Don't people like us deserve some peace in life?

Location: Late night bar
Date: 13th of February 2021
Time: Close to midnight.
Outfit: Link
Topic for: @Frederik
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So close to valentine's day and she didn't even bother to try finding a date - or someone to just spend it with. There was way to much work to do, work that involved her job and outside it as well. She still had promised Ethan to look more into Pandora's family history, so she was doing that, even if everything seemed to be just fine at the moment. But this night? She was at the bar with a few friends, just having a few drinks to celebrate they had won a case. However, as the hour went closer to midnight she had found herself alone at the bar. There was no way on Earth that she was just going easy, but that was Zitora's own little messed up idea of being fine. In the end even how long she did pretend she was fine - she wasn't. Her alcohol was however quite high, and she was far too used to this. There was no one waiting for her when she got home, nothing but work to make her reality work. Things were fucked up, even if she wished that things were different - so bloody empty. A drink was placed on her table, "from the gentleman over there," she looked at the glass then over to the guy who waved at her. Zitora however didn't touch it, she knew better than that. It didn't seem like the guy or his friends however took that so well and they walked closer to her, "if you don't like the drink - we can get you another," one of them suggested. Zitora chuckled lightly, "I guess I should be flattered, but no thanks, I'm thirsty," she gave them a big fake smile before just rolling her eyes at them. "Are you sure? I mean we insist." - "Oh, I'm sure," she got up from her chair. Zitora took a deeper breath in and raised an eyebrow at them. "Bloody twits all of you," she mumbled to herself and shook her head, one of them seemed to pick up on her words, "what did you say bi-" before he even had a chance to finish his sentence she blew him away down to the ground with the blow of a wind. "I think you heard me."

Outfit: Black demin jacket, shirt and simple cowboy pants



Things had been truly chaotic, and Frederik felt somewhat dizzy any time of the day since he had gotten away from Joseph. Time seemed to flow away which also was the reason why Frederik hadn’t gone to sleep yet but found himself about to enter a bar; a bar he had visited many times before. Today, it was to get something in his system so he might sleep better at night, he could only hope that alcohol could help him with that.

Joseph had been testing on Frederik for a couple of days, draining Frederik from power, casted spells on him and repeated. Eventually the fifth Frederik lost his mate-mark. It was painful, and it felt like his heart had been torn into pieces. If Josephs actions hadn’t been draining enough, this made Frederik absolutely ruined. Frederik eventually got out and into Elenora’s care, but the pain in the middle of his chest first left a couple of days later, when a new name appeared.

He pushed the door open, and as soon as he got inside, a well-known feeling. A good feeling, some may call it excitement. A feeling he had felt when Cecilia had been around. But Frederik knew very well that it couldn’t be her anymore. Her name had been replaced with another. A name he hadn’t had the capacity to read yet, but he knew it started with a Z, and there wasn’t a whole lot of people who was named something with Z. Exhausted, his eyes looked for anyone, not really sure what he should be expecting, but he hoped that the feeling would get stronger as someone approached him. And it did, just a tiny bit, and his eyes fell on a brunette, somewhat surrounded by morons. He could hear how it seemed like they had some kind of discussion, and it seemed like the brunette, his mate, didn’t want to talk to them. Don’t scare her like Cecilia…

He approached, feeling how his heart just wanted him to run towards her. As he got close enough, he said, with dark circles under his eyes, to the men: “Leave her alone,” his voice was somewhat hoarse, and his eyes were threatening. But he hadn’t thought the situation through. He was exhausted and still recovering from the episode a mere week ago and he might not have the power to withstand a whole lot of punches; but hopefully his reflexes wouldn’t let him down.

Someone showed up, making Zitora frown a bit for a second. She wasn't used to people actually interrupting, or she had been once but it seemed like a long time ago. It was an awful long time ago since a stranger had stood up for her, but it made her breathe out. It looked like he hadn't slept in days or just was like her, broken. However, now wasn't the time to ask, because he clearly got the guy's attention by making a scene. Zitora could handle herself, it was no secret - but was it so wrong not wanting to be strong all the time? As one of them was about to throw a punch at the new guy, Zitora grabbed one of the bottles on the bar and smashed it in the guy's head. It was a enough to knock him out for a little while, and she held the remains of the bottle in her hand. She pointed it towards one of the others, "back the fuck off before I call the police on your asses," her gaze was deadly at least metaphorical speaking, and finally it seemed like they understood a hint and moved along. Zitora let go of the bottle, only to realize one of the glass had cut her palm open. "Ouch," she mumbled to herself and looked at her hand. Then she turned her gaze up to the stranger who had at least spoken up. "Thank you.. for standing up.. not many would've," she thank him with a warmer smile. "I'm Zitora.. Cowan," she would shake his hand but right now her hand just needed to have the small pieces of glass removed first.

