a murder of crows

LET US TOAST to animal pleasures, to escapism, to rain on the roof & instant coffee, to unemployment insurance & library cards, to absinthe & good-hearted landlords, to music & warm bodies & contraceptives... and to the good life, whatever it is & wherever it happens to be.

[murdcrofcrows]

the crow does not hide its prey, but calls for others to share it; so wealth will be with those of a like disposition. what good is a crown when a crow can dine upon a king? join the murder instead.

a dependent rp blog written cryptically by kit for devilselbowhq . intros ・ muses ・ navigation ・ wanted connections ・ network ・ pinterest

[insainted]

Perhaps he ought be ashamed how easily most people seem to find him in this pub, but Dante likes to believe he's just keeping his British heritage alive. It's not even that he comes here to get stone-cold, black-out drunk every night either, simply that it's a great place to observe a large swathe of the community. The alcohol also helps people be looser, both with their complaints and their observations, and Dante has gotten quite skilled in the art of eavesdropping.

He thanks the young woman across the bar as she sets the pint in front of him, then makes his way back to the booth he'd been seated in. It takes barely a minute until a young man sits down across from him—Dante's surprise is felt though not seen, eyeing him as he talks. It takes him barely a click to know who this is, even though they've never met as such.

A month ago, his older cousin had come by him and they'd had words, Banks had come up in the conversation as well, albeit briefly. "Banks," Dante says evenly in greeting, leaning forward for a moment to take a sip of his pint before leaning back again, eyeing the young man. He does look quite a bit like his father, that's for certain.

"Can't say I disagree with you, lad," he says with a shrug, eyes moving across the younger man's features, lingering on the vicious looking scar prominent across one side of his face. Questions come bubbling up, questions he doesn't verbalise—at least not right now, time and place—questions he logs away for a possible later time. All dependent on how this... confrontation, it seems, will fall out.

Dante's never truly thought he was any sort of hero—honestly he's felt more like a wicked failure in most aspects of his life, and the only difference then and now is that he got older. "Rafe said you were in the area as well." There's a long pause. "Somethin' I can do for you?"

[murdcrofcrows]

"look at t'at, the hero knows my name. suppose i should feel privileged about that, yeah?" it was a rhetorical question laced in gleeful sarcasm. even though banks was not particularly gleeful, nor were his thoughts sarcastic, it was something he was genuinely surprised about. then again, rafe probably reminded him of it.

it wasn't as if banks knew his older cousin personally. no, he simply knew the myth and absolute legend through the biased stories of his gran and other memories scattered with family and old photo albums. banks had unit mates he's known better than he knew dante winters.

"no," banks answered his question flatly. after all, what could dante help him with? if he needed something why wouldn't he go to the person who's proven to always have his back and vice versa? in his experience, which made it factual for him up until that point, rafe is the only person banks can count on. "think rafe and i can manage, we've done well for ourselves up till now."

he leaned in then and squinted his eyes with curiosity. "unless you want to tell me what was worth abandoning gran over? could've at least told us you weren't dead. think she deserved that much."

[strcinedhecrts]

IT'S A MEMORY THAT jamila thought she had buried by now, so many years ago. even if she had managed to live a peaceful life for decades now, the stories of the mothman still managed to float through the grapevine. it was just like her. someone who had gotten away -- someone who had managed to free themselves of the terrifying ties that bound them. that almost killed her, at the hands of her mother. because what is their god if not hateful? that is no god, that is a king. a tyrant. she had come to understand that now, through years of growth.

frankly, jamila would have been anywhere but here too if she had any choice. she remembered seeing her the first time -- and the way something had felt fiercely protective. little had she known that her instincts had been right. but when you pop up in the same place more times than you can count, it's like your heart is telling you something, you just don't know what. there was a story here, even if it hadn't outwardly been spoken.

