borderline kids

DEATH 'Fair Lady, throw those costly robes aside, No longer may you glory in your pride; Take leave of all your carnal vain delight, I'm come to summon you away this night.' LADY 'What bold attempt is this? Pray let me know From whence you come, and whither I must go. Shall I, who am a lady, stoop or bow To such a pale-faced visage? Who art thou?'

[folliesofmiceandmen]

multimuse blog for devils elbow hq, penned by sierra

muses || wcs (coming soon) || devils elbow

[eatabug]

in the time since the thaw granted him freedom from the concrete cage of afterglow compound, indika has not strayed far from the broom closet and remedy roots ; in part because he's still healing from the injury he'd sustained in his desperate attempt to heed a premonition from the dread father and find river, but even if he hadn't hurt himself, it isn't as if the displaced child of the mothman has anywhere else to go. the ranch, the only real home indika has ever known, was destroyed in the storm. all of his possessions are buried under wreckage covered by snow drifts and frozen beneath a thick layer of ice, completely inaccessible. but river's graciously opened their home and their bed to him, and he spends his hours exploring their shop and prodding their customers with curious questions.

his eyes light up at the familiar face as it comes through the door and indika just barely has the foresight to clutch his crutches tightly to keep them from clattering to the floor when he's suddenly pulled into an embrace. ❝ dutch taylor! ❞ comes the bright greeting, muffled into the larger man's shoulder as he precariously lifts his own arms to return the hug. ❝ it's okay, you're okay, ❞ he insists when dutch finally releases him, rolling his shoulders and testing the soreness that lingers. he doesn't mind it. ❝ i'm okay, too. i was less okay when i decided to leave the bunker, but that's the wonderful thing about bones, isn't it? the way they just... re-fuse. well, eventually. ❞ he'll have to wear the boot for several weeks still and he's not allowed to lean on it at all yet, but he still has a foot! that's a silver lining, isn't it? miracles of medicine.

❝ that's very generous of you. so many of my friends are generous! i'm staying here, actually. well, no, above here, there are stairs behind that door just there. where are you staying? you have a new home now? ❞

[folliesofmiceandmen]

"i've never really broken a bone, so i can't say that for sure, but i guess i could ask felix. he knows basically everything there is to know about medical stuff, probably one of the smartest guys i've ever met, so..." the grin on his face doesn't wane as he finally pulls back from the hug completely and glances down to finally notice the boot and the crutches. it makes him feel all the more guilty suddenly for just how... intense that hug had been, but indika is saying it's okay. so that means it is, right? there's no reason to lie about a hug.

"do you want me to ask him to take a peak at it? i mean, he's practically my dad, kinda, and like, also the big medicine guy. might be able to give you something if it hurts a whole lot."

he's rambling. which is something he tends to do... a lot. call it the nature of not being very socialized. he wants to talk because he wants to talk to his friends about anything and everything.

and indika is practically his best friend at this point. even if he doesn't know it and it's all a decision dutch made on his own.

"oh, cool, so there's like a little... upstairs house?" his eyes move around, like looking around might help him spot the upstairs house or even the stairs to said house. "is it hard to get up and down the stairs? i imagine with the boot and the crutches it kinda sucks. i-- uh-- i mean i have a little place. nothing fancy. on the compound, i used to live in this, like, place with lots of rooms and people but now i have my very own little place and i'm the only person in it. saved up some of my credits from working at the clinics to be able to get it. it's cool."

[murdcrofcrows]

"well now i need that tea." river made a mental note to ask damocles about it later. their mental notes didn't always stick but they'd probably remember the next time casual conversation is casual enough to bring it up. not amidst a storm they were having panic attacks ever two seconds. "it doesn't seem like you're over it but even if you are, do you want to talk about it?" river tightened the blanket around themselves to settle in and keep their anxiety at bay, a black turmaline tower crystal clutched to their chest like a cross. "come on, tell me, it will help me take my mind off all this dread and panic." and if there was anyone who knew about hurt feelings, it was river. they have been on both sides too many times to count.

