids when they’d done something cute– not an emotion she saw flit across her parents often. She was sure that there was more depth to Jade’s words, I miss things that aren’t mine all the time– because Van missed things all of the time, but mostly the things that were hers that she couldn’t have anymore. 

The box was in her hands, which meant that they were closer to leaving the scene of their self imposed crime. Jade’s reassurance that Daffy wouldn’t come back to rip her throat out made Van feel a little better. 

She watched as Jade continued to dig, more boxes and more things unearthed from their supposed-to-be permanent graves. She felt guilty for digging them up, but it was too late to turn back now. Dr. Kavanagh needed the bones for whatever reason, and Van couldn’t afford to get kicked out. The items she held in her hands were quickly disposed of into the bags that they had brought with them. Maybe she had misremembered just how big gerbils were, or whatever else had been buried alongside them. “Again? I don’t– I mean, we could like, go roller skating or something, but I don’t think that doing this again would be fun.” She looked down at the bags with a frown, “I really hope she’s happy with what we found.” If she wasn’t, what would happen? Would she come and throw both Van and Thea out? Would she make Jade do it as punishment for not finding the right or best bones? The more she sat with these thoughts, the more confident she was that Dr. Kavanagh might have been some kind of dog shifter with wings. Those could exist, right? Bears did. “Riding your bike would be much cooler.” Scarier, maybe, she realized. It was too late to take it back, though, and Van simply followed Jade away from the scene of the crime– a bag in tow and the shovel stowed back to where it belonged. 

#para: bones of payment #para: jade #wickedswriting #//i love jade and mary sm

[realmackross]

PARTIES: @highoctanegem, @realmackross TIME: A week or so after the Barbie Nightmare Sleepover SUMMARY: Mack has food delivered to her house only to meet her mortal enemy, Jade, instead. WARNINGS: Unsanitary tw (for the mess not cleaned up from the sleepover); infidelity tw (implied by Jade)

Jade was still new to the whole food delivery business. It had been a no-brainer as soon as she came to town, a quick way to earn some money while having the time and freedom at her disposal to dedicate to the completion of her actual mission. (Blegh). But it was kinda cool, cause all this traveling was helping her get to know Wicked’s Rest a little better. Today’s order, for example, was sending her to a place in town she had yet to explore: World End’s Isle. 

As new as she was to her job, Jade was positive she would never ever see a house like the one she was approaching again. Whew. It was like, an actual mansion. Like some business or real estate mogul was shacked up inside, freshly off their third divorce, but ready and looking for wife number 4 to dot on.

And Jade was so, so willing to step up and take them off the market. So even before she reached the gates, she made it her mission to score an invitation to go inside. No matter what. She would flirt a little (a lot), flatter whoever she needed, and see where that got her. 

It turned out to be way simpler than she expected. 

Jade had predicted guards at the entrance, an assistant to pick up the food and go, something like that. Rich people things. Not that it would have stopped her, of course. She would’ve twirled her hair, bat her eyelashes, and it would’ve been fine. None of those scenarios materialized. Instead, everything was managed remotely. She couldn’t complain, it made everything super easy.

She parked outside and removed her helmet, fixing her curls with one hand before extracting the package from the delivery box. The gates opened just as she was strutting towards them. She grinned excitedly, feeling super important. Oh, they must’ve had cameras around. Duh. Jade slipped inside without a second thought, making the short walk to the main door. 

Jade stood there, glancing down at her phone for some final details (she didn’t wanna mess up another order), taking a quick picture of it, then rapped her knuckles against the big fancy door. Would anyone inside that big house hear her? She decided to push the doorbell button too, just in case. “Hi! I have your UberEats? It’s… for” she reached for the bottom of the bag, reading the name scribbled on it. “Mackenzie?”

—

Since the sleepover incident, Mackenzie had quit showing her face around town. It was just easier to go off and do her own thing alone without the possibility of being questioned by so many people. And to make matters worse the paranoia that someone from the failed gettogether would leak that she was a zombie had been ingraining itself down into her brain a little deeper with each passing day. It’s why keeping up appearances was everything and that included a useless food order from UberEats.

