Forgive me, I didn't mean to desert you

Jacob Grayson 27 Detective Amber Valley Native Engaged Father

[jacobxgrayson]

kenzietxylor‌:

                 AT his words, Mackenzie could feel the burn start in the back of her eyes, “I’m not brave,” She whispered, without thinking. Wasn’t that supposed to have been a hypothetical question? She sighed quietly, knowing that she was almost definitely going to have to get into it now. Kenzie frowned as she moved to sit up, pinching the bridge of her nose to try and avoid the tears that she seemed to have been holding back for so long. “I– Shit.”

And there it was. Well he had already realised she meant something about herself, though he couldn’t pretend that he wasn’t worried about what she was going to say. Pulling himself up, he waited, wondering if she’d explain, though evidently not. “Kenzie, you are the bravest person I know”.

[jacobxgrayson]

kenzietxylor‌:

                    SHE supposed that she could have picked a more opportune moment for this conversation. Mackenzie was quiet as he spoke, tugging the blankets a little tighter around herself, as though it would offer some kind of comfort. There was so much that Kenzie wanted to say, so many questions she still had unanswered, she just needed to find a starting point, “What if they were scared someone would be disappointed?”

Jacob clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Fair enough question he supposed, but he wasn’t really sure how to answer it. “I don’t know, guess it’s just being brave. Bravery isn’t the absence of fear after all” though really, what did he know? He hadn’t been brave a day in his life.

[jacobxgrayson]

vivimoore‌:

She was no stranger to dogs barking, her neighbors had had some of the loudest dogs she’d ever heard- but most of the ones she’d interacted with had been small lap dogs… not… a large dog.

“ No worries, he’s alright! ”

He still wasn’t completely convinced by it. “Hades” he said, luckily the dog seemed to get it, stopping barking, and looking up at him now. Least that was something. “Yeah well, giving me a headache if nothing else”.

[kenzietxylor-deactivated2020080]

location: at home.

with: @jacobxgrayson​

                  MACKENZIE couldn’t sleep. She was sure that she’d been laying for hours, trying to force herself to fall over, but it just wasn’t working. Her mind had been in overdrive for what felt like months now - she was exhausted, but sleep failed to come more often than not. She was sure, however, that Jacob wasn’t sleeping either. She sighed softly, eventually admitting defeat. Kenzie didn’t know how long she could continue to trap herself in this cycle - and perhaps it had been long enough. She rolled over to face him, “Jake–” She began, her throat already beginning to feel like it was closing up, “Hypothetically, what would you do if someone was lying to you?”

[jacobxgrayson]

Jacob had got used to not sleeping. It happened most nights, nightmares would come and ruin any chance of sleep. He normally just explained it away with something about it being from work. He had assumed Kenzie had been asleep, right up until she spoke. And what a question to ask as well. He was silent for a moment, unsure how to answer it. “Everyone lies. Human nature. Guess it depends why they were lying”.

[nualabrctherton]

location: the grind.

with: @edtstarter​ ( open to anyone )

                    NUALA was sure that the fact she had only been in Edens Town for a few weeks and that the baristas could already remember her name and order was a little more embarrassing than it should have been. Or, at least, alluded to the fact that she had an unaddressed coffee addiction. Still, she supposed, it could be worse. She hadn’t even managed to get her order out before the barista had knowingly nodded, gesturing her to move aside for the next in queue to order. She paused briefly, offering the person in the queue behind her a small smile as she stepped aside to wait for her order, “–And I’ll pay for whatever they’re ordering, too,” Nuala offered, gaze turning back to the barista, “Payin’ it forward and all of that.”

[jacobxgrayson]

it was becoming  a common occurrence for Jacob to be in the coffee shop. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had a good night’s sleep, he was practically living off of the stuff right now. He hadn’t even really been thinking about it, least not until he heard the woman talking. “Thought that was only for homeless people” which could be an explanation for what he was wearing, but he had never cared too much about that. “I don’t need charity, save it for someone who knows” he replied, though more to the barista. 

