FIGHT AND FLIGHT

Hadley Bowen

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Refills

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thymeandreason‌:

Breath quickened. Time slowed. Somewhere in between her heart either stopped all together or was beating so fast she couldn’t tell the difference. Pulled in so close, almost hip to hip. Hypnotic. A rush. Josie bit down on her lower lip, feeding fuel to the fire. Dark brown and gold mirrored the most brilliant and bright blue. Those eyes held the sky in place. They could stop the ocean in the middle of a storm. 

“Not a mind reader no.” She shook her head as her gaze dropped, tracing the outline of those lips, that smile. How much more of a smile could she ask for? Could she get by doing something daring? “Just someone trying to make a pretty girl pretty happy.” She offered a shrug and a coy wink. 

It took a quiet moment for the nervous energy to catch up with her. This kind of thing was still uncharted territory for the young human. Dealing with Nosferatu on your way home from work? Sure. Genuinely admit both to yourself and someone else that you have feelings? Like super intense, wow I can’t believe it feelings? That was damn near impossible. Josie wanted to impress her so much, wanted to prove she was worthy of the stars Hadley seemed to have plucked down to sparkle in her eyes. 

With a grin and a spin, Jo found her way to the base of the rocks. She knew her way around this, had done it a few times before. There was a little trick to it, a way to wedge your foot just between the right two rocks, and slip a hand into the crack that ran up at a forty-something degree angle. She’d gotten up a fair amount before a past mishap caught up with her. 

The feeling in her left hand hadn’t quite yet returned. The spidering vein like scars that ran from around her first two knuckles up and up and up until it just barely kissed at her neck and jaw were not the only permanent effect of her encounter with the magical lightning. The first pull had been fine, but by the time she went to take her second, her hand fully slipped from its spot, throwing off her balance and sending her backwards. 

Happy....well. Hadley was fairly certain this was the first time anyone had placed that as their primary goal. Normally people wanted to make her hungry, thirsty, parched for touch and taste and that was where it ended. Happiness...that had always been something she had needed to dig up out of the earth and pluck from the sky for herself.  She’d always thought people were exaggerating when they talked about knees going weak...but here she was, wobbling for just a second because Josie meant it...she spoke with such purse sincerity. Hadley was not quite sure she was worth a syllable of it but damn if she wasn’t going to drink it up. It was almost impossible to let her go. It was almost impossible not to taste the residue of those words on her mouth right there and then.

But Josie was off like a shot, fearlessly attacking the rocks. Hadley was slower than usual, distracted by the shape of a girl navigating the heights like she was meant to fly too. Also this view gave her a rather perfect view of the human’s rear and an ass like that ought to be admired for at least 30 seconds before attempts at climbing began. 

She eventually got herself together enough to start, only about a two feet from the ground when her heart plummeted hard and fast. It was like Josie was rappelling but without the gear. She was swan diving backwards, gravity pushing.

No. No. I just got you.

Her thoughts were thick and angry and panicked. Hadley pushed hard off the bit of rock she’d been clinging too, instincts on high alert. She landed hard, squatting to steady herself, eyes on the shape hurtling down towards her. There was no way in hell Josephine Castillo was going to land anywhere but in her arms. Hadley caught her, and she winced as her right arm twisted uncomfortably but that would heal itself in seconds, that was no worry. 

“Jesus.”

Her voice came out a gust of relief and residue terror, a puff of smoke. Immediately her eyes were canning Josie for signs of harm, for a scratch, for a problem...had she fallen because something else was happening to her? Did she need a hospital. Leave it to her to try and flirt with a girl and end up nearly getting said girl killed. She let Josie’s feet hit the ground but pulled her smaller frame in, wrapping both arms around her tight. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack on the first date? I mean...I’m normally a chaos ball but I think you just outdid me Miss Castillo.”

She needed the span of four heartbeats, to bury her nose in Josie’s hair for a moment and breathe her in, and then she was able to pull away just a little, eyes finally catching the scars that started on her left hand and seemed to run all the way up her arm. “Josie, why didn’t you say anything.” She’s stuck on those scars, wants to trace them with her fingertips and her mouth, wants to kiss every line away. “I wouldn’t have suggested we climb right now if I knew you’d been recently injured. I like a little rough fun now and then....but I’m not immune to the idea of safety.”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Red Handed

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harlankent‌:

Ashbourne was an interesting place. Everyone had knowledge about different things. Depending when and how people arrived, depending where they came from, their understanding of the world was different. It could make for a complicated mess at times, but Harlan liked to think of it as a gift. “Sherlock Holmes was set in London,” he answered. “So I take your point.” After all, she hadn’t exactly gone unnoticed in his bar, but that was only because she’d kept at it for so long. If she had only done it once, they’d have been none the wiser.

Harlan hadn’t imagined she was going to transform. He’d thought she was only looking to pry a better offer out of him, some worthwhile compensation for her work. He’d have been willing to give it to her. After all, money had never been a problem for him, but what she’d showed was far more impressive. “Oh, that’s marvelous!” His face lit up in a big, gleaming grin. “A shapeshifter! I’ve never seen anyone who could shift into a bird before. Mostly just cats and dogs.”

He flicked some cigarette ash into his tray. If it was a better pay-off she’d wanted, she’d done the right thing. She was even more valuable than he’d first thought. To Harlan’s surprise though, Hadley seemed more interested in things besides money. “You strike me as the sort of person who’s made a fair few enemies in their time,” he said. “Do you want money? Protection? I’m a smart man, like you said, and I’m more than happy to pay people what they’re worth. Name your price, darling.”

“The Felidae and the Canidae have always been a bit flashier,” Hadley admitted. She shook her arm out as she called back the shift, stretching the limb with a slight wince as the familiar pain tingled all the way down her spine. “My kind, the Aves, even when we travel in groups we tend to be a bit more discrete. People forget we exist.” Hadley eyed the cigarette, gingerly pointing a finger at it. “You could be a sweetheart and offer me one.”

