with an ache,

𝐝𝐢𝐝   𝐢   𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞   𝐲𝐨𝐮  𝐟𝐨𝐫   𝐚       𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏   𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎   𝒈𝒐𝒅   ?

[hrtached]

# 𝐡𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 . private & selective multimuse . written by k .

( . . . ) containing muses from : final destination , saw , fear street , the walking dead , game of thrones , house of the dragon , hunger games , and many more . content on this blog is intended for those that are 21+.

affiliated with @endfght and @antiquare. 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐃.

[hrtached]

﹠﹔ where should you be kissed ?

palm.

you give and give. you are a gentle heart, broken but still standing … always lending a hand for those who need it, expecting nothing in return. you deserve someone taking your hand and kissing your open palm, the hands which have selflessly helped so many others.

tagged by: @sevynhells (a year ago ...) tagging: you!

[sevynhells]

what was once a looming presence, thickening the very air they breathed with tension felt throughout the realm, had dominoe'd into all-out chaos the minute her betrothed's dragon tore the prince lucerys and his mount from the sky above the waters of the godseye. the booming echo of vhagar's wings taking off as the storms ran from their father's hall to the courtyard to watch the princes' ascent will forever be burned into her memory. how harrowing, the sheer size of her. cassandra found it almost impossible to imagine how the scene in the air played out. the monster that had been the catalyst to the beginning of a war, and the steed that he rode on.

mother's worry seeps into her, raising paranoia where there had once been none. but her determination stands, proud that of her sisters, it was she that he had chosen for a wife. and for this, she thinks, she should be at his side, offering him comfort and warmth. ❝ your decision matters naught over father's. or the king's. ❞ her words come as a threat, though as soon as they are between them, cassandra shrinks under her mother's gaze. within a beat she takes a breath, shoulders straight despite the nerves boiling in her stomach. ❝ it is now more than ever that they will be seeking support, and my marriage to prince aemond promises them just that from house baratheon. ❞ if deluded reason would not sway the lady baratheon, perhaps her heart could be moved instead. ❝ would you so cruelly deny your daughter her happiness ? the one thing in life that she has ever so desperately wished for ? ❞

[hrtached]

it was no mystery what had been done in the sky just beyond their keep by cassandra's betrothed not hours after the deal had been struck, and it was that fact alone that had begun the real upset in elenda's chest. uneasy already at the thought of marrying one of her daughter's to a crown prince, what was to come of this now? a war in it's beginning stages, the first blood shed surely there would be a retaliation, the capital would not be safe. she did not shy away from dramatics when it had been just her and borros alone in the aftermath, pleading, please do not send our daughters into war.

despite the cruel sting that they offer, cassandra's words ring true in her ears, she had no say-so on the final decision to send the girls away; elenda held little authoritative sway over borros' decisions on a typical day, it was unimaginable to question one backed by royalty. she does not shrink, only nods her head once and moves her eyes to her skirts, where her hands flatten out the creases on her thighs. ❝ your hand, and the scores of men that your father is sending with you to fight in their war. ❞ it had been discussed, as well, that the cost for borros' army was one of her daughter's hands in marriage, not the other way around. she stifles a laugh at her daughter's words, gaze turning back to her face with a solemn smile, ❝ you know nothing of happiness, yet. ❞ elenda shakes her head and takes a deep breath in as she straightens her back. ❝ you are taken with the fantasy that you have conjured in your mind. time will pass, and you will understand that the life that you have come to live is nothing like you what you had imagined it would be. and by then, it will be too late. ❞

[sevynhells]

❝ he had it coming, ❞ mumbled under her breath as she stands across from her mother, arms crossed over her chest. the truth was this was not the first time they'd been in positions such as these ⸺ with her sore knuckles pressed tightly between her ribs and the inside of her elbow, and her mother's disappointing glare eating through her from across the room. she does everything she can to avoid eye contact, though there is no regret felt towards her actions, maeyra wishes more than anything to not see the look of despondency on @hrtached's face. instead, she finds interest in the intricate detailing of the wooden paneling on the walls of the study, the titles of books she'd seen hundreds of times. an itchiness rises in her skin, stands the hair on the back of her neck on their ends; she cannot escape her mother's gaze for long. ❝ the boy laid a hand on me first. i only did what any rational-minded person would when faced with a potential threat. ❞

[hrtached]

