at the precipice

Leo Sweet, 20 year old future doctor- though for now, I'm just a university sophomore at Elias.

[leopoldsweet]

reaganontop: 

“Yes, bang on! Honestly I think the staff in Starbucks are closer to being moth than human.”

“Oh wow, Leopold. I feel as if you should be asking my father for my dowry. How exactly did they get that wrong?” 

“Oh, thank God. I wasn’t sure about that first ‘a’, I’d never have forgiven myself.” 

“Yep, exactly why I don’t go by it- my mom picked my name, and she was a big fan of James Joyce, unfortunately for me. I don’t think they’ve ever gotten it exactly right on the cup, but today they spelled it Leah, which was a new one. And very close, by Starbucks standards.” 

[d-archive1948-deactivated202303]

what are you majoring in?

Disappointing my parents

[leopoldsweet]

brianfromtheseashore:

“I wouldn’t know as I’ve never been to Starbucks. Never really got into coffee.”

“Between you and me, I’m not much of a coffee drinker, either, except for finals season, because I can’t survive exams without a daily dose of caffeine. Usually I get a vanilla frappucino, maybe you’d like them?”

[songbirdi]

blackbird singing in the dead of night || open

[leopoldsweet]

songbirdi:

“We should. Doesn’t the founder of this godforsaken school smoke?” She asked, shaking her head. She’d done a little googling about the place on the way over, wanting to know any dirty little secrets, and discover any loopholes there may be. She smiled, amused with his interest in the island. To her, it was just a place they docked for a while, a place she would visit and explore against her father’s wishes. “Atlantis?” Birdie raised her brows, impressed with the very notion. She wanted to ask about it, but didn’t want to ignore his request. “Neverland is lovely and bizarre; different from any island I’ve ever visited, strange and unusual, but it’s also so familiar. People who visit have a hard time remembering why they need to leave, so I guess for some it can be hellish. I never had the privilege of deciding when I came or went though, so,” she shrugged, giving a little smile. “But Atlantis, that’s so cool! I didn’t even think that place really existed; my father used to tell us tales about it before bed; that’s awesome! Did he ever tell you what it was like?” 

That gave Leo pause. “Yeah, I think he does. We should write him a letter,” he said, only half-joking. “Neverland sounds... weird,” he admitted. “But nice,” he added hastily, not wanting to offend her. “Is it true that you don’t age there?” he blurted out, curiosity getting the best of him. Leo nodded eagerly, eyes shining with excitement. “Oh, yeah. He told me stories all the time. My dad’s a doctor, so he was the medic on the expedition. The Atlanteans have this incredible culture, and the city itself is supposed to be beautiful. Adventure of a lifetime, my dad said. I’ve begged him to go again and take me with him this time, but, so far, no dice.” He looked away for a moment, wistful. His father hadn’t really spoken to him in a year. Not like he used to. There were no more stories of Atlantis, just disappoint emanating from him with every clipped sentence. 

[songbirdi]

blackbird singing in the dead of night || open

[leopoldsweet]

songbirdi:

“That’s just too much walking for me,” Birdie laughed, shaking her head and blowing smoke from her nostrils. “And no, I’m from Neverland. My dad just travels a lot and we all live on his ship, and well…” she took another drag. “His ship, his rules,” she shrugged, exhaling her smoke with a sigh. “What about you? Where’re you from?”

“Yeah, that’s fair. It got pretty brutal in the dead of winter. Maybe we can start a petition, get them to put in designated smoking areas,” he suggested, mostly joking. “Neverland? Like, Neverland-Neverland? Peter Pan, lost boys, ticking crocodile, all that? Wow.”  He shook his head. “Nowhere special. Texas. My dad went to Atlantis once, though, so that’s... I mean. Still kind of boring, since I’ve never been,” he laughed. “But tell me about Neverland!” Leo added eagerly. 

[leopoldsweet]

reaganontop:

“Probably not, no one gets my name right in coffee shops. How hard is Reagan? What’s your three letters then handsome?”

“Reagan? R-e-a-g-a-n, right?” 

“It’s Leo. Well, Leopold, but I prefer something a little less 15th century.” 

[songbirdi]

blackbird singing in the dead of night || open

[leopoldsweet]

songbirdi:

Birdie sat up a little straighter, taking another drag as she watched him, well aware of the slight judgement at her smoking underage. She was willing to overlook it, however, as he was talking to her. She didn’t feel like explaining that she’d picked up the habit when she was twelve, or that she’d been seventeen for the last half century. Time in Neverland was too complicated to explain in one sitting. “They ought to make designated areas then; I’m sure there are uni kids that smoke–are they meant to go fifty yards off campus?” Bird asked with a chuckle. She glanced at the lighter as he handed it back for a moment before pocketing it again. “It’s my dad’s. He gets them custom made from a woman in Tortuga. She overcharges mercilessly, but he pays anyway.”

“Well, that’s what I usually do,” Leo shrugged. “But I’m used to having to hide it from my dad, and old habits die hard.” He took a drag and raised his eyebrows as she spoke, impressed. “Tortuga? Wow. Is that where you’re from, then?” Suddenly Texas seemed pretty boring- which was, he’d admit, not completely false. 

