[richardcurr]

Summer Breeze | Dickey and Rhett

[rhett-kelly]

Golf wasn’t a particularly strenuous game, but after 18 holes Rhett was feeling the effects of the new summer sun. He was sweaty, tired from swinging his clubs and walking miles around the course. It was time for some sort of refreshment, and although he appreciated the game, Rhett was beginning to wonder if it was truly worth the hassle during these warmer months.

Montford has changed in so many ways, much like Rhett had once the baby was born and he gave Daisy the keys to The Stroll. Retirement suited him rather nicely, and although he was haggled for spending his time at home with his child, there was truly no place he would rather be. 

His tonic was bitter, but refreshing, ans as he moved to the lounge, Rhett knew that relaxing was just the ticket he needed after a day like today.

“Is this seat taken?” He questioned, asking the back of a fellow country clubber if he minded company. It seemed he rather enjoyed getting to know the locals more and more when he came here. So many new faces and old ones. Folks that had been out of sorts for some time, yet decided that the late spring was a time to make their presence known.

[richardcurr]

Something in the back of Richard’s mind told him to keep forward, to continue watching others carry on without a single care in the world. Instead, the old man looked up at the source of that rascally voice, but he was happy for it. Why exactly, Richard wasn’t quite sure. Of course, he and Rhett’s past hadn’t had the squeakiest clean image one would think, where old rivalries held more tension in the air than a room packed with rabid wolves. However Rhett had his life to live, and so did Richard.

“Are you sure you’d want to be seen with me? I mean, I’m not as strapping as I once looked.” Richard chuckled kindheartedly as he gave the empty seat up, thankful that no one else sat next to him. Though one could only wonder how they would fair sitting next to one another exactly. Ever since the capturing of Sulley, he’d been wondering what had everyone been up to. 

Richard signaled for a nearby waiter to bring him another round of club soda, though didn’t think his new companion wanted anything this time around. Noticing his choice of clothing a while back, Richard couldn’t help but to take another playful jab at the once esteemed entrepreneur. “I’d take it that you’ve been beaten by the sun more times than you count? Seems like the humidity is starting to show its ugly face.” 

[richardcurr]

Summer Breeze | Open

Days blurred quickly these days. One minute it’s October, and once you’d get a chance to blink, it was now May. Not that Dickey was complaining about it. He’d rather bask in the warmth of rising temperatures than to freeze his ass off in the dead of night. Though, warm weather brought out more crime related activities within the town. For once, maybe it was a good thing that he was fully retired now by his own means.

Sipping on a club soda, he’d just finished a round of a doubles match with a few Country Club members, rewarding himself from a long - and quite tiring - round of tennis. Age had crept up to him, but it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be once he’d gotten the chance to stop moving around. With a towel to his forehead, Dickey sat underneath the awning of the lounge area, enjoying the cool breeze that came with the mild temperature. 

[richardcurr]

A Second Coat || Dickey & Josephine

[josephineburton]

"You are in luck. I have vanilla." Josie smiled an ushered him to the table. Putting on an apron, she pulled the pie from the windowsill and went about cutting two slices as she listened to him. "Honestly, no not really. Most of the women at church keep their distance. I’ve noticed they’ve done that to a lot of us war widows. Exactly what we need." Josie smiled, turning to set the pie and ice cream in front of him.

She took a seat, shaking her head as she looked down at the table. “Oh, don’t worry yourself about me. I promise you, I’m just fine. Just taking it one day at a time, and I’ve found things to preoccupy my time. It’s really nothing.” She smiled. “Babysit the cats?” she scoffed, though smiling wide. “More like your cats would be babysitting me, reporting back everything that I do.”

[richardcurr]

"Indeed." Dickey couldn't even begin to describe the feelings he had towards religious folks and the likes. His thoughts were kept short on the matter without having to revert back to counting to ten before blowing a gasket. Sure, Josie was exempt from this, but her overly obnoxious peers have had a habit of getting under his skin, especially when it came to sex, hooch, and other things. Just live and let live, that's what he'd been living by since he could remember.

