Suddenly Becomes Light.

[gideonclarke-blog]

al-gomez·:

Annoyed, really, to have been called out at such a prison standard bedtime hour, Alex sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he finally managed to make his way through the crowds to the bar. Giving the bar tender a nod, the guy was just about to speak when he felt a sharp dig in his foot. Immediately in panic mode, Alex looked down rather drastically, before grabbing the bar stool from next to him to examine what or who as it would’ve been in prison, had managed to get to him, as if he was ready to pounce depending on what he saw. But to say he felt like an idiot when he realised what had actually slightly impaled him was an understatement. Especially when the person who’d accidentally impaled him really wasn’t that much of a threat. The dramatic removal of a bar stool was enough to draw a few eyes his way, but he couldn’t help his reactions, fight or flight was the way he’d lived for 13 years. The boy’s hands shook as he brought his elbows to rest on the top of the bar, his head falling into his two rather tense hands. 

Trying to swallow his anger, the boy mustered the courage to turn to the person next to him, to apologise. “God. Sorry about that. Daggers are kinda’ a trigger for me, I guess.” Even admitting that sounded stupid to him, which is why the boy turned back to the bar tender to apologise too, thankfully knowing him which made the conversation a little easier. But this person didn’t know him and probably thought he was just plain odd. “I only actually came here to pick up a friend who’s too tanked. You haven’t seen him, have ya’? Pretty gone, probably tried to kiss you if you let him near you. Red hair? White boy wasted?” When the bar tender planted a glass of water infront of him, Alex sent him an appreciative smile, “and whatever she wants given that I’ve probably just scared the shit out of her. Take it as an apology.”

    Gideon couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows at the reaction she had received from the man. She hardly flinched, though her heart undeniably had skipped a beat. Once he fixed the stool back into place, she furrowed her eyebrows slightly, bringing them together as she tried to assess the situation. He seemed troubled and a little bit on edge, clearly not in the mood to be in the middle of an overstimulating club, probably dragged to the place by a friend he was now responsible for — just Gideon’s type. At least, Gideon’s type while she drunk. Anybody who had more problems than her was someone she wanted to be around, partly because she was a helper at heart but also because it was a distraction from her own personal sorrows; which, nowadays, were plentiful.

    “Questionable choice of being here for you, I’d say. But no, haven’t seen him, haven’t been groped by him either,” the woman spoke, taking another sip before nodding to the bartender. He knew what she was drinking, as she was more than a few in the bottle by now, so getting her another drink on her partner’s demand was nothing short of ease. “I appreciate the gesture.” She added, turning a bit toward the man as she spoke.

[gideonclarke-blog]

matecalvarez·:

Mateo was following a lead. Not in the private detective kind of a style, but he needed to keep an eye out on the petty pawns Angelica Lizzio had sent out to snatch the goods from the Skulls’ streets. One of the largest hot spots? Pravda, of course – the most popular nightclub in Wilmington, it was a melting pot of people looking for a fun night out, and a few desperados here and there looking for their next fix to get away from reality. Either way, customers flooding left and right was a good thing – but not if they had competition that played as dirty and with an agenda, like Angelica did. Hence Mateo’s presence in the club that night. He was never a clubbing type of a person, he hated the crowds, the pulsating way the music would penetrate his skull. And yet, when focused on this one thing – surveillance more or less, at least that night, he was perfectly calable of ignoring all of the above.

The only problem was his cut – the obvious sign he was wearing that indicated whom he belonged to, easy to spot, easy to recognize. It didn’t do him any good that night, but it was one of those things that couldn’t be helped – you don’t take off your cut for anything. Besides, making a presence could’ve also been a good thing, it meant that the othen men were being watched, a statement of sorts. Either way, he was done for the night and was on his way out, when his side was dug into – his initial thought? A knife, of course, but he relaxed his shoulders as soon as he actually saw what happened. Surveying the situation, he spotted a woman, obviously far more concerned with her drink than anything else. ‘’I can tell,’’ Mateo responded, moving to the side. ‘’You savin’ that spot for anyone else?’’ He pointed to the one next to her own.

