Shadowhunters (LYDIA and Kitsune)

[lxngdon]

Paris, France | 2:00am​

Anyone else would have been annoyed at the very idea of being dragged out of bed in the dead of the night to go hunt demons, but when you're a Shadowhunter, you get used to it and eventually accept the fact that you will never really sleep enough. Luckily for the Parisian Shadowhunters, the trains ran all night. Laurent and the other Shadowhunters sat in the otherwise-empty train carriage.

Laurent's two siblings, Remi and Cora, and Cora's parabatai Lillie sat across the carriage from him; he sat beside his beautiful girlfriend Madeleine, and her parabatai sat on her other side. Laurent wasn't too happy about this. He respected the fact that the parabatai bond was a sacred Shadowhunter tradition, but he couldn't help but feel a little jealous whenever Dylan was around Madeleine.

Laurent took Madeleine's hand, entwined their fingers and kissed the back of her hand, before looking up and catching her piercing blue eyes with his own. "Good thing that no one sensible is up this late," he said in his low, husky voice. "I think this -- " he gestured to the group's various weapons, " -- would have attracted too much attention."

They arrived at their stop. Laurent lead his group off the train and onto the chilly platform, all the while keeping hold of Madeleine's hand. "The demon report came from an abandoned hotel a few streets away from the Louvre," Laurent reiterated. They had heard this information before they had left, but it never hurt to make sure everyone knew what was happening. "Be careful, stay in threes, have each other's back."
​

Los Angeles, California | 6:00am
​

Isaac slid down the shingled roofing of the old LA manor house. He was thrown into the air, his white-blond hair catching the sunrise that was just peeking over the horizon. Isaac considered himself and his group lucky that it was still relatively dark; there was no way their antics would have evaded mundane eyes if this was the dead of the day. And, besides, they were trying to kill vampires. The sun turned out to be an invaluable weapon in that circumstance.

Isaac landed, cat-like, on his feet in the manor's back garden just as his parabatai, Jackson, also leaped from the roof. "Well, that could have went better," Isaac announced, not caring he was playing Captain Obvious as Jackson landed beside him. Isaac slid his katanas back into their sheaths, which hung from his back, before turning to Jackson and asking, "Where are the girls? I don't think my mom will be happy if they're dead. Too much paperwork."

As if an answer to his question, two girls burst out of the manor's back door, coughing, with a vampire at their heels. Isaac lazily pulled a dagger out of his weapons belt and hurled it at the vamp; it stuck her in the eye, and she retreated back into her dark lair. Isaac smirked at Charlotte and his sister Carla, before stepping towards them with Jackson in tow.

"I'm assuming you weren't much more productive than we were, Charlotte," said Isaac. He singled Charlotte out specifically because he enjoyed taunting her. "Well, all, I guess we can unanimously confirm that that was a flop. I mean, at least we set the house on fire and they're all going to die, but we could have done it without alerting the entire state of California to our presence. I call dibs on not telling my mother. Now, let's get the hell out of here before we smoke ourselves to death."​

Melbourne, Victoria | 12:00pm
​

Rosalie strode past Flinders Street Station with her parabatai in tow. She loved Melbourne; she loved the beautiful architecture, the culture and the food dynasty. She even loved the people, the vast multiculturalism depicted in one city. Rosalie was honest in saying that she even loved the Downworlders -- she had met some pretty hot vampire guys and there was an awesome werewolf bar on Collins Street.

But she hated the demons. Rosalie kept a hand on a dagger at her belt as she and Cooper wove through the massive midday Melbourne crowds, ready to attack if needed. For the millionth time, Rosalie thanked the Angels for the glamour that kept the two Shadowhunters out of sight; they were able to duck into a deserted side alley without detection.

"Come here," said Rosalie. She flicked her hair over her shoulder as she grabbed Cooper's right arm, whipped out her stele and began to carve runes into the boy's tanned skin. Any rune was powerful, but no rune, not even the ones Clary Fray in New York cut out of her own mind, could contest the power of a rune drawn by your parabatai. Rosalie made sure she and Cooper were decked out in runes before they went on any hunt.

She finished the runes of Strength and Speed on his forearm, so Rosalie turned him around and lifted up his shirt and jacket, carving the Agility rune into the small of his back. "So, after this, you wanna go to Minotaur and pick up that Game of Thrones figurine you wanted?" That was so Rosalie -- to discuss meaningless plans nonchalantly right before she went to kill some demons. After she finished Cooper's runes, she shrugged off her jacket. "Can you give me a couple of iratzes, too?" she asked. "I'm still not healed after that freaking demon bite from the night before."
​

London, England | 1:00am​

Ainsley was dreaming about fields full of flowers, before she was abruptly shaken awake. "Ungh?" she grunted, turning around frantically and getting tangled up in her bedsheets. The light flickered on, and Ainsley peeled her sleep-filled eyes open to see her baby sister Sydney standing over her.

Sydney's eyes were wide with terror, and she was shaking, crying. After Ainsley asked her what was wrong, Sydney replied in a voice that cracked with fear in every syllable, "There was something outside my window. A ... a demon, I think. It was all black, and it looked like it wore clouds."

Ainsley shook her head, sat up and hugged her sister. She knew Sydney had been dreaming, but Ainsley's heart still ached as she saw her sister upset. That was what the initiation into the Shadowhunter life did to you -- even if you had literally been born into this lifestyle, becoming a Nephilim was no picnic.

After Sydney was sitting in the kitchen was a hot cup of milk, Ainsley dashed upstairs to Raiden's bedroom and opened the door. He was awake for some reason. "Sydney had that dream again," she said, wiping sleep out of her own eyes. "She's been having them more and more since she started training."​

 

[Kitsune]

London, England | 1:00 AM​

Raiden was awake for reasons that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Although, he had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with him hitting the hay quite earlier than usual the night before. His body tended to do that to him quite a lot. If he went to sleep early, he was bound to wake up in the middle of the night. He had been up for about half an hour and was finally feeling the familiar pulls of sleep dragging him back to Dreamland when Ainsley had burst into his room, startling to high alert. It would seem that he wasn't the only one up in the wee hours of the morning. He pushed himself up on his elbows as he listened to what his older sister had to say, slowly registering her words since his mind had to work extra hard to become active. Especially since it had fallen back into its addled state just mere seconds beforehand.

A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth as he realized what dream Ainsley was referring, too. Ever since their younger sister had started her training, her sleep would be disturbed by nightmares. Lately, her nightmares have been attacking her mind relentlessly, and the same ones at that. Blinking owlishly, he sighed softly. He wished that the youngest didn't have to go through such mind terror, but it was one of the many downsides when it came to becoming one in the Shadowhunter world. "What should we do? I can't think of anything to help her, but for her to keep having these nightmares...," he trailed off, looking at Ainsley questioningly. "Maybe we should all just pile into one bed, so she can get a peaceful night of sleep," he suggested. He remembered how they would pile into their parents' bed whenever he wasn't getting a peaceful rest himself. It had helped him a lot throughout his years of training and hoped it did the same for Sydney.
​

Los Angles, California | 6:00 AM​

Ah, vampires.

Charlotte hated vampires.

