❛ I AM SPEED.

LINCOLN MCCAFFEE

[kachw-blog]

Does Lincoln miss the small town he was in for the year(s) before Apple Peak? Or has this town sort of filled that place?

LINCOLN WOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT LITTLE TOWN all the way down route 66 as the place that fundamentally changed his life. it was where he got in trouble, where he had to earn people’s respect, where he had to break his back to repay the townspeople for the mess he had made and most importantly, where he learned the art of humility. this is where lincoln met some of the most important people in his life including his late-mentor and father figure, who taught him all he needed to know and was pretty much the reason linc remained in the game for as long as he did – and just like his mentor, he went out in a blaze of glory and he himself became a mentor. the town has the most precious place in his heart and even if he now lives in apple peak, which he loves dearly, he can’t help but think of the old town. 

he always pictured himself retiring there. even after apple peak, he wanted to live all the way out there and watch his friends water their flowers or paint their art or even just race on the dunes where he knew he wouldn’t be able to crash. it all just depended on what sadie wanted at that point, he supposed – he’d only move if she was okay with it. but lincoln still visited every so often, whenever he could. he’d take his car (the beautiful hudson that his mentor had left behind for him and him only to drive) on a slow drive in nice weather down to that little town and stay there for a few days because that’s really where his heart belonged. 

[kachw-blog]

SADIE.

long legs tossed casually over the other’s lap, entirely comfortable with the peace and quiet. blonde locks tossed into a high, messy bun, with soft wisps of gold curling around a soft face, equally content and comfortable on the other end of the couch. with a button nose tucked in a book, the entire scene sadie took part in was one of almost unreal domestic bliss. never in her life would she have thought this would be where she’d end up - only five years ago she would’ve laughed at this idea - but she was happier than ever here. with lincoln. who was notorious for fighting and getting antsy in the silence, who she had basically become a professional in ignoring when it came to his restlessness. not because she disliked it, or him - she actually felt the opposite of dislike for him, which was to be expected if they’d been together for almost five years - but she always knew why. wanna go for a drive ? there it was. not looking up from her book, but smiling a bit, she asked, “ am i driving ? ” this was always how the conversation started. her baby blues flicked up to him, eyebrows raising.

“IF YOU MEAN I, THE RETIRED PROFESSIONAL, AM DRIVING, then you’ve got that right.” he teased, the small smile creeping onto his lips as he looked over at her. his hand had come to rest on her knee, giving it a little supportive pat but in all honesty -- lincoln was perfectly fine with where he is now. lazing around on a sunday afternoon, beer in his hand with sadie, what else could he want? but the sudden pain that shot through his knee, almost like a calling card, was not something he could just ignore. 

he missed their random drives with no destination in mind. sometimes along the coast, sometimes cutting through the desert, those were but a few times in his life that he really felt free. not restrained by some sort of obligation to be who the cameras wanted to be but for him to be someone that he wanted to be for her. a sudden burst of random affection burst through him as he leaned towards her, a hand reached out to gently grab her face and pull it towards him as he pressed a small kiss against her forehead. “i guess we can take turns along the way.” he smiled. 

“but that does mean that i get to drive first because we are, of course, going to be using my car because its much faster and, frankly, a lot cooler than yours.” and the smile morphed into a smirk as he pulled back, gently lifting her legs up so that he himself could stand -- but the sudden motion in combination with the fact his leg was asleep, made getting up a little more complicated as he stumbled forward, cussing himself out mentally and hoping she hadn’t caught that.  

[kachw-blog]

HE WAS BORED. MORE BORED THAN HE'S BEEN IN WEEKS, which was never a good sign because lincoln was not good at being bored. it made him anxious and uneasy as his life had always been relatively fast-paced but now... what? was he the type to just sit at home and look at his phone for hours on end? no. definitely not. and he wasn’t about to let that happen. exhaling heavily out of his nose, he knew he would regret this in the future but hell -- he’d throw caution to the wind as he started to get excited at even the thought. “hey --” he interrupted the silence. “wanna go for a drive?”

[kachw-blog]

WINDY. 

‘I’m babysitting tonight and for once I really don’t feel like it. The twins I’m taking care of are the most unruly ones I’ve ever seen.’ Windy complained out loud to her companion, completely unhappy about the fact that some kids are just too much for her to handle. 

“YOU GOTTA ADMIT THOSE ARE THE MOST FUN KIDS TO TAKE CARE OF.” he says this now, knowing fully well that if faced with unruly kids lincoln would be completely beside himself and probably just speed off -- but hey, he was here to be a comforting, supportive, presence. “just gotta plop them in front of a cartoon then bam -- you’re done.” 