Many should've, she agreed, there was so many people out there getting unwanted attention, people no one fought for - one of the reason she loved her job. "Yeah, people should," she frowned a bit, but smiled in agreement for him. It was a sad world when no one wanted to fight for justice anymore, or at least try. May I? Her green-blue eyes followed down at his hand shortly while taking a deeper breath in and then gave him a nod. Then she placed the back of her hand in his. It was always a battle not to go directly into someone's thoughts, it was almost more of a struggle to keep out than just let herself in. "Tell me, is it bad?" She asked with a smile on her face, trying to not be all to serious about it. It was just a tiny wound, she had survived way worse things than that. She could hear from his accent he wasn't from Gaia, and she had spend some years in the state over seas, she wondered what he was doing here. And she didn't want to just be rude and search his head for the answers.

She laid her hand in his, and he immediately felt the electricity, which he had felt with Cecilia. He felt his heart skip a beat, but he didn’t let it show, but slowly raised her hand slightly while he lowered his head a bit, to see the tiny wound. It wasn’t anything special and might heal up within a couple of days, but he could see the small glass splinters in the wound. “It’s fatal,” he joked and looked up at her with a smile. Even though it was something he normally would say, he didn’t really hold back with such a joke. She seemed to be tough enough to handle it, which wasn’t the impression Cecilia had given him. He looked towards the bar, making eye contact with the bartender. “We need a tweezer,” he said, and the bartender quickly found one hidden under the counter and placed it visible to them. Frederik leaned over to grab it only to straighten himself back up. “Tell me if it hurts too much, okay?” he said looking for her eyes, for some kind of confirmation, before his eyes would seek to the wound where he would start to remove the splinters.

It's fatal, she shook her head in a warmer smile and turned her head to the bartender as he placed the tweezer that Frederik had asked for. "I can handle it," she replied as he looked into his eyes. It was just small splinters, nothing worse than the scars that she already carried. It seemed like trouble was starting to find it's way into her boble again, slowly and without a sound, but she was prepared this time. Her eyes looked at their hands as he began to remove the splinters. It tickled a little bit as he removed them, a weird sensation really. He seemed to know what he was doing, but not in a way of a doctor or nurse. It was just something by the way he reacted to situations, there was no wasting time before going to action, something that you rarely saw in anyone. It was the same energy Zitora had, which might just be why she admired it in other people as well. "You are good at this, perhaps you should become my personal splint remover," she joked a little bit mostly to herself. The drinks from tonight helped her by not letting her walls be way to high for him to climb over.

Frederik couldn’t stop himself from sending her a charming smile, as she seemed to find his joke somewhat funny – but probably also quite silly. He nodded slowly, as she said she could handle getting splinters removed. It might be true or maybe she still just wanted to seem tough. His bright blue eyes then lowered to her hand, focusing on the task. Frederik was no doctor nor nurse, but he surely knew how to care for any kind of wound; taught from his family. They counted on the skills whenever it was needed; so it had been important to be able to fix most acute physical damage immediately.
He chuckled lightly, as she suggested his new profession: splint remover. “Sounds like my dream job,” he said looking up shortly, with bright smile on his lips. “When can I start?” he asked, and let his eyes look down onto her palm, continuing. Just a few more... The electric sensation from their hands, didn't seem to simmer down just yet. It was almost pulling himself to do more, but he definitely couldn't scare her away - she didn't seem like the one who forgave just like that.

