#( ch. phoebe yates. )

[doctornilaybailey]

📜𝙽𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚢 𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢 & 𝙿𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚋𝚎 𝚈𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜

"Oh, how sweet!" Dark eyes widening, the scholar rested her elbow on the window sill before poking her head out. Her smile grew as she saw a family of swans, the mother swimming down the river with her babies, before she looked over at Phoebe. No words could express how proud she was of the younger woman. While she desperately missed having her as her assistant, she understood why the other needed to move on. She was just more grateful that they stayed in each other's lives. "Now I'm even more happy that we were able to score this spot." Nilay has always loved rivers. With the Nile River having been one of her favourite places to be while living in Egypt, ever since then she made sure to be in rather close distance to a river. And the diner overlooking the Illinois River was rather a good bonus. "Are you enjoying your internship still? I hope they're not being too hard on you or anything." Lord knows she'd be ready to go down there and have a word or two with whomever is in charge.

𓂀 𝚠𝚑𝚘: @thephoebeyates

𓂀 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎: 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚛 ; 𝚕𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚕 𝚟𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚐𝚎

𓂀 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗: 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝟸𝟸𝚗𝚍, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

📜𝙰𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝙵𝚊𝚑𝚛𝚒-𝙱𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚢 & 𝙿𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚋𝚎 𝚈𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜

Bringing the girls over to the market after the tree lighting only filled Asli with happiness. How she had Eli by her side while they watched the girls take everything in, Alex talking about all the yummy food she was excited to try whereas Rhia couldn't stop looking at everyone and everything, eyes completely wide at the new sight full of new people. There was so much laughter between the family, especially when Rhia would try to steal one of their food, that she was certain tonight was the perfect night. However, at some point during their international food quest, she received a text from Phoebe. Her brows furrowed in confusion and concern, mainly concern, once she saw the text messages. She was quick to reply back, giving her friend a pinpoint location to meet up with her, before looking back at her family. Letting them know that she needed to see Phoebe real quick and then she would be back. With Eli watching over the girls, she was quick to give them all kisses before heading off. Quickly trying to make her way to their rendezvous spot when she spotted the younger (yet slightly taller) brunette. "Hey!" she said, quickly hugging her before pulling back slightly to look up at her. Her brows pulled in confusion. "Everything okay? What's wrong?"

𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚝, 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔 ; 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟽𝚝𝚑, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹 || @phoebeyates

[doctornilaybailey]

"Sweetheart," she giggled softly, watching her friend blush and hide her face. It was amazing how much has changed since they came to be in each other's lives. How much Phoebe has grown, all of her confidence she's gained, how she had the courage to chase after her dreams, and how she was with a good man who treated her right. Nilay felt lucky that she was able to be a part of her life and that she was able to support her, to cheer her on. "You deserve to be happy, Pheebs. Happiness looks beautiful on you, love."

Nilay let out a full-belly laugh at her squeal, accidentally waking Misty and causing her to run off in fear. "I'm sorry, baby!" she called out after the kitten. Her giggles unable to leave her lips still as she looked back at Phoebe. Raising her hands up in surrender, yet her smile betrayed her. "I'm not putting out anything! I swear! Though... Eli and I did adopt Kemet before he moved in... And then we learned about Rhia... Sooo..." She gained a thoughtful look before she laughed again. Her raven curls shaking as she shook her head. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. No more jokes, I promise. It is, isn't it? I think moving Eli and us figuring everything out together has been one of my favourite parts of our relationship. Granted, that list is longer than the Nile, but still. I'm happy that you are getting to have this with Foster. He's a good man; It's good seeing you two be happy together."

📜@thephoebeyates

As her friend expressed her happiness, Phoebe could feel herself blush, picking up one of her throw cushions to bury her face into. It was odd, when she met Nilay, how different her life was. She had been lost, unemployed, abandoned. Now she was on the path to achieving her dream job, and had a generous, beautiful found family surrounding her, and an amazing boyfriend who had done nothing but prove time and time again he was in her corner. It was just funny how life worked sometimes. "We absolutely will, yeah. Um, it kinda feels surreal but I'm just...I'm just so happy. I haven't felt like this in a long time, or ever." Not even with Spencer did she feel so hopeful about her future.

There was a difference in terms of Nilay's and Phoebe's living situations. The space being a big factor, so it made sense that Eli had the opportunity to bring his stuff along, and she couldn't help but wonder if one day, her and Foster would have more rooms to adorn with an equal mixture of both their furniture and decor. "Oh don't say that!" She squealed out, "You know I love Rhia more than anything, but please don't put that out in the universe, because I don't know how either of us would cope if we had a pregnancy scare after he finishes unpacking his boxes." She laughed, nudging Nilay gently. "But yeah, the whole moving stuff in and inviting someone else into your life this way has been fun."

