Marlene’s eyes had deviated to the window for some amount of time, her knee bouncing up and down in double time to the rhythm of the train’s wheels. Keeping still could be so hard sometimes. Out the window at that moment was just pastures, nothing new. When they got back to the castle she intended to at least make the girls take a broom ride with her, the later at night the better honestly. A little hum left her lips and she lazily turned back her head to one of the three gingers she was currently sitting with. “Did you say something?”
@scribeswhocode replied to your post: [pm] [d: please tell me you're not busy] Hi are...
[pm] Great! I already left my apartment and I will be there as soon as possible. How late can I stay again?
[pm] Until I move out, so a few years? How does that sound? ;) But seriously, stay as long as you’d like! I have lots of tea and our food is well-organized and I know we have some (or perhaps more than I’ve noticed) things that have the little Kosher insignia.
I do have a question though -- I love hanging out with you, but why the sudden need? Is everything okay?
In Ashford River, Molly and Bridget deal with a deal gone somewhat wrong.
ft. the AR Boyfriends (aka Xavier and Jonas)
Molly was lying on the grass with one earbud tucked into her left ear as the other laid uselessly in the grass next to her head. The headphones had become a permanent accessory for Molly it seemed, and even at work the older Scribes didn't say anything to her about her headphones any longer. Not that they held much hold over her to begin with. Her father and grandfather held pretty high positions in this chapter and basically gave Molly immunity from any of the other Scribes that might have a problem with her or what she wore to work daily. But today wasn't a work day. Today she was just waiting for whoever Bridget had set up to buy some information to show up. Molly used to just supply the information for Bridget and let her handle the physical deal, accepting her cut afterwards. But she grew tired of sitting in the background and requested to start coming along just because she had grown bored. But waiting for this buyer to show up was equally as boring. "Is this a repeat customer? If so he sucks." Molly groaned from the ground, looking over at Bridget. She had been to a few meetings with her by now, but none that she had to wait outside in the cold for.
Bridget was sitting up, legs crossed as she scrolled through her phone, only half-paying attention to the buzz of the town around her. Her hair hung around her face in perfect curls. Her contact was supposed to arrive now, and she hated waiting. Always had. It was part of why she'd straight up applied early decision to college -- and even that hadn't been fast enough. "Where the fuck is he?" She glared at her phone, typing out a quick message. "He's repeat, but he's usually quite prompt." She glanced over to Molly. "You haven't heard anything, right? Because he's running on fifteen minutes late now and I'm ready to move on with my day." Her phone buzzed and she looked down. Someone else, not the guy they were supposed to be meeting. "What are you listening to?" She nodded at Molly as she pulled a package of gum out of her purse and unwrapped a piece. "Want one?" She held it out to her friend.
"He's quite late today," Molly pointed out the obvious, shaking her head at Bridget's next question. "Nope. I don't even know who the guy is. You made me promise not to hack into your stuff remember?" Molly had made it a habit of reading every file of every Scribe member that worked in Ashford River. Including Bridget's. And sometimes Molly took it a little further by adding a backdoor into their computer systems, especially if Molly thought it might be useful to her in the future. But the closer that her and Bridget became, the quicker Bridget became aware of just how capable Molly was with computers. She made Molly promise not to look into her personal things soon after that. Being the good friend Molly was, she had decided to respect that wish. "Avril Lavigne of course." A true pioneer of her generation and severely underappreciated. "Don't mind if I do" she popped the piece into her mouth and chewed for a bit before blowing a big bubble and letting it pop.
"So I've noticed." Bridget rolled her eyes. "I do remember, but I don't know, maybe you heard something from him." She tapped angrily at her phone again, red manicured nails clicking against the screen. "This isn't him, FYI." She said, chewing on her gum. "Some bullshit trainee Scribe wants to talk to me and ask about all my studies, just because one of my dads published that paper about fae languages. Like I give even one shit." She sighed. "Avril Lavigne? Not bad. A little dated, but hey, I like a girl who can appreciate the classics." She giggled, before blowing a bubble with her gum and sucking it back in. "I swear, if I get frostbite I'm going to kill somebody." She tugged her jacket tighter around her body.
