What's in a Name?

Darby. Just Darby, please. This is a retired RP blog.

[darbycollingwoods]

The Past has not Passed | Darby and Vincent

[bartender-vinny]

Vincent watched as the brunette smiled and reached for the water. He watcher her intently making sure that she was okay. The way she moved affirmed that there was something up. She just sat there staring at the glass in her hands. What ever had brought her here was weighting heavily on her. Her next statement pretty much confirmed that something was up.

“If I didn’t want to I wouldn’t have offered” He answered honestly. ignoring her comment of being a downer. If the thought that she wasn’t the most open of people made her thing that then maybe he was too behind closed doors. It was that thought that made him sympathize with her. “Yet you’re here chatting up the bartender” He chuckled lightly. “If you wanna talk I’m all ears. If you just want to sit relax we can do that too.” He offered.

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby was pretty intoxicated. If she stood up in that moment, she’d probably fall over and pass out. She wasn’t in her right mind and being as emotional as she was, it was dangerous to be thinking about Texas right now. 

“That’s sweet... but it’s scary stuff. I’m scary stuff...” She closed her eyes, trying to avoid the images that clawed into her consciousness. “It’s all just really hard now - it’s all so confusing. I don’t know... I know what I did was right, but it feels so wrong. I should have gone to the police.” 

Her words slurred, but she was clear enough. Darby had said too much.

[darbycollingwoods]

The Past has not Passed | Darby and Vincent

[bartender-vinny]

Vincent stood there eyeing her after she had responded. Unsure if he should call the cab anyway for the brunette. The look she wore told him that she really was looking for company. However he sincerely doubted that a bar was the best place for that. The look also reminded him of the same person he had mentioned to Darby last time. It was that that thought that made him decide to leave the girl be. “Fine but you’re drinking water for the rest of the night” He responded handing the girl a glass of water.

“As for company, I’v been told I’m not half bad” He offered to the girl. He knew she wasn’t the talking type but, if she really was looking for simply someone to be around then he wouldn’t mind.

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby gave a weak smile and nodded at his demand that she stick to water. It was probably best. She wouldn’t protest that. She wrapped her fingers gingerly around the glass, but didn’t take a sip. She just stared at the clear liquid through the side of the glass.

“You probably don’t want to keep me company. I’m generally a downer.” She thought. “Besides, I always have bad luck in bars.”

[darbycollingwoods]

Spilled Ink | Darby & Kira

[violentdelightstheseviolentends]

It was strange, for years she had felt like Darby was holding a knife to her throat, and now she was doing much the same. Very much a if I’m going down, your going down with me situation. 

“What happened?” she needed to know at least. If it was definitely a one time thing, then she could keep quiet but if not… whatever her price, she couldn’t risk there being a killer in the town. 

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby had never divulged the entire story to anyone. She’d never felt comfortable with anyone enough to bring it up. The only reason Adrian knew was because Darby had tried to get him to stay away from her for his own sake and it just spilled out. Now... Now Kira had a gun to her head.

Mouth dry and eyes watery, Darby looked anywhere but at Kira as she slowly began to recount what had happened. 

“I’d... had a really bad day... and I was at this dinky bar. This couple came in and the woman was - she was so loud. She wanted my stool. I told her... no... and she kept on screaming at me and I kept telling her no. But... she pushed me and I fell. When I got up, I just-I just was so angry. All of everything that people had done to me, it all came flooding and I-I-I took an empty beer bottle...” Darby’s hand was up, in a fist, raised above to mimic what she’d done that night.

“I got kicked out but they didn’t want to press charges. An ambulance took away the woman. I left - but I was walking home and he followed me, the boyfriend. I knew... I thought he was gonna hurt me. I turned in an alleyway and he followed me and it was instinct. I picked up the nearest thing - a, um, pipe or something and I... turned on him and he came at me and I-I-I hit him. I kept hitting him until I was sure that he-he wouldn’t follow me.” Tears streamed down Darby’s face and she dropped her head in her hands, falling to the floor and landing on her bum.

“I drove back to Northpoint that night.”

[darbycollingwoods]

Spilled Ink | Darby & Kira

[violentdelightstheseviolentends]

Darby’s reaction to the piece of paper gave her everything she needed to know. Frankly she had been hoping for the opposite to be true. Shit, this really was the last thing she needed to know. 

“Here” she said, letting the girl take the page. It would be so easy to forget, to pretend she didn’t see. But… but if what she had read was true… she needed the answers, and she knew that.

“Backroom, now”.

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby took the paper gently, trying not to snatch it out of haste. For a moment, she thought Kira would let it go, but then she heard her words.

Panic surged through her veins and fight or flight instincts were urging her to make a decision and make it now. She blinked back tears and silently followed Kira to the backroom. Her mind raced with possibilities. Blackmail, police, prison... It was all too much.