" that's a good way to put it, darlin'. " jamila nods with a friendly smile. for the moment, she could only imagine how deep the snow had become outside. she hadn't been able to bring herself to look outside any window, perhaps scared of what she would find herself seeing. she didn't want to be trapped here. " oooooh, i like to read too. what's your favorite book? i've never said no to a fun game myself neither. " so it shares the same feeling. like they know each other from somewhere. " well, m'dear.... i used to be someone else. there were some very scary people after me... were they after you too? " she knows the answer to that question already. at the mention of her hair, jamila holds up the ends of her curls. " is that so? i like to put flowers in it in the springtime. a bunch of pretty sunflowers, some baby's breath... awh, darn. now i miss spring. "

[murdcrofcrows]

"thanks! odd likes to ponder ideas and its feelings sometimes." the problem with that was its inability to tell reality from its imagination sometimes and everything got jumbled up along the way. duck's treatments helped but it could tell even he was frustrated with the slow progress. then again, it didn't help odd could often be a garbage disposal where hallucinogenics and other goodies were concerned. it liked the way it let the color flow freely, but it knew not everyone agreed with it on that matter.

most people treat it like its too unintelligent to understand anything, but they were wrong.

jamila was not one of those meanies though, jamila was nice to odd and odd wished to be nice to her, too. "oh! dot likes the ones with alice and the caterpillar and the lovecraft man, oh and anything with big booms." it mimicked the sound of an explosion and acted it out with its hands and arms.

it listened further with a furrow of concentration, nodding along and watching her lips to absorb all the words as jamila says them. "the big scary man talked to odd in the rafters and says its a god and he can talk to gods. he makes odd's teeth tingle." it shook its head and looked down a moment, separating the darkness from its words so it could continue talking to the pretty lady. it doesn't like to think about the moth people much.

"can odd put flowers in her hair? it's not long till everything comes back to life." as much as dot liked to play in the snow, spring was always better. "dot wishes we could go outside, make snow angels. how long does she think we'll be here?"

[insainted]

"Maybe a snowman ate him," Gray grumbles in reply, looking around the place. Certainly not the first time he's been here, though every time except for one has been on Odd's insistence. His mother had forbade him to come back here, and quite honestly, Gray had never had any intention of really being here again, so that'd been an order not difficult to heed. Yet he's here, and he can already feel the scars on his neck and throat itch.

The task of fort building gives him a good distraction from said itch and their general surroundings, eyes moving across the apartment to pick and move furniture to make a fort that'll last, structurally sound.

After having crafted the bones of it, Gray is about to delve into the myriad of blankets and pillows it had scrounged from all over the residence, when the little creature grabs his attention. Leaning his head down, he gives it a long, lingering kiss, before picking it up, having its legs wrap around his waist.

"Sun always shines when you're here," he counters, kissing along her jaw slowly, then he pauses. "I saw Neve's creature a bit ago. I need to tell her we're here. In case she's all alone. Neve would be angry if I didn't."

[murdcrofcrows]

a shrill giggle rang out at its gg's grumbles. "snowmen don't eat ducks, silly beastie." though dot did continue to think about snowmen eating people for several moments after while it gathered blankets, sheets, and pillows. it imagined if there was a man eating snowman it might look something like its beastie but, of course, covered in snow and that would be positively ridiculous but oh so much fun for everyone involved!

well, perhaps not the person being eaten.

though odd likes to think it would be fun to be eaten by a snowman. it does enjoy when its beatie chomped her, but that was probably not the same. oh well.

there was little time to dwell on the thought long, as if odd could ever dwell on one idea very long. not when it was super special fort making time and it was getting rocketed up into the sky to wrap itself around it's big, beautiful, green eyed creature. plus it had so many plans! like the current one, which was nipping at gg's ears whenever they came within reach of its chompers.

"can odd come with to tell neve's creature?" it stopped and backed up to look at his face. faces were melting together more lately, another reason it came to the compound but it was useless without duck there. still it was trying to focus on his features while he spoke. "there's so many drone people here, it does not like all their buzzing and crying. odd is not sharing beastie with them." a firm boundary it thought it should make clear right at that moment. the worry was so palpable she felt like she could feel it everywhere inside its body. only calming when they were alone again. "is gg worried about neve? should we go find her, too?"

[folliesofmiceandmen]

to be completely fair to archie, maybe he doesn't notice the way that darcy cradles his arm against his chest in the makeshift sling he had to fashion out of the sleeve of his jacket, or the way he winces when that same arm is crushed between them, but he doesn't push his brother off. in fact, if anything, he's thrilled that archie is hugging him, and hugs back with what can only be called gusto. he doesn't really remember the pain he's in until his brother is pulling back again and smacking that arm, making pain shoot up it in a way that causes air to come hissing out through his teeth.