    Gideon raised her eyebrows when she saw who she had bumped with the edge of her stiletto heel. He looked familiar and, for a moment, she pondered where she had seen him before — probably on the street without much of a second look, but he had a face that was recognizable and a presence that was undeniable. She looked at the spot next to her and shook her head, adjusting how she was sitting so that her death trap pair of heels were no longer in harms way. 

    “Nobody in particular. Maybe the idea of someone, the concept, but that’s about it.” She took another sip from her drink, the whiskey burning her tongue with familiarity and certainty. There was no denying that the woman was drinking away some sort of sorrow, that much was for sure — why else would a woman like herself be out in such an environment, by herself, easily a few drinks down? 

[gideonclarke-blog]

aidenjcarter·:

Aiden got dragged to the bar by a couple of his coworkers. He wasn’t usually one to enjoy social drinking with people he saw at work. He didn’t want them to see him drunk or see his wild side, per se. He couldn’t say no though. Considering the fact that school had just started, he was already in need of his friend Jack Daniels. His coworkers were wild to say the least, take shot after shot and clearly they were all getting pretty drunk. At this point, Aiden had decided to go to the bathroom away from the chaos.

When he came back, he lost them. He saw his phone and there were no new messages. After walking around the bar for five minutes, he gave up trying to find them and shot the group message a text. Are you guys okay? Please be safe. Text me if you need anything. He continued making his way towards the bartender, hoping for another drink. Unaware of his surroundings, he accidentally bumped into someone’s heels. “Oh, don’t apologize. It’s okay. I should’ve been more aware. Hopefully I’m not bleeding or anything.”

    “I hope not. You seem young and resilient enough, I’m sure you’ll be okay,” she spoke, the alcohol on her tongue giving her mouth a familiar sting as she spoke. She raised her eyebrows and looked the man over, assessing the situation at hand — he was young, probably in school and out with his friends for a drunken night. That or he had been dragged out without much of a choice. Gideon had been that woman once upon a time but now, on her own accord, found herself drunk in a club surrounded by people much younger than her and in need of someone to go home with. Not that going home alone would have been the worst thing in the world, but she was drinking away her personal sorrows, so some company would be nice.

[gideonclarke-blog]

nctalielewis·:

          It never escaped Natalie that stilts and stilettos shared an awful lot of letters. She stood transfixed for a moment while she eyed the other woman’s footwear with equal parts apprehension and admiration. If not for the apologetic quip, she might’ve stared even longer. “Better you walking on them than me, that’s for sure.” A chuckle adorned her declaration just seconds before she eased her way past the obstacle and onto the stool. In that offhanded way people are know to do when sat at a bar waiting for a drink, she added, “Seriously. I tried once to impress someone and nearly ate the pavement at least seven times. I don’t know how women wear those things ever single day. I’d have tripped into a bus by now.”

    “I’ve gotten used to them. Twenty years will do that to you. So will mommy issues,” Gideon stated simply, raising her eyebrows in amusement as she eyed the other woman. She was pretty and reminded Gideon of herself when she was younger — bright eyed, seemingly untouched by time and the inevitability of shit that was life. It brought a strange warmth to her chest, but then again, so did the whiskey in her system. 

[gideonclarke-blog]

thescottvanderbilt·:

It would be just once ─ how much harm could Scott do clubbing in a place like Wilmington?

He could almost hear the disapproval of Daisy and Delilah, Cora slapping him and Hunter, of course, all in for some reckless behavior. But no one was there and he needed some fun, some release from the boredom his days had become. So he picked his best suit and headed downtown, to Pravda. If anything, he could try to convince his father that he was actually working (nobody could deny that Scott did a lot of networking when he was in clubs). It was Lizzio’s new business, so after being tangled with them, maybe his father would be lenient if needed. Scott, however, was almost sure that it would be impossible for him to cause any havoc there.

