matador

if you were church i'd get on my knees

[acetonesx]

ACETONESX

dependent for shrikehq

ROSALINE BARNES || bio. interactions. musings. GIDEON TRAMMEL || bio. interactions. musings. VIKRAM SINGH || bio. interactions. musings. FELIX CARTER || bio. interactions. musings. 

[acetonesx]

rufficns​:

despite recent history , mina seemed immune to the moral panic struck through shrike heights — if they were chosen to lay amongst the fallen , what good would it be to run from fate ?? like some curse , chasing those marked for death through every fruitless attempt to avoid the reaper’s scythe , fighting would only cause the inevitability to bite with far harsher venom . perhaps their face had always been destined for missing posters and the backs of milk cartons . a drastic measure , but then they sure their parents would have to at least feign love , concern and regret for the actions towards their youngest daughter . 

wishful thinking . the younger kang was far from an optimist — in fact , the dizzying fake-happy displayed by the shrike employees , pasted with mannequin smiles , twisted their stomach into knots . it was worse , they thought , than folding into pandemonium ; chaos would have been a natural response over the manufactured grins , the hopeless assurances , the murderous intent behind flash sales and loyalty cards . despite a hatred for shrike mall , mina was stuck within their halls for a while longer . anything to prevent them from going home , a leap into the depths of hell from the frying pan .

a tumble of stock . the disappearance of a lone ranger . mina cocked their brow , platform doc martens looping them to the other side of the counter for their head to poke behind it . there , cowering , was presumably an employee , followed by a prolonged and questionable silence ( unspoken judgement , undoubtedly ) . “ what are you doing ?? “ mina queried , glancing to the door then back again , palming for a cigarette in their pocket to hang idly between their lips , “ you look like you’ve seen a ghost . “

the whole affair had left felix uncomfortable around most people. it would have been easier to quit, to live in his shitty little trailer off his meager army pension and make sure he steered far clear of this death zone. however, if he did that, he would be liable to start back at square one, the person he was when he first came back to shrike. it wasn’t like that was a particularly viable option for him; he wasn’t willing to undo all the hard work he had done to become a part of shrike like he had been when he was a kid. 

on top of that, he now had delilah around here, who had moved into his aunt’s house without much warning or knowledge of what to do. she needed him. and it was nice to feel needed, nice to feel like he was important to someone. he didn’t want to break her heart by cutting her out. and he didn’t want to let go of the tenuous grip on family, no matter how weird it might have seemed from the outside. he sighed from his position on the floor and anchored a hand against the shelf under the counter to hoist himself into a proper sitting position. 

“can’t you tell? i’m hiding. from the obvious serial killer in the room.”  he was still haunted by the person who had terrorized him and veronica that night in the store. if he had seen it in a movie, it would have been comical, but living through it had left him shaken and more scarred than he had been before. “or a skeleton. more like.” he pursed his lips. “i’m fine,” he added, as if that would change the fact that he had ducked for cover for no real reason.

[acetonesx]

edwardisms​:

edward feels such amusement watching gideon’s very large reaction to his surprise appearance, though at the very same time he can’t help but feel a little bad too, seeing the sheer panic unfold right in front of his eyes. edward doesn’t think much of it. he simply puts it down to the effects of real shock, suddenly seeing someone who he had thought left for good, the situation not being so unlike seeing a real ghost. he knows not of the crush or the deeper reason for gideon’s reaction, and that’s exactly why he’s able to still find the amusement amongst the guilt for the panic. if he had have know the extent of gideon’s feelings, he wouldn’t be openly laughing - even if the laughter is only soft. “don’t apologise, i didn’t mean to. i’m sorry.” he offers a friendly smile along with his apologies.