"fuck, arch, lighten up on the abuse, eh?" he shifts just enough to show off his makeshift little sling, tugs his arm free just enough to show the purplish bruising at his elbow where it's twisted and painfully hurt. "it's a little sprain, but it still hurts. i had to come." his head jerks toward the group that seem to be integrating themselves into the crowd at the community center now. "delly was coming, i couldn't let her go alone. and that bunker was dank and depressing. at least you're here."

"they were gonna run out of food if some of us didn't leave, this made the most sense."

[murdcrofcrows]

"holy fucking hell, what happened?" to be fair archie could've paid closer attention. he was usually insanely observant but it's not easy to do when you find out your younger sibling trekked across devil's elbow to escape the bunker where, he heard, some big names were trapped together ( some of course, were now in the community center but that he wouldn't fully know until later ). he clicked his tongue and grimaced as his hand hovered over the injury. "is it broken?"

unfortunately, archie didn't know a damn thing past basic first aide which is why he'd been almost useless when it came to helping darcy and delia out a few months prior. but at least there was medical staff there this time. "yeah well the martyr look isn't great for you so maybe hold off next time." if this was the route they were taking to kick their vices, archie isn't sure he likes it much better. it definitely didn't eliminate the fear that he was going to find darcy in a ditch somewhere one of these days. "i'm glad your here regardless. come on, i got a room you can hang in. they're lumping family together."

archie took their good arm to help them to the room he was already staying in. "have you eaten at all? i can go find you some food and water."

[insainted]

ARCHIE NEWMAN ⸻ COMMUNITY CENTRE  . . .  WITH KIT  ( @murdcrofcrows )

Although Lino has spent much of his time with the Du Ponts as per surprising invitation by Diana, he's been keeping his eyes on others with whom he might be familiar, mostly in the hopes that there's someone he might like better than the princess and her whiny brother. Despite the fact that the generator has been fixed, Lino has decided to not take any chances, keeping his thick winter coat on as he walks around the community centre, taking note of the poor insulation and things that really ought to be fixed.

By someone else, of course, that's not his job.

Lino hears him before he sees him, his eyes rolling without any active input from himself, leaning against the wall next to the door voices are coming from. Quickly turning when the door swings open and a woman walks out, Lino glances after her for a long moment before peeking into the room.

"Is that the girl that has your dick in a twist, Newman?" Lino asks, raising an eyebrow as he glances over to where she'd disappeared, then shakes his head slowly. "I'd let it go, definitely out of your league. Then again, a toad would be as well."

[murdcrofcrows]

this was honestly the worst place for archie to get stuck. 'with the people' during a storm they're likely blaming the governance, afterglow, or both. and lucky archie works for all of the above. fun times. he knew well enough to keep his head down and stick close to allies, if not people that he at least knew wouldn't lead the charge to put his head on a spike.

maybe following delia hadn't been the best choice for that, as if that hasa ever stopped him before...

maybe that's why he entertained lino when he spoke up and didn't keep moving forward. she looked like she wanted to be left alone, anyways. "don't worry, she rarely has a hard time telling me to fuck off on her own." archie leaned against the table lino was at before falling into the seat across from him. "oooo, good one nepo baby. come up with that one on your own?" archie crossed his legs with a sigh, looking out at the wandering citizens of burnington. "you know in texas there's been reports of bullfrogs as big as humans? maybe we should move, sounds like true love is waiting for us both over yonder."

[folliesofmiceandmen]

she's been locked in since she got to the community center. shooing off helping hands and suggestions for a break, ignoring her own pain, soreness, the stiff neck that's going to haunt her for the rest of her life. darcy has stopped by her new little corner twice, once with water and once to ask her to step away for ten minutes to rest, but every other visitor she's had has been someone with an injury, someone with minor frostbite, someone in need. the apothecary boy that works with briar sat with her for a few minutes while he muddled something in an extremely makeshift mortar and mumbled under his breath about irresponsible jerks and so called best friends and refused to let her look at his head injury. she has no idea how long she's really been sitting here, and she's starting to wonder if it even matters.

eyes shift up at just the right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) time as she moves to stretch, spotting archie and feeling her lips twist into a sneer. "if you've got herpies, archie, that's a personal problem that i don't have the medicine to fix right now. go find whatever c-tier escort you've been fucking this month and whine at her about it." it's anger that sounds tired, like she's tired of trying, tired of fighting, tired in general, and the crack at the end of her voice almost certainly gives it away. her expression crumbles perhaps at the exact same time that the fight drains out of her, and she quickly looks away to press her thumb and finger against the bridge of her nose, willing back whatever emotion is trying to replace it.