He reminded her of one of the first men she’d ever set up a deal with. Liquid charm, confidence oozing from every pore, assured in what he wanted and that he was certain he could offer whatever payment she wanted. “Never been that interested in money. Protection though, that I like. It’s a more challenging request to make, a little riskier...and something that can never be promised with 100 percent assurance.” That’s how Hadley liked it, with the scale tipped heavy handed in the other person’s direction. That’s how you built loyalty with people. Make them feel like they were taking more from you than they were giving back and you built up a desire to balance. Hadley didn’t want anything else right this moment...but if she did...well, she’d get it without a doubt, she was certain.

“Aside from that my other condition is honesty.” She combed her fingers through her hair, sitting back in the chair again, face serious. This was all fun and games but it was a game she had skin and feathers in, and she hated nothing more than getting told her job was sub par because she’d been giving false directives. “Information is delicate, it’s perceptive. You must be absolutely crystal clear as to what you’re looking for, what your needs are, so that I know what threads are worth bringing back to you.”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Deceptively Calm

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percystone‌:

“Yeah, I have for a decade, now. I even went and got a Masters degree in music.” Maybe it didn’t mean much, especially in a place like Ashbourne, but her music, her degree, was a point of pride. She had worked hard for it. Worked hard to graduate high school, even when she was falling behind, and to get into college. Worked hard to get top marks and to earn her degree. Worked hard to get into graduate school, an essay that she had re-written so many times that it was a wonder she had made the deadline. So she bragged about it a little too often, but it was that pride.

She blinked when she realized that Hadley was on her feet, offering her a hand, and she reached out almost without thinking to hoist herself up as well, brushing herself off. Her face might have lit up at the idea of actually teaching someone how to play, someone who seemed genuinely interested in learning, someone who seemed excited by the idea. “I would absolutely love to teach you. I’m not going to lie, it’s a lot of work to really get anywhere, but… It’s really nice. The music is… It helps soothe the soul. Fair warning, though. I am not an actual teacher, so my style of teaching may be a bit… all over the place.”

“You should wear a hat that stats that proudly. Got my ass an education, worked hard and stuck with it.” Hadley shook her head, one hand pressed to her chest. “I never had that kind of focus. I mean...my pack never stopped moving so education was very on the go. We learned what we needed to survive, to blend in, to use society when we needed it, but there were big gaps. And I never thought there was any hope or use or whatever in me trying to pursue anything when I got older.” She gave Percy an admiring smile. “So you should shout that shit from the rooftops, because it’s really cool.”

She laughed, hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans. “All over the place happens to be my favorite method of learning so I think we’ll get on great.” Hadley had lived most of her life with a very comfortable and particular set of skills. To try to expand beyond had always felt frivolous, a luxury that didn’t fit into her lifestyle. But now she was stuck in a town that told her she had no choice but to be more than neurons and synapses and basic instincts. Now she’d met a girl with sunshine threaded in her eyes and wouldn’t it be nice to tickle the ivories for her sometime? “Besides...someone once told me you can find things that grow the body, and things that grow the mind, but music is one of the only things that grows the soul. And my soul...definitely a little dusty, could definitely do with a little growth.”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Thirst

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viv-adair‌:

Viv was used to people appraising her, to judging her based on her interests or her demeanor, but long ago she’d resolved herself to not let it get to her. She created a shell to cover the softer parts of her, the few that hadn’t been beat out of her. By now, the squishy essence of the girl who cared and cried when her peers had poked and prodded at her and called her weird had been all but crumbled to ash. She no longer needed the shell to protect her. 

Viv could protect herself.

The professor waved a dollar in front of the woman tauntingly, prepared to slide it back into her pocket but thought better of it. Instead she threw it over to the other side of the bar. “Think about how much bigger that would have been if you hadn’t been so snide,” she returned, a sly smile on her face. 

Viv leaned back, crossing her legs. “Oh, I require a minimum of at least six sticks.” The woman laughed at her own joke. “I’ll give this place one thing, at least it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. Blaring lights that say ‘Shit Hole!’ are posted pretty much everywhere.”

Another sip of her drink brought back memories of martinis long past. From her first terrible drink in some dingey bar off campus, to a high class vermouthy beverage in the most luxurious hotel bar she’d ever seen. This amateur hadn’t gotten the proportions too far off, though about herself, she felt she was dead wrong. 

Aside from the suggestion of the jazzy speakeasy. That one sounded much more her speed.

“But how else would I really get to know the place I have to call home from now on, hm? Your suggestion sounds much more my speed, but look at all these very colorful creatures.” Viv waved her hand absently, gesturing to the rather diverse cast of characters. “Yourself included. I take it you’re not allowed to be back there?” 

Was it odd that Hadley found the woman just the tiniest bit more tolerable when they were speaking in snark? It made the playing field feel a bit more leveled and when a fair blow was delivered, the shifter grinned. “Touche,” she offered, hand snaking forward to grab the dollar bill. It was very true that when it came to this level of customer service, Hadley was not a money maker. No, she did better earning fives and tens when her hips were swaying to a rhythm and her fingers were teasing straps down her shoulders. Lust was high class and low class and every class in between and it was the only method of transport she had when it came to navigating the hierarchy of personality.

“A minimum of six, I’ll remember that for next time.” Hadley leaned forward, let her chin rest on her hand. She still didn’t find the patron particularly warm or pleasant, but honestly sometimes a girl didn’t really want a pleasant interaction. Interesting was the name of the game, and this little back and forth definitely fell under that category. “Well the shit holes of the world are a necessary evil. I mean...you’ve got the people that wouldn’t know what to do with themselves in a high class establishment. The shithole is their home, it’s a manifestation of the mess inside their soul. They need it. “ A finger wagged gingerly in the other woman’s direction. “And then there’s people like you. The shitholes are necessary to you because well....what’s the point of thinking you’re made of better greater things if you don’t have some lowlifes to look down your nose at. A vivid, loud, memorable example of where you could be....if you weren’t so awesome and high class. Next place you walk into...even if it’s the ritz, the classiest place you’ve walked into, you’re going to be fifty times more at home in it because it’s more your speed than this place. But don’t be mistaken, whether you want to admit it or not you’ll have gotten a lot more out of this shithole than a martini.”