Dickey would have never compared some of his hardships to hers, but he could never feel the pain of losing a loved one like she did. Even as Josie denied eye contact, he could hear it in her voice, see it from the way she'd been sitting in her seat for the first few seconds of resting. As she switched the subject and focused on what'd been said, Dickey smirked to himself knowingly. "Maybe not everything. Just seeing if any other guy comes wandering around...Not jealous, just saying."

[grantsattler]

[richardcurr]

Listen to me. I want a cheeseburger. I want bacon on it. I know I’m not supposed to. I want a lot of cheese. I want Thousand Islands. I might even put some Mulberry Street Pizza pizza oil.

[luvindowney]

Hi-res version of the third official image from The Judge

[richardcurr]

A Second Coat || Dickey & Josephine

[josephineburton]

"Richard, you will go broke if you stop accepting payment for what you’ve done! I can’t let you come and paint a house without taking something in return! That’s absolutely ridiculous!" She crossed her arms and smiled. "It’s a lattice caramel apple pie. Complete with brown sugar and butter crust."

Though she loved baking the pie, it always seemed to make her heart sink. It had been her husband’s favorite, and she hated the fact that no matter how many times she finished baking, he’d still be gone. Her heart ached for a moment, but she shook it off and headed back into the house. “Would you care for some ice cream as well?”

[richardcurr]

"Don't be silly. Ridiculous is my middle name." With his Newsboy hat underneath his left arm as he walked behind her, Dickey kept himself quiet, smiling at the way she playfully scolded him about the free work. Although he would have accepted the payment any other time, he didn't really want to take it. Partially, it was due to the fact that accepting such a thing didn't seem right. He would have done almost anything that was requested from a good friend.

Josie's pie of choice had the man curious to try it. He'd never heard such a thing, and his sweet tooth craved the brown sugar and caramel that she spoke of. "As long as you have vanilla or strawberry, I could use some ice cream as well." He smiled, looking up at the woman once he sat down in a nearby chair. "So, discover anything exciting lately? I'm afraid to keep leaving you alone every time I visit. I'm opting to let you babysit the cats so that they have someone to boss around while I'm away." He teased with a grin. 

[richardcurr]

A Second Coat || Dickey & Josephine

[josephineburton]

"I like the idea of a soft white. Makes it more of a softer tone, don’t you think?" She turned to Dickey and smiled. "Why not yellow? Do you have some sort of negative predisposition, or do you not care for the color?" Looking back at the house, she sighed happily. "Yellow reminds me of the sun, sunflowers, daisies… And the fact I can’t wear the color because it would easily match my hair. Would look absolutely dreadful."

She stepped forward and ushered Dickey inside. “Come with me. I’ve made some tea and pie for your hard work. I’ve got some money for you as well, to compensate for your troubles. I do really appreciate your help, Mr. Curr.”

[richardcurr]

He shrugged. "I'm more of a fan of warm colors...Something that relates to Autumn and Winter. This yellow is a few shades too light." Dickey's choice of favorite colors usually ranged from dark green to black. The brighter ones never really get to him lile their other earthy counterparts.

Following Josie into the house after being lead, the thought of tea and pie sounded like a good trade. "You don't have to pay me one red cent, Miss Burton! I wanted to help...Pro bono." Usually he wouldn't mind the fair share of getting paid, but if she needed help in any situation, Dickey would do it to the best of his abilities. Sometimes there was some kind of mischievous undertone with his dismissal, but this wasn't particularly the case. Taking off the suspenders to his overalls, he continued. "Might I ask what kind of pie you've made?" He prayed that peach had nothing to do with it.

[richardcurr]

Up To No Good || Dickey and Daisy

[daisy-miller]

Daisy chuckled, knowing all too well that Dickey was right. Even though she got along well enough with Rhett and long ago she’d loved her job, there was a small part of the blonde that wished she were somewhere else. Some place she felt more passionate about. Not that she didn’t care for the Stroll, in fact, she’d put so much time and effort into the dance hall that she found it nearly impossible to think about leaving. 

But she still thought about it, and the fact that she’d never own the Stroll, not the way she once thought she would.

