[Emery Donnovan]

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you talk
so pretty but
your heart got

[attr="class","teethicon"]

[attr="class","teethteeth"]teeth

[attr="class","teethtext"]
CW: arson and mentions of abuse

He'd hurt her. Hit her. Marked bruises across her skin like a battle map. And still Heather was apologizing for him. Still wanting to make excuses. Justify how somehow this was her fault. Well, Emery had heard just about enough when it came to this prick. They'd tried to be good. Tried to hold back when Heather pleaded for them not to get involved. It hadn't been easy. But this was where they drew the line.

So when the sun set and all that lit up the city were the streetlights and some cars headlights Emery set out. She wore a baggy plain black shirt, one of Ezra's, and some black leggings. It wasn't normally her style but there was an art to being discreet. Her bag slung over her shoulders and her boots crunched against the ground softly as she moved. Emery knew where this pricks house was and knew where he parked his precious car outside his driveway. So everyone could see just how bad he was with his financial decisions. Emery pulled their hair back into a ponytail as they first took out their spray paint to mark his house with warning.

A warning that the asshole that lived there liked to hit women. Afterwards she grabbed her bottle of kerosine and poured it around the car then splashed some over the car for good measure. Once the bottle had been emptied she pulled out a pack of matches and set one aflame. Watching the little flame flicker and dance for a moment before she stepped back a safe distance and flicked the match to the car. Quickly that little flame grew and began to swallow up the chemical trail like a hungry lion.

Emery watched as the flames began lapping up against the car before they heard sirens in the distance. "Shit!" They hissed as they quickly booked it down the road. They knew they wouldn't be able to out run a vehichle but they'd had run ins with the police enough to be squirrely. So they sprinted as fast as their legs would take them as one car made a quick advance. Emery cut through two yards, hopping a fence over one, and bounded off again as soon as they landed on the other side. Still, the sound of the sirens rang through the street.

Three of them tailed Emery as they came closer to the side walk. Looking for another place to hide or run through that their cars couldn't. Ezra and Zeke would kill her if she got caught again. Especially being charged with arson.

[attr="class","teethtag]Dane Wayland let me know if you need me to tweak or change anything!

♥ OXY

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-o"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-title"]HIT THE DIRT WITH A SMILE

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-subtitle"]make it worthwhile, i got nothing to prove

God, he was so fucking bored. [break][break]

Dane pulled the phone from his pocket to check how much time was left on the stupid little podcast he was listening to — the fifth one he'd tried in the last hour and just as vapid and unamusing as the four before it. How did people on stakeout and reconnaissance manage? What did they even do for hours and hours on end? Surely they didn't spend the whole time vigilantly watching whatever they were supposed to be watching — who had the patience? The discipline? The attention span?[break][break]

Not Dane. And everyone knew that. It was why he was never given the task. So Wolfhound damning him to a night listening and watching some mark's house in a dinky, low-end neighborhood, Dane could only guess was some sort of punishment. Probably for showing up to one of their meets groggy and hungover earlier in the week (though Dane thought he'd paid for that well enough that day, when the other man — as soon as he deduced Dane was having a bit of a "morning after" — demanded they spar and wasted no time pinning both his hands to a table with a knife through the middle of them). He'd called Rabbit for healing, sure, but only after working the day's assignments wrapped in bleeding bandages and unable to summon.[break][break]

"Fucking prick," Dane muttered, leaning further forward over his new bike and clicking on a different podcast. Something that boasted "cool" animal facts. Maybe, if he couldn't be entertained, he could at least be intrigued and learn something. But Jesus fuck, already he could tell the guy's voice in his ear had an unbearable pitch to it. He sighed and lifted his eyes to the house across the street from where he was tucked a ways back in a dark alley. The lights had gone out over an hour ago and Dane presumed the man had finally gone to sleep. Perhaps... he could... just claim as much.... and....[break][break]

Past the podcast's whiny introduction, he became aware of the approaching caw of police sirens.[break][break]

Dane pulled the earbuds from his ears and stuffed them in a pocket, eyes narrowing as he glanced about himself. His little spot, while not perfect, was pretty innocuous. No one could see him from their windows or their yards. No one passing down the street, unless they actually turned down the alley and walked in a ways, could have picked him out, even with the light of his phone. It was very unlikely the cops were coming for him... unless Wolfhound had decided to fuck around with him a bit. Which... couldn't be ruled out. [break][break]

But still, they were pretty close, weren't they? In fact... they were just down the street. He could see the red and blue lights bouncing off the walls of houses now, reflecting in windows, and — Dane's brow leaped as he watched a figure vault itself over a fence. The person bounded off again as soon as their feet touched solid ground and Dane watched passively as a couple of cop cars rushed right by the mouth of his alley. So... not for him then.[break][break]

Still, this was a bit exciting. He supposed he should stick where he was. See if the sirens brought the neighbors (and his mark) milling out into their front yards, scratching their heads and blinking sleep from their eyes. But... then what? [break][break]

Shrugging, Dane set his bike out of gear and rolled it forward using his legs and tiptoes. At the mouth of the alley, his gaze was drawn down the street in the opposite direction the person and cars had fled, and he blinked quickly at the sight of a burning car, only a couple of houses down from the one he was supposed to be watching. Damn. He'd been real vigilant on this stakeout, hadn't he? His eyes lifted to the graffiti scrawled across the front of the home, illuminated by flame — a very clear and stated warning that the man, presumably the owner of the very much on fire car, was an abuser. [break][break]

