#anyways i saw a jacket i liked for Evie

[descendantofthesparrow]

Mal D3 motor bike redesign number...5? damn ive redesigned her main look alot

canon

stuff i kept-the color pallet but i heavily symplified it and took away alot of the stuff that made the design so busy, while also adding just enough to make the design intersting becuase while Mal's canon gear is super busy and has so much going on, its also suuuper bland, like stupid bland, thats one of the problems with the canon designs because while theres SO MUCH going on, the motorcross gear is also SUPER bland, like theres alot of...nothing with shapes and colors and thats it. i also let mal keep her lil flame boots but made them less heel and more of a basic platform boot that isnt so stupid high. i also kept her canon shirt she wears under the vest cuz thats not something that i ever had complaints with, its just a shirt.

my big thing for this design was-tight t-shirt and big ol pants with bit belt. im really happy with the silouette alone and really like the scales/flames/embers on mal's pants :3 i also wanted to make her a PROPER ass motorbike jacket instead of a vest and sleeves, motor bike jackets are meant to freaking protect the rider, her arms being visible defeats the fucking purpose of the damned jacket!

but-yeah, i wanted this mal to be fucking READY, no big clunky shoes/heels, no tight pants with a stupid zipper on the buttm and proper gloves, i had the idea of Mal having a braid-which i still really like so just imagine Mal wearing her hair in a braid for the d3 adventure. but yeah, Mal's worn dresses her last two big battles and whenever i redesign any of hte outfits-i have a possible rewrite in mind where Maleficent is the big bad whose mind controlling Audrey and Mal knows this so she wants to be READY and wants comfy pants instead of a skirt or super tight pants that squeak when she walks.

yeah but i was at work and just thought 'D3 MOTORBIKE MAL-TIGHT SHIRT BIG PANTS' and decided i had to draw it out, ur welcome.

[girlokwhatever]

ooou could you do paige x reader who joined kks live once (like she thought she was cute and they started talking ykwimmmm)

IKWYMMMM

✩ ₊˚.🎧⋆☾⋆✧₊ ⊹ nice surprise,,

paige bueckers x fem!reader

part two

“yo, that girl’s picture is nice,”

“PAIGE… girly pop.. which one?”

paige is pointing to your profile picture and saying your username out loud to kk, who’s hosting the live.

you don’t even have your phone, it was your roommate that joined the live. she had commented a few times and paige saw, zoning in on your picture. she thought you were pretty. to be fair, you loved your profile picture. it was you in a floor-length sundress and sunglasses, holding your younger brother’s hand.

kk takes advantage of paige’s blabber mouth, deciding to add you to the live and make her friend talk to you.

your roommate is freaking out, screaming your name and running into the kitchen where you’re cooking dinner.

“GIRL TAKE YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW-“

“what did you do-“

you look on your phone screen and see the live, the faces of your college’s women’s basketball team staring back at you. you recognize some of them easily, paige bueckers and kk are two.

your roommate, evie, is leaning over to you and whispering that “paige saw your profile picture and thinks you’re cute so they invited you to the live but it wasn’t really you it was me so i’m bringing it to you so you can get game girl-“

she’s talking so fast you hardly even register what she’s saying. you practically feel your jaw hit the floor and your eyes widen at evie, then at the live, then back to evie. she’s grinning and winking at you like she’s just won you the lottery.

“guys this is her..”

“HEYYY GIRL! my friend here, paige- PAIGE boo stop playin. anyway, my friend paige thinks you’re cute.”

“oh! hey guys!” you’re waving gently and smiling. paige practically ran off screen and you think you might do the same. you’re a little camera shy and the hundreds of people watching doesn’t help anything.

you catch the way paige is peaking her head over the side of the screen and kk pulls her back down quickly. now you’re both looking straight at each other, a silent understanding of how awkward this moment is.

“heyyy, i’m pagie,”

she’s also smiling and waving and kk is in hysterics, as is evie. as terribly awkward as this is, you think paige is very nice looking as well. her wavy hair is down past her shoulders and she’s wearing a uconn jacket with pajama pants on. you’re dressed similarly in your pj’s and a sweater. but you’re definitely embarrassed because you have on an iowa sweater you got from your dad (it’s where he went).

“so you’re an iowa fan?” kk is asking you, one eyebrow raised. you’re blushing a deep shade of red now and hiding your face by pushing your phone back towards your roommate.

what is even happening?

“no guys trust she’s uconn all the way. we watch the games all the time.” evie is answering for you, pushing the phone into your hands again. you can’t tell if you want this moment to end or not.

“that’s good cause paige doesn’t mess with iowa y’know-“

“what?! i never said that! i never said that. iowa is cool.” she’s talking to you now, probably trying to make you feel better. you think it’s sweet how panicked she is. you feel the same.

“so.. girly pops.. do you wanna date paige?”

“kk! what- what kind of question is that?!”

both you and paige are equally gobsmacked but evie is yelling out in the background that you do want to date her.

“i.. um,”

“you definitely don’t have to answer that ma, ignore her please.”

kk is dying laughing and evie is too from her seat against the counter. paige is taking the phone and walking away, yelling at kk to be quiet and stop embarrassing her. you’re laughing a bit too but cover it up for a simple smile.

paige is really cute, you think.

“hey, look, i would actually take you out on a date.. if you want?”

you’re silent for a moment, looking up at evie with shock. never did you ever imagine that paige bueckers would be asking you out on a date, especially not on a tiktok live.

“um, yeah. yes. i would like that.”

she’s got this cheesy smile on her face, turning the phone away for a second. “alright, i’ll dm you. it was nice to meet you. i wasn’t expecting this but it was a really nice surprise.”

“yeah, it was.”

later that night she’s messaging you on instagram asking for your number. she decides to facetime you, apologizing for the whole live and saying she wishes she could see you in person instead.

next thing you know, you’re giving her your dorm location and number and she’s on her way to see you. you consider yourself extremely lucky for such a nice surprise.

⋆·˚ ༘ *🔭.ೃ࿐🀥☽｡⋆𓍯 ִֶָ.

I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED THIS!!

it’s a bit different but i really like it

[hurts2think]

Hi I just thought of this but could you maybe do Bridgette x fem reader? Reader is like how Evie was in d2 and making everyone’s dresses for castlecoming? She’s making Bridgette’s dress and Bridgette was originally supposed to go with Ella but since Ella is grounded she has no one to go with. Reader has a crush on her and asks her to go instead

🎀Young!Bridget Hearts x Reader🎀

Reader pronouns: She/her

Pairing: Young!Bridget Hearts x Fem!reader

Plot: Reader is making everyone's dresses for Castlecoming but isn't going herself. Afterall, the only girl she wants to go with is going with someone else. That is, until her date cancels on her last minute.

Word Count: 1.4k

Extra: I'm sorry this one feels very flat and definitely not my best writing, regardless thank you so much for your support. I get so happy to see you guys like my writing🫶🥹

Castlecoming comes only once a year but it was nothing you were too fond of. Well, except for the fact it was the time of year you made the most money.

Towards the end of Freshman year you started making dresses, suits, jackets, anything you could think of really to sell. It's been a hobby of yours for your entire life, making dresses out of curtains and safety pins, and one day you got really good at it.

It was actually your friend Bridget who suggested you should start making money off of it.

So then, on every school dance, event, or occasion that a specific person had, you were commissioned to make their dress or suit. You loved what you did and you were proud of it. But now, making all these dresses for Castlecoming made you feel a little... Sad.

Sad that no one had asked you, sad that the only girl you wanted to go with was going with someone else, and sad you'd be missing out on the biggest event of the year. Again.

You tried to put all of the aside and just focus on the dress you're making, but it was hard considering it was being worn by the girl you wished you could go with so deeply.

"Does the bodice fit you okay? Is it too tight?" You asked, adjusting the bodice from behind the pink girl to fit her.

"Oh, it's perfect." She replied, trying her best to hold still while you worked.

You didn't say anything at first, but Bridget seemed a little down. The past couple days you saw her she was practically bursting with excitment. Her best friend, Ella, had asked her to the dance and she was so excited to go. Honestly, when she told you, you wanted to be happy for her but you couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

But now you couldn't help but notice Bridget didn't seem very excited and was pretty quiet compared to her usually self.

"So, uhm, is something wrong?" You finally ask after a long silence while you still work on the little details and fixing the measurements of her dress.

Bridget shifted slightly at the question, "Yeah everything's fine." She laughed half heartedly, "It's just... Ella got grounded the other day. So we won't be able to go to Castlecoming together."

You were honestly a little surprised to hear that. What was Ella grounded for? Was Bridget still going to Castlecoming? "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that..." You say quietly, "Are you going with someone else?"

Though you couldn't see Bridget's face, you could tell she had that sad smile she does occasionally. The sad smile that could crush your heart into a million pieces, "No. But, I figured I should go anyway. I did already pay for the dress, right?" She laughed awkwardly.

For another moment you stayed silent.

You knew Ella and Bridget were only going to the dance together as friends, so maybe you did have a chance with Bridget. But she seemed so sad, it felt like maybe it wasn't the right time to ask her. You would feel like an awful person if you tried using her misfortune for your own sake. "So there's... No one else you'd want to go with?"

Bridget sighed, "Well you and Ella are my only friends... And you already said you weren't going. So not really..."

"Uhm. I said that?" You laughed nervously, knowing full well you did in fact tell her you weren't going.

She looked over her bare shoulder to look at you in the face, "Yeah. You said dances weren't your style and that you wanted to focus on making everyone's outfits."

You glance away from her before clearing your throat, "That does sound like something I probably said..." You trailed off, "But ... Maybe I changed my mind." You say bashfully, only glancing in Bridget's direction.

Her face suddenly lit up and she spun around so her whole body was facing you, "Oh my gosh! You're going? Did someone ask you out? Who was it?" Her whole attitude suddenly changed, basically bursting at the seams with happiness for you.

You felt your face heat up a little embarrassment, "No—! No! No one asked me... I just thought uhm, maybe it would be fun."

Bridget smiled brightly and took your hand that wasn't currently holding a needle and thread, "We should totally go together then! If you have no one to go with, and I have no one to go with, it works perfectly." She giggles, spinning herself under your arm, careful to not mess up her dress.

You felt your face heat up at the declaration and her sudden action, "Oh, uhm,"

"And we can take tons of pictures with my new camera, it'll be so fun! I heard it's just as fun to go with friends than with a date." She continued with her glowing smile.

That smile made your heart beat faster. You slowly let go of her hand, "About that, Bridget..." You start, unsure of what the right words were.

Her expression suddenly turned to concern. "Oh! Do you not want to? I'm sorry, it's okay if you don't want to go together." She reassured, though she definitely looked disappointed.

"No no! It's not that! I do want to go with you, I really do," you say, your heart beating a little faster at the thought of what you wanted to say.

You never felt so nervous before. Asking one of your best friends to a dance in a not-so-friendly way was a little terrifying. You didn't want to ruin the wonderful friendship you had with her in case things turned wrong.

"Then what is it..?" She asked, her tone was so soft. She was always so soft and sweet. She felt like a bouquet of pink flowers with pedals that feel like silk.

You take a deep breath and look her in the eye, "I was just hoping maybe... We could go as... More than friends...?" You finally asked, feeling like you were about to collapse from the anxiety of it.

Bridget's eyes suddenly widened in surprise, "Wait, wait... Really?"

You averted your eyes away, still incredibly embarrassed and just nodded your head without a word.

Bridget suddenly squealed in excitement, and threw her arms around you, "I would love to!"

The hug caught you off guard but you smiled and hugged her back. She hugged you tighter, making it hard for you to breathe and also worry that she would tear her unfinished dress, "Bridget! The dress!" You warn.

She let go of you, "Sorry sorry, I guess I just got excited," she giggled before grabbing your hand again with both of hers, "I'm so happy you asked me."

You smiled and looked at her with such admiration in your eyes, "Well... Let's get this dress done before we run of our of time." You chuckle, smoothing out her dress that got wrinkled from the intense hug.

Bridget laughed, "Yeah. That's probably a good idea. Thank you." She said, leaning forward and kissing you on the cheek, making your face burn again.

"You're the one paying me for the dress..." You laugh softly.

"That's not what I meant." Bridget fidgeted with your hand that was intertwined with yours, "Thank you for asking me. You really are wonderful. If I were to go with anyone to the dance as more than friends, I'm glad it's you."

All of this talk was making you flustered to the break of explosion. Bridget really was the sweetest girl in the world. It was hard to believe she even remotely felt the same way about you, "I guess it's just easy for me to recognize how amazing someone can be." You smile widely.

Bridget giggled yet again, "Maybe after Castlecoming, if you don't decide that you regret asking me, we could maybe be more than friends? Like, girlfriends?" She asked with a bashful smile, her own face turning slightly pink.

You nodded quickly, "I'd really love that." You could never regret this decision. Bridget was so amazing and perfect in every way, how could you ever not want to be her girlfriend?

You couldn't wait to dance with her. You couldn't wait to see her in the finished dress with her hair done and looking beautiful as ever. You couldn't wait to spin her around and watch the sparkly pink hearts on her dress glimmer in the lights. You couldn't wait to hold her after the dance and just giggle to each other all night long.