Hearing the doorbell,  Mack checked the Ring camera on her phone to make sure it wasn’t anyone she knew. The person didn’t look familiar to her, so she assumed it was safe. Pushing the talk button on the app, she spoke, “Uh, yeah. That’s me. I’ll be right there.” Despite not wanting to do much of anything, she did still manage to keep the smell of death and decay at bay. If she wanted to appear human, she knew she had to no matter how hard it might have been to even want to get up out of bed.

Mackenzie walked to the door and took a moment to gather herself. If it was one thing she was good at, it was putting on a show. She had been doing it for most of her life. Opening the door, the twenty-five year old had a smile on her face, “Hey, come on inside.” She turned around and walked back somewhat into the entrance of the house still decorated in pink from the Barbie Nightmare Sleepover that had taken place over a week ago, “Sorry about the place. Had a few friends over, and it got a little out of hand.”

—

Jade’s mouth dropped at the first glimpse of what waited for her inside. The explosion of pink momentarily diverted the attention from the woman in front of her. “Woah, it’s like Barbie threw up in here!” she chuckled, looking up in awe. She’d never been too much of a pink girl, but she had to admit this whole Barbie renaissance had her rethinking all that. Barbie could totally be a vampire slayer, couldn’t she?

She didn’t think twice when the invitation came and she strolled inside, the paper bag with Mackenzie’s order safely tucked in her arms. (Did the woman not care about her order? Usually people were like vultures when it came to picking up an order) (In fact, she loved snapping the most unflattering pic possible of that moment). When Jade finally got a good look at the woman, intending to ask where to leave the order, something clicked. Oh. Shoot. She’d seen her before. A lot, actually. A few Instagram filters give or take, and that woman looked identical to the girl Brody dumped her for. (She was mature enough now to admit it had been a bit of an obsession at the time) (A tiny one, totes. But enough to know she wasn’t mistaking her for someone else). 

Mackenzie…yup. That tracked. Wasn't she an aspiring actress or something? She had been the last time Jade stalked her, at least. So why would she leave sunny L.A for this dumpster town? That she had to know. Was Brody still in the picture? Jade was way too nosy not to get to the end of that mystery. 

And her failed fling wouldn’t stand in the way of getting a tour of the manor, either. Nope. Jade could be a big girl about it. In spirit. Physically, not so much. She hadn’t thought about the guy in years, anyway. “This looks amazing. I mean, all kinds of messy and dirty but… you know what I mean” she dared stepping further inside, eyes flicking everywhere. “If it’s not like…totally annoying and imposing, I’d love a little tour of the place. You must love to show it off, right?” she flashed a dazzling grin. Go for the ego, that’s right.

—

The delivery driver did have a point. It did look like a hot pink mess. One that was a stark reminder of everything that had happened. And also everything that Mackenzie had wanted to forget. She was going to have to clean it up soon. Her house couldn’t stay decked out in pink forever, especially considering all the negative connotations it held now. And if anyone from the sleepover had decided to visit, what would they have thought? “Yeah, sorry about that. Just haven’t had the energy to clean. You know how those ragers can be.” It was a bullshit excuse, but whatever. Mackenzie wasn’t feeling today or any day for that matter, at the moment.

“So, uh, how much of a tip do I owe you?” Everything that had happened was distracting her from the driver and even from the picture she had taken for the app. Instead, the zombie padded back towards the kitchen to put her now acquired food on the counter and grab her phone, so she could pull the UberEats app back up. It really didn’t matter if the meal had been cold or not. It’s not like she could really enjoy it anyways, and she’d probably throw it in the microwave and then douse it with so much hot sauce that anyone else wouldn’t be able to eat it.

Mackenzie walked back to the entrance, where the woman was standing. Looking up, she narrowed her eyes for a brief moment. A wave of nostalgia washed over her, but she couldn’t remember why, “Do I know you from somewhere?” She rushed through as many memories and names as she could, but the question about a tour distracted her, “Uh, I don’t know. It’s really wrecked from the party…” Why was she wanting to see Mackenzie’s house? Though her face looked familiar, she didn’t know this person.

