Blue Royalty: New Blood

[novella]

---

It seemed Veronica’s attention had been caught by the sky too, as they both had a brief moment of silence to take it in. It was better up here. Sitting here, he could pretend to forget about the somber atmosphere - and similar last few weeks - they had left. Why couldn’t he just stay here forever? Veronica broke the silence, and Justin’s thoughts cleared as he tilted his head over to her to listen. “You come up to my roof often, then?” He asked after a short laugh through his nose and a trace of confusion across his face. “Any particular memories up here?”

“Well, points for creativity, I suppose,” Justin told her as he took a drink. He handed it back over to Veronica as a thought crossed his mind. “Anything you’re drinking to?” He inquired, wondering if there was something she was trying to forget through the medium of alcohol, too.

---

@CerealKiller Veronica Parker

[Kristi]

---

+Sebastian

---

‘not yeah’ Adonis thought when Evie said she was fine where she was, like why couldn’t she play angel and just leave? He is sure Evie has already caught up enough with Atlas, Adonis wanted to ‘catch’ up with Atlas too, like was it a sin to do that? Ok, he did not really want to catch up with Atlas but he wanted to have a ‘talk’ with Atlas that consisted of ‘why did you come back?’ 'can you go back to what ever whole you went to?"or a little ‘jokey’ punch for disappearing, you know nothing too bad.

If Adonis noticed the way Atlas reacted, he did not say or think a thing of it, unlike the way Evie reacted which made him flinch a little. Sebastian on the other hand, had noticed it, his lips curling into a disappointing face as he glared at Adonis, too many negative energy, Sebastian was not a fan of negative energy or the way things seemed to have been going right now. He wished that he had found out about Atlas before Adonis did, before Adonis and him found out together. Maybe then he would have found a way to control Adonis, ‘harsh’ response but damn, Sebastian did not know that Adonis hate for Atlas was this deep , Adonis could be a liar sometimes and Adonis father was an actor, so Sebastian was sure Adonis could act.

Adonis gave a sheepish look when Evie said what was wrong with him, whoops he slipped! See, he meant it but he did not mean to say it out loud, well he did mean to say it out loud a little but that was only by 5%. .

When Atlas said that he knew Adonis meant it, Sebastian had thought in his head, well you’re not wrong but i’m trying to be nice about it an lose the negative energy he sighed. He wondered how he was going to respond. Adonis being Adonis.

As Atlas talked Adonis couldn’t help but to roll his eyes, ‘you have no idea what i’ve been through’ well obviously did it really look like Adonis cared? After what Atlas put Leon too, he wants Adonis to start going on his knees carrying like a baby and coddling him? ‘oh, i’m so sorry pooks, i truly dont know what you have been through im so sorry’ Atlas needed to be a little more serious. Though, it would not hurt to ask even if Atlas won’t answer him, especially since Sebastian was pinching him through Adonis shirt. “And what is it that you have been through?” Adonis asked crossing his hands, “No because now I’m curious what have you been through that you disappeared without a word without a goodbye? You couldn’t even break up with Leon before leaving or make up a story for him? You just carried your little short self and left and now you’re fcking back and thought that I would what? Fall at your feet because I missed you so much,” Adonis rolled his eyes, “Do you know how many years you have gone? Do you know how hard it was for leon to be Leon after his father died and you left without a word? I almost lost my best friend because ‘you’ve been through stuff’ did you get kidnapped is that it?”

Because unless he had been kidnapped there was no excuse on why Atlas could not have at least said goodbye, so was he? because if he was not kidnapped then really what was his excused?

Sebastian just scratched his head looking to make sure no one was around him, and nodding his head as Atlas answered the question he asked him. "It’s good to have you back,’ Sebastian said and Adonis gave him a side eye which Sebastian just rolled his eyes at. “We have been good, recently this one person, Sadie the singer she well… passed away and a lot of students are in grief.” Sebastian answered.

---

@Caticorn

[raviola]

Hera and Persie

Persie holds open a camera as she records herself putting on jewelry while getting ready for the ultrasound with Hera. “Today we’re finding out if you’re a girl or a boy!” Persie exclaimed. “I think boy, but Hera,” She rolls her eyes, “Thinks you’re a girl. Which is ridiculous, how dare they question my psychic abilities! Your auncle? Is just very silly.”

