wild & free

Because I was born to be the other woman.Who belonged to no one, who belonged to everyone. Who had nothing, who wanted everything, with a fire for every experience and an obsession for freedom that terrified me to the point that I couldn’t even talk about it, and pushed me to a nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me.

[allbullshiit]

It was frustrating, only standing at 5 feet tall (if she rounded up). Everything was made more difficult: grabbing things at the grocery store, taking things from the cabinets in her kitchen, and now, reaching for the book on the top shelf in the local library. 

Hearing someone come up behind her, she stopped struggling on her tip toes and turned around, “Hey, do you think you can grab that big, blue book for me?” She questioned in a low whisper, careful not to disturb the quiet environment.

[roslynsmoak]

     There was something about poetry that she loved. Roslyn always had a certain appreciation for all things graceful and eloquent – something she could only ever be on the dance floor. Poetry reminded her of home, a time long ago when a boy used to write her poems and make her blush. She always called him Hemingway – but that was a long time ago, memories she tried not to think about. But she got reminded as she saw the name Hemingway on the spine of a book.

     Luckily, she was quickly pulled out of her thoughts to see the struggling young woman before her. “Oh, yeah, of course,” Roslyn told her, effortlessly reaching over and grabbing the book she desired. She handed it to the girl with a smile. “Here you go, hun.”

[auroraelswood-blog]

Aurora, through her residual tears and all of her sadness, couldn’t help but laugh at Roslyn’s speculation as to what was actually going on with her. “No chest pains, thankfully. And I’m actually not drunk - I work here, so it’s kind of frowned upon to drink on the job.” She gave a strained and forced smile, crossing her arms and wishing desperately that she could go in and grab a drink but knowing that she couldn’t, at least not right now, with this sweet blonde hovering over her.

“A cup of coffee?” She raised an eyebrow, pinching the bridge of her nose and deliberating a moment before nodding. “That would be nice, actually. Thank you.”

[roslynsmoak]

     Roslyn offers a kind smile. “Well, good. At least you’re in pretty good shape.” It was true- things could be worse in this situation. She could have needed a hospital, but even then, Roslyn hadn’t had a clue what was running through her mind. Maybe she wasn’t in physical pain, but she could be mentally.

     “Maybe we’ll throw in a slice of pie if you’re up for it,” she chuckled then stood on her feet, offering hand down to the woman to help her up.

[pistolpiper]

     Piper was just about to kill this numskull behind the counter when her best friend reappeared, looking as fresh as ever. She restrained her commentary for the time being, only because she was dealing with the slowest customer service she’d ever received in her short twenty-one years of life. Thankful for Roslyn, she watched as her friend intervened, an attempt to speed the process up.

     Success! Her best friend was a freaking genius. The man did whatever he had to do on his computer to make it go faster, and after Piper paid, the two received their ever so esteemed and sought after paper entry bracelets, granting them access past the counter.

     Keeping it classy, Piper strolled happily down the hallway next to Ros, even if she wanted to run in excitement. “That dude pissed his pants because of you,” she said, laughing. Was that statement true? Probably not. Was it funny? Of course it was. The two of them followed the small crowd into the first room, ignoring the boring explanation of the wines they had available, how you’re supposed to gargle and spit the wine, ‘blah blah blah, who cares’ speech. Piper was gonna swallow it, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

    Taking the first offering of wine, Piper feigned classiness by wafting the scent under her nose, swirling the glass to.. bring the way it smelled up? Or something. Everyone else was doing it, so she literally copied them. When in doubt, pinkie out. That was the motto. Flipping her pinkie finger out as she held her glass, Piper took a long gulp (not a sip), swishing it around in her mouth before swallowing casually. Of course, she leaned towards the spit bucket thing, but just made a noise instead of releasing any wine from her lips. “Mhm, tastes like.. a good combating force for manic-depression,” she said, her voice calm (while trying not to laugh), a weird fake-fancy accent accompanying her words.

[roslynsmoak]

        Walking down the hall, Roslyn linked arms with Piper and felt an amused smile on her lips. It wasn’t often Roslyn had to put out the big guns to get her way (big guns being her wit, her boobs were a different story). With a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, she snickered and looked at Piper.

