DALLAS STARLING

Turn the light out say goodnight, no thinking for a little while Let's not try to figure out everything at once, it's hard to keep track of you falling through the sky. We're half awake in a fake empire.

[joaniealvarez]

Dylan had wanted a dog basically forever but it had never really been possible, first simply because his parents wouldn’t allow it, then the same with the dorms, and finally when he moved off campus he was simply worried that his apartment was too small and his schedule too full to be able to care for one, he often did all sorts of stupid stuff that endangered his own life and safety but he wasn’t about to do the same to a dog who was supposed to rely on him for everything. Of course, though, eventually the bright idea came to him to actually do some research and see if he had any options, which is how he ended up with Juniper.

That morning, as he did every morning in the about half a year since adopting Juniper, he was up early to take her out for a morning run, something he generally should be doing anyways and got her all the exercise she needed each day, and with her being able to be so independent while he was out during the day, caring for her was actually a lot easier than he feared, though her coat did sometimes get a bit out of control between trims and he was still trying to find more time to get her properly trained.

He had only just made it out of his building, focused more on his phone and figuring out where they should go that day, when he ran directly into someone, moving quickly out of the way as soon as he felt contact.

“Shit, sorry,” He spoke, “You okay?”

[dallasstarling]

It was a testament to how different the lives they led were, that while Dylan was on the way out, Dallas was slinking back in. Inventory had run treacherously long at the Nest. When she had finally braved a look outside, fully expecting to still see a city enshrouded in darkness, she was saw the sun lazily clearing the horizon. It was a mercy she’d sent the few people she’d scheduled to help home an hour ago, because it meant there were no witnesses to her actual foot-stomping, head back and whining tantrum. Fifteen seconds was all she allowed herself to mourn the entirely lost night, tentatively glimpsing at her phone and hoping she would be able to grab a few hours of sleep before starting the day all over again. Maybe, if she went straight home and allowed for zero stops, but Dallas never had been a no distractions and zero stops kind of girl.

En route to her apartment, she tried her best to ignore the disdainful looks from joggers and early risers since she looked every bit like someone on a walk of shame after a particularly long night. Though she was sure her walks of shame had never involved smelling like she herself had taken a dive into a brewery vat, so at least there had been a sort of disheveled dignity there. This morning, though, she wasn’t so fortunate. She made a mental note to add ‘long shower’ to the list of things to try and squeeze in before letting her bed claim her for a little while. She was actually glimpsing up toward what she thought was Dylan’s window when someone careened into her. Letting out a startled yelp, she immediately reached out to steady whoever had collided with her. A quip danced at her tongue that they hit like a linebacker, but as he came into sharper clarity, she realized she wasn’t off base. With a chuckle, she shot him her best attempt at a reproachful look. “Absolutely not. I think it’s broken.” She said, right hand gingerly touching her left shoulder, though a grin curved her lips and she bent down and patted Juniper’s head. She wrinkled her nose, looking back up at her brother as she remained crouched to give the dog proper attention. “What the hell are you doing up so early, anyway? Practice? Because I swear to god Dylan, if this is by choice...” she trailed off, her own sleep envy creeping in. 

[dallasstarling]

larkshepherd‌:

“Oh, no, uh,” Lark instantly shook her head, biting the inside of her lip as she attempted to think of a way to explain that honey was, in most cases, okay and ethical and even though it was a conversation she had managed to have a million times with most likely a million different people, she struggled to find the words to explain the logistics behind bees and honey with the woman in front of her look so impossibly unkempt and messy and yet utterly adorable at the same time. The shirt, however, caught her attention and she tried to suppress a soft laugh at the irony. Of course she would be sitting in a bar called The Nest, in front of a woman wearing a shirt that proudly displayed the word Eagles, and still be completely smitten. “Honey isn’t always bad, it’s just… misunderstood. I’d love to try it, especially if you made it,” Lark reassured her. “Pollen, mostly, which is… the ironic part given my career choice and that most likely makes as much sense as yours would if you were allergic to hops or grains.”

She was quite genuinely amazed she hadn’t personally run Lark out of Philadelphia by now, with all her consistent floundering around the other. But, the far quieter voice nudged, she hadn’t. The opposite, it seemed — even if it was completely by coincidence. The gentle assurance brought a hesitant smile to Dallas’ features, fingers going still just short of snatching away the potentially offensive bottle. “Are you.. are you sure?” She asked. “Always local, if I can help it, totally ethical. That I know of, anyway. Not that there a ton of apiaries in Philadelphia, but if you look hard enough...” She continued, clumsily, pulling her hand back once she realized she was still hovering almost threateningly by the amber bottle. Dallas chuckled, shaking her head. “Is that some sort of immersion therapy? Conquer your allergies?” She asked, lightly teasing lilt to her tone. Nodding toward the bottle, she continued on. “It’s this, uh, honey lavender ale. Not one of your allergies, I hope? If I poisoned you before I even asked you —” she paused, blue eyes widening as she stopped the sentence right at the cliff’s edge. Picking up her own bottle and taking a drink, as though yep, that was absolutely the end of it right there. Definitely a spring beer, just in time for... November. Still though, if Dallas had any hopes of shaking the other woman from her thoughts, it was swept up in the storm a few months back. She used inspiration when it came, and nothing had calmed her in that time like the girl with the flowers and the sweet voice. Honey lavender seemed the obvious choice — even if it took far longer to get into production than she would’ve liked. 