Hera stares at Persie blankly, unamused by her ability to absolutely flop at using inclusive language. “Persie, you aren’t gonna get famous as a teen mom youtuber. They only like white people.” P shudders, “Hey! I haven’t told the baby about racism yet! Anyway,” She looks back to the camera “Your auncle-“

Hera interrupts. “Cant they just call me pee paw or something?” Persie giggles. “Okay well your peep poop” “Thats not what I said” “Your PEEP POOP thinks you’re a girl but hopefully when you watch this we will all realize they were wrong.” P side eyes Hera.

“All things aside, me and your peep poop are best friends” Persie smiled, pulling in Hera for a side hug when they walked into the frame. Hera doesn’t react at first, but then hugs Persie back, pulling away when she gets back to talking for the video

—

Hera and Persie had finished getting ready accidentally too early, after Hera had reprimanded Persie for being on time and they decided to sit and rerun episodes of glee from the first three seasons (the only good ones). “Why can’t Will and Emma see they’re in love?” Persie asked sadly. The doorbell rang. “Fvck em, Im a Sue Stan.” Hera responded, both of them getting up to go answer the door. As expected, it was Leon there to pick them up.

“Leon’s here” Hera called into the house, Gillian and Meg in the other rooom. “Bye moms!” She and Persie said at the same time. They walked out, and Leon opened the car door for Persie to walk in, then went and remembered to do the same for Hera because he seemed to not want to show any favoritism. Hera obviously understood that Persie was the pregnant person, and they don’t need doors opened for them, so they just chuckled and stepped in the car when Leon did that for them. Both of them thanked him.

The car began to drive forward and Hera asked if they could have aux, connecting the cord and then playing gangster rap, of course. Persie smirked, signaling she liked the song and started saying the lyrics she knew word for word. Not suprising, but Hera was kinda impressed. “How are y’all?” Persie asked, looking mostly at Leon’s sister, since they never really got to talk much.

@Caticorn

[CerealKiller]

---

”I haven’t been here in ages, but it’s definitely a good roof” she said with a light smile looking over at him for a moment. Any memories? Perhaps, I suppose, memories of times she was there all this time ago, when her and Annie were still friends, that was like what? A million years ago come on. ”not really, I guess I just like the vibe of this spot, it’s relaxing ”

He took a sip from the glass-less bottle and she smiled lightly as he passed it back to her with a question ”honey I don’t need a reason to drink, but I do have a few” she added with a light sigh and took the bottle from him, taking a good sip as well.

”how’s your life been, besides… you know.” she sat down and asked , ”I haven’t seen you in a while” she added, passing him the bottle again

---

@novella Justin (sorry again)

[raviola]

They stood with their boots immersed into green grass, dim reflections of her outfit shined under moonlight. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, and spring was not what it seemed. Unlike the seasons, people do not come back next year, and when you think the weather is starting to feel warm again, you’re just telling yourself that to low the goosebumps on your arms. The tip of their shovel digged into the ground, with their arm propped above the handle. Hera has learned the hard way that this life is not a movie, nor a fairytale, this was just another sad ending. A flat bed of soil laid fresh in the shape of a large rectangle at their feet.

Here lies Daiane Meyer. The tombstone read in Hera’s handwriting. Beneath the rough surface, her body was made of paper, letters from Hera and monthaversary bouqets carefully assembling her form. What a waste. All that effort, turned cold on her pale lips, warm undertones growing cold and blue. Why did it never work for them? Why did every path she took in that maze lead to a dead end? Ane didn’t exist anymore, and who knew what happened to Dai, disappearing like a ghost. The same happened with AJ, and any person before. They were never enough, never loved in return. All those years it took to open their heart, and just months for it to harden, cracked from any angle. What was it that they did wrong? Were they not attractive, too crazy, too broken? How can you rip someone in half and then call them too broken?

They were supposed to grow old together, and go back into the earth holding hands. A second vacancy lay across the ground, dirt piled up next to it. They dug two graves, but only one was needed. If you find yourself sinking, even if it’s six feet deep, get up. That’s what Hera would tell you. Who does life think it is to put you down? No one’s gonna help you if they see the white flag. If anyone’s gonna give a f^ck, it better be you. Because sometimes, you drown and the lifeguard is right there. Make them notice you.