       “Good. He was standing in the way of our wine time.”

       Truth be told, wine had become an acquired taste of hers after the years. Her mother’s drink was a red merlot that often stained her lips a darkened red while her father practically lived off of whiskey. Neither were necessarily alcoholics, but Roslyn remembers them drinking often. In high school during the years of rebellion and teenage angst, Roslyn realized she had a certain love and appreciation for whiskey just like her father. Yet, as she ages, she feels herself going towards the ways of her mother. Sipping on merlot, drinking wine in the bath. It’s strange to think she’s made this transition, even if it just seemed to be alcohol.

       Once the girl had a glass of her own in her hands, she waited to drink to simply watch Piper. It took everything in her to not laugh, though a few snickers escaped here and there. Roslyn followed her lead, wafting the scent of the wine towards herself, though she was really just smelling the scented lotion she put on her hands.

      “Smells tropical,” she commented with a snicker, knowing good and well it was just her hands.

      Taking a sip of the wine, Roslyn rubbed her lips together in fake contemplation. “Hmm.. I don’t know. I need another taste.” She takes another taste then proceeds to make the same face. “I just can’t put my finger on it... one more taste.” She proceeds to do this step at least seven more times until the wine in her glass is all gone. Smiling wide, Roslyn nods and uses a fake accent. “ Oh, of course. This is definitely wine. Glad I got that cleared up.”

[auroraelswood-blog]

Aurora bit her lower lip anxiously, running a hand through her dark hair and averting her pale blue eyes. “I’m sorry for snapping at you,” came her soft reply, her cheeks coloring a pale pink before she glanced up at the pretty redhead. Tapping a manicured finger against her knee, she deliberated a moment before she desperately wiped at her eyes, hoping that she didn’t look too upset at that moment.

Aurora shook her head at the offer for her to call someone. “No, it’s fine. I’m not okay right now, but I’ll get over it soon.” She raised an eyebrow, slowly rising to her feet and throwing her purse over one slender shoulder. “That’s a sweet offer, but no thank you. Who would you even call, anyway? The ambulance? I’m sad, not bleeding out.” She let out a short, bitter laugh.

[roslynsmoak]

      The girl’s apology meant nothing to her, because truly she took no offense to the words she threw at her. Everyone said things they never necessarily mean when they are upset. Roslyn shook her head and stood up straight before leaning her shoulder against the brick wall, peering down at the girl. Curiosity struck Roslyn ( then again when did it not? ),  and even though this woman was a practical stranger, she wondered what was running through her mind.

      “Well, I just saw a woman crying on the ground… Could have been experiencing chest pains… Could have just been belligerent considering you’re outside of a pub… It was the first thing that came to mind.” She chuckled softly, slightly awkwardly. Taking a seat on the ground, Roslyn set her bag to the side and looked at the woman. Maybe it was a bit odd of her, but Roslyn was always odd. She came from a small town in Alabama. That southern compassion wouldn’t leave her, even if it had been tainted by the different cities she lived in. “Okay, if I don’t have to call anyone for you, how about I just get you a cup of coffee across the street, yeah? Maybe just a little something to help whatever you’re going through…”

[auroraelswood-blog]

Aurora Elswood was the soft and gentle type of person normally, the sort of person who smiled serenely at her own misfortune and didn’t become too easily stressed, but her night at Blackbird Pub had been unusually shitty and long, and she was honestly ready to head home as soon as she could. Tugging her coat on before throwing her bag over one shoulder, she made her way out onto the street without bidding any of her coworkers farewell.

Stumbling out onto the cold and nearly empty street, she slumped against the comfortingly cool brick wall of the pub, pulling her knees below her chin and letting out a soft cry. She didn’t think about her foster father too often, about what he had done to her all those years ago, but one wrong look from a guy who looked vaguely like he did and she was seventeen and shaking and crying all over again, begging her foster brother to get her out of this hellhole, to take her with him to New York City, to take her anywhere but here. Lifting a trembling hand to her face, she wiped desperately at her blue eyes before she noticed a figure lingering nearby.