he still puts everything down to the shock of his return; edward has never considered himself to be daft, but perhaps he should. there’s no inkling even creeping up on him that gideon’s feeling any sort of way about him other than platonic feelings. clueless; that’s what should have been dubbed his second given name at birth. “embroidery mafia?” he’s laughing again. he finds gideon to be endearing, with the way he speaks and the things he says. “funnily enough, that wasn’t what i thought you meant - though i love the idea of an embroidery mafia, maybe you could start it up.” he smirks, before his expression fades slowly at their next topic. “yeah, i thought i was totally out of here too.” it’s not quite a frown on his face, though it’s obvious it wants to be, and that he’s trying his best to conceal it. “i only just got back. my dad wouldn’t stop telling me ‘scary things are going on here’, and i was… nothing else was keeping me over there.” he shrugs. it’s too much to go into the damning details just yet.

as if his brain was rebooting, gideon struggled to remember how to be charming. he knew how to do it once upon a time, and he was generally pretty fun to be around. right? oh, god, now he was second guessing whether or not he was nice. fuck. he shook his head as if shaking it off. “i was just totally in the zone, you know? i don’t notice anything going on outside of my sketchbook when i’m in there.” as the initial shock wore off, he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his features. despite the initial panic, gideon was actually quite glad to see edward. it had been a long time. gideon was starting to feel lonely in shrike. even though there were people here around his age, he was feeling isolated from them, as if they weren’t on quite the same wavelength. gideon had felt that way for a long time. maybe he could break the curse with edward, who already knew him. gideon put up walls to keep his distance from anyone who was new. he just wasn’t ready for it. 

“please, i’m way too disorganized. i thought the whole point of the mafia was organized crime.” gideon scooted over on the bench and patted the spot next to him. “tell me about it,”  he said, not in a sarcastic or joking way, but genuinely. when gideon put his mind to it, he was actually good at connecting with others. it’s just that occasions where he actually put in effort were rare. gideon pursed his lips. “yeah, my mom hasn’t been too...” he didn’t quite know how to phrase it. “she’s been having a rough go of it with everything,” he said, shrugging once. “but my mom’s pretty much always having a rough go.” it had been the scandal of the century when his father left, and it was no secret that marion trammel hadn’t been quite all there ever since. 

[acetonesx]

highfears​:

geo hadn’t forgotten how to mind his manners, or how to interact with people completely, but lately he seemed to just be… incapable of doing either of those things properly. he was an empty shell of a person, someone who ran on autopilot as grief had taken over him so powerfully, reigning supreme over anything else that made geo a functioning human being. functioning; it was a word he could no longer relate to. geo was now defunct, completely, totally, entirely, and not only was he unsure of how to change that, but he was not yet ready to even try. 

that was exactly how he found himself standing over another, gazing upon their artwork, not saying a word and not thinking through that they were in their light. it was embarrassing to be caught and made to realize his position, but the embarrassment took second place as the snappiness of the other’s attitude hurt. “sorry.” he submitted immediately, stepping away so that he was instead behind gideon, though standing to his side still. “i was just curious to see what you were sketching.” the hurt was evident in his tone as he explained himself, though it was clear to see that this was more than being called out for being in the way. 

gideon paused, then pouted. “shit, i didn’t mean to be, like, disagreeable or something. i just kind of get in the zone when i’m drawing and i don’t like getting pulled out of it.” gideon sat back on the bench, gesturing at the brick building directly across from them. “town hall. i’m practicing getting measurements, actually,” he said, gesturing at the small numbers scribbled in graphite next to heavy charcoal lines. “i needed to get some more practice just, like, getting things to be in better perspective. i tend to end up with some cubist bullshit most of the time when i try to draw things that aren’t, like, from my mind’s eye or whatever, so—” he gestured vaguely. “here i am.” 

he could do a better job of being less suspicious when he was scouting locations for his art pieces. he’d just make sure that he didn’t put anything up for a while, and he doubted that a random passerby would remember that gideon was sketching here. or, if he did remember, it would be easy enough to pretend that gideon had nothing to do with it. where would they find the proof? regardless of all the justifying, however, gideon knew he had to be a little more surreptitious. 