Hadley canted her head back and laughed, grabbing a washrag and absentmindedly taking it to a few empty glasses. The riot in the corner was almost handled, the regular bartender would be back shortly. “Rules have always had a bit of stretch to them when one is in a dire situation. And this town is a perpetually dire situation. No one gives a rats ass if you step in and do a job that’s technically not yours as long as you can do it passably.” She caught movement in the corner of the bar, and with a grin she pushed her body back up and over the counter top, neatly situating herself in the empty stool beside her companion. “Watch his face,” she pointed out, gesturing towards the bartender as he approached. “He knew what I was doing, and his reaction will be dependent on whether or not he thinks I caused a problem. Patrons have drinks, no one looks upset...aside from the 1 dollar you gave me, which I think I earned, all his tips are in the tip jar. Was I technically supposed to be back there? No. Is he going to say shit about it? No.”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Fault Line

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maevescreams‌:

Perhaps the occupants of Ashbourne were more troubled than most. She couldn’t have blamed them if they were given the horrors that haunted around every corner of the town. It was hard to process everything supernatural and its existence, even harder to be confronted by it. That was the kind of thing that could shake your entire world and beliefs. Despite the fact that it was a heavy subject, the corners of her lips remained turned up toward her eyes even if the expression doesn’t quite reach them. She was good at faking it, but not quite that good. Not even three thousand years of existence had managed to give her that.

“It can be a difficult town to grow up in.” Maeve gave a slow nod of her head. “But I’m trying to keep them from turning out too troubled.” Perhaps not troubled at all would have been asking too much, but she would do everything that she could to try and give these children as normal of a life as she could manage between the number of them and the location itself. She wasn’t the only one there, but she often performed as if it was a one-woman task.

“Oh, no, it’s not just me,” she gave a weak chuckle along with the shake of her head. “There’s a couple of us here – we have shifts, obviously, so none of us are here twenty-four seven. It’s just a particularly busy week, the kids off from school, that kind of thing,” she explained a way. It was a lot of questions to come from a stranger but Maeve didn’t mind. It was nice to have someone who was interested in all of it and recognized that working with the children wasn’t just all happy go lucky. It was so much more complicated than that. “Most of them unfortunately do stay here until they age out. A couple of them do get fostered and adopted here and there, but given the town it’s… not exactly as common here as it is in other places. It’s hard because no outsiders come to see them, you know?” She answered. “The kids love having outsiders come in and talk to them. I think they get tired of me. Or going places, frankly, if you work somewhere that might be able to do something for them.”

Hadley choked on a sudden bout of embarrassed laughter.  “Oh...oh n-no, you don’t want them at my work.”  Her head shook left to right, face sobering into an apologetic wince. “I’m a dancer at a club. A little more risque...not exactly the kind of support I’d be looking to give them. But if they need a fresh face...an outsider who they have unequivocal proof is here out of choice and not out of duty...I could do that. Tell them stories about flying, about the patches of the world they might not have seen. That you can shape yourself into something moderately okay.” The shifter knew she wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t the most model human or shifter, she wasn’t a saint or particular brilliant. But she was alive. She was alive and still treading water and that was something.

“I’m Hadley Bowen.” She offered her hand, wishing she had a card or something to offer but...well she didn’t normally volunteer for things like this. And who kept cards just in case they got pulled into a cursed town that forced them to acknowledge that they gave a few fucks about things. “I can’t take them on a field trip to my job, but I can show them cool outdoorsy shit. How to build a fire...rock climbing...plants and berries to eat or avoid, how to keep direction without a compass.” Sometimes kids needed that in between entity. Someone to look up to who wasn’t a direct authority. Someone who might let them eat dessert before dinner once in a while but who would deter them from the kind of trouble you couldn’t come back from.

She’d been hopeless at that age. Completely hopeless and completely on, and that had crafted her to be less than she might have been. These kids, alone too early in life, traumatized too early in life, they deserved more. “Do you think that would be okay? Could that be helpful?” Her voice is shyer than usual, she feels uncertain, like she’s standing for the first time after a long shifted flight.

[evelfrisk]

Rooftop Melodies

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

evelfrisk‌:

Evie didn’t seem the mind when the girl didn’t really wait for her answer to come join her on the ledge. Her hues still watching over the ants down below somberly. She listened to the other girl’s words and there’s a slow smile that progresses across her lips before it flattens into a straight line. Evie is glad to have the company of someone else, even if she is dealing with her own existential crisis on the inside. She hummed thoughtfully as she slowly peeked again for better observation.

“Mmm. Depends. And would the warning labels be correct or would they be defective because they wouldn’t be able to predict what would happen? How a person would change?” Evie tilted her head curiously fiery curls catching on the slight breeze. Entangling the flaming tresses in the night air. “Have you ever been scared..to fly?” It was a silly question, because Evie had never been afraid to jump. Though Evelyn’s reasoning was  more her broken interior and lack of wanting to live than fear as a denominator.

Evie finally calmed her anxiety enough to instead lightly tap the ledge with her fingernails instead of kneading the fabric. “I guess I fly for a few seconds, and then I take a dive.” She blinked finding herself curious about something else. Canine teeth pressed into her bottom lip before she finished asking her question, “How do you normally land?”

She stared at the hand hesitantly. One of her hands slowly moved from the ledge, and at the pace of molasses finally shook Hadley’s hand surprisingly hard. Before she darted it back quickly. “I’m Evelyn, but you can call me Evie.” Grateful in this moment to have company, and not just any sort of company – but someone like her in a way. “I only got here..a..few days ago..” She whispered turning back to her nervous wreck of a self because she remembered the circumstances of when she had awoken in Ashbourne. “Oh yes, I shift every night.. but my brother doesn’t know. I.. I don’t want him to know.”

