[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

BLACK SHEEP, COME HOME

i knew you when our common goal was waiting for the world to end

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]When Gemma settled with a cheery jab about sunblock (and his pasty ass), Dane stretched back in his seat. "Ahh, so true. I haven't been working much on my summer bod." He pouted and gave a sad shake of his head as he pulled the bag of sure-to-be horrors in his lap, brow quirking curiously when she tossed something "custom-made" inside last second. "And I used to be so tan." Way back, when they'd spent as many days on the beach or in the water as they did cornering Gifted in dirty buildings and dark alleyways. [break][break]

He pulled out the shirt and held it out before him to inspect; reading the text with a languid roll of his eyes and then offering a smirking snort to admit it was hilarious and more than well-played. "Oof, and you're trying to peek some midriff?" He blew an exaggerated, suffering breath through his nose as he smoothed a hand over his stomach and set the shirt aside. "We can't get a very big lunch then." The shorts came out of the bag next and he nodded approvingly at the lettering on the ass of them. They were a bit short — he could only imagine the worst type of bunching — but he was pleasantly surprised by how well it paired with the shirt. He was going to look so cute and could already imagine just how he was going to pop a hip for the pictures sent to Grace; twisting his upper body around and blowing kisses as he'd done so many times (many, many years ago) to mock the girls when they posed in front of their bedroom mirrors.[break][break]

He sifted through the rest of the bag. The shoes were atrocious. Why such a thing existed at all — and why Gemma of all people would want him to be taller — he couldn't fathom. But the socks were adorable (it was too bad they'd be concealed by the horrible, horrible pump-Crocs things). And the hat — when he pulled out the hat and read the text, Dane tossed his head back with a quick, barking laugh. "This." He turned to her and arched a single brow, attempting to look gravely sincere. "Is golden. And I'll be wearing it, at a minimum, three days out of the week for the next couple of months. You can keep the Strip Club hat after all." [break][break]

Lastly, he took out the little trinket she'd thrown in last second and what appeared to be a dog collar... then leveled a deadpan stare at her; smacking his lips with clear disappointment after a long, judging moment. "Ruined it. Ruined the whole outfit. You're gross." Even as he spoke and shook his head disapprovingly, he accepted the game for what it was and began clipping the little tag to ring of the collar; pausing to inspect the inscription. 'Little D'. His lip curled. How many times had he stolen Gemma's phone to change that moniker? And why did he still need the distinction when he was the only Wayland brother left? He suspected she only kept using it because she knew he hated it. [break][break]

But then... why else did they do anything? It was always a game of irking one another. Getting under one another's skin. Doing stuff just to spite. And so, again, it was well-played. [break][break]

With a whiny groan, he tested the collar against his neck and adjusted the length of it until he could get it clipped around him. Then he stuffed everything back in his bag and looked at her, still intentionally petulant and unamused. "Shall we find a place to change? Or just strip right here? Not like we won't be drawing attention to ourselves either way." He narrowed his eyes, eyeing the abandoned brush. "Want me to braid your hair first? So it's all —" he sifted a hand through the air, alluding to that 'mystical girly shit' he was still only half-versed in after growing up alongside them. "Wavy and shit when it dries? Instead of a bristle brush mess?"

[break]

you crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again

Tag: Gemma Gatsby [break]
I speed-ran the shit outta this, no proof-read, just YOLO, so lemme [break]know if I need to make changes. Or if you need more to work with!

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[googlefont=Poppins][googlefont=Open Sans]

[Gemma Gatsby]

[nospaces] [googlefont=Oswald|Roboto:400,700]

[attr="class","sixShwhole"]

[attr="class","sixShimg"]

[attr="class","sixShoutline"]

[attr="class","sixShextra"]

[attr="class","sixShtiny"]TAGGED:

Dane Wayland

[attr="class","sixShnotes"]NOTES:

Let me know if you need me to add anymore or change anything!

[attr="class","sixShlyric"]

put your hands up

[attr="class","sixShcred"]SELKIE

[attr="class","sixShright"]

[attr="class","sixShly"]
loaded the bullets with my blood in the rounds

[attr="class","sixShpost"] Gemma remembered when Dane used to have more color to his skin. When the four of them spent more time at the beach than they did in their own homes. If they weren't tracking down some poor other Gifted in dirty alleyways and abandoned buildings they were running around sandy beaches and jumping off docks into refreshing water. They'd all been much tanner then. "Poor baby," she cooed in a sort of mocking sympathy. "You scared of the sun now?" [break][break]

As he began looking through his bag she was placing her items back in the ones she had. Already mentally preparing to walk around in the horrendous, bad punned clothing he'd found for her. Though as he started looking through his own clothes there was some satisfaction she got from his accepted disdain for the clothing. "Awe, c'mon Dane, you know I've always thought you had a cute belly," she teased as she reached over to playfully pat his stomach. As he pulled out the hat she gave a half hearted roll of her eyes. Knowing that would be the one thing he actually found enjoyable about the outfit. She supposed that balanced out the little accessory she'd gotten him. Though as he said she could keep the other hat Gemma quickly shook her head.[break][break]

"Oh no, no I couldn't possibly take this masterpiece from you," she insisted quickly. She didn't really wear hats to begin with. Let alone the weird ones he seemed to enjoy. Though she'd gotten him the shoes because they were awful. She wasn't a fan of crocs to begin with and someone someone had found a way to make them worse. While she didn't like the idea of Dane being even taller than he already was she was curious if he'd be able to actually walk in them.[break][break]

As he pulled out the collar though her eyes lit up with mischievous joy. His claim that she'd ruined the whole outfit made her break out into a fit of laughter. Clearly all too proud of her own little haul. "You're one to talk about being gross," she teased between giggles. [break][break]

This was how they showed their affection for each other. Torture, pushing buttons, pushing each other. Spite and teasing and always one upping each other. It had been this way since they were children. A show that they were allowed to annoy and torment each other but that was their privilege after facing years of heartache, pain, chaos, and fear together. [break][break]

As he asked if they would strip to change right there Gemma quirked one brow in a silent look to ask if he was serious with a scoff. "You think I'm about to give these people a strip tease? For free?" She asked with a soft laugh. Though as he asked to braid her hair she offered a small smile. "If you can work with it yeah," she said as she flicked some of the hair behind her shoulder. "If you can that is, you know how it gets once it gets wet." She'd managed to get it mostly tamed with the hair brush but it was going to be damp for a while and would be a mess until she washed out all of the salt water.