She hissed in pain as she dodged the creature trying to take a chunk out of here, not being able to get away without a very sharp nip, though. It caused her to scowl and fling her nun chucks strategically to the vampire, knocking her in the face and taking pride when she watched her reel backward, only to have her come towards her with renewed anger and speed. Eyes widened slightly, the brunette cursed softly before turning tail and bolting towards the back door of the manor. After a few moments, she heard footsteps next to her. Out of her peripheral vision, she could make out Carla and felt her body relaxed as they both exited the manor, breathing in the morning crisp air. Another set of footsteps was behind him, causing Charlotte to tense, getting ready for battle. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, someone else had got to the vampire, sending the creature back to her abandoned home as she hissed loudly.

Sighing in relief, Charlotte's good mood turned sour when she heard Isaac's voice as he made his way towards them. No doubt, he was the one who had attacked the vampire. And that irked her to no end. It would irk anyone if their rival saved their life. Well, Charlotte would be okay with it, if only Isaac wasn't so obnoxious about it. "I wonder what gave that away, Isaac. Was it the vampire chasing us? Or maybe our obvious struggle?" Carla jabbed her in the ribs before she could go on, making her pout. To tired to continue to gibe at Isaac, she made a noise of agreement, wanting to get home as fast as humanely possible.
​

Melbourne, Australia | 12:00 PM​

"Are we even going to have time?" Cooper shot back in a curious tone, breathing in sharply as he let his parabatai do her work on his body, carving in runes in any flawless skin she could find. Despite how long he's been doing this, he still never got use to the burn that came with putting runes on. Gnawing on his bottom lip, he sighed in relief when Rosalie was finished, fixing his clothes and stretching out a bit. At the older of the two's request, he whipped out his own stele and began to carve exactly what was asked of him into Rosalie's skin. He frowned as his memory flashed from their battle last night. It had been a tough one, and neither one had come from it unscratched, but Rosalie got the short end of stick. In a way, it was Cooper's fault as he continued to remember the fight.

"I'm sorry, Rose," he apologized as he continued to carve healing runes into her back, hand steady and oozing years of experience. "If it wasn't for me, I'm certain that you wouldn't have been bitten like you were. If only I had realized what was going on around me instead of getting caught off guard," Cooper stated, berating himself in a frustrated tone. Adding one last rune, he finally backed off, letting Rosalie fix her clothing. He was silent as he mulled over his terrible decision making and the backlash from it, still berating himself.
​

Paris, France | 2:00 AM​

Dylan's sleep. Ah, I think that I might just be joining him in Dreamland. Madeleine stared at her parabatai as he slept soundly, head lolling around but not disturbing his sleep. He had been sleep since they set foot inside of the train carriage, and the brunette couldn't blame him. I mean, it was two in the morning after all. Not to mention that the train was a lot more warmer than outside—just the perfect conditions for Dylan to take a short, yet much needed nap. She had just let her own eyes flutter shut when he felt a hand interlock with her dainty one, pulling her from her sleepy daze. She let her head loll to the side to face her boyfriend, staring at him with a gentle smile as he kissed her hand before meeting her eyes. At his words, she hummed in agreement, too tired to actually speak right now. Despite being a Shadowhunter and being used to such early missions, she would never not be exhausted when they went on them. I'm pretty sure the cold air will help me wake up.

Too soon for her liking, they had arrived at their stop. With a soft groan, she got to her feet, stretching her cramping muscles. Quite harshly, she pushed at her parabatai, watching as he tipped over onto the ground. The sudden impact jolted the male awake as he yelped, looking around frantically. The sight caused Madeleine to giggle softly before urging the other to hurry up and join them, not wanting to leave him behind. With some muttering and grumbling, he joined them as Laurent led them out into the chilly air, making Madeleine shiver slightly. She was right, though. The cold air did help her become more alert. Involuntarily, she scooted closer to Laurent, pressing into him as a way to keep warm.

"And make sure you guys keep warm somehow! I really don't want any of you dying of hypothermia, or something similar," she mumbled the last part to herself. Everyone laughed softly, but nodded all the same. Soon, they split into two groups—Rina, Cora, and Lillie in one with Laurent, Madeleine, and Dylan in another. Rina's group went a different direction from where they went, saying something about covering more ground this way. Madeleine only nodded as they left to do their own thing. Shivering more now, she was grateful that she was wearing so many layers of clothing, or else she'd be even colder than she was now. "Ah, I hate missions so early in the morning. They're always the coldest," she complained with a pout. Dylan made a noise of agreement, still recovering from his nap she assumed.​

 

[lxngdon]

Paris, France | 2:00am​

They made their way to the abandoned hotel. As soon as Laurent's group crossed the threshold of the hotel door, he felt the temperature drop even lower than it had been outside. Laurent drew an arrow from his quiver and fitted it to the bow. Like most other missions, he stepped forward and lead the group while he trusted Dylan to have Madeleine's back. Laurent pressed the rune-stone on his belt, causing it to light up like a torch and provide a warm, white light in the otherwise pitch darkness.

Something whooshed in the darkness; something huge with dark wings. Laurent shot the arrow at it, and the demon spun to the ground until it crashed and began to smoke at the wound the black-haired Shadowhunter had inflicted. Laurent dashed over to it, pulled the arrow out and cleaned the black, tar-like blood off his weapon by wiping it on his gear.

He turned back around and the cacophonous wail of tens of other demons filled the hotel. Another dark creature appeared from the darkness, heading straight for Madeleine's neck. "MADELEINE!" he shouted, lunging forward and shooting two consecutive arrows into the demon's flesh. After it was vanquished Laurent rushed to Madeleine, cradling the side of her face with his hand. "Are you alright? Did you -- "

He was flung to the side by the sharp claws of some despicable creature, leaving four dark gashes in his side. He landed face-first on the hard hotel floor, causing blood to dye his white skin red. The last thing Laurent heard before he blacked out was his sister's screams of terror.

Los Angeles, California | 6:00am​

The Los Angeles Institute loomed over them as they finally arrived home. The sun was well and truly up; it filtered through the stained glass windows of the church lobby they stepped into. All Institutes were initially churches; this kept demons, vampires and other unholy creatures well away from the Shadowhunters and provided a refuge from their otherwise chaotic lives.

Isaac lead his group to the lobby. He usually took charge in hunts, and despite knowing that Charlotte hated it, the rest of the Shadowhunters allowed Isaac to lead them. He leaned against the wall of the lobby as he peeled off his gear gloves and jacket, wincing as he discovered new bruises that were probably sustained from falling off the roof. He made a mental note to apply some iratzes later.

They stepped out of the elevator and were automatically greeted by the intimidating presence of Justine Dawnchild -- Isaac and Carla's mother. "Do you care to explain why the fire brigade were called to the house you kids were supposed to raid?" she asked in a terrifying voice. So maybe being the leader wasn't all it cracked up to be. Despite having the most terrifying mother in the history of parentage, Isaac was still terribly obnoxious. He shrugged off the sheaths to his katanas and his weapons belt as he said, "I don't know, Mother. Maybe because your informant was wrong, and there were six times the number of vampires there. So we had to burn up the house. Though, of course, you'd probably be happier if we all died because then this travesty wouldn't have happened and the Dawnchild name wouldn't have been so horribly besmirched. God forbid we kill a clan of vampires that were literally fanging people on the streets."

