[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

LYING FACE DOWN IN THE GUTTER

of unaccomplished dreams; don't wait for me

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]Dane watched her sniff and wipe at her tears over the hood of the car, then — when she nodded at his loaded question — he felt his lids fall half over his eyes. She climbed into the driver's seat, motioning for him to do the same, and he let a disappointed frown pull at both corners of his mouth. He waited a long moment, smacking his lips, then rolled his eyes and pulled the passenger side door open. Rather than climb right in, he simply doubled over to peer across at her. "Just so you know, the correct answer was 'no, get lost, you asshole creep, before I call the cops'." He 'tsk'ed, shaking his head slowly side to side, then shucked his shoulders with exaggerated despondency. "You're hopeless."[break][break]

Still, he plopped himself in the passenger seat and pulled the door shut, gave an address relatively close to his apartment building when she asked, then took the tissues she offered him with a decided lack of thanks. Pulling down the visor above him, he took a look at himself in the small mirror and choked back a laugh. "Oh fuck," he breathed amusedly as he leaned closer and angled to better study the ugly swell of his face. He was going to look like absolute dogshit in the morning and — for only a brief, fleeting moment — he could almost understand why she hadn't wanted to hurt him. He wiped roughly at the blood that dribbled from him and stuffed his nose, then made a (very muffled) snorting noise when she grumbled that he was "just like her brother". [break][break]

Another dangerous assumption, he supposed. [break][break]

"I seriously doubt it," he answered flippantly, voice a bit nasally around the tissues, and flipped the visor closed. He dropped his hands in his lap and looked at her levelly. "If you grew up with a brother like me, you'd have laid me flat in ten seconds tops. As soon as I touched you. And you sure as fuck wouldn't be crying or apologizing about it either." His gaze narrowed. "He didn't teach you not to talk to strangers?"



[break]

you've got a lot to do, you've got a lot to be [break]
and in the end, maybe i'll see you there

Tag: Katrina Wells [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

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[googlefont=Poppins][googlefont=Open Sans]

[Katrina Wells]

You romanticize the feast and famine

Paralyzed by fear of failing

She wasn't particularly interested in what the "correct" answer was. All she cared about was making sure he got somewhere safe. Even if she just dropped him off in front of his place and let him get inside before she left. Though as she was called hopeless Katrina actually managed out a scoff that bordered on amusement. "Well I guess that makes two of us," she said simply with a shrug. The way she saw it he wasn't being any less stubborn than she was. At least her stubbornness was for someone elses well being though. She supposed in some way he might feel the same. That he was looking out for her safety by trying to scare her off creeps like him.

It wasn't as if it was the first time someone referred to her as hopeless and she doubted it would be the last. As long as she was helping other people Katrina was fine being hopeless. She was fine with being seen as the naive goody twoshoes if it meant someone else got home to their bed safe and sound at the end of the day. Though as he went on about how there was no way her brother was anything like him just because of her Katrina gave him a curious side glance. Now was was making assumptions? He knew exactly as much about Nick as she knew about him. If likely less from seeing what had been written on the wall. "Nick says I'm too nice, would be furious that I picked up some roughed up drunk off the side of the road."

Had she been anything like Bianca she would have laid him on his butt the moment he so much as looked at her funny. But Katrina had never been like her siblings. She'd always been softer. Always been more gentle and more sensitive. Much to the irritation of a very disgruntled Nicholas. "He likes to drink and pick fights for the fun of it too, but at least he gets paid for his," she gave him a sidelong glance as they stopped at a red light. "He usually fights in East End."

The question on if he'd taught her not to talk to strangers made Katrina sigh with a roll of her eyes. "He did as did my other brother and my sister and my parents," she said with dripping sarcasm in her tone. At least he clouds had started to clear up. Though some of the storm clouds still hung heavily in the air. "I suppose I listen about as well as you seem to."

Tag: Dane Wayland
Let me know if you need to change or adjust anything!