[attr="class","sixShly"]
she's a sweet six shooter she knows how to get down

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

BLACK SHEEP, COME HOME

i knew you when our common goal was waiting for the world to end

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]Dane faked a quiet, shocked gasp and widened his eyes so as to appear convincingly appalled. "Gemma Gatsby," he lifted a hand and pressed his fingertips to his chest, looking properly scandalized, and lowered his voice a fraction. "Are you implying you'd strip for money? Oh good Lord in heaven above, if I had pearls, I'd clutch 'em. Just what will your Daddy say when he hears?" The mock bewilderment slipped from his face and he moved the bag from his lap when she agreed to the braiding; turning her back to him and flipping some hair over her shoulder. [break][break]

He hiked one leg on the bench, folded close to his body, so he was facing her more squarely and then pulled the rest of her hair free from her shoulders so it all fell down her back. He eyed the mermaid-tailed hairbrush left abandoned on the bench but quickly dismissed the idea. It had looked (and sounded) particularly grueling when she'd been brushing through her hair minutes earlier and she'd gotten it mostly in order already, so there'd be little merit in ripping through it more. It would just have to be a little loose and a little messy (never a bad combination, in his opinion). He gave a quick comb through with his fingers instead before divvying it up into three, relatively even parts. [break][break]

He chewed at the lollipop stick in his mouth, eyes narrowed with concentration, as he began crossing the sections over one another the way Dino had taught him to long ago. The first attempt looked a little wonky and was too loose so he combed it back out with his fingers before the braid could pass her shoulder blades and restarted. The second attempt, he made it almost to her mid-back before he decided it was too uneven. On his third attempt, he had it down. [break][break]

As he worked the braid further and further down her back, his mind turned, thoughts becoming slightly more serious and contemplative as he watched his movements. "Have they sent any details about the assignment, yet?" He asked cooly, gaze flickering up from his weaving fingers for only a fleeting moment. As much fun as they'd like to have today, or how they joked about blowing the whole thing off, they'd have to get to the job eventually. If it was something simple enough, perhaps it could be done quickly. But Gemma hadn't been properly hunting for a while, had she? At least, not as enthusiastically as she once had. If either (or both) of their fathers had partnered her up with him of all people, he could only imagine it as a last-ditch effort to force some heart back into it. Perhaps they'd grown tired of waiting for her to come around. Decided she needed some senseless and overreaching violence knocked back into her orbit. [break][break]

As the braid reached its end, Dane leaned sidelong to peek around her, spotted the rubberband around her wrist (what long-haired Hunter wasn't prepared?), and made a noise of triumph in his throat before he reached out to pull it down her hand. He tied up the end and gave the braid a daring tug. "There we go, all done.

[break]

you crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again

Tag: Gemma Gatsby [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

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[Gemma Gatsby]

[nospaces] [googlefont=Oswald|Roboto:400,700]

[attr="class","sixShwhole"]

[attr="class","sixShimg"]

[attr="class","sixShoutline"]

[attr="class","sixShextra"]

[attr="class","sixShtiny"]TAGGED:

Dane Wayland

[attr="class","sixShnotes"]NOTES:

Let me know if you need me to add anymore or change anything!

[attr="class","sixShlyric"]

put your hands up

[attr="class","sixShcred"]SELKIE

[attr="class","sixShright"]

[attr="class","sixShly"]
loaded the bullets with my blood in the rounds

[attr="class","sixShpost"] The fake gasp and the wide eyes made Gemma roll her own. She'd practically heard his admonishment in her head before he even opened his mouth. Mouthing her mocking as he spoke only to snort in amusement with a grin. "You're right, Daney, how terribly naughty of me," her bottom lip poked out in a mock pout as she blinked her long, dark lashes at him innocently. "I should be punished for even suggesting such a thing!" She placed both hands over her heart and tossed her head back with dramatic sigh. "Don't tell my daddy on me, please? I promise I'll be such a good girl," her big brown eyes lowered back to his. Glittering with the same feigned innocence as before. [break][break]

As he adjusted to properly work through her hair it made Gemma think of the times she'd spent showing Dino how to braid hair. How to do proper pigtails and spacebuns and different styles of braids. The times she'd spent with both of the boys in a chair in her bathroom as she cut their hair as opposed to them wasting time going out to get it done professionally. When there'd been a time Gemma had thought about going out to get her cosmetology license and opening up her own little salon. But she'd been so busy then. Between going on hunting assignments, taking care of Dino in the worst of his addiction, keeping her promise to Moana to always keep an eye on her sons, watching after her sister, and training. She hadn't had time or energy to do much of anything else. [break][break]

His fingers tugged through a couple of more knots but Gemma's face didn't so much as twitch. Even if she hadn't spent her whole life building up a strong tolerance for pain Gemma had never been tender headed. Even when a comb was ripped through her thick, blood soaked, matted hair after a particularly rough hunt she'd never been known for giving more than a small grunt. Besides, she'd always loved the feeling of someone running their fingers through her hair. Even now her eyes closed and her shoulders visibly untensed at just the feeling of him moving through the motions of parting her hair into sections and lacing them over each other. [break][break]

