meet me in the 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒘

[joftw]

⌠ LANA CONDOR, TWENTY-TWO, SHE/HER, CIS FEMALE ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, JOSEPHINE “JO” TRAN! according to their records, they’re a FOURTH year, specializing in RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT + “MACGUYVER” SURVIVAL SKILLS & NAVIGATION; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (black hair flicking off her shoulders, a sardonic smile, and a slightly clenched jaw). when it’s the (virgo)’s birthday on 9/02/1998, they always request their BEEF PHO from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. 

NAME: Josephine Pearl Tran

KNOWN AS: Jo

BIRTHDATE:  September 2, 1998

ASTROLOGY:  Virgo sun / Capricorn moon / Scorpio rising

HOMETOWN: New York, NY

RESIDENCE: Roseville, VA  ( Gallagher Academy )

GENDER:  Cis female  ( she/her )

SEXUAL ORIENTATION:  Refuses to label, but she prefers women

HEIGHT:  5'3"

HAIR COLOR:  Black

EYE COLOR:  Dark brown

TATTOOS:  Rose on her inner arm

KNOWN LANGUAGES:  English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Vietnamese & learning Tagalog

IMMEDIATE FAMILY:

Steven Tran:  Father, former spy, current night security guard

Kelly Do  ( formally Tran ) :  Mother, dental hygienist, estranged  

Victor Tran:  Older brother, Blackthorne alum, estranged

BACKGROUND.

Jo had grown up with a seemingly normal childhood, very much middle class. Her father -- her hero -- was a spy, while her mother was merely a dentist hygienist. Her older brother Victor was the first of the two siblings to develop an interest in the espionage career path. He was the one who found the best spy prep school to attend – and two years later, it only made sense for Jo to be in the same school as her brother.

Jo had never been incredibly girly, spending most of her childhood tagging behind her brother’s friends and picking fights with them. When alone, she spent her time building things, using old tech and parts of anything she could get her hands on to make something completely new. At eleven years old, she had single-handedly made a go-kart for one of her brother's friends, earning him a win in a drag race. Her father had always told her how easy she could make a career out of it one day, but Jo had only seen it as a hobby, something she does for fun.

Everything changed in middle school when Jo met Rose Park, who would become her best friend. Rose was from a legacy spy family, and she was everything Jo wasn’t: girly, cool, confident, gorgeous.  The change in Jo was slow: ditching her brother  ( who was now too old and cool to hang out with her anyway ) ,  actually caring about the clothes she wore, and developing an interest in boys and popularity -- if only just for Rose.  By the time prep school came around, the go-kart building, tomboy was gone altogether, replaced with a “popular” girl who pretended she had the riches her friends did, and was welcomed in only because of her ties to Rose. And despite living a facade, Jo was happy.  

It took a few years into their friendship for Jo to realize that she was in love with the other girl, but she'd never get a chance to tell her.

The Tran and Park families grew close with the bond of the girls. So when enemies of the Park began threatening the lives of their daughters, Jo's father offered to help in any way he could. He became one of the spies assigned as Rose's bodyguard.  The threat began the beginning of Jo's senior year ;   a few weeks into it, she had come down with a serious case of pneumonia. Her father had been on Rose duty that night had to leave his station a few minutes early to take Jo to the hospital. He had informed the next guard he had to leave a little sooner than usual -- mere minutes -- but when the next guard arrived at Rose's room, it had already been too late.

Rose's death changed Jo's entire world, starting with her family.  Jo's father had not only lost his job, but became an enemy of the Park family, blacklisting from the rest of the spy world. As a result of this, Jo’s mother left her husband, and Jo's brother Victor made less and less contact with their father, until he stopped calling all together.  Jo chose to stick by her father’s side throughout all of this, but carried the blame for Rose's death heavily on her shoulder for several years. It didn't help that all of her old friends also blamed Jo for Rose's death, and she was quickly outcast among them. Senior year could not have ended fast enough.

After graduating high school, Jo took a year off to get a job and help her father out financially. She had been accepted to Gallagher Academy not long after Rose's death, but Jo couldn't imagine leaving her father's side during such a hard time, nor did she feel like she deserved to go to such a prestigious school. Her dad had convinced her to defer her acceptance for a year. She didn't actually expect things to get better enough for her father to leave him after a year, but he had gotten a job as a security guard in a residential building and refused to let her stay home any longer. So she looked at Gallagher Academy as a fresh start for her and her father, building herself a career that would make them both proud.

GALLAGHER ACADEMY.