[dallasstarling]

larkshepherd‌:

It would be Lark’s greatest lie if she tried to claim she hadn’t stopped by The Nest more than once, on the off chance that she’d end up in the bar at the same time as Dallas and would have found enough confidence by then to actually say something to the woman. That particular off chance had only happened once before, Lark immediately clamming up and exiting The Nest quicker than she had entered at the sight of Dallas across the bar. This time, she got comfortable with not seeing Dallas when she found her seat at the bar, thankful that if the woman did show up she’d at least have a few minutes to run over the same sentence in her mind before having to say it out loud. Then her thoughts were interrupted by a regular at her shop who had recognized her and took the moment to strike up a polite conversation with her.

Lark never minded the occasional polite ‘how are you’ with regulars she’d see outside of the shop, but it wasn’t until a bottle of beer was set on the bar in front of her, causing her attention to shift to the woman who set it there, and regret instantly formed in her stomach, the conversation with the person next to her had taken up any time Lark had to rehearse what she was going to say and she could almost feel the blood drain from her face as it raced to the tips of her ears. She hoped she didn’t look like the fish out of water she felt like she looked like. Get it together, she internally scolded herself, swallowing as she turned back to the person beside her to give a polite goodbye before turning her attention fully back to Dallas. “Hey,” Lark greeted softly, her fingertips touching the plain glass of the bottle. “It looks… good? I, uh- no, no allergies, just vegan… and ironically allergic to nature, but- that’s not what you were asking about at all.”

Dallas was really regretting wearing the old Eagles T-shirt that she was nearly positive was as old as she was, and looked every moment of it. Most of the damage had come to it in her position — the occasional spill, the tiny tear from her misjudging a space and snagging the stupid thing — but still, it really should’ve never left her apartment. Much less found its way on her person, to her job, where she could possibly, just maybe, run into the woman she still managed to trip over her words amount. Tugging absent-mindedly at the hem of the thing, as if that could somehow make it genuinely anything else, she still felt herself smile as the other spoke. Such a gentle tone — so much so that it almost distracted Dallas from the actual words. “Wait,” she started, bright eyes going wide for a moment, hands stopping just short of actually taking the bottle back. “Vegan. That means no honey, right? Hold on. That one’s a no.” She said, nodding toward the bottle. “Let me get you something else. A flight maybe? That way you can try a few different ones, see what you like?” She asked, optimistically. She chuckled, remembering the second bit of her statement and lifting her shoulders in a small shrug. “Which parts of nature, exactly? There’s a whole big world out there.” She said, smile smile beginning to replace the fleeting panicked expression.

[larkshepherd]

Lark never made a habit of finding herself in bars, especially ones called The Nest, the grudge she held against her parents for choosing birds over her running just that petty. Usually she’d find herself a spot in a local coffee shop with her typical cold brew containing a slight splash of coconut milk, but she’d be lying if she claimed to not have ulterior motives in choosing to leave her binder full of floral arrangements for the dozens of autumn weddings everyone just had to have this season and finding a cozy spot at the bar top of The Nest to relax for the evening. Those ‘ulterior motives’ may or may not have included casually glancing at the hustle around the bar, hoping to catch a glance of light hair and blue eyes. 

Instead, a familiar voice appeared next to her, tossing an order to the bartender. Lark turned, observing the new presence, before a hint of recognition clicked in her mind. “Oh, hey!”

[dallasstarling]

She heard the voice before she saw the face, eyes going wide in surprise as she immediately spun back through the door she’d just come through. Dallas was sure she had never looked better, hair piled onto of her head and definitely sweating, despite the October cold creeping in. The better part of her morning was spent hovering around a fermentation tank, going through a rather extensive (and disappointing) trial and error process of trying to work out a ‘Christmas’ beer. This particular look was not rare form for Dallas when it came to most of The Nest employees (and a good chunk of the regulars) — but Lark wasn’t either of those things, and somehow, she almost always managed to be a mess around this woman. Peeking around the corner and catching the brunette engaged in another conversation, Dallas took the moment as an opportunity to get it together. At least, as much as she was able to, given what she was working with. 

