( @domfm​ )

“Hello Dominic,” Philly greeted, coming up besides him - hands clasped behind her, and eyes inquisitive, “You seem very authoritative. Do you like treehouses? I believe them to be very good for the environment.” There’d been about a dozen band-aids wrapped around her hands, hidden from view - splinters from woodwork.

( @maggotlaw​ )

“I brought something for your garden,” Philly stepped over the rows of flowers, careful  - item hugged close to her chest, swaddled in a jacket and held as if it’d been a newborn. “I had to barter for several days to get this, so I do hope you appreciate it. I think it’s very impressive.” 

dclgados​:

the moon is nearly full, the night clear save the clouds that have swum across it and hang around it in the sky like a thick white collar, like one of those ones they used to wear when shakespeare was around. there’s this field with a wooden fence around it that marks it as maybe private property, maybe some kind of incognito golf course, and noah’s perched atop the fence looking at the street where his truck is parked halfway through the cheap as shit smoothie he got from mcdonalds. it tastes like it might have a lot of sugar in it, but who is he to question a smoothie? naught but a humble college student. he squints up at the stars. he’s starting to wonder if he might need glasses, but he can still see ‘em well enough – he just feels like they’re a little blurrier than they used to be. he figures he can just squint a little until he’s dead. there’s movement across the street, and he switches to staring at the skunk making its way across the road. he doesn’t think it’ll bother them. “aw shit, look,” he says, voice lowered so he doesn’t scare it away. his gaze falls to maria, who’s switched from lying lazily at the bottom of the fence to sitting up, alert. she barks tentatively, as if unsure whether or not this situation warrants such dramatics, and noah leans down to scratch her behind the ears. “you stay quiet, now.” @philcmena​

while she’d had no preference between night and day, both worthy in their own rights - there’d always been a certain draw to when the moon rose, when shadows leaned heavy to the trees; when they were scarier than during the day, despite being far less tall, far less wide. easier to make nothing out of silhouettes, philly supposed. easier to make something out of nothing, when there’d been none of the light’s guidance. she thought it was silly - though, the light was still there, it’d never gone - just reflected, that’s all. the source was all the same. the moon’s light was the sun’s light, after all. she’s perched besides noah - and she’s somehow managed to eat every single oreo crumb from her mcflurry, leaving nothing but vanilla ice cream. she’d been subtly flinging it behind her - food was not pollution. she swore the tall grass liked it, anyways, the sweet of vanilla. she wondered if plants could taste, like how she could taste - wondered if they’d like sweet, or if they’d prefer sour. her mouth tasted a bit like grass - remnants of a cottonmouth, though she’d already drank all the water in noah’s truck. she thought a lot - really. not too much, though. just enough. her eyes flicker towards the skunk - intrigued, instantly. she doesn’t have to lower her voice - it’s naturally low, naturally quiet. bike tires against gravel. “do you think it likes vanilla milkshakes?” philly asks, leaning forward to look past noah - she’s sure she’s got a splinter on her ass, somewhere, from it - but she doesn’t mind, regardless. “i wish to befriend it. i have mushrooms in my pockets, too. vanilla beans and mushrooms are a very delectable meal, don’t you think?”

( @chasemery​ )

“Hello Chase,” Philly said - quite seriously, as she slid into the seat across from him, manila folder smoothed out on the table before them and hands folded atop, “I have very serious news I must share with you, quite urgently. It may come as a shock, so I’m glad you’re already sitting down. Would you like me to begin?”

lcofowler​:

“You like?” In what was probably the world’s worst Borat impression, Leo held a handful of knock-off crystals towards the other, “I got them in Provincetown, wanted my aunt to charge them for me for good luck and all that but she, like. Basically spat in my face. Said my energy was too negative right now. It was the biggest slap in the face, so I’m just gonna fuckin’ do it myself,” Hesitating for a few seconds - mostly, because he realized he didn’t actually have a clue what he was doing - Leo eventually inhaled deeply, before blowing on the crystals for a prolonged amount of time. Satisfied, he lifted one so that he could press a kiss to the smooth exterior, holding it up close to his counterpart’s face in invitation, “Okay - your turn.” @radopens​