❝ he had it coming, ❞ she echoes incredulously sharp, allowing a scoff of bitter laughter to pass her lips. the desk between them creates distance that rhea is grateful for, tips of her fingers digging into the leather-wrapped arm of her chair. if a glance could maim, maeyra would be covered in dozens of weeping wounds. gaze etches the jagged line of the red welt blooming across her daughter's cheek to the shadows of her purple-grey eyes, glimmering in the dim flicker coming from torches. her father's profile, rhea thinks grimly. ❝ you are a lady; the heir to my name. the boy was no threat to you and you know that. ❞ she does not raise her voice, tone even-edged. finally, she leans forward in her seat, forearms pressed into the tabletop as hands fold, one fist wrapped in the other's fingers. a long breath is pulled in through her nose as an attempt to ground herself before speaking again, ❝ you near broke his arm, maeyra, his nose is broken. what do you suppose i ought to do to make well for that ? ❞

[godfreytm]

letha  godfrey  appreciation    02 / ??     +bonus

[soulprompts]

𝐂𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒 (𝐏𝐓. 𝟏)

so, i absolutely love cooking! it's a passion of mine, i've been cooking for my family for years, people seem to find my food edible enough, and i recently found myself unable to cook at all for about a week, resulting in this little list coming into existence! i'm most likely going to make more of these, simply because the dynamics in a kitchen are varied as hell, right? we have romantic couples who cook together as a hobby, there's professional restaurant kitchen settings, baking oriented stuff, cooking with kids, there's a LOT to be done w the topic! so these are more for the chaos of someone who cannot boil an egg to save their life, vs. someone who enjoys cooking and is widely considered to be a dab hand at it! DO NOT ADD TO THIS LIST! but i do hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed making it!

" hey, hey, it's okay! we'll scrape off the burnt bits! "

" here, let me chop the onions, okay? you can dice the peppers and beef; just be sure to do them on separate boards, yeah? "

" you... you know the wine was for the stew, don't you?! "

" i swear to you, i don't know how this happened. i followed every single instruction, word for word! "

" taste this and tell me what you think! "

" oh my god... this is AMAZING! you should have your own cooking show! "

" you're kidding me! no way this whole thing is vegan! it's just too good! "

" so, um... i might have possibly accidentally tipped the entire jar of cayenne pepper into the soup... and by might have, i mean definitely. "

" i think i'm gonna have to ask you to leave the kitchen before you hurt somebody. "

" it says here to fold in the eggs... now, tell me, how exactly does one do that? "

" i might have over-exaggerated my cooking skills... and blown up the oven. "

" look, it sounds gross, but i'm telling you, when it's cooked right, it's the best thing ever! "

" i lied to my date and now they think i'm this amazing cook when i'm absolutely not, so please, can you spare me the lecture and just teach me how to cook? "

" woah, woah, woah... try chopping like this. yeah, that's it. you won't chop off your hand this way. "

" so, um... how exactly did it manage to stay frozen solid on the inside, but scorch to a crisp on the outside? "

" okay, remember when it asked for fifty grams of sugar? yeah. i accidentally used salt. "

" well, at least we know the smoke alarms work, right? "

" i ruined three knives, i have a roast chicken embedded in my ceiling, my oven officially needs therapy, and so do i! wanna call it quits and order a pizza? "

" i swear, you're one of those kitchen gods who can make ice cubes taste fantastic! "

" this is the fun part! take that tenderiser, and beat the absolute crap out of that pile of steaks. "

" i'm trying so hard not to judge you right now, but... onion goggles?! "

" how on earth did you get pasta sauce on the ceiling? "

" you know every single firefighter in town knows my name? and my top three favorite comfort foods to bring each time i trigger the fire alarm? yeah. that's my culinary reputation. "

" hey. it's okay. this isn't the first time i've burnt dinner. i have taco bell on speed dial. "

" sometimes recipes just don't work out. and that's okay! what matters is that you tried. "

" i didn't realize it was even possible to burn water! "

" ah... i see where you went wrong. the recipe uses paprika. this is chilli powder. "

" quit eating the batter, or we'll have no cupcakes at all! "

" no! no way. i'm not tasting anything cooked by you; not since your orange juice gave me food poisoning. "

" the last time i tried to cook, my pot roast ended up on fire and put a hole in my dry wall. i had to hang paintings over it until i could refill the crater. "

