#━━ ✦ 003. / sunomaly.

[florencc]

@sunomaly liked for a starter (still accepting).

"would you mind just standing here and talking to me a little while longer? there's a creep hanging around by my car, and i don't really want to go over there yet."

[mastermicd]

@sunomaly : ❝ growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all. ❞

blonde agent moved her head in a slow nod, an understanding of what alyssa's words carried with them. "sometimes we can't help but grow up too fast." jennifer knew that all too well. losing her older sister at such a young age had her practically chasing behind her, desperate to try and be the sort of person roslyn had been. like she was growing up too fast, all the way clinging to the past and the memories that she had to carry close to her. "it's not always a bad thing, having grown up a little quickly but also clinging on to our younger selves a little. it's about finding that balance that makes us who we are today."

[mastermicd]

shelby's lips pressed together in a line as she listened to the profiler. she made a good argument, said the right words that she needed to hear, but there was still a moment of pause. "i'm saying that there are people in this room who are, and i'm trying to work out exactly who's on side." it was far more complicated than she ever would have anticipated. at the start of this all, she too had believed that alex was at the heart of it all. now, she believed her quantico roommate. she believed she was innocent, and she had to do everything in her power to make sure they brought the right person to justice.

"innocent until proving guilty. similarities are a coincidence until we have concrete proof she's played a part in this. i believe in her innocence, and i need to make sure that the people working on this aren't painting her as guilty before we have any evidence. this isn't a case of doubting your work. someone at the fbi is at fault here, and they're pinning it on alex."

" are you saying i’m biased? " alyssa asked, blue-green hues staring at the other like daggers. she’d read over the case multiple times, done her best to stay objective. it didn’t matter to her that the prime suspect was in the fbi. she looked at evidence, victimology, m.o. she didn’t care about what others had discovered. no, this profile in her hands was purely her own. " this isn’t a profile of alex parrish, you know. this is my profile based on what i know. if she happens to fit that, it’s coincidence. i’m not looking for a theory revolving around agent parrish. "

" i’m just trying to do my job. and it’s a mess right now. i want to figure this out too. "

[mastermicd]

@sunomaly : ❝ my life is perfect. ❞

hotch wasn't one to make sweeping statements like that. he couldn't. he didn't have it in him. he'd seen too many times just how quickly things could take a turn for the worst. images flashed in his mind –– haley, jack, beth. "i'm glad to hear that." words were sincere, the agent wasn't one to say things that he didn't mean. "hold on to it." he didn't mean it like a warning, though the tone of his voice might have suggested otherwise. "keep it with you, you know how hard this job can be. knowing there is something good waiting for you is what will make it easier."

[mastermicd]

@sunomaly liked for a starter (still accepting).

"where's pretty boy gone?" the agent asked, the affection nickname for spencer one that had been bounced around for a number of years, and one that was said with the deepest of respect. the absence of him in the bullpen was one that had taken derek by surprise, and if someone was going to know the answer, it was alyssa. "and will be be long?" mischievous glint in his eye, morgan would take whatever opportunity he could to prank his psuedo little brother, even if that meant convincing alyssa to help him do such a thing.

[mastermicd]

@sunomaly : ❝ i know i’m just repeating myself. put me back on my shelf. ❞

eyebrows raised as dark eyes stayed fixed on the younger agent, almost childish grin curling up at the corner of his lips. "no no ––" he started, hands raising in front of him as if in the form of some sort of a surrender, "–– you don't let me stop you. you can say all you want, there's no judgement here."

[mastermicd]

@sunomaly liked for a starter (still accepting).

heels clacked on the floor as the blonde moved, as quickly as she could in such extravagant shoes, towards the bullpen. "listen, crimefighters ––" a term of endearment that had grown in use over the last few years, "–– we have a problem. i know you've just landed, but i've had calls of a new case in the dc area." she paused, allowing the words to sit for a minute before she opted to continue. "that new italian place downtown has received threats that fbi agents might be flying through the door. i think they're right. we should go, right now."

[florencc]

@sunomaly : ❝ finish up the bottle , then we’ll go . ❞

"i hate to break it to you, but this bottle is already dead and buried." hand reached for the wine bottle between them, shaking it lightly to show off just how little remained. they'd gotten lost in their conversation, at least florence had, so much so that she'd completely lost track. "surely we haven't been sat here that long, have we?"