[acetonesx]

rufficns​:

mina’s creativity existed , for the most part , off the page ; her canvas was the pearl white skin of her face , flushed with fuchsia pink high at their cheekbones , eyeliner dragged back to their temples and shaded into the hairline . features were decorated like new romantic portraiture . she stood , a mix of adam ant and boy george , often sporting straight lines across her nose to mimic the musical greats . having never had to consider such a thing herself , she waltzed into gideon’s light without hesitation and spun the pad of her thumb against the white plastic of her lighter . flick , flick , flick — embers flew from the end of her cigarette until , finally , the faint hiss of ash told them it was successfully illuminated .

features clouded in a puff of smoke , they turned to the figure at their side . “ charming . do you speak to all the girls like that ?? “ mina teased , shoving themself uncomfortably close up against gideon ( salt in a fresh wound ) . “ what are you drawing , anyway ?? don’t let me stand in the way of the next cézanne . i could never forgive myself for castrating such artistic genius , “

“jesus christ, it’s like you get off on being intrusive,” gideon complained. obviously, his manners had flown right out the window—otherwise, he might have complimented her style, the bold makeup on her face. he had always wanted to be more visually striking, but every time he tried, he ended up getting self-conscious and taking it all off before he even stepped past the threshold. so, it was mainly sweaters and polos for him, nice, clean clothes his mom would be happy to see him wearing, because everything he did seemed to revolve around her. his art was the one escape he had, and now, he had someone getting in the way of time that was usually his. “yeah, i fucking love it when girls leave me alone,” he said, holding his sketchbook with a finger in the spine to make sure he didn’t lose his page. “no, i’m for real. i actually love being left alone by everyone.” far from the truth but gideon was speaking out of spite at this point. 

he really could be a little shit if he tried, and he was barely even trying at this point. he didn’t make any move to scoot away from her, despite his initial urge. it was warfare now, and he couldn’t concede any ground to this strange new enemy. 

[acetonesx]

thexkarimxdiaz​:

x

Were he feeling better, Karim would have moved. He would have apologized, cracked a joke about solar eclipses, and been on his way. But something about the remark caught the spark of his temper, reignited that part of himself he had been trying very hard to quell these past few years. He did not consider himself an angry person, no, he thought, but he was sensitive, prone to offense and protective of his own dignity. And to that end, his own irritated reply came tumbling out before he could really stop it. 

“No, it’s a public sidewalk. I’ll stand where I feel like. Didn’t no one ever teach ya to say please? Or excuse me? Shit.” He spat back, planting his feet and crossing his arms in a deliberate portrait of immovability. Work had been getting to him as well these days. He was tired, tired of being ordered around, tired of being looked through by mall patrons, who fancied him, at times, a vacuum cleaner with legs. And he was, in truth, taking it out on the first person who gave him an inch of an excuse to. 

“Jesus, fuck,” Gideon grumbled, snapping the sketchbook closed. He had gotten enough measurements to at least get started on his latest, boldest artistic crime, and he was excited enough for it that he didn’t take Karim’s outburst personally. Gideon had long since learned to have a thick skin, especially with his mother’s penchant for yelling obscenities and cruelties at Gideon, and so he looked up and narrowed his eyes at Karim. “Who put that giant stick up your ass? Do you think you’ll need to get it surgically removed? Because I’ll hold your hand if it means it’ll fix whatever is going on with you.” 

Gideon leaned back on the bench, a smirk quirking up at the corner of his lips. “Have a fucking seat, dude, you look like you’re going to keel over.” He patted the bench next to him, and just like that, all of Gideon’s ire was gone. He was prone to swings like that, quick to anger with a red-hot temper, but still able to cool his jets quickly and move on. Gideon loved to bicker and get annoyed over the little things, but as soon as those things bothered him, they were resolved in his head. It was the way he’d always been. 

