#second half coming soon to a theater near u
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Tomorrow Under the Stars
a Last Night at the Telegraph Club fic
Despite Lily's family sending her away from Kath—away from everything that she has ever known—Lily is determined to find her way back to Kath.
Aka, Some missing scenes between the last chapter and the epilogue.
#well. half of a last night at the telegraph club fic#second half coming soon to a theater near u#in which vi actually writes#last night at the telegraph club#lily hu#kath miller#malinda lo my beloved u are an excellent author i hope this did justice#gift fics
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FIC: A Waffle Lot of Trouble (baon)
Summary: Edge has learned many things since he began his relationship with Stretch, gone to a variety of places, done so many things. Surely he can endure this travesty. Surely he can survive...the Waffle House.
Tags: Spicyhoney, Established Relationships, Domestic Fluff
Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.
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Read it on AO3
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Read it here!
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“Explain to me why we are doing this?”
Edge followed Stretch through the door beneath the glowing sign and the reluctant drag of his boots did not stop his husband’s determined march.
“three reasons,” Stretch said. He did not loosen his hold on Edge’s hand, as if suspicious he might flee if given a chance and Edge couldn’t say he was wrong. “one, because i’m craving horrible unhealthy eats and your cooking, while delicious, doesn’t qualify. two, you’ve never been to a waffle house and it is an experience that everyone should enjoy—”
“Endure.”
“—enjoy,” Stretch insisted stubbornly. “which brings us to the third and most important reason. you love me.”
“I do,” Edge sighed. This wouldn’t be the first occasion that his adoration would take him to strange and sometimes fascinating places for unique meals. They used to do it quite often while they were still dating and Stretch was doing his weekly restaurant reviews for his twitter. Somehow the banquet had dwindled off as he slowly ran out of places in Ebott to review. It was a shame, really, and perhaps he should speak to Stretch about starting up again. There was no reason they couldn’t travel a bit further out of the city so long as proper security measures were taken. It would be enjoyable to find another small hole-in-the-wall or old family business eager to share their signature meal.
From the looks of this place, the food would be better left unsigned.
The booths looked as if they’d been torn straight from an old sitcom, padded red vinyl with the occasional patch attempting, and occasionally failing, to hold the stuffing in. It was a match to the stools lining the long counter, separated by little islands of napkins, condiments, and straws nestled together. The overhead lights were glaringly intense with one in the corner flickering with seizure inducing intensity and in the other corner was a jukebox to complete the scene in searing neon.
If horribly unhealthy food was what Stretch was craving, then he’d found its haven.
“c’mon,” Stretch tugged at his hand to pull him along and Edge’s dragging stride had nothing to do with the cane he was leaning on. His husband led the way to one of the booths, still chattering, “i used to come here all the time before we got together. sometimes when i couldn’t sleep, i’d sneak out and take the late bus out and sit here for half the night, taking up space.”
There were so many horrible things wrong with that statement that Edge couldn’t pick one to start with; the very idea of Stretch alone on the bus after midnight, or him here and equally alone, hanging out with the sort of Human patrons who were eager for cheap, greasy food in the wee hours, or the last indignity, that he’d hidden his excursions from his brother. Anything could have happened and the fact that it didn’t only barely kept Edge’s mouth shut.
Then his teeth ground together for another reason as they halted in front of one of the booths.
The table was the sort of sticky usually reserved for movie theater floors and while Edge tolerated it beneath his shoes, having it beneath his elbows, or worse, beneath Stretch’s bare hands, was entirely unacceptable.
Before he could give voice to one of his many protests, Stretch was already rummaging through his bag, this one with the chemical formula for caffeine boldly on the side. "don't worry, babe, got you covered."
He pulled out a package of disinfecting wipes and busied himself cleaning not only the tabletop, but also the plastic bench seats and even the salt and pepper shakers. Everything on the table got a thorough wipe down and as soon as the seat dried, Edge grudgingly sat. Much as he was relieved that Stretch came prepared, the fact that he knew to be prepared did not instill much faith.
He tried very hard not to think about the state of the kitchen.
Edge picked up one of the freshly wiped down menus to frown at. “You still haven’t explained to me why we needed to come at 3am. We could have come at noon for the lunch special.”
“nah, that’s for soccer moms and octogenarians,” Stretch scoffed. “you come at 3am ‘cause that's when you go to a waffle house, babe! it's a liminal space, a place of transition, where you cross over from one space to the next and—"
“If I’d known we’d be traveling so much I would have worn better shoes.”
“always got jokes, babe,” Stretch snickered. He lowered his voice, leaning in. “but seriously, look around.”
Edge was well familiar with the subtleties involved in a careful awareness of one’s surroundings. Without lifting his head, he looked around the diner. There were only four other customers, all of them with plates already in front of them. One a group of college-age Humans who might have been fashionably dressed up for the club a few hours earlier but now their makeup was running from sweat, their hair fallen and straggly, and simply by looking at them, he had a fair assessment of their current smell. The other person, who looked as if they might have been in prison as recently as last night, was forcefully shoveling what might have been hash browns into his mouth. It was difficult to tell; whatever it was had enough ketchup poured on top to give even Sans a pause and a moment to reconsider. He could very well have been eating shredded napkins beneath that thick layer of red.
None of the Humans paid him and Stretch any mind, so Edge silently wished the man good fortune on his recent parole and returned to looking at the menu while touching it as little as possible.
The door that presumable led to the kitchen swung abruptly open and a harried waitress came through it, coffeepot in hand. She didn’t so much as give them a second glance, only thunked down a pair of heavy white coffee mugs and poured them full to the brim.
“Be back to take your order in a minute,” she said distractedly.
“take your time.” Stretch was already tearing open sugar packets to add to his cup. He took a sip, grimaced, and added several more.
Edge reached for his own cup, already braced for whatever burnt dregs ended up as the primary flavor, when the ancient jukebox suddenly came to life, blaring out a jaunty 50’s style tune about raisins in toast. Edge jerked, cursing softly as he spilled hot coffee over his hand. He hastily stripped off his glove and turned to glare at the jukebox…except there was no one by it. No one else was even looking at the blasted thing.
A light touch on his hand sent him jerking back the other way, to find Stretch holding out a fresh pair of gloves for him with one hand as he continued to peruse the menu with the other.
“Thank you,” Edge sighed out. He dried his stinging hand with a napkin before sliding on the gloves.
"no prob. that happens sometimes," Stretch said absently. "the old waitress here swore the jukebox was haunted. whatcha getting?"
The sudden u-turn from the supernatural to the mundane was nearly enough to add to his whiplash. Edge picked up the menu again with his fingertips, still trying to touch it as little as possible. He doubted if Stretch’s supply of gloves was endless. "If I had blood and flesh, a tetanus shot. Since that isn't an option, I'll settle for the ubiquitous waffles.”
Not that he had any intention of eating anything. He only hoped that pushing it around his plate and perhaps mashing pieces with his fork would suffice. He added a silent prayer that he might be able resist the urge to slap Stretch’s plate away like a poisoned entrée before he carried his husband back out to the safety of their car. It would be a enduring struggle, he was certain.
Sudden shouts rose and Edge jerked again, turning to see that a set of the college-ish humans were engaged in a combination of shrieking and hairpulling, while their companions shouted at them, in encouragement or deterrence, it was difficult to tell.
As quick as it began, it ended, and they all returned to the table, eating their fries and cheese sticks while one held a napkin to their bleeding nose and the other, a glass of ice water against her swelling eye.
“Stretch—” Edge began, low. The best waffles in the world weren’t worth putting his husband anywhere near this sort of danger and certainly not the greasy globs of fried dough that were on offer here.
“hmm?” He turned back to see his husband hadn’t even seemed to notice the brief outbreak of brawling three booths away. Stretch only flipped the menu over and frowned, “dunno, maybe i’ll get the hash brown bowl this time, what do you th—"
He broke off at the sound of shouting from the kitchen, the entire restaurant turning to watch a burly man in an apron storm out, the waitress at his heels. Whatever his complaint, it was difficult to parse around the vigorous swearing, words that might even manage to bring a hint of a blush to his brother’s face.
Might.
What couldn’t be mistaken was his last shout, two clear, concise words. “I quit!”
The gathered assembly watched as the man ripped off his apron and tossed it on the counter, stalking out the front doors and out of their lives.
A long moment of silence, then Stretch grumbled out, “aw, man, not again. why do they always quit in the middle of the night, this is the third time!”
The waitress only stood there, a helpless expression on her weary face. She turned to them, “Sorry, guys, the next cook isn’t in until six.”
“nah, it’s cool,” Stretch sighed and started to get to his feet. “we’ll have to try again another time, babe.”
The waitress began gathering their unused silverware and Edge could hear her miserable sniffle as he followed Stretch towards the door. She was very young, and as terrible as Edge was at guessing Human ages, he suspected if she’d been a Monster, she would have been barely out of stripes. “Don’t suppose either of you cook?”
Edge paused.
In front of him, Stretch also stopped when he realized Edge was no longer following him, the reluctant leash of his hand becoming a stubborn brake. “what are you…” His expression changed, his sockets narrowing. “babe. no.”
Edge said nothing, only looked back at Stretch and watched his growing outrage, “no! you wouldn’t let me work at the haunted house that time! that guy would’ve paid us at the end of the night, we could’ve been their best workers! bet you could’ve gotten a ton of macho men to wet their pants without breaking a sweat!”
“She needs help,” Edge said, quietly. He did not bring up the ending debacle of their haunted house trip that landed them in the parking lot after an unintentional shortcut, a prudent choice when persuading Stretch.
Stretch faltered, looking around him at the waitress. Who was near tears, fruitlessly trying to call someone on her cell phone who wasn’t picking up. He blew out a sharp breath, rolling his pale eye lights, but his faint smile was unmistakable.
“always got to be the hero, don’t you,” Stretch sighed. He jerked a thumb back into the diner. “go ahead, superman, have at it.”
Edge nodded and turned back, walking over to the young waitress determinedly. “Excuse me, miss.”
It was only five o’clock in the morning when the other cook arrived, still bleary-eyed and his hair sticking up in the back. He didn’t ask about the newly shiny cleanliness of the grill, nor the fryers. And the counters. The floor. Even the mysterious dark smudge that forever haunted the smoke hood was gone, but he had no questions. He merely grunted a greeting and took possession of the equally shiny spatula, already reaching for the eggs that were sizzling on the griddle.
Edge removed his spotless apron and hung it on the peg by the door. He gave the kitchen a last satisfied look, then went out the door.
Out in the dining area in a corner booth, his husband was curled up, asleep. His skull sagged back against the worn vinyl padding, his mouth open, and a faint snore escaping on each exhale. An oversized leather jacket was spread over him that was not Edge’s and certainly wasn’t his own, Edge reached for it with a frown, lifting it off him in a jangle of chains and zippers.
“I’ll take that off ya hands.” He turned to see last night’s possible parolee holding out a hand. Wordlessly, Edge handed over the jacket and the Man shrugged into it. “He was shiverin’, didn’t want to bother ya while you was giving Anna a hand. So I kept an eye on ‘im.”
“Thank you,” Edge told him softly. The man gave him a gap-toothed smile.
“Nah, thank you for helpin’ her out,” the man said gruffly, “She’s a good kid, couldn’t afford to the lose the paycheck for the night.”
“Ready to go, daddy?” They turned as the Anna in question, the waitress, came out of the kitchen, coat in hand. Another waitress was already speaking to the other early morning customers, coffee in hand and waffles on order.
“Ready when you are, kid.” The man turned and shuffled to the door, but Anna paused by Edge.
“Thank you,” she said. Tears were brimming in her eyes, unshed. “Thank you so much.”
“It was my pleasure,” he told her, honestly. A few hours of cooking and deep cleaning was soothing to him in its own way, body and soul, and while his leg was beginning to complain, the rest of him felt nothing but deep, almost luxurious peace.
She gave him a happy smile and went after her father.
Edge watched her go, then turned back to Stretch, who was already stirring without the protection of the jacket. “hummzat?” he mumbled out, and when Edge reached out to gently cup his cheekbone in one hand, he learned with drowsy contentment into the touch.
“We can go home now,” Edge told him softly. He did not expect that sleepy look to turn to one of dismay, his sockets going wide.
“but we didn’t get any waffles!” Stretch said, with deep layers of disappointment. It was true; he’d fallen asleep before Edge even figured out the industrial waffle iron.
Edge only shook his head and took a seat on the other side of the booth, “All right then, waffles it is. You were right, you know.”
“hm?” Stretch yawned, “’bout what?”
“I did cross over from one space to the next,” Edge said, solemnly. He kept his expression as straight as a ruler, concealing even the hint of a smile. “A transition, if you will, into a liminal space—”
“i didn’t mean from the dining room to the kitchen,” Stretch grumbled. But he reached out to give Edge’s hand a brief squeeze, his thumb brushing over the ring on his third finger.
“Nevertheless,” Edge picked up a menu, though by now he knew it by heart. “Now. What are you having?”
-finis-
#spicyhoney#papcest#keelywolfe#underfell#underswap#underfell papyrus#underswap papyrus#by any other name
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O.M.G!!! I loved your recent jurdan fic sooo much!! Can you write when she tells Cardan she’s pregnant?? Can Cardan get emotionally excited??I love their softness and excitement... love you 😍
Hello dear!!! Thank you so much for your words!
I’m sorry it took me long but my job is a pain in the ass and I don’t have as much time as I would like to write. Buuut here it is!
It also came out longer than I expected bc apparently I can’t keep things easy.
Anyway, ENJOY! LOVE U TOO!
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JUDE TELLS CARDAN SHE’S PREGNANT
Jude had spent half of her life learning how to face danger.
Years and years of training, creating strategies, fighting and even killing when she needed to.
Gods above, she was the Queen.
The High Queen of Elfhame, and she was shrinking on one corner of her sister Vivi’s bathroom; staring at the little pharmaceutic device, the third one, showing the result.
Jude carved her face with shaking hands.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” She muttered, her breathing harsh.
This was supposed to be an ordinary weekend.
One year had passed since her official coronation and occasionally she liked to spend a day or two at the human world with Vivi, Heather and little Oak. Sometimes Cardan came with her, partially she suspected, since he’d caught some fascination for Sephora stores and some human customs, he claimed, he wanted to experience.
This time though, he’d stayed back in Elfhame, to attend some meetings Jude didn’t want to be part of.
Everything was going fine, they went to the park, to the movie theater and at last to the pizza place near her sister’s house, where Oak asked for Jude’s favorite to honor her visit. What she didn’t expect, was the sudden nausea that crept up her stomach as soon as the pizza arrived, making her ran to the toilet in a couple of seconds.
It didn’t take much time for Vivi to suspect what was going on, even with Jude’s insistence on it probably being a stomach bug.
On their way back to her apartment, she bought Jude three different pregnancy tests under the argument that “one could never know”. Then filled her with orange juice and waited. And waited.
So here she was. With three positive results. Pregnant.
A loud knock on the door made her jump. “JUDE? Is everything alright?? You’ve been there ages! Are you done??”
“Let her be Viv, don’t make her more nervous than she already is…” That was Heather.
“What? I’m not. I just want to know if-”
Jude stood and opened the door stopping her mid-sentence.
Two pairs of eyes stared at her expectantly. She pursed her lips and took in a deep breath.
“So, apparently I’m pregnant.” She said to no one in particular. The words sounded strange in her mouth, as if she wasn’t the one saying them.
“Are… are you sure?” Viv’s face had lost all track of emotion. Jude quirked an eyebrow and handed her sister the pregnancy tests.
What came next was a bunch of screaming and “oh my gods” and Heather swearing she’d dreamed about it a few nights ago. Maybe something else about a bet between her sister and Madoc.
Jude was only hearing half of it. Instead her mind was worrying about one thing only. Cardan. How in hell was she going to tell him? How was he going to react?
She didn’t even know how she felt.
They didn’t talk much about the subject. Some comments from the Court members about them providing heirs had quickly turned into inside jokes she and Cardan occasionally teased each other with. But joking about it was very different to this. To actually being pregnant. To carry life inside her that someday would become a baby, a child. For her to become a mother. For them to become parents.
How was a parent supposed to be to begin with? She’d grown up with her kidnapper, a cold-blood murderer as the only parental figure. Her husband didn’t have a better role model.
And now they’ll have to raise a new creature into this world. It was too much to digest in one day.
The next morning, she returned to Elfhame. Still with no clue of how to tell Cardan the news.
She found their chambers empty, and took the chance to take a bath and put on her queenly clothes before going to search for her husband. She needed to tell him immediately, before her sense of fake bravery vanished.
“Last time I saw him, Your Highness, he was on his way to his mother chambers.” Fand told her. Jude rolled her eyes and groaned, that was the last place where she wanted to go but her hands had already started to tremble, if she waited more time she wouldn’t be able to do it.
One step away from Asha’s door she hesitated. Jude had meant to knock, but the door was already half-opened and she could hear voices coming out.
“Seriously Cardan, how long are you going to keep this up?” Asha sounded annoyed. “You had your fun with the mortal girl, why keeping her at all?”
“She is my wife.” Was all he answered.
Jude leaned just a bit so she could peer inside the room. Cardan stood before his mother, who rested on a pile of cushions. His back faced the door so she couldn’t see his expression.
Asha sighed.
“That didn’t stop you from vanishing her once. And we are not at war anymore so I doubt her fighting skills are needed much.” she shrugged. “Aren’t you just bored already?”
Jude could see Cardan’s fist tightly closed. “I don’t see why my personal decisions affect you mother, nor why should I explain them to you.” His voice sounded strained. “As for Jude, she is no weapon just designed for war, and her staying is not for you to decide or even mention.”
