𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃, ᴺᴷ | ON HOLD

05

present time

Eris woke up with Lucien shaking her. Her body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her head ached and she felt as if she was in transition again.

"You alright?" Lucien asked cautiously.

Eris looked to her surroundings, the sun was rising casting a pink sky and the clock read 6:49 am. She saw Lucien sitting quaintly next to her, grasping her arm in his hand.

"I'm fine Lu," she managed to say, attempting to catch her breath.

Lucien nodded his head, not believing a word she said. His eyes held concern for his friend who was just heard screaming. He could tell she was not just saddened but almost traumatized. He held her hand now, calming her down. 

"Go back to bed Lu, I'll be okay." She told him. Reluctantly, Lucien nodded his head before placing a kiss on her forehead and whispering kind words to ease her anxiety. 

Eris watched as her oldest friend walked out of her bedroom. She knew she wouldn't be sleeping for a long time now, the demons who had haunted her a millennium ago had just come back and she wasn't ready to face them now. 

Eris did the one thing that remained her therapy after 1000 years of trauma, dance. She quickly left Lucien's penthouse and made her way to a dance studio off of Bourbon Street. The woman who owned allowed her to spend an hour there and so she did. Eris danced and danced, lost in her own world. 

Over the one thousand years she had lived, she had learned all styles of dance. From dancing in the Ballet des Polonaise in the 1570s to mastering the art of jazz in 2008, she was skilled beyond measure. Even the choreographers who had come into the studio were mesmerized at her clean lines and pointed toes. 

Lost in her own mind, Hayley Marshall walked to her favorite coffee shop which neighbored the small dance studio. She saw the girl who she met the previous night exit the dance studio and into the coffee shop she was headed to. 

Hayley was interested in the brunette, she seemed to have a connection to Elijah that she herself was never able to construct. With no intentions of following her, she slid into the coffee shop she adored. 

Hayley noticed how Eris presented herself. Strong and confident, but also kind and alluring. She also observed the amount of food she had, ordering four croissants and beignets along with multiple bottles of water and a hot chocolate. 

After getting her food, Eris saw the hybrid everyone and their mother talked about. She gave the woman a smile and left the café with many goods. She crossed the street where a group of homeless people lived. She gave all the food she bought to people along with some money she had to them. She gave the hot chocolate to a little boy who sat with his mother. 

Haley watched from behind the café walls, watching how Eris caressed the side of the young boys face. Seeing this made Hayley smile, an act of kindness she was never used to as an adult or a child. 

Feeling Hayley's gaze, Eris sent another smile, this one being fake. She didn't appreciate Elijah sending people to watch over her, it wasn't any one's concern what she did in her free time. Even if that wasn't case, the gawking made her uncomfortable. So she left those less fortunate than her with the majority of her belongings and sped back to Lucien's penthouse, it was Fete de Cadeaux after all. 

Arriving upon the modern home, she smelled the feast for a king. Walking inside, she saw the magnificent array of food displayed. She smiled to Marisol, one of the cooks who worked for Lucien.