i prepare for the noble war

andrew // stalker for hire

[edge-dancers-blog]

[phoebessnow-deactivated20150101]

Phoebe looked the boy up and down, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.  ”I can only imagine what fun I’m missing out on,” she allowed herself a small smile.  ”Well, any luck so far?  In finding what you’re looking for?”  Phoebe unconsciously flinched back when he offered the scarf to her, the movement was minuscule, but it was there.  It took her mind a moment longer than she would have liked to calculate her response.  When her fingers wrapped around the cloth, it was warm to the touch.  Still, she kept it in her hands rather than around her neck.  ”Don’t you think you need it?  Gotta say, I’m not too keen on scarves.”  She said, her lips turning up just slightly.  Even as she said it, her hands stayed inside the safety of the scarf’s warmth.

[roo-viola]

Roo knew better than to react to the way her features froze and her posture stiffened. Even if it was only for a second, he could read these signs as easily as tracks in the woods. It softened his heart so that Roo could only shrug when she asked him about it. Her small pale fingers were wrapped around the fabric; he certainly wasn't going to approach to take it back. "Nah," he answered, striving for easygoing as he bounced on his toes. "I'm young and I've been collecting body fat lately. I think I'll survive this Louisiana winter without a scarf." A grin hovered on his lips as he spoke. He was striving to ease her tension somewhat, even if it had only appeared for a brief second.

[scarsummers]

“Yeah, thankfully my teeth are absolutely stunning, just like the rest of me. And you’ve made a wise decision to be more wary of me than Swank, I’m not playing at anything. I’m the real thing." She dipped her fingers into the last remnants of her martini and swirled the slick digits across the edges of her glass, smiling at the sounds that the movement elicited. Stopping, she licked the gin off her fingers and grabbed her nearly gone absinthe, holding it up momentarily to the light so that she could see all the colors dancing in front of her. Exquisite.

As the alcohol started so slowly seep in, Scar become more and more like herself, her body opening up like a flower as her movements became more open and fluid.She took that last final sip and slammed it down on the table, hoping to shock them both out of their funk. Maybe that would take time, to let their hearts and minds and bodies settle down, to find their rhythm again. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since that night, so in some way, it was like seeing a one night stand the day after… except a fuck of a lot more complicated. “No, I’m positive it’s a good thing, I’m much less sappy then everyone else would be. And I’ll keep things real, to a certain extent. Overall, nothing has changed but at the same time, everything has. it’s disconcerting and intriguing.” She stopped speaking and watched as the silence loomed. She needed more alcohol and a chance to get some kind of party started, anything to cut through the depth of tension that was filling the air.

[roo-viola]

The more that went into her, the more Scarlett seemed to come alive. There was nothing Roo could do but marvel at it. Whenever he drank, he just seemed to retreat into himself or his thoughts... or he lashed out because of his thoughts. Either way, he felt himself feeling the creeping wave of envy that seemed to come with her brazenness. "Really? Not even a porn star?" Although the words would normally come out scathing, Roo's tone held something akin to grudging respect. His ears felt hot as he spoke, and instantly he was shaking his head in apology. "That was just me being bitter, I swear. No harm meant by it." Her agreement, despite his momentary silence, did draw a slow nod out of him. Sky would loop one arm over his shoulders, gushing about how glad he was to have the gang back together. Lou would just smile that sweet smile of hers and say that nothing had been the same while he was gone. Scar was more practical than that, more calculating. And he appreciated it in this instance. "Yeah, you've always got the best intel, Tig. I appreciate it." His drink was nearly gone so Roo finished it off with one inelegant swig. The music changed from country to some Top 40 hit to what now sounded much slower and intimate than what had come before, but he wasn't relaly paying attention. His eyes locked with hers as he returned his glass to the table. "How've you been? In the Hollow or out of it." 

[phoebessnow-deactivated20150101]

A second passed, and the numbness began to spread, trailing after the snow’s path down her skin.  Phoebe could hardly stand it being on the ground, but on her?  It was simply out of the question.  She willed herself to keep from shivering, to keep herself composed.  There was no place she was meant to be these days, no hurry to be in.  Phoebe had been stuck wandering in and out of the same old places in this town, looking for some kind of anything.  But, getting a godforsaken ball of snow chucked at her head did not count in her category of ‘anything’.  It was still melting, dripping down her back from where chunks of it stuck to her collar.  Truthfully, Phoebe hadn’t seen any kids, but she had been as out of her own head as she ever was.  And she sure as hell wasn’t about to admit to something like that.