Hera let go of the shovel, and it thudded softly on the earth. She strutted away with a smirk, looking in front of her with black eyes soaked in desire. Ariana put her hands on their shoulders, pulling herself real close. She wore a little red dress, and Hera’s jacket to stay warm. It looked much better on her curves. So pretty. They took the cigarette from her hand, taking a blow and grabbing her by the waist as they blew the smoke into her mouth. Her touch made nicotine feel like ecstasy, and they heard her pick up her heel, slightly swinging her leg back to enjoy their rough kiss even more. All Hera had been looking for, right there in front of them. Just like she was the whole time. Cherry waves became an ocean, encompassing the two in a storm of red.

Unfortunately, that picture in her head was only real where their mind dared to linger. They still had a couple things to figure out, including the fact that she was still a b^tch. Ari had snuck out to her locker during the school day, and she seemed approachable to Hera cutting class as usual. The person walked over to where she stood, and leaned their side against the array of compartments against the wall. “You apologized to Persephone.” They said, informing her that they knew. No one owed each other this conversation, but they wanted to hear the story from the girl herself.

@kristi

[Kristi]

---

Ari Lee was in her locker, putting her things in her bag. She had heard that Sadie, the singer and a relation to many many people in her school had died and really Ari could not pretend to care much about that. Sure, death was horrible, she was too young and all that. True, but Ari liked the sorrowful looks all the people she hated disliked, somehow in her sick twisted mind that sure she was trying to work to be better or som shxt like that, because eh she was talking to this therapist that said positive is the best positism is awesome and whether Ari believed it or not was still not very clear. Moreover a lot of them had told Ari that she was going to fail in life, she was not all that and she would die sad and lonely but look who died and who did not- right Sadie! Rest in peace to her tho or whatever, songs might have been boring but she did not deserve to die.

Ari closed her locker ready to go, when Hera had approached her. Ari rolled her eyes- what did they want now? Ari was in her positive era and her fcking ex just had to come out of thin air. The ex who Ari was still trying to forget because no matter how fcked up their relationship might have been, Ari loved them. There was just something about Hera’s carefree nature that drew Ari close to them and Ari sometimes fear will keep driving Ari close to them. She did not want that, she wanted away from Hera, from Persephone, she wanted to forget everything, she had already apologies to Persephone because really whether Ari was drunk or not, that was still fcked up thing to do- to push a pregnant girl. Ari might not have been in her most sober mind but still, she felt incredible bad for that and followed Persephone somewhere to apologized and even when to the hospital a couple of times to see when her eyes were still closed.

“You apologized to Persephone”

Hera said and Ari shifted uncontrollably. “Yes, I did.” Ari admitted. “I talked to her and offered to pay any expenses,” That was true because really Ari did feel bad about Persephone, she could have lost the child or gotten seriously hurt and Ari did not wish for either. “Is that really why you approached me? You could have just asked your sister”

---

@raviola

[raviola]

She admitted it. That was great and all, Hera was about to leave before she asked why they really wanted to talk. Smart. The truth was, they didn’t really know why they wanted to talk to her. I mean, obviously, their sister, but was it bad if they missed her voice a little too? It was a guilty pleasure of theirs, picking fights with the girl to hear her talk. It’d be a waste to let a pretty girl like her get away that easy. She liked to say things that were really wrong, but maybe one day they would sound right. Honestly, Hera condemned alot of the things she had done, but they had a little bit of hope for her.

“I wanted to say I appreciate it.” They explained, glad to see Ari was doing a little better. “And you don’t have to worry about the money, I got it.” Hera assured her, still remembering not to be too nice. “The offer’s a little late, but it’s okay, you’ll do better next time.” hey mocked her slightly, implying she’d probably f^ck up again. I mean, it did sound likely, but she needed a little reminder. They were dtf and all, but their loyalty is still to Persephone.

