hide & seek

thirty-three; bartender at the jagged yard; downtown

[joanna--lafayette]

logankaska​:

It had seemed the safest option to avoid going anywhere near The Jagged Yard when he returned home from South Carolina initially; he’d been hanging onto his sobriety by a thread at that point but thankfully his general ability to avoid alcohol had gotten better and better the longer he’d gone without drinking. Bars still weren’t places he sought out but he could spend an evening in the Jagged Yard with his friends from work or old friends from high school and not feel a passing inclination to drink– and if that wasn’t the case he could pull himself away from the situation when he needed to but the mention of the bar had the added benefit of allowing him to remember why it was he thought he recognized Joanna. “I used to think sports were way more exciting to play than they were to watch when I was younger,” Logan said after a moment, “I still feel that way about a lot of them, actually, but I’ll watch football for hours and never get bored so I guess it’s always been the exception.” The mental image of all of the times he and his friends had tried to get into bars with fake ID’s when they’d been much too young made Logan laugh outright at the thought, “I think I was like, twelve, the first time a friend of mine tried to use a fake ID anywhere. They really let him go on with it way longer than any of us thought they would and it was basically the funniest shit I’d ever seen at that point. He’d taken his brother’s ID and his brother was only, like, eighteen at that point? So it never would’ve worked anyway but our stupid asses thought it was the best plan.” Another snort of laughter escaped him, “We were definitely firing on all cylinders.” 

“I can understand that, except growing up, it was the opposite for me. Back when I was just living with my parents, I never played sports. I always just watched,” Joanna explained, nodding slowly as she thought it over, thinking back to all of the things her parents wanted for her. Or well, wanted for themselves, really. “Although, I feel like most of it stemmed from the fact that I was just doing things to please my family. But when I left for college, I branched off and tried new things. Softball was one of them.” She had felt the relief ever since she did leave for college right after high school. Coming to Providence Peak for the first time really opened her eyes to what she had been missing, the things she was too afraid to do before. Then one thing led to another, and Joanna broke off from her parents and went off to live a life that she wanted, not what they wanted. And that brought here back to Colorado, where she was the happiest she’d ever been for multiple reasons. Joanna was amused at the story, laughing at the thought. “Wow, so the fake ID your friend used was the same fake ID that belonged to his brother?” She scoffed softly, shaking her head. “Firing on all cylinders is an understatement but you know what, I can respect it.” Joanna finally paid attention to her phone vibrating, taking it out to see multiple text messages. “Well, that’s probably my cue. I actually plan on doing some light grocery shopping after this,” she explained with a smile as she glanced back at Logan. “But it was nice talking to you. I’m Joanna, by the way.”

[joanna--lafayette]

searlaitflanagan​:

“That’s adorable.” Having grown up in a large family Charlie had always been on the fence where the subject of having children of her own was concerned— she occasionally felt that she’d helped raise her baby brother and that had been more than enough motherhood for her. But there was another part of her that imagined she’d very much enjoy being a mother at some point in her life and she had no real idea which part of herself would be more dominant in the end. “I get the feeling you wouldn’t say no if she wanted to adopt more animals– I have a hard time going to shelters and not taking like, every animal home with me,” She explained with a smile. “Oh, Indy’s a really sweet cat but I don’t wanna start shit,” Charlie joked, snorting with laughter at the thought of having a literal cat fight because Indy wanted to be just a bit too friendly. Her expression shifted for a moment– something thoughtful in her expression before she glanced at Joanna and exhaled a short, sharp breath, “Hey, um, can I ask you something? I mean, I like to think– hopefully you think so too– but I like to think we’re friends, right? Can I ask you about like… shit. I dunno. I think I need… advice? Like, um– girl advice.” Charlie felt her ears burning more and more by the second as she continued to try and fumble through her request– hoping, briefly, that Joanna wouldn’t laugh outright at how horrifically bad she was at asking for help even with something that shouldn’t have been all that complicated.

x

Joanna still remembered that first conversation she had with Oakley about it. It had been back when they were in college, of course back when they thought they’d always be together. The decade long separation happened, but they found their way back to one another. But the point was, from the get-go, they had been on the same page about children. They just personally didn’t have the desire to have any, but pets would always be wanted. “Oh, certainly. I’d cave every single time,” she admitted with a laugh. Oakley would barely have to try at all but it was also funny to watch her beg. She picked up another colorful looking toy before glancing back at Charlie in curiosity. “Yeah?” Joanna asked and then hummed thoughtfully. “Yes, I’d say we’re friends.” She smiled, as if finding it a little amusing that Charlie would have to ask. Turning back, she gave her full attention to her co-worker. The smile widened at the mention of girl advice. “Ah,” she murmured, nodding slowly. “And... does the girl in girl advice by chance be... Whitney?” Joanna raised an eyebrow, as if a knowing one. She pursed her lips together for a moment, shrugging her shoulders. “I mean, I follow you on Instagram and saw that post about her,” she pointed out. “And you came to the party with her.” Of course, maybe there was a chance it wasn’t Whitney, but Joanna had a feeling her gut was correct.