Carla sighed and he saw Jackson face-palm out of the corner of his eye. His mother scowled, and Isaac knew he got her. He was right, something that happened often, but he rarely won arguments with Justine. She was relentless. Isaac scooped up his belongings, smirked at Charlotte because he knew she would get pounced on later by her own parents, fixed his hair in the mirror and left.​

Melbourne, Victoria | 12:00pm
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"Oi," said Rosalie, frowning. Though, technically, she could argue that her injuries were caused partially by her parabatai's negligence, but it was also her fault for not wearing her gear jacket and, anyway, Cooper didn't need that on his conscience right before they went into a battle. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself for it." When he finished carving her runes, she shrugged her gear jacket back on, turned to face him and smiled. "And of course we'll have time to go to Minotaur. We're adults. We have no curfew. If we did, we probably wouldn't have gotten ridiculously drunk in that werewolf bar in St Kilda."

Rosalie tied her hair back into a ponytail, and the two Australian Shadowhunters slipped back into the crowds, which had died down a little but were still too busy for Rosalie's liking. This was why she preferred to hunt at night; less mundanes at risk. The parabatai walked side-by-side until they reached the building they were looking for; a tall business building with twelve storeys, built in a hipster-looking side alley with restaurants and bars on either side.

They stepped into the lobby, which, luckily was deserted, and Rosalie slipped into hunting mode. The rune of Silence carved into the soles of her boots, meaning her steps made no noise against the tiled floor. She listened intently, waiting for some sign of the demonic activity that had been reported to the Institute that morning. When no sound came from the lobby, they went up the elevator to the top floor. Demons liked heights.

The floor was a twisty maze of hallways, but there were grotesque snarls coming from one room. Rosalie extracted two throwing knives, one in each hand, and stepped forward. A large, black creature jumped around the corner, dark slobber dripping from it's deadly jaws. Rosalie wasted no time; she tossed a dagger at it, and the blade hit it straight in the eye. It fell to the ground, and disappeared back to whatever realm it came from. But at least seven others of it's kind ran around the corner and straight at Rosalie and Cooper.
​

London, England | 1:00am​

Ainsley nodded at her little brother's suggestion. It was a good idea; it had always helped Ainsley when she couldn't sleep during training. She was about to announce to her brother she would collect Sydney before a tall man joined Ainsley in Raiden's doorway. Chase Ashworth, who resembled his children greatly but twisted the familiar features into a scowl, was wearing a travelling cloak and had a weapons belt packed with deadly daggars and shiny seraph blades around his waist. Ainsley raised her eyebrows, looking from the belt to her father's face. "Are you going hunting?" she asked, though she knew the answer.

"No, Ainsley, I'm returning to Idris on business," replied Chase. "I'm sorry to say that this will be a longer trip. Probably a month at least. I expect you two to continue your younger sister's training schedule. She cannot break from it; you know how she is. Lazy."

Ainsley wanted to slap her father just then. How dare he call Sydney lazy? She was twelve! She was little! She was only knew to this training regime that was clearly affecting her mental state much more than other Shadowhunters her age. She was concerned for her sister, she knew Raiden felt the same, but because their father was so cold and unapproachable Ainsley didn't feel like Chase would give a damn if Sydney was screaming in a straightjacket.

"I must go now," said Chase. He leaned into Raiden's bedroom to face his son. "I'll call you both tomorrow. Alright?"​

 

[Kitsune]

GIF HERE BUT LIKE I CAN'T FIND ONE RIGHT NOW
London, England | 1:00 AM
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Raiden was glad that Ainsley had agreed with his suggestion. The cheery atmosphere suddenly became tense as another person entered the ginger's room. His face became blank as he stared at their father, Chase Ashworth. Of course, Ainsley was the first to speak to him, leaving Raiden to bury half of his face in one of his pillows, just listening in. He was silent as he listened to his father's words, biting back a retort of some sort. How could he say such things? Yeah, he was a strict father, but such an outlook, when directed to the youngest, filled the young man with irritation. He knew that Ainsley felt the same annoyance that he did, but they both didn't showcase it.

"I must go now. I'll call you both tomorrow. Alright?"

Raiden grunted in response, averting his gaze to his carpeted floor when their father had glanced at him. If his grunt was taken in a negative manner, he could just blame it on the fact that he was still sleepy. Speaking of sleep, he'd like to get back to it. With his two sisters at his side. He hoped that their father would leave soon. At the moment, he was stopping all of them from getting a good night's rest, but he was sure that didn't cross the older man's mind. Sighing mentally, he pushed all and any thoughts of his father away from his mind. It was too early to deal with this kind of mental stress, after all.
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Los Angeles, California | 6:00 AM​

Charlotte had the blankest of looks upon her face as she watched the Dawnchild's exchange. Slight annoyance graced her model-like features as she bit back the snarky comments bubbling up in her throat. It was best to let them die in her throat. Or save them for later when she was around people who wouldn't bat an eyelash to her verbally lashing out towards Isaac. As they finished, she inhaled deeply and exhaled deeply, trying to keep her calm, despite the irritation that she felt at Isaac's smirk. As he fixed his hair and left, she was tempted to follow him, but was stopped when she heard familiar voices.

"Lottie!"

"Charlie!"

Immediately, all of her frustration disappeared as she turned to face her youngest twin siblings, Damien and Jamie. They had to be her heart and soul, her pride. You'd think they were her own kids with how much love and affection she smothered them with. Opening her arms, she gripped the both of them in a bear hug, despite the both of them being slightly taller than her. They had been blessed with their father's tall height while she got stuck with their mother's below average. Speak of said woman, she was coming up behind her children, wearing nothing less of a serious expression. Catching a glimpse of her, Charlotte knew that the fun was over. Clearing her throat, her blank mask from earlier reappeared as she faced her mother, hands behind her back. The quintessence of what their mother believed the Freeman name stood for.

"I heard about today's mission. I'm not here to lecture you or anything. It would seem that you guys underestimated the task because of miscommunication, which I understand. It's happened to me before," she said in a serious tone. "Next time, Charlotte, go with an option that brings less attention, please," her mother pleaded in an exasperated tone. The brunette was happy that she got off so easy, but was upset because it was Isaac's idea to burn the house. Although, to be honest, she couldn't see another way herself at the time.

"Yes, ma'am," she responded, finally relaxing. After chatting some more with her family, especially Damien and Jamie, she left them to their own devices. Strutting through the Institute, it was clear that she had a mission, and people got out of her way because of that. Swiftly, she was able to make it to Isaac's room, not even bothering to knock. Swinging the door open, she marched straight to the young man and flicked his nose as hard as she could. It seemed an adequate action for his earlier behavior—a childish punishment for childish behavior.

"You're terrible, you know. Talking to your mother like that."
​

Melbourne, Victoria | 12:00 PM
​

Well, wasn't this just wonderful?

Cooper was silently wondering what he did in a past life to receive the one that he was living now. What happened that it landed him battling demons left and right at whatever time of the day? Pushing said thoughts away, he focused on his surroundings. Not wanting a repeat of last night, it seemed that he was on high alert this time around, sensing demons from steps away and taking care of them before they came any closer. Darts that appeared as regular ones hit the demons constantly, mostly in their eyes. The special things about his darts is the poison that they were filled with. They were filled with a poison that was highly effective against demons, much to Cooper's joy.