Despite the fresh start Gallagher provided, going back to school hadn't been a complete walk in the park for Jo, mostly because many ghosts from her past were also at the school. It certainly didn't help that Rose's older sister, Jude Park, enrolled the same year as her, and made it her mission to make Jo miserable.  But after her senior year of high school, nothing would break her spirit or her pride.  Jo was able to make friends in her classes -- even ones who she'd eventually call her best friends, a title she never thought she'd give to someone else -- and despite the initial struggle her first semester, she worked twice as hard to ace her classes.  Jo made a new reputation for herself at Gallagher Academy, and while it may not always be the most positive one, it didn't involve her father or a dead girl.

Jo didn't love the addition of male students to Gallagher her third year, believing that they were a distraction and most of them didn't take the school seriously enough.  ( Honestly, except for a few exceptions, she still thinks that. )  But with her third year came some exciting moments as well.  She had been chosen for her first off-campus mission with three other students -- one old friend, one new friend, one enemy -- that involved a protest led by Georgetown students at what was once Blackthorne Institute. What was supposed to be a one-day event was turned upside down when bombs went off at the site, killing a few people and leaving Jo with a broken arm. The rest of the Georgetown protestors were brought into witness protection and to Gallagher Academy, believing it to be nothing more than a rich kid's school. And Jo, who had been undercover at the time as a fellow Georgetown student, had to continue her spring semester pretending to be one of them.

Though a major headache for her, Jo found herself growing attached to the Georgetown students.  The continued mission throughout the semester was not easy, especially when she had been one of two third years to be assigned to secretly bodyguard the witsec students, after the campus was deemed potentially dangerous  ( two dead bodies would do that ) .   It had been tough once they learned the truth about Gallagher and how Jo had been deceiving them, but most were fairly quick to forgive, given the circumstances.  But her defenses weren't lowered until the threat of the Brotherhood had been eliminated and the witsec students were able to go back home for good. Somehow through all of this, Jo still managed to ace all her classes. 

Her third year also brought some resolution for her and the Park family.  She was able to slowly rebuild a friendship with an ex-friend of hers, and even Jude Park and her managed to find some common ground, wordlessly calling a truce. The arrival of Rose's ex-boyfriend also brought back a lot of memories of her own feelings for Rose, and after spending years allowing herself nothing more than clandestine hookups with girls and refusing to acknowledge that side of her, she came out to her two best friends. Her sexuality is still something she's trying to navigate, especially how her traditional father who means everything to her would react to it, but with Jo's fourth year ahead of her, she has more important things to worry about.

PERSONALITY.

Jo’s incredibly ambitious, always striving for the best and not allowing herself any less. Though her parents had always been strict with grades and fulfilling her potential, her worst critic has always been herself, even at a young age. Jo knows her worth and knows when she's not reaching it, and will do anything to make sure she gets there -- even if it means ruining her sleep schedule or social life in the process. Right now her goal is to graduate from Gallagher and get herself the best possible job she can, so she can support her father and start a new chapter in her life. Though she loves being at Gallagher, Jo's very self-aware that it's only four years of her life, and nothing gold can stay.

She’s a little rough around the edges socially, a thick layer of sarcasm and disinterest surrounding herself that makes it hard to connect with people. This, of course, is intentional, because after the way her friends turned on her in high school, she doesn't have time for fake friends.  Jo's a very private person, even with those closest to her. 

Despite always putting herself first, she loves helping out when she can with other people's studies or career paths, so long as they show her that they actually care about what they're doing.  There's nothing Jo hates more than laziness, and students who aren't at Gallagher for the right reasons. 

MORE INFORMATION / HEADCANONS:

Her career ambitions have always been to pretty much become Shuri from Black Panther, though the witsec mission and staying undercover during her second semester of her third year does have her wondering if she should look into field agent careers as well.

Her only relationship was with some boy her junior year of high school. He was the best friend of Rose's boyfriend, seemed nice enough, and it was easy to get swept up in the excitement of her first relationship, though that giddy feeling didn't last. She only stayed together with him so long because of convenience, and he ended up dumping her once Rose died.

She had kissed Rose once, a few days before her death, though the two had never completely acknowledged it.  The unknown reasoning behind it still kills Jo to this day.

Jo is a very healthy eater, thanks to it being drilled in her head by her mom as a kid.  Her go to treat on cheat days is ice cream, which her favorite flavor is coffee, though she prefers vanilla to chocolate. 