"They’re very nice, Leo,” she complimented - eyes peering down curiously at the crystals despite the fact that she’d brought home her own from the very same place ( she had shoveled as many as she could into her pockets ) - they lifted right back onto Leo’s with a furrow of her brows, “Marjorie said your energy was too negative?” though her tone betrayed nothing, monotonous as it’d always been - he expression had said enough. She only had the utmost respect for his aunt - her word had been as good as law ( though Philly would reckon it better than that ) - trusted the older woman as much as she trusted the campus witch. “It must be an exaggeration - you should charge your crystals yourself to begin with - they are yours, after all,” Despite that - contradicting her words, Philly lifted the crystal to her lips - only for a moment, before she’d been making a face and holding it back. “Oh my,” she said, “Oh dear,” she repeated, brows furrowing further. “The negative energy is practically radiating, Leo. Did you cleanse them beforehand? In moonlight or salt water? Are you feeling alright?” One hand clasped over his, over the crystals that laid in his palm, she stood up on her toes to press the other to his forehead - a quick gesture, but one that lingered regardless. “I collected salt water from Provincetown to make sea salt, but maybe we ought to douse these down first. Have you meditated recently?”

a goblin approaches you in a gloomy underpass. he opens his coat and presents three items: a cloudy marble that's too slippery to ever hold still, a small triangular amulet caked in black mud or a locket that you can hear screaming from when you hold it to your ear?

“after careful consideration and my own previous experiences, i believe that the cloudy marble would be my choice. it may be more useful than it first appears, even despite the troubles it may bring with never being able to hold it still. i have no interest in necklaces, amulets or lockets alike. but even an ordinary marble is useful.”

agate, emerald, jasper

agate: how my muse calms down

“i am not often distressed, so it’s hard for me to determine this. maybe one day i will be upset enough to figure this out.”

emerald: how my muse tells someone they love them without words

“i think this is private and unknown to even me, but i do hope that they know, in some small way - even when i do not.”

jasper: what my muse would be like as a parent

“we would travel the world, i imagine. the most knowledge comes from your own experience, after all.”

MAGNOLIA

MAGNOLIA: Favorite kind of candy?

“peanut m&ms and lemon drops.”

you and leo have been getting extra close lately, anything happen on the trip?

“things happened during the trip everyday, it was very exciting seeing all of the themes.”

what was the best moment for you on this trip?

“freya and i found a secret room, which was very exciting. it had a lot of leather and ropes - a real life, modern torture chamber. it seemed very used - which was slightly concerning. i wanted to shine a black light in search of blood, but i couldn’t find one in time. it was a shame, but i suppose there’s nothing else i can do, now. it was a thrilling adventure, however, and i’m very grateful for the experience.”

( @freyatm )

what happened in the last nightmare you've had?

“all the birds had gone, and the grass was at a standstill. my vision was chartreuse, everything doused in it. the trees didn’t hum, and the ground felt like it was moving. like when you run your hands through a river, or feel the current against your ankles as your feet slip against cool stone. except it wasn’t smooth like water - it was rough, like how dirt often is. i didn’t like it - i had a very awful sense of impending doom - but i’d lost my arms, so i couldn’t pinch myself awake.”

benjigates‌:

Benji sat cross-legged in the sand, digging his fingers into the sand and pulling out piles in order to make it into a square structure. “Philly?” Benji asked, squinting into the sun as he made out the features of her legs and the silhouette of her face, arriving to that conclusion on his own. “You want to help me make a miniature city?” @philcmena​