[hannahssimblr]

Chapter Fourteen (Part 3)

The sand is damp and smooth, and our footsteps are the first to break the even surface. It clings to our shoes. Seagulls caw and the marram grass rustles in the dunes in tune with the nylon swish of Jude’s windbreaker jacket. His face, blank, doesn’t turn to me, but I look up at him and feel unsettled, remorseful, regretful, excluded, and the sunlight glints off one of his little silver earrings and blinds me for a second, as though to force my gaze away. 

“How is Jen doing?” I say, and my voice is small and almost drowned out by the rumbling of the sea, but he hears me. 

“Yeah, she’s doing okay. She hurts a lot, you know, the parts of her that are broken. She’ll be okay, although they’re not so sure about her hand. This piece of shrapnel cut through her wrist, you know, severed some tendons, and there’s a chance she won’t ever have full movement back.”

“Oh,” I say, my own wrist twinging with a phantom wound. “I didn’t know that, that’s really awful.”

“Yeah, I know. She’s strong, though, she’ll recover from this and she’s going to be alright.” He kicks a chunk of driftwood out of his path and buries his chin into the collar of his coat. “It was hard to see her. This week has been the first time in months, and God, she just seems so fragile.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. She seemed that way when I saw her last, she’s really shrunk in on herself like she’s trying to take up the minimum amount of space in the world.”

“Exactly.”

“Having the wrong kind of person in your life at the wrong time can be so dangerous when you’re already fragile, someone can come in and break you so easily that it’s scary.” I shudder and try my best to force away my own dark memories as they begin to creep and coil around my insides. “But what happened to her? What is it with Jen?”

“That makes her feel that she doesn’t deserve anything more than a person like Pamela?”

“Yeah.”

He sighs. “Jen has just never had it very easy, I suppose. Things at home were really fraught, I remember that when I moved here. We were never allowed to hang out at Jen’s place, because she said her parents were weird. It turns out that her mother was really controlling and her dad had a temper. They’d punish her for really small things really disproportionately. I don’t know, Evie, it was just a difficult environment, she was always walking on eggshells around them, and she felt like she didn’t have any control over her own life. 

“When we were fourteen she met a crowd from another school who weren’t all that great. The exact type of friends her parents would keel over if they knew about, but that’s exactly why Jen wanted to spend time with them. I hung out with them too, but only because she did, and I didn’t really want to be all on my own. 

“All we ever did was drink and hang out in parks, honestly. It was kind of boring to me, but I was just there because of her, like, I don’t know, I suppose I felt like I needed to keep watch of her, to make sure that she was okay because it was becoming kind of clear that she wasn’t all that interested in making sure for herself.

“They all used to be obsessed with being high all of the time. Not that they had actual drugs, just solvents. Lighter fluid, deodorant, petrol, sometimes, you know, choking themselves until they hallucinate…”

He’s saying all of this like it’s normal, and that I should know about it already, but I don’t. I nod along anyway despite my horror. 

“But pretty quickly they got their hands on the real stuff. Someone’s brother knew a guy, I think. Something like that. We started with weed, which was fine, but then one day one of the guys showed up to the park with a little bag of cocaine.”

“How old were you then?”

“Fifteen.”

“And you tried it?”

“Yeah, and I didn’t like it that much, because it made me paranoid, same as weed, really. Paranoid and a bit nauseated, so I stopped doing it too often after that, but Jen was the complete opposite. She liked it a lot. There was something about that feeling of losing control of her body and being driven by something else that really did it for her, you know, she just liked losing herself in it. So really, from that point on that’s always how it was with her, always searching for an escape from her life, trying everything and anything those kids could find for her.”

“Fifteen.” I echo in disbelief. “You were both so young.”

“We were. Way too young. Two of those boys we used to know ended up in a psychiatric unit years later. I don’t hear about the others anymore, so I don’t know, but Jen has never quite gotten past it either.”

“Would you say she’s an addict?”

He makes a face like he can’t quite decide upon the answer. Perhaps my question is too simplistic. “I don’t really know what to call it.” He says eventually. “She goes through periods of heavy use, and then she comes back around again and doesn’t touch anything for months, it’s never consistent, it all depends so much on what’s happening with her, and whether her life is steady or not. Obviously, right now, it’s very much not. I think she’s had more and more difficulty in the last few years while I’ve been away.” A deep line forms between his brows. “I haven’t really been here to keep an eye on her.”

“Is that your responsibility?”

“Of course.” He says, as though it’s the most obvious thing in the world. But to me, it isn’t. It seems to me an incredibly heavy burden to bear.

“Her parents…?”

“They freaked out when they discovered she was a lesbian. They told her that she couldn’t identify that way as long as she lived under their roof, so she left. They don’t speak to her at all anymore, as far as they’re concerned they don’t have a daughter. I remember once we bumped into them in town and they completely blanked her and acted like they didn’t even see her. That was a really rough time. It didn’t work for my family to take her in, because Ivy was only six, so Michelle’s parents agreed. They’d been really close since they were children, so she lived with their family for three years.”

“Jesus.”

“Jen’s parents are horrible people. I don’t usually get so bothered about others to say that I hate them but… yeah, I hate her parents. They essentially destroyed her life. Well, they made a good stab. It feels like Pamela came along to finish the job.”

“I kind of get it, about Pamela,” I say, and he looks at me curiously. “You know, when you’re used to a certain pattern of treatment, returning to the familiar is the path of least resistance. Her parents treated her awfully, so she’ll default to someone like her, who can confirm all of those rotten things she already believes about herself.” It isn’t that cold, but I shiver anyway, and Jude bites down on his lip, frown deepening. “Yeah.” He says. “That makes sense. I just wish she could see what her friends can see.”

“You can tell her that she’s amazing all you like, she’s going to believe only the most negative things about herself.”

“Pamela locked her in a bathroom during an argument.” He tells me. “For four hours. Jen had to climb out of the window from the first floor. And that wasn’t enough to make her leave.”

I shrug. “You’d be amazed how bad it has to get.”

“Well I got Pamela’s number after that, and I called her up. This is what everyone keeps bringing up. I was just so mad. I just went off at her until she hung up on me, and then obviously she told Jen, which, I didn’t care about, I thought she’d be glad that I stood up for her, but I was wrong about that, she just cut me off and stopped speaking to me completely. That was like, a year ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I was confused… I mean, I am confused.”

I sigh. “I wish I could explain how complicated it is, but it’s so hard to.”

“She must know that Pamela is abusive.”

“Sure, but sometimes it’s just easier to put up with it than try to leave or to change something. It’s a strange thing, but I suppose it kind of makes a bit of sense when you’re in it.”

“I thought I was helping.” 

“It’s hard to help, really. You just have to hope that she eventually helps herself.” 

“I hate it.” He says. “I hate how powerless I’ve felt, just away in Berlin this whole time, unable to do anything, or even talk to her, or even know what’s happening.”

“I’m sorry that I kept things from you.” I say, and he replies “I know you are. I understand why you did. I shouldn’t have been so angry.” 

“You have every right to be angry with me.”

We look at each other, and his nostrils flare just a little, a hardened, defensive look coming over his face because we both know that we aren’t talking about Jen anymore. 

“I think I’d like a coffee.” He announces after a tense pause. We’ve reached the main entrance to the beach now, the part of it that was always too crowded with towels and parasols to find a place to sit during the summer, now empty, just like all of the benches and the bar stools in the surf shack just a hundred metres from where we stand. Jude points at it with his thumb. “Do you want one? Or a tea, or, I don’t know, an ice cream cone?”

“I’ll go,” I say, in the dim hope that if perhaps I pay for his coffee he’ll warm up to me again and stop looking at me like I’ve shot him in the heart. “Black americano, no milk no sugar?”

“Yes.”

And usually, I’d make some joke about that, but I don’t even try it this time. I leave him to sit on a sandy bench and I head over to stand at the window to order. 

“Hey,” I say to the shopkeeper’s back. “Could I just get two coffees? An americano and a flat white.”

“We don’t have things like flat whites, this is a small family establishment.” He says, and then he turns around and I’m met with a familiar pair of blue eyes. 

“Oh. Liam.” 

“Evie?”

“Yeah.”

He comes over to lean onto the counter in front of me, and I take him in, the adult version of the boy I used to know. His hair is longer now and pushed back from his face with a patterned headband, and he looks less boyish, less skinny, but his full face of freckles is the very same, as well as the deep tan on his face, which I’m certain is there all year round. He doesn’t look unhappy to see me, in fact, he looks intrigued. “I didn’t expect to see you here, of all people, of a Saturday morning in March.”

“I know, I never thought I’d come here again, honestly.”

“We frightened you away that badly the first time, did we?” 

I smile. “No, I just never thought there’d be a reason.”

“And you found one.” He grabs a paper cup from a stack and gets to work on the americano. “Can I do you a cappuccino instead, by the way?”

“That’s fine.” I watch him pour the coffee grounds into the portafilter and tamp it down. “I’m really just passing through, you know, after the storm, some of the houses down here have gotten damaged.”

“Yeah, that’s right. One over on the end of the peninsula has the roof gone off it.” 

“Oh, that’s not great.”

“Not great indeed.” He puts the first coffee down in front of me. “What are you up to these days anyway?”

“I’m in the middle of college. I’m studying illustration in NCAD, and at the moment I’m taking a year to do an internship in a print studio in Stoneybatter.”

“Ah art school! You were always creative. Or so they tell me. I never did see your drawings in the end.”

I laugh awkwardly. “Well, I suppose you didn’t. How about you? Are you in college too?”

“Well if I was I suppose I wouldn’t be here doing this, now, would I?” He smiles over his shoulder at me after he pours milk into a silver jug. “I went to Galway to study for a year, and I didn’t like it, so I dropped out, came home, and I’ve been working here with my dad ever since. It’s grand, I don’t mind it. Nice to be on the beach and surfing and all that, you know what I mean?” 

I nod. “Yeah for sure.” 

Dumping bubbly, frothy milk into my cup, he wonders “What house were you checking out anyway? Is it Kelly’s mobile or something?”

“No, it’s the Turner’s beach house.” 

When he places the cup in front of me, he peers over my shoulder and spots Jude sitting with his back to us, staring out over the sea, and Liam’s easy smile falters. “Oh right. You ended up going out with him in the end.”

“Oh. Well, no. It’s not like that.”

“Is it not?”

“No, we’ve just been friends for the last few years, there’s not been anything else going on really.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Ah, that makes more sense.”

“Does it?”

“Yeah.”

I clear my throat awkwardly. “Well, um, like, why is that, exactly?”

“Well like I didn’t ever think anything would actually happen there between ye. I’d have been surprised to hear that it had, is all.”

I stiffen. “Is that so?”

“Just from knowing him back in the day, I didn’t think he’d, you know, have gone for you, or whatever. Actually, I thought he’d have fancied your friend Claire instead.”

“Why, because she’s pretty?”

“Well she was very pretty, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah, she is.”

He sees the look on my face, laughs to himself and saunters back to the coffee machine to clean out the grounds. I feel my cheeks flush. “What’s so funny?”

“No, no, nothing.” 

“Explains why you’re chuckling away to yourself.”

He sighs. “I’m not, it’s nothing, Evie.”

“No, what?” I insist. 

“I’m not trying to start something here, I just could have predicted this, is all.”

“Predicted…?”

“That he’d still be, like, stringing you along after him after all this time. That’s what’s going on, isn’t it? It’s always what happens, it’s a classic situation, that’s all I was thinking.”

My pulse quickens. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Ah, come on. It’s so obvious. Girls like you always go for guys like him, guys who like the attention so much, but look at ye now, it just goes to show that I was correct way back then when I thought it. He’s never going to give you what you want, he never was. I’m actually on your side, I just think I could have told you this four years ago and maybe saved you the hassle.”

I get it. He thinks that I’m pathetic. “I think you have some nerve saying that. We don’t fit into whatever categories you have in your head. ‘Girls like me, guys like him’. That doesn’t mean anything.” 

He turns around and shrugs, totally nonplussed. “If I’m wrong then what are you doing traipsing down to Wexford with him on an errand? Buying him coffees? It’s fine, Evie, I’m not trying to argue with you, I’m just stating a fact. Some things never change, is all I’m trying to get at. Nice to see that you’re still the same girl as ever.”

“What’s the coffee cost, please?”

“Five fifty.”

“Rip off.” I toss coins onto the counter, grab the cups and stalk away from him. 

When I slam the americano onto the bench next to Jude some of the liquid sloshes out onto the wood, and he awkwardly mops it up with the thin napkin I got from the shack. He asks me if I’m alright, and I fib and tell him I am. 

“Fair enough.” He says because he’s too upset with me to care that much. We walk all the way back to the beach house in silence, wet sand, whispering waves, and cool wind, stuck together, wishing we were miles apart again.

Beginning // Prev // Next

[stargazer-sims]

George & Evie

Evie: That fire feels lovely. Thank you for getting it going.

George: You're welcome.

Evie: Back when you first wanted to buy this house and I saw how many fireplaces it had, I’ll admit I didn’t like the idea. Charlie and Eden were so young, I was worried they wouldn't understand the danger of a fire, and you know Sadie always wanted to test every rule and boundary.

George: All three of them were remarkably good when it came to learning fire safety.

Evie: They were, and I was glad you persuaded me to move here in the end. Now I don't think I'd want to give up my fireplaces for anything.

George: I think we should have a fire in the fireplace in our bedroom this evening. The forecast is calling for snow.

Evie: That explains the dampness in the air. If we're lucky, perhaps school will be cancelled tomorrow and we'll have a day off.

