10 yards should be easy, right?

Drew Rogers. #5. 1367 Career passing completions. UPitt. I guess maybe not. 

[christiandumotier]

Christian was impressed that Drew knew the word metaphor. He’d need to tell Reg that the boy was getting closer to Winthrop-Khoo dating material bit by bit. “You know I can’t tell you that.”

“It’s all of our obligation, isn’t it? I just have more means than most. For now, I should say.” He lifted an eyebrow. “From what I hear, things are about to be leveled. But I’ll be honest.” (No, he wouldn’t.) “I can acknowledge I didn’t make things better before all this started. I wasn’t interested in it. I can’t help but worry that that inaction has contributed to this.” Perhaps there was a grain of truth to that. Just enough to hide the actual contribution. Hopefully.

This was a delicate question. A good one, even. He hadn’t expected them to think so globally, which was perhaps his own arrogance. “There is no action that is 100% without risk. But I truly believe the net danger is less.” He barely swallowed the notion that anyone who will be harmed deserves it, but he wasn’t allowed to say shit like that, was he? Even if it was true. “And Raleigh agrees that something needs to be done. She knows I can take care of myself. And other people.” And would say I’m being a pretentious dick, but that runs in the family.

@morganlittle

[morganlittle]

“We think so,” Morgan replied, nodding at Drew. She wanted to believe Christian was operating in good faith. Did she give him a chance to prove her right or wrong? She’d changed since this all began. Was it so hard to believe he had too? Apparently the answer was yes because Morgan struggled to view this as entirely genuine. She was sure parts were, but she didn’t know which.

She looked at Drew, searching for anything in his expression that told her what he was thinking. Morgan could interpret a silent signal but she wasn’t too practiced at reading him better than that yet. “That is why we’re considering this,” she admitted. “Less danger.” The alternative was a lot riskier, especially for them. Was it enough reason to go this route or would it be selfish?

“If this happens, we will be sending someone with you. It won’t be someone from CM, only because we think our presence will make things a lot more fraught for everybody.”

[drewrogersqb]

"Why can't you? Tell us I mean." Drew gave Christian an aw shucks half smile, willfully ignoring the social cue to join him in comfortable white boy town. He was very good at needing things explained to him. It was kind of his hobby at this point.

Drew nodded, confirming Morgan's assessment. "That's the point, man. The, like, duties we owe each other. But you're being like... super vague. It feels kinda weird, you know? Are you going to talk to Tony this way?"

The idea that Christian seemed to be truly claiming Raleigh's endorsement gave Drew just a little bit of pause. He seemed like the kind of guy who might actually know that Drew and Raleigh talked more than acquaintances did. (Not that they would ever have been acquaintances if not for Del. Drew was not an Honors kid.)

He watched Christian closely as Morgan brought up the idea of him having company. If they had any hope of knowing Christian's true motives, this would have to be the hint.

@christiandumotier

[christiandumotier]

Okay. He’d walked into that. More than a little. He could hear Lou teasing him in his head (dumb white boy, she’d murmur, somewhere between exhaustion and affection. Or perhaps he just told himself that.), but he reminded himself that this all looked very predictable and clumsy. For once, he did need to be aiming to look like a little less of a threat than usual, if only to lull them into a false sense of security. “A more than fair point, Morgan. I apologize. I’ll admit I had not had to think about the implications of the Alessis’ actions well…” He took perhaps a little too long to think. “Ever.” His smile looked a little apologetic. A little.

“We don’t really travel in the same circles, and I have no interest in doing so, despite various overtures that have been made over the years.” This first tack was important to take. He was at risk of looking too connected, which could be very dangerous indeed. Connected was bad. Informed was good. “But I do have information they don’t want to get out. Consider it the threat of nuclear winter to counter his posturing on the border.”

He gave them a moment to process this before adding. “I appreciate your concern for my safety, but as I mentioned to Fern, I consider this information to be the best protection a person can have against the Alessis, even at their most volatile. Much as I appreciate you and Mx. Seraven volunteering to moderate conflict, when I see a situation where I am in a position to help, I feel it’s my obligation to offer. I’ll admit that wasn’t the case in West Ham. But we aren’t in West Ham anymore, as Raleigh explained to me on Friday night.”

It was a slight exaggeration, to be fair. She’d sent him a warning text, and he’d followed up. It was less consolation and more risk management. “Our families are close, yes.” He managed to keep the fact that her ancestors had helped to fund his forebears’ escape from the French Revolution to himself. “I hate to see her upset, and I find his threats to be in poor taste. Unfortunately, he and his sister have demonstrated the only thing they respect is a show of power. I have that. And community maintenance is fundamentally designed to avoid such demonstrations, as I understand it.”

