Teen Wolf 4.03 Muted: Malia Tate

Teen Wolf 4.03 Muted: Malia Tate

Isn’t that a good thing? she was on the verge of asking, when he said Ariella was going to release the wolves. The words were on her tongue, ready to be breathed into existence when he continued. She could feel the blood draining from her face when he continued, her fingertips felt cold. For a moment, even Gia Desstrin was lost for words. It had hardly faded from Gia’s mind that she had once been one of those wolves, she had shared the addiction with them, the thrill, the lust. She’d been spared the worse ramifications - being held by vamps and subject to whatever horrors they might choose to inflict. Gia had escaped that, but Everett had not. Gia knew that sacrifice had weighed on his conscience since the very day he’d turned them over and she could see that reflected back tenfold now. Gia’s throat felt dry, dry and raw. Swallowing was like breathing in sand. “Oh, Everett,” she shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry.” She’d been such a fool. All those years ago, she could have spared everyone a little pain through the rest of their lives, if she’d just swallowed a little then. But she’d been weak instead, they’d all been weak, save Everett. If there was anything she wished she could take back, it was that. Clearing her throat, she shook her head, trying to process everything he was telling her. She couldn’t look at him when she asked the next question. “Any wolf?” Hesitantly, she met his eye, again. She had to know how far this went, if Everett might be forced to kill Tristan or herself, or if it was those who had succumbed to the V all those years ago, poor devils. Gia could picture each of their faces and wondered how she’d been snatched from their terrible fate. Gia let out a long breath before turning to him, cupping his face in her hands, she tilted her forehead to touch his. His skin was soft, his breath warm. His face was a mask of misery and Gia felt as if there were hands wrapped around her delicate throat, strangling the air from her lungs to see him suffering. “I know it can’t feel like it,” she whispered. “But what you’ve done is a mercy.” She pulled back slightly to brush the hair from his face. “God only knows what the vampires would do. Now it’s their choice to live and to breathe free air. I imagine they’d agree it’s worth the risk.” She pressed a tender kiss to his poor creased brow. “Everett, listen to me. You’ve do e better than stand up to some ancient vampire queen, you’ve stood up for us. What Pack could possibly ask more?”

Aftermath || Gia & Everett (closed)

He let out a breath, closing his eyes and leaning his head into her hand. It was scary how comfortable she made him feel. He’d been all but ready to surrender his role as packmaster, but seeing her and the way she so fiercely believed in him - like he did in her - made him pause. He knew he was a good leader most of the time; but the decision he’d been forced to make… It wasn’t easy.

"Let’s go sit down, babe," he said, his deep voice low as he spoke. He combed his fingers through her long, brown, silky hair. He let her hand him the drink she’d made before they walked over and sat down. He let out a long breath before taking a sip off of the drink she’d made him. It was nice and strong, just like he needed it. Gia always knew exactly how to take care of him.

"She told me that she was gonna release those wolves," he told her, looking over at her. When he’d first become packmaster, Ariella had come to him and said that the vampire community was volatile towards the pack; and to appease the angered crowds, she asked for the three wolves that Everett had abjured for choosing to continue using instead of get clean. Everett had sworn to himself when he became packmaster that he would always choose pack. And even though he’d grown up with those three wolves; they were no longer part of the pack. And in order to protect the pack, he’d agreed that she could have them.

"But she…" he looked over at Gia; knowing this next part would hit home, "She said she tried to get them to relapse and they didn’t. So she got the vampire community to agree to let them go… On my word that I would kill any who relapsed.” Guilt and self-loathing washed over him. His whole frame seemed to collapse from the burden of this. His head dropped, and he shook his head. “All I could think was that I’d rather do it myself and know they didn’t suffer than let them be at the hands of vampires who might torture them.”

Everett - a man who’d probably only cried once or twice in his entire life - was close to tears. “What kind of leader agrees to kill his own kind? What will the pack think of me?” he whispered, a hand coming to his face and running down it, “The pack deserves better than me. I… I can’t even stand up to a fucking fanger.”