Her mother had sent her a card for her first birthday after leaving the family, which Jo had never opened and thrown it right into the trash.  She told her father that if she were to write to her again, to not let her know. Jo hasn't heard from her brother Victor since he texted her to offer her good luck on her first day at Gallagher.  It's not hearing from him that stings the most, especially now that he's a Blackthorne graduate and could be dead for all she knows.

Though her father’s always been her favorite, they hadn’t been very close until all they had was each other. He’s the one person Jo would put above herself, which says a lot. 

She's left handed.

TL;DR:  Jo is a techie wiz who takes everything seriously and struggles with being the best because of a broken family and ex-spy father who she wants to restore her family name for, after he indirectly killed her best friend that Jo was in love with back in high school. She’s pretty grumpy but means well!

CURRENT & WANTED CONNECTIONS HERE

[joftw]

mariguinto​:

“it feels personal,” she mutters, arms crossing over her chest. “and i personally believe you would look very cute in a shirt with her face on it. then, i would get my two favorite women all wrapped in one and you’d probably get like… thirteen kisses.” thirteen exactly for obvious reasons. “besides, you already listen to her all the time because you’re bad at telling me no. i don’t see the harm in giving in when she will be playing from a speaker when we need background noise in our apartments. you even sing sometimes!” more so, jo barely mumbles to the songs mari especially likes because she’s probably played them enough for her girlfriend to memorize the words, but it should still count! “and there was that time you were tapping your finger along while we were studying and the re-recordings of fearless had just come out.” it was all mari would listen to for almost two straight weeks because the rush of nostalgia brought more serotonin than she knew what to do with. “that just sounds like you’re going to have me coming home to a bunch of laundry to help with, and i do not approve.” not that she would mind. she anticipates that they’ll fall into a habit of helping each other with their separate chores once they have their own places. they already do that as much as they can while in dorms. it has felt like they’ve been a team this whole time, so it’s only natural that it’ll extend after school ends. her eyelids flutter shut at the touch of jo’s lips, her cheeks a light blush because even still, her heart soars at the littlest touch. she doesn’t attempt to question it anymore. it’s simply jo’s power; her magic, mari likes to think of it. if she does have a soulmate, so much of her wants to believe jo is it. it’s such an easy concept to get lost in, and it’s even easier to want your current partner to be it when you’ve been chasing that fantasy all of your life. (mari has.) there’s a spark there, though, that tells her it’s different with jo. it’s not an over-romanticization of their relationship that fills her heart to the point of feeling whole. it’s the way they seem to be made for one another. every single trait they need the other has, as if filling in all their cracks with putty and smoothing the edges with the brush of their thumb. they’re balanced in a way she has never felt before. she dares to label it as fate.

“if publicly making out with you is wrong then i don’t want to be right!” no one will actually get sick, but the thought is entertaining enough. she does know what jo means. it’s comical to think about the entire span of time from finals to casino night in terms of them. mari was so frustrated with jo, impulsively accepting other dates after dropping so many hints that she just wanted an objection. “like i would’ve spent the entire night with no way of talking to you.” a useless thought. “i didn’t even have pockets,” she confesses, shaking her head at the memory of her phone gripped in her palm the entire night. “i was just waiting for you to text that you wanted to talk or dance or to hang out afterward.” the waiting wasn’t for nothing, at least! “i think it was some dumb guy.” liam isn’t dumb, or just some guy, but she likes feeding into the mood that nothing that happened before them matters now, so she plays along. “you can’t say that i didn’t make you cry and then in your argument, admit there were tears. it’s contradictory.” again, always choosing the worst hills to die on. mari wonders if it’s a conscious choice. for someone who claims to like winning, jo picks the worst battles with her. “i couldn’t decide for a while that night if i wanted you to or not. i made a pros and cons list in my head.” which is such a mari thing to do. she rolls her eyes at the word popular. “i never did get the chance to beat you up for being annoying… you’re flying real close to the sun, josephine.” and she doesn’t mean beat her up in the hot way! except she does because she’d never actually beat the love of her life up for more than flustering her. “you’ve had me since way before that night we got drunk.” she almost brings up her birthday and the way mari was so excited to get a gift from her. she felt so special, but that wasn’t the moment jo completely won her heart. “that time you called me the perfect amount when i was absolutely losing my mind? i swear i fell a little bit in love with you that second and just never fell out.”