[folliesofmiceandmen]

delphie shrugs, and some part of her wants to say that if they get the tea they better share, but they let it trail off with the implication, not bothering to outright say so. instead, she sighs a little and leans back just enough so that her back is resting against their arm. "well, earlier, when they were trying to come up with plans or whatever, i wanted to help, but i basically got pulled aside and told i wasn't really that helpful and that hurt my feelings and also made me wonder if i'm not actually that good at stuff. but then monty and i hung out and he proposed and i guess things are alright now. maybe i should, like, try and figure out a job or something, though."

[murdcrofcrows]

he could feel his face warm when daria's hands move to his face. luckily the cold air outside could mask any blush that had appeared on his cheeks. "word," he answered, followed by a breathy giggle before standing up straight and clearing his throat, smoothing out his coat as if he cared if his coat was wrinkly or not. "i will, uh, definitely do that." lucky nodded and watched her move into her place, following after and closing the door behind him.

"sorry it took me awhile, but toph said you guys were super cool to him at the community center and i just kind of wanted to come say thanks and then um," he looked back toward the door as he motioned to it. "do that. but i should be honest about something." lucky didn't want to skip steps or intrude, he wasn't trying to be a burden so soon into whatever it was they were forming there relationship wise. but, he also kind of needed to know sooner rather than later where he was staying that night at the very least. "would you mind if i crashed with you tonight? i don't know when the snow will melt and toph is staying with the fishers, well jojo at least and they said i could stay there too but i thought it'd be better to give them some time, you know?" jonah had a rough week and he was probably sick of lucky's face at that point.

[folliesofmiceandmen]

she's glad he's here, and not just because of the unexpected (but certainly not unwelcome) kiss. at the community center, she'd had lucy and kodi and toph, but lucky not being there had definitely been a bit of a wrench in what had basically been the perfect group of people, her group of people. the ones she cared about being there, about being around. she knows it was pretty rough for toph, too, considering the heart to heart they'd had about the whole thing, and she can only assume that all of them there would have been a major stress relief in an already shitty situation, but then there's this part of her, the small selfish part of her, that's glad he's here now, and it's just the two of them and she isn't sharing his attention.

his question catches her off guard just long enough for her steps to falter for a half-second before she keeps walking toward the kitchen, and pulls open the fridge to grab a couple of the drinks she knows are in there out. she sets one down for him in offer before opening her own. lucy did say she needed to get laid, and while, to be totally fair to him, he hadn't even really implied that, it's a door cracking open that she probably shouldn't slam shut. "yeah. no, yeah, totally. you stay here, let toph and jonah get all caught up and tangled up and whatever else they're gonna do. you can definitely crash here if you don't mind the fact that i'm a blanket hog."

[eatabug]

❝ whoa, whoa, hey―you don't gotta go getting all defensive here, big man, ❞ lorenzo teases, dropping his plate on the table so he can lift both hands in a playfully exaggerated show of self-defense. he knows he's poking a bear here so he treads carefully ( the last thing he needs is word getting back to scarlett or rio that he mouthed off to a superior, and he doesn't think damien is a narc but he also doesn't know what the man would do if he's in a foul enough mood ) but lorenzo has never been one to bite his tongue entirely. ❝ or did you miss the part where i said it's cool that you're doing this shit? learn to take a compliment, dude. ❞

the younger jackal drops into a chair and begins digging into the chicken sans utensils, popping a piece of meat into his mouth with his fingers before fixing damien with an exasperated stare. ❝ you're kidding, right? come on. don't you think i earned this? i mean, that means i rode next to a― ❞ lorenzo cuts himself off before he can mention the bear again. he's not trying to push his luck and get put on bathroom duty. he doesn't even fucking work here, he's just hungry. starving artist or whatever, he knows damien will feed him. ❝ fine. whatever. i won't say it. but if you're not gonna let me talk about that, you could at least tell me who pissed in your cornflakes this morning. seriously man, you good? ❞