Scowling, she glanced over at them and raised a dark eyebrow. “What are you looking at?” she questioned, feeling the heat of their gaze on her. “I’m fine. Go away.” Her voice broke. “Please.”

[roslynsmoak]

      It had been what – three weeks? Four? It felt good to be dancing again, even if she was doing it alone in the studio. It isn’t often she got to sweet talk her way into staying in there late, but she was thankful the odds were in her favor this time. She danced to her favorite tunes by Regina Spektor and didn’t quit until she felt the familiar ache in her toes. Whenever she decided to leave, she didn’t bother changing into the clothes in her duffel bag she brought along, or even change out of her ballet slippers. It was a short walk from home.

      Pulling the strap of her bag onto her shoulder, she walked out into the cool night and felt slight regret from not changing into something warmer. She walked with a bit of urgency in her step, wishing to get to her home before it got any later and colder, but that’s when she saw her – a woman, outside of the pub, tears streaming down her cheeks. Roslyn’s pace began to falter.

      Just as she was about to speak, the woman noticed her presence and didn’t take too kindly of it. Roslyn tucked in her bottom lip and lowered herself to meet the woman’s gaze.

      “Are you okay?” she asked softly, ignoring the woman’s wishes, “do you need me to call someone?”

[stephcnie-blog]

         what had brought her out tonight? her mind had resigned to an evening in: she’d    taken a bath, even adding milk & honey to the water, and soaked in it for too long; all the while attempting to make progress reading a piece on egon schiele – yet ultimately failing. just a couple of paragraphs in and her mind was already elsewhere, immediately forgetting whatever she’d previously read. that happened a lot nowadays, more so than   it used to. stevie knew she’d always possessed a wandering mind, knew she’d always             felt chronically unable to settle on one disposition. it was why her work often felt    uninspired, colors scattered all over the place with no real aim, much like her personal   life, and themes askew. she’d spent over ten damn years studying art and its history, &    gone to countless museum exhibits before. they all seemed to center around a central     subject matter, or every artist had certain distinguishable stylistic flairs or preferences          that set them apart from others. you knew when you were looking at a painting by                                     schiele, just as you knew when you were looking at one by klimt.

   stevie had been struck, repeatedly, with the terrifying thought that she’d never fit in on             a spectrum. that she was forgettable; another name, another face in the masses.       nothing. & in her usual, blubbering fashion, deep breaths had to be taken before she              wound up crying – it seemed the tears came so quickly and over any little thing                                                                                             that could remotely set her off.

      ergo, when roslyn headed out only a few minutes later, and when the apartment had       officially become devoid of noise, stevie knew she’d made the wrong decision. what       came first – the fickle voice, or the fickle heart? the chicken and the egg. she hadn’t      even bothered to throw a robe on over her body as she checked the kitchen for wine:   there was plenty, but the mental image of herself lying alone in bed, finding her sleep in    a glass of red, felt more pathetic than crying in the bath. especially when put parallel to    the thought of roslyn out with her coworkers, going through the same motions. just – a             lot prettier, a lot more fun, and with a lot more company. it hadn’t taken long after                                                                           that for stephanie to head out on her own.

      as she retracted her arm then, stevie let out a light laugh and faltered a step back to give roslyn standing room. her eyes turned to her company before she glanced over her       shoulder to gesture to her own – a small group, of whom she only knew one person                            while the rest were new acquaintances – before turning back to roslyn.

      ❛         well, i definitely wasn’t crying alone in the tub or anything. i just changed              my mind, i s’pose. someone i know invited me out earlier this week, and i didn’t            want to intrude on you after i’d already told you no… that’d be rude. makes sense               that we’d run into each other, though— the bird’s where we first met, do you                   remember? we’ve come full circle, you & i.

[roslynsmoak]

     Stevie and Ros lived on two separate worlds. Or at least, that’s what it seemed like most days. Of course they had their few similarities, their particular love for wine and art, they were still somehow polar opposites. Despite their unlikeliness from one another, Ros has been able to read Stevie and learn the inner workings of her mind. Maybe that gift came from living together, or maybe they weren’t as different as Roslyn believed.

