samnawaz

[samnawaz]

closed starter for viv fonseca ! ( @viv-fonseca​ ) location ; outside of viv’s place, downtown !

Somewhere between asking one of her coworkers if she could borrow their truck for a night and texting Viv to ask her if she wanted to do something as painfully cheesy as spend a night stargazing with her-- Sam had to face the moderately uncomfortable fact that she was going to be disappointed if Viv turned her down. That alone had been enough to give the archaeologist pause, enough to inspire a welling panic that was only soothed when she called her mother and the older woman assured her that she was allowed to want to get close to people; that not everyone intended to wound her heart irreparably. Sam had accepted that at face value; it wasn’t as though she knew Viv all that well-- in spite of the time they’d spent together Sam was aware that she knew remarkably little about the other woman-- at least where anything other than surface level facts were concerned. Not that she’d been all that eager to share the more painful parts of her past with Viv in turn, but the notion that she wanted to was enough to make Sam realize she was completely screwed. “Whatever,” Sam muttered to herself, leaning against the borrowed truck as she waited for Viv to appear. “Just gotta be... patient.” Her nose wrinkled as the word left her lips-- patience wasn’t a quality Sam had in droves and she was about to test it rather thoroughly, by all accounts.

[samnawaz]

closed starter for nazli ertuğul ! ( @nazlixertugul​ ) location ; sam’s apartment, university heights !

“Quitting my job outright is insane, right?” Sam asked quietly from her position curled up on her most comfortable, albeit slightly shabby, armchair-- glancing up at Nazli as if the woman would have every answer she could possibly need. The archaeologist sighed, taking a slow sip of the tea in one hand and scratching behind Kenyon’s ears affectionately-- the large cat purring contentedly from his place on her lap. “I’ve been planning this project for almost a year and we’re so close to getting the funding and I’m just... tired. I don’t wanna be locked in an office for the rest of my life-- researchin’ things I never get to find myself.” It was something she’d been wrestling with since Kat had mentioned what she was doing, work wise-- and it had inspired a somber streak in the Australian that was generally unfamiliar given how exuberant she tended to be. “It’s not like I’m hurting for the money, either-- Mum would help if I asked and Allah knows she has more money than she knows what to do with,” She sighed, her head lolling to one side as she looked at Nazli with a pleading expression. “Someone take my adult card away-- I don’t want it anymore, Naz.”

[samnawaz]

closed starter for kat de la rosa ! ( @katerinadelarosa​ ) location ; farm to fork, bighorn hills !

“Were you serious about it?” Sam asked, glancing up from her food to study Kat with more anxiety in her expression than she was altogether used to feeling in any situation. It’d been an off-hand comment the last time they’d been able to hang out-- the fact that Kat would hire Sam so she could quit her job at the university and actually pursue the field work she was genuinely passionate about. She loved the research just as much and she could admit that, certainly but she missed the adrenaline rush of new discoveries and being in places she’d only ever read about until she was stepping into them. She wanted that again but she didn’t want to assume Kat had been totally firm on the offer when she’d made it. “Giving me a job, I mean-- letting me work with you. It’s mad but I haven’t been able to actually stop thinking about it and I guess I didn’t realize how much I missed really being able to get out there, y’know? So I was... wonderin’ if you were serious.”

[samnawaz]

adrimxrales·:

WHO: @samnawaz WHERE: Some Old Abandoned Building in the Outskirts of Bighorn Hills

Standing in front of the old abandoned… home? It seemed, or maybe a church? Adri adjusted the backpack on her shoulders and checked the batteries on the flashlight in her hand by turning it on and aiming it at Sam’s face with a grin. “See? Didn’t I tell you this place was creepy?” She asked, nudging the other woman with her elbow before beginning the walk up the long driveway towards the decrepit building. “Okay but I do have one ground rule before we really get in there- if my clumsy ass falls through something or trips or anything, we don’t tell anyone. I’m supposed to be taking it easy, whatever that means, but I’m tired of it so let’s explore.” The gravel crunched beneath their feet as they walked, the sounds of nature surrounding them; it seemed like no one had been here in years and she loved it. “Other than that, if we find a dead body we bolt because I refuse to be possessed. My mom would make me go through an exorcism and those just don’t look like a whole lot of fun.”