[songbirdi]

blackbird singing in the dead of night || open

[leopoldsweet]

songbirdi:

Bridget rolled her eyes at the kids words, but a wore a smirk anyway, one which widened slightly as he jumped up beside her. “Sure,” she replied, holding up her lighter. It was one she’d nicked from her dad before she and Blake had been sent away; it was heavy, decorated nautically, a carved tentacle wrapped around the outside of it, and the whole thing painted gold. Bridge hadn’t taken it for any nostalgic purposes, but for the sole reason to irritate her father. “Seems like a bullshit rule to me.” She commented, taking another drag.

Leo shrugged. “Eh, it makes sense. Not everyone appreciates the smell and stuff. And technically high school students shouldn’t be smoking at all, let alone on campus,” he said, giving her a pointed look- she definitely didn’t look old enough to even be buying her own smokes. Not that he could talk, since he’d picked up the habit at 17, but still. He took the lighter, turning it over in his hands before lighting a cigarette. “Thanks,” he said, handing it back to her. “Nice lighter,” he added appreciatively. “Where’d you find that?” 

[songbirdi]

blackbird singing in the dead of night || open

Bridget stood outside of Briar dormitory, squinting against the blaring sunlight that peeked over the building. She’d just been dropped off with her brother, Blake, and after he’d dropped her off in her room and left her to unpack, she found herself at a loss of what to do. She pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit up, toeing a bit of grass growing between the cracks in the sidewalk. Being Hook’s daughter, Bridget, or Birdie as those on board the Jolly Roger had called her, had grown to believe herself immune to the law, and that her father would never let anything happen to her. And yet, a month after she’d received the order to attend Elias, she’d been shipped off to the States with a small bag and a printout of her classes. Bridge wandered down the path and hopped up onto a stone wall, letting her combat boots bang against the wall as her legs dangled, and she watched the students that passed with interest.

[leopoldsweet]

Smoking is just about the worst thing you could do to yourself had been a constant refrain from Leo’s father as he grew up, and yet, somehow, Leo had picked up smoking anyway. Not the only habit of his that his father disapproved of, but the only one he’d managed to keep a secret from the doctor, so far.  Usually he’d go for a walk, away from campus and people who might not appreciate the secondhand smoke, but today on his way out, he noticed a girl sitting on the path, smoking. Well, if she could do it, why shouldn’t he? “You aren’t supposed to smoke on school grounds, you know,” he said, pushing himself up to sit on the wall beside her. “But I won’t tell, if you’ve got a light,” he added, taking a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket. 

[leopoldsweet]

“Do you think the people in Starbucks even try to spell names right anymore?” 

“...It’s probably more fun to see a person’s face when you manage to spell a three letter name completely wrong.”

[leopoldsweet]

charliehawkinss:

Biology was honestly one big bore for Charlie. Why couldn’t she just take science classes that revolved around space? Astronomy was her favorite subject at Elias, which was probably because of where she was from, but the point was that she enjoyed it. Learning about Earth organisms was a waste of her time. But hey, at least she showed up to almost every class. 

The idea of a group project made her smile. She enjoyed working with others as long as they didn’t make her do all of the work. And if they let her just do the minimal work involved, it was even better. When she realized who her partner was, she offered him a grin. “That was me! Sorry about that, I never actually picked the locket back up.” she chuckled. 

“No worries. I think my room may have swallowed it, anyway, that place is a black hole,” he admitted with a shrug, though he was laughing. His room was a bit of a disaster, especially now: with all his classes he’d hardly had time to keep it clean. 

“So what do you want to write this paper on?” he asked, opening his textbook. “I’m good with pretty much whatever, so if you have a topic in mind, I’m down.”

[leopoldsweet]

@charliehawkinss

Though Leo had always excelled in school, one thing he generally didn’t excel at was group projects. So when his biology prof told the class they’d be paired up to write a research paper, he had to suppress a groan, and he quietly brooded until the professor gave him his partner- Charlie Hawkins- and gestured towards the girl. 

Still, he managed a smile as he approached Charlie, swapping seats with another student to sit next to her. “Hey, aren’t you the girl who gave me that locket to hide?” he asked, recognition slowly dawning and the strained smile replaced with a genuine one. “I didn’t know you were in this class. Nice to see you again.” 

[claudia-kishi]

[leopoldsweet]

Exams were killing him. Leo loved studying, but even he was getting a little burnt out. 

He was in the library, hunched over a biology textbook and shifting between taking meticulous notes and doodling in the margins. Across from him sat another student, no doubt studying for their own exams. He stole glances at the other intermittently, wondering if they were feeling as antsy and distracted as he was. 

Finally, he dropped his pen and snapped his textbook shut with a thud. He looked across the table. “I haven’t really absorbed anything I’ve read for the last twenty minutes,” he confided. “Thinking about making a break for it,” he joked. “You in?” 

[getthesoundoffyourhead]

Visit Original Link

The Zolas - Escape Artist

[leopoldsweet]

charliehawkinss:

“It’s neither. Just a locket.”

“This complete ass was going to use it to ask this really sweet girl to homecoming. I figured it would be better for her if I was the one who gave it as a gift.

“Hmm...” 

“Sure. He’s gonna be mad when he finds out it’s gone, but it’s hard to say no to a noble cause like that. How’d you find out about it, anyway?”

[halab1-deactivated20220711]