"Oh, right."  Phoebe nodded, forcing her face to drop its malicious glare.  "The kids," she said, bullshitting her way through it, as she did with everything.  "Thought they’d left, but, guess not."  Her hands clenched into fists to keep them from trembling from the cold, but she let herself relax otherwise.  The boy seemed innocent enough, or as innocent as anyone really got around this town.  ”Fine, yeah.  I’m fine.”  She stole a quick glance behind him, in a final attempt to see any kids that might be more deserving of her harassment.  But again, none to be found.  There didn’t seem to be anyone out on the street, a rather slow day.  ”What about you?  I mean, what are you doing out here?”  Phoebe didn’t mean to ask it, but she guessed her mouth was so used to spewing bullshit, that it just began doing so on its own accord.  ”Not the greatest weather for a stroll around town, is it?”  She continued, gesturing toward the gray skies and drab slush around them.

[roo-viola]

Roo nodded twice, somewhat awkwardly. He certainly felt bad, but wasn't about to apologize now that he'd already lied about it. Instead he edged a bit closer. He shrugged. "I'm out here on business. Looking for something." His shoulders stayed up, thanks to the cold. "It's really fun being the guy everybody bosses around, let me tell ya." His head tilted as she tried to wipe snow off herself. "Did you need help or something? You could use my scarf." He offered the plaid object in question to her, letting it dangle in the air between them for a second.

[phoebessnow-deactivated20150101]

Spinning, spinning, spinning.  The world remained in its constant state of turning, and Phoebe turned with it.  If the world couldn’t stop, why should she have?  She shook her head of the dizzying thoughts, planting herself where she was stood on the sidewalk.  Everything swimming along her line of sight slowly began to even out, until Phoebe was faced with nothing but reality.  She’d always been told the real world was a cold, hard place, but, looking back, maybe they were just talking about the atrocious winter weather.  Sure, the irony didn’t fly right over her head, that she, Phoebe Snow, was the one person constantly willing the white stuff away.  Even so, a December day without snow was nothing short of a miracle in her book.  Without warning, Phoebe was yanked from her thoughts.

It hit her square in the back of the head, falling straight down along her back.  Phoebe whipped around, fighting to keep her face from wincing or twitching or showing abnormality; Phoebe wasn’t meant to be abnormal.  ”Mind explaining what the hell kind of idea that was?”  She didn’t need this, not that day, not any day.  ”You just go around harassing people all the time, or is this especially for me?”  The malice in her tone was nothing less than murderous.  When they didn’t respond, she looked them up and down.  ”What?”  Phoebe could still feel the snow dripping down her back, the damp collar of her coat sticking to her neck.

[roo-viola]

Roo stared at her like a deer caught in headlights for one, two solid heartbeats. “I— uh. Did you really not see them?” He pointed in the direction of the houses beyond. “The kids, I mean. They were being dicks and throwing stuff around earlier, I just didn’t think any of ‘em had quite that range.” His right hand lifted to scratch behind his left ear, a weird habit that had his long arm crooked behind his head so he looked absurd. The fact of the matter was, there were no kids. There was absolutely nothing out in the stillness of the day today, and Roo couldn't figure out why. He was supposed to be looking for some Mare or another. One from out of town, apparently JMT didn't want it around. The thing should've been easy to spot, but there was nothing. Nothing and Roo was left to wander the forest and not be bored out of his mind. Pitching snowballs at tree trunks had become his entertainment for the day, throwing the spheres higher and higher up the trees till he actually missed one and it went sailing through the air... right into the back of this girl's head. "Are you okay?" Roo asked lamely, approaching with his hands in his pockets.

[evangeline-abrams]

It got so much worse during the Christmas season for Evangeline - the outrage and the fits of sobbing and the violence. There was just something about Christmas that seemed to always send her into a fit of awful, violent sobbing - as well as actual violence. Wandering the streets late Christmas evening, the brunette had a look of death in her hazel eyes.

As she turned down the corner, somebody got too close for comfort, their shoulder knocking into hers and their fingertips brushing against her arm all too harshly as they parted. Grabbing their arm with the greatest amount of force she could muster - which was quite a lot - she glared up at them with rage in her eyes. “Do you want a nice black eye, darling?” She had never been one for pet names, and she spat the word angrily. After a pause, she continued, “Guess not. Well, touch me again and you’ll be getting one. Got it?”