It was slightly different from all the clubs he had been, but also a lot like the same. There were many young faces ─ and that was probably the only good thing about being in a new place. He was walking around distractedly, finding his way to the bar, when he bumped into something. His eyes dropped to see what it was and followed her legs, to the short black dress, until his eyes met hers. “Believe me, I know just how bad they can be used as weapons.” Scott might have lost the count how many times he had a shoe or two thrown at his head. “You look to pretty to be lonely, darling. Are you here by yourself?”

    Gideon raised her eyebrows in agreement and took another drink, the stinging on her tongue a sign that the liquid she seemed to be gulping down was doing a good job. After this the woman laughed softly, brushing her hair back behind her ear. She had been one of the women to throw shoes, that much was for sure — other things as well that could have been considered more of a weapon, but sometimes, a pointy heel did the trick. So, the woman understood the magnitude of the statement.

    “Me too. Though, I’m usually the one doing the throwing,” she stated, letting her eyes scan over the man in front of her. He was handsome, a little bit too handsome if she looked hard enough, and seemingly younger than her — though in all fairness, she was one of the older people in this particular club. She looked younger men anyway, that much was for sure. “Haven’t found good company to keep just yet. Trying to get some liquid courage in me to clear my head, you know?” Gideon pointed out, gesturing to the man. “What about yourself?”

[gideonclarke-blog]

nessamoreno·:

Since her return to Wilmington, Vanessa had gotten to see some old faces, but she’d also had the change to meet some that weren’t there at the time she initially left all those years ago to start university. Gideon was one of those people that she had recently encountered, and she immediately knew that she enjoyed the other woman. Vanessa didn’t have tons of free time on her hands, but when she did, she wanted to make the most of it. Sitting outback of her place, a wine glass in hand, she glanced over at Gideon sitting next to her. “There’s this bird that shows up here constantly around this time? I feel like I should get a bird feeder or something for it since it’s such a frequent visitor, but I don’t want to turn into the crazy bird lady, y’know?”

@gideonclarke

    There were few people that Gideon meshed well with, mostly due to the fact that she was somewhat of a narcissist with daddy issues and a thirst to prove herself, but for some reason the select few were people she held in quite close quarters. Vanessa was somebody new in the woman’s life but, nevertheless, the two women tended to get along — a few nights had been spent gossiping over a bottle of wine and swapping work stories in an effort to avoid talking about things that were too personal. Tonight seemed to be one of those nights, and as the two women sat together, Gideon found herself rather enjoying the escape from her generally busy mindset. After another sip of wine, her dark eyes met those of her counterpart and she raised her eyebrows in curiosity. “Maybe it’s a sign. Like, from a past loved one or something — if you’re into that superstitious shit.”

[gideonclarke-blog]

sfitzpatrick·:

“That sounds like a more than fair trade,” Sean agreed with a smile. “And I’d definitely appreciate the help … and my Ma probably would appreciate me having it, too.” He knew enough not to pick out something she’d actually dislike, but that didn’t mean he knew enough to make the right call, either. “So give me a little more detail, who stops by the break room, what’re they expecting when they do?”

    “Parents were never really my thing so I’m glad to be helping someone who has the opposite idea,” she spoke, a similar smile gracing her tainted lips. It was true that Gideon had issues with her parents, her whole family really, but her parents in particular — and thus, whenever she got the chance, she would make side comments about them for her own personal gain. “The people who work for me — financial aids, investment bankers, advisors and the like. I’d say something sweet but something salty, a little pick me up in the middle of the day. Think you can help?”