[folliesofmiceandmen]

to be completely fair to lorenzo, he hasn't actually done anything to warrant damien's ire. it's the fact that all of this sucks, that he can't even really get back into the swing of things until he's sure that everything at the diner is tip top, that he can't just disappear into the kitchen for hours and ignore the buzzing of the world outside. he doesn't want to go out of his way to admit to anyone that he spent the majority of his time in that bunker afraid, not because of the snow or because of some fucking bear or because of anything even remotely worth actually being afraid of, but because he felt like a fish trapped in a can, squirming around in just enough liquid to survive but still struggling to get the hell out.

no one really knows that he's claustrophobic, and he doesn't plan on making the announcement to the entire fucking town. but the lingering effect has not been kind to him even since he's gotten out into the open again.

"sorry." he finally manages, sighing as he wanders over and, for lack of anything better to do with his hands, starts cleaning up the counter with the rag he'd slung over his shoulder before. "rough few days, you know? pregnant wife, lots of stress, anything could have happened. finally get out and i gotta spend the next week getting this place back up and going because people're gonna be hungry and unable or unwilling to cook for themselves, so on and so on. you can talk about the damn bear if you really wanna."

[murdcrofcrows]

"no, no, i don't think he would, either." draven agreed, his lips pressing into a hard line of vague worry and concern. he's uncertain what would happen to dorian if the night mother found out dorian's faith was nearly non-existent. at least he knew kai wouldn't touch him, well it was not likely, at least. not unless the listener gave the order. draven has never been so ignorant to the fact that dorian was part of the eclipse more for his sake than to worship the dread father. just like he could see duri's faith ebb and flow over their time together.

maybe the problem was him, has he ever truly believed in any of this at all?

he thought he did. either way, this wasn't time to think about that as it always travels to some sort of existential dread in the end and has the potential to send him into a long bout of depression he could neither afford, nor cared to experience again any time soon. it was easier to compartmentalize and be angry instead. fight against all the fuckers that wanted to see him fail, whether anyone was thinking that or not.

it was probably an insubordinate move for draven to roll his crystal blue eyes after looking to where duri had nodded. they knew duri wouldn't call them out for it, not to the listener at least. perhaps to them, as a reminder but that was harmless. "are you honestly suggesting i sleep in tedward's place? have you asked him if he's okay with a couple of mothman musicians crashing in his little book nook in the city?" not that draven cared what he thought of them, however they weren't sure about letting their guard down to sleep somewhere if the owner of said place wished ill will of them.

[folliesofmiceandmen]

there's a beat of silence, and then duri lets out a soft snort that she thinks she might have been mortified to let anyone besides draven ever hear. "watch your face." she offers, the words a quiet murmur, moreso than most of the things she says. it's not as if she's a loud talker to begin with, having spent most of her life training to be silent, but the tone is clearly meant for no one but them, the kind of subtle jab and warning that she had clocked them and that she thinks someone else could have, too, if they'd bothered paying attention to the two broody freaks in the corner.

"no, for the record, i have not asked him if he would be okay with it. and it feels a bit like an imposition even before i do, but i can ask him, and if he says no, then we will find something else. i don't think spiraling into various what if scenarios is going to help us right at this moment, anyway. at the very least, he'd probably be okay with a couple of bum mothman musicians crashing on his couch for a night once we can actually leave this place." for a moment her eyes dart around them, take in the space and how small it feels even with all of the room. too many people crammed in, too much chatter going on around them. too much... everything. "if i do ask him, you have to promise to be nice and not threaten his life. i do love him, you know."