"Well, someone’s gotta keep Kelly out of trouble. If not, he would have been put away ages ago, and this place woulda gone under."

Beaming, Daisy squeezed Dickey’s shoulders, hopping onto a stool, order a drink for both herself and her counterpart. She missed her home, and was even more irate when the land was sold right out from underneath her, but there wasn’t much Daisy could do in a town that seemed to despise her. 

"I know. I miss the old neighborhood. And you, and Ms. Blanchett across the way, but Barker found away around the legitimates and sold my small plot right out from underneath me. Sal\s been a good caretaker though, and has done a wonderful job of leaving me be and allowing me to get back on my feet all on my own."

Grinning, she snatched her glass up, taking a large swig before looking Dickey over with a critical eye. 

"What about yourself, Curr? How’s life? How’s work? Clarence is well I hope?" 

[richardcurr]

If anything, Daisy wasn't wrong about what she said. Although he hadn't talked to Rhett recently, he knew that Daisy would be more than just helping oil the engine that was The Stroll. Her painting muse was something that couldn't be ignored, and since she was still young and undiscovered, a lot of things could change that. But at the same time, she was still free to do what she wanted, and knew that The Stroll would probably be debunked if it wasn't for her hard work, especially through all that's happened in the past few years. 

Otherwise, Dickey was glad that Daisy'd been holding up well, and continued to do so despite not moving back into the neighborhood. Everyone did miss her, but in a way, life had to go on somehow. 

"Sure you don't wanna come back? I hate meeting new people. Well...Ones that I can't sleep with anyways." Although Dickey didn't drink just yet, he did survey the area with a quick glance in the hopes of at least tracking someone down for a few rapping sessions later on. "Oh, life is swell! Glad to have my job back, told Clarence to never come back until his vacation was over, and I've gone a whole two weeks without chasing a few tail feathers. I would be proud of myself, but I'm feeling like a relapse is in order after tonight." He then shrugged.

[richardcurr]

A Second Coat || Dickey & Josephine

[josephineburton]

Josephine didn’t quite know what to do with herself these days. Being home alone with no children threw a wrench into her situation. She mourned her husband as all wives did, but now was the time to move on. It’d been long enough since she wore nothing but black, and she wanted to feel bright and sunny again.

She sighed and looked over at Dickey. She had taken to the trimming and smaller parts, such as the window boxes and the narrow pieces of window treatment. It looked wonderful, and it felt just as bright as she wanted to be. “I don’t know,” she sighed, brushing her hands off on an old apron. “I just felt like I needed a change. What do you think of it?”

[richardcurr]

Dickey took the time out to climb down the wooden ladder, making sure he wasn't going to fall due to misplaced footing. After nearly falling three times before, he wasn't up to actually doing it this time around. "Well...Let's see..." With a grunt, he hopped off the last step, dusting his hands off on the side of his pants as he went to stand next to Josie. His slightly taller frame peered up at the house from his position on the ground, critiquing the look to the best of his ability.

"I'm not particularly fond of yellow, but it could be the change you're looking for." He said while he pointed towards the second story windows. "Maybe add something a little off white for the curtains? Or maybe a pastel color like baby blue or orange. I dunno." 

[richardcurr]

A Second Coat || Dickey & Josephine

Paint buckets and brushes were scattered about in Miss Burton's yard as another afternoon had been spent recoating the paint of her house's exterior. For the past day of two, Dickey put in as much hours as he could before completing his job. Normally, he would have done something like this during the weekend, but when Josie came to him for help, he couldn't refuse. It was that, plus the fact that it was an excuse to see her again since their schedules conflicted one another's. Wiping his brow, Dickey took a look at the window he stood in front of and silently critiqued the sunflower yellowish color that he didn't really like, but it did look good with the sunlight bouncing off each window. At least that's what he thought. When he turned to face Josie, he pointed towards the nearly finished project with a curious expression. "I've never really thought that the house could pull off such a color. Why the random choice?" He asked.