[acetonesx]

shrikc-gals​:

-

Her lips twitched at the comment, amusement showing in her eyes. “No, no butt stuff.” The woman reassured, allowing a smile to spread across her face as she waved away the apology. “Oh please, a complete stranger just came up to you and offered you cash. Of course butt stuff comes to mind.” Sawyer threw in the wisecrack, hoping to put the other at ease. “But what I actually want is art related.” The woman’s gaze flitted over to the sketch on his lap for a moment before looking at the artist once more. “And judging by your work,  maybe you could help me with a project of sorts. I want to surprise someone –they’re an artist like you– and I want to set up an art space for her, except I don’t what supplies to buy or what are the essentials.” 

“I’m so glad I didn’t offend you, I could actually really use the cash. Then I can tell everyone I’m a professional artist.” Gideon flipped the sketchbook closed as a grin spread across his features. “Oh my god. Oh my god. I’m helping you woo someone! You’re wooing her.” He pulled the sketchbook to his chest and sighed dreamily, hugging it close. “Gosh, how romantic. And gay! Don’t worry, honey, I’m your guy.” Gideon couldn’t help the giddy excitement. He was such a romantic. He wasn’t sure if he had actually ever been in love before or if he had simply had intense infatuations, but regardless, he was in love with the idea of being in love. He had always imagined get swooped off his feet by Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable, all the yesteryear heroes his mom loved. 

[acetonesx]

thexkarimxdiaz​:

x

These past few sobering weeks, Karim had, in truth, not been taking proper care of himself. With his senses rattled, he had retreated into a nearly grotesque degree of excess, choosing to numb himself with sweet diversions rather than sit about focusing on heavy realities. And one could see the fatigue of it all etched into his slight form, into the way his shoulders hung, into the dark circles beneath his eyes, and into the bent-over way he leaned on the counter. His hair too, once kept pointedly cropped, had been growing out now because he not be bothered to get it cut. It sat shaggy on his head. And running a hand through it, he leaned his cheek in his palm before looking up at Vikram to offer the best smile he could muster.

“Is that what they’re makin’ you say now? Eesh. Constellation prize.” This joke, one that, at one time, would have come with a full-bodied laugh, landed dully. He sniffed, wiping at his nose. “Size sevens. And gutter guards up to go along with my little baby toddler shoes, I guess.” This too, a strange joke, came halfheartedly, and rolling his shoulders, Karim straightened his back up. “You know I don’t even really like bowlin’ and shit. I just come in here to watch the little dancing space turkey on the screens. You can’t just, like, play that on a loop for me, can ya? It’s like Sesame Street. Stimulation overload.” As deadpan as this all came out, it did too seem to be some kind of comedy routine. 

vikram couldn’t help but scoff at that, shaking his head. “yeah, dude, it sucks. i didn’t say it at first but then the manager caught me and, like, totally ratted me out to the big boss, and now, here i am. they can force me to do it, but they can’t force me to like it.” vikram spread their hands apart in a sarcastic ta-da! gesture before dropping them back down to the counter. he didn’t used to be so pessimistic about things. he could actually be downright cheerful and helpful, like one of santa’s elves, but it was getting harder and harder to maintain it. general anxiety about the world around him had been a low buzz in the background ever since vikram was a teenager. they had gotten used to controlling it and living through it, but now, it had gotten to the point where the buzz was incessant and there was nothing vikram could do to keep it out of their head. it made it hard to focus on anything else. 

“the space turkeys?” vikram asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at karim. “dude, i’m not looking for trouble, and i just don’t trust a guy who comes in by himself, gets a lane, and doesn’t even really want to bowl.” then vikram sighed, looked the other over. it seemed like they simply needed a reason not to be at home, and how could vikram blame them for that? it was why he went around fixing lawnmowers and cleaning out old ladies’ storm gutters. it was just a way to keep his hands busy and his mind blissfully blank. “you okay?” he asked, despite thinking that he should just leave it alone. vikram wasn’t all that good at leaving things alone. 