Molly shrugged from her spot on the ground, barely doing anything except wrinkling her leather jacket. "I let you handle the people stuff I just steal the information." Molly had purposely built a login system into the Scribe server she created, specifically created as a security system for purposes exactly like how Molly now used it. The irony killed Molly too. All information logged or pulled up was kept under a specific Scribe number assigned to each person. That way she could keep track of who used what. Luckily Molly knew the only way around that. It's what made her so valuable to Bridget. "Have you told him that he can just look the stuff up on the computers and read the files for himself?" Molly suggested, a small part of her still acting in defensive of the to-be Scribe. She didn't care enough to actually get involved with it though. She glanced over at her phone, which currently had the camera feed from the park pulled up on it, to see a figure approaching the entrance. "Hey this dude looks shady is this your guy?" Molly asked, tossing her phone at Bridget.
Bridget nodded. "I'm aware, I'm quite a people person, funny enough. Thanks daddy and papa, at least you did something right." She made a face. "You know that I'm forever totally grateful to you for that, right?" She smiled over to Molly. It was true, she had grown incredibly fond of the other girl. Her job was possible to do solo -- she'd done just that back in Salem -- but having someone else made it all the more enjoyable. "I have. He says, and I practically quote, 'Oh, but Bridget, I want to talk to you.' Though he used the letter 'u' for 'you', but whatever." She glanced over to Molly's phone. "Mm-hmm, looks like him." She pushed herself off the ground, stuffing her own phone into her jacket pocket and crossed her arms over her chest. "Remember, he's curious about ashrays, right? He's just a warlock or something. Should be no problem-o at all."
Molly sat up and smiled widely at Bridget, "I know." She had been pretty thankful for the two finding each other. Before Bridget Molly had only ever stolen one file from that Scribes, and that was for Jonas. But that had been it. She had basically done nothing in her entire life wrong and had grown so incredibly bored of it. She needed something a little more flavorful in her live. "Maybe he has a crush on you. How adorable." Making a heart symbol with her hands and finally getting to her feet also. "Right. I got the flashdrive right here." She fished the flashdrive out of her jacket pocket and waved it around before stuffing it back into her pocket. "Ooh here comes the broody warlock right now. Work your magic Blythe."
"Well, so long as you know." Bridget grinned back to Molly. At least there was somebody else in the stifling place that was Ashford's HQ who she could stand to talk to. She made a face as Molly continued. "Oh I hope not. I mean, I am hot, but I don't think Xavier wants to share me, at least not with the boy who's been begging for the chance to talk to me. But hey, maybe I'll do it anyhow, wear an extra nice outfit, make his year." She let out a soft giggle. "Thanks a load." She nodded. "Don't call him that to his face, but I'm on it." Bridget fluffed the ends of her hair and made her way over to the man -- tall -- not as tall as Xavier, she noted with pride -- hair with way too much gel, a tattoo on his neck. As if he could become anything more of a stereotype. "We've got what you asked for," she smirked, making sure to keep the grin on her face as she stared up at him. "Every. Last. Detail." Bridget took a few steps closer to the man, relishing in the moment. "We don't disappoint," she cracked her gum, "so now all you've got to do is tuck that check of yours that I know you've already written," Bridget winked, "right into my pocket and my friend here'll give you just what you asked for, and then all of us can be out of this frigid weather." She blew out, her breath crystalizing, as if to make her point all the more clear. "Well, this'll be of good use." He replied. "But I wanna see what I'm getting first." He looked over to Molly. "Not given, just a view."
With a sort of astonished amazement, Molly watched as Bridget seemingly flipped a switch around different people. In front of the other Scribes Bridget was seemingly a perfect Scribe, living up to her legacy just as Molly was. And yet when she was with Molly she did almost a 180. Sarcastic, making fun of any Scribe that had dared to talk to her that day. She seemed real. Then in front of this man is was all business, with just a bit of fun tucked into it. Bridget was so good at playing others that she actually started to wonder just if the Bridget that Molly saw was the real one or just another mask. Whether or not that was the case, Molly couldn't help but like Bridget even more. Then the warlock turned his attention onto Molly and asked for the information. A preview at least. Right. Confirmation of the goods. People were good for this. She pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and found his phone rather easily. Searching for Wi-Fi out here in the middle of the park? Not the wisest decision. She hacked into his phone easily and then pulled out the cord that connected from her phone and allowed someone to transfer a Flashdrive's information onto a cellular device. "Check your phone" she said, just as his phone began chiming. "Take a good luck now dude. Because that file will delete itself in about thirty seconds." As the grumbled and became distracted looking at his phone Molly grinned at Bridget and gave her a nonchalant thumbs up.