[morganlittle]

“Thank you,” Morgan said in response to Christian’s apology. It was more than most would give.

Morgan was conflicted. There was a little nagging voice in her head telling her that this was a risky path to take. She struggled to believe that Christian would do this out of the good of his heart. “Why do you feel it’s your obligation?” she asked him. Morgan wished they had thought to ask Fern if she had agreed to some kind of payment for this. Her instincts told her she must have, Christian was not someone who did things for free historically. It seemed far fetched that he’d change his ways now. What did she agree to give him? And would she tell them if she did?

She knew asking what information he had on the Alessi’s was going to be pointless. They were Community Maintenance. Enough said. “This information you have. Is there a risk of others being hurt?” Morgan wasn’t sure about her wording. “I’m sure you can appreciate why we’re feeling some reluctance. We won’t want to go ahead if this could result in any harm coming to somebody else.”

@drewrogersqb

[drewrogersqb]

Lucky fucking you. Drew thought, before adding another Sorry Mom to his inner monologue. It must be nice to not have to think about Tony Alessi at all. He wasn't sure he could recall a time when he'd been able to avoid that while he lived in West Ham. Art had seen to that.

"That's a dark metaphor." He thanked Del internally for the ability to even recognize the technique. "Where'd you get the bombs?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he needed to.

He just nodded as Morgan asked the most important question. He knew Dante was harping big on obligation and duty, but he couldn't believe that was what got through to Christian du Motier.

"Exactly." He echoed Morgan's sum up of the potential impact. "You think Raleigh would approve of this?" He genuinely didn't know, and perhaps he was looking for yet another cheatsheet from people who were smarter than him. He knew Morgan was going to ask his opinion because she was kind like that, but he'd never been anything other than reactive in these situations, deciding how to handle others' positions as best he could.

@christiandumotier

[christiandumotier]

Christian gave Fern a small salute as she left, more for Drew and Morgan’s benefit than for hers. Then he followed up with an appropriately aristocratic bow before adding “Morgan.”

He sat down on the most comfortable couch in the room, which left Drew and Morgan two rather imposing armchairs. “I understand your confusion, but when Fern explained what you were facing, I couldn’t help but worry. If Tony’s playing judge, jury, and executioner, I’ll admit I don’t feel safe.” He managed to not add I don’t have the capital you have, but only barely. “Do you?”

There was no point in a full lie. Not to them. They didn’t merit the effort of keeping the falsehoods straight. Half-truths were easier.

@morganlittle

[morganlittle]

Drew’s short agreement was all it took for Morgan to realise he was using their signal without directly waving it in her face. Which was fair and would have been weird if he chucked her a contextless deuce right now. Christian was a lot smarter than Dylan Quilter, they had to be more subtle.

Morgan listened to Christian, not really buying what he was saying. “Well. As a black girl coming from normal American society where things were already quite treacherous for people like me, not really.” She shrugged as if that didn’t weigh on her. They were still figuring out how things differed here, how they wanted it to work. What it was in reality. Felt a little like walking a tightrope trying to see which way they’d fall. A better society or a worse one. Who had the strongest push?

“If you don’t feel safe why are you putting your hand up to confront Tony?” she asked him. “Surely that’s not safe. And we want you to be safe, to be clear. That’s not in question. I’m genuinely curious.”

@christiandumotier

[drewrogersqb]

Drew wasn't proud of Morgan. He didn't have any right to be, because it suggested a power/competence dynamic they didn't have. But damn if he wasn't very, very, very grateful. He had baggage when it came to pretty European boys very patiently gaslighting him, and it was all feeling a bit familiar, even if Christian's features were less conventionally masc than Art's. So he focused on trying to not screw this up for her.

He nodded as she pointed out the privilege of what he was saying. "Good point, Morgan." He didn't want to center himself in it, but if Christian argued with her, there was going to be a problem.

"I don't want to be rude, or whatever, man, but this isn't really news to most of us, even if we're just talking about Tony. You heard what happened at his dinner party on Friday. You're friends with Raleigh, right?" He was impressed he remembered that, to be honest. He just recalled Raleigh vaguely suggesting he could talk to Christian about Cricket management back in January, saying he just needed to tell Christian 'The White Witch says hi.' to get some kind of discount. (What a discount meant in this context, he didn't want to know.)