Asha’s lips quirked just a little. “Ah, I see now. My dear son, are you not capable to see all of the pleasures you are denying yourself just for a whim?” She raised to her feet and rested one of her perfect hands on Cardan’s shoulder. “It is not rare for Kings to take mistresses, and let me tell you, I know several beauties who would do anything for the opportunity.”
Jude’s ears were ringing with rage. How dare she suggested such thing? To even consider the possibility of Cardan taking some vulgar… she shook her head, not even finishing the thought of it. She was so focused in her desire to take Asha’s head and slam her into the floor she couldn’t hear his answer.
Asha laughed in a cruel way that make Jude’s stomach turn as she came back to reality. Oh gods, was she going to be sick again?
“You ought to think of the future of your people too, you know. Elfhame will need an heir someday. And do you think the folk will not prefer a precious pure fae, instead of some half breed…” Asha’s eyes darted to the side and locked with Jude’s, making her heart skip a beat. “With filthy human blood?”
Jude took a step back, feeling tears stinging behind her eyes. She knew what Asha was doing, that bitch, knowing she was listening behind the door. But it didn’t matter, not as her heart hammered with such intensity it was starting to hurt. Not as her throat closed in anger and impotence, making her hard to breath.
So she just turned and rushed far from there.
Somehow she reached one of the back balconies and stood there, staring at the sea under her. Jude knew she would be a filthy human for some of the folk for the rest of her days. She’d grown with that knowledge and she didn’t care anymore. But now, it was not only her. It would never be only her ever again. Was she really that stupid for allowing this to happen to someone else? Not only someone else, but her own child? Would Cardan even agree to the idea?
Minutes passed. Even hours maybe, but she didn’t move. She felt as if she’d forgotten how to.
Light steps sounded behind her.
“Jude?” Cardan’s voice somehow filled her with something between peace and anxiousness, remembering why she was searching for him in the first place.
She didn’t answer, so he continued. “I ran into Sir Fand a while ago, she told me you were looking for me. I should have been there when you arrived, I am sorry my love.”
Jude shook her head, “It’s okay.” Her voice was faint, almost a whisper. She still didn’t dare looking at him.
“Jude, is there something wrong?” He came closer to her, now standing by her side. Cardan searched her gaze but she looked down. “Have… Have I done something to upset you?”
Jude’s heart hurt at his tone.
“No, no you didn’t.” She wanted to tell him everything was okay, that he didn’t do anything wrong, that she was perfectly fine. Except she was not. She just didn’t know what to say first or how. “And yes, I was… looking for you.”
She felt Cardan’s hand take hers, soft as a feather. “And you were looking for me on the sea? Unlikely, but I appreciate the effort.” He chuckled for a second, and then went back to his worried voice. “I am here now. Will you tell me what is that troubles you? You look as if you just had a nightmare.”
That wasn’t unusual. More than once Cardan had woken her up from some bad dreams, usually ones in which he didn’t return after Jude cut off the snake’s head. It always left her pale and shaky. Sometimes it happened the other way around, but they always found comfort in each other’s arms.
She bit her lip and took a deep breath. “I don’t think your mother would appreciate being called a nightmare, even if she usually is.”
He gave her a wide grin before furrowing his brow in confusion. “Funny, I was just with her right…ah.” Realization crossed his eyes, Jude watched him clench his jaw. “You went to my mother’s chambers. You heard us.”
Jude nodded and held his hand tighter. “I heard some of it. Many of the folk will always find me to be inadequate, that’s nothing new. But I hadn’t heard any mention of it in so long that, for a moment I, I let myself believe that-“
“Jude, stop, you cannot possibly think you are not good enough. Look at what you have done for Elfhame; anyone could see that!”
“That’s not it. I know I have done things for them, saving some of their asses and stuff.” She shrugged.
“Then I am not understanding, Jude-“ With his free hand he reached for her cheek and cupped it, tugging her into a hug.
“I’m pregnant.” Her voice was almost a whisper, but she felt him froze.
Without letting go of her, he leaned back, wide eyed and openmouthed. “What did you just say?”
“Cardan I’m,” She closed her eyes and said louder, “I’m pregnant.”
She didn’t open her eyes, afraid to see his reaction. But instead of saying anything he just gasped and pulled her back into his arms. Jude felt his heart beating fast against her hands.
“When did you find out?”
Now it was Jude’s time to chuckle. “Yesterday, even though I was feeling odd for the past days. Oak invited me a pizza but it made me sick, Vivi guessed the rest and I took some tests.”
Cardan didn’t say anything letting her continue. “When I came back I looked for you to tell you, mostly because if I didn’t right away I would be too scared to do it after. But…”
“But you found me with my mother,” He sighed. “And what she said…gods, Jude I am so sorry. I ought to throw her back to the Tower of Forgetting.”
She couldn’t say the thought was not appealing.
“Every day of my life since I got here I was reminded of how I was different. Sometimes in the cruelest ways.” Cardan started to say something but she continued. “I am over it now, I know who I am, and I am happy with it. With you. But the thought of my own blood going through the same thing is… I am afraid of it being as hard as it was for me. I am afraid of not knowing how to make it different. Of not knowing how to be a mother. And most of all, I am afraid of not knowing how you feel about this.”
There. She’d said it. She felt herself shake, but it wasn’t until a few seconds had passed, that she realized it wasn’t her. “Cardan?”
He let go of the embrace but raised his hands to cup her face. His eyes were shimmering… and wet. He was smiling in a way she’d rarely seen, leaving her breathless for a moment.
A tear escaped his right eye and Jude quickly caught it with her thumb, still puzzled about what she was seeing.
“My love, I feel nothing but happiness at this moment.” He kissed her forehead. “I know we usually joke about this but, one part of me always wished for it to became true one day. To love and raise as we weren’t. Giving us the chance to become better than the ones who should have taken care of us.”
Jude didn’t realize she had started to cry too until he kissed her cheeks and felt them cold. Cardan looked down at her belly hesitantly, “Can I?” He asked.
She nodded and pulled his hand to where someday she was going to be the size of a watermelon. He touched her with such delicacy and devotion she almost couldn’t believe this was happening.
“We are going to have a baby.” It seemed as if he said it in order to really believe it.
“We are going to have a baby” She repeated. Beaming with emotion. “I don’t know about you but, I think the first one who should hear the good news is Asha, hopefully she’ll have a heart attack and let us be.”
Cardan laughed and shook his head. “You are insufferable, my sweet villain. But this time, I am afraid I agree with you.” At that, he took her hand and guided her back inside.
Maybe, just maybe, she shouldn’t be afraid at all.
#jude duarte#cardan greenbriar#jurdan#holly black#tcp#twk#qon#jurdan au#jurdan fanfiction#pregnancy au
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Pizza Party (2/1/2021)
Alastor gets a part in Hell’s first totally-unauthorized smuggled-down-from-the-living-world production of Hamilton, and he wants to celebrate; Sir Pentious @usedhearts reveals he hasn’t had a meal in A While; Alastor takes the opportunity to come over with pizza to celebrate and moon over Sir Pentious some more in a totally normal very platonic friend way. They talk about Alastor’s part in the show, discuss relocating the airship for further repairs, and Alastor invites Sir Pentious to a Mardi Gras ball. You know. Platonically.
usedhearts
🎩 ALASTOR, I WOULD HATE TO BE A BOTHER BUT I SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN TO....EAT....AGAIN HA.....
🎩 I ONCE AGAIN GOT TOO ENGROSSED IN MY WORK IT SEEMS!
dontasktheradiodemon
🎶 Oh, wonderful, I need someone to celebrate with! In the mood for anything in particular? I’ll probably just harass one of my regular haunts for a couple of plates!
usedhearts
🎩 NO NOTHING PARTICULAR THAT I CAN THINK OF! I WOULD LOVE TO CELEBRATE WITH YOU THOUGH!
🎩 I'M AT THE AIRSHIP! I WILL LOVE TO SHOW YOU THE REPAIRS SO FAR TOO!
🎩 I MAY BE IN THE BATH WHEN YOU ARRIVE, I NEED TO SCRUB OFF ALL THE GREASE AND OIL FROM MY WORKING!
🎩 MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME THOUGH, I WON'T TAKE TOO TERRIBLY LONG!
dontasktheradiodemon
🎶 Oh!
🎶 Sure sure, that’s fine! Where should I wait?
usedhearts
🎩 THE KITCHEN SEEMS LIKE A GOOD CHOICE! OR THE BRIDGE! WHICHEVER YOU WISH!
dontasktheradiodemon
🎶 Kitchen seems most convenient for a meal, I’ll wait for you there! I’m sure you’d like to give me a tour of the bridge’s repairs, anyway.
usedhearts
🎩 bossman said to tell u that he would like to do that also hi this is egg #310 :)
dontasktheradiodemon
🎶 Well, hello! Tell your boss I'm bringing pizza. It's quick and it leaves leftovers.
🎶 But quality pizza. Not one of those junk food chains.
usedhearts
🎩 i told him he said that that sounds good! we are helping him scrub off all the grease!! :)
dontasktheradiodemon
🎶 Oh.
🎶 Super!
🎶 Be there soon.
usedhearts
🎩 yes, it is! we will see u soon mr radio man! :)
Alastor
Alastor had arrived early with three boxes of pizza and was waiting in the kitchen—not that anyone had probably noticed that yet. He hadn't turned the lights on and he'd been uncharacteristically dead silent since his arrival—listening to the faint sound of singing echoing from elsewhere in the airship.
Sir Pentious
He had good timing, Telly was now out of the bath, mostly dry, and slithering back into his bedroom. He just finished Jolly Sailor Bold and slid immediately into another song. "_I'm a killer, cold and wrathful/Silent sleeper, I've been inside your bedroom/I've murdered half the town/Left you love-notes on their headstones/I'll fill the graveyards until I have you._"
Alastor
Oh, now there was something different. Thus far it had been all show tunes and shanties, but he just barely recognized this one as a modern tune.
It wasn't a pleasant recognition. But he could close his eyes and pretend the song was being sung for him. The thought of being murdered for was... nice.
Was Sir Pentious a little louder? Maybe he was getting closer.
Sir Pentious
Telly slithered about his bedroom, towel wrapped around his hips-- not that he needed it, just a habit really. He headed towards his dresser as he kept singing. "_Moonlight walking, I smell your softness/Carnivorous and lusting to track you down among the pines/I want you stuffed into my mouth/Hold you down and tear you open, live inside you, love/I'd never hurt you/But I'll grind against your bones until our marrows mix/I will eat you slowly..._"
Alastor
Oh, what a beautiful sentiment. Maybe Sir Pentious *was* singing about Alastor—
Ha! Sure, keep dreaming. And try not to drool. He'd just enjoy the performance as long as he could.
Sir Pentious
"_Oh, the horror of our love/Never so much blood pulled through my veins/Oh, the horror of our love... never so much blood._" He spun around the room, belting the song as he put on his shirt. He sang the next few verses, and noticed the kitchen light wasn't on. Alastor must've still been waiting on the food. He slithered through the door singing the end of the song, and flicked on the light-- and was startled to see Alastor's there! His hood flared in surprised before settling instantly. His hand on his chest, he shook his head.
"You startled me, Alastor!"
Alastor
Alastor was so absorbed in listening to the singing—hovering near the doorway, glowing eyes shut as he listened—that he didn't even register that the singing had drawn dangerously close until the lights flashed on. His eyes snapped open. Oh, whoops.
"You think *you're* startled?! Imagine this from my perspective! Here I am, minding my own business lurking in the shadows, when someone turns on the light and flares a cobra hood in my face!" Studio audience laughter.
Alastor gestured with a flourish toward the kitchen table where three pizza boxes are stacked. "Here we are! Someday I'll make something fancy for you, but in the meantime I thought it was more important to get you fed sooner rather than later."
Sir Pentious
Telly was, once again, VERY thankful that he couldn't blush. God, he would be bright red right now if he were still human. He glanced over at the pizzas, barely registering them or what Alastor was saying. He should pay attention, shouldn't he? Yes, but also....Alastor was right here and Telly was feeling oh so warm and cuddly.
And so he indulges his urges a little, moving closer to coil around Alastor and give him a hug. Warm hug from a snake in a t-shirt.
"Congratulations again on your roles! I haven't had the chance to see Hamilton yet, but I'm sure whatever the roles entail, you'll excel at." He didn't want to let go, but his stomach gave a painful sort of twist-- one that came from being empty too long.
"Let's eat, though, I'm starving." He laughed.
Alastor
Oh, good god, he was so warm. Warm and wearing nothing but a single layer of cotton, and he smelled fresh and perfumy and clean, and at the moment the thought of stuffing as much of Sir Pentious into his mouth as he could fit and ripping out a chunk was wildly appealing.
It took him a moment to register what Sir Pentious had actually said. "I'm starving, too." *Part* of what Sir Pentious had said.
Sir Pentious
Telly opened one of the boxes and flicked his tongue to sniff. Oh, that smelled good. He didn't even bother with a plate, taking a slice and swallowing it whole-- as a snake normally would, but that just looked odd for someone who was normally so prim and proper. He took another slice and this time bit it, y'know, like a normal human being. After swallowing his bite, he spoke.
"So, tell me about the audition, how did it go? I saw the outfit you wore, it was very bad, but in a very you way, I adored it!" He let out a Pentious Cackle.
Alastor
Oh wow. Never mind, maybe what Alastor wanted was to be stuffed inside Sir Pentious's mouth.
He opened a second box—helpfully labeled "SOYLENT ;)" in marker—and grabbed a slice for himself. "Oh, *right!* Why, for a moment there I nearly forgot what we were celebrating, what with the"—singing and hugging—"pizza and all."
Alastor had been congratulated a moment ago, hadn't he? "Thank you—apparently it went well! Hah! I wasn't sure it would! The casting director was impressed by my performing abilities and my resume—but not my performing *style.* It's a... are you familiar with *rap?* Most of the show is rap. My natural instinct is to go a little too melodic. There's a couple of songs I'm not sure *how* I'm going to do." He looked nervous for a split second; but only that long, and then the look was gone. "But if I was good enough for him, that's good enough for me! We've got plenty of rehearsals, we'll make it work."
Sir Pentious
Rap! Oh yes he'd heard a few rap songs, even liked a couple! He nodded. "Yes, that does seem outside your normal range, but I'm sure you can find a way to do it! You are the most skilled performer I know, Alastor."
He's purring now, and taking another bite of pizza. God, he really was hungry right now, how had he not noticed earlier? "I'm very excited to see you on stage! You'll get to show all of Hell a whole new side to the Radio Demon! Or maybe, just a slightly different songs-- it's not like anyone who knows you isn't already aware that you love musical theater!"
He chuckled. Telly folded the rest of the pizza slice in half before swallowing it down like the first. He really was too hungry right now. "I'm certain that the speed of these raps won't be a problem for you-- is it just the style you're worried about?"
Alastor
"Hah! Don't know many performers, do you?" He tilted his head dismissively, like he was ducking the compliment. "I'm better than most, sure—but half of that's because I've got my own traveling band. That's not going to be the case up on the stage, it'll be just me. And by myself, among a whole cast of professional musical theater actors? I'm just the guy who got turned down by every show in New York for three years straight." He clucked his tongue. "But, here I am. I don't know if standards are that much lower in Hell than they were in New York, or if I got that much better—but I hope it's the latter."
Oh, the *thought* of getting to show that side to Hell—of being up on the stage, all spotlights on him, drowned in thunderous applause... Don't mind him if he stares off into the distance for a moment as applause faintly plays, he's fantasizing. Sorry, what were they talking about? "Sure! Anyone who knows me won't be surprised—but how many people know me? Everyone else in Hell will be meeting me for the first time!" He desperately hoped it made a difference.
"Oh, the speed's no problem—the fastest song in the show goes like so—" He played a clip from one song, "—*I'm takin' this horse by the reins makin' Redcoats redder with bloodstains*—" then cut back in and picked up where it left off, "And I've got no trouble keeping up, 'And I'm never gonna stop until I make them drop and burn them up and scatter their remains,' see." He did indeed sing it just as fast as the recording—but that was the thing, he was definitely singing it, setting the lyrics to a mostly monotone tune. It didn't sound bad, but it definitely stood out as Not Rapping.
Sir Pentious
He blinked at the speed of that-- wow it really was fast! He'd never be able to sing that, certainly. But Alastor definitely could and Telly leaned closer as he did. Hm, yes, there was that tune to it.
"Well, perhaps all you need is to practice? It's something new, you're not going to be perfect at it straight off the bat." He leaned closer and playfully blelele'd against his ear. Oh, wait, was that weird? He pulled back and went back to eating. Monch monch.
"It's like...swimming or engineering or even singing normally, it's a skill you'd have to develop, right?"
Alastor
Oh, tongue flick. He hoped his ear smelled okay. Of course it did, why wouldn't his ear smell okay? He took a bite of his pizza, he'd hardly eaten so far.
"Sure," he sighed. "Can I develop it before opening night, though—that's the question! What I'd like best is if we could tweak the songs a little to mesh with *my* style—but then getting that to mesh back into the *show's* style will take time and practice, too, so I've got to decide which it's going to be soon enough that we can figure it out before opening night... The director might come down hard one way or the other and settle the matter, but what if they're too nervous to give me direction because I'm the Radio Demon?" He flung up a hand. "It will be fine, I'm sure it will be fine. I know. But I don't like the waiting. Anyway, if the whole show crashes and burns, at least it'll be fun to watch." He already had a plan B, apparently.
Sir Pentious
"Maybe you'd just need to workshop it a little? Try it out different ways and see if the director likes it?" There WAS that intimidation factor of him being the Radio Demon. "I don't know what to do about the reputation part of it, unfortunately, that's a conundrum."