[roo-viola]

Andrew had just been trying to clear his head. Avila was home from the hospital, on the mend from her bout of pneumonia. He should be there, by her side, but so many years of living on the streets had made Roo more claustrophobic than not. There were so many fucking people on the streets, though. It only added to his restlessness. Jostling to the side to avoid some twenty-something mom with her child in a stroller-- in this weather, really?-- His hand brushed up against someone, only to find a surprisingly vicelike grip settle against his own arm. "I-I'm not trying to start any problems," he stuttered slightly. The girl's hand was just below his gun and if she shifted anywhere but away she was going to feel it beneath his coat. His only solution was to hold stock still and hope for the best. "Really." 

[scarsummers]

Scar chuckled at Roo’s reference wryly, she wondered if he had ever even seen the movie in question. It’s not like the Street Rat Pack had ever really had the time or inclination to watch award winning movies when it was just them against the world. But things had changed, and maybe he had found the desire to watch such movies after he had struck out on his own. “I’m a million fucking times cooler and  more intimating than Hilary Swank could ever hope to be, even when playing at a boxer." She smirked condescendingly, "I thought you knew that, bucko." She said this as she threw out a soft uppercut to his bicep. "Pow." Once again, she felt the awkwardness of her actions when around him. No one seemed to have the ability to put her on edge like Roo could, it wasn’t an uncomfortable edge.. just scary, unfamiliar. Scarlett Summers was not one to lose her cool… ever. Until now, she guessed. She contemplated this thought for a brief moment as he ordered their drinks at the bar. She never expected to be here, now, with Roo. But life, and specifically Barton Hollow, had a way of throwing people into the unexpected.  She looked up from her thoughts to see he had returned with a colorful array of drinks. She grinned, absinthe. Oh, that devilish faerie of a drink… it always promised the night to be an experience not to be forgotten. Nothing healthy could come from this pairing, on both accounts. But what the fuck, she hadn’t been making good decisions all night so what difference would one more make? She could already tell she’d be regretting that choice later on in the night. “It’s great, I’m not afraid of unusual pairings. After all, I am a bartender." She reached out to grab the drinks, brushing his fingers momentarily before pulling back drinks firmly grasped in hand. She was caught off guard with his question, even if he had warned her of such questioning moments before.  "Um, it’s weird as usual, which is its normal. So, nothing new really. I mean, I haven’t been here too long so I can’t really say everything that’s happened, you’ll want to talk to Lou about that. I mean, well, uh, yeah.”  God, what a fucking idiot she was coming off to be. She wanted to slam her head into the table or find someone to fuck senseless if only to stop feeling whatever it was she was currently feeling. Alcohol would have to do though, as either of the other options would require an explanation. She downed her martini and reached out for the swirly green drink, she was ready to be taken far away. 

[roo-viola]

"I'm a thousand times more afraid of you than Hilary Swank. Even if she's got huge teeth."  He accepted her light punch by rolling with the blow, fighting the urge to be thrown by her very out-of-character behaviour. He was probably confusing her just as much, especially since he'd approached her without the usual puppy-eyed look he constantly reserved for her until they'd both left the Hollow. They were doing great, honestly, until her hand touched his. A hollow buzz seemed to race up his arm and he stared for a moment. It was disorienting and unexpected and quite frankly, not what he wanted at all. His heartbeat was too loud to hear anything until the name slipped out. Roo's whiskey made its way past his lips while his eyes dropped to the table, contemplating. "S'pose I could do that. You just happened to be the first Street Rat I came across. Which isn't a bad thing-- at, at all." Roo cleared his throat as he watched Scarlett down the absinthe. "Thanks, though. I appreciate the update." He lapsed into silence, not knowing what else he should add.

[belladuponts]

Bella slipped the bag back in her jacket. Would she have preferred he bought it? Of course, she welcomed money. Did she need him to buy it? No. Dealing drugs was one of her hobbies not a job. So his rejection meant little to nothing to her. She knew there were others who would buy it which is why she let out a laugh at his response. “I wouldn’t be so sure. I have the best cut of everything and quite a few customers who’d be more than willing to pay my price. I could sell this by tonight if I really wanted to.”

[roo-viola]

Roo's gaze moved around the smoky, crowded room. Everyone outside of their conversation seemed to be very well on their way to oblivion. One of his ink black brows raised in mild interest. "Can you, in good conscience, sell more drugs to these already drug-addled partygoers? Or would you rather drop five dollars off your asking and see where that gets you?" He held the twenty in his fingers, just barely out of her strike zone while his brow remained arched.

[sarai-isaacs-blog]

Sarai did her best to hide the small grin garnered from his reaction, but she still made no move to help him up. What was the point? He’d probably slip and fall on the slimy leaves. Sarai watched as the boy got to his feet. The knife that she had used to cut him down was still in her hand, so if he made any moves to attack her, then she would be ready. But something told her that he didn’t want to do that- it was only her brain that screamed with wild ferocity, “Run!” Truth was, it wasn’t private property, but it definitely did not mean that anyone could run amuck. Both Sarai and Lee lead to protect the forest, not allow for it to be some party spot for those with ill intent. “No.” Sarai said, her voice strong. “It’s not, but we like to treat it with a little respect. The woods, I mean.”