[leticiaxoliveira]

“Whoever thought this up deserves either the best rewards in Heaven or the worst punishment in Hell. I still haven’t decided on that one yet.” Leti has never really been one for visual arts. Sure, if they were suppose to paint an entire wall one certain colour or another basic technique, they could do it. But to paint an entire canvas? While also tipsy on wine? Fuuuuuuuuuck that. However, Leticia didn’t come here for the painting itself. When they talked with Phoebe after learning about it, the thought of coming to this with her automatically crossed their mind. And quite frankly, the author was more than ready to spend any and as much time with the other as possible. Despite their initial hesitations, Leti found themself enjoying the event. Then again, they were certain that it was Phoebe more than the actual event that they were enjoying. “You know, when we’re sober tomorrow, we have to compare our masterpieces. See if they match up as well as we thought or at least have a good laughing session over our tipsy selves and what we were thinking.”

CLOSED STARTER: paint and sip @ refined pallette ; downtown || @phoebeyates​​

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

𝙰𝚂𝙻𝙸𝙷𝙰𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝙷𝚁𝙸-𝙱𝙰𝙸𝙻𝙴𝚈 & 𝙿𝙷𝙾𝙴𝙱𝙴 𝚈𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚂

God, she can't take it anymore. It has only been roughly four days but already, she felt like she was going stir-crazy. She needed to get some work done. Any kind of work. Unfortunately, she knew that Eli and her parents could give her a certain look if she were to ask them. However... Phoebe was an option. She'd been quick to text the girl, instructing her to go to her office at the museum to grab some paperwork concerning the possible wing she was working on curating next. Now, it wasn't a whole lot of work and she was planning on doing the more nitty-gritty work once she was off maternity leave and back at the museum. But, it was some things that she wanted to get a head start on. Asli waited for a while, absentmindedly trying to keep busy by playing some games on her phone. A factor that she has now had to result to so that she can keep her mind stimulated and busy. A sigh of relief left her lips once she saw the blonde. "Oh, thank god! I was getting bored of continuously kicking Samir from Dubai's arse at Backgammon."

𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛: 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚕, 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚔 ; 𝚓𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟸𝟹𝚛𝚍, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹 || @phoebeyates

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

𝙰𝚂𝙻𝙸𝙷𝙰𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝙷𝚁𝙸-𝙱𝙰𝙸𝙻𝙴𝚈 & 𝙿𝙷𝙾𝙴𝙱𝙴 𝚈𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚂

Okay, yes, Asli was technically suppose to start doing her work primarily at home now and to cut her workload by half. However, there were some things that she needed to get done at the museum before she started doing that. Fortunately, the university was out for the summer and she already finished grading everything, so any work she needed to do would be involved with the museum and the institute. Which, of course, she'll start taking easy with them! That's just going to have to wait until tomorrow. Today, was another story. Fortunately, though, she had Phoebe. Sure, it was still a learning process. But the other girl was trying. And if there's anything Aslihan appreciated, it's people at least trying. While she was working out more details on the potential new wing plan she was working, she glanced up and smiled softly once she saw Phoebe with her drink. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh my god, you are a life saver," she mused, happily taking the drink and getting back to work. However, she took a minor sip and restrained herself completely from spitting out the adrenaline fuel misnamed as a 'drink'. She covered her mouth with her hand for a moment, not sure it was wise to swallow. She absolutely wasn't going to risk this extremely caffeinated 'drink' to potentially harm the baby. Setting the drink down on her desk, she grabbed a nearby paper cup and spit out the sip of coffee into it. "H-Hey, uh, Phoebe?" she called out. "Um... I think this might be Pedro Pascal's drink... It has way too much espresso to be considered safe for... anyone, really..." No, Aslihan wasn't the most well-known on pop culture. Pedro Pascal, on the other hand? A whole new story.

closed starter: asli's office at the providence peak natural history museum, university heights ; may 17th, 2023 || @phoebeyates

[zeynepxturkmen]

Zeynep grinned proudly. "What can I say? I'm a great choice to be a part of the town's welcoming committee. I get ten out of five star ratings." And it helped take her mind off of things she'd rather not think about. Especially people she'd rather not think about. Okay, yes, if you're rude, there was a word for it. However! The writer simply likes to believe that she's liberated and living her live freely, causing great inspiration for her stories. She would rather live her life to the fullest and face judgement than never live her life at all and be everyone's cup of tea. "Oh, absolutely. She gets it from me. The cuteness, obviously." And the chaotic demon side as well, clearly. "Ugh, Jessie is a queen and I tear up every time I hear 'When She Loved Me'." Okay, granted, it reminded her of a certain blonde, but that is neither here nor there to talk about. She smiled softly at she thought about her son. "I will, yeah. I think he'd appreciate hearing that from someone else aside from me. Did I tell you that he might be able to start his HRT when he's sixteen? We've been talking with his doctor and I've been saving up money for it. He's really excited."