Zitora had always been in the seat ready to react to everything around her, she was a master in reading people - with and without her ability, so she studied his face, how he focused on her palm. She listened to his voice, the way he spoke to analyze it. she had become much more aware about people the past years, death had taught her a few things after all. "Right away," she chuckled a little bit as she took a deeper breath in, feeling a bit cheesy. The alcohol she had consumed did make her more straight to the point - more than she already was. "So, what brings you here tonight? Other than to be at my rescue," Zitora asked curiously. No one came to Gaia or Aston without a plan for something, it had meant he knew about the supernatural. He also hadn't seemed surprised over her defending herself, another sign that this wasn't anything new. His eyes looked tired, it was the first thing she had noticed. Trauma had a way of dressing people up here in this country, it was a cursed land, at least she had told herself that. She'd had that look on her own face way to many times over the years.

Frederik chuckled with her, as she said he could start immediately. He didn’t take his eyes of the wound while she asked what brought him here. He could he actually be honest that he sought some alcohol so that he could sleep better and that he was open to change that plan, if he could spend time with her? Probably not. It was a Saturday after all. Other than to be at my rescue. “Well, I just wanted to relax, mostly,” he replied, partly true. “I needed to get my mind of things,” he explained and removed the last splint before he looked up. “What about you?” he said. He let go of her hand, even though he wasn’t really feeling like letting her go. The tweezer was then placed back on the bar, so the bartender could take it back. His eyes looked from the tweezer and back to her eyes. Her presence felt magnetic. The closer he was, the more he wished to be yet closer. It was almost like she gave him more energy. He felt relived and almost forgot about the quite so traumatizing episode.

To relax, her lips pulled up in a small curl, she knew that feeling too much - perhaps that was the whole reason her problem had started. Now it was almost the only thing that made her nerves just settle a little bit. "I was celebrating with some friends.. or I was an hour ago, they totally bailed me," she took a slightly sharper breath in while giving him a smile. "We one a case at work.. I'm a criminal defense lawyer," she added, it was most likely the alcohol in her system that made her share that fact. It wasn't like he had asked what she did for the living, and some people got scared at her just for that fact. She was one of the youngest yet best in the area, and she basically owned Cowan firm now. There was something about him, something she couldn't explain and something she didn't want to be explained. Zitora was all about facts and information, but it didn't mean she didn't like to feel whatever couldn't be explained. "Can I get you a drink then?" She then asked, just making a sign that she would like to keep his company - at least for a little while if he allowed it to her.

Frederik lifted an eyebrow, feeling sorry that she was bailed, but a smile curled up on his lips as she explained why her, and her friends was supposed to celebrate. “Congratulations,” slipped out of his mouth. He was pretty sure, that she wasn’t allowed to tell what the case was about, so he didn’t ask further questions about it.
Frederik chuckled slightly, when Zitora offered a drink. This seemed to be going somewhat smoothly, even though it most often was the male who offered a drink. “It would be my pleasure,” he said and was prepared to follow her to wherever she wanted to go; whether if it was the bar, a table or somewhere else. “Just whatever you’d drink yourself,” he said with a slight smile. Some people could tell something about a person, just by knowing what their poison was, but Frederik wasn’t that smart. He just wanted to know what kind of drink she liked, and how it would taste.

"Thank you," she replied with a little smirk. If anything, she was a damn good lawyer and winning on that field kept her confidence high - even if the world was somewhat worrying. It was her duty to protect it. Zitora was pleased he wanted to join her for a drink, and she also knew some would find it odd for her to ask him. However, Zitora didn't put too much into that at all. Zitora turned to the bartender, "two whiskey on the rocks." Then she headed to a free table, they could at least sit and talk there. It was more private than sitting in the bar more personal. Truth to be told she could drink anything, but she rarely drank wine when she was out. Besides he looked like he could use something strong to relax on. Zitora sat down on one of the chairs while they waited for the bartender to serve them their drink. She had an open tab here, they knew she would pay for whatever she ordered. "What do you do for the living?" She asked out of curiosity. You could tell a lot by a person by their profession and goals with that. Zitora wasn't scared to start a conversation or keep one. The barman came by with their drinks and placed them on the table before leaving again.

