shamblesxo

[shamblesxo]

Maybe she was just still naive and wide-eyed about the world. Maybe despite everything she'd done and lost, and the hell she'd dived headfirst into, she was still just a little girl wanting to see the best in everyone. Maybe she'd shed all the parts of her from her life before except the part that saw good in people. Maybe she liked it that way.

Or maybe Santiago really did have a soft spot for her. Maybe.

Either way, she smiled as he chuckled and shifted and tried to deny it.

"Oh, nothing worse in the world than an ornery waitress," she smirked. "If it'll prevent the absolute tragedy of cold eggs and sour coffee for you, then it's the least I can do to accept. Gotta keep my favorite customer happy, or else the tips stop coming, and then I'm back here swiping graham crackers. This is a symbiotic relationship we've got here, huh?"

"So where are you taking me? One of those fancy little private igloos? If you say the diner, I'm kicking you in the shin."

The older man let out a quiet chuckle, the sound low and languid, like the lingering burn of a fine whiskey against the throat. "Me? A softie?" he murmured, tasting the word as if it were something foreign, something ill-fitting. He leaned in just enough to make it feel like a secret, voice steeped in something rich, something edged with mirth. "Just pragmatic, is all."

He shifted his weight, deliberate and unhurried, before casting her a look - eager with sharp contours and the glint of a grin unfurling at the corners of his mouth. "Think about it," he drawled, the syllables smooth as polished mahogany. "I let you go hungry, you get ornery. You get ornery, my eggs show up cold, my coffee sours, and suddenly, my mornings are a goddamn greek tragedy." A slow, insouciant shrug falls off his shoulders. "See? It ain't nothing but some good ol' self-preservation."

[shamblesxo]

Turned out, she'd made eye contact with a human golden retriever, who was now smiling and attempting to avoid further embarrassment for her, which kind of made Shambles feel worse. She did return the sheepish smile, though, and managed to keep from running away entirely.

For all her five years of wild antics, diving headfirst into a world she knew nothing about and deciding to live there despite great personal consequences... part of Shambles was still Harmony. Still a nervous little church girl who was scandalized at the thought of a sin. She had to physically fight off the shame and guilt every day of her life, even when her 'sins' were things she was doing to survive.

She sat at a seat somewhat near him, suddenly needing to explain herself.

Her first instinct, though, was to lie.

"I was just... I needed them for, um. For my cat."

She was not yet great at lying. She did not have a cat.

Liam’s a great baker. Sure, yes, he’s got the last name, was probably a prophecy, he’s heard it all and he’s heard it a million times, to boot — but despite being a great baker (and the Best Baker, he’ll remind August frequently), he’s never had much of a sweet tooth, himself. He likes to think of it as being Superman with a fear of flying — except that Superman’s flying is probably a lot more useful than Liam’s baking. 

He digresses.

The point is, he’s only hanging around the fire pits for the warmth, not the s’mores — so he’s not really paying attention to where the ingredients are going. Mostly paying attention to the warmth the fire provides to his gloveless hands (he’d lost one about a week ago and is more preoccupied with finding it than using a new pair, like the perfectly normal, well-adjusted adult he is) — so the fact that he manages to catch sight of someone pocketing an entire bag of graham crackers at just the right moment is mostly terrible luck for the culprit. 

He blinks, gaze rising to meet that of a young woman’s, who’s looking at him like she’s just been caught at a murder scene instead of pocketing some crackers. Liam glances down at his hands again, like they might hold the answer on what to do here, but finds nothing but his fingers and the same tan line of his wedding ring, haunting him even in the freezing cold. Looks back at the young woman, and smiles sheepishly. “I don’t know how to pretend I didn’t see that,” he confesses. “But, uh — I won’t tell?”