It was a relatively ordinary night for Gia Desstrin: tramping around town trying to decide the best time, place, and method of getting totally plastered. Gia wasn't exactly the model citizen, but she loved her quiet little town, notwithstanding. It was home and, she'd realized being here, that that was something she had never truly had, before. She'd decided, for once, on a quiet night in. This week had been exhausting and, while Gia didn't generally enjoy being alone, tonight she had a hot date with her DVR. She was going to drink wine and fall asleep on her couch and she was going to enjoy every minute of it. That is, until she stepped out into the parking lot. Werewolf was in the air, but not one she knew. Afterall, Gia was perfectly familiar with the individual scents of each of her Pack members. Eyes narrowing, Gia glanced around herself. She'd scented hints of it softly in the liquor store, but Gia had written that off. It hadn't been that fresh and she'd told herself that it was merely residual from Weres wandering in and out all day. Now, however, the strangeness of it could not be ignored. Stepping off the sidewalk, Gia followed it into the parking lot and up to a Ford pickup. She waited where she was, brown paper bag under one arm, listening as someone shuffled around inside, until a female suddenly emerged into the bed and told her to leave. Gia arched her brows before smirking. "Hold up," she responded. "You looking for the Pack?" she inquired. Gia naturally assumed her words would make sense to the other Were, but she ought to have known better. There had been a time when she, herself, had wandered into town forlorn and assuming she was alone. "Because you're looking at it." Her blue-green eyes glittered in the the electric lights of the parking lot. "And I come bearing gifts," she added, holding out the bag. "It's just cheap wine but," she shrugged. "Gets you just as drunk as the good stuff."

ol' twitchy nose: gia & bunnie (closed)

Bunnie was too broke to go to a real bar. She made her own wherever she went with a six pack from a gas station and the light from the moon. Tonight was no exception. After a long, grueling day of scowling and picking dirt out of her fingernails with a switchblade, she’d cozied up beneath a tree in the front yard of someone with bad taste in window dressings. Thus far, Bunnie had been living in her car until she worked up enough to buy a motel room for a few nights. Where was she miraculously going to come up with this cash? She needed to scope out the town’s weak spots first. Bunnie was good at scoping; it involved sitting still, blending in, and talking to no one for hours on end. Sometimes she dreamed about being a brick wall. 

Thus far she was proving her skills until the owner of the ugly house pulled into their driveway. Needless to say, they did not welcome Bunnie, her six pack, and her pocket knife to stay in their front lawn getting drunk and eventually sleeping over. Heated words were exchanged, Bunnie threw up the bird and shared a couple obscenities, but in the end she packed up her two possessions and drove off. 

She told herself it was good timing anyways… she needed to restock her shelf soon being that she only had one bottle. So Bunnie found her way into the parking lot of a cheap liquor store and climbed out through the back window of her shitty pick up to made camp in the bed of her Ford. When she popped out in her shorts and tank top, newly opened bottle in hand, she met eyes with a woman dressed mostly in black. Although Bunnie had never met her, a twitching in her nose recalled nostalgic memories… like she knew her or knew something about her. She’d never felt this way about anyone. Despite this, she acted as herself:

"Move along."