" no, you cannot cook chicken medium-rare. wanna know why? because that means it's raw. and you'll end up with food poisoning. and i'll have to tell you what a moron you were to even think that was an acceptable thing to do in the first place. "

" i thought you teaching me how to cook would be all soft and friendly, like the great british bake-off! but it's more like hell's kitchen. "

" no tears in my kitchen, thank you! "

" six fires in three hours is your personal best! only problem is, we're making fruit salad... "

" i understand that it's meant to be salted caramel, but... exactly how much salt did you use?! "

[soulprompts]

𝐙𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐏𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒. (𝐏𝐓. 𝟏)

so i’m rewatching a number of shows based in the zombie apocalypse genre atm, but let’s be totally brutally honest, all of us are dead are absolutely responsible for this! anyway, these are all dialogue prompts, i’m only on episode 1 of twd so be ready for like, a LOT of parts of this!! basically, don’t add to this list, okay? okay. i hope ye enjoy them!

“ how have you survived all this time on your own? “

“ there’s strength in numbers, you know. you should come with me. “

“ i know a place. it’s secure, isolated… it’s safe. if we get there, we stand a good chance. that is… assuming you wanna team up with me? “

“ i’ll keep watch tonight. you try and get some sleep, okay? “

“ what do you miss most? about before? “

“ you won’t get far if you don’t know how to use a weapon. i can teach you, if you like? “

“ if we could get to the airport, or the coast… they’ve got to be evacuating people, right? “

“ let’s set up camp here for tonight. we’re no good if we can’t keep our eyes open to see what’s coming for us. “

“ the radio works. we can’t call for help, but… i found a station that’s still playing music. “

“ is… is that a bite? “

“ no! no, don’t come any closer… i got bit. “

“ no… no, no, please… tell me you didn’t get bit trying to save me. “

“ it’s my fault you got bit! “

“ hey, hey… we don’t have time to argue, love. okay? i got enough time to get you somewhere safe before i turn, but… only if we go right now. okay? “

“ what should we call them? zombies feels kinda silly, doesn’t it? “

“ they’re faster than i thought they’d be. usually… i mean, in the movies… they’re usually so slow. “

“ aim for the head! haven’t you ever seen a zombie movie before?! “

“ listen… we have a camp set up nearby. there’s a group of us; strength in numbers, you know? why don’t you join us? “

“ you’re really naive if you think for one second that the government’s gonna fix all this. we’re on our own. us and the infected. “

“ let’s stop for a second, okay? if that wound of yours gets much worse, the zombies might not have to kill you. “

“ jesus… i’ve never seen a horse that big before… “

“ it’s… it’s crazy, i-i’ve never seen one… never seen one up close like that before. “

“ did you get bitten? scratched? anything? “

“ give me a hand boarding up the windows, will you? “

“ we need water, medicine, ammo and food. in that order. okay? “

“ it’s okay… it’s okay, they won’t be able to get through that barricade, i promise. we’re safe. we’re safe. “

“ your wallet’s useless now; it’s just bits of paper. the world we knew is gone. we’ll be paying with bullets and antibiotics from now on. “

“ you think they can smell us or hear us? you know, which of their senses is stronger since they turned? “

“ i don’t know who the bigger threat is; the dead, or the living. “

“ hurry! that barricade won’t hold them off for long! “

“ damn it! we’re out of gas… looks like we’re gonna have to walk the rest of the way. get your weapons out and ready, and keep quiet, okay? “

“ i heard it on the radio a couple of days ago. it sounded too good to be true, at first. a camp of survivors, food, shelter, protection… but maybe we should try and find it? “

“ what did you do? you know, before? “

“ you’re bleeding… from a bite? scratch? anything from one of those dead monsters?! “

“ i used to be with another group. it didn’t last long. “

“ hey, hey, don’t add so many logs to the fire. the dead might see it. “

“ you know what i don’t miss about before? traffic jams. “

“ do you think we turn regardless? or do we have to be bitten first? “

“ hey, i’m thinking of heading out later for a supply run. wanna join me? “

“ maybe it’s just us. maybe the rest of the world is okay, zombie-free. “

“ do you think we might be the only people left alive? you know, other than the infected? “

“ we need to find somewhere more long-term. with land to farm and fresh water, somewhere high up and isolated. somewhere we can survive and live until this mess is over. “

“ hurry! come with me, they’ll have heard the gunshot! “

“ hey… listen, we… we gotta go now. you can’t stay with them. they’re gone, you know it, they know it… it’s too late for them now. we need to move away before they turn… “