“Scared to fly?” Hadley chewed pensive on her lower lip, giving genuine consideration to the question. “No, I don’t think so. Maybe...maybe if I really think about it, the first time. That first shift was disorienting and I was so used to human skin that the idea I could lift off the ground and be safe and sustain myself, I almost didn’t believe it.”  That might have been an experience specific to the ave shifters, but she knew that all of them had known the disorienting of getting to learn their animal form, of understanding how new muscles and anatomy worked. “What was your first shift like?”

Hadley grinned. Other people’s anxiety normally made her detach and scatter, so she was proud that she was able to converse the girl into relaxing a little. “You’re Felidae, right? What’s your go-to shift? Cats do that awesome glide and graceful lithe landing thing, so you probably get as close to flight as anyone that isn’t an ave can get.” At the query she bowed her head, chagrin on her features. Normally she liked to present a very badass picture of her shifted form to those around her, but in this case it felt right to share her quirks with her new companion.

“Evie.” She repeated the name out loud, as if an attempt to ensure the girl knew that the name had been heard, that she was seen and heard. “It’s a lot,” she mused with a nod, a hand coming out to give the briefest pat of solidarity. “It’s been a few months for me and my head is still spinning. I bet there’s a lot of people trying to tell you how they handled this, how they adapted, what they think the best thing is for you to do. Fuck them, okay, even if they have good intentions. Nobody gets to tell you what to feel right now, Evie. No one gets to tell you a right way or a wrong way to process.” She got it to a degree, why everyone sweet and sour told you that you had to acclimate to survive, find a purpose, find a way to root yourself to the town. Hadley knew it was a place she needed to get to eventually but god damn it she was going to get there at her own rate on her own terms.

“By yourself?” Hadley assumed that meant the brother wasn’t a shifter...otherwise why wouldn’t they take the night together. Traveling in groups was always safer. Her brows furrowed with a sudden strange flurry of almost maternal worry for Evie. ‘Well that’s no fun. Then you’ve got no one to show off all your best moves in front of. You know, I was going to go down by the lake and stretch my wings a little. Do you want to come with me?”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Deceptively Calm

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percystone‌:

“Yeah? R-rated fun? That might change my answer drastically, then. We just went from ‘wanna go see a movie’ to ‘wanna head back to my place’.” Percy offered back, lips twisting up in a smirk as she pushed herself up on her elbow, head resting in her outstretched palm as she made a point to run her eyes up and down the woman once. After all, she’d seen the woman naked already, no reason to pretend that she hadn’t liked what she’d seen. Even if it was playful teasing, it was still fun and light-hearted. Percy had been lacking a bit in the fun and light-hearted department lately, and casually flirting with the bird girl was better than some of her more recent adventures.

A soft chuckle left her as she finally dropped the coy smirk into something a little more easy-going. “Seriously, though, since you showed me your… talents… I could return the favor. The Black Diamond has a piano and I happen to play.” It might have partially been an excuse to simply get her hands over the keys, but it did seem like a fair exchange. Percy couldn’t turn into an animal, or cast a spell in the actual magical sense, but she could create the illusion of magic with a bit of music. “Wanna go? Might even teach you a few notes.”

Hadley laughed, stretched in the grass and arched her back for show, knowing exactly what the curves of her body looked like. “Mmm see real R-rated fun would be a naughty little run right here in the open,” she shot back with a wink. Flirtation was a goddamn sport, it was a language. Of course the girl often jumped on genuine lusty offers, but she enjoyed the kind of light hearted teasing happening now too. Besides...there was another face in her mind now, lingering, making the idea of being bark and bite when it came to the rated R game seem much less appealing than it used to.

Her body went lax and the flirt in her eyes was replaced with a softer, easier sort of comfortable interest.  “You play piano?” There was jealousy in her tone, and in a flash she was up from the ground and on her feet, eagerly offering her hand to the girl. “Do you think maybe you could teach me? I didn’t listen to a lot of lyrical music before this...but I had this track of piano that helped me fall asleep at night and I always wanted to learn.”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Red Handed

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harlankent‌:

He gave a good snicker at her response. “Quite right. I do admire someone with a good wit.” She was remaining as neutral as possible, he noticed. At least outwardly, she lacked cockiness or anger or even fear. It seemed she knew he wasn’t going to fall for it. “We all like a bit of fun, darling. And it would be a terrible shame to lose such a talent.” He’d lived in Victorian London. The pickpockets there had been practically magicians. It was an artform sadly falling by the wayside as more and more people delved into electronic and telephone scams.

“Who doesn’t know who Al Capone is?” he scoffed with disbelief. Then again, Ashbourne was a funny little place. Depending how long she’d lived here depended how much exposure she’d had to the outside world and its notorious criminals. “He was a famous mobster, love, and a violent little sod at that.” He gestured to his security, gesturing towards the door. “We’re fine. I’ll take care of it.” Once they were alone, Harlan took a seat in the chair opposite from her. “I’m not exactly a stranger to crime myself. As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone, who am I to judge?”

Harlan lit a cigarette, opening the office window just a tad to let some air in. He offered her one was he continued talking. “What about Sherlock Holmes. You heard of him?” Surely they had films about all of these people at the cinema, or books people brought with them. “He was a fictional detective. Genius. One of the tools he had at his disposal was a network of homeless people. People who went unnoticed. They kept an eye out for him. Gave him information he could use. Now I’m not implying you look homeless or anything,” he said, holding up the palms of his hands. “But I think we can help each other out.”  

A talent. Well that perked her tail feathers, who didn’t like to be recognized for their badassery? Hadley didn’t completely relinquish her neutrality but her body language relaxed just a little, face shifting with interest. She had been courted enough to know when it was happening, when someone was digging around to see if she could offer them something. When he queried about Al Capone she laughed, shrugging one shoulder. “You could say I grew up off the map. Didn’t really get large exposure to pop culture, books, movies. No wifi where I traveled, ya feel?” When he let the security guard go, that’s when Hadley truly relaxed, now they were down to business.