[expressions-of-nature]

Saint-Jean-de-Sixt, France by Sinitta Leunen

[joanna--lafayette]

searlaitflanagan​:

Over the last month or so Charlie had noticed a marked difference in her tolerance for socialization and how much time she was willing to spend with her friends– and happily so. She had very little trouble remembering how exhausting it had felt to be around anyone at one point in her life and the change was as welcome as it was surprising but she had simply counted it as a small victory in her day-to-day life and moved on. She’d accepted Jo’s offer to hang out without a second thought– grinning lightly at the mention of the new puppy she and Oakley had gotten. “My mom always used to stress about how much stuff we had when we were kids— like, she spoiled the hell out of us and the puppy is kind of like, your new baby. So. That logic tracks for me,” Charlie replied, a soft laugh rumbling in the back of her throat at the mention of Zeus. “He’ll get it over it— it’s just gonna take some time since the puppy’s moving in on his space and he’s probably being a baby about like, the attention or whatever. Cats weirdly are a lot like people,” She mused, brightening at the mention of her own cat. “He’s good! He’s been all over me lately but I think he’s a little mad I’ve been out of the house a lot so he’s trying to smother me with love or something. It’s pretty fucking cute, though, so I can’t be that mad about it. He’s a needy little dude.”

“The puppy is definitely like a baby,” Joanna agreed with no hesitation, smiling in amusement. “With Oak and I, we’ve known for a long time that we mutually didn’t want children. Pets, though? Definitely. We’ve always been on board with having a pet family. Now, we have Zeus and a dog, and I’m sure we’ll get more in the future,” she explained. “Honestly, I won’t be surprised if I catch Oakley looking at adoption ads online.” Joanna laughed at the thought, shaking her head as she imagined walking in on Oak having dozens of tabs open on her computer, locked in on the cute pictures of pets needing a home. “And that’s sweet. See, Zeus is an attention seeker too. Honestly, I would offer to set them up for a play date, but cats can be assholes compared to dogs. I can’t imagine Zeus would be too friendly with other cats. He has that ‘alpha male’ personality.” She rolled her eyes because boy, was it true. Zeus thought he ran the house and she felt bad for their puppy, who always just wanted to play with the cat. 

[emxedits]

Odette Annable as Geri Broussard in Walker (Season 1, Episode 1 “Pilot”)

[joanna--lafayette]

LOCATION ; good pets, university heights CHARACTERS ; joanna lafayette & charlie flanagan @searlaitflanagan

The bartenders down at the Jagged Yard had been meaning to get together sometime. A handful of them, whenever they happened to be off work. Even if it wasn’t at night, even if it was just hanging out during the day. Of course, that was easier said than done with everyone’s varying schedules. Joanna had hoped to grab Sage but with the other woman on a shift, she and Charlie still ended up getting together. With them both being pet parents, Good Pets became one of the initial destinations on their list. “I feel like we already have so many toys for the puppy,” Joanna explained as they walked down the aisles, her eyes scanning all of the cute and colorful options lining the shelves. “And yet, not enough at the same time.” She laughed. “Zeus is still being a little irritable around him, but he’ll suck it up eventually.” Jo picked up one of the toys to look at it more closely before smiling at Charlie. “How’s Indy doing?”

[haleyjames]

[joanna--lafayette]

LOCATION ; expresso yourself, claret park CHARACTERS ; joanna lafayette & sage adler @sage-adler

It seemed like it wasn’t often that Joanna and Sage were both off work at the same time. Or just a time in general when they were free to really hang out. But they found time that sunny morning, the coffee shop in Claret Park seeming to call to them. Joanna could use the energy too, having gotten home later than usual the prior night. A fight in the bar late that night caused the employees to stay past when they usually would leave. It wasn’t fun but at least it was a new day. “The question is,” Jo said to Sage as they stood in line, her eyes scanning the menu behind the counter. “If we’re feeling on the basic side or the bold side.” She laughed as she studied all of the newer options on the menu, some looking a bit odd but they could always end up tasting good. “The drinks with the random colors have always seemed a little too weird to me.” She looked at her co-worker and shrugged. “But... I’ll let you pick. I’ll follow your lead,” Joanna decided. “Anything catch your eye?”

