You ain't nothing but a hound dog

Been snoopin' 'round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain't gonna feed you no more

The stresses of the Arington household were not ones he was familiar with these days. Osteros had been moved out for quite a few years only visiting on occasion. That occasion was mostly to spend time with his sisters, of course. Spending time with his brother often occurred elsewhere, but spending time with his father? Well, that was as non-existent as it had always been. Welkin was never around from him, or any of them really. Especially not his daughters though he did seem to have a certain attachment to Summer that he held for no others. Osteros thought that maybe it had something to do with her similarities to their mother. Or her similarities to him. Either way, he didn't find himself envious of her.

His fathers affections were not something he pined after anymore. When he was a child he had. He had tried being good, being bad, being rowdy, quiet, whatever he could think of just to get a sliver of attention. No matter what he seemed to do it simply annoyed his father or left him unimpressed. Nothing he could do would ever win that man over, and he had learned that early on. Vesper, though, he was an entirely different story. Perhaps that was why he grew so attached to that elderly old coot. Merlin, did he miss him. Osteros missed that man more and more with every passing day. Every time he stepped foot into the mortuary he was reminded. The parlor was a gift. His knowledge, a gift. Each and every body that laid on the table was something to be treasured and each moment spent delving into his great work needed to be taken with care. Vesper taught him that. What he wouldn't give to just have a few more of the old man's lessons.

All that he had learned from his mentor he was putting to work. Osteros strived to learn more and more every day but he too found himself growing oddly...lonely. He had his brother, his sisters, but he wanted someone to share in this with. For some time he had contemplated telling on of them the real workings that went on behind closed doors. About the things he did in the night, the prey he stalked, the lives he took. He had been considering an understudy of sorts but... As much as he loved the idea of roping his favorite sibling into this he didn't think he could. There was something so pure about her in his eyes. So innocent, this tiny girl who had touched death and showed it what life could come from it. He didn't think he could stand to watch her dive back into the blackness of death. Even if it was with him. So, for now, he would appreciate her company in the form of a pleasant siblingship and nothing more.

Osteros downturned his menu and peered at his sister over the top. How similar he may have looked to his father looking over his morning paper wasn't lost on him. His eyes narrowed as he assessed the younger girl before flipping his menu back up. "E.18," he guessed looking back at the menu. He always did this. Always. At least with her. Trying to guess what exactly on the menu was striking her fancy would forever hold his interest. Osteros thwapped his menu down, looking at Winter with a stare of certainty. "Two piece cod, chips, and one of those fizzy drink things the, eh, those sodas." His hand weaved through the air as he spoke finally landing thoughtfully at the corner of his mouth. His lips curled into a smirk as he looked on at his youngest sibling. "Tell me I'm right. Go on, tell me."  

@winter | Outfit | Words: 625

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0

She had her brothers to take care of her, her sister to help keep her sane now that things between them were better. She had Mona to thank for that and she knew that it would never be perfect but her sister not hating her was a step in the right direction. At least in her own mind. They were going to get their own place when Mona turned seventeen and could get one alone, and Winter and Summer were going with her. They would no longer have to rely on their father and he could what he wanted, but he would bother them no more. She was more than happy to say goodbye to that place, but she would miss the memories she had made with her brothers. Though Harvey had always favored Summer, she was not going to hold it against him. Just like Summer didn't hold it against that Os liked Winter better. It was a weird family dynamic but two sets of twins, things were bound to get weird at some point.

Maybe their dad would find someone now and be happy. Maybe he would move on and finally be happy. If not with someone then with himself. Even though she hated the man on some level, he was her father and she would always love him. Even if he hated her for looking like her mother. She had not wished to kill her mother, she had not been in control of the things that had happened, of the things that she developed to make her like the woman that was dead now. She just wanted to be able to be happy for one in her life and it felt like that was going to finally happen now. She was taking charge of the future that was before her and she felt good about it. For the first time in her life, she felt like she had a chance to be more than just the girl that killed her mother. She didn't feel like the shroud would coat everything and strangle the life from every hope and dream that she had.

She quirked a brow at her brother as he looked at her and she shook her head. "Negative. E.24. Two piece haddock, chips and a pop. So points for being partially right, but it comes with toast too!" SHe would soak it in vinegar like always. Summer did it too. Maybe it was something their mother had liked.

words 414

YOU AIN'T NOTHING BUT A HOUND DOG

BEEN SNOOPIN' 'ROUND MY DOOR
YOU CAN WAG YOUR TAIL
BUT I AIN'T GONNA FEED YOU NO MORE

Spending time with Winter was an absolute must. He loved her, as he loved all his siblings, but she had always been more special to him than he could explain. He would lie and say she wasn't. Hurting his other siblings feelings was not in his list of things to do. Especially not Summer's. Merlin knew how much the elder of the girls took out her feelings so ruthlessly on the younger. At least she used to. It had been ages since he had really seen the two of them together. Time had a way of doing that, he supposed. They weren't the cute little tots with bows in their hair playing tag in the back yard. They each had their own lives and friends to attend to. Though, he had been hearing of a certain redheaded lass having made her way, not only into their home, but into someone's heart possibly as well?

The sassy sibling in him begged the question of what heart. He knew that his sister Summer had one somewhere lodged deep down, but she rarely used it. Not toward him, anyhow, no matter if he kept pushing his brotherly love onto her. He had bought both his sister's dresses for the Valentine's dance-- not that he ever got a bloody thank you from his father for it. Welkin appreciated his efforts in taking care of his sisters just about as much as he appreciated him at all, which was none for the record. Osteros told himself that he would stop trying to impress the old man. Buying dresses and showing his sisters that he cared for them was no show for him. True, he did wish that his father would show some sort of gratitude for it. Some sort of sign that he was pleased to see that his children cared for one another even if he didn't give two shits about any of them.

Osteros wouldn't be like that. Absolutely not. He made sure to care for his siblings, their loved ones, and their children. Children being of course a bit overzealous since he only had Silas as any sort of kin's kin. Secretly he hoped that with Rosa having returned that he might have another nephew or possibly a niece to welcome into the world soon. He thought maybe that was overzealous. She had simply just come back, after all. The only thing Osteros knew was that he was far off from any children of his own and he hoped by all the stars in the sky that his two youngest siblings weren't next in line on the pregnancy train. Though with Summer showing a fancy in Mona he thought she was a little less likely than some.

"Well damn," he muttered in defeat. He liked to be right. The best part of doing experiments was proving himself right. Osteros drummed his fingers against his flattened menu, looking pensively at the window and tried to argue himself if this was worth a mental note. "Haddock? Really? Since when?" He turned to his sister with narrow eyes of skepticism. Was it always Haddock? Was this new? It felt new. Osteros shrugged as a playful undertone rose up in his voice. "Well I suppose people change. I've changed, too, you know? So now you'll never be able to guess what I'm getting." Humph. Snooty snoot snoot. A farse, of course, he was going to order the same bloody thing as always-- but perhaps now she'd guess something different and not the same Ottery Old Fashioned burger, hold the ketchup, and strawberry shake he always got.

@winter | Outfit | Words: 597

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0