“Oi, ya dick!” Sam exclaimed the moment she glanced up straight into the beam of the flashlight Adri had turned on her; there was more grudging amusement in her voice than outright annoyance as she blinked the spots from the edges of her vision with a shake of her head. She hummed in agreement as she studied the crumbling façade of the building in front of them with perhaps more excitement than the average person would have given the myriad ways urban exploration could go wrong. But she’d never been the sort to shy away from something as potentially harmless as less than stellar building supports and she wasn’t about to change that and miss the chance to do something entertaining with one of her friends. “Check and check, darlin’. If we find a dead body we should probably call the cops, mate-- I don’t see them being chill if we just ignore the bloody thing. And I’m already known for being a dick to cops so we’re gonna be battin’ zero or whatever the saying is-- I still don’t fuckin’ understand baseball.” Sam shook her head, gesturing for Adri to make her way up to the entrance, “If I have to carry you outta here because you weren’t taking it easy you’re never living it down so just, y’know-- be safe. I know that’s not your speed but I mean it.” She gave Adri a pointed look as she stepped past her into the foyer of the house and whistled, “We’re definitely about to get into some wacky shit, aren’t we?”

[samnawaz]

SOPHIA ALI as Chloe Frazer in Uncharted (2022)

[samnawaz]

maeve-montgomery·:

Closed starter for: @samnawaz·

Where/When: The Jagged Yard’s Coyote Ugly Night

It definitely wasn’t too often Maeve had arranged plans to meet up with someone from town she considered even more than an acquaintance; But Sam Nawaz seamlessly made the cut. After all, the two were consistently on the same page with their roguish demeanors, the way Maeve was sure Sam went on solo duplicitous adventures as much as she has in the past and the fact they had both coincidentally only been in town (or back) for a year. Following her beauty pageant days, the young Montgomery was more than eager to step a toe or two out of line and let her tiara fall where it may. Entering the bustling brewery, it was evident no one was there to have a bad time…nor a sober one, at that. It was just the slight thrill Maeve was seeking throughout the Spring Extravaganza, especially now that she was to be accompanied by Sam’s presence that night. Fortunately, there was still a single booth left and Maeve slid into it mildly, waiting for her friend’s appearance. After a moment or two, she glimpsed a set of familiar shoes shuffling towards her, Maeve getting an elated twinkle in her eye and saying, “So I heard if we can guess every ingredient in the Spring Fling, our bill will be on the house. Knowing you, I might just think you’re up for the challenge just as much as I am, S.” 

It might have been a little cheesy— the concept of kindred spirits; the idea that there were people in the world who simply slotted together like it had been etched into the fabric of the world somewhere along the line. Sam, as a woman who toed the line between cheesy and practical more often than not when it came to mulling over the relationships in her life, wasn’t going to question it when she bonded with someone. Nor was she going to question exactly why she’d bonded with someone while it was happening or long after it had. Maeve was a fellow troublemaker, to put it lightly, and Sam found it deeply enjoyable to get into trouble with her-- a means of leaning into a rebellious streak that she’d had to tamp down a bit since she’d started working at the university but couldn’t avoid altogether. Getting more than a little drunk with one of her best friends and seeing where the night took them was Sam’s idea of a good time in just about every way and she was already grinning by the time she found Maeve at the bar, her eyebrows rising with amusement when the other woman cut her off before she could greet her properly. “No shit? They know how to tick my boxes here-- potential free booze and a challenge as well? I’m in.” Sam laughed as she slipped into the booth across from Maeve, “I’m game for it as long as you promise you won’t get so pissed I have to carry you home or somethin’. I’m strong but if I’m drunk as well it’s gonna be game over for the pair of us.”

