everything
ends

❧

June made a point to keep up with creature business: who came, who went, where they were, who they associated with. It was vital for her to know where the others stood and who they were aligning themselves with. Especially during times like these.

Which was why she was in such a foul mood. How could she not have known? A few hours ago as she was trying to seduce Fernando Ramírez for information regarding the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, she’d been greeted with an unfamiliar and unpleasant scent of Alex’s pack all over the man. How did she not know that he was already in their pocket?

She scoffed, pushing the doors to the casino open. A few people near the edge of the room looked up, surprised by the appearance of the fuming vampire that was now breezing through the room, her eyes intent on the door at the end of the casino. “Juniper, I—” The man on the other end of the voice immediately closed his mouth when he saw the look on her face. He knew better. “Another time, then?” She just wanted to get to her office and rip open the throat of one of these gamblers. She wanted to feel fresh blood pumping into her mouth. It was the best cure for the stress that she felt. These were the days she missed Milo. Her precious little blood bank was always there when she needed him. But she knew that she couldn’t drink. At least, not yet — the best she was going to get right now was a stiff glass of red while she waited for her next appointment.

At least Contessa’s letter hadn’t surprised her. She at least knew the American woman was looking for alliances. Perhaps that was something. Although she had no idea Fernando was intimately connected with Alex’s pack, she knew that he wasn’t connected to Contessa. She was fresh blood. Fresh, American blood.

Reaching the door, June pulled it open and slipped into the hallway. It was only there did she breathe for the first time in two hours. It was only there that she felt certain she wouldn’t have to smell werewolf. At least, not for the next few minutes. “Word from Keagan?” She asked the security detail that was standing next to her office. He shook his head. Damn him. Ever since she’d killed his sire and delivered Magnolia Dupree’s head to him in a decorative box, he’d been less than thrilled with her. So much so that he’d taken to disappearing for a few weeks at a time with no word. Ass, she thought — he was lucky she didn’t replace him.

In her small bag, her cell phone gave a familiar ping. Unlocking it, she quickly read a message from the front: Contessa is here. At bar. Short-lived break, she thought, pushing the door to the casino open once more and holding her breath. Back to smelling werewolves for a living. “Glad you could make it, West,” June said, sliding into the seat next to the woman she assumed was Contessa. After all, beauty was something she was apt at recognizing.

@contessa | Outfit

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Meet Me on

the Equinox

They were supposed to have this meeting before, and then something had come up… And then Tess had been distracted by the man at the bar. Søren. His name had been Søren. But that wasn’t important. She didn’t think that she was going to have to worry about anything coming out of that, and that was exactly how she liked things to go most of the time. It was easier not to have strings attached to thinks when she was a wolf. And that alone caused enough strings for her, without having to worry about someone else too. She liked one and done deals most of the time. Her grandfather told her that she would settle eventually. Often reminding her that wolves tended to mate for live. And that she would settle down when she found the person that she was supposed to be with. There would be someone out there, some day. She didn’t know if she believed him or not. But she thought that it was worth a shot. She thought that she was going to have to at least try and settle down one day, but she wasn’t there yet. She was still young, and she was free do to whatever she wanted with her personal life. So long as her Pack was her number one priority.

There was never going to be a time when Tess thought that her pack wasn’t her top priority. That was what this meeting was for in the first place. She wanted to make sure that everyone that she had connections to was going to be good for them, and she wanted to make sure that they knew that they were protected. That she was taking care of them. Alliances were important for that. She knew that she had made connections with Alex, but there was something about the dynamic of that pack that she didn’t care for. There was something about it that seemed far too… Something… She didn’t really know precisely enough to put her finger on it, but there was something about it that bothered her. And she knew that having her own was something that she had had no intention of doing, but she had a habit of mothering, and collecting, and she wanted to know that they were all okay. She wanted to know that she could do them some good and keep track of them.