George: I'll bet all the students are hoping the same thing.

Evie: Undoubtedly.

George: What are you baking?

Evie: A cake. Eden sent me the recipe. Apparently, it's a recipe from his boyfriend's grandmother. He couldn't stop talking about it, so I thought I'd have a go at making it myself and see what all the excitement is about.

George: Well, I certainly won't be complaining. You know I'm a big fan of cake. About this new boyfriend, though...

Evie: What about him?

George; He's in some sort of musical performance group.

Evie: *laughing* He's in the group that Charlie's working with. Sugar Valentine. They're extremely popular. The twins have been big fans of theirs since they first started performing.

George: That must be an awkward relationship.

Evie: Haven't you talked to Eden about it?

George: The last time I spoke with the boys, Eden wanted to tell me about his next competition and about the international bookshop he and Nikolai discovered in town, and Charlie practically gave me his entire travel itinerary for the winter. They're going to Sulani, you know. In any case, no one mentioned the boyfriend.

Evie: HIs name is Haru.

George: Who?

Evie: The boyfriend. He's called Haru. Sakuharu, actually, but it seems everyone calls him Haru for short.

George: Hmm... Well, I'd like to meet this Haru person. I'd like to make certain he's not disreputable.

Evie: I think our Eden likes the disreputable ones. There is a certain attractiveness about bad boys, after all, so I can't say I blame him.

George: Excuse me?

Evie: Have you forgotten what you were doing on the day I met you? You came roaring up on your motorcycle, in your ripped jeans and leather jacket, shouting at the top of your lungs in Korean that the police were looking for you. All those poor international students were terrified, and I still can't decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing that I was the only one there at the time who spoke the same language as you.

George: I'll have you know, one brush with the law does not make me disreputable. Besides, I overreacted. It was far less serious than I probably made it seem.

Evie: Yes, but I had no way of knowing that at the time, did I? It was all quite exciting, whisking you off to my room to hide you from the reach of the law.

George: Only to find out that I'd gotten a parking ticket.

Evie: Such a criminal.

George: What I remember most is that you didn't make fun of me, even though you had every reason to. You must've thought I was a complete fool.

Evie: I thought you were very handsome and charismatic, albeit a little clueless. And your panic was certainly real, which didn't seem like a laughing matter to me.

George: A little clueless?

Evie: Slightly more than a little, but obviously that wasn't an impediment. Thirty years of marriage should tell you that I think all your best qualities outweigh the fact you can sometimes be more scattered than the average person. Anyway, if I'm being honest, I think your eccentricity is cute.

George: I think you're cute.

Evie: You had me the first time you said that, you know.

George: You had me at 'hello'.

Evie: It may be the same for Eden and Haru, from what he tells me. Haru seems to be a minor troublemaker and perhaps a little scatterbrained, but it sounds as if he really cares for Eden, and I can tell Eden cares for him.

George: I still want to meet him sooner rather than later. I'm sure he can join Eden on a video chat.

Evie: Eden will introduce us when they're both ready. Haru may not feel comfortable meeting us yet. Remember how long you wanted to wait before we called my parents together, and how nervous I was when we called yours?

George: True, and we didn't even have the dilemma of not speaking the same language as the other person's parents. I presume Haru doesn't speak Korean or English.

Evie; No, he doesn't speak Korean, and I don't think he speaks English particularly well either.

George: That should be interesting.

Evie: Eden will have to translate for us when the time comes. In the meantime, we’ll simply have to be patient.

[football-and-fanfics]

Anger - Trent Alexander-Arnold

Who: Trent Alexander-Arnold Request: A request was done based off the moment below, which happened during Liverpool's match vs Arsenal. Trent is angry when he is substituted. Requested by: @allthemenofmydreams Warnings: none Thanks for your request. Hope you'll like it!

Trent was angry. Angry at this match, angry for being substituted, hell, he was even angry at the grass beneath his feet. But most of all, he was angry at himself. During his entire time out on the pitch today, he just couldn't get his body to do what his mind so desperately wanted. He wanted to make the most beautiful passes and assists, but just couldn't get it done. Everything he attempted, turned to utter shit today. When Trent saw his number on the substitute's board around the 70th minute, he wasn't even that surprised, but somehow it confirmed all his frustrations of today. Trent stalked off the pitch. He ignored the outstretched hands of his teammates, and even ignored Klopp. He took the jacket that was handed to him, but didn't put it on. Trent angrily threw the jacket onto one of the empty chairs, before slouching down in a seat on the back row of Liverpool's substitute's bench, actively choosing to be as far away as possible from everyone and everything. All he needed right now, was to be left alone and not spoken to. Trent's eyes followed the remainder of the match, but he registered nothing of it. His anger turned to ominous thoughts whirling through his mind. What if he ended up in a bad spell of form again? Would he be able to deal with that again? And, most importantly, what would he need to do to get out of this sudden spiral of negativity? "Trent?" Trent startled when he suddenly found Klopp sitting next to him. The rest of the bench was empty, and almost all players had left the pitch already. Trent had zoned out, completely lost in thought, and had totally missed that the match had long finished. "Are you okay?" Klopp's hand rested on Trent's forearm. Most of Trent's anger had made way for worry and insecurity by now. "Uh.... no." For a short moment the thought to lie crossed Trent's mind, but he decided to tell the truth. Klopp knew him way too well anyway to buy into any kind of lies from him. "I was useless today," Trent growled, anger rising up again. Klopp watched silently as Trent stomped his foot on a water bottle lying on the floor. "Well," Klopp sighed, "maybe this one is on me." "Why?" Trent bit back before his coach could finish. "Maybe I should not have put you in the starting lineup directly after coming back from that Covid infection," Klopp admitted, "you've only had two training sessions, so, in hindsight, it might have been better if I hadn't started you." "But I feel fine," Trent shrugged, irritated. "Sure," Klopp agreed, "but it was a virus nonetheless. Sick or not, your body's been dealing with it." "Perhaps," Trent shrugged again, not convinced by Klopp's words. He knew Klopp was trying to make him feel better, but so far his anger wasn't subsiding. "What I'm trying to say." Klopp chuckled softly at Trent's continued anger, because it showed him how much the young man cared. "I know you're not very forgiving to yourself, but don't beat yourself up over this for too long." Trent nodded grudgingly. "I'll try." Klopp flashed Trent a smile, giving the young man's shoulder an encouraging pat. "Good lad." Tags: @glam-khal, @evie-pr, @gryffinwars, @auawdo, @meteora-fc, @de-geas, @stonesyyyy, @katerinahunny, @hbstre Liverpool tags: @theqazer (Tumblr won't let me tag you 🙄) Trent tags: @footballffbarbiex Requested tag for this imagine: @soccerfanfiction If you would like to be added to the tags list, too, you can fill out this form and I'll add you to it!

[evita-shelby]

Between the Shadow and the Soul

Chapter 33:

Taglist: @joossieisdabomb (please let me know if anyone wants to be added or removed from it)

“I want to go home!” Charlie has a temper, whether its hers or Tommy’s she can’t tell, could be a horrid combination of both.

“We’ll go home soon, this is just like when we went on holiday, mi vida.” she tries to calm him down.

He rarely throws tantrums ---those are definitely hers; Polly says Tommy never ever threw one--- but when he does, they are legendary. The toy plane Tiago got him has been flung at the wall, one of the wooden horses John and Esme got him has turned to ash in the fireplace, the toy car Finn gave him yesterday almost hit Diane and Eva felt her resolve about not spanking her children weaken a little. Not that it would make the three-year-old sleep anyways. “I want tati!”

Tommy is tati, she is mami and right now Carlitos ---how she calls her boy half the time--- wants tati to tell him a story and tuck him into bed. Its fucking midnight and raining cats and dogs, but tati is too busy scaring Devlin at his office. Won't be long now, but fuck him for not doing this earlier. He’s known for almost two days now, why did her husband had to have a flair for the dramatic?“Ahorita llega. He'll be here soon.” she holds him on her lap and rocks him. Only way to calm him down from his little tornado of destruction. It was a few minutes between the office and Watery Lane, might be longer because of the rain or some other inconvenience.

She sings to Charlie in Spanish, English, Romani, that creepy Irish song Tommy’s father used to sing to him and his siblings that he sings to their kids. Leave it to her husband to teach them a song about a woman committing infanticide.

Although she was guilty of that too given one of the most famous lullabies in Spanish talks about El Coco coming to eat children who won’t go to sleep.

But by the time he is home, Charlie has given up, accidentally struck her while she tucked him in bed and mami is angrily wondering what the hell took tati so long.

“Where were you?” she doesn’t mean to come off as the angry jealous wife, but she’s tired and irritated.

“Devlin said he saw Italians meet with the communists. Eden refused to cooperate.” He sighs, tired, and she helps him out of his winter coat, suit jacket, and gun holster, like she used to before what happened last year. She can feel the dull pangs of grief that hit him when he remembered his life before the war.

He hides it well as, but she can see it in the way Polly can see ghosts. It’s a lingering shadow sticking to him. When Greta died so did a part of him, the part that was the hopeful youth who signed up for war even before they were all conscripted.

Eva helps her husband undress and joins him in the tub. His fingers brush over the scar on her shoulder as if to remind himself how close he came to losing her.

“I was thinking you should take the day off tomorrow, let Polly take care of things while we go elsewhere. Just us and the children, or just us if you want.”

“Can’t go far, Evie, you know that.” He reminds her, sighing, but not stopping her from straddling his lap.

“I wouldn’t call four or five houses away far, Tommy.” She teased him, hands lovingly running up and down his chest, she needed him in a good mood to spring it on him. “Charlie threw another tantrum about being stuck here and since my granny’s house is still unoccupied, it might do all four us some good to have a change of scenery.”

It would do wonders for them to not run the risk of the children interrupting the betting shop, besides the smell of it alone had her bent over the toilet bowl for hours.

“An old woman died there.” He jokes. It was the reason that no one wanted to live there after she and her uncle decided to lease it.

“She died in a hospital bed in London and I cleansed it while Polly watched the children today just to be safe.” The house had been remodeled to perfection, had a very low rent and a functioning telephone as well as a radio, but the words witch and dead woman made sure no one said yes to the lease. “Besides I had it redecorated to see if anyone would take it off my hands, so its almost unrecognizable.”

Her old room had been remade into a nursery, her granny’s room was unrecognizable and the living room let her have space she needed.

“Charlie loves it here.” Tom would rather have them here, where he can protect them and Finn and its sweet of him, but the children hate being cooped upstairs for most of the day.

“Actually, he hates it, he just pretends he doesn’t because he thinks you’ll leave again if he hurts your feelings.” Sweet Charles Henry Shelby hated disappointing people, especially his father whom he adored. “Don’t believe me, just ask him what happened to one of the toy horses John and Esme gave him.”

He winced, Tom had only seen one or two tantrums his son threw. Charlie didn’t like small spaces nor church. The last one Charlie had, he had kicked and screamed and broken a pair of Tommy’s glasses while they tried to drag him to church for Diane’s baptism.

“Gets it from his mother, I think.” He says and she playfully pushed him away when he tried to kiss her. “Wall or fireplace?”

“Fireplace.” She answers and he nods as if he wasn’t already focusing on the bruise forming on her forearm. His fingers brush against it lightly, but it still hurts. "Charlie refused to sleep without you tucking him in." Its a low blow, but it has it's desired effect.

“We’ll take a look tomorrow, stay the night to see if it's the lack of space that’s making him act out.” It’s a reluctant yes, but she’ll take it.

They left early, right before the shop opened downstairs and people became suspicious. Charlie is excited, wants his own room because he’ll be four soon.

If Thomas hadn’t had his ambition, they would’ve lived here or in any other house in Watery Lane. But Thomas wanted greater things and Eva could never love a man who’d waste his potential.

“I let Finn in charge---” he tells her as he ties her apron around her waist. This was the domestic side they’d lost once they moved into Arrow House, she sometimes missed it, but it wasn’t like they might be returning there anytime soon.

“They’ll eat him alive.” Eva shakes her head. “Pobrecito.”

“He’s turning eighteen in two months, it's time we stopped treating like a child.” He reminds her. “I know they won’t go easy on him, but I can’t shield him from everything anymore.”

Whatever she was going to say dies out in her tongue as they hear a gunshot two doors down ---Arthur and Linda lived much closer to her granny’s house than 6 Watery Lane.

“Arthur’s house.” she confirms.

“Stay with the children and don’t open the door to anyone who isn’t me.” he says running to his brother.

---

When he comes back, he’s brought his brother and his wife, having foreseen it she’s had tea and coffee as well as breakfast. The morning sickness had ebbed enough for her to cook, but she knows she’ll be regretting it in a few minutes.

“Tom said you saw something bad happen because I killed Changretta.” Arthur sits and eats angrily, still skeptical about what’s so awful that Tommy couldn’t bring himself to tell him himself.

“Vincenzo or Audrey had a curse put on Luca, whoever kills him will lose a child, although my visons say a son for a son, but the cards have been showing me it means any child, boy or girl. They know I am a witch, they know Polly is one too, so I can guess they did it with every intention to make sure Luca could avenge his family even after death.” she explains, pouring the tea as if she didn’t want to fall apart at the thought of letting Bonnie Gold die for their sins.