She thought that if she laid there long enough that the sun’s energy would restore hers - photosynthesis, almost - half expecting something to sprout from the top of her head or the soft of her belly as she waited - but nothing happened. Only pink skin. “Hello Benji,” Philly turned over, elbows dug into the sand, “I would be honored to,” she rolled over ( it’d been easier than rising, just to walk a few feet ); careful not to flatten the mounds he’d been forming. “Would you like me to begin on a moat? All cities should have moats.”

judehayward‌:

Spliff pursed between his lips, Jude yanked on both oars to row them further. He looked even more dishevelled than usual – flannel shirt incorrectly buttoned, oversized, sleeves rolled past his elbows but one unfurling, loose to his wrist – but you wouldn’t know it from his demeanour, wish wash and impartial as ever. Letting out a breath (or taking one in, maybe, he couldn’t particularly tell, everything blending into each other with the fog his mind was in) steadied his pulse, oars left to flop limp as he meagerly lifted eyebrows at her. “You, uh… you studied the materials?” He said it like they were consulting a credible book of creatures, not a haphazard sketch he’d done on the back of a pamphlet. It had tufts for eyebrows, webbed tear ducts and a snout like a badger. “Prepared to sacrifice myself, as bait. If it, uh… If it comes to it. Lure it out the caverns.” @philcmena​

Sitting atop folded legs, Philly had imagined herself as someone very far away - on a lake, or a river, maybe; the wind hadn’t been salty, but fresh. Pine and podzol, maybe. In her imagination - Jude’d been wearing a clean button-down, white and billowing - it felt fit for the occasion, and she wore white, too ( though that hadn’t been surprising - she wore white often and took pride in the stains that bloomed throughout the day; often grass, sometimes blood and skin ). It hadn’t been a romantic thought by any means - but it was comforting, in a way, if she had desired comfort; she liked that they had the same lavender-rimmed eyes, sick with unrest. “Oh - yes,” she nodded back to the ocean waves - they’d been soft, like they knew they’d be rowing that day, “They’re very curious, Jude. I swear I’ve seen this exact creature in a dream before,” Philly tapped at the pamphlet, careful not to smudge what’d been drawn. “Do you think it lives here? I’d like to meet it - I have many questions for it specifically. Feel like they’re a guardian, almost. Not evil, just ancient. Your sacrifice would be highly commended, I imagine - and that’s how these sort of stories play out, isn’t it? Someone always gets sacrificed.”

lcofowler‌:

Laying, all but flopped out on the picnic blanket he’d snatched out of the closet of their cabin, Leo knew he probably went a bit too crazy at the pool party earlier in the day. If the way he couldn’t even come to a stand properly had anything to say about it - catching himself once and then wobbling for a few seconds when he finally stood. If he had common sense, he would’ve cancelled, but something didn’t feel right about passing up on time with Philly, “Hey! Look what cat is dragging -,” Giving up on the horrendously misplaced quote, Leo spent his time instead with pulling Philly into a hug tight enough to lift her up off the ground, “I’m glad you’re here. I’m really glad. It’s a perfect night. The stars are, like, totally beautiful, right? Real romantic,” he pointed out, despite no stars out considering the still setting sun. @philcmena​

Her hair’d been pinned back about a dozen times - to combat it’s frizzy frame; sea salt and chlorine all in one day - moons and hearts and butterflies and whatever else clips she’d managed to find at the bottom of her backpack. It made her look a bit wild - an island’s castaway returning to civilization; the bridge of her nose’d been burnt, obvious tan lines from where straps once laid across her shoulders - wild, but presentable, she thought - suitable enough, for the occasion. “Hello Leo,” Philly greeted - as she did, ordinarily, with an easy smile, arms wrapped around his neck in return. It’d been subtle - almost, the way he teetered as he’d lifted her off the ground - in fact, it hadn’t been subtle at all, her hands coming to rest on his arms as her feet met the ground again; partially for the contact, partially to keep him stable. Still - her smile’d been bright, nodding seriously, “They’re very beautiful tonight,” Her hands slid to his, tracing over the lines of his palms with her thumbs, “The light pollution isn’t too terrible here, so they’re very bright. I hope we see something in the sky - unidentified flying objects are good luck, you know.”

