follow your heart

Blake Nichols. 26. Mother. Empathic Teleporter. Perfectionist.

[blakenieves]

vicmartell​:

“There are?” Confusion crossed Victoria’s face, bringing her eyebrows and corners of her mouth downward. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted the spirits to go away. Not entirely anyway. But definitely when she was sleeping. “So what’s your thing then? Power detection?” A smile grew on her face as she joked. 

,

“Pff, I wish. No. It’s something way lamer.” As much as Blake was annoyed by the fact that her power wasn’t something more badass, she wasn’t ashamed of it. In her view, it was just proof that she was too badass a person, and that the universe had to balance her out with a lame power. “But my power isn’t something I can turn off. It’s always there. So I had to learn ways to make it less, like, in your face, you know?” She paused, and then recognized that she’d need to clarify. “Not literally in your face but like--in my head in a bad way, you know?”

[blakenieves]

johnacostalg​:

John laughed along with Blake. “Yeah, right between the eyes should bring him down a peg or two.” She was super confident, he would give her that, and he gave a light chuckle when she flicked her hair. “Honestly? I guess both? Not mean as such just not quite…” was pushover the word? “You know what I mean.”

Blake nodded. “A peg or two, or all the way down to the ground, if I hit him hard enough.” She cackled. As for his question, she straightened her stance a little. “Oh, sure. You want punching lessons first, or toughness lessons first? They’re different skills.”

[blakenieves]

leviwilliams​:

“Well thanks, I am pretty smart. I’m studying psychology at the college.” He nodded earnestly, vaguely wondering why he’d offered up that information at all. Levi hadn’t been a particularly good student, nor a bad one. He’d kind of floated along the middle of his class in high school and was pretty proud he’d gotten into college at all - even if the competition was limited. “Both, I guess?” He thought for a moment, “I see people who’s friends don’t show up but they usually leave. I’d stay. But that’s just me.” He shrugged.

.

Blake nodded. “Why psychology?” she asked. “Are you looking to be a shrink or something?” Not that Blake had anything against shrinks, per se. But she was suspicious of some kid who thought he could see into other people’s minds. Also, what power did he have? Was it mind-reading or something? Suspicious, like she said. “Oh. Well. Why do you think you’d stay? You’re not worried about friends getting mad or whatever?”

[blakenieves]

vicmartell​:

The question took Victoria aback, almost literally. She jerked ever so slightly, blinking rapidly at how well it seemed the woman was able to read her or how good she seemed to be at guessing. Victoria tried to cover up her uncomfortable reaction by taking a long, calculated, and hopefully calming drink of her coffee. It didn’t aid her much. 

“It’s uh-I guess you could say…” She stammered, trailing off before collecting herself, “It’s something like that.”

.

Blake could tell immediately she’d struck a nerve. She put her hands up in surrender. “It’s fine, you don’t need to tell me or anything.” She took a sip of her own coffee and then leaned forward so she could lower her voice as she spoke. “I’m just saying. There are things you can do to calm your power down when you’re trying to get calm. Trust me. I’ve been through it.”

[blakenieves]

vicmartell​:

Victoria nodded hurriedly, trying to remember every detail of the woman’s order as she went to parrot it back to the barista to replace the woman’s drink, and slipping the mistaken one into the trash. She went back to the counter where one received drinks, and picked up her correct one, this time taking care to check the name on the cup, if a bit belatedly. Vic took a cautious sip, glancing back at the woman and hoping she wasn’t too upset for the inconvenience she had caused. 

The comment gave her pause, the cup hovering at her lips. Victoria swallowed her last drink carefully before she responded. “I didn’t sleep very well. Power-related troubles.” She furrowed her eyebrows as she answered, not sure how she could answer her as vaguely as possible.

.

Blake was at least a little sympathetic to that. She never had power troubles anymore, but when the twins were first born--ooh, boy, it was rough for a while there. Really, really rough, like more than normal single parent with twins tough. She softened visibly, taking her cup from the woman and tilting her head toward an open table. She never really took to strangers--Blake had a strict “trust no bitch” policy since coming to Lake Grimstone--but even she wasn’t a total heartless monster.

“So, what’s your deal? Mind-reading, dream-hopping, or...hm.” Her eyes narrowed. “Is it something super fucked up like conjuring people?”

[blakenieves]

leviwilliams​:

Levi nodded sympathetically, eating up the woman’s tale of a sick friend. “I don’t think there’s any rules that say you can’t?” He posited, leaning heavily on the handle of the mop. “I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t. If I was your friend and I couldn’t make it, I’d want you to have fun without me and tell me if it’s worth seeing later.” He smiled and nodded, pleased with the answer he’d given.

.

Ticket kid had a point. She should definitely see the movie and if it was good, she should definitely boast to her not-date--if she sees and deigns to talk to him again--that it was good and that he missed out. Maybe she’d take some very good selfies of her having a good time without him and upload them to her Insta. That was what she should do. “You’re surprisingly smart uh--” She glanced to the kid’s nametag. “Levi. That’s, like, really good advice. Does this sort of problem come up a lot, or did you just think of that on your own?”