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

LYING FACE DOWN IN THE GUTTER

of unaccomplished dreams; don't wait for me

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]Katrina's little retort that the both of them were hopeless made Dane's lip twitch amusedly. He might have snorted, had his nose not been stuffed with tissues. She had accompanied the words with a tiny scoff, they'd left her lips so simply, and he wondered for a brief moment if maybe she wasn't a bit funny — when not scared, meek, or cloyingly sweet and helpful.[break][break]

She went on to say Nick, her brother, was of the opinion that she was too nice and that (like Dane) he wouldn't have been pleased with how generous she'd been to him tonight. He could feel her sidelong glance and he flit his own to meet it, his eyes — or, at least, the one good one — wide and bright. "Nice to know one of you has common sense," he chirped cheerily, shrugging his shoulders closer to his neck with pretended giddiness. Then she explained Nick's favored pastimes and he did, admittedly, sound a bit like Dane imagined he himself came across as. Drunk and brawly. "And oh, good for him, to be paid for something most people are willing to do for free." He chortled, drawing his gaze to peer outside his window at the passing buildings. "Think he'd make me cough up a few bucks before he beat my ass for doing what I did to you? Or would I be an exception?"[break][break]

She continued to comment, saying she had other siblings who'd cautioned her in the same way he had tried to, and Dane's lip pulled at the sarcasm in her voice — pulled even further when she jabbed that she listened "about as well as he did". Dane rolled his head on his shoulders and tipped his head back, ignoring the ache in his skull and neck, to shoot her a broad, feline grin. "Ah, we're such stinkers, aren't we? When will we learn?" He gave an exaggerated bat of his lashes, then — when his gaze traveled slowly back to the street through her windshield — he leaned forward and straightened as his eye caught on a familiar, neon sign.[break][break]

"Hey, hey, pull over right here." His hand lifted to his door handle, absolutely prepared to unbuckle himself and tuck and roll if she didn't slow. "This dim sum place is literally a godsend. Nothing like a bit of Cantonese carry-out to end a night like this. Are you hungry?"



[break]

you've got a lot to do, you've got a lot to be [break]
and in the end, maybe i'll see you there

Tag: Katrina Wells [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]

[Katrina Wells]

You romanticize the feast and famine

Paralyzed by fear of failing

The comment how one of them between she and her brother having common sense made Katrina chuckle softly. Mostly because she wasn't sure if Nick would agree or disagree with that statement. Maybe he was right though. Maybe she didn't have the common sense. Or maybe her survival instincts were just broken. She wasn't really sure. But she couldn't be all wrong, right? Or maybe she was just lucky.

As he asked if her brother would make him pay before he beat him up for harassing her Katrina felt her brows knit together in thought for a moment. "Not before," she said thoughtfully, as if she were really putting thought into the question. "Maybe after though, he's done that before," Katrina had a distinct memory of him taking the wallet from someone after getting into a fight at a bar to take out the cash he'd had in it. Though as he commented wondering when either of them would learn to listen Katrina let out a dramatic sigh. Only offering his exaggerated expression another short side glance. "Possibly never, stubbornness seems to be as alive and well in los Eurosia as it ever was."

As he told her to pull over she finally gave him a look of confusion before she pulled over next to the curb. They still had a bit before they got to the address he'd given her. Though as she looked up she noticed they'd stopped in front of a restaurant. Was he really hungry? She's surprised he could think about food with how swollen his face was. Though she supposed it wasn't that surprising. She'd had her brother cheering for McDonalds with blood still pouring from his nose like a fountain. So with a sigh she parked the car and pulled out her keys.

"I've never eaten here before," she responded as she waited for him to get out first before following after. Katrina grabbed her bag and locked the car before she followed him to the door. "Don't expect me to chew your food for you though," she offered playfully.

Tag: Dane Wayland
Let me know if you need to change or adjust anything!