@kristi

[Caticorn]

---

Atlas froze up as Adonis yelled at him. He wasn’t sure how to react. Yes, he knew how long he’d been gone. Yes, he’d thought about the toll it would take on Leon. But had he been kidnapped? Technically not. He’d gone to France with Kaori willingly but he didn’t know that when he got there, she would take his passport for ‘safekeeping’ and make sure he never saw it again. During the years he spent with her, he tried his hardest not to think about the effect his leaving would’ve had on Leon. Doing so hurt because he knew it wasn’t good. He snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Evelyn put her hand on his arm.

“I never meant to be gone this long.” He admitted, speaking quietly. He was trying to defend himself to Adonis and apologize to Evie and Sebastian at the same time. He felt guilty for what he had done to his family and friends but it wasn’t entirely his fault either. Yes, he had left his home but he had never intended to leave the country. He’d never intended to cut off all contact indefinitely. All he had wanted to do was protect the people he loved. “I’m just not ready to talk about it yet because truth be told I haven’t totally processed what I went through. I need to make sense of it myself before I broadcast what happened.”

“But you know what? Saying Leon’s mental health hinged on me isn’t fair. I wasn’t some magical cure for his issues. I didn’t do anything special. I just gave him a hug when he needed one and offered him distractions.” He added, feeling like that needed to be said. He already felt guilty about leaving. He didn’t need Adonis rubbing it in even further and making him feel worse. But there was one part of his rant that kept repeating in the back of Atlas’ mind: “…you left without a word?” “I didn’t leave without a word. I visited him the night I ran away and said goodbye to him. He just didn’t know it was more than a ‘see you tomorrow’ goodbye. I wanted it that way so he wouldn’t worry about me because I was only planning to be gone for a few weeks.”

When Sebastian told him that it was good to have him back, he gave him a quick nod. Whether it was true or not, he appreciated that Sebastian at least had the decency to not be an a-s. Then he told him what was hanging over everyone. “Yeah, I saw the news online. It’s really sad, what happened to her.” He responded, putting his hands in his pockets.

---

@Kristi - Adonis + Sebastian

[Kristi]

---

Ari just looked away when Hera said they appreciated it. “I didn’t do it for you,” Ari muttered, because really she did not. She did it because even though she was a btch, deep down she was a btch with feelings. That was to say that yes as surprising as it might sound, because let’s face it Ari Lee was a goddess, Ari was a human. A human who was trying to better her self by distancing herself from her family, her troubles and going to therapy. Ari Lee in therapy, something she never thought would happen but here she was! “Still, if anything comes up i’m willing to pay,” Ari said looking down- she really did not want to look Hera in the eye. She was still the ex that Ari would admit, she thought about all the time. From their makeup choices that Ari would often consider strange, from their personality that if it was on anyone else Ari would have considered them a weirdo- and well she still does consider Hera a weirdo, but there was always something different about her.

What was the thing that was so different about her? Ari could not pin point but there was just a force, a force that will always pull Ari into Hera and Ari obviously did not want that. She did not, She wanted everything but that. She rolled her eyes when Hera said that Ari would probably fck up again, “I appreciate your faith in me,” Ari said rolling her eyes, “If yo have not noticed im trying to better myself, and sure I might mess up at times but im fcking trying and you’re standing in my front.”

---

@raviola

[Caticorn]

---

Once Persie and Hera were safely in the car, Leon got back behind the wheel. As he started driving, Hera asked for the aux and Jae unplugged her phone, handing it to them. There was a brief moment of silence before Hera’s song selection started up. The music they started playing was such a stark contrast from Jae’s K-pop, that it made him chuckle to himself. He couldn’t deny that he was impressed by Persie knowing all the words. His sister turned her head to look at her when she asked how they were.

“I’m doing good. My boyfriend took me to this really cute café this morning and they had a station where you could make phone charms. Mine has his initials on it and his has mine.” Jae responded with a smile, holding up her phone to show off the charm, which had a variety of teal beads in different shapes and opacities with two white beads that had the letters S and T, the letters separated by an orange heart.

“The past few weeks have been a little crazy but I’m excited for today. Also kind of nervous.” Leon admitted, adding his own answer to Persie’s question. He looked into the rear-view mirror to look at her while answering without completely taking his eyes off of the road. He had already put the address for the doctor’s office in his GPS before he’d left his apartment. “What about the two of you? Do anything exciting recently?” He asked as he returned to driving.

