#𝐢𝐢. 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫. ——— penelope garcia.

[mastermicd-arch]

@venustrape ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

fingers tapped lightly against the already open door, out of both politeness and fear for making his favorite blonde jump if he just announced his presence. “you doing okay?” a casual check in to an outsider, but a question that carried far more weight for the profiler. “you know you can be honest with me. that was a tough call, but you came through for all of us. saved the day, seriously.”

[lindscys]

@huntcriminals​​ ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

"hey pretty lady.” erin was still the newbie on the team - granted, she had a bit more time under her belt now, but she was still very much the new kid on the block. if there was one thing that she was going to do, it was make sure she stayed on the good side of garcia. she was, to most, the glue that held the team together, which meant that erin had work to do. “i got given an extra pastry when i picked up my breakfast this morning, and i thought you might appreciate the treat.”

[mastermicd-arch]

and that was one of the many reasons why he loved garcia. she cared, genuinely, and without hesitation, willing to listen to whatever he needed to offload should he choose to do so. but derek was cautious, repeating the events of a case that could very well have been as hard for her as it had been for him. "and that's why you're an angel." it still wasn't opening up, but enough of an acknowledgement that perhaps he will –– but not tonight. tonight was set to be a team evening, blowing off steam, not the place to start considering the ins and outs of the cases that kept them up at night. "oh, i know. you'd think he'd have learned, but apparently not." he paused, glancing towards the blonde. "nobody would dare bet against you, sweets." he said, grin dancing across his face. reliable, consistent, incredible, just a few words to describe his soul sister. "choosing to be okay. i like it." hand came to rest on top of hers in the crook of his arm, giving a small, reassuring squeeze. "you and that lair. you deserve a little fun. a lot of fun, and that comes away from a million screens staring back at you. even if it does make you brilliant."

he can't possibly think she'll let that slide. they've been at each other's side too long for her to brush off the word burden like it's nothing. & she knows talking through his anger, sadness or frustration is not quite where derek morgan excels, god knows the man would be far too perfect otherwise. but she'd never want him to think of himself that way. not around her, of all people. " honey, the 'b' word has no place in our relationship. you're my favorite person & your feelings matter to me, okay ? all of them. " internalizing is inevitable in this line of work. you do what you must to get through the day & start all over the next morning. but if they can't talk to each about these things, what good is the string that ties them together ? " he bet against reid ? our reid ? that is self sabotage at its finest. it's like – betting against me. " thankfully, they 've bet on her more times than she can count. a solemn look across her face now, she looks back at her monitors. " i choose to be okay tonight. " small smile flashes his way next. " i choose to focus on how relieved i am knowing we put another monster in a cage before it could cause any more pain. " & she keeps him close, hands wrapped around his arm. " we have to celebrate our victories. & we have to leave my lair, this whole place reeks of stress, sage & coffee. "

[mastermicd-arch]

@clochanam​​​ ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

the collection of bags around her was more telling than anything else –– painting a clear picture for just how penelope might have spent her day off. "think retail therapy is my new addiction." state the obvious, penelope.

[mastermicd-arch]

@venustrape ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

fresh off the jet from the inevitable return journey back to quantico, morgan didn't hesitate to quick ditch his go-bag by his desk –– he'd deal with it later on. he had a system by now, and it could wait for him to make a little pit stop into the office of his favorite technical analyst. an analyst that, without which, he'd likely still be treading through the backs of woods in the middle of nowhere-ville. penelope had hit the metaphorical nail on the head, ultimately closing their case for them by handing them the name of the unsub. body leaned against the doorframe, knuckle barely knocking on the open door, "have i told you lately just how great you are?"

[mastermicd-arch]

@selfmadesaviour ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

heels clacked against the hard wood of the floors of the bau, the analyst clearly walking with purpose. though, she seldom walked without, fuelled by so much more than just the urge to do good things and the copious amounts of tea that she'd consumed. "jj!" she called out, seeing just the woman that she had been looking for. "i have the most important questions for you." her expression was painted with seriousness, although penelope couldn't hold it for that long. not when it really wasn't as grave as perhaps her face had first suggested. "what is henry going as for halloween? i need some cheerful conversation and that's my favorite."