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

LYING FACE DOWN IN THE GUTTER

of unaccomplished dreams; don't wait for me

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]Katrina pulled to the curb and Dane unbuckled his belt and stepped out before the car could roll to a complete stop. Shutting his door, he turned back and bent to glance at his faint reflection in the passenger window. He pulled the bloody tissues from his nose, stuffed them in a pocket, and did what he could to push his hair back in place. Then, when she stepped around the car to join him, he spun around and made for the door of the building, quirking a brow as she commented that she'd never tried the place and that she wasn't going to "chew his food for him".[break][break]

He paused with his hand on the door handle and turned to look at her, gaze narrowed with an appraising sort of consideration while he hummed. "We should stop by a pet store and get you a bird. Or a ferret. But then..." he pursed his lips, eyes narrowing a fraction further. "Are you one of those girls who, as a kid, was given a kitten or a puppy and then accidentally 'loved it too much'? Y'know... drowned it because it was thirsty? Cuddled it too hard? Stuck it in the freezer because it wanted some ice cream?" He shrugged, pulling the door open and stepping inside.[break][break]

The restaurant was tiny and empty. A hole-in-the-wall place that only offered carry-out and was run entirely by a small family. Behind the counter, on a stool and hunched over his phone, was the middle-aged manager and father. He glanced up at the chime of the door and, upon seeing Dane, yelled something in Cantonese to the kitchen. If Dane had to hazard a guess, what he said was something along the lines of "that crazy son of a bitch is back". They were never surprised by the state of him. It was mostly nights just like this — when he was beaten up and going home with no designs on sharing his bed — when he ended up here. [break][break]

A pair of older women popped into view on the other side of a pony wall and the trio exchanged another quick slew of Cantonese. Dane liked to imagine that the conversation loosely translated to how handsome he remained despite his busted face, but knew they were probably just surprised (and/or disappointed) that he wasn't more bloody and drunk than they were used to. He offered everyone a wide, beaming grin as he approached the counter.[break][break]

"They already know what I want," he said, pulling one of the folded paper menus from a plastic tray and sliding it before Kat. He glanced up at the man behind the counter, offering a faint smile at his obviously dispassionate stare. "Though I'll double the chicken sticky rice and get two mango puddings." He drummed his fingers along the counter thoughtfully, then straightened and fished his wallet from his jacket pocket. He pulled out a debit card and handed it to the manager. "Go ahead and order and uh... y'know what, take your time... I'm just gonna pop to the..." he began moseying toward the restrooms or — more accurately — toward the side door that led into the kitchens that was near the restrooms.[break][break]

He knew the man's oldest daughter. Quite well. Perhaps if he poked his head in, showed his battered face, and pouted about how unfair the whole thing had been, he'd get a little sympathy smooch. Maybe even convince her to take her break, leave Kat to fend for herself for a while, and —[break][break]

"She's not here," the manager called after him, voice quiet and firm. Dane pivoted on his heel and, nonchalant stride unchanged, ambled back to the pair. He propped a hip against the edge of the counter and clucked with disappointment, casting the man a thinner, amused smile — not failing to notice his eyes were darker now — before his attention shifted back to Kat. "Ah well, nevermind. You can be quick about it now."

[break]

you've got a lot to do, you've got a lot to be [break]
and in the end, maybe i'll see you there

Tag: Katrina Wells [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]

[Katrina Wells]

You romanticize the feast and famine

Paralyzed by fear of failing

Katrina stopped abruptly as Darren turned to look at her. As if thinking of something far too interesting only to bring up...a pet store? While she would love to have a pet her parents would never let her keep one. It was risky enough just taking care of the stray that would come to her window sometimes. There were some many times she had to meticulously clean her room and excessively lint roll her clothes and bedding so her parents didn't see the cat hair on them. "Oh, we weren't allowed to have pets growing up."

They were a distraction. And her mother loathed any pet smells. Whether that was a wet dog after a bath or freshly poured litter. "There is a stray cat I take care of sometimes, I call him Mr. Socks!" Katrina pulled out her phone and held it up to show her lockscreen as a picture of the older grey cat lounging in the grass during sunset. Looking either bored or regal, she could never decide. Her eyes were brighter as she talked about her little furry companion. Even as she pocketed her phone once again. "Nick used to take my stuffed animals and run them under water then put them in the freezer when we were kids though."