She playfully gasped at Phoebe's words. "Oh, you didn't see nothing; I'm about to go full Meg Ryan right now to prove just how wrong you are, Phoebe dear," she threatened joking, bumping her with her hip and grinning brightly. "Come on, it's iconic and you love it. It's an honour to be the Sally to your Harry, babe." She blew a kiss at her dear friend. Happy that if anyone understood how ridiculous she can be and shot back that ridiculousness in return, it was Phoebe. "Sounds perf, babe." Nodding, her eyes widened. "Well, shit, how's that going? She's always struck me as a Folklore-Evermore with a hint of Red girlie. Though give her a moment before All Too Well; We don't wanna break her just yet." She held her hands up. Completely not convinced. "You realize that people can love you without some ulterior motive or being influenced by someone or something else, right? But, alright, fine. They're just your boss and boss' partner." Again, not convinced in the slightest bit. ||👾@phoebeyates

Phoebe felt akin to one of those dashboard bobble hands as Zeyno listed off her various lovers the hotel hosted. "Wow, busy bee!" Was all she could say, because whilst she was absolutely supportive of her friend's escapades, Phoebe also lacked in the same number of experience, possibly just scraping the double-digits, though she doubted certain fumbles in college even counted. "Good thing she's like, a hundred times cuter than Sid!" She reasoned, "He always gave me the creeps when I used to watch it. I think that's half the reason I think Toy Story 2 is my fave of those. No Sid, and the appearance of Jessie and Bullseye." Her heart softened when she mentioned the twins, especially Luke, relating to the teenager. She herself had always been careful with her things, keeping everything sentimental to her absolutley pristine. "I get it, it's nice to care about your stuff. Let Luke know it's perfectly normal to panic about breaking things. Or, well, not normal, but Aunt Pheebs does so he's in good company."

"I'm not being funny, but if that's the sort of performance you put on for your twenty-four lovers, they'll probably think you're faking it," She griped, though her eye-roll showed she was jesting. "I know I like to try and recapture rom-com moments, but I didn't want that scene from When Harry Met Sally being ticked off." She smiled at the gesture, blowing Zeyno a kiss when she responded with love in return. "Thank you, I'll stop by when I can. I'll set a reminder on my phone. I don't think so, but I'm still getting her through the Taylor Swift lore, we're on Red Era. Oi," Phoebe swiped, Zeyno missing just in time. "I...it's not cute. It's very professional. And Eli, he's just being nice to his partner's assistant, is all."

@zeynepxturkmen

[doctornilaybailey]

"Of course," she replies softly. Her smile gentle. She nodded as she listened. "I can understand that. But, it's good that you are working on that. I really hope that it's working out for you." It was nerve wracking, in many ways, to try and figure out who you are aside from a romantic relationship. Well, any kind of relationship, really. What are the parts that are yours and what are the parts that you've gained from others, and how they could either coexist together. The parts of you that you missed and wanted to bring back, the parts of you that you wanted to keep, and the parts of you that you wanted to let go after you've began to learn about who you are, especially now versus the person you were a year ago, five years ago, and so on. Knowing yourself, relearning yourself, was terrifying. But... It also was capable of granting clarity and self-guidance. Everyone deserves to have that knowledge.

Sitting up, Nile looked at her with furrowed brows. "Oh my g-d... Oh my g-d, Pheebs!" Laughing with joy, she was quick to hug her. "That's incredible news!" She beamed at her as she pulled back. G-d, was this truly the same girl that came into her PA interview unprepared all those years ago? It didn't feel possibly. But it was real. And she knew that if anyone deserved to have things go the way they've spent so long wishing for, that they've spent so long working hard for, it was Phoebe Yates. She took one of her hands and squeezed. "There's nothing you could do nor anywhere you could go where I wouldn't be supporting you wholeheartedly the entire way. I've believed in you for long, and... G-d, Phoebe, I'm so proud of you. You are going to rock that meeting, I'm sure of it." Giving one more squeeze, she stood up and nodded towards the door. "Come on; You deserve to be celebrated. You can pick anywhere you want to go and do—my treat."