Though the mention of the assignment made her eyes snap open again. She'd purposefully pushed every thought of why they were out here in the first place out of her mind. It'd been so long since she'd just spent time with Dane. Where she wasn't pulling him drunk out of a bar or sitting with him while he got patched up after an assignment. Her shoulders tensed again as she let a quiet sigh out through her nose. "I haven't checked," she answered honestly before she pulled out her phone. Given she'd already accepted the assignment her father would be really upset if she just blew it off too easily. Especially being paired with Dane. [break][break]

Status report. [break]
Status report, have you found the target? [break]
Panther respond. Has the target been secured? [break]
You have thirty minutes to respond. [break][break]

The last message had been sent fifteen minutes ago. Gemma sighed softly just as he'd finished braiding her hair. Only for him to tug on her hair and make Gemma let out a small, muffled grunt. She reached back to smack him on the hip before she turned while responding back to the messages. [break][break]

Target has not yet been secured. Trail picked up. [break][break]

There was hardened expression on her face as she sent the message. Then placed her phone back in her pocket. "Dress up may need to wait, we need to at least try and track this guy down," there was a sort of hollowness to her voice when she spoke. Gemma had learned to be particularly good at disconnecting herself from assignments when they were younger. Of letting herself float outside of her body. To let that coldness seep from the hollow of her stomach through her veins. Run solely on necessity and, if necessary, that seemingly endless spring of rage that simmered in her. She'd been cold. Calculating. Vicious. Brutal. [break][break]

As she pushed herself up from the bench Gemma forced a smile back to her lips. Trying to make it seem as easy and natural as it had a moment ago but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Nor did it bring back that playful glint to them. "You should keep the collar on though," she said as she reached forward to flick the little tag with the tip of her finger. "I think it looks cute on you." [break][break]

She grabbed her own bag of a fashion disaster before she motioned for him to come with her. "Let's hit it, I already have where he should be."

[attr="class","sixShly"]
she's a sweet six shooter she knows how to get down

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

BLACK SHEEP, COME HOME

i knew you when our common goal was waiting for the world to end

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]Dane noted the transformation. He could feel Gemma stiffen and somehow hear the silent despondency in the quiet breath that left her nose. For a moment, he regretted steering them back to task. Even when he finished the braid and earned a smack, it felt somewhat half-hearted and only brought a fleeting quirk to his mouth. As she turned and pocketed her phone, she said that their little game would have to wait and stood. Then she turned to him and smiled. Not the same smile he'd seen multiple times today, but one that — though it looked mostly the same — was decidedly emptier. Even the quip and the teasing flick of a nail against the tag of his collar, was notably vacant to a trained ear. And he'd known her for too long to not hear or see it. [break][break]

Dane breathed a long inhale and nodded, a certain knowing settling in his chest. It wasn't Gemma before him now, but Panther. The same person, but one had locked a bit of the other away. He tucked his lips.[break][break]

Dino had always looked like that, too. Had tried on countless occasions to do the same thing. Make himself hard and steeled; as if imitating their father each time a task, always more brutal than the last, was dropped in his lap. Hoping desperately that this time he could shelve the sniveling parts of him away for good. Turn something inside him off once and for all. But maybe that was where he'd gone wrong. He'd torn himself in two and waged an unwinnable war within; a war that had eventually ended with neither half the victor and the both of them dead.[break][break]

Dane had forgone the necessity for such separation completely. Perhaps it was because he had been younger. Maybe those two years had made a crucial difference and Antonio had just waited too long with Dino. Or perhaps Dane had never been made of quite the same stuff as his brother. It had been easier for him. Not always, and certainly not in the beginning, but then... he'd had more of a reason than Dino ever did. And his reason had been Dino. In some small part, he'd embraced their assigned brutality to shield his brother from their father's ire. In some (slightly larger) part, Dane had taken on some of both their shares in a simple effort to make that war inside Dino easier. To allow him to remain, even in just the smallest way, who he wanted so desperately to be. To let him keep those softer, brighter pieces that their father was so adamant about killing in him. [break][break]

Dino had wanted to stay bright. Like the sun. And Dane, tucking himself in the shadows, had been a moon who itself needed that light. [break][break]

And then, somewhere along the line, Dane had decided that if killing and being brutal was to be his lot in life, he might as well enjoy it. He hadn't halved himself. Hadn't shied away or tried to keep one foot in the light and one in the dark. He'd taken both into himself. Stood fully in both. And he liked to think it was the reason he'd always handled it better. Unlike Dino and Gemma, he'd never been torn from nightmares, screeching and drenched in sweat. He could joke, laugh, and have a good time, both in the day (in the sunlight and in the water, dancing in kitchens, flirting with girls) and in the night (stalking, hunting, dripping in someone else's blood). He could be the same person, unbothered, the morning after a slaughter. [break][break]

But perhaps that was where he had gone wrong, too. Maybe taking on Dino's share had been the wrong move. Perhaps if he'd stepped back and let their father break him, he'd have been stronger. He'd have been different, changed in a way that Dane didn't want to imagine, but maybe he'd be alive. [break][break]

