Inkings

[olivewallace]

11:18 am, Saturday - just outside the hardware store

@Open Starter

“Mhm, I know that’s-” Olivia said, nodding sympathetically and not even sighing when she was cut off again, his story plowing on as though he hadn’t heard her. His hearing was terrible, she wouldn’t have been shocked.

“And then dear, you’ll never believe this, the council wrote back and told me they’d considered my position and decided to move forward anyways!” Mr. Lowrey voice raised to a trembling height, just slightly above his usual horse whisper, great conviction in the concerned line of his frown. 

Olive knew he meant well, she strained to remember that much. The man was well known for being quite passionate about his projects, and willing to talk for as long as someone was too polite to tell him enough. However, Olivia was about to hit that point of desperate, and scanning quickly, she locked onto the first person who met her eyes. 

“Sorry Mr. Lowery- Right, Chester, I know. Sorry Chester, but I actually just saw a friend and needed to have a word with them over something, could we continue this another time? I’d love to hear all about the irrigation,” Olive promised quickly, glanced meaningfully over and quickly breaking away with a grateful grin and promise for ‘another time’ when the old man waved her off.

Keeping appearances, she made a quick bee-line for her unwitting savior, hoping Mr. Lowrey would quickly go about his business before he realized he’d been duped.

“Sorry, I just needed to get away from a story about sewer lines,” Olive quickly explained once she’d reached them, a side look towards Mr. Lowery. He was a well known figure by the locals, but those new in town were fair game and never got a warning. After all, it kept him busy a few months before they learned the lesson, it was just a part of learning to live in Ruston “Just give me a few minutes to pretend we needed to talk about something. I really appreciate it.”

[olivewallace]

rcqucl​:

Raquel fell into step behind Olivia, and as the other woman checked for her she shuffled a bit to catch up. “Work,” she said coolly. “Here until November-ish.”

She did her best not to disclose exactly what her job was unless necessary; when it came to interviews and on-record discussions, of course. But socializing? People tended to act different when they learned she was a reporter. They’d dig up old articles, they’d start to put on some grandiose expert hat – it was easier to avoid it altogether. “What about you? What’s your story?”

“That so? You travel a lot for work?” Olive asked, head half turned to her as they walked; she’d only been in Ruston a year and a half, but the small footprint had only taken her a few months to memorize. Especially with all the time she spent wandering around what ‘downtown core’ it had to show, avoiding the haunting blank screen that was there to wait for her at home. 

“Funny enough, work,” Olive said, chuckling to herself a moment with the thought that Raquel was her latest was of avoiding just that. She’d been getting more and more creative. “I had some stuff to finish. Ruston was my...getaway. For some peace and quiet.”

[olivewallace]

sheriff-roman​:

His title, at a raised volume, coming from her mouth, was just what he needed this afternoon. Sure the woman and her millions of questions were annoying sometimes, but on days like today when the hours dragged on, he appreciated a lovely face and a positive attitude. “Ah, Olivia.” He smiled as she requested a bit of his time and nodded in agreement. “For you, of course.” He accepted the file from her hands and spun around, heading back towards his office. The request for her to follow him was unspoken but obvious considering how frequently she did so without prompting.

“Does this have something to do with that book you’re working on?” He knew she was a writer, hell the whole town did, but this was little more than a guess. Why else would she be so interested in speaking with him? “I hope you’ll mention me in your acknowledgements,” he joked. As they strode into his office, Roman went directly to his desk, but paused briefly to pull out a chair for her as he passed. Roman placed the folder on top of his desk and flipped it open as he sat, scanning the information quietly as he waited for the barrage of questions to begin.

It all hung on his mood, really. If she happened to catch him at the right time...Well the way his expression lit up seeing her was a good sign. Olivia would take the chances she could, and if he was bored, well that worked out in her favor. Sometimes, if he was busy, she knew her pestering could be a little much. She tried not to push it. Regardless of what she thought of their general competency, the local cops were a good resource of information to have on her side. Especially in a town like Ruston. There was something about the records here; Olivia wouldn’t say she was overly familiar with police procedure, but even she could tell there was something up with them. Small town incompetence perhaps? She knew all this was before Roman’s time, but still she tried not to bring up that possibility, and risk hurting his feelings or forcing him to take some sort of hardline stance out of professional pride. 