[murdcrofcrows]

"you think you're going to be okay to be in his place? didn't he have a whole ass family staying there?" draven realized more and more they hadn't asked much about dorian's brother after he passed. something about scratching the wound open before it got the chance to fully heal, if healing completely was even possible. draven still grieved the loss of his mother nearly a decade and a half later. some things were just too painful to forget. "i feel like you're just trying to see what i would look like on a ranch, aren't you?"

draven's face twisted into a common look of disgust at the thought of theodore and duri doing anything, let alone getting up to some of the nasty things that draven is into. "probably a bunch of boring vanilla poetry shit i do not want to attempt to imagine." gross. thankfully dorian didn't press the subject so they didn't have to dwell on it any longer. which was good, because the idea of it made that homicidal inclination towards theodore start to grow again. "what do we need to do to see about your brother's place, if you're sure that's even available?"

[folliesofmiceandmen]

"i think i could handle it, yeah. i mean, i know it'll probably be... a lot, but..." he trails off, considers it for a moment too long before he offers his best approximation of a shrug while still laying curled up against draven's side, and then blows out a breath he hadn't realized that he'd started holding. there are a couple of beats where he lets the silence linger, maybe because he's trying to form words or maybe because he's trying to form them correctly, but he finally manages to speak again, following a surprised little bark of a laugh slipping out of him suddenly. "i think you'd look absolutely adorable on a ranch. we'll get you a parasol so that you don't burn up in the sun, yeah?"

for a moment, dorian's nose wrinkles, and he glances toward the stairs that he can barely see from his position, eyes lingering for a moment. he certainly doesn't want to think about what is basically his sister-in-law at this point, tangled and messy upstairs, but he does note silently that he hasn't seen hair or tail of teddy or duri in long enough that he can reasonably assume poetry is not what's keeping them. "i can go talk to miss silva in the morning. i can only assume that i'll probably have to get back into ranch work, earn some keep. far as i know, my sister in law and the kiddo are staying with one of the other siblings, so the house itself should be all ours." he offers a small pause, then a smirk as he leans up to steal another kiss. "we'll get you some black out curtains."

[eatabug]

she's right. he knows she's right. all this time they've been dancing around each other―around the idea of whatever this is between them becoming something real―and he still hasn't found the nerve to put a name to it. ( to his credit, the last time he tried to broach the subject, he's not entirely sure she believed him. and no, before you ask, he was most certainly not bothered by her doubt in such a rare moment of sincerity and vulnerability. it's fine. she didn't know. he doesn't care. ) and dairy wants to tell her that she's right. hell, he'd put a proper title on it right here and now. he fucking missed her. but he doesn't. he can't.

he's too busy staring at his fucking hand.

the farmhand is vaguely aware of what she's saying to him, but it takes a moment for his brain to catch up. when he tries to flex his fingers, they don't move. he can't feel them. ( why is he afraid that's better? this looks like it should hurt. ) he looks up toward diana the moment her hand curls around his wrist and there's something unfamiliar in his gaze: a flicker of fear. he's fucked up before, but this looks different. this looks bad.

❝ that's―fuck, di, ❞ his voice wavers slightly on the swear and he clears his throat roughly, an attempt to keep it from happening again. ❝ to who? what is anybody going to do? there isn't even power here right now and―shit, can they even fix this? that's not a normal color. that's not―fuck. ❞

[folliesofmiceandmen]

diana is scared. but the moment she looks up and catches the flash of fear that crosses dairy's face, the rational part of her brain clicks in and shuts that fear down for the moment. because they can't both be scared and panicking, they can't both crack and shatter, and she has to make sure that he gets help for this. frostbite. the word lingers somewhere in the back of her mind, and honestly what else could it be? she isn't a medical professional, not by any stretch of the imagination, but she knows enough to know that this isn't something that can be put on a back burner.

"hey, look at me." her other hand comes up to rest gently against his face, trying to direct his eyes away from his own hand and back to her. "they can fix it, everything is going to be okay, but we have to get you over to one of the doctors or nurses right now before it gets any worse. power or no, they can look at it and figure out what needs to be done, right? and then when things are up and runnin' again, it'll be fixed up right as rain." she's most certainly babbling, running her mouth because that's better than panicking. because he needs her to be a little more stable right at this moment. "anyway, you have to get it looked at or else i'm not lettin' you stay in my room with me tonight."