She leaned forward as he sat, chin propped upon her hands, full attention wrapped around him. No, she didn’t know who the fuck Sherlock Holmes was, but she still got the metaphor, understood where he was going with it. Hadley laughed, fingers playfully tugging at the fabric of her shirt. “Not going to lie, I’ve rocked the homeless chic look, or something close to it, so you’re not far off base. But let me guess...Holmes lived in a bigger city right? Large population, easy to make yourself lost there if you were destitute or small souled enough.”  She leaned back in her chair, teetering carefully on the back two legs. “You seem like a smart man who understands you need a little more finessing in a small town like this. This is the kind of population where everyone might not know your name, but they notice you, and they’re suspicious right out the gate just because...well...cursed town and all that.”

Deciding that she liked him enough to give him a taste, Hadley let her left arm begin to shift, feathers sprouting out. “What could go unnoticed in this town even more than a raggedy clothed human form than no human form at all, hmmm? Who curtails their conversation when all that is around is a hawk in a tree.” Pulling the shift back, she smirked with gleeful pride. This was her favorite part of any conversation. “We definitely know that I can help you. This is the part where you try and suss out how you can help me, how you can make it worth my while.” Her own hands splayed palms out. “Save the elevator pitch, because that’s not necessary. I don’t ask for much.  Gathering information makes what I want a natural part of the process. I want to stay alive, and it behooves you to utilize your resources to make that happen. Dead birds can’t sing songs after all.”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Refills

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

thymeandreason‌:

She listened with a quiet intensity. She needed to know just absolutely everything about Hadley, and she’d listen all night if she had to. All week. All year. For the rest of their lives. Preferably that one. Josie had no idea feelings could be this intense this fast, but she held on tight and only looked forward to knowing what else this could bring. Whatever this was, it was good. Very good.

Her proverbial dog ears perked at the mention of running away and pulling grifts. That hit home. And hard. She must have looked like a meerkat coming out of it’s hole. A dumbstruck, yet equally awed look took over. “No shit, My brother and I did pretty much the same before we got here.” It wasn’t often she talked about this, even less so did ever come so freely and almost excitedly. 

“When we were living out on the streets, after he found out about the werewolf thing, we kind of had to pull cons to get… anything? We didn’t and couldn’t have jobs, we were too young, too headstrong thinking we could take on the world. Hence the ‘problem with authority’ thing. The OG punks right here.” 

She followed into the swing of their arms, allowing herself to drift closer ever so slightly until their shoulders were brushing up against one another. Wow. Such, such a beautiful way with words. She returned to the gooey-starry-eyed listening mode as Hadley sung sweet phrases, heart swelling appropriately when her words reminded Jo of how something so mundane could be seen in a different light. The slight apprehensiveness of her divulging her very simple ordinary job had melted into a sweet sense of pride. She mouthed a quiet thank you, barely able to speak underneath all that glee. 

It was like the two of them were magnets. Destined for this moment, to finally stick back together. Poetry in polarity. A mesh of energies so in tune with one another that the air between them had its own electricity. 

“Mhmm!” Josie unwillingly put a little distance between them as she dashed forward, still holding tight to her hand though. “Just over here, you can see the tips of the rock poking out behind those trees. Lots of granite in the area, maybe before it was an amorphous floating death trap it was in a place that had a glacier come through.”

Josie looked about as punkish as a kitten on catnip right now, but Hadley knew people had layers. They could be so many things at once. The shifter herself was a bit of a punk at times, but right now she was just a girl, holding hands feeling her chest flutter, feeling like she was made of air and marshmallow fluff. Seems like they had more in common than Hadley had thought possible when she made that first playful pass at the bar. Thank god for that, for that gut instinct need to flirt, or she might have missed out on this absolute north star in the shape of a girl.

She let out a giddy laugh, let Josie up the pace, half jogging with her towards the trees and the bits of the rock she could see. “Is that the working hypothesis?” she asked, curious, the wind moving with them like it approved of both the clasped hands and the desire to climb. “That this place was a part of something before it became this non identifiable floating abscess?” They got close enough that Hadley’s eyes had to travel up up up.  Oh this was perfect, god her fingertips were itching to covet granite, to find nooks and crannies, to feel her muscles burn and stretch.

“Shit,” she muttered, lightbulb going off in her head. “I should have thought to ask you if you were experienced with free climbing. I know most humans do this with ropes and harnesses. We don’t have to go too high, okay….we don’t even have to do any actual climbing today. It just feels like five years since I even touched a nice chunk of granite like this.” She can’t stop smiling, head giddy, intoxicated with more freedom than she’d felt in a long time, since before she’d gotten to Ashbourne.  She was so excited that she used the momentum of their forward rushing bodies to pull Josie in towards her, spinning her and then pausing to wrap her other arm around the girl’s waist.

“Thank you for this.” Fingers played with a strand of Josie’s hair, gaze slowly moving from those lips to that adorable goddamn nose and those eyes that told her to lose herself without fear. “I didn’t want to admit I needed a pick me up, let alone that I need a familiar outdoorsy place like this. It’s like you figured out what I was asking for before I even got syllables out to ask for it. Are you sure you’re not a mind reader?”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Thirst

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

viv-adair‌:

It didn’t take a genius to see the distaste spelled out clearly on the woman’s face. It took all the willpower Vivienne had not to roll her eyes at her sarcasm as the woman set about making her drink. It wasn’t a hard order, even if it wasn’t a common one in a shithole like this.Viv drummed her fingers lightly on the sticky, wooden bar. Instead of a dispassionate eyeroll, Viv gave the woman a tight smile, the most she would get as far as thanks went.

At least the glass was chilled. Viv was surprised the place even had olives, but figured most of the bar’s clientele probably scarfed them down like beer nuts. She took a tentative sip, begrudgingly giving the woman some modicum of respect. It wasn’t nearly as bland or overly sweet as she was expecting, though it wasn’t the best she’d ever tasted either.