[darbycollingwoods]

The Past has not Passed | Darby and Vincent

[bartender-vinny]

Vincent had the closing shift at the Drunken Sailor. It was one of the few nights he actually didn’t mind working there. It was a weekday so everything was pretty slow. It gave him time to be left with his thoughts without too many interruptions. His mind was still reeling from the meeting he had at the docks  the day before. He had reached out to Dev but, they hand’t had time to meet up yet. It was only a matter of time until his new client grew impatient. He’d have to deal with that situation soon enough. In the mean time his only concern was actually in the process of dozing off right in front of him.

It was the Brunette that he had seen on a few occasions - Darby if he remembered right. She had come in not too long ago, ordered a few drinks, and kept to her self. This wasn’t unusual from what he had gathered but, usually she didn’t look so defeated and out of it. That was what really bothered him about the girl. “Hey, you need me to call you a cab” He asked while tapping her on the shoulder. He knew something was bothering her but, didn’t know her well enough to ask. That along with what he could tell from his brief interactions with her told him she wasn’t the talking type to begin with.

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby lifted her head up slowly and looked at Vinny. She knew him, somewhat. He once told her her smile reminded him of someone, although she couldn’t remember who now.

Eyes bleary, she blinked a few times before shaking her head in protest. Her gaze fell and she ran her tongue across her lips anxiously.

“No thank you,” She said, rather quietly. “I... um, I don’t want to be alone right now.” That was true, although sitting by herself in a nearly empty bar wasn’t much different from sitting by herself on her own couch - and it was certainly safer. Darby knew she should take him up on his offer but something protested.

[aurorarothschild-blog]

“That sounds so peaceful, being surrounded by plants all day. Granted, I’d get irritated with the bugs but it’s a nice idea.” Aurora told her. Gardening was such a different occupation than hers that she wondered how she’d fair in such an atmosphere. Probably better. “I adore flowers although they tend to die on me quite quickly. Can’t say I’ve ever owned a cactus, though. I suppose it’s the fear of accidentally pricking myself on it that stops me.”

[darbycollingwoods]

“Sometimes flowers are finicky. If you have trouble keeping plants alive, I’d recommend something like aloe vera.” Darby laughed. “I’ll be honest: I prick myself on accident a lot. Eventually you get used to that, I think.” She smirked. For the longest time, her plants were all Darby had. She had an affection for them that usually made people give her weird looks.

[arabhamlet]

[aurorarothschild-blog]

“What sort of plants?” Aurora prodded gently. She had noticed the way Darby looked down and recognizing the passion she had for her job, wanted to make her feel a bit more accepted. “I mean, I haven’t got a clue what sort of plants are the best ones nor how to care for them. I tend to just take home whatever I fancy as pretty.”

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby glanced back up. “Oh, all kinds. Flowers, succulents, ferns... anything, really.” She laughed breathily. “I work with lots of flowers at the Town Gardens, but at home I have a lot more hearty plants. I adore cacti. I bought my first one in Texas.” 

[darbycollingwoods]

Spilled Ink | Darby & Kira

[violentdelightstheseviolentends]

There were many things that Kira hated about Northpoint, but at the top of that list was the bar. Ok yes she worked there but trying to handle the job without throwing drinks into some of the customers faces was something that was becoming harder and harder.

If a bad day could get worse Darby entered. It wasn’t that she disliked the girl, it was just that she couldn’t trust her. Not that she had done anything with the secret, but the paranoia would always be there. It had to be, it was the only way that she could keep things to herself.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before the other girl left, but as she did so she noticed the crumpled page fall out. She picked it up, not meaning to read it, just to return it to the owner. But the best laid plans always did seem to go wrong and her eyes picked up one word too many.

She should just assume it was a story, return the page and forget it. But the words were there now. She couldn’t just hold onto this secret and not let the girl know that she had read the page. “Darby” she called back. Why had she read the damn thing.

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby turned on her heel when she’d heard her voice. She looked at Kira then down at what was in Kira’s hands, then back up at Kira as her own shot to her empty jacket pocket. Panic sprung up in Darby’s stomach and she slowly approached Kira, eyes wide with fear.

“Kira...” Darby’s hand lifted toward Kira’s. She silently begged for her to hand over the paper, which she had seen was now more open and therefore legible. She swallowed back the bile rising in her throat.

This was bad.

[aurorarothschild-blog]

“Not many people are. It’s actually a bit of an annoyance to be one.” Aurora explained. “That sounds like such a peaceful job. I take it you spend most of your time outdoors?”

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby’s eye brightened at the mention of spending time outdoors. “Oh, yes. I’m outside every chance I get. Plus, you know, my home is full of plants so either way...” She nodded, looking down. It always occurred to her mid-rant that she was babbling when it came to plants.