[murdcrofcrows]

"who knows? not you and not me." kai shrugged and flipped open their pocket knife to clean some dirt from beneath their nails. "all i know is she's a treat to look at and doesn't work for afterglow, and when i go stay at the crow's nest she's always been nice." despite how abrasive kai is known to be, there were some people that just knew how to deal with them or at least didn't show off that they were offended by how kai spoke to them. sure they could change but at that point if it hadn't happened, it probably wouldn't and kai doesn't give a fuck what people think of them.

kai turned their head to see who he was referring to only to lock eyes with daye and turn back towards him. "that's the listener's kid," kai smirked for a quick moment then dropped back to the resting scowl it was normally in. "mind your business." they grumbled at him and closed the pocket knife again. "i have the best mouth in the world, there's bound to be an admirer or two out there." last thing they needed was for drama to get stirred up, though it would be fun to see play out. as long as they don't have to be involved. which sadly, would never happen. "so if you don't want to throw knives, do you want to use this and carve something out of wood?" that's what the creatives liked to do, right?

[folliesofmiceandmen]

"pretty sure it's people's job to be nice at their job, but hey, if it's good enough for you..." he trails off as he eyes them, trying (and failing miserably) to get a read. it's kind of his thing. wanting to know where he might stand with any given person at any given moment. he's always prided himself on being easy to get along with, but some people-- people like kai-- are harder to crack, harder to bathe in that aura of simply being friendly. or whatever the hell it is. "she is nice to look at. i'll give ya that. pretty sure before he met his wife, my brother had a thing for her. they at least knew each other. got on well. but she was always hangin' around that bozo that works for pr, now." he shrugs, then, and redirects his attention back to them, eyebrow quirked, lips tugging at one corner.

amused.

"the listener's kid." he repeats it a little skeptically, not because he doesn't believe that part of it, but the quick 'mind your business' certainly makes him believe less that she's just the listener's kid. at least when it comes to kai. "and does listener kahn know that you've used that mouth on his daughter, or is that a secret between friends?" he doesn't plan to press, if only because he's pretty sure they would have no issue taking that knife and using it on him if he does. instead, he glances at said knife and shrugs. "sure. i could carve somethin'. what are ya thinkin'? like little moth shrines?"

[insainted]

Rafe lets her explain the situation, holding his hands up towards the heating without a word or any sound of interruption. He's not necessarily much about conversation for the sake of conversation—everything has to have a point, conversations are for reaching goals. What those goals are changes per situation, per person, even. Engaging within this conversation, the goal has come into sight rather quickly: get to know about the inner workings of front-facing Afterglow employees by simply listening to what Daye has to say.

"Ironic, that, considerin' we work for the same entity," Rafe says, giving her sideways glance finally when there's a definitive period behind the points she's making. "Or you sayin' your boss, aka your best friend, is payin' you on the side as well? 'Cause as the market officer, I might have to take that on the record." He ought to, of course, if fraudulent business is happening, he read the policies—the biggest question is whether or not he would.

As it is, he isn't really interested in maintaining policy if it doesn't help him, but absolutely if it doesn't harm him and his goals in this position. But Daye doesn't have to know that one.

For her request to elaborate on his secret, Rafe tilts his head at her slightly, chuckling quietly. "Well, man needs a job, innit? Your government needed someone skilled with logistics, and here I am."

[folliesofmiceandmen]

"what i'm saying is that i'm well worth the day rate that some people are willing to shell out for my services. we might work for the same entity, but my reputation and skill level is expensive and well earned by reputation." keeping shit from going off rails is kind of her whole thing, and she's spent long enough in government to know how to weasel her way around pointed or probing questions, but that doesn't stop her from being honest. bragging, maybe. it's not as if she hasn't had offers to move into a new position for a significant bump in salary. and maybe friendship and loyalty can only last for so long.

maybe if she could actually talk to archie, her mind would be made up on that point. but daye is, if nothing else, stubborn.