His head tilted, and he swallowed down another slice. Whole. There he goes. And he's picking up another slice.
"Perhaps having a one on one talk with the director to ensure them that you won't kill them for simply doing their job?"
Alastor
"That's probably what we're going to do. And see how it goes from there, I suppose."
And there went another slice, down the hatch. Was Sir Pentious even tasting them? Alastor finished his first (!) slice and grabbed a second.
"I'm going to be having talks like that for *weeks.* With the director, with the other actors, with the crew backstage—in groups, individually, in public, in private... I'm bringing a cake and my best sweet-and-innocent face to our first rehearsals."
Sir Pentious
"That's a good idea! Just try to be as non-threatening as possible." He shrugged a bit, taking a bite this time.
"If you want help practicing or running lines, or whatnot, I would be very willing to help with that." He smiled. "Oh!" He moved to the sink and turned on the tap, looking proud of himself. "The water's fixed! And the heat too! The warehouse is also almost done being repaired, though I'm sure that people have seen the swarming eggs and know I'm here now. I should probably look into moving soon, or hire some guards."
Alastor
"That's the plan! If everything works out, by our third rehearsal session they'll be wondering whether all the rumors about the Radio Demon were complete hogwash!" Assuming none of them had met him before. Ooh, maybe they'd met him during his brief foray into the theater scene in the seventies, he'd made a good impression on a few people then, hadn't he? He could hope.
"With Valera in the show and Charlie falling all over herself with excitement that I've picked up an activity that doesn't end in bloodshed, I think I'm fine on practice partners." Especially considering that *all* the lines were music, and mostly very fast music. "But I'll be more than happy to come by and show off in front of you!"
He played a round of applause for the demonstration of running water. "You have other warehouses you can move to, I hope?"
Sir Pentious
"Yes, I do. I just need to get the airship mobile before I can do that. Or find a truck capable of taking it somewhere else." He sighed and moved back next to Alastor. Telly finished the slice in his hand and then got another one. Why yes, he was that hungry.
"I'd love for you to show off for me, though. It'll be my first experience with the musical! I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet." He shrugged a bit.
Alastor
Telly was already on his fifth slice. Alastor was glad he’d gotten three pizzas. “Or find an incredibly powerful friend capable of opening a portal big enough to transport an airship through?” Look at that sweet smile.
“Oh! The hotel has a copy, we could watch it together!” Too presumptuous? “Or I could—send it to you, whichever you prefer.”
Sir Pentious
"I would love to watch it with you, Alastor. Who better than one who's going to be in it?" He grinned, nibbling at this slice. "We can make a night of it! It'll be fun!"
He hummed. "Would it be alright for you to transport something so large? And would I need to brace anything within the airship or without?"
Alastor
*Movie night.* Oh, that sounded delightful. “We’ll call it part of my practice! I can get up and perform my parts for you.” And spend the rest of the time in Telly’s coils... He liked coiling around Alastor, right? He sure seemed like he did. That’d be fine.
“Why, sure, not a problem! Just buy me dinner.” Speaking of dinner—he finished of his second slice and grabbed a third. “Brace it the way you would for any other transport. I can open the portal underneath, so gravity can do most of the work—but I presume you don’t want it to go into free fall. Might be best if you set up some cranes or whatnot to lower it through a little more gracefully. And of course, it’s going to be passing through my friends’ dimension. It shouldn’t be a problem, but if I were you I’d keep the doors locked just in case.”
Sir Pentious
Telly nodded, humming a a bit. "Yes, I'll need to make some preperations before we were to move it then. We don't want it becoming _more_ damaged after all."
He nibbled more at his pizza, and smiled. "Thank you for coming over, Alastor. You always make my day better when you do." Oh no, was that too much? He cleared his throat and looked away. "So, ah, when would you want to watch Hamilton? I would be 'down' for whenever."
Alastor
There was a burst of interference noise as Alastor’s heart lodged itself somewhere in his throat. He swallowed it back down with half a slice of pizza. “And it’s always my *greatest* pleasure to do so! You make for fine company, my friend!” He resisted the urge to lay it on even thicker. “I’ll have to find out when rehearsals are starting up and what that schedule looks like—oh, and Mardi Gras is coming up, I *must* find out when all the parades are this year—so I’ll let you know once I know when I’m free!” He laughed, “I’m not used to having a schedule!”
Sir Pentious
"Oh, Mardi Gras! Yes, the Alastor here gets very excited about that too!" He laughed a bit. "I didn't know about it before I met him, but it all seems like fun!"
He leaned his elbow on the table and then his chin on his hand. "You're becoming a busy man, just hope you'll have time for me. It'd be nice to still see you, every now and again."
Alastor
“Of course I’ll have time for you!” He reached out to grab Telly’s hand. “You don’t think I’m the kind of man who’d abandon his friends just because I caught a hint of medium-level semi-stardom, do you? If I get so busy I don’t have time to visit you, then I’m dragging *you* along to visit *me.*” He registered, belatedly, that holding Telly’s hand meant he was also holding Telly’s pizza. He politely relinquished his grip. Ahem. “Maybe Mardi Gras is a good opportunity for that! Have you ever been? I can’t take you to *everything,* but the parades are all public! And maybe one of the balls that doesn’t need an invitation—“ Did he just invite Telly to a dance.
Sir Pentious
"I went one year with the Alastor here-- it's terribly loud with so many people, but it was fun too." He smiled, and didn't seem to mind when Alastor grabbed his hand and pizza. He even, rather pointedly, still brought the slice up for another bite.
"We never went to a ball, though, that sounds like fun. Oh!" He seemed to light up. "Would we get to wear costumes? Would it be like a masquerade? I do miss those, all the vibrant costumes and the intricate masks!" He sighed dreamily, then blinked, straightening a bit and looking a little abashed.
"Well, good, though-- I can't exactly pop open a portal to come to you, so this will only work with your continued interest," He said, laughing, but there was certainly a bitter tinge to it.
Alastor
“Oh, some of the balls are snobbish black tie affairs—the only costuming is rich people trying to look like even richer people.” He scoffed. “At the *good* ones, though—costumes are *highly* encouraged, masks and all. I never go without a mask—ha, as if anyone would talk to me if I did!”
He heard that bitterness. His hand crept back over to... he’ll go with Sir Pentious’s wrist this time. “If I’ve got anything to say about it, you’ll never have to worry about that.” Maybe there was a way he could give Telly his own way to open up portals to come visit...
Sir Pentious
His heart clenched at that touch, those words. How he wished he didn't have the little voice whispering in the back of his head saying that it wasn't true. But this wasn't Leclerq, this was different. This Alastor hadn't hurt him, and he looked so earnest right now...
Telly took a breath, looking away a moment, his chin coming off his hand so it could cover Alastor's. "I know, I'm sorry-- it's nothing that has to do with you, just....old worries raising their heads again. Things that I have no reason to ascribe to you. Thank you, for reassuring me, though, Alastor. And I'd love to coordinate costumes with you for the actual good balls." His smile returned now, a bit more genuine and much more warm.
Alastor
“No need to apologize! I’m not a figure that inspires trust, I know that. I’ll just have to keep saying it until it sounds believable, won’t I?” He’d say it for decades if he had to.
His eyes lit up and he squeezed Telly’s wrist excitedly. “Oh—I’ve never coordinated costumes with someone before!” He looks like a kid who’s been handed a dollar in a penny candy store.
Sir Pentious
Telly sat up straighter and his face brightened again. "Oh, yes, it's sso much fun! We can pick a theme and find a tailor and--" He cut himself off his face screwing up momentarily.
"Though all the onesss I know are rather too expensssive consssidering I ssstill have to pay for all thisss." He gestured to the airship around them. "Damn angelsss," He muttered.
Alastor
“We can get pre-made costumes and tweak ‘em a little. And Rosie can help! She’s a regular sorceress with a sewing machine!”
Sir Pentious
"Oh! We'd need to find ones that aren't cheaply made, you know how they love to mass produce everything nowadays. Sacrificing quality for quantity..." He shook his head and sighed. Telly's face turned shy and laughed softly.
"I actually have never met Rosie, if you can believe it. Not even when Alastor and I--" He cut himself off. Nope, not going to start digging into that right now. He'd _just_ pushed those feelings aside. "Anyway, I haven't met her, but I'd be happy to do so with an introduction from you."
Alastor
"I *know,* the cheap polyester things that aren't even hemmed properly!" He shook his head while his invisible audience booed disapproval. "No, we'll have none of that cheap Halloween fare! We'll be going for theater costumes and rental costumes, the high quality products! I know some *wonderful* little claustrophobic holes in the wall—clothing racks packed so tightly you can hardly move between them, jewelry and decorations arranged in rainbow order down the length of an entire wall, an entire room dedicated just to masks, dressing rooms the size of closets and restrooms smaller than the dressing rooms, no two costumes alike in the whole store! It's going to be such fun!" He was practically bouncing in his seat.
Sir Pentious
His excitement was infectious and it had Telly nearly bouncing on his coils too. "Oh, yes, that does sound like fun! I've never done anything like that, I've always had my things bespoke from a tailor's or given as gifts. But I do wonder what we can find hidden like jewels in the depths!"
As he's nearly vibrating, he slithered around the table, getting ready to put the boxes in the fridge. "Are you done eating? I want to show you how much I've gotten done! But first the leftovers need to go into the icebox."
Alastor
"Oh, hold on!" He grabbed two more slices and stuffed them in his mouth. "Don't put them in the icebox in their boxes, that'll dry them out and the leftovers won't last as long! You want them in cling wrap or a ziplock." Mr. Foodie over here getting fussy over food he didn't even make. "Careful with mine, it's got people on it. Do you eat people?" He didn't think they'd discussed it before, had they?
Sir Pentious
"I eat what I can get my hands on." Oh, he said that too fast and that was a bit too honest. So he's going to busy himself looking for something suitable. "I think I have some cling wrap in here somewhere..."
Alastor
Oh, that was heartbreaking. "Then my leftovers are yours!" He leaned on a counter to wait while Telly searched. "We'll see about finding costumes and then visit Rosie if they need altering. She'll be pleased to meet any friend of mine—especially one willing to dine in the Cannibal Colony! Just don't mind her if she gets a bit... tease-y."
Sir Pentious
"Tease-y?" He looked at Alastor as he finally fished out the roll of cling wrap. He offered it to Alastor-- he didn't really like the stuff, but hey, if it kept the pizza fresher longer....
Alastor
He started wrapping up slices in little stacks of three at a time. "She's noticed my tendency to befriend every snake I cross paths with and has taken to poking fun at me for it, that's all." She also heartily disapproved. She was convinced it was just going to keep ending in heartbreak, and wasn't impressed with Alastor for becoming the kind of person who'd do that to himself. But surely she'd be courteous to Sir Pentious himself.
Sir Pentious
"Ah, I see." He nodded. "I suppose your relationship is one of those vitriolic friendships, where you tease one another? Or am I assuming wrong again?" His eyes narrowed as he thought.
Alastor
"I can't stand vitriolic friendships. Just enemies who smile at each other—and I have enough of those. No no—at most, harmless friendly banter, and even that's rare." And powered not by vitriol but by concern, worry disguised under jokes.
Sir Pentious
Telly nodded. "Yes, I, too, do not like that. I have enough enemies, but most don't smile anymore, just laugh in my face." Said face twisted into a hateful expression before he sighed and relaxed. He started putting the finished packets of three slices into the frige-- one of those really old kinds with the handle in the middle.
Alastor
"I've got one or two like that. I've found the best way to deal with them is to ignore them completely. Let them stew unhappily in your lukewarm indifference!"
Sir Pentious
His head tilts and he frowns a bit. "People dare to laugh in _the_ Radio Demon's face?" He hummed. "They either must be brave or stupid. Or both. But unfortunately, I don't think I have a talent for indifference."
Alastor
"Powerful," Alastor said. "And stupid, but that's unrelated." A shrug. "Indifference is a skill! It can be practiced. But step one is 'keep smiling'—and I'm afraid you're very expressive, my friend."
Sir Pentious
And Alastor's point is proven when his face scrunches again. "Yes, it's always been a problem, even when I was alive." He let out a huffy sigh, putting the rest of the pizza packets in the fridge before closing it. His arms crossed. "I don't think I've ever been able to control my expression..."
Alastor
"In your case, you might have an easier time practicing an equally valuable skill." He smiled maliciously. "Teach people to fear the sight of your displeasure."
Sir Pentious
He blinked, and then that patented Evil Pentious Grin slid over his face. "You know, Alastor, I think you're right." Telly laughed, that evil laugh that Alastor loved, and then put his hands on his hips, his chest puffing.
"Which the repairs to my airship will help accomplish! Come, come, let's go to the bridge! I want to show you how good it looks now."
Alastor
Oh, *there* was a glimpse of that villainous megalomania Alastor so adored. He gestured grandly. "Lead away!"
Sir Pentious
And lead he does! Through the bedroom-- which, if Alastor will notice, looks much more put together than before and there's a special place on the coat hanger for the leviathan leather belt he'd gotten Telly-- and then up the ramp to the bridge. Look! No glass on the floor now! Everything's clean and dusted and in order. Telly beelines it for the organ, and presses a key. There isn't the normal organ drone, but it DOES tink like a piano key.
"I UPGRADED A BIT! I FIGURED WHILE IT WAS OUT OF ORDER, I COULD ADD A FEW MORE INSTRUMENTS TO THE ORGAN'S REPERTOIRE!"
Alastor
He spared a passing glance to the bedroom, picking up random details as he hurried by—including the belt, oh, that warms his dead heart—but not slowing down as they hurried on to the bridge. What was Sir Pentious so eager to show off? A completely overhauled bridge? Glowing hologram projections, perhaps? Additional weaponry?
He was not expecting “an organ with a piano hidden inside it.” Somehow that was more outlandish than anything else he’d expected.
“*You what.*” Alastor was fighting not to laugh in delight. He took a seat and tried a couple of random keys on separate keyboards—were all of the keyboards outfitted as pianos now?
Sir Pentious
Telly was downright delighted by Alastor's reaction. Only the main, lowest set, keyboard made the piano sounds. The other two still sat dead.
"YES! I wanted it to have more versatility, and I thought, why not? A piano has keys, and so does an organ, it was simple enough to fit them together!" He laughed, slithering behind Alastor. He placed his hands on his shoulders, before leaning close over him to press a few keys.
"At least it can be played now, until the pipes for the rest of it is fixed!"
Alastor
He momentarily stiffened in shock when Sir Pentious leaned behind him and placed his hands on Alastor’s shoulders, instantly distracted by being *loomed over,* hyper aware of the hands on his shoulders. He shook off the feeling and quickly leaned forward to try out the piano, hoping that Telly wouldn’t notice the momentary tension.
He ran a few quick arpeggios to see how it sounded; then, on a spur of the moment decision, launched into a familiar blues bassline—familiar to him, anyway. After getting into the rhythm of it, he started singing: “‘So what’d I miss? What’d I miss?’—this is one of my songs—‘Virginia, my home sweet home, I wanna give you a kiss...’”
Sir Pentious
He did notice the tension, his hand feeling it in Alastor's shoulder, but he didn't say anything. Instead he moved to the side, where the violins were kept, his head tilting as he listened to the music.
"That ones seems very _you_! It's very jazzy." He hummed along as he opened the panel to retrieve one of the instruments. He propped it on his shoulder, taking another few moments to listen before he joined the melody. He wasn't sure if this song had violin originally, but it did now!
Alastor
Alastor’s grin widened when Sir Pentious started playing along. There hadn’t been violin where Sir Pentious happened to be playing, but he was the last person who’d complain about an impromptu addition to a spontaneous musical number.
He played through to the point where his part ended and some other as-yet-unknown actor was supposed to pick up the song—“‘He grabs my arm and I respond, what’s going on?’”—then cut it off with a glissando and a flourish. “*That’s* the song that convinced me I want to be in this show.”
Sir Pentious
Telly finished his bit with a vibrato and then lowered the violin. "I can see why! It's definitely in your wheelhouse. I like it."
He put the violin back and shut the panel again, slithering back to sit on his coils near Alastor. "I look forward to hearing your other songs, as well." He sat up, remembering the real reason they'd come to the bridge. "Oh! Yes! So, I have the water fixed, plumbing is coming along, no leaks so far. Electricity is back up and running, so the heat is back as well! The outer areas are being repaired nicely and quickly, and soon we'll be able to start adding the pipes for the organ and the tanks back in!" He ticked all of these off on his fingers.
Alastor
“And it’s even better in context! Much darker.”
He turned to straddle the bench and look at Telly directly as he spoke. Water, plumbing, electricity—it struck him as odd that heat was a higher priority than air conditioning, in Hell of all places, but then the air was colder higher up, wasn’t it? Was it cold enough to require heating? Or did Telly just get cold that easily? “Sounds like you’re coming right along! You’ll have this bird back up in the sky in no time.”
Sir Pentious
"Indeed! I hope that it will be sky-worthy again in at least a few months! That is, as long as I don't get distracted by other ideas and projects, but at least the Eggs will keep up with it, even if I am not actively working on it!" He laughed again.
"But so far, there's now MORE outside the bridge! Come, see!" He gestured for Alastor to follow and went over to a closed set of doors-- which opened to a rather plain looking, but functioning, hallway. After about fifty yards, it dropped off suddenly, with scaffolding and some Eggs continuing the repairs. "Obviously, all the flourishes aren't added back in yet, but function before fashion is the name of the game currently!"
Alastor
“What a pity, being so beholden to pragmatism!” He shook his head in sympathy. “Does the hallway lead anywhere interesting yet, or is it a spine without ribs at this point?”
Sir Pentious
"Exactly that-- spine without ribs, buuuut..." He trailed off, leading to the edge and leaning out to peek over. "Down there, you can see the tanks being rebuilt!"