[richardcurr]

Up To No Good || Dickey and Daisy

[daisy-miller]

The clamor heard from the front of house made Daisy smile. Although Montford had been through a rather large rough patch, it seemed like things were on the up and up, and The Stroll was getting closer and closer to making a decent profit once more. Jazz blared from the stage, the patron’s busy shuffling their feet as if it were going out of style. Atmosphere was everything, and right now, the blonde mirrored the wistful, timelessness of it, and reveled in the fact that for a change, everything seemed alright.

Turning toward the bar, Daisy practically guffawed at the sight of her former neighbor. Dickey had been busy over the course of the last few months, and so had she, especially with the prospect of saving up and finding herself a new home. It seemed like ages since the last time they spoke, and the conversation had left little to be desired in the way of happy thoughts.

“Detective Curr!” Daisy crowed, tittering over toward the man as he took off his cap. Grinning, she pulled him from his stool, wincing slightly as she heard his cane tumble to the floor. “I would say I’m glad to see you, but I guess that would depend on whether you’re here on business, or if you happened by just for pleasure.”

[richardcurr]

Dickey had missed the nights where good music and the right mood left him with the feeling of wanting to dance the night away. Too bad he was working, which prevented him from doing so in the first place. But if he were to be honest, he was glad to be working again. Happy to grind the pavement at all hours of the day fighting for the greater good.

When his attention had turned to Daisy, Dickey didn't know how to feel. It'd been too long since they last spoke to one another, especially when the conversations were divided by a simple white picket fence. Now he didn't necessarily dislike his new neighbors, but he believed that sometimes, change was something one couldn't get used to. Questions formed through his mind the moment she approached him, some in which would be answered in the next few moments. Hopefully. 

"Miss Miller!" Dickey held onto Daisy for a quick hug, squeezing her tightly just in case she wasn't real. "You know me...Can never be too sure once I'm drawn to the right booze and music." Winking, he continued. "Still working here? Would have thought you'd move onto something a little more better. But I'm overjoyed to see you again. It's not the same without you back home."

[richardcurr]

Up To No Good || Open

The usual Summer's humid air couldn't stop the hustle and bustle in the town of Montford. Even on one of the hottest nights of the season, men and women alike flocked to their favorite places in search for a night of fun among their peers. It was like the Prohibition Law in this town ceased to exist, and the past incidents that plagued the twon in the course of a year were nothing but a distant memory. Ask about those particular happenings and all you’d get was a dull explanation and a shrug to match. This town lived too fast with the dangers that began to close in on this once distinguished town. How long would it be until the law finally clamped down on the townspeople?

While the Speakeasies were more fun, larger, and elaborate to be in, nothing could beat the gatherings that were held in smaller settings; especially people’s houses and private establishments. All you needed was a few bottles of hooch and people flocked to you like a moth to a flame. You weren’t getting paid to host these kind of things as much as the big named businesses, of course. These type of functions had been steadily growing in some cities, which attracted special agents to shut down the gatherings when things had gotten too hot. As usual, the townsfolk partied on without a care in the world.

Taking a "break" from his duties of walking the beat Midtown, Dickey found himself nearly gliding through the doors of The Stroll, casing each of the patrons quietly while hanging onto his billy club. There wasn't a specific need for him to be there, other than the fact that he was looking for a stiff drink. He could have waited a while longer with walking to Moriarty's, but he didn't really feel like taking the extra walk. Ordering his usual drink, Dickey sat at the bar willingly, tapping his fingers to the beat of the music as he waited for his first round of drinks.

[pattinson-mcguinness]

[grace-holiday-rpg]

Broken Bridges // Richard & Grace

[grace-holiday-rpg]

She couldn’t quite tell if his return of her compliment was genuine or simply polite, but she smiled nonetheless. Grace took a seat on the chair across from him and nodded in response to his question. “Yes, things have been going well for me. My memory returned, I spent some time in New York, and then I came back here to resume my position at The Stroll.” Her fingers gently stirred the steaming cocoa as she let the heat fade to a more desirable temperature. “There’s been some ups and downs, but it feels like I’m on the up and up again and I couldn’t be happier.”