Not a bad motive. Cops wouldn't see it that way, though.[break][break]

Dane's mouth tucked and he tipped his head, pulling on his helmet and zipping up his pockets a moment later. He turned his bike to life and glanced in the direction the police cars had disappeared, before pulling into the street and heading the opposite way. He didn't bother covering or removing his license plate. Nothing they pulled from running the numbers would point to him or bring anyone to his door. On the contrary, it'd lead them pretty far away, to someone else's door; someone who had a similar bike and certainly an alibi for where they were tonight. Cue frustration for everyone involved, except him — how fun! And he had a couple more plates made that he could swap with later, should he feel the need.[break][break]

He circled the block. Saw where the person — a woman, dressed in black with her hair pulled back — had come out of the yards and was gauging where to go now as the cop cars closed in. She took off again, making her way down a narrow, dirt alley between houses, and Dane revved his bike and took off in a parallel course, taking a turn at the next intersection and braking to a stop at the opposite mouth of the alley. He could see her advancing, perhaps a bit hesitant now, but before she could decide to try and scale another fence instead of risk running into him, he revved his bike and tossed up a hand with a small, frivolous wiggle of his fingers. [break][break]

One of the cop cars turned down the street, its headlights shining on him, and he grinned thinly under his helmet. He didn't feel like lifting his visor to be heard, so he only tipped his head and twisted a bit in his seat to pat the back of his bike invitingly.

it's a long, long drop to a sudden stop[break]but god, you gotta love the view

Tag: Emery Donnovan[break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

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[Emery Donnovan]

[attr="class","teethpost"]

[attr="class","teethwrap"]

[attr="class","teethhead]

[attr="class","teethhead-quote]

you talk
so pretty but
your heart got

[attr="class","teethicon"]

[attr="class","teethteeth"]teeth

[attr="class","teethtext"]


Emery really didn't see all the fuss for one person. Making all this racket with their lights and sirens in the middle of the night. They were going to wake up someone's baby. Or maybe send an elderly person into a heart attack. Inconsiderate really, if one were to ask Emery. Also, if this asshole couldn't handle a little fire he shouldn't have gone around putting his hands on his partner. This was Plan B for what Emery had originally wanted to do. As far as they were concerened he'd gotten off light. Because they still cared about their friend and didn't want to stress her too much.

Still, trying to out run three cop cars on foot was tricky. Unless she could get somewhere the cars couldn't and just lay low for a bit. She wasn't about to outrun them. There was another sound she heard over the sirens that didn't sound like one of their cars. The engine was louder and seemed to be going the opposite way from the cars. As she was debating where to go Emery caught a figure on their bike just a ways from her. She watched them lift their hand in the air to wave at her then pat the seat behind them invitingly.

Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to be jumping on the back of a strangers bike? But it was either that or get caught by the police and Emery didn't exactly have a lot of time to think on her decision. So she booked it for the bike. They jumped onto the back in one fluid motion and wrapped their arms around the strangers waist securely. Only one of them was wearing a helmet after all. It wouldn't be good if Emery was suddenly launched off the bike for not holding on tight enough. They brought their feet up and pressed their chest against the other persons back before quickly tapping their upper thigh to signal them to go.

The two of them could have a nice chat and she could thank them properly when they weren't being hounded by the police. Emery was a bit out of breath at the moment as it was and her heart was still hammering in her chest. Even her fingers were tingling with adrenaline. Once the bike started moving she secured her hold around their waist again and pressed her face against their shoulder to stop from being battered by the wind.

[attr="class","teethtag]Dane Wayland Sorry this ones a little short let me know if you need me to tweak or change anything!

♥ OXY

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-o"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-title"]HIT THE DIRT WITH A SMILE

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-subtitle"]make it worthwhile, i got nothing to prove

The woman, after only a quick moment of deliberation, vaulted toward him. Dane, almost expecting her not to — while it didn't appear she had a whole lot of options at the moment, he still wouldn't blame her for taking her chances alone — hastily shrugged the backpack from his back so he could swing it in front of him instead. Just as he got his arms back through it and settled it in his lap, she jumped on the back of the bike and he felt the strain of keeping them steady with his grounded feet. Her own arms came around him, her feet came off the ground, and he wasted no time in setting them in motion. He shot off, right beside the closing-in cop car, then lifted one hand in a friendly, flippant wave toward the next one that lingered at the intersection and turned to follow after him when he passed. [break][break]

Losing them through the residential streets was easy enough. His bike was quicker and more nimble than their cars and, by the time he made it out of the neighborhood, he could no longer see their lights in his mirrors but only hear their sirens. He gave a pleased shake of his head and took an on-ramp onto the interstate going north toward the livelier belly of the city. Not being particularly careful and not feeling particularly worried, he went fast; weaving effortlessly through slower vehicles and earning a couple of honks. He was showing off a little bit and he knew his passenger was probably cold, but he couldn't help it. He'd been cooped up in that dark, dingy alley for hours too long and now he was free. He could indulge just a little. [break][break]