[gideonclarke-blog]

emilyxwinters·:

Taking deep breaths, Emily glanced around as the woman commented on the trail, assessing it, taking it all in. “I didn’t think it was this long.” She admitted eventually, finding no need to lie. She was still new here, still exploring, and she’ll be damned to trust Apple maps again. “Either that, or I took the wrong turn five turns ago.” Emily joked, once her breathing was under control. “Is this path going to end up going around the whole town? Cause I feel like I’m halfway there.”

    Gideon couldn’t help but nod in agreement, realizing that she also hadn’t thought about how long the trail might be — she just figured a quiet run would be good to clear her mind after the week she had been having. “I just hope it ends up somewhere with shirtless men or alcohol, both, preferably,” she joked, a smile dancing on her lips. She reached over and extended her hand to the woman. “Gideon, by the way.” 

[gideonclarke-blog]

what: open starter.

where: pravda night club.

    Gideon had never found herself much of a partier. Some drunken nights spent at the bar, yes, but clubbing was never much her scene. A few summers back she had gone out a handful of times but, for the most part, the woman only found herself in the club environment when trying to pick up a business deal. However, on the particular night, the brunette had no qualms about showing up to the club dressed in something rather scantily clad for her general taste. She was in the need for a serious drink and, after the week she had had, throwing on a short black dress and a pair of cherry red heels didn’t seem too bad.

    She managed to gesture to the bartender for another drink as she finished off her previous one, having lost count at this point, but not particularly caring. She sat crosslegged on her chair, foot taking up some space beside her with ease until somebody came up and bumped against her heel. The woman looked up, dark eyes meeting the person, and sighed. “Sorry, love. These things are like daggers.” She admitted, giving the bartender a sad smile as he brought her glass over.

[gideonclarke-blog]

emilyxwinters·:

“How can I not get myself up to the same pace I used to jog at just a month ago?” Emily mumbled to herself as she paused, unable to keep jogging any further. Granted, a mere month ago, her jogging would be either up in the hills or in her own gym, yet, now, she was getting a chance to jog through the parks, through the streets that were never as busy as the streets of Los Angeles were. Not to mention, she got to jog by the beach too, as cliche as it was. “Maybe I should rehire a personal trainer.”

    Gideon had decided to start her morning with some exercise, something she often indulged in but didn’t advertise as something she might enjoy. Mostly because being sweaty and out of her regular uniform wasn’t an aesthetic the woman enjoyed for herself unless it was in the bedroom. But, nevertheless, running was something the fit woman couldn’t seem to get enough of — another way for her to get everything off of her mind that she found stressful.

    As he was jogging through a less crowded area of one of the nearby parks, the woman couldn’t help but notice a fellow runner pausing in the middle of the path. She raised her eyebrows and slowed her pace, putting her hands on her hips with a deep inhale. “This trail seems to go on forever, doesn’t it?” She mentioned, looking for an excuse to take a break.

[gideonclarke-blog]

aaron-woodside·: 

It was difficult to look at Gideon and not remember in intimate detail that one long, hot summer, when it didn’t matter if he reached to hold her hand in public, and that every night could be spend laughing over a stupid movie, eating some of the best take-out food New York had to offer, and making love like it was the last time they’d have the chance. Aaron hadn’t wanted the summer to end for several reasons, but in the end it boiled down to what she didn’t want for her life - and that meant an unwillingness to wait through Aaron’s duty to their country. Losing Gideon had been like loosing a limb, not that he’d ever admit that to her - that sort of vulnerability was only rewarded to the people who didn’t walk away - and Aaron hadn’t have a single person in his life stick around in the long-term.

“Mm.” Even at 31 years old, it was hard not to want to know how his father was doing - but psychologically he couldn’t refrain from caring about how the man was, even when he’d essentially left Aaron penniless and for dead. “Well, that’s all for the best, isn’t it?” He’d offer a faint smile. “How am I supposed to know where your line of morality is, Gideon? I’ve been burned already.”