Alastor
“Are these the water and toilet tanks?” He leaned over to see for himself, a bit farther than necessary. Don’t worry, he’s got great balance.
Sir Pentious
"Yes! Currently the water's hooked into the city lines, but once those are done, I'll be able to unhook it without loosing water access." He pulled back, a smirk on his lips.
"Would you like to see them up close?" He asked his hand reaching out to grasp a pole that looked sturdier than the rest of the scaffolding. It stretched all the way down to where the in construction tanks sat, looking like something from a fire station.
Alastor
It looked *very much* like something from a fire station. The temptation was irresistible. “Absolutely!” He grabbed the pole and slide down it, spinning around it as he went.
Sir Pentious
"Oh!" Telly laughed when Alastor slid down and waited until he reached the bottom before grabbing on himself. He twirled the end of his tail around it for support and down he went. The tour continued!
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Camping
Summary: When Mary catches word that Tom had never been camping it was decided that she had to fix that. What could go wrong?
Rated: T
Warnings: None
Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x ofc
AN: This is for @forever-rogue‘s Halloween challenge using prompts: 72. “You’re beautiful. uh, u-um i mean the weather. It’s beautiful. Not that you’re not beautiful, because you are. I’m just gonna shut up.” 73. “I thought you said you knew how to start a fire!” “I said I could probably figure it out. ”76. “You have bits of leaves all over in your hair! Let me help you.”
Camping
Mary was a simple stage hand in New York City. It was a stressful job that didn’t pay enough yet she wouldn’t trade it for the world. It allowed her to experience life behind the scenes of plays, musicals and performances. It was something she could only dream of seeing if not for her job.
While she loved theater and everything about it, she was still attending classes at night to become a lawyer. She was in a constant state of exhaustion but still found that it was worth it. She got to meet some amazing people with more talent in their little finger than she felt she had in her whole body. But that was alright, her skills were elsewhere.
It didn’t surprise her when word passed in whispers that Betrayal would be making a run through Broadway. It was a good play, one of her favorites and it was exciting to have the chance to be a part of the production. It was true, she'd only be behind the scenes. It surprised her that they would be doing a run so soon after the play wrapped up in London but she didn’t think anything of it.
That was until the whispers morphed into the same actors as the London run coming to New York to act, to do the play here. Mary was a fan of all three, if she was honest. Meeting them was something she had never expected, never dreamed of and now she was working with them. And that was as much of a dream as she had wanted it to be.
It wasn’t like working with other big name actors. No, it took little time before it felt like working with a group of friends as each eased into the company of the other. It was surreal and yet she loved every single moment of it.
~~~~~<3
Mary had surprised herself by growing close to the cast over the first few weeks. Autumn was quick approaching and she was sad to see summer go. That was the topic of their pre-show dinner a few nights ago and Tom had let it slip that he’d never been camping.
She wasn’t one to let something like that stand and so they made arrangements to for her to take Tom camping. Thanks to the magic of online shopping and a few days to prepare, they were able to gather everything they needed. They were able to buy tents, sleeping bags and everything else without putting too much strain on his already packed schedule.
The day in question arrived way sooner than Mary could mentally prepare herself for. But it was too late to back out now. She parked in a rented large black SUV with the back packed full of supplies near the back door to the theater. She had hot dogs, she had chicken, she had vegetables, she had bread and eggs and jam. Mary had everything she could think so and more.
The rear passenger door opened and Bobby was rather unceremoniously plopped on the blanket she set on the seat for him. He looked at me with his big brown eyes and floppy ears as if she somehow could make the blanket into a proper throne.
“You’re spoiled, you know that right?” Mary asked the rather adorable mass of brown fur and personality. He offered a soft ‘woof’ in response.
“Darling, I’m free. Let’s make our getaway.” Plastered across Tom's face was a wide grin.
“Let’s hurry, before your adoring fans spot you and you’re trapped forever signing things.” Mary laughed as she pulled onto the road and made the drive to the campground.
~~~~~<3
The campground was out of the way and little known. With the cooling temperatures paired with it being the middle of the week kept many people away. They had the place almost completely to themselves. She parked at a secluded spot and stepped outside, it felt amazing to be so isolated.
Living and working in the big city- the feeling of isolation was a rare thing and when Mary could get away, she savored the feeling. Stretching, her back popped in a way that sounded rather like popcorn when she gave it a little twist. Tom was making himself busy, unloading the back until it was empty.
“I’ll help you with your tent after I get mine up.” Mary slung one of the two tent bags over her shoulder with the intention of finding a smoothish place to set it.
“I’ll do mine. There’s no need.” Tom’s voice came from behind her, his own tent slung over his shoulder.
“You want it somewhere generally flat. Close to the fire pit is good but you don’t want it too close unless you wont to light it on fire.”
“Alright.” He nodded and set to work picking a spot and unpacking the tent.
Mary ignored him as she worked on her own tent. It was a simple enough process. Put the pipes together, run them through the loops. It took time and was tedious enough but that was the worst of it. Off to the side, there was a sound that she tried to tell herself wasn’t what she thought it was.
“Bloody hell.” The words were grumbled and heavy with annoyance.
“What happened?” She regretted turning to look as soon as she saw. Tom managed to rip a massive hole through the side of the tent.
“How did you manage- never mind.” She didn’t want to know. “Let me see it.”
There was a massive rip. When she turned it to get a better look, Mary discovered that there as a second rip. Both the side of the tent and the bottom were now blessed and holly.
“I can just sleep in the ca-”
“Don’t you even.” She snapped. “The other tent is big enough. We’ll make do.”
“Oh, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or-”
“It’s fine.”
She wouldn’t hear any argument from him so Tom stopped trying after a bit. Bobby was careful to keep close and well mannered enough. Tom still didn’t untie his long leash from the tree. While she spread sleeping bags out inside the tent, Tom milled about the camp, setting up folding chairs and pulling the cooler close.
“Wanna get the fire going?” Mary called out from where she was, half inside the tent.
“Sure.” Tom answered from where he stood next to the fire pit. His eyes focused on her as worked, admiring the view.
“You do know how to start a fire, right?”
“Sure, sure.” He didn’t sound all that convincing. “I can probably figure it out.” Tom added under his breath as he broke open the wrapped bundles of wood.
“What was that?” Mary called from inside the tent.
“Nothing, Darling.”
She was on her hands and knees, spreading sleeping bags, blankets and battery lanterns. She arranged the pillows at the head of the tent. It was then that she realized that she should have situated her feet be by Tom’s head but she wasn’t going to change things now.
Tom set to work stacking wood in what looked like a decent formation and shoved some sticks and twigs under. Grabbing the long tipped barbecue lighter, he pulled the trigger, summoning the flame. Holding it under the sticks, he watched as one after another caught fire and rather quickly burnt out.
“I thought you said you knew how to start a fire?” Mary asked, having crawled out of the tent and stood watching the last two twigs fail at catching the larger stack.
“I said I could probably figure it out.” Tom grumbled and she could almost not make out the words.
~~~~~<3
They spent the next hour trampling through the woods. It was somewhat awkward at first, being so alone together but they soon found their rhythm. Mary showed Tom the types of moss she needed. It was one that would burn fast and hot. While they hunted through the undergrowth, they threw handfuls of leaves at each other.
She had to admit, the sight of a handsome Brit picking through the forest, getting dirt and leaves on his neat dark jeans and navy sweater was something she didn’t think she would ever see. But he looked good out here, with the leaves starting to turn and the blue sky above him.
When we finally returned to the camp site, we were well relaxed and full of smiles. Even Bobby had his fair share of forest leafs and dirt in his fur. He didn’t seem to mind however, he looked beyond pleased with himself. Bobby had gotten to chase bugs and sticks to his heart content.
Mary demanded Tom kneel next to her as she deconstructed his failed pile of wood though he needed no urging. It was something she had found unique and unexpected to him. Tom was always eager to learn and it didn’t seem to matter to him what the topic was.
He watched with interest as she balled up the moss around a center about the size of her fist filled with brittle broken twigs. Without fear of splinter, Mary grabbed portions of the log where the wood was splintering off and yanked them free. Each bit was thin and narrow. She crossed pushed those through the moss ball and crossed more over top along with ticker twigs and sticks- much to Bobby’s dismay.
With a nod from Mary, Tom took the lighter and set flame to the ball of moss. It caught right away and spread. The ball was packed tightly but still burned through fast enough, fire catching the sticks inside and poked through. Unlike when Tom had attempted the first time, the fire didn’t wink out of existence. Some twigs and sticks did burn out before they could catch. Others held a hearty flame that spread to other sticks and slivers of wood.
When the moss had finished burning out and the flame remained, Mary set the smallest of the logs on the pile, leaning one end up. Tom was quick with another in his hand.
“Don’t you dare.” Mary hissed, though a smile remained on her face.
“No?”
“Not yet. Let this one catch first.”
They sat around the small fire. Once fire was steady and eating the underside of the first log, she directed Tom to use the small chunk in his hand to slide it over, toward the side of the pile before setting his down. The end of his log was resting atop the first one and again, he learned how important it was to wait as the fire caught and began eating the second log.
Soon the fire was strong enough for a third and a forth, all leaning against each other and all placed in a way Mary had explained would leave them with a wide bed of coals.
Leaning back on her heels, Mary watched the fire. The sun was starting to set and the sky hadn’t yet really begin to change. There was a slight chill in the air but Mary was always a fan of a campfire.
She could feel Tom’s eyes on her and for a while, she pointedly ignored him. Finally, she snapped, “What?”
“You have bits of leaves all over in your hair!” Tom laughed, holding his hands up in defense. “Let me help you.”
Tom’s long fingers delicately picked out leaf bits and small twigs. With the amount of care he used, she could almost forget that he was the reason for them in the first place.
Reaching up, she pulled a nearly complete leaf out from one of the more wild curls of his hair. If he was cleaning her up, it was only fair she did him the same favor. She became suddenly aware of how close they were. She’d hardly touched Tom before, aside from a handshake when they had first been introduced and his warm hugs that he would offer everyone he knew.
“So far, I think I like this camping thing.” Tom had a smile on his face but his voice was thick, heavy and she watched as he swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing.
“We’ve hardly started.” She laughed and the spell shattered.
~~~~~<3
Dinner was hot dogs over the fire as the sun set. It was far more romantic than it had any right being. It was simply a camping trip between two friends and coworkers who happened to be of opposite genders and with only one tent. Just because it looked like the perfect set up for a romcom didn’t mean it was one, right?
The fire, large and hot, managed to keep the bugs away from the intimidate area. Still, one didn’t have to go far at all to become a snack for the most annoying of the bugs. Both Mary and Tom however were content to stay fireside and trade stories of youths spent almost half a world apart.
The moon climbed high as their laughter spilled out over the trees. Stars twinkled and crickets chirped. Hardly more than a chill clung to the air. The slightest of breezes rustled leafs high in the tree tops as Tom fell silent with a thoughtful look on his face.
“What is it?” Mary tentatively asked, pulling a marshmallow tipped stick from the fire and blowing it out.
“You’re beautiful.” Be blurted out after a moment of consideration. The firelight managed to hide the blush that climbed his cheeks as words began to spill from him uncontrolled. “Uh, u-um I mean- the weather. It’s beautiful.” There was another moment of thought as Mary watched the wheels turning behind his eyes.
“Tom?”
“Not that you’re not beautiful, because you are.” Again, the words came rushed and blurted. He looked surprised to have said them. Looking away from her for a moment, he carded his fingers through his ever growing curls before declaring, “I’m just gonna shut up.”
“Tom?” She again asked and his eyes reluctantly met hers.
“Mary.” Her name sounded like it carried so much more meaning.
Hesitantly, carefully, his long fingers reached out for her and brushed her own. Tom leaned forward, slowly closing the gap between their folding camp chairs. Mary was moving just as slowly. Neither had really thought about it until that moment but it felt like it was something that was meant to be, that should have always been. In that exact moment it felt like something would always be.
His lips brushed hers. She could feel the scratch of his neatly trimmed beard against her skin. Warm breath fanned over her and she was sure hers was doing the same. Each was testing, waiting to see if the other would pull back.
When the tension became too much, it was Mary that again closed the short distance. Her lips were soft against his. Tom’s hand reached out as he leaned further over to rest against her. She sighed into his kiss and he very much felt like the luckiest man in the world in that exact moment.
Well, until he was rather unlucky.
The chair tilted and before he had a chance to catch it, down he crashed in the space between the chairs. Thanks to involuntary reflexes and the and already on her cheek, Tom reached down to brace himself with her unfortunately equally flimsy chair, causing her to tip as well.
As Mary crashed down atop him, together they laughed as dirt and leaves once again covered them. It wasn’t the way one expected to realize she had fallen for the handsome Brit but Mary couldn’t imagine realizing she had fallen in love any other way.
~~~~~<3
Tag List: @winterisakiller, @toozmanykids, @alexakeyloveloki, @theoneanna, @0-0-0-0-0-0-0-7, @bambamwolf87, @j-u-s-t-4, @wegingerangelica, @tinchentitri, @missaphrodite23, @nonsensicalobsessions, @xoxabs88xox, @queenoftheunderdark, @theheartofpenelope, @myoxisbroken
#Patricia’s Halloween Challenge#tom hiddleston x ofc#Tom Hiddleston X Original Character#tom hiddleston x original female character#tom hiddleston x oc
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i’m like 95% sure i have an assignment due tomorrow and it’s already midnight ........ so naturally i’m procrastinating so my world title of Captain Dumbass doesn’t ever come into question 👸👸 this is recycled bc i’m chronically incapable of effort but tl:dr he’s literally the embodiment of every shitty dude u have the misfortune of running into at the bar :/ but he’s held a door open for an old lady 1.5 times in his life so all is forgiven 😉
𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 here and do i have the tea for you . rome is back on campus , which is surprising considering the threatening note i left them . yes , i know all about him crashing his car while drunk and attempting to flee the scene because of their pride. imagine the tabloids and how the pierce family would feel for such information to come out , not to mention the reputation of pike because of their actions . at this rate , he is better off staying put in atlanta , georgia and living off that 500m family net worth. what’s the point in studying psychology with plans to play in the nfl , is it worth it with what i know ? anyways , they may want to continue to be protective & lion-hearted because the irascible & machiavellian attributes make me want to spill .
i.
𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊 : roman gabriel pierce
𝖆𝖌𝖊 : twenty - one
𝖉𝖔𝖇 : june 15th , 1998
𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗 / 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖘 : he / him
𝖘𝖊𝖝𝖚𝖆𝖑 & 𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖈 𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 : 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️🏃♂️
𝖍𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙: 6‘2″ 🤡
𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊: having graduated from the title of white man’s wh*re , he is now cordially referred to as the white man’s beefcake . he treats gym sessions like a therapy visit , clocking in at a friendly 220 lbs . like all gym rats w/o a personality , he keeps his hair short on the sides n longer on top , a la this look . he has a scar running along the inside of his right arm from when he broke it , and another that splits his left eyebrow from his eighteenth birthday
𝖔𝖈𝖈𝖚𝖕𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 : resident waste of space , quarterback for the hollingsworth mumbles ( update : it’s panthers ... they’re the panthers ) , least favorite son of the year recipient 1998 - 2019 .
𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖔𝖜𝖓 : atlanta , georgia .
ii.
second son of hall of fame ex falcons qb , miles pierce , and entrepreneur and daughter of a famed manhattan - based art collector , amélie pierce – rome’s future was pretty non - negotiable since day one . as soon as they could stumble around enough to pass for walking , miles had his sons enrolled in as many football programs as he legally could .
when rome was young , he loved it . the attention , the praise he received for his quickness despite being one of the smallest kids on the field . plus , going to his father’s games and being recognized as miles pierce’s kids was also fun . soon came time for the inevitable retirement on the heel of a downward - trending career , and after that things … changed .
suddenly , it was less praise and more demands . earlier practices , with his father making rome and his brother run drills until they were sick . suddenly , things that were previously good weren’t good enough , despite how much better his sons continued to be .
as anyone with half a brain could guess , these pressures eventually began to take their toll . with interests in anything else repressed by his father’s insistence that football is and always will be the most important thing in life , rome began to emulate his father’s aggressive attitude , first bringing it to the field and then , more notably , to his personal life . failed relationships , fights at school , sneaking home late absolutely blitzed out of his mind – none of the behaviors were healthy , but they were enough to take the weight of his father’s hands off of his shoulders , if only for a moment . until papa helicopter parent found out , that is .
tw abuse : despite his sons catering to his every will , miles’ incessant anger began to worsen , and soon a lot of the verbal abuse had started to become physical , too . sure , rome knew that it was wrong , but he also thought that maybe if he’d been better in the game last night , or worked harder at practice , maybe he’d stop .
he made varsity his freshman year of high school and took his team to the state championships , expecting his dad to finally approve of something he’d done . instead , he came home to the news that his mother was leaving – that his parents were splitting up and that this had been a long time combing . safe to say this mama’s boy ass bitch was devastated.
tw death : his dad only sunk deeper into his madness , but all that anyone else could see is that rome was throwing further , moving faster , and making better plays . a non - football related injury left him with a broken arm , and it was on the way home from the hospital that his father received the call that his ex - wife had taken her own life . devastated part ii , coming soon to a theater near you !
tw drugs , alcohol , general debauchery : the partying worsened . rome had entered a phase in his life where he was looking for something – anything to completely wipe his mind of any and all thoughts . the drugs , the alcohol , it was all a coping mechanism , but it definitely wasn’t a healthy one . soon , his brother left for college thousands of miles away , and rome found out that that fifth of rum goes down a lot easier after doing a few lines beforehand .
he chose to go to college in cali not because he wanted to , but because his dad knew that hollingsworth was a great school for scouting attention . in his midst of an extended bender compounded by having training now twice a day everyday on top of college courses , he decided to join pike – and he absolutely loves it .
he chose to major in psych because he wants to understand why his dad hates him so much skjfjks dumb b*tch .
also last summer he may or may not have allegedly accidentally wrapped his masterati around a telephone pole and gotten a dui . in reality , it was his brother’s accidental doing after a rather... heated argument between the two , but roman told him to gtfo and he’d take the fall because his bro finally managed to escape his dad and rome didn’t want him to suffer the same fate . it made headlines , but his dad pulled approximately 6 billion strings to get him conditionally reinstated to the team .
spent the summer before his junior year chillin in rehab , but he relapsed shortly after . consistency is key here , kids.
still bender - adjacent , but he’s kept it more lowkey because the nfl draft is coming in hot .
iii.
he really ………….. kinda sux , objectively sfdkjsdfjk . personality-wise and bc he has a southern accent .
he has so , so much pent up frustration and anger directed at his father and himself that it manifests in some pretty shitty behaviors .
he’s definitely controlling ( as a consequence of having v v little control over his own life ) , and he’ll manipulate any situation he deems worthy of his effort just to assure that he isn’t in any state of vulnerability .
i know yall get it , he vapes , but he’s definitely the kind of guy to try to keep the party running til 5 am and get pissed when people tell him that maybe he should stop .
he will provoke anyone and anything ( even inanimate objects ) if found in a self - destructive enough mood .
has a notoriously short temper , but what kind of gym rat doesn’t .
manages to still attain a 4.0 ( and in his words , psych is easy ) , so that’s another thing that makes it difficult for him to understand that his lifestyle is … per se … problematique .