     Stevie was dolled up, the best dressed in the whole bar – though she was the best dressed everywhere she seemed to go. People could take one look at her and write her off as perfection, but Roslyn could see the emotion in her cloudy eyes and the meaning of her playful use of her words. She was more than the makeup, the dress, and all the beauty she oozed. But, much like always, Roslyn chose not to address it. No, not yet, at least.

     “Oh,” she spoke before glancing at the group she seemed to be with, “Well, I’m glad you came out. This place just isn’t the same without you.”

     A smile pulled on her lips at the memory of them meeting. It’s strange to think about how far they’ve come now, considering they spent most of their evenings in the living room they shared together. Roslyn never expected for her to need such extra help. Even though she was a goddamn mess most days, Roslyn always pulled through and scraped by until she got on her feet. It seemed like the older she got, the more hopeless she felt. When it came down to it, she didn’t know what she was doing. She talks so confidentially as if she has a plan for her life, but ultimately, she scrapes by unnoticed, never living her full potential. Then again, maybe she was past her prime. Maybe she has peaked, and this was her full potential – waiting tables in nameless towns, a different one every year until she runs out of road. 

     That thought brought an ache in her stomach, certainly not a feeling she wanted to get when remembering how she met Stevie. It should have been a joyous thing to meet someone like her, yet all she can think about is where she was then and where she is now. Will she ever show a hint of a progress?

     “We sure have,” she tells her and swallows the last of her drink to wash out her thoughts. “Can I get you a drink before you abandon me for your friends over there?”

[nvcr-weather]

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Saturday March 15, 2014: Jason Isbell: Cover Me Up

Support the Artist

[ezrpierce]

    The Frey native was sitting in a worn booth, mindlessly pushing grains of salt around the table to pass the time. He wasn’t waiting for anyone — really, he just wanted a burger — but Ezra’s last meal was his dinner the previous night and his stomach was contracting in hunger. It didn’t help that the diner was filled with enticing food and clinking forks. He continued to move the sour specs, creating random shapes and figures with them, and then brushed the contents off his index fingers to only start again. It was a childish habit, yet Ezra found himself a victim of it frequently. 

        Letting out a breath of air, the clump of salt scattered amongst the surface. He sighed. The man’s energy felt low, and needing to lean over and handle his own consequences appeared to be more effort than it was worth. Nonetheless, Ezra was trying to avoid his self destructive tendencies, so he straightened his slouched posture and slowly (but surely) cleared off the coated table.

        Thankfully, he could hear a waitresses steps in the distance.

“Hi there, my name is Roslyn and-”

        From the sound of the girl’s voice and the rarity of her name, Ezra was immediately thrown into a nostalgic frenzy. His memory jumped to New York — but more specifically, the moment the mystery girl fled the chaotic city and left not a remnant to remember her by. That was a while ago, however, and the odds of Roslyn, New York Roslyn, for a lack of better words, having made a new life in Frey were slim to none. So, when Ezra turned his attention to the waitress, the last thing he was expecting was a tall blonde, with familiar green eyes.

        “Ros…” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. His features were clouded with shock. “Shit, what are you doing here?”

[roslynsmoak]

      This didn’t happen to her often – both running into someone of her past and being at a lost for words. It was a double blow all at once and she wasn’t handling it as gracefully as she wished. Then again, the only thing that was ever graceful about Roslyn was her dancing. That thought alone made her think about the night they met, the late hours after her recital. It felt a little too coincidental that they were meeting once again in the after hours of a diner. Funny how life could play out like that.

      She wasn’t instantly speaking because she was afraid, she really wasn’t. Even though she did leave without a single word, it wasn’t something she imagined affected him too strongly. He knew that from the get-go. She was like the wind – breezes in and out of people’s lives. It just felt odd to be seeing him in place like Frey whenever she knew him from the bustling New York City. These places were night and day, the people were night and day. Yet, here they were in front of one another after imagining that the last time she saw him was just that- the last time.

      What was she doing here? Hell if she knew. She never had a good answer to questions like that.

     “uh,” she finally muttered, “I live here now… What are you doing here?” She began to feel as if that came off too strong. She quickly cleared her throat and felt a smile tug warmly at her lips. “I mean, it’s great to see you, but I never thought I’d see you in a place like this.”