[shamblesxo]

Of course he would taunt her about this. She wanted to be angry so bad. But it's Alec, so of course that was impossible.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, but followed him. Half to keep him out of trouble (like it didn't follow her, too), half because interesting things seemed to happen to him everywhere he went. And maybe like one percent because she genuinely loved spending time with the dork.

"Which shoe?" she asked innocently, as though she hadn't just been thinking about his shoe in the fridge. She wasn't about to tell him where it was after he'd been so cruel about her lackluster criminal skills. Also, she hoped to be around when he finally found it.

"Oh, I saw the Harold couple from across the way, and I think you're right, they're both sleeping with the nanny. How did you know?"

Alec clucked his tongue in disappointment, shaking his head in case she hadn't gotten that message clear enough with the whole tsk tsk tsk thing. And he was disappointed! Because she was stealing? No, absolutely not. It was because she was being sloppy about it.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, cockily rocking back onto his heels, nodding down to draw her attention to the little box of crackers he'd swiped earlier in the night sitting nice and snug in his pocket. "Get good," he taunted. "What are you? an amateur?" His teasing was softened by the smile that curled up one side of his face. "I was gonna do another lap before I came back for the chocolate, wanna walk with me?"

He didn't wait for her as he started, knowing she'd either follow or refuse out of unnecessary stubbornness, but then he remembered he actually had a question for her and turned back over his shoulder. "Oh! Hey, by the way, do you know where my other shoe is?"

[shamblesxo]

Shambles laughed at the zip-mouth gesture and the promise not to say a word. She wondered how one would go about signing that he should probably lock up his hands instead, but thought about it for too long, and the moment passed.

She read that part of the reason he came here every year was the s'mores, and her eyes lit up. "Me too," she signed, proud of herself for knowing that one. It was simple, and she could do it with the one hand she had free - Sawyer was holding onto her finger for dear life now. She smiled at the kid, and kissed the tiny mitten as she pulled her finger away, signing "sorry" to Sawyer as she did.

Now with two free hands, she was free to get the things together to make some s'mores. She contemplated how difficult it must be to have to put things down in order to speak. But then again, with ASL, you could talk with your mouth full... so maybe it evened out.

She handed Elliot a stick with a marshallow on it and gestured for them to sit down by the fire to roast them. Wondering what the sign for marshmallow was, she pointed to hers and then held the stick between her knees as she made the sign for "what", which was how he'd taught her to ask what the sign for a word was. She almost dropped her stick, and caught it, smiling with a bit of embarrassment. This would take some practise.

There was no denying that Elliot was a bit overprotective when it came to Sawyer, usually only having his family watch her when he worked. But as soon as he had met Shambles, he knew that he could fully trust her. Which was only proven as she started to learn ASL over the last few weeks. Something he would have never asked of her but something that meant the world to him when she did.

He let out a soft laugh, bringing a hand up, pretending to lock his lips and throw away the key. A wide grin on his face as he turned back to his phone for a moment. Don't worry, I won't say a thing to anyone. A little bit of deaf humor because really, Elliot could never pass up the chance for it.

His eyes quickly scanning over what she had typed, another grin tugging at the corner of his lips as he looked back up. I can't say no to a s'more, part of the reason I come here every year if I'm being honest. Laughing softly as he turned the phone back towards Shambles, grinning as he caught Sawyer's little gloved hand wrapped around hers. Forever thankful for the people that had no only came into his life but his daughter's as well.

[shamblesxo]

Despite wanting the ground to swallow her up a little bit, Shambles couldn't help returning the smile Santiago offered. She stamped down the shame that threatened to rise to the surface, and allowed him to step closer.

"You already tip way too much, and you know that. Just kinda... saving that for heating bills at the moment." She knew he wasn't asking for an explanation, but she felt compelled to give one anyway, lest he start thinking she was some sort of thief. She wasn't like this, she was just... a bit hungry.

Which was why she let her stubbornness and shame sit this one out, and didn't immediately refuse his offer. She did sit with it for a second, though, wondering what he might want out of it. But maybe it just wasn't a big deal for him... it wouldn't make a dent in his wallet, by any means... in any case, she was willing to take the risk.