10000% has sent a plethora of u up ? texts
kinda gets a little .. hm .. sad sometimes but that’s only after everyone bails from the party n he’s left alone in a dirty ass frat house sdkfsdjk
definitely an irredeemable trash bag and pls don’t think of him any other way
is definitely fiercely loyal to the 2.5 people who can tolerate him .
currently in an uber ride to hell , but 10/10 hit the option so that his uber driver can’t talk to him 🤡
#listen IIIIIIIIIIII didnt even read this when writing it so i honestly don't expect yall to either ksnfsnkdf#holling:intro
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NAME: Kathryn Atkins
AGE: 31
SPECIES: Human (Dormant Werewolf)
OCCUPATION: Adult Film Star
YEAR OF DEPARTURE: 2016, end of year
RESIDENT FOR… two years
FACECLAIM: Diane Guerrero
t i m e i s a n i l l u s i o n, b u t n o t o u r s t o r i e s…
Thick humidity and patches of moss covered her childhood home. It was old, barely standing since it’s purchase in the early 1900s. In Delight, the hottest spot was a run down creek with empty beer bottles tossed between a few reckless teenagers. The small town barely held three hundred in its population. Her father worked in construction while her mother stayed at home to mold her children into model Evangelists. Between double shifts and late nights, Maria wasn’t tending of her children. So long as they remained well-behaved and docile, she didn’t make the effort. Instead, a string of different friends ventured to her room. She never caught their names.
A lover of God and extremely well read, the brunette would remain seated on the front row of service each Sunday. While her brother waved an acceptance letter from Harvard, Kat sat in the Arkansas musk near Wolf Creek with a stolen cigarette. Once Rob left, there wasn’t anyone to guide her. The role of both parent and sibling whisked away on a full ride to become a doctor. She didn’t admit the twinge of jealousy that twisted in her gut. He got to leave, but not many did. Her grades were mediocre in comparison. Everything was. The only way she could thrive past her brother’s shadow was through theater.
Maria hyper focused near the end of high school to ensure her daughter thrived. It was a double edge pressure. Kat would make qualms against her mother’s adultry to get away with what she wanted. Exhausted from the peering looks from her mother and the aggravated tone of her father’s as his greasy hands clenched on his fifth beer, Kathryn gave in. After applying around to different universities, the brunette merely waited on her decision. She was never necessarily passionate about school, despite her academic achievements. The ringing leader was NYU. She decided to take a trip, staying with her brother as he showed her around the campus. It was almost too good to be true - - - away from their soul eating parents, living on their own, and creating a new life for themselves. She accepted the offer.
She returned home with a newfound motivation towards high school graduation. After an after party near the outskirts of town, Kat and her best friend, Roy broke into private property. It was a drunken idea to create crop circles that ended with a gun pointed between a bottle of everclear. Roy was shot out of self defense, despite being unarmed. Rather than stay by her injured friend, the teenager stumbled drunk through corn husks until authorities stopped her by the main road. She was thrown into a squad car as the investigation continued. Eventually, it was swept under the rug.
As the summer drew to a close, Kat settled into an undergraduate degree of pre-med biology. Her first year at university felt like a hiccup. She finally settled into what her parents wanted, but none of it felt right. In a skew of finding herself, she went out on a limb. Her first job in college was nude photography. It lined her up for other opportunities aside from a wannabe SoHo magazine. The photography was just side money at first. She couldn’t afford her medication through the university insurance, and needed some way to pay for room and board. It wasn’t until her second semester at NYU that she dropped off the grid completely. She cut off all contact from her parents and anyone back home.
Her photography progressed into a career in adult film. It fulfilled the checklist in her life: acting, fame, and money. She bounced between traveling around the nation and keeping up with contract jobs in porn. Bouncing from her girlfriend’s apartment, she hitched a ride with a band. Washable was on the rise, stationed on their second studio album. She bummed in the bus for the second half of their tour before stopping back in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles to New York City, Kat got a taste of what it was like to feel herself. She soon became a pillar in the adult community – striking a name recognizable almost anywhere. Between the twelve hour sets and hectic atmosphere in her friend group, she slowly slipped from recreational to substance abuse. It started off with prescription, popping a few Xans when she was wound tight. Then, it was almost daily. It was an issue well hid even from her current relationship. New York offered more than anything in LA. She kept her head down and worked hard on sets. In the string of highs and lows, she ended up hooking up with a familiar face from Washable. Rather than keep it casual, it eventually progressed to a full fledged relationship. The star juggled both until one merely favored over the other.
As she progressed in the new relationship, so did old demons. He never mentioned her use and she mentioned his. Drinks and pills ran together well until it slipped down the wormhole. Nearing a year celebration of their relationship, Kat fell into heroin. It was cheap and easy to curb stress. It was the high she sought after, warmth gathered in a calm sleep. It should have worked well. She did what she could to hide her use from Jake. It all ended with dead eyes locking as she stretched in a tub. A spoon and a bundle was all the evidence he needed. Rather than confront, he left the apartment with a duffle bag.
He was supposed to come back. She focused on the same voicemail for weeks as the come downs were harsher. She couldn’t stop, but the police knocked on her door. His friend, Silas filed a missing persons report. There were never any leads, but vague surveillance footage. It was as if the man simply disappeared. Kat plunged further in her use, only finding clarity when a pregnancy test pinged positive. She didn’t have a choice, but get clean. She forced herself through detox and religiously attended doctor appointments. A new start was born. She tried to focus solely on a child, hoping that everything else tied to. She hoped that a body would show up, or at least, him. It was a false hope that lead to a self concluded closure.
She married, though the love wasn’t genuine. It offered a better chance for her newborn. Jonah was a focal point in her life. It was clear only seven months into the marriage that it wouldn’t last. Clarke wanted a larger family, determined to coax her out of sex work as a stay at home mother. He pleaded for her to consider her family, guilting every opportunity she returned to work. The final strike was a crack of her head while her son cried in the living room. She scooped the toddler and a duffle bag. The next day a lawyer served papers. It took months for Clarke to make a move. He refused to sign them without talking it through, while Kat refused to talk with him without a lawyer present. Eventually, the dotted line was signed. There was never a fight for custody, which only confirmed her suspicion that the man never considered Jonah as his.
Throughout the divorce, she held onto friends. The tight knit group of Washable, coworkers, and brother was a large key for her sobriety. She clocked in three years as she considered the idea of dating once more. She kept it on the back burner as she started casually seeing an old friend. Jer was brash and confident. It was a strange change from her usual, but determined to keep them loose in terms of a relationship. She didn’t want anything after Clarke. Both of them needed to concentrate on their sobriety.
Her first relapse was six months into the eventual relationship. Breaking off four years was the hardest one to keep in the scale of a bathroom. It was hard to stretch her manipulation, breaking on the first call from a pseudo father. Another week and she was out of detox with Jonah convinced he spent a fun week over at his grandparents. It was difficult to maintain a relationship when the other half couldn’t remain sober. It only grew worse when Jer had tour. Things broke off quickly after an explosive argument and a mutual understanding.
Another year stretched as her career progressed to more directing than acting itself. No one was keen to hire an addict for major projects. It took over a year to gain any project longer than a month.
Before the #MeToo movement, the adult film industry generally swept everything under the rug. Once Kat approached the company with an assault complaint against one of her directors, they were quick to cut ties with her. She was dropped from the company and much of her contracts were burned. A lawsuit slowly followed from staff on set with similar allegations.
She slipped into a gas station restroom, a stop on her way to pick up her son from elementary. She stepped out of the restroom and continued onto the school as normal. When she couldn’t find her son, a frantic call from the police shoved her into the waiting room of the station. It took over a day to realize that her son wasn’t actually missing, but in a different space completely.
It’s been a little over a year since she slipped into the liminal space. Her apartment is bare bones. Though her portfolio is still available, she struggled to find another job in the city. It took a few months and a lesser rate than her usual. She hasn’t moved past the idea that she’s stuck there. It took months for her to leave the apartment, forcing some semblance of a life. She couldn’t slip back down the hole, despite alcohol being an easier vice.
t e l l m e, a r e w e a p r o d u c t o f w h o w e u s e d t o b e?
Lothric and brash, Kat packs a majority of her personality in wisecrack jokes, anger, and spontaneity. She is generally distant in personal conversations unless she’s familiar with you. She’s messy with relationships, breaking them off as easily as she gained them. She likes to pretend she’s enigma, but she’s really just an inked girl with a two dimensional personality with a bag of hot Cheetos.
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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/the-latest-australia-leader-to-go-slow-on-pfizer-vaccine-national-news/
The Latest: Australia leader to go slow on Pfizer vaccine | National News
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s prime minister says his government will not rush approval of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine because he wants Australians to have confidence in the product.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that Australia is in a different position to Britain, which has given emergency approval to the roll out, and to the United States, which is near final approval for the vaccine’s use.
Morrison says he wants Australians to have “absolute full confidence that when it gets the tick, they can get the jab.”
The government expects the Australian regulator to approve the vaccine produced jointly by Pfizer and BioNTech by late January. The Australian roll out is expected to be underway by March.
———
THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:
U.S. experts are convening to decide whether to approve the Pfizer vaccine. Food and Drug Administration advisers are scrutinizing the company’s data for any red flags or oversights. If approved, shots could begin within days for health care workers and people in nursing homes.
U. S. lawmakers are trying to hammer out a COVID-19 relief bill. That comes as US jobless claims jumped to 853,000 amid a resurgence of the virus. More than 19 million people rely on some type of unemployment benefit, and unless Congress acts soon, nearly half will lose that aid in just over two weeks.
———
Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
———
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
WASHINGTON — A U.S. government advisory panel has endorsed Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, in a major step toward an epic vaccination campaign that could finally conquer the outbreak.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow the recommendation issued Thursday by its expert advisers.
The group concluded that the shot appears safe and effective against the coronavirus in people 16 and older.
A final FDA decision is expected within days. Shots would then begin for health care workers and nursing home residents. Widespread access to the general public is not expected until the spring.
———
SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico health officials have issued orders that could limit nonessential surgeries and prepare for rationing of other medial services as the coronavirus pandemic strains resources and personnel at hospitals and intensive care centers.
One of the orders from the state Department of Health allows hospitals and acute-care facilities to limit surgeries. The second changes liability standards for emergency medical providers as the state prepares for possible triage procedures that might limit care to some individuals.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the orders go into Friday and will last until at least Jan. 4.
———
CANBERRA, Australia — Australian researchers say they have abandoned development of a potential coronavirus vaccine because it produced false positive results on HIV tests.
A statement said Friday that the University of Queensland vaccine that was to be manufactured at Australian biopharmaceutical company CSL’s Melbourne headquarters proved safe and produced a “robust response” to the virus during initial trials.
But it said the researchers and the government agreed not to proceed further because of the false positive result of some HIV tests due to a protein contained in the potential vaccine.
It was one of five potential vaccines on which the Australian government had signed contracts with developers.
———
OKLAHOMA CITY — Some Oklahomans who lost wages due to the coronavirus pandemic will receive $400 from the state starting next week.
Oklahoma Employment Security Commission Director Shelley Zumwalt said Thursday the one-time payments will be going to to over 120,000 Oklahomans.
Zumwalt says the agency received permission from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to distribute Lost Wage Assistance funds to anyone who received $100 in benefits from any claim type and certify their employment was affected by the coronavirus pandemic during the week of Sept. 6-12.
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TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas does not plan to send personal information to the federal government about residents who receive coronavirus vaccines, though it has signed a data-use agreement with the CDC.
A spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Thursday in a text to The Associated Press that it signed a data-use agreement with the CDC “a while ago” but it “won’t be providing any identifying information.”
The CDC’s standard agreement calls for collection of data about vaccine recipients, including a person’s name, address and birthday. The CDC says the information will help determine how vaccines are distributed, monitor their safety and effectiveness, and identify places that are under-vaccinated.
The chief of the state health department said earlier this week that Kansas officials worry that sending personal information could discourage people from getting vaccinated.
———
CAIRO — Egypt has received its first shipment of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, which was tested in the United Arab Emirates and is said to be 86% effective.
The shipment by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm landed at Cairo’s international airport from the UAE on Thursday.
A health ministry statement says the government will first vaccinate health care workers, particularly those who deal with COVID-19 cases.
Egypt is the Arab world’s most populous country and it has seen an increase in confirmed coronavirus infections in recent weeks amid warnings by the government about a second wave of the pandemic. Egypt reported 445 newly confirmed coronavirus infections Thursday and 22 deaths from COVID-19, bringing the country’s overall tally to 120,147 cases, with 6,854 deaths.
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HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania is halting school sports and other extracurricular activities, ordering gyms, theaters and casinos to close and banning indoor dining at restaurants in response to the worsening pandemic.
A day after telling Pennsylvanians of his own COVID-19 diagnosis, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the widely expected clampdown Thursday. He said it aims to slow the accelerating spread of the coronavirus and prevent hospitals from becoming overrun.
“We all hoped it would not come to this,” Wolf said at a virtual news conference, but “we need to slow the spread to save lives.”
The restrictions include a 10-person cap on indoor gatherings, a 50-person limit for outdoor gatherings and capacity restrictions at retail stores. They take effect Saturday and run through until Jan. 4.
———
TORONTO — Canada’s most populous province will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations at hospitals in Toronto and Ottawa on Tuesday.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says a small number of doses are expected to arrive in the province in the coming days.
Canada’s health regulator approved the vaccine by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday.
Ford says health care workers in long-term care homes and other high-risk settings will be the first to receive the vaccines.
———
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Vice President Mike Pence has traveled to South Carolina to talk about coronavirus vaccines, as cases are rising in the state.
Pence participated in a roundtable discussion with Gov. Henry McMaster and local leaders about two vaccines, both likely to receive FDA approval for use in the next week.
Pence says the government’s virus task force has “cut no corners in the development of this vaccine. We have cut red tape.”
State health officials plan to give vaccines first to health care workers and nursing home patients. Federal officials hope to have the vaccine available to the general public by the end of June.
South Carolina is averaging nearly 2,500 new cases a day, about 600 more than at the summer peak.
———
OKLAHOMA CITY — Tulsa’s airport says it will begin offering coronavirus testing to current and recent passengers.
The airport board has approved the testing inside an airport terminal beginning Jan. 4 for people who are flying or have flown in the previous three days.
Costs will range from $70 for a rapid antigen test to $185 for a full respiratory test.
The State Department of Health reported 2,460 new cases of the virus and 35 more deaths on Thursday.
———
MISSION, Kan. — The U.S. has set records for deaths and hospitalizations.
The U.S. recorded 3,124 confirmed deaths on Wednesday, the highest one-day total yet, according to Johns Hopkins University. That’s more than the toll of 2,977 killed on Sept. 11, 2001.
More than 106,000 Americans are hospitalized.
Until last week, the peak was 2,603 deaths on April 15, when New York City was the epicenter of the nation’s outbreak.
The pandemic has killed more than 290,000 people in the U.S., with more than 15 million confirmed infections.
———
LONDON — British authorities plan to test all secondary school-age children in southeast England for coronavirus to try to curb surging infection rates.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock says the mass testing will cover parts of London and the neighboring areas of Essex and Kent counties. Children ages 11 to 18 will be tested whether or not they have symptoms.
Hancock says the testing will be done so schools could stay open, “because that is both right for education and for public health.”
Hancock says infections are starting to rise in some areas after falling during a four-week national lockdown in England that ended Dec. 2. The virus is spreading fastest among older children, health officials say.
Britain has confirmed more than 63,000 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest in Europe.
———
CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire House Speaker Dick Hinch has died from COVID-19, a medical examiner ruled Thursday following his unexpected death.
The 71-year-old Hinch, who was sworn in as leader of the newly Republican-led Legislature only a week ago, died Wednesday.
He was starting his seventh two-year term in the state House. He previously served as majority leader for the 2016-17 session and as minority leader when Democrats were in control the last two years.
———
LOS ANGELES — Ellen DeGeneres says she has tested positive for the coronavirus but is “feeling fine right now.”