"Well," Dane smacked his lips, shoving the thoughts aside and lifting his brow. "I'm not hunting wet." He picked up his bag and stood with a marked lack of urgency, then turned his back and (very unceremoniously) began peeling off his soaked clothes. He pulled his shirt over his head, toed off his shoes, shucked out of his pants, and used the towel he'd lain aside to dry at his skin and pat as much water as he could manage from his boxer briefs. From the bag, he pulled out the crop-top and booty-shorts Gemma had picked and wordlessly slipped everything on, then sat down to roll on the calf-high dog socks. The Croc-pumps were definitely a 'no' if there was no game involved, so he simply beat his shoes against the ground to try and get as much water out of them as he could before slipping them back on. Finally, he ran a hand through his hair and tucked everything under the lovely hat, then stood with a grin. [break][break]

"If our organization ever goes in on a uniform, I think this is it," he mused triumphantly, giving himself a decided look over with his fists planted on his hips. The crop top and shorts made him look a little too long — while he wasn't as skinny as he'd once been, there was a reason he dressed the way he did, and part of it was that he was just a little too trim for being as tall as he was. A little too leggy. He'd never been able to put on muscle the way Dino had. His frame had simply never allowed it. And then there was the matter of all the scars littering his body and his being too pale and white for them to be anything but noticeable. And, though he couldn't see it (and didn't want to be seen twisting to look), he knew the crop-top would leave at least a couple inches of the massive tattoo on his back exposed. Not that he typically cared who saw it. But it had certainly grown since the last time he'd seen Gemma and he didn't feel like explaining any particulars if she were surprised. [break][break]

"We can consider this reverse-psychology stealth. I'm certainly noticeable but who would expect that this has come to kill you?" He laughed, hoping the sound of it might invite an edge of levity back to the suddenly too-serious feel of the air. That the ridiculousness of himself would return some genuineness to the vacant smile she'd shot his way. Maybe, too, that it would remind her they could still have fun at the same time. That she had the capacity to be both Gemma and Panther. He'd failed with Dino and he had to live with that. But maybe he would do it differently this time. And perhaps that was why she'd been partnered with him at all. [break][break]

Dane turned to empty his jean pockets into the plastic bag, gather his jacket (it was too nice to abandon, plus it currently carried his knives), then turned back to her (deciding to leave the rest of his wet clothes simply left on the bench for someone else to deal with). Then he stepped to her and beckoned for them to be on their way. "If you know where he is, then you know who he is?" He asked, voice decidedly light and flippant as he phished for details. "What he can do? What we might expect?"

[break]

you crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again

Tag: Gemma Gatsby [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

[newclass=.lizardstripe-text b]color:#1F2F22;font-size:8pt;font-family:Open Sans, sans serif;[/newclass]

[googlefont=Poppins][googlefont=Open Sans]

[Gemma Gatsby]

[nospaces] [googlefont=Oswald|Roboto:400,700]

[attr="class","sixShwhole"]

[attr="class","sixShimg"]

[attr="class","sixShoutline"]

[attr="class","sixShextra"]

[attr="class","sixShtiny"]TAGGED:

Dane Wayland

[attr="class","sixShnotes"]NOTES:

Sorry this kinda went on a TANGENT lol let me know if you need to me add or change anything at all!

[attr="class","sixShlyric"]

put your hands up

[attr="class","sixShcred"]SELKIE

[attr="class","sixShright"]

[attr="class","sixShly"]
loaded the bullets with my blood in the rounds

[attr="class","sixShpost"] Gemma had been training to be a hunter since before her Gift first activated. When a particularly bad tantrum where she'd decided to hold her breath until she got what she wanted or passed out had sent her suddenly floating towards the ceiling. Then there'd been a chance. That maybe she'd turn out normal, maybe she'd turn out clean. She'd had a knife put in her hand when she was three years old. Had been learning to dodge and run and throw a punch while being potty trained. Going up against much older and larger children than her by the time she'd started kindergarten. Back then she'd been known as Princess. Before she'd gotten her tattoo and gotten a more appropriate code name to go along with her more serious involvement in the Guild. [break][break]

For a long time hunting had been like breathing to her. Hurting people, tracking them down and bringing them in to be taken care of by the older members. When she was nine and took her first life was when things had really started to shift for her. It had been a woman she knew after all. Her math teacher who had always been so sweet to her. So patient and understanding when Gemma had been struggling to understand the work. The woman who'd always looked at her fondly, smiled so warmly, and encouraged her so enthusiastically had turned to screaming and crying and begging for her life. Because Gemma had always been sentimental. Over her favorite toys, clothing, pictures, people. Gemma always had a big heart full of love and wonder, even in spaces they had no place in. [break][break]

Gemma held room for worry. For anxiety. For waking up in cold sweats screaming because her mind was racing with concern for the people she loved. But there was no room for that for Panther. Panther had always been ruthless and blood thirsty. Had always been efficient in her kills and unconcerned if the other person with her got hurt or killed. If another Hunter lost their life that was their fault. They should have done better. Should have been better. And Panther had always been determined to be the best. There'd been a time where giving into that side of her was easy. When letting her training, her anger take over had been as easy as breathing. Until she'd met a boy with big brown eyes and a too kind heart. [break][break]

A boy who indulged her in her day dreams instead of trying to stomp them out as fantasy. Day dreams of a big house with a bigger backyard. A couple of kids and a couple of dogs, maybe even a cat. Who let her know it was okay to feel things. Really feel them. Who didn't recoil when she cried or tell her to toughen up. Who she'd seen struggle with that same separation between who he really was and who he was expected to be. It was around then that Gemma really started with another struggle. Between how she felt and how she'd always been told to feel. Gemma had been raised to believe she was doing the world a favor. Snuffing out a disease that was ravaging humanity. That the Guild was full of heros. [break][break]