---

@raviola - Persie + Hera

[Kristi]

---

 +Sebastian

---

Adonis did not really believe Atlas when he said that he did mean to be gone that long- actually that was a lie, Adonis did believe Atlas though he was still a little upset about that. He knew that no matter how much he hated Atlas, that what Atlas and Leon had was real- that Atlas loved Leon and Leon loved Atlas and yet he could not help but to feel angry at Atlas, after all he had abandoned Atlas and now after telling Adonis that, ‘you don’t know what i’ve been through’ is refusing to tell him exactly what he has been through. Like damn, Adonis thought you wanted him to know what you’ve been through?? But you don’t see what type dumb shxt is that? And mind you, Adonis was trying to be nice- read trying with asking Atlas about his story what has he been through. “And you do not need to tell us now if you are not comfortable” Sebastian said, offering a smile towards Adonis while Adonis glared at him.

See, he did not understand why he was friends with Sebastian or why he was friends with most of the people he was friends with- it was as if Sebastian could not get angry or always tried to make himself to peace maker of a situation, which meant he never truly took a side but really- Adonis was his friend not Atlas, and though he could not really be mad at Sebastian for trying to keep the peace- he was starting to get annoyed at Sebastian coddling Atlas every word. Like he gets it- be nice, be nice and Adonis is being nice-ish.

“You may not have been a magical cure or whatever but at that moment, you were the only thing that felt real for Leon, and he was distancing himself from us. Evie! You were there, you saw what happened how after Leon’s father death he did not talk to any of us till some time and Atlas and you saw what happened after Atlas disappeared, and you’re taking his side?” Adonis argued. Yes, he knew that he was probably being very shtty trying to pin point all of Leon’s problems on Atlas, but Leon was his friend- no not his friend, his best friend and he thought that he(Adonis) and Atlas were perhaps starting to get along a little because Adonis was starting to see how good Atlas was for Leon till Atlas decided to just leave. Well, at least not without a word as he claims, but really could he not have said, ‘would be living for a week,’ instead of just a simple goodbye?

“Sadie… Ah I really loved her songs, she was such a good woman from what I’ve heard. Life is truly unexpected, a box of chocolates eh?” Sebastian said trying to spark a conversation, “What you want to happen never happens and what you don’t want to happen always seems to happen. It’s like the world is just one cruel joke. So, enough about that- are you going to graduate this year too or?”

---

@Caticorn

[novella]

---

Justin smiled, his eyes reflecting the playful tone that they had established up on the roof again. “Come on, you know we can’t forget the times when you and Annie would come up here as freshman,” He recalled, as Veronica had glossed over any memories she may have had from what seemed like decades ago. “Sneaking up sh.tty… Budweiser or something,” He continued, getting lost in the nostalgia of the comparatively-simpler time. “I still don’t even know how you got them, the gas station never took my fake ID. Pretty privilege probably.” He quipped, testament to her ability to charm her way through almost anything.

“Now look at us,” Justin commented as he took the bottle out of her hands - “Nothing’s changed.” He stated as if it could be true. Nothing had changed, except at the time of the recalled memory, adjusting to his parents divorce seemed like the worst thing their family could face. That seemed like a breeze in comparison to this. Snapping out of his thoughts, he drew attention to Veronica’s last sentiment. “A few? Care to expand?”

Sitting down beside Veronica, Justin gave a light laugh at her seemingly easy question. “You mean, besides the whole ‘life falling apart’ thing?” He asked, finishing the sentence that she wasn’t able to. “It’s been… yeah. Yeah,” Justin told her, knowing that this failed to actually give her an answer. “What about you? Give me something good, please.” He pleaded, needing some sort of good news.

---

@CerealKiller Veronica Parker

[Caticorn]

---

“And what if we had broken up?” Atlas asked, challenging Adonis. While he didn’t appreciate having his feelings towards his now ex-boyfriend questioned, he felt like he needed to ask this question to remind Adonis that he was still human. “We were fifteen. Yeah, I loved him but relationships don’t last forever at that age. We could’ve fought over something stupid and broken up or I could’ve decided that his grief was too much for me to handle and left. What then?”