Production on her daytime talk show has been paused until January, producer Telepictures said in a statement that followed DeGeneres’ Thursday announcement.
In an Instagram post, DeGeneres says anyone who was in close contact with her has been notified and she’s following “all proper CDC guidelines.”
———
BOSTON — Massachusetts’ highest court says Gov. Charlie Baker didn’t overstep his authority with orders to close businesses and limit gatherings to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday rejected a challenge brought on behalf of a group including salon owners, pastors and a private school. They accused the Republican of exercising “legislative police power” by declaring a state of emergency.
Baker announced this week that Massachusetts would tighten some restrictions as cases rise. The court rejected the lawsuit’s argument that the governor’s actions infringe on due process and free assembly.
———
JOHANNESBURG — South Africa Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says the country is seeing a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases.
South Africa recorded 6,700 new cases on Wednesday, the most since August.
Mkhize warned that hospital capacities could be overwhelmed in some regions.
South Africa’s surge highlights that a new wave of the disease is sweeping across the continent, according to the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
———
HONOLULU — Hawaii expects to receive 80,000 doses of coronavirus vaccine in December for health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the state Department of Health made its initial trial order with Pfizer for 4,875 doses. The December order will be used to provide the priority group with the first of two doses, which require a minimum 28 days in between injections. The vaccine will be free.
Meanwhile, Hawaii’s biggest surfing competition has started amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus among fans.
Hawaii Public Radio reports the Billabong Pipe Masters Oahu’s North Shore will run through Dec. 20. The World Surf League has changed the format and closed the competition area to reduce crowds.
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Key meet car Pt 2
It’s finally done. Not happy with it at all, but hey, I wrote again!
Pairing: Daveed X Reader
Words: ~1380
Note: Holy shit, the response has been really cool! Thank you all!!! Here’s part two! I put it a bit in the past, during Hamilton’s Public days. I reference a date with a female cast member. I don’t know her sexuality, nor yours, but this is self-indulgent AF so I made the reader bisexual (yo!). I spent WAY too long finding the name of a bar they could go to… Ah well...
Warning: Some cursing
Tagging: @soundsgaebutok @ballerinafairyprincess @apandawithcookies @moistpotatobear @nadialinett14
Daveed got up as well, following you to the living room, his eyes on the pictures on the wall again.
“Thanks,” he said distractedly. Suddenly he pointed at one of the pictures and turned to you. “You know Oak?” he asked, sounding surprised.
You in turn looked at him weirdly and said, “yeah, we went to Rutgers together.” You handed him a note with your name and number before narrowing your eyes. “How do you know Oak?” you inquired.
“We work together!” Daveed laughed.
“You’re that Daveed?” Your voice had risen to a near yell.
“And you’re that Y/N!” Daveed shouted. “He tried to set you up with half of the cast. Talking ‘bout how pretty and smart you were, how your previous partners all sucked, how you’d be way better off with someone he knew and trusted.”
“He said that?” You felt a blush rise on your cheeks again, together with a sense of shame for being talked about, but also fondness for Oak, who was looking out for you after you’d called him crying about your ex.
“Yeah. Never mentioned you were capable of keying someone’s car, though.”
“I told yo- You know what, I deserve that. I already feel like shit about it, might as well rub it in,” you said, looking down at the floor, frustrated tears returning.
“Hey now,” Daveed said, walking to you and grabbing your arm. “None of that. I’m sorry. I’m not even mad about it anymore. Honestly, between how my day’s gone and you keying my car, I just need a drink.”
“God, me, too,” you sighed. You glanced at the clock. It was nearing 8 and you hadn’t even had dinner yet. A couple glasses of wine sounded perfect, though.
“You know what? Let’s call Oak and we’ll go out. Do you need to change?” Daveed asked, before glancing at your outfit. It was nothing special, a skirt and blouse for work, but you honestly couldn’t wait to get out of it. You’d taken of your heels as soon as you walked in the door.
“Not that you don’t look good!” Daveed added. “I mean, ya know. Maybe you’d want to wear something more comfortable?”
You raised an eyebrow and looked him straight in the eyes. “Allow me to slip into something more comfortable,” you said with a suggestive tone.
Daveed’s eyes went wide and shot to yours, his brows nearing his hairline.
“I didn- I mean, you-,” he stuttered.
You couldn’t keep a straight face anymore and burst out laughing. “Your face! Oh my God, that’s hilarious!”
“Jesus, Y/N… For a second I thought I was in a porn movie.” He pitched his voice to make it sound like a woman’s, “I’m sorry for keying your car, mister. How can I make it up to you?” He fluttered his eyes, causing you to laugh even harder.
“Shut up, you’re gonna make me piss myself!” you laughed, whacking him on the arm. You sobered enough to turn to him. “I’mma go change, I’ll be right back. Can you call Oak?”
“Sure. Where do you wanna meet him?”
“There’s a bar downtown we usually go to, tell him to meet us at the Swift Lounge.”
“The Swift? That's where we hang out after rehearsal. How come I've never seen you?” Daveed asked.
“Probably because it's been a couple of months since I've been there,” you said. “I'm so busy, I've only spoken to Oak through texts.”
You walked into your bedroom and opened your closet. You started taking off your blouse when you heard Daveed’s voice from the living room. “So you haven't met any of the people Oak works with? We need to change that!”
You glanced back at him, remembering Sasha and the coffee date from hell.
“Unless you don't wa- WHOA!” Daveed shouted, seeing your state of undress before quickly turning around.
“Oh, c’mon,” you laughed. “It's nothing you haven't seen before, being in theater. Oak has seen me in my underwear loads of times.”
Daveed raised his chin and, looking at the ceiling, said “I might be in theater, doesn’t mean I’m used to people casually undressing. That part was always weird to me. I’m a rapper, too.”
“A rapper, huh? So you're used to seeing girls in much less than a skirt and bra. All those gorgeous girls, damn, I'm jealous. Unless you're more a man's man?”
“Nope, definitely a ladies man,” Daveed said, still looking at the ceiling. “Are you decent, yet?”
“Never decent, but I'm dressed, if that's what you meant,” you replied. You were surprised by how flustered he had gotten. This handsome man, blushing at the sight of your plain black bra. You'd put on a sundress, knowing the Swift Lounge was going to be warm, even if it was a Wednesday. Daveed slowly turned around and you heard a muttered ‘thank god’.
You quirked your eyebrow at him and he started sputtering.
“No! I just… Uhm. I was afraid you were gonna be completely naked this time. Not that I would really mind. I mean… I- you're very pretty. Gorgeous, even. I wouldn't have minded at all,” he kept stammering, the blush on his cheeks spreading to his ears and neck.
It was strange how this man, who you met not even an hour ago, could make you fluster with only a few words.
“You haven't called Oak yet, have you?” you asked, changing the subject.
Daveed shook his head, so you said “I'll text him,” before grabbing your phone from the coffee table.
To: Oak Tree
Met a friend of urs 2day, wanna meet up w/ us @ Swift?
You locked your phone and saw Daveed with his in one hand, the note in his other.
“I have another Y/N in here, believe it or not,” he said.
“As long as you don't put me in as ‘weirdo who keyed my car’, I'm sure it'll be fine,” you said, knowing he would do just that.
“Don't give me any ideas,” Daveed laughed. He put his phone away and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Now we wait,” he muttered.
“Now we wait,” you echoed. “Did you want to invite anyone else?”
Daveed told you about the group chat and shot out a quick text.
He put his phone in his pocket and squinted at you. “Didn’t you go on a date with Sasha? She told me about a date she went on with a Y/N.”
“She told you about that? Oh god.” You hid your face in your hands. Oak had set you up with a beautiful girl he worked with. You’d met with her at a coffee shop, but you’d been so nervous, you spilled your latte all over the table and knocked her drink over as well. You had apologized profusely and Sasha had been so sweet. She told you to call her to set up another date, but you’d been to scared to. You told Oak about it, hoping she would call or text you, but she never did.
“Yeah, she did. Hoped you would call, but you never did, did ya? Sat by the phone for days, poor thing,” he said, ruefully shaking his head.
“Really? I thought she’d call me if she wanted to see me again…”
“Nah, I’m messing with you,” Daveed laughed. “Said you were cute, but awkward as fuck. She wanted to call you, but Oak told her not to.”
‘The fuck, Oak,’ you thought.
At that moment your phone buzzed with a text.
From: Oak Tree
Sure! Its been 2 long! There in 20. friend = Daveed? ;)
To: Oak Tree
Yeah. I’m angry @ u. U told Sasha not 2 call me? >:(
You put your phone in your purse, even though it buzzed again. ‘Let Oak stew for a bit,’ you thought.
“You ready to go?” you asked.
You looked at Daveed, who had his phone in his hands again.
“Sasha’s coming,” he announced.
“Fuck me,” you muttered.
“Really, Y/N? We’ve only just met!” He started laughing. “I thought you were a ladies lady?”
“I’m a both lady,” you chuckled. “Well, more an everyone lady, ya know?”
“Sounds like low standards to me,” Daveed said. “Willing to sleep with everyone?”
You gave him a playful glare. “I mean,” you began, “That I don’t really care or mind what’s in somebody's pants. Especially not when I’m in them, too.”
Daveed laughed and threw his arm around your shoulders and walked you towards the front door. “Y/N, I think this the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
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A Song of Sisters - Part 3
Description: Claire and her little sister Deb have been through so much in their lives. A singing, dancing apocalypse should be a no brainer, right? When Claire receives a panicked call from Deb in the middle of the school day, she races to save her from the Apotheosis.I was in my second year at Hatchetfield Community College when it happened. I had been working late, and it was raining cats and dogs when I left work. Deb had plans with Alice to go see a play at the Starlight. Alice’s dad was apparently saying, so I didn’t dare say no. As I arrived home, I could swear I heard a crash. It sounded far away though, so I didn’t think anything of it. I sat my tired ass on the couch and turned on the TV. It wasn’t long afterwards when I heard Deb come through the door. I checked the time. “Wait, you’re like three hours early…the play shouldn’t even have started yet, should it?”
“Turn on the news!” Deb said. I turned the channel to Dan and Donna, and I saw the headline across the bottom of the screen: METEOR HITS IN HATCHETFIELD.
"Shit.” I said, “Well that sucks.”
“We didn’t even get to the theater. Apparently that’s where it hit. The police had it blocked off, no one could get within a block of it. Alice said we could go get McDonalds or something tomorrow after school to make up the date. Can I borrow the car?”
“Of course!” I said, offering up half the blanket. Deb sat down and settled in. We both had long days, and were asleep within minutes. How Deb planned to get through the play, I didn’t know. The next morning, I woke up after Deb had taken the bus to school. I didn’t even hear her leave, I was sleeping so soundly. I was usually always awake to say goodbye and tell her to have a good day as she left for the bus. I got out of bed with a sigh. I got ready and was about to leave when my phone rang. I looked down at the screen and Deb’s photo smiled back at me. This worried me. Hatchetfield High was notoriously anti-texting in class. She would only be calling me in the middle of the day if…
“Deb! What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s…the teachers…” She said, panting. I could tell she was running, “They’re…they’re…”
“What, Deb?” I said, frantic. I ran to my car, ready to rush to the high school. It was then that I heard it, coming from the direction of downtown. The song itself wasn’t scary, I suppose, but when a whole town is singing the same song…it’s a little unnerving.
“They’re…singing.” Deb said.
What the fuck?
I kept my windows rolled up as I drove through town, but I could still hear it.
La dee dah dah day
… What the hell was going on? It fully dawned on me what was happening when I saw a scene that made my stomach churn on one of sidewalks downtown. Two people, dancing and twirling down the street, singing all the while, had blood dripping down their face. A man that followed them, dancing along to the same tune, had a gaping wound on the side of his neck. I watched with horror as it began bleeding…blue? I had seen enough zombie apocalypse movies to recognize one when I saw it. Deb and I would watch these and then make up stories about how the two of us would go through with a machete and slice up zombies as we made our way through it. We’d be brave, fearless. In reality, though, we were just scared. I remembered, though, what my parents had told me that day when I first met Deb and they put her in my arms.
You two are going to have to stick together, Dad had said, no matter what happens, you have to be there for each other. That’s what having a sister means. You have her back, and she’ll have yours.
I shook the horrifying scene out of mind as I kept on driving towards the high school with Deb’s softball bat in the back of my car. I had to have her back now. I grabbed the bat as I got out of my car near the school. There was a way to sneak in and out around the back. I remembered from when I went there, and I could hopefully make it in without being noticed.
-Where r u? I texted Deb.
-Bathroom. 2nd floor.
-Almost there. U safe?
- For now. Alice is here
- Singing?
- No. Scared.
- Shit is going on downtown. Be there soon.
I put my phone in my pocket as I opened the car door. I gripped the bat tight and tried to block out the sound of singing as I head into the school, climbing through an open window in the teacher’s lounge. It was, thankfully, empty, and I stepped out into the hallway. There, the singing became louder. I wondered how many teachers and students were already infected as I noticed that my shoes were beginning to stick to the floor. I looked down, and almost retched. My shoes were sticking in a pool of blood. I had been to focused on what was ahead of me to notice it. I looked down again and saw that there were patches of red lining the hallway, along with spots of blue goo. Was this how they infected people? In some cases, the two touched, making a swirl of purple. I pressed on. I had to get to the second floor. The bathrooms were by the choir room, I remembered. There should be a stairwell near here…
“Are you looking for Debbie?” Said a voice behind me. I turned to see Miss Carter, a blue streak down her chin and front of her clothes. Was she…?
“You know she hates when you call her that.” I said. “What I call her won’t matter,” Miss Carter said, “She’ll be with your parents soon. You poor, orphaned children. Would you like to join them?” I gripped my bat tight and raised it above my head.
“D…Don’t come closer.” I warned, ready to run.
“Or what?” She asked, “You’ll give me a bump on the head? Claire, I’m trying to help…you know I am. I know that ever since your parents died, you and Deb have been in so much pain…join us and we can help you. Both of you.” She inched closer and closer until she was finally within striking distance.
“Fuck that!” I yelled, swinging the bat as hard as I could. I saw her fall to the ground, out cold. I knew it wouldn’t be long until she came back, so I ran up the nearest stairwell, ignoring the occasional squishing sounds of blood beneath my feet. I was out of breath when I reached the top. I saw a girl with a yellow dress go into the bathroom at the top of the stairs. I could make out a blue stain on her face.
“Deb! Alice!” I heard her say, “It’s Grace! Please…let me in…I’m scared. All the teachers, they’ve gone crazy…” I ran into the bathroom.
“Deb!” I yelled, “Don’t open the door!” I swung the bat again and it made contact with the side of Grace’s face. She fell and I knocked on the door of the stall to let Deb and Alice know it was safe to come out, if the thud of Grace’s fall wasn’t an indication. The stall door opened and I experienced the much more pleasant attack of Deb’s arms around my neck.
“Claire, oh my god…” Deb said into my shoulder, “You made it!”
“Of course I did, I’ve got your back! Now let’s get the hell out of here. I’ve had enough creepy singing to last me a full lifetime.”
“Right, let’s go. Come on, Alice.” Deb said, taking Alice’s hand.
“Stay behind me. This place is filled with those things.” I said, brandishing the bat. My heart sunk as I turned to exit the bathroom. 4 or 5 high schoolers were blocking the entrance.
“Shit.” I heard Alice say behind us.
“The Drama club.” Deb said. There was no way we could get through. If I would have hit one of them with the bat, the others would have been enraged and attacked us. We’d be dead. Things got even worse when I heard Deb yelp behind me, “She’s got my leg!” She screamed. These things were resilient, and they didn’t stay down long, as evidenced by the fact that Grace had her hand wrapped around my sister’s ankle. Grace yanked her leg and brought Deb to the ground. Before I could react, Grace had her pinned down.
“Deb! NO!” I smashed Grace’s face with the bat again and she fell to the side. It was too late. There was blue goo smeared around her cheeks. She began heaving and coughing. I went to her side and took her hand. Alice ran to her other side.
“I’m sorry…” Deb said, clearly struggling. The zombies around us left us alone. They knew what was happening. Every instinct told me to run, but I couldn’t leave Deb here alone. If there was anyone who could possibly fight this thing off, it would be her.
“Come on, Deb…fight it, I know you can!” I yelled as Deb began to writhe in pain. Her grip on my hand tightened until my circulation was completely cut off. Alice, across from me on the other side of Deb, was crying too. I was Deb’s sister, but Alice most likely knew more about her than I did. Those two were inseparable, and I knew her heart was breaking too. Then, all of a sudden, Deb’s grip on my hand loosened. Alice looked at me in horror as she felt it too. Her hands slid back and Deb sat up. Her eyes opened, and I could tell that her eyes were…bluer than normal. “Deb…no…” I said as she stood.
“I’m sorry, Claire…” She said with a sneer that I knew from the start was not my sister. “You lost.”
READ PART 2: https://the-girl-who-likes-musicals.tumblr.com/post/183737205575/a-song-of-sisters-part-2
READ PART 1: https://the-girl-who-likes-musicals.tumblr.com/post/183556142765/a-song-of-sisters-part-1
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what’s poppeeeeeenguh AURGH ! this was meant to be posted a century and a half ago , but due to some ... unforseen ( read : i was given a edible by thou who shalt.. not.. be named ? clearly i skipped all of my shakespeare english classes ) circumstances , it was delayed . but i’m here now to deliver u this steaming pile of degenerate fratboy douchebag on this fine saturday morning ( shoutout to chloe in australia idk what month ur in much less what time of day it is so bear with me SKJFJKD ) .