[florencc]

@sunomaly liked for a starter (still accepting).

oh no. florence might not have known that many people who worked in law enforcement when she'd been este, but there was something almost telling about a bar close to quantico. like there were more eyes on her than ever before, despite her hoping that they weren't. her rational brain knew that it was unlikely these people knew her. este was missing, presumed dead, from a small town in georgia, miles and miles away from here. este's husband, also dead. perhaps that had raised some suspicion that she wasn't aware of. not enough for quantico though, surely?

all of these thoughts raced through her mind as she tried to keep her composure. it would be distracting if she just bolted right out of a bar filled with people enjoying their evenings, no matter who it was. "oh god, i'm sorry." in the midst of her mind running through scenarios, she'd managed to elbow the patron beside her, and not lightly either. "i'm so sorry, please –– let me buy you a drink to apologise. i'm not normally a klutz, i promise."

[mastermicd]

daniella’s fingers typed furiously at the keyboard in front of her, each of the details provided to her allowing her to narrow her search parameters one by one, pulling up snippets of information as she went further and further down the rabbit hole, and likely into a world of madness that even alice would have been shocked to find in wonderland.

“you can be well trained and still be in danger.” she’d always spoken her mind, and been straight to the point at that. sometimes annoyingly so, sometimes it came across as rude, but it was rarely intended that way. “I’ve seen lots of people with your training still get caught off guard.” not a criticism or a judgement, just a comment that spoke to her experience in doing the sort of work she did. the sort of work she aided penelope with when she needed it. 

“this him?” flashing up on the screen was a prison photograph, a greying man with the very blue eyes that alyssa had described. daniella turned in her seat, away from her screens and keyboard to towards the blonde agent. “if I use some tools, some assistance that isn’t exactly government approved… i’m getting immunity, right? whatever goes on in this room, stays in this room type deal?” and in return, she didn’t breathe a word of what was found to her closest friend. they both had skin in the game as far as she was concerned.

" there won’t be any blood on your hands, i can assure you. " at least alyssa didn’t plan on anything happening. she just wanted answers, and she was too worried about her loved ones to ask them. part of her still felt like a victim, and she didn’t want her family to see that. they knew aly.. a carefully curated image of herself, formed over years of effort. she’d already had to tell part of her story thanks to the copycat case.. she couldn’t bear to tell more.

" tobias williams. born january 20th of 1960. he’s middle aged, blue eyes, greying hair. he lived in witchita, kansas until he was eight, then moved to grand lake, colorado. his parents died when he was 16. he was allowed to live on his own in the house his father built on the property. he owned the house, had a decent savings account.. he got a job working as a tour guide around the lake, met millie thomas, got married, had a baby. " she figured at least some of these details might help. " he knew the lake like the back of his hand. which helped him when it came to… " his murders.

" he doesn’t have an account anymore, everything was transferred to me after his sentencing. he got 17 consecutive life sentences, would’ve gotten more if they’d had enough evidence. to my knowledge, he has nothing to his name.. but a woman had been visiting him in the prison under my name. and the idiots there didn’t check her id, apparently. "

are you in danger?

the answer was simple, but complex at the same time. she was definitely in danger. she’d been the only survivor of his crimes. the only one who knew everything. the one that had gotten him put away in the end.. he would want to silence her. finish what he’d started.

" no. it’s just precaution— i’m well trained. " she tried to shrug the question off, act like it wasn’t a big deal.. not a big deal that her serial killer father was working in tandem with someone that had stolen her identity, had escaped from prison, and whose whereabouts were currently unknown.