She took a sip of her drink, relishing the exquisite chocolate taste, before setting it down on the coffee table between them and reaching for the thin paper-wrapped package beside her. “Speaking of New York, I brought a little something back for you.” She held it out for him to take, more than a little anxious to see his reaction. A lot had happened since their split and while she still didn’t excuse his actions, she really didn’t want there to be any animosity between them. Her fingers fidgeted in her lap as she watched him open it. “I know I’ve already given you one with the same label on it, but this one is the real deal this time.”

Inside the plain wrapping was an equally plain paper sleeve that held a small record with the words "No Regrets, performed by Grace Holiday, music and lyrics by Richard Curr" printed on the label. Her eyes were fixed on it in his hands. “I know I made a promise when we wrote this that I would record it with you one day. This is just a demo. When my memory came back, I could remember all the words perfectly but I had lost the sheet music in the hotel fire. I lost everything there…” She glanced back at her cup of hot cocoa and took another sip. “Anyway, I worked with someone at the studio and they were able to match the music decently to what I described, but I know it’s nowhere near as good as your version.” Grace finally raised her eyes to look at his, whether he would meet her gaze or not. “I… I just thought you’d like to have it. That’s all.”

[richardcurr]

For a moment, he'd forgotten about her absence. With him being so busy with his usual activities, he didn't even notice Grace's departure. But why did she come back? The hotel fire had thrown almost everyone off, it seemed, and he felt bad for not doing more than what he tried to do. Even though he'd done just about enough to save who he could. It was a silly thing to do, but didn't say a word about it. He kept that thought to himself. Still, Richard's eyes couldn't have been more curious when she spoke of a gift, watching her take out that pagkage of a recored before handing it over. With little movement, Richard sat his cup of coca onto the table before reaching for her copy of the song.

It was supposed to be an endearing moment, but all he could feel was the hatred he had for the song; how the title alone mocked him in the most disrespectful way. The irony of his life, the one thing he thrived off of for his entire existence, Richard was full of regret. Or remorse. Something with an 'R', but regret was it. He couldn't pry himself to take his eyes off the labeling as Grace spoke, nor could he utter a word after she'd finished. Richard was so enthralled in the record, that he didn't even notice that they were sitting in silence.

With a faint smile, he whispered, "You didn't have to do this..." And it was the truth. To even think about the fact that he had been a speckle of a thought in New York made him feel even worse. Despite these feelings, he continued to put on a brave face and gave the record another look before turning his glance to Grace a few seconds afterwards. "Thank you. I'm sure that this version is just as good as the original...Do you mind if I play it?"

[richardcurr]

Rich Bitch || Richard & Hilary

[elliewilsonswar]

Hilary beamed brightly at him as he came to stand across the counter from her. She was astounded by how far she had come since she used to run to him for every little bump and creak in the night. He had been a great friend to her, and though she hadn’t heard from or seen him in a long time, she was happy to know he was well enough to be out and about. “Oh with the way the day’s goin’ I’m liable t’ talk y’er ear off,” she said, her signature laugh catching on the end of the boisterous phrase, ” I’ve been swell, Dickey, real swell. J’ist about as corny as Kansas in August. And y’erself? How’s everything? The baby?” She asked, without thinking. She had no clue if he still had little Marceline. 

[richardcurr]

Her Southern idioms and simple words had been missed dearly. His chuckle had been a hearty one once they were laughing together, but that laugh soon slowed down at the mentioning of Marceline, eventually leaving him to stand quietly before shrugging his broad sholders. "Everything's fine!" He dodged. "Really good, actually. But I can agree with the 'corny as Kansas in August' bit." The laugh lines that creased around his cheeks and eyes had grown prominent, giving off a youthful appearance as he smiled, but only briefly. He didn't care for the gossip, as hurtful as they were. Maybe he would tell her the truth eventually. Right now, it was the last topic he had on his mind.

[darbing-woody]

I think I'm 'bout due. // Woody & Dickey

A li’l shave couldn’t hurt.

[richardcurr]

Getting rid of the Father Time look, Woody?

[the-globet-of-fire]