@thegreatworkofmagic asked: *violent puking noises* {Can be saved for a future plot with Pheebs just had to send it in ^-^}
ER Sentence Starters
His brow rose when he heard the noises coming from the other side of the bathroom door. It had been lasting for more then ten minutes now, he realized with a glance at his watch.
He gently knocked on the wooden door. “Phoebe? Baby? Ye’re a’righ’ in there? It doesn’t sound…too healthy.” His teeth sank into his bottom lip. Maybe Leo could help her; or maybe there were potions for such a case? Hell, what on earth did he know…
Bury the Hatchet or Bury A Friend | Phoebe x Sam x Avery
Phoebe
Phoebe shoved a Marlboro Gold between her crimson lips as she weaved through the crowded street, waving on her newest business partner with her free hand. Their recent alliance was already proving to be lucrative with the whereabouts of the bookstore attacker secured. A little too secure for Phoebe's liking.
"My contact’s shop's just up the road." Phoebe quipped, not wanting to waste any more time. Especially when a potential lead could turn cold, or worse get thrown into Azkaban. Upon arrival, she cast her eyes at Sam "Let's go. He's expecting us."
Sam
Sam kept up with Phoebe’s pace with ease, though that wasn’t overly impressing considering his legs were practically the size of his new companion. He wasn’t quite she what to think of her yet, nor was he sure if she would be a reliable partner, but right now he couldn’t afford to let the opportunity slip. Besides, it wouldn’t be hard to get rid of her if she betrayed him.
He was mostly the muscle of this operation, even if he wasn’t a vampire it wasn’t often people tried to fuck with the giant man, especially not when he was visibly pissed off. He gave her a nod and a quiet grunt in response, pulling his jacket closer to himself. As they approached the store, he opened the door, a small bell sounding, and held it for the younger woman. “Ladies first.”
Avery
Avery raised his eyes from the inventory notes he had been taking for what felt like the dozenth time in the past ten minutes. Of course, he always greeted customers when they arrived — as was the polite thing to do — but he was expecting some very important company that afternoon. When Phoebe had approached him with a lead, he was surprised to learn that the otherwise quite solitary woman would be bringing the owner of this particular lead along. The allomancer still wasn’t sure if he could trust the spitfire woman, let alone this new stranger, but he had pulled his weight thus far and he could only hope that they were prepared to do the same.Directing his employee at the front of the shop to keep an eye on things for a moment, he greeted his new... business partners.
“Miss Maddock—“ Avery nodded to the smaller woman before lifting his gaze to the tall stranger. “Perhaps introductions are better done behind closed doors... if you will both follow me.” He canted his head towards his office before leading the way, directing them behind sturdy wood and soundproofed walls.
Phoebe
Phoebe stamped out her light, allowing the last bits of smoke and exhaust to fill her lungs before entering. As per Sam's request, Phoebe strode through the familiar doors to Allomancy. She nodded a deliberate thanks to the taller man, taking a quick second to marvel at his impressive height. Phoebe liked to think she had seen it all, but she never seen a man quite as tall as Sam before. It was curious, and it would have to wait.
"Lestrange." Phoebe nodded back, bringing her attention to the man behind the counter. "Lead the way." She was familiar with the manner in which the eldest Lestrange had conducted his business affairs having worked with him a number of times in past. It was no surprise that they were going to keep the contents of this particular deal private as well.
Phoebe then nodded a second time. This time at Sam as if to wordlessly say that it was all clear and then proceed to follow Avery to the more secure location. If they were going to work together they would need to develop a systematic form of communication.
As instructed, Phoebe waited for the door to close behind them before she began the introductions. "Lestrange, this is Samuel Prince. He owns the bookshop down the road.” Her eyes darted between the gentlemen. "Prince, Avery Lestrange. I do believe the lot of us have similar interests. Interests that involve the outcome of recent events and Lestrange’s particular skill set.”
Sam
Lestrange was a familiar name to Sam, it was about time he met the eldest. He was unsure how the interaction would go; he was go friends with Viv, but Marius was a whole other story. Hopefully this man wasn’t as annoying as his brother, otherwise he might have to eat him, too. However, he trusted Phoebe knew what she was doing, at least for now, and Sam was too desperate to turn down her services and information.
His usual extroverted demeanor was replaced with an irritable and quiet mask, returning the young female’s nod and trailing after her and the eldest Lestrange silently, the only sound coming from his black boots against the floor. Sam nodded at the other gentleman, muttering a quiet “pleasure to meet you” even if he knew the circumstances were anything but a pleasure — even after all these years he couldn’t help his manners, he guessed that was his mother’s doing.