@mastermicd

[mastermicd]

the importance of teamwork was always at the front of hotch's mind. the different strengths within his team something that he tried to work with –– he wouldn't be sending garcia in to kick a door down, in a more extreme example of where different members of the team performed best. giving them the chance to demonstrate their strength, their value, was one thing that he wasn't shy in doing.

head moved in a slow, singular nod as he listened to the approach put to him by alyssa. it was the same approach that he would have pitched, had he been in that position. the thought of sending her into the building though, was what ultimately gave him pause. "i agree we need to get him talking." he started, arms folding across his chest as eyes looked up towards the building in question. there was a tense moment of silence, aside from the general buzz coming from the other resource they'd pulled in as they worked the scene, "are you sure you're comfortable going in?" it wasn't a no.

her choice. she’d put a lot of the profile together. the unsub’s knowledge of the area, his victim type, how he picked them. she’d put a lot into this profile.. maybe she was trying to pick up the slack from gideon’s disappearance.. a need to prove that she was a good profiler, that she was just as capable as ever, even if things felt like they were falling apart.

to be put on the spot like this was something she hadn’t expected. she’d never really been put in a position to make such an important choice. she’d been with the team for a while now, she was plenty capable— she just didn’t know it.

" negotiation. or at least get him talking. we know he has at least one victim with him. if we call into the building, we might be able to distract him long enough to get snipers trained on him.. i’d have a couple agents at the ready to go in if need be.. " a pause as she bit her lip, glancing over to the building they’d been working on surrounding. the flashes of blue and red would probably be making their unsub more antsy, a bit more unpredictable. " or we send someone in. get an eye on the inside. non-threatening, with an earpiece. that way we can get more info, and possibly de-escalate without the need for swat. "

another brief pause… " i could go. you could talk me through it. like you said, i understand him, his pattern. i could try to use that to our advantage. "

[mastermicd]

the agent couldn't help but chuckle to himself –– sure, he'd seen his fair share of superstitious rituals over the years, and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't ever had any of his own. sometimes, speaking things into existence was a little too scary for him to be able to explain away. "fine, fine. i'll knock on wood, just for you." he grinned widely, leaning forward in his seat to make a dramatic attempt and knocking his knuckles against the wooden surface of his desk. "happy now?" he asked, brows raising as body returned to it's position leaning back as far as he could in his chair without it toppling over. "you know knocking on wood doesn't take these horrible people out of the world, don't you?"

"I don't believe in bad luck." from derek!

" i do though, so can we maybe be a bit more careful with how we throw around the q word? i’d rather not have another week long case because you decided that it was okay to say it. " she’s only a little superstitious, believing that certain words can create problems. especially in their line of work. she won’t say it’s been quiet, or slow. she won’t question why they’re not doing something, lest the universe take that as a challenge. @mastermicd might not believe in bad luck. but alyssa definitely does. " go knock on wood, just to be safe. "

[florencc]

"no, no ––" florence was quick to shake it off. the blonde seemed nice enough, and in another life she might have been more quick to trust. but these days, she wasn't sure who might hide a dark side that she couldn't quite see from the outset.

eyebrows raised slightly as the other spoke, with a knowledge about the topic of creeps that seemed a little more than just someone who'd seen it more than once. "you're an expert in these guys then?" she asked, joking through her words with a slight laugh, grateful for the company while she waited if nothing else. for a fleeting moment she thought that it was nice to have company, to share a laugh, a girls moment with someone. but it didnt last long, the mention of a badge sending alarm bells in her mind. "badge?" she tried to hold her composure, hoping it came off more genuine, than fishing. "you work for the police?" that made her nervous.

" right- i probably am coming off as a creep too for offering. " she's still a little.. new to socialising and all of that. what might be considered a harmless offer to her might come off a little scary to someone else. but she's working on it. that's something, at least.

" usually it's a lack of confidence. they feel like they don't quite measure up when you're in a public setting, so they wait until a woman is alone. kind of like how lions tend to hunt. preying on those who stray from the herd type of thing. " she probably shouldn't have taken the question so seriously, but she can't help it.. psychology is something she's passionate about, and this..? hell, this was what she did for a living. " i'm happy to stay and wait. it's good to be safe, especially when it comes to situations like this. i don't go anywhere without some way to protect myself. however long you need me to stay, i'm happy to do it. or, if you want.. i could always flash my badge. that tends to freak guys like that out a bit. "

[mastermicd]

the blonde gave pause as the question was put to her. it was so complex –– her own childhood came with it's complications that had ultimately formed who she was today. there way no way of knowing that if she could go back, change something, do it differently, that she'd have the life she had now. that she'd have will, the boys, the bau. "honestly? i don't know."

there was a moment of shared vulnerability between the two of them, and with alyssa opening up, it was only right that jj do the same in return. "my childhood –– was lived in the shadow of my sister, rosalyn." she began, fingers instinctively coming to rest on the necklace that hung around her neck, as it had done since her sisters passing. "if i could go back, to a life where she didn't... take her life, then yes, maybe. even if it meant putting the life i have now at risk, the temptation of more time with ros is ––" jennifer gave a shaky breath, an attempt to hold her composure that wasn't doing as good of a job as she would have liked, "–– tempting. but i probably wouldn't be here, now, doing this job, if it hadn't gone the way it had done back then. so it's weighing it up. would you want to give up this now, for a maybe?"