[blakenieves]

summerxjacobs​:

“What? Who told you that?” Summer asked, her eyes slightly wide as she looked at Blake. “I’d say it gives you a right to do or say a lot of things.” Summer wasn’t one to start a fist fight, but she was one to advocate for herself and how she lived her life. “Don’t worry about it. He shouldn’t have been an ass in the first place.” Summer grew up not eating meat and now she tended to eat a little but not very often. “Everyone should be able to live a life they want without being judged. And besides, that does not make you weak at all.”

“Some guy at the gym,” Blake told June. “He was all like--” She did her best to drop her voice, make herself sound manlier and way, way dumber. “Uh, lady, you need to eat more bacon and bulk up or whatever and I was like ew because bacon? Ew. And he got all mad and told me I was weak, so I decked him.” She nodded. “Right!? June, you should’ve been there and told him that! He got so mad when I hit him but if you think about it, he started it!”

[blakenieves]

ascoldaslandon​:

“Uh, yeah, I’m pretty sure they do. There’s always one specific case per episode, but some overarching case or drama that’s always happening alongside that. It’s just trying to weave it all together into something that makes sense and is fun to watch.” He shrugged. “Could be a future plan if none of my others work out. I can come to you for all the official legal terminology…and to see if it all makes sense.” He gave a small chuckle as a thought entered his head. “And there needs to be at least one episode in my show that features a shark. Just has to.”

Blake nodded along. She’d watched a few episodes of these shows but she’d always preferred, like, less dark shows. “Okay, whatever, so you need like one plot line. I bet you could think of a single plot line and find a way to drag it out for a season. I’d watch it if you did.” His offer to include her too was sweet. “Ooh, I could be like your technical consultant and when you get TV famous, you can introduce me to all the stars! It’s perfect.” She laughed. “One shark episode. But the shark isn’t the criminal, right? Because that’s bad PR for sharks.”

[blakenieves]

johnacostalg​:

John gave a small chuckle and nodded. “Yeah, basically a pipsqueak,” his smile faltered for a second. She had basically been describing him…John has under 6ft, and while being in shape was hardly the pique of physical fitness. Not that she was describing him…but the shoe did fit. “I think next time you should, to really hit home that you’re the boss right? You seem the sort to not be messed with…” he paused again, “…on those days when you’re not feeling as nice. I may need some tips to be fair.”

.

Blake laughed, head thrown back. She liked Jack’s style of thinking. “I should. Just right between his eyes.” When he said the word tips, she turned, flicking her hair back like she was some model. “You’ve come to the right woman if you want tips. Do you need to throw a punch, or do you need to be mean? Because I can be an expert at both.”

[blakenieves]

isabella-dimaria​:

Isabella tried hard, really hard, not to laugh at Blake admitting that she had hit the guy more than once. Violence was never the answer in Isa’s book, but she too had disagreements with people and had felt the urge to punch them, not that she had gone through with it, but she had wished she had. “Because you were completely honest about it we can keep this between us. Just don’t tell anyone or else they’ll think that as long as they come and tell me after the fact that they won’t be in trouble which will not be the case.”

.

Blake immediately turned on her most charming, gracious smile, as if she and Isabella had always been best-est besties. “Oh my god thank you so much! You, like, totally get me. And, listen, I’m not looking to get either of us in trouble so my lips are sealed.” As if to prove she meant it, she mimed locking her lips up with an invisible key and then throwing that key away. “Do people try to con you out of trouble a lot? I mean, that’s not what I was doing, but some people are assholes, like that guy.”

[blakenieves]

johnacostalg​:

“I mean…if you’re going to start a fight, I guess the gym is the best place to do it?” Not that John had ever been in a fight to know where the best place to have one would be, but given that the gym was usually fuelled with adrenaline and testosterone and inner aggression coming out on the weights and punching bags, it was as good a place as any, in John’s mind. “To be honest, there’s always going to be someone telling you that you’re weak or what you’re doing and saying is wrong. You just ignore it…or in your case punch the crap out of them.” He gave a light chuckle. “Wish I’d been there to see it now. How big was the guy?”

As the man--oh, what was his name? Jack? She was pretty sure he was Jack--spoke, her smile grew. See? Jack totally understood her! “Oh my god, right?!” she exclaimed. “Oh, pff, he was like, under 6 ft and not even that jacked. Really, if someone should be worried about being weak, it was him. Scrawny ass. And I totally didn’t even take him out. I could’ve,” she assured Jack, hands up. “But I didn’t because I’m super nice.”