“Look. No boy was going to undo Leon’s years of untreated mental illness. Doesn’t matter how much he meant to him. If that’s genuinely what you think, you’re being naive.” Evie responded, inserting herself between Atlas and Adonis. Even though she had a small amount of caring towards him when he had returned, he knew that she was staying here because of Leon and not because of him. "I get it. You want to protect him but you can’t save him from himself. Trust me. Even if Atlas had stayed or if he had come back sooner, something else would have eventually sent Leon down the same spiral.”

“Okay, can you stop talking about me like I’m not standing right here?" Atlas interjected, crossing his arms. “Adonis. You have every right to hate me. I hated myself for what I did but I was doing what I thought was right at the time. I was being followed and I didn’t want Leon or my parents to get hurt.” He confessed. Even though he didn’t want to, he felt he had to at least tell him this. Again he felt Evie’s hand on his arm, offering support and comfort.

Atlas nodded as Sebastian continued to speak about Sadie. “You can say that again.” He responded when Sebastian made his comment about the things you don’t want to happen always happening. Then he paused when he was asked if he was going to graduate this year. “I, um, I don’t know. I wasn’t going to school in France so I don’t know if I can.” He responded to the question about him graduating. It was one that he and his parents hadn’t addressed yet so he genuinely didn’t have an answer.

---

@Kristi

[Kristi]

---

Adonis could not believe Atlas was comparing what he had done to the possibility of them breaking up. That was a whole different thing! “That’s different and you know it too, I’m not going to give you shxt for breaking up with Leon if you had, Leon would have gotten over it because he cares about you most of all and wants your happiness! He would rather you break up with him and still be seen than for you to disappear for years. I would have rather had that too!” Adonis screamed to himself in his mind and yet spoke softly to Atlas as he said the last part. As much as Adonis hated to admit, Atlas disappearance had also affected him greatly.

Adonis was just getting used to Atlas- no longer seeing him as the small btchy ant he used to see him but seeing him as a person- like the progress!!! Anyways, he was getting fond of Atlas and of Atlas and leon’s relationship and Atlas just had to carry himself and get kidnapped apparently from what Atlas is suggesting. “I agree Evie something would have come, but it would have been stalled for much longer- he wsould have been older instead of being 15 and having the grief of a middle aged man” Adonis said- Adonis was not blaming all of Leons mental issues on Atlas- no that would have been wrong. Ever since Adonis knew Leon, Adonis knew this; leon was fcked up- a mess and Adonis was drawn to that. Perhaps because at the time, Adonis was also fcked up and he still was- though he was naive about how fcked up he truly was. Seeing someone truly fcked up- even more fcked up than him at that time made him relaxed, made him be able to hide his own messyness.

He always knew Leon to be capable of breaking- he always knew him to be a mess- that was how he knew Leon as. He always thought himself the opposite of leon, but him and leon were not so different. “Look, ant, I am not blaming Leon’s issues on you- Leon’s issues are his own issues, he has always had issues, and I get i’m being an @sshole or whatever, but I’m just saying, what did you think would have happened if you just left saying bye like once without context? You thought everything would be ok when you came back? That Leon would have just forgotten you like that? As if you were not his first love, Leon is much more emotional than that. He doesn’t forget easily, to him memories are like punishment that live with him forever,” Adonis said, “You could have been smarter about it… chose wiser… Idk God you could have done a lot of things better” Atlas had paused and then told him that he did not want to get Leon or his parents hurt- and yet he had hurt Leon when he felt, Adonis bitterly thought. But he did not say that- because he knew it would have been even more of an @sshole moved.

Atlas was being followed

Atlas was a child like all of them were at that time, Atlas was just as fcked up. “B-by who?” Adonis asked his voice hoarse as he noticed Evie’s hand on Atlas.

Sebastian stoood, his eyes flickering between them as he asked his question and Atlas answered. “You were in France?” Sebastian asked his brow raised, it’s been long since Sebastian has been in his birth nation. He was not allowed too after all, “Despise all the things that happened to you, how was it? France, I mean”

---

@Caticorn

[Caticorn]

---

“Look, you have every right to hate me for what I did,” Atlas started, wanting to attempt to explain himself one last time. He understood that it might take awhile for Adonis to move on from this fully, he could see it in his face that he hadn’t been completely unaffected, but he still wanted to try. “I just want you to hear me out. I thought I was doing what was best at the time. Emphasis on ‘at the time’. I was acting on impulse and it was never intended to be long-term. I did it because I loved Leon and I would have endured a lifetime of heartache if it meant that no physical harm would come to him.” He placed an emphasis on the word ‘physical’ because he knew when he left that it would hurt Leon but at least his life wouldn’t be in danger.