[jacobxgrayson]

missjessicagreyson‌:

“Be nice, Jake. She’s going to be family to you.” Jess might scold him, but she was relieved to hear him complain about his future sister-in-law. Aside from Erin, Jacob tended to find fault with those that he kept the closest to him. “Entertaining doesn’t count poisoning your guests.” She smiled, watching the child enjoy her treats. “Not any cake. There are some that she won’t like. She might be like you and tell me they are all bad.” 

“You’ve met her right? Girl doesn’t care what anyone says about her, could be renamed Elsa” and sure, he liked the girl, but she wasn’t the warmest person, apart from when she was with her daughter. That was something else entirely. He figured now wasn’t the time to point out how he was with her, and she wasn’t family. “Who said poison, never said it would be belladonna” he replied, shaking her head. “Might do it if I say it” he almost wanted to test it now.

[jacobxgrayson]

Jacob sighed, he was only out of the house to try walk Hades, which always proved to be a nightmare given that the dog wanted to greet everyone, or smell everything. Frankly it was exhausting, but the dog needed exercise and that was the main reason he had left that morning. Not the best one, but all he had. Which didn’t go over so well when he started barking at the girl, great. “Hades stop that. Sorry, he’s harmless but loud”. @vivimoore​

[keegan--anderson]

Less Thinking, More Drinking

[jacobxgrayson]

keegan--anderson‌:

“You don’t like delicious gummy candies?” He quirked up a brow at his own question. “I don’t know that for sure. Just casual observance to where I’ve seen you before.” He shrugged lightly. “You have a point my friend. So cheers I guess.” He picked up another one of the shots before holding it up in a cheers motion and then downing the whole thing rather gracefully. 

“What’s delicious about something that is an intimidation of fruit? Could just eat actual fruit which tastes better and isn’t as sickly sweet” but then he had no sweet tooth, he was happy to admit it, it was obvious enough after all. He just never really gave the reason behind it. “Those can’t be good” he used, before getting the bartender’s attention. 

[missjessicagreyson]

Wedding Bells/Jacob and Jess

[jacobxgrayson]

missjessicagreyson‌:

Jess sighed, shaking her head. “Jake, I use this bakery for 80% of my events. They know me. That is why the cake has no price attached. It’s part of the deal for when I use them.” It was only when her guests made another request that Jessica used a different bakery. She would have loved to use Kira’s, but she didn’t want to put as much pressure on the woman as she did with the larger store. Still she did try her best to make the other 20% go to Kira’s shop. “We are not adding vegetables to a cake. You know better than to step into the kitchen of the masters.” Jess smiled, trying to look innocent, but failing completely. “That is why I am letting Erin help. You explain to your daughter why she can’t have the cake flavor she likes best.” 

“Great, and you’re explaining this why? We’re using Red Velvet, that’s the end of it. Girl is cold as ice, but she can bake” and he also knew that Kenzie wouldn’t take it any other way. That was about the only thing they had figured out so far, because that had been settled even before they had got engaged. The girl was good at least. “Why not, could at least get some entertaining reactions” he mused. “She’s a child, she will like any cake”.

[jacobxgrayson]

downtowntanaka‌:

Johnnie let out something that was half-huff, half-sigh. “Yeah, Amber Valley. That much I could see.” As much as Johnnie would hate to say it – and he really would hate to fucking say it – but no amount of protesting from Ashford would push some members of City Council to change a thing. That’s if a protest even happened. Some of its residents were just… lost to inaction.

“Not the whole town, I-” Johnnie shut his eyes. That’s not what I said. “The person wanting to do it isn’t doing the entire town, no.” The entire town! He’d bust out laughing if he heard anyone trying to touch any part of Kings Park.

“Be more than that. Shop owners and what not” that and busy bodies, but he wasn’t going to point that one out. He didn’t much see the point in it. Wouldn’t that be doing their job for them. Too many people were nosey around here, and really he didn’t want to be added to that list.

“Yeah no shit, it’s what I said” he replied, rolling his eyes. “That’s my point, they either fund the whole town, or they’ll never get it. You know other people need to join in for a conversation right?” well he had never been a yes-man before, he wasn’t going to change now. 