“ no sense in leaving now, they have us surrounded. we’ll camp here for the night; they’ll be gone by morning. “

“ did you know anyone who got bit? who turned? “

“ you think they remember anything from their past, after they turn? “

“ we just need to wait until the scientists come up with a cure, that’s all. “

“ promise you won’t let me become one of those. promise… promise you’ll stop me before i turn. “

“ they’re not alive. okay? it’s not like killing an actual living human being. they’re dead, and they’re starving, and they’re dangerous, and you have to be ready to kill them in a heartbeat. “

“ there’s an evacuation centre up north. if we get there… even if we don’t get on a plane, we could stay there. they say the cold affects the dead. “

“ i’m gonna teach you how to shoot, because the way things are looking now, you’re a bigger danger to yourself than the dead. “

“ use your knife, the gunshot’ll draw more! “

[hrtached]

he can’t deny that the words coming from chrissie’s mouth are true, but he’d be damned to admit that out loud. it hadn’t taken much for eric to open himself up to affection and being affectionate when he and chrissie started dating, and once he’d gotten comfortable in it he had no problem letting people know they were together; he'd bordered on clingy the way he attached himself to her, constantly reaching for her hand or her thigh or the small of her back. he'd been less vocal, but in the safety of just the two of them he'd professed his love like a poet. now the scars that cover his body and mind prove to be some kind of barrier between him and the life that he wants, an impassable wall that he cannot get past no matter how hard he tries. ❝ i am, ❞ the only acknowledgement he can choke out, eyes tracing cracks in the wood floor between then, unable to watch her move across the room. ❝ i don't know how to go back, chris. ❞

fingertips ghost along her forearm, tailing down before enveloping her hand in his own. there's a sting in his eye at the sound of her voice, the vulnerability that she had never shied away from, that he always had. the side of his head presses into hers, lids closing to keep any tears from spilling over. ❝ i'm sorry ... ❞ but what she wants from him is something he doesn't think that he can give her anymore. a piece of him was still on that farm, gone and never coming back; he was broken beyond repair, despite chrissie's best attempts to keep them both together. ❝ of course i love you. ❞ but if they'd reached a point where she had to ask, was it really so obvious? he takes a deep breath in, fingers squeezing softly around hers to ground himself. ❝ i don't wanna let you go, baby. i just ... i don't know what to do how to move on ... how to get better. ❞

[hrtached]

(x)

the hug lasts too long and not long enough all at once, and as dani finally pulls back and returns to her spot, eric is struck with the realization of just how much he'd missed her, how much he'd missed being home. ❝ hey, army taught me plenty about drinkin'. all i'm sayin' is a little moderation wouldn't kill ya,  ❞   the smirk on his face is proof enough he's only half-serious. eric stops short at the foot of her bed, an open palm slaps against his chest, head tilted in an exaggerated offended pose.  ❝  i can't believe little miss had-the-biggest-crush-on-eric just said that to me. i'm a lot of fun,  ❞   spoken as a matter-of-fact even he doesn't fully believe. a beat passes before his body falls onto the bed beside her, made at home right away with his feet dangling off the edge.

understanding he'd opened up a conversation far deeper than he'd meant to, eric clears his throat and turns to his side. ❝ we love each other ? i dunno',  ❞   he offers with a shrug of his shoulders, body propped up on one elbow as he looks at @antiquare. never quite the best at offering comfort with advice, emotions are a world entirely foreign to eric, one that he was still working on navigating.  ❝  it was never easy, but she knows i love her and i know she loves me, and we both knew that eventually we'd be together again.  ❞ he takes a breath, gaze adverting to his hands as though something helpful that he could say would be written there. ❝ you guys remind me of us, you know ? kind of. and how we feel about each other has always been enough. you guys are fine. ❞ it's a shameful thought he'd had no more than once while he was away, what if chrissie found someone better? but there was no one better, for either of them. ❝ if i'm right, and i usually am, in his eyes there's no other girl in the world that could even compare to you. it's hard as hell bein' apart from one another, but it just makes it that much better once you're together again. ❞

[innocentsbled]

sweat drips down blonde girls brow, carrying on with determination in spite of letha's obvious sense of discomfort. sun that was once bright and shining in the sky beginning to dim. while not far from their destination, kinsey knew when to call it quits. dropping pack from her back to forest floor, she's knelt down with knees in dirt to grab the tent out of the bag. never had been necessarily one to be called rugged, but compared to letha, she might as well have thrown on some kind of hat and called herself davy crockett. brown eyes look over toward the other girl, who was looking around like a scared and lost puppy. kinsey couldn't help but to giggle a tiny bit under her breath.