He'd always found a particular joy at hearing little Katrina cry about how her friends were "freezing to death". Though she supposed it was the job of all big brothers to torment their little sisters in some way.

As they walked in Katrina took a moment to look around the little shop. Not the sort of places her parents went to get food. They didn't do take out or fast food. Said it didn't have as much substance to it. Not that she ever really understood what they meant by that. Though as the people behind the counter began to speak her ears perked up a bit. Katrina had been speaking Cantonese since she was nine years old. Had even studied in China for six months with her older sister when they were younger. Her parents had been insistent on her and all of her siblings knowing at least three different languages. But she was quiet while Darren spoke and the other three talked about the arrival.

As he handed her a little menu she looked it over for a moment. It was late and she probably shouldn't be eating as it was. Her mother would always get onto her for eating too late at night. She said it would make her gain more weight. But she was really hungry. As she was having the small debate in her head over whether or not she should be eating Darren had come back and was telling her to hurry up her order. She blinked then looked from him to the man behind the counter. Without missing a breath she greeted them sweetly in more formal Cantonese. It would have been rude to use anything too familiar with people she'd just met.

She wound up ordering some braised tofu with a side of pot stickers as she slid the menu back with the others with a quiet thanks.

Tag: Dane Wayland
Let me know if you need to change or adjust anything!

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

LYING FACE DOWN IN THE GUTTER

of unaccomplished dreams; don't wait for me

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text"]Kat continued to look over the menu and Dane let his gaze travel aimlessly across the restaurant while he waited, resisting the urge to tap a foot or drum his fingers against the countertop. Then, when she spoke — her voice pitched again in that cloying and too-sweet tone — his attention snapped to her and he lifted a brow in clear surprise. He waited until she'd finished ordering, made her thanks, and when the manager behind the counter handed back his card and sifted to the kitchen to help prepare their food, he smacked his lips with a slow nod. "Cantonese, huh? That's impressive." He returned his debit card to his wallet and tucked it back in his pocket. "Notoriously difficult language to learn."[break][break]

His learning to speak and hear Russian — also a hard language — had been brutal enough and he still couldn't read or write it for shit. But he did know how to order alcohol in another three or four languages. "Hey," his lips spread again, wide and faintly feline, "What'd they say about me when I came in?" He snorted a soft breath and kicked the toe of his shoe gingerly into the side of her foot while he leaned more of his weight into the countertop at his side. "Feel free to make something up if it wasn't very nice." [break][break]

In what felt like little time at all, the manager returned to the front and set their food on the countertop between them — all of it packed tight in a single, plastic sack. Dane straightened. "Thanks. Can I get another bag?" The man bent to pull another plastic sack from beneath the counter and Dane busied himself with moving her tray, as well as the potstickers, one of the two sticky rices, and one of the mango puddings, into the new one. He divvied up the silverware and napkins, then tied both bags back up and nudged hers toward her. "What other languages do you know?"

[break]

you've got a lot to do, you've got a lot to be [break]
and in the end, maybe i'll see you there

Tag: Katrina Wells [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]

[Katrina Wells]

You romanticize the feast and famine

Paralyzed by fear of failing

Once the manager moved to the back Katrina turned her head when she heard Darren smack his lips next to her. Only to comment on her Cantonese. Her cheeks flushed a warm light pink as she averted her eyes down to the floor. "I started learning when I was three and my sister and I lived in China for a while when I was younger." That had been a really nice time for Katrina. Though she didn't remember all of it and most of the memories were still fuzzy. As he asked what they'd said about him when they had first entered Katrina looked back up to him a bit skeptically. Mostly because she didn't like going around just telling people insults.

As he mentioned she was allowed to make something up if they hadn't exactly been nice Katrina took a moment to think of which parts exactly she would tell him. "They had a bet going on when you would show up, the older man lost," she started with an easier smile. "There was also something said about wondering if I did...that," she lifted her hand to motion to the current state of his face, "to you but settled on the idea that I looked too nice to hurt you." Which, while true, felt a little insulting. But she figured it was best to leave it there.