[wintertimegirls]

[szabadosed-deactivated20150509]

[joanna--lafayette]

logankaska​:

For a fraction of a second Logan considered offering Joanna a detailed explanation as to his motivations for taking the high school kids up on their request for him to play football with them. He’d been well aware that his knee was already bothering him as a result of the cold– as it always had during the winters since he’d been injured; he’d been aware that it was a bad idea, that there were a thousand things that could go wrong and he’d agreed happily and without hesitation all the same. He could still remember the way it had felt for someone to believe he could be truly good at something if he applied himself and that part of him that remembered being a fourteen year old kid just trying to make something of himself wanted nothing more than to reassure the high schoolers who looked up to him that they could do anything in the world they wanted and he was an example of that. But no– that was too much information to offer someone he hardly knew and the setting wasn’t right for it anyway. “They’re even better now than they were when I went there. I still watch all of their games if I can get them on TV,” He replied, a fond smile on his face. “Oh, yeah? Hey, college sports are college sports, dude. It takes dedication to do it no matter what level you’re at. And it’s all good— I had a good run before I got hurt and I can’t complain. I wouldn’t take it back. Yeah– one of them texted me afterwards to apologize and tell me they had fun and it was real sweet. I was definitely an asshole for a while there when I was a teenager so cool teenagers are like, a rare breed for me,” He said with a laugh.

x

When it came to sports, Joanna had been lucky with not having any major injuries. She did have a sprained wrist once as well as a sprained ankle at another time, both of which had Oakley flipping out about even though to Joanna, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Besides, it could’ve been worse. But she knew there were so many other athletes who had huge injuries that ruined their careers and it was unfortunate to hear about what happened in Logan’s situation. But even so, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to let an injury like that get him down. Besides, he had taken the time to play with those kids even when he didn’t really have to. “Yeah, honestly, it’s been a little while since I’ve really sat down and watched some games. Football, basketball, anything. I work at the Jagged Yard so we have games playing a lot but with work, they’re not something I’m able to really focus on,” Joanna explained but nodded and smiled in return. “Well, teenage years are teenage years. We all have had those days. We’ve definitely had an array of kids who have used fake IDs down at the bar. Not that it makes them assholes or anything, of course. But it is funny to see how teens still try to do that. I definitely did it a few times back in the day.”

[joanna--lafayette]

oakleygrey​:

Happy was good. Content was good. The causal sex was good. Everything was good between them, but this? This was the fire they’d felt at the beginning. This was the fire that had burned so hot between them that made everything a little more fun. This was the excitement they’d felt when sneaking around in college. It was the excitement that left every inch of her body tingling and in need of Joanna’s touch. it was the excitement of knowing that at any moment, their backroom rendezvous could’ve been interrupted. It was risky, but that made Oak want it so much more than she already did.

“You’re right,” she nodded, tilting her head to the side to give Joanna better access to lightly tanned skin. “She didn’t.” Fingers gripped tightly at Jo’s shirt as eyes fluttered closed in pure pleasure. “Jo,” she hummed, voice low and breathy as she felt herself growing weak at the knees. She almost couldn’t believe the woman’s advances had worked her partner up this much, but it was hard to question anything when the brunette was pressing open-mouthed kisses against her skin.

It really was a hot flashback to their college days, back before they were officially out as a couple. It was back when they were sneaking around, brushing off comments from their friends who teasingly questioned them. They were sly back then but the excitement brought on a high that they never wanted to come down from. It really was dramatic but the fire was true. Joanna remembered it well. She was feeling it all the same at that moment. She shivered at it. She heard the little hum by Oakley which was basically like a quiet plea, and that only encouraged Joanna even more. She pushed that chick out of her mind and forgot about work. Or she was for that moment, focusing just on Oakley.

And oh, there was a table in there. How fun. Jo grinned against her neck and then carefully picked Oakley up by her thighs, carrying her over to the table against the wall. With one hand, she moved the stray items off it and sat Oak down. “It’s like college all over again,” Joanna commented in a breathy manner, grinning at her and kissing her again. “This feels familiar,” she pointed out with a sly smirk, trying not to burst out laughing at the memory. “Freshman year... free period... that closet on the second floor. You were giggling nonstop.” 