JO PHYSICALLY PRIES MARI’S OUT FROM THEIR FOLDED POSITION, placing her girlfriend’s hands on jo’s hips instead.   “ thirteen ?   why not fourteen ? ”   she jokes, clearly not getting the reference.   “ i’m not bad at telling you no ! ”   the sad thing is jo believes it.   “ and i definitely don’t sing. but i let you play it, don’t i ?   i don’t, like, hate her or anything. ”   the fact that they’re arguing about taylor swift in the middle of the dance floor during their last gallagher event ever really speaks volumes.   “ now you’re just making things up, ”   smirks over at the girl.   “ don’t worry, you don’t have to do my laundry. ”   maybe if they were living together, which is a thought that had crossed jo’s mind, but it’s entirely too sensible for them to have their own places for her to even consider otherwise. besides, they haven’t even been dating a whole year yet, even if it was getting close. as much as she’s looking forward to getting to move in with mari, right now it’s hard to ignore how EXCITED jo is getting a place of her own, hard to remember the last time she had truly had a space all to herself. after four years of having four to a dorm, exhausting classes, and now having to go into a career that will no doubt make her constantly work overtime, she’d say an apartment to herself is the very least to ask for.

mari’s words make her cast a look in the direction of people nearby, not embarrassed if they’ve heard, but certainly curious. jo would contest that mari doesn’t always know how to use her indoor  ( or in this case, dance floor )  voice. it’s easy to look back on where they were a year ago, on a night that jo had once drunkenly assumed would be just another shitty evening. she thinks it says a lot on how perspectives of a single day or period can change over time, how even your worst days have the chance to become better or inconsequential. it’s certainly funny to hear how much mari had been thinking about her last year, because jo really had no clue. at least she’s pretty sure one year later, she can read the other girl a hell of a lot better.   “ did you think i was going to text you ? ”   jo can’t help but ask, getting into the story of it all, picturing mari trying to dance with her date with her cell phone glued to the palm of her hand. the mention of tears has her rolling her eyes.   “ maybe there were a few tears, ”   she admits,   “ but you didn’t make me cry. i was drunk. if anyone made me cry, it was jack daniels. ”   she doubts mari will ever make her cry, then immediately realizes that’s an ignorant assumption. plenty of girls have probably thought their significant others would never hurt them, only to do exactly that. at least she knows mari would never INTENTIONALLY do so.   “ you made a pro/con list when we were standing there, or afterwards ? ”   because part of her can picture mari mentally weighing the pros and cons while they stood in her room after their conversation, too much space between them.   “ you can try to beat me up all you’d like, marisol. ”   the words come out as a bit of a purr, she can’t help it. mari bringing up the perfect amount comment isn’t the first time, nor will it probably be the last, but it makes a smile stretch on her lips all the same, always pleased at her past self for being so surprisingly smooth.   “ i love you, ”   she tells her girlfriend, because maybe mari’s words have flustered her, and jo wants to say something equally romantic back but can’t put it into words. the three little words do it enough, she thinks.   “ y’know, i really enjoyed my time at gallagher, but meeting you was easily the best part. probably even better than graduation tomorrow, though i’ll deny it if you tell anyone i say that, ”   jo smirks. 

[joftw]

eloisexcabot​:

“I know, I know,” Lou sighed in agreement before taking a long swig of her drink. A fresh start somewhere would be good for Rowan. “I guess I just…,” she trailed off. Lou wasn’t usually so mushy nor sentimental but tonight she just couldn’t seem to help it. “I guess I just thought that the three of us would always be together ya know?”

       “ AW, DON’T GET ALL SENTIMENTAL ON ME, ”   her lips curl into a sly smile, though, wrapping her arm around her friend’s waist and leaning into her lightly.   “ let’s be honest, the three of us were never going to end up in the same place after this. the fact that we’ll both be in dc is pretty huge. but she’s not going anywhere, and neither are you and i. ”

[joftw]

mariguinto​:

“what has taylor swift ever done for you? was it personal? because all i have seen so far is that she makes your girlfriend happy, and i feel like you’d rejoice at that.” this is worse than jo’s unexplained vendetta against gnomes. sure, jo has watched her cry to more than one song, but she’s an emotional being- and that’s not even the point. she’s also been ecstatic while screaming lyrics. “you can wear both,” she mumbles, not really sure why she’s even making such a case for her shirt, but she’s started this argument and she’s not going to just let it go. “there’s a huge chance i’ll be gone more than once for longer than you’ll need to do laundry.” it’s a little easier to bring up in a fake fight that means nothing than to seriously probe at it. it’s not going to be ideal for mari to start crying again right now and have to explain that she’s imagining leaving when they should hopefully have at least most of the summer left. she just knows she won’t be able to bring much, if anything, that reminds her of jo when she’s gone, in fear of putting her in danger. that’s going to arguably be the hardest thing once her training is complete. “you not being my dream girl one day? funniest joke i’ve ever heard, please do tell another.” it’d never happen. she’s not letting that thought come close to her manifestations in any negative light. truly, it’s not even just out of superstition as much as it is that they’ve been going on close to a year of being with each other, and that overwhelming rush has not once dulled when she sees jo’s smile or hears her laugh. it began before they’d even talked about their feelings, too. it’s their constant, and if that ever changed, mari would be concerned for a lot more than jo no longer being able to read her mind. “i hope they get sick,” mari tells her with a light laugh. they don’t have the prettiest girl in the room saying that she loves them back. it’d make her sick too. she knows the kiss doesn’t help jo’s case, either. it seems so intimate that mari would fear that they should’ve left early for the privacy of a dorm if she wasn’t so consumed by it. instead, she stays in their bubble, blissful to it until jo brings up where they were this time last year and she can’t help but chuckle. “is it funny?” that’s not the word she would use to describe it. she’d probably call it destiny or embarrassing considering how much they love being dates now, but not exactly funny. “you know, i was standing right around here when you texted me to meet you.” she can remember everything about that night, every single moment. she even remembers the exact words she used to both liam and jo. “i was so shocked to even hear from you after the entire night had almost passed that i practically ran.” she felt so guilty that he had done nothing wrong and she still couldn’t find it in herself to at least give him the night. “at least i haven’t made you cry since then. that’s got to be a good sign of something.” it was the worst sight in the entire world, even if it lasted all of two seconds. is that how jo feels every time she cries? because yikes. “god, you have no idea how badly i wanted to kiss you that night. i was so frustrated.” she also wanted to fight her for a part of it, so that didn’t help. “do you remember when we got drunk in your dorm together to celebrate finals? and not just one, but two people asked me to casino night after i’d already asked you to go as friends because i was already like half in love with you? now that was ironic enough to be considered funny.” she wasn’t laughing during it. it still seems so unreal now it happened while she was sitting in front of the girl she actually liked, but it’s nice to be able to look back and spot where those less than favorable moments shaped them to where they are today.

“ IT’S NOT PERSONAL, ”   she rolls her eyes lightly, but not without a semi-dramatic huff.   “ you can like her all you want. i just don’t see the appeal in wearing shirts with other people’s faces on them, when i don’t even know them. ”   she’s also just not a fan of the music, although she’d never admit that she thought folklore and evermore were amazing albums. still, taylor swift seems to make a living off of getting others like mari to cry to her music, which jo doesn’t appreciate. it’s not exactly FUN to be reminded that her girlfriend will probably be gone frequently, potentially for long periods of time, but jo doesn’t want to focus on that tonight. one moment at a time :   right now they have the last event of the year, and tomorrow there’s graduation, and then moving into their apartments and starting their new careers. she’d like to think she has at least six months before having to worry about mari being thrown into life-threatening situations on the other side of the world. besides, she won’t do laundry while mari’s away anyway, otherwise the sweater will stop smelling like her.   “ i’m sure i can make it work, ”   she brushes her lips against mari’s jawline, only to have to bring her thumb to the skin afterwards, rubbing off the slightest tint of lipstick she left behind. the term dream girl is one jo had taken awhile to get used to, because it seemed a little ridiculous for her to be someone’s dream ANYTHING. but it’s now been a phrase that comes so easily out of mari’s mouth that jo can’t even blink at it, instead the familiar smile on her lips that it coaxes out of her grows with each passing second. she’s not sure she believes in soulmates, or dream girls, or anything in between, but she’s confident enough in her relationship with mari to let the words hang out there with grace --- accepting them, really, which anyone who knows jo knows it takes awhile for her to get used to anything new. she doesn’t even have a remark for that, just a slight shake of her head as she holds mari close.

