VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Feb 29, 2024 0:17:58 GMT
 This wasn’t really how Valentina had thought that her day would end up going but if she was honest that wasn’t really a bad thing. She liked it at the Salvatore School and she felt like she had finally found a place where she belonged but the idea of staying at the school over Christmas again was just depressing. She knew that she and Lorena probably could have gone back to their foster parents’ place but they lived on the other side of the country and Valentina knew they had already done so much by taking the two of them in and then sending them to the school when she struggled to control her shifts so they had done more than enough. It wasn’t so bad being around her friends over the holidays but most of them lived in town with their families so it could get a little lonely and every time they had to disappear to go and do things with their families she was reminded even more of the fact that her parents were gone. They had died a long time ago and she always tried to be strong for her sister but it wasn’t always easy and now and then she needed to get away for a bit, just like she had that day. “That wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Valentina laughed as Rhys said that they would have to chase him out of the store. It was clear just how much it meant to him and she really hoped that he would stick with it. It seemed like a great place to escape and she knew that she was definitely going to end up spending time there more often. She hadn’t known the store was there until Rhys drew her in but now she knew she could already tell that it was going to be one of her go to places. “You’re doing a great job. You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me around here, that’s for sure,” she nodded. If she could then she knew that she would get some of her friends there as well, she could already think of a few who would love it and if there were going to be things like competitions going on then she knew that others would love it too. “Hey! What was that for?” Valentina laughed as Rhys elbowed her, rubbing her arm playfully as though he had hurt her. She really hadn’t meant to tell him as much as she had but she hadn’t been in the mood to lie about what she had been through either. When she first arrived at the school she had been able to tell the other students whatever she’d wanted to but the pack knew the truth and it had actually come as a relief to get it off her chest. It wasn’t something that she talked about too often and she knew that she probably should have told Rhys something else instead but once she’d made up her mind to tell him the truth it had started spilling out of her before she could stop it. There was more that she hadn’t told him but she had said more than she’d wanted to already. “Thanks, I appreciate it,” she said sincerely. “Honestly though, it hasn’t been all bad. I’ve had my sister through everything so it could have been worse,” she added with a shrug, knowing that she really would have been lost without Lorena by her side. Keeping one eye on her own health bar, Valentina kept up the relentless assault as much as she could. She had played the game so many times that she knew the moves in her sleep but Rhys was proving to be a better opponent than she’d had in a long time and he was definitely keeping her on her toes. As he asked how she was at sweeping up, Valentina felt a smile touch her lips. “Pretty good apparently, I’m wiping the floor with you right now,” she teased, her smile turning to a laugh as the winner was announced. “I thought you said you were good at that game?” she asked, nudging his arm playfully with her own as she set the controller down on her lap and sat back. “Looks like it. Let’s see how long I can stay up there,” she grinned. “I spent a lot of time playing games in arcades when I was younger so there are a few others as well.”RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Apr 3, 2024 20:00:52 GMT
What had made coming to the store so difficult for his dad had made the place a haven for him. Rhys glanced up now, searching out the spots where his mom’s handwriting was still scattered up on those boards. A lot of the records had been broken over the years, but where he’d found a part of her that was still here, he’d tried to preserve it like a national monument. ”Maybe you’ll be one of the ones doing the chasing then,” he said with a grin. He was sure his parents had imagined themselves here, old, grey, still talking people into the latest run of Batman or buying one of those classic Christmas story leg lamps they’d turned up at a yard sale. There was a chance he wouldn’t make it past his dad’s current age, but there was no point in cutting your future short in your head. It felt like his dad had done that for years and he’d seen the light in him almost flicker out before he’d finally started to come around.
”For apologising when you didn’t have to,” he told Valentina honestly. ”I meant it when I said I didn’t mind. My parents meant for this be a place where people could come when they needed support or a place to belong. I’m holding it to that, no matter what sort of support it is that’s needed.” His mom had probably helped dozens in town before things had been cut so brutally short. He couldn’t remember much about her funeral, but the soft voices of those who’d come had stuck with him, the tears that’d sparkled in his dad’s eyes as some happy memory was brought up. Rhys was sure he’d heard the stories a hundred times since, but every time he listened like it was the first time. One corner of his mouth lifted into a soft smile. ”Having someone there makes a world of difference. I don’t know what I would’ve done without my dad all this years, I imagine you feel the same way about your sister.” Mandy might’ve argued about how that felt, considering her brothers were the sort who hovered continually, but right now, he imagined all three of them needed one another to get through what had happened.