“Though if you expect your drinks to come with a physically direct kiss to your ass this is probably not going to be your bar of choice in the future.”

Well, two could play at the snark game. “You know, I was beginning to gather that this wasn’t my first choice of establishment,” she returned, complete with the world’s most sarcastic smile distorting her features. “Though not for the lack of ass-kissing. I prefer a higher caliber companion, if we’re being honest. Alas, this,” Viv gestured vaguely around them at the obnoxious chaos. “Is what I’m stuck with for the time being. Unless you’re in an ever so helpful mood and could point me to a decent bar, which I highly doubt.”

Hadley had experienced the world in drive by bits and pieces. But she’d learned what the uptight snobbish people looked like, the things they had in common. Normally they were either boring and muted on the inside, or a hidden well of interesting caught behind a careful exterior. She wasn’t sure which type the woman before her was, but either way she was intensely off putting.  Probably never ate a meal that made a mess on her chin, never wiped her hands off on her designer pants, never went out of the house without every hair follicle being perfectly kept. She was the type of woman that, no matter how much you knew better, was so good at what she did that she made you want to please her, earn the tiniest nod of approval.

The fact that she didn’t outright insult the beverage made Hadley’s insides happier than she wanted to admit to.  She smirked at the words the woman didn’t say, feeling very satisfied with herself. “And you don’t even have to tip me. Imagine how much better the drink might have been if you’d been a bit nicer about it.”

She laughed out loud, head tilted back, an unapologetic belly laugh. “A high caliber companion? And how many sticks do they need up their ass to meet that caliber huh? Sounds like you just found a fancy way to reword that you want someone around to kiss your ass.” Just to bother the woman all the more, Hadley made a point of grabbing a handful of bar nuts and popping them in her mouth.  To the uptights the idea of communal bar snacks was bile inducing.  “Honestly, I think you’re shit out of luck here. Pandemonium is a little more upscale in term of decor but the patrons are as likely to get into a fistfight as the ones here. You’re best bet is probably Black Diamond Club. Jazzy speakeasy vibes. Perfect environment for you to sit pretty and look down your nose at everyone around you, you’d be right at home.”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Fault Line

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

maevescreams‌:

Running around with children could be quite a distraction when it came to taking care of her personal manners and it wasn’t infrequent that she would come home from a long day of work and notice she had had a smudge of something on her face or a stain on her shirt. Maeve rarely found herself to be thinking about herself when she was at work because there was always something to think about, always distractions running around with the children. She took time for herself once the day was done, she really thought that she did, even if there was some time even outside of work spent trying to think about it or something that she could do to make the kid’s lives easier. She’d left behind her phone, keys, almost everything before. Most of the time, well, that was it. So it was a nice change of pace to have it returned.

“How many?” Maeve echoed the question after a moment before she realized what it was the young woman was asking about. “Oh,” she breathed out. A smile remained on her lips but it didn’t reach her hazel hues. “Too many. About thirty-eight right now,” she answered. It was a variety of ages that kept the house full of life. She loved working with children of all ages even if babies would always be her favorite, but older kids always kept her on her toes. That only seemed to occur more and more as the times went on. “They’re sweet kids. Some of them are a little troubled, but… this place is a lot nicer than some of the places I’d worked at it.” It was a repurposed mansion, after all. The building itself was nice and not rundown like other places had been.

Her wallet was stuck in the back pocket of her jeans. Lips remained curled upward in a smile that might have been bright if it were a real one. But it was difficult to be cheery about how the children had ended up here. Maeve thought that she was good and most of them liked her, but she knew that deep down, there probably wasn’t a single child here who rather be with her than their biological family. “A lot of them are orphans. This town can be… harsh,” a little sigh was released along with her words although she tried to hold it back. “A couple older kids were on their own. Nearly adults, but, still legally children.” Neither was preferable.

Hadley couldn’t fake a smile...not here...not with something that hit so close to home. She did manage to keep her face neutral though, for her pity would do nothing for these children. It had been hard, suddenly being alone without her parents, and she’d been in a familiar stretch of land that she knew like the back of her hand. It was unimaginable, how terrifying it might be for children who had been sucked into this town, family lost to them and trapped in dangerous unfamiliar territory. Grief was heavy enough to carry on its own, and most people had made it clear that for most patrons family was all they had to combat the sorrows of this place.

“From what I’ve heard this town makes everyone a little troubled eventually,” she admitted softly, staring down at the worn toes of her shoes and remembering when her feet were so much smaller. Her hands were thrust into the pockets of her jeans as she shuffled from one foot or another. At least the building was warm and home-like. Hadley had carried a ten on her back along with her rage and her loneliness, she had learned to sleep on the ground, rocks rubbing her broken heart raw over and over again.

“Is it only you here?” she asked, eyes glinting with curiosity. Thirty-eight was a large number of young souls to be responsible for, but not everyone had the spine to deal with something so sad. Hadley wouldn’t be surprised if the woman didn’t have a waitlist of people eager to help out. “Do they tend to stay here until the age out...or do families in town foster and adopt?” It was probably too many questions, and she hoped Maeve didn’t feel grilled. Hadley just wanted to hear that maybe these kids could have more hope than she had at their age. “Do you need any help? Volunteers or anything?” She wished she looked more put together, but she’d been testing the town’s edges before the cafe and she was fairly certain there were a few twigs knotted in her hair. “I’m not always the most straight laced influence but...I was orphaned when I was five. I remember what it feels like to grow up with that kind of loss, to be troubled.”

[evelfrisk]

Rooftop Melodies

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

evelfrisk‌:

Evelyn offered a smile and patted the spot near to her. “Sure come over.” Maybe this woman would punt her off and end her internal quarrel. However, it didn’t matter this high up. She may end up with a couple broken legs, but.. The thought brooded in her brain as she tried to fan it out. The other looked friendly enough. Another forlorn look down to the oblivious patrons below. The cat inside her turned a thought to drop something off the roof down to the unsuspecting people below. The other had a point about the town, but Evie mustered up a forced smile.