@christiandumotier

[christiandumotier]

Bless Fern for texting, truly. It meant that Christian could time exactly how long he would need to switch into nicer pants than sweats. But he also planned to get this done as quickly as possible as a result. But not in a suspicious way. Just his normal amount of smug way. It was a delicate balance.

He leaned on the door as he opened it, smiling at Fern before turning. “Madam President.” He looked Morgan and Drew up and down. “I would use a title if I knew what to use, apologies. I don’t believe we’ve been introduced, but I know both of you by your enviable reputations. Go Catamounts.”

He did appreciate Fern letting him do the talking to a certain extent. His faith in her continued to be well placed. “Thank you, Fern. We’ll call if we need you.” He made a note to himself to find out about her other engagement. They did have an agreement after all.

Christian beckoned Drew and Morgan into the front living room, the one that only allowed them in deep enough for him to look polite without giving them sight on important things like his wine or Blu-rays. “I assume Fern’s relayed my officer, but I’m sure you have misgivings. Allow me to alleviate them.”

@fernbright

[fernbright]

“Of course,” Fern nodded cordially at Christian, and then gave Morgan and Drew a reassuring smile. She would dampen down her own curiosities and worries and fears and leave it in their capable hands. She’d asked Drew to take this on for a reason, she reminded herself. He was good at this.

For now, she was going to meet with her new friends and have a small break in the madness. Fern needed to feel like a normal girl again, to remind herself of the good that she was fighting for. If only for a moment. “I’ll see you later.” She waved her goodbyes and began her walk back home, the voice in her head reminding her she was breaking a promise to Nell. Again. Fern sighed, and took her phone out of her pocket to ask her sister for a ride.

@morganlittle

[morganlittle]

“My queen is good,” Morgan joked. “No, my name is fine.” She didn’t know if she wanted a title, she got the impression it would feel too police-y. They were trying to avoid that.

Morgan followed them inside, trying not to appear too interested. She wondered if Claudia was here, she hadn’t seen her much since their group bonding session at the church party. She wanted to say hi, see how she was doing. One of the downsides of being so busy now, it was harder to keep up with all the smaller things.

“She did yeah,” Morgan replied, sitting to perch on the edge of the sofa seat. “I think we were a little surprised that you offered,” she said, looking to Drew. She didn’t want to take over or launch into any questions too soon.

@drewrogersqb

[drewrogersqb]

It somehow felt like a little much when Christian said 'Madam President' out loud, even if Drew had been doing it in his head for over a week. "No titles necessary, at least for me." (He never wanted to tell Morgan what to do.) He nodded gratefully, almost sleepwalking before adding. "Not sure that matters anymore."

He suppressed the urge to ask Fern to come back. Morgan had this, even if he very much felt he didn't. He was just there to be the dude.

Luckily or unluckily he didn't really know how to be anything other than direct. Talking to the Quilters had proved that to him. And if they were a scrimmage, Christian du Motier was the freaking Super Bowl. And he really didn't have a play. So he just said... "Same."

@christiandumotier

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about.  Might need a criminal justice system like now. 

So press play, and go.

[fernbright]

The meeting with Community Maintenance had gone much better than Fern had expected it to. They had a plan, and a good one in her opinion. The team had been willing to tell her how they felt and they planned accordingly. The success of it was fueling her, she felt energised and ready for what was next.

She’d promised CM that she would come along and make introductions for this chat with Christian. Fern had checked in and made sure he knew they were coming, and they headed over together. She just hoped that nothing would come up during their talks that would change this plan.

Fern smiled when he opened the door, quite a difference to how she’d been when she’d left his house earlier. “Hi Christian. We’ve just met to talk about the idea we were discussing earlier.” Fern stepped to the side to let him see two thirds of CM with her. “Drew and Morgan have some questions they thought would be easier to bring to you in person.” She clasped her hands. “I won’t stay, I have another meeting to get to. But I will be available by phone until around 2pm if you need anything from me.”

[morganlittle]

Morgan had no idea what to expect as she walked to the front door of this giant ass house. It blew her mind that people actually lived in places like this. It looked really fucking haunted, but it wasn’t going to stop her from being here to support Drew. This was going to be very different from the Quilters.

She had never used Christian’s services before. Morgan hadn’t often found herself in situations that she couldn’t figure out on her own or with the help of her friends. She was lucky like that. But it meant she didn’t really know what she was in for.

“Hi,” Morgan waved after Fern introduced her. “Thanks for being available at such short notice. Could we talk inside?”