Gia swallowed a breath. It felt like saltwater in her lungs. She'd done this, she knew deep down, she done this to him. Ariella was only a conduit, demanding justice for their sins, but Ariella hadn't committed those sins: Gia had. Even at the time, she'd known it was a bad idea, she'd known she should do better, be better...but instead she'd given in. That was what she'd feared. "Ev, I-" she shook her head, but she found, quickly, she didn't have to say anything all at once as he pulled her into his arms, onto his lap. Gia didn't say anything at first, as he buried his head in her neck, but rather wrapped her arms around him, fingers running through his silky hair. She felt as if her heart were imploding, collapsing in on itself, ripping itself apart as fell in shred to sink deep beneath her ribcage. "You deserve better, Ev," she whispered, "So much better." His breath was hot against her skin as he spoke. She glanced up at nothing, feeling a tear drop down onto her face, running down her cheek. Hastily, she wiped it away before he could see and nodded. She couldn't begin to fathom why, sometimes, but he always had placed such deep trust in her and the last thing she had ever wanted to was to betray that - especially now, given what it would mean for him. She swallowed, waited till she felt sure of her voice - that it would not waver, would not crack, and answered. "I know we'll be ok," she said, slowly. "Because you're here." His fingers were tender against her skin, closing her eyes, she focused on the sensation, leaning into his touch as her eyes opened to meet his again. Her brow creased as he spoke and she reached up to place a hand over his. "Devon makes it easy," she said with a small smile, through it all, at the thought of their daughter. The tears she'd fought back started to enter her eyes again as he spoke, as he went so far as to declare pride in her, but she did not cry. It was a small victory, and hard won. "Everett, don't you see? All of that, all of it...Came from you. I never could have done it, any of it at all, before you came along and saved us all." Her eyes lowered as he spoke of the released vampires. She bit her lip, softly. "I don't know what we can do for them," she began. "Except maybe some anonymous tip to one of those v-rehab charity places that've been springing up lately. Maybe the humans can help," she suggested with a shrug. They'd been abjured and that was absolute; it had to be. Gia couldn't see a better answer. "Or perhaps we could chase them out of town, somehow." She wasn't sure that would actually help them, but it'd get Everett off the hook, at least. Gia bowed her head when he spoke of Tristan. "I'll call him tomorrow," she promised. "We can work it out, I'm sure. Having a strong support system, and realizing the ramifications on others beyond yourself, that people count on you...it's a big part of moving on," she added. "I'd know. And I know we can help him, too. He's one of us and he's stronger than he seems. We can save him." Gia tilted her head forward, resting her forehead against his. "You are not their lackey," she assured him. "You belong to nobody outside this Pack." Cupping his face in her hands, she pulled away just enough to look into his deep brown eyes. "Everett, listen to me. We'll save you, too. That fanger can't touch you, can't make you do anything you don't want to, you hear me? I won't let her." She paused, gazing at him, caressing his cheek before smiling softly. "That's the beauty of being a Pack: we're never really apart, not ever. We're gonna get through this, together," she whispered. "And in the mean time, Everett, we're gonna be safe to do that because of what you did. You gave us this chance, and no one else."

Aftermath || Gia & Everett (closed)

He let out a breath, “I got the feelin’ that she meant any wolf in my pack who relapsed; and the three that I abjured…” He sighed again, placing his drink on her coffee table then reached out, pulling Gia into his lap and leaning back into the couch. He felt best when he held her like this, so completely surrounded by the smell and feel of her.

Everett buried his face in her neck for a moment, just trying to get himself together. He knew how empathetic Gia was, especially with him, the last thing she needed was to suffer because he was suffering. “I believe in all of you,” he finally spoke against her skin. “Tristan… and especially you,” he said, pulling back to look at her.

A hand came up to cup her face, “I mean, look at you. Look how far you’ve come from those days. You’ve come to befriend the very source of your former addiction. You’re the best mom I’ve ever seen to that beautiful girl outside…” He let his fingers come up to brush her hair back from her face, “Goddamn, I’m so proud of you, Gia.” Tears nearly filled his eyes again but he fought them back.

"But what about those three I abjured? They don’t have the pack anymore to keep ‘em strong; and Tristan. He has the pack, sure… But I’ve seen the struggle in him everytime the topic is brought up or a vamper goes by. It’s with him every second of the day… And there ain’t a damn thing I can do," he said, a bit of anger in his last few words.

He gripped Gia and pulled her to him again, his thick and muscular arms enveloping her as he fought back the urge to cry - or scream. “I feel so powerless, so useless to those who depend on me most,” he whispered into her hair, “I can’t defend us against our biggest threat. And now… I feel like their damn lackey; carryin’ out their orders just to keep them from slaughterin’ the whole lot of us.”

Gia smiled wanly before taking a sip herself. She arched her brows after swallowing, letting the fluid run down her wind pipe and pausing before daring to breathe again. Laughing softly, she shook her head. Turning back to the girl, she tilted her head inquiringly. "So, do you wanna talk about it?" she asked. She shrugged. "I totally pushed in on this so no worries if you don't. And if you wanna be alone," she shrugged once again. "Just tell me. I won't be offended, I promise."

Jack Tears { open }

Charlie sighed when whoever was lurking in the shadows sat down next to her. She took a deep breath and saw saw Gia, which instantly made her feel bad about her sarcastic comment. When the woman pulled out the bottle of whiskey, Charlotte just stared at it. She had been fighting with her father because he couldn’t even bother to pick up his mess, which included a bast a vast array of empty liquor bottles. She really didn’t want to follow his example, but Charlie knew that alcohol could help her relax. 

"Sure, thanks." She took the bottle from her hands and took a sip, coughing before handing it back to Gia. "What are you doing out here so late?"