[blakenieves]

leviwilliams​:

“Closing time…” Levi hummed to himself, fingers drumming the countertop as he watched the hands of the clock before him tick closer and closer to when he could shut down the ticket booth - fifteen minutes after the last showing started. He set a ‘ring bell for service’ sign in his place and spun around as he exited the booth to grab a mop so he’d be ready when it was time to close up, when he noticed the person he’d last sold a ticket to still lingering in the lobby and looking around like they were waiting for someone. “Do you need help?” He asked timidly, hoping they weren’t being stood up. “The movie’s just in there, there’s only one theater.”

This? This was why Blake didn’t date anymore. Men were disappointing, always. Blake checked her phone for what felt like the millionth time, and was about to leave when the ticket kid spoke. The fact was that there was only one thing Blake hated more than the idea of being stood up, and that was someone knowing that she was stood up. “Hm?” she said, feigning confusion and turning around to face him. “Oh. I knew that. Of course I knew that. I was just--” Thinking on her feet was one of Blake’s many, many talents. She’d come up with something in three, two... “Waiting for my friend, but she said she wasn’t feeling well and I don’t know if I should go in without her. I mean, is it mean to see the movie if she can’t make it? Or, like, should I just go? I bought the tickets already.”

[blakenieves]

vicmartell​:

Victoria was feeling somewhat out of sorts, having had a long and difficult conversation with a spirit she’d unwittingly brought back in her sleep and seen looming over her when she woke up. She’d headed to the coffee shop in search of soul soothing coffee and the hopes of some caffeination. Vic hadn’t been thinking when she’d picked up the first cup the barista had set down on the counter, only realizing that it wasn’t hers when she was halfway to the door and saw a different name on the cup. 

“I’m sorry,” she started, quietly, approaching the person that had been waiting at the counter beside her, “I think I grabbed your cup on accident.” She turned the cup out to show them the name. “I didn’t drink out of it but I’ll buy you a replacement anyway?”

Normally, Blake’s fire at someone stealing her caffeine would have been fierce. She would have eviscerated the person. Absolutely destroyed their day in exchange for destroying hers. An overreaction, maybe, but Blake was a mother of two who needed caffeine to get through her day. But the moment the other woman--what was her name? Valerie or something--offered to buy her a coffee? The fire was squashed immediately, replaced with a surprising calm. “An extra large cold brew. Whatever the biggest one is. With almond milk and cream.” 

She glanced up at the girl, who looked quite frankly like shit, before returning her attention to her own nails. She needed to touch them up. “What happened to you anyway? You look like you haven’t slept.”

[blakenieves]

isabella-dimaria​:

“I feel that as a government agent I should tell you that starting a fight is not good, but if they called you weak and you were simply proving them wrong then really what you did was a good thing.” Isa said with a smile. “People really should mind their own business, it’s on you what you want or don’t want to eat.” 

.

Blake was about to argue with Isabella, until she turned it around at the last moment. “Right? Why is he all up in my diet? I mean, it’s my stomach. I should pick what goes in it.” She shook her head. “And he saw me lifting weights, so really, it was dumb of him to ask. You’re not gonna write me up or take away my privileges, are you? Because he deserved to get punched and I only hit him, like, once.” She paused, recounting the scene in her head. “Okay, more than once, but like...you’re on my side.”

[blakenieves]

ascoldaslandon​:

“Oh it’s definitely you being good at reading people. I tend to not make things that obvious.” Too on the nose Landon? Maybe... “That’s most of the fun for me, trying to outsmart everyone in the programme. Like…does that mean I’m smart in real life? Or just smart enough to write shit for tv? As cool as Landon the lawyer could be…not sure if I’m just at that level in my head.”

.

Blake wasn’t one to argue with praise. Not unless it was something she felt she needed to do better, but lately, she’d been seeing herself as perfect. “Well, being a lawyer is hard work.” It was, in fact, Blake’s hard work--she’d been studying for the LSAT for the better part of the year. “But I think you could probably write for TV. At least shows like that. I mean, don’t they use a formula or something? They must, right?” She didn’t know. Writing for TV was of no interest to her. “All the episodes always go the same to me. Like they find the suspect and rule him out for stupid reasons, only to come back to him at the last second. That’s it, right?”

[blakenieves]

“If someone tells me that not eating meat makes me weak, do I have the right to punch the crap out of him?” Blake asked, not that it was really a question. As far as she was concerned, anyone questioning her ability to throw a punch made them potentially fair game to punch. “If not, I might have accidentally instigated a fight at the gym today.”

[blakenieves]

ascoldaslandon​:

Landon’s brows furrowed and he rubbed at the back of his neck. “Is it that obvious that I don’t?” He gave a forced grin, but a genuine chuckle escaped from between his teeth. “I mean…again…is it that obvious? Love all those ‘cops on camera’ things. And I love a good detective show. Playing along and working out the criminal before they do is like…a powerful thing.”

Blake chuckled. “I don’t know if you’re obvious or I’m really good at reading people. I mean, I am. I just don’t know if you’re obvious or not,” she pointed out. Still, what he had to say, she understood, at least to a degree. “Yeah, I mean I feel that. It feels good to know you’ve outsmarted the detective. Or at least the TV writers.”