#and a steady paycheck

[britishassistant]

An Act of Infinite Optimism

Apollo notices it quickest.

Some might say he could have been quicker on the uptake, which, okay, rude. He’d like to see this hypothetical some do any better, considering the circumstances.

He thinks he can be forgiven for being somewhat distracted given he and Trucy found Lamiroir unresponsive inside an instrument case.

So no, he doesn’t notice while he’s sent Trucy to get help, staying to make sure Lamiroir keeps breathing, that whoever hurt her doesn’t come back to finish the job.

(Every time he blinks, Mr. LeTouse’s face swims in front of his eyes, gasping his last terrified breaths as Apollo can do nothing. He’s not letting that happen again. He won’t.)

But once help has arrived, after Ema’s let them ride in the squad car with her to the Hickfield clinic, and they’ve received the news that Lamiroir is going to be all right?

Things fall into place fast enough to give him whiplash.

It’s the first time Apollo’s seen her without her mantle, is the thing. And his brain, in between being desperately glad she’s okay and dutifully recording her account of the attack, absentmindedly notes that she has the same stickity-up cowlick Trucy gets whenever her top hat is removed.

It must be a thing that people with that kind of wavy hair share, he assumes, as they have the same pseudo-curls framing their faces and fighting to escape the confines of their respective hair ties. True, Trucy’s hair is a much darker shade than the singer’s, almost verging on black, but apart from that, she could have a career as a Lamiroir impersonator later in life. It may not pay as well as magic, but she’d be able to pull it off. Especially with how similar their noses are.

In fact, call him crazy, but Lamiroir’s eyes and Trucy’s are practically the exact same shadOHMYGOD.

“Polly?”

“I’MFINE!” Bursts from the Chords of Steel before he can stop it. “I, uh. I stubbed my toe!”

Trucy cocks her head to the side, squinting at him. “How? There isn’t anything to.”

“I stubbed it. On my shoe.” Apollo lies.

Trucy’s squint only gets more pronounced, but thankfully Lamiroir’s real doctor comes in with the chart that corroborates her testimony.

She doesn’t bring it up as they head back to Sunshine Coliseum to see if he can get anything more out of “Uncle” Valant, but Apollo’s mind keeps darting between the evidence for the actual court case which is his job and the evidence for this completely insane hypothesis that‘s probably a product of stress. Or sleep deprivation. Or both.

He just needs proof that this is nothing but a delusion. Then it’ll stop bugging him.

Which is why he awkwardly asks, “So, if Valant was partners with your father, was he friends with your mother too?”

Trucy freezes.

Only for a moment. To anyone else, it looks as though she’s smiling bright as usual as she follows along beside him.

But even without his bracelet tightening around his wrist, he can spot her fingers pinching the folds of her cloak.

“I dunno! I mean, she musta been, since Uncle Valant and Daddy were best friends and partners!” It’s almost impressive how she deflects the question.

“But you’re not sure?” He probes gently. “Trucy, if you don’t wanna tell me, it’s okay. I trust you, I just wanted—“

“No, it’s fine!” She grins, a brilliant performance. “I can’t really remember Mommy too well—Daddy always said when I was really little, one of her tricks went wrong and she vanished! Somewhere where even Daddy, who’s the best magician of all time, couldn’t find her! Unlucky, huh?”

“Yeah,” Apollo says, screaming internally. “Unlucky.”

Spotting Ema spraying for blood in the hall where Lamiroir said she was attacked is so great a relief Apollo thinks he might faint.

“Trucy, do you think you could try to find Valant for me?” He leans against a wall in what he hopes is a casual way, crossing his legs. “I’m kinda worn out from…everything, and you probably have some magician experience that lets you know where he’ll pop up, right.”

Trudy gives him that suspicious, squinty look again, before she snickers.

“Really, Polly, I’m not that delicate! You can just say, ‘oh I need to go to the bathroom’, you don’t need to dance around it all the time!”

“WH—!” Apollo sputters, “No, I��!”

“Feel free to take your time, Polly!” Trucy sing-songs as she skips away. “I’ll bring Uncle Valant to the stage when you’re done!”

An aggravated groan drags itself out of Apollo’s chest. He cares about Trucy, but he’d really appreciate it if she stopped trying to kill him with embarrassment.

“If it’s that bad, you could always use the staff bathroom.” Pipes up the detective behind him. “It’s down the hall and—“

“I DON’T NEED TO!” The Chords of Steel interject.

At Ema’s disapproving glare, he clears his throat, focuses on his volume modulation. “I just, uh, needed to talk to you about something. In private.”

Ema lowers the spray bottle. “About the case? But why send Trucy away?”

“Not…about the case, exactly? But it’s not unrelated, per se…”

“I haven’t got time for riddles, Apollo.” Ema says, folding her arms. “Just spit it out already!”

Apollo exhales.

“I think Lamiroir might be Trucy’s birth mother.”