"my best friend is out there fighting a bear or something, my brother is alive and brainwashed, and i can't even walk outside and let the fucking storm take me because your fucking brother would sit on me to keep me here. so what do you want to add to the pile?"

[murdcrofcrows]

"well you're just an early christmas treat, aren't you?" but he was already descending the rest of the stairs so that he could close most of the distance separating them. tentatively, he rests an arm around her back in attempt to comfort her from whatever it is bothering her. she sounded like he felt most of the time, though he was forever trying to hide his many burnt out and frayed edges with false confidence and a polished appearance ( as if he doesn't look disheveled by the end of each day anyways ). at least right now there was no work calling and if they were he could tell them it didn't go through.

he could give her the time she deserves for once.

there wasn't a whole lot he could offer in way of comfort besides the action at the moment. archie had never been particularly great at sugar coating anything when it comes to general social interaction, especially since he was used to getting blamed for everything wrong in the world even though the most he's ever been responsible was for covering things up. but he wanted to help, he certainly didn't like seeing her exhaustedly shouting suicidal urges at him. archie wanted her to be happy or, at the very least, find some peace. even though he didn't know the first way to go about that.

"well, if its any consolation i think you could probably take darcy out if you wanted to." he offered with a breath of a chuckle, rubbing his hand in a soothing motion between her shoulder blades. "what do you mean your brother is alive and brainwashed? where did you hear that?" may as well start at the top, right?

[countrysong-x]

Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza in Queen of the South 5x02

[murdcrofcrows]

who: @insainted ( maisie ) where: the peppered pig

there wasn't much of any damage to report as far as the peppered pig was concerned, which was bittersweet because if it was something like replacing the windows or some flooding ( provided the roof stayed in tact ) it would be a good way to get the owner to drive the price of the place down so maybe kiran could come up with the credits to finally purchase the butchery. it didn't matter either way, he needed to restock the meat and make sure it was clean and no critters snuck in trying to find warmth in the cold storm.

he'd checked in with maisie after the storm blew over and they parted ways ( for the brief time they saw each other ) at the community center. told them he'd be at the pig all day on his own if they wanted to come hang out. over the months he's become strangely endeared to them, like a younger sibling of sorts but a friend regardless.

"yeah it was a good thing dara was there to pull me out of there because i honestly don't know, um, i don't know what i would've done." he shrugged away the lie because he knows exactly what he would've done or tried to do and in the end, they wouldn't be there having that conversation. "but now his older brother is talking to him anymore because of it and i keep telling him it's a blessing in disguise, but i don't think he sees it the same way." it would be nice to see dara get some relief from his family. "but what do i know, i'm obviously not family-oriented, they're all dead!" he let out a bitter laugh.

"sorry, was that too dark?"

[folliesofmiceandmen]

"right, and it's sunny and seventy degrees outside, too. all of these statements fact." his tone is clipped, sarcastic in a way that could almost be considered playful if it weren't so exasperated. it's not lost on him that it's almost more dangerous to be locked in this tin can with a bunch of people who want to kill them than it would be to simply go outside and brave the elements, but that doesn't mean he has any intention of trying.

what he will try to do is keep the mob at bay and away from felix for as long as he can possibly stand to do so. because the man is stressed enough as it is, and while donny can't really claim to be in much better straights, he thinks at least that he has less enemies than his lover.

"well, i certainly don't believe in fate, if that's the implication you're trying to make. coincidence simply does exist. and my wife's untimely passing is quite frankly none of your concern, either. but if you've such a fascination with conspiracy theories, you should talk to my middle son about them."