[pistolpiper]

Piper turned towards the back row of seats in her car, pointing at the canvas bag as she spoke to Roslyn. “I brought you some of the clothes you left at my apartment, if you wanted to get out of your work uniform when we get there. We can slip in the bathroom before the tour thing,” Piper said, laughing at her inability to even describe the event with a sophisticated spin.

The music choice was flawless, as per usual. Piper met eyes with her best friend at the same moment, beginning to dance along to the classic pop song. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go reminded her of two things: the really flamboyant dance in one of the Wii Just Dance game series, and Zoolander. “Man, this song makes me want an orange mocha frappuccino,” she said to Ros, laughing.

After a few songs and dance anthems rolled through the radio station, Piper pulled up to the wine tasting place, closing her navigation system when it announced ‘you have arrived at your destination’ in a fancy British accent. Hopping out of the car, Piper waited on her best friend to join her before the two of them entered the building. The lobby just smelled classy, and it got Piper all pumped up for the wine tasting. “Look, there’s the bathrooms if you wanna change! I’ll get us signed up,” she offered, grinning at her best friend before waltzing up to the counter to pay for their entrance to the event. She had no idea what she was doing, but this was going to be fun.

[roslynsmoak]

      Piper knew her all too well. All Roslyn could think about was how much she was itching to get out of her uniform, and just like that, she pulls through and brings her a change of clothes. She would have hugged her right then and there if she could have. “You’re a lifesaver, Pipe,” she told her with a sigh, digging through the bag to see what was in there.

      The moment Piper sprung out with the quote from Zoolander, Roslyn instantly sprung out in unison, “Orange mocha frapuccino!” Roslyn busted out into a chorus of laughter, which seems to be all she does whenever she’s with Piper. It felt different to her, considering she normally didn’t get too close to the people she meets through the cities she frequents. Often times, she gained acquaintances and friendly strangers. But Piper was something different. Piper was her best friend. It’s been too long since she had one of those.

      The trip there didn’t take too long. Whenever they entered the lobby, Roslyn felt instantly out of place. She was sure some staggering strangers thought she was the staff. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. I better change before someone makes me go fetch them wine.” With a laugh, she wandered off to the bathroom with her canvas bag held close. She quickly changed into her comfortable attire, though she was glad it was a nicer top than most of the ones she owned (if they were experts at this wine tasting, they had to look the part too, right?). Roslyn walked out of the bathroom casually with her work uniform stuffed in the bag on her shoulder. It seemed like Piper was still waiting to be helped by the slow front desk clerk, so she took it upon herself to make the process faster. “Debra!” Ros called out to a random stranger in the distance, “Darling, we’ll be right there.”

      The woman looked around wondering who Roslyn was talking to. Roslyn looked at the man behind the desk. “Hi there, anyway we could speed this along? I know you’re very busy, and I do apologize for that, but if we don’t make it over to our friend Debra soon… Well, let’s just say she doesn’t know the difference between wine tasting and drinking the whole bottle. I hope you understand our urgency.”

[caleb-curtis-blog]

Caleb gives the woman an awkward kind of smile, feeling a bit of a fool for being hunched over in the middle of a diner, brushing the copious amounts of hair he shedded off a seat. It wasn’t even his hair - Caleb felt like that should make it feel less weird but it didn’t. 

“Ah, you spent time around ‘em, huh?” He queries, almost as if making conversation would distract from his current position. He straightened up after a second though, dusting off his butt a bit as he turned to face her properly. 

“No, uh. Don’t worrry about it - I’d hate to make you clean up after me. I just need to remember to dust off more often.”

[roslynsmoak]

      Although it wasn’t funny in the slightest, she couldn’t help but to stifle small chuckles as she watched while he furiously brushed off the fabric to no avail. She sat down her coffee pot on the table and placed her hands on her hips.

      “Yes sir, grew up by a farm and spent too much time with those horses over there. Everything I owned was practically covered in their hair,” she smiled brightly then reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a rag. “But if you’re not going to let me clean it, at least let me help. Use my rag. It usually picks up most things.”