Frederik smiled, slightly impressed by her choice of drink – it was definitely something he could use right now. He followed along, as she chose a table they could sit at. Trying to mesmerize as much as he could about her. Hair, walk, clothing and of course, her curves.
He sat down across from her, resting his left forearm on the table and scratched his temple with his free hand, before he turned his attention to her once again. He wished to sit next to her, but somehow he had a feeling that it might be too close for a stranger – and that was what he was. A simple question about his job; he didn’t do much, to be honest, but then again: “I help a friend of mine with her shop. It’s nothing special,” he said and pulled slightly on a smile. It wasn’t like he was new in town or anything, he just knew how to keep himself hidden away. He couldn’t really return the question since she had already explained that she was a criminal defense lawyer. “Do you have any family here in Gaia?” he asked, having no idea of how the question would turn out – his main thought was centered about if she was seeing anyone who she’d call family.

"Sounds cozy," she replied and licked her lips shortly. Zitora thrived with cases, being busy and had learned to work around the massive stress the job included. But then again, everything that took the edge of her own life was welcomed. It however didn't fit his character, he seemed like someone who could have any profession he desired, perhaps it was the confidence he carried himself with. It was one of the first things she had noticed about him, even through he clearly had been through something traumatic - he didn't seem to let it get him, a thing she respected. Zitora took a slightly deeper breath in by the question he asked. "Yeah I do, my father lives with his girlfriend lives around Raymond Street, and my mother lives around lives in a cabin in the woods. More of a nature kind of woman," she chuckled a bit, that word wasn't enough to describe her fierce warrior like mother, but perhaps that was a topic for another day. "I have a twin sister, but she doesn't really live close by anymore. She moved out of Gaia last year," she couldn't really tell more. It wouldn't be far for Kaiya's safety. And her adoptive parents, were still buried in a mind prison in some cemetery in London. "But I live by myself on Mikaelson Road," Mikaelson Road was known for the upper class houses and penthouse apartments. Her adoptive family had the money and had always bought her whatever her heart desired, mostly so they knew they had her on their side. Now she had taken over their law firm, but they didn't deserve it anyways. "I moved here back in the end of 2015, I'm from London," she informed him with a little smirk before lifting her glass up to take a mouthful.

Frederik nodded, approving that working for Felicity was cozy, “It is,” he replied. Shortly after he got slightly distracted by the way she shortly licked her lips. The fact that his job, helping a friend with her shop, didn’t suit him, was nothing he thought about. Once, before he was turned into a witch, he had every opportunity to be whatever he wanted to be. But this new identity had made it difficult to work in general. Helping Felicity was just cozy enough for him.
Frederik was interested in her answers and did his best to remember everything she told him. He nodded to show that he was listening. Her parents had split and it seemed like her mother lived alone and her father with a new love interest. “They sound lovely,” he said just before she explained more; A twin sister and it seemed like she didn’t have that much contact to her anymore. “So you two are not in touch or?” he asked and tilted his head slightly before he stroke his own chin thoughtfully.
She lived alone – so far so good – and she even lived on an upperclass street – not that he could brag about that right now. “I could tell from your accent,” he chuckled, as a reply to where she came from. He felt like some people simply didn’t get rid of their accents – neither did he; but it had only been three or four years. “I’m from New York and I got here four years ago,” he said and shrugged before he took a mouthful with her. Surely he could tell her about his family – but it was just so complicated.

"Yeah it is, there is quite the history," she chuckled by that thought. Her parents were quite the personalities. "No, but it's okay. We were close when we were kids, then we grew apart.. got somewhat together again, and we just grew apart again. Life happened," death had happened, she added with a small shrug. It was over a year ago since Kaiya had left Gaia, and she didn't blame her for wanting to get away from here. If Zitora wasn't so fixated on making it in this world with her second chance, she would have left as well - or perhaps not, she wasn't her sister. I could tell from your accent, she couldn't help but let a small giggle escape her lips, "oh really? I guess it is quite obvious," she chuckled a bit as she took a sip of the whisky. He was from New York - her guess as well, and she didn't look surprised. "New York is a lovely city. My adoptive father used to travel there for work, since I was home schooled - he often took me with him, wanting me in all this whole business world," she explained and leaned a little back in the seat while looking at him. Had you asked Zitora back then if she wanted to be a lawyer she would have said no, and that her adoptive parents had forced it on her - and they had. But the difference was, she had learned to love it and she was damn good at her job. "Your family moved here, or did you just need a change of scenery?" Zitora asked quite curious and tilted her head a little bit to the left.