“I wouldn’t put it past you to let an innocent boy die for what you did,” Linda says venomously and Thomas pretends it didn’t sting. “Poor Bonnie Gold, to be the sacrificial lamb because you couldn't listen to your wife when she said no revenge.”

“We didn’t know about the curse until after Esme told us to hire Aberama Gold, Linda.” Eva remains calm, if she shouts like she wants to she’ll scare the children and whoever could be hearing them.

“What I did, Linda.” Arthur slams his fist on the table, startling Billy. “Tommy wanted to torture him, but I shot the old man.”

Well, this doesn’t help. Eva had not known any of this had happened while she convalesced at home. They were going to have to talk about this later, she tells him so with a look.

“It was a mercy kill, Linda, it was me who wanted the bastard dead and Arthur stopped me from drawing it out for what happened.” Thomas defends his brother, the man could have a heart as cold and hard as diamond, but he always defended his family.

“But I still shot him, and its why I know I am next.” and it is true, but just like John, Eva won’t let it happen.

“Even so, if you kill Luca, Billy and Linda die sometime after Billy’s fourth birthday." Eva pauses as Arthur sobers up, Linda gasps and clutches to her baby boy.

 “If Tom kills him, Diane dies before her seventh birthday---” Eva sees her girl coughing up blood in the near future. “She dies of consumption, I’ve seen it.”

Thomas’ grip on the back of the chair turns bone white and for a moment, Eva thinks he will crumble like marzipan or fall like a block of ice. Because Greta died of that, and what else would hurt Tommy more than having his daughter die that way too.

“Now Eva knows a person with no children who could take the job, but even then, the deal with Gold can’t be broken without it having serious consequences.” Tommy ---now fully aware of the Curse--- continues where she left off.

“So, Bonnie Gold dies because of fucking tradition?” nothing angers Linda more than a child suffering for the sins of their parents. She suffered much at the hands of her drunken father and her mother who did too little too late.

“She is already mediating between us and the many people who are willing to pay good money for Luca’s head, and since her interests align with ours, it won’t be much of an issue for her to do it.” Eva suggests. “I can hire her. Since Tom made the contract with Aberama and I’m hiring her separately, it doesn’t break any rules. ”

“I’ll hire her myself if it means no children will have to pay for their fathers’ sins.” Linda says full of conviction. It was that sort of conviction that made her great at her job at the institute.

“Hire her, tradition can go fuck itself.” for the first time in days, Arthur is thinking clearly and for the first time in ages, Arthur Shelby Jr takes a side against Tommy.

“Then its settled, Evie will give her friend a call and we will just have to make sure Gold doesn’t get him first.” Thomas relents, but acts as if that had been his plan all along. He doesn’t trust Florence, but he trusts her and as long as Eva has his trust, he will trust whoever she trusts.

----

Notes:

Tati is roma for daddy and mami is Spanish for mommy.

Weile, weila,weile is an irish schoolyard song about a woman who kills her children.

El coco is the famous monster of the lullaby duermase niño, where essentially a parent claims el coco will come eat the kid if they don't sleep.

It can be safely inferred that Linda did not have a good home life from the way she mentions her mother's advice and that Lizzie comments that Polly said Linda would turn into her mother.

[goresociety]

after like 8 hours i finally completed this thing holy shit

ANYWAYS yeah i did another 20 styles thing except it was only 10 and i was just drawing the designs. closeups, notes, and the design creators will be under the cut! :]

notes for my own: i changed my hank's design a little bit, i just made the goggles smaller and added a little crack. i'll do a closeup of my design in a separate post, since tumblr has an image limit of 10 </3

@willwilltime

notes: this one was a fun design! i like the goggles and big belt buckle.

@luminoghost

notes: i struggled a bit with the colors here since i didnt choose an image where i could easily use the eyedropper tool [still an awesome design], i like the little jacket flaps [?]

@coughingsounds

notes: SHAPED. this person's style is really cool and i wanted to try and implement the sharpness of it into this drawing, but it didnt come out the way i was imagining. this was a fun one!

@hannnaki

notes: again, i goofed a bit and didnt pick a design where i could easily use the eyedropper tool, so he came out looking like white hank. i like the little ribbon bits!

@nan0-r0t

notes: forgot the little metal bits on the jacket, but i really like the colors in this one. the goggles have a cool shape to them! :]

@1wayticket2h3ll

notes: i saw the spikes on the shoulder and used something similar in my own design [the 3 gray bump things], love the big belt thing in the front

@transranbutler

notes: DAN'S STYLE IS VERY SHAPE ! the goggles are really big so i think this would be a fun design to emote with, since ive seen a lot of people draw the goggles with like. functional eyelids. very fun!

@charcoal-emberscoria

notes: i dont know if he had a shirt on in the picture i referenced from so i just decided to make it a turtleneck but like. skintight i guess? anyways yeah this one is really cool too :]

@evi-sketchbook

notes: ok, being completely honest, i really struggled with the lineart for this design. i think because its so rounded [which i really like btw, i just struggle with it personally. they got it spot on] the bandanna was fun! very poofy.

[freshstartfromscratch]

A.S.S.A.S.S.I.N.S - Snitch - teaser

Have I ever mentioned that I have zero control? Anyways I’m writing Roommates AU Oneshot. I’m not sure if I’ll write the whole fanfiction for this AU, but I decided to post a teaser for the story I’m working on. I hope that at least some of you will enjoy it.

____________________________________________________________

Jacob was staring intensively into his steaming mug of tea while pondering over the last mission's events. The longer he thought about it, the more he hated this idea. Nevertheless, the clues so far were pointing in one direction. They had a Templar spy among them.

True, there weren't many clues so far, but the thought of one of them being a traitor was keeping him awake at night. It has been a few months since he moved into the Brotherhood apartment, close to one year. So the idea that one of those people with whom he had laughed, cried, partied, and, most important, lived after moving out of London was a traitor affected him more than he would like to admit. He built a life here, a home. For the first time since parting his ways with Evie, he felt like a part of something bigger. Those guys were his family, and he would get to the bottom of this, for everyone's sake.

He looked up from his mug and took a sip of the beverage while looking around the kitchen. It was early in the morning. August sun was shining through the window in the living room and illuminating the kitchen table. Jacob usually would sleep at that time of the day, so he had a unique opportunity to observe the morning routine in the apartment. He could hear Ezio showering, his unmistakable baritone echoing through the paper-thin walls of their place. Jacob cringed a bit. He didn't speak Italian, but he could tell that his roommate was a lousy singer. He looked at the microwave and checked the time. It was 6 AM. Way too early to be up and awake. He could hear Connor closing the door after leaving for the park as it was his turn to take Tatch out for a walk. 

Jacob smelled fried eggs. Maria was making breakfast for Altaïr and herself, as her lover should be back from his morning training soon. Jacob observed her for a moment. Maria was dressed in her smart formal and ready for the office. She did her dark brown hair in a perfect bun with a braided crown, and her make-up was flawless. Maria radiated the office professionalism, a demeanor that reminded Jacob of his twin sister. However, the longer Jacob looked at Maria, the more details he noticed. Like the wide smile, joyous mood, and an unusual choice to wear a neckerchief in Summer. Jacob sent a knowing look to Arno sitting across the table. The French assassin was struggling with his breakfast. The last mission went south, but fortunately, it ended only with a broken arm. Arno could have died that day. The Frenchman stopped his attempts at pouring coffee with his right hand and finally caught the glance of his friend. It took him a second to caught up to the thought process of his roommate. He grinned, looked at Maria, and asked her:

-"Maria, could you help me with the coffee pot? Since Jacob usually sleeps at this time of the day, I don't trust him with the steaming liquid near my skin."

Maria turned to the younger man and poured some coffee into his mug. Arno noticed some bruises on her wrists, peaking from under the sleeve of her jacket. He looked up and could swear that he saw a purple mark on her neck under the neckerchief. His smile grew even wider. Arno looked into Maria's eyes and said:

-"Mon Dieu Marie! What happened to you? Did you get yourself in a fight?"

-"Yes indeed. It was a real struggle, but you should have seen the other guy!" responded Maria.

Before the British-French exchange could get any more sarcastic, the four people in the kitchen heard the loud panting of the new person in the room. Jacob didn't have to look up to know who it was.

-"Hi, the other guy. How was your training?" asked Jacob.

Altaïr raised his brow at the scene but didn't ask any questions. He threw a quick answer to Jacob and gave his girlfriend a "do I want to know?" look. Maria shook her head, walked to her lover and gave him a small kiss. The moment of affection lasted only a few seconds. The English woman moved away before her covered in sweat lover had a chance to hug her and ruin her ready-for-work look and smell. Altaïr sat down and poured himself some coffee, and his love put a plate full of breakfast in front of him. He smiled at her gratefully, she didn't have to do this, but he always melted inside when his love did anything for him. Maria looked at her watch and exclaimed loudly. She was almost late for her job. With a quick kiss on the cheek, she said goodbye to her boyfriend and asked Jacob to lock the door after her. 

The Englishman got up from his chair to fulfill the request and noticed something little shining on the floor. It looked like a piece of jewelry.

-"Maria probably dropped it while leaving." he thought and picked the ring from the floor.

Jacob looked at the tiny ring in his hand and instantly froze in his spot in panic. He couldn't believe his eyes, but the item was taunting him with its decoration. The ring in his hand had the Templar Cross on it. Jacob found the proof of the Templar spy among them. The longer he thought about it, the more it made sense. She was close enough to learn about their moves and mission plans. She almost lived here and had access to Altaïr's room without raising any suspicion. She knew their personalities. She knew that Arno was left-handed, which explains why the enemy had been expecting the hidden blade to strike from the right and why they purposefully had broken the Frenchman left arm. The bruises on her wrists and neck and why she didn't move in with Altaïr now made sense. He found his snitch. 

[labyrinth-runner]

No Lodging to Pay

Just a fluffy comfort fic. You can picture whatever SWs Jedi guy you want, probably. Tagging @all-hallows-evie​

It had been a long day. Possibly one of the longest you’d had in a while. The last time you’d stayed up this late was when you were trying to push a bill through the Senate. Just like then, you’d worked through the night, off and on to try and make a dent in the mountain of work you had to do. Years later, you were still trying to prove to yourself that you could do it all yourself, that you weren’t just a useless princess who let everyone else run her planet. But the truth was that you couldn’t, not this time. Not in the timespan you were given, anyway. Manual labor wasn’t beneath you, but it still took a lot out of you. Yet, your people were out there and they needed you. That thought wasn’t lost on you.

You woke up early the next day to try and pick up where you’d left off, but it was almost as if all your work was lost. Well, not all of it, but a majority of it had been undone by the relentless storm. Your arms were tired and your back was tight from the manual labor. The early morning sun glistened off the snow, casting everything around you in a blinding white light. Your face was battered with piercingly cold snowflakes, and your sweaty hair was starting to freeze, but you were going to keep at it. You had to clear off your ship so that they could fly off this snow ball. With all the snow on it now, it wouldn’t lift off the ground. Not to mention, you had to carve out a path through the snow dunes so that they could reach you if any of your people decided to come to you instead of waiting for you to find them. 

You had to admit, though, that your little emergency shovel was not enough to get it all done.

You’d been out there for hours, but it wasn’t enough. The grumbling from your abdomen reminded you that you hadn’t eaten yet. With nothing to fuel you, you were burning energy you simply didn’t have. After another hour, you went back into your ship to eat.

The rations bar was slightly stale, but you were hoping it would be enough to hold you over when you went back out. Later.

You would go back out later.

Right now, you needed to heal your aches the best you could. After all, you were no Jedi. You were just a diplomat who had her convoy attacked, sending your protector and your people scattered across this planet. You’d used your diplomatic skills to commander another ship to go back and pick them all up when you had to land due to the storm. Casting a glance at the beacon you’d ignited, you noticed it was still working.

Good, you thought as you stretched out across the booth in the lounge. You leaned back against the seat, slowly blinking your eyes. Later, you sleepily promised yourself, I’ll go back out later.

His eyes scanned the horizon as he trudged up the ridge. Every once in a while, he checked the comm on his wrist to make sure he was heading in the right direction.

As he crested the top, he saw the ship in the distance. Snow still covered half the small freighter, and the side that was cleared was steadily being recovered. Still, a small smile crossed his lips at the thought that he had found you. 

Pulling from the force, the handsome Jedi found a second wind that carried him towards the ship. With a casual wave of his hand he cleared the ship. It was effortless for him, but he could only imagine how hard it had been for you. A sense of pride in your workmanship came over him, and even more respect than he already had. Strong and capable, he thought to himself, that’s something I wish more people would realize about her.

Unlocking the ramp sent a rush of warm air over him. For the first time in days, he didn’t see his breath when he exhaled. He toed his shoes on the metal plate to dislodge the snow in the treads of his boots and built up around his ankles before entering the ship and closing the door behind him. For a moment, he just stood in the warmth. It was real, and not at all like the warmth he had found in the force to keep himself going these last few days.

Next, he shed the emergency snow jacket, deciding to trade it out for the cloak he had placed in the emergency pack, having wanted to make sure that he wasn’t slowed down by the cloak flapping in the breeze or weighed down by the fabric when it inevitably got wet from the snow.

Back to his old self, he started to walk through the ship towards the cockpit. Halfway through the ship, he came upon you nestled in your makeshift bed. 

A look of tenderness settled on his features as he gently caressed your cheek. You shivered at the coldness of his hand and he frowned. Gently, he took off his robe and laid it over you, tucking it around you.