Eventually though — when he felt he'd gone far enough (and that going any further would risk being apprehended at a future exit) — he pulled onto an off-ramp and ended up circling back south until they were moving through a well-populated, business-heavy area that was still fairly lively at this time of night. Cheekily (or recklessly, all things considered), he cruised through a couple of red lights and — anticipating the flash of a traffic camera each time he did so — tossed up a flippant peace sign at each one to cover the woman's face over his shoulder. It'd make for some hilarious pictures sent in the mail (though, perhaps the man his license plate was tied to wouldn't think so).[break][break]

After a short while, Dane pulled them into a small strip mall area. It was little more than a parking lot with a couple of 24-hour fast food joints on one side, and a bright laundromat and some other "daylight" businesses (currently closed, windows dark) on the other. It wasn't too busy now but he figured the couple of cars that crawled through the drive-thru would dispel any sort of trepidation his passenger might have about being alone with someone she didn't know. He rolled his bike to a stop at the far end of the parking lot, just beyond some employee vehicles — the spot purposely chosen so it didn't seem like they were hiding at all, but so they were still out of easy view from the main road. [break][break]

Dane kicked down his kickstand and pulled off his helmet, shaking out his hair and casting a gauging look over his shoulder. "Sup, felon?" His brow quirked faintly, lip tugging just barely askew. "Isn't it a little early in the week for arson?"

it's a long, long drop to a sudden stop[break]but god, you gotta love the view

Tag: Emery Donnovan[break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

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[Emery Donnovan]

[attr="class","teethpost"]

[attr="class","teethwrap"]

[attr="class","teethhead]

[attr="class","teethhead-quote]

you talk
so pretty but
your heart got

[attr="class","teethicon"]

[attr="class","teethteeth"]teeth

[attr="class","teethtext"]


Emery kept her face against his shoulder as they rode. Both to keep the wind out of her face and to avoid any police seeing her face if they happened to catch up. Once they hit the interstate she felt the rev of the engine as he sped up and the harder force of the wind. They held onto him a little tighter even as a giggle bubbled from their chest and past their lips. Shaking their shoulders as they buried the giggle against the strangers shoulder. As they slowed a bit more she risked peering out to find them in more of the populated part of the city. Still alight with head lights, office buildings, restaurants and the like. Emery watched as he rolled through stop lights. Offering the flashing camera's peace signs as they passed.

As they pulled into a slightly less populated stirp mall parking lot Emery leaned their head back and let out a relieved sigh into the passing wind. She looked over a couple of the food options more curiously as they passed them. She could go for something quick and bad for her. Then her eyes scanned the area for any cop cars or possible vehicles of people she might know. Once they rolled to a stop Emery removed their arms from around the strangers waist and held onto the back of the seat instead.

Once the helmet was off she watched him shake out his dark hair. Getting a partial glance at his face as he turned to offer her a glance over his shoulder. "My knight in shinning armor," she cooed affectionately, almost adoring. "It's never too early to light up a piece of shit," there was almost an edge to her more playful tone. A sort of sharpness at the very edge that oozed poison. "But I guess his car will have to settle instead." A mischievous smile tugged at her own lips. Even pulled back into a ponytail her hair was now windswept with strands that had pulled from the ponytail to hang around her face.

Under the lights of the open businesses there was a twinkle in her eyes that made the brown almost sparkle with light amber. "Besides doesn't being my get away driver make you an accessory to arson?" She purred teasingly as she leaned closer again. "So what's up with you, felon?" She laughed a bit more full than her earlier giggle. The sound bright and wild like the fire that had engulfed the car. "Let me thank you for helping me out. You hungry?"

[attr="class","teethtag]Dane Wayland Let me know if you need me to tweak or change anything!

♥ OXY

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-o"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-title"]HIT THE DIRT WITH A SMILE

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-subtitle"]make it worthwhile, i got nothing to prove

(CW: Post contains thoughts on domestic abuse)[break][break]

Dane watched the woman in his periphery, over his shoulder. He expected her to quickly dismount — to slip off the bike and step away from him — but she only pulled her hands from around him and settled, appearing quite unbothered. In one breath, she saturated her gratitude for his timely aide in a lilting coo, then with the next, she sounded abruptly sharper. Then it was back to the playful tease. Dane's eyes narrowed just a fraction and he let his mouth curl just barely at its corners. It reminded him very much of a cat flexing its paws. One moment, the claws were sheathed; touch soft and kneading. The next, nails out, prepared to flense. Then back to soft. As if only to give the reminder that they were there. [break][break]

He offered a conceding bob of his shoulders when she pointed out he'd made himself an accessory to her felony, lids flickering lower over his eyes while he quirked a brow. "I'll just have to tell them that you coerced me. Who will they believe? Me or the arsonist?" As he spoke, he turned a fraction more, trying to discern if she was pretty while she laughed. Her dark eyes looked a little dangerous and her smile a little more so. She was windswept, face flushed by the cut of the earlier wind, and suddenly he could recall that she'd been giggling on the interstate. Hm. She was ticking a lot of certain boxes for him (not that he had many) and, when she leaned closer and asked if he was hungry, he kept his face decidedly neutral. He gave a quiet, considering hum and let the question linger for an intentionally long moment, eyes fixed. "Starving," he mused finally, lips threading the tiniest bit further at the corners. [break][break]

