”Kaori_luv”

((Set same night as this rp, a few hours later)

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The game room had enough in it to entertain a small city. From the almost obligatory pool table and video games to pinball and arcade games. Hell, if Pat didn’t know better he would have wondered if his cousins were trying to run a game hall in their basement. Instead they just held family nights, had friends over, and overall just had fun with everyone involved. It was a nice change of pace for him when he was able to come. That's what he had now, time. Lots of time on his hands. And it was no one’s fault but his own. He wanted it that way. He liked it that way…

That was a lie.

With a sigh the redhead pushed away from the arcade game he had been losing to and drifted over to the pool table. He hefted a pool stick before eyeing the general mass of humanity around him. “Hey Rose,” He called out to his cousin, “Fancy a game?” Maybe just focusing on the game would be enough to help pull him from the shadow that was haunting him. It was worth a shot because he really, really, didn’t want to ruin the genial atmosphere.


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Rose was standing near the pool table, but she was honestly watching the kids wrestle with each other in case she needed to intervene. She looked up when her cousin asked her for a game and nodded before saying something in Russian that her cousin wouldnt understand, but her the little ones nodding at her seriously before they seemed to be attempting a sneak attack on Damien.

She grinned at her cousin and held a finger up, mumm's the word. Learning russian was hard, but she wasnt going to be that mom whose children could speak their fathers native tongue while she had no idea what they were saying, plus after so many years it, got confusing if one didn't try to learn.

“Alright Pat, if you insist. I’ll kick your butt real quick.”


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Pat raised a brow at the russian but didn’t comment on it, just smiled. Honestly, watching the kids running around being all bilingual and everything was a great thing to see. He knew that it would help them quite a bit later in life. He had only picked up a few work related words in spanish… and curses. Those were always work related too.

“Oh? That sounds like a challenge my dear cousin! Shall we make this interesting?” He wasn’t too shabby at pool, but he also knew Rose wasn’t bad at it either. So a challenging game really was just what the doc ordered to distract him. “Stripes and colors or nine ball? Or just want to do the standard ‘hit whatever ball you want’?” He asked her as he started to set up the table. He was partial to stripes and colors since it made things a bit harder but nine ball was faster since it was only 9 balls, including the cue, and they went in sequential order. It was a faster game if that's what Rose wanted.


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“I'm fine with stripes and colors, can’t guarantee one of my little monsters won't try to interrupt though.” She moved to set up the balls before grabbing her pool stick. “I call stripes cuz, so colors for you,” she said with a chuckle. Rose was definitely the spirited one of the Jacobs siblings.

“So what have you been up to lately cousin, don’t think Ive seen you around as much anymore.”


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“Fair enough, fair enough. So no friendly wager then. Little fingers on the felt might make such a thing not worth it.” He smiled and shrugged. It wasn’t like it was a big deal. “Alright, whatever floats your boat Rose. I’ll take solids.” He quickly set the starting collection of balls and backed away from the table. “Ladies first,” He gestured to the prepared table. All Rose had to do now was place the cue ball where she wanted it and break.

He watched her even as he hummed and shrugged, leaning lightly on his pool stick. “I’ve been here and there. Working and stuff. Contemplating taking a trip out west.” He answered slightly flippantly, even though his gaze was a bit darker than it used to be as some of his thoughts tried to plague him. Why not say the things that were eating at him? Why not just blurt them out and drag everyone else down to his mental level?

Pat shook his head and smiled weekly. “You know, just keeping busy one way or another.” He wouldn’t mention the thoughts, the nightmares, or the other things lurking in his mind in such a bright and happy space. He couldn’t. It wasn’t fair to them. To any of them.


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Rose rolled her eyes at her cousin when he said ladies first and grabbed the cue ball to put it on its marker and proceeded to break. She grinned when two of her striped balls went in the left corner pocket one after the other and smirked at him. She frowned at his non committal answer though, because no cousins talked to each other in that bullshitty way unless they hated each other. Hell, even her antisocial brother gave a better attempt at conversation.

She raised a brow, “care to try that again, but this time keeping in mind that we’re cousins and I can see through the bullshit and am weirded out with that answer for bosses and acquaintances.”

