Cassie/Pritkin
Silly- She felt silly, running around in circles. Sometimes Cassie wondered if he did it because he had a twisted sense of humor. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the truth. No, Pritkin just enjoyed tormenting her.
Dependable- The consul stood above all the others, her snake suit traded for a white toga. Merlin looked at the young girl next to him. The Pythia who had saved his half demon ass from a god. The girl was slow, far too trusting but somewhat dependable. He smiled to himself.
Love- Love was a very versatile feeling, Cassie thought. You can love your neighbors, your friends, husband or lover. Love was a dusty thought in the back of his brain, in need of some oil.
Blonde- Their children would be the perfect color of blonde. The mix of dirty and strawberry would make an auburn color far prettier than the vampire Louis-Caesar. At least, that's what Pritkin tells himself.
Tanned- Cassie didn't tan. She burned. Immediately. Her fair skin didn't allow itself to get the slightest bit darker. It was severely unfair that she sat indoors nest to the window while Jonas and Pritkin worked outside. With their shirts off.
Shy- When she swam in the pool at Dante's she tried very hard to ignore all the other people looking in from the windows. When she did pay attention, green eyes looked back in emerald, turning dark. Then she was shy.
Ornery- She was the most stubborn, unchangeable and ornery girl on the planet. It was a damn good thing he liked the woman.
Chocolate- He was addicted to coffee almost as much as she was to chocolate. For her birthday, which he pretended to ignore, he left a secret box in front of her door. His birthday, which he also ignored, was thought to go unnoticed until he returned to his room to find chocolate covered espresso beans. He allowed himself a small smile.
Reading- She sometimes read for fun. Those cheap novels found in racks near the magazines. He read when he wasn't blowing something up or exercising or saving her. He read whatever was handy. When he found out what she'd been reading, he took the entire box and replaced it with history and language books determined that she learn them. He left her the book about the mage and clairvoyant trying to find a way to save the world.
Camping- He hated camping. A fact that made Cassie giggle. She was sure that with all his rough and ready masculinity, he would feel right at home in a tent. He said it made him too edgy all night because of the flimsy walls and animal noises. She knows it's because he hates mosquitoes above all else.
Chatting- Neither Pritkin or Cassie were much into chatting about lives or feelings. Each preferred their own counsel. Sometimes, when the moment was right, they simply stated facts about themselves. One day it would be Cassie with, "Tony had a cellar where he executed most of his prisoners. My ball rolled down the stairs once and I went to get it. It was the worst thing ever." Two weeks later, Pritkin would come back with, "I hate camping." Cassie didn't feel it was fair.
Bubbly- Some mornings, she was bubbly. From being a morning person or too much chocolate, Pritkin didn't know. She was like a big glass of champagne. Even he had trouble biting back a smile.
Dancing- She danced to the radio sometimes while she cleaned, or attempted to cook. The old fashioned radio was one of the only electronics that worked in the well warded house. Cassie had brought it new from the 1950s. It worked with stations of today so Cassie listened and Cassie danced.
Perky- She was a morning person. The mornings she took a break, Pritkin seemed almost perky. She hated him then.
Flirty- She had a dress she wore only when she wanted something or when she needed it. Sometimes that want was only to feel sexy. The look on John Pritkin's face when she wore her dress helped her achieve this. It was the look in his emerald eyes that made her feel it completely.
Flighty- Whenever there was a fight he pushed her away, wanting her to leave it to him. Whenever she had a girly moment or began to cry, he was the one to flee as fast as possible.
Hardworking- When she put her mind to it, she could be a hard worker. Pritkin noticed that when it came to things she wanted or wanted done, she would gather up all her strength and magical resources and get it done. This moved her higher in his book. Until she came to him for pain relief.
Scared- Pritkin was scared every time she shifted without him. Her power as Pythia was vast, but if she lost control, he didn't think he could handle it.
Damaged- She was afraid she had been too damaged by the events in her life. Then she thought of what Pritkin went through on his life journey and realized her life wasn't quite that bad. Then she went off to find him and start a fight. His own personal comfort.
Glasses- after a hard day against dark mages, Cassie saw Pritkin pull something out of his coat pocket and did a double take. When he saw her staring he growled and told her he'd used up all his magical reserves. The glasses looked unbelievably hot on him and she'd spent the rest of the evening watching him while pretending to read.