But Grace wasn't wrong or dirty. Neither had been Dane or Dino, or herself. How could her parents look at her and tell her how wonderful and smart and beautiful and perfect she was then turn around and preach how her and everyone like her needed to die? How was it okay for her to use her Gift when it was convenient for the Guild but not for someone else to use theirs? How could she love her sister and her boys when she was told that they were less than human? So many questions she'd been struggling with for years. Questions Panther didn't have space to ask. [break][break]

As Dane began peeling out of his still damp clothes in the middle of the boardwalk Gemma rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you wouldn't wear such heavy clothing it wouldn't be such a problem," she mocked as she folded her arms under her chest. A few people offered him some strange looks but most didn't bother a second glance. Though as his outfit came together her lips quirked into more of a genuine smile. More of a Gemma smile. Until she noticed his tattoo. She was used to the scars, they all had them. But it appeared that his tattoo had stretched more since the last time she'd seen it. That odd maned wolf with too long limbs. Seeing how it stretched made her stomach twist in angry knots. [break][break]

It wasn't fair. It had never been fair. Dane didn't deserve a fraction of the treatment he got from his father, or anyone else really. Sure he was wild, he was sarcastic, and Gemma knew better than most how ungodly annoying he could be. But he was a good boy. She'd seen his soft side. His loving side. Seen the worry dance in his eyes when she'd hug him too tight after a nightmare. Seen the way his face softened and his eyes glimmered when he'd make his momma break out into a hearty belly laugh. She'd seen the panic for her on his face the day her car flipped with him inside it. He hadn't been worried about himself he'd been worried about her. Dane could be so gentle and sweet but so few people let him be. Everyone just expected him to be Antonio's dog. [break][break]

The corners of her lips faltered back down a fraction of an inch but she did her best to keep some semblance of that playful smile there. "You know, I think this might actually be more terrifying," she stated as she gestured up and down to his outfit. "You look stunning though." Once he'd gathered what he wanted she moved with him, motioning for him to follow her to her car. As he was asking about the target Gemma was already pulling up the PDF on her phone. She always did her research on a target before hunting. More than the information they'd get from the Guild. Especially recently. It used to just be so she'd have a better idea of what she was stepping into. What kind of fight she could begin to suspect and how close she'd be able to get. Given that her Gift required her to touch someone at least once. [break][break]

"His name is Matthew Harris, he's twentytwo, and he's a fear manipulator," he'd been found because he'd gotten cocky. Decided he'd give what seemed to be some old bully a taste of his own medicine. The other boy had been left mumbling about people pulling off their faces and revealing they were really monsters underneath. A boy who'd shown no signs of mental break before was suddenly a sobbing, terrified, mumbling, screaming mess. That kind of thing didn't go under the Guilds radar. Gemma handed Dane her phone so he could look over the information. As they got to her car she pulled her keys from her pocket and dangled them in front of him. "You still a little scaredy cat?" [break][break]

Gemma remembered how both of the boys would wake up in a panic on road trips when she would claim it was her turn to drive. How quickly they would take the keys from her. Or how arguments between neither of them wanting to drive would settle quickly when she claimed she would drive if they wouldn't. Granted their trepidation then hadn't been unfounded. Gemma had always been a notoriously terrible driver. She'd gotten better since those days but even now she could admit she wasn't the safest person on the road.

[attr="class","sixShly"]
she's a sweet six shooter she knows how to get down

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[newclass=.sixShcred a] color:#fff!important;font:700 7px roboto!important;[/newclass]

[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

BLACK SHEEP, COME HOME

i knew you when our common goal was waiting for the world to end

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]"Terrifying and stunning," Dane quirked a brow, lip curling into something both sly and appreciative. "Now that's a combo." He sighed dreamily, then they fell into an easy stroll toward wherever Gemma had parked her car. When she began about their target, he tucked his lips and nodded along thoughtfully, settling his dripping jacket over a shoulder and moving all their belongings more comfortably to one hand. [break][break]

He took the phone she offered and, reflexively — without even thinking about it — minimized the open PDF file and navigated to her contact book. As he'd done numberless times before, every time he was able, he found his name ('Little D', as expected), and made a quick edit; backspacing entirely to replace the whole thing with something marginally more flattering: 'safely average d (what it do tho, awoooga!!)'. He grinned to himself, satisfied only after adding a couple of heart-eyed emojis, and returned to the file she'd intended him to look over and gave it a dutiful skim.[break][break]

Working with Gemma had always been nice. Her competency and powerful Gift aside, she was thorough and liked to be prepared. Which suited Dane well enough, since most of the time he couldn't be assed to do any sort of beforehand research. When partnered up or in a band, it had always been the other person's job to line up necessary precautions. To gather intel and prepare. And whether they "briefed" him on what they gathered or not, he tended to treat assignments much the same. Ready for anything and simply learning from the blows as they came. He could claim the recklessness was borne from it being proven over and over that he was notoriously difficult to kill but the truth was more simple — it was just more fun that way.[break][break]

"Ugh, I hate illusionists," he frowned, shuddering as he recalled instances when he'd toed with them in the past. Fighting to keep his eyes from closing as his fears leaped at him and tried to force a stumble. Grace, swinging a glaive at his face, her eyes not angry but only cold. Gemma, falling, fingers of one hand arced toward him while the other held at her neck; throat opened in a way that was decidedly too familiar. Dino, slipping to his knees; eyes dimming with a bullet hole between them. [break][break]

Despite his pouting, Dane was vaguely pleased with the information he read. Matthew was young but far from the youngest they'd been set upon before. Not youthful enough that a boyish face and wide, fearful eyes might make Gemma hesitate. And with his Gift, it was easy to imagine that, when cornered, he would defend himself. Force their hand. Make it easy — if she happened to falter — to numb it all down to 'kill or be killed'. Dino and him had been handed much the same brand of victim over and over in Antonio's continued attempts to desensitize the older Wayland and Dane couldn't help but imagine that it had all been thought through and considered in much the same way by whoever picked out their target for them today. [break][break]