“Sleep well, Princess,” he murmured, “You’ve earned it.”

Reflexively, you pulled the cloak up to your chin and turned in the booth, resting your cheek against the back.

He smiled before continuing onto the cockpit.

When you woke up later, fabric was bunched in your fists. It smelled familiar. A smile flitted across your face as you recognized who it belonged to. My Jedi Protector, you thought happily. You pulled the cloak on over your clothes and moved towards the cockpit to confirm your suspicions.

“Sleep well?” he asked with a teasing smile.

“You could have woken me,” you murmured as you settled into the co-pilot’s seat. The white expanse of snow blew by. Every once in a while, lazy snowflakes hit the viewport.

“You needed it,” he replied, turning towards a village of pods on the horizon. “I saw all the work you did.”

“I’m sure it only took you a second to finish what I started,” you said with a small hint of bite in your voice.

“You have talents that I don’t, as I have talents that you lack. We’re not all made equal, but we’re made for the lives we’re meant to lead,” he murmured with a slight sadness in his voice, and perhaps regret.

“Very wise,” you said with a smile.

He turned to take you in, eyes alight with interest as they scanned you. “That looks good on you.”

“Then perhaps I shall keep it,” you winked.

A slight blush coated his cheeks, “It would definitely be a fashion statement.”

“You know how I love to turn heads,” you replied as he landed outside the group of pods.

“Oh, I know,” he chuckled as he went to help you rescue the rest of your people.

[descendantofthesparrow]

Shuffle Playlist - Rewrite - Part of Your World - Part 9 - Harriet Hook

Harriet's look:

A/n: GRAPHIC CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER, BEGINNING AND END OF CONTENT MARKED BY AUTHOR NOTES

=

Ten panic-filled minutes later, you, Gil, Jay, and Harriet had arrived back at the hideout. Jay quickly unlocked the door and sprinted up the steps, you and Gil paused at the bottom as Harriet stopped and leaned against one of the supports. “Aren’t you going to come up?” Gil asked, tilting his head.

You glanced between the two nervously, wanting to get up to the hideout and tell the rest about Harry as soon as possible. Harriet shook her head “nah, I ain't steppin’ foot in a place with all those traitors” she eyed you and Gil for a moment before looking away “I’ll be down here”

You and Gil shared a look and you shook your head “we’ll be back down as soon as possible” you told her, frowning as she didn’t respond.

You brushed it off and ran up the staircase, Gil close behind. You burst into the hideout and turned the corner, the core four were crowded around the couch, their forms tense and nervous “Harry-“ you started, but Mal quickly interrupted you

“Harry hasn’t talked to Uma went” Her eyes were wide with stress “ and Uma wants the wand” you stopped, staring directly into her eyes. You waved your hands around trying to process the first part of her sentence.

“I know the second part but what was the first?!” you could feel your chest tighten as Mal repeated and confirmed what you, Gil, and Jay had thought earlier.

Harry had never talked to Uma, and he had left his apartment over two hours ago to do so. “Harry wasn’t at his apartment” Gil took over, holding onto your shoulders as your breath intake increased worryingly. “and Harriet said he left to talk to Uma over two hours ago, so-“

The core four interrupted, their eyes wide and faces pale “Harry’s missing” Evie paced around the room, wringing her hands together as she muttered something.

Mal held her hands in her head “what are we going to do?! Uma wants the wand and Harry is missing!? And no one knows where he is?!”

“We ran into Harriet at Harry's apartment” Jay spoke up, watching as Gil pulled you into a tight hug “She's going to help (y/n) and Gil look for him with her crew” Mal nodded.

“Okay, so you three will take care of that, the rest of us will brainstorm on what do to with the wand” you groaned, pulling away from Gil's chest and deciding to just get it over with. You already knew how that ended anyway.

“Carlos make a wand with your 3D printer, Evie make smoke bombs, grab Dude, who I still don’t know how he talks-” Carlos gave a sheepish smile.

“Uh, I found some gummies in the girl's room, and I took a couple to try, but when I tried to eat one dude had it and then he could…talk” Evie glanced at him, her pacing finally ceasing.

“Wait were they red and heart-shaped?” Carlos nodded, making Evie sigh in disappointment “those were my practice truth potion gummies, Carlos what have I told you about eating random candy off my desk?”

“Don’t eat it unless you tell me to because it might be a potion?” Carlos guessed, shrugging as Evie raised her brow at him “Sorry, but anyway, what does Dude have to do with the wand plan?”

You sighed “Dude can talk due to non-bad intentioned magic right? So, it should keep going behind the barrier, so when Uma asks for Mal to test it, you can trick her by pretending to spell Dude to talk” Carlos raised his brows before it hit him. “Oohh this is what we did in your world's movie right?” you nodded.

“Yep, except Harry and Gil were still on the isle and Harry was the one to kidnap Ben instead of that asshole” you muttered, “Okay back to it, get Lonnie because she’s a good fighter, and it’s possible Gil and I won't be there for the fight so let her come when she asks Jay.” Jay furrowed his brows but nodded. “Gil and I will try to be back with Harry before noon, but I don’t know when…or If we’re going to find him” you paused for a moment, biting your lip as you thought of never finding Harry on the isle and being forced to leave him behind. You shook your head, willing those thoughts away.

“That sounds like a good plan” Mal nodded at you, turning back to the other vks “okay Carlos, Jay, you head back and make that wand, grab Dude and Lonnie, and get back here no later than noon” they nodded, standing from the table and shrugging on their jacket “and guys?” you all stopped, watching Mal as she looked at you all “losing? Not an option…cause we’re rotten”

“To the core” you all called back, smiling as Mal winked at you and Gil. You all walked towards the stairs, the boys heading for the limo while Evie and Mal planned for the hair salon.

“Oh Mal” she turned to you, her brow raised “I love the hair” her eyes brightened and she combed her fingers through her straightened mid-toned purple locks.

“I know right!? Dizzy did it!” Evie gasped, reaching out and touching Mal's hair.

“Little dizzy shut up!” Mal and Evie started chattering away about the young vk. Jay and Carlos rolled their eyes at them and continued down the stairs, you and Gil close behind them.

You reached the bottom and mentally sighed in relief as you saw Harriet still waiting for you. Her bright blue eyes turned to yours and she leaned off the pillar “we ready?” she hummed, tilting her head as Carlos and Jay ran past her down the alley.

“ready, let's go” you nodded firmly, walking up to her and gesturing around “lead the way” Harriet watched you for a moment before pushing past you and walking towards the right of the hideout building, presumably towards her ship.

It was a quiet tense walk as Harriet speed-walked toward her ship, you and Gil glancing at each other in an attempt to telepathically talk as it seemed odd to talk outwardly at the moment. You suddenly stopped, tilting your head to the right as someone talking brushed past your ears. Something told you to listen in on the conversation.

You listened to that something. “oi, why’d you stop” Harriet growled, turning back to you and cocking her hip “we ain't got time to sightsee” you held your hand up, running towards the building to your right and quickly climbing up the side to the top “What is she a monkey?”

Gil shrugged and followed your lead, Harriet looked around with wide eyes, groaning a bit before following. The three of you sneaked across the top, the two pirates following your lead and laying down near the edge.

You peeked over, a light gasp escaping as you heard the two isle residents' conversation come clear. “did yeh hear?” one of the men asked the other, his black teeth peeking from his thin and crusted lips.

(a/n): WARNING, TALK OF RAPE AND ABUSE OF MINOR

“ ‘ear wha’?” the other gruffed, leaning against the wall and inhaling a cigarette.

“Hooks boy is back on the market~ Sent out one of his men to all his clients to say he’s free to take~” the man with the black teeth purred, cackling as the other man sputtered.

“What?....hehe” the man chuckled darkly, palming his trousers as he thought about his last encounter with Harry “oooh boy, I've missed that piece of ass for months now, think he’s tighter now?”

You’ve had enough, you let out a growl that made Harriet and Gil flinch, and stood on your feet, jumping from the edge of the building.

“oh definitely, think I get him to bleed ag-GAH?!” they jumped back as you suddenly landed in front of them, your eyes glaring into theirs “what the fuck-who are you?!”

(a/n): okay the talk of rape parts done; you may resume reading if you didn’t want to read that part, but also warning graphic depiction of violence

“Harry’s girl” you snapped, grinning as they realized what you meant.

“you-you’re the bitch that punched Maleficent” the man with the black teeth whimpered, squeaking as he hit the building wall.

You stood to your full height, drawing Harry's sword, grinning at the sound the blade made against the leather sheath. Harriet and Gil's jaws dropped as you stepped closer to the two men. “Now here’s what’s going to happen.” you purred, taking delight in how the two shivered in fear. “One of you will be used as an example for what happens to those who even think about touching Harry, the other, will tell everyone else what happened to his friend as a warning to those who still think that they can hurt Harry and get away with it” you tilted your head as the man with black teeth suddenly got the courage to rush at you, a knife swinging through the air “Seems we have a volunteer~” you stepped to the side, his knife missing you by a good foot. You raised your right knee, slamming it into his sternum and twisting on your heel, using your momentum and kicking his knees in.

He flopped to the ground, his chin hitting it with a loud crack, blood already spilling from his lips. The other man tried to run, but Gil jumped from the building and landed in front of him, grabbing the mad and trapping him. He forced his head around to look at you and the other man. “Thank you, Gil, now” you flipped Harry's sword and gave a sharp grin to the whimpering man under your boot. “Let’s see you touch Harry when you don’t even have hands~” the man’s eyes widened and he screamed before he was silenced by Harriet’s boot.

“Quiet filth” she snapped, grinning as you flipped Harry's sword again “No one talks about my brother like that and gets away with it”

You swung down, thankful that Harry regularly sharpened his sword as the blade sliced clean through the lower half of the man’s arm. The man tried to scream as his arm was severed off, but choked on his own spit as you repeated the process with his other arm.

The man Gil was holding tried to scream but was unable to even take a breath in as Gil tightened his grip around his chest, cutting off his air. Gil closed his eyes and faced away from the gruesome torture of the man beneath you, but kept the man in his arms facing front and center.

People like them needed to learn a lesson.

A/N: End of graphic depiction of violence!

-

Gil watched as the two men hobbled/ran off somewhere, their whimpers of fear and pain echoing in the street. You cleaned Harry’s sword on a nearby tarp and sheathed it, glancing up with a raised brow as Harriet stared at you “What?” you hummed, crossing your arms. Harriet looked away and nodded at Gil.

“let's go, we’re burning time” she led you and Gil back between the alleys and onto the docks, her ship just in sight.

“Harriet!!!” you turned, blinking in surprise as a teen came running up behind you, his red beanie almost falling off from how fast he was running “Harriet! I’ve been looking all over for you!” he slid to a stop before the taller girl, leaning over and panting. “My dad was looking for you, said it was really important that you see him as soon as possible” Harriet furrowed her brows.

“Well, we were heading back now, so come on” The teen raised his brow, looking up to see you and Gil staring at them.

“Hey isn’t that-“ he pointed at you, about to ask something when Harriet grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and pushed him forward “Gah!”

“We can talk about them later Sammy, we need to get back to the ship now and plan, dad has Harry” Sammy stopped, his eyes widening in horror. He bolted off towards the ship with another glare from Harriet.

She sighed and turned towards you before nodding her head towards the ship and continuing to speed-walk to it. You and Gil nodded to each other and followed her.

As you got to the gangplank leading to the main deck, you could see a whole gaggle of pirate teens and young adults, all looking over at the three of you climbing onto the ship “Oi!” Harriet barked, their attention snapping over to her “Where’s Smee?!” they pointed over to the other end of the ship, where presumably her quarters were. She nodded and gestured for the two of you to follow.

You kept close behind and watched as she pushed open the door and call out for Smee “Uncle Smee! You needed to talk-woah!” the old man rushed up to Harriet, grabbing onto her jacket.

“Oh, dear! It's bad it's very bad! You-your father, he has Harry!” Harriet stopped, oh god how she had wished for the two men jeering at her brother to be only based on rumors, but with her pseudo uncle's words, it was all too true that her baby brother was under the grasp of their tyrant father.

“Shit” she cursed, pulling away from Smee and running her hands through her messy hair. “This is bad, this is really-really bad! What are we going to do!? Dad will have him cooped up in the brig till one of his fucking clients decides they want him!”

“We-“ you interrupted her panic attack, her stressed blue eyes turning to you “are going to storm the ship and get Harry, that’s what we’re going to do” Harriet shook her head, crossing her arms.

“But dad’s crew, there's-” you rose your brow, stopping her from continuing.

“So what? How many members are there?” Harriet furrowed her brows, muttering off numbers and names in her head.

“I-I don’t-“ Harriet stuttered, gasping lightly as Smee placed a hand on her shoulder and turned to you.

“Nine my dear, not including me or the captain.” you smirked, just Harriet’s crew alone doubled James’.

“Then we can easily take ‘em” Harriet tilted her head in confusion “girl, do you realize how many members you have on your crew?” you gestured to the door, where her crew were waiting outside “I counted almost fifteen just from the gangplank, and I saw more than that, you have more than enough people on your side to take down your dad’s crew, plus me and Gil. we can and will easily get Harry back.” Smee and Harriet looked at you with wide eyes, slightly impressed by your determination “but I do have a question” you hummed, looking over to Smee, who tilted his head at you.