[roo-viola]

He caught her smirk before she managed to stifle it, and felt some of the tension in his body ease. Not so much hostility from this one was surely a good sign. His focus did fixate on the knife she still held tightly at her side, though. "I thought I was respecting it-- didn't break a single twig till I hit your damn trap." Roo's fingertips moved to massage the knuckles on his left hand; he'd accidentally punched a tree trunk in his earliest attempts to free himself. "Might want to post warning signs about those, y'know, for humans?"

[melisica]

(by carson e.f.v.)

[scarsummers]

“Watch yourself, kid. Any further and I won’t feel the need to restrain my fists." She threw out a few playful jabs at him before returning her focus forward and continuing on her venture to the bar, never forgetting his presence beside her. "Gin martini and a shot of whatever’s scary looking. I’ve been partial to Jager lately, but I don’t feel those two drinks mix well." She shrugs off her leather jacket and fixed the fallen bra strap that had been resting on her arm for a few minutes now. "Play catch up,” she repeats. “Sounds like fun." More like it sounds like something she would need to get drunk to suffer through. Would they go back to that night? Or just ignore it completely. Either way, she already felt herself shivering at the thought of their talk. The threat of it drawing closer with every step he took towards the bar.

[roo-viola]

Roo threw up his own hands, blocking each of her light blows with his palms. "No need to tell me twice, Million Dollar Baby." He nodded once at her alcohol choice and again at her lighthearted response to him, before heading towards the bar. His height and generally thin frame put him at an advantage there. Roo was served fairly quickly, returning to set both her drinks in her hands. "I passed up on the jager in favor of absinthe. Don't really know how well that'll go." His own drink of choice was whiskey, three fingers, neat. Roo nursed it for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. He'd gotten this far off absolutely nothing but luck and old familiarity. "How's the Hollow been?" It was a fair question, presented in a neutral tone as his eyes scanned the room. More accurately, his eyes avoided hers, but Scar didn't need to know that.

[scarsummers]

“Whatever what is? " Scar’s eyebrows rose high up her face, and her right index finger started to tap against the rope that was pulled tight in front of the entrance. Maybe she was being weird, but if she was, then he was too… perhaps by being so fucking cool in this situation. She considered many ways this reunion could go, this just wasn’t one of them. She never thought she’d be the one to lose her cool. She watched him work his way in, sticking out her tongue in response to his cocky comment. "Fine, whatever, here." She held out her ID and watched them both get let behind the rope with ease. "I’m so not chicken, you little shit." She paused for a second considering everything, then pushed past him with a new resolve to have a good time. "I expect that drink to be strong, okay?" Fuck it, she was Scarlett fucking Summers. She could handle men in her sleep, so what made Roo any different? 

[roo-viola]

"Annoying feels like the right word, but I don't want you to hit me."  He moved to keep up with her behind the velvet rope, fighting valiantly to keep a satisfied smirk off his face. There were somethings, at least, that would never change. "Pick your poison, then, I'll grab it and we can talk. Play catch up or something." He nodded to the crowd along one wall, shouting to be heard over the noise of the place. It was a risk, he knew, just charging headlong into their interaction, but there was a chance that Scar wasn't going to tell him to fuck off. He was willing to risk it to find out about what he'd missed.

[scarsummers]

“That’s the problem, R-Andrew. He isn’t doing it and he’s going to lose it soon if he doesn’t catch on." She puffs her chest up in pride and crosses her arms, no way was she going to get disrespected like this in front of Roo, not after she hadn’t seen him for so long. It was much to her chagrin though that the bouncer didn’t wise up and instead just rolled his eyes even more sarcastically. For a second, she considered killing him… just for fun. Instead she tensed at the feeling of Andrew getting closer, and took a deep breath in. "It’s not my fault that some people can’t recognize greatness when it’s standing right in front of their face. But fine, I’ll behave. I could always pretend to be the good girl my mother always wanted me to be. Would that please you?"

She twisted her body away from her for a moment before correcting herself, she wasn’t about to shy away from him and show her soft underside (if she even had one). She had to put on her best persona, her strongest most fearless one. She didn’t care about the lack of distance between their two heated bodies, she didn’t care that this bouncer was proving her to be the little girl she sometimes feared herself to be, she didn’t care that she had to put on a different being just to survive being near Roo. She was not weak, she was invincible. “Maybe if I take him behind the club for a moment he’ll begin to see things my way.”