Life sucks sometimes Indeed, she could only agree to that, but death sucked as well. He thereafter tried do a London-accent, which made her chuckle a little bit, he wasn't the first person who had tried that, but she never got offended by such small things - she just found it charming, or at least she found him charming. Even if Zitora was seen as a very serious woman who didn't waste her time, she was far more than just business. Zitora realized it was the first time sine had mentioned her adoptive father in years, reminded her what had happened two years ago, but she quickly moved her thoughts away from that. "Fun? I don't even think I'm familiar with the term," she chuckled a bit and shook her head lightly in a small laughter. "My adoptive parents had a plan for me and my sister since we were children, but as much as I would love to complain about their methods - I am who I am today because of it, and I can't really complain too much about that." Zitora knew things weren't done right, nothing about her life had ever been done right, none of it had been fair. Yet, she still found herself hopeful for what was too come, she had returned for a reason to make life better for the people around her - at least she believed that. "I reckon you weren't to keen on homeschool either?" She then returned the question and tilted her head curiously to the other side.

Family had always been important for her, which was also the reason she asked. It was natural for her to assume that people were at least close with one family member, but she also knew sometimes it wasn't the case - she'd met many kinds of people. The way he smiled lightly made it seem like it wasn't a bad thing running into his sister, even if it hadn't been expected. "Yeah, sometimes things happen for a reason," she said sounding a bit fateful for a second. "I hope everything was well," Zitora added with a warmer smile.

But the result is quite great, Zitora did a little nose scrunch for a second, before she lifted her brows in agreement. She couldn't help but smile, and at first she thought it was just the alcohol making her more open to share, but it was really just her wanting to get to know him. There was something about him that made her curious and intrigued. Zitora was happy to hear he had liked homeschooling, but then again parents were different, and it was very possible that their lives not even could be compared or shouldn't. One thing she had noticed about him, was his reflexes and his entire body language it was powerful, he knew what he was going. Even if she hadn't seen him directly face the guys from the bar, she had seen him able to do so if it had been the case - or at least she had visualized it. It was in his eyes as well, the fighter and the survivor, even if she didn't know his battles she knew that look far too well. If she hadn't seen it in her own eyes, she had seen in so many other people in this town as well. Zitora didn't know what they had taught him, and what he wasn't supposed to enjoy as much as he had, but he had caught her curiosity - she wanted to know, and even if she could just go in and find out, she wanted him to be the one to tell her.

Zitora had thought about saying something totally religious, but she wasn't at her zen anymore - and even if she believed God had a plan for everyone. However, she also did know people rarely took someone seriously if they suddenly started talking about God and his angels. She understood what he said, she remembered when the Muertos had attacked all of Gaia. She had been shocked to see Kaiya back in Aston back then, hadn't expected to see her sister after so many years. But then again, her family life was dramatic enough as if was - and not everyone had the same drama, but some did. "I can imagine it must have been weird at first then," she nodded with a warmer smile. "I'm happy you two got reunited then." Zitora took a smaller mouthful of the whisky just after she toasted with him again.

It was nice just sitting here having a conversation, but she felt like she was catching up with someone she had known forever - which was one of the things that captivated her the most. It was a rare thing, yet it was highly valued. "Any wild plans for tomorrow?" She then asked a bit blunt, then again tomorrow was Valentines day - it was also a way to see if he had anyone to spend that day with. It was an American traditions after all, even if Gaia had a thing for stealing traditions around the world.

The way she wrinkled her nose made sure that of his heart hadn’t already melted, it would be completely by now. He felt somewhat lucky, that everything seemed to go smoothly with her. It just made everything so much less tense.

Frederik nodded, as Zitora seemed to be able to imagine that it had been weird after so long, to suddenly meet. “Yeah,” he said, thinking about Elenora’s expression when she had found him, being completely well and  happy. She had been so confused and the words she had spoken had made no sense. She clearly had had a lot in her mind, when she found him, and he didn’t blame her for that. “Me too. I guess it was one of the last pulse pieces that could complete me,” he said, pulling on a smile – not mentioning that the last piece would be sitting right in front of him. Not the whisky glass, but her. Zitora. She had been written onto his collarbone by fate, and he already felt deeply connected to her – even though no bond was sealed. It was almost like they had known each other forever, and just caught up.