    For a long while, Gideon hadn’t given much thought to the situation she had left behind in New York — certainly not the man she had left either. But, upon moving to Wilmington, she had been forced to go through a box of things she had labelled as ‘do not open’ and was faced with the realization that she (probably in a drunken stupor) had saved many of Aaron’s things from the summer they had spent together. She would be lying if she denied still having one of his flannel button downs hanging in the very back corner of her current closet. The space was so big that she rarely had to look at it, but it was there, and the memories that came along with it took up more space that Gideon had intended.

    “Get a drink with me,” she began, finding herself momentarily shocked at her own brazen language. Almost immediately, the brunette began to backtrack. “I just mean, maybe under the guise of some liquid courage, I can give you a proper explanation. Or you can dine and dash me — hell knows I deserve it.” Her eyebrows raised, hopefully for his response but expecting the worst at the end of it. Did she deserve his attention for one night? Absolutely not, but maybe if they could find a way to rebuild a sense of familiarity, things could find their way to a neutral standing. Years had brought on many changes, after all, for the both of them.

[gideonclarke-blog]

delightfuldelilahx·:

“Then I will for sure have to stop on in and see it for myself,” she spoke, before she roamed her her mind wondering if anyone she knew had ever mentioned they needed any financial assistance of any sort. “And if anyone I know needs some help in that department, I will send them right to you—no one else, I swear on it.” She gave a quick wink towards Gideon before her eyes left the other woman and looked to those around her. “Oh, wait, weren’t you in some hurry not too long ago? I hope i’m not keepin’ you from somethin’ important.”

    Gideon nodded and winked back at the woman, enjoying the friendly gesture that they shared for a moment. “I’m counting on it,” she added, checking her phone for the time when her opposite mentioned the hurry she had been in. “You know what? I better get back to my search. But I’ll give you this in case you have someone in need of assistance, or if you just want to grab a drink sometime.” The woman handed over a business card to Delilah, always having them ready and willing to be handed out whenever the opportunity arose.

[gideonclarke-blog]

sfitzpatrick·:

“Uh … glass?” Sean answered, shrugging. Truth was, her question might as well have been in Chinese for all the sense it made to him. “I wasn’t joking about being the wrong person to send on this particular errand.” But sent on it, he had been, and assuming he could articulate what his mom was looking for, well, running into the woman might just be the help he needed. “It’s to replace one that the dishwasher ruined, but I don’t know that it needs to be exactly the same, either.”

    Gideon nodded at the man’s confusion, a smile dancing on her lips at the innocence in his voice — she understood. He was trying to do something nice for his mother and, even though parents were not exactly her favourite subject, the woman was happy to help and (for once) get away from the office a little bit. “Alright, well, if you want to help me pick something out for the break room at my branch, I’ll find you the best damn vase you’ve ever seen.”

[gideonclarke-blog]

abbyrchrds·:

Abby nodded. She had presumed as much, but frankly she could care less. She could feel her lips and fingertips starting to tingle, a surefire sign that if she didn’t sit down and have something to drink and eat immediately, she would likely make the situation between them worse by passing out on the sidewalk. “Please. Maybe something to eat, too. Salt. Sugar. Preferably both,” she said, slowly lowering herself to the ground. She might have been in the middle of a bunch of people, but it’s not like there were many other places to sit.

    Gideon raised her eyebrows as her opposite decided it best to sit down in the middle of the flowing group of people around them. She paused for a moment, her mind blanking on what she were to do if this woman were to pass out, but then she gestured with her hands slowly. “Alright, you just... stay here. I’ll be right back,” she spoke, moving toward the closest vender who had snacks and drinks. It didn’t take her long to decide on something, assuming the overheated woman wouldn’t turn down the first thing Gideon could grab – and when she returned she bent carefully, her pencil skirt making the angle incredibly awkward, but doable enough to hand the woman her things.