"Hmm. All this time I thought maybe you were just nice to me so I didn't mess with your food," she teased. "What'll happen to your business reputation if I tell people you're a big softie?"

He’d always had a talent for observing without intruding. It was a skill he honed through years of negotiations, late-night deals, and reading between the lines of some rich investor’s words. So when he spotted Shambles in the act - fingers twitching around a pack of graham crackers, her body going unnaturally still - he didn’t react. Not immediately. Instead, he let a slow, knowing smile pull at the corner of his mouth, amusement flickering behind sharp umber eyes.

After a moment he stepped closer, voice low with humour. “Should I be tipping you more every time I’m at the diner?” Santiago didn’t pry, didn’t push. He wasn’t the kind of man to hold things over people’s heads - not unless they were board members or rivals, and Shambles was neither. Just one of his favourite servers. He let the question hang for a second longer, then shrugged, as if whatever he had, or hadn’t, seen was of no consequence. “You wanna get a real meal? My shout.”

[shamblesxo]

Shambles immediately fixed her face, trying to look as casual as she could, and not show the massive sigh of relief she was secretly feeling. Without being dramatic, Amara was kind of Shambles' hero, and she couldn't think of many things more mortifying than having your hero notice you stealing graham crackers, of all things.

Trying to be cool, she gave a much more casual wave than before, and made her way over. "You're so right, why are the marshmallows so good? They're so soft, and like, extra vanilla-y. Vanilla-ish. Vanillesque," she smiled. "Let me make you one; not to brag, but I'm kind of an expert."

She grabbed some supplies for them - notably not the stolen crackers in her pocket - and got them each a marshmallow to roast.

"It's good to see you, by the way. Usually, we're both working 24 hours a day, it's cool that we both had a second for s'mores at the same time."

Amara was standing near the fire pit, scrolling through her phone as she half-heartedly listened to the light chatter around her. She was here for the atmosphere more than anything — the smell of the fire, the soft crackle of burning logs, the sweet scent of melted marshmallows. But her mind was elsewhere, mentally making a list of all the things she had to juggle over the next few weeks.

She barely noticed the subtle movement in her peripheral vision as someone at the s’mores station fumbled with the graham cracker packets. However, when she looked up, there was a flash of eye contact between her and... Shambles. Amara blinked, still holding her phone in one hand, and gave a casual wave, not quite processing what she'd just witnessed. "Hey there," she said with a grin, completely unaware of the small, suspicious pocketing incident. "Enjoying the s'mores? They've got some killer marshmallows here this year."

[shamblesxo]

Of course Shambles would be caught swiping crackers by one of the people she worked for. With two part time jobs and a zillion side gigs, half the neighborhood employed her at this point. She was just about to despair about it when she saw a wink and a smile from Elliot. She beamed in return, all tension leaving her. She should have known he'd be cool about it. He was cool about literally everything.

He walked over, baby Sawyer bouncing in the carrier on his chest, and Shambles bounced too, making the sign for happy with both hands. She had so little free time, but was doing her best to learn ASL - at least the ones that would help her look after Sawyer better.

She read the words on Elliot's phone and laughed, putting her finger to her lips. She wasn't sure if that was official ASL, but it was a pretty universal sign for 'tell no one'.

She grabbed her own phone and wrote back: If you want some s'mores, I do kind of owe you one.

She held out her hand for Sawyer to grab her gloved finger with her tiny mittened hand while Elliot read.

The Snow Frolic had been a staple in his life for as long as Elliot could remember. His parents bundling all the kids up in those ridiculous snow suits where you could barely put your arms down at your sides and they would all trek down here. And even though she was way too little to remotely understand it, Elliot had wanted to bring Sawyer down to it as well. If anything, it would be memories for him, not that his daughter would care much about it at the ripe age of four months old.