[aurorarothschild-blog]

Aurora couldn’t help but smile at her assumption of her. Shrugging, she raised an eyebrow. “Well, you know what they say: looks can be deceiving.” Aurora believed in the law. She believe people who committed vicious crimes should be put away. That being said, however, she always figured that if she had went into defense, Aurora would prefer not to know if her client was guilty. Not that it’d make difference, of course. Winning always came first for her in the end. “Your dad’s friend and I are similar in that way.” She told her. “Although, it’s not about money for me. It’s about my client and winning. They paid me to do a job and I intend to do it well.” She explained.

“It is but it’s not as bad as it sounds. A lot of it is just fine reading.”

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby shrugged. “Complicated enough for me... I’ve never been much of a paperwork-person. I’m a gardener.” She smiled, glancing down. “It’s a great job, except for when it starts snowing.”

[darbycollingwoods]

The Past has not Passed | Darby and Vincent

@bartender-vinny

Watery-eyed and alone, Darby sat at the bar. She swilled a glass of wine, one of many she’d had, and wished that her mind was quieter. She’d fallen asleep early in the evening that day and had an awful nightmare. Her relatives, the women of the ruins, were urging her into hiding. They told her something bad was coming. They were terrified. These images melted into memories of Texas, of the face of the man she’d hurt and his girlfriend, and Darby woke up slick with sweat around 9 pm. 

After that dream, Darby was tense and scared, and rather than be alone with those feelings, she decided to quietly drink in public instead. 

She rested her head on her arm which laid across the bar. The only other people around were beginning to leave. It was a weekday and everyone had to work tomorrow and it was midnight now. Darby didn’t care. She had the day off tomorrow.

[darbycollingwoods]

Spilled Ink | Darby & Kira

@kiragrayson

Darby had needed to get out and lately she’d been gravitating toward the Drunken Sailor when she needed this. After reading about ways to cope with anxiety and intrusive thoughts, Darby had bought a journal. Now, she sat at a tucked away table by herself, trying to her damnedest to write. 

It wasn’t really flowing, though. All she’d managed to get out were stale words about her secrets. Mostly, she wrote about Texas. The details of the attack were there, but it didn’t feel cathartic and Darby was just getting frustrated with herself for not being better with her words. 

Eventually, she decided she would start over again. She ripped the page out of the book and crumpled it up, stuffing it in her jacket pocket. After that, she stayed there a couple more hours, mostly just staring at her empty journal.

With a huff, Darby stood up and packed everything away, then she turned to leave. She avoided eye contact with Kira, who she passed quickly. It hadn’t occurred to Darby that her balled up secret had fallen from her jacket pocket at Kira’s feet.

[darbycollingwoods]

Halloween 2015 | Self-Para

Darby had opted to spend her night alone in her apartment for Halloween. Generally, it wasn’t a safe night for her to be out and about, and she knew that her parents took tonight to get out of town since a few years back. So, Darby was sitting on her couch watching ABC Family’s Halloween marathon, when there was a buzz from the intercom. A visitor was at the door of the building, wanting to be let in. Darby walked to the intercom and pulled out her phone. She’d asked her dad to let her record him asking “Who is it?” so that she could make it seem like someone who wasn’t her was home for situations like this.

She pushed down the talk button then let the recording play.

“It’s Trevor. I brought cookies.” 

Darby hesitated. Adrian had really been trying to get Darby to drop Trevor before he left... but why? Was it jealousy or was it instinct? Darby didn’t get a bad feeling from Trevor. She figured she could trust her gut after everything that had happened to her.

She hit the button that allowed visitors in and unlocked her door so she could sit and wait.

Once he was over, they watched the marathon together, not talking much, and sharing cookies. Trevor watched Darby while Darby watched the tv. She didn’t notice.

[aurorarothschild-blog]

“Why is that?” Aurora asked curiously. Her reason for not going into defense had nothing to do with a client being guilty. It had more to do with Aurora’s apathy towards such a thing. The same went for prosecution. “It’s mostly legalities with the occasional suing, investigation, and monopoly thrown in.” She explained. “Contracts, drafting, minimizing business risks, etc.”

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby shrugged. “You just don’t give off the impression that you enjoy letting criminals go free.” She didn’t really know how else to explain it. “My dad had this lawyer friend - he was a bit obnoxious - and he was a defense lawyer. He didn’t care who did what, as long as he won and as long as he got paid. Something about him, his personality, made that obvious. You don’t remind me of him.” She shrugged again.

“That sounds complicated.”

[margotrobbiesbye-deactivated202]

[darbycollingwoods]

“I’m feeling really sad because I love Allison so much. She’s just such a young person and she died really abruptly.”

[avianamrtnxo]

“Well, lets just hope I’m not another number, right?”

[darbycollingwoods]

Darby swallowed thickly. “I certainly hope not... I’m sorry... I was insensitive just now.”