"skilled with logistics, is it? in my experience, people who are skilled with logistics are the ones who are the best at breaking the system they're proficient in." and she includes herself, because she's spent over a decade in the same machine, learning which gears stick and which ones are a little looser. "that what you've always done? logistics?"

[strcinedhecrts-deactivated20260]

HAD IT BEEN THE smartest idea to traipse down the hill in the middle of a snowstorm where one could barely see their hands if they extended them in front of them? somehow both yes and no. despite the recovery that had lay ahead of her when they were released, it had brought her a certain amount of ease when she had been physically able to see both monty and delphine. even if she had heard word from monty, the physical sight of them did make things a bit easier. and yet, as they were shoved back into their daily lives, of course joni is happy to stick to the side of the closest person she has to a sister. " well, i could always put a good word in for ya at the ranch. miss silva runs a good ship -- and we always need help in the office. " taking a sip from her own glass of water, she continues. " being good at it aside... what would stick out t'you? like... somethin' that feels right to you? "

[folliesofmiceandmen]

"truth? nothing in my life has ever felt right to me literally ever. you won't psychoanalyze me like my charming future husband does, so i can safely tell you that before i got to this place, my idea of the future was literally five minutes from the moment. i've always called it being free-spirited, but i think it's ineffectual fear of settling." perhaps she doesn't need monty to psychoanalyze her, after all. she's doing a good enough job of it herself. and that feels both like progress and backsliding in a way she isn't sure she can quite make sense of. she fears the idea of the other shoe dropping. hates that any moment could shatter this strange sense of belonging she's found. she wants to talk to tully about it, but isn't quite sure if her sister would have any advice. she still has to get around to asking her to be her maid of honor at her wedding, which is probably going to be a whole thing.

she considers the question for another moment while taking a bite of food she can't really taste and then shrugs again. "i like kids. surprisingly, i'm sure. but i'm too stupid to be a teacher and i'm too reckless to be a babysitter or whatever. i like music, but music is a dream, not a career. the other things i like are kind of exclusive to your brother and my relationship and i'm sure you don't want a play by play of that. plus that's not a career, at least not one i'd be interested in pursuing."

[strcinedhecrts-deactivated20260]

CELIA HASN'T BEEN IN devil's elbow forever -- truly only following daíthi with a loyalty that only they seemed to be able to understand ( according to finn and feary -- at least, it was questioned ). and yet, of course she knows that the system they've found themselves in could give any person with a brain plenty to think about, but they also don't just represent themselves anymore. they represent the shamrocks. sure, her temper gets away from her sometimes -- but there are times when, contrary to popular belief, they do choose their words carefully. especially when talking about politics.

" haven't old farts ruled the world for like... ever? " they question for a moment, lips wrapping around their cup of hot coffee. " and i'm not sayin' that's a good thing. it's fucked, course it is. ask any tom, dick or harry and they'd prolly tell ya the same thing. and rarely ever do they actually do anythin' good for anyone outside themselves. " they knew very well that this was some kind of campaign speech, or at least leading into something longer winded. " someone doesn't just come outta the gate with a loaded statement like that without there bein' more to the story. so tell me, what do y'really wanna talk about, gomez? "

[folliesofmiceandmen]

diego can only shrug. he's already decided that full force campaigning for his fiancee isn't something he's going to go all in on until it's official, and bringing it up to one person is as good as bringing it up to half the damn town. maybe people already know, and maybe he's perfectly safe to mention it, but that doesn't mean he's gonna bungle anything. just in case. he's cautious, he's careful with his words, and his shrug is the end of the rambling, as far as he's concerned.

for now.