[roo-viola]

"Jesus, Scar, just chill for a minute. You don't have to be good just less... whatever this is."  Who the hell knew why she was acting so standoffish, but it was throwing Roo off his game like it always did. He reached around her, flashing ID and a charming smile. The bouncer moved to stamp his hand, and he waved it in front of Scarlett, taunting her a bit. "Show your ID to the nice man and I'll buy you a drink. Unless you're too chicken." He wasn't above acting as much like a child as she was, if it meant circumventing this godawful hold-up towards the only shot at getting drunk he'd been given in weeks.

[sarai-isaacs-blog]

"You’d think that," Sarai huffed, pulling out her pocket knife, "that you’d learn to be more careful in a place you’re unfamiliar with." Cutting at the rope meant for something a little different than what it was currently holding, Sarai stepped away as the sound of rope burning against wood zipped through the trees. The person before her landed with a thud on the ground. Tilting her head to the side, Sarai made no move to offer her hand. They deserved the embarrassment of having to stand on their own. It’d be a miracle if their ankle wasn’t sprained.

[roo-viola]

Roo didn't bother to reply-- first because all the blood had rushed to his head and it was a pain to even breathe, then because he was on the ground and everything hurt. "Fuck me," he groaned when air finally returned to his lungs. Shooting the girl a reproachful glance, he climbed to his feet and checked to make sure he was intact. "Sorry, is this private property?" In all honesty Roo had no idea, because he'd been in fairly hot pursuit of some Faerie or other until he'd hit the trap.

[scarsummers]

Scar heard it, she heard the past speaking to her in the form of a beautiful boy. “Shut up,” she mumbled breathily. Don’t look back, she warned herself. If she just kept her body positioned forward, if she just ignored the memories that had already come knocking, maybe it would all go away. But that would be weak of her, and she was anything if weak. She whirled around, her hair whipping the bouncer in the face. “Roo." She allowed herself to take one moment to just… look at him, before finally reacting to his comment. "Oh fuck off, letting me in is part of his job.” She turned back around, partly to start yelling at the bouncer yet again but also because she didn’t think she could handle looking at him for much longer. How long had he been back? What are the odds that he would show up at this club on this night? Who was he here to see? Fuck, she needed a drink.

[roo-viola]

The use of his nickname had a wry smile twisting at his mouth. In LA he'd gone by Andy, because Drew had sounded just too close to homesickness. It had certainly been a hot minute since anyone had called him Roo, but that was only because he was back where it all began. And the realization certainly stung. "Maybe you could let him do it. Just a thought." He shrugged, glad to notice that she was surprised to see him. He shot the bouncer in question an apologetic glance and moved forward in the line to meet her as if oblivious to the grumbles and elbows shoved his way when he tried. "You're holding up the line, Tig. Care to behave for the next minute?" He was close enough now that his heart was pounding in his ears, but he'd be damned if he was going to give himself away like that.

[belladuponts]

Bella glared at the person in front of her, her hand clutching the small bag of drugs and away from their reach. "I already told you. It’s all or nothing. I’m not a charity, I don’t do discounts. So either you pay full price or you can go home." There was absolutely no way in hell she was selling it for any less than what she already said. Bella du Pont did not bring her prices down for anybody. She leaned threateningly close. "Come to a decision yet?"

[belladuponts]

[roo-viola]

"Yeah..." Anyone with sense would've been intimidated by this girl. It took most of Andrew's willpower not to pull away as she drew up close to him. He tried to let his irritation at her shitty prices rule his head here. "No one's gonna pay that much for some fuckin' molly. It's a rave drug not any high class shit. Sorry, babe."

[scarsummers]

“I don’t need to wait in line or have my hand stamped or whatever the fuck you do for the low-listers, I helped create this place, I am practically this building’s God. Now please, let me in.” Scarlett scratches one sharpened fingernail down the side of the building and glares at the bouncer. “Or else." 

Fuck if she was going to stoop so low as to call one of her people inside to get them to let her in. Some people just were blind to greatness, and she was in the state of mind where she would have to find a way to right that wrong. 

[roo-viola]

He heard her voice before really recognizing it, feeling his eyes close for a moment. One night off-- his first night off since coming back to Barton, really-- and already his past was back with a vengeance in the form of Scarlett Summers. Normally he would've faded into the background. Normally he would've kept his mouth shut and let her get sent away for the night. But what was normal, lately? "Scar, please shut up and let the man do his work." His words came out more exasperated than pleading as he leaned back against the brick all.