LIFE IS A GUN

Tell me father, which to ask forgiveness for: what I am, or what I'm not? Tell me mother, which should I regret: what I became or what I didn't?

[boundeds]

for a second, he didn’t turn in the direction of the familiar voice. if he did, it made this moment real, it made her real, and he wasn’t sure he trusted himself with that still. but he still moved his head towards her, heart almost skipping a beat as he saw her, doing his best to keep his smile under wraps as his demeanor softened. there were few people in this world that could make him feel at ease.

"breaking and entering now?" he joked, as his eyes shifted towards the bottle in her hand before looking at olivia. "i was gonna stick around and pretend i didn’t have anything better to do," he replied as he wiped his hands on a rag out of habit. "fix a bike that doesn’t need fixing, catch up on this month's expenses." and think about her, the usual.

but yeah," he added, "i’ve got time. what's our poison tonight?" he asked, before looking at the bottle she had brought.

[crookedroads]

There were very fews things in her life that Olivia dwelled one, or rather, that she regretted. But this, the distance between them, how she handled things, it plagued her nights. Not that she ever let Liam, or anyone, know. Her godmother had an inkling, Olivia never talking about what happened, but she lived with her for months and she could sense it. But to the rest of the world, Olivia Walker just walked out of town one day and didn't care to look back. Now that she was older, now that she knew she would handle things differently, the woman didn't see what good it could be to tell Liam what happened. Maybe she wanted him to hate her to way she hated herself. Except that she knew him, knew he didn't, which made coming back to him all that easier and yet harder.

"Wouldn't be my first time," she shot back teasingly. This place was filled with memories of them, of Olivia silently watching Liam as he worked and learned. Of her asking too many questions and being impatient to have him all to herself. This place never changed, even when they did. "Fixing the bike sounds more fun." Balancing the books was the thing she hated the most and avoided at all cost until it couldn't be anymore. "Swiping bottles from my own bar is less fun than when we used to steal them from my dad, less of a rush of adrenaline." Olivia had brought his favorite, her own fucked up way of showing she still cared. "I saw Maeve in town," she said, almost hesitantly. "Is she really staying for good?"

[crookedroads]

WILD HORSES / FT. CARVER ( @carverbrunswick )

It wasn't that she expected much out of people, let alone when it came from her uncle's ranch, but the Lady Luck thing was one step too far. Then again, all of it was too far to Olivia, not that she was saying as much anymore. Now she listened and nodded, pretended that she didn't care. At least, she did before her uncle landed himself in a coma and now, she had to take a side. And with her last name, it was apparently a given that she should stand with her kin. And Carver, he was one of Cooper's men. "Big night at the Casino," she said, as if it was a simple talk about winnings and not a complete carnage. "Drinks on the owner for the night." Trust had to be earned, that much had been hinted by her cousin and this was part of that. "Even top shelf," she added with a wink.

[crookedroads]

CORMAC AUTO SHOP / FT. LIAM ( @boundeds )

There were things in this world that scared her, like everyone else, but many less than most. Olivia had already lost so much of what she once thought made her the person she was, so many lives lost that she wasn't entirely certain she held her own to such a high place anymore, at least not above others. But if there was one thing she was afraid of, it was loosing Liam again, not that she even thought she deserved to have the stolen moments they had.

Olivia waited for the shop to be closed, like a burglar, someone who didn't want to be caught. It wasn't that she didn't want anyone to see her with Liam, she was just too afraid of how fragile whatever they had was, afraid that it couldn't survive to be seen. The woman was only slowly coming to term with the fact that it wasn't just a one off, that it wasn't just the familiarity sought the night her father died that brought her to his doorstep. No matter how much she denied it to everyone and herself, Liam was under her skin and would always be. "Got some time for a drink," she said with a devious smile as she brandished the bottle she had brought. There was a lot on her mind, Olivia being well aware of what Cooper had done to Lady Luck, but talking about the family feud had always been something they avoided. And now that Olivia had 'pledged' her loyalty back to Cooper, things were about to get worse. "Or did you have other plans tonight?"

[lawunabiding]

at wild horses

In his forty years, Cooper Walker had never had such a bad headache. His father was in a coma - and foul play was likely. His investigation had turned up little concrete evidence, but that didn't stop him from riling up the Cowboys against those Bryne scum. Just because he couldn't prove it, didn't mean that Declan wasn't responsible for the accident. Cooper knew he was, and he wouldn't rest until justice was served.

All his words of hurt and anger led the cowboys to take matters into their own hands. Lady Luck was typically off limits to the Cowboys, but damn it, they caused the brawl of a lifetime in that casino. He was proud of his people. They never wasted an opportunity - just as he taught them. It wasn't his call, but it was only a matter of time before Cooper would've initiated a war himself.

He rubbed his temples as he sat at the bar, nursing cheap bourbon and avoiding eye contact from the rest of the patrons. His aura gave off a 'not in the mood, don't fuck with me' vibe, and no one dared disturb him. Until some brave soul decided to test Cooper's limits.

"Seems like you don't know how to take a fucking hint," he snarled.

[crookedroads]

If anyone could understand how Cooper felt, it should have been Olivia. She had gone through the worry and not knowing when it came to both of her parents and yet, the empathy was barely there for her cousin. Sawyer, she could feel for her but not Cooper. And the fact that he was attempting to drag her in his uncle and his mess was not something that made her any more pleasant. Still, there was some small hint of empathy deep inside of her.

Everyone in town was on edge, first with such a prominent member of the town, loved or hated, in a coma and then, with the clear declaration of war at Lady Luck. Olivia would not want to be in Cooper's shoes. "Yeah, I've never been real good at that," she shot back, going head to toe with her cousin. "You know, when people want to be left alone, they usually stay home. Don't worry, I'm not going to play the therapist bartender here." They both knew it would be mostly fake anyway.

[lawunabiding]

outside aroma mocha

there was frost on the ground and a chill in the air, but it didn't phase maeve in the slightest. as long as it was above freezing, it was warm enough to be outside. ( it helped that aroma mocha had heaters placed among their outdoor seating. )

maeve was seated at a table with lincoln at her feet and ruth in her lap, both wearing one of their many coats to stay warm in the cold weather. she absentmindedly pet ruth, her fingers toying with the fabric of the sweater, as she read through a new case file with furrowed brows. always working, even outside of the office, even on a weekend.

" oh, you can sit if you want. they're friendly. " maeve's gaze flicked up without really seeing the person, then immediately turned her attention back to the the file.

[crookedroads]

It was a strange thing, to see Maeve around town and not talk to her, two things Olivia never thought would happen. At least, two things both of the woman never thought would happen at different stages of her life. Not talking to Maeve was something that ran deep inside of her, something that almost caused her to wince every time she thought about it. And she thought about it often. But not seeing her in town, there had been some relief in that, in knowing her former best friend was far from the chaos of both of their families. But now she was back and Liv didn't know what to think of it.

"It's not the dogs I'm afraid of," she said with a tentative teasing in her voice. But it was true, she was scared of Maeve's reaction, not that she would think the other would make a scene in public. Maybe that was why this was the only way Liv mustered the courage to approach her. Still, Olivia sat down. "How have you been?" It felt like ridiculous to attempt and make small talk with Maeve but she didn't know what else to say, or rather, what else she could say without opening a can of worms.