Fighting her own perfectionism, she grabbed two bottles that she hadn’t even had labels printed for yet. In truth, it was partially because the lavender honey ale was far out of season, but she was almost sure Lark would sense that she was at least partially the inspiration for it. She hadn’t gotten the blend exactly how she’d wanted it, yet — but maybe this was a moment the Philadelphia native would finally win the battle against her own nerves. Steeling herself, she took a breath and walked out, neatly placing one of the bottles in front of Lark. Without wanting to interrupt the other’s conversation entirely, she offered a gentle ‘hi,’ wrinkling her nose. Great start, Dallas. Then, realizing she had just put in an order at the bar, she immediately lost the composure she’d managed with that one whole word. “This is — totally not what you ordered. It’s just... something new. No rush at all, obviously. You don’t have any allergies, right?” 

[rydell-lafontaine]

Family was exhausting- particularly hers.

Her eldest brother had deemed fit to call her- funny considering she hadn’t heard from him in months- in a tizzy of sorts because the middle Lefleur child had gotten himself in a jam. And really, that was downright laughable all things considered. When it came to her brothers being in a jam usually meant upsetting someone they didn’t mean to or somehow fucking up when balancing their checkbooks. When Rydell was in a jam she tended to live up to her black sheep status and it usually involved a physical altercation of some kind, too much alcohol or cops. Sometimes it was a lovely cocktail of all three. And so when Lefleur Number One called her up in a near panic over something happening to their brother that inconvenienced the so-called normal and happy life he seemed to be trying to live? The girl damn near laughed in his face. Well, would have damn near laughed in his face had he been standing in front of her.

But Lefleur Number One was nothing if not persistent in his insistence that she needed to come home to help their brother- and it didn’t help that he had shoved their grandmother onto the phone. If nagging were an Olympic sport she would take the gold- and people wondered where Ry got her manipulative side from. All people had to do was look at the woman who raised her. Still, the two of them nagging her had been enough for her to pack a backpack and head on back to the Big Apple to help Lefleur Number Two deal with whatever crap he had managed to get himself into. (Turned out to be some stupid spat with the guy next door. That combined with one too many episodes of Fear Thy Neighbor had thrown him into a near hysterical state. Sometimes she couldn’t believe that she shared any DNA with him.)

And so began her exhausting weekend of trying to talk her brother off of the proverbial ledge- and being the target of a million and three annoying questions. Yes, she still had a job; yes, she had settled in as best as she could in Philly; yes, she was still the massive disappointment she had always been. And the icing of the shit show cake that was the emergency family reunion, of course, was an awkward encounter with her brother’s friend she had slept with. Yikes, double yikes and triple yikes considering his new fiancé was there. Pregnant fiancé at that. (At least she had enough common sense to know that saying ‘hey, I fucked your fiancé once’ wasn’t appropriate and would not be appreciated. A+ to her for learning some decorum. Not much but hey, baby steps.)

By the time she got home late Sunday night she had called her boss and told him she wouldn’t be in the next day- it would take that long to recover from all of that family time- had thrown her backpack into her apartment and made the trek to the closest ‘open until ungodly hours’ store. Her family recovery kit was definitely including whatever alcohol she could scrounge up in her apartment and an ungodly amount of sugar. Health for the win, right?

Dropping her purchase on the counter she waited while the late night cashier moved incredibly slowly towards the register- hey, she would have probably been at a snail pace too working that late so she couldn’t judge. Her stuff was just beginning to be rung up when she heard another customer come up behind her. “Guess I’m not the only one saved by the late night stores,” she mused without turning to see who else had come in. Yeah, Philly was changing her alright. Since when did she make small talk?

[dallasstarling]

She could’ve scaled back the brewery’s hours — it was, for the most part, her call. Breweries usually stuck to more 10-10 schedules, anyway. But Dallas found a strange sort of comfort in the late night crowds. People who stuck to 9 to 5′s tended to come in after work, have a drink or two (usually the same beer, despite her ever rotating a shifting menu), and call it a day. There were only so many stories Dallas could hear about ‘Deb from accounting’ and nod along in feigned interest. She was sure they led more interesting lives, but those patrons fell pretty low on the list of people who were willing to vent about the good stuff to a 20-something bartender. The later crowds were often more experimental in their drink choices — one of the quickest ways to curry favor with her. They also tended to drink a little harder, for better or worse, and the conversation tended to be more unpredictable. Part of her was afraid if she sacrificed that crowd, her love of The Nest would diminish, even if it was just a little.