A dart missed its target by a mere inch, causing Cooper to unsheathe his seraph blade and began to put all of his training to use, slicing away at the creature in front of him. A stab straight to its heart caused it to screech in pain before escaping to wherever it came from. He straightened himself up, taking a chance to focus on his parabatai. Being the worrywart that he was, he always liked to check on Rosalie whenever he could when they were in battles. "How are you holding up? Are you okay?" He questioned in a concerned tone, something that was most likely familiar to his parabatai at this point. It seemed like a constant tone when it came to him.
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Paris, France | 2:00 AM
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Everything was a blur. A flash.

It seemed to happened in a blink of an eye.

"L...Laurent?" Madeleine croaked out, a shocked look upon her features. She couldn't even begin to register what happened. One moment Laurent was checking on her and, the next moment, he was laying motionless on the floor, blood decorating his pale skin. She made her way towards him, dropping to her knees to him. Immediately, she checked his pulse. It was there, but faint. It looked like the young Parisian had fainted right after he was attacked. Unconscious, but not dead. Madeleine could handle that. They could get him help still. Glancing around her, Lillie, Dylan, and Remi were fighting off the abundance of demons as best as they could. Cora had joined her at her brother's unconscious body, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey, look at me," she said in a strong, yet soft tone. Cora glanced up at her with a glassy look. "He's going to be fine, okay? Don't you start crying over him. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want you to worry about him like this," she confessed, using a thumb to wipe at her tear-stricken cheeks. "But, in order to ensure his survival, we need to get him back home. We need to get out of here," she stated, watching Cora nod in agreement. Facing the others, she repeated what she said. "We need to retreat, guys! We've got to get Laurent back to the Institute quickly!"

Remi pulled away from the battle to go to his brother's aid. Being that neither she nor Cora could lift him, he did the lifting. The brunette was able to focus Cora into helping keep the demons at bay, giving Remi time to escape safe and sound, followed by the rest of them. As soon as they were back into the pitch black night of Paris, they headed back to the platform from before, grateful that no one was up at such a time. The last thing that they needed was questioning.​

 

[lxngdon]

Paris, France | 7:00am (timeskipped the fuck outta France, sorry)​

Laurent woke a few hours after the incident in his own cluttered, messy bedroom at the Institute. He was shirtless, but the first thing Laurent noticed was the thick white bandage around his chest and waist, and the leaking blood staining the side a little. Because he was an idiot, Laurent poked the wounds and winced a little. He shouldn't have been surprised; such a demonic wound would take a little while longer to fully heal. He would most likely be committed to bed for a few days, a fact he would be unable to deal with. Laurent needed to be in on all the action. Being bedridden was his worst nightmare.

He sat up, which caused him more pain. Hands reached his back, helping him sit up; Laurent turned his head to see Remi, a sight he was glad to see. At least his brother had gotten out of the hotel without being harmed. Laurent sat upright, turned to his brother and asked automatically, "Where's Madeleine?"

Madeleine. He knew Dylan would have done whatever he could have done to get her the hell out of that terrible place after Laurent had been hurt, but he was still worried for his girlfriend. Madeleine, the most important person in his life. Madeleine, the sun in his otherwise pitch black existence. Madeleine.

"She's here, somewhere," said Remi.

"Can you get her for me?" asked Laurent pleadingly. Remi left.
​

Los Angeles, California | 7:00am (because somehow it's the same time in LA and Paris, IDK, who freaking cares)​

Isaac was polishing his katanas when Charlotte barged into his bedroom. He was preparing a snarky remark when the girl walked straight up to him and flicked him on the nose. "What am I, a cat?" he said, before she spoke her first words to him. He raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to continue.

"Charlotte," he said, looking up at her. "I might be terrible, but she is, too. She would literally rather us all be greviously injured in an attempt to do things the right way than to have us finish things the wrong way, and you fucking know it."

He stood up, standing over her because she was so short. "Now," he said, his voice dropping considerably. He had a dagger in his hand and used it to push his blond hair out of his eyes. He wasn't threatening Charlotte in any way; he was just showing off his knife skills. "I dare you to challenge that." Isaac flicked the blade out of his hand, missing her head by half a centimetre. The knife whirled through the air until it stuck in his bedroom door. He smirked again.

Melbourne, Victoria | 1:00pm​

"I'm ... fine ... " Rosalie grunted as she threw a blade into the throat of a demon.

Rosalie was fierce in battle. She didn't hold back and she held absolutely no mercy for the vile creatures she dispatched with ease. Both Rosalie and Cooper worked with throwing weapons, which meant that they could work from a distance without having to approach the creatures they were battling too much -- until Rosalie ran out of knives. "Fuck," she said as she whipped out a sword and flipped over a desk, landing on the back of the last demon in the room and driving her blade into its neck.

Rosalie clambered off the demon's back and went around the room, picking up her daggers from where they fell on the floor. All the demons were gone, a fact Rosalie was very happy about. After fixing her hair in the reflection of a mirror on the wall, Rosalie walked over to Cooper, brushed the dust off his shoulder and said, a whiny, child-like voice, "Now can we go to Minotaur?"​

London, England | 2:00am​

Chase quickly left, and Ainsley dashed downstairs to collect her younger sister. "Where'd Dad go?" the girl asked sleepily. Ainsley shook her head and explained to Sydney, as they ascended the stairs to their brother's bedroom, that their father was in Idris on business again and that he would return soon -- though she didn't know whether that was true. If Ainsley was perfectly honest with herself, she didn't care what her father did.

They reached Raiden's bedroom, where they clambered onto the bed without having to be invited. Sydney lay between the two older Ashworth kids; Ainsley stroked her sister's ginger hair as she fell asleep. She exchanged a tired, sad look with her brother before she also dropped off.​

 

[Kitsune]

London, England | 8:00 AM
​

Raiden was the first to wake up amongst the Ashworth children. He blinked owlishly as sunlight infiltrated his room through his closed blinds. Groggy and cranky, the ginger furiously rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear his blurry vision. Blinking a few more times, he finally decided he should probably get up. Rolling out of his bed, he shuffled his way to the bathroom that was in the hall, entering it and flicking on the light. Such sudden brightness caused him to hiss and squint his eyes. At a snail's pace, the British man went about his morning routine, brushing his teeth and washing his face. As he did this, his mind wandered to what they would be eating for breakfast. Feeling like he'd be the only one awake for a while, he thought about making a bit of everyone's favorite and having a breakfast buffet. The thought caused a small smile to grace his features for a split second. That would definitely be a way to brighten everyone's mood and start the day off right. Turning off the faucet, the ginger made his way downstairs, set on making breakfast now.
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Los Angeles | 7:00 AM
​

Charlotte stared long and hard at Isaac. On the outside, she was only shaking slightly, visibly vibrating with all of the anger that was coursing through her. She never considered herself a violent person, but that never seemed to be the case when it came her rival. Never in her life has she ever wanted to hit someone so badly. I could head butt him in the chin. Show him that being tall isn't all that great, she thought, but pushed the thoughts back. No need to suddenly start a fight that she would probably lose. Not because she wasn't trained or anything like that, but because Isaac was just stronger. It was something that irritated her, much like anything else about the young man. Especially the smirk that never seemed to leave his face. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself before opening her mouth.