Later, he’d tell his dad about the girl who’d kicked his ass at video games over dinner, taking the tale home the same way he did so many others. His dad would laugh about him falling off of the high road he’d hopped up on to as he’d tried to distract her. She was grinning and laughing again, the mood that had temporarily slipped in like a dark cloud melting away with the ass whooping she was giving him. Rhys groaned, dipping his head as he tried to rally. In the end he dropped the controller next to himself. ”Funny,” he snarked, laughing all the same. He lifted his chin towards the score board for the game on the wall. ”That’s me in second up there. I guess I’m a little rusty, I’ll have to practice before you come in the next time.” Not that he imagined it would do him much good. She seemed just that bit faster with every move, even when he hadn’t been taking it easy on her. ”I guess they were a good distraction. You want to play another round, or switch out for something else?” Rhys gestured towards the rack of games next to the console. With business so slow it felt a little like one of those days where he could play almost non-stop until he had to close up.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Apr 29, 2024 19:24:01 GMT
As Rhys said that she might end up being one of the ones chasing him out of the store, Valentina couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t tempt me. I’m not someone you want to cross,” she grinned. Even without being a werecreature she was a fighter and she more than knew how to hold her own. It was something that she had found liberating during the time she had spent in witness protection and afterwards training and learning how to defend herself had become a way of channelling her frustration into something productive. Now she knew about the store she could definitely see herself spending more time there and if Rhys needed someone to look out for him then Valentina knew that she could do that. She had her pack that she could count on and her twin sister was always there for her but she knew that she needed a few people outside the school that she could turn to as well and something told her that Rhys could become one of those so she was more than happy to return the favour. She knew that most shopping had gone online now but the truth was that Valentina had always liked going into a shop and seeing what they had or ordering something in if they didn’t have it. She knew that a lot of people her age probably didn’t share that mentality but it had always been an excuse for her to get out of the house when she’d needed it and that was something that she knew she wasn’t ready to let go of. Valentina looked over at Rhys as he spoke again and she nodded. “What can I say, I’m not used to opening up,” Valentina shrugged as he said that he had elbowed her when he didn’t have to. She honestly didn’t know why she had told him as much as she had done already, she had always been the kind of person who preferred to keep what she was going through to herself rather than offloading on someone else. Her sister was the exception to that rule because she knew that she could always talk to Lorena when she needed to but otherwise she was the kind of person who bottled things up. She knew that wasn’t particularly healthy especially considering it meant that she lost her temper more often than she should but it was the way she lived her life and she wasn’t sure that she was ever going to be ready. “I will keep that in mind though. I’ll still stop by so I can kick your ass at this though,” she added, an amused smile forming on her face as she nodded towards the screen. “I’m glad you had your dad there,” she admitted even though just saying those words was enough to make her heart ache. She hadn’t had her dad around for a long time and she still missed him now. “Oh I would have been lost without her, we helped each other through it all,” she explained. “She’s not just my sister, she’s my best friend.” Valentina knew that it never would have been any other way after everything they had been through together and she wouldn’t want it any different either. As Rhys said it was funny when she pointed out that he was the one who’d called himself a champion gamer, Valentina couldn’t help but laugh. “You shouldn’t have said it if you can’t back it up,” she teased. It had been a while since she had last played, too long in fact, but it really was like riding a bike as far as she was concerned. She knew that she could move her thumbs over the controller faster, being a werecreature had its advantages after all, but she was reigning it in to make it as fair as she could. She still knew that she wasn’t going to take it easy on him, though, and Rhys seemed to have realised it as well. Looking over at the score board, Valentina let out a low whistle. “That’s a pretty good score, you must be rusty,” she said, nudging his arm playfully with her own. “Maybe I should stick around and try and knock you off that spot,” she added, a grin forming on her face as she turned her attention back to Rhys. As he asked whether she wanted to play another round or go for something different, her expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll let you decide. Depends on whether you want your ass handed to you again or whether you want to try something else,” she teased. RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on May 12, 2024 19:45:02 GMT
As he’d hoped Valentina would, she ended up laughing at his comment. Rhys’s grin broadened, his hands coming up for a moment to ward off the threat. He’d already seen just how much of an ass kicking she could offer – even if it had only been on the screen for now. She didn’t seem to be afraid to go right ahead and do what she thought was right, even if it took the sort of guts most didn’t have. In that way she reminded him of the mom he’d mostly heard about through the stories he’d been told about her. If what had happened in Mandy’s brothers’ store was proof of anything it was that he’d certainly taken after his dad more than his mom in a lot of ways. He was happier to scramble away from the trouble his mind and this unexplained abilities dragged him into. Maybe it was cowardly, but he was happier here, hidden away from the world behind the large windows and the stacks of geeky stuff that filled the place.