Ema stares at him.

“This isn’t just because they have brown hair and blue eyes, is it?” One hand begins to rifle through her satchel in a now familiar search for Snackoos. “Because I have brown hair and blue eyes, Apollo, and last I checked the only family member I’ve got is coming up for parole upstate—“

“No, thAT’S—?!” Apollo focuses on forcing his voice down to a harsh whisper. “Okay, fine, it was kind of based on that, but your eyes aren’t the exact same color as Trucy’s. Lamiroir’s are. And the similarities don’t stop there!”

At Ema’s doubtful gaze, he persists. “Plus, Trucy said her mom ‘vanished’ when she was little, which lines up with Lamiroir saying she can’t recall any of her past before she and Machi got their start—even if she did, Lamiroir may not recognize Trucy now she’s gotten older, especially since she only has Trucy’s voice to go on! Trucy herself admitted that she was so young, she had very little memory of her birth mother! And, she introduced herself as Trucy Wright, not—!“

“Okay, okay.” The sharp munching of Snackoos cuts off his tirade as Ema continues. “You have a lot of talk. But that doesn’t actually prove any relation between the two suspects here. Could just be a whole load of weird coincidences.”

“Suspects?” Apollo mouths to himself.

“No, what we need is definitive evidence.” Ema shakes her head, popping one last Snackoo into her mouth. “Decisive evidence.”

She flips her glasses down over her eyes. “And the only way to get that, is through Science.”

Apollo blinks at her, overcome with a looming sense of foreboding. “We?”

“Yes, Apollo.” Ema grins victoriously. “We.”

[millerflintstone]

I actually have Veteran's day off as a paid holiday at the main gig. They don't offer the days after Turkey day or Xmas off as paid, though. I do get MLK Day, Juneteenth, and President's day.

[oldpotatoe]

oh no ruby!! i’m so sorry abt the job. i’d fight them personally if i could. hoping u can take care of yourself in btwn job searches, crossing all fingers and limbs that you’ll land something soon 🖤🖤 if u gotta vent my ears r always open

kai 🥺🥺🥺💕💕💕 thank you very much, it's hell (HELL) out there and i sympathise with anyone going through the process of job hunting because i would literally peel off my nails than submit another cover letter - and another - and another. but we move!! [through gritted teeth] it'll get better! it has to!

[drumlincountry]

to remember:

Most effective social change comes not from paying passing awareness to all social issues, but from working with deep, sustained focus on a specific social issue.

You don't have to ignore everything that isn't your area. But you don't have to fight every fight with equal energy. limit guilt.

"Only when large numbers of people demand everything immediately do we ever get anything  eventually." Cleve Jones

"I'm not saying we'll live to see some sort of paradise. But just fighting for change makes you stronger. Not hoping for anything will kill you for sure." Leslie Feinburg

People need to eat.

You are people.

[wheeloffortune-design]

boss: No one touch your budget sheets until tomorrow!

me, who spent the morning trying to fix a problem in the budget sheet, who fucked up all the % and big numbers and would need at least a day to fix it correctly: Huh.... can you give me 2 minutes?

*incoming call*

me: ah shit

..

[dykeseinfeld]

i would love to like. sit in the writer's room of a mediocre-bad procedural show like criminal minds or ncis i'm just curious what the vibes are. assuming rancid but.

[bunnykitty13]

feeling so much better now that i've rested a few days wahhh that new job was awful. maybe i needed to be reminded that retail will always be shit and i should keep trying to do art full time

[windy-apple]

Officially been unemployed for a month now. ✌🏻

[becauseforoncethisisme]

Okay but real talk. Do we think The Boys is gonna end next season/similarly or (remembering that the showrunner ran the Infamously Long Supernatural) are we getting twenty seasons? Because I don’t think this setup can last twenty seasons.

[bornforastorm]

i have thoughts about how pete is thin almost gaunt in s1 and heavier rounder in s2

[youre-where-i-wanna-go]

angela: i'm still here 😁 i make it 😁 can't wait to do 100 more episodes!

911blr: but will they kill off athena???

[naughtynoodle056]

I can feel my belly softening up again and starting to pooch over the waistband my boxers,,, perhaps with a few more big meals my love handles will make their return as well 😳

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Wait I actually got the job at Chipotle?

[damnitiloveyou]

I hope Ryan wasn't allowed to name this baby Montague either. Probably best if he wasn't allowed a say at all, Daisy.

[itstimeforstarwars]

The retail feel of I need a cigarette so fucking bad.

[synechd0che]

I’m all “I’m very normal and healthy about being on T, I have zero subliminal issues to address” until I fall asleep and dream that, while trying to shave my undercut, I discover a massive bald patch hidden under my long curls on top. Woke up and started putting minoxidil on the list of things to ask my doc for at our next phone appointment before realizing that no, I still have every hair my mother gave me and I don’t actually look like George Costanza.