“I.. I’m not too sure. I haven’t really been here long enough..” She responded shyly as her brows furrowed. “I would think.. with such a weird town that people would flock to the roofs. Maybe not if they feared heights before.”  Being sacred of death was another reason, but someone like Evelyn welcomed death. Even if it hadn’t kept her on the other side yet. It was bound to happen, and then she wouldn’t feel like such a crushing burden.

“I…There is?” She asked bashfully. Sure, she knew what she was, and she could sense things. However, she was never much to hone in with her extra senses. “I don’t suppose they walk around with.. warning labels, do they?” A soft genuine giggle left her lips as she pictured the strangers in this strange town with label tags on their person. “Sprout wings and fly? What’s that like?” Evie mused as she nervously kneaded the fabric of her jacket. “I don’t grow wings, but I always land on my feet so at least my neck won’t snap.”

Hadley was the type that asked for permission and then acted before the other person could say yes or no. Convenient that the answer was yes in this case, since the brunette was halfway to the ledge anyway. She kicked off her sneakers, preferring the feel of the wind pulling at her bare feet. Keen eyes took in the girl without being too direct. Shy, sad, on the precipice of some kind of emotional blowout, she looked like she needed a friend. Hadley could sympathize, had sat on a ledge or two with the same kind of look in her eyes. “Ah well, people here want to feel rooted, I think. They think the ground offers stability and heights like this are unsteady….all changing winds and intangible maybes.” The people on the ground below were not like them, Hadley and this is sad, nervous, creature beside her.

“Warning labels. God wouldn’t that be convenient?” she asked with a chuckle. “Though do you think you’d heed them? My brain always tries to tell me that I’m the exception to all red flags and warning signs.” This girl sitting beside her was a red flag, fingers nervously kneading, an unpredictable hurricane in the air around her. It reminded Hadley of herself. “Flying is exhilarating, it’s like running but there’s nothing under your feet.” She smiled, suspicions confirmed when the girl mentioned landing on her feet. A Felidae then, how fun. “Well that’s a valuable skill right there. Me and my wings don’t always have the most graceful of landings. I excel at the takeoff though.”

She doesn’t know this girl. Whatever is going on behind those sad eyes is most definitely not her business. But something in Hadley didn’t want to leave her here on this ledge alone. Back when she’d been a hurricane on the edge, she wished someone would look at her with understanding in their eyes. “I’m Hadley,” she greeted, offering her hand. “I’ve probably on been here a little longer than you. Have you shifted since you’ve been here?”

[hotcelebsworld]

Alexandra Daddario

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Deceptively Calm

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

percystone‌:

A soft hum left Percy, thinking it over for a long moment before she sighed. There were moments in her life, especially in her two years here in Ashbourne, that she felt particularly useless. This was definitely one of those times. She didn’t have magic, or super speed, or any kind of extra kick that could really be of any use to help research things like how to get out of town. She was utterly pointless in the grand scheme of things, and it hit especially hard when she opened her mouth to offer to help Hadley in her quest, only to close it again when she realized that she couldn’t exactly fly, and probably wouldn’t be much use on the ground. She was basically a Capri-Sun, blood flavor, for some vampire in town who got their straw in her.

“I can’t imagine that it’s very fun for someone who flies free to be caged.” She offered, eyes twisting to catch sight of the girl for a moment before she looked away again. The idea was maddening, almost. Percy had never had wings, but if she did, being trapped in a limited fly zone? Torture. Had to be. “Have you found anything fun to do around here yet? I could show you a couple of pretty neat places that I recently discovered, if you haven’t.” Percy wasn’t quite sure why she felt the need to shift the topic away from caged birds and being trapped, but it felt like the right move.

Hadley knew a lot about cages. The ones made of wire and rope, and the invisible intangible ones that were no less traumatic, no less capable of stopping you in your tracks. One of these days the panic of this town would hit her, make her lungs seize, make her body shake. For now she was playing pretend, this town was just a pit stop she hadn’t had her fill of yet. Yes, she was playing pretend, but she was still grateful when the subject was changed, shoulders relaxing, a hand running through her hair. “I’ve partaken in some of the bars, the club, gotta say I was surprised you guys had that kind of stuff here.” She gripped a few blades of grass, not pulling them out but letting the green shoots run prickly against her palms. “But I will take any and all suggestions you have up your sleeves.”

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d stretched out in the grass like this, really lost herself against nature. She’d been a woodsy, earthy child, but at some point the relationship had soured and become rushed, she tumblweeded past the trees without seeing them as swiftly as she rolled through towns. Maybe if she stayed still a little longer she’d see things in the clouds too. “And please don’t feel like you have to keep entertainment options PG. I like a little rated R fun now and again.”

[bridget-fagan]

Air Catcher ;Hadley & Bridget

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

bridget-fagan‌:

@hadleyxbowen

Bridget didn’t really understand Hadley, but she had a sneaking suspicion that was by design. She wasn’t a particarly nosey person, but Bridget couldn’t help but want to understand Hadley. Maybe it was a fools errand, but Bridget seemed to be made of such things. 

Tapping her feet together in shoes that she still didn’t think were completely necessary she waited patiently for the other to come. She wasn’t pressed for time and if she was honest she didn’t know if she would ever feel like she was ever again. 

Her eyes flittered up to find the girl in the crowed. “Over here,” Bridget said waving her hand above her head, her voice louder than she would like. She almost cringed at the sound but luckily it wasn’t near a scream. 

“It’s a lovely day out isn’t it? I reckon it’s almost spring, although I hope we actually one this year.” 

“I’ve never been fond of spring,” Hadley answered as she followed Bridget’s call. It wasn’t that she found the girl off putting or unpleasant to be around. She just wasn’t used to someone so persistently pursuing interaction with her. It was the shifter’s prerogative to not be the nicest or the meanest person in a room, but in a safe grey middle spot that was easily forgotten. She was used to going through the world like a see through spirit.