[joanna--lafayette]

logankaska​:

“My gran used to carry one that always seemed like it was a fucking suitcase to me,” Logan replied with a chuckle. “I swear to god it had everything you could ever think to need in an afternoon in it. It was like, I dunno– Hermione’s magic beaded bag from Harry Potter. Like its own little pocket dimension or something. Crazy,” He continued, ignoring, for the moment, how much of a nerd that one sentence probably made him seem like. It wasn’t an inaccurate representation but he tried to downplay what a dork he was until people got to know him a little better more out of habit than anything else. “See, my allergies never really bother me when I’m here. When I moved to South Carolina for college it felt like getting hit by a truck when allergy season rolled around but here I’m all good. It’s weird. I’d recommend that one, though,” He said, pointing with his toe towards a reasonably priced bottle towards the bottom, “It’s cheaper than most of this other junk and it’s non-drowsy. Best of both worlds.” He glanced down at his leg briefly in time with Joanna’s nod towards his crutches and felt another surge of embarrassment. “Oh, nah— I managed to stay on my property during the storm so I was safe. I decided to play football with some of the high school kids. They think I’m like, a legend or something ‘cause I played for Clemson in college and they had these little puppy dog eyes. Ugh. I couldn’t say no. I messed up my knee playing ball in college and messed it up more playing with the kids. It hurts like a son of a bitch but they were excited to play with me so I think it’s kinda worth it. It’ll heal.”

The purse debacle was a trip and he made a good point. “You know what, it is always the grandmas, huh?” Joanna inquired jokingly because now that she thought about it, she was pretty sure her own grandmother carried large purses too. Well, more so her step father’s mother because she grew up more around her than she did with her grandmother from her mom’s side. And of course, those purses had been fancy, overly expensive ones. Designer handbags shipped from Europe, probably. Joanna’s eyes then followed where Logan was pointing and she nodded. “Ah, non-drowsy is definitely what I needed. Thank you,” she told him as she plucked up the bottle, studying the label briefly before glancing back at him. “Oh wow, you played for Clemson?” She echoed. “That’s pretty cool. They’re a good team. I played some softball back in college, but that was for Providence Peak’s team. I’m sorry to hear about your injury, though. The past and present one, that is. That’s nice of you to still have wanted to play with them, though. Injury or not, I’m sure they appreciated it.”

[joanna--lafayette]

oakleygrey​:

Oakley couldn’t remember the last time she’d saw Joanna so heated. When it came to guys hitting on her, it was almost comical to them both. If a guy had been pushing the way that woman had, she was almost certain that Joanna wouldn’t have even considered raising her voice. They could’ve laughed about his attempts before moving along, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, they’d been met with their first actual instance of a woman showing open interest to the blonde without regard to her relationship status. It was like the word ‘girlfriend’ held little to no weight in the other woman’s mind. Had she really thought Oakley was going to ditch Joanna for a drink she could’ve gotten free anyway? Or had the entire interaction been a game with no real winning outcome?

Regardless of intention, Oakley was thankful when the double doors swung open and closed, leaving them alone from former unwanted company. The blonde was almost certain there was nothing to be seen in the back, but she continued to follow Joanna until they were alone in a smaller room. As much as the woman wanted to comment on what had happened, the moment she felt Joanna’s lips against hers, it didn’t matter. Hands rested atop the brunette’s shoulders, body flushed with warmth as she gripped tightly, wondering just what her girlfriend had in mind for the moment.

Oakley pulled back slowly in an attempt to catch her breath, hands sliding down the woman’s arms and resting at the bend of her elbows. “I like this side of you,” Oak admitted quietly, the jealousy from earlier still being burned into her mind. Truthfully, it’d been far more attractive than she remembered it being. “I didn’t realize you could get so worked up.” Better yet, she didn’t know it’d lead to a moment like this one, but she wasn’t complaining.

When was the last time Joanna had gotten so heated? Had it even involved Oakley at all? She couldn’t remember. Honestly, she wasn’t a naturally aggressive person but she was definitely a little more so back during college than she was now. The last decade really mellowed her out a bit for various reasons. This, though? This had frustrated her immensely. She was still surprised that it fazed her so much. But seeing that woman hit on Oakley really made her blood boil and yes, made her a little jealous. And Joanna never thought she’d feel that way again. Ever. Not while she was happily with Oak and had no reason to worry about such trivial things. And then that chick happened and now she was letting some frustrations out in that storage room.

Oakley pulled away and Joanna frowned in disappointment, letting out a breathy sigh. The comments, though, made her raise an eyebrow. The brunette then huffed softly but it was in an amused manner. “The exasperated side of me?” She inquired quietly in return, shaking her head. “Yeah, well… she had no place acting like that.” Joanna said that like she was still not over it, which was kind of funny. The bartender kissed Oakley’s jaw, her lips traveling down to her neck while hands roamed down the blonde’s sides. 