“Okay, Adonis, take a deep breath.” Evie instructed after he responded to her. Atlas was kind of glad that she had decided to stick around. Lord knows what would have happened if she hadn’t. Especially with how riled up Adonis seemed right now. “Yes, Leon’s been through an unbelievable amount of sh-t for someone our age and he didn’t deserve any of it but it happened. We can’t change that and getting mad about it isn’t helping. Can’t we just focus on the good things?”

“Adonis. I left the way I did for a reason!” Atlas finally snapped after Adonis continued to rant. He’d had enough of the way that he was being spoken to and how he kept missing the point. “I didn’t say where I was going so that if my parents or Leon were questioned about where I was by anyone, they could say they didn’t know and not be lying. I was protecting them! I didn’t think about what would happen when I came back because honestly, there was a point at which I didn’t think I would and it hurt. You keep talking about it as if I was tanning on a beach somewhere, which is not what happened. I need you to understand that and I need to know that you understand that. I was taken from a foreign country that I was just starting to call home to another foreign country where I didn’t even speak the language.”

“B-by who?”

Atlas noticed an immediate change in Adonis’ demeanour. It almost seemed like he cared and Atlas almost believed him. He let himself relax, hoping that he wouldn’t need to fight anymore and Evie took her hand off his arm. “Trust me. It’s better that you don’t know.” He answered. He didn’t need to have other people feeling the same paranoia he felt.

He nodded to confirm when Sebastian asked if he was in France but he had to pause to think for a second when he asked him how it was. His memories of the country were not exactly fond ones but he tried to think about things he saw that weren’t tied to the reason he was there. “I didn’t really see much of the country but the view from the resort I worked at was quite beautiful.” He answered with a small smile. “The people were pretty nice, too. More so when my French got better.”

---

@Kristi - Adonis + Sebastian

[CerealKiller]

---

Veronica leaned back, a smirk playing on her lips as she listened to Justin’s trip down memory lane. those were simpler times for sure. She took a sip from the bottle, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Ah, the good old days of sneaking shtty Budweiser,” she replied, followed by a light sigh. “Pretty privilege does have its perks,” She agreed “Too bad it’s not pretty privilege, it’s just charm. You should really try it sometime” She teased him with a playful wink.

She handed the bottle over to him, raising an eyebrow. “Nothing’s changed, huh?” Veronica chuckled, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Except now we’ve upgraded to fancier drinks and more complex problems.” She added
His question about her few reasons made her pause for a moment, thinking about everything that had happened recently. “Well,” She started, leaning back slightly “life’s been its usual rollercoaster. A few bumps in the road, but nothing I can’t handle I suppose.” she gave a seemingly nonchalant shrug “you know, besides the whole ‘life falling apart’ thing”

“Something good… Something good” She started thinking “Oh, you know, there’s the usual. World domination plans and such…” She (allegedly) joked, a sly smirk on her lips “And not one, but two new baby sisters” she added. Was she excited about the babies? yes of course, but now that they’re safely alive, in the grand scheme of event overload it wasn’t really something that occupied a big enough part of her thoughts. at least not right now. “So there’s that”

---

@novella Justin

[Ouijaloveletters]

Pulling up to the cute little cafe, Hyun-ae got out of her car, humming softly, adjusting her outfit. She was rather excited that Niko was finally letting her meet Yua. She didn’t really consider herself the best with children, but if Yua was Niko’s daughter, things should be fine. Hyun-ae had never gone to this cafe before, so she’d arrived about ten minutes early, in case she happened to get lost. That had never happened to her before, but there’s a first time for everything. That day wasn’t today, luckily. Also, to be completely honest, Hyun-ae also wanted some time to look at the menu. She’d eaten beforehand, but that was several hours before, so she was hungry again. Entering the cafe, she went to order, sitting down in a secluded booth so that the introduction wouldn’t be interrupted. Hyun-ae just hoped Niko could find her. Her food arrived, and she decided to wait for Niko and Yua to arrive before eating.
@Caticorn - Niko