🏛️𝚜𝚘𝚗 ; הסוף ; �� 𝚎𝚕 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 ; النهاية ; 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍.

Phoebe often wondered if not telling people what happened with her and Foster was the best decision to make. On one hand, not having people in their business was a godsend, because she already had the likes of Seb sharing his opinion on the matter, but it was also hard to discuss it without revealing the full story. She knew Nilay would support her no matter what, but she was also worried her opinion on Foster would worsen, always sensing the vibe that the two never got along in the first place.

“Thanks, Ni.” She settled for, because it was nice to have that assurance that Phoebe could potentially set herself up to be hurt again and still have people in her corner. “I do think…I don’t know, we talked. We’re both reflecting. And I am focusing on who I am, who I was, outside of a romantic relationship.” As much as she loved Foster, she couldn’t argue that maybe she wasn’t in the most settled place when they first met, often pushing back her wants and goals if they potentially interfered with the blossoming romance. Of course, the chef was the one who encouraged her change in jobs, to go for the things writers had to go for, and she never would be in this position, careerwise, if not for his support. It just seemed bittersweet now, that she was close to success and couldn’t celebrate with him.

“Speaking to opening possibilities, my internship ends soon. And I have a meeting with a potential literary agent about picking me up. But I don’t wanna jinx it, so it’s hush-hush for now.” She winked at the anthropologist, excited to finally share this news.

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

"Never," she giggled. Her smile only growing more the longer she looked at her. All the differences she could tell being due to the man she was seeing. Whether it was strictly for fun or ended up evolving into something more, all that the curator could hope for was that the other brunette was happy throughout all of this. That her worries were taken off her shoulders and she felt lighter. Phoebe deserved to have fun and to enjoy herself, to be happy and not wonder who or what could take that from her. And if that happens to be with this mystery chef, who was Asli to not support that? "Mm-hmm, okay. But you let me know when things have changed. We'll be more than happy to be your guinea pigs in case you want some second opinions." While she knew that her question would alter the conversation slightly, she hadn't expected how much of an alter it would be. With one leg tucked under her and the other propped up, her arms wrapped around it close to her chest, she listened. Nodding quietly. Of course, real life was different from cinema. But it didn't mean that it wasn't a little bit nerve-wracking. "I get it," she said softly. "Before Eli and I got together and before I was with Ray, I was spending time with this guy. What I thought was a friendship at first eventually grew into... something more. Enough so that he even was introduced to Alex a few times. I was starting to fall in love with him when he just ghosted me. He wouldn't text me back or call me, he stopped showing up at our spots. For the longest time, I thought that he left town and it wasn't until us bumping into each other at the Ren Faire that I discovered he's been here all this time. After him and Atlas, I really struggled having my heart open. Then after Ray and I broke up, I couldn't imagine ever trying to be with someone else again. Now my boyfriend is basically my husband and we have a whole life together with the girls and our cats in a house we own. You never know what the future's going to bring. You never know who's going to come into your life and what they'll mean to you. If you're more than happy with the way things are between you two, that's great. But, if something ever evolves and you start to think that maybe there could be more or you realize you want more, talk with him and try. There could be the chance that he feels the same way." ||📜@phoebeyates

Phoebe nudged back, averting eye contact at the insinuation. "Shuddup." She grumbled, though there was no malice in her tone. Who knew from when she first came running late into Aslihan's office for the interview of a job she had no experience for, and literally admitted she just needed the money, that she'd be sat here months later, gushing about a boy to someone who was more than a boss to her, but more like family? "I mean, he's great but not exactly a miracle worker, I don't know when I'll be ready to treat the fam to a homemade, gourmet dinner," She joked. It was the follow-up question that was more difficult to answer. Things were great as they were with Foster, sure, but the whole 'casual' aspect meant that it had some sort of expiration date, surely. And the thought of that made her stomach churn. "It's good how it is, for now." Phoebe settled for, because that was true at least. "I mean, I've seen enough movies about the dangers of casual sex and fuck buddy situations, I'll know when to pull back if I absolutely have to." It'd probably kill her, but as much as Phoebe adored the silver screen, she didn't want to become some movie cliche either.