[acetonesx]

edwardisms​:

being back in shrike heights is strange. so much has changed, and this mall feels so alien to edward. it doesn’t feel like it belongs in the small town that it’s now such a focal point for, but apparently not even an endless stream of murders can change the fact that it’s here. for good. but while the mall provides edward with so much unease and a confusion he can’t quite place, it’s one hell of a distraction from everything going on, too. who knew shrike heights would grow this much in the time edward was gone? edward himself definitely wouldn’t have guessed it, but as much as he believes he hates the mall, he doesn’t hate all of the additions to the town. it’s a blessing to not have to drive outside of the town just to find a place much larger that sells exactly what he needs.

he walks into starstrike unsure of whether or not he really intends on bowling today. he’s alone, his least favorite state of being, and it would be a lie to say he didn’t feel awkward coming in for an activity like bowling all by himself. he still hasn’t made his mind up when the employee greets him so unceremoniously, but the greeting acts as a distraction and makes it so that edward doesn’t have to think about his decision for a moment. “alright?” he greets, before going on. “you having a bad night or something?” he questions. but as soon as he does- fuck. edward still isn’t used to being back in shrike heights, and he certainly isn’t used to the version of shrike heights that requires tip-toeing around everyone who might be a victim or at least love a victim. he curses himself over and over, nervously swallowing as he waits to see if his question is as stupid as it feels it is.

vikram wrinkled his nose. “no, it’s not, like, a bad night. as far as night around here go, you know?” he felt stupid for caring so much about it, but that was just how vikram was. they needed a distraction, something to take their mind off the million things that could go wrong that night. he had been fortunate enough to avoid any close interaction with the killers, or even very close association with anyone who interacted with the killers, but that didn’t mean vikram wasn’t scared shitless about the whole thing. he sighed. he supposed he should fess up to his stupid little problems so he could avoid further interrogation on what was going on in his head. vikram had been up there for long enough, and he knew no one else wanted to go poking around in there. to know someone, to know him, vikram feared, was to hate him. or perhaps that was just his anxiety talking. 

“i took this job and i lied that i was a really great bowler, and it turns out that no matter how hard i try, i can’t get any better at it. i just reset lane four so i could hide the absolute abysmal score i got.” he sighed. “and, also, it feels just, like, kind of silly? to be working in a bowling alley? when everything else is going on?” they could feel their mouth running out of control, babbling the way they did when they took off too quickly. vikram forced himself to rein it in, and shifted his weight into his heels. “but you don’t need to know all that,” he said, embarrassed as he shuffled around the shoes on the counter. “you didn’t tell me your size.” 

[acetonesx]

edwardisms​:

even the town centre seems different. it feels different. it looks no more changed than being more populated with people, but there energy here isn’t the same as it once was. edward is yet to figure out what it is, yet to figure out exactly what it is that makes it feel so changed, and how it’s doing that to him. in the mean time he simply strolls through the town, letting unease become a new normal; at least it’s not as bad as it’s been before, he thinks, and it’s one of the only thoughts that keep him going through this confusing time. 

he walks aimlessly. he has nowhere to be right now, the black cat not requiring his assistance, his father at work, his step mother caring for his little siblings herself for a change and a lot of his old friends still unaware of his return to shrike heights. with nothing to do, he’s observant, and while being observant, he notices the person sitting down working on some form of art. edward loves art, but he’s miserable at it himself, so of course he’s drawn in and curious to see what gideon works on. “oh, sorry, my bad.” he steps aside and he watches the page carefully to make sure he’s still not being a problem. “that’s really good. do you do this professionally?”

if gideon had been drinking water, he certainly would have spit it out all over his sketchbook, ruining a month’s worth of sketches stacked up in there. mercifully, his water bottle was on the ground by his feet, but he was so taken aback by edward’s sudden appearance next to him that he accidentally kicked it off the curb. “oh, fuck,” he muttered, leaning forward to grab it, awkwardly stretching out from his seated position and just barely grasping it with his fingertips before rolling it back up the curb to his feet. “sorry, fuck, you startled me.” he held onto his sketchbook with both hands, his pencil tucked between his index and middle fingers. 