Rhys met her eye, smiling softly. ”That makes two of us. Surprisingly, I’m not usually one for talking about myself.” The store, yes, his parents, always. What made him tick was harder to discuss, especially since the weird stuff had started. Mandy’s brothers had tried to get the truth about it out of him, but he still didn’t know the truth about it. The older one had accused him of being some sort of a warlock – as though Harry Potter was anything but a bedtime story – but from what he could tell, he wasn’t pulling off magic tricks. Maybe there were answers out there, for now though, he definitely preferred not to know them. ”The door’ll always be open,” Rhys promised as Valentina accepted his offer of the store being a place she could always come to. ”I’ll have to put some practice in before the next time.” As though he needed to spend more time here. He was already here more than he was at home. His gaze went back to the screen, the faint ache for how it would’ve been if his mom had lived pushing its way into his chest. ”I am too,” he said softly. ”I guess we both lucked out that way. Everybody deserves someone like that around.” Alone, neither him or his dad would’ve likely made it through the loss of the most important in the world to them.
”Woah, woah, woah,” Rhys said on a chuckle. His hands came up like he was warding off her words. Maybe he had overblown his skills a little. ”I didn’t know I’d found myself a ringer here. I can probably beat 99 percent of the people in this town.” And, of course, the girl he’d brought in off the street had been the one that he couldn’t. Next time he’d have to dial the ego down until he really had something to crow about. He plastered his hand against his chest before he let it drop away. ”My ego appreciates the compliment,” he snorted, nudging Valentina right back. ”You should. The afternoon’s still young after all.” He had a feeling there were still plenty of layers to Valentina to slowly pull back too. Rhys wiggled back on the couch, shaking his head at her. ”I pretty much picked the game last time. This is your choice. Maybe I’ll do better at a game I’m not bragging about before we even start it up. This is all on you pal.” He spread his hands in the air, opening up the floor to Valentina. If he didn’t sharpen up he was likely to lose whatever she came up with anyway.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Jun 30, 2024 15:43:58 GMT
“Really? I never would have guessed,” Valentina grinned. She could already see that she and Rhys were pretty similar in some respects and that was something that she hadn’t expected when she first walked into the shop. He had certainly managed to draw her in with the idea of playing a video game and Valentina knew that it was just what she needed right now. She had grown used to moving around while she was in witness protection but what she wasn’t used to was staying in one place for a long time. She and Lorena had settled in Portland as best they could after their time in witness protection came to an end but it hadn’t completely felt like home. Mystic Falls was different, here they were surrounded by others like themselves and that made all the difference as far as Valentina was concerned. “Thanks, I appreciate that,” she said sincerely as Rhys said that the door would always be open. The school was somewhere that she felt comfortable but Valentina sometimes needed to escape all of that for a while and now it seemed that she had a place where she could do that. “Definitely. Maybe then I won’t beat you so badly next time,” she teased, unable to resist. “Yeah, they do. I think we all need someone to lean on from time to time, even if it isn’t always to admit that.” Valentina wasn’t good at admitting weakness but she knew that she wouldn’t have managed to get through anything that had happened over the last few years without her sister in her life. She had always tried to be the strong one and be there for Lorena when she needed her but the truth was that Lorena had been there for her just as much. “You might be able to beat most people but I’m glad I’m part of the one percent you can’t beat,” Valentina teased. She’d had a lot of practice and she had been honest about that from the start but it still seemed to have come as a surprise to Rhys and that was amusing to Valentina to say the least. “So it should, I don’t give them out too often,” she laughed, rolling her eyes playfully as Rhys nudged her back. “And here I was thinking you’d want to get me out of here as soon as possible after that defeat,” she said, an amused smile forming on her face as she looked over at him. Truth be told she had wanted a distraction from everything for a while and Rhys had given her that so she really was grateful. It was easy to forget that she was just a teenager at times because nothing about her life had ever been normal but now for one afternoon she could finally act like a regular person her age and Valentina hadn’t realised just how much she had needed that. As Rhys left the choice about what they played next up to her, Valentina’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “Let’s switch it up and play something else. Maybe that will give you more of a fighting chance,” she suggested, looking over the games Rhys had before pulling out an NBA game. “Let’s see how you do with this one.”RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Jul 9, 2024 19:02:08 GMT
Rhys let out a little puff of air, shrugging at Valentina before he grinned. ”Well, it’s different when I have to do it as a distraction,” he drawled lightly. He had in multiple ways, although it had been far less successful when it came to the game. Most people in the town knew something about what had happened to his mom at least. This was the sort of town where grief was spelt out in the obituaries in the local newspapers. People stayed in contact far beyond just seeing each at their high school reunions. His parents had tried to make their place another heart of the community, just like the Grill or the Diner and that meant he didn’t usually have to do a lot of explaining – except for when he talked newcomers into coming into the store, or was asked to show them around at school. ”Any time,” Rhys murmured as Valentina thanked him for his offer. He was definitely carrying on his mom’s efforts here.