"You're right on that, okay? I don't disagree with you," she started, but it was obvious she was about to vent still. "But you could have handled that in a better way! Honestly, no matter how annoyed your parents make you, you can't just snap at them like that! I wouldn't be here telling you off if you did what you did in a more respectable manner," she finished, huffing slightly in the end since she was speaking pretty fast. It was a habit of hers when she was angry, or nervous. Sighing deeply, she rubbed at her temples, annoyed beyond belief at this point. "Anyway, I'm going to go...somewhere else," she announced as she turned on her heel. She stopped at his door and gripped the knife, pulling it out with little to no struggle. It was stuck in there pretty good. Only a moment passed before the knife was slicing through the air back to its owner, landing on the wall behind him. Just like before, the knife was half an inch away from Isaac's neck. Sporting a smirk of her own, the brunette opened the door and disappeared into the hall.
​

Melbourne, Victoria | 1:00 PM
​

"Now can we go to Minotaur?"

Cooper laughed softly, going around the room to pick up his own darts. Once he had them all in his possession once more, he turned back to face Rosalie, nodding. "Yeah, we can go to Minotaur now," he stated, still smiling. "Maybe we can get something to eat along the way, too. I didn't really get to eat lunch before we went on this mission, so I'm pretty much starving now," he explained, rubbing a hand against his rumbling stomach. Not only did he not get to eat lunch beforehand, but killing demons always made him hungry in the end. It was a weird side effect that he experienced. Usually he would pack himself snacks to keep his hungry at bay, but he had forgotten to do so this go around. God, I'm going to die of starvation one day. What a way to go. Death by hunger, not by demon.
​

Paris, France | 7:00 AM
​

Madeleine burst into Laurent's bedroom, eyes wide and body tense. As soon as Remi had came to get her, she bolted to where her beloved was. Despite how calm she acted, she was internally freaking out over Laurent's health. Sure, the young man got injured quite a lot—usually because of her—but that didn't mean that she was used to seeing him all bloodied and beat up. Her heart still raced and her breathing would always come short. But now, she wasn't fearing for Laurent's life because he was fine. Maybe a little sore and upset that he was bedridden, but fine in the end. With that in mind, she visibly relaxed and let a smile grace her features.

Slowly, she made her way to where Laurent was resting, sitting on his bed. Silently, she reached for one of his hands, interlocking their fingers and rubbing a thumb across his knuckles before bringing his hand to her lips. "You had Cora worried sick, you know," she murmured against it. Bringing it back down, she looked into Laurent's eyes. "The poor girl was crying her heart out, but I can't blame her," the brunette continued. "I was just as worried as her. One of us had to be strong, though. I hope you feel bad, making us worry like that," she playfully chastised him. She became serious once more. "...Thank you." Madeleine pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead. "But, honestly, be more careful next time, please."​

 

[lxngdon]

Paris, France | 7:00am​

The physical pain Laurent felt actually died down a little once Madeleine was in the room. He smiled when she sat beside him and kissed his knuckles. He laughed lightly when she joked about him making them all feel bad, but the smile dropped at her next words. "Hey," he said, reaching up to her waist and pulling her closer to him. "You don't need to thank me," he said softly. He didn't want to break the moment by speaking loudly. "I'm never going to let anything happen to you, Madeleine. And if that means me winding up with bandages all the time, so be it. I love you." He returned her kiss to the forehead.

Laurent realised he still wasn't wearing a shirt; he reached to the brown sweater hanging off his chair and threw it on. He was cold for some reason, probably the demon poison. He noticed that someone had set a glass on the nightstand; he recognised it as a healing brew, and frowned because he remembered it to taste disgusting.

"Ugh, I hate this stuff," said Laurent. Regardless of how vile it was, he stood a sip of it and scowled. "Great. Now you're not going to want to kiss me because you'll have to taste this crap." He set the glass aside and leaned back into his pillows, bringing Madeleine with him. "I love you," he repeated. "I don't say that enough."​

Los Angeles, California | 7:00am​

Isaac wrenched the knife out of his wall, dashed to his door and wrenched it open. "Hey, Charlotte!" he called to the retreating figure of the brunette. He was surprised when she turned to face him; she probably expected a snarky remark, but instead Isaac said to her, "Nice throw."​

Los Angeles, California | 5:00pm (mid-post timeskip!!!)​

Dinnertime. Possibly one of Isaac's favourite times of the day. He had slept throughout the entire morning and afternoon, due to being absolutely exhausted from the hunting party. He threw on a black button-up shirt and exited his bedroom to be immediately greeted by the sight of his parabatai. "We're in the library for dinner," said Jackson. Isaac knew that he meant himself, Isaac, Carla and, of course, Charlotte. Their hunting party. "Your mother and Charlotte's have important people from Idris over for dinner."

"We're adults," Isaac complained as they walked to the library. "We should be there."

"Us being adults has nothing to do with it. Your sister Jessie and Charlotte's siblings are there. We're stuck in the library as punishment for burning up the house. So, good job, fuckwit."

Isaac elbowed Jackson in the ribs before they stepped into the library. The girls were already there, sitting on the couches in the middle of the grand room with a spread of roast beef and potatoes on the coffee table. "Wow, I was expecting prison food," said Isaac. He took the seat between Jackson and Charlotte, smirking at the latter.
​

Melbourne, Australia | 1:00pm​

"Of course we can get something to eat. Do you really think I would let you starve to death? But, of course, we have to take the glamour off." Rosalie took out her stele and carved the said rune into Cooper's arm. She carved it into her own arm afterwards and fixed her gear jacket so it covered up her weapons belt. The last thing they needed was to be stopped by police on their way to food. "Let's just go to Maccas."

They stopped at the McDonald's on Flinders Street. Their black clothes attracted some attention, but Rosalie liked to think people were staring at them because they were pretty. They were pretty. After they had their food they jumped onto a tram that would take them to Minotaur. They stood close together beside the door. Once they were inside the shop that held the figurines they were hunting for, Rosalie leaned in close to her parabatai and asked quietly, "What are we doing tonight?"

"Can I help you?" asked a voice. She turned around and saw a rather attractive store clerk -- whose eyes were most definitely not focused on Rosalie's, but rather on her chest. Rosalie's smile dropped and she scowled at him, which automatically made him recoil.

"No," said Rosalie, wishing they had kept the glamour on. She hated perverts like this guy. "We're alright."
​

London, England | 8:00am​

Ainsley woke up and was not surprised to see Raiden absent. He usually woke up before the girls did. She carefully climbed out of bed, making sure she didn't wake her sister, slipped into her own bedroom and quickly got dressed and did her hair. As Ainsley walked downstairs to the kitchen she was pleasantly surprised to smell pancakes and French toast. Sure enough, Raiden was cooking in the kitchen.

"Good morning, my wonderful brother," said Ainsley, smiling at Raiden and sitting at the breakfast bar, pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "What on Earth did we do to deserve breakfast? Or is it consolation for our asshole father?"