@draslihanxfahri-bailey

[zeynepxturkmen]

Hero shook their head. However, they made sure to turn enough away from Phoebe so that she wouldn't see the smile appearing. "I am running an extremely sophisticated and mature business here, Phoebe Yates. We sell monster smut and tentacle hentai, but I draw the line over gushing"--the comment left them to snort slightly, proud of themself--"over the desire to climb Chris Hemsworth like a tree, thank you very much." Finally, they looked over. No longer able to hold it in any longer as the writer burst out laughter. "Okay! Fine! He's part of my ultimate threesome." They knew that them and Jai would rock his world. Add in Elsa and it would be electric. Hero gave Phoebe a look. The king of look that said 'girl, if you don't...' All they could do was give one short nod. "Names. All of them. I wanna know how much of a slut Cupid's making you and who all you're dancing the Devil's Tango with. Come on, come on!" However, as their friend continued on, they quickly shook their head. Moving closer so that they could catch her eye. "Oi, enough of that or I'll call your mom and dad," Hero knew that Asli and Eli wouldn't stand to hear Phoebe talk badly about herself. "I'm sure that there is something more there. Besides, you deserve to be happy. How ever kind of way you make that happen. Maybe it is with one of them or someone completely unexpected. You never know how life goes." They smiled softly. Reaching up to place their hand over Phoebe's before sighing gently. "I'm just... really, really scared. I fucked things over with him once already and I'm trying so hard not to run again. A blank slate sounds so good, but then I catch myself thinking of all the ways I could fuck things up, whether repeating the same stupid patterns or doing something entirely new, and I get so angry with myself. He deserves the world. And I want to give it to him. It's just... It's challenging. He's worth it and he's worth everything; I'm just scared that I'm the puzzle piece that doesn't match up in the end." ||👾@phoebeyates

Despite the flush on her cheeks after being caught short like that, Phoebe merely lifted her chin high. “I stand by what I said, we’re all adults here,” She said in defense. A moment too late, did she realize she probably said the wrong thing, or worded it wrong. Somehow. “Do you really need names?” She questioned, half terrified that if she even thought about anyone in particular it would immediately be jinxed. “Like, early early. Early. Sometimes I re-read texts back because I have to double check if it’s flirting or just like…friendship.” It was hard to navigate sometimes. Sure, Dean whenever they met up was a strictly physical thing, so that was definitely more than friendship in that sense, but nothing more than sex either. Frankie reached back out via dating app so that was maybe slightly less cloudy in intention, but Jesse…apart from the times he reiterated Taylor Swift knowledge back at her, she wondered if he ever read the texts she sent at all. Foster, however… some of those interactions had to be flirtatious right? Or she’d really kick herself if she was reading too much into that one. “Anyway, forget I said anything, I’m probably just starved for attention and making things up in my head,” She excused, reaching out and giving the top of Hero’s arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “You get to pick the murder weapon,” She promised solemnly. “But...it’s natural to feel nervous. It’s not just you that you have to think about, right? It’s the kids too. But I think you’re allowed to scrub the track record clean. A blank slate. You deserve that.”

@zeynepxturkmen

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

"Without a shadow of doubt," she agreed. Chuckling softly. In many ways, she was a mixture of emotions concerning the trip. Excited. Anxious. Scared. For the first time in her life, she'll be taking her family, the one she's created, to some of the places that held such significant memories and were key parts to who she is. And, in many ways, were also her daughters' cultures. There were so many places and people she was excited for Eli and the girls to get to see and meet. "I've talked with my parents a few times in the past about my family collaborating with the museum to potentially host a trip to Egypt and sponsor everyone who wants to go. Not sure when that could happen, but I hope that it will be at some point in the future."

It broke her heart to see Phoebe like this. To know that she was hurting and how much she wished that something could change for the better. However, the primary catalyst for said change was the very woman who seemed hell-bent on never changing. On never improving for the better and being there for her daughter. Asli couldn't understand that. She couldn't understand how someone couldn't work on becoming their best self for their child. The idea of ever being the cause of her girls' pain was her worst nightmare and she never wanted to do that to her daughters. Which made the fact that Lisa has consistently hurt Phoebe without even trying to change anything so much worse.

"You're not imposing," she promised. Her head shaking as she made sure to catch her gaze "Please, I beg you not to think that about yourself, okay? It doesn't matter if we do too much for you. You're hurting and I want to make sure that you're going to be okay. I care about you, Phoebe. You deserve so much better than this."

Pressing her lips together, she watched her quietly for a moment. Wanting so much to change the other's mind. Yet... She didn't want to pressure her and make things worse. To possibly hurt her even more than she was already. "Okay," she said. Nodding slowly, she gave her a gentle smile before Asli sat up. Grabbing some napkins from the napkin holder to hold it out to her. "I get it. I promise that I do. But... if you ever change your mind, if you ever want to come over and stay for awhile, you're always welcome and free to do so. All of us would be happy to have you stay with us. I just want to make sure that you're okay and that you're happy. You deserve it so much."