Avery
Avery nodded to each of the visitors in turn, noting how even he had to lift his gaze to meet the other man’s. He only vaguely recognized the other store owner despite his striking size and features, but he had heard plenty about his misfortune. The damage wasn’t irreparable from what he had seen, but the vandalizing had already caused a lull in business for himself— he could only imagine what such a targeted attack must have done to Sam’s. Not to mention the added drama of Potter’s mental break; from what he had read in the papers, the victim had been a friend of Prince’s. Surely that was motivation enough to team up with a vengeful Maddock, but Avery couldn’t help but wonder if there were something else driving him to such extremes.
“The pleasure is mine. My deepest apologies about your storefront, I know better than many how that kind of attention can influence sales... though I suspect business may not be the only reason you’ve come.”
“Nonetheless— I have kept up my end of the bargain thus far. This room has been carefully safeguarded by yours truly, I trust we can speak freely among these walls.” The metal charmer pulled a ring of keys from his pocket, opening the cabinet behind his desk and pulling a sturdy black box from one of its shelves. He brought the box to the table, raising an eyebrow at his occasional business partner.
“Have you informed him what I have been tasked to do?”
Phoebe
Phoebe scanned the room, deep brown irises narrowing with intent as she inspected the area for any ill will. It was more out of instinct than mistrust, and general good practice when it came to making these sorts of deals. Judging by their similar interests and previous work together, she didn’t have reason to distrust this Lestrange.
Satisfied, Phoebe nodded towards Avery allowing the pair to finish up their introductions before continuing on with more urgent matters.
“He has been briefed.” Phoebe confirmed, her eyes flickering towards her new ally then back to the eldest Lestrange, hunger and impatience apparent in them now. “As have you. Now, enough with all the small talk. Let’s see this prototype of yours.”
Avery
Avery nodded his head, fighting back a wave of nerves and excitement as he took out his wand, large hands working over the box with a series of quick mutters to unseal the item from its case. He was nothing if not thorough, but he couldn’t help the concerns that had wormed into the back of his mind. Working on this new piece had left him feeling equal parts challenged and accomplished, and while he was confident in his abilities, there was always a certain risk that came with such prototypes—a risk the other two couldn’t exactly afford considering their plans. He would have loved more time to develop and test, but felt comfortable that they would find use in the piece as it was.
“You’ll notice it looks very simple—unassuming. Exactly what you would want for such a task.” Avery slid the long silver cord from its box, twisting and turning the enchanted metal in his hands to show how it could be linked and unlinked, extended and shrunken.
“The base metal is no longer than a standard necklace, so you’ll notice it can’t shrink beyond that length. However, the charms I have layered should allow it to wrap and extend to your bidding... but there is a catch. Such a binding charm can only be broken with certain materials. Long ago they might have used a unicorn horn, but we don’t exactly have time for such unwieldy tools..”
Sam
After living through the Middle Ages and all of the lovely torture devices of the time, the puny ass chain almost made Sam laugh. Instead, a scoff escaped his lips and his eyes rolled. Who even was this guy to be making something for their task? Phoebe trusted him it seemed, but Sam wasn’t sure if he could trust her either.
“Are you going to tell us what it does or would you prefer we guess?” The vampire sassed, arms crossed over his chest and dark eyes piercing into the younger male. He couldn’t help but distrust him, he was a Lestrange after all. Of course, he loved Viv, but if Avery was anything like his brother he might be the next on his grocery list.
Phoebe
Phoebe’s eyes managed to widened at the silver chord as it resized itself several times, then regrettably sink as Avery's explanations continued on and on. Phoebe didn’t have time for all the subtle nuisance and intricacies of the product, not while Alfie's killer's still drew breath.
In an attempt to ease Sam’s frustrations that mirrored her own, Phoebe stood on her tiptoes and placed a hand on as close as she could get to the tall man’s shoulders. She, too, was beginning to grow impatient even if she respected Avery and his craft enough to tolerate his introductory ramblings.
But enough was enough.
"Perhaps a demonstration.” Phoebe suggested, darkened irises flickering towards the noise proof door. A smirk snaked across her crimson lipstick. “I saw a few willing participants in the store front."
Avery
Avery wasn’t offended by Pheobe or the stranger’s reaction, if only because he was confident that the cord’s complex hidden utility would prove them wrong for underestimating him. He was slightly put off by the man’s attitude, but trusted that Phoebe would not take someone on as a partner if he were incompetent or not to her liking. Desperate as she may be to find out what happened to her brother, he knew his business partner was nothing if not ten steps ahead of the game.