Still, Bridget was trying so hard, so maybe she could relax her neutrality just a little bit. She flashed the girl a smile, fussed with the hem of her new dress. “I spent a lot of time in desert climates when I was a kid. And then a few super cold climates. I guess you could say I developed a taste for the extreme weather conditions. Give me freezing gusty winters and hot suffocating summers, none of this wimpy fall and spring nonsense.” 

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Red Handed

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

harlankent‌:

Women just seemed to enjoy being a pain in Harlan’s arse lately. They were lucky he was an easy-going type of person, or the poor werewolf would have lost his rag a long time ago. He furrowed his brow, watching the security footage as the security guards explained to her what the woman was doing. ‘But did she take anything?’ he’d asked, incredulous, only for them to answer no. She seemed to just be having a laugh. People in this town were strange, though amusing. Waving them off, Harlan had told them he’d deal with it. And that was what had brought them here, shut in his office.

He crossed his arms over his chest, expelling a sigh. “Pull the other one, love. Do you reckon I’m stupid enough to fall for the damsel in distress act in my old age?” He shook his head, then hesitated, scratching his temple with a chuckle. “Actually, I am, but not after I’ve seen them having the time of their lives pickpocketing up a storm amongst my customers.”

Harlan sipped his drink, a strong whiskey and diet coke. He leaned against the door, not taking his eyes off the woman and her big, baby blue eyes. They’d puppy dog’d their way out of many messes, that much he was sure of. “You’re alright, I’m not going to pull an Al Capone and punch you around in the back room. Not my style. In fact, I found your antics rather amusing. Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?”

“Stupidity doesn’t discriminate between the ages, so I always go in hopeful,” Hadley answered with a tilt of her head, voice cautious and as blank of emotiona as possible. Situations like this were a game of poker, you needed a clear face so people couldn’t guess what hand you held. Her hands, were placed resolutely on the tabletop, palms down, as she leaned forward just a little. “What can I say, I like to have a little fun now and then. If you don’t use it you lose it, after all, and what if I come across a situation where picking a pocket could save my life. It would be terrible to be rusty.”

Her nose wrinkled with the irritation that always buzzed about her like a gnat on a hot summer day. “Don’t know who Al Capone is, but it’s nice to know I don’t have to duck any punches.” At his question her hands shifted, palms up, fingernails delicately tapping against the desk. It sounded like he was fishing to see if she might be useful. Hadley was certain the answer was yes, but she certainly didn’t feel like making this easy on him. “Maybe I do,” she answered, corner of her mouth lifting, her posture straightened and confident. “But I’m not about to just show them all to you in one fell swoop. What kind of tricks might you be interested in?”

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

Fault Line

[hadleyxbowen-blog]

maevescreams‌:

Things around the home were busier than usual given that the kids were staying at home with spring break. Normally, daytime was mostly consumed with those who were too young to go to school full time or those who were too sick to go that particular day. It was the late afternoon and evening when things were typically run down with kids running around, whether they were doing homework or avoiding it, causing loud chaos upstairs, or running around in the backyard. Spring break was one of those magical times where things flipped. She’d kept busy during the day to make sure everyone would be out of energy by the time it was getting later into the day and as far as she could tell, it had worked. Now, things were quieter than they usually were at this time of day.

The woman working in the reception area called out Maeve’s name to get her attention to come down to the foyer. “Just a minute!” The redhead called back, running the brush through an eight year old’s hair one more time before she gave her a quick kiss on the head and promised that she would be back once the little girl was done with her bath.

“Hi there.” A bright smile filled the curve of her lips as she quickly walked down the stairs to approach the brunette. She didn’t recognize her but she was certainly too old to be one of the teens who ended up in the house. She stepped forward and offered her hand out to her. “I’m Maeve.” She introduced herself. It was then that she realized the other woman was holding her wallet. “Oh my goodness! I hadn’t even realized that I’d lost it. I took some of the older kids out for coffee and tea earlier and I must have dropped it putting it back into my purse. Thank you so much for bringing it by. Most people probably just would have tossed it.”

While Hadley wasn’t completely void of empathy, she had often moved through her life so swiftly that it didn’t allow for her to really linger on concerns or sympathies for the experiences of others. But now she had nothing but, this whole town seemed to encourage it. For you to bleed from your own wounds and bleed for the injuries of those around you too. How did people in this town not bleed themselves dry, was the ever present question in the back of her mind. In this moment, she suddenly understood that the others probably didn’t have much of a choose. The thought came unbidden, unwanted, her mind suddenly clicking with the idea this was a Children’s Home and understanding what it meant in full technicolor horror. Did some of these children get pulled into Ashbourne from the getgo alone and without family? Or were they all children who had known some kind of familial lifeline here and had it ripped away from them?

Her brain was telling her not to linger, not to remember, back up Hadley, back up. She forced a smile on her face, blinking fast to try and warn her eyes not to even think about conjuring up some embarrassing display of tears. “Well that explains it then. Easy to not realize you’ve dropped something if you’re chaperoning a plethora of children. They do tend to take up all of the senses all at once.”  The wallet passed between them and honestly Mave didn’t know how right she was, how much in any other environment Hadley would have taken the money from the wallet and headed off without a care. But there wasn’t as much room to run from yourself in this town, there was no escape for a wayward tumbleweed and Hadley knew she needed to start trying to function differently.

“How many?” she found herself asking. A pause, and her brows furrowed as if she wasn’t even sure what she’d asked. It took her a second to gather the words to clarify as she gestured around the foyer. “How many children do you have here?” She bit her lower lip, uncomfortable, trying not to let ghosts whisper in the back of her mind about how much she should have belonged in a place like this when she was 5. But there had been no homes for displaced shifter children out in the woods she’d traveled. There’d been no one till the pack found her. “Have they all lost family or did some of them get trapped here on their own from the getgo?”