Pictures are just pictures, right?

So this idea had been pitched to help out Tessa with an assignment for her studies, and of course Eliza couldn't say no. She liked the valkyrie, and she desperately wanted to not disrespect Gerard. He had been so kind to her, helping her getting in to the whole modelling stuff, even when she had gotten feedback that she was too average looking. Moving the coat closer around her as she walked, she had decided to not take the car there. Even though her aunt had complained about the cold, not wanting her to get sick, but she liked walking the strip of road leading from Central to Nothern. There were so many trees and though traffic could be bad, she could at least pop in her ear pods and just listen to music.
She still felt weird about Xalvador. She had tried so hard to ignore what she had burst out that night, because he wasn't seemingly interested. Even if he had let her stay over, she was convinced it was only because of him feeling pity for her. Sighing to herself she padded her pocket, feeling her packet of cigarettes. She had picked up smoking again, not really something she wanted the others to know. She knew that Gerard smoked from time to time, but she also felt like they were going to judge her because she was a human. Her lungs were just naturally weaker to stuff like that. Biting the inside of her cheek she looked ahead, seeing the town come up ahead, and she felt more nervous than ever. To be honest she wasn't quite sure what to expect, because she had mostly just been given a time and a date. Picking an outfit had been hard as well, wanting to match some sort of inner theme for the photoshoot, but with nothing to go off of she had decided on a more casual look.

Gerard had gotten there early, helping Tessa set everything up, but also to discuss the actual plan. He didn't even know if this would work or if Xalvador would show up. Sighing he grabbed the small couch in the studio and pushed it to the wall to give them more room. "Any specific backdrop you want?" he asked, as it was after all her taking the pictures. The nerves were getting to him, but he was trying his best to just stay calm. He was not good at scheming or being cunning, but he had been the one to suggest this. So here he was, setting up a studio to take some pictures that would hopefully bring his brother and one of his friends together. Gerard had come to care for Eliza, not knowing a whole lot about her story, but he knew enough that he wanted her to be happy.
Straightening out his back he looked at Tessa with a smile, reaching out to pull her close, kissing her gently. "Mon fiancé, do you always have to look this good?" he whispered against her lips, a boyish smile creeping up on his face as he chuckled to himself, brushing his nose against hers. He had heard there had been a bit of drama in her family as of late, not that he had gotten every detail, but enough to know that Connor had done something that had made Saoirse sad. He hadn't dared to ask much more, not because he didn't care, more because he was not trying to intrude on other's personal life. "They should be arriving soon ... Is there anything more you need?" he whispered longingly, fluttering his eyelashes in an innocent attempt to make her laugh.

Xalvador was quite aware of the fact that Tessa had been grounded for her disappearance, so it did catch him by surprise when Gerard told him that they had been planning a photoshoot at her apartment. It didnt quite make sense at first, but then he learned that Eden had recently gone to visit her as the model who had been supposed to be there. It didnt seem safe to have random models show up, so he couldnt really say no when Gerard asked for his participation in the shoot. Xalvador wasnt too comfortable being in front of the camera but he thought that with the right guidance he might be able to be of some use. It was after all not a matter of fact when it came to how he felt, but more helping out so Tessa could get her project up and running. He had dressed rather casually, which in Xalvador's standpoint meant a black shirt with equally black pants that were more practical than stylish. He made his way from the apartment down to Tessa's. The walk wouldnt be too long.

There was still a little bit of disbelief that they had actually been allowed to pull this off. Tessa knew her mom and how negotiation wasnt a typical option when it came to bending the iron will of her mother. But she had to admit that she could easily see how much her mom was ready to put her trust in Gerard, especially now when things had gotten tenser. Tessa was still a little shocked over seeing Saoirse hurt when Leona took her out of the house without really explaining what was happening. She however didnt know how she was going to tell Gerard what had happened, but she felt like it would ruin the plan they had spent so long working on. She hummed, looking at the wall before she shrugged. "I cant tell where I want to begin, so we'll ask them what they're in the mood for," she said with a small smile over her lips. She was sorting out some clothes that she had gotten for this occasion exactly. It wasnt something completely out of line or extreme, just a few outfits that would match the vibe of the photos. She frowned a little at his whisper while she wrapped her arms around him and made a small sigh. "I dunno. I guess it just comes natural to me now to want to look my best for you," she said with a crooked smile while she felt his nose against hers, chuckling a little before she shook her head at herself.
Somehow it was like even if she was supposed to be down and sad, he could always make her smile and feel somewhat happy. She still worried for Buffy and Saoirse, but it was out of her hands to do anything at all. "Maybe just a few kisses for my nerves," she mumbled, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to connect their lips. She could blame the tension on their plan for now, which was fine with her. "Do you think it'll work?" she asked against his lips between their kisses, closing her eyes as she pressed herself closer to him to just feel the comfort. A knock on the door made her open her eyes, turning them to the entryway with a small frown on her brows. It wasnt a lie that she didnt feel that comfortable in her surroundings with all that had happened combined.

It felt a little strange walking alone. Not that she was afraid of being alone, no she knew loneliness well by this point, but the feeling of eyes watching her was getting to her a bit, making her hurry up her walks. There wasn't even anyone following her, not that she could see, but she just felt surveilled. Watched by some unknown force. Getting to the apartment complex she looked around for a bit before she spotted Xalvador. Her cheeks were blown out from the wind, her hair a little messy, but she somehow felt safe now that he was there. The bite on her neck was mostly gone at this point, only faint scars showing where the vampyre had torn at her flesh.
"Hi," she greeted him with a friendly smile as he got closer. She still felt a little awkward from last time they saw each other. That night she had barely gotten any sleep, just lying awake to stare up at the ceiling, thinking everything through. "You're here to help out Tessa as well?" maybe it was a bit obvious, but she hadn't really been sure what to expect. Heading up the stairs she knocked on the door.