[pistolpiper]

Even though she’d momentarily gone all puppy-eyes on her best friend when she feigned that she didn’t like her idea, she returned to her peppy self when Roslyn agreed. If Ros really didn’t like her idea, she’d probably pretend she was fine with it, but in reality.. Piper was kinda sensitive and she’d worked sort of hard on getting them a Groupon for this event.. so she was very happy her friend was as excited as she’d hoped.

She smiled with glee, yipping and jumping up and down in her seat before sliding out of the booth. “We’ve gotta learn how to make fantastic gurgling noises.. otherwise they’ll know the jig is up.” Piper laughed, taking another sip of her coffee. “Oh my god, I’m so excited though! I can drive us,” she offered, twining her elbow in Roslyn’s.

The two of them walked out of the restaurant, elbows locked to Piper’s car. She hoped Roslyn would agree to let her drive, considering she wasn’t the best driver in the world. Granted, she never got into accidents or anything, but she was a little speedy, and Ros had to knock the phone out of her hand sometimes so she wouldn’t text while she was driving, but she was working on it. Plus, she didn’t want to risk her best friend’s life while driving, so she had gotten pretty good at setting her cell phone aside… ever since one of those texting commercials told her statistics on how many lives she risked, etc. Piper was a little naive, and probably one of the only people that donate when “In The Arms Of An Angel” plays while a montage of puppies in harsh living conditions flashes on the television.

Anyway, so with the assumption that Roslyn was okay with her driving, she hopped in her hatchback, unlocking the door for her best friend to join her. “It’s only twenty minutes away!” She added in, with hope. 

[roslynsmoak]

       Letting Piper drive always felt like taking a risk. Now, she wasn’t a terrible driver by any means. She was just a little distracted from time to time – honestly Roslyn doesn’t know how Piper manages to get around without her being her personal motivator to keep her attention on the road. She didn’t protest to the girl driving, especially considering she had taken the bus that day to work (so it’s not like she could have drove even if she wanted to).

      Roslyn let her bag slip from her arm as she climbed into Piper’s car and let it rest on the floorboards. Delicate fingers pulled on her hairband to let her hair down – she always literally and figuratively let her hair down after work. After adjusting it to make it appear presentable, she buckled up and smiled over at her friend.

      “Get prepared to hear the best gurgling noises and pretentious descriptions of wine in twenty minutes,” Ros laughed, “my acting skills are gonna blow you away.” Turning on the radio, without really asking for permission or anything, she turned on an oldies station to hear the beginning of Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. It started to feel like a scene from the movie Zoolander as Ros looked over at Piper with a wide grin and mouthed the beginning words to her, “Jitterbug.”

[caleb-curtis-blog]

It’s always nice to have a quiet moment - Caleb gets a few of those, though usually they’re not really still. A corner seat in a coffee shop is about as still as it gets for Caleb during the day. He even got one of the nicely upholstered armchairs by the big windows, looking out across the street. He’d come from a riding session - the weather was pretty crap so the trekking party had cancelled, not wanting to chance it. That left Caleb at a loss for what to do - in the end he’d settled to get some coffee, figuring that’d be a nice way to spend some time. 

Draining the last of his coffee from his cup, Caleb stands - he could go for another, he thinks, so he moves to start towards the counter. That’s when he notices the rather large amount of horse hair left on the seat - that alone was bad, but the fact that it was pure white on black fabric made it even worse. 

“Shit,” he hisses, moving forward to begin trying to brush it off the seat - this is what he gets for letting himself be made a human scratching post for horses with itchy faces. It’s bad enough that he constantly smells like horses and hay, much less that he sheds everywhere he goes. 

Caleb spends several rather intense moments trying to wipe down the seat, only ceasing when he feels eyes on him. That’s when he realizes he probably looks a right sight, bent over trying to almost beat the hair off the seat of the chair. He straightens halfway, giving his watcher an awkward smile. 

“Uh… Horse hair’s kind of a bitch. I’ll be done in uh, just a second.” 

[roslynsmoak]

      Five more minutes and she’d be off the clock. She kept reminding herself that every time her eyes glanced over at the watch on her wrist, though she tried not to make it noticeable that she’d rather be home than working another double shift.  Grabbing the coffee pot, she decided to check on one of her tables even though they had already paid. It was one of the kinder customers which always inclined Roslyn to give a little more back to them.