"But I'll pass on food," he added decidedly, tone quick and flippant then, as he faced forward again and shrugged out of the backpack held before him. While he unzipped the bag and fished out the pack of cigarettes tossed in with everything else, he spoke airily, words light and curious, but without much concern. "So, this guy... who was he hittin' on, then?" He plucked out a cigarette and placed it between his lips, in no hurry to light it. He hadn't been a religious smoker for a long while, hadn't bought a pack for himself in years, but recently — [break][break]

Ah... no. His thoughts couldn't go there. He wouldn't think about it. [break][break]

In any case, if he was no longer allowed to drink himself into a nightly stupor like usual, he'd needed to find an alternative. "Forgive me if I'm wrong... first impressions and all... but I can't see it being you." She, very immediately, didn't seem the type. So then... a friend? A sister? Her mother, even? One that went through shitty "stepdads" as if drawing a finger down the page of a phonebook? He wouldn't rule it out — while his passenger didn't strike him as the type to allow a man to swing on her, he wouldn't be surprised to find she had some "daddy issues". [break][break]

Dane hummed again, this time long and thoughtful, and leaned forward to prop an elbow atop his bag and drop his chin into a palm. "And this girl. Did she leave him? Surely she isn't living with him, right?" [break][break]

He was aware that people — and not just women — sometimes stayed. No matter the abuse or how ugly things got, they just... endured. Sometimes they would conjure up some fleeting moment of good sense and get away, only to then crawl back a day, week, or month later. It was unfathomable to him. He despised it. And he couldn't say for certain why it was even a thing. Sure, he was someone who liked putting himself through hell at the hands of others — and did so with reckless abandon — but that was decidedly different. He chose that abuse. Asked for it. And it came from strangers. People who meant very little or nothing to him. Not from people who were supposed to love him. [break][break]

Was that what it was? Did they do it for "love"? Some sort of "clinging on" to the memory of happier times (if there were any)? Or was it owed to something far more complicated? Perhaps a person eventually just... identified with the abuse. Made it a part of them. Tied their worth in some sick way to someone hurting them. Resigned themselves to simply being someone that people treated horribly. Maybe they eventually mistook it for love or even came to think it was all that they deserved. And wasn't that terribly sad? Then, even if they did get away, they'd very likely just look for the same thing in someone else. Stumble out of one bad relationship and right into another, seeking that acquired and skewed validation in harmful words and falling fists. Maybe they wouldn't even know they were doing it. [break][break]

It could always be far more simple than all that, he supposed. Maybe they just didn't have anywhere else to go. Or, at least, were made to feel that way. [break][break]

Dane drummed his fingers along his jaw, then straightened again to pull the lighter from his pocket. "I imagine he's gonna be pret-ty mad about all that. What do you think he will do to her if she goes back to him?" He lit the cigarette, taking a puff to get it started, and then tipped his head back. "Our oh-so-very-helpful cop friends won't be able to do anything against him unless she makes a report." And how helpful was a report anyway, if a man was truly awful, pissed off, and used to taking out his anger on girls who didn't fight back?

it's a long, long drop to a sudden stop[break]but god, you gotta love the view

Tag: Emery Donnovan[break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

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[Emery Donnovan]

[attr="class","teethpost"]

[attr="class","teethwrap"]

[attr="class","teethhead]

[attr="class","teethhead-quote]

you talk
so pretty but
your heart got

[attr="class","teethicon"]

[attr="class","teethteeth"]teeth

[attr="class","teethtext"]


CW: Thoughts and mentions of domestic violence, physical abuse, PTSD, and miscarriage

Emery snorted in amusement when he claimed that he would explain she'd coerced him into helping her. "Oh yeah, big guy like you seems really easy to convince," she teased with a grin. Though as he mentioned passing on the food she poked out her bottom lip in a mock pout. "Pass of free food? Lame," she huffed teasingly. But she didn't mind so much. She was a stranger after all and he'd clearly noticed that she'd actively lit a car on fire. She she supposed she could understand the trepidation. Though as he asked about who the guy had beat Emery's playful pout dropped. Her expression darkened as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

"He was hurting one of my friends, and I warned him if he ever laid a hand on her he was going to regret it." Emery didn't like making empty threats. Especially not when it came to the people they cared about. When he claimed he didn't imagine it was her being hit they gave a quick empty laugh. Just a few years ago it had been her. Living with a man that reveled in Emery's tears. In her cries and begging. In watching her bleed or watching her lips turn blue as he squeezed all the oxygen out of her. Only a few years ago it had been Emery in that position. Who thought that they deserved the abuse. That it was their fault and if they just stopped upsetting him everything would be okay. "I really don't give a damn how mad he is when he finds his precious car in flames." They hoped the flames spread to his house before anything else.

There was no hiding the venom in Emery's voice now. Or the dangerous gleam in their eyes. All that easy, playfulness had melted away with the heat of their anger. "She's staying with her sister right now and if he comes anywhere near her the car will be the least of his worries." She'd warned him. Told him what would happen the moment Emery even suspected he was abusing her. Perhaps it was her need to be the person she'd needed those years ago. Perhaps it was her residual anger left over from her own previous relationship. Maybe a little bit of both.

"Fuck the cops, they wouldn't do anything for her anyway. At best they'd blame her for not coming to them sooner, as if it's that easy. As it's as easy making the decision to step away from someone you love." Emery had to take a pause as she realized her voice was starting to raise. She closed her eyes to take a breath to center herself again and saw flashes of Kayden as he held her over the tub with the detachable showerhead over her face. She opened her eyes again and tried to blink the memory away as she rolled her shoulders to attempt to untense them.