[mastermicd-arch]

𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬.   →   accepting.

@goldshadows : ❛  is it my fault?  ❜

penelope's face dropped from its usual cheerful expression to one of surprise and almost shock at the question that had been put to her. "are you kidding?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle. hands came out to carefully scoop up jess's, giving them what she hoped would be perceived as a reassuring squeeze. "of course it's not your fault. sometimes, we can't find a reason for these things happening, we just have to do what we can to learn from them."

[mastermicd-arch]

@strandaed​ ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

“no, i don’t want to hear it.” penelope had managed to keep her morning horror free so far, and she was on a mission to keep it that way for as long as she possibly could. in this line of work though, it was a miracle she’d made it this long. “you’re going to tell me we have an awful case, with a psychopath doing something ––” she grimaced, letting her body shake slightly as if she literally had the heebie-jeebies, “ –– unspeakable. and i was really enjoying my tea.”

[mastermicd-arch]

@redempticns​ ♡’d for a starter (still accepting) !

“no, no, no.” penelope practically stopped in her tracks simply from the look on emily’s face. “no, don’t look like that because that is the face of someone telling me that tonight’s margaritas have been cancelled.”

[mastermicd-arch]

𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬   →   accepting.

@huntcriminals​ : “ what is your story?  ”

“the feels like a loaded question.” david hadn’t been back for long, but if one thing hadn’t changed it, it was his sister. he knew that there was a chance she’d have shared stories, the same sorts of stories he’d gone on to share in the circles he’d formed over the years. “and completely depends on how much my dear sweet sister has already told you.” there was a slight laugh to his words, despite the fact that there was maybe a hit of hesitation, an uncertainty as to just how much the blonde might already know about him. “but my story right now?” another pause, shoulders lifting in a shrug as he considered just what his plans were. “i guess i just feel like i need to be here. for emily, for - for myself. it hasn’t been an easy ride, you know?” 

[mastermicd-arch]

"i tell you what ––" he began, elbow crooked almost as on instinct, like a default, ready and waiting for her as he turned to walk, "–– i'll let you take up the microphone first, and see just how long it takes for me to warm up for a duet." it wasn't a no, but it was quite as immediate of a yes as perhaps some of the other members of the team might have done. "i think you underestimate just how much stage presence you have mama, you're a tough karaoke act for any of us to follow."

" oh, i wouldn't dare deprive you of my company, sugar. " she teases in her usual manner, lighthearted & flirtatious, just enough familiarity in her tone to pull him & herself back to their sheltered reality. their bubble is a comfortable place to be after days like these. it's safe & joyful. a good outcome like this deserves some joy. & she'll take it any time she can. " let's go get you a drink, hero. " she smiles softly, swiftly grabbing her purse & latching on to his arm as they walk out of her office. " hey, are you too tired for karaoke ? belting out some good ol' classics does wonders for one's mood, believe me. "

[mastermicd-arch]

there was something that was always so comforting about stepping back into the building at quantico. not quite the same as getting home, but close enough to provide a comfort after a long flight back from a town that he hoped to never have to step foot in again if he could help it. "you and me both. another monster locked away before he could do any more harm." that was how it helped him sleep at night. he'd made his peace with the fact that they wouldn't be able to get all of the bad guys, but each one off the street was a step in the right direction. "enough ass kicking to have earned myself a couple of drinks, that's for sure." grin of his own curled up and into his cheeks, skin crinkling at the corner of his eyes. "do you think you can put off that bath long enough to come and get a beer? we both earned it."

one more for the books. still, it feels like no matter how a day turns out, she's left staring at her screens for at least a good ten minutes before she's able to detach. right now, she's just taking the time to be grateful – grateful she was quick enough to track the bastard, grateful that little girl survived, grateful her friends came out of it unharmed. & as a little reminder of that, the voice she looks forward to hearing every day comes to check up on her. like clockwork. " hey, you. " she greets softly before finally ungluing herself from her chair. " yeah ! yeah, i'm fine, nothing a long bath won't fix. i'm just glad we got him. " a smile curls on her lips out of mere instinct. " are you okay ? jj says you did some serious ass kicking out there. "