" do you ever wish you could go back? actually get to be a child..? " alyssa asked softly, watercolour hues lifting to jj. she often wondered what her life would have been like if things hadn’t been the way they were. if her mother had stayed. if they had left like she’d wanted to.. would aly still have found herself here?

" i hear people talk about their childhoods.. i’ve seen jack starting to grow up.. i see kids on playgrounds, riding bikes through the neighbourhood. " a shaky breath as she tried to figure out her next words. " i spent all of my time in my room, or on a boat. while i might see other kids swimming in the lake to play, i was learning how to hold my breath so i could help him find lost things from the silt. while other kids went to public school, i was studying textbooks.. while other teenagers would go to dances, or parties.. i was taking college courses, preparing myself to be the best. "

" i guess what i mean is.. i didn’t get to grow up.. i feel like i was born grown. i didn’t have a younger self, in a mental sense.. only physical. " it was something she felt always separated her from others. something she usually kept to herself. she’d been forced into a fast paced, intelligence oriented environment so early.. she never got a chance to explore what it meant to be a child. to have fun. the closest thing she had to something childish was her mother’s lullabies, and a quiet prayer at night to ward off bad dreams. sometimes this difference made her wonder.. would she be anything if she weren’t smart? if she weren’t fashioned this way by her father, would she even be of use to the team, or anyone for that matter?

[mastermicd]

he didn't want to be a downer on something that alyssa had clearly worked so hard to achieve. turning a corner, knowing that there truly was good in the world –– it had to be clung onto, or else it slipped right into the darkness in which their unsubs were born. "that's a good thing." hotch couldn't help but think of his own reason to keep going, his own reason to try. jack. once upon a time, haley. but thought hurt too much, so it was quickly cast aside in his mind. "and it will keep you grounded when this job becomes tough. you know just how bad it can be, and there's no telling when those sorts of cases will come along. so keeping that in mind, it's crucial." he paused. "we don't come out the other side, otherwise."

she'd gone through hell. she wouldn't shy away from that point anymore. she had sacrificed enough, had been through enough.. some of what she'd experienced would have made even the most seasoned agents retire, and yet she still stayed. and it had been well worth it. even if she did have to fake her death... it was that moment that had been the final tipping point. she was happy now, finding the love of her life by her side again.. and to know finally that he felt the same. they'd moved in together right after their joint return.. things were looking brighter for her- for once she could see a light. she wasn't about to let it go.

" i plan on it.. " she understood his words, how he meant them. but even if it was a warning, she intended on keeping to her own word. " i.. actually have something to try for, if that makes sense. something to protect.. something to stay for. " one thing she hadn't had was a reason. a reason to come home. her whole life had revolved around her job, with no anchor to keep her back from running head first into danger. but now- now she had something. she didn't plan on ever letting that go. come hell or high water.

[mastermicd]

"agent barbie." derek repeated, head moving in a slow, approving nod at the nickname she'd given herself. "i like that, might have to use that one from time to time." it was no secret that agent morgan had a soft spot for nicknames for those people closest to him, members of the bau specifically. his own sort of love language, in a way. "oh no no, i'm not falling for that again. i tried that on boy wonder one time and he still managed to one up me. did he put you up to this? have you been reading up on one of my sports teams to show off?"

" oh come on, don’t do that. " the blonde tilted her head to the side, a small smile breaking her lips at his little surrender. " you and i both know that the last thing you want is for me to go on a tangent. so let’s put agent barbie back on the shelf for a little bit. she could use a bit of a break. "

" instead of me sounding like a broken record, how about you pick something. teach me something new, morgan. "