⋆ ╰ another year at hollingsworth , another year of the big six rivalry . i hear that ROMAN PIERCE is ensuring PI KAPPA EPSILON gets a solid pledge class and stays at the top of the ranks . oh , you’re not familiar with HIM ? ROME is the GREGG SULKIN look alike from ATLANTA , GEORGIA. apart of PC ‘16 , he is majoring in PSYCHOLOGY and has plans to PURSUE A CAREER IN THE NFL after undergrad . it makes sense they pledged their house , their ADEPT & MAGNETIC attributes make them perfect matches . however , their IMPETUOUS & SALACIOUS attributes keep their name alive on greek rank . if you don’t catch them dancing to MOUNT EVEREST - LABRINTH at a fraternity band party this year , you’ll be sure to catch them nursing their morning hangover at THE PIKE HOUSE. cheers to another wild semester !
i.
𝖓𝖆𝖒𝖊 : roman gabriel pierce
𝖆𝖌𝖊 : twenty - one
𝖉𝖔𝖇 : june 15th , 1998
𝖌𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗 / 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖘 : he / him
𝖘𝖊𝖝𝖚𝖆𝖑 & 𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖈 𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 : bisexual , but definitely more on the low low . he’s only ever been seen publicly with girls .
𝖍𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙: 6‘1″ 🤡
𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊: having graduated from the title of white man’s wh*re , he is now cordially referred to as the white man’s beefcake . he treats gym sessions like a therapy visit , clocking in at a friendly 200 lbs . like all gym rats w/o a personality , he keeps his hair short on the sides n longer on top , a la this look . he has a scar running along the inside of his right arm from when he broke it , and another that splits his left eyebrow from his eighteenth birthday
𝖔𝖈𝖈𝖚𝖕𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 : resident waste of space , quarterback for the hollingsworth mumbles , least favorite son of the year recipient 1998 - 2019 .
𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖔𝖜𝖓 : atlanta , georgia .
ii.
second son of hall of fame ex falcons qb , miles pierce , and entrepreneur and daughter of a famed manhattan - based art collector , amélie pierce -- rome’s future was pretty non - negotiable since day one . as soon as they could stumble around enough to pass for walking , miles had his sons enrolled in as many football programs as he legally could .
when rome was young , he loved it . the attention , the praise he received for his quickness despite being one of the smallest kids on the field . plus , going to his father’s games and being recognized as miles pierce’s kids was also fun . soon came time for the inevitable retirement on the heel of a downward - trending career , and after that things ... changed .
suddenly , it was less praise and more demands . earlier practices , with his father making rome and his brother run drills until they were sick . suddenly , things that were previously good weren’t good enough , despite how much better his sons continued to be .
as anyone with half a brain could guess , these pressures eventually began to take their toll . with interests in anything else repressed by his father’s insistence that football is and always will be the most important thing in life , rome began to emulate his father’s aggressive attitude , first bringing it to the field and then , more notably , to his personal life . failed relationships , fights at school , sneaking home late absolutely blitzed out of his mind -- none of the behaviors were healthy , but they were enough to take the weight of his father’s hands off of his shoulders , if only for a moment . until papa helicopter parent found out , that is .
tw abuse : despite his sons catering to his every will , miles’ incessant anger began to worsen , and soon a lot of the verbal abuse had started to become physical , too . sure , rome knew that it was wrong , but he also thought that maybe if he’d been better in the game last night , or worked harder at practice , maybe he’d stop .
he made varsity his freshman year of high school and took his team to the state championships , expecting his dad to finally approve of something he’d done . instead , he came home to the news that his mother was leaving -- that his parents were splitting up and that this had been a long time combing . safe to say this mama’s boy ass bitch was devastated.
tw death : his dad only sunk deeper into his madness , but all that anyone else could see is that rome was throwing further , moving faster , and making better plays . a non - football related injury left him with a broken arm , and it was on the way home from the hospital that his father received the call that his ex - wife had taken her own life . devastated part ii , coming soon to a theater near you !
tw drugs , alcohol , general debauchery : the partying worsened . rome had entered a phase in his life where he was looking for something -- anything to completely wipe his mind of any and all thoughts . the drugs , the alcohol , it was all a coping mechanism , but it definitely wasn’t a healthy one . soon , his brother left for college thousands of miles away , and rome found out that that fifth of rum goes down a lot easier after doing a few lines beforehand .
he chose to go to college in georgia not because he wanted to , but because his dad knew that hollingsworth was a great school for scouting attention and that rome wasn’t never too far away to yell at SKDFKJ . in his midst of an extended bender compounded by having training now twice a day everyday on top of college courses , he decided to join pike -- and he absolutely loves it .
he chose to major in psych because he wants to understand why his dad hates him so much SKJFJKS dumb b*tch .
also last summer he may or may not have allegedly accidentally wrapped his masterati around a telephone pole and gotten a dui . in reality , it was his brother , but roman told him to gtfo and he’d take the fall because his bro finally managed to escape his dad and rome didn’t want him to suffer the same fate . it made headlines , but his dad pulled approximately 6 billion strings to get him conditionally reinstated to the team .
spent the summer before his junior year chillin in rehab , but he relapsed shortly after . consistency is key here , kids.
still bender - adjacent , but he’s kept it more lowkey because the nfl draft is coming in HOT .
iii.
he really .............. kinda sux , objectively SFDKJSDFJK
he has so , so much pent up frustration and anger directed at his father and himself that it manifests in some pretty shitty behaviors .
he’s definitely controlling ( as a consequence of having v v little control over his own life ) , and he’ll manipulate any situation he deems worthy of his effort just to assure that he isn’t in any state of vulnerability .
i know yall get it , he vapes , but he’s definitely the kind of guy to try to keep the party running til 5 am and get pissed when people tell him that maybe he should stop .
he will provoke anyone and anything ( even inanimate objects ) if found in a self - destructive enough mood .
has a notoriously short temper , but what kind of gym rat doesn’t .
manages to still attain a 4.0 ( and in his words , psych is easy ) , so that’s another thing that makes it difficult for him to understand that his lifestyle is ... per se ... problematique .
10000% has sent a plethora of u up ? texts
kinda gets a little .. hm .. sad sometimes but that’s only after everyone bails from the party n he’s left alone in a dirty ass frat house SDKFSDJK
definitely an irredeemable trash bag and pls don’t think of him any other way
is definitely fiercely loyal to the 2.5 people who can tolerate him .
currently in an uber ride to hell , but 10/10 hit the option so that his uber driver can’t talk to him 🤡
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Bartenders and Bud-light
Lin x Reader
Word Count:4,209 (I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened :/)
Disclaimers: Alcohol mention, 1 curse word?
A/N: This is my first fanfic of any kind, so feedback is definitely welcome!! I took a prompt online “you make eye contact with a stranger across” and just ran with it. Thank you @secretschuylersister for reading it over!! I hope you all enjoy (cause I enjoyed writing it!!)
You found yourself at another stupid college party, where groups of college kids were chugging god-knows-what from red solo cups while some Top 50 song blared from unseen speakers.
It happened to be the first party of your senior year, friends were reuniting after their semesters abroad and talking about their respective summers. You scanned the room in search of someone you knew, but instead your eyes landed on a dark-haired boy chuckling in a corner. You have seen this particular male around campus, either running to class late with mismatched shoes or goofing off in the dining hall with his soccer team.
You two have never really crossed paths since he was a theater/music major, while you were a journalism major. Although do remember having an English class together your freshman year, but he didn’t talk much in class so you never paid much attention to him. But seeing him at this party sparked your interest, maybe because it was your senior year and all your friends all seemed to have found their soul mates? That couldn’t be! You were in the process of job applications and thesis planning– definitely not the time for romance.
You were standing alone near the drinks, the people who you came with were off somewhere playing beer pong or catching up with others who were back from abroad. Bored, you glanced down at the drink that your friend Maggie had concocted for you before she disappeared with some frat boy. You took a hesitant sip, winced, and set it down. There was way too much vodka and you had one too many incidents with the alcohol. Instead, you reached for a bud light.
Suddenly someone approached the table, it happened to be mysterious-theater guy. He glanced at you, and after a beat he asked “Hey, can you hit me up with a bud light too?” You shrugged and passed him the beer. He thanked you, dark, thoughtful eyes never leaving yours, and made his way back to his group of friends.
It had been a normal interaction between two people. Why was my heart pounding so fast? And why was I thinking how his hand had lingered on the bottle for a second before letting go? You thought, taking a gulp of beer. And how he had eyebags and disheveled hair but still looked good? Before your thoughts could spiral even more, her future lawyer friend, Natalie made an appearance.
“Maggie texted me saying she’s staying with the frat guy tonight.” Natalie smirked.
“Huh, I’m not surprised. Guess we’ll get details tomorrow? Ready to go then?”
“Yep.”
As you walked out of the party with Natalie, you didn’t realize that the mysterious-theater guy was still peering at you with curiosity.
After that party, you seemed to be seeing more of this mysterious-theater guy around campus. Either passing him on the way to class or checking your mail at the student center, he happened to be there. You didn’t pay much attention to it considering your school had a relatively small campus where you would see the same people several times a day. Occasionally you two would run into each other at some event, but the only interaction being a simple ‘hey, can you pass me a beer?”
It was soon time for the last finals of undergrad therefore you saw less of the mysterious theater guy, and decided to let it go, focusing on finishing up strong instead. Soon after, graduation approached and, of course, the graduation parties.
Maggie led your group of friends straight to the bar and ordered gin and tonics for the group. Then promptly launched into a conversation about her boyfriend, the frat boy. You, only half listening, examined the room. Most graduates were there- playing pool, engaging in conversations with their former professors, or dancing. A group of theater guys stood off to the side, downing beers like their lives depended on it.
You wondered where THE theater guy was. Usually he would have been at the bar already, asking you, or in this case the real bartender for a beer. Speaking of, you haven’t seen him since the grad ceremony.
“Hey, who are you looking for?” Natalie asked, sipping her gin and tonic, her brown eyes wide with mischief.
“U-uh, no-one. W-why?” You stuttered. Were you being that obvious?
Natalie rolled her eyes.
“Please, you’ve been gawking at that group theater guys since we got here. I didn’t know they were your type. But hey, who am I to judge. Just tell me. You haven’t been on an actual date since September junior year!”
“I have! This past January I went out with that engineering guy.”
“Jeremy?! Y/N, someone who was NOT a complete dumbass.” Natalie ranted to her friend.
“Oh.” You shuddered at the thought. It had actually been one of your worst dates. He wasn’t bad looking but too self absorbed and oblivious. No wonder you blocked the guy from your memory.
“So who is it? I’m actually pretty familiar with those group of guys.” Natalie pressed, looking over at the group herself. “Maybe I could set you up! And you guys could double date with me and Mark!”
“Uh well, I don’t know his name. But I think he’s a theater/music double major like Mark, he’s also on the soccer team.”
Natalie’s eyes twinkled with knowledge. “Hm…I think I had a calc class with him once– does he have ever messy hair, dark dreamy eyes, a little shy, never seems to wear matching shoes?”
“I haven’t really noticed his eyes, but yeah, messy hair, mismatched shoes, also likes Bud Light.” You added.
“How would you know if you never spoken to him?”
“I acted as a bartender for him a couple times.”
“AND YOU NEVER ASKED WHAT HIS NAME WAS?!” Natalie shrieked, causing a couple heads to turn. “C’mon Y/N, don’t throw away your shot.” The future lawyer grabbed your free hand and marched over to the group of theater majors.
“Natalieeee!! What’s upp?” A particularly drunk guy slurred, slinging his arm around her.
“I’m not here for you, Mark.” Natalie wiggled out of his grasp, trying to hide her smile. “I wanted to ask where Mr. Lin-Manuel Miranda was?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard?” One of the more sober guys asked. “He immediately flew out right after graduation, apparently he immediately got some acting gig in LA, that lucky bastard.”
You couldn’t believe your ears. He had moved across the country–a whole 3,000 miles away doing geeky theater stuff. You didn’t even want to pursue this guy, just intrigued by him.
——————————————————————————————————————
A Year Later
“A medium cappuccino with skim milk and two sugars, please?” You told the barista at the counter.
“That would be $4.25”
You gave her the money and took your drink, then looked around the busy cafe for a spot to sit. After traveling around the world for the past year you needed some time to collect your thoughts, to think about your next steps before flying out again. You noticed one free seat across a familiar mop of dark messy hair hunched over a laptop.
Mysterious-theater- guy? Lin-Manuel? What was he doing here? Even with the nagging from Natalie, you never reached out to him. With the constant traveling and full time career, a boy wouldn’t fit into that equation. You’ve known this since undergrad, but the only available spot was across from him. Taking a deep breath, you walked over to the theater stud not knowing if he would recognize you.
“Well, if it isn’t Bud Light boy.” You queried, trying to sound casual. It has been a while since you’ve seen each other. Lin looked up, facial expression confused for a moment before recognition came.
“Well, if isn’t my old bartender, Y/N right? How’s it going?” Lin asked, closing his laptop.
You never mentioned your name, so must’ve been the work of Natalie? “Work and traveling,”
you nonchalantly replied. “What about you, Mr. LA?”
“The name’s Lin actually.” A beginning of a smile forming on the Latino’s lips. “Life’s been hectic, had to come back and visit the parents. Heard you were conquering every continent though?” He asked, then gestured for you to sit. You obliged, taking a sip of your coffee.
“So that’s the word on the street, huh?”
Lin nodded. How come he never had an actual conversation with this girl? Why didn’t he stay a little bit longer near the drinks during those parties? He mentally kicked himself. The only time your name was mentioned to him was when Natalie would talk about her cool journalism major friend who practically lived in the News room. As smart as he was, he never put two and two together.
“From what your friend Natalie has told me, you’re on your way. When’s your next project?”
“May, so in a couple weeks then I’ll be off to Brazil, until Thanksgiving or maybe Christmas.” You explained. “How about you?”
“Sounds like a crazy life you lead. But I have a gig out in LA right now, but also working a play about Washington Heights and growing up there.”
“Sounds exciting! So I guess you’re trying to be the next Shakespeare?” You teased.
Lin smirked, “nah, I couldn’t be compared to the genius, that’s the goal though.”
You and Lin spent the rest of the afternoon talking: everything from freshman year roommate horror stories to incompetent co-workers. Before you knew it the sun was setting and most of the afternoon crowd had dispersed, Lin was in the middle of a particularly intriguing story about him showing up at an audition with his pants inside out, when you noticed the time.
“I would love to find out if you realized you had your pants on inside out in time but I promised Natalie I’ll meet her for dinner, but it was great catching up with you, Lin.”
“Oh.” Lin’s face visibly fell. “It was fun talking with you too, Y/N. When can we meet up again? So I could tell you if I got the part!”
“Was that an excuse to get my number? Cause I’m assuming you got the part?” You quirked an eyebrow.
The boy feigned shock. “Huh maybe it was, pray tell then, what’s your number?”
You gave him your number and asked for his in return.
“I gotta tell you though, I’m heading back to Cali next Thursday so I hope we can catch up before then?” Lin asked, running a hand through his already messy hair.
“If you’re lucky.”
“Here’s hoping I’m lucky cause you’re one interesting girl, Y/N.” He winked and headed out the shop.
You don’t blush easily but the way this overenthusiastic theater nerd said your name made your cheeks color. As cliche as that sounded.
To Natalie 5:35 pm
I have so much to tell you over dinner!!
————————————————————————————————————————-
Several hours later, when you met Natalie at your favorite restaurant, you recounted what happened earlier that afternoon.
“Y/N, girl, I’ve been telling you for the past year to at least message him on Facebook, but did you listen? Nope.” Natalie exclaimed.
“You’re right, I should’ve, I just have this whole field journalism thing which doesn’t allow me stay in one place for more than a week. Any type of romantic relationship wouldn’t fit into that crazy lifestyle. “
“You should get to know him better! From what you told me he could be interested, it’s the twenty-first century, girls have the right to ask guys to hang out first. And Lin’s a nice guy-unlike Jeremy.”
You took in Natalie’s words. Judging by your conversation, maybe you should ask him to hang out-it couldn’t hurt. Even if nothing comes out of it, you might gain a friend on the West coast. Which might be a way to network, in order to find a more stable job.
“Y/N, what’s going through your head?” Natalie prompted.
“I’m going to text him to meet up before he leaves.” You decided. “Because why the hell not?”
Natalie raised her glass to toast with your’s “Hear, hear.”
To: Playwright Lin 7:10 pm
Hey, about your pants & interview, would you be so kind to tell me about it Tuesday?
From: Playwright Lin 7:11 pm
So you are curious? Tuesday works for me, how about dinner? would 7 work?
To: Playwright Lin 7:12 pm
7s fine. I look forward to hearing the rest of your story, Lin.
From: Playwright Lin 7:14 pm
I look forward to telling it, Y/N!
“Judging by how red your face is, he either responded with something sexual or cute.” Natalie teased. You showed your friend the messages which earned you a ‘see I told you’ look.
—————————————————————————————————————————
As Tuesday evening rolled around, You felt a sort of nervousness that you haven’t felt before– not even during the SATs or first job interview. Get it together! You scolded yourself. It’s just dinner with a guy. After taking a quick shower, you contemplated on what to wear. As if on cue, your phone dinged with several texts from Natalie as you stared blankly into your closet.
From: Natalie 6:00 pm
Since ur my best friend, i know ur freaking out about what to wear…u should wear that sweater im obsessed with and those black jeans. U don’t want to try too hard but still look cute.
Txt if u need me.
(Please don’t need me ;))
U got this!
You grinned and rolled her eyes, feeling the anxiety of going on a one-on-one with a guy disappear. Natalie had a point though, the pink sweater had a flirty flair to it and paired with black jeans gave a seamless look. It was an appropriate outfit for a first date if one can call it that. After grabbing your purse, you stepped out the door.