[drewrogersqb]

There had been several times in the past two weeks when Drew found himself wondering how he'd gotten himself into this situation. Some had been good (getting to go home with Bronte). Some had been complicated. (Bronte potentially being pregnant, trying to connect with Adam.) Some had been very bad. (Nearly everything else.) But he still had never expected to end up near Christian du Motier's weird little bathroom office, let alone his house. Not even in the depths of his Artemio derived paranoia. Yet here he was.

He watched Fern as she greeted Christian, still trying to understand exactly what happened between them. He didn't want to make harmful assumptions, but Heli had made him sensitive to certain people's unfortunate ability to see the best in people when it was definitely not a good idea to do so. But if it meant that he didn't have to walk into a mafia compound? Well, sometimes you just wanted to let the offensive and defensive lines exhaust each other a little.

So he waved. "Hey, man. We really appreciate your offer."

@christiandumotier

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about.  Might need a criminal justice system like now. 

So press play, and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

The President and Community Maintenance discuss the treacherous path forward. Can they get Tony to engage peacefully? And do they really have to involve Christian du Motier of all people? Surely there must be a better solution. Right?

Keep reading

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

It was only supposed to be a picnic. It was only supposed to be an interview. It was only supposed to be a supply trip. 

It was only supposed to be a dinner. 

But something has shifted. 

The stars have moved. 

So press play, and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

When is comedic relief not a relief? When murder is involved.

Continued from here

Keep reading

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

It was only supposed to be a picnic. It was only supposed to be an interview. It was only supposed to be a supply trip. 

It was only supposed to be a dinner. 

But something has shifted. 

The stars have moved. 

So press play, and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Things get testy when scientific ethics enter the fray. And then the guinea pig shows up…

Continued from here

Keep reading

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Ten

It was only supposed to be a picnic. It was only supposed to be an interview. It was only supposed to be a supply trip. 

It was only supposed to be a dinner. 

But something has shifted. 

The stars have moved. 

So press play, and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Dante brings the best minds of West Ham together to solve some problems. There are more problems than they anticipated. 

Keep reading

[rothmia]

Her forehead wrinkled. “What?” She’d been around enough talented people who didn’t see their own brilliance, but football literally had an easy defined metric. He was the winningest QB the school ever had. “I’ve seen you on the field, your command of movement is very inspiring. Motion is a huge part of visual art, it changes everything to add a few indicators of how people move. You have way more to offer than you even know.”

It was easy to match his enthusiasm. “Thanks. My work is kind of an explosion of color and shape. I won’t bore you with names you probably don’t know but I take a lot of inspiration from wall art. I like that mix of concrete and color. I try to mimic that with weird little bits of beige and white among my rainbows.” She checked his eyes for any sign of glazing over but he wasn’t bored. Or he was very good at hiding it. “I don’t have a good portfolio right now, but if you want to see it later…you can.” Her sketchbook was for freeform creativity and that was private. She needed to finish her portfolio but taking ownership of your work made her think too much about the future and then her head hurt.

She wasn’t sure if he’d made a joke or not, but she laughed either way. “I think you have a naturally calming presence that makes people want to listen to you.” Soft blues and pastel greens. Warm without being aggressive. It was comforting.

“You did great.” She had the urge to pat his back or hug him, but it didn’t feel right. They didn’t know each other that way. “I had no idea you were nervous.” That might have been the weed though.

“I don’t know if it matters much, but I do hope he’ll be at a place soon where he can accept help.” His elders spent so much time trying to break open that masculine shell and they always managed it. She, on the other hand, hadn’t quite figured it out. “Thanks for saying that. I think you think different too and it’s good. The world would be boring without people like us.”

[drewrogersqb]

"That's um... that's kind of you." Drew couldn't help but think of Jordan for a moment, the gentle way he'd been so complimentary about a talent that yes he'd fought for, but it was so intuitive. It was one of those few things where he could put effort into something and it just... worked.

He'd never heard it articulated that way, but Mia's explanation made so much sense to him. As usual, his own words failed him but listening pulled him through. "I'd like that. I'd be honored." He'd always been so touched when Del let him even touch her ceramics.

"Whoa." Drew said, his cheeks flushed at Mia's compliment. "I don't get that a lot. Maybe because I don't talk much." Or maybe he'd seem more intimidating then.

He let out a visible sigh of a relief. "That means a lot, to be honest. It's a lot easier to hide in a helmet."