[murdcrofcrows]

"mmm, sarcasm—" kiran paused to let out a low chuckle that turned into a whistle and a quick click of their tongue. "it feels good sometimes, right? getting out some of that aggression passively while you try to, excuse me— what would you call this?" kiran wagged his finger between them. "making peace? diplomatic discussions? diffusing and de-escalation, perhaps?" they nod because they know that's what it basically is. some desperate attempt to keep kiran from throwing their life away and taking half the bunker down with him.

"i don't want to talk to you or whoever your son is, but i do know priyanka was close to your dead wife and i can't say i've ever believed in coincidence." kiran stepped closer to the mayor-governor. "i have no problem going through you to get to him." they've gotten past stronger security with less effort, the east atlantic had nothing in comparison to the oil tycoons of texas. this whole situation did not have them thinking clearly, however, and if they were being honest with themselves they would know better than to be associating with either of those men while anyone could see them but kiran's rationality was barely hanging on by a thread. "tell me why i shouldn't."

[eatabug]

❝ don't ye dare go acting coy on me now, kiran singh, ❞ darach warns, narrowing his gaze at kiran the moment he challenges them with a question they both know the answer to. as much as he wants to trust his lover will channel whatever shred of self-control he has and behave himself so he doesn't end up leaving here in cuffs once they dig this place out, darach knows kiran. he knows how much he loathes dr. estrada, too, how far he'd go in an attempt to end his life. he doesn't want to discover he's right, not if he doesn't have to.

❝ ye can't kill anyone in this feckin' bunker. are ye mental, love? have ye had a concussion? a neurological event? we're trapped here with more than enough people who can figure out what's gone down, and that's even if ye can get to him without causin' a bloodbath first. ❞darach approaches kiran then, taking both of his hands in his own and squeezing them tight. ❝ no offense, love, but i'm not staying here and i'm not leaving without ye. the gods can shove it up their arses for all i care, bows and all. we are this close t'getting ye the butchery, d'ye hear me? d'ye really want to risk losin' it all when you're this close to finally havin' something of yer own that isn't blood or―or bullshit? ❞

there's something imploring, almost desperate in his gaze as it locks with kiran. ❝ don't make me drag ye, kir. i'll do it, but it'll only be embarrassing for the both of us. ❞

[murdcrofcrows]

for all intents and purposes, kiran was listening to dara. kiran was simply trying to lock into what he was saying through the buzzing between their ears. they'd thought some of the grief had been worked out of them. they'd been able to go back to work, sort through things with dara, and generally start living their life again. but it was just like a flip switched when felix estrada, alive and well with his new lover, was flaunted in front of them like some kind of challenge.

it wasn't a challenge.

dara was right, it would be mental to attack him there with nowhere to run and such a small pool of suspects to choose from. kiran knew he was right, but they kept their head down when he grabbed their hands up until he said he wasn't staying there ( and no they didn't miss the point he made about bringing them with him, either ). dark eyes shot up from the place on the floor to meet luminescent blues for the rest of what he had to say.

they still hadn't given him an answer, response, affirmation, or anything else besides the intense eye contact and a pained expression. that is, until he mentioned dragging them and they couldn't help but imagine it. the logistics of it. they almost wanted to resist just to see it happen, but it also probably meant being dragged through the snow and kiran didn't like the sound of that one bit.

"alright, okay, don't—" kiran sighed and nodded, breaking away from his gaze again. "i'll go with you but we have to plan it fast, i-i can't control it around him. i see him and i see my sister being controlled by those fuckin' bugs and i just—" kiran growled then, a gutteral sound seeded in their rage. "and i we'll have to put about twenty layers on you, i'm not dating a snow man." a small smirk twitched at their lips, an attempt to change the subject and the mood.

[murdcrofcrows]

who: @insainted ( briar ) where: remedy roots

normally, jeremiah would be the one to go to remedy roots and get his hormone replacement medicine but miah has been busy non-stop helping miss frankie at the mad scientist and handling the implications around milano silva found unresponsive at the community center during the storm. normally he would be fine waiting but there was something else he wanted to talk to miss briar about anyways.

milo waited patiently a few steps away from the counter while one of the other employees went to grab briar. he moved forward again when he got sight of her again. "good afternoon, miss briar. i know you're used to talking to my brother but i was hoping i could meet with you about a couple things and see if you got my um, my stuff in?"