Rebecca especially needed that, but she thought that Victor could use that guidance too. Emerson not so much. She was steadier. Tess thought that there were members of her pack that could use more of a guiding hand, and there were members that needed more of a familial hand, and that was her job. She was to be both. She would be Alpha, and Mother, and Sister, and Teacher. She could be all of it. Because she knew that she was good at what she did, she was good with children, and animals, and potions. She was good at making sure that her family was protected, and here her Pack was her family. Her no-maj family at home knew enough of her life to know that it wasn’t easy. Her tribe, and her culture, and everything that made her who she was, was a part of that world. Was a part of the world without magic? And yet, they accepted her for who she was. Because she was still their daughter. She was still a part of that, even if she had come here. Even if she had come looking for the other half of herself, found it, and then set it aside again.

That wasn’t who she wanted to be. And Tess thought that she knew herself better for having come here, but she thought that she had also been right where she had needed to be to find the people that she had in her life now. And it was people, far more than it was anything else, that mattered the most in the end. Tess believed that more than anything. She believed that she was going to need to follow the Great Spirits path for her, and that she was going to need to find out what it was that she was going to do with her time, and energy. Those were the things that she needed to do. And tonight, that meant that she needed to come back to this casino, and she needed to not get distracted. And she needed to go to her meeting with Juniper. The vampire had been busy the last time that she had been here, but she was expecting her tonight, and Tess thought that that was a good thing. Turning to look at the person that slid into the seat next to her at the bar she nodded in greeting. “Juniper Prufrock. Just as pretty as stories tell.”

@ juniper - 809 - contessa's outfit

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRPHY 2.0

everything
ends

❧

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Keagan didn’t just go missing for months at a time with no word. June had known him to disappear when he was after Magnolia Dupree, but the bitch was dead now. There was nothing left of her except ash and the little bit of flesh that the nearly two-hundred-year-old woman had managed to hold onto. Maybe she would replace him. After all, if she couldn’t get a security detail that actually showed up, there was no telling who would just waltz right into the Queen’s Revenge. Then again, she’d become far more lax on who she let enter the establishment as of late. Alexander McHalen had helped change her opinion about many of the werewolves on her radar. After all, a sixty-year grudge meant nothing when their lives could be at stake. They’d established a sort of truce between the two – she fed him information when she heard it and he did the same. Together, they made sure that a majority of their bases were covered. They made sure that the magical creatures of this world weren’t in danger. And, if they ever were, June was certain that they would take action. Together.

With Alex already on her team, June had opened up the door for other packs, as well. She wasn’t exclusive, never claimed to be. In her opinion, the more people that they could get on their side…the more creatures that they had in the corner…the better off they would be. Soon, they would have eyes and ears everywhere. No one would be able to make a move towards them without an alarm bell sounding. They were creating protection – they were creating an impenetrable wall. And together, they were strengthening the Black Spades. Although they were not formal members, June considered them to be a part of her organization now. Her pool of prospects was larger, which meant the jobs they took on were larger. But she was always looking to expand.

That was the reason the American werewolf had intrigued her. The door was already cracked, but the woman’s letter had opened it even further. If she was looking for protection – looking for a way to keep her pack safe in the coming months – June could offer that.

Raising an eyebrow, the bartender placed a drink in front of her. A deep red liquid that could only be blood. The rest of the wizarding world saw a brightly colored crimson liquid that resembled cranberry juice, but the glamor didn’t affect magical creatures – Contessa would see it for what it was. Though, June reasoned, they all had their ways of staying alive. Turning into a wolf once a month wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either. They did what they did to survive – at least they had that in common. “You flatter me, I’m sure the stories are much more gruesome than that,” She could recite one particular recount of her kills that would surely make Contessa West reconsider before flirting with her again, but for some reason, she didn’t mind this go around, so she kept her mouth silent.

She didn’t smell nearly as awful as some of the other werewolves that she had encountered. Yes, the smell was nauseating just the same, but if Juniper restricted her breathing completely, it was almost tolerable. In fact, she could almost pick out the delightfully woody and floral scent of Tess’ perfume. “Sorry I missed our last meeting.” She’d been following a lead on Keagan, but it had ended up turning up fruitless. She had found anything and she was no closer to locating her favorite employee.