[mastermicd-arch]

he could always count on garcia to lift his mood –– had done since practically the moment she'd started at the bureau. her outlook on life in general, perhaps being a certain level of removed from the field itself, meant that she was just the person to keep him grounded once their plane was back on quantico tarmac. "i wouldn't want to put that burden on to you, sweetness." as much as derek appreciated the offer, he wasn't going to use her as a sounding board for any venting he had. his outlet of choice was the gym, boxing, anything physical that cleared his mind and gave him a chance to really work out his frustrations. "if we're lucky, rossi's going to get the first round too. some sort of a bet he had going with reid –– i didn't dare ask." he smiled, squeezing her arm into his quickly. the bau's version of team activities being margaritas and likely eventual karaoke was far better than going back home and thinking over the events of the day. "you sure you're doing okay?" one final check in didn't ever hurt.

        ever  her  brave  hero.  one  of  them  always  ends  the  day  just  a  little  more  beaten  down  than  the  other  despite  the  facade  &  it's  not  her.  she  has  the  luxury  of  helping  from  a  distance,  of  using  screens  &  code  as  a  shield,  surrounding  herself  with  uplifting  images  &  trinkets  just  to  get  through  the  day.  &  even  then,  she's  no  good  at  hiding  the  sadness,  disgust  or  horror  in  her  bones  at  the  end  of  a  bad  day.  she  wears  it  all  on  her  sleeve.  but  thankfully,  she  does  the  same  when  a  case  ends  on  a  hopeful  note.  resident  tech  genius  might've  almost  screwed  the  pooch  today,  but  she  did  good  in  the  end.  that's  what  matters.  &  he's  quick  to  remind  her  of  it,  softening  the  smile  on  her  lips.  "  oh,  don't  i  know  it,  my  love.  i  bet  he  didn't  even  see  you  coming.  "  it  could  have  been  worse.  but  that  doesn't  mean  he  needs  to  sweep  what  was  under  the  rug.  "  but  if  you  need  to  take  a  small  break  from  embodying  the  strong,  delicious, silent  type  &  vent  a  little,  i'm  a  good  listener.  "  with  that,  she  grabs  her  bag  &  links  her  arm  with  his.  as  if  he  ever has  to  ask.  "  always.  you  had  me  at  margaritas.  "

[mastermicd-arch]

the small routines helped to ground the agent, decompress somewhat, bring himself back to normality (or as close as he could). garcia's office being the first stop once he'd returned had been part of his routine for about as long as she'd been part of the team. "i can take close. close still counts." he assured her, his only smile tugging that little bit wider knowing that for all intents and purposes, she was okay. she was smiling. "takes a lot more than a guy in a basement to take me out." granted, they both knew there was so much more to it than that –– but why dwell on it? they'd succeeded, and didn't need to get bogged down in the detail. "could have been a lot worse." an almost mantra that had been adopted over the years. "prentiss is promising margaritas –– can i count on you to keep me company?"

        dream  team  saves  the  day  again  !  she's  grateful  every  time  the  bad  guy  doesn't  slip  through  their  fingers.  every  time  a  case  doesn't  end  in  more  tragedy  than  it  starts  with.  but  every  time  she  goes  offline  &  finally  has  a  second  to  check  in  with  herself,  every  muscle  in  her  body  is  always  just  as  tense.  screens  go  black  &  her  head  hangs  low,  closing  her  eyes  &  exhaling  a   breath.  he  almost  got  away.  almost.  she'd  hate  to  think  what  a  split  second  of  hesitation  on  her  part  would've  meant  for  the  unsub's  last  target.  thankfully,  familiar  voice  fills  her  space  before  she  gets  the  chance  to  spiral.  she  flinches  only  a  little  before  looking  over  her  shoulder,  the  sight  of  her  personal  source  of  happy  chemicals  bringing  a  smile  to  her  lips.  a  tired  one.  "  aw  gorgeous,  don't  put  a  ring  on  it  just  yet...  i  cut  it  close.  like,  close  close.  "  she  turns  around  fully  now,  warm  browns  scanning  him  head  to  toe  as  she  makes  her  way  closer.  "  thank  god  you're  in  one  piece.  are  you  in  one  piece  ?  does  anything  hurt  ?  "