solitude.

EJ Moriarty. 33. Apparently I'm not allowed to live in a box in the alley, so I've got an apartment instead. My job is finding the most imaginative, realistic ways to kill people.

[professordouglas]

“I hate blueberries so I don’t have any,” Jinx said. She never liked them, unlike her mother. “But I do have strawberries and whipped cream. I think I can manage to whip you up some..” Her words were light, with a teasing nature to them. That was their thing-- teasing. She wasn’t like that with everyone. In fact, it was very few - maybe three at most. “Do you need me to get anything from the store? I know you might be… short on stuff considering..”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

EJ nodded distractedly. He filed away the hatred of blueberries, then realized she couldn’t see him. “Strawberries and whipped cream sounds good right now,” he said, before the floor near his door creaked. “Unlike that,” he muttered, shooting a death glare to whatever idiot had just walked into his apartment.

“Oh, great,” he muttered, dropping his head to his palm. It was his kind, but way too fucking nosy next door neighbor. Mrs. Ramirez was a lovely woman, with five kids and way too many grandchildren to count, and he’d really appreciate it if she’d stop trying to hook him up with her former daughter-in-law. Seriously. That had to be breaking some rule.

“EJ,” the elderly woman said. “I was just wondering if you had somewhere to stay until the police leave. Mira, my son’s former wife, remember, has a lovely flat and I’m sure she’d be perfectly fine letting you stay for the evening -”

Why did he ever talk to this woman again? Oh, wait, it was the polite thing to do. Augh. “No, I’m fine, thank you,” he said, trying not to be curt. Somewhere, his sister was reaching for that thick etiquette book she had. EJ’s skull ached. It hurt to get thumped with that thing. He paused. “I’m kinda on the phone right now.”

“Oh.” Mrs. Ramirez paused, before saying, “Sorry.” EJ didn’t really believe she was actually apologetic. “Well, I’ll be leaving then. I do hope someone’s taking care of you, EJ.” She tossed an additional comment over her shoulder about Mira, but he barely heard it.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “My neighbor.” EJ wasn’t sure if he’d ever filled Jinx in on Mrs. Ramirez’s failed matchmaking. EJ wasn’t the only one in the building she was attempting to poach for her family (though does an ex-daughter-in-law count as family? Presumably, since she still attends Sunday dinners. He hasn’t seen her ex since the divorce, though), but she seemed especially determined to acquire him. He had no idea why.

And Jinx had said...Something, before Mrs. Ramirez’s appearance. It might have had something to do with a shopping trip? “No, uh, I don’t need anything from the store.” At least EJ hoped that was what she had said.

[professordouglas]

“I’m not one to say never,” Jinx replied simply.  She had shrugged her shoulders as well, but he couldn’t see that motion.

“That’s fine,” she replied. She figured there were some things he would have to handle before coming over. He had been robbed, after all. “There will be crepes for you too. What kind do you want?” Jinx had been making herself some with crushed graham crackers and chocolate kisses as her cheat for the week.

[ej-moriarty-blog]

EJ thought for a moment, as he tried to figure out where in this catastrophe his backpack ended up - if it was even still there at all. “Do you have blueberries?” he asked, pushing his chair - those asshole brats, that chair had been with him since Salem - back up. No backpack there. “Or strawberries? And whipped cream.”

[professordouglas]

“Perhaps,” Jinx said with a laugh.

“I said a body,” she corrected. “I don’t have any intentions of killing you, at least not currently.” Jinx couldn’t see herself killing EJ ever; he was a good, close friend, but she simply didn’t believe in impossibilities.

“Alright, just let yourself in. I’ll either still be making crepes or eating my share of the crepes. Thus I’ll be occupied and unable to come to the door.” Crepes were her current food obsession. They weren’t all that healthy, but she enjoyed taking her time and making them as a treat. Plus breakfast for dinner was always a great idea.

[ej-moriarty-blog]

EJ laughed. “Currently. That’s comforting,” he joked, as he headed back to his apartment. As much as he didn’t want to interact with that idiot at his door, he needed clothes.