❛ OKAY SO - see the tent on the ground there? light green, you can't miss it. first unroll that and we lay it out flat. easy enough, right? ❜ words spoken with a smile. ❛ after that, we hammer it into the ground so it doesn't go blowing away. then put the poles in the tent and we've got our place to sleep tonight. easy enough, right? ❜ eyes sparkle with a sense of peace kinsey has not felt in a while. the complete opposite of letha, the current sense of her amusement. ❛ after we get the tent up, we can make the fire and dinner. i promise it looks way harder than it actually is. ❜

[hrtached]

— it wasn't like the physical part of this excursion was the issue; letha had been on her fair share of arduous hikes, enjoyed spending time in nature as much as she could, but this was an entirely different ballgame. thumbs loop around the straps of her bag absently, swallowing down her fear as her gaze scan the tree line across from them. she loved nature, the woods were safe an internal mantra on repeat; and after the words began to seem not real she started to believe them, started to believe that once they had set up and unpacked and settled in, she would be fine. the snapping of twigs that sounded like footsteps turned to gentle breezes against the tree's leaves, and the foreboding sense of being watched changed to her observing, taking in the view that was starting to look like it really was worth it, and they hadn't even made it to the top yet.

— it takes a moment for letha to follow kinsey's lead, pulling her backpack down off of her shoulders and carefully setting it down at her feet.  ❝  okay, okay, you don't have to explain it like i'm a toddler. i know how to set up a tent,  ❞   her retort comes with mock seriousness and breathy laughter, the corner of her mouth turned in a lackluster smile. not hopeless, and certainly not a hinderance to the situation, but she can absolutely acknowledge the dear-in-headlights look that was probably on her face: her experience went as far as setting up a small barbie tent in her backyard ten years ago. letha wipes sweaty palms off on her thighs, ❝ right, easy peasy. ❞ though as her attention turns to the bag @antiquare had pointed out, her body lefts out an unfiltered sigh before reluctantly moving forward to lift it off of the ground. ❝ what is for dinner, exactly ? ❞

[hallowburnt-arc]

          ❛    eric    …    ❜    [    @hrtached​​    ]    they’d    been    through    hard    times    before,    but    this    felt    different.    it    was    on    another    level.    going    into    war    like    eric    had,     you    knew     to    an    extent    what    to    expect    -    but    not    one    of    them    could    have    ever    expected    what    happened    on    an    innocent    roadtrip    through    texas.    everything    they’d    had,    everything    they’d    built    together    was    beginning    to    crack    at    the    very    foundation.    never    the    quiet    type,    never    one    not    to    speak    her    mind    -     it    was    rare    to    find    her    at    a    loss    for    words.    ❛    i    can’t    do    this    with    you    anymore.    we’re    supposed    to    be    a    team,    but    ever    since    it    happened    …    i    need    you    here    with    me.    ❜    quickly    clasps    shaking    hands    behind    her    back,    hoping    he    isn’t    paying    attention.    not    even    sure    he    cares    either    way,    but    the    last    thing    she    wants    is    to    appear    weak.    they’ve    always    had    that    in    common.    ❛    this    is    the    last    time    i’m    going    to    ask.    i    shouldn’t    have    to    ask    you    to    love   me.    ❜    

[hrtached]

eric hill had never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, and he could thank his father for that. he had been raised thinking that the only way to get through life was to grin and bear it to bottle up the bad and keep moving forward. until now, that had worked, but it was starting to feel like his forward was something more like a fast-paced downward descent. he'd been able to take what he went through, what he saw overseas, and bury it deep, and only unearthed it when he was alone: in the early hours of the morning over brewing coffee, while the shower rained over his face and clouded his vision. what he'd seen at war had been horrific, but what he, what they, experienced on that farm? it's like nothing eric ever could have imagined, something he couldn't comprehend. her words are an echo in his skull, resounding but not sinking in. she needed him, but he was a million miles away, in a hell of his own creation. ❝ i'm right here, chris, ❞ but his tone is too casual for the situation, for the desperation layered in @antiquare's words. he was sitting right in front of her, but he wasn't there, not really. ❝ been the same way the whole time we've known each other. loved you the same way, too. this has always been who i am, you knew that. ❞

[soulrph]

gruff and confused parent prompts.

y'all asked for gruff father prompts a long time ago. and i, a whole simp for this trope, sat down and watched str.anger th.ings, the mand/alorian, and i read a LOAD of fanfics in which grumpy people are unexpectedly thrust into the world of parenthood, so i hope these match your expectations!! ily all, have a wonderful day, and unclench your jaw!

to the child/grown child.

