lavender

[ecrivainlcvande]

Who: Maureen & Piper ( @rainbowxsouls ) Where: Cake a Diem 

When the bell over the door rings, Maureen looks up, holding up her hands. “Okay, I know what this looks like,” she says immediately. Red is smeared all over her apron, her hands, and she’s sure there’s crimson speckles on her cheeks. “It’s been slow this morning, so I thought I’d try this new recipe, right? But I didn’t want to go all the way in the back, you know, in case somebody did come in -- like you -- and now I probably look like I’ve committed a serious crime.” She looks down at herself and then looks up again, flashing a smile. “Strawberry preserves,” she says. “I’m making strawberry shortcake.”

[yourcinluv]

open .☘︎ ݁˖ ⋆.˚ meteor watch night, bianchi farms / @ciderstarters

winter was trying her very best to have a very normal day. so she sat, surrounded by every quilt she owns, on the coziest spot she could find at bianchi farms. green eyes scan the sky, small smile prematurely lining her lips. if today had to be her birthday, at least she got a shooting star or two out of it. “it's kind of exciting, isn't it?” said to no one in particular, and anyone who would listen. “i mean, a perfect view of a meteor shower? in our own little town? that's gotta be really lucky, right?” and, god, was she in need of a little luck. 

[ecrivainlcvande]

Maureen looked over, smiling as she spotted Winter nestled inside so many blankets, she suspected they could lob a boulder at her and she wouldn’t so much as bruise. “Here,” she said, reaching for the thermos tucked into her bag. “It’s hot chocolate. I made a whole bunch because I figured sharing is caring would be the theme tonight.” She unscrewed the cup-top and poured some out, carefully handing it over to Winter so it didn’t spill on her or the blankets. “Yeah, it’s really cool,” she said with another smile, tilting her face up to the sky. “It’s nice too that we don’t have all that, like…” She waved her hand around. “Light pollution or whatever they call it, you know? So we can actually see the stars, let alone meteors.”

[yourcinluv]

“what do you mean you don't have one?” her voice came out sharper than she intended, embarrassment coloring her cheeks as she takes an involuntary step backward. “most libraries in the state have self check out now, why hasn't summer library caught up?” and it would be easier, if she just let him do his job, but then he would see the titles pop up on the screen, print out the longest receipt she's ever seen with all the titles in bold, and someone would know that she was deeply lonely. or worse, indulging an imagination. 

[ecrivainlcvande]

Roman blinked at her, entirely nonplussed. “We don’t, um…” He paused as he tried to think of another way to phrase it that made more sense than how he’d already put it. “We don’t have one.” He looked at her for a moment, wondering why she was being so cagey and defensive. It wasn’t like the library had anything truly subversive or heinous in stock. “Funding,” he said simply. He paused, considering. “We do…we do email receipts now,” he added. “They’re automated, so we -- um, we don’t have any reason to look at them. We actually aren’t supposed to look at them.”

[grxndvoile]

⚽ "yeah." nata nods, though she's more interested in scrolling the pictures of the cleats on the screen. they were patterned the same way her team used to have theirs for home games. she missed those shoes. "we're going, tomorrow." she doesn't give hazel the opportunity to suggest or counter the plan offered.

[ecrivainlcvande]

Hazel cranes her neck, unapologetically prying into what Nata is actually looking at. “Are those soccer shoes?” she says, in a tone that indicates that she can’t imagine anyone voluntarily putting those on their feet. Or playing a sport, for that matter.

[lovedearlove]

His smile seemed to grow, which only made his eyes brighter, and Sloane could have swooned right then and there. But she held herself together, taking another bite of the cotton candy, grinning to herself. “He threw your birthday party? I missed so much when I wasn’t in town, but I’m sure it was just aces.” She said that last part with a sort of fondness, but a bit of longing, too. She knew she needed to go to New York to chase her dreams, but coming back without them coming true still had its lasting effect. “Better with me? Peter, I’m flattered!” She had to tamp down the actual instinct to jump for joy. “I could say the same about you, you know. Everything’s always better when you’re around.” 

[ecrivainlcvande]

“Oh, yeah, well, we’ve known each other since we were kids,” Peter said, smiling again. “And twenty-one is a big deal, you know, I think he just wanted it to be special for me. It was definitely amazing.” He gave a small laugh. “I actually had my first drink that night. It was, uh…a strawberry-watermelon margarita, I think? Something sweet like that, anyway. I’ve never really been a big fan of beer.” He gave another smile, his eyes more definitely lighting up. “Of course!” he said. “Everything is better when you’re here.” He smiled again. “Really?”