To: Natalie 6:50 pm
Wish me luck!
The restaurant you agreed on was walking distance from your apartment; so you weren’t too worried about leaving ten minutes before the meeting time. It was a small Italian restaurant that you both happened to enjoy while in college. Lin had agreed on meeting outside the place to avoid either one sitting awkwardly alone.
As you approached the restaurant, you noticed that Lin was already there, tapping away on his phone. You walked up and stood next to him. He didn’t notice.
“You millennials and your Apple phones.” You quipped.
“Guilty” Lin responded, putting his hands up. “Ready to go in and stuff our faces?”
“Ready if you are.”
You and Lin entered the restaurant, where you were immediately greeted by a hostess, who escorted you to your table.
“Here you are, your waiter will be with you shortly.” The hostess said.
“So continue about your audition story,” You said, after sitting down. “You must’ve left quite an impression.”
“You could say that, for once I was on time to something, and realized 15 seconds before my audition that my pants were on wrong. So I rushed to the bathroom, changed, with approximately 2 seconds to spare.”
“There should be an Olympic event for that.” You said, earning a laugh from Lin.
For the rest of dinner, you both listened intently on what the other had to say. Lin spoke animatedly about his upbringing in ‘The Heights’, as he called it, which you were beyond intrigued about. You could listen someone talk about their passions on end, especially from a cute boy with a equally as cute speaking voice. Before you knew it, the hostess had come over to give you the check.
“Sorry to interrupt, but the restaurant’s closing soon, I don’t mean to rush but it’s nearing midnight.” The hostess said.
“Shall we split it?” You asked, reaching for the check. Since it was closer to Lin he quickly grabbed it.
“Nope, my treat.”
“It’ll feel more like a date if we didn’t split it. And I was the one who asked you.” You pointed out.
“You’ve got a point there. But it’s all on me next time.” Lin deadpanned as he slid the check back over so you could look at it.
When will next time be? You wondered. He’s going back to California in less than 48 hours. And you’ll be in Brazil for the next 7-8 months. Maybe it was the wrong decision to go out with someone so charming, smart, and funny. It was only the second ‘date’ and you were already falling for him. The thing that you had been dreading.
“Can I walk you home?” Lin asked.
“Sure, thanks.”
You allowed him to walk you back to your apartment but neither one of you spoke. Each wondering what will come next after tonight, knowing your respective careers were demanding and happened to be on different sides of the world. As you arrived in front of your apartment, Lin was the first to speak.
“Look, I had a great time tonight, but given our circumstances, I don’t know when’ll I’ll see you again.” He whispered, his dark eyes meeting yours.
You sighed, a million things going through your head, you ultimately responded with “Let’s make an effort to stay in touch, and not make the same mistake as in undergrad without getting each other’s information.” You gave him a small smile, in which he returned.
“You can count on it, I’m pretty good with the whole tech thing.”
You leaned in for a hug, thinking a handshake would be too casual while a kiss would probably suggest something more.
“Bye, Lin.” You whispered, as you pulled away. “Have a safe flight.”
“See ya, Y/N.”
With that, you opened the door and disappeared inside your apartment, leaving Lin pining for you already.
————————————————————————————————————————-
A Year Later
After spending 7 months in Brazil learning about the culture and reporting about different political issues, you returned home knowing your next assignment wouldn’t be for a couple more months.
You needed these couple months to figure out where she stood with Lin. During the first couple months, phone calls and Facebook messages were daily. You had both wanted to Skype but due to the time difference and hard hours, it was hard for you to find a comparable time. In the last couple months, your communication slowed to only a few texts a week and less often phone calls, since apparently Lin was in the process of getting his musical to broadway and working part time. He would still send you pictures of Shiba Inus almost everyday which he knew were your favorite dog breed.
But when you texted Lin saying that you were going back home, you never received a response, which confused you but eventually brushed it off as him being busy. You knew that long distance friendships were hard, especially after college with everyone off doing their own thing.
Not only was only keeping in touch with Lin hard, it was difficult to get through to Natalie, who was swamped with law school work. You had been back for almost four months before being able to find a time to meet up with your lawyer friend.
Finally one day in April, you finally managed to find a time. You decided to go to the bar early and wait there for Natalie finish up at her criminal law class. You had ordered a bud light, picking at the label on the bottle, when you felt the presence of someone taking a spot next to you, before you could say anything, the person spoke.
“A bud light, please.” The person told the bartender.
Your eyes shot up when she heard the familiar voice. A voice you heard only through the occasional phone call. A person you hadn’t had a real conversation with for the past couple months. A person who ignored your text when you had explicitly said you’ll be back. You looked to the side and there he was, Lin, with his ever messy hair and eye bags, ordering the same type of beer as he did in college.
“Lin.” You breathed.
The actor turned to you, his face lighting up when he saw who had said his name.
“Hey…it’s been a while.”
“What are you doing here?!” You shrieked with a mix of excitement, anger, and shock. How dare he ignore you and then show up? Of all the bars, you run into each other at the same one, giving ‘of all the gin joints’ a true meaning.
“Well to tell you the truth, I quit the acting gig in LA.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “I’m sorry, WHAT?”
“Uh, yeah, didn’t want to pursue something that probably wasn’t going anywhere, so I came back here, looking for another opportunity-maybe really focusing on the musical. In all honesty, I wanted to see you, you’ve been on my mind the whole the whole time I was out West. Seeing those Brazil pictures on Facebook was really something. Doing what you love, it’s incredible and inspiring really. I know our paths are extremely different, but I want to make an us happen.”
You stared at him, taking in every word of his confession.You never experienced someone, much less a guy reveal his true feelings to you-willing to quit a job for you. You were only 24, you had your whole life ahead of you, and this wonderful guy just appears and ruins all that by quitting his job and wanting to be with you-travel with you. All of this was absurd. You couldn’t let that happen so you shook your head.
“Listen, Lin, I like you. A lot actually, but we only graduated college less than two years ago, we only gotten to know each other through technology. As much fun as our brief face-to-face interactions were, you can’t give up your dream of being the next Shakespeare, continue with your play and acting–for me. I’m never in one place for long, my office is out there.” You gestured around and continued. “So Lin, do what you love, keep writing, but be you, and you’ll know when the right time for an us is.”
Lin’s face was unreadable “I guess you’re right, Y/N. See you around.” He sighed, and left the bar.
What you didn’t tell him was your next assignment would be in New York, where you had found a permanent job there, working as an editor for the New York Times.
————————————————————————————————————————-
2 Weeks Later.
“Hello, I am looking for a Lin-Manuel Miranda, I believe he works here?” You asked the concierge at the front desk of an impressive looking New York studio lobby.
“Ah, yes, is he expecting you?” The concierge inquired, looking at an appointment book.
“I’m a friend, tell him… Natalie is here to see him.” You lied.
“OK, give me a moment.”
The concierge pressed a few buttons and said. “Mr. Miranda, a young lady named Natalie is here to see you.” She paused, allowing him to speak, then nodded. “You can go right up, 11th floor.”
“Thank you.”
The elevator ride up to his office gave you time to think. Of course you were nervous, you haven’t spoken to Lin since that night at the bar 2 weeks ago. Natalie had told you that he was heart broken, but you did the right thing. Lin couldn’t give up his whole career to be with you by dropping everything and wanting to travel with you.
The elevator finally dinged and you stepped out and walked down the hall until she saw the door that read 11C. Under that it read, “Lin-Manuel Miranda” You grinned to herself, so he has his own dressing room, you then hesitantly knocked on the door.
“Come on in!” His voice rang from within.
You turned the door handle with shaking hands.
“Nat-oh, Y/N?” His voice was filled with hurt and confusion when he realized it was you.
“Before you say anything, I came here to admit something: I actually got an editing job in New York, and will be moving here in a couple months. The only reason why I didn’t say anything before was that you took me by surprise, showing up to the bar like that. After not speaking directly for so long took a minute for me to process. I know I’m doing the same to you right now, which is completely unfair but I needed time to think and realize that there should be an us.” You rambled.
“Really? You got a job in New York, to be with someone who happens to be working on a play here? And 2 weeks ago when that same someone asked you, you full on shut them down? Leaving them to reevaluate entire life. Huh. Funny how that works.” Lin said, even with his somewhat scathing tone, you still recognized a playfulness to it.
“We were never good at the whole timing thing.” You confessed, noticing the distance between you two has diminished. “I like you, Lin Manuel.”
“I like you too Y/N,” Lin confirmed, “but I have to ask again, is this the right time for an us?”
“Let’s just give it a shot, bud light boy.” You said, closing the space between you and Lin.
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Something Rotten Tour: Previews
This is going to be a LONG post with a lot of notes from the Something Rotten Tour! I saw it January 14th and 15th in Schenectady.
WARNING: SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEE THE TOUR. YOU WILL ENJOY IT MORE IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE CHANGES. TRUST ME.
If I wrote UPDATE, its something that either changed or I didn’t notice the first night but did in the next show
Welcome to the Renaissance: Instead of saying ‘and everything is new’ the minstrel said ‘whats a famous bard to do’
UPDATE: He was perfect this time!
It is so weird seeing the new ensemble, especially when two shakespeare understudies next to each other, because they look identical
2 ensemblists had to pull open the theater for the beginning since nothing is mechanic
Nick and Bea’s house is made of 2 different boards and a door, also brought on by ensemblists
MAGGIE AS BEA IS SO CUTE. Its similar to Heidi’s Bea but not exactly like her
During Right Hand Man, when she says ‘Then I’m your go to guy’ he does finger guns and when Nick said ‘You’re not a guy’ he does these half assed finger guns back
When she says ‘So don’t be a sexist pig’ she grabs Nicks collar, pulls him down to be shorter than her (she is probably 5-6 inches shorter than Rob), then puts him in a choke hold while she continues singing
Instead of flopping down on the bed, Josh kneeled down then crawled in a circle once or twice like a dog before settling down
AUTUMN. IS. GORGEOUS. Her Portia was adorable, although it sounds a bit forced
Bro Jerry was hilarious. He got so many laughs in places that didn’t get laughs before
Shylock was so funny. It is weird seeing someone who's younger (50s-60s as opposed to 78) in the role but he brought new life to it
Nostradamus is a mixture of Brad and David. Not quite as outgoing as Brad (nothing can replace Brad!), but very very funny
New shoes for A Musical!! No longer red, now sparkly purple and green!
UPDATE: the shoes changed because now they work for both A Musical and Bottom’s Gonna Be On Top, I’m assuming this was done to lighten the load of shoes needed for tour
Still weird seeing the set being brought on by the actors
I Love the Way was adorable as usual, I love Autumns singing voice, she reminds me more of Kate than anyone else
Autumn doesn’t say ‘IT’S A LETTER’ which upsets me deeply
SHAKESPEARE VALET IS NO LONGER ITS OWN CHARACTER. ITS JUST A LEATHER BOY WITH A HAT.
Will Power was the same, except the stage, again, is dragged out by the leather boys
I am loving the new leather boys though (no one can replace the broadway leather boys, but for a tour cast I love them)
New Shakespeare Jackets! This one is a sparkly silver, similar to the last one, and the act 2 jacket is all gold and very shiny. Its basically the Sciottospeare jacket revamped
Instead of the ‘thanks for helping with my wood’ line, Rob screamed at the leather boys ‘WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!!!’ and they were so confused
Nick screamed off to Bea ‘IM GONNA BE A FATHER’ before he was alone on stage and did the usual ‘I’m gonna be a father….!’
Portia is wearing a coat similar to the blue one in I Love the Way in pastel green for the party scene
Before she falls over, she tried to sit on the bench, but someone was sitting there, so she stumbled around to the back and fell forward on to her stomach behind the couch instead of backwards
“CHESS. No wait that cant possibly work” was changed to “HAIR. That would just be weird”
Bottoms Gonna Be On Top had a few changes
In response to “Master Bottom you’re such a wonderful writer”, instead of saying “Why thank you”, Rob said ‘I can hear ‘em now!’
Instead of Lord Clapham saying “You’re the greatest” and Shylock saying “You da man!” Shylock says “You’re the greatest” and EVERYONE- Nigel, Bea, the Ensemble, and Shylock say “You da man!”
Hard to Be The Bard was pretty much the same, just different tracks did different things (I know a majority of the tracking at this point so I can say for sure things were changed)
In We See the Light, the male puritan carry in the benches while they all walk in singing ‘no no that won’t do’
Bro Jerry has 2 less puritans following him (he has 2 instead of 4)
UPDATE: Josh dropped the hat. He almost dove for it, but the throw was nowhere near him
Nigel and Portia didn’t dance during we see the light! I think it works because its supposed to be their dream, so when they danced it kind of ruined it. Now they stand in the middle of everything holding each other and its adorable
UPDATE: Dancing is back!
After Nigel goes ‘Let it speak for my soul’ he usually sits down at his desk and starts writing while the troupe comes in and then they start rehearsing. That was not the case.
After he said it the first time, the music changed and he said ‘Let it speak for my soul’ again, AND THEN “Sure as the day, follows the night, sure as the sky turns to blue, this much I know, this much is true, above all else in whatever you do, to thine own self be true” in a new tune
Then, Nigel wants to start with “The Princes Soliloquy”
Normally when the ensemble starts saying ‘this much I know, this much is true, above all else in whatever you do, to thine own self be true’ they do a soft shoe tap number with the music while Nigel watches. NOW- the music stops and they start singing a cappella, and Nigel joins in. Personally I am not a fan of this change
Update: I miss the tapping, but the a cappella this time was REALLY GOOD
To Thine Own Self is not really as much of a song anymore. It’s become more like arguing to music with the chorus being sung. If you saw previews its similar to that. I have most of the dialogue typed out if anyone wants it. Here is a snippet where there was a MAJOR change.
Troupe+ Nigel: “Sure as the day, follows the night, sure as the sky turns to blue, this much I know, this much is true, above all else in whatever you do, to thine own self be true” -
Nick: It’s beautiful but we don’t have time for this. I know, for a fact, that Omelette will be known as perhaps the single greatest play ever written
UPDATE: It drastically changed from Nick appreciating what Nigel wrote to him
Nick: *screaming* ‘WHERE’S THE OMELETTE!?!?!?!?!?!?!??’
The ensemble also would put on jackets before they started on broadway, however there are no longer jackets
Shylock line change: He walks in and says “Nickkk you’re not selling any tickets…. BECAUSE YOU’VE SOLD OUT!”
New eggs and Omelettes! They seem MUCH lighter and I think the eggs are collapsable
Someone dropped their omelette tonight but was able to catch it
UPDATE: Omelette was a mess today. First, a piece of bacon nearly ended up in the pit. Then one poor guy had such bad luck with his egg. First his yolk undid inside his costume and went out the bottom, leaving him with 2 feet of fabric around his feet. He tried his hardest to tap but he nearly fell over because he was getting stuck in the fabric. Then, the egg shells on their head are magnetic, and I think their are multiple magnets (there is one on the side for like a piece of ham or a mushroom once they turn into an omelette) and his egg shell got stuck on the wrong magnet which ended up covering his eyes. At that point, the poor guy gave up and tapped off into the wings.
Court scene: ‘Exit Shakespeare!’ is followed by ‘Shakespeare’s leaving’ at which point everyone in the stands runs after him
Stage door: It was INSIDE which was amazing. Night 1 I met Rob, Josh, Maggie, and Adam. There were maybe 20 people in a nice calm line that night.
Adam greeted me with ‘Hi Sweetie how are you!? Thank you so much for coming!’
Rob greeted me with a hug and saying how it was so sweet that I came
Maggie is SO SWEET. I told her how I’ve seen it *just a few* times on broadway and she was like oh my god thats amazing, thank you for coming!
The next say stage door was MAD. There were probably 60-80 people there just mobbing the stage door. Adam, Rob and Josh came out again, and this time Daniel Beeman (my second favorite in the ensemble AND Shakespeare u/s), Kyle Anderson (my favorite in the ensemble and Nigel u/s, he took over Brian Ogilvie’s track), and Scott Cote (Brother Jeremiah) came out.
Daniel, Kyle, and Scott clearly were not planning to stage door and were shocked when they opened it to the mob that was there. Daniel was super sweet and signed autographs and took pictures anyway. As did Scott, who also appreciated that I thought he was the funniest Brother Jeremiah after I’ve seen the show so many times. However, Kyle really did not want to stage door. As soon as he walked out, he stood against the door and was like ‘OH MY GOD.’ He truly is Nigel, and he will make an AMAZING Nigel and I hope he replaces Josh once Josh’s contract is up. He signed a few autographs before he ran out. I sadly didn’t get to talk to him, and even though he was standing behind me I figured I should just leave him be.
I talked to Adam for a bit and asked if he got new jackets, which he confirmed and was very impressed that I noticed.
I waited for the mob to dissipate a bit before I talked to Rob, and once it did I asked him about the line changes, mainly ‘WHERE IS THE OMELETTE’. Rob said they asked him to try that in the show that morning (I saw a matinee, so maybe at 4 or 5 hours earlier). I told him how with that line I can finally see Nick as a bad person, like you are supposed to. He appreciated that because that is what you are supposed to be thinking there.
I really love this cast, at leas those who I have been fortunate enough to meet. They are all such sweet people.
All in all, I enjoyed the tour. It is definitely not broadway, but it is as close as it could get. A lot of the changes help to clear up confusion that may have been there, and the rest make the show better as a whole. There are some things I miss from broadway, but this isn’t broadway, its the tour, so it is a good time for a change! If the tour is going anywhere near you I would definitely recommend going!
#Something Rotten#Something Rotten Tour#Rob McClure#Josh Grisetti#Adam Pascal#Shakespeare#Nick Bottom#Nigel Bottom
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