She almost wished Xavier could be here to watch her. But Bridget thoroughly enjoyed everything she did on her own. Without her sister around -- like her fathers had attempted to force upon her when she was a little girl. No, this was all on her own, and she'd gotten a true friend out of it in Molly, and so really, what was the harm? She could detail this to Xavier later when she went to his apartment. He'd said that he had a special surprise for her. She hoped it was new clothing. As the warlock -- Garvey -- spoke, Bridget chanced a glance over to Molly, watching in awe and appreciation as she worked her magic, before she turned back to Garvey. "I -- we -- don't disappoint." She winked at Molly. "This is good." Garvey said, voice gruff. "But I don't know, you're only two little girls, should I really pay you the full amount? This'll just be used for one quick viewing -- after all, that boy should be exposed for what he is, after all, and you two are charging quite the steep price." Bridget took a step forward, lips in a straight line. "We deliver, you pay." She glanced over at Molly. "My friend's done a fucking brilliant job, here. Also last I heard, you weren't doing this for any sort of bullshit exposure. I thought it was to gain some of their water or whatever. What gives?"
Excuse this creep, Molly was above average height for a female. She rolled her eyes at the man from a few feet back and began looking through his phone. Bridget even sounded a little confused as to his motives. Not that the two generally cared much for the reason behind wanting something from them, only caring about the highest bidder. But when those bidders went back on the money, Molly became a little more curious. She started going through his text messages, searching for anytime he used the word 'Ashray'. She flicked through a few messages that he had exchanged with a man who popped up in his phone as bae. Original. "Bridge. He's trying to expose a Scribe" She questioned out loud. Very clear, the name of a man that the two worked with at the headquarters who was clearly a an Ashray according to the file Molly had read when she started, was splattered all across their messages. "Our files detail how to kill an Ashray." Molly didn't care for the Scribes in any way, but she had worked with the guy. It wasn't like she wanted him to die. Molly took a deep breath, knowing that showing weakness was only going to make things worse. Instead, she did the next best thing she could think of. "Tsk tsk. You told your banking app to save your password?" She looked down at the phone dramatically, "And it's just your birthday backwards? Gotta do better than that dude." She tapped away at the phone, making sure to be extra loud with it. "You bitch" He growled, inching forward, but she held up a hand. "It'd be a lost cheaper to just give us the check than let me transfer out as much money as I can type in a second. Spoiler: It's a lot."
"Hm?" Bridget stepped away from the man for a minute, casting her eyes over to Molly. She'd had a bidder back out once before, or try to, until Bridget got him to change his mind. But this was different, and during that time she hadn't had Molly around to see if something else was up. Until now. "I don't--" care, she wanted to say, but the words caught in her throat and she let out a sigh before flashing a glare over to Garvey. Damn Molly and her still mostly-present morals. At least when it came to caring about their co-workers. Not that Bridget advocated death, but she just wanted the deal cut and down with now, before her whole body froze. "Fuck off, Garvey." She moved away from Molly again. "You told me it was just so you could have fun with a bothersome one. You know I don't" -- usually "sell out my coworkers. That's some bullshit you're trying to pull on us." She crossed her arms. "My friend's not shitting you, so you better do what we say." Garvey took a step towards Bridget and she felt her body stiffen just slightly. "No can do, sweet-heart." He blew a kiss at the two of them. "You said you'd deliver, I never made you any kind of promise. So give me the file and all'll be well and good."
Molly could transfer all of the money out of his accounts in seconds, but that didn't seem to bother him. And without being able to threaten him electronically, what could Molly even do against the man? He was a warlock after all. Even if he was just a regular man she wasn't sure if the two could fight him off. Molly knew she couldn't. She inched backwards almost instinctively, letting a wave of fear wash over her. They could run right? Maybe they could. Could he stop them with some kind of magic? She played with the flash drive in her jacket pocket and thought about just handing it over to him. But before she could pull it out she saw a ridiculously tall figure approaching from behind the man. Next to him was a slightly shorter man and Molly was overcome with relief. "This douchebag giving you a problem?" The taller man called out curiously. The boyfriends were here.
Bridget wasn't sure exactly what do do. She had half a mind to grab the flashdrive from Molly and step on it, but what good would that do? Garvey didn't seem to be the sort to let things like that go lightly. Or maybe she could grab the flashdrive and just give it to him. One fewer scribe for the world to have to deal with. "I--" she'd began, before Xavier and Jonas appeared and Bridget let out a sigh of relief, flashing a grin over to Xavier. "He is." She pouted, just slightly. Not enough for it to be whinny, but just enough that he came over and pulled her closer to his body. "Dude, what gives?" Xavier said, his voice slightly gruff. "Breaking promises can lead to other broken things, let that sink into your mind." Bridget glanced over to Jonas, wondering if he'd speak up or if he and Molly were going to let her and Xavier do all the talking. She almost hoped he'd speak up. The two of them had shown up, the least they could do would be provide some use to the situation.