“I was getting there,” the allomancer replied cooly, “Though business is already at risk as it is, so perhaps a volunteer would be more appropriate?”
Avery raised a challenging eyebrow, extending his hands with the cord for one of them to allow him to fasten it. “You see, when the metal is melted down for production I am able to add certain ingredients and elixirs to imbibe the metal with. Only trace amounts of course—“ he reckoned they didn’t care much about how added liquid could change the composition of the metals and compromise the item, but his point still stood. “Enough to produce certain qualities, however. For example, if an allomancer were to have some veritaserum on hand...”
Sam
A small huff escaped the young vampire’s lips as Miss Maddock’s hand met his shoulder, containing the urge to shrug it away. Be nice, he told himself, even if the gesture reminded him of Teddy and Teddy made him want to rip his heart out of his chest like a Mortal Kombat fatality, except on himself.
Anyway, he wasn’t overly impressed by his new companion, but he was already getting attached to Phoebe and wasn’t going to let her try out Mr I-Have-A-Crazy-Brother’s new contraption. Sticking out a tan hand, he pulled up his leather jacket’s sleeve to expose his wrist, allowing the stranger to fasten it around him.
Avery
Avery wasted no time, slipping the cord around the taller man’s wrist, wrapping the cool metal several times before attaching it to itself. He pulled back, the tail end following his own hand as he leaned against the desk. “Now, Mr. Prince... I want you to lie to me. Have you ever killed someone?”
Sam
If Sam was being completely honest, this was the only question he didn’t want to be asked. He released a breath, closing his dark eyes before mumbling a quiet no.
Avery
Avery watched as the cord began to glisten faintly, felt as the heat began to travel from his end of the cord to the taller man’s wrist. The heat was tolerable enough to maintain his grip, though surely after prolonged exposure it would be blistering. A faint smile graced his lips, just barely concealing the pride he felt at seeing his invention serve its purpose.
“Not to worry, Mr. Prince— there will be no judgement here. Business is business after all, and your presence here tells me all I need to know for this particular transaction.”
“Would you like to test it for yourself, Miss Maddock? Or shall we set our friend here free?”
Phoebe
Phoebe leaned in watching intently as the device was fastened around the taller man's wrist. Her lips twisted into a wicked smirk once the demonstration was underway, and she nodded at Sam impressed not only with his readiness to volunteer, but with his answer to Avery's question. Having Sam in her ragtag crew was continuing to prove more and more valuable.
"The more lies the more pain." Phoebe confirmed. It wasn't so much a question as it was a mere admission of the facts. A simple yet effective formula.
"That will be enough. I'm not interested in injuring my associate before we get our hands on the bastard it's really for." She faced the eldest Lestrange now. "And how long are these effects projected to last? Hours..?" she trailed, matter of factly, a plan already beginning to form in her mind. "Days?"
Sam
The stranger’s chain barely phased Sam, but he supposed it would do — after all, most humans couldn’t endure the pain he did after he was sick with the plague, repeatedly cut by Medieval healers in attempt to bloodlet the disease, and then changed into the monster he is today.
“It’ll do,” he shrugged, barely flinching at the affects. He was sure they were beginning to question his humanity, but he hoped they’d keep their mouths shut. If they ended up trying to spill his secrets like dumbass Marius, they’d end up missing and look like victims of the Guardians. At this point in time, Sam wasn’t looking to play with his food.
Avery
“Precisely—“ Avery nodded to the smaller woman. “Naturally I haven’t had the chance to test its prolonged effects, but I imagine there’s a certain threshold after which the heat ceases to increase, or else we would reach a melting point.”
“The effects of the charm won’t fade, though they don’t seem to last for a particularly long time following each lie. More of a detecting charm than anything, not unlike the Sneakoscope. If the lie is present it will continue to radiate heat, but you will have to get creative if they choose to remain silent — though I’m sure you’ll have no trouble with that.”
Avery turned to grab a dagger from the box, returning to his position in front of Mr. Prince once more to gesture for his wrist. He broke the chain with the blade, the cord shrinking back to its original size. “Unicorn horn. Not the most complex, I’d have liked to work out a more functional binding system for the future... but for now it should do the trick.”
Phoebe
Phoebe nodded as Avery rambled, committing the details to memory. The piece about getting creative was particularly of interest to her, and she shot Sam a pointed look, perhaps a bit too eager. There certainly was something deliciously peculiar about her new ally, something that Phoebe hoped would prove most useful to their future endeavors together.