Watching her for a moment, Asli cleared her throat. Tucking some of her hair behind her ears and trying to think of anything. "Um, there's a couple of things I still need to buy. Alex needs a new suitcase and I need some new adapters. Maybe some packing cubes as well." It was minimal things, frankly. But, if it could help distract Phoebe in some form and way, she'll take it. "I'll let you know if I think of anything else we may need." ||📜@phoebeyates

Phoebe let out a low whistle at that. “Damn, definitely overdue for a visit back then.” There wasn’t much age difference between the two women, but when Aslihan spoke about trips and all  the places she visited, it felt like there was more than four years between them. She held herself with the confidence and experience of a much older woman and Phoebe, who constantly felt like she was living in that Tom Hanks movie Big, was drawn to it. Aslihan helped her feel safe, and cared for.

And it was evident now, as she soothed her, the cries windling down into hiccups, Phoebe unceremoniously wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater. She let Asli calm her down, and though she didn’t quite believe the words, she had no energy to argue back or deny them, just occasionally sniffling, scared to speak in case her voice broke or more tears came. It was stupid, to feel this pathetic over something she had been dealing with her entire life. Other people were more resilient after dealing with far worse. A part of her knew to not compare her life and experiences with others, but it was hard not to, and the contrast was laughable. 

She sat up straighter when Aslihan offered up a guest room, shaking her head as she did so. “I can’t ask you to do that,” She croaked out, “You already do so much for me, Asli. You and Elijah both, I don’t want to impose.” And truthfully, a selfish part of Phoebe didn’t know if she could cope staying somewhere this nice. Even her brief visits to drop things off for the anthropologist, or to just say hi to the family as a whole, Phoebe felt like an intruder, like she was somewhere she was never meant to be. 

“I’ll be fine, I swear.” She then added, though she wasn’t sure if she believed her own words. “But thank you, for the offer, but I…I can’t.” Whilst she hated her house, and really needed to get things in order to make it a decent livable space, being anywhere else felt wrong somehow. Packing up and staying elsewhere felt a bit like giving up, or betrayal. Complicated, messy emotions that Phoebe wasn’t sure she had the strength to navigate through. And certainly didn’t have the words to explain to the woman beside her without sounding stupid, and feeling more pathetic than she already did. She wiped her face again, feeling the sting of the tear-tracks on her cheeks, glad she had nowhere else to go after this visit. 

“Do you, uh, need anything for your trip? Might as well utilize me and all.” Phoebe offered a wry smile, a humorless laugh. It was a sad way to move on from the topic at hand, but she needed to, having reached her limit. And, after all Asli had done for her, she wanted to feel somewhat useful in return. ~ @draslihanxfahri-bailey

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

The Egyptologist simply stared at Phoebe for a moment. Her dark eyes wide and her mouth dropped in a small 'o' over hearing her question. When she tried to finally speak, she couldn't. All Asli could do was gap her mouth like a fish for a few seconds, the woman trying to gather her thoughts and think of the right thing to say. Unfortunately, she couldn't thing of it. Now, she always knew that Phoebe was one to blurt out unprompted things. But never has she been taken aback more than right now as she spoke about a movie character based on one of the most crucial figures from her culture and religion. "I..." She simply cleared her throat. Giving herself another minute. "I, um... Suppose that is the one, yes. Let's go get that edible cookie dough." Anything she could do to move on, the better.

Shaking her head to rid her mind of the moment before, she listened. Humming as Phoebe explained herself. "Right, I get it. I mean, I don't understand what ER is or the MTV Channel are. I forget that George is an actor, I'm more familiar with his philanthropic efforts. Though Amal is extremely lovely! Wait, why does he think she's the worst? I really like her, she reminds me of myself when I was a child. Well, her mixed with Ariel's love for humans and her curiosity." Wait—Did she remind Foster of Snow White? Was that one of the reasons why he hated her? She was overthinking things again. The nudge knocked her right out of her thoughts and she smiled sheepishly. Though, she wasn't sure what she meant by "getting the ick". "God, because I love you, I will never invite you to watch a movie with rabbits. But okay, sounds good. I hope the girls are entertained by the movie. I'm still not sure about the whole 'talking ducks' thing, but I'll do anything to make the girls happy." ||📜@phoebeyates

It actually did help a bunch that Aslihan was one of the few in the camp of limited exposure to animated movies. It wasn't that Phoebe was completely adverse, but it did seem like a genre you could only really appreciate if you got into it before your frontal lobe was developed. "Is that the one where they made Moses hot?" Look, she didn't have to be a fan of animated movies to know that sometimes the cartoons were drawn purposefully to make them attractive. Animated Moses could get it, in her humble opinion. "Edible cookie dough sounds sooo good, I'm in."