It was amazing how fast Ainsley's happy mood turned sour at the thought of her father. Her pent-up emotions from the night before spilled out as Raiden continued to cook. "How dare he say that about Sydney. If he bothered to notice anything about her he would realise she's having a hard time. But he still probably wouldn't care." She snorted in disgust. "Anyway, what do you want to do in her training today?"​

 

[Kitsune]

London, England | 8:00 AM
​

Raiden was having a wonderful morning. It only seemed to get better when Ainsley joined him in the kitchen. His sisters never ceased to brighten up his day, no matter how shitty it can be. He returned her greeting, smiling just as much as her. He was putting another pancake on the growing stack next to him. Majority of the food was for him because he was a man with a large appetite. Don't get him wrong, though. His sisters could get their fair share as well. Making another pancake, he moved to his French Toast, adding them to another plate so they could cool down. Besides pancakes and French Toast, he was also making eggs and bacon. As he did all of this, he listened to his sister talk, enjoying her voice. A frown replaced his smile at the mention of their father. Much like Ainsley, his mood would also turn sour very quickly. His thoughts began to wander on how cold and stern their father was, frown getting deeper.


"Anyway, what do you want to do in her training today?"

The question pulled the ginger away from his thoughts. "I think we should stay away from anything demon related for today. Actually, for a while," he stated, putting the eggs and bacon on a plate together. They were able to fit. "How about combat training? Has she done that recently? A good fight always gets the mind to tune out unwanted things. Probably also studying about runes. There's a lot she still doesn't know, I think," he suggested, turning from the stove to let the food cook peacefully. He joined his sister at the breakfast bar, pouring himself a glass of orange juice as well. Drinking about half of it before setting it down, he sighed blissfully afterward. "Do you think our cuddle pile helped her sleep? I didn't feel her move around, but you know that I'm a heavy sleeper," he questioned, glancing at his older sister.
​

Los Angeles, California | 5:00 PM
​

Charlotte was laughing softly from something that Carla said when Jackson had walked in with Isaac in tow. She barely registered their arrival, still giggling from whatever the other had said. It would be a secret between the two of them, though. By the time that Isaac had sat down between Jackson and her, she had calmed down, a smile in place of her laughter now. Reaching forward for a plate, she filled it with roast beast and potatoes, grabbing a fork as well before sitting back, sinking into the couch. It was when she was about to bring a forkful of potatoes up to her glossed lips that she caught Isaac facing her. Upon further inspection, she realized that he was smirking at her. Of course, he was. When was he never smirking at her? Setting her fork down, she furrowed her eyebrows and frowned slightly, obviously confused and a bit irritated. She never liked when Isaac smirked at her. It was like...he was looking down on her in some way. Or he knew something that she didn't. Either way, it just ruffled her feathers, so to speak.

"What? What is it?" The brunette questioned. She felt as if she wouldn't be able to eat in peace until she confronted Isaac. Well, not really confronted, but just spoke to. Maybe that's what he wanted in the end. "You're always smirking like you know something that no one else does. It's irritating," she confessed with a huff, sulkily stuffing her mouth with her forkful of potatoes as she continued to wait for a response from her rival.
​

Melbourne, Victoria | 1:00 PM
​

Cooper had immediately went inside the shop and drifted towards the Game of Thrones section. As his eyes scanned the shelves, searching for the figurine that he wanted. He heard his parabatai's question. He hummed in response, obviously thinking about what they were going to do. They were always doing something, when he sat down and thought about it. He can't remember a time that they just relaxed. Though, that was against Rosalie's nature. She happened to be quite outgoing while Cooper was the exact opposite. He was never one for parties or the like, opting to stay at home and be with a few friends, or by himself. Before he could come up with a response, he had set sight on the figurine he desired, gasping sharply as he practically lunged for it. At that same moment, he caught the end of the conversation that Rosalie and one of the store clerks were having.

Looking up from his figurine with a pleased smile, he faced Rosalie, about to tell her that he was ready to go. That was when he saw the scowl on her face. Frowning himself, he tilted his head in confusion. "What's the matter? Did something happen?" He rapidly shot question after question at her in a hushed whisper. Glancing around, his eyes landed on the clerk from earlier, gaze hardening. "Was it him?" Not one to cause fights over things, all that Cooper did was glare at the clerk, who seemed to stiffen, feeling his gaze boring holes into him. Not only his, but also Rosalie's since she didn't turn away either.
​

Paris, France | 7:00 AM
​

Madeleine sighed softly as she felt Laurent's lips against her forehead. His words left a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of her, overwhelming her in a good way. Despite not wanting to see him wrapped up in bandages, she had to admit that she felt safe and secure knowing that he'd do whatever it took to keep her safe. Deep down, she knew that she would do the same for him. She smiled softly at his words of love, feeling even more content and at peace. She always did whenever she was with Laurent. It was something that she couldn't explain nor complained about. Why would she? Why would anyone?

Listening to him complain about the healing brew, she laughed softly. He was much like a child who didn't want to take their medicine. It was cute in its own way. Her laugh grew louder until she was shaking from it; the sound vibrating throughout her. Laurent was right about what he said. She honestly didn't want to taste the healing brew herself. It was disgusting, after all. But she hated seeing her boyfriend so upset, so she decided to suck it up this one time. Especially since he was injured.

As they laid with each other amongst his pillows, her laughter began to finally die down. "You're right about that, but you're injured and I think you deserve it after all that you did today," the Parisian confessed, resting her chin gently upon his bandaged chest as she stared up at him. Wiggling up until she was at the point of towering over him, Madeleine smiled down at him before pressing her lips against his own soft ones, ignoring the taste of the healing brew in favor of focusing on him instead. It was a short, sweet kiss, but still held all the love that Madeleine had for him. "Even though you don't say it often, I know that you love me like I love you. You just have other ways of showing it, that's all," she reassured him, wiggling back down to rest gently against his chest.​

 

[lxngdon]

Paris, France | 10:00am
​

After Madeleine's kiss the two drifted to sleep. Despite having slept for a few hours after being knocked out, Laurent was still exhausted and he guessed Madeleine was, too. When he woke, he felt significantly better than he had before. Whether from the disgusting healing drink or from Madeleine's presence, he was greatful.

Madeleine was ripped from her sleep when Remi and Cora barged into the room. "Annaleise wants to see us," said Remi. By Annaleise, he meant the Pridelouves' mother. Laurent started to get out of bed, before Cora walked forward and pushed her brother back into the pillows.

"Are you insane? You were just attacked by a demon!" hissed Cora. "You're staying in bed."

"Fuck off," said Laurent eloquently, standing up with ease and helping Madeleine up after him. "I'm fine, Cora, I am more than capable of walking to the library to see what our mother wants."

But he wasn't; Laurent needed to keep a steady arm around Madeleine's shoulders so he didn't fall over as the group walked to the library. Lillie and Dylan were already there, standing beside Annaleise, a middle-aged, regal-looking woman sitting behind her desk in the library. She was looking over her folded hands at the young Shadowhunters. "Remi, I thought I told you to keep your brother in his room. He is sick."

"My brother is reckless and decided he needed to be here," said Remi, rolling his eyes.

Annaleise rolled her eyes just the same, stood up and said to the six young hunters before her, "I need to take three of you to Idris with me."
​

​

​

Los Angeles, California | 5:00pm​

Isaac looked up at the brunette as she questioned him. Carla and Jackson were engaged in a different conversation, meaning they weren't paying attention to Isaac and Charlotte. Isaac raised his eyebrows at her statement. "Maybe I do know things you don't know. It wouldn't be the first time." He snickered and rubbed his hands together mischievously. "Maybe you're the subject of my latest evil plot. Lock your doors, Freeman, lock your doors."