—

Jade had been so distracted by the pink mess and the enormity of the house, (and the fact she had a blast from the past standing in front of her) that she almost missed the light buzzing underneath her skin. She blinked slowly, going silent for a moment only to confirm she wasn’t going crazy. Nope. Her senses were tingling in front of Mack. Not in the telltale way she associated with vampires, but in some type of undead way. Right? “Oh, no need to apologize” she blurted out, forcing a grin. “I totally know things can get super wild. You wake up like… dead the day after, am I right” she chuckled, tilting her head innocently. It was just a joke really, but would it be fun to get a reaction? Absolutely. “Did you have lots of fun?” 

“Oh. Pft, don’t you worry about that” Normally, she’d never wave off a tip, but if Jade wanted to learn more, buy herself more time, she had to appear extra nice and accommodating. She twirled a finger around the room. “This is like… perfect payment. It’s the fanciest place I’ve seen in this town. In my life maybe” and okay, maybe she didn’t want to miss the tip. “But I mean, I would accept whatever you have on you” she shrugged, “or the little tour, you know…I do have to get back soon so I wouldn’t waste your time too long”. Jade had already accepted another order but they could wait. So what if her ratings went down a little more? This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

When Mackenzie wandered off to the kitchen Jade contemplated what flavor of undead she might be in front of. No vampire, because duh, she’d feel that one. Zombie felt…unlikely too, considering she’d just delivered normal food to her, and not, you know, a brain burger. So by the time Mack returned, she was solidly on camp mare or fury. However, something about that felt off too. The vibes, or whatever. The other woman’s question pulled her out of her thoughts. Oh, so she did remember her then? (Duh, she was pretty memorable). Did she feel bad about stealing her man? (That was so reductive, actually. Why put two women against each other?) (But young Jade was still scorned, apparently). “Huh. You know what… you look a little familiar,” she squinted, pretending she hadn’t clocked her minutes ago. “Could be. Why would I… Oh! so…Any chance you lived somewhere in California a few years ago?”

—

Mackenzie’s mind felt like a jumbled up mess. So much had happened just recently with the sleepover and her secret getting out to a fairly large group of people that she was really just wanting to be left alone. But it was the dead comment that caught her attention and sent a jolt of panic through her corpse. Play it cool, Mackenzie. Play it cool. There was no way this woman could know she was dead right? Surely someone from the sleepover hadn’t opened their mouth already, “Right. Post-party sleeps are honestly some of the best. You’ve danced and drank, until your body says no more...And yeah, it was fun.” She had hoped she had diverted enough to get the woman onto something else.

Mack had been around people like this before. Someone wanting something from her. Trying to compliment her and kiss her ass. She was definitely planning on tipping, but she still wasn’t keen on showing off her house to some random stranger, “No, I insist on tipping. I know coming out to Harborside is a bit of a drive, so…” Looking back down at her phone, she thumbed her way back into the app and the order where she could leave a tip. “There. That should cover your gas out here, and then some.” She plastered on a smile as she closed the app and looked back up at the woman standing in front of her.

The interaction between the two had held so much awkwardness, at least in Mackenzie’s mind, that she really just wanted the other woman to leave and rather soon, “Uh, yeah. I’m originally from there. Decided to move out here for a bit of break, you know? It’s a little slower than the hustle and bustle of Hollywood.” It still didn’t ring a bell for the zombie though, of who this woman actually was. She had come across so many people in California between her co-workers and fans alone that she couldn’t really recall who Jade was. “I’m really sorry, though. I still don’t know who you are. But hey, I really appreciate you bringing my food for me.” She knew she was being rude, but she had just wanted this strange woman out of her house, before it led to something worse.

Moving back towards the front door, Mackenzie stood by it hoping that Jade would get the picture and leave.