“Though I’m glad you were open to the idea of a second,” she waved down the bartender and they offered Contessa a drink menu. “West is on the house,” June said to the pretty half-veela that was now leaning forward. June had little time to beat around the bush. Plus, she figured if they got their business out of the way, they would have more time for pleasure later. So she cut right down to it. Taking a drink of the Bloody Mary, she turned and held Contessa’s gaze, seemingly sizing her up. “You’re looking for an alliance?”

@ tess | 706

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meet me on

the equinox

meet me halfway

Being wise didn’t suit her. Tess supposed that wasn’t true, but she thought that wisdom at her age was a lot less fun. That didn’t make it so though. That didn’t mean that she didn’t have some fun when she was about too. She liked to have fun. And she liked not worrying about the consequences of her actions. She was safe. She thought that she would always be safe. And something about that was likely to make it all make sense. If she could keep herself safe, she could keep her pack safe, and Tess thought that that was the most important thing of all. It was why she was here, after all. It was why she was meeting with Juniper in the first place. They were going to talk about making them safe. About doing something that would give them an added layer of protection. And it was going to be a matter of choice.

Tess had reservations about working with the vampires. She had some hold ups on that front, and she thought that they were legitimate concerns. Taking care of her family was important, and they were her family. She was mother, and sister, and friend, as well as being leader. That was important. She wanted to connect with them, relate to them. They were wolves yes, but they had been people first, and that was just as important. That was something that she liked to think was actually true. That they were a family, and not just an alliance. They had an alliance, with Alex’s pack. And as much as she didn’t like the way that that pack was run, she could acknowledge that he did a good job.

They were all under control, and that was more than she could say for some of the others. Tess had a way of gravitating towards people that were genuine in their intentions. She didn’t like to find herself in situations where cutting someone out was for the best. But she would do it if she had to. If it was what was best for her, and for her pack, then those were the decisions that she would make. There was no doubt about that. Making those choices didn’t have to happen all that often, and for that she was grateful. It was meetings like this one that helped with that. She chose her friends, and her alliances, with care. She did it with meetings, and talks, and negotiations. She wasn’t about to make alliances with anyone that couldn’t help them.

Juniper could help them. That was something that she was counting on right now. It just mattered what it was that the tiny vampire was going to want in return. “I’m sure. Some stories are not meant to be told.” After all, that was what had led the world to believing that they were all monsters in the end. She didn’t believe that though, that they were all monsters. Some of them. She was sure. But not all. There were some of them that still had morals, still had principles. Shaking her head at the woman’s apology Tess brushed it to the side. She wasn’t being disrespectful, she simply knew that they all had plenty to do with their lives. “That’s quite alright, things have a tendency of coming up.”

When the bartender moved away to get their drinks she smiled as the vampire cut right to the chase. "Yes.” There was no sense denying it, and she liked that the woman was straight forward. “We’re not thieves, of the usual sense, but we’re good with people. We watch. Information is just as powerful as gold sometimes.” That she most certainly believed. It was just a matter of whether or not Juniper did.

@ juniper • 627 • contessa's outfit

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

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meet me on the

[attr="class","reasonsmalljuniper"]Equinox Meet me half way When the sun is perched at it's highest peek In the middle of the day

[attr="class","reasonbodjuniper"]If Keagan did end up coming back, June wasn’t sure what she would say to him. She had tried to break him of his allegiance to his sire. But, try as she might, it seemed like he was always going back for her. Then only thing she could have done – the only thing to do – had been to kill Magnolia Dupree. Of course, when Keagan had opened the present that she’d brought him, he’d been less than excited to see it was the woman’s head that June had gifted him.

But above all else, June craved loyalty. She craved those that would be with her to the end of time because it was likely she would live forever. Surrounding herself with those she could trust – those she could rely on in times of need – was the only logical solution when confronted with the prospect of forever. If she was able to keep a tightly knit circle around herself, there would be no need to worry when forever did come.

June paused. She had criminals. If that had been what Contessa was offering, she would have told her where the door was. The fact that she could offer something else was intriguing. June knew not to underestimate the power of charisma. A well-spoken woman could have her way with anyone in this world…especially given how desperate people seemed to be these days. June had muscle and she had guns, she had teeth and fighters, but what she didn’t have were politicians. She didn’t have those that could wield their words like knives and take down even the most cautious of people. Yes, she could do with politicians, she supposed. “I’m interested,” she said as she drug her fingertip against the crystalline top of her wine glass.