[kachw-blog]

PONGO. 

   pongo gave his friend a tight smile, it was his way of showing sympathy for him. he hadn’t wanted to give him any of the ‘keep up the good work’ and ‘just look on the brightside’, as he was sure lincoln was tired of hearing that. “another bad day at the office?” he asked, lifting his beer up to take a swig of it. “oh now, c’mon, linc. that coaster did nothing for that aggressive placement.” trying the lighten the mood slightly with a little bit of teasing, though he wasn’t sure if that would do the trick, so he was more than thankful when the other had changed the topic and asked about the family. “perdita is lovely, as always. the kids are good, doing the things that kids do. i feel like i get asked to go outside as soon as i wake up by the kids because of this weather, not complaining though, it’s nice being able to finally enjoy a day outside with them.”

HE WAS GRATEFUL FOR THE SUBJECT TO NOT HAVE BEEN PUSHED. after all, somedays seemed better and other’s worse -- and today just happened to be the latter, which is exactly why he needed to step out for some air and a couple of cold ones. he snorted at his friends remark, taking another swig from his bottle. “coasters.. still don’t get ‘em. never will. maybe that’s why i’ve got all those rings around my table surfaces but --” he shrugged, the thought of coasters becoming a too heated debate for him to care about ( was this what it meant to grow a little older? complaining about coasters?). still, at the sound of his friends happy family, lincoln couldn’t help but smile. the daltons were always good to him and he was always good to them -- so to hear of everything going well was almost like hearing his own family’s happiness. “gotta say the weather is getting better. it’s been nicer getting out, walking around. but i’m happy to hear about that man, really am. how’s your youngest doing?” linc always did have a soft spot for their youngest daughter ( who was just as equally fond of him! ) even if he didn’t like playing favourties. “perdita doing okay with all your older kids leaving?” 

[kachw-blog]

POPPY. 

letting him take the latte from her perfectly-manicured hand, she listened as she went back to people-watching. her and lincoln were a perfectly contrast on how the townsfolk took part in the festivities; of course she had plenty to say on his clothing choice for the warm and breezy afternoon, but she held her tongue. she knew he would take her critiquing in jest, or even sass her right back, which she too could take. that was the nature of their relationship: lots of quipping and dry humor, but she knew things about him that most everyone else didn’t, things that involved his physical and mental health. the one good thing about working as the head of the local pharmacy.

“ you’re probably also tasting the creamer and sugar, ” the brunette added. “ without it, it was very… grassy. ” her nose scrunched up. “ vanilla seemed to be the best mixer. ” she took it back, taking another sip, still happy with the taste. “ with it, the lavender is more subtle, more in the nose than in the mouth. ” there it was, her upbringing talking. when he asked about where she got it, she smiled a bit. “ c’mon. i’ll show you. ” despite the initial taste, after a sip or two, even she wanted more. there was a reason she didn’t toss it, after all. when he mentioned ketchup ice cream, poppy’s whole face twisted into a mixture of shock and disgust. “ okay, you’re absolutely lying to me on that one. ” even though she was laughing, she absolutely coundn’t - wouldn’t - believe it. “ that’s some made-up american thing you’re trying to get me to believe. like the word bae, or bacon-flavored bubblegum. ” okay, both of those things were real, but she wouldn’t be fooled.

“I’D LOVE TO SAY I KNEW WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, but all this talk of grassy tastes makes me feel ‘bit like a goat, i’m gonna be honest.” he chuckled in teasing ( despite fully understanding what she had meant to say anyway ). lincoln liked his fair share of sweet drinks and the lavender latte was no exception other than the fact it required too many add-ons to make it a quick and easy drink. still, his gaze drifted back to the crowds before him where more than one person definitely pressed the familiar cup against their lips and hey -- who was lincoln to judge? standing up with a little bit of difficulty, he was fully prepared to follow her before stopping directly in his tracks and rolling his eyes in the most obvious way possible. 

“can you just friggin’ believe it? ketchup flavoured anything... listen -- ketchup is a god condiment that has no place on anything aside from fries, burgers, and hot dogs. and no matter how many ‘instagram’ pictures i see of that red monstrosity, i will never try it.” it was clear that his ‘old man’ complex was starting to shine as his obvious dissatisfaction for the younger generation’s tendencies in the abnormal were shining. however, he couldn’t hold back the snort at her disbelief in americanisms -- good old america, land of the fast and the free. 