An unfortunate side effect of her unwillingness to close before 3 a.m. was that Dallas rarely left before the time was creeping toward dawn, the sun threatening to rise before she even got home on messier days. It was a prison of her own making, and she refused to even abide her own complaints when she was the jailer and warden. She was grateful the city catered to the night owls as she ducked into the corner store. Bodega dinner — though it may have been more apt to call it a bodega breakfast, she hadn’t checked the time — was hardly ideal, but she wasn’t going to risk waking her roommate by clamoring around the kitchen at whatever the hour was. She settled on a pack of the always terrible and somehow always stale, despite their wrapping, mini donuts. At the last minute, she also grabbed an apple, which was probably a more questionable nutrient source than the donuts, since she had never once seen another person buy one from the almost glorified gas station.

Dallas was still mulling her choice when the other spoke, letting out a soft chuckle at the words. “You say saved, but I’m pretty sure I’m getting poisoned, one way or the other.” She half-joked, lowering her voice, as if there were a risk of offending the cashier who she was pretty sure couldn’t have been more disinteresting if she got a bonus for it. Holding the donuts in one hand and the apple in the other, like some strange nutritional scale of justice, Dallas nodded toward Rydell. “Late night, or early morning?”

[philadelphia-memes]

weavingsamara‌:

random questions for character building (and fun)

go to karaoke song?

a song that describes them?

are they good at sports?

do they have a favorite movie?

three things in their fridge?

most three recently watched on netflix?

celebrity crush?

are they close to their family?

best thing in their life?

greatest regret?

biggest lie?

biggest flaw?

best accomplishment?

greatest fear(s)?

what is their vice? (wrath, greed, pride, lust, gluttony, sloth, envy)

what would their hogwarts house be?

did they graduate high school? if so did they attend college?

when was their first real relationship? how’d it go?

have they ever broken someones heart? has someone broken theirs?

have they ever been married? are they married?

do they have children? have they before?

do they want children?

opinion on pets? cats or dogs?

opinion on horror films?

do they have allergies?

do they have a certain aesthetic or style?

do they have tattoos or piercings? 

do they have any distinctive features or marks?

do they enjoy coffee or tea? hot or iced?

are they religious or spiritual? 

are they a morning person or night person?

if they could have any superpower what would it be?

who is their ride or die friend?

[dallasstarling]

larkshepherd‌:

The effects of the storm were far and few for Lark, and for that, she was thankful. There had been a broken window pane here and a tipped flower pot she hadn’t had time to move inside there, but compared to the damage that everyone else went home to immediately following the storm, The Flower Box was all quick fixes that she was able to hire someone to repair in no time at all (as she convinced herself that it was most definitely to help stimulate the local economy by hiring local workers and not the fact that her parents continued to send her checks that were well above her rent payment every month). However, as simple as her shop was to fix, the greenhouse on the outskirts of the city post-storm was an entirely different story. A more apocalyptic, looks like it was raided by zombies and scavengers story. 

Lark had almost regretted going to check on it the instant she drove up to the once stable and massive greenhouse and had been working on possible solutions ever since. Most of her plants had been torn from their pots, the panels off the roof and some of the wall were gone, one wall was completely gone and yet, for some odd reason, the fact that the hops she had planted a few months ago (the hops she had planted as soon as she learned were still standing, made everything else just seem… less. But, as much as surprising the girl who she had grown fond of put a dazed smile on her face with the mere thought, Lark was still left with the massive repairs and redesigning, which led her to that moment, leaning against the counter of her shop with notebooks and planners and a faded phone book spread out in front of her. Her hair, once up in a messy bun, was more mess than bun at that point and the frustrated huff she let out blew a strand of dark hair to the side as the bells jingled and the door opened. Speak of the devil. “Oh, hey- you! Good timing, I was just thinking about you. I, uh- I mean, you know. Wondering how you did after the storm and everything…”

She had a difficult time tearing her eyes from the other woman, even when the thought crossed her mind to survey the place and see how it had fared in the storm. It was still standing — that was a plus. Even as she meant to actually look up, Lark’s words stopped her. “You were?” Dallas asked, stupid grin sliding in place of her easy smile. “Oh! Of course. The storm.” She added with a dismissive wave of her hand, as though she clearly knew that’s what she meant. Finally pulling herself forward instead of setting herself up like a stupid human barricade in front of the door, her eyes flickered briefly around the shop. She may as well make it seem like seeing the other woman wasn’t her sole motivation for the visit. It was a feeble attempt, though, since her cursory glance last no more than three seconds before her attention turned back to the other. “Uh, yeah. I’m good. The whole family wasn’t crushed by a house or whisked off to Oz. They, uh, holed up in my parent’s basement.” She said. She wasn’t going to touch the fact that they hadn’t tried to get in touch with her until the storm had dissipated — though teenage Dallas would’ve had a field day adding it to the list of evidence that her brother was the favorite. (Which was absolutely a real list, and a concerningly long one, at that.)