“Who turned Harry into James?” Smee's shoulders dropped and he looked to the floor.

“Davy Barbossa” a spark lit in your chest, anger burning through your limbs. That red-head that kidnapped ben then ran like a wimp when you threatened to gut him?

“I’ll kill that little coward.” you snapped, glaring down at your boots, the curve of Harry’s hook shining in your vision. You and Gil glanced at each other and nodded, turning back to Harriet “So what's the plan”

She smirked, turning to walk out the door “We gather the crew first”

You let out a breathy laugh and followed her onto the main deck, overlooking the crew as they stood at attention.

You felt Gil's hand clamp onto your shoulder and you looked up at him, giving a reassuring smile as he nodded at you.

You would save Harry from his dad.

-

Harry blearily opened his eyes as he heard the heavy steps of his father coming down to the brig he was trapped in. he closed his eyes again and laid his head on his arm, trying to avoid interacting with his dreadful father.

“Boy” he growled, Harry refused to even move, forcing his breath to stay calm as his dad slammed his hook on the bars “BOY! WAKE UP I SAY” Harry cursed himself as he flinched “I know you’re awake boy, GET UP” Harry forced himself to open his eyes and sit up, knowing if he continued to pretend to be asleep, it would be a worse punishment if he didn’t obey his father's demands. He avoided his father's eyes, continuing to look down at his hands.

“You’re lucky tonight boy, I was just notified that my client that was going to come tonight has postponed to tomorrow.” Harry let out a quiet sigh of relief “…tch” James turned and started to walk out of the brig, unamused by Harry's silence. “I wouldn’t expect your little Auradon brat to come after you, I suspect once she notices your absence she’ll celebrate” Harry let out a low snarl, making James turn with a crooked brow “Ah, some liveliness I see”

“She’ll murder yeh when she knows yeh have meh” Harry snarled, grinning at the look on his father's face as his eyes flashed red “She’ll paint the isle red with yer blood and use yer intestines as garland!”

James' eyes flashed red, and he took a step toward Harry before one of the crew members, the cabin boy, ran down the brig stairs “CAPTAIN! NEWS!”

James rolled his eyes and turned, ignoring the seething Harry. “What is it?”

“One of your clients, his-his hands! And-and his-his...downstairs area, they’ve been chopped off! The mate that was with him said it was a warning to those who would even think about touching Harry!” James stared wide-eyed, slowly turning as he heard the growing giggles of his son.

He froze as he caught Harry's eyes, the ocean blue completely gone and consumed by a gleaming crimson “I told yeh~” he giggled, flopping onto his side and giving a sharp grin to his father “She’s gonna kill yeh~”

James stared at his son's maniac form as his laughter filled the brig “She’ll come fer meh, you’ll see, and yeh won't live ta see another day!”

James growled and slammed his hook against Harry's cell, his shoulders slumping a bit as Harry continued to laugh maniacally. He turned and stormed up the stairs, the cabin boy close behind.

“If that lass is on the isle, I want her killed!” James yelled, turning to the cabin boy and pointed his hook in his face “I WANT HER HEAD ON A STICK INFRONT OF HARRY’S CELL, SO I CAN REMIND HIM THAT I OWN HIM!”

“Yes-yes captain” the cabin boy muttered, his face pale as James stormed into his cabin and slammed the door behind him.

He sighed, slumping a bit “I do not get paid enough for this”

-End of part 9-

 uuuuuuuuuuuuh yep, there it is, Harriet's been officially introduced and is gonna help save Harry along with her crew. The core four know what to do for the wand for Ben thing, and Harry is slipping into madness as he sits in his cold damp cell, luckily he holds onto the hope that you will be coming for him.

and yes i changed why Dude can talk, since Carlos isnt interested in Jane (cuz shes interested in Gil) i made the truth gummies into a test potion gummy Evie had made and was just lying around so Carlos took one (cuz in the first movie he was kinda like “ooh candy” well not completely, it was more background stuff so i wanted to keep that) and then Dude ate it. and i would like to remind those that Dude’s VA is now beast boy/Greg Cipes since that middle aged male one didn't fit him. 

 and yes, (y/n) is also kinda...off her rocker a bit, at least when it comes to Harry, I've tried to convey her as usually chill but if it involves harry, she will not hesitate on anything. oh yeah! and (y/n) finally knows who turned Harry in to James~ prepare for your ass kicking Davy.

anyway permtaglist!

@queer-cosette @sephiralorange​

@lunanight2012​ @daughter-of-the-stars11​ 

@musicarose​ @thecaptainsgingersnap​

@descendantsobsessed​ @rintheemolion​

@random-thoughts-003​ @remembered-license​

@verboetoperee​ @imtryingthisout​ 

taglist

@thesailbells​ @beccad10x​

[littlemisswriter]

Saving London - Part 2

Summary:

Now a Rook with a more structured calling to his life, Jacob finds himself delighted to be apart of the gang. Though his mind runs wild with opportunity as his ambitions tempt him to want more.

[I’m finally giving you the update you deserve! I want to make this a longer series because I have so much in store for this series! Posting more Jacob Frye content gives me so much life and I’m so excited to share it with you all! :)]

-

“You’ve got to be joking.” The monotone voice of his sister had come as nothing of a surprise to the newly found Rook.

“Oh, come on, Evie!” Jacob huffed, readjusting his cap as he looked onwards at his sister who sat with perfect posture at the small table. Her brows furrowed as she focused in on her activities of sewing up one of her dresses that was in dire need of a touch up. She hadn’t been too fond of the clothing yet saw no other option if she were to continue her day-to-day life without ridicule of the others. “It’s not as bad as all that!”

“You’re parading around the streets in a gang, Jacob. Tell me what part about that sounds remotely responsible.” A light huff then came as she pricked her finger, jaw clenching as she decided to lay off her efforts of the dress. It was too strenuous a task in the wrong mindset, especially with Jacob having been gloating about this new so-called gang he had found refuge in.

“I’m doing what is best for the city.”

“You’re being a bloody fool!” She stood abruptly, scraping the chair back against the hardened floor as her glare bore into the twin across from her. “I will not have my only brother run amuck of the city when he can barely put one foot in front of the other! This is dangerous, Jacob. We’re talking about the possibly of life or death. How can you not fathom that?” It seemed her lectures only came more often, and even from the pit of concern, Jacob could only bear so much from his twin. For once he wanted her to see things how he did, and the benefit of what joining the Rooks would do for London.

“You worry too much, dear sister.” He shook his head, glancing back at the door which he entered. “Anyways, I’m off.” She groaned, fists balling as she watched her sibling descend out of the room and towards the exit of the building. “Duty calls and I have a very important meeting to attend.” He opened the door, standing in the frame as he threw an empty grin. “Wish me luck!”

“Bloody halfwit.” Evie mumbled, hesitantly coming back to her seat as she regained her composure, while her brother had made haste through Southwark. It hadn’t of been the most welcoming of all boroughs at this time of night but knowing that a handful of his gang were awaiting his presence, it gave him confidence to continue through the dark streets.

The Duke of York pub had finally come into view after rounding the final corner, the sights and sounds of the liveliness from within already echoing down the street. He was eager to make way from his abode and indulge in a few drinks with pleasant company, though he also held a hint of doubt. His intent was more than just a few easy drinks on a night out, but a promotion in a sense.

The numbers to the gang were rising and he had yet to utter a word directly to its leader. It had been eating at him ever since he pulled the green jacket on for the first time. To be apart of something greater than himself was one thing, but to contribute in ways that truly mattered was another. He wanted proper training, combat skills, defense techniques… the lot. And by the way he had seen Lily hold herself in any sort of confrontation against the enemy gang had led him to believe that she was the one to train him towards his ambitions.

But the question was… would she find interest in training another mere Rook? A lump came up in his throat as he forcefully swallowed it down again. He just wanted more than what life had offered him, and perhaps with a push in the right direction, he could become so much more than he imagined.

Entering into the bright lights of the pub had him hold a hand over his eyes; the darkness outside in the streets a complete contrast to the environment inside. The music and chatter were louder than ever, a crowded atmosphere with more than half of it being Rooks had him physically relax. He was safe, now surrounded by those he was familiar with.

A few Rooks made use of their night by swinging themselves around the open floor, mostly too intoxicated to properly watch their footing or those around them. A handful gathered around the piano singing away any worries with sloshing drinks in each hand. Some stood chatting behind the bar while most had a seat on the tables surrounding. It was a sight to behold, and a few rough pats on the back in acknowledgement to his green colors had Jacob smile.

He came to the bar, turning to lean back on it while his eyes searched the perimeter. His sights sought out the woman that had brought all these people together, a confident leader which aspired others to fight for what was right. And the mere memory of her youthful appearance had Jacob’s fists ball subconsciously as his gaze darted around.

“Lookin’ for someone?” His head turned to the woman leant next to him, a pint in her hand and cool grin plastered to her lips.

“Ah, yes actually.” He cleared his throat and stood tall once more. “I’m looking for Miss Harvard.” There hadn’t been an immediate response but rather a slow chug to finish her drink before slamming back on the counter behind them. Jacob’s brow raised as he watched the woman wipe her mouth with the back of her hand before sticking it out in use of a greeting.

“Name’s Belle.” His eyes flickered between her own and her hand before exchanging a firm shake.

“Jacob.” A nod. She had obviously been sizing up the young lad, sights set from his feet up to his cap with a devilish glint in her eye. It hadn’t of made Jacob uncomfortable per se, but rather eager to find his leader before he lost an opportunity.

“You’re quite young. Fit too. We need more like you in this gang.” She pulled wider to the corner of her lips, exposing a toothy grin before flicking hair from her face and simply nodding over her left shoulder. “Boss is over there, and quite entertained she is.” Jacob followed her line, finally setting eyes on the woman sitting at the back corner of the pub. Her feet crossed over the edge of the table as a pint sat comfortably in her lap. Once again was her hood down, allowing her locks to sit around her shoulders.

Jacob couldn’t help but swallow the lump in his throat as how withheld she appeared. She looked like a leader, one that would ravage anyone that put a hand on her Rooks. And against all the rough and ready Blighters splayed throughout each burrow, she was exactly what London needed.

“If you wanna talk to her, go right ahead.” Belle paid for another pint as she leant off the counter, eventually grabbing her drink and smirking down at the young man. “But try opening with somethin witty and clever.” Jacob locked eyes with Belle once more. “She’s a hard woman to impress.” A wink was all he was left with as Belle left him alone at the bar.

“Well,” he muttered, watching Lily down more of her drink, a smirk subtly spread across her lips as she listened in on the conversation, “thanks for the vote of confidence.”

The Rooks around her had been passionately stuck in a card game, voices rising, and money exchanged in a competitive manner. She had simply sat back to watch her members indulge in a bit of gambling; a nice turn of events in celebration to just having reclaimed another stronghold in Southwark. Her gang was expanding and growing in size which aided her cause to bring down Crawford Starrick. The man had been nothing but a heavy weight over the city, and the people in it suffered terribly from the oppression.

It had to stop.

“You’re a bloody cheat, you are!” The large brute beside her, Travis, threw his cards down onto the table as he pointed over at the man across him, Pete. With his own hat and moustache adorning his nimbler features in comparison, he laughed at his friend as he took his money.

“You’ve a large head with nothing inside it!” Lily had laughed, taking another swing at her drink as her eyes cast over the pub. It was lively and loud, the people in it seeming to have been enjoying themselves after a genuinely long time.

Though the sudden movement of a Rook caught her eye, brow arching as she watched a young man slick back his hair under his cap and maneuver through those around him. He appeared to be making his way towards her which in turn had sparked her curiosity. He was easy on the eyes and held himself rather well, though seemed unfamiliar. He must have been new.

Jacob bravely came to the edge of the table, hands tensely by his sides as he lifted his sights to the very person that had made this event possible. His voice catching in his throat to see she was already looking at him, eyes slipping up along him as if to size him up. A lump caught in his throat once more as he did his best to ignore it, fingers rubbing against each other in nerves in contrast to how relaxed Lily had been.

His throat cleared catching momentary attention from those around the table. Travis took a gander at his before serving out another round of cards. “Yes, boy?” Lily looked between the brute back to Jacob, waiting to see how he would respond. He was out of his element, yet here he was.

“I uh,” he ran a hand down the side of his pants, clearing any sweat as he made memory back to Belle’s words. Witty and clever. “I wanted to introduce myself. Properly.” Not so much witty and clever as he had hoped, but upfront and honest which had to count for something. “I’m Jacob, Jacob Frye.”

“You a new recruit?” Pete had asked, looking beside him to get a glance at the man. Though he hadn’t appeared to take interest, eyes flickering back down to his cards as he threw coins into the center of the table.

“Yes, saved from my factory job down by Waterloo station.” Recalling which factory that had been, Lily bounced her brows with a shake of her head, throwing back the rest of her drink as she internally sighed. She was all for new recruits and leaving a good mark with them yet had somehow been waiting for a spark of some kind to flare. Greenie had been the only other assassin there to offer her any real company, but he was too pure; his mission set on finding the precursor artefact and allowing Lily to do all the field work. She wouldn’t have minded a little spice to her daily life.

“Well, you wanna play then, kid?” Another woman adorning green asked, looking between him and the free seat beside her. Jacob took a moment to glance between the offer and back to Lily shyly, watching as she sighed and pushed to her feet. And in that moment, he couldn’t contemplate what it was or why his brain snapped the way it had. But he felt his opportunity slipping and spoke without thinking.