“see, bacon flavoured bubblegum? sure. bacon, plus bubblegum, quick on the go breakfast. that i can bet behind. dunno what ‘bae’ means but my physical therapy instructor told me about ‘yeet’. and i can ‘yeet’ with that.” he tries, he really does, to connect with the younger generation to prove the age old almost-forty saying that he can “still get down with the kids”. nonetheless, lincoln looked perfectly pleased with himself in being able to whip up some young vernacular and no one could take away that pride right now. 

[kachw-blog]

NO IDEA. 

@kachw

“Hey,” Georgie called out to the nearest person, a bouquet of lilies in one hand and a bouquet of violets in the other. “Which do you think photograph better?” she asked him while putting each bouquet next to her face. “Either of these wash me out?”

LINCOLN HAD NO CLUE WHY SHE WAS ASKING HIM IN PARTICULAR, maybe it was the fact he was just sitting on the bench -- minding his own business -- as his leg throbbed with the pain of having worn it out a little. nonetheless, he wasn’t about to be anymore difficult than need be and leaned against the bench’s arm rest, chin in hand as he looked over at the flowers. “lilies make you look shiny in an unflattering way and violets don’t suit you.” he put it rather bluntly. lincoln was all too familiar with how photographs made people come out. 

[inacatastrophicmind]

[x]

[kachw-blog]

-- another late af tag dump. 

[kachw-blog]

EXCITED SURVEY PERSON. 

            EXCITEMENT at his positive response maybe filled Zelda-Rose with all the more energy than she already had. Pulling out a seat , she chimed , ❝ Great !! ❞ and plopped on the seat as she vigorously flicked the pages in her notepad. ❝ See ?? I KNEW you’d be a great question answer-er. I saw you just sitting there , and I was like , “ Zero ?? He looks like he’s GREAT at answering questions. ” Turns out , I was RIGHT !! Cool , huh ?? ❞ Chatterbox only briefly stopped as she looked up once again with a huge , innocent grin on her lips. ❝ So !! Question one : which holiday here do you think deserves more time for decorations and the like to be sold or for activities to be promoted around Apple Peak ?? ❞   

he had to admit that her enthusiasm was contagious, mirroring a small smile for himself. finding himself pretty excited about answering a questionnaire, he leaned forward on his seat slightly, watching as she flicked through her pages before letting out a short snort of a laugh. “you’ve got an eye for talent then kid ‘cause i’m an absolute natural at answering questions.” he answered after letting her finish in her spew of positive affirmation. years of press conferences and blunders did that to a guy, so lincoln was pretty damn good at picking the perfect words in an ask-and-answer situation. upon hearing the question, he furrowed his eyebrows, leaning back on his chair as he rubbed the faint prickle of his 5 o’clock shadow as. “hmph, i’m not a huge fan of easter ( not really my style ), valentine’s day is alright, everything else is pretty well decorated... guess it’s gotta be a tie between christmas and halloween. i do like scary stuff more though...” he thought out loud, hoping that was a good enough answer. “my dad always used to tell me ghost stories about the open road and stuff and we never really had christmas together so -- i guess halloween if i had to pick.” 

[kachw-blog]

ELLE. 

Elle couldn’t believe she just heard him say her name, that alone felt surreal. “It’s so nice to meet you too. I watched a lot of tv and read a lot of news growing up, you’re definitely the biggest star I’ve ever met at least,” she smiled and shrugged. “What are you doing in town now? Is it true you’re taking on apprentices?” 

“hey, i’ll take that as a compliment.” he chuckled, feeling his ego inflate more every second that went by. he was absolutely gooey at the thought of this happening today -- feeling almost like he was 15 years younger ( when the fame first started getting to his head ). “taking on apprentices, laying back, trying to get into the coaching gig -- that sort of thing. you looking to go into racing?”

[robertphilip]

“Thank you. Thanks for everything.” “Ah, hah, it was just a road.” “No. It was much more than that.”

[kachw-blog]

POPPY. 

there had been so many choices for the flower and garden festival, it was almost difficult to pick a place to start. honestly, everything had caught poppy’s attention, and her mind was racing to make notes of where to stop - the stand with the fresh bouquets of flowers, the butterfly garden which was all ready aflutter with life and color, the number of stands selling merchandise just for the festival… she’d never gotten to do this sort of thing back home. but the first place she wanted to go was the food. naturally. sipping on a lavender latte - cooled down significantly with vanilla creamer and sugar - she stood off to the side, people watching as much as taking it in. she, like the rest of the town, was dressed for the occasion, a pretty polka-dot dress in pink and white, complete with a white, wide-brimmed hat, the epitome of english fashion, fitting in as much as making an impression. “ have you tried this yet ? ” she asked the familiar person at her side, holding out the cup. “ i was a bit iffy on the whole lavender concept - always seemed a bit gimmicky to me, like charcoal or kale - but once you add some vanilla, it’s not half bad. ” she was making conversation, yes, but also sharing her thoughts. she was never afraid to share her opinions with someone.