[Caticorn]

---

Introducing their daughter to people was not a decision that Niko made lightly. Yua was their world and they always wanted to make sure they fully trusted a person before letting them meet her. The last thing they wanted was for her to get attached to someone and have them leave. They had finally reached a point with Hyun-Ae that they felt completely comfortable doing so and today, they were meeting her in a café to introduce her to the girl. They carried Yua into the building and looked for Hyun-Ae. When they finally spotted her in a booth, they turned their body so their daughter could see her.

“Hyun-Ae wa doko?” They asked the girl, smiling. They hoped that in turning finding her into a game, it would already warm her up to Hyun-Ae.

“Soko” She answered, pointing in her direction with a smile. Niko nodded, letting their daughter know she was correct. She carried her over to the table Hyun-Ae was waiting at, approaching with a smile.

“Sorry, I hope you weren’t waiting for too long.” They said as they set Yua down and greeted Hyun-Ae with a small bow. They saw the food on table, which to them indicated that she had been sitting at the booth for a while. “Hyun-Ae, this is my daughter, Yua. Yua, this is Hyun-Ae, Oya’s friend. Sore wa oya no tomodachi, Hyun-Ae desu.”

“Konnichiwa.” She said with a quick bow.

“Eigo de” Niko encouraged her with a small gesture.

“Hi” She greeted again with a shy smile.

---

@Ouijaloveletters - Hyun-Ae

Translation

Hyun-Ae wa doko? - Where is Hyun-Ae
Soko - there
Konnichiwa - hello
Eigo de - in English

[Ouijaloveletters]

Hyun-ae was watching the steam rise from her cup of coffee, trying to refrain from drinking it. She highly doubted Niko would be upset if she started without them, but she just wanted to be polite. Better safe than sorry, was her motto. One of them, at least. After a couple minutes, Hyun-ae heard a little girl’s voice pipe up, speaking in what she assumed to be Japanese. Looking up, she made contact with a little girl she immediately knew to be Yua. She smiled at the small child, waving. Niko headed over with Yua, apologizing if they’d made her wait. ”Don’t worry about it, Niko. I haven’t been here for too long. I actually got here early because I wanted to check out the place. Also, I have a habit of being indecisive with food. I figured i should wait before I started eating.” Niko then said something to Yua in Japanese, most likely telling the girl to greet them. Yua greeted her in Japanese. Luckily, that happened to be one of the Japanese words she actually knew. The next words Niko spoke were probably telling Yua to speak English. ”Hello, Yua. It’s great to meet you. Thank you for using English. Konichiwa is about the only Japanese I know.” She wasn’t sure how much of what she’d said Yua understood, but she was trying. Hyun-ae wasn’t exactly sure how kids…worked. Some were smarter than others, so she shouldn’t treat all children like they had the same brain. She finally took a sip of her coffee, nodding. ”Mmm, good coffee. I recommend.”
@Caticorn - Niko + Yua

[Caticorn]

---

Niko smiled Hyun-Ae reassured them she hadn’t been waiting long. “Speaking of food, do you have a menu?” They asked her, looking around the table trying to find one so that they could get food for themself and their daughter. Yua smiled when Hyun-Ae greeted her but looked up at her parent when Hyun-Ae continued in English. “Her English doesn’t really extend past simple sentences. She’s more proficient in Japanese but I’m raising her with both so she doesn’t have the problem my brother did. She is still two years old though so that could change.” They explained, gently running their hands through Yua’s hair as they smiled.

“Good to know.” They responded to her recommendation, even though they knew they wouldn’t be ordering it. They didn’t like coffee but they didn’t expect her to know that. As far as they could remember, it had never come up in conversation. “Hyun-Ae, I just wanted to thank you for being so understanding about me having a kid and about me wanting to wait before introducing her. It means a lot.” They told her, smiling. When they knew that they wanted to be more than friends with Hyun-Ae they had worried that telling her about their daughter would ruin their relationship but she had surprised them in the best way possible.

---

@Ouijaloveletters - Hyun-Ae