So he had bundled her up, plopped a little hat onto her head and stuffed her into the baby carrier on his chest. Making sure that he faced her outwards like always, wanting her to see the world around her since she couldn't hear it either. He spent a bit of time just walking around, pointing things out to Sawyer, showing her the signs for it. Knowing how important it was for her to exposed to sign from birth just like he had been. Needing to take a slight break from it all though, Elliot made his way over to where the s'mores were. His eyes landing on a familiar face who had just slipped graham crackers into her pockets.

Elliot raised his eyebrows over at Shambles before he looked away, winking before he turned back to face her, making his way over to where his friend was. Already taking his gloves off so he could grab his phone, sliding over to his notes app. In case you were wondering, I didn't see a damn thing. He typed in greeting, turning his phone towards her so that she could read what he had written.

[shamblesxo]

who: open (2/4) where: one of the fire pit s'mores stations what: shambles gets caught

Having been to the Snow Frolic every year since it began, Shambles had a near-perfect mental map of all the fire pits and s'mores stations. They changed things around a little bit every year, but never so much that she couldn't expertly get to all of them multiple times without anyone calling her out on it. At the first Snow Frolic, she'd been ten years old, ridiculously wealthy, and had never been hungry a day in her life, so the challenge had just been for fun and the love of chocolate. Now, though, it was getting difficult to pay for both rent and groceries, even with two jobs, and sometimes a girl just had to eat free s'mores for dinner. Lots and lots of free s'mores. This was the first year, though, that she'd ever even considered pocketing some of the supplies. These were for everyone, for families; they were kindly provided by the neighborhood... but she thought of her fridge at home, empty except for ranch dressing and one of Alec's shoes, and surely nobody would miss one little pack of graham crackers, right? But, just as she feared, karma hit immediately when - as soon as the package slipped into her pocket - her eyes met those of another. She froze like a deer in headlights, and awkwardly smiled and waved.

[shamblesxo]

♡ samantha logan via tiktok ( samanthalogan )

[shamblesxo]

NAME — Shambles FULL NAME — Harmony Jordan FACECLAIM — Samantha Logan GENDER & PRONOUNS — cis woman, she/her AGE — 27 BIRTHDAY — February 15, 1997 OCCUPATION — Waitress at Cardinal Diner/Bartender at Sharkey's/Aspiring Photographer RESIDENCE — Elmwood Flats, Sycamore Row LENGTH OF TIME IN WILLOW PARK — All her life

BIOGRAPHY | STATISTICS

religious trauma tw

this is harmony, but literally no one calls her that anymore. she goes by shambles, on account of an insanely controversial speech she gave at a charity gala held by her wealthy parents

she was a good little church girl growing up, and really wanted to do the right thing. unfortunately, she had no idea what the right thing was, so she just went along with what her parents said it was

she was pretty indoctrinated into the church and believed it was the right thing to do to get married to the first boy she ever crushed on. they were both 18 and had no idea wtf they were doing

she began sneaking out at night to head to south chicago and discovered that the people there were not actually demons, like her parents had said. they were good people (most of them), and they were free

there was a slow sanding away at her shiny naive purity and nobody noticed it happening until The Speech.

the chicago tribune called the whole event a shambles, and that became her nickname almost immediately. even if your character wasn’t there for it (it was about five years ago now) they’ll still call her that. it’s how she introduces herself

her parents cut her off financially and in every other way, and her husband got the hell out of there too, not wanting his reputation dragged down with hers

she lives in sycamore row and works at both cardinal diner and sharkeys, and wants to be a photographer

she still has hints of the sweet naivety she’s always had, but it’s got a patina of disillusionment on it now

wanted connections:

people who knew her/her family when she was a Good Girl

people who know her ex husband [he’ll be a wc of course]

people who saw The Speech

people who know nothing about who she used to be

friends, enemies, lovers, etc!!!