[fxdedmoon]

"Exactly." He nods. "Back to the normal amount, which is probably still more than I should be drinking, but if my heart explodes and I dop dead from all the cold brew, I think it'll be worth it. Speaking of which, I gotta say, it's impressive and frankly flattering that you know my usual." Maybe it's because this was his first time living in a small town as an adult, but he wasn't quite used to a barista remembering his name, let alone his coffee order. "Not really. But when they do get someone, they really get them. The conviction rate on tax crimes is about 90%."

[ecrivainlcvande]

Peter laughs. “I hope you don’t,” he says, earnestly. “If it makes you feel any better, I had a friend in high school who drank those Monster Energy things obsessively. I mean, he had car seat covers with the Monster logo on them and everything. And he’s still fine, so if those things didn’t do any serious damage, you’re probably fine with a cold brew.” He smiles. “I’ve been doing this for a while now,” he says. “I’m good with names and faces, and the orders that usually go with them.” His eyes widened a little. “Really? 90%, huh? I didn’t realize they were so…well, successful. Is it just really easy to prove, or do a lot of people commit tax crimes?”

[fcreverlasting]

starter: peter ( @ecrivainlcvande ) location: coastal coffees

Daphne can't help but think there's something just slightly off about the barista, nor if that gut feeling says more about him or her. Surely no one can be that pleasant to customers no matter the time of day; she could barely stomach it at noon, at her most awake, let alone early in the morning or at the end of a long shift. She remembers him from high school, too. Different years, different friends, but a name that always floated around much like hers, even if for slightly different reasons. She wonders momentarily if he remembers her, wonders then if it's better if the answer's no. "Do you ever have a bad day?" She asks, head tilted curiously. Then tacks on, "what do you order on a bad day? Because I think that's what I need." Despite the fact it's barely 8am and she isn't even quite running late yet.

[ecrivainlcvande]

Peter looks up, his brow furrowing slightly even as his habitual smile comes to his lips. “Well, yeah, of course I do,” he says. He doesn’t really question why his customer that morning is asking him if he has bad days, or if he should really even answer that question. Or why, for that matter, she looks so familiar. “Everybody does.” He considers for a moment, his lower lip catching between his teeth. “Hmm -- usually, when I have a bad day, I order something comforting. For me, that’s either our chocolate chip cookie and a nice Colombian roast, or maybe a latte -- or, if it’s a really bad day, a huge slice of chocolate cake and an Americano.” He smiles again. “Either way, chocolate is involved, I guess.”

[fcreverlasting]

starter: your choice ( @ecrivainlcvande ) location: bay state gas, penny lane

Maybe it'd been more of a money pit than an investment, a statement, when one of the first things he'd bought after his book hit the bestsellers list had been this car. He'd driven Charlie to the zoo in it, as per their celebratory tradition, complained like hell when the window got stuck when he tried to roll it back up in the parking lot. Not even two years later, and though it's in much better shape now, windows fixed and thankfully a radio with an auxiliary port installed (felt a little too modern for it to jump straight to Bluetooth), it still makes this God awful noise when it's low on gas. Makes him feel like he's driving a rotten old banger instead of what could technically be called a 'classic'. Maybe he's just too nostalgic all the damn time. "Hey, sorry about the noise." He at least has the decency to look a little sheepish. "Hope it didn't startle you. Swear it runs like a dream when I actually remember to fill it."

[ecrivainlcvande]

Hazel jumped so badly as the car backfired that the gas nozzle nearly slipped free from the tank in her car, her fingers clenching on the handle as if she was instinctively planning on using it to spray gasoline as a weapon. “God!” she gasped, whipping around to stare at Todd, with a curl to her lip that indicated she fully believed he’d done this on purpose. “What the hell do you put in there, rocks?” She shook her head. “I would set your best couple of brain cells on remembering to fill up your tank next time. It sounds like someone is trying to escape your trunk with an AK-47.”

[ecrivainlcvande]

Who: Roman & Lex ( @prxttypoisxn ) Where: Little Library 

Although he typically feels guilty giving away books, as if he’s abandoning them, Roman takes comfort in knowing that it’s better than just having them sit there on his shelves, gathering dust -- especially those he knows he’s unlikely to reread, whether it’s because they didn’t particularly resonate or because they were nonfiction, which to him don’t bear repeat readings. He carefully shifts the pile of books in his arms, sliding them into place in the small cabinet. With his hands finally free, he looks up to see someone approaching. “Oh--” He turns to go, only to find his t-shirt snagged on a loose nail. “Oh -- could you…?” He looks hopefully, anxiously, at the woman coming his way. “...if you could…I’m stuck?”

[ecrivainlcvande]

Who: Roman & Tabitha ( @rainbowxsouls ) Where: Veterinary clinic

Roman chews nervously on the pad of his thumb, sitting in the waiting room. He’s only brought Tom Bombadill in for a routine check-up, the first since he adopted him, but now that he’s alone, waiting for the cat to be returned to him, he’s worried. What if they find something? What if Roman had done something wrong, done something to hurt him, in the brief time he’s had him? What if -- ? Quite rarely, he’s relieved when he hears someone call out his name, looking up. “Yes?” he says. “Is everything okay?”