"It will matter." Perhaps he shouldn't sound so certain, but he couldn't help but feel that they needed to heal. All of them. What an irony it would be if Britt, someone who could be so divisive, could do that. "Adam cares about you." He swallowed the thought that he wasn't sure Adam cared about much. It wouldn't be kind, and all he had at this point was just an attempt to be kind. "He'll listen to you. It just takes time. And in the mean time, we'll keep things interesting."

He looked to the door. "I should get out of your hair. Unless you need any other like... community stuff?"

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

[brontefusco]

Bronte kissed him in response. It might have been cheating, but she didn’t care. She loved him so much and sometimes it was hard to contain it. Everytime he said something nice about her she melted into a puddle. She didn’t think that would ever stop happening.

“Yeah,” she pulled away from him slowly so she could see him better. “That’s, like, the worse thing to say in that situation.” She’d been there countless times, blaming herself for not being able to let go. “But, there are a lot of different coping strategies we could try. I have a worksheet, really more like three, from group but we could also….” her cheeks were too pink, “y'know, innovate.”

Her smile physically hurt but that wasn’t going to stop her. God she loved him. “You’re great at muscle memory.” Watching him from the sidelines had been so arresting, she’d frequently forget that she had a role to play in the game too. He just understood his body so well and where to put it to make the best play possible. It was hypnotizing. “And there’s not going to be a test or anything. I know how you feel about me. I like hearing it all the time, but I don’t think I could ever forget.”

[drewrogersqb]

"Innovating sounds nice. I like innovating." Drew nodded, his already wide grin growing wider even as he pleaded. "Please no worksheets. You know how long it took to get me to agree to a school that actually makes their athletes study. " He knew it hadn't been her favorite conversation. She wanted to make sure he had a future if he hurt himself of if something else bad happened. He realized, suddenly, that something bad had happened. Several, actually. But some things remained the same. Futures were slippery things. Scary and powerful and strange. But in this car, in this moment, there were no trees, no potential murder(s), no precious GPA. Yeah. He'd decided. The present was pretty nice.

"It is such a relief to hear you say that, Bron." He said, his voice husky. "The last part, I mean." He teased. "I'm not humble enough to say I can't remember the first. So, uh. Why don't we... uh, innovate?"

(end)

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

[brontefusco]

“I don’t know about that.” Bronte hid her face slightly, more than a little embarrassed at such a big compliment. “But thank you for saying it.” She’d always had people in her corner, she was very lucky that way, but it meant a lot that he believed in her.

She pulled away so she could see him better. “Me too. Between the both of us, I think we’ll be able to figure out some ways to not focus so much on what could happen, because we seem to be too good at that.”

His words were almost too much for her. She understood so profoundly exactly how he felt. He was her dream. She mooned over him and drank up every second of his time that she could but it had never seemed like it would be her reality. And now it was and she still couldn’t always believe it. “I get that, but no one else ever had a chance. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. I really really mean that.”

[drewrogersqb]

"Well I do, and I've been told I know stuff by someone who's way smarter than me." Drew smiled at her, not apologizing for using her affirmations against her.

He sighed. "I'm gonna need help with that. My parents' response to stuff like that was always just 'well, stop thinking about it then'. It didn't really work, as well, you know, demonstrates." It was a bit of a winding route to get where they'd gotten, but they had. He tried to make it sound like a joke but he wasn't sure he'd succeeded. Bronte knew all his tells. It was usually nice because he was very bad at explaining things but at this moment he wished he could tell her that he was moving past what his dad had done. They had bigger things to worry about.

He tried to not look overcome. He still got tongue tied when Bronte reassured him this way. It made him feel foolish, but somehow in a good way, like a kid who checked under the bed and discovered monsters weren't real (at least for now.) "I know that." He said, feeling his face getting hot. "I just took an embarrassingly long time to figure it out so I fall into bad habits. I'll get the muscle memory. Promise."

rothmia:

Mia nodded. She completely understood what he meant. “I like that image, a brain overflowing with cats. I might design something like that and give it to you, of course, I don’t ever take credit for things that aren’t mine.” It seemed like everyone was trying right now, but no one was having quite the right effect. Maybe they weren’t supposed to. You could never tell if a disaster was just an unfinished masterpiece. But it seemed like this wasn’t the kind of situation that anyone could be good at, hence all the trying with mixed results. It was the kind of mess that made her head hurt to think about. “Yeah,” she laughed, “I’ve been to a few protests with Adam and my signs are always a little to the left of what’s needed. Most people are good sports about it though.” Her last water protector sign had become a rainbow tinted view of the ocean with the words “Save it,” written in wavy fonts that almost blended into the background. Not quite what anyone had needed, but many people enjoyed it at least. “I don’t think that’s true,” she shook her head like she could wipe his words away with the wind. “You convince other people what the right move is. Doesn’t matter if you came up with it or not. If it didn’t go through you, people wouldn’t do it.” She could say that with full confidence. “It’s the person that makes things not the idea.”