“How about you? Was everything okay here and at your place?” She asked, finally taking notice of the sprawl of notebooks laid out before her. Eyes widened for a moment, and Dallas nodded vaguely over her shoulder to the door. “OH. You look crazy busy... I can totally come back, if I’m interrupting...” she trailed off, though her tone was clearly one of someone just making the polite offer with full hope that her bluff wouldn’t be called. 

[dallasstarling]

Since the storm, Dallas had a hard time doing anything but thinking of the girl with the flowers. It was, quite frankly, becoming a problem. Moreso, since almost every moment was spent at the brewery, trying to get to get all the damage under control. She’d been lucky, it was mostly minor — but it had been a lot of minor things. And since most of her own money was tied into the place, she had been forced to undertake most of the repairs on her own. If that mother of three could build an entire house with no construction experience, what was patching a few leaks? A lot, as it had turned out. After what felt like a lifetime, though, she was finally able to devote some time outside of the Nest. 

Though, as her fingers drew neared to the flower shop’s door handle, two things occurred to her in quick succession — first, she had no idea if Lark was even working today. Or at all. Perhaps their talk had scared the brunette out of the city for good, taken to the road to avoid the UPenn library’s own chicken little. Second, she hadn’t planned what to say. Even in the slightest. And if she had figured out anything in the months of fumbling her way through clumsy conversation in the flower shop, it was that she absolutely needed a plan. But, in the moment, poised near the door like some sort of barricade, Dallas reasoned that it was now or never. So she opened the door, flinching against the door chime announcing her arrival. Spotting a figure behind the counter, she spoke the only word she concluded as a reasonable start. “Hi.”

@larkshepherd

[novahpain]

Dawn pushed through the crowd of dancing people, her pace quickening, her face slowly beginning to get hotter. When she started to get like this she learned from experience it was better to just remove herself from the stimulus. If she was in a cartoon, smoke would be coming from her ears and her face would be redder than a tomato. Her foot hurt so badly and it only made her more upset as she trudged through the entrance of the bar. Granted, she had more drinks than usual, but Dawn still felt like her usual self. Still, she couldn’t shake the anger that was running through her, part of her wanting to go back inside and confront the person who pissed her off. “D-did you see that” She said, she tried to regain her balance, her speech slurred. “They fuckin’ pushed me” Her jaw clenched tight, she dug through her purse looking for a cigarette. “You gotta light?” She asked, her heel slamming into the concrete as she tried to regain her balance. 

[dallasstarling]

Saying she hated clubs was perhaps a bit too harsh — but Dallas absolutely did the closest thing she could. The music was always too loud to hear whoever you were trying to speak to, especially if it was the bartender, the drinks tended to be over-priced, and you couldn’t take two steps without either plowing into another sweaty body, or being plowed into yourself. But it had been a college friend’s birthday party, and she promised to at least pop in and say hi. She made it all of half an hour (with the assistance of a shot of two) before she had to step outside and breathe air that didn’t smell like Redbull-vodka and body odor. 

Leaning against the building and looking at her phone, finger hovering over the Lyft app, she cast a tentative glance back to the door. Surely no one would notice that her slipping out for a minute had turned into ‘forever, probably.’ But as she looked at the door, she saw woman who seemed less than sober and more than angry. Instinctively, watching the tiny swaying movements, Dallas almost reached out to steady her. At the last minute, she paused. She didn’t want to insult her by implying that she was too drunk to stand — but she also didn’t want the other to end up on the concrete, either. “I didn’t,” she said, brows briefly knitting together in concern. “You okay? It’s... aggressive in there.” She added, half-empathetic smile curving her lips. She didn’t doubt it — she’d been bounced around for the better part of the night. Fishing around in her own bag, she produced a lighter and handed it to the other, standing just a bit closer in the event that she did end up needed to be someone to lean on. She extended it to her, nodding back to the door. “I have no idea how people do this more than once a year. Pretty sure if I spent ten more minutes in there, I’m either going to be trampled, or choke to death on the smell of Axe body spray. This might be my actual hell.” 

[dallasstarling]

jaydencollins‌:

Jayden looked over tat the girl, he laughed a little, “Well that sounds terrible but why do I feel the urge to laugh at it at the same time? Sorry that’s rude of me but wow. That sounds like a terrible day. What were you doing in a bar during the day?” He asked although he used to be a lot of the time before he went to rehab. He laughed a little and nodded, “Well my day has been pretty good, I started a new job and it has been something different but it’s been a good day. What do you think might make your day better?”