[ecrivainlcvande]

Who: Peter & Vada ( @k1tschs ) Where: Lois & Found 

“Hey--” Peter smiled over the top of the large cardboard box in his arms, maneuvering it carefully onto the counter, trying to make sure he didn’t hit anything or anyone. A corner dug sharply into his side as he managed it. “--oof. There we go.” He smiled as he patted the side of the box gently. “I cleaned out my garage and all the closets in my apartment this weekend. Isn’t it funny how you can accumulate all this stuff and then forget about it?” He peered into the box. “There’s some clothes that don’t fit anymore. You guys take t-shirts and stuff, right? Or is that more a Goodwill sort of thing?”

[ecrivainlcvande]

Who: Roman & Noah ( @lovedearlove ) Where: Coastal Coffees 

Roman had grabbed his favorite table at Coastal Coffee, which afforded him a beautiful view of nothing -- as the window was just barely visible, and even then only provided a corner glimpse of the sidewalk outside -- but did put him safely ensconced in the corner. He had his coffee in one hand, a book held open on the tabletop with the other. He frowned slightly when a shadow fell over the pages. He looked up, not noticing until now how crowded the place had gotten. “Um…” He peered up at Noah. “Yes?”

[ecrivainlcvande]

Who: Roman & Xavier ( @offkeykisses ) Where: Penny Park

Roman had always loved books, and he’d gotten into running in the past few years -- two hobbies which one wouldn’t suppose went together, but that wasn’t factoring in the advent of audiobooks. He was jogging through Penny Park, despite the encroaching clouds drawing the moisture out of the air like a magnet. He could hear Richard Ferrone’s voice in his ear as the trees blurred past in his vision. Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living -- he was so focused on the words in his ear that he didn’t realize someone was calling out to him, the voice worming its way past his earbuds. He stopped and pulled an earbud out, blinking out of the daze fiction put him in. He blinked in surprise as he saw his brother, his eyebrows drawing together a little. “Did you…did you call me?”

[ecrivainlcvande]

Who: Roman & Jackie ( @stcrmclouds ) Where: Summer Library

Roman glanced up as he heard the door to the library open, a small smile crossing his face as he recognized Jackie. “We have, um…” He pointed toward the mystery section. “A few new books in. I thought you might…might like to take a look.” He personally wasn’t a huge fan of the mystery genre himself, but he was fairly certain he remembered that Jackie liked them. If not, of course, this whole conversation was cripplingly embarrassing, but he supposed he could live with that.

[ecrivainlcvande]

Where: Harvey’s Market  @ciderstarters

Maureen pushed her cart through the aisles, humming softly to herself in time with the muzak playing overhead. She was in a particularly good mood on this shopping trip, because she was gathering the ingredients she needed for a new recipe, which for her was like a mini-Christmas morning -- at least, when the recipe turned out well and there weren’t any fires, injuries, or melted pans involved. She glanced up from her list, surveying the shelves around her, a little thoughtful hum escaping her lips as she realized what she wanted was on the highest shelf. Shrugging, she put her feet on the lower shelf, lifting her right foot to place it on the second, when she realized someone was staring at her. She smiled. “Hi,” she said, and pointed up to the item on the top shelf. “I need that. No worries, I can get it.”

[ilovethismood]

Margot had come in early to open the shop and smiled as Peter came in. She had always enjoyed working with him. "Good morning." She grinned back. "It was really good. I worked worked a face paint table at the Tommyland event and then spent Saturday getting stuff organized for my paint and sip classes. What about you?"

[ecrivainlcvande]

“Oh, wow,” Peter said earnestly, his smile brightening. “I bet that was a lot of fun. What an amazing party. Kenji really went all out, but that’s not much of a surprise. He loves to do that for people.” Although Peter would have sung his friend’s praises even if the party had been a handful of people, some pizzas, and the fruit punch you could buy in borderline illegal quantities at a superstore. “A paint and sip class? Is that something you go to, or do you host?” He wondered if that was something he could start going to, how serious people took the art they made there. If it was just a little bit of fun, maybe… “Oh, well, I went to Tommy’s party, and I helped clean up the park, and then I worked here on Sunday.” He chuckled. “Not super exciting, I guess, but it was a good weekend.”

[ecrivainlcvande]

Who: Maureen & Elvira ( @offkeykisses ) Where: Tattoo parlor

“Elvira!” Maureen bounces into the tattoo parlor, landing in front of Elvira’s chair, her arms spread wide. “Light of my life, fire of my soul, most precious angel of all the seraphim who ever descended from heaven--” She flops down onto the chair, her feet immediately leveling off the ground. She looks up at the ceiling. “Is that a pencil stuck up there? Did you do that?”