      She pushed open the kitchen doors and wandered over to his table, but stopped in mid-step at the sight. He was bent over, wiping off the seat like there’d be treasure underneath the fabric. It was a little amusing, she had to admit. A small smile began to pull on her lips, though she was quick to hide it once he turned back and looked at her.

     Horse hair. Now it made sense. Roslyn was born and raised near a farm back in Alabama. She spent most of her days being around the animals, lending a hand to her elderly neighbor who kept up the farm as best as he could. It’s strange how quickly she forgets about those days.

      “Ah, gotcha. I remember the struggle,” she chuckled, “I was, uh, gonna offer you some more coffee, but I see you’re busy. How about you just leave it and I’ll clean it up for you?”

[pistolpiper]

     Piper jumped with joy to see her friend agree to go with her. If she were honest, she wasn’t that worried Roslyn would say no, but on the chance she’d already made plans with someone else, she still crossed her fingers while she was waiting for an answer. “Yay!” She cheered, not willing to offer up any details of her plan for them until she was out of work.

     She laughed at Ros almost knocking into another waitress, and imagined that was how it would go down all the time if Piper was ever a server. There was a reason she never applied at restaurants, and her clumsiness was number one. Applauding her friend by clapping her hands in a circle (get it - round of applause), and made a yikes face when they met eyes momentarily.

     Waiting patiently was never Piper’s thing, but she’d do it for Ros. At least she didn’t take too long, and when her best friend came back with coffee, she grinned and took a cautionary sip. “Ooh, just the way I like it,” She said in a faux seductive tone, wiggling her eyebrows. “So, here’s my idea.. but you can change it if you want.. seriously. If you hate it just be like ‘Piper, this is dumb.’” She laughed, setting her coffee down. “Okay so.. ever been to one of those wine tasting places? We should totally go and pretend to be fancy shmancy sommeliers… making up descriptors for wine and not spitting the samples out. You feel me?” Her face was anticipating Ros’ response, a big smile on her face. “Really if you hate it though, you can say something.”

[roslynsmoak]

      Even though Piper seemed to have a plan up her sleeve, Roslyn truly believed that it might have been as simple as watching movies at Piper’s place and eating take out. Which, by all means, sounded like a solid way to spend an evening. But then, like always, Piper surprises her with a plan that was the last thing on her mind. Roslyn’s eyebrows rose in curiosity as a smile slowly stretched on her lips.

      She was game from the moment Piper walked in, but it only felt fun to make the girl think she was going to say no. With the scrunch of her nose and a small grimace, Ros tapped her fingers along her coffee cup in playful contemplation. “Wine tasting? That’s all you got?” Yes, yes. She’s evil, but best friends are always evil to one another.

      A snicker escaped her and proved that she was only kidding. “Are you kidding me? That sounds fantastic, why would I ever think that’s a dumb idea. C’mon, would I ever pass up drinking wine with you? Not to mention, be total experts about it, because.. We totally are. I know everything about wine.” Translation: she knew nothing about wine. Well, except that she liked it.

[pistolpiper]

     “Actually,” Piper replied very matter-of-factly, getting ready to correct her (but in a loving, you’re my bff kind of way). “I’ve come to kidnap you.. and also, some coffee maybe.” The last part of her sentence came out all rushed and quiet, like a sidenote to her main point of kidnapping.

     “Unless of course.. you’re too busy for lil’ ole me,” She mocked Eeyore’s tone of voice in that sentence, before bursting out into almost maniacal laughter. This surprise kidnapping was really getting to her. One more comment and she’d turn into Ursula and steal Roslyn’s singing voice. Well, she’d probably steal her dancing ability instead, since this was a parody.

     “When you get off, can you come with me?” Piper now pleaded, stretching her arms out across the top of the table in a child-like gimme gesture. She was an actual infant. An infant.. with a plan.

[roslynsmoak]

     I’ve come to kidnap you. Even though she knew Piper had nothing but good intentions, she couldn’t help but to narrow her eyes at her after those words. Though, what could she say? She was just as spontaneous, always springing things on Piper without notice. Hell, she preferred it this way ( guess that’s why they click so well ).