in all honestly, this wasn’t much of linc’s style. call him the epitome of artifice, he was never one to consider himself one with nature: flowers didn’t earn as much appreciation from him as it should have and nature itself, despite interesting, was a force he couldn’t control ( and as much as he hated to admit it, that irked him a little ). but, ever since his new life in the little dessert town, meeting townsfolk who appreciated every little thing like the small patch of flowers outside a store, lincoln couldn’t help but be grateful that it existed. so naturally, when poppy mentioned wanting to go, he couldn’t help but oblige ( despite his conflicting outfit of dark pants and a buttoned up shirt ). 

eyeing the latte offered to him, he shrugged and took it from her hand. pressing his lip to the edge and taking a sip, he shrugged. “it’s alright but man do i get the gimmicky stuff. why would anyone wanna eat charcoal and other weird flavours... you know they have ketchup ice cream now?” he scoffed, disgusted just thinking about it as he handed the cup back to its original owner. “but hey -- guess i can’t complain ‘bout what the younger generations eating nowadays.” he hated to admit it, but the lingering after taste of the lavender made him crave it. “hey uh... mind pointing out where you got that actually?” 

[kachw-blog]

“physical therapy sucks.” he grumbled, leg sore from another gruelling day at the gym. this is another reason he enjoyed his weekly visits to the stinky pete -- an opportunity to relax and not have to think about mundane things like hospital visits or how his days seemed too go slower than the fast paced zoom he used to live in. that wasn’t the case today. taking another sip from his beer ( feeling the cold liquid wash away his nerves ) and “slamming” it back down in the coaster in an act of defiance against his thoughts. “anyway -- how’s perdita? the kids? been pretty hectic what with the weather nice outside and everything.”

@ofpcngo​

[kachw-blog]

MUFFIN WOMAN. 

         ❝  hey , do you want this ? ❞ arm extends , offering up a brown pastry bag. ❝ it’s a chocolate chip muffin. i don’t know why they gave me an extra - - probably because i’m not a little demon during the morning rush , but still. i don’t really need two muffins , & i’m not big on food waste so … ❞ she waves the bag a bit , smiling at her companion hopefully. ❝  here. happy thursday ! ❞

well, lincoln definitely wasn’t someone to pass up the opportunity of free food. “don’t mind if i do.” and he took it from the woman’s hand, more than happy he didn’t have to get up and get something on his own. lincoln used to take things for granted -- everything. but as a changed man, one bite from the muffin was enough to send him into ectacy, melting back onto the park bench as he took another bite, not looking up at his giver. “you must be a nice person to get another muffin and give it to someone else. man -- where’d you even get this?” 

[kachw-blog]

frostyelle‌:

“You’re him? You’re Lightning Mccaffee?” Elle asked to confirm, even though she recognized him from online. “I mean, Lincoln. Sorry,” she added. She tried to at least stay outwardly composed seeing as this was the first time she’d really met a celebrity. “I didn’t realize you lived here. I’m Elle,” she introduced herself if only to make herself feel like less of a weird fan.

that felt like a foreign name to him -- not that lincoln didn’t like it (in fact, he loved it) but he wasn’t just about to let that get to his head. “don’t worry about it, you can call me that if you want.” he joked, leaning forward on his chair with a hand stretched out in introduction. “moved here a lil while ago. i guess i just needed the fresh air. anyway, you know me but its nice to meet you, elle.”  

[kachw-blog]

ghcstpvppy‌:

            Bright-eyed and bouncing on her heels , Zero didn’t say much as he spoke except for the nod and ‘ mm-hm ’ every few seconds to show she was listening. ❝ I’ll be honest - I actually have no idea what you’re talking about but whatever it is I’m sure you’re THAT GUY and you’re great. ❞ One arm pressing a clipboard to her chest , she stuck out a thumbs up with her free hand. ❝ But ACTUALLY , I’m just running a survey and I’d like an opinion so if you’re that guy who’s especially great at answering questions , I’d like a few answered , please !! ❞

well, he couldn’t blame her for her honesty and lincoln shrugged in a ‘fair enough’ sort of way. although, he did respect her efforts in trying to sound interested in whatever he was saying -- and then the compliment came. completely uncalled for and that is exactly when lincoln decided that he liked her. “you know what, that’s okay. all’s good.” he put his hands up, showing that everything is ‘all good’. eyeing the clipboard grasped in her hands, he nodded, once again shrugging. “i’m definitely that guy who is great at answering questions so sure -- why not.”