"I can't control if she goes back to him or not but I can make sure he never gets a chance to see her again if she tries. If someone is so willing to hurt and abuse someone they're supposed to cherish I don't think they deserve the chance to do it to anyone else they might come into contact with. Parents, partners, friends, it doesn't matter." Her voice was decidedly more even as she spoke this time though clearly it was a more practiced calm. Like a dam attempting to hold back the wave of a tsunami.

[attr="class","teethtag]Dane Wayland Let me know if you need me to tweak or change anything!

♥ OXY

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-o"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-title"]HIT THE DIRT WITH A SMILE

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-subtitle"]make it worthwhile, i got nothing to prove

It seemed he'd opened a can of worms. Even though the woman was no longer pressed against his back, Dane could feel her tense behind him. She explained it'd been her friend being battered, voice growing increasingly thick with hostility. She even laughed — sharp and quick — at his assumption that it hadn't been her. Dane took another drag from his cigarette and dropped his head, raising a brow privately as he pulled unconcernedly at a loose string on the seam of his backpack. [break][break]

He assumed the laugh meant he was right. And that it had been an understatement. Especially as she went on, speaking of her threats and making her disdain known; voice raising further until finally — she paused and took a cleansing breath.

"Alright, alright," Dane started, voice placating. He smoothed a finger across his brow, daring to look put-out by her little, passionate tangent. "I'm only saying," he paused, lips thinning as he sifted a hand through the air and shrugged his shoulders. "Might not help her to just... piss him off." He plucked the keys from the bike's ignition and slid off his seat, deciding a conversation was best had face-to-face (and she'd yet to show any desire to dismount). He'd been sitting for far too long anyway. [break][break]

"Dogs that are known to bite don't usually respond well to being antagonized," he added, turning to replace the bag on his now-vacant seat and regarding her with a lightly-lifted brow. "Sometimes your only real options are to pull their teeth or put them down." He wrinkled his nose, as if the analogy was amusing, then secured the cigarette between his lips so he could make a lazy spin; lifting his arms over his head, stretching his back, and making a pleased noise when his bones gave a couple of satisfactory pops. [break][break]

Straightening, Dane's gaze flickered to the sky and his eyes narrowed while he took a long, indulgent drag. He tipped his head thoughtfully. He supposed he could be projecting a little. Maybe this guy was the type to tuck his tail at a little fire. Maybe it was enough of a "threat made good on" to discourage him from seeing his poor girlfriend again. Maybe he only liked hitting girls who let him and didn't hit back. If that was the case, he couldn't be too tough. [break][break]

"Maybe I'm just used to meaner dogs, though," he finally commented, voice flippant. Almost ironically, the thought was followed by a buzz in his jacket pocket. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the messages that landed one after the other on his screen. Wolfhound, somehow knowing he'd abandoned his post — so it'd been punishment after all, or at least a means to bring an excuse for punishment about. Dane scrolled through the messages — What time were lights out? What time were the neighbors' lights out? Did anyone walk their dogs? Any traffic? People walking by? Drop-by visits?[break][break]

His lip tugged askew and he rolled his eyes. Was he really supposed to note all that sort of stuff? Feeling a rush of scorn, he typed back a simple reply — 'What is this, a pop quiz? I didn't bring a fucking diary' — and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He'd pay for it tomorrow. But that was tomorrow. [break][break]

Dane kicked a toe into the ground and blew out the smoke he held in his lungs, eye sifting back to the woman appraisingly. "This a common night-time activity for you, then? Or is playing arsonist-slash-vigilante just for friends?"

it's a long, long drop to a sudden stop[break]but god, you gotta love the view

Tag: Emery Donnovan[break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

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[Emery Donnovan]

[attr="class","teethpost"]

[attr="class","teethwrap"]

[attr="class","teethhead]

[attr="class","teethhead-quote]

you talk
so pretty but
your heart got

[attr="class","teethicon"]

[attr="class","teethteeth"]teeth

[attr="class","teethtext"]


He seemed a bit put off by her sudden outburst of emotion. Perhaps rightfully so, but he'd been the one to ask. Of course she knew all too well that only making him mad and letting her wander back to his arms wouldn't help anything. It would only lead to another cycle of him hurting her and Emery doing something to hurt him. There'd been a few that tried that when she'd been with her ex. But Emery then had been young and niave and stubborn and in love. And Kayden had been a particular kind of monster who'd taken pleasure in her torture. This coward was more like a child throwing a tantrum. Screaming, hitting, and throwing a fit because he didn't exactly get his way. He hit Heather because she was smaller, weaker, and he knew she wouldn't bite back.

"Bad dogs that bite get muzzled until they learn better or they get put down," she stated with a roll of her shoulders. Emery sat back a bit braced their hands against the back of the seat they were on. Watching the way he stretched and how the smoke from his cigarette floated into the air and danced in the street lights. "This is nothing but training, and I always thought it was best to have a praise and punishment system." Being able to really see him now Emery let her eyes scan over his face a bit in the night lighting. Still all too content to keep her seat on the bike.