it had been a long time since he had seen edward, and while gideon wasn’t a teenager anymore, his teenage crush seemed to be well and truly alive by the way his heart fluttered. fuck. he’s totally going to know i’m in love with him and i’m going to have to become a hermit so i can never, ever see him again. “no, i, uh—i just do this for fun, i’m actually, like, a, uh..a seamster. you know, like a teamster of...seams.” he furrowed his brow. “wait. i’m not in like an embroidery mafia, i’m just a tailor.” he shook his head slightly. “when did you get back to shrike? i thought you were, like, totally out of here.” 

[acetonesx]

shrikc-svwycr​:

-

Sawyer frowned at the gruff request and turned to the source, processing what had been said once she saw her shadow being cast over the sketch. “Oh, I’m sorry–” her annoyed expression promptly turned apologetic for her obstruction, and the woman immediately stepped out of the way. After all, over the past few weeks the attorney had been sharing her apartment with an artist, and had come to learn a thing or two about certain pet peeves. “didn’t see you there.” She offered before pausing for a moment as her focus went to the drawing. “Hey, how’d you like to make $20 bucks.” She finally asked, brown eyes lifting from the paper to meet the other’s gaze. 

He was grateful that the interruption had only been momentary, and was about to get drawn back into his work—however, his ears perked up at the mention of twenty dollars. Gideon certainly wasn’t in any position to turn down money—paying the mortgage on his parents’ house was a lot more difficult than he had originally anticipated and the money in their savings account had steadily been dwindling towards zero for a long time now. He flipped his pencil around in his hand and stuck it behind his ear. “I’ll never say no to 20 bucks, but if you want to do butt stuff, that’s going to be extra,” he said before he even thought about it, then scrunched his nose. “Sorry. I have no filter.” 

[acetonesx]

location: key of reason

open [ @shrikestart​ ]

Felix hated closing shifts now. It used to be the opposite—he used to love the quiet once everyone had left, checking through inventory with his walkman strapped to his hip, jamming to whatever tape had first met his hand that morning when he left for work. Now, all it gave him was anxiety and paranoia. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop. It seemed too good to be true, too miraculous that he had come face-to-face with one of the killers terrorizing their town and surviving to tell the tale. 

He had, of course, been paying attention to the news, and while these people were deadly, there were also a lot of people who had survived these incidents. As bloodthirsty as the killers were, they didn’t seem to have too high of a success rate. Still, Felix was constantly keeping an eye out, was unable to conceive of relaxing, especially when he was alone at night in the mall. He was certain that he was on the killer’s hit list. 

So, when he heard someone step towards the doorway to the store, he immediately ducked under the counter. It was reflex, intuitive. It only took him a second longer to realize that whoever was there wasn’t there to hurt him, but the damage had been done: from his position on the floor, it was going to be difficult to pull himself back up. He sighed. 

“We’re closed,” he called out. “Just leave me here until morning, I guess.” 

[acetonesx]

location: perkin’s pharmacy and clinic

closed for loki romanov [ @horrorbxby​ ]

Felix had been trying and failing to get help for his leg in Denver for years now. While he had a certain loyalty to the doctor who had been treating him all this time, he figured it was time for a second opinion—having a limp made it excruciatingly difficult to exist in Shrike, where it seemed like there could be a need to sprint at any moment. Since surviving the attack at Key of Reason, it seemed more crucial than ever that Felix increase his mobility, no matter how difficult it was. 

His leg shook as he waited to be called back into the clinic, his injured leg stretched out straight in front of him to alleviate the pressure that built the ache in his knee to almost unbearable limits. Felix had grown accustomed to living with a certain level of pain, but there were times when he was inclined to just lie down and cry over how much it impacted his daily life. There had to be something he could do. So, when Loki came out to call him back, he mustered all the strength he could to pull himself out of his seat, hobbling towards the back where the exam rooms were. 