“No, I’d rather buy the boss a drink.” The blurting had all movement stop. All eyes finally turned to him, most surprised and some with hidden smirks. Travis could only quietly chuckle to himself as he looked over to Lily, the woman’s interest having peaked as she stood tall, laying eyes on her Rook properly for the first time.

A spark. A bold use of words that had definitely drawn her attention. Jacob couldn’t believe what he had said, but bit back any fear and kept strong his stare. There was no taking back those words now, so why not simply own them?

Lily then chuckled, slowly making her way round the table to come before him. Watching her walk so casually had his fists ball as his cheeks began to burn. Now she stood before him, a short distance from each other as she simply tipped a grin at the man. He had her full attention, and a flare which she was willing to explore.

“I accept.”

She led them to the bar, others seeming to part for the woman as she stood side by side with Jacob. His hand ran through his hair again, lifting his hat merely to do so before returning it snuggly on his head once more. He actually had her by his side and couldn’t even think on where to begin in conversation.

“Two pints please,” Lily grabbed the bartender’s attention, turning to face her usual grin at Jacob, “on my Rook.” With a nod, their drinks were fetched as Lily slowly turned to face Jacob. Having a good look at her attire for the first time made his breath withdraw. It was a suit of armor, no doubt. Costing more than most at how intricate the patterns along her robes had been. A mix of red, dark grey, and black sewn precisely from top to bottom. Her coat covering most but seeming to accentuate her hourglass figure. A belt wrapped multiple time around her lower torso carried more than enough weapons to threaten any man.

Jacob was impressed and absolutely enamored to say the least.

“So… Jacob Frye, was it?” She teased his name on her tongue for the first time, satisfied with the quick nod that came from him. “How are you finding yourself settling into the gang?” The drinks were pushed between them, Lily watching as Jacob pulled a few coins from pocket and pushing it back across to the barkeep. The older man nodded before moving along.

“It’s thrilling,” he dryly laughed, seemed now caught up in every new aspect of his life. “I have the freedom to roam the borough. Not stress about money and putting food on the table. And,” he shrugged, straining a grin behind the mug lifted to his lips. It had Lily curious as to why he hid such an action, “I like the fights.” He had audibly quietening, as if relaying a secret he shouldn’t know. He knew it was a topic he couldn’t speak so freely about without receiving a lecture or a whack on the back of the head.

“There’s no shame in a little combat.” Lily turned, leaning onto the corner as he had had, almost mirroring him as she looked at her drink. Jacob turned to look at her, eyes openly laying to her features as she took her first sip. “Besides, you’re a Rook now. I would expect you to get into mischief every now and then.” She pointed her finger teasingly at him. “But not too much trouble, or Freddy will gut me alive!” Jacob hadn’t known who this Freddy was, but laughed along anyway as the humorous manner.

“Well, I’m glad you think so. Because,” he clutched tighter to his drink while subconsciously rubbing a hand to the back of his neck, “I wanna train. Under you.” Her eyes widened slightly at his forward motion, internally reassuring himself as he went on. “I’ve seen what you can do. What you’ve accomplished, and I want to do more.” Lily threw back her drink this time as he went on. “Being in this gang has given me a purpose to do right by the people. And now that I have the opportunity to explore this avenue, I wish to do it.”

His eagerness had been taken well; Lily unable to help her large grin at how willing her Rooks were to aid her cause.

“Your enthusiasm is delightful, Jacob. And most welcome.” She stood tall, leaning sideways on the counter as her hand perched on her hip. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll train you,” his own smile suddenly broadening as excitement shot through him. He stood straight, meeting his boss eye to eye intently as she went on, “and in exchange I’ll need you to do some running around for me when I’m not here. There is a lot of work to do, and I will no doubt need help seeing as I cannot be everywhere at once. Even though I practically am.”

The glint in his eyes at the new thrilling opportunity hadn’t gone unnoticed as Lily fed into all reactions he was giving her. There was strength, drive in this Rook, and she was happy to follow through and see how far this rabbit was willing to jump down the hole.

“If you do this for me and apply the training I give you, then I’m sure we can find more suitable tasks for you.” This was it. His leap of faith had served in his favor. “So… do we have a deal?” Her brow perked as he nodded eagerly, lifting his mug up to clink her.

“Yes we do, boss.” Lily took hold of her drink and the pair knocked them into each other before throwing back their contents. The use of her rank had only complimented her ego, Jacob feeding into it as she had personally agreed to train his growth in hand to hand combat. He always had an interest but never an opportunity nor the right mentor. But it appears that fate had something in store for him.

“Meet me here in three days, around noon I would assume. We’ll start your training then.”

Let the fun begin.

[xofanfics]

String - Part III

Prologue | Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Genre: angst, fluff, suggestive themes

Pairing: Baekhyun x Female Reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Summary: You find yourself in a friends-with-benefits situation with your best friend. You have no business falling for him, but your heart begs to differ.

Eight months had gone by since Baekhyun had seen Kira last. They’d been seeing each other the previous semester but then she got accepted to study abroad, putting their short term situationship to an end. Baekhyun liked her and she liked him; that was clear back then. The timing wasn’t right and Baekhyun had had hopes that they’d start seeing each other again once she got back. While she was in Italy, they’d texted some until their communications were reduced to comments on each others’ social media stories.

Baekhyun had been a bit jealous when he noticed a recurring man in her photos. He kept the details to himself but he did complain about his love life to you. She’d forgotten all about him, clearly and it bummed him out. The two of you had been up late watching tv and complaining about your love lives. He said, “This dating thing sucks, Y/N…”

And you’d said, “It does but complaining at two in the morning isn’t going to help you.”

And he realized you were right. A few days later, he decided to take control of his love life. “I know we’re still a little drunk but I wanna make you feel good. What do you think?” He didn’t know what came over him at the time. Some of it was the liquor and the rest of it was because he was tired of thinking about the girl he couldn’t even have. He thought, Why not have sex with someone I actually have a chance with?

Kira returned to the table, two donuts stuffed with ice cream in her hands. Baekhyun smiled as she handed it to him. “I told you I’d buy you ice cream when I came back,” she said. “Do you still come here?”

Baekhyun shook his head and took a bite. “I haven’t been here since the last time we came.”

Kira took a bite out of hers. Baekhyun couldn’t believe he was looking at her. He took in her beautiful face. Kira was never one to wear much makeup. He noticed that for the most part, she only wore mascara on her long lashes and lipstick on her full, plump lips. She got a tan while she was in Italy he noticed, her skin a golden brown. He didn’t take his eyes off of her during that first bite. The feelings that he had before came rushing back to him the moment their eyes met.

They stayed in the ice cream shop for an hour or two, just catching up and filling each other in on their lives. Kira had a lot to talk about and Baekhyun never got bored. Around eight, they got hungry for real food and ended up eating Italian food at a place called San Marzano. It was one of Baekhyun’s favorite places in the city because it was cheap and because the staff filled people’s wine glasses to the point where they could actually get drunk off of wine.

They ended up waiting around forty minutes but it was a nice evening and Kira didn’t seem to mind it, so they walked around East Village until it was time to make their way back to the restaurant. He and Kira had been on a few dates before but this seemed different. For some reason things felt more raw, more authentic. He felt so alive and in the moment. All he saw and could focus on was Kira. He watched her as she talked. He watched the way her lips moved and the way the corners would turn up into a smile every so often. He listened to the sound of her voice and how it was sweet, honey wrapped around her pretty little vocal cords. He watched her as she drank from her wine glass and how the lipstick she just applied got all over the rim of the glass. He watched as she ate her pasta and the sound of pure pleasure she made at the taste.

Baekhyun was on his second glass of Chardonnay when he felt like his heart was going to burst. Suddenly, he said, “I missed you…”

Though Baekhyun didn’t expect to hear this, she said, “I missed you, too.”

Feeling a little bold, he said, “Is it too late to pick up where we left off?” * The week seemed to drag on. You hadn’t been able to get Baekhyun alone for the past week. The times you’d seen him was when you were with your friends but you wanted to get him alone so that you could talk about your relationship. On Friday, you decided to text him as your shift ended. No one had made any plans of going out tonight so you figured the chances of him being free were higher.

[3:04PM] Hey, can we talk?

Baekhyun [3:32PM] What’s up?

[3:35PM] Are you free tonight?

Baekhyun [3:41PM] I’m going to dinner tonight. You’re still coming to brunch tomorrow though, right?

[3:43 PM] Yeah

Baekhyun [3:45PM] Let’s talk tomorrow then

You weren’t quite satisfied with talking to him tomorrow, being that Evie’s words were still haunting you a week later. Hell, even Sehun’s words were making you feel insecure. You still heard his voice clearly in your head. Kind of? You don’t seem too sure.

You wanted to talk to Baekhyun about where you stood as soon as possible but tomorrow would have to do. Plus, you’d both get drunk and probably end up having sex before the day was over. The thought of having sex with Baekhyun put you in a better mood. It’d been about a week and a half since the last time but you found yourself craving it more than usual. You hadn’t seen him as much since he’d been back and that was understandable, with work and school and everything. * You made it a point to do your makeup and hair in the morning. You put on the black thong that you wore the first time you had sex. You recalled the memory, like it was yesterday. You thought about the way he held you, the way he called your name, and how wild and unexpected it had been. It had been a while since you’d had a spontaneous moment with him.

When you were finished, you looked at yourself in the mirror and were proud of your look. Your lips had a slight tint of pink and your winged eyeliner was something that even the gods couldn’t duplicate. Not to mention that your eyelashes went on without a fuss! You wore a floral dress that flowed with the wind. It showed just enough cleavage to get a man’s attention but not enough to get him hard at the dinner table. You covered up with a jean jacket and grabbed your shoulder bag before heading out.

As you waited for the L train, Sehun crossed your mind. You felt bad about not texting him but you’d explained your reason to him. He didn’t need more than that. Hell, he was a good looking guy; you were sure he’d find someone. It just wouldn’t be you. Your heart was set on Baekhyun and Baekhyun only.

By the time you got to the restaurant, Baekhyun hadn’t arrived yet. You couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed; you wanted him to watch as you made your entrance into the restaurant and toward your table. Maybe it was a bit dramatic. You made your way to the back of the restaurant and greeted your friends.

“God, you look so fucking gorgeous,” said Sadie.

You smiled. “Thanks Sadie.”

Daren winked. “Fine as fuck.”

“Thanks guys,” you said, nearly blushing.

The group ordered the first round of drinks, keeping Baekhyun’s arrival in mind. And like clockwork, Baekhyun showed up and headed toward the table. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, taking his seat across from you.

“Lucky for you we just ordered a pitcher to start us off,” you said.

He chuckled. “Do you have a fashion show to go to after this?”

“Maybe…”

Baekhyun was always so playful, so flirty. He’d always been like this: flirting, making dirty jokes, and so on. He’d been like this even before that night the two of you crossed the line and had sex. Not much had changed other than the fact that you and Baekhyun occasionally would end up in each other’s beds for reasons beyond cuddling.

During brunch, you kept checking the time and were starting to get a little impatient. You wanted to talk to Baekhyun and, to be honest, you felt like your friends were standing in the way of it all. After what seemed like a painful hour and a half, the six of you left and stood outside. You assumed that you’d all go your separate ways until a tipsy Evie said, “It’s only one. It’s too early to go home!”

Then, Baekhyun turned to you. “Didn’t you say your roommates weren’t here this weekend? What if we come over?”

You honestly didn’t want to but after thinking it over again, you realized that going about things this way would be easier since Baekhyun was going to be in your apartment anyway. After everyone else left, you’d be able to talk to him about things and get under him later.

“Um, sure,” you offered.

Evie clapped her hands together. “Yay!”

Drew said, “We can go to that liquor store by your place and get a bottle right? How drunk is everyone trying to get.”

Daren scoffed. “As drunk as humanely possible.” * In case anyone was wondering, Daren did get as drunk as humanely possible and he spent the last thirty minutes of his stay at your apartment throwing up in the toilet because, apparently, he’d overdone it. And a drunk Evie pat his back and sang “Pocketful of Sunshine” while he threw up. Baekhyun supervised, leaning on the door frame. When you approached your friends, you said, “How are they? Evie didn’t start throwing up, did she?”

Before Baekhyun could answer, Evie chimed in. “Hey! I’m not that drunk.”

You laughed and turned back to Baekhyun. He said, “By the way, I’ll clean the toilet after he’s done.”

“Thanks.”

Daren flushed the toilet and wiped his mouth before Evie started helping him at the sink and handing him mouthwash. While they did that, Baekhyun went to work with the toilet brush and toilet bowl cleaner. Within the next ten minutes or so, everyone had started cleaning up the cups and bottles in the kitchen. You appreciated the gesture. As everyone started heading toward the door, Baekhyun followed.

You said, “You’re not going to stay?”

He frowned. “I would but Daren’s in bad shape. Drew left earlier and I think Daren would be better off getting in an Uber with me back to my place to sleep this off. Let’s hangout another day, just us, okay?”