“It’ll take me some time,” he said, glaring at the policeman as he stepped back into his apartment. “I need to pack some stuff before I come over.” EJ thought for a second, before chuckling a little. “Will there be any crepes left over for me or will I have to starve?” He joked.

[professordouglas]

“Besides, I wouldn’t actually allow you to sleep on the street,” Jinx added. She had been there before. It was a large part of her life, but when her mother had deteriorated and couldn’t work, they had been evicted with no family to turn to.

“Telling is the first step to towards getting caught. Shouldn’t a crime novelist know that?” she teased. Jinx wasn’t a killer, but she had broken a law or two over the years - only by necessity though. “Well it’s connected to the stairs to my second floor. I’ll show you when you get here.

[ej-moriarty-blog]

EJ smiled. “You may regret that after a night,” he joked.

He snorted. “Two can keep a secret if one is dead,” he quoted. “So, if you told me, all you would’ve needed to keep it a secret was killing me. Which was the plan in the first place.”

“Alright,” he said, nodding. “I’ll be there soon. Then I can see this mysterious slide.” EJ pulled out his car keys. He rarely drove anywhere - Jaya was apparently amazed he had a driver’s license (“Thank Ashley,” EJ had retorted when she first saw his license. “I’d rather not,” had been her response.) - but he still had a car and license. He'd even gone to all the trouble of getting a New York license and license plate when he moved from Massachusetts.

[professordouglas]

“I’m sure. I’ll continue laughing in he corner while you continue to be the pain,” Jinx said with a soft laugh. Of course she was a pain in her own ways, but hers were more subtle while EJ’s were more upfront.

“Oh please, I wouldn’t need help hiding a body,” she said with a mock confidence. “I don’t think it’ll come to that though.” Jinx and EJ got on very well, but they had never shared an apartment before. “You haven’t seen the slide in my place?” she questioned. “Just wait; you’ll love it.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

“Oh, damn it,” he said, with a chuckle. He was used to being the belligerent child - and he was honestly okay with it. It would just be amusing to see someone else catch Jaya’s attention.

“Oh, you have a plan in place already? Do tell.” EJ smiled. He hadn’t had very many people he interacted with this easily in his life - he could name maybe ten. “Noooo...” He said, after a lot of thinking. There were times when he was incredibly unobservant. This was apparently one of them.

[professordouglas]

A small sigh escaped Jinx as she worked her spatula under her crepe. “You’re right, and I really like the group dynamic where I’m never the one scolded.” There were plenty of times that EJ had required some of Jaya’s guidance, but that simply wasn’t the relationship the two women had.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Plus you’ll get some use out of the slide,” Jinx said with a chuckle. There was a small slide beside her stairs that she mostly used for laundry, though after a couple drinks she would gladly go down it. “Just come by when you’ve got your stuff. I’ll make some crepes for you too.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

“Are you sure?” EJ asked, teasingly. “I’m up for trying out a new dynamic. I get to stand in the corner and laugh while Jaya gets on her soapbox.” To be entirely honest, Jaya was never really that bad. But it would be great to see her pointed at someone else for a change.

“If you change your mind, I’m sure Jaya would help you hide the body.” Hell, Jaya would probably vanish the body off to some rural part of the planet, never to be seen again. He paused. “Slide?”

[professordouglas]

“Well shit..” Jinx commented. Break-ins were always a concern of hers since she grew up in The Bronx, so she was familiar with the frustration. “You obviously need a place to crash and you’re welcome at mine. Though, isn’t the whole living in a box shtick a goal of yours?” she teased. EJ had said things along that line plenty of times, but there was no way she’d let him sleep on the street.

[ej-moriarty-blog]

EJ chuckled. “Yeah. I think Jaya’d disapprove though,” he said, with a derisive snort. “As soon as she finds me, she’ll probably find you and talk about responsibilities and the like.” He affected his best rendition of Jaya’s accent. “I expected better of you, Jinx. I’m not dumb enough to expect better of him, but I expected better of you. He moves onto the street and you don’t talk him out of it?”