As they approached her car, Gemma turned to wave her keys in front of him, asking if he was still scared to get in a vehicle when she was behind the wheel. "Yes and no," he replied, eyes narrowing. "I feel like my track record in surviving car accidents is good enough to believe I just might be invincible." The closest he'd been to truly dying had been when he rolled a stolen car into a ravine when he was sixteen and, rather than the incident traumatizing him, it had done the opposite — desensitized him almost entirely to the possibility. To the fear of it. It had been a quick thing. Like nothing. And he had remembered little more than waking up in a hospital bed days later, broken all over. "But if you get us both killed, who will explain to my Mom why I was dressed like this when they pull me out of the wreckage?" He quirked a brow with faux severity, before handing back her phone and moving around the car to the passenger side. He rolled his head on his shoulders as he pulled at the door handle, then again and again impatiently, as she hadn't yet unlocked it. "Unless you don't want to drive? I'll let you play Passenger Princess if you want, but only if the music's good."

[break]

you crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again

Tag: Gemma Gatsby [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes![break]
Or if you need more to work with.

[newclass=.lizardstripe-text b]color:#1F2F22;font-size:8pt;font-family:Open Sans, sans serif;[/newclass]

[googlefont=Poppins][googlefont=Open Sans]

[Gemma Gatsby]

[nospaces] [googlefont=Oswald|Roboto:400,700]

[attr="class","sixShwhole"]

[attr="class","sixShimg"]

[attr="class","sixShoutline"]

[attr="class","sixShextra"]

[attr="class","sixShtiny"]TAGGED:

Dane Wayland

[attr="class","sixShnotes"]NOTES:

Let me know if you need to me add or change anything at all!

[attr="class","sixShlyric"]

put your hands up

[attr="class","sixShcred"]SELKIE

[attr="class","sixShright"]

[attr="class","sixShly"]
loaded the bullets with my blood in the rounds

[attr="class","sixShpost"] As soon as his hand was around her phone Gemma already knew she was going to have to change his name back in her phone. It had been a back and forth game they'd been playing for years. Any time he could get his hands on her phone and sneak into her contacts he'd change his name. Always having to do with how his personal D was in fact not little. Even though Gemma had originally set that as his name to distinguish him from his older brother. But now it remained that way as principal. She certainly could change his name. Annoying Shithead, Puppy, That Asshole, and Whiny Baby had been a few that she'd thought about. But none of them would have been as fun as seeing that irritation in his eyes when he noticed he was, and always would be, Little D. [break][break]

His comment on his distaste for illusionist though made her fingers reflexively move to where the scar would be on her neck. "Yeah, me too." It was easy enough to cover with makeup but it was still a rather sore spot for her. Hunting down one of them had been the entire reason she got the scar in the first place. What had gotten her separated from her sister and Dane and eventually landed her bleeding out in the alley. She'd thought he had Dino. The hallucination had been so real and with her adrenaline pumping she'd just given chase. She could have sworn Dane and Grace were right on her heels. But that had been part of the illusion. [break][break]

She supposed that's why they'd offered her this particular contract. Since that day she'd always been particularly quick and brutal with other Gifted like them. Ones that could toy with her mind triggered that fight or flight response in her much faster. And Gemma had never been known to be a runner. And with Dane around, someone she cared about and was reckless enough to throw himself at danger, she'd be less likely to hesitate. [break][break]

As he mentioned his mother Gemma's eyes lit up a bit. "You're absolutely right," she said as she pocketed her keys and moved to the other side of the car with her phone. "Strike a pose, pretty boy," she ordered as she pulled up her camera to take a picture of him. What was supposed to be only one photo turned into six as she got different angles. "Yes! You're gorgeous! The camera loves you! Do a turn so we can get the words on your ass!" As soon as she got what she thought was a good amount of pictures Gemma gave a gleeful giggle as she walked back to the drivers side. Immediately sending the pictures to his mother. "There, now it won't be such a shocker," though she distinctly left out in the message to Moana that it had been her that picked the outfit out of him.[break][break]

As she heard him repeatedly trying to open the door Gemma rolled her eyes. Though it was tempting to let him drive. Gemma hated being behind the wheel and had always enjoyed her rightful spot in the passenger seat. Where her main job was to sit there and look pretty. "Fine," she said as she tossed him over the keys and moved over to the passenger side. "Let's go," she swatted him away as she took to waiting for him to unlock and get inside.

[attr="class","sixShly"]
she's a sweet six shooter she knows how to get down

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[newclass=.sixShcred a] color:#fff!important;font:700 7px roboto!important;[/newclass]

[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

BLACK SHEEP, COME HOME

i knew you when our common goal was waiting for the world to end

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]His gaze lifted just barely, gauging her subtly, as she mentioned her own disdain for illusionists. He knew the story there. He'd been there for it. Had stumbled into the alley to see her laid out in the center of it, clutching at her throat and choking as their mark got away. He'd carried her back to their car, vision blurred with panic and rage as her blood spilled in an unrelenting flood through her fingers and down the front of him. He could feel himself now, growing a little heated at the memory of it. How the man had escaped. How Dino had been spun-out and useless. How he'd snapped at Grace and she'd snapped back, the both of them like bristled, edgy cats in their desperation. [break][break]

Gemma's gaze brightened, cutting Dane's remembering abruptly short and putting a clamp on the disdain attempting to shake to wakefulness within him. She raised her phone, brandishing her camera as she had before, and he grinned, feeling a bolt of challenge lance through him as well as a (much smaller) thread of self-castigation. [break][break]