      “That sounds dangerous,” she teases and tucks in her bottom lip before smiling, “so, I’m in. I guess I have time for you.” Not knowing what was in store was both exciting and confusing. Usually she pulled these stunts on someone else – ah, so this is what it feels like. Piper’s laugh caused her to break out into a chorus of chuckles and she simply shook her head in her direction.

      “Okay, crazy. I’ll go with you. Let me finish up around here.” Awkwardly moonwalking away from the table, she swiftly turned and nearly ran right into another waitress who came out with food. “Whoops,” she mumbled before moving towards the kitchen with a hint of embarrassment. Always graceful on the dancefloor, but never in control of her own two feet anywhere else.

      Whenever her shift came to an end, Ros grabbed them two coffees to go and stuffed her work apron down her bag. She walked out from the back and went to Piper’s table while shimmying her shoulders. “I’m free at last!”

[roslynsmoak]

@ezrpierce ;

      It had been a long night. Working double shifts back to back took a lot more out of her than it used to. The girl was just barely entering her thirties, yet she felt like she had the inner workings of a sixty year old. Between dancing in the little free time she had and working here most nights, she felt exhausted. It’s a good thing she has always believed that putting in hard work will get you where you want to go, otherwise all of this would feel very pointless.  

      It was nearing towards the end of her shift and a part of her felt very grateful how slow it was at these late hours… but the other part was leaning her head against the wall in the kitchen with her eyes half closed wanting nothing more than to get some sleep. Ros, you got a table out front. Those were the only words that were able to pull her back to consciousness. Pressing down the wrinkles in her uniform, Roslyn grabbed her note pad before walking over to the table in the front.

      “Hi there, my name is Roslyn and I’ll be serving you today. Can I start you out with-”

      And just like that, she forgot her words. Surprisingly, it wasn’t because of her sleepy mind. The customer struck a memory inside of her that she almost forgot about – New York, the time in her life when she was most optimistic. The time in her life when he was around. Suddenly she felt awake.

      “Ezra?”

[roslynsmoak]

📱

What ringtone my muse has set for yours:

I Can’t Wait by Nu Shooz ( because, let’s be real, Ros plays this song every time she drives around with Piper. It wouldn’t be surprising if she has already made up dance moves to it while driving )

What contact photo my muse has set for yours:

What my muse thinks of the way yours texts:

Oh lord. She loves this girl’s texts. They make her day, even if they aren’t really anything of importance. 

How quickly my muse responds to your texts:

Almost instantly, honestly. She’ll even sneak a text at work. 

How often our muses text:

All the time. Even if it’s ungodly hours of the night. If Ros is up, she’ll text Piper just about anything. 

How often our muses call:

Like texting, all the time. Ros calls for the dumbest reasons, too. She’s always either checking in or asking questions such as “Wait what’s that one song.. it goes like…” Ros finds any reason to call Piper.

Does my muse purposefully miss calls from yours:

Never. If she misses a call from Piper she most likely freaks and calls her right back.

Last text sent from my muse to yours:

okay, but hear me out. what if mulder and scully are right and the truth is really out there? because i’m just saying, that light in the sky DID NOT look like a plane. explain that. 

[roslynsmoak]

📱

What ringtone my muse has set for yours:

Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks 

What contact photo my muse has set for yours:

What my muse thinks of the way yours texts:

She finds it pretty amusing, because Stevie can go from sounding like she might kill her, sending the knife emojis and whatnot, then the next will be her asking for Ros to pick up some milk before coming home. Texting her is always an adventure.

How quickly my muse responds to your texts:

Depending how busy she is at work, she gets to her messages first. 

How often our muses text:

Ros would probably say never, but Stevie would probably disagree.

How often our muses call:

Pretty much whenever they are not together and no one is answering text messages, they result to calling one another. Though, Ros calls more than she texts so she probably calls Stevie more than she should.

Does my muse purposefully miss calls from yours:

Considering how gracious Stevie has been to her, there isn’t a chance she’d purposefully ignore her.

Last text sent from my muse to yours:

coffee is on the counter xoxo