"You make it sound like you've been a bad dog," she teased as that more mischievous grin crossed her lips again. Emery didn't like thinking about Kayden. They didn't like the anger and fear and heartache that bubbled just under the surface. All those feelings that they'd done their bed to bury for good. The memories of him she'd tried to bury. "You get your teeth pulled?" God, she could go for a cigarette now. The smell of it wafting from him made Emery jittery. Mixed with the adrenaline that had been running from the police she really needed nicotine. Or something just to sink her teeth into.

She watched as he produced a phone from his pocket and tilted her head slightly to the side in curiosity. Idly she wondered who would be texting him at this time of night. "That one of your little mean pups?" She teased without really caring to pry too much. "Or is someone pulling on your leash?"

As he asked if this was a common activity for them Emery chuckled a bit. "Do I look like Batman to you?" She asked before she sat up straight again. "Why do you ask? You need a firefly?" She didn't really expect him to agree. Instead she let out a soft sigh. "No I don't just go around setting random cars on fire, I'm not a psycho." Emery could hear her brothers in the back of her mind now both laughing in their disagreement. "You often wait around to find random people to help run from the cops like some knight in shining armor?"

[attr="class","teethtag]Dane Wayland Let me know if you need me to tweak or change anything!

♥ OXY

[newclass=.teethpost] --teethAccent:#db7f32;--teethDrk:#333; [/newclass]

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-o"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-title"]HIT THE DIRT WITH A SMILE

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-subtitle"]make it worthwhile, i got nothing to prove

She seemed to think that mean dogs could be trained. Muzzled rather than defanged. Dane supposed that was true. And — even before she made the comment herself (a suspicion of him being a bad dog) — he was already applying the idea to himself. His whole life, no matter what he did or how far he went, his father had never taken away his toys or slapped a wrist for being bad. Or brutal. He'd only made sure to make it clear who held the leash and where and to whom those bad, brutal things were applicable. Done his best (with only some success) to make sure those fangs, still secure in Dane's gums, only bit the hands they were pointed at. [break][break]

He raised a brow at her tease, eye sifting slowly to the wry tuck of her mouth. She was flirting with him, it seemed. Maybe. And he considered briefly whether he was in the mood to capitalize on that. (Rarely was he not.) Then, at her joking inquiry on having "his teeth pulled", he barked an instinctive, wildly amused laugh, lips splitting in a quick grin. [break][break]

"Funnily enough... yes," he cheesed his smile, widening it into a teeth-baring beam so his pearly whites were on full display. All of them — except for four of his back-most molars — were fake. The majority had been busted from his face when he was sixteen and what little remained had been pulled to make the construction and fitting of his permanent implants and bridgework less nuanced. Not that she'd be able to tell with a look. And not that he cared to offer the story. She could speculate. [break][break]

"But I'm always a good dog," he lied, voice not yet regressing into something sly or seeking. He kept it carefully neutral as he stepped forward and moved his backpack from the seat of his bike and to the ground beside it. "Though I do like a good praise and punishment system." At the addendum, he let one corner of his mouth tip, and moved his helmet to set atop the bag. [break][break]

He disregarded her question about who was texting him, nodded as she answered she "wasn't Batman", snorted softly at her firefly comment, and then lifted a brow (with perhaps a touch of measured doubt) when she assured him she wasn't a psycho. All of it done with a sense of continuous and airy ease, as if none of it truly concerned him. Then she turned the question back on him, asking if it was commonplace for him to do what he'd done tonight, and he sniffed a quick breath, considering it.[break][break]

"No, not usually. At least... not without ulterior motives. I'm not that nice." Moving smoothly, he swung himself back on the bike, facing her this time. One leg he kept straight and locked with his foot on the ground — keeping them safe from tipping — and the other he folded with his shoe on the footpeg; knee knocked deliberately against one of her own. "You always flirt with random guys before learning their names?" He shot back, settling casually with the cigarette between his lips and his hands in his lap. [break][break]

He considered reaching out to smooth his fingers over her knee. Just a test. Maybe a little game of chicken to see how quick things might move if pushed. But he refrained — for the moment. He took a drag, then lifted a brow quizzically and pulled the cigarette from his lips to offer in the air between them.

it's a long, long drop to a sudden stop[break]but god, you gotta love the view

Tag: Emery Donnovan[break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

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[Emery Donnovan]

[attr="class","teethpost"]

[attr="class","teethwrap"]

[attr="class","teethhead]

[attr="class","teethhead-quote]

you talk
so pretty but
your heart got

[attr="class","teethicon"]

[attr="class","teethteeth"]teeth

[attr="class","teethtext"]


It seemed she'd said something a little more amusing about the idea of having had his teeth pulled. Emery watched as his lips tugged wide into a beaming smile that showed all his teeth. Teeth that were too white, too straight, too perfect to be real. Idly she wondered about the dental work he'd had done and why it had been done. He didn't seem the type to go and get all his teeth removed and replaced with fake ones for aesthetic reasons. But who was Emery to judge? They'd known each other all of a few minutes. Perhaps he was just that concerned with his looks. Or maybe he had some severe accident or medical issue that required the surgery. Either way, Emery didn't spend too long on the thought. "Well don't those look expensive."