[eatabug]

just because the ice has been cleared from the parking lot of the fishery doesn't mean that business has been anywhere close to booming lately ; as much as lorenzo would like to say he dove straight back into work as soon as he had the opportunity, the truth was, his books were pretty fucking empty. most of the appointments he had scheduled have already reached out to him to move dates. he's tried to be accommodating of all of them, too. he gets it. unexpected storms mean unexpected expenses, missed work. hell, some folks can't even get to their homes yet. he's not surprised nobody wants to get a fucking tattoo.

but it means jonah's given him even more time off from the shop―what's the point of being there for hours on end when he's got no appointments and they're getting zero walk-ins?―and after a week in the mayor-governor's mansion, he's glad to find himself with some time to be home. he's got a half-finished mural to finish painting on his living room wall, a million other odd projects he hasn't touched yet.

lorenzo is in the middle of laying out a sheet of plastic over the floor to save it from inevitable spills when there's a knock at the door, and he carefully maneuvers over open cans and palettes to reach it. ❝ milo? ❞ it's been days since loren's heard from them―he knew enough to know they were alive, safe, but he'd received radio silence otherwise, and in an effort not to scare them off, he hadn't pushed―and the relief is visible on his face the second he lays eyes on them. ❝ yeah, yeah, i'm fine, i'm good, ❞ the jackal insists quickly, swinging the door open a bit wider. he's just about to ask the same of them when milo quickly pivots and makes to leave. ❝ hey, hey―wait! you just got here, ❞ lorenzo points out, taking an instinctive step forward even if he doesn't actually reach out to try and stop milo. ❝ do you wanna come in? i mean, it feels like i haven't seen you in forever. ❞

[murdcrofcrows]

"wh-what?? oh! uh―" milo had not intended on staying, not because he didn't want to, but because he assumed lorenzo was busy and he did not like intruding. leave it to him to get his hopes up and find out lorenzo was just being nice when he was talking to him at the fishery and texting with him during the storm thereafter. but now loren was inviting them in and suddenly they could feel their heart start to beat in their throat and they think it must have dislodged from its cavity and was preventing them from speaking, making them seem even more socially awkward than they already were naturally!

they shifted in place, looking towards the street a moment at the dreaded walk home they would have to do alone and then back to the cute curly haired artist holding his door open. milo swallowed hard. "sure, if i won't be intruding i wouldn't mind seeing your house on the inside." which isn't exactly what he wanted to say but that's what came out anyways. "i mean, sure." they nodded and stepped inside, brushing past loren. their eyes fell on the plastic on the floor and the open paint cans.

"did your house get damage from the storm?" they looked back at loren, waiting for him to take the lead before stepping further into the place. "the last two weeks have felt incredibly longer than two weeks, you're right." milo added once they'd fully absorbed what he'd said at the door. "it was nice to talk to you, though."

[murdcrofcrows]

who: @eatabug ( miah ) where: the mad scientist

it had been almost a week since the storm ended and it felt like they were no closer to finding out who killed marino nor why they did it. as much as rio would love to cut ties with the shamrocks, the truth of the matter ( that they all know by now ) is they need their business and things are a whole lot better when the criminals aren't trying to fight each other. rio also knows that the shamrocks have a whole lot of weapons they don't sell and they have a good inkling that they are more advanced than the ones any chapter of the jackals had.

"hey take a break, come talk to me for a minute." it's not like the place was too busy and honestly? if shit went down, rio would gladly jump in and help miah take care of it. same she would do for any jackal. "i need to know what you're thinking about, fuckin', everything i guess. do you really think this was a shamrock? what reason would they have to take out marino and why now?" rio shook their head and took a seat in a table near the back where they'd have more privacy. "don't get me wrong, i ain't a fan of those pricks but a war with them will be costly and it will change a lot for a lot of people, you know?"