“ that’s rude, ”   she teases with a short laugh to match her girlfriend’s, but jo won’t argue with that. they have one more night to be a couple under gallagher’s roof -- why not make everyone else around them sick while doing it ?   it feels like a lifetime ago jo was throwing things at disgusting pda-ridden couples on gallagher’s campus.   “ you know what i mean, ”   jo laughs again, because mari IS laughing with her, even if that tone was pretty sarcastic. it’s funny looking back on it now, she thinks, seeing how much has really happened in the past year. before last summer, jo had never been out of the country, never acted on romantic feelings, never told her father that she liked girls. a lot had happened to get them where they are right now, and while it hadn’t been easy at the time, she would never take it for granted.   “ i was so afraid you weren’t going to have your phone on you, ”   she admits, smiling at the memory that had once stirred anxiety in your chest.   “ i almost debated coming down to the ballroom to get you myself, but i didn’t want to face you and your date. what was his name again ? ”   it hardly matters anyway.   “ you did not make me cry, ”   jo makes a face, because that’s not how she remembers it.   “ i was just drunk. and besides, it was barely any tears. ”   she’ll take that belief to her grave, because josephine tran doesn’t cry over just anything, or anyone.   “ i wanted to kiss you so badly too, ”   jo groans, looking up at her girlfriend.   “ i was afraid i was going to cave and do it, but i really didn’t want to be drunk during our first kiss. but it sucked, because i knew we’d have to wait at least a month, and by then either you’d be over me or would’ve had too high of expectations for what would actually happen. ”   which, in jo’s opinion, their first kiss ended up being nothing short of perfect, so it was for the best.   “ two people asked you ?   who else asked you ? ”   she raises her brows a little.   “ i didn’t realize you were so POPULAR. ”   except jo teases her all the time about being popular ;   she’s just making a thing of it right now.   “ i guess i should be glad i got the girl in the end. ”   and she is.

[joftw]

riaflicke​:

“There was a period where you definitely were doing more glaring than talking.” Or Ria wasn’t listening to what her friend was saying, also a possibility… Definitely a possibility. “Because espionage isn’t a nine to five. You never know when they need you and you’ll have to drive all the way here, so.” It wasn’t that far. “Ugh, not as much as I should be. There’s going to be too many missing pieces… and I only get a semester to run this town.”

        “ MAYBE BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT FOCUSING ON YOUR LOVE LIFE FOR ONCE, ”   she quips.   “ it puts me in a better mood. ”   jo won’t miss ria’s trash taste in men.   “ no, but for the most part mine will be. i know how the espionage world works, ria. ”   there are some perks to working in the labs.   “ why only one semester ? ”

[joftw]

specdracers​:

     “unfortunately, he is.” landon shakes his head before looking over to jo. “but that’s why i can say it. i have firsthand experiences.” 

        “ WELL HE’S DATING MY FRIEND, so i don’t really want to hear how he’s some prick. as if most of the school doesn’t know that already. ”   sorry to landon, but caden lucca will always be a sore spot for her.   

[joftw]

komorcbis​:

      “  𝚒𝚏  𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎  𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛  in  tokyo  one  day  ,  let  me  know  .  i’ll  definitely  send  you  a  list  of  my  recommendations  .  ”  likely  none  of  them  consisting  of  any  touristy  spots  .  it’s  not  worth  it  .  “  but  yeah  ,  i’m  gonna  be  doing  some  contract  work  so  i’ll  be  based  in  tokyo  .  ”  satomi  trails  off  with  another  shrug  .  they  grab  the  ingredients  for  the  proposed  cocktail  and  make  a  show  of  preparing  the  drink  and  serving  it  to  jo  .  “  you’re  fine  with  absinthe  ,  right  ?  ”

        “ YEAH, WILL DO. ”   jo’s not really one for parading around as a tourist anyway, though that’s way more mari’s speed.   “ that’s pretty cool. with anyone specific, or more freelance ? ”   she asks, assuming the contracted work is a little more DEADLY than some spies will be getting involved in. there’s a small smirk on her lips as she watches satomi making the drink, taking the glass from them when they’re done.   “ nah, it sounds good to me. thanks. ”

[joftw]

scottrileys​:

“ another great question, jo! ” scott feels like he knows jo really well, thanks to mari, so she’s only half as scary as she was last year. “ i don’t know about ironic, but have you seen the girl dressed as saint patrick? ”

       THERE’S THAT NAME USE AGAIN. if he didn’t seem so genuinely nice, it would be more grating.   “ no, ”   she snorts, glancing around to try to find them.   “ who is it ? ”

[joftw]

noahwxrd​:

“You must be super excited for what’s coming next!” And she’s pretty sure Jo will do great at her job. “Of course, that goes without saying. I like DC a lot and now I have more reason to visit! Is Mari going to based there too?”