[drewrogersqb]

“Oh. Um. Thanks. That would be... Just thanks.” Drew never knew quite what to do with beautiful things. Del would make the most beautiful ceramics and he was always worried he’d break them somehow just by standing next to them. He wasn’t clumsy by any means. Not anymore, anyway. It was just a tall boy thing, he supposed, a memory of having no idea where your body was or what it could do. “I’m sure you wouldn’t. Take things, I mean. Not that I’ve got much to give in that arena.”

Drew smiled. “See that just sounds like nice variety. It’s a stereotype but I’m sure I’m not the only one who tends to prefer pictures over words. I bet your stuff’s real colorful.” Drew'd seen some of Raleigh's recent works when he'd gone to check on Del, but that felt like an entirely different spectrum from the small sample of what he'd seen Mia do at Del's club. One was neon and the other was... a sunset with the northern lights in the background? He wasn't good at these things.

"I wish it was that easy to convince people out here. I'm trying to work on talking. It's a little easier to get people to do things when everyone will cheer if they do. Or they'll at least avoid getting hit in the head." He hoped it wasn't a too mean joke. He'd only beamed Adam once in practice and it was entirely by accident on both their parts.

He let out a long sigh, fully taking stock of the day. "Thank you, Mia, for this, for real. I was real nervous, to be honest. It's a hard topic and I'm real new at this. But you've been great."

He realized, suddenly, that he might be taking up her time. This wasn’t a social call, technically. And yet it was nice to have braced for the worst and not have had to actually face it. (’It’ was Adam, he sighed in his head. And that wasn't fair, especially now that he had the context.) "We'll get Adam some help, okay? If or when he wants it. I'm looking forward to seeing you around, Mia. You don't think the way other people do. It's nice."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

[brontefusco]

“I hope I am too.” Bronte knew that her belief in Cricket could be overconfident given the circumstances, but she knew that he could do so much. If anyone could figure things out, he would be the one.

She screwed her lips up, not really happy with either alternative. “I vote that we don’t try to think up any more weird scenarios.” Her brain was already too good at that. “We don’t fully know what we’re worried about yet, and as bad as I am it, group says that you need to try and clear those from your mind. I think we should listen to that right now.”

She listened closely to his reassurances, trying to commit the words to memory. If she could focus enough on what he was saying, maybe she could be a little less worried other girls or him forgetting her. She moved her head to the side, finding the crevice of his neck and breathing in his scent. It had always comforted her, but with the loss of her parents it felt more necessary these days. “Thank you. For explaining. It didn’t really feel like that, but I get what you mean.” She smiled against him. “That’s how I feel too, like there’s some kind of Drew radar in my brain. It’s always been there.” She liked it that way.

"If he can earn even a sliver of the respect you have for him, he'll be so far ahead of things. You make people better, Bron. You just do." He wondered if there was a better way to put it, but that had been his feeling the entire time he'd been at that electricity place. Like he'd been bathed in her protection.

Bronte's group frequently came in clutch for him, and this was no exception. "Okay. I can do that. I mean. I'll try." He was pretty good at putting things out of his mind and getting things done. Present company excepted.

"I could tell it didn't feel that way, Bron. And I'm sorry. I really am. It's hard to think that I'd ever take you for granted. For so long it felt like..." He struggled for the words. "Like I'd never have you. That I'd miss my window, and Reg would try to date you, any of the other guys on the team. And I'd have to respect what you wanted, even when I'd know, somehow, for the rest of my life, where you were." He let out a weary laugh that bubbled in his chest. "Or where I wanted you to be."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about.  Might need a criminal justice system like now. 

So press play, and go.

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

The Quilters sit down to be community managed. Questions are answered, but yet more remain.

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drewrogersqb:

“No pressure.” Drew echoed with that post game press conference smile. He’d never practiced it, but it seemed to happen anyway. An aw shucks look that made it much easier to hide any sense of devastation or frustration the game before had caused. And God what a game this had been.