Laughing low, Rhys hung his head for a moment as Valentina teased him. Had he given the game his all? OK, yeah, but he was happy to take the loss today. Next time around he’d fight a little harder, knowing that Valentina probably wouldn’t let him get away with it then either. ”That’s a kind offer,” Rhys said, chuckling lightly. ”Sometimes admitting that you need that help is the hardest part.” His brows furrowed lightly, remembering just how things had gone with Mandy’s brothers. She’d warned him about them before that day, but not in a way that had left him believing they were actually violent. Their sister had gone missing, after something tragic had happened to one of their wives. Under those circumstances it was understandable that they’d been terrified, he just wished he hadn’t been the one there when it had all happened. ”Luckily you never have to explain if you just want to come here for some company.” He’d told her the door was always open and he meant that. No judgment, no forced conversation, just a sofa, some entertainment and a safe place to be for a while.
”I’m just gonna see that as a challenge.” Rhys said it seriously, but it wasn’t like he’d be in here at midnight tonight, practising his heart out. That sort of competitiveness thankfully wasn’t in him, although as a teenager he’d sulked for a week solid after his ranger had been killed in the first hour of a campaign that had rolled on for another week. His pride might have stung for a micro-second as his loss had been spelt out on the screen, but it was certainly gone by the time he had set his hand on his chest. ”I really am special then.” It wouldn’t have been an insult if Valentina had headed out, he’d probably already distracted her for longer than she’d intended. Rhys pursed his lips faintly and shook his head. He spread a hand out, indicating the store that was still quiet. ”Not at all. It’s not like I have a busy afternoon ahead of me, and who knows, maybe I’ll have better luck the second time around.”
Perhaps not, Rhys watched as Valentina picked over the games on the rack, hoping she’d pick something he was half decent at. When she held up the NBA game, he mock groaned, tipping his head back before he laughed. ”You don’t know how close you were when you said I had a fighting chance.” A very slim one. He got up to put the game in the console all the same, tucking the other back on the rack. "A sports fan too, hmm?" he asked as he settled back on the couch. He'd played a little basketball in high school, but he’d always been far more of a geek than a jock.
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VALENTINA DELGADO
Werecreature
snow leopard
Posts: 38
Age:
19
Occupation:
Salvatore College Sophomore
Status:
Single
Played by:
Emma
Last seen Sept 25, 2024 0:57:18 GMT
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Post by VALENTINA DELGADO on Sept 24, 2024 23:35:06 GMT
Valentina would be the first to admit that talking about herself wasn’t something that she was good at. Growing up in witness protection she had never been allowed to tell anyone about her past or her parents but even without that she had always tried to put on a brave face for her sister. Valentina had grown used to being the strong one and even after she and Lorena were safe she had still found it difficult to really let people in. Her foster parents had tried to get her to open up and they knew more about what had happened than most considering her foster father was the FBI Agent her dad had been working with but she often felt like she would be a burden. She had already told Rhys so much more than she had planned on but it was done now and she knew that she couldn’t take it back. “You don’t have to do it but it’s appreciated,” she assured him gently. Spending so much time in arcades and pool halls while she was younger had made Valentina that much more competitive than she already was. There were times when it backfired but it also came in handy sometimes and she couldn’t deny that she’d had fun beating others at pool and taking their money from them. She had done the same at the Grill as people always had a habit of underestimating her but it was still fun to say the least. “What can I say, I’m not the kind of person who goes easy on others,” she teased. It had always been that way and she was pretty sure that it always would be. “Definitely. Showing weakness makes us vulnerable.” That was how it had been when she had found herself moving around so many different new schools, the moment anyone had picked up on any sign of weakness they had decided to use it against her so she had developed a thick skin and learned not to show any kinks in her armour. “I might take you up on that,” Valentina said, a smile touching her lips as she nodded. She was happy at the Salvatore School and she had people around that she could count on now but it would still be good to have a place where she could go to get away from it all for a while. “You should, I like having some proper competition,” Valentina teased. Normally the people she played against weren’t able to give her much of a run for her money and the truth was that she always had so much more fun when it was a proper competition. Rhys had actually done really well and she’d had to make sure that she didn’t get carried away and use her abilities to her advantage. She knew that wouldn’t have been