( @freyatm​ )

“There’s not much left in here,” her voice was half obstructed - head cut off from view as Philly leaned into the cabinet, almost, knees against the counter top as she rummaged through the belongings of strangers. A pile of their dishes - fancy, and expensive - dishes and bowls and mugs, had already been formed besides her ( half of it had fallen, already, shattered across the ground haphazardly though Philly hadn’t seemed concerned in the slightest ) as part of her endeavor, “Oh - this is very nice,” she said, finally - poking her head out to look at Freya, a single teacup in her hands. “I will keep this one,” Philly closed the cabinet door and shuffled across the counter - sending the rest of the dinnerware off the edge in the process. “That was fun. What now?” She still held the single teacup.

( @teddylawrence​ )

“Teddy!” The sun’d been harsh that day - harsh, but Philly could withstand it ( she hadn’t lived in California so long for nothing, after all ) - face and shoulders still white from the sunscreen that’d been slathered on quickly, sloppily, new freckles already sprouting at every weak point; collarbones and wrists, and ankles, and at the back of her knees, above her elbows, “I’m feeling very competitive today,” This was how it always began - competition, light reflecting off of the sunglasses that’d been tossed up, tangled in her hair, matching the glint in her eyes that only spoke of mischief, “So I’ve signed us up for volleyball. I would’ve asked, but I’m feeling very selfish as of late, I hope you can forgive me.”

lcofowler‌:

The moment Philly had kissed Leo, he’d known he would be in trouble. It’d taken them long enough to get to a place where she felt she could - whether she’d actually wanted to before or not wasn’t the case here. Leo would wait for her forever, but he wasn’t known for his patience or high morals. Just the way she rolled her wrist, waggled her fingers in front of Leo’s face, had him wanting to lean forward and close the distance with a kiss of his own. But there were rules between them that he’d never really experience with anyone before - and if there’d been rules in place with anyone else, Leo hadn’t cared enough to want to follow through with them, “Fuck a wrist guard. As long as you stay careful,” The second statement was more of an afterthought than anything. Leo did everything at a 10, always encouraging a reckless and carefree lifestyle, - Philly didn’t need help with that, anyway - but it’d felt necessary to add it. To show that he needed Philly to stay intact, in one piece, “I missed seeing all your fingers. They hurt at all?” When he asked, Leo had started to reciprocate her touch, fingers ghosting in between her pinky and ring finger where the space used to be covered, taped together to speed up the healing process. It hadn’t occurred to Leo, when they’d been encased in casting, to be angry at the plaster, but he was now - just a little bit, a reasonable amount, he figured, for hiding skin he could’ve held and touched the night she’d kissed him. Raising her hand to his mouth, Leo pressed a tender kiss to the back of her pinky finger - he figured he was being quite good, with a move so chaste, incapable of holding himself back anymore fully after hearing her admit that she’d wanted to see him, “I think the idea of you climbing up to my window in the middle of the night is totally romantic, but you’re always welcome here, anyway,” Which had been made clear - Marj had been a real stickler with her rules, something she’d never been in the past, but obviously one too many scares had gotten to her. Leo wasn’t sure how Philly managed to sweet talk his aunt into letting her come inside, but he wouldn’t have been surprised if it didn’t take a lot - Marjorie thought Philly walked on water, “Not to be the most dramatic person ever but you’re gonna be hard pressed to find me ever turning you away. Even if they, like, threatened me with jail for life if you ever stepped foot in here again. We should be fine, anyway, we’re not performing sacrifices or anything, so,” Body finally caving in, annoyed with itself for being so twitchy over how little they were touching, Leo reached until he was gripping just below her elbow, tugging her forward until she got the hint, rising from her chair to settle in his lap instead, “I missed you. A lot. You miss me, too? I already know I missed you more - let’s have a competition and see. I like these competitions where you stay safe, now.”