Freckles- After barreling into her to knock her out of the path of a runaway spell, she was uncomfortably close to his face. She could count the freckles on his face and was instantly determined to count them next time he went outside.
Valued- He was a valued asset to the silver circle's ranks, even if they wouldn't let him join. She was a valued member of the Vampire society, though she wasn't one. They valued each other for the abilities they each had. The kept telling themselves that was what mattered to either of them.
Friend- She'd never thought of him as a friend, despite what they'd been through. He called her Naïve and she thought of him Crude. Some bond must have formed over time because the thought of him leaving hurt her heart.
Foe- Sometimes they hated each other. People who knew them thought they did because of the wars they'd waged against each other. Their only true foes were themselves.
Loyal- He thought it was brilliant that while he'd sworn an oath to her she chose to remain loyal to him.
Proud- She'd beamed like a mother at graduation when the consul gave a signed treaty of friendship to Pritkin and him to Marsden, leader of the white circle. When Pritkin raised an eyebrow, she just grinned and gave the startled mage a hug.
Lonely- She was the only one who would start a conversation with him. He paced when she was off. He ran through Vegas on his warm up and ran further, straining his muscles. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but when she was shifting without him, he missed her.
Fearless- She watched him as she trembled, his back straight, gaze sure. She felt all her fears vanish. Or at least dim slightly. His confidence blazed through her and she straightened too. He turned to look at her as she stood next to him, borrowing courage. Together they fought for the right to leave.
Terrified- "I was terrified." The walled man said to Cassie. He sat in a velvet chair, studiously not looking at her. "Then I saw you standing there. Drained and bruised, you were a sight to see, Cassie. You were so confident." Pritkin smiled weakly at her and she stared up at him with bright blue eyes. She had such a shocked look on her face that he chuckled. "I was doing the same thing."
Share- Once, when Pritkin had a few shots of straight Vodka, he'd opened the slightest bit. He told her that when he was a small boy, he'd had only one friend. They'd shared everything, until the boy's mother and father found out. Pritkin had never seen the boy again. Cassie held his hand as his alcohol finally put him to sleep. She sat up and watched as he'd tossed and turned then grew still, looking young and innocent.
Grow- Cassie thought she'd grown as a person when he came out in his 16th century outfit and she didn't even laugh. It was very ridiculous with frills and such. She took one look at him and turned away. Her own outfit was much less flashy. A quiet grey dress with corset and long skirts. She braced herself and turned towards Pritkin again to find his intense gaze still on her. His eyes were big and green and fixed on her. She stared back until he shook his head and turned away.
Long- "I like your hair long," she said as he looked around the bathroom for scissors. That made him hesitate for a minute, caught between the bathroom and the bedroom halfway in the mirror, considering his reflection.
Colorful- Both of their pasts were colorful to say the least. She was the product of a dark mage and an heir to the Pythia. He was the offspring of a demon lord and a fae. Both resented their parents for past choices, both looked at each other and felt they had gone the easier life. She because at least he knew his parents, and he because she hadn't.
Attention- She never spent time on her appearance. Even during her time with Tony. Appearances just hadn't mattered to her. Not until a certain mage mumbled under his breath that her new hair cut looked nice. Then she paid attention.
Elegant- He'd never tell her, but dresses made her look elegant. They made her look in charge important, like she knew what the hell she was doing. It made him smile secretly and behind closed doors. Her beauty was meant to be elegant. She was just scatterbrained enough that elegance didn't fit her, but she fit it. Just perfect.
Classical- When he was really tired, he lapsed into old world speech and his British accent was more pronounced. He was much more prone to his black humor then, as he bid her good night. In some flashy unreal way, she thought of it as a fairy tale ending.
Bold- She was bold in her way. Striking out at Apollo was brave. Brave and bold seemed to go hand in hand. He was bold to watch her when she went out in the sun. He would sit in his chair and watch her bask in the sunlight that would kill her friends in a heartbeat. He'd laugh that the vampires had nested in one of the sunniest places in North America, but he understood her need for light.