Once Sam was set free and logistics were sorted, Phoebe pursed her lips tightly with a hand positioned at her hip and irises like draggers aimed to pierce. Nothing was ever simply handed over to the middle Maddock. There was always a deal or catch, and everything had its price. She then faced Avery, “I assume something of this value doesn’t come cheap...Name your price.”
Sam
If he was being honest, Sam was rather bored. Sure, the trinket would be useful for their plan, but Sam didn’t need fancy gadgets to cause pain to their victim when he grew up around blood, torture, and death. But Phoebe seemed excited and interested so he tried to focus on what the stranger was saying. However, he couldn’t help tuning the pair out and becoming lost in his own thoughts. There was too much going on and too little time to process it all.
The talk of money brought him back, blinking a few times before he felt focused. He was prepared to spend on this endeavor, but he had a feeling Mr Lestrange didn’t want money, he had enough of that.
Avery
“Ah, you always were the quick one—“ Avery set to carefully packaging the cord back into its box with the knife, setting the case free of its various security charms. “Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed this little task. I don’t get asked to work with such... complex parameters... very often. I would be happy to do this without compensation, however...”
“I’d like to be kept in the loop. While I do have a certain image to maintain so that we can keep making arrangements such as these, I consider myself invested in your cause. I have lost in this tragedy as well, and we will all continue to do so if this is allowed to continue.”
The allomancer extended the case out to the woman. “Perhaps we can continue to be of assistance to each other. Surely there are contacts that we don’t share... I can keep my ears to the ground if you are willing to do the same.”
Phoebe
“You have yourself a deal, Mr. Lestrange." Phoebe reached to grab the package from Avery, careful in her movements as she wrapped her thin fingers around the new toy. It's not that she didn't trust the allocmancer, she simply wasn't accustomed to such terms. Then again, information wasn't exactly cheap.
"I believe this is the beginning of a very lucrative partnership." She offered Avery her hand, extended her it towards him. All deals needed to be sealed. "I look forward to continuing business with you."
Sam
Normally Sam would feel awkward at moments like this, however he was at a point where he genuinely didn’t give a fuck. He found himself tuning them out, fiddling with the lip ring he had gotten a few days ago. Probably wasn’t a good idea to play with it, but he wasn’t a human and he was pretty sure the piercing was already healed.
Only when he heard Miss Maddock say they had a deal did he go back to reality. He shoved a hand into his pocket, waiting for the pair to tie up loose ends before he gave Mr Lestrange’s hand a shake. Sam kept silent, apart from a quiet grunt. He didn’t really need Avery’s toy, he was only there because of Phoebe. If they didn’t get what they wanted, Sam would have to pull strings of his own.
Momo stopped in the middle of her braid she was making for Phoebe as she thought about what the girl had asked. She hadn’t thought about her feelings for Elias before, and sure she probably did have a small crush on him, “Oh..? What makes you ask that..?” She really just tried to avoid the question, a little embarrassed.
send me a εїз and i’ll make a starter with a line from the last song the mun has listened to @ohphoebe
She was’t sure how they’d started a conversation about their high school dreams since it was a topic that Chris usually tried to avoid but as she was sitting in the chair as Phoebe cut her hair, somehow she just felt more open about stories. It was weird how that went. “I almost dropped out to move to LA where I was almost famous for almost a day.”
One thing that Seth definitely didn’t do was get drunk when he was around a significant other’s parents. He knew that was a bad idea but Phoebe’s mom had somehow kept him plied with wine and Seth felt as though it would have been too rude to say no. Though doing his best to drink water too and keep a level head, his tongue was moving faster than his brain could keep up with, especially in response to yet another hint about marriage. “Marriage, right? How great that is. You get married and then what? It’s not like it suddenly makes everything better? It just all becomes more complicated until one of you leaves or finds someone else and the other is left with a big gaping hole. Marriage... really isn’t all that great. So overrated,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
@thegreatworkofmagic asked:
"Shh, it’s alright. shh. It was just a nightmare."
therapy / talking about trauma / post - trauma starters
What with his real father revealing himself to him, Eric had thought for the nightmares to finally stop - but they hadn’t. Even with Phoebe sleeping next to the thief, those memories still came back to haunt him. Now, it wasn’t as regularly anymore as it used to be, but still just as raw, hitting him right in the guts.
Sweat running down his face, he sat in bed, sucking in one deep breath after the other to try and calm himself down somehow. He swallowed, weakly shaking his head at Phoebe’s whispered words.
“It wasn’t,” Eric rasped out in a murmur, another shaky breath being drawn in. “ ‘t’was a mem’ry...” No strange nightmare demon this time.