Dallas tried for a moment to look serious, but the smallest smile curved her lips. “Are you telling me you’re willing to laugh at a poor girl’s suffering?” She deadpanned, but it only took half a second for the full smile to break as she gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “It’s almost worse if you don’t laugh. My ego is the only thing that any permanent damage. The rest of me might make a full recovery. For better or worse.” She added with a playful eye roll. At the question about finding herself in a bar during the day, her expression shifted into an easy smile. “She’s all mine,” she answered. “This place called The Nest over in the village. At this point I’m thinking about just setting up a cot in the storeroom.” She said, almost managing to sound put out that the brewery was more of a home than her actual home — but it was hard to ignore the underlying pride in her tone. Leaning forward, the Philadelphia native rested her chin on her elbow as she regarded the other, brows raised. “Heyyy, congratulations. What’s the job?” She asked. She chuckled, wrinkling her nose. “A lobotomy, maybe. Short of that... french fries. Definitely french fries.”

[dallasstarling]

rydell-lefleur‌:

“I definitely wouldn’t say better,” Ry admitted with a slight shrug of her shoulders though amusement at the whole little tale was evident on her face. “But I did have a girl come in today looking to get a tattoo to impress someone she has a thing for- never a good idea. She got herself so worked up with nerves that she started hyperventilating the second the needle started buzzing and barely a quarter into the outline being done she yelled at me to stop, wrenched herself to the side and proceeded to vomit all over the floor- and my boots- before nearly passing out. So, my co-worker and I spent the next twenty minutes calming her down, cleaning up the lovely mess she made and wiping the blood from her barely started tattoo off of her arm. She’s supposed to come back tomorrow to get the thing finished so I may have to have a paramedic standing by just in case- and plastic to put over my shoes.”“I definitely wouldn’t say better,” Ry admitted with a slight shrug of her shoulders though amusement at the whole little tale was evident on her face. “But I did have a girl come in today looking to get a tattoo to impress someone she has a thing for- never a good idea. She got herself so worked up with nerves that she started hyperventilating the second the needle started buzzing and barely a quarter into the outline being done she yelled at me to stop, wrenched herself to the side and proceeded to vomit all over the floor- and my boots- before nearly passing out. So, my co-worker and I spent the next twenty minutes calming her down, cleaning up the lovely mess she made and wiping the blood from her barely started tattoo off of her arm. She’s supposed to come back tomorrow to get the thing finished so I may have to have a paramedic standing by just in case- and plastic to put over my shoes.” The brunette shrugged again, a small smile on her face. “Some days are just best spent in bed.”

Dallas’ eyes widened at the story, leaning forward with rapt attention as the tale continued to take turn after turn. Pulling a face, the blonde shook her head. “No, that’s worse. You definitely had a worse day.” She concluded definitively with a conclusive nod, small grin taking hold. “I’ve cleaned up my fair share of vomit but never on me.” She admitted, wrinkling her nose. “Ten bucks says you absolutely do not see her again.” She added. The shame alone was almost enough to make her call in sick to the brewery tomorrow — and she owned the place. Not to mention it had at least been a bodily fluid-free embarrassment. Her expression shifted into a wry grin as Dallas narrowed her eyes. “Does this mean I should cancel the appointment for my ‘mom in a heart’ tattoo? Because it really was my last shot at finally winning my parent’s affections.” She mused. 

[dallasstarling]

larkshepherd‌:

There was no hesitation in her movements as she accepted the small offering of the spot next to Dallas on the floor and plopped into it, a little unceremoniously and definitely not graceful at all when Lark decides to look back on the moment hours later. But, it was the closest she had ever been to the girl and Lark found herself quickly distracted by the soft scent and the gentle warmth that the body next to her’s gave off, something that was without a doubt, most definitely, completely Dallas. It enticed her and she realized she didn’t plan to go anywhere else any time soon, so she gave a quiet hum, processing the girl’s question as she shook her head. “I moved here when I was fourteen, so I supposed I didn’t grow up here, but… in some ways I felt like I grew here, you know?”

Then, realizing what she said, a small laugh rumbled from Lark’s throat. “No pun intended, of course.” Until that moment, she had forgotten all about her worrying over the greenhouse and the shop and the flowers that were outside on her small apartment balcony. Being in Dallas’ presence always seemed to have that effect on her- forgetfulness. Thankfully, this time Lark actually welcomed it. The last thing she wanted to spend the already long and exhausting night doing was worrying. She sighed and nudged Dallas’ shoulder with her own. “What about you? Are your roots here?”

She would happily blame her accelerated pulse on her own stress — if she were able to ignore the way it seemed to spike anytime she set foot into the flower shop. At this point, she was nearly Pavlov’ed into an adrenaline rush any time she smelled anything floral. It had been a rough spring. Even now as her nerves kicked into high gear, her throat closed around a nervous laugh, barely managing to suppress the sound. As if she she didn’t seem hysterical enough today. Lips pulled into a grin, finally letting go of her own laugh, letting the sound echo Lark’s own. Lark had a good laugh — melodic and easy. It suited her. Dallas nodded. “I know exactly what you mean.” Okay, so maybe she didn’t entirely. She’d never been far from Philadelphia, and never for long. But she could understand, in theory.