“Are you sure you want me there?” He asked, adjusting his laptop strap. “Jaya says it’s a blessing from the gods that she and I no longer cohabitate.” He was apparently a grumpy asshole when his writing wasn’t going the way he wanted it to.

[ej-moriarty-blog]

professordouglas:

Jinx had a million things to do. There were only so many days in between semesters and she always intended to put them to good use. Her stream of thoughts came to a halt when her phone began to ring; it was a classic tone, echoing the sound of an old fashioned phone. The name lit across the screen was plenty familiar and earned an answer. She wasn’t an incredibly social person (a fact she was working on), but she always answered for a select few.

“This better be important, Moriarty.” Her tone was teasing and slightly distant as the phone was placed on speaker. “I’m in the middle of making crepes and if they burn now it’s on you,” Jinx added. It was unlikely they’d burn, but a chance to pin the blame on EJ seemed fun.

EJ smiled when Jinx picked up the phone. Hearing her voice was the best part of his day so far. “Well,” he said, gnawing on his lip ring for a second. “I don’t know where this falls on the importance scale, I’m apparently homeless until someone comes in and fixes the wreckage that was caused by a bunch of idiots breaking into my apartment.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

@professordouglas

The policeman was still talking. EJ gave him a long, dark look; there was really no reason for him to still be talking. EJ’s apartment, along with the others on the floor, had been broken into and now it was trashed. Until this idiot stopped talking, EJ couldn’t go into his apartment and see how trashed it was - he had only found out about it when he came back home and found the cop cars everywhere.

“Are we done here?” EJ asked, after a few more seconds. There was a slight hint of West Virginia in his voice, his accent slipping out due to his frustration. The policeman blabbered for a few more seconds, before EJ rolled his eyes and walked away. 

The door hung partially off its hinges - EJ gave it a dark glare as he pushed it out of the way. Everything was trashed, but - he smirked - his paranoia had paid off. The building was ancient and there were fireplaces in every apartment, even though none of them worked. He stored his laptop in his fireplace every time he left the apartment and he could tell that the fireplace hadn’t been disturbed by the looters.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to stay here, sir,” the policeman said from the doorway. EJ raised an eyebrow at him, before turning back to the fireplace. He knelt down, reaching up into the fireplace to find the metal shelf he had jammed into it when he moved in. As he worked, the policeman kept talking. “Considering the state of the door and everything. You have anyone you can stay with?”

Rolling his eyes, EJ yanked the shelf down, bringing his laptop with it. He always put it into the case whenever he put it up the fireplace, to keep dust from getting in it. He pulled the strap over his head, then stood up and walked out, shoving the policeman with his shoulder on the way through the door.

Stepping into the staircase to escape the police and his neighbors, EJ pulled out his cellphone. There were exactly two numbers in his phone - Jaya and Jinx. Jaya wasn’t even in the state, so he called the one person who could help him out.

[professordouglas]

“I’m fine with you attending either, perhaps even both if you wish to,” Jinx answered. It wouldn’t really make a difference to her. “I would recommend Creative Writing though. It’s my favorite course to teach and I think my students can tell. I actually just assigned a new project.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

EJ swallowed. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I think I’ll come for Creative Writing.” It’ll give him some time to unpack and dig out his other notebooks. He might have to buy some pencils - there was a general store around here, right?

“Project?” He asked, running a hand through his hair. 

[professordouglas]

“I wouldn’t offer if I had reservations,” she replied. Jinx took her position seriously and held herself to a high level professionalism, but having an observer didn’t seem too out of place. “As long as you don’t truly cause a distraction you’re welcome. Creative Writing meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Professional Writing meets Mondays and Wednesdays.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

EJ swallowed, ducking his head. “Thank you,” he said, quietly. “Do you, uh, have a preference for which one?” He’d probably enjoy Creative Writing more, but he just - it was - she didn’t have to offer. She didn’t have to, so he didn’t want to somehow fuck it up.