[samnawaz]

draslihanxfahri-bailey·:

How Aslihan accidentally arranged for her and Alex to spend time with three separate people at the science museum, she had no idea. Yet, miraculously, she found a way to make it work: morning with Sam, early afternoon with Atlas, and late afternoon with Aksel. Not a problem, none at all. This was going to be easy-peasy. At least… god, she really hopes so. With Alex’s hand in hers, they headed their way to the entrance of the museum, the brunette taking in a deep breath before sighing happily. This spring morning was already so beautiful, she couldn’t wait for the schools to be out and for her and her family to go out in the Rockies to go camping. It was going to be incredible. Already, a part of her knew that this summer was going to be better than last summer’s. Then again, that wasn’t a difficult feat. Seeing her friend, Asli’s smile grew and she waved, Alex pulling her so that they could find their way to Sam faster. ‘Sam, Sam!’ the six year old cried out happily with giggles leaving her lips. Asli chuckled softly. “Hey, beautiful. Ready to be overcome with science, that’s for sure.” The woman’s daughter nodded quickly, her eyes practically sparkling. ‘Always! I wanna see any dinosaur stuff they have. I really love Jurassic Park right now.’

“You ever heard ‘She Blinded Me With Science’? ‘Cause now it’s gonna be stuck in my bloody head all day, I reckon,” Sam said with a shake of her head, her attention shifting to Alex in short order. Although she was one of the youngest children in her family and had always been a bit too much of a troublemaker to assume that anyone would be comfortable with her being regularly around their children, Sam loved kids. Maybe it was the fact that she could be as silly as she was some days that made them like her in turn but she’d adored Alex from the moment she’d met the little girl and that hadn’t changed at all in all the time she’d known Asli. “You do, eh? I used to be a bit obsessed with those films as well-- I had a paleontologist phase for quite a bit,” She explained with a grin. “What’s your favorite dinosaur, Als?” The treasure hunter asked as she stepped into the museum, her head tilted down and towards Alex so she could pay as much attention to the little girl as she could even while they were walking. It was more than a little adorable to listen to her ramble on about anything, Sam had found, but dinosaurs was a new and interesting topic they could discuss, for certain. “Are you into all of this dinosaur stuff too?” Sam asked Asli curiously. “Or is this strictly an Alex joint?”

[samnawaz]

bashqureshi·:

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Looking up from the stack of records he’d been flicking through at Vinyl Countdown’s stall, Bash found himself eye to eye with a stranger. His face lit up at the question. “Well, you’ve come to the right guy!” he said. He loved showing new people around town, especially during seasonal festivities. They were the best time of year. Growing up, he’d never really thought of Providence Peak as anything particularly specially but the older he got, and with his own kid to raise, the more he found he appreciated the quaint traditions the city had struck up over the years. There really was nowhere else like it. “It mostly depends what you’re into, but we’ve got a little bit of everything. The Sweet Spot’s really great for food, the farm’s always worth seeing… hey, do you drink? ‘Cause we got a lot of places with great booze to try too.”

“Oh, yeah? You ought to get yourself a sash that says ‘tour guide’, then,” Sam quipped in response. She tried to imagine something in that vein— but only succeeded in imagining something that felt like it would fit a bachelorette party much better than a casual day about town but there was no loss there. “My mum would tell you I’m the sort to get in trouble just about anywhere if that helps-- I’m pretty sure it’s easier to figure out what I’m not into, y’know? I’ll give just about anything a go at least once. You find anything good in there?” She asked, pointing to the record display Bash had been perusing with a curious quirk of her eyebrows. “Unless you think I could pull you away for a proper tour or somethin’. I don’t wanna interrupt anything you’ve got goin’ on, mind, but I’m a bit annoying that way-- always been excited to hang out with new people.”

[samnawaz]

yaodlin·:

Yao was nearing the end of his little outing to the storefronts, just curious to see what deals or freebies he could snag on the way with the spring event going on. He was sipping on a fresh fruit smoothie when he noticed a wallet slip out of a stranger’s pocket as she enjoyed a baked treat. He tried to call her to gain her attention, but she seemed a bit self-distracted. So Yao scooped up the fallen wallet and walked it over to the woman, lightly waving his hand in her view so that he wouldn’t startle her. “Hey, yeah. It’s cool.” He nodded and smiled politely when the woman revealed that she was under the influence. “I think you dropped this,” he said, holding out the wallet to her.   