At the touch, a breath of nervous laughter passed her lips. God, was she twelve? Surely even a 12-year-old Dallas had managed to pull it together around her middle school crushes for the duration of a single conversation. Of course, she had never been this nervous around anyone before. She had met and had full conversations with some of the best football players to pass through the Eagles’ team and not so much as stuttered, and she had considered some of them her life-long heroes — but here she was sitting in the library with a woman who had only recently entered her life, and it was like she couldn’t string ten words together. At risk of her thoughts being replaced entirely by a nervous jumble, Dallas nodded, glancing at her own legs before looking back at Lark. “Deep roots — at least, half. My dad’s family has been in the city forever. He likes to brag that his ancestors were right alongside the founding fathers, but like, every family tree I looked at for grade school projects says he’s a liar.” She admitted, though there was an edge of affection in her words. “My mom’s from Texas. Bet you can guess the city.” She added, playful eye roll punctuating the thought. “Where were you? Before Philly, I mean?”

[dallasstarling]

“I think I have to move to a new town. Plan a new identity, the whole thing.” Dallas said, taking a seat and heaving a sigh. Without further prompting, the Philadelphia native pressed on. “i totally ate it in front of about 60 customers today? Totally minding my own business, carrying way more than I can possibly handle because I’m a showoff and an overachiever, manage to perfectly hit the smallest spill – and I mean like, someone dropped half an ice cube and it melted small, completely bottom out. I’m talking feet above my head, seven cups flying through the air like I’m some Ringling brothers juggling act. Cut to less than a second later, on the ground, soaked in beer and who knows what else in under three seconds. Whole bar applauds, and I have to stand and take a bow like I’ve just given the performance of a lifetime.” She said, punctuated with another sigh as she rested her head on her hand. “Tell me your day’s better.”

[cassandraxwilson]

Send me a 🌟 and I’ll answer the following about your muse:

1. First impression: 2. Best feature: 3. Worst feature: 4. Have you ever made me laugh: 5. Have you ever made me mad: 6. Have you ever made me cry: 7. Have I ever had a crush on you: 8. Have I ever thought about you naked: 9. Do I have any regrets with you: 10. You’re my:

[dallasstarling]

larkshepherd‌:

“That sounds… beautiful.” The way Dallas spoke about her love of soft, gentle storms and her childhood treehouse dazzled Lark in a way she couldn’t quite place. She was almost sure that it was the longest string of sentences she’d ever heard the girl say and she found herself longing for more- but as quick as that feeling came, fuzzy and warm somewhere between her chest and her stomach, Dallas ended the memory. Lark tried to imagine what it would be like to have a treehouse, watching storms as they rolled through the sky. That wasn’t something she ever experienced though and the closest she ever got were real trees in the tropics that she decided to climb as a kid. 

Lark nodded, understanding, and finished zipping up her backpack, but she didn’t pick it up just yet. Instead, she set it against the bookshelf and turned to face the girl with the granola bar. The offer slid into her heart, warming her veins as it went, and even though she wasn’t hungry, she accepted the crumbled granola with a thankful smile anyway. Maybe it wasn’t even that she was thankful for the food offering as much as she was Dallas’ company and she found herself wanting to linger, to offer the girl the same comforting feeling. “Thank you,” Lark spoke softly, taking the granola before clearing her throat. “I, um… do you mind some company?”

“I guess it was, in a way.” She said, soft smile curving her lips as she glanced back at the other. She couldn’t tell if it was Lark’s calming affect or her own stress that was cause heat to flood to her cheeks — she just hoped the unforgiving overheard lighting was enough to conceal it. Clearing her throat, she shifted her weight for her left foot to her right, suddenly too aware of how awkwardly she was standing, and how desperately she wanted the other girl to stay. “Did you, uh, did you grow up here?” She asked, tilting her head, trying her best to sound casual. 

She looked at the backpack, sure Lark was going to pick it up and loop it around her shoulder, leaving Dallas in her corner to replay the conversation on a nightmare loop. At least it would break up the monotony of worrying about where her family could possibly be that they couldn’t be bothered to at least send an ‘okay’ text. Was it really that hard to confirm their survival? But when she didn’t go, Dallas could’ve almost breathed a sigh of relief. Instead, she accepted the undoubtedly messy granola offering, and Dallas smiled. As if the acceptance weren’t enough, she asked to stay. The smile reached her eyes, almost replacing the worry. Almost. “Yeah. No. Wait,” she floundered, taking a  breath and offering the other woman and abashed smile. “Please.” She managed with a soft chuckle. Taking a seat on the floor against a bookshelf, she patted the ground near her. “Might as well settle in.” She said, glancing back at the window. “I’m afraid it’ll be a long night.” She added. Though, for the first time all day, ‘afraid’ wasn’t the word topping the list of Dallas’ emotions.