"What do you want me to do with him?" Jonas whispered into Molly's ear s he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. She stood just a few inches short than he did, just enough for him to rest his chin on her shoulder. Molly grinned. "Well a few broken bones wouldn't hurt too bad would it?" She asked out loud, mostly to the four of them. With all four of them here, this warlock did little more than annoy Molly. "What do you two think of some broken bones?" She called out to Bridget and Xavier.
"I wouldn't be opposed to a little of that, how about you?" Xavier pressed his lips against Bridget's head. "I haven't done that in a long while." He glanced over to Jonas and back to Garvey. Bridget found herself straightening up a little taller. Not that she would have let someone like the warlock ruffle her, but having both her and Molly's boyfriends here just made everything all the more thrilling. Especially when Garvey was at least four inches shorter than Xavier. "It might be a proper response, given how gosh darn disrespectful he's been to us, don't you think?" Bridget blew a bubble with her gum and let it pop! against her lips, sucking it in. "What goes around comes around, huh? In all sorts of funny ways."
"Fuck you guys," The warlock growled, pulling the crumpled check out of his pocket and practically throwing it at Bridget and Xavier before scampering off across the grass and out of their line of sight. Molly and Jonas both immediately busted out laughing. "What a fucking prick" Jonas laughed, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket, popping it in his mouth, and then lighting it, "Should let me go after him. I could catch him." Molly shook her head and shrugged his suggestion off. "Don't worry. The ARPD are going to realize that they actually have an open warrant for arrest on Garvey for attempted murder soon." She beamed from her phone, then pulled herself free from Jonas and made her way over offering a high five to both Xavier and Bridget, "We crushed that deal I think?"
"I love you." Bridget giggled, blowing a kiss toward Molly. "Best to let him go," Bridget began, glancing up at Xavier, "you can beat something up later, okay?", she bent down to pick up the check, pulling it tight between her hands, "we got paid and didn't even have to give him anything!" She gave a high-five to Molly. "I think this calls for extra celebration, if I do say so myself. Not every day you just get money and an afternoon off, hm?"
“I say we got get some drinks" Molly suggested. She was still underage, but Jonas had an in with more than a few of the bars here in town. And all of the owners knew Molly now by association. They didn't mind letting her drink when Jonas was with her. "I could really go for a cheeseburger right now" She laughed, wrapping her arms around Jonas in a hug before falling into pace with him, walking alongside Xavier and Bridget. "Maybe you'll get lucky and some drunk guy with start a bar fight Xavier. Then you can break some bones." Nothing was better than making some money on the side then spending her day off with her four best friends.
@mollyhiatt replied to your post “[pm] Hi! [...] Sorry if it's weird of me to reach...”:
[pm] [user realizes from previous conversations with Regan that she indeed doesn't know why she's apologizing.] Yeah, I'm safe. I was in my apartment. [...] That storm was [...] weird. Were you safe?
[pm] Me? [user thinks back being stuck in a tall pine tree circled by aggressive moose monsters] The conditions were suboptimal. I am unharmed though.
The morgue is full... saying "very" would be redundant, but I cannot express enough my lack of exaggeration. None of them were killed by weather
[pm] Hi! [...] Sorry if it's weird of me to reach out to you. I just didn't I think we're friends so is it okay if [...] Do you know anything about this storm?
[pm] [sent before phone died last night] Molly. Hello. I don't know if it's weird and I do not particularly care. [...] Are you safe? [user looks down at the murder moose] From the storm, I mean. And anything else.
[pm] Hey! I [...] I'm sorry this has nothing to do with murder or tits or anything else that you wanted to hear about but I ran into someone who told me I needed to reach out to you. [...] I talked to Metzli recently. At least, it was them part of the time that I spoke to them. They didn't recognize me at first but eventually they did and they said I should talk to you
[pm] [user almost deletes this message because it's not about tits or murder]
You did what? I thought they weren't Why me? I never want to speak to anyone. And why turn you into the messenger? I mean you utmost disrespect when I say that I would rather receive message via pigeon. At least they would speak to me about tits.
What was your name again? You had some sort of dog name. Sparky. Spot. Margaret. Good girl. Something like that.