Sam’s first instinct, in spite of the fact that the stranger was in fact holding her wallet in his hand, was to pat the back pocket of her jeans— searching for something that wasn’t actually there. “Fucking hell, mate, you’re a life saver,” Sam breathed, taking her wallet from Yao and tucking it into her jeans again, clicking her tongue against the back of her teeth out of annoyance at herself for having lost it in the first place. She wasn’t the world’s most responsible human being but she liked to think she had her shit more or less together. “Is there somethin’ I could do to say ‘thanks’? It would’ve been pretty shit if I’d had to spend the rest of my day finding my wallet so it feels like the least I can do, to be honest.”

[samnawaz]

spring extravaganza — closed starter for yao lin. ( @yaodlin​ ) location — outside of twice baked, sunday !

Colorado had proven to be one of the more interesting places Sam had ever lived— for loads of reasons, really, but the one she was the most enamored with in that moment was the fact that pot was legal and she was high as a kite-- chewing thoughtfully on the last of an edible she’d decided to spring for at Twice Baked. She didn’t get stoned all that often in the grand scheme of things but she could admit that it was a pleasant experience, all up-- even if it had a tendency to make her space out something fierce. She blinked slowly-- recognizing that someone was trying to get her attention likely far later than she should have. “Sorry? Can you run that by me again? I’m gonna be honest with ya, mate, I’m more than a little stoned right now-- bear with me.”

[samnawaz]

spring extravaganza — closed starter for bash qureshi. ( @bashqureshi​ ) location — downtown, tuesday !

For as long as she could remember Sam had been described as someone who had absolutely no trouble making her own fun; she’d never really sorted out whether that was a compliment but it was true all the same. Her workload for the week had been made remarkably light and she’d allowed herself to take the time to explore Providence Peak in earnest-- pleased to be able to lean into the feeling of getting lost in crowds the way she’d started to miss after having been away from Melbourne for so long. Still, with no real destination in mind she’d resolved to ask the first person she could wrangle into a conversation whether they had any recommendations. “Hey, mate-- I hate to bother ya but I’m a little out of my element here. You wouldn’t happen to have any recs for spots to hang out, would ya? I’m bored out of my bloody mind and I can only wander around so much, y’know?”

[samnawaz]

spring extravaganza — closed starter for aslihan becker. ( @draslihanxfahri-bailey​ ) location — wonderwall science museum, wednesday !

It was more than a little amazing to Sam, the way the entire town seemed to halt in place for a week simply to celebrate Spring; it reminded her a bit of the way Melbourne had always ground to a halt for the Melbourne Cup every year but at least she had some interest in most of the things going on in Providence Peak for the week-- horse racing, by comparison, had always been just about the most boring thing she could imagine watching. She hadn’t been to the science museum in all the time she’d been in town and her inner geek had decided that just wouldn’t do-- which was exactly how she’d found herself waiting outside for Asli and her daughter to rock up— she figured she’d feel a little less odd about it if she had some company. She smiled warmly as she spotted her friend, raising a hand in a wave to catch her attention. “Hey, gorgeous, how ya goin’?” She greeted, crouching to smile at Alex properly as she raised a hand to encourage the little girl to give her a high five, laughing when Alex did so with a flourish. “Atta girl-- you ready to go see some super cool stuff, munchkin?”

[samnawaz]

spring extravaganza — closed starter for adriana morales. ( @adrimxrales​ ) location — take it outdoors, monday !

“Oi!” Sam called to Adri, raising her eyebrows as she rested her hands on her hips. She was more than a little tired considering she’d gotten a combined four hours sleep across the last two days but she was always up for a bit of an adventure; even if said adventure was potentially joining in on a kayak race. She wasn’t sure they were going to get that far, truth be told, but there were worse things she could do with a day than spending time with one of her closest friends. “Are you actually planning on racing, then? Or did ya get me out of bed to catch a tan, Ads?” She asked with a smile. She wasn’t fussed either way but it would help to be enlightened at least the slightest bit to what Adri actually wanted to do for the day. 

[samnawaz]

viv-fonseca·:

@samnawaz·

SPRING EXTRAVAGANZA. fredrick’s farms.