He felt a little bit put on the spot by the community maintenance question, but he had agreed to help, and he should at least in theory know what he was supposed to be doing. He resisted the urge to just say ‘you should ask Del’ because as true as the fact was, she had enough on their plate at the moment. “Community maintenance is basically… you know… reminding people what we owe each other. We’re not law enforcement–” because there aren’t any laws, he barely kept himself from adding. “We’re not going to force anyone to do anything. We’re just here to help people talk things out and express themselves in a way that doesn’t hurt other people.” He was pretty sure he’d stolen that last bit from some summary of behavior standard his mom had put on one of her classroom posters but it did apply. “So if someone does hurt you, or if you hurt someone else, we check in with you and see how we can help, whether it’s helping you understand each other or finding a way to replace what you’ve lost. The big thing is we don’t punish people. That’s not something we’re comfortable with.” Drew blinked, realizing that was probably more words than he’d said to a pseudo stranger in a very long time. Or perhaps it just felt like a lot of words, a lot of thoughts. What had been the other thing though? “Oh. Um. I really appreciate everyone who’s volunteering to help.” That didn’t put him squarely in anyone’s camp, which seemed like the right play to make in general. Drew knew like four people well, none of whom were running, and the only opinion he had was that Reg Khoo had never had an opinion his family or Tony’s hadn’t put in his head first, but that wasn’t something he could say in what Del had explained to him was a “position of authority.” His dream was to just be back home without knowing his dad was a cheater, without having to worry about the world ending or his high school rivals becoming full on crimelords, while also not having to think about being separated from Bronte for at least nine months of the year. But that was private. And impossible. “My goal is what I hope everyone’s goal is. I want us all to feel safe and be kind to each other. And anyone who says that’s naïve can expect a visit from me to talk about why they’re not fond of mutual respect.” That might have sounded like a threat. Just a little bit. But he tried to think of it as an offer. That was how he’d intended it. Or at least that was how he’d hoped he had. @niamhwoolfe

niamhwoolfe

Niamh found herself frowning three seconds into his answer, already confused and wanting to jump in with her own questions. However, she exercised the iota of self-control she did possess, pressing her lips together while she waited for him to finish speaking. “What do you mean, owe each other?” she asked, tilting her head at him. She didn’t owe anyone anything as far as she was concerned. Except the $20 she owed Fiona, but she seemed to have forgotten about that in all this shit going down and Niamh was NOT about to remind her. She was much happier when Fiona’s focus was off her. Even better when it was on Nuala but her moving out had made that a little trickier. “That sounds kind of elementary, no? And how does no punishment work? I hypothetically kick some ass and have to talk about feelings?” “That’s a very boring and diplomatic answer Drew. But I guess someone like you needs to be neutral.” She pursed her lips. “Okay. How do you feel about Fern running unopposed?” Surely he had an opinion on that. “Ooooh,” Niamh said. Those were fighting words. She could see for a second why Fiona was so attracted to this boring boy and it made her feel a little ill. “You’re going to be very busy I think.”

@wilywes

[wilywes]

wilywes:

To his knowledge, Drew wasn’t the most talkative of guys, so once he got started, Wes paid close attention. He did like what he heard so far. Community maintenance seemed as if it had gotten lost in the shuffle of the electioneering, considering how dramatic the whole thing was becoming. He was glad to understand what it would be from someone directly involved, and better yet, having the whole thing be recorded for posterity. He didn’t think Niamh would find it too important, but many people would. In the near future, when an inevitable complaint cycled through everyone in attendance and pulled every opinion from the peanut gallery on how the town should be run, they would only need to pull up this footage and feel reassured by Drew’s words. “Good to know,” Wes ventured, “that stuff we might say or do in the heat of the moment won’t hurt us forever, right?” He could name half a dozen friendships that could use a mediator to reconcile one person to another, some of his included.

Niamh raised an important point about punishment, though. Mediating would work for some situations, but not all. “I’m kinda curious about that myself,” Wes said, shooting Drew an apologetic look over Niamh’s head for putting him further on the spot. “If you wouldn’t mind explaining that to us…?” Wes didn’t have a strong opinion on Fern running unopposed, so he kept silent and waited for Drew’s. Could it be that nobody else wanted to bother, and fewer still cared? Both seemed likely. Another candidate would’ve stepped up by now. “If you get too busy, you could always give me a call,” said Wes, interrupting again.

@drewrogersqb

[drewrogersqb]

"What we owe each other." Drew repeated, as if that made it more clear. He told himself to slow down and think it through like an essay question, the way Del'd taught him. "You owe it to people to not kick--" He sighed. Slower. Slower. He focused on Wes. "Misspeaking happens to everyone. This is bigger than that. If the only thing keeping you from being mean to people is the threat of punishment, that isn't something I'd be super proud of and I think saying that in this situation could leave you on the outs with the community real quick but that's just a feeling, you know?" He didn't hit that word "feeling" too hard. He may not have even realized he said it at all. And yet it had stuck in his brain. There was nothing wrong with feelings. Except when they made you feel out of control and desperately in need of a time machine.