“Now, I know this might be a long shot,” he started to explain. “But I really, really would like to improve the mobility in my leg. It’s just—” He swallowed once. “It just feels like such a fu—freakin’ liability these days.” 

[acetonesx]

location: lake love 

closed for diego munoz [ @retrocuts​ ]

Felix went fishing damn near every weekend. With the last dregs of summer looming from the bottom of his coffee cup, he was determined to squeeze as much as he could out of it by going out on the lake as often as possible. Usually, that meant if anyone wanted to see him, he was going to drag them out on the lake with him. By the time they had rowed their way out to the middle of the lake, a peace had fallen over the area; this far from the center of town, it almost felt like everything was far away. Felix found himself drifting now and again. He wanted to be far from his own body, far from the leg that failed him and the tremors that shook his hands every time he walked into work. 

He rested his fishing rod between his legs, holding it steady with his knees as he popped the tab on a can of beer. “I think I would like being a fish. No thoughts. Absolutely nothing in the noggin. All I gotta do is swim around and like, eat water bugs or whatever it is that fish eat.” 

[acetonesx]

shrikesomar​:

Omar was buried in paperwork. It never seemed to end, more and more businesses turning in their income statements for Omar to review, to build into his own forecasting, and it left him with barely enough time to eat. He was desperate for something to pull him out of the hole he’d dug for himself in his workload; he certainly wasn’t going to do it himself.

Like an answered prayer, however, he heard his office door open, and he tried to play it off how he bolted upright from his slouched position against his desk. He cleared his throat, shuffling papers around like they meant anything and his eyes hadn’t completely glossed over, when Rosaline entered the room. He let out a breath and leaned back against his chair, eyeing the clock as she spoke.

He mulled it over. His heart said yes, but his brain, like always, pleaded, ‘No, stay, keep going.’ He wasn’t doing himself – or anyone else – any favors by trying to make sense of it all, though. In fact, he was liable to only make it worse the longer he stayed. So he decided. “Sure,” he nodded after only a brief moment. “I’m nearing dangerously low levels of vitamin D anyway,” he answered, standing from his desk.

He moved around to the coat rack by the door, picking up the light windbreaker he’d brought that day. At her suggestion of the mountain, he turned back, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t think anything that involves us on the mountain ever ends up being a ‘good idea.’” He wagered, pulling his jacket on and fishing out his keys. He chanced a look back at his personal mountains of papers and shook his head, leaving them behind. He brought work home with him too much as it was. As he stepped out of the office and locked the door behind them, he spoke up. “What’s got you wanting to head up there?”

Rosaline grinned at him as he stood from his seat, grateful that she wouldn’t be headed up the mountain alone (again) today. She spent most of her time up there, or out wandering through the farmlands and ducking under the thick crops, ready for harvest, whenever a farmer came out to investigate the mysterious figure in their fields. Rosaline hated being alone. She didn’t want to be left with her thoughts for too long. She also didn’t like spending too much time in the town proper, lest she end up the next name and picture in the paper when the next attack came around. It was simple, really: avoid every place the killers had struck and never be out after dark. Of course, it was a lot easier said than done—and Rosaline’s penchant for poking her nose wherever it didn’t belong was definitely going to get her in trouble one of these days. 

“Please, we’re grown-ups now! No need to sneak up the mountain to drink beers and make out,” she teased. “No, I have my camera in my car, and I’m hunting Sasquatch.” Nevermind that there hadn’t been a sighting of the so-called creature in and around Shrike since she was a kid; she was more so looking for someone who would go on a hike with her and help drown out the sound of her thoughts. Rosaline spent too much time mulling over the things she should have done differently; a long list of regrets seemed to be playing in her head over and over again, as if dwelling would make it so that those regrets would disappear altogether. 