—

Jade kept her eyes narrowed, a taunting smile playing on her lips. Mackenzie’s reaction was super predictable, all things considered. The spidey sense didn’t lie. Even if she wasn’t a vampire, she was something, as evidenced by her reaction to a really innocuous comment. Jade would play it off though, offering her assistance (the slaying type) only if she deemed Mack a lost cause. She could still joke about annoying hangovers and parties or whatever. “Yup! Been there, done that. My body isn’t taking it as well as it used to these days, unfort. Consequences of growing old, I guess” she scrunched up her nose delighted, “But you’re way younger, so I’m glad you had fun, cause this decoration totally deserved an amazing party!”

She ran a hand through her hair, her posture relaxed as she listened to the other woman assure she would be tipped. And like, she wasn’t gonna say no to that, even if the obvious resistance to showing her the mansion was a little frustrating. Jade couldn’t imagine having such a nice place and not wanting to show it off. But not everyone was as fun as she was, sadly. That was a given. “Perfect! That's totally nice of you. I appreciate that, like… so much” She nodded, her words genuine though Jade made little effort to glance at Mackenzie. “Sure, the gas. But the views more than makeup for it!” Her eyes were still dancing around the room. Taking on both the Barbie deco and the places the pink didn’t touch. 

“Oh!” Jade perked up as confirmation came that they did come from the same place. Not the same, but well… their pasts had intersected at some point. Via Brody. “That’s so cool that you did Hollywood! This would be like, the last place I’d come to chill after being among the stars”. Mackenzie, or Mack really, that’s how she’d known her before, didn’t act the way most celebrities did. Didn’t fall for the ego boost or the personal questions someone in the spotlight would’ve loved answering. It was weird, and she wondered if her little secret (the undead one) might have something to do with her evasiveness. “No problem. My name is Jade, I think you can see that in the app, can’t you?” Or did she mean she didn’t know her know her. That made more sense. The funny thing was, she probably knew more about Mackenzie than people in Wicked’s Rest did. “I’m going, no worries. Are you alright, though? For realsies? Like obviously I’m here just for the food but, what kinda girly would I be if I didn’t worry? I watched Barbie, you know… I’m super inspired by it. Women supporting women”.

She sauntered toward the exit, pretending to be ready to leave her house. (As if). But Jade was approaching the door when she turned, inching closer to Mackenzie than she had all evening. She lifted her index finger, as if she were reminiscing something. “I think… I figured it out” she smirked, basking in the way her skin thrummed with their proximity. More than anything, smug with the knowledge she had over Mackenzie. “Does the name Brody ring any bells?” of course it did, she didn’t need confirmation, she prodded further. “How is he, by the way? Would love to catch up with him”  

—

Mackenzie listened as Jade went on about various things. Clearly the woman couldn’t take a hint, but the young actress wasn’t going to be rude. Even though she was trying to lay low and figure out her life, she still didn’t want to tarnish her reputation by being rude to the person who had delivered her food. Instead, she kept a friendly smile plastered on her tired face and nodded in agreement, interjecting her thoughts every now and then to seem interested in the conversation, “I’m totes fine. You don’t have to worry about me at all. But thank you for checking. And I agree. Barbie did such a good job with spreading the women supporting women message, which was one of my favorite things about it.”

The closer Jade got to the door, the more excited Mackenzie had become. It was getting ridiculous at this point, and she was just hoping and praying she would finally leave. But what Jade said next and the smirk on her face revealed that the food delivery had never just been the intention. And as soon as she heard his name, it was like something in Mackenzie had changed. An anger had started to well up in her and more so, the monster that lay just beneath the surface, “Okay, you need to leave. Get out of my house right now.” The forced, but warm smile that had been on her face was no longer apparent. Instead, it was something of hurt and disgust, “I don’t know who you think you are, but you need to go.” At this point, Mackenzie’s posture had changed to something more threatening.