Didn't he have any dignity? [break][break]

The answer was no. He'd do anything for a bit. And, completely surrendered to the fact, he let his jacket and their belongings plop to the sidewalk so he could pose; twisting and turning, dipping low, dragging a finger down a pouting lip, smoothing hands across his exposed stomach, and even lifting his hat so he could toss his head and run a hand "seductively" through his damp hair. When Gemma giggled and lowered the phone, decided she'd gotten enough, he smacked proudly and bent to pick up his jacket. [break][break]

"Thanks, my fears are quelled," he shot at her, words sardonic though his mouth was pulled in a beam. [break][break]

At least his mother already knew he had no shame. She'd raised him after all. Witnessed shenanigans just as often as she heard about them. There were numberless photos and videos that the girls and Dino had shown her throughout their youth, too, no doubt. Dares and lost bets. Spirited strip-teases in six-inch heels and far worse. But his mother had a wicked sense of humor, too. She'd get a kick out of it. But he was still glad his phone had been made a casualty of the sea — she'd be calling it as soon as the pictures landed on her screen.[break][break]

Dane fixed his hat back over his hair (already promising to dry in a fluffy mess, twice the size it had been before it'd gotten soaked) and then caught the keys she tossed at him. He moved around the car, bunching up in exaggerated defensiveness as she swatted at him, and muttered something in a tight, chuckling tease about "aggression". Then he pressed the button on the keys to unlock the car — just once, just the driver's side — and pulled the door open. "Fucking Christ, looks like a child has been driving," he mumbled loudly, making a grand show of hiking the seat down and moving it back so he could climb inside without having to fold his legs to his chest. [break][break]

He settled in the seat and shut his door. Tossed his wet jacket and bag into the floorboard of her backseat. Took his time in buckling his belt and starting the car. Then, finally.... after milling about aimlessly a few moments longer... he dragged his gaze to her through the passenger window. As if the thought had just occurred to him, he feigned some sheepish surprise and laughed, then unlocked the door with a cheeky beam. "Right, sorry!"[break][break]

Half-expecting a punch to the shoulder or something of the like — Gemma could be as dangerous a shotgun rider as she was a driver — he tipped his chin and watched her settle. "Alright, where to? Let's see if we can't get this done by lunch, yeah? I'm thinking... Italian, what do you say?" He looked at her, smile on his lips even as his mind turned. [break][break]

It was a very conscious decision of his, to treat the assignment as nonchalant and flippant as possible. As if hunting and killing were just menial, everyday tasks (and they kind of were). Simple somethings to scratch off a long and boring to-do list. But he was aware that things didn't usually go perfectly. And, in his experience... mostly with Dino... there was sometimes a lot of mess to handle afterward. And not strictly in a "dispose of the body and mop up the blood" sort of way. Rarely had Dino been able to slip into a restaurant and enjoy a meal hours after bashing heads or snipping toes. And Dane only had to hope Gemma wasn't putting on a brave face now, only to be detached and shut-down for the rest of the day once they did what they had to do.

[break]

you crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again

Tag: Gemma Gatsby [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes![break]
Or if you need more to work with.

[newclass=.lizardstripe-text b]color:#1F2F22;font-size:8pt;font-family:Open Sans, sans serif;[/newclass]

[googlefont=Poppins][googlefont=Open Sans]

[Gemma Gatsby]

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[attr="class","sixShtiny"]TAGGED:

Dane Wayland

[attr="class","sixShnotes"]NOTES:

I know this wound up being a lot of internal stuff for Gem so please let me know if you need to me add or change anything at all!

[attr="class","sixShlyric"]

put your hands up

[attr="class","sixShcred"]SELKIE

[attr="class","sixShright"]

[attr="class","sixShly"]
loaded the bullets with my blood in the rounds

[attr="class","sixShpost"] Gemma had always been a picture taker. If it wasn't her phone it was a digital camera or some sort of disposable camera. Always capturing moments. From big celebrations like Dane in his cap and gown the day he graduated highschool. To little moments of Dino pouring coffee in the kitchen while the sunrise broke through the window. Gemma had always been the sentimental one. Saving memories up like pennies so that at the end of her life she might carry them with her as her last remaining currency. Whenever the end of her life came. [break][break]

There'd been more than enough times that she'd captured a photo of Dane doing something goofy or silly. Usually slightly blurry with the shaking of her hands as she'd been laughing. All so she could show them to Moana who would gasp and laugh full hearted. Some of which Moana had kept for herself as well. Just a sentimental over her sons as Gemma was. Or maybe she just wanted something nice to remember them by. No blood, bruises, and open wounds as she worriedly sat in a hospital waiting room. A memory of her sons bathed in sun light or beaming with a joy that lit them up from the inside out. If only for a moment. [break][break]

It didn't pass her that he only unlocked the driver side door. Though Gemma supposed this was entirely her fault. She should have unlocked the car before handing him the keys. Though as he commented on how far up she had to have her seat so her feet could reach the pedals Gemma clicked her tongue. "Yeah and you still think I'm hot so what of it?" She teased all too confidently. [break][break]

Much like what he'd done, Gemma pulled over and over on the door handle. Waiting for him to unlock it so she could get in. Watching him take his time settling into her car. As he finally unlocked her passenger side she slid in and closed the door before she leaned over to punch him in the shoulder and shove his head against the window. Though as he asked where they were headed Gemma settled back into her seat and pulled on her seatbelt. She checked the time quickly before going over her notes on her PDF again. [break][break]

"He goes for a jog on one of the forest hiking trails every day so he should be on his way there now," she said as she locked her phone and placed it under her thigh. Though as he brought up lunch she thought for a moment. "I'm in the mood for chinese." [break][break]

Gemma was good at compartmentalizing her emotions. Of packaging them into little boxes and storing them away to deal with later. She'd always hated people seeing that more vulnerable side of her after all. She'd become good at playing pretend. At boxing up her anger, confusion, pain, sorrow, and selfloathing after a hunt so she could still act normal. So she could clean up and go to the beach to have fun or go get dinner with her family. Until it was late at night and those feelings would claw their way back leaving her gasping for air as she choked on her tears and screams and swears. Some of those nights spent with her face buried in Dino's chest as she let down her walls and clung to him like a life boat in raging waters. [break][break]

"I don't want any kind of red sauce if things get too messy," she said as she crinkled her nose in distaste.