fair on him and Valentina didn’t like feeling like she needed anything to give her an edge. “You are,” she grinned. She really didn’t tend to dish out compliments too often but she had felt like Rhys deserved it. “That’s true, maybe second time’s the charm,” she teased. If she hadn’t spent so much time playing Street Fighter as a kid then she knew that Rhys probably would have beaten her but she’d had a lot of practice and she hadn’t wanted to give up. Leaving her to pick the second game was sure to go one of two ways for Rhys – either she would pick something that he was good at or something that he was bad at. As he groaned, Valentina couldn’t help but laugh. “Not your kind of game?” she grinned before shaking her head in amusement at his next words. “So you’re more of a sports game player, that’s good to know,” she admitted as she sat back down again and picked up her controller. As Rhys asked if she was a sports fan, Valentina nodded. “Yeah, I am. I actually play for my school’s soccer team but I’ve dabbled in basketball as well. The games are good for when I can’t get out there and play for real,” she admitted. She ran cross country as well so she couldn’t deny that she had always liked being active but playing the games was good too. “Have you played this one before?”RHYS MCEVOY
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RHYS MCEVOY
Psychic
Posts: 45
Age:
22
Occupation:
Owner of Kitschy Kitschy Coo
Status:
Interested In
Partner:
Mandy Reid
Played by:
Ange
Last seen Oct 21, 2024 18:25:33 GMT
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Post by RHYS MCEVOY on Oct 20, 2024 19:37:14 GMT
There were few things he remembered for sure about his mom, he’d still been too small when she’d died to have formed too many memories of his own with her in them, but having heard others talk about her, he knew that she’d have been disappointed in him if he hadn’t helped others where he could. Her and his dad had tried to do the same in the years that they’d run the store, giving people a safe place to be themselves in this town. All he’d given Valentina now was just that. A place to hang out, to get things off of her chest whenever she wanted to. Her appreciation for it left him slanting her a grin as he nodded. He wasn’t sure if he’d see her around here again, but he hoped he would.
This afternoon had given him as much of a distraction as it had given her, guaranteeing that he didn’t keep heading towards the windows, a moth drawn towards a flame that had two big brothers ready to do worse than burn him if he got too close. Rhys snorted softly, the corner of his mouth rising in a grin. ”I’ve seen that,” he murmured. ”Sometimes you’ve just got to the bite bullet and set down your shields for a while. Holding them up all the time gets exhausting.” But having someone there who would watch your back when you had to do it, someone who’d take the weight from you was important. His dad had been that person for him for so long, although in the last couple of years weird things had happened that he couldn’t talk through with him, not without scaring him and he didn’t want that to happen. Valentina might not want to lean on him too hard now, but Rhys had made his offer and nudged her lightly with his shoulder now as she told him she might take him up on the offer. ”Good.” Time would tell.
He’d have to toughen up his ego before she came back the next time. Practice with the games would help too. Maybe he’d put on another gaming night, offering to take on anybody who walked in the door – and hopefully he wouldn’t get beat by every single one of them. ”Oof,” he grunted clutching at his chest as though she’d really taken a swing at him. ”I don’t know if my ego can take this.” Valentina was as good at soothing the sting as she was putting it there though. ”Thanks,” Rhys said with a grin. ”If I’m lucky. If not then I’m sure the fifth or sixth time might be. Your thumbs have gotta get tired in the end and that’s when I’ll swoop.” He wriggled his in the air like he was working out the kinks. He’d put in some time on the games growing up, but not enough to honestly be a pro at all of this. Competitive miniature painting might’ve worked out better for him.
Sitting up straight again, Rhys shook his head at Valentina, but wiggled his fingers at her to hand the game over all the same. ”Not usually, but I’m willing to give anything a go.” Kneeling next to the console, Rhys shook his head. ”I never really was the sporty kind as a kid – either playing it on a console or at school. I was a nerdy kid instead.” One the other kids didn’t mess with too much. He’d been taller than most and having grown up in Mystic Falls he was just accepted, especially by his little group of friends. Settled back on the couch, Rhys let out a low whistle. ”A woman of many talents. I guess that all feeds into you being able to really kick my ass too. Maybe I’ll have to come watch a game some time.” With the pad back in his hands, Rhys started up the game and began scrolling through the teams on offer. ”Not in a while,” he admitted as he glanced at her. ”I’m guessing you have and this is gonna end up with me crying on the floor. Bring it on.” Laughing, he hit the start button and immediately began weaving his player around hers, trying to steal the ball.
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hope to see you in the discord! 