" oh jesus, what the hell are you doing? "

" no. hey, you listening? i said no. "

" believe it or not, kiddo, i'm doing this for your own good. "

" ah, hell... fine. we'll do it. just quit pouting. "

" what part of "stay put" didn't make sense to you? "

" look, kid, i... i know i'm not doing any of this right. my best just isn't enough. but do you think you could cut me a little slack? "

" what the hell made you think i'd let you do that? "

" i can't handle you after a bag of jelly beans, i sure as hell won't be testing the theory with espresso shots. "

" you know you're grounded, right? "

" look, if... if you're good, we'll stop and grab some ice cream on the way home. how does that sound? "

" we're not having chicken nuggets again, pick something that's at least a little bit healthy. "

" damn. i must be a terrible cook, i thought kids ate damn near everything... "

" hey, stop arguing, it's not gonna happen. "

" jesus, you have any idea how worried i was?! "

" green skittles don't count as your five a day. "

" ketchup's a vegetable, isn't it? "

" quit kicking me! hey! i get it! i'm not the parent of the year! but i'm all you got. so calm down, alright? "

" jeez, kid... i-i'm sorry. i didn't mean to yell. you just... i didn't know where you were. "

" you remind me of my son/daughter/kid. "

" hey, hey, hey... easy, now, it's alright... i got you. it was just a nightmare, son/sweetheart/kiddo. it's okay... "

about the child/grown child.

" the kid's with me. "

" shit... i have no idea how to look after them. "

" i'm just glad there's no diapers involved... "

" well. i'm not winning any parent of the year awards, let's put it that way. "

" i don't know how the hell to be a decent parent to this kid! "

" who are we kidding? this kid has the worst luck in the world to get stuck with me as a parent. "

" i'm definitely landing them with a long future in therapy, that's for sure. "

" i can barely look after myself, forget about an infant! "

" look. i might not be what this kid deserves. but i'll be damned if i'm not gonna stick by them until someone better comes along. "

" eh. i don't know. i like to think i'm doing a better job than my dad/mom/parent. "

" i've only known them a little while, and... and i honestly can't tell you what i'd do if anything happened to them. "

[possession1981-moving]

GEMMA ARTERTON as Clara Webb BYZANTIUM dir. Neil Jordan, 2012

[hrtached]

﹠﹔  @endfght​    eddie munson and lilly baxter.

❝  no no way am i wearing that.  ❞   her rejection is amplified by the look on her face of disgusted confusion. lilly wasn't even entirely sure what it was that he held out before him, all she could really make out were frills (maybe fringe ?), pleather, and the glint of silver accents. she squints, hesitating before she asks, ❝  what is it ?  ❞ dramatically, her body shudders before she turns her body away from eddie, hands up as she drops herself onto the couch. ❝ i've spent weeks perfecting my sandy. there's not a chance that i'm throwing all that hard work away. can't you just be danny ? for me ? ❞ she regards him with wide eyes from her spot, pleading, with a pouted lower lip for emphasis.

[endfght]

perhaps in an ironic way, it was no surprise that molly had found herself in prison. though not quite in the way that she had imagined ― she was sure it would be her perpetual sticky fingers and adolescent habit of so-called trespassing that landed her behind bars, not the end of the world. to her, a prison was better than being on her own, and it was by far a more comfortable place to live than crawford ever was. the people weren't half bad, either. she'd kept herself at a comfortable distance, at arm's length to save the heartache that was sure to come, when fate rears its ugly head and perpetuates the inevitable. but even she was not so strong, her facade had begun to crack, and others had begun to seep in. ❝ hey, beth, ❞ descent down metal steps is careful, notice taken of the way the other paces back and forth, bouncing a softly weeping judith in her arms. molly almost turns at the sight, regrets calling out ⸺ but continues begrudgingly as beth turns to her with hopeful eyes. ❝ everything okay ? ❞

starter call. @hrtached's beth.