Once the food was brought out she watched Darren divvy up their different meals into separate bags, which she was thankful for. She took her own and thanked them again before she turned back to her current companion. Curious as to how easily he would be able to eat with his face as busted up as it was. But before she could ask that he asked her about other languages she spoke. "Oh just Spanish, German, Korean, and ASL," she said with a small shrug. She'd also been learning Spanish sign language but she wasn't exactly fluent in that yet. "My parents were really big on me and my siblings knowing more than just English and being fluent in other languages because they like to travel."

"What about you?" she asked curiously. Most people she'd spoken with knew at least a little bit of another language. Usually Spanish or French it seemed. But they'd know at least enough to speak it. "I think it's important to know more than one language." Something she thought was particularly important when it came to working in the medical field.

Tag: Dane Wayland
Let me know if you need to change or adjust anything!

MADE BY NIGHTBLOOM

[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

LYING FACE DOWN IN THE GUTTER

of unaccomplished dreams; don't wait for me

[break]

[attr="class","lizardstripe-text5"]She blushed at his statement, her eye dropping to the floor. His gaze narrowed infinitesimally as he wondered: why? Was she simply uncomfortable with compliments? Not used to being recognized? Or maybe it was just her trying to play hard into this whole "sickly sweet" thing she had going on — too nice and humble to want to seem proud.[break][break]

Ah — he didn't care, actually. [break][break]

Dane nodded slowly, with clear disappointment, as she answered what had been said about them. He'd been hoping for something a little more hurtful or exciting. Was it true that the little Cantonese family, who knew him so well, was so... boring? It was a good thing he couldn't speak their language. The next time he came in, bleeding and/or babbling, it'd be much more entertaining to fabricate their commentary. [break][break]

They moved to leave and Katrina replied that she knew four additional languages — accompanying the admittance with a shrug (once again, like it wasn't a big deal or at all impressive). She explained that her parents liked to travel and were "big on" her and her siblings learning tongues. It made him want to roll his eyes — parents and their expectations. But he managed to only blow (whistle) a somewhat amused breath through his half-clogged nose. Then she asked if he knew any other languages, adding that she thought it was important to know more than one. [break][break]

He wondered, briefly, if she only thought so because her parents imparted it on her.[break][break]

"Russian," he answered simply, one corner of his mouth quirking as he glanced at her sidelong. He could have added that, like her, it had been at a parent's insistence that he and Dino learn, but... Antonio hardly warranted a mention. As they reached the front of the restaurant, he pulled open the door and waited for her to step out, sipping in a breath and humming thoughtfully.[break][break]

"Depending on my level of sobriety, I could probably say a few colorful phrases in French or Italian as well." Gemma was fluent in those languages and, beyond just picking up a few things along the way, he'd pestered her into teaching him a choice couple of lines. He shrugged as they moved back into the street. "Flirting, ordering drinks, starting a fight. Y'know... that kind of thing." He grinned, then quirked his brow and dipped a little closer to her to add in a slightly lower and amused tone. "Not that any of that requires speaking the same language as someone else."[break][break]

The door closed behind them and Dane straightened, casting his gaze down the empty sidewalk in both directions. "Welp... I think I'll just leg it from here," he announced, looking at Katrina square and tipping his head toward the building at their backs. "As you can tell, I'm pretty familiar with the trek home. So, uh... thanks, I guess?" He shrugged, busted face screwing up for a fleeting moment. Then he cleared it and pivoted on his heel to start off, tossing a hand in the air. "Keep the skies cloud-free or whatever, Kitty Kat. I hope you like the mango pudding. Oh, and—" he spun around, walking slowly backwards as he gazed back at her with a frown. "Any name and number on a bar bathroom wall isn't worth your time. If you need friends so badly, try a playground next time. Or maybe a book club?"

[break]

you've got a lot to do, you've got a lot to be [break]
and in the end, maybe i'll see you there

Tag: Katrina Wells [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes! My brain is totally not working but I'm just trying to churn something out to get the juices going. So I apologize for the mess lmao. We could wrap this up or keep going, up to you!

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