She lined up her stick and aimed to put another striped ball into the left middle pocket, but body language clearly stated she expected an answer from her cousin. Did he forget she was easily the most social and the best people reader of their family.


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He took another shot and tisked when the ball just missed the pocket he was aiming for. “So you put up a cat ban on your house like Lilly?” He asked with a smirk. It would be easier to direct her ire at something else rather than him. Then again, she did have a bit of a one track mind. He might not get out of this conversation as easily as he hopped.

Fingers crossed.


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Rose frowned now more invested and really looking at her cousin, the bags under his eyes and less that luscious locks their family was known for made her give him a look. The look that would say to him that she didn't believe him for one second. After a moment she turned and tried to sink the ball she previously sunk, this time making it easily enough before turning to her cousin leaning on her stick slightly.

“You don’t look like your getting by cuz … and trying to change the subject isnt going to help. I havent banned cats because Lyle is 3, definitely too young, and none of that. You know the rules,” she said eying Ryan playing with some of the kids.

She turned and aimed to sink another striped ball into the middle pocket, spinning and grinning at her cousin when it went it.

“If you can’t talk to your cousin, Pat, who can you talk too,” she said lining up another shot, though she missed this time. “We could go for a walk if you need.”


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Pat just sighed. She wasn’t going to let it go, and even his veiled attempt to change the topic or at least set her off on scolding him for even brushing close to the family rule didn’t work. “It's just nightmares, is all. They are coming back,” not that they ever really went away. They were actually getting worse. “I’ve got everything under control though. Besides I’ve got my work sanctioned shrink that I can always reach out to.” He sunk two balls in a row but scratched on his third shot.

After fishing out the pocketed cue ball he handed it over to Rose. “I’ll be fine. Besides, you’ve got enough on your hands cuz. No point in adding a grown a** adult to that list.” But even he would admit that if he even caught a whiff of an Order therapist he would absolutely go see them. There was only so much he could talk to the normal head shrinker and so much of the whole problem circled not only his job but also his knight duties. It was these issues in his head that had him breaking up with Fiona. No one really deserved being around him when he started to spiral. It wasn’t fair to her… or him.


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Rose sighed at her cousin because going from nightmares to less than enthusiastic mention of a work sanctioned shrink and she shook her head. She gave him a look that said we’re going to talk whether you like it or not and but her pool stick back on the rack on the wall.

“You win cuz, now, let's go for that walk,” she said, putting an arm around him and announcing to the room they’d be back.

She pretty much dragged her cousin out ruffling his hair playing as they went. The ground of her childhood home, now her brother’s home, certainly allowed for a decent walk without the fear of prying eyes or ears. She knew that Lily and Xander have had their fair share of nightmares and she herself took a very standoffish approach to the whole nightlife seeing the effect it had, but now she was finding it harder to do that. She would much prefer to be the shoulder for her family and friends and was realizing Lily’s approach to all this … a tight bond between them was maybe the best approach.

“You don’t have to talk if you dont want to Pat, but let’s walk and chill and if you feel like talking than you can … or you can listen if you’d rather I talk.”


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“Uh,” He didn’t really get a chance to correct her on the whole ‘winning’ thing as she practically manhandled him out of the house. At least he was able to snag two coats. It was March which meant it was chilly at night. He passed Rose a coat even as he shrugged into his own. Pat just shrugged, “Sure, talk away.” It wasn’t like he could stop her. He just knew that he was not going to subject his cousin to the darkness that liked to haunt him.


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“Well, lets talk about nightmares then because Lily, Xander and I have learned its better to share,” she started knowing her siblings wouldn’t mind her telling Pat especially if it helped her cousin open up. “For a while Lily was deeply terrified of chaos taint … she dreamed of being overcome by chaos even though she transcended … I dont think their is anything quite like dreaming of succumbing to darkness and slaughter your family. Its pretty hard when we have to be careful what we reveal, but not to each other.”

She just hoped it helped, because she knew especially from Xander keeping things buried inside didn’t work. He still had a tendency, but he was better, plus she and her sister were better at spotting it. Xander, she admitted to Pat, was crying in his sleep at one point due to all this.

She talked for a while, but eventually walked with her cousin enjoying the quiet of the night, hoping he’d open up and even if he didn't, she hoped he knew he wasnt alone. None of them were.