#( maeve + olivia convo 001 )

[lawunabiding]

maeve became accustomed to her routine of short nights and long days, buried underneath paperwork and someone else’s mess. coffee - more specifically, caffeine - was the only thing holding her together. still, her hair fell in effortless waves down her back and her makeup was expertly applied. first impressions are everything when it comes to the judicial world, so no matter how exhausted she may have been, she was sure that no one would tell. her attention was occupied by the many messages on her phone, but when she lifted her head, there was already a lingering gaze on her. olivia. it had been fifteen years now since she’d broken liam’s heart, and maeve struggled to forgive her. it was selfish to think, but olivia had broken maeve’s heart too. they were best friends, practically sisters, and they’d never had so much as a goodbye. now they were hardly acquaintances, exchanging polite pleasantries in a coffee shop. “ right, ” maeve agreed curtly with a taut smile. she pushed down the urge to embrace her warmly, to invite her to sit for some conversation. they were not the same people they were at nineteen. “ how have you been doing? i know you don’t exactly have warm, fuzzy feelings for him, but i’m sure it’s difficult with your uncle’s…situation. ”

AROMA MOCHA / FT. MAEVE ( @lawunabiding )

Morning coffee in last night's clothes was not unusual for the woman, not that anyone would know. Olivia often looked sort of disheveled to begin with. The coffee she was in line for was much needed, last night's mistakes weighing heavily on her. The goal was coffee on her way home than a shower and prepare things for work. Spotting Maeve, the woman cursed under her breath. Her former best friend felt so far from her now, with everything Olivia did and the time between them. Even now, there was still something inside of her that woke up when she saw the other woman around town, the urge to run to her. Maeve had been the sister she never had, a bond ever closer than most of her own family. But when she left town and ghosted everyone, she did that to Maeve too. Collateral damage of her own actions. "Popular spot today," she said as casually as possible once the other has spotted her. "Just can't get as good at home, right?"

[lawunabiding]

olivia was a reminder of how different maeve had become. once, they were sisters. they knew the other's deepest secret, desires, wishes - they made promises they didn't realize they couldn't keep. and now, maeve understood that life is complicated and people make mistakes. if she heard olivia out, she was sure reconciliation wouldn't be difficult to achieve. maybe five years ago she would have put in that effort. there was fear now that oxbow had corrupted her, changed her in the worst ways - maeve was no longer the person olivia had made promises to. even if maeve forgave olivia, she worried that olivia would not want to know this current, callous version of herself. it was this version that she used as a wall to keep away things that might hurt her again.

she couldn't help it - olivia's bluntness elicited a laugh from maeve. everyone was tiptoeing around town politics, so it was refreshing for someone to speak their mind without hesitation. " no, not very chit-chat, but it's fine. you're just saying what a lot of people are thinking, " she leaned in a little bit, as if she was saying something she shouldn't be. " the justice thing is - " she paused. olivia told her the truth - maybe, just this once, maeve could do the same. " - it was better in dc. i'm cleaning up a lot of family messed around here. it's not exactly world-changing stuff. "

It was hard not to notice the way Maeve acted toward her, not that it was any different than her own attitude toward the woman. Strangers, that was what they had become and if someone had told teenage Olivia that this would be how things turned out, she would have laughed in disbelief. They were supposed to be in this together till the end, but then Olivia made one huge mistake and it all went up in flames. Now they were standing in the ashes of what they once were. The question was expected, it was what everyone asked and wanted to know. She had her reply ready, said many times already since the accident, the same empty one each time. They were in public, she was a Walker, what she should feel was worry and sympathy. But this was Maeve and despite everything, it still meant something. “Honestly? He didn’t bother to show up for dad even once when he was dying. Left us with all the hospital bills. If you ask me, it would have been best if he didn’t make it after the accident.” Maybe it was harsh but she didn't care, at least not entirely. David had left them with nothing back then and she had hoped he would at least come see his brother one last time but he didn't. Olivia and Logan were the ones left with all the debts while their uncle and cousins had everything they could want. "Plus the way he's now is not helping anyone. It's just some limbo state." Speaking her mind had never been a problem and it was only easier with Maeve, at least in the past. "Sorry, not very chit-chat, waiting in line talk," Olivia said with half a smile. "How's the whole justice thing is going?"

[lawunabiding]

maeve became accustomed to her routine of short nights and long days, buried underneath paperwork and someone else's mess. coffee - more specifically, caffeine - was the only thing holding her together. still, her hair fell in effortless waves down her back and her makeup was expertly applied. first impressions are everything when it comes to the judicial world, so no matter how exhausted she may have been, she was sure that no one would tell. her attention was occupied by the many messages on her phone, but when she lifted her head, there was already a lingering gaze on her. olivia. it had been fifteen years now since she'd broken liam's heart, and maeve struggled to forgive her. it was selfish to think, but olivia had broken maeve's heart too. they were best friends, practically sisters, and they'd never had so much as a goodbye. now they were hardly acquaintances, exchanging polite pleasantries in a coffee shop. " right, " maeve agreed curtly with a taut smile. she pushed down the urge to embrace her warmly, to invite her to sit for some conversation. they were not the same people they were at nineteen. " how have you been doing? i know you don't exactly have warm, fuzzy feelings for him, but i'm sure it's difficult with your uncle's...situation. "

THE AROMA MOCHA / FT. MAEVE ( @lawunabiding )

Morning coffee in last night's clothes was not unusual for the woman, not that anyone would know. Olivia often looked sort of disheveled to begin with. The coffee she was in line for was much needed, last night's mistakes weighing heavily on her. The goal was coffee on her way home than a shower and prepare things for work. Spotting Maeve, the woman cursed under her breath. Her former best friend felt so far from her now, with everything Olivia did and the time between them. Even now, there was still something inside of her that woke up when she saw the other woman around town, the urge to run to her. Maeve had been the sister she never had, a bond ever closer than most of her own family. But when she left town and ghosted everyone, she did that to Maeve too. Collateral damage of her own actions. "Popular spot today," she said as casually as possible once the other has spotted her. "Just can't get as good at home, right?"