[missjessicagreyson]

Wedding Bells/Jacob and Jess

[jacobxgrayson]

missjessicagreyson‌:

“And you realize you are one of the few people in the world who will turn down free cake samples.” Of course Jessica was aware that Kenz would wish to keep the wedding as much of a family matter as possible when it came to her side of the family. It wasn’t as if Jess was taking advantage either. She often used this particular bakery for her other events. The cake was only a perk of work. Besides, it would give Kira a flavor profile to work with once the couple did pick their favorites, or when Erin begged them for a particular flavor. “It is the only vegetable that I know of to make it into a cake.” She shook her head, rolling her eyes at her brother. “I am well aware of that, but it is easier if you have everything ready to go when you finally do pick a date and place.” 

“Simple reason really, I don’t believe that anything is really free. There’s always a price, for everything. Sometimes just isn’t as obvious” least that was always his experience in it. People weren’t just kind to be kind, and he knew better then to ever pretend otherwise. Their father had taught him that a long time ago, though it didn’t seem like he had bothered to teach his daughter the same thing. Then again, he wasn’t really sure that he had taught his own children that either. “Can make any vegetable into a cake, probably wouldn’t taste very nice, but theoretically you could do it. “And if we change our minds?”

[jacobxgrayson]

quinnreynclds‌:

                  QUINN laughed, shaking her head softly, “Hey, we all got our own weird niche interests, right? Mine just happens to be folks arguin’ over the value of possibly fake antiques,” She replied, another light laugh echoing from her lips, “Tell me, Jake, what kinda shit do you watch to relax? I might give it a shot if I wanna channel my inner dick at any point,” She continued, a playful tease in her tone. She’d long since gotten used to Jacob and his attitude, but it didn’t stop her from playing on it from time to time. “Y’know, that’s gotta make me question just how much your mortgage is worth if you think I got anythin’ that expensive up on these shelves,” Quinn continued, passing a glass along the bar to him, “What brings you by today?”

“Honestly, no” what had his father said? Only look at things that would better yourself, and then made him recite what sort of things those were. Long as he got the list right, things should be ok. He rarely ever got the list right, but then his father hadn’t told him if he had changed what was on the list. “I have four kids... you think I have time to relax?” that and a job that kept him awake most of the night, least he liked to pretend it was the job, really he wasn’t so sure what it was anymore. “Sure you have. Look at all the rich arseholes up in Kings Park, they’d spend that much without even thinking twice about it” he would be jealous, but then wouldn’t they all the same if they had that sort of money. “Alcohol... unless you aren’t serving it anymor”.

[jacobxgrayson]

kenzietxylor‌

                 MACKENZIE couldn’t help but smile at the dog who was trying to fit into her lap, clearly convinced that he was still a puppy. She offered that same smile to Jacob when he entered the room, once again wanting nothing more than to wrap him in her arms and for everything that had fucked them over in the last four years to be done with. She knew, however, it wasn’t going to be that simple. “Pizza sounds good,” Kenzie agreed, nodding, “Can we get that stuffed crust one from Up in Smoke that we got last time?” She continued, perking up slightly at the thought of food.

It seemed normal enough, and he really wanted to believe that things were normal. But there was a part of him that wasn’t sure things ever really could be. He wished it was different, but instead he just had a constant fear of dread in his stomach. People said that you could get used to anything, but that had been with him as long as he could remember and it had just never gone away no matter what he did. He nodded, “sure though you might need to remind me what sort of pizza it actually was”.

[missjessicagreyson]

Wedding Bells/Jacob and Jess

[jacobxgrayson]

missjessicagreyson‌:

“Of course not.” She pretended to be innocent, although Jessica was fairly certain that the cake would wind Erin up long after the blonde left to work out some of the details for the wedding that still lacked a date and location. “Kenzie already was given a box of cake as well as her sister. It is something that everyone needs to be satisfied with.” She stood again holding out the box for Jake. Even if he wasn’t interested, it was still essential that he at least like the cake that he was going to serve. “Besides I added a healthy option for you. There’s carrot cake in there.” She was trying her hardest, knowing that planning the menu and other details would be far harder than selecting a cake flavor. 

