#may 2018.

[allisonargvnt]

“After these last few years, sitting around doing nothing is driving me crazy.” Allison sighed, and turned to face the person she'd addressed. “Do you wanna’ do something? Go for a run, or do some training? I need to keep my body busy.”

[oliverfraserr]

Oliver should’ve known to expect visitors. Running a farm and stables was a huge job, but he’d still insisted to the Council he didn’t need any help. He wasn’t convinced they’d listened. Realising someone was eyeing one of his horses, Oliver bristled, protective, but managed to resist the urge to chase them off, not wanting any drama around the animals. “... You can say hello, if ya want.”

[henryxdetamble]

Henry watched on with growing frustration as the visitor continued to rummage through the books he'd just finished alphabetising, leaving them strewn out of order. The library had only just been officially opened, and it was already being demolished. Unable to stand it a moment longer, Henry approached them with a strained smile. "— Is there maybe something specific you're looking for?"

[tuppencetrinkets-a]

@theblueeyedvampire // earlier in the night at the hotel that enchantress ends up escaping 

       june & william; suicide squad / shield / crossover verse idk.

    The world was falling – falling apart around her, the ground cracking, shattering, splintering beneath her feet, the weight of it pressing on her shoulders, her chest, stifling and swallowing her whole… She could feel the intent of it, the sheer malice of it, the mirth of the thing inside her head smirking, dancing in revelry as piece by piece that held June together, held her whole and sane, chipped away.  Every day it was a little harder to separate where she ended and Enchantress began; darkness coiled tighter and tighter in her chest, suffocating her and there were moments, so many moments when she felt herself slipping —

    And then, there was a touch.  A gesture.  Simple, sincere, the weight of his hand catching her shoulder, squeezing lightly, carefully as he came to rest behind her, and she felt her chest release, felt the pressure in her head ease, a slow exhale escaping as her eyes sank closed and she let herself settle back against his chest and into his hold.  Her arms curled over his, pulling his arms close around her waist, her head tucking neatly under his chin as the trembling eased from her limbs slowly but surely.  “Anything important?” She questioned, her head tilting back a little, just enough that a peek upwards would allow her to gauge his reaction in the reflection they cast in the hotel window.  She’d assumed the phone call was business - probably Waller, if it had been enough to pull him away, but then it was only really that, an assumption.  “You don’t have to go, do you?”  

[allisonargvnt]

“Oh, hey. You remember me, right?” Allison started as she crossed paths with Jessica, not having seen her for a while now. A long time, actually. Enough for Allison to forgive the tension that had stirred between the pair, anyway. “I’m sorry, about what happened before. I was grieving — in a weird place. It's not an excuse, I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. That's not... that's not me.”

[tuppencetrinkets-a]

@magicandsciencemuses  // before the meeting w/ the war council. closed starter.

    Anxiety sat heavy in her stomach, a rock hard knot that she could not ignore no matter how badly she wanted to, no matter how hard she tried and she hated that it was so obvious – seemed so obvious, at least, to her, as she stared at her reflection in the wide, overly lit mirror in the hotel bathroom.  She had pulled her hair up, and down, into a half ponytail, and then loose, and now, finally, into a bun that sat too tightly, pulled at the edges of her scalp, but she was out of time, or close enough she realized, glancing down to the watch at her wrist as Takeshi’s reflection joined hers, hovering in the frame of the door between the bedroom and the bathroom.  Her gaze flickered up again to find his, lips pressing into a shaky version of a smile as she let out a small, slow breath.  “Showtime?”  

    She would have given anything to stay – to stay here, despite the lingering smell of cheap cologne and bleach that hung, cloying, in the air of the hotel room – to stay here, with him, just him, as if somehow that would actually allow her to forget about the world that waited outside these walls.  The people that waited for her, for her to put on the dog and pony show that Waller would demand of her … of the… creature that lurked, coiled, waiting for the moment, any moment of weakness to strike.  A hand lurched, pressing against her stomach as she fought the wave of anxiousness, the sour sting of nausea that ached in her chest and stomach as she forced herself to take another breath in, and out, turning to face him head on, grateful to see only him and not her reflected image.  She knew that he couldn’t see it; the whisper of smoke, the half hidden outline that lurked in the corner of her eye, that glinted and leered in the reflection of the mirror – the crescent crown, the dark and luminescent skin, superimposed over her own – 

    “I guess…  this is it, then.”  It was too late, now, to back out.  She didn’t have a choice, but to placate Waller, to parade Enchantress before the council, to hope that this would not be the time when June Moone gave way to the witch… for the last time.  “You look –”  A smile, a flicker of warmth in her gaze, a subtle relaxation of her shoulders as she let herself enjoy this moment, because what else was life, now more than ever, but moments?  “Nice.”  Better than nice, honestly, but then…  when didn’t he?  

[tuppencetrinkets-a]

@opheliaavery // continued from [X]. 

He had long since grown accustomed to the stares (or so he liked to believe) but he could not help but be aware of them if only for her sake. He did not doubt for an instant that she was accustomed to being watched, as much as one could ever become used to the scrutinizing gaze of strangers, but he doubted she was used to the subtle edge of pity that he read ... or perhaps read in to the glances they had received. Beauty and the beast — he struggled to keep his thoughts from spinning out of control into the pit of self loathing that lurked like a whirlpool in his head but it was omnipresent especially in the moments like when he had surveyed the menu; doing his best to guess which items on the menu would come in prepared bite sized pieces. Still awkward in his own skin, but her presence was a balm - a dangerously addictive one for they had known each other for so brief a time and yet already he was enchanted.

The restaurant had been a suggestion given by the clerk at the hotel he was staying at, he knew it was not as luxurious as she was likely accustomed to but he was glad that she had enjoyed it, had enjoyed the time spent in his company and he had been guilty of drawing out the meal as long as he could without being overtly greedy. He didn’t want the night to end, though he knew the voice in his head was to blame. The voice that whispered that she was only being kind, that pointed out that he was old enough to be her father, the voice that whispered that she would smile and wish him a good night when it was over and that this would be just another bittersweet memory for him to play over and over in his head until he had seeped all the pleasure from the memory and was left only with another ember of regret and anger.

But then she smiled, and her gaze, fierce and soft all at once, met his and he felt his heart jump into his throat at the feather light touch of her fingertips, soft and gentle, against his and in that moment the voice, the niggling voice of contempt and anger dissipated, washed away, drowned out by the glimmer in her gaze and the way that her cheek almost creased into a dimple as she smiled at him.  “I’d like that,” Carl replied, hopeful that the way his words had half caught in his throat wasn’t noticeable, and the fingers of his useable hand curled, lightly enough that she could extricate herself with the least bit of effort.  “Are you cold?”  Just as quickly, his fingers slipped away from hers first, albeit with an inner reluctance, as he made to slide out of his jacket and offer it to her, to drape around her shoulders or for her to slide her slender arms into at her leisure.  “Take my jacket.”

[maiaroberrts]

“Oh — hey.” Maia startled, swallowing down the sting of hurt she felt at seeing Chris there as she returned to behind the bar. She'd really been hoping he wouldn't show up, that he'd just signed up long before they'd met, when the call first went out. But she'd been wrong, and stupid to have thought otherwise. Men were all the same. “Thought I saw your name on the sign-up sheet.” Uncomfortable now, she looked away, watching as the various singles began to file in. "It's gonna get really busy soon. Can I get you something?"