[CLOSED] the ghost of what we used to be.

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan laughed. "Yeah you sure are." He smed, pulling his buzzing phone from his pocket. He gazed at him and his sister smiling from his background, then replied to the text and moved to put the phone back, continuing to swing carefully.

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

"My daddy says I'm gonna be a big girl." She said, reaching up to play with her curls. "He always curls my hair for me. He's sad a lot." She looked up as he came walking towards them.

"Done?" She asked, and he nodded.

"They were fast. Are you having fun?"

"Yeah."

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan bit his lip. "Yeah, I know he is...you just gotta show him how much you love him okay? Show him as much as you can." He hugged her gently, looking up and smiling somewhat crookedly at Clae.

"And she was good too, huh?" He teased, absently fixing her bow again, almost as a worried mother might.

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

He smiled, reaching over to rub her leg gently. "You were good?" He asked and she nodded, her black curls bouncing. He smiled, glancing up at Ryan. His heart beat beat a little faster, and it confused him. 'You must be sick or something..' He thought, looking across the park.

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan looked over at him, smirking faintly. "Of course she was." He barely noticed that his smiled weren't fake, happiness genuine. He set her down carefully, then jumped off the moving swing before pulling his shirt down. "Race you down the slides," He teased, looking down at her.

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

Clae smiled, watching her toddle as quickly to the slides as she could. She climbed up the little ladder and sat down, waiting for Ryan to come up behind her and slide with her. "You come slide with me?" She asked, and Clae smiled up at them from his swing. He moved slowly, realizing no one really cared much to play with Paislee. But Ryan did. And she seemed to like him.

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan climbed the ladder with a playful groan. "I'm too oldddd," He drawled, sitting down behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist. "What if we get stuck? I got a fat butt compared to you." He smirked faintly, then slid down with her, lifting her with hands on her ribcage and spinning with her above his head once he stood, before setting her down.

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

"You butt's not that big." She said with a smile. She giggled as they slid down, holding her arms out when he spun her around. She wrapped her arms around his leg, then toddled over to Clae. She held her arms up, and he hugged her tightly.

"I wanna go on see-saw." She said, and Clae groaned, getting up from his swing. "You think we weigh more than Ryan?"

"I dunno. Ryan! You sits on that end." She told him, climbing onto the opposite end. Clae sat behind her, wrapping his arm around her.

[ryan leonardo matson]

Ryan laughed. "Hmm," He huffed, smirking before sitting on the other end and bouncing playfully. "What if I sit down and I'm soo flat you have to learn to fly?" He taunted, poking his tongue out at her playfully before easing down, leg starting to bother him again. Dog fights weren't a favorite, especially considering the werewolf he had got into a fight with had been a pretty decent match.

[thomas 'clae' claeton booker]

"I can't fly!" She insisted, bouncing up and down. But her weight wasn't enough to make it move. Clae started to move with Ryan, couldn't help thinking a see-saw was like sex in a weird, morbid way. He kissed the top of Paislee's head, looking over at Ryan.

"You fall or something?" He asked, and Paislee giggled, throwing her arms up.

"Whee!" She squeaked, and Clae shook his head with a smile.