He raised an eyebrow, not really believing her about that at all. Still, he supposed he could put a Disney film on or something, let Erin burn off the energy that way. He’d figure that one out later. “You realise Kenzie isn’t going to let anyone other than her sister make the cake right?” and he planned to make sure she received full payment for that as well, even if the girl was stubborn about it. Well he wasn’t that much of an idiot, he knew childcare was expensive, and doing it on one paycheck from the bakery of all places? He had his suspicions on just how ok she actually was. “Carrot cake isn’t healthy. What does the menu matter anyway, we don’t have a date or location yet” and really hadn’t had much time to look. Food... well that was on the backburner. 

[jacobxgrayson]

downtowntanaka‌:

“May be planning,” Johnnie said. “May be. It’s not definite at all.” Fuck, he spoke too soon. Naturally, he knew that preemptively talking about all of these tentative plans was a bad move, and yet he gave into the impulse to spill the beans.

“Expensive?” Johnnie asked. “Not if someone buying properties is applying to rezone what they have. Those petitioners are the ones that’ll need their checkbooks. Some guy buying a residential property in Amber Valley and wanting to repurpose it for business isn’t as uncommon as you’d think. And if property’s cheap in Ashford, then it’s definitely not rare.” He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a heavy breath. He hated his job sometimes. As good as his position was, there were plenty of days where he hated it.

“Yeah, and they’ll suggest it and be laughed out of the council room. Or get people protesting it, which looks bad on the town” he replied with a shrug. He had heard it talked about before, and it always ended the same way.

He sighed, feeling a headache coming on. “Not the properties. For the town it becomes expensive to amend. Repurposing something is easy enough but they aren’t going to change the whole town just because someone flashes a chequebook. Anything serious... well, the person wanting to do it would do up the full town first, and I haven’t seen that happening at all”. 

[missjessicagreyson]

Wedding Bells/Jacob and Jess

[jacobxgrayson]

missjessicagreyson‌:

“There is my sweet girl!” Jessica knelt on the floor, giving Erin a kiss on the forehead and a quick hug. “Now before I give you the cake, I must tell you that it comes with a very important job. One of these cake flavors is to be your father’s wedding cake. You have to taste each on, and then tell me which ones you like best.” Knowing Erin, it was more than likely going to be most of them. Jessica made certain that each square looked prettier than the last and all in different colors for the girl to easily tell them apart. She pulled the take away container out of her bag, walking with the girl to the table. She chuckled, hearing her brother’s voice in the other room. “I did make certain to bring enough samples for the groom too. I’ve already given the bride her box.” 

Sighing he got up, realising that this was unavoidable. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his sister, he did, it was just... she was a bit much. Still, far as he knew she had never been on their father’s bad side, and all he had to do was try and maintain that. “Are you seriously hyping her up on sugar?” he asked, groaning as he spoke, oh he was so not ready to handle this today. “Then why not just let Kenzie decide? You know I don’t have a sweet tooth” or more to the point, had never really been allowed sweet things growing up, and now it just tasted wrong to him. He supposed it was a blessing in disguise really, but it didn’t often feel like that. 

[keegan--anderson]

Less Thinking, More Drinking

[jacobxgrayson]

keegan--anderson‌:

“For all three people? Me, myself, and I?” He questioned with a chuckle. “I was planning on drinking them by myself but if you can stomach them you’re more than welcome to a few.” He shrugged as he grabbed one of the shots and downed the first one. They weren’t too bad. But alcohol wasn’t supposed to naturally taste good anyway. “What are you doing here tonight? This isn’t your usual spot in town.” Keegan wasn’t being nosy, he was just curious. It wasn’t everyday he ran into Jacob. Or well anyone for that matter. 

“Why would I want to do that? They taste like haribo” and he only knew that from when Elodie had forced him to eat them back when she was younger. Thankfully the other three were still too young for them and he had managed to avoid them. He spoke quickly to the bartender, getting the drink he actually wanted instead. “And you know that?” he asked, not sure who that said more about really. “Needed a drink, here is as good a place as any. Besides, people drink here, else it wouldn’t be open”.