—

So Mack wanted to play dumb. Ugh, it was such an obvious, uninspired choice, Jade thought. And like… Coming from anybody else? She would’ve been a fan. Yes queen, gaslight. Fully in support. Playing dumb was a favorite move of hers too. But now, when it mattered to her? She was so not vibing with it. She pursed her lips, resisting the eye-roll. “Huh… really?” her chin tilted upward, both to appear taller than she was and to pretend she was trying to recall the situation again. “That’s super weird…” licking her lips, she waved her phone in front of Mack’s face. “So if I spent a little time stalking social media, I totally wouldn’t find pictures of you two together?” Honestly? She probably didn’t need to stalk social media for them. She could like, open her photo app and scroll down a couple of years. She was sure she saved some, with the intention of confronting Brody. But alas, that never happened. (Meaning, she met someone cuter the following week).

Brody. Who, for what she was gathering… might not even be part of Mack’s life anymore. It made this a little more boring for Jade, but she could still have some fun with it. “What happened, did someone steal him from you?” she tilted her head curiously, but the mischievous glint in her eyes gave away the punchline before it even left her lips. “I’d say that sucks… but you know what Tay Swift says about Karma”. Who knew, maybe she could be the bigger person and like… bond with Mack over Brody screwing both of them. She could so be the bigger person here. Again, she watched Barbie, girl power!

Mack did not have the same idea though, and her resolve not to engage with Jade’s bait slowly faltered. She liked it, this was way more fun than playing dumb. And she knew how to counteract too. “Easy there…” she cooed, stepping into Mack’s personal bubble, her relaxed grin morphing into something more calculated. “I really don’t think you wanna get snappy with me. Considering…I already figured out your secret” Her gaze dropped to the woman’s chest, (not for gay reasons) (well, she could multitask) but to signal Mack’s missing heartbeat. “And not the Brody thing… though your reaction tells me all I wanted to know about that too”.  

It was a little annoying she wasn’t going to get a Barbie house tour after all, but Jade knew the right amount of menace she needed to be at any particular moment. And she was pretty much at the limit here. She hadn’t exactly come prepared to get rid of a feral undead. As long as she remained in control, Mack wouldn’t have to know that tiny detail. “I’ll do you a solid, babe. Since you like… tipped super well and all. I am a grateful woman. So I’m leaving, and your pretty head stays intact. How do you like that? I think you’re winning here,” she feigned a sweet smile, walking backward to the door, in case Mack decided to show her claws at the last second. Normally, she wouldn’t use her duty to threaten anyone. Normally. She wasn’t like, against a good catfight (at least in the past) (these days she was like, such a feminist) but this was different. This felt… it didn’t sit well with her. Weaponizing undead suffering to taunt them, but whatever. Maybe Mack should’ve thought twice before stealing her boyfriend all those years ago, right? Yeah! What about Jade’s suffering, huh? She was petty, she could still hold the grudge. (Sue her!) 

She definitely didn’t want to stay and wait for Mack to disagree with her offer and choose to throw hands instead, so like… time to go. She raised her hand and wiggled her fingers as one last provoking gesture, before she yeeted herself out the door. 

—

At this point, Mackenzie had refused to give into anything Jade was saying despite how angry she was starting to get. So much so that her eyes were starting to get that glaze, you know the one, and any functioning brain matter was starting to go feral. Words were going in one ear and out the other. If she kept flapping her gums, she wouldn’t get to enjoy that generous tip Mackenzie had left earlier. But Mack would get a much better meal than the now ice cold $10 take out she had ordered that had cost more like $50 by the time she had tipped.

As Jade continued to berate and prod her about Brody, Mackenzie kept her eyes trained on the shorter woman following her every move, including the brunette looking down at her…boobs? Why is she looking at my boobs? They are nice boobs, but I thought this was about Brody? Shit. Focus, Mackenzie. If the delivery driver had been trying to hint at anything else, besides having a crush on her, it had gone straight over Mackenzie’s head. Approaching feral zombie mode seemed to do that, take and splice through any current functioning brain cells, until they were unrecognizable, and it seemed like Mackenzie was starting to learn that strong emotions could affect her state-of-mind much like getting injured could. Just in a more controllable way.