Isaac was determined to drive her up the wall. He scooted across the sofa until he sat beside her. "But, in all seriousness, Charlotte, that truly was a great throw. You could have killed me. Come to think of it, you were probably trying to kill me. In that case, that was a terrible throw." He took a bite of his dinner before continuing, "You know, if you really want to stab me that badly, we could meet up for target practice sometime."
​

Melbourne, Victoria | 1:00pm​

Rosalie turned away from the store clerk to face Cooper, flicking a piece of her hair away from her face as she did so. Usually, Rosalie enjoyed stares -- but nice ones. Stares of amazement at her beautiful appearance, not perverted, lingering gazes that were mentally undressing her. "I'm fine," she said. "Just pay for it so he stops looking at me."

Once they were out of the store Rosalie sighed audibly, stretching. "Alright. We have your figurine, we did our actual job, now what should we do?" They had the entire city of Melbourne to themselves and the money in their pockets to show for it. "Keep in mind, if we're not home by ten Elliot will think I'm cheating on him with you, so we better get whatever we're doing done now. Are you too much of a man to go to H&M with me? I need a new necklace."
​

London, England | 9:00am​

Ainsley nodded. "Combat practice," she agreed. Sydney soon joined her older siblings, and once everyone had eaten enough breakfast to fuel a small country for a few years, they changed into their practice clothes -- which was for Ainsley a loose pair of drawstring sweatpants and a tank top -- and met up in the attic. The London Institute's attic, like that of most Institutes, had been converted into a training room.

Ainsley liked theatrics in her lessons. She plucked a throwing knife from the wall and hurled it through the air. It hit the target dead-on, and Ainsley turned back to her sister with a triumphant expression. "You want to learn how to do that one day?" Ainsley asked the little girl. She nodded, looking excited, which was what Ainsley and Raiden wanted.

"Do your warm ups, hun," said Ainsley. She stroked her sister's hair as she walked to Raiden. "You want to take over today? You're better at combat than me."
​

 

[Kitsune]

London, England | 9:00 AM
​

"You want to take over today? You're better at combat than me."


Raiden had been off at the side as Ainsley gave a little introduction to what they'd be doing today. Besides combat, he also planned on having Sydney work on her knife skills, and maybe finding a special weapon that suited her. His thoughts were interrupted by Ainsley's voice. At her question, he scrunched up his face in thought. While he was good at combat, he wasn't really good at teaching. He always had trouble putting his thoughts into words, especially if he was explaining something that came naturally towards him. After another moment, he finally came to a decision.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he responded, nodding slightly. "But, uh, would you mind helping out a bit?" he questioned. "You know how I get tongue-tied when explaining things, and I don't want to confuse her," he confessed, rubbing the nape of his neck embarrassedly while glancing at Sydney through the sides of his eyes. "I'm guessing you'll be taking the rune studying?" He added, knowing that Ainsley was a lot more inform than him when it came to the books. He hated studying things like the history of Shadowhunters and runes when he was younger, but he loved to do combat practice.
​

Los Angeles | 5:00 PM
​

Charlotte rolled her eyes at Isaac's response. She wouldn't be surprised if she actually was the subject of one of his evil plots. It wouldn't have been the first time, and she was certain that it wouldn't have been the last. Isaac had a knack for tormenting her, pushing all of her button repeatedly until she snapped. It's become his new favorite hobby, and the young lady could say that she wasn't very fond of it in the least. Pushing a forkful of roast beast in her mouth, she continued to listen to Isaac talk, mentioning her throw from earlier. At his speculations, a secretive, slightly wicked smile graced her features like she was planning her own evil scheme. It was an expression that she wore quite often whenever Isaac was involved.

"Maybe you're right and I was trying to end your life," she stated casually. "But I'm the only one who knew my true intentions in the end," she added, voice dropping to a hushed whisper. In all honesty, she was just rehashing what was given to her, but Isaac didn't need to know of such a thing. It could be her own little secret. The thought made her smile grow slightly. "Anyway, I think I'd like that. We'll probably be able to go tomorrow. I mean, I wouldn't expect us to go on a mission any time soon with how this one went, so we'll have a whole lot of free time," she stated, eating some more of her dinner. She hadn't trained in a bit, so she jumped at the opportunity.
​

Melbourne, Victoria | 1:00 PM
​

Walking the streets of Melbourne, Cooper licked his lips as he listen to Rosalie, caught up in his thoughts. Hearing her question, he shook his head immediately. "Not at all," he responded, turning his gaze towards her. He happened to like H&M. They had really nice clothes and accessories that he liked to think about getting, mulling over said decision inside of his mind while Rosalie got whatever she needed to get. Or while she did the same thing that he did. Subconsciously, his feet began to take him in the direction of where the mall, and H&M, was. He went back to thinking about what they could do to pass the spare time that they had. They had until ten o'clock. Well, earlier than that, but close to it. Seeing how they never go back to the Institute in time for dinner, they'll probably end up eating out again.

"After H&M, we could...go to the movies, I guess? See what's playing and just pick on out," he suggested with a slight shrug. That was the only thing that he could come up with at the moment. They could also just walk in and out of stores, exploring around. It really was up to Rosalie since Cooper was someone who was game for anything and everything. As long as he was comfortable with it, he was pretty much content.
​

Paris, France | 10:00 AM
​

"Annaleise wants to see us."


Madeleine opened her eyes, a dazed look in them as she tried to get her bearing together. It was like her ears were stuffed with cotton as she tried to make out the muffled voices around her, vision blurry. How long were they asleep for? Who was talking? It had to be one of the siblings; that's all that Madeleine could think of. She couldn't quite pinpoint which one; not in this state, at least. By the time that she came to, she heard Laurent telling his sister off, making her frown and slap him on his arm, shooting him a disapproving look. She understood that they argued and such, but that didn't mean that she stood for it. And Cora was right. Laurent should be resting. She would have added her two scents if they weren't already making their way to the library, where they met with Annaleise, who looked as sophisticated and as intimidating as ever. The Parisian was silent through the short exchange between Remi and his mother, shaking her head subtly.


"I need to take three of you to Idris with me."

That sure caught Madeleine's attention. With wide eyes, she was the first to speak towards Annaleise's request. "If you don't mind me asking, ma'am," she began in a respectable tone. "But why do you need to take three of us to Idris?" She was truly curious as to what business Annaleise had that she needed half of them to go with her. Despite her questioning, she knew that it wasn't going to be Dylan, Laurent, and herself. Laurent was on bed rest and she wasn't leaving his side. Even if she wanted to, she knew that she couldn't. And, if she wasn't going, then Dylan wasn't going either. That left Remi, Cora, and Lillie to fill in the three spots.​

 

[lxngdon]

Paris, France | 10:00am​

Laurent looked down at Madeleine as she spoke and then back up to his mother as Annaleise replied. "A meeting for Shadowhunters in Europe is being held by the Clave. I'm not entirely sure why." Laurent watched as his mother's eyes ran over him, then over Madeleine. She had always been skeptical about her youngest son's relationship with the Remington girl. "I need three of you because that is what the Clave has requested. I believe they will be conducting a survey as to how our youngest Shadowhunters have developed."

"So when are we going?" Laurent asked his mother. Annaleise raised her eyebrows.

"Laurent, you have been injured. I do not think it is wise to take you anywhere right now."