[professordouglas]

A small smile grew on her face and her eyes fell to the table for a moment before returning to meet his gaze. He was playful, but in more of a sarcastic manner that suited her. “There’s always a million ideas floating in an authors; it’s hard to decide what’s worth the ink,” Jinx said honestly. There was so much to write, and so much to tell. 

“Thank you. Perhaps you’d like to sit in on one of my classes,” she suggested. “I teach three courses, but you’d probably benefit most from creative writing or professional writing.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

When Jinx offered to let him sit in on his classes, EJ inhaled sharply. He clasped his hands under the table, rubbing one palm with the opposite thumb. That was - everything he’d wanted for years. “Y-you sure?” He asked, before attempting to cover his nerves with a crooked grin. “I mean, won’t having a cranky, old geezer in your class be a distraction?”

[professordouglas]

“Oh really?” Jinx curiously arched her brow. She had always found a writer sharing their work to be an honor of sorts. Whether you were the first to read it or the only one to, she felt someone being willing to open their mind to another person wasn’t as straight forward as sharing a page of writing seemed. “I’d love to. Literature is practically my whole life at this point.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

EJ grinned. “Jaya’s been complaining about how she doesn’t have time to listen to every one of my ideas.” He pouted playful. “It hurts my feelings.”

“But,” he dropped the playful pout. “In all seriousness, you know a lot more about writing than I do. My writing’s already great, but with your input, it’d be phenomenal.”

[professordouglas]

“I’m sure she had meant to,” Jinx commented. She was always juggling a million things and assumed Jaya had a similar situation with publishing - at least that was her rationale. “I’ll be sure to read it soon though, now that I’ve met the author himself.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

He grinned. “You may even be the first to read the sequel,” EJ commented. Slam Poem was the first of his newest series - if it followed his normal pattern, there’d be three more books, then he’d leave RJ to her own devices and find a new main character. After he’d killed off Angelo - and the “you made us wait two years so you could kill him?” outcry - Jaya had told him to just let his characters walk off into the sunset.

[professordouglas]

Jinx thought for a moment. She hadn’t gotten a copy, even though she had helped with the novel. It was always something that slipped her mind, or sat on the back burner. She always intended to read it, but somehow never had. “No,” the brunette answered honestly. “I never got around to reading it unfortunately.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

“Tsk, tsk,” EJ shakes his head, in a joking, chiding tone. “Not only does Jaya not share her royalties, she doesn’t even give you a copy!” He could call Jaya and ask if she still had a first edition to send Jinx, but that’d take forever and she might not. However, he had one - he’d have to dig around to find it.

[professordouglas]

“Oh, definitely not,” Jinx said with a shake of her head. “I didn’t help for royalties or credit. It was just a favor for a good friend.”

[ej-moriarty-blog]

“Naughty, greedy Jaya, tsk tsk,” he joked. EJ ran a hand through his hair. He debated if he should ask Jinx if she wanted back pay, but decided against it. The worst fallout could be a lawsuit, but he didn’t think she was the type. He already had a bit of a reputation among his fellow writers for being a jackass, so it’s not like his name could be tarnished much more.

Something occurred to him. “Do you have a copy of it?” He asked, before clarifying, “Slam Poem. Do you own a copy?” He owned two copies of it - the pre-release version and a first edition Jaya always sent him.

[professordouglas]

Growing up Jinx had her face buried in a book more often than not and that fact hadn’t changed much. She was an only child (as far as she knew) and that shaped her into a loner for the first two decades of her life.

“She didn’t have to tell me,” Jinx said. “I helped with them. I assumed she’d receive royalties for it.” It was a small project to her, helping here and there and revising what Jaya had composed. 

[ej-moriarty-blog]

Jinx had helped Jaya? ‘Well, it makes sense.’ He gave her a grin. “I do hope Jaya’s sharing those royalties,” he said. “Slam Poem’s one of my best sellers.”