After getting out the car, she stretched her arms before the two woman made their way to the snack kiosk. "Yeah, you'd think, right? My mom didn't grow up with TV so her first exposure wasn't Disney but George Clooney in ER. Then left me with no parental controls and the MTV Channel. It's funny, actually, the other day Foster nicked himself at work and was given a Snow White band-aid which he wasn't happy about, but I couldn't get my head wrapped around why she was the worst princess of the bunch." At Aslihan's insistence of Phoebe's comfort, she nudged her boss' shoulder gently. "Oh, I won't like...freak out, freak out, it's more like getting the ick from it. Besides, it's a movie about ducks, not rabbits so I'll be fine. I survived Easter after all."

☆ @draslihanxfahri-bailey

[draslihanxfahri-bailey]

If things before hadn't been awkward, they've certainly escalated since that day the higher-up yelled at her in her office. Having spent a few days after that working from home so that she wouldn't risk seeing him for a moment, she felt as if she was on high alert being back at the museum the past few days. She hated how she felt like she couldn't step anywhere without feeling like someone's gaze was on her. She hated how she still kept wondering back to what happened, having spent days going over her materials to figure out what it was that was happening. And above all, she hated that Phoebe was also still struggling as well after the present incident. While she hasn't spoken with her about it (knowing herself, she would be ready to head to Boulder to find Lisa Yates and give the woman a piece of her mind), she knew that things hadn't been easy at work for her friend either. There'd been a few times when she had to call out one of the other interns or assistants, gossiping about instead of working.

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to be in every single place where Phoebe was at as well to keep an eye on her. To make sure that no one was saying anything to her or mistreating her. She tried her best to. She truly did. Yet, she knew that she wasn't doing enough to completely stop it, no matter how hard she tried. It was another item to the growing list of matters she believed she was failing at. And as Phoebe returned to the office from the Archives, the Egyptologist's head instantly shooting up the moment she heard the little stomps as the door open suddenly, her face fell once she saw Phoebe's. Who hurt her and how am I going to get them to stop? She got up quickly, heading over to the nearby armchair to sit close to her. Eyebrows raising up at her words. "Phoebe Noreen, absolutely not," she warned. Her stern voice startlingly reminding herself too much of the tone she used when Alex was misbehaving. A rare occurrence, typically, so she hasn't used that tone much. Nor was she expecting to use it now. Yet, just like with Alex, she instantly cleared her throat and urged herself to tone down. "Okay," she started. Still unsettled over how much her own behaviour right now resembled when she was working with Alex to calm her down and to hear her out to help her. While she wasn't a stranger to the rumors, she tried not to listen to them. Though, now, she wondered, if there was some truth to them. "Just... Try to take a few deep breaths. Once you're ready, talk to me. What happened?" ||📜@phoebeyates

→ aslihan’s office, the natural history museum. closed for @draslihanxfahri-bailey

Bridget Jones once proclaimed that “it is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.” Phoebe, upon her first viewing of the movie, didn’t really get what Bridget meant (but of course, the brunette was also seven and a majority of what was said in the movie flew over her head) but now, two decades on, she got it. Things with Foster were back to how they were (maybe even better, but there was a slight chance of her romanticizing things), and whilst the unopened box was still shoved in the back of her closet, it wasn’t plaguing her every waking thought anymore.

Work, however, was a bit more disastrous. 

Phoebe knew it was her fault, that the higher-ups had been signaling Aslihan out, pulling her up for the most arbitrary of reasons. Plus, the unexpected parcel had given the interns and other staff more ammunition to belittle Phoebe, and it was very reminiscent of middle school all of a sudden. She had just been down in the Archives, getting herself into an argument with one of the workers there, who sneered at her and told her to ‘cry to mommy about it’. And though extremely tempted, she was proud of herself for not swinging at them, instead stomping up to Aslihan’s office and throwing herself on her self-designated couch. “I hate it here.” She confessed, face buried in the decorative cushions. “I want to set all their fucking twigs and dinosaur bones on fire.”