[gina-silvers]

melanie garcia in s01e04

[joanna--lafayette]

oakleygrey​:

While Oakley appreciated someone giving her good feedback on her career choices, having someone so persistent and eager to push for more was something she wasn’t comfortable with. Even if she hadn’t of been with Joanna, it would’ve been something the blonde decided to walk away from, however she possibly could. Oakley peered up at Joanna, the look of annoyance and anger clear and within reason. She’d told the woman already to backoff, paired with Oakley’s disinterest, it was more than enough to be angry about. And what even sparked a little anger within Oakley was the smirk that rested so easily on the woman’s lips, as if everything that was being said just made her want to push harder. 

Arm tightened around Joanna’s, her grip tight on the woman to her side. As much as she trusted Joanna, she didn’t trust what would come from the other woman’s lips the moment she realized the game was over. “I wasn’t aware we were going by professional titles. I mean no offense, Dr. Grey. I just wanted to buy you a drink and talk about your work. I’ve heard good things about you.” While her words were less pushy, the snarky tone was still present and Joanna’s threat was still real.

“As much as I’d like to talk about my work, I’d really like to have lunch with my girlfriend before she has to go. If you have any questions, you can always call the office and I’ll be sure to answer them the best I can.” She couldn’t deny that her job was important, but anything past that would never be discussed and she needed to make that clear. So, the blonde moved in between the woman, back facing the other as she stared up at the brunette. “You were saying you wanted to show me something in the back?” Of course, Jo had never mentioned anything at all, but it seemed like the best escape route without anymore verbal sparring. “We should check that out.”

Perhaps it was the best move for Oak to still have a grip on her. For all they knew, a fist could be thrown, either by the other woman or by Joanna, depending on what words were heatedly exchanged. She stared at the chick as more comments came out but they weren’t as persistent as before. But Joanna was still not happy about what had already gone down and maybe she was frustrated at herself for feeling so fazed by it. It would’ve been different had there been some dude in this chick’s place, but no. Oakley began speaking too and the bartender just inhaled a sharp but quiet enough breath, trying to find a sense of calmness in the chaos. When attention turned to her, she tightened her jaw but finally glanced down to Oakley.

Show her something in the back. Joanna fell in line with the act quickly. “I did,” she murmured, licking her teeth as she glanced briefly back at the other woman. “We should.” Taking Oak’s hand, she just began leading her from the fray and not worrying about the eyes that were probably glaring after them. Her heart was racing and now she just wanted to get to the back room. And hell, what she had in mind wasn’t even what Oak probably thought.

Joanna huffed softly as she pushed through the door, leading Oak further in and toward another door which was another storage room but smaller, like a closet. Once they were both inside, Joanna was quick to turn them around, pressing Oakley back against the now locked door. And she kissed her deeply as if needing to get all of those frustrations out through this method. Things had been heated out there. Now, Joanna was feeling hot and heavy. And the only way to really obtain that once calm and collected composure was through this. That, and maybe Joanna just really wanted her right now.

[joanna--lafayette]

isabelafayette​:

Isabel knew she shouldn’t have brought up her father. She wrinkled her nose and shot the other an apologetic look before shrugging over the whole thing. She wasn’t going to bring it up again because there were far more things that separated them than made them seem like the same person. Jo did it for nothing while Isabel was expected to do whatever her father wanted. “Are they? Okay.” She said with a small sigh. Maybe she could do this after all. “No weaknesses.” She’d been told that by Oakley and now she just wanted to pull her hair out. “It’s kind of easier said than done. What kind of weaknesses are there that aren’t so bad? I’m.. a flirt but it’s just the charms.” Her head tipped left to right, seeing a bit of what Jo meant. “I have a lot of faults but I feel like there’s some that shouldn’t be said.”

“I remember being in the same boat when I started working. I know, some of those questions can be difficult,” Joanna told her, trying to reassure her that she wasn’t the only one who had these uncertainties and stresses. Everyone had those first job jitters or even just interview jitters in general. “On the bright, there are also tons of articles online that can help you too. They give advice on job interviews and can help you navigate how to answer those questions,” she explained. “But of course, your answers may differ than what they give. You just have to remember to stay true to who you are. Again, I know that seems vague but I know you can do it.” Smiling encouragingly at her sister, Jo nodded. “So yeah, I recommend doing more research like that. Whenever I have time, I can try and email you some good sites. Do you know when the interview date is yet?”