“…I think you’re winning here,” Those were the words, accompanied by Jade’s motion towards the door that Mackenzie had picked up on, “And I think you’d better never come back.” Her teeth were gritted as she watched the woman get one final provocation in before leaving. And when Jade was finally gone, Mackenzie could feel her entire body relax, including the nails that had dug into the palms of her hands finally releasing from her skin.

Feeling threatened in her own home in Wicked’s Rest had been a first, and something Mackenzie didn’t appreciate. She had expected it in California. Hell, it had even happened in California, but not here. And that was taking into consideration that she had recently died here, after Cass had accidentally sent her careening over the upstairs balcony. But today a line had been crossed. If Jade wanted a bitch-off, she was going to get a bitch-off. No one made Mackenzie Ross feel threatened in her safe-space. Not today and not ever again. But first, food was in order, and not that processed crap that reminded her of the shitty, delivery driver who’s tip she was revoking. No, this was Grade A Human and with every bite, she was going to imagine she was taking a little nibble off of a screaming Jade.

#para: bad blood #para: jade #highoctanegem #unsanitary tw #infidelity tw #{closer to fine; plot}

[yellow4k]

sale oc para vigilante au???

me agarro la loquera ayer en la noche y me dio de hacer perfil de vigilante au (por doody y maru) de un oc del cual el internet aun no sabe, planeo postear mas acerca de mi oc para despues revelar el post de perfil, o si la gente pide puedo poner el doc con el perfil ya :>

spoiler: aun hago gachas y este es el diseño q le tengo xd no me aguantaba pa postearlo tbh.

#random #yellow random #xd #ddvau #jadee para ddvau real #tengo sueño #ayud #Jadee Nightingale #Jadee oc #Yellow oc ehat

[izzidame]

tag dump.

✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ ooc ⌟

#✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ visage ⌟ #✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ jade ⌟ #✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ breanna ⌟ #✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ monika ⌟ #✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ para ⌟ #✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ text ⌟ #✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ musing ⌟ #✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ private ⌟ #✶ — › ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ɪs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴᴅʟᴇ — ⌜ ooc ⌟

[empleosusa]

Tarot Barato Completo, tarot barato si o no marsella

Antes de contactar con el chat (mensajes privados), siempre lea toda la información en la sección área de consultoría del perfil. La ventana de chat se abre para recibir mensajes al pagar por cualquier servicio de la lista debajo de esta sección. Llamanos para leerte el tarot: ➡ ESPAÑA: [phone] ➡ MEXICO: [phone] ➡ USA: [phone] ➡ COLOMBIA: [phone] ➡ ARGENTINA:…

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#31 agosto signo #Arcanos mayores tirada gratis #Corta brujeria #Esperanza gracia aries hoy #Oraculo jade #Ritual para conseguir un buen trabajo #Soñar Con Peinarse #Tauro 16 de mayo

[sunnysideof-archieve]

    — numa escala de 0 a 10, o quanto você acha que esse evento vai dar merda também? — num tom brincalhão, sun abraçou a melhor amiga por cima dos ombros e escondia um medo gigante por trás do sorriso debochado.  — eu digo além do óbvio, tipo aquela noticia nojenta do tomato-a-villain. — só de lembrar, o estômago de sun revirava.  — estou falando de coisas tipo as últimas festas, sangue, caos, gritaria... eu aposto uns 1000. to vendo que os eventos de arthurian são um negócio bem diferente. — ele riu de novo, uma pouco mais irônico dessa vez. lembrava de ouvir tanto sobre o quão incríveis eram as festas da cidade de cima, e até agora só passou por desespero e traumas em cada uma que participou. — eu não queria estar aqui. — admitiu entre um suspiro, mas isso não era nada além do óbvio. que castigado realmente queria estar ali? era injusto em tantos sentidos. — mas já estamos, e estamos deslumbrantes, então eu quero fazer alguma coisa divertida antes que isso aqui vire o inferno. alguma coisa que minha princesa esteja pensando?

@minihook 

#♡ ⌗ it may feel like I’m seducing you; if so I'm sorry ┉ paras #jade