"what i really wanna talk about is the same thing i always wanna talk about. you see my sister a hell of a lot more than i do, and since she never answers her calls or texts, i gotta ask someone how she's doin'. abuela would tan my hide if i didn't." it's probably scummy, slipping around the obvious blockade dizzy's set up for him, but he does love his sister, and does want to know that she's okay. "is she safe?"

[murdcrofcrows]

"girl, you know you make me nervous." emil peeked up at her shrouded by dark curls, holding eye contact so he could give her a knowing look. because what he wasn't going to do was pretend she didn't know him better than he probably knew himself, minus maybe shiloh because they were trauma bonded siblings but that was a whole other discussion entirely. "i mean, it's not like i've been seeing anyone else."

that wasn't exactly easy for him to admit, even though it was very true. normally, he tries to pretend like he's moved on, that he doesn't still think about the woman he asked to marry him and proceeded to fumble it right after. he wasn't trying to make the mistake twice if he was given the opportunity again.

but this wasn't that, was it? or... maybe it was. emilano felt his entire mouth dry out by the time her hand was resting on his chest and before he could do anything else or say something stupid, he moved the short distance capture her mouth with his. emil's hand gripped her hip for a quick moment until it was over then he slowly pulled back to search her eyes for some kind of reaction.

"something like that or—" he made a quick move to bend down and hook his arms under her thighs to pick her up, then wrap her legs around his waist. "this?" he asked, a mischeviously hungry smile tugging at his lips. "i'd suggest a board game but i don't think i own a single one."

[folliesofmiceandmen]

while deja has no expectations for the evening, she also has a small flicker of hope. hope because she's still clinging to the part of herself that loves the part of him that she fell for the first time. and even if things went south, not because of cheating or scandal or even something horrible in a petty way, she never stopped loving this man and hoping, maybe, that someday they could find one another again in a different place. perhaps a blizzard is a small blessing if only in that one regard.

she isn't sure that she expected her teasing to lead anywhere significant, so the kiss does throw her off balance for a moment, enough that her fingers grip his shirt as she sinks into it, to hold herself steady on her feet. enough that she chases after his lips when he pulls away, seeking more. there's a moment where her eyes stay closed before they blink open again, and she shakes her head a bit to try and clear it.

it doesn't last long before her feet are off the floor and her arms are winding their way around his neck. "not a single one? you don't even have jigsaw puzzles?" but the teasing smirk at her lips should tell him that a jigsaw puzzle is the last thing on her mind. "i suppose we'll have to work around that. maybe we can test the durability of your mattress instead. important to test these things."

[insainted]

Sitting at home is not something Feary does well, and although he'd taken some time after the blizzard business to stay in, with his phone off, the only one reliably able to interact with him being Camila—unless Finn chose to kick down his door, which he most likely wouldn't—it hadn't taken too long, maybe a handful of days. Of course, he hadn't been the only one, much of Burnington had been more quiet than average, business staying closed for a few days beyond the final snow had died down. Partially because people needed to rest, but also because they had to wait for Afterglow to bother clearing the streets and excavate buildings.

Despite having a closed door policy—no one waltzes into Feary's office unprompted or uninvited, that's what the other floor managers were for—there are a few people who have a pass on that. Dizzy Gomez, not just with her working position on the Lust floor, but also due to her work for the Shamrocks, is one of them, although entirely unspoken. It's simply that he's never enforced the rule where they're concerned, and any rule that goes unenforced might as well not be a rule at all.

"Not to the establishment," Feary says, eyes focused on the reports in front of him, vicious blue eyes scanning them back and forth, not even looking up at her. It's not dismissal or disrespect, rather than comfort—like with a predator, the only times they maintain eye contact is when there's a threat or when they're the threat. As it is, the week in the bunker, once the biggest threats had either removed themselves or been handled, had largely been spent with Dizzy, and not just for the fact that she'd been his eyes and ears.