[zeynepxturkmen]

Her nose twitched slightly. Not sounding good enough in her opinion. "Still. Stilettos?! Give me a break. If you're gonna wear stilettos for a party like this, you're far too uptight. And need an extremely good soak." She'd been bringing her drink up to her lips when she paused. A new thought crossing her mind. One that might be a much better idea than an impromptu swim in the lake. "On second thought, give me five minutes with her below deck. I'm sure I'll be able to unwind her and be more efficient that way." Either way, she was gonna get soaked. Chuckling, she nudge the other back. "Thanks, babe. Looking hot yourself." If anyone could pull off cargo pants, it was her best friend. And she was always ready to hype her up. ||📖@phoebeyates

Phoebe loved Leti, she really did, but they also had a havit for being...protective. "I mean, I don't think it's worth a punishment, they'll probably learn their lesson when they twist an ankle or something?" The last thing they needed, especially whilst she was positive they were trespassing on some man's boat, was any unnecessary drama. "I just don't think people knew what the whole...vibe is." She was pretty sure someone was wearing a pirate hat up at the helm, and the flyer that was shoved into her mail box didn't indicate any type of dress code. She took a sip of her drink, it tasting like rocket fuel, nudging Leti lightly. "You look super hot, definitely the hottest person onboard."

[doctornilaybailey]

"Pheebs, that's amazing! I'm really happy for you two." After learning about Foster in the first place and then Phoebe developing feelings for him, to them having some issues that led them to beginning their relationship, to now this crucial milestone, Nilay could only feel happiness. It was indescribable to know that their relationship was growing in the best way possible. She nodded. "Okay, got it. If you two do end up needing any kind of help at any point, just let me know. How does you feel about it all?"

She chuckled. Thinking back to when her and Eli decided to live together and move him in from his apartment to her house. When they turned it into a home. "A good amount of his stuff was moved in," she said. Relaxing into the couch and petting Misty as she recounted everything. "He kept mainly his personal stuff, but he had things that didn't really mean anything to him that he mainly had just for convenience. We figured out together where to put his things, and anything he didn't want to keep, we donated or sold them. We converted one of the guestrooms into his own music room so that he'd have a place aside from the studio to get work done. Working together had been fun. It's crazy that just a few weeks later... We found out about Rhia." From their friendship becoming a relationship, to them moving together, to having Rhia, she never would've thought that their first year of being together would consist of so many adventures. Yet... It was. And she wouldn't change that for anything else.

📜@thephoebeyates

It didn’t need to be decided right now, and there was a beauty in that these sorts of choices could be resolved at a later date. The future was once a scary concept, the unknown abyss of time stretching out before her eyes, but Phoebe now had someone to walk into it hand in hand, and it was no longer terrifying, but something to anticipate for. 

Phoebe watched Misty with both caution and curiosity, surprised (and still a little miffed) that the cat once again just settled in Nilay’s lap after being handled. “Yeah, we, um decided to just do it, he was here every night anyway!” She laughed, semi-nervously. “Just before my retreat, actually. Well, he spent his first official week living here alone, but since I got back it’s like nothing’s changed. Oh!” At her offer to help, she gestured the notion away. “We’ve got it all covered. He was only bringing over more clothes and stuff anyway, until his lease at his apartment runs out and then we’ll just…” Phoebe shrugged, “Go from there. Get a storage unit for the furniture or something. When you and Eli moved in together, what happened to all his stuff?” 

[doctornilaybailey]

Admittedly, Nilay had been wanting to persuade Elijah into them adopting a dog for awhile now. Between Rhia still being a little, Hattie growing up, the three cats, and their own responsibilities with work and such, it never really seemed to be the right time to bring it up. And now, if their relationship being a bit rocky the past few months, it sounded cruel to even suggest it at this point. "Well, whatever you two decide, I'm absolutely going to support it. And fortunately, it doesn't need to be decided on right now."

She nodded with a soft smile. While she wasn't sure if her and Foster would ever be friends, as long as he loved Phoebe and made her happy while treating her with the love and respect she deserved, she was rooting for them. "I'm really happy to hear—Wait, hold on." Carefully, she picked up Misty so that she could turn her whole body to face her friend. Setting the cat back on her lap while her smile grew and an eyebrow raised. "You guys are living together? Officially? Pheebs, that's awesome! When did you two talk about that? Do you guys need any help moving things in? If he's comfortable with it, I'd be happy to help."

📜@thephoebeyates

Though it was her first foray into cat ownership, cat-sitting for Saul — and the thousands of TikTok videos centered around them that she got on her For Your Page — made it evident to Phoebe that they all had their unique personalities. “Hmm, we’ll see about dogs.” She responded, thinking back to Foster’s joke when he picked her up from her retreat, and quickly glanced around the small apartment, Damian’s words still playing in her head.

“Yeah, things are going really well.” She responded, always getting the feeling Nilay and Foster had opinions about each other they never wanted to share with her, though she never pressed further. “Uh, we’re slowly getting there with moving the rest of his stuff in, but yeah…things are good.” Much better than they had been a couple of months back.