#( maeve + olivia convo all )

[lawunabiding]

maeve let out a laugh - something deep and light and new and old. it felt so foreign in recent years, but it came naturally with olivia beside her. " do you remember that one party at laramie's place? we played darts with her and julie, but you put enough holes in her wall to make a new window. " the memory felt fresh, like no time at all passed, even though each of them were so different than they once were. in that memory, maeve had been excited about college applications and their impending graduation. she was going to change the world, despite the responsibilities of a byrne threatening to overtake her dreams. with olivia on liam's arm, maeve was expecting a new sister-in-law in the coming years, too. wouldn't they be shocked to see how they grew up?

" oh? " maeve raised a brow at olivia confession. " i bet you've been giving oxbow a run for its money. " maybe maeve should try hustling pool sometime soon. her law degree would make deception a very easy task, if only she could actually hit the right balls. " i'm in, obviously. " she picked up a giant murder weapon and handed it - handle first - to olivia. " try not to hit anything with a pulse. " with a slight whistle, she flagged down a bartender for their first round of shots.

"They are the same in the sense that we throw them at target but even darts has never been my thing." Which Maeve once had front row to it. Despite having regulars challenging her to a game of darts, Olivia had not improved much over the years. And axes were an entirely different balance thing. The only thing in this for me was the time spent with Maeve. Maybe Olivia had soften over the years or maybe getting closer to Liam once again had only opened her eyes to everything she was missing. Regrets were usually not something the woman did but the Byrne twins were different, they always had been.

"I hustle at pool, not giant murder weapons," she said with a laugh. "Tequila will only make this more fun, not better." She was talking the truth, pool was her thing, had been back then and still was today. "I know better than to try and pass one by you." Maybe Olivia was more the wildcard of the two when they were younger but Maeve often went underestimated in comparison. Even Olivia had been scared of her friend at time, in a very friendly way of being scared. "Only terms is we alternate who pays for the rounds. You in?"

[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]

" axe throwing is just really big, really dangerous darts, though. " she tapped on her nose as if she'd answered her own riddle correctly. at that moment, as if to emphasize her point, the patron a few rows over lobbed his axe so hard the target fractured into splinters. dangerous. there was fire in maeve's eyes as turned back to olivia with a grin. her entire life had been played so painstakingly safe - if she could find a piece of calculated danger in this gimmicky bar, then she would grab at it. maybe she could find a semblance of the past hidden away in olivia, in promises they broke and laughter long lost.

maeve shrugged at the distinction between walkers. olivia and logan were the only ones that mattered to her. the main family were her rivals, just as they were declan's. but olivia would never be caught in her crossfire. " you better not be hustling me. i've got a feeling tequila will make you better, and me worse. " maeve's next throw was only slightly better than olivia's, stuck on the border. " what are the terms? "

"I'm no expert, but judging from those who play dart at the bar, it's usually the other way around. But you're the brain, so who knows," she said with a teasing smile. Maeve had always been the smarter out of them, not just their friends, but most people in school. There were times when Olivia wondered what her friend saw in her, to spent so much time with Olivia when she could be running with the other brains in their school. Not that she ever complained. "The Walker way, that depends which Walker." Olivia was certain Cooper and Sawyer could aim like their lives depended on it but her, that was another story. Pool had always been more her thing. "But, I can hit the target and have the axe stay in it. Not near the circle, but still on the wood." Taking an axe, she positioned herself, as serious as she could be, took a deep breath and released it at the same time as the axe, landing it almost in the circle. "We could make it a drinking game."

[lawunabiding]

maeve's eyes assessed the walker who approached with an offering - would olivia's company be a welcome distraction or cause problems? she had no room for more messes, but god did she need a friend. fifteen years since olivia was called that and yet the word didn't feel out of place tonight. maeve took the beer and downed half of it in one go - it wasn't her first of the evening, it would not be her last. " maybe i'll get better the more i drink, " she suggested wryly, but a smile still tugged on her lips. " your turn, then. show me the walker way. "

It was still something deep within her, the ability to spot one of the twins in a room, no matter how packed it was. Like she had been so close to them for so long that they were part of her. And in a way, they were part of Olivia. Maeve was easy to spot and ordering two beer, she had slowly made her way to her former best friend, studying her. Olivia wanted to believe that she could still read the other, that they were not too far gone for it to no longer be something they could do. There was a time when they had whole conversations without talking. "Not bad," she said carefully. "I think you're throwing too late but I'm not an expert. Here, you look like you need it," Olivia casually said as she handed Maeve the second drink.

[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?"