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she's a sweet six shooter she knows how to get down

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

BLACK SHEEP, COME HOME

i knew you when our common goal was waiting for the world to end

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]As expected, as soon as Gemma settled in her seat, she leaned across the middle of the car to give him a punch and a shove. Completely unsurprised, Dane only hiked up his shoulders defensively and chuckled with quiet delight when his head bounced from the driver's side window. He'd missed this, he thought, as he slackened and waited for her to buckle in. The back and forth. The annoying and being annoyed. It reminded him of years passed, when assignments had been more fun than anything else. Nowadays it was more like pulling teeth or baring teeth with partners who never liked him. [break][break]

He sniffed, smile fixed, as Gemma pulled out her phone to check their destination. "So he's a runner? And will be prepared to run." Dane pursed his lips and gave a slow nod of his head, pulling from her parking space and starting them in the general direction of the woods. "Great. I love that for us." [break][break]

Forgoing the Crocs was a good choice. Not that he was truly worried. So long as he had use of his hands, summoning a beast quick enough to outrun and take down even the fastest of sprinters was never an issue. And a forest provided seclusion, which meant he might even get the chance to be creative. Test out something a little less innocuous than the usual, unassuming dog. If he was smart about it — he'd have to decide in the moment if he felt like being logical or not — he could even create a suitable animal that made clean-up effortless. It wasn't so impossible that a hiker or jogger got attacked by a wolf or a wildcat in the woods, after all. They could choose to leave Matthew where he fell and he'd become just another cautionary tale about braving the trails alone. No missing person, no investigation, no cold case. Hell, his family — if he had any — would even have closure. [break][break]

"They put you with me, Gem." Dane rolled his head on his shoulders, taking his eye from the road for a moment to cast her a deadpan look. "Expect things will be messy." The corner of a mouth quirked (just barely) into a vaguely sympathetic smile and he looked forward again, thumbs beginning a spirited drum on the steering wheel. "But okay, Chinese it is. No red sauce." He narrowed his eyes, signaling into a less-crowded lane where he could comfortably exceed the speed limit. "Shall we come up with a cover story? Get into character? Why are we in the woods, hmm? Or should we just jam?" His smile deepened, brow giving a small leap. "Been a minute since I've car-karaoked with a Gatsby girl."

[break]

you crack the whip, shape-shift and trick the past again

Tag: Gemma Gatsby [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes![break]
Or if you need more to work with.

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[googlefont=Poppins][googlefont=Open Sans]

[Gemma Gatsby]

[nospaces] [googlefont=Oswald|Roboto:400,700]

[attr="class","sixShwhole"]

[attr="class","sixShimg"]

[attr="class","sixShoutline"]

[attr="class","sixShextra"]

[attr="class","sixShtiny"]TAGGED:

Dane Wayland

[attr="class","sixShnotes"]NOTES:

Sorry this is a little meh TT~TT let me know if you need me to tweak or change or add anything at all!

[attr="class","sixShlyric"]

put your hands up

[attr="class","sixShcred"]SELKIE

[attr="class","sixShright"]

[attr="class","sixShly"]
loaded the bullets with my blood in the rounds

[attr="class","sixShpost"] There was things she'd missed. Gemma missed laughing with Dane. She missed teasing each other and getting under each others skin just because they could. She even missed arguing with him over stupid things that didn't matter. She also missed being able to know he was okay. With how closely the four of them had trained together they'd learned to work like a well oiled machine no matter the pairing. [break][break]

They knew each others Gifts and how they worked. Had built up an understanding so clear they could signal each other with just a quick look. They knew each others weak points and were able to account and cover for them. Even with how wild and hectic Dane could be Gemma had learned to always find a method to his madness. [break][break]

"Awe, afraid of a little exercise?" She asked teasingly. "Had you not thrown us in the ocean we could have caught him before he left work," she chastised half heartedly. Already turning on her bluetooth to connect her phone to her car. She moved to her spotify and turned pulled up her usual car ride playlist. Which consisted mostly of artists like Ashniko, Post Malone, Scene Queen, and Maneskin. "We could always run the damsel in distress route," she offered as she moved to her contacts to see what god awful name Dane had changed his name to. "What college boy wouldn't pick up some pretty girl who twisted her ankle in the woods?" She asked as she innocently batted her lashes. [break][break]

Gemma still had a pair of leggings and a tshirt in the back. It wouldn't be hard to make it look as if she'd just been out for a run and gotten hurt. "Or maybe see if he'll help find our lost dog," she snorted softly. There was hardly ever a solid plan going into a hunt with Dane. He'd always seemed more inclined to just roll with the punches. Though as she looked over to Dane again, and his current outfit she couldn't help but giggle. "Not sure how convincing the second one might be but at least the shorts make you look ready for a run." [break][break]

Gemma reached over to ruffle his already now puffy hair. Before she changed his name back in her phone then flipped back to her spotify. "What are you in the mood for?" She asked though she didn't plan on changing the current song right away. The base bumped with the song Daisy.

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