"Good idea, think that might the best cause of action," he agreed. There was no use in taking a happy picture if they were not really keen on being happy. Besides he always thought that you could feign happiness - which could be a choice for a photoshoot - but he didn't think that would fit the narrative of today.
Sighing softly as she wrapped her arms around him, he smiled at her as she said she wanted to look good for him. "You look best without any clothes, ma chérie," he whispered in a teasing manner. Of course it was all lighthearted right now, but he couldn't deny that she simply had a way of enchanting him. But for all in the world, he wanted it to always be like that. The way she could move his heart just by smiling was sometimes the greatest thing about their relationship. As she asked for kisses, he obliged, leaning down to press his lips against hers in a tender manner. His eyes fell shut, indulging himself in the feeling of her soft lips against his own, feeling how his heart inevitably would pick up in pace and start galloping away like a wild horse on an open field. Right now was all he could ever ask for, and even if she was still technically grounded, he had been looking forward to this day. If for nothing else than to have a change of scenery; sure her bedroom was nice, but he did miss the privacy that came from either of their apartments.
The knock on the door was to be expected, but he could feel the tension from Tessa, giving her a light squeeze before letting go of her. "Don't worry, I'll open," he said, kissing her forehead lightly before going out in to the small hallway. He opened the door after looking through the peephole, smiling at Eliza walked in, taking off her coat and shivering a bit. "Finally, it's so cold out," she chuckled, kicking off her shoes before venturing in to the apartment where she saw the full setup.

Arriving at the apartment, he almost felt like he was some sort of guard dog on duty, looking around a couple of times to make sure his senses wasnt missing out on something that might bite them in the ass later. The world just seemed more dangerous now that Eden once again was around. Even if he was keeping away for now, the vampyre was far too unpredictable, dangerous. He saw Eliza and his serious expression softened up to a smile as she approached him. He noticed the hair and how her cheeks had a light blush, but he didnt think of complimenting her, even if it would have been perfect. "Hi," he greeted her, unsure if he was supposed to hug her or just keep at a distance. He chose the latter with his mind being too focused on protection and Eden. They headed up and got inside, Xalvador greeting Gerard with a pat on the upper arm and a nod to Tessa who was in the other room setting things up. "So what's the plan?" he asked as he got out of his outer wear, but it was fully black underneath too. Tessa laid out some papers with cutouts of things he couldnt wrap his head around, looking at it fully confused before he shook his head and scoffed. "Just tell me how and where," he said rather seriously. That was more his thing than having to guess.

"They're here soon, behave" she chuckled with a shushing tone, even if they were alone. The notion made her blush slightly but she shook it off and asked for kisses. It felt nice but it didnt fully relieve the nerves that seemed to press on. She was at least feeling the slow relief, but then it was as if the knocking just brought it all back again. It was like she finally seemed to have realized the dangers that had followed Eden's little game.
She decided to keep setting up while Gerard handled the door, checking that the lights were hitting the right spot before she drew in a deep breath. She heard Eliza and saw Xalvador before she smiled at them both. "Thank you so much for helping me. I think we'll get the pictures that will secure my A+ today," she chuckled before she pulled out a few pages of pure inspiration, cutouts of magazines and a bit of her own drawing to make scenarios. She put them on the table and looked at the both of them, noticing how Xalvador seemed to have no clue what he was looking at, which was why she looked to Eliza instead. "I want to do all of them, but it's up to you guys," she said, sending the human a warm smile.

Oh Eliza was so torn as she looked at Xalvador. Last time she had seen him she had pressed herself close to him while sleeping. She had woken up from vivid dreams, and every time she realized who was there she relaxed and started to feel safe once more. Where did they stand right now? He clearly didn't want to lose her as a friend, he had shown her that night, but how much more could her heart take? He greeted her, but it felt so empty, making her look away to compose herself before they walked up the steps to the apartment. She felt like the worst person in the world, and were really grateful as Gerard opened up the door.
Seeing Tessa always made her smile, maybe it was the fact that she was a seraph or perhaps it was just how happy she made Gerard that made the human be smitten with her. Either way she looked at the setup, nodding a bit to herself as Tessa showed the scenarios. Eliza had to be professional about this, but some of the outfits seemed a little daring. "I'm willing to do whatever you tell me to," she said, looking down and in the direction of Xalvador. Some of this might be out of his comfort zone, and she was not going to force him to do anything.

"Well, let's get you dressed then," Gerard chuckled as he led Xalvador in to another room. A couple of different outfits were on the hanger, some might not fit, but they had a back up for it. "I know your style is black on black on black, but for this I hope you can handle some color," he teased him, handing him the first outfit before walking outside and over to help Tessa with Eliza's outfit.
He kissed Tessa on the head before helping the human in to a rather see through shirt that looked almost like a pirate shirt. "Just remember to breathe, alright," he said to the human. Eliza nodded, looking to Tessa. "I'm not nervous about the pictures, I'm more scared if ... If Xal won't like it," she confessed in a sad tone, looking down as Gerard guided her in to some high-waisted shorts, keeping her feet bare. He let Tessa do the make up.

//Out//