[dallasstarling]

larkshepherd‌:

Lark gently smiled in Dallas’s direction, brushing the palms of her hands against the soft material of her leggings. There was a stirring in her chest, and despite only managing to begin speaking sentences to each other a mere couple weeks ago, she felt the pull to do anything to reassure the girl in front of her that everything would be okay. Which it would be, she was sure of that. The roof of the library was still intact- that had to mean something, right? She wasn’t an expert on storms, but she had seen vary few that were bad enough to evacuate in Pennsylvania. Her greenhouse probably wasn’t going to survive it, or at least need a million repairs, but as long as they were okay. As long as Dallas is okay, her inner voice whispered and she wished she could physically swat it away.

“Oh, I- uh- yeah. Yeah, I did,” Lark stammered out, somehow surprised by the question, despite reaching out to families being the topic that caused them to fall into this interaction to begin with. She really didn’t have anyone to contact. Her aunt and uncle were safe, Frankie was here… her parents were God knows where and she couldn’t be bothered to care. Besides, they definitely weren’t in Philadelphia. Lark distracted herself, beginning to zip her backpack back up until her eyes caught sight of the hoodie she had stuffed into the bag before leaving the apartment, her favorite. Her gaze lifted back to Dallas and she cleared her throat. “Are you hungry? Or… cold?” 

It was selfish to want Lark to remain near her, and she hadn’t ever really considered herself to be selfish — and yet, here she was. Looking at the other, soft smile curving her lips as Lark answered her question. “Good. That’s good.” She said, glad to see that she still had the potential to sound like an idiot even in a state of emergency. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” She admitted, gaze drifting from the other the the high window. It may as well had been the dead of the night for all she knew, the occasional streak of lightning illuminating the sky. “I used to love storms when I was a kid,” she mused. “You know the kind that turn the sky bright red during the summer? The kind that make everything but the rain go quiet? My parents built me this treehouse, and I always used to sneak out there to watch them. Really dumb idea, in retrospect.” She admitted, realizing it sounded silly and shaking herself from her own reverie. 

At the question, she shook her head, but felt a rush of affection for the girl with the flowers. “I’m okay. Thank you, though.” She said. “But, if you’re hungry.” She started, fishing a Nature Valley granola bar out of her own bag and extending it to Lark. The bar was less a bar, though, and sort of.. fell when she offered it. “Or just.. granola in a bag.” She amended, wrinkling her nose. She rarely left home without some sort of snack shoved into her bag — more often than not, it was candy, but she had been on a 24-hour health kick. It was a shame, because a candy bar sounded infinitely better than the world’s crunchiest granola bar. She made a mental note to add ‘phone charger’ to the list of items to keep in her bag. 

[dallasstarling]

pao-molina‌:

Seeking shelter at a library was not something Paola imagined when she heard about the tornado warning. She was hoping for something a bit more exciting or interesting as opposed to the place she spent many nights cramming for her exams. She unlocked her phone texting her friends in the area. Hey usually I’m the late one, but is anyone here yet? She locked her phone, searching around the floor for her next move. Should she claim a spot? Wait for her friends? She opened her phone again to see if anyone was typing, but that didn’t stop Pao’s legs from continuing on in her path. Next thing she knew, she was colliding with another evacuee. It was half Paola’s fault, but she couldn’t help but be irritated for the encounter. She immediately wanted to go on the defensive, but she stopped herself and whipped her bag around to search for a charger. “I should probably sit too, clearly I’m no use on my feet in here.” She handed the girl her cord and invited herself to sit down and wait as she used it. “Who are you waiting for anyway? Family?”

Dallas let out a soft chuckle and nodded. “You and me both.” She said, as if she hadn’t tried sitting down half a dozen times only to shoot back up and resume her pacing. Being in motion felt like at least she was doing something — even if that something was clearly setting herself on a collision course with whoever had the misfortune to draw near. “Thank you so much.” She breathed a sigh of relief, neatly plugging it into the nearest outlet and eyeing her phone, as if not being hooked into a power source was the only thing stopping her family from reaching out. Forcing herself to put the device down (but not before checking again to ensure it wasn’t on silent or do not disturb), she settled into a seat near Paola. She took a breath and nodded. “I’m sure they’re fine — they don’t even have a reason to be in this part of town. It’s just... not knowing. I keep coming up with even worse worse-case scenarios.” She said, trying her hardest to sound rational. Looking over at the other, she offered a smile that still held an edge of nerves. “How about you? Anyone meeting you out here?”