With all the stories that Juno had fed her throughout the years - before Philly had up’d and ran away without a second thought - she had imagined this to be something scary, something terrifying in its’ own right. Liking someone, like how she liked Leo; always held in suspense for their next interaction - sought after it, even - she’d never once sought the affections of another before. It was comfortable - like she’d been drawn into a sheath, though not in the slightest stifling. A second skin, no different from her first. “I’m usually always very careful. The tree was a fluke. It won’t happen again,” it was a promise - even if she hadn’t outright said it was, but it was. She learned quickly about the things that did hurt - about danger, and where it lurked. The signs and what to avoid, where to avoid, who to avoid; and though it often felt as if Philly thrown herself into heedless situations, almost on purpose - she always knew better, knew more than she let on, always. Always. A dreamer with very keen eyes. “No, but they tire quickly - weaker, now. It’s only temporary, but still an inconvenience. I forgot how tedious serious injuries were. Very inconvenient.” Forgot hadn’t been a word she used lightly - prideful in her mind’s capabilities - and her memory, especially, it was a word she’d begun to hate - but there’d been no time to linger on the things she disliked, even if they were true - the thoughts escaping her as soon as they’d risen, his lips on her skin ( even as simple as the skin on her pinky - it was a surefire way to garner her attention, without even knowing it ) drawing her out of the tangent inside her head, “It is, isn’t it? I could throw stones at your window, maybe - though ours were broken for the same reason, and I’m very low on funds because of my medical bill, so I wouldn’t be able to pay for the repair,” Her brows furrowed - more to do with the fact that she wouldn’t be able to repair the windows, rather than the reason why, “I’ll just keep delivering bread to Marjorie, she’ll never say no,” It was a terrible thing to take advantage of - but Philly permitted herself to be selfish, just this once ( or however many times it’d be until Leo had been allowed to leave his house again ), “I don’t like the thought of you in jail,” it’d been a quick response, intense yet sure, “I’d break you out, though, if it happened. I’ve been doing a lot of research, and I think that the prison you’d be most likely to be sent to is considerably weak in security measures. I could do it. I have a van and a very convincing tone of voice.” As far as one could tell - she was serious about it, undoubtedly so, voice low as if it were a real plan, not to be heard by anyone else. Just them. “I did,” she confirmed it with a nod - sliding onto Leo’s lap all too easily; second nature by now, so used to the gesture, legs strewn across his and hand finding its’ place at the nape of his neck - using the spare moment to take in his appearance, now, from his slicked back hair to the unfamiliar shirt, all collars and buttons; knew instantly that it hadn’t been his, “I did miss you - I think about you often, and sometimes only you,” her hands fiddled with the collar of his shirt, fingers occasionally brushing against skin - it’d been the most straightforward that she’d been, vague usually with her words; always vague with her words, always leaving room for interpretation. “Am I winning?” There were things that she wanted to ask him - not about his affections ( those were clear, and she hadn’t needed reassurance ) - but about the case; her joints were tense, always, now - when she thought of it, worry aching at wherever it could grasp; her shoulders, her head, her wrists and elbows and knees, each individual knuckle. It wasn’t unbearable - but it weighed onto her. Still - Philly pocketed it, her concerns and her worries and all her questions - just for now, just for the moment. Her hand cupped his jaw - stroked at the skin there, against the bone - and it stayed there, as she leaned in closer, slight sigh escaping her; something of comfort. It stayed there as she tucked her head into the crook of his neck, pressed a kiss there, and lingered there - curled into him, as much as she could, as far as she could - another sigh, voice muffled, now, from where she laid her head, “You’re very important to me, Leo. I think I would’ve left by now, if you weren’t.”