He went for a sip of the whiskey  and got some time to think about an answer for her question. Tomorrow was valentines day; a day he had planned to spend with himself – but with her in front of him, his plans may change. “The wildest thing I’m going to do is making a heartshaped pizza” he said, trying to spy with her reaction, whether or not if she seemed disappointed. “… For myself that is,” he added and pressed his lips together  slightly, taking another sip. “Even though I wouldn’t mind sharing it,” he said licking his lips from the leftover whiskey. Of course, he could share the pizza with Felicity, but she would understand if he had to share it with someone else. She was a witch too after all. “Do you have any plans?” he asked, raising a wondering eyebrow while taking a sip more.

It was blunt of her to just ask like that, and she knew it. She was known for not waste time and go straight to the case. One thing you could always count on from Zitora was her being real with you, and it was rare she went against her own morals. She raised a brow slightly by his response to her question, a heart shaped pizza - she could remember the last time she had cooked or baked something for herself. She lifted her chin a little bit as he added it was for himself, which indicated he wasn't spending that day with anyone else. Zitora noticed her thoughts had hoped he would say something like that, and she took a slightly deeper breath in, as he returned the question to her. "I had the same plan.. but with a bottle of wine and whatever take out that was quickest to grab home from work," she chuckled a bit by that sentence. Her life wasn't really that interesting and she knew Maeve had a fancy thing at work, so she wasn't even going to ask if she could join her. And Zitora didn't really have many friends left in Gaia. "I swear I am not as boring as I sound," she shook her head a little bit in a small giggle. She had worked way too hard lately, and had barely had any time to herself. But sitting here, she was willing to change that plan.

The way she almost nodded, as he explained that he was going to eat the pizza alone, made him realize, that it either had seemed quite weird to say or quite lonely. Hopefully it would be neither, but an approval that she liked what she heard – that he was going to spend Valentines alone.
Frederik couldn’t help but smile as she explained her plans. Enjoying the evening with a bottle of wine. It sounded quite lonely, unless she shared it with someone – but he shouldn’t be the one to judge, making pizza for himself on valentines’ day. As she mentioned she wasn’t as boring as she sounded, multiple things popped into his mind. She wasn’t boring, her evening at home with a bottle of wine wasn’t boring. In general, he didn’t think she was boring at all. She had lots of personality and character to explore; if she let him. “You’re not?” he asked with a brighter smile, trying to make it clear that he was joking. “You know, I wouldn’t mind brining a pizza to your place,” he said – even though it was bold of him. But she had just been bold, so why couldn’t he? Well, he should be careful in general – it would be quite the disaster if Zitora got enough of him, left him and never wanted to talk to him again. Loosing Cecilia as a mate had been a lifetime of pain.

Her and her wine did seem like a lonely affair and perhaps it was, but even then, Zitora was a creature out habit. Wine was most likely just what got her through everything life threw at her. Zitora chuckled a little bit and shook her head a little bit, as he seemed to joke, she liked his smile, it made it so much easier to simply just give herself over to his charm. It was always something that Zitora was born with a strong sense of following her instincts, it was what made her able to judge character quite quickly. With her field of work it also helped a lot, and she was a master in analyzing people's body language and facial expressions. Of course there were people who were harder to read, and there her powers usually game to play, but she didn't need powers to fall for a bright smile like his. It was simply like he got something she needed, and she had yet to figure out what that was. "You wouldn't?" She replied and took a small mouthful of the whisky. Oh, he was bold, but so was she and she wouldn't have asked for his plans without getting to this point of the conversation. "That sounds like a date then," the nephilim added with a warmer smile. Zitora hadn't been dating in a while, there hadn't been time and she had been busy picking the pieces of herself up from the ground again. Actually, she had thought she never would get a chance on anything close to dating again, but here she was sitting in front of him, and there was no way she could deny this type of chemistry. She was completely mesmerized by him. "Seeing you would have to find your way there, I should presumably show you where to go tomorrow," she narrowed her eyes a little bit for a small second as she downed the last whisky. Lucky for Zitora she had chosen a bar not far from the area she lived in, but she also knew better than to drink and drive most of the times at least. "Wanna go out and grab some fresh air?"