[acetonesx]

thexkarimxdiaz​:

x

Karim had just left his own shift early, only because no one was around to tell him not to. And really, Shrike Mall would hardly notice if perhaps the floors were less shiny or one trashcan had to sit overnight, he thought. With the way things were going these days, the whole place found itself torn apart on such a regular basis that he was finding difficulty working up a damn to give about the state of it. But this was a new bitterness, of course, a terse feeling deep in his stomach that had not existed prior to the events a few weeks prior. There had, at one time, been genuine pride in his work, a sensation that was fading now to make room for more dire emotions.

“Take yer time, yeah,” he replied lazily from his perch near the counter, resting his chin in his hand as he leaned atop its surface. He watched Rosaline for a moment, debating if he should make a move to try and help or at least serve as a landing pad. But opting not to move, he managed a smile when she returned. “Do you got, like, glow in the dark paint? I’m tryna be blue.” He held out his arms.

If Rosaline could, she would have just flaked out on the rest of this shift. Leave the mess for the next person to come in, close up shop, and just vanish. She had a habit of being flaky, of doing whatever she wanted whenever she wanted regardless of any responsibilities she had. She couldn’t do that anymore, however, and she had completely turned her life around since returning to Shrike—and even before then. Everything she did revolved around getting her family back. Even if Eli never trusted her again, she wanted to be Jamie’s mother, more than anything. It was proving to be difficult, but most anything worth doing was difficult. That was what her father always said, though she doubted her would care very much for her utilizing his advice now, thanks to the rift that had opened up between them. 

“Glow in the dark paint? Well...I don’t know if we have anything that’s non toxic. How do you feel about a slight chance of being poisoned?” she asked, her tone light and teasing as she scanned the shelves. “I mean, if you’re looking for legitimate body paint, we could probably order some. My suggestion would really be to use this—” she pulled some glow in the dark fabric paint off the wall. “And just wear, like, skin-tight clothes. Depends on your purpose though.” She narrowed her eyes. “Why do you want to be blue?” 

[acetonesx]

rufficns​:

mina knew all too well about working a job they hated . who in their right mind would sign up to work at a laundromat , of all places ?? chamomile and magnolia stung the insides of their nostrils whenever the washers were in use , and the dryers were damn near suffocating when three of the old , lint-filled machines whirred at once . the moment their shift ended mina made their escape , whipping two-toned hair into a ponytail and clacking doc martens against linoleum ; a quick stop at art murmur could cure their woes , needing a few new paintbrushes for the ends to be chopped and shaved all in the name of dramatic makeup . the brushes in drugstores did nothing to aid in graphic eyeliner , in glitter or white face paint , and so the craft section had become her artistic salvation .

with a fistful of various tools , mina made her way to the counter . eyes , color-blocked with crimson to match their highlights , stared ahead at rosaline , and a hand waved their brushes as though a magic wand , “ don’t tell me everybody else has abandoned you , “ they spoke , before setting their wares atop the surface , “ take your time , i’m in no rush — if anything , i’m relieved you’re preoccupied . anything excuse to stop me going home , “ 

rosaline dusted her hands off on the maroon apron she wore as a uniform at art murmur, stepping cautiously over flattened cardboard boxes to get behind the counter. “that desperate, huh?” she asked, a crooked smile on her features. she leaned against the counter. “me too. i hate being home alone. my son’s with his dad and i’m totally miserable.” eli had trusted her enough just to have a night alone with jamie, and it was almost addictive, getting that much uninterrupted time with jamie. it almost made her feel stupid for having left in the first place, for having given up what could have been a wonderful life in los angeles, far away from shrike and from all the doom and gloom that hung over this place. rosaline had long since made her peace with what she had done, however, and all she could do was move forward. 

“i mean, if you’re really looking for a reason not to be home alone, you should go out to the farmlands. i don’t know if you’re into painting landscapes, but i’ve taken some really nice photos out there—it’s really calm and idyllic this time of year, right before the harvest. and it’s far enough away from all the drama in town that you can just be with your thoughts. it’s nice.”