Though as he claimed about always being a good dog Emery gave him a speculative, doubtful look. Though his comment on how he enjoyed more of a praise and punishment system made her snort in amusement. "Oh, I bet you do," she teased with a small laugh. As he moved back to sit on the bike Emery still didn't move. His knee knocked against theirs and they tilted their head slightly in a curious manner as he mentioned not being quite nice enough to simply help someone out for the sake of the good deed. Though she supposed perhaps helping someone run for the police might not be considered that good of a deed.

Though his suggestion that they were flirting with him made Emery give a mock look of surprise. Their dark eyes widened a bit as their lips parted with a fake gasp. Their hands moved up to clutch some imaginary pearls around their neck. "Flirting? What kind of girl do you take me for?" Though that look of feigned shock quickly melted back to a more teasing grin as the corner of their lips tugged back to more of a wry grin. Momentarily Emery played with the idea of just how far she was looking to go.

"Besides, isn't it more gentlemanly to ask a lady her name first?" She asked with an innocent bat of her lashes. As he offered her the still lit cigarette though Emery didn't hesitate to take it. Taking a long drag and feeling that near immediate sense of relief as the smoke filled her lungs. Emery tilted her head back as she blew the smoke into the air above them before turning her eyes back to his. "Some good dog you are." They flicked the cherry off to the ground before holding the cigarette be between them again in offering. "So what's your name then, hm?"

[attr="class","teethtag]Dane Wayland Let me know if you need me to tweak or change anything!

♥ OXY

[newclass=.teethpost] --teethAccent:#db7f32;--teethDrk:#333; [/newclass]

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[Dane Wayland]

[nospaces]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-o"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe"]

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-title"]HIT THE DIRT WITH A SMILE

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-subtitle"]make it worthwhile, i got nothing to prove

She was taking everything in stride. His accusation of her flirting earned a pretended display of shock and, when she asked what kind of girl he took her for, Dane only lifted a brow. She wasn't phishing for an actual answer and so he didn't offer one. As she continued, he considered pointing out that he'd never claimed to be a gentleman, but — as she commented mockingly on his being a not-so-good-dog — he figured it, too, wasn't necessary. So he only quirked his lips fleetingly; an expression faintly sardonic as he took the cigarette back from her and lifted it to his lips. [break][break]

Her ask after his name made him hum thoughtfully and he squinted briefly into the sky above her head, taking a purposeful moment to mull it over. [break][break]

"Mm, you're gonna be disappointed," he paused to sip in the cigarette's last bit of life and hold it in his lungs. He flicked the butt into the parking lot and then blew the smoke into the air. "My name's... Keith," he stepped on the word, tongue pressed emphatically into his teeth while his eyes half-lidded with the deadened despondency he could only imagine would accompany being named something so absolutely unsexy and awful. Then his eyes brightened a moment later, brow leaping. "No, it's Kenneth." A breath hitched in his throat. "Wait. My name's..." his lips curled with a final decision and he purred: "Eugene. And I refuse to go by Gene." [break][break]

Smacking his lips, satisfied with his answer, Dane crossed his arms over his chest and drew his tongue across the back of his teeth. His gaze narrowed and he tipped his chin. "Go on, your turn. Got something worse than Eugene?"

it's a long, long drop to a sudden stop[break]but god, you gotta love the view

Tag: Emery Donnovan[break]
Give me a nudge for any changes!

[newclass=.post-lizardstripe-o]background-color:#3E563E;width:460px;padding:15px;[/newclass]
[newclass=.post-lizardstripe]background-image:url(https://i.imgur.com/o0y8EbP.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;width:360px;text-align:justify;padding:180px 50px 25px 50px;background-color:#f5f5f5;color:#666;line-height:1.2!important;[/newclass]
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[newclass=.post-lizardstripe-line]height:1px;background-color:#3C584D;width:300px;opacity:.75;[/newclass]

[Emery Donnovan]

[attr="class","teethpost"]

[attr="class","teethwrap"]

[attr="class","teethhead]

[attr="class","teethhead-quote]

you talk
so pretty but
your heart got

[attr="class","teethicon"]

[attr="class","teethteeth"]teeth

[attr="class","teethtext"]


He seemed to take her teasing coyness with an easy grace at least. Not bothered with her teasing anymore than he had been bothered with seeing her running from the police. That at least was promising. Promising in the idea that he wouldn't be boring. Though he seemed a bit more quiet without all his questions on how she might handle her current situation with a certain untrained dog. As he seemed to contemplate his own name Emery gave him a curious look. She supposed he couldn't be blamed for not wanting to give her his actual name. Lest she spray paint it all over the side of a wall as well.

The first name offered to her though, while suspecting it wasn't real, did make her wrinkle her nose in distaste. As if she'd just smelled a gallon of milk that had gone sour. Though before she could make a comment on it he returned again with a different name. "Kenneth? What are you, twelve?" Emery chided with an amused scoff. Though as he seemed to finally settle on a name Emery quirked a brow curiously with a soft snicker. "Ya know, I happen to think Eugene is actually a super sexy name," they retorted in a teasing purr. Almost mocking the satisfaction in his tone as he'd so happily settled on the name.

Though as the question was returned to them Emery took their own momentary pause. Thinking for a moment with a soft, contemplative hum. "My name is...Geraldine," she settled on at first before rethinking herself. "Wait! No, no, my name is Petal Sundance." Her lips curled into an almost giddy smile at the idea alone. "My parents were total hippies," they stated with a roll of their eyes. "Couldn't be me." As if she didn't have a room with walls covered in tapestries and posters with crystals and string lights and dried flowers.