“If any of it’s useful,” she quipped back quickly, but softened it with a disarming smile, and wide, batting eyes. He humored her questions a little longer when she was sweet with him. Olivia gave him a moment to sit, and peer over the file, biting her lip to hold in her question for a breath. “Now, I know this was before your time- twenty years before your time but...anything jump out?” Olive asked him, leaning conspicuously forward, hand on the edge of his desk to peer at the file, and catch what part he was looking over. It was a grisly murder; some guy off the local base who murdered his young wife and then took his own life. At least the pictures were blurry, but the file overall was sparse and barely notated, it had been quickly ruled solved and written off, but Olivia couldn’t help but note the little things barely mentioned. Like that he’d driven them for hours around the back roads, seemingly with his wife at gunpoint, and the photocopy of his note, asking forgiveness and promising to free her. Reading it had made her stomach twist.

[olivewallace]

@sheriff-roman​ // Closed Starter

Small towns didn’t have to obey the same laws of nature the rest of the world was governed by. Only a place like Ruston, would the receptionist in the sheriff’s office know her well enough to wave her wordlessly past to wait outside his door. All things fair, she was in the station more often than the town drunk. Just for different reasons.

“Sheriff!” Olivia jumped up from her seat, as soon as the familiar face turned the corner. “Good to see you. Do you have a minute? I just have a few more questions. I know you we’ve been over it a few times, but, well...” Olivia trailed off with an airy laugh, fixing Ruston’s sheriff with wide eyes and an affable smile. She held out the file in both hands, out a little towards him. “It won’t take much of your time, I promise.”

[olivewallace]

rcqucl​:

Raquel looked past where Olivia pointed as she pointed, and turned back to face the other as her peripherals caught her arm moving. She took Olivia’s hand and shook it firmly, a smile crossing her face. “Raquel,” she offered in return.

Tucking some hair behind her ear, she rolled her tongue between her lips before asking: “Sorry, if it’s not a bother, would you show me where it is?”

“Raquel?” She repeated back, testing the name to make sure it sounded right when she spoke it. “Nice to meet you,” Olive said, drawing back her hand,  eyes creasing with her smile.

Unthinking, Olivia tracked the movement of Raquel’s hand, gaze brushing across her cheek, and fell along her throat down the line her hair made, drawn away only by the pink spot of Raquel’s tongue. Her bottom lip drew between her teeth a moment, and Olive lifted her eyes again, to meet Raquel’s. “It’s not too fair out of the way.”

A second glance back over her shoulder, and the path she’d been on, Olivia started in the opposite direction, and down towards the docks, head inclined to make sure she was being followed. “What brings you into town?”

[rcqucl-deactivated20200807]

Location: (Outside of) Plant Yeah

She’d been wandering around the area for a bit, wavering between a few restaurants for lunch. Instead of grocery shopping after going to the library yesterday, she ended up staying in the microfiche until 10pm. Her options were dizzying for such a small town, so she turned to someone who at least appeared like they knew where they were.

“Um, so sorry,” Raquel said with a chuckle. “I actually just got into town a couple of months ago – is this really the place with the best portabello burgers? I have read a lot good things, and I’ve been craving one so badly lately.”

@hauntingstarters​

[olivewallace]

Olive had found Ruston to find peace, but her sensibilities still hadn’t settled into small town life. Things moved slowly in Ruston. Especially the people, much to her occasional frustration. The other day, Olive had shared a sidewalk with someone walking their pig, and learned they weren't prone to moving quickly either.

The town was immutable under her power, so Olivia had learned to change. Still it had taken more than a year to get the hang of weaving through downtown without getting caught to talk to a neighbor, or nearly knocking into someone over 70. A few months more to get complacent enough to nearly walk by someone asking a question. 

“That sounds like Marlo,” Olive shot to the stranger with a gesture back over her shoulder, continuing a few more steps.

A pause, and she spun back on her heel, half-grin apologetic, and retook her last few steps back towards the woman. “Plant Yeah. It’s down, uh near the port. You know where that is? Marlo owns it. Nice guy, knows everyone. And vegan,” Olive explained, extending an arm to point back down the street, and then slowly lowered it, leaving it hovering after a moment’s hesitation, out for Raquel to take. “Hey. Uh, Olivia by the way. Nice to meet you. Welcome to Ruston.”

[winterswake]

Tessa Thompson and Evan Rachel Wood in WESTWORLD “The Absence of Field ”