"Mother, with all due respect, I think you are mistaken," said Laurent politely. "You take three of us, and then there are only three other hunters here to protect the city. I am useless right now, so leaving me here would be a waste of assets. And, obviously, you take me and you take Madeleine, and by default you take Dylan." Laurent looked down to Madeleine. "Help me out here."
​

Los Angeles, California | 5:00pm​

"Great," said Isaac with a mouthful of food, ignoring the concept of table manners. "I'll see you tomorrow in the training room at -- what -- eleven? Is that enough beauty sleep for you? You really need it." Isaac liked picking on her. There was little truth to his words most of the time; while he would rather jump off the roof of the Institute or run back into that house full of vampires than admit it to her, he considered Charlotte a beautiful girl. He enjoyed their rivalry; it added action and drama to his already action-filled and dramatic life.

"You two planning a date there, Isaac?" joked Jackson from across the coffee table.

"No thanks," said Isaac, pressing his hands against his temples and miming immense pain. "I've had my fair share of mind-numbing headaches just this week. I don't particularly fancy any more."

Jackson snickered and turned back to Carla. Isaac turned to Charlotte again and said, "I'm joking. I could handle another mind-numbing headache."​

Melbourne, Victoria | 2:00pm​

Rosalie shrugged and frowned as they walked. "I don't know. I went to the movies three times with Esme and the twins last week." Rosalie had a huge family, and as they were really close they often went on outings together. Rosalie was the only Lifemoor child who had a parabatai, and due to this Cooper was considered as one of the family. As Rosalie and Cooper arrived at H&M, the brunette said, "Hey, how about we go to the aquarium? We haven't been there in a while and I aspire to be a mermaid."

Rosalie bypassed the clothes section and headed straight for the jewellery. Rosalie liked accessorising. She liked makeup and she liked being pretty. She ran her hands over the faux gems in the necklaces hung from the racks until she found a grand, fancy-looking red piece with gems shaped like roses. "Roses for Rosalie," said Rosalie happily, putting on the necklace and pushing her hair out of the way so Cooper could see. "Alright, you are my gay best friend right now. What do you think?"
​

London, England | 9:00am​

Ainsley nodded. "Yeah, I'll take runes," she agreed. She was good with runes and other theoretical practices. "I'll take the demonology subject too, you know, after she stops having those dreams."

"I'm finished!" said Sydney happily. Ainsley turned to face her sister, smiling and turning her head slightly to the side as she said, "Great. Now, Raiden's going to lead today but I'll be helping too. We're going to do combat skills. Raiden?"​

 

[Kitsune]

London, England | 9:00 AM
​

Raiden blinked owlishly as he was called upon, freezing up for just a split second. Soon, all of the tension melted away and a smile crossed his features, making him appear more relaxed and confident. He started to explain to Sydney exactly how today's training was going to go, or what he just came up with in his mind while she was warming up.

"Alright, Syd," he began, wringing his hands together, "we're gonna start with you showing me what you know in a little practice match, okay? After that, we'll focus on hand to hand before moving on to the bo staffs," he finished, looking at Sydney's face for comprehension. "Got everything?" He paused to see her nod. "Good. We'll do the practice match as a hand to hand first, then a bit of the staffs."

Raiden moved to the middle of their training facility, getting in a ready position and watching Sydney do the same. Bold and a bit reckless like her older brother, she didn't hesitate in making the first move, causing Raiden to smile softly. He saw himself in her as he dodged her punch and dealt one of his own. They soon got more into the match, yet Raiden was assessing her at the same time, mentally taking notes that would be used later.

Los Angeles, California | 5:00 PM
​

Charlotte's face twisted into an expression of utter disgust as she watched Isaac with disbelief. He never ceased to amaze her with his immaturity. Just when he would become tolerating, he'd do something that would bring them back to square one, which always frustrated her. Sighing softly and irritably, she turned her attention back to her meal, bringing another forkful to her mouth. Chewing and swallowing, she barely registered the conversation between Jackson and Isaac, raising an eyebrow at the words and phrases that she caught.

"I'm joking. I could handle another mind-numbing headache."


"What makes you think that dating me would be a mind-numbing headache, hm?" The brunette questioned in faux irritation, biting back the playful smile that threatened to break her façade, but there wasn't any way to mask the mirth dancing in her eyes. "For your information, dating me would be heaven, okay? I could give you a whole list on the pros of dating me," she rambled, finally breaking her mask as she smiled brightly, laughing softly towards the end. She stuffed another forkful in her mouth to muffle her giggling, focusing on chewing and swallowing without choking. "I'm just joking, though," she stated after swallowing, waving a hand as if she was shooing away all of her earlier words.

Melbourne, Victoria | 2:00 PM
​

"Hey, how about we go to the aquarium? We haven't been there in a while and I aspire to be a mermaid."

"A mermaid, huh? You'll be one of a kind," Cooper confessed. "I'm pretty sure there aren't any other Shadowhunters that are mermaids. Plus, I love to point out all of the characters from Finding Nemo," he continued to ramble as he followed Rosalie through H&M, eyes skimming the clothes and accessories that they passed. He would make little hums of approval when certain things caught his eye, making a mental note to possibly come back and check it out more thoroughly. It wasn't only Rosalie that liked to shop at H&M after all. He was pulled from his thoughts as he saw Rosalie turn to face him with a necklace on.

For a few mere moments, he was silent, analyzing how the necklace looked against her skin and with her other features. It's not that he was an expert on fashion, or anything like that. It was just that, at this point, he's been on so many shopping trips with his parabatai that he's gotten pretty skilled in telling what worked and what didn't when it came to her. But it was only her. He was completely lost when asked about anyone else. Biting his bottom lip, he finally nodded. "I like it. I'm sure you have something in your wardrobe to go with it, too," he stated, letting his bottom lip free. "A gorgeous necklace for a gorgeous girl," he confessed. To others, people would think they were a couple, but their relationship was more along the lines of siblinghood. "Hey, do you think we can browse the clothes section? I saw a few things that caught my eye..."

Paris, France | 10:00 AM
​

"Help me out here."

Madeleine had been silent as she listened to Laurent fight for the position to go to the meeting in Idris. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, she was mulling over the pros and cons of having Laurent go. Both him and his mother had good points. Laurent was injured and should be resting, yet, at the same time, if he were to stay, only two Shadowhunters would be protecting the city in reality since he was bedridden. Decisions, decisions. The Parisian hated decisions like this. And it was so last minute as well. She was pulled from her thoughts as she heard her lover's voice directed towards her. Blinking owlishly, her gaze locked with Laurent's as she mentally came to a choice.

Sighing softly, she redirected her gaze towards Laurent's mother. "Ma'am, with all due respect and then some, I'd have to agree with Laurent on this one," she began in a calm, composed tone, oozing confidence and sophistication. "If you were to leave him here, there would be only two hunters protecting the city, and I believe that three is most definitely better. Also, despite being injured, your son would be a perfect candidate to take to show how much we've developed. He is the leader of our group, after all, and who is better to take than the leader?" She spoke. "To compensate for all of this, when we come back, I'll make sure he doesn't even get the chance to roll out of bed." Madeleine knew that Laurent would protest heavily against it, but she thought it was the push to get his mother to see their perspective and agree with him. He'll just have to suck it up.