“You startled me.”
♥♥ MERRY CHRISTMAS, vampyric_lycan! ♥♥
LAUGHING ALL THE WAY
Carter Hayes & Cassandra Linh
Tara offered a greeting as he crossed the threshold and he gave her a polite smile and dipped his head in a nod to say hello. She didn’t even stop him as he made his way through the shop and towards the back, stepping through the curtain and into the room that smelled heavily of incense, a heavy perfumed scent that almost made him sneeze any time he inhaled it. How humans could stand it he wasn’t even sure, but the fact that Cass could? That never ceased to amaze him.
She was sitting with her back to him, perched low on a comfy pile of cushions with a squat table in front of her. With deft fingers she was collecting the Tarot cards that she had laid out over the cloth-covered surface for her last paying customer and Carter watched her for a moment with a small smile on his face before he stepped up behind her.
Cass hadn’t realised he was there, the scent of incense masking everything else, even the arrival and approach of a fellow wolf. It wasn’t until he set what he’d been carrying on her head that she noticed she was no longer alone and the little squawk she released was nothing short of undignified. Carter couldn’t help but laugh. Her hands flew up to her head, scattering a few of the cards, at the same time that she twisted to look behind her.
“Jeez, hotshot,” she gasped, one hand coming down from her head -- now that she knew she was in no danger -- and laid palm-flat over her heart. “You startled me.”
“I noticed.” He was still smiling. There were moments where it felt strange to smile but this wasn’t one of them.
“What-” Cass pulled the thing off her head and when she laughed it was a light sound, musical in a way that made Carter’s chest feel warm. The hat was red trimmed with white, and the ball that hung from its end jingled faintly when it moved. “Is this a Christmas hat?” There was laughter in her voice when she spoke, her eyes narrowed in a quiet kind of disbelief when she turned to look back at him again. Carter came around to sit beside her, crossing his long legs underneath him with a nod. “You brought me a Christmas hat?”
“Not just any Christmas hat,” he said, gesturing from the item in question to her head to encourage her to don it once again. With a light laugh and a shake of her head she did so. Carter had to smile when the white bobble came to land at the side instead of at the back, making it easier for him to reach forward and give it a flick. It jingled, the bell inside the white fluff shifting musically.
Cass’ reaction was immediately. Her laughter was a perfect accompaniment to the song of the bell as it bounced around on the end of the hat and she rocked forward, coming to rest against him. Carter smiled wider than he had in days, weeks even, wrapped one of his arms around her in a loving embrace.
LAUGHING ALL THE WAY
Carter Hayes & Cassandra Linh
Tara offered a greeting as he crossed the threshold and he gave her a polite smile and dipped his head in a nod to say hello. She didn’t even stop him as he made his way through the shop and towards the back, stepping through the curtain and into the room that smelled heavily of incense, a heavy perfumed scent that almost made him sneeze any time he inhaled it. How humans could stand it he wasn’t even sure, but the fact that Cass could? That never ceased to amaze him.
She was sitting with her back to him, perched low on a comfy pile of cushions with a squat table in front of her. With deft fingers she was collecting the Tarot cards that she had laid out over the cloth-covered surface for her last paying customer and Carter watched her for a moment with a small smile on his face before he stepped up behind her.
Cass hadn’t realised he was there, the scent of incense masking everything else, even the arrival and approach of a fellow wolf. It wasn’t until he set what he’d been carrying on her head that she noticed she was no longer alone and the little squawk she released was nothing short of undignified. Carter couldn’t help but laugh. Her hands flew up to her head, scattering a few of the cards, at the same time that she twisted to look behind her.
“Jeez, hotshot,” she gasped, one hand coming down from her head -- now that she knew she was in no danger -- and laid palm-flat over her heart. “You startled me.”
“I noticed.” He was still smiling. There were moments where it felt strange to smile but this wasn’t one of them.
“What-” Cass pulled the thing off her head and when she laughed it was a light sound, musical in a way that made Carter’s chest feel warm. The hat was red trimmed with white, and the ball that hung from its end jingled faintly when it moved. “Is this a Christmas hat?” There was laughter in her voice when she spoke, her eyes narrowed in a quiet kind of disbelief when she turned to look back at him again. Carter came around to sit beside her, crossing his long legs underneath him with a nod. “You brought me a Christmas hat?”
“Not just any Christmas hat,” he said, gesturing from the item in question to her head to encourage her to don it once again. With a light laugh and a shake of her head she did so. Carter had to smile when the white bobble came to land at the side instead of at the back, making it easier for him to reach forward and give it a flick. It jingled, the bell inside the white fluff shifting musically.
Cass’ reaction was immediately. Her laughter was a perfect accompaniment to the song of the bell as it bounced around on the end of the hat and she rocked forward, coming to rest against him. Carter smiled wider than he had in days, weeks even, wrapped one of his arms around her in a loving embrace.