You nodded, knowing that it would be selfish of you to complain when your friend was drunk and suffering. You accepted defeat and said your goodbyes. As the door slammed shut, you let out a sigh. Life had one point and you, on the other hand, had zero—another loss on your end. * You swiped on Instagram after your shower and came across Baekhyun’s profile. Clicking on his profile, you saw that he was watching Euphoria. You felt a pang of hurt as you recalled him saying that you’d watch it together. It was just a show and it wasn’t a big deal but you still couldn’t help but feel annoyed that he’d started watching it without you. When it came out in June, he was the one who asked you to wait until he came back so that you could watch it together.

You decided to reply to his story: Watching without me, huh?

He wrote back, Damn, I forgot. I’ll rewatch the first episode with you. Are you busy tomorrow?

I’m free. Come over.

You messaged him feeling a little annoyed but you felt so much better knowing that you’d see him tomorrow. Sex aside, you missed him. Sex was great but you just craved sitting on the couch and stuffing your faces with takeout. You missed just being around him, doing nothing; just the two of you.

You got in bed, excited to be seeing Baekhyun tomorrow after classes. Finally, some time alone with him. * Butterflies sat in your stomach for hours, fluttering and pushing against the walls, threatening to burst from your bofy. You felt the ticklish feeling until six o’clock as you grabbed Baekhyun’s favorite ten dollar bottle of wine from the liquor store near your apartment. Baekhyun said he’d get to your place around six thirty and you couldn’t contain your excitement.

When you got back your roommate Mya was in the kitchen cooking something that smelled delicious. You’d let her know earlier that you’d be in the living room with Baekhyun, just so that there was no issue with using the TV. Mya smiled as you came in. “Hey Y/N. I’ll be done in a few,” she said.

“No rush,” you said, putting the wine in the fridge. You sat at the counter. “What are you making?”

“Just some beef stew. I don’t think the meat will be that tender to be honest,” Mya said. “I was thinking of getting an Instant Pot. That would make things like this so much easier.”

“You should get one. My mom got one on sale a few months ago.”

“Yeah, it’s definitely worth the investment. Plus I’ll have it for my future one bedroom apartment. I’m manifesting my dream life.”

You’d never given much thought about your future after college, other than getting a job. Mya was skipping over those things and fast forwarding to the things she wanted to get out of life. Thinking about it a little more deeply, by getting her dream apartment, she’d have her dream career and make lots of money.

“I need to get to that level of positivity…”

“You should make a vision board sometime. It helps and it can be your motivation.”

Before you could add anything else, there was a knock on the door. Looking through the peephole, you found the person you’d been expecting. You smiled and let him in.

“Hey,” he said, giving you one of those bear hugs you loved. He turned to the kitchen. “Hi Mya.”

She said, “Hey Baekhyun. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I was in Korea for the summer,” he explained. “What are you making by the way? Smells good.”

The three of you made small talk for five more minutes before Mya finished up in the kitchen. Then, Baekhyun plopped on the couch and picked up his phone. You sat next to him. He said, “You hungry?”

“Not really, but I will be.”

“What do you wanna get?”

“How about some Thai food?”

Baekhyun nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

You leaned on Baekhyun’s shoulder as you both ordered the dishes you wanted. You ended up ordering basil fried rice and pad thai with some spring rolls. After ordering, you put on the TV. “You wanna wait to watch Euphoria and watch it while we eat?” He nodded and went to the kitchen to grab his backpack. He pulled out your favorite snack, handing it to you.

You smiled, taking the bag of honey snacks. “You remembered.”

“I found the big bag of them at h mart and thought I’d get it for you.”

As the food came and you watched a couple episodes of the show, you felt like things were returning to the way they used to be. You laughed and joked. He tickled you when you made slick-ass comments to roast him, sending you in a frenzy of giggles. He reminisced about old times and filled you in about his school year so far. He told you about how the gym doesn’t suit him and that he’s been swimming lately. He expressed his concerns about graduation and talked about one day how he wanted to start a business. The two of you danced like fools in the living room and you hugged him, tipsy off of the wine.

And you ended up passing out on the couch, Baekhyun falling asleep on a pillow in your lap. You weren’t sure what time you fell asleep or how you fell asleep in the first place, but you woke up and saw that the cable box let you know that it was almost midnight. Baekhyun was still fast asleep, his mouth slightly ajar.

“Hey,” you said, tapping his cheek. “Wake up babe…”

Baekhyun opened his eyes, a bit startled and sat up. “God, what time is it? How did we fall asleep?”

“No idea,” you said, laughing. “One minute we were dancing and then the next minute we weren’t. Let’s sleep in the bed.”

“I should actually head home,” he said. “I’m going to the pool in the morning for a workout.”

Disappointment washed over you. It wasn’t a big deal and you knew that he wasn’t lying but you couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the fact that he wasn’t going to sleep over. After all your efforts, your chance was shot down yet again. You didn’t want to come off as crazy or be insensitive or anything like that, so you kept your mouth shut.

“Oh,” you said. “Okay.”

“I wanted to go early in the morning,” he explained.

“Yeah that’s fine,” you said.

As Baekhyun stood up and grabbed his things, you couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Your chance had been blown away by a strong gust of wind that you couldn’t control. Things with Baekhyun were up in the air and you didn’t know if you could get a hold of the situation. A relationship with Baekhyun was beginning to seem like a faraway dream.

*********

Tag List: @shesdreaminginoverdose @multistania

Please DM me if you want to be added to the tag list! Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

[yourartmatters-itswhatgotmehere]

The Diviners Series’ s EVIE AND SAM STORY :

They aren’t just another hate to love ya couple, there is much much more than that. They are friends. They have bond. They develop through the series. They trust each other. - Here it goes. I was putting these best parts from them for the last few days and FINALLY- can spread this into the world.  THIS COUPLE. IT COUPLE. SAM LLOYD AND EVIE O’NEILL:

THIS COUPLE:

“ I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth.”

“ Yes! Yes, Sam Lloyd. I will marry you!”

   FIRST MEETING

 “ “ I can’t say I blame you for taking in the view. I’ve been looking for a while.”- “Do I know you?”- “Not yet. But I hope to remedy that.” He stuck out a hand.” Sam Lloyd.”- “ Miss Evangeline O’Neill of the Zenith O’Neills.”- “ The Zenith O’Neills? Now I feel underdressed. Let me just get my dinner jacket.”- “ Well, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Lloyd, but I’d better--“Sam.” He picked up her case so quickly she didn’t even see his hand move. “ Let me carry that for you.”- “Really. I can-”She made a swipe for her case but he held it up.- “ I insist. My mother would skin me for being so unchivalrous.”- “ Well.. just as far as the door, then.”- “Where ya headed?”- “My, you ask a lot of questions.”- “ Let me guess: You’re a Ziegfeld girl?” Evie shook her head. “Model? Actress? Princess? You’re too pretty to be just anybody.”- “Are you on the level?”- “ Me? I’m so on the level I can’t get off it.”-- “ If you must know, I’ve come to join a convent.”- “Seems a waste to me. Pretty girl like you.”- “Serving our lord is never a waste.”- “Oh, sure. Of course, they saw now that we’ve got Freud and the motorcar, God is dead.”- “He’s not dead; just very tired.” The corners of his mouth twitched in amusement, and Evie felt the warmth bubble up again. He thought her clever, this Sam Lloyd with his knowing grin. (…….) “ All right, then. You with your keen observations- what, exactly, do you find special about me?”- “ There’s just something about you,” he said without saying anything at all, which disappointed her. Sam rested his hand on the wall above her head, leaning closer. Evie’s stomach fluttered. It wasn’t that she didn’t know her way around the fellas, but this was a New  York City fella. She didn’t want to make a scene and come off a complete rube. She was a girl who could take care of herself. Besides, if her parents heard about this, they’d yank her straight back to Ohio. Instead, Evie looped under the handsome Sam Lloyd’s arm and snatched her valise back. - “I’m afraid I have to go now. I believe I see, the, um, top nun going into the ladies’ lounge.” - “Top nun? Do you mean the Mother Superior?”- “And how! Sister… Sister, um..”- “Sister Benito Mussolini Fascisti?”- “Exactly!”- Sam Lloyd smirked. “Benito Mussolini is a prime minister of Italy. And a fascist.”- “I knew that.” Evie said, her cheeks flushing.- “Of course you did.”- “Well..” Evie stood uncertainly for a few seconds. She stuck out her hand for a shake. With a smirk, Sam Lloyd drew her to him and kissed her hard on the mouth. She heard the shoe-shine men chuckling as she pulled away, red-faced and disoriented. Should she slap him? He deserved a slap. But was that what sophisticated Manhattan moderns did? Or did they shrug it off like an old joke they were too tired to laugh at? - “You can’t blame a fella for kissing the prettiest girl in New York, can you, sister?” Sam’s grin was anything but apologetic. Evie brought up her knee quickly and decisively, and he dropped to the floor like a grain sack.- “You can’t blame a girl for her quick reflexes now, can you, pal?” She turned and hurried toward the exit.- In a pained voice, Sam Lloyd called after her: “Best of luck to the nuns.  The good sister of St. Mary’s don’t know what they’re in for!”- Evie wiped the kiss from her mouth with the back of her hand and pushed her way out onto Eighth  Avenue. “”

“ That son of a...”

“ Don’t kiss strange men in Penn Station.”

 SECOND MEETING

 “ “ Watch the Queen Of Hearts, folks. She’s the money card. Now, sir, sir- yes, you. Would you care to wager a guess. There’s no charge for this first round. Just to show you it’s an honest game I’m running.”- Evie turned the box over, upsetting the cards and the money. “Remember me, Casanova?”- It took Sam a minute, but then he smiled. “Well, if it isn’t my favourite nun. How’s the Mother Superior, Sister?”- “Don’t you ‘sister’ me. You stole my money.”- “Who, me? Do I look like a thief?”- “And how!”- “Doll, I’m sorry you got fleeced, but it wasn’t me.”- “ If you don’t want me to call a cop over here right this second and tell him you just tried to take advantage of me, you will give me my twenty dollars.”- “Now, sister, you wouldn’t--”-  “I pos-i-tute-ly would! Do you know the Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult?”- “Yeah, I know it, but---”- “You can’t find me there. You’d better bring me my twenty bucks if you know what’s good for you.”- “Or what?” Evie spied Sam’s jacket draped across a fire hydrant. She wiped it and slipped her arms through the sleeves. “Give that back!” Sam growled.- “Twenty bucks and it’s all yours. The museum. See you son-ski!” Laughing , Evie ran down the block.””

 “ “What is it?” Jericho asked.- “I thought I saw someone watching us. I must’ve been mistaken.”- “It’s been a very long day. I wouldn’t be surprised if your eyes played tricks on you.”- “I suppose you’re right.” Evie said, but she had the nagging feeling she’s seen Sam Lloyd, of all the people. She had a vague impression of him leaning against a tree in that overconfident posture that annoyed her so. But Jericho was right- there was no one there now, only the lamppost and the park.””

“She’d seen him. Just for a second, but it was enough. What was it about that girl that made him lose his street smarts?”

“ This whole affair could’ve been avoided if he’d used his skill on Evie O’Neill back at Penn Station. But for some reason, he’d wanted her to see him. He’d wanted to talk to her. And when the time came, he’d wanted to kiss her as much as he’d wanted her money. That had been his undoing. Now here he was in the Museum of the Creepy Crawlies, searching in the dim light for his jacket.”

“ “Well, well, well. I suppose you’ve got my twenty bucks.” Jericho glanced from Evie to Sam and back again.- “Do you two know each other?”- “Actually, I’ve come to see Mr. William Fitzgerald. Is he here?” Sam craned his neck.- “Dr. Fitzgerald. And what business do you have with my uncle?”- “ Your.. your uncle? You don’t say! Now, isn’t that a coincidence.” ” (…)- “ He’s a cheat, a liar, a thief, a liar-”- “You said it already.” Sam noted.- “Well, I’m saying it again! This is the son of a bitch who stole my twenty dollars in Penn Station!” (…) - “Now. Did you, in fact, steal her twenty dollars? Answer carefully, young man.”- For the first time, Sam appeared nervous, raking a hand through his hair and inching just a bit closer to the door. “Well, sir, a great man once said, ‘Subjectivity is truth; truth is subjectivity’. “- “Kierkegaard,” Will said, surprised. His tone softened. “Still. Facts are facts.”- Sam looked down at his shoes.” I’m sorry. I was planning on paying her back when I saw that fella at the pawnbroker’s and gave him my last dime to get that knife back. I thought maybe it could be a peace offering.”- “Oh, dry up,” Evie muttered. “ He probably stole it himself.” “

“ “Admit it- you liked that kiss.”- “You owe me twenty dollars.”- “Cash or check?” He said cheekily. Even the dullest Ohio girls knew that bit of lingo: Kiss now or kiss later?- “ Bank’s closed, pal.”- Sam nodded. “Check, then.” Whistling, he headed for the library doors. Evie followed him up the wide, curving staircase that led to the museum’s second floor. “Can I help you, sister?”- “I’m making sure you don’t leave with half the museum.”- “Just have to iron my shoelaces,” he said, nodding towards the men’s room at the top of the stairs. When he reached the men’s room door, Evie stood outside, her arms folded across her chest. “Honestly, I’d invite you in, but I’ve managed to avoid getting arrested for pretty theft. I’d hate to go to the Tombs for perversion.”- “Whatever it takes to get you out of my uncle’s museum. I’ll wait.”- “Suit yourself, doll.””

“ “Do you think you can manage to not steal anything while I’