       JO OFFERS A SMALL SMILE AND NODS, not really the type that can be on noah’s level of enthusiasm.   “ well you’re welcome any time. my apartment has a pull out couch. ”   she had wanted a place with a guest room, but she did only just graduate college. her smile widens a little at the mention of mari, nodding.   “ yeah, thankfully it worked out. she’s already freaking out about how far our apartments are from each other, but it’s a lot better than having to do REAL long distance. ”

[joftw]

ofclaires​:

– “I USUALLY TRY NOT TO ASK HER TOO MANY QUESTIONS,” CLAIRE LAUGHS, because even if she knew the explanation, she’d probably still find it a little ridiculous. claire remembers how out of place she felt at her first gala to how she feels now, sure, maybe she’s breaking dress code a little bit for her comfort, but she stands a lot taller. “ nah, don’t make it weird, jo. maybe that’s part of the irony of it – if i’d thought of it like that, maybe i WOULD’VE worn white, ” she says. 

        “ PROBABLY FOR THE BEST, ”   she smiles slightly, thinking about how mari gets when she’s in the middle of baking. claire calling her out for making it weird makes jo snort, because she had been trying to be a good friend. she should’ve known acknowledging it would only make it worse.   “ do you even own white ?   i don’t think white leather is a thing. ”

[joftw]

rowanendsley​:

no, it defintiely wasn’t their first rodeo, but it was there last at gallagher. that meant something, right? she glanced at her friend, sighing, knowing that, while she was sure that she hid the emotion well, there was no getting passed jo. “i am excited,” she said, and she is, but she’s also terrified despite it all. “none as good as you,” she teased, moving quickly to press a kiss to her best friend’s head and smile. of course, this was more to ease the tension than anything else. 

      “ YOU SHOULD BE, ”   she pushes.   “ you better not let anything get in your way, alright ?   you’re rowan fucking endsley. ”   the kiss on her head, though cute, has jo making a face. she just can’t help it.   “ i doubt that. ”   but she also doesn’t like the idea of being replaced with a british version of herself.

[joftw]

thrill-cfthechase​:

“red ‘cause i’m being ironic, remember? like, i’m a saint dressed as a sinner.” she actually had contemplated ironically dressing in something saint-like, but she much preferred to inspire fear in people than to put them at ease. “are you being ironic? or is the sinner thing literal?”

        “ AH, INTENTIONALLY IRONIC, ”   she nods, before smirking. jo can smell the bullshit on elliot, but she digs it.   “ well i was going to dress up as someone in purgatory, but sinner was easier to shop for. ”

[joftw]

riaflicke​:

“God, I love when you let out how you really feel.” Cynicism, music to her ears. “You know the rules, you’ve said it and now it’s something you can’t take back.” Sorry Jo! “Josephine! Do you expect me not to throw a party on a weekend? Who are you?” The jovial attitude was refreshing to feel around her friend, especially after the year they had. Going out for coffee became going out for a cry more than Ria would have liked. “None of them were me. What’s your point?” Nodding, she smiled, “I will. Put all those off campus privileges to use.”

        SHE LETS OUT A LAUGH, because jo thinks she usually does let people know how she feels, especially close friends like ria.   “ i have no idea what you’re talking about, ”   she smirks at the blonde, before rolling her eyes.   “ you’re the one talking about leaving my job to come to your party. why would i be working a weekend night ? ”   she has no plans to be in the field. jo won’t even dignify ria’s comment with a response.   “ excited to be top of the food chain tomorrow ? ”

[joftw]

mariguinto​:

“and when i hide my perfect sweater and all that’s left is my taylor swift shirt?” she never would. seeing jo wearing it is quite easily one of the biggest serotonin boosters out there, and she’s not giving that up even to prove a point. while she’s thought a lot about everyone separating, she has given the fact that once she is assigned missions, she’ll have to leave jo for extended amounts of time almost little to no thought. they’ve never particularly loved being apart, meaning they hardly go even a day without seeing each other. she wonders if this will be one of those situations where space is better. it can remind them how much they love one another, but she knows they don’t need it. at least jo agreed to keep her plants at her place for when she does start going on missions, so she won’t be alone at home when mari’s gone. “be exactly what i need always.” it’s not something that’s new nor something she’s done only since they’d began dating. “pretty soon, i’m just going to just believe you can read my mind.” this reminds mari what jo is for her; her one. she’s the person that could undoubtedly destroy her heart, tearing it piece by piece, but mari has the faith that she won’t. she has so much trust in them together, in them forever - or as close to it as possible to get. when she pictures her future, it’s so effortless to see jo right there with her. “any amount less than ten is hardly enough,” she beams shamelessly, then repeating it for emphasis. “i love you, i love you, i love you.” she’ll fit the rest in by the end of the night, but jo looking at her with that little twinkle in her eye leaves her breathless and so words are not in her favor. she can’t believe that she bragged about how long she can go without breathing, and jo does something as simple as look at her and she’s dizzy. she can tell jo is moving slower, and she has no objections to savoring their moment. she hopes that when they’re so many years from now, thinking back, she can remember this kiss while tucked in a corner of the dance floor, after confessions of love and adoration.