[gideonclarke-blog]

delightfuldelilahx·:

“You know I was actually pretty good at mathematics and financial accounting when I was in college, even took some extra math courses when I didn’t need to. I guess my mind was…set on the Human Memory route,” More like obsessed with. “Though what you do sounds very impressive, how did you find that it was your calling? You have your own business here, I assume?” Head tilted in curiosity, Delilah crossed her arms over her chest.

    “It’s always been something I’ve found tickles my fancy,” Gideon spoke, neglecting to explain that if she hadn’t gone into the financial field, she probably would’ve been shunned from her family. “A family business as well. I’m running a branch of the Clarke business here in Wilmington – it needed a little bit of turning around and I was more than up to the challenge.” Not that you had a choice, the woman thought to herself. It had in fact been through order of her father that she go to North Carolina to pursue the business, and truthfully, Gideon was looking for any excuse to get away from her father and her brother.

[gideonclarke-blog]

aaron-woodside·: 

Aaron had wondered so many times over the past five years when he’d have closure to the open wound Gideon had left in her absence. It wasn’t just that he’d lost a lover - those can come and go, but he’d lost the last connection to who he’d been before his service, potentially the only real friend he had before he’d gone abroad. “Oh. So you were just selfish.” He’d nod slowly, a disappointed laugh breaking the silence that followed the words. “I never tried to change you, or push you in any way, I just… I wanted a life. A real life. But I guess that just makes me a fool, right?

The man lifts her chart, tucking it under his arm as he reached to peel back the curtain. But something stopped him - the worst kind of curiosity, the kind that suffocated him at night when he thought upon the grief only one other living person had wrought on his heart. “How’s my father?”

    Gideon could feel her heart dropping into her stomach with every moment that passed between the two of them. She had so much she wanted to say to the man, so much she wanted to explain — but, as per usual, words seemed to fail her. The woman had never been that good at expressing her emotions, most often relying on some liquid courage and the darkness of nightfall to find herself in the most intimate of moments. Though, over the summer they had spent together, Gideon had bared her soul in a way that she hadn’t expected to. Everything about Aaron and they way he made her feel had been a shock to her as she had had a preconceived idea of who he was as a person. They had grown up together, essentially, despite the age difference — this meant that they had seen each other through hardships and downfalls, deaths, celebrations, all of it. Maybe not in their entirety, but they were always floating in the background for one another, ready to extend a welcoming arm in case they needed it — this was, of course, when Gideon wasn’t teasing and making fun of the younger boy. But ultimately, she grew to enjoy his company, that much was clear.

    She would nod slowly in disbelief, just allowing the man in front of her to air his grievances as he began to walk away. Her dark hues fell upon her hand, flexing the muscles slightly and furrowing her eyebrows at the feeling it invoked. But after a moment, she heard his voice again, and the words made her take in a sharp breath.

    “Truthfully? The last time I saw him was a few years ago. He was huddled up with a woman half his age during one of my father’s many long awaited fundraisers. I think I spoke two words to him, maybe, enough to know that I didn’t want to associate with a man half in the bottle.” Gideon spoke, shoulders squaring slightly as her words fell from her lips. “I’m not friendly with him, Aaron. I know how he’s been to you.” She stated simply, knowing that both of their father figures were friendly with each other at the end of the day.

[gideonclarke-blog]

abbyrchrds·:

“Yeah, except I did,” Abby said, still trying to catch her breath. She took a deep inhale and glanced over the woman’s shoulder, hoping that one of these markets sold some kind of drink that she could suck down after she and the woman parted ways. “I tried telling you before but you couldn’t hear me. I didn’t want anything valuable to fall out.”

    “Well, I thank you for your kind gesture. I was one a call with my receptionist so I was in my own head. Can I offer you something to drink? You look parched.” Gideon admitted, figuring that this could be her good deed for the day, helping somebody who had helped her. She gestured to one of the many stands behind her, knowing that she had to continue on in this direction whether the woman took her up on her offer or not.