Picking it up, she took a drink. The sweet taste of aged blood filled her mouth and covered up what was left of Tess’ werewolf scent. Now, the only thing she could think about was the conversation at hand. “We’re always in the market for information.” But of course, she probably wanted to know what June could give her in return.

“Look around you, it’s a goldmine in here.” At every table sat someone surrounded by creatures. Unbeknownst to them. Only the most adventurous of people came to the Queen’s Revenge. Those who thought themselves able to best the creatures that played here. They were foolish…but they usually had loose lips. Lonely gentleman who were eager to share their stories.

“But we could always do with more information,” she sighed, looking back at her meeting companion and shaking her head. “It’s a dangerous time to be a creature in the magical world,” there was no telling what sort of decrees would come out of the Ministry these days. There was no telling who they would target next…or if it would be anyone. But June wanted to err on the side of safety – she wanted to make sure that her Black Spades were taken care of. And if that meant making friends with all the Werewolves of London, then by Merlin, she would do it. “We can share information. All of us – I’ve made alliances with other packs and vampires, veela, too. No one is looking out for us, so we need to look out for each other.”

[attr="class","reasontagjuniper"]@ tessa | 552 | OUTFIT

[attr="class","credjuniper"]MADE BY VEL OF WW + ADOX 2.0

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MEET ME ON

THE EQUINOX

meet me halfway

She was young enough that she should have been in a pack, not leading one. But that wasn’t how the world had worked out, and Tess thought that if she were being honest, it was better for her to have something to do, something to fight for, than it was to just sit idlily by and watch the world turn around her. There wasn’t much else that she could do. There wasn’t much that she wanted to do. She was going to have to rely on those that she could, and she didn’t trust easily. She never had. But Tess thought that that was what had kept them alive and as relatively safe as they were. They were all going to have to learn to rely on one another. And she hated that.

She didn’t like relying on those that were not in the pack for help. But there were times where it was necessary. There were times when she had to work with those that were on the outside. She had to do what was right, and Tess didn’t know if it would always be only what was right for the pack. But right now, that seemed to be the thing that she needed to focus on the post. She needed to focus on what was best for them. And what was best for their futures going forward. If there was an alliance of creatures happening, she needed to be a part of it. She needed to at least seek it out. Find out if that was what they were going to what to join with.

Because alliances were good until they went bad. And then things got complicated. And she knew that Alex and his pack had already talked to June. She had asked him about it before she had come here. Tess wasn’t going to just join up because he had though. She knew that they had conflicting views about some things, and she wanted to hear what it was that Juniper Prufrock had to say for herself before she made any commitments. Tess was protective, and rightfully so. Her pack was young, they were kids. They were the ones that she took in, that she raised, because they needed somewhere to call home.

Blackberry was for that. Western Sky was for that. That’s what she wanted for them. She wanted them to have somewhere that they could go, and know that they were save, and that they weren’t going to be judged for what they were, and they were going to be loved for who they were. Teaching them that they were not monsters was the only way that she knew of to try and help them. Because if they thought that they were monsters, that was when they were going to hurt themselves, and that was the last thing that she wanted. That was why knowing what exactly it was that Juniper wanted was essential. She wasn’t going to sign them up to get hurt.

And she thought that the vampire could respect that. They didn’t have packs, they had covens. And she didn’t know if the woman had one or not, but she was certain that she could relate. Looking around this place, the more creatures that she spotted, the more convinced she was that Juniper had a family of her own. “It is. But it’s not the information from people like this that could hurt us in the end.” There were others, people that she thought wouldn’t come into a place that was so outwardly obvious as to the activities that went on. “It’s keeping each other safe when our backs our turned that I’m most worried about. We can’t face the world alone right now.” Her pack couldn’t, Juniper’s Spades couldn’t. They were all going to have to learn to work together.

@ queen of spades • 640 • contessa's outfit

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