        JO NARROWS HER EYES PLAYFULLY.   “ you wouldn’t dare. you’ll have to pry it off my cold, dead body. ”   ever since mari gave her her perfect sweater, jo hasn’t been able to wear anything else. nothing provides the same warmth that that pink sweater does  ( not to mention that burst of pink is the only real color she regularly has in her wardrobe ) .   “ besides, i rather wear an old t-shirt in the back of your closet than your taylor swift shirt. i’m sure i can find something else, ”   she smiles slightly, light and teasing. they’ve already talked about how it’s going to go once mari starts traveling for missions for days on end ;   it’s why there are going to be more plants in jo’s apartment than one would expect from someone whose never grown anything before, because it’ll be easier for her to take care of them at her own place. but she’ll have a spare key to mari’s apartment anyway, in case things need to be checked on, and if she wants to sit in her girlfriend’s closet to try to mimic the feeling of being completely wrapped up in mari with her hundreds of miles away. jo glances away to laugh a little at the other girl’s words, cheeks turning the color of mari’s perfect sweatshirt.   “ i don’t know, ”   she admits,   “ but let me know if that feeling ever stops. ”   because part of her still fears the day when this honeymoon feeling will wear off on them, and it won’t be so easy to be exactly what mari needs. she’s seen her own parents relationship deteriorate right before her eyes, over the span of many years, and while she can’t imagine her parents ever being as happy as her and mari are, jo knows believing that is a little naive.   “ we haven’t mastered the mind-reading technology yet, but maybe i can whip something up at the CIA, ”   she jokes, unable to help it. the countless i love you’s are so cheesy that jo can only roll her eyes, but the lightness in her laugh makes it clear she’s eating it up. she means it when she says she’ll never get tired of hearing it.   “ alright, i love you too. you’re gonna make the people around us sick. ”   except the kiss that comes after certainly doesn’t help their favor, because it’s soft and romantic and lights fireworks inside jo’s chest, and she’s convinced there’s no way everyone around them can’t feel it too.   “ isn’t it funny, ”   she whispers against her lips, pulling away a little to peer into mari’s dark eyes,   “ thinking about where we were, this time last year ? ”   mari with her ex-boyfriend date, jo showing up drunk to mari’s dorm, having to admit to her that she’s gay and has feelings for her. it feels like a lifetime ago.

[joftw]

carmenxflores​:

“Anyone here dressed as a saint or angel,” Carmen drawled out with a smirk as she sipped at her margarita. “I don’t think God would approve.”

       “ APPROVE OF WHAT ?   SPIES ? ”   she counters, with a snort.   “ i guess it is pretty sacrilegious in general. ”   you can tell gallagher isn’t a christian school.

[joftw]

emmettblack​:

“It did! Do you like it?” Vida liked it a lot, she was the main reason why he let it grow out. He laughed loudly at her question. “Yes London and I’ve seen some amazing barbers there. I just didn’t go to them. I did this on purpose.” 

        “ IT’S NOT BAD, ”   she admits, which is about as nice as jo will be about it. she’ll always be preferable to the haircut she had given him in berlin.   “ how is london ?   are you still with vida ? ”

[joftw]

komorcbis​:

       “  𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚊  𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎  𝚘𝚞𝚝  that  spy  fantasy  ,  right  ?  ”  satomi  playfully  retorts  .  “  but  to  be  fair  ,  my  uncle  does  own  a  couple  bars  in  tokyo  so  this  is  really  coming  in  handy  for  me  ,  ”  they  point  out  and  shrug  .  “  basically  just  a  tiki  drink  but  it’s  bourbon  instead  of  rum  .  ”

        “ REALLY ?   that’s pretty cool. ”   she means it too, head straightening a bit.   “ i’d love to see tokyo one day. i’ll keep that in mind if i ever get there, and need some recommendations. you’re going back there after graduation, right ? ”   word’s pretty much gotten around about what most  ( if not all )  of the fourth years will be doing after graduation.   “ tiki ?   pass. let me try the redline. ”   whatever that is.