[hrtached]

— when the time had come, beth had taken up the caretaker mantle as easily as anything she'd ever done before. while judith hadn't been her sole responsibility, she took pride in the fact that, more often than not, it was her that was able to calm jude down after a particularly nasty bought of crying. but her skills must have been lacking, she was off her game, and though it seemed like it showed no signs of life in judith, beth was feeling heavy with exhaustion. ❝ oh ! molly !  ❞   startled reaction is matched with a wide smile, molly's presence alone enough to reinvigorate her with a second wind of sorts not that she would turn down a chance to stretch out her arms.  ❝  yeah, we're just peachy. jude's about an hour past her normal naptime so she's bein' a li'l fussy.  ❞   thumb smooths over judith's head as she talks, arms in a nonstop bob to try and lull her to sleep. ❝ would y'mind holdin' her for a minute, actually ? last time i tried puttin' her down she screamed like i've never heard before. ❞ sentence ended off with breathless laughter as a recollection of the glass-shattering screech scrunches her face. she is kind in her ask, but in her eyes in desperation.

[sevynhells]

fuzzy legs tickle against the back of her hand, lifted to her face to watch closely as the creature skitters across her skin. found originally upon the wooden table beside her bed, su had taken it within cupped hands through the halls to the gardens outside. a delight to find shelley there, she gladly makes her way to the other's side, nestled comfortably in the grass between rows of flowers. ❝ my sisters would have squealed upon sight of her. i couldn't bare to leave her inside knowing what might become of her should she find herself in the wrong room. ❞ smile in her words as her arm lowers to the patch of wildflowers she'd chosen for the spider's new home. it jumps from the tip of her finger to a leaf and she watches as it scuttles towards the flower's stem. finally, she settles into the space across from shelley, legs stretched straight out in front of her as her arms held the weight of her leaned-back upper half. head rests upon her shoulder, gaze trailing from the beautiful blueness of the sky above them to @hrtached's face. ❝ what are you reading today ? ❞

[hrtached]

it was common practice to find shelley nestled within ninestars' gardens with a borrowed book from their expansive library. there were spots that she considered her favorites way in the back by an old, dying tree, surrounded by fragrant lavender and honeysuckle; or where she'd found herself now, a small clearing (made from years of visits by both herself and other inhabitants of years past) off to the side of the garden's entrance, circled by tall grasses and a variety of colorful flowers, with sparse tree coverage to allow the sun to wash over the space. her attention shifts from the page only when su's voice breaks the melodic silence, welcoming her presence with a wide smile. ❝  how very honorable of you, my lady. i am sure she is grateful for your intervention.  ❞ spoken as she lets out a soft laugh, eyes watching as suse releases the spider she had saved before joining shelley in the grass. in silent response, she closes the book in her hands (marking her place with a single finger stuck between the pages) and offers the face to the other to read. ❝  i must admit, it is not nearly as interesting as some of the others that i've read, but i haven't had the urge to return it just yet.  ❞

[endfght]

starter call, @hrtached. danny briggs & harper dylan.

lost in the pits of his own concentration, it's the loud rrriiiippping of a page that pulls him abruptly from it. ❝ hey, no stencils ! that's cheating, ❞ there's a pointed way in which he eyes her, a playfully accusatory glare that has his eyes gone wide and his mouth open in an exaggerated 'o'. hand is quick to drop his seed-covered spoon into the pit of his pumpkin before snatching the stencil book up from the newspaper-lined table and dramatically throwing it across the room. ❝ i know you have better ideas than those in that pretty little head of yours. ❞ smile is wide, pointer finger extended to tap against the middle of her forehead, ❝ unless you're not up for the challenge. ❞

[hrtached]

❝ why would the pumkpin carving kit include stencils if it's cheating to use them ?? ❞ she watches with squinted eyes as his hands move, blinking once at the sound the book made upon impact with the floor. the page she'd ripped out still in hand, harper extends her arm away from him, challenging in the way she stares him down. ❝ it's called getting inspiration. and we never discussed any rules before we started this, ❞ her defense (if you can call it that) is lackluster, but there is truth behind her words. they'd been planning this for a week now and not once had he said anything about what they could or could not do, let alone this being a competition at all. she recoils at the feel of his finger against her head, and doesn't hesitate to swat him away with her free hand. ❝ cut it out, daniel. i could carve a better pumpkin than you blindfolded. ❞