Title- Her title was Lady. As Pythia she had right to it. Before, she'd been formally introduced to the public as Pythia; Pritkin had decided that he would never address her as My Lady. It would mean the end of friendship, the end of freedom. She would have the ultimate power over him and he wouldn't be able to stand it. Not ever. After her initiation to the circle, she would be Ms. Palmer. Not Cassie, not Milady, it was easier, safer, and it didn't make him want to cry.
Lightning- She knew it was clichéd but when their eyes met it was like sparklers had gone off in her brain. His pretty green eyes shot lightning into her soul. She briefly wondered whether he could see her soul before they clashed violently.
Movement- Sometimes they talked in a form of body language. Leaning one way would be her saying; "Is this guy for real?" his answer would come in a slight shuffle from one foot to another. "Yes, Cassie. Sit patiently and listen to him the smile and thank him." Sometimes their movements were boring, sometimes they were more fun.
Fool- She thought with her heart most of the time. Pritkin knew it would be her weakness. She was a fool, a dangerous one at that. The fae word for people such as her was Amadan. His first son was called Amadan for his mother's foolishness of keeping him. The dangers of a baby for the Pythia were great. It was a way to gain control of the Woman of Time. She didn't listen, but allowed Pritkin to name him.
Weather- Old people could tell when certain weather was coming. Some people with very old injuries could feel moisture in the air. Pritkin wheezed in his sleep with dry weather and croaked as he woke with wet. Of course after the initial wakeup, Cassie usually went back to sleep dreaming of rainbows.
Ready- When she told him she wanted to try it, he flatly refused for weeks. She bugged him, asking incessantly. When he finally gave in, she had a smug look on her face for a full week. As they got into position, she grinned up at him. "Ready?" and they jumped off the airplane.
Help- Cassie wished Jonas had been there from the beginning. The Pythia lessons were the best moments of her life as she explored the potential of her powers. When she told Pritkin of her accomplishments, he merely smiled his good smile and listened politely. The he'd take her hand, kiss her forehead and thank all the gods that she had help.
Know- She almost didn't want to know. Didn't want to hear his breath rattle in his lungs as he gasped. Pritkin had the right to know even if she didn't want to. Fingers moving carefully not to disturb the results. She didn't know which side she wanted. Whether she was equipped to handle the answer one way or the other. She would wait the required time then just glance, a quick peek. If it wasn't… It wasn't going to be; she would go back and change it. She couldn't. Too soon five minutes were up and the peek drew near.
Dislike- His dislike of vampires did not back off, despite his allowance of Rafe becoming Amadan's god parent. Pritkin was quite sure that in the last five years with her, he'd seen and been close to more vampires than he had for seven hundred years before. What had really bugged him was Mircea hanging around like an unwanted in-law. Pritkin took joy in the fact that Cassie let him smirk in the vampire's presence. That made his whole day brighter.
Paint- After they'd first met, Pritkin had gone to the apartment Cassie and Thomas had shared. It had appeared that Cassie's childhood friend, Raphael had begun teaching Cassie to paint. Her few canvas attempts were proudly framed in the vampire's new apartment. At least that's how they were when Pritkin called ahead to warn Rafe of Cassie's visits. Mostly they accompanied the orphan's drawings on a wall in Rafe's studio.
Sick- Pritkin didn't get sick with all his charms and potions against such things. It saved him from everything except the dreaded common cold. Cassie liked playing nurse, even to a reluctant patient. It was the only time he listened to her. And when he was healed, he usually needed a bit of perking.
Both- When Cassie was young, two dolls were given to her by her parents. She loved them both so much that when she'd grown out of them, she'd placed them on a shelf each in their own place of honor. It was too bad she couldn't do the same with Men.
Forward- She'd stared behind her for so long watching for the evil ones chasing her. Now that it was over, Tony and Apollo gone, she was afraid to look to the future. She meditated, learning somewhere that meditation helped with tough choices. A friendly hand on her shoulder broke her concentration. "You should be celebrating. There were many things that went right today." He said. She smiled nervously at him. "But what if it goes wrong." He smiled back. "That's the interesting thing about the future. It's unpredictable, even for you." He cupped her face and gazed down at her. "Come, Cassie. It's time to face the future." He helped her off the floor and together they walked out the door.