Finally, Feary lifts his head, pulling his eyes away from the reports, leaning back into the desk chair. A single pat on his thigh invites her to change her seat as he watches her. "Good," he says at the news; perhaps he ought to be more worried, having made an alliance of sorts with the moth cult, but the more precarious their situation, the better the Shamrocks' position, ultimately. "If any a them drop by the Nest, ye can let me know, hm?"

[folliesofmiceandmen]

she moves carefully, lets her body sink and settle into the place his hand patted. it's a comfortable place to be, perched on his leg, and though her curiosity is piqued, she doesn't bother leaning forward to look at the reports that he's abandoned. she knows that there's a line, and she knows that she can toe it, sometimes even cross it completely, but she doesn't push it. because pushing it means that she loses the privileges that she's been allowed, the pushes that she's been allowed. instead, her body melts back against feary's shoulder, and a hand comes up to gently card through his hair.

"mm, i do worry that poor little delly is going to crack and shatter into pieces with all of the extra work. they've been asking for volunteers to help around the place." there's a pause, one that seems pointless and too brief to matter, but one that holds weight. "of course i've offered my services. put my hands in pots."

because that is what dizzy does, both for the shamrocks and for her own self interest, because being a curious creature comes with the inherent need to know things does have a drawback at times.

[insainted]

As soon as the chuckle escapes from Deirdre, Ripley ducks down to be on eye level with her friend. "What's that? I managed to make Deirdre O'Brien laugh?" she teases with a smirk, holding the younger woman's jaw gently. "God, what can't I do, huh?" Straightening up with a laugh, Ripley puts her arm around Deirdre again, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I would love to crash a party, and I would love to trash the mayor-governor's fancy mansion," Ripley answers, starting to guide Deirdre along, regardless of the fact that she doesn't really know where she's going, or where Donovan Du Pont's house may actually be. It doesn't matter too much to her, eventually they'll get to where they're going, and before that point, she gets to spend more time with Deirdre.

Glancing down at the girl in question, Ripley considers her for a moment. "Hey, you got a place to stay? I don't mean right here, right now, but like... outside. I take it you aren't staying here. Doesn't seem your speed, you're way better than that."

[folliesofmiceandmen]

"felt strange, think i might have pulled a muscle in my throat doing that." the sarcasm that drips from the words is never quite as apparent as when she forces the inflection for effect. but that doesn't stop the corners of her lips from twitching up, just a little, but enough to actually be noticed and not just something hidden in the shadow of her face. amusement feels nice, and ripley has never been bad at causing it, something for which deer is incredibly grateful for. perhaps because it stops the absolute melancholy from washing over her completely. perhaps for another reason she's yet to really click into. whatever the case, she likes it.

she doesn't stop the other woman from starting to guide her, nor does she bother to point out that they're walking in the wrong direction, because eventually they'll make some kind of loop, or if they get too far off path, she can point it out then, but for now, she simply lets the calm settle over her in the act of walking and being held. it's nice. this is nice.

"uhm, yeah, actually. i live with this guy who's decided that we're best friends." she says it like she's confused by the turn of events, and she is, but she can't quite bring herself to say yet that she feels the same way about xander. that he's weaseled himself into some space in her ribs and made himself a fixture that would be painful to remove. "you're welcome to come share my bed whenever you like, if you need to. i'm not much of a cuddler, but there's plenty of space."

[folliesofmiceandmen]

where: the red line diner with: anyone

"... but you see, the idea of a politician sitting in a seat of power for this long and being this ineffectual is the problem at hand, right? someone younger, with ambition and great ideas, that's the change we want if we want disaster after disaster to calm down, or at least want our government to actually do something responsive in a timely manner." is it possible that diego is rambling a bit? of course. he has a tendency to do that even when he's not passionately trying to promote the idea of a government overhaul in his own way. which is really just his endorsement for sami. but he hasn't actually brought up her name yet, because diego isn't actually even sure if sami has made it public that she might be running for office. "anyway, i just think it's something to think about, you know?"

[rpmemesyo]

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