[murdcrofcrows]

who: @strcinedhecrts ( scarlett ) where: scarlett's house

unlike everyone else, scarlett and rio didn't get to leave the community center immediately after the snow was cleared. they needed to make sure marino's body was properly removed and taken to moore funeral home to be prepared and a wake set up in proper jackal fashion, though they wouldn't get to make those plans until the next day. rio opted to go clear scarlett's house and get the heat running in there again while she went with zairo to deliver the news to sofia and the rest of the silvas that they all somehow let not only a member, but a fucking founder's bloodline, die under their watch.

rio didn't envy that job and they knew full well that when scarlett got back from all that, she'd need them.

when the door clicked they were closing the oven and they appeared in front of scarlett right after, wiping flour from their hands on a towel as they closed the distance. "hey, how'd it go?" rio tried to sound as empathetic as they could. they know how bad scar feels when she loses someone, they all feel it, but it seems like those in leadership roles are hit harder.

"okay so i know you want to do a million different things right now and we both have to do lists about two miles long, but i need you to do something for me, por favor?" rio took scarlett into the living room where they'd lit almost every candle they could find in the house. "okay i need tonight to be just you and me, we need to just decompress and deal with all the rest of the bullshit tomorrow. i got empanadas in the oven, with that sauce you love and i can give you a bath and we can both get a proper's night rest before we face hell, together, tomorrow." rio raised their eyebrows in question. "can you do that for me?"

[eatabug]

who: rio cardona ( @murdcrofcrows ) where: bubble trouble laundromat

❝ there she is! ❞ angel has been draped dramatically across the top of a row of washing machines for almost twenty minutes now waiting for her sibling to show up, and the moment rio pushes open the door, the dancer is rolling off the machines and springing to her feet with an agility that should not match the height of her heels. she's good at what she does. immediately, angel is showering them in a round of applause, rings and bracelets jangling with every dramatic clap.

❝ snow queen! ice princess! call them jack frost the way they make the blizzard their bitch! ❞ is it dramatic? maybe. but this is also the very first time angel's laid eyes on rio since the storm, so sue her for thinking the reunion deserved a little something extra. a little sparkle. it's what she's good at! she wasn't actually worried, anyway. cardonas are survivors―or, at least the both of them are. they have to be. and angel's only the way she is because she learned from the best. ❝ i want details, please. don't think i didn't hear about your adventure. i have questions, hermana. like, for starters, how did they not lose your tiny ass in the snow? ¡apúrate! inside, give me answers! ❞

[murdcrofcrows]

snow crunched underneath rio's boots as they made their way from the parking lot ( that was surprisingly already shoveled so kudos to their employees on that front ) to the front door of the laundromat. they had, of course, kept in contact with angel throughout the storm along with delaney and gave them the go ahead to open the day after. everyone needed a night or two to get things settled at their own places or temporary homes for some. rio needed to get scarlett home and get her to decompress after spending half the storm locked up with marino silva's body. they both needed some time together and that's exactly what they took.

first thing the next morning, however, rio was back at it and made her way into bubble trouble only to be greeted with their forever boisterous sibling. "that's snow king to you, chica. but thank you, thank you, please hold your applause." because they made that trek and came out on the other side unscathed. before rio started dishing any details, they gave angel a proper hug and moved around the desk to put their stuff down and take off their hat and scarf. "well not all of us got to spend the week drinking champagne in the governor's mansion. they had ropes, by the way, to keep everyone together so be thankful i didn't cut that annoying boy toy of yours off mine to become a snowman." they laughed and raised their hands to indicate it wouldn't be their fault. "i'm just sayin', no one would've known it was me."

[murdcrofcrows]

who: @folliesofmiceandmen ( dabney ) where: his office / the halls

don't ask her why the first thing she did when she got to the office that morning was set up a dusty old yule tree and decorate it with a string of lights but, that's what she did. it didn't have to be a christmas tree per se, it could be just a reminder that there's a bunch of trees outside in case you forgot and it's the holiday season, whether people feel like celebrating or not. it was after that she went ahead doing the other morning office duties, making notes about calls and organizing them into a document for him to reference and coordinating the calendar.

"good morning, mr. aziz! i wasn't sure if you'd be here today." she popped up from behind the assitant's desk and tried to put on a bright smile. "i have all your messages sent over to your email already and your work tablet is on your desk and charged. i hope you don't mind i took the liberty to spruce up the area out here a lil' bit? i just don't know how long i'll be assigned to your services and i wanted to walk into something a bit more welcomin' everyday, you know what i mean?"