"So, Eugene," Emery crooned the name in a soft and sweet tone that still held that playful edge. "You said you normally don't help someone unless you have an ulterior motive," she shifted slightly on the bike, just enough to make her knee brush against his before it settled back again in the same spot. "Do you have normal motives for being a knight in shining armor on your mighty steed?" She asked as she pat the side of the bike. "Or do you just think things up on the fly?"

"If that's the case my offer for something to eat still stands, I'll pay," they offered with an easy grin. "Or I could take you back to my club and make you a couple of free drinks." Not being on the streets would probably be the safest bet for her at the moment as it were. At least until things died down a bit.

[attr="class","teethtag]Dane Wayland Let me know if you need me to tweak or change anything!

♥ OXY

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[Dane Wayland]

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[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-title"]HIT THE DIRT WITH A SMILE

[attr="class","post-lizardstripe-subtitle"]make it worthwhile, i got nothing to prove

"Most Kenneths are twelve at some point," Dane mumbled under his breath, looking from her and peering toward the crawl of vehicles on the street while he smacked his lips. When she then decided that his final choice — Eugene — was a "super sexy" name, he brought his gaze back to her with a small, exaggerated groan. "That's no fun, the point was to be unsexy," he pouted, though the fun didn't quite reach his eyes as they watched her. She volleyed back her own selection of terrible (and most probably false) names and he nodded with consideration. "Petal. Okay, that's... not bad. Pet for short, then." [break][break]

She asked after his motives (whether they were typical or more arbitrary), and knocked her knee against his as he had done and patted at his bike. Dane tipped his head to and fro, as if thinking it over, then nodded. "Normal motives," he answered simply, wrinkling his nose and quirking the corners of his mouth into a quick grin that fell back only a fleeting moment later. Quite deliberately, he did not elaborate, and instead shrugged his shoulders as she offered again to feed him or pay him back with free booze. [break][break]

The latter, he'd normally leap at.[break][break]

"I'll pass on the food," he answered, slightly vexed at having to refuse again. He hadn't had much of an appetite the past couple of months. Whether it was due to grief, stress, or just his general disdain for having to stay sober and work earnestly again, he couldn't be certain. Nor did he care to consider it too much. What did it matter? He'd get through it, his shortened lead would slacken eventually, and he'd once again be able to find satisfaction in those things he'd enjoyed (of which food was only a small fraction). [break][break]

With a weighty sigh, he slipped off his bike and picked up his backpack. "Unfortunately — and I do mean it is so unfortunate — I'm on a bit of a sobriety kick at the moment." He pulled the straps over his shoulders and positioned the bag once more in front of him, before swinging back on the bike, this time facing the correct way. "Just for funsies, obviously. But I'll drop you off wherever you want me to." He slipped his key back into the bike's ignition and then glanced over his shoulder, lifting and shaking the helmet in his hand while his brow quirked questioningly; offering it to her in case she wanted it this time. [break][break]

"By the way, my name actually is Keith."

it's a long, long drop to a sudden stop[break]but god, you gotta love the view

Tag: Emery Donnovan [break]
Give me a nudge for any changes~

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[Emery Donnovan]

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[attr="class","teethhead-quote]

you talk
so pretty but
your heart got

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[attr="class","teethteeth"]teeth

[attr="class","teethtext"]

She couldn't help the grin that spread across her lips when he groaned about how the point was to be unsexy. Though she finally let out a giggle when he gave her fake name a nickname. It hadn't been what she'd expected. Who called people pet? Other than the love interests in dark romance novels. Still, it was kind of cute. Or maybe she just thought it was because he was kind of cute. No matter.

She watched him seem to volley ideas in his head on the why of him helping her. He hadn't tried to kidnap her yet or throw her in the trunk of a van or rob her. When he settled on "normal" motivies she had to wonder what exactly he considered was a normal motive to help someone run away from the cops. When he didn't specify she narrowed her eyes a bit at him out of suspicion before she shrugged her shoulders. When he declined her offer for free booze, explaining he was on a "sobriety kick", Emery tilted their head to the side curiously before they offered another small laugh. "Hey, all of us need a little T break sometimes," she said with a small shrug.

Emery was no stranger to avoiding drinking or drugs for periods of time to lower their tolerance to the substance. How he said it though made it seem as if that wasn't the case. But they weren't going to pry into why. If he'd really wanted to tell her he would have and Emery wasn't one to question a persons choice to be sober. For however long or short that may be. They watched him settle back in and put the key in the ignition. Idly wondering if maybe he needed to get back to whoever had texted him earlier.

When he offered to drop her off wherever she wanted Emery decided to go with the club rather than letting a stranger know where her apartment was. "Do you know where Fantasia is?" She asked once she'd settled back into the seat behind him. When he offered her the helmet this time she took it and adjusted it on her head. Hiding her face at the moment was probably for the best and it was better than getting her hair more tangled from the wind.

When he offered her another name that seemed to be what he was settling with she smiled. Emery still had a sinking feeling that wasn't his actual name but she didn't particularly care either way. They adjusted their bag to sit between their legs on the bike while still allowing some space to wrap their arms around him. "Well, thanks for all the help, Sober Keith."

[attr="class","teethtag]Dane Wayland Let me know if you need me to tweak or change anything!

♥ OXY

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