Drew leaned back, doing his best to swallow his first reaction to the mention of the Fern situation. "I totally understand wanting more choice, and I hope that anyone who feels that way feels comfortable seeking a nomination themselves." (Look at him go, Del. Drilling the terminology with Bronte actually worked.) "But right now, seems like people want someone to shot call who's done it before. That's fine." God knows he wanted someone to shot call. He just didn't feel super great about the coach options.

"I hope I'm busy." he said, press conference smile on again. "Because this stuff takes work. All good things do." He nodded to Wes, glad for the offer of help but not wanting to make any signs of approval without getting it reviewed first.

@niamhwoolfe

Phase Day Six

niamhwoolfe:

Niamh tapped her temple and then pointed at Wes. “That’s actually a pretty good idea Wes!” Who knew he had it in him? “We’ll definitely do that.” Was she assuming that he was going to be involved in that part too? Yes. 

“Okay. Awesome sauce! So, I guess the first question I have is: Would you mind telling us a little bit about what community maintenance actually is? For those of us who like, don’t get it.” She paused like she was ready for him to speak, and then started up again. “Oh also, what do you think about the pool of nominations we just got? Think we stand a chance?” 

@wilywes​

wilywes:

“Yeah, I have ‘em sometimes.” Somehow Wes was enjoying himself. In an upset, Niamh was quickly distinguishing herself as the Woolfe to get along with. While Fiona would always evoke mingled feelings not so easily untangled by Wes and Nuala conjured a kneejerk watchfulness incarnate in all siblings, Niamh’s results were just...normal. These days, Wes could use some normalcy, even if it came in such an annoying, bratty, and bossy package. Which was par for the course, really.

Luckily, Niamh’s questions for Drew weren’t as pointed as the ones asked of Tony. “And maybe you could also, I don’t know, tell us your goals and hopes,” Wes suggested, trying to give Drew and Niamh plenty of material to chew on. The b-roll could become the a-roll, for all he knew. And if it helped jog something in Drew that would benefit everyone, even better. “For the town’s immediate future, I mean.” “No pressure,” Wes added. @drewrogersqb

[drewrogersqb]

"No pressure." Drew echoed with that post game press conference smile. He'd never practiced it, but it seemed to happen anyway. An aw shucks look that made it much easier to hide any sense of devastation or frustration the game before had caused. And God what a game this had been.

He felt a little bit put on the spot by the community maintenance question, but he had agreed to help, and he should at least in theory know what he was supposed to be doing. He resisted the urge to just say 'you should ask Del' because as true as the fact was, she had enough on their plate at the moment. "Community maintenance is basically... you know... reminding people what we owe each other. We're not law enforcement--" because there aren't any laws, he barely kept himself from adding. "We're not going to force anyone to do anything. We're just here to help people talk things out and express themselves in a way that doesn't hurt other people." He was pretty sure he'd stolen that last bit from some summary of behavior standard his mom had put on one of her classroom posters but it did apply. "So if someone does hurt you, or if you hurt someone else, we check in with you and see how we can help, whether it's helping you understand each other or finding a way to replace what you've lost. The big thing is we don't punish people. That's not something we're comfortable with."

Drew blinked, realizing that was probably more words than he'd said to a pseudo stranger in a very long time. Or perhaps it just felt like a lot of words, a lot of thoughts. What had been the other thing though? "Oh. Um. I really appreciate everyone who's volunteering to help." That didn't put him squarely in anyone's camp, which seemed like the right play to make in general. Drew knew like four people well, none of whom were running, and the only opinion he had was that Reg Khoo had never had an opinion his family or Tony's hadn't put in his head first, but that wasn't something he could say in what Del had explained to him was a "position of authority."

His dream was to just be back home without knowing his dad was a cheater, without having to worry about the world ending or his high school rivals becoming full on crimelords, while also not having to think about being separated from Bronte for at least nine months of the year. But that was private. And impossible. "My goal is what I hope everyone's goal is. I want us all to feel safe and be kind to each other. And anyone who says that's naïve can expect a visit from me to talk about why they're not fond of mutual respect." That might have sounded like a threat. Just a little bit. But he tried to think of it as an offer. That was how he'd intended it. Or at least that was how he'd hoped he had.

@niamhwoolfe