Viv hadn’t asked too many questions when it came to seeing Sam again, she enjoyed her company and thus far she’d avoided answering anything too personal about herself. Do you have siblings? What’s your family like? Why did your last relationship end? She’d hoped she could avoid peeling back those layers a little while longer, but each time she saw Sam there was the cloud of knowing hanging over her. Viv did what she did best, ignored it, smiled warmly and plucked a flower from the amalgam of flowers she’d been given or found. Handing the flower over to Sam, “It’s hyacinth. They mean you’re charming.”

For as much as Sam craved connection, for as much as she would cling to it the moment she found it if only for a moment-- she’d never been the sort of person to chase it down; she was prone to distraction and occasionally found it difficult to focus on one person with any degree of success. It was a testament to how interesting she found Vivienne that she found herself thinking about the other woman absently throughout her day— a startling realization for someone who could hardly be counted on to live in the same place for more than a few months. Still, she couldn’t help but smile as Viv offered her a flower, a pleased flush burning in her cheeks as a soft huff of laughter rolled through her. “You’re the fucking cutest, did you know that?” Sam asked, taking the flower and considering it for a moment before she tucked it behind her ear (alongside a cigarette) and posed with her hands on her hips. “How do I look? Really brightens me up, doesn’t it?”

[samnawaz]

spring extravaganza — a peek into sam’s fashion for the week !

[samnawaz]

viv-fonseca·:

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Viv had gone out that night to reminisce of a life that was becoming further and further away from her memory that sometimes she feared she’d forget it altogether. However, her trip down memory lane had turned into an unlikely meeting between her and a woman named Sam, who’d flattered Vivienne so completely that she didn’t even consider saying no when she’d asked her to coffee a few days later. Vivienne survived on personalities like Sam, the bold, the sure the sort that made her heart race a little faster even at the prospect of getting coffee. She reminded herself then to get a tea or something less she wanted her nerves to slip away from her. Stepping inside, she was drawn toward Sam easily and flushed from her easy compliment. Viv smoothed down her sundress and kept it to herself. She’d changed three times before settling on this. Shrugging out of her light coat, she placed her jacket on the back of the chair, “You look-” Viv struggled for words, her cheeks warm, and she tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and sighed. “Wonderful.” She settled and then tucking her hair behind her ears, “Do you think the chai lattes here are good? I’ve mostly been making coffee at home. I’m afraid I won’t find a good place in town so I’ve just been avoiding it until now.” She explained, “New York there is a coffee place on every block so if I don’t like one-” She paused realizing she was over explaining. “Chait latte. What do you want? My treat-” she offered.

There was something Sam could only describe as addictive in observing the way Vivienne reacted to her— the way her cheeks flushed so prettily with every compliment, the bashful manner with which she returned those compliments enough to charm Sam more than she could ever have expected. She dipped her head in a nod of thanks in response to the compliment even as her eyes shifted down to take in her own clothes— a comfortable and well loved bomber jacket, jeans and a shirt she tended to wear for work simply because it was a bit of a step up from ‘casual’. She took a breath to keep herself from commenting on how adorable she found the flush in Viv’s cheeks; she wanted to make it clear that she hadn’t invited the other woman out for coffee simply because she was pretty-- though that in and of itself felt like too small a word to describe just how lovely she was. Finally, she offered Viv a toothy smile, “Cheers, darlin’. I do manage to look presentable every once in a while.” She found herself distracted for a moment both by the questions being posed to her and the motion of Viv tucking her hair behind her ears and the tingle that sent through her own fingertips, the urge to reach out and repeat the gesture flooding through Sam with a suddenness she hadn’t expected in the slightest. She hummed softly, “I’ve never had anything here I didn’t like and I grew up in uh... I guess a city full of coffee snobs might be a decent description. Melbourne’s next level ridiculous about coffee sometimes so my standards are a bit fucked but I like it here well enough,” Sam explained, running her fingers through her hair before she shrugged and let her hand fall back to her side. She raised an eyebrow at the offer but smiled all the same, “You sure? I’ll have a flat white if they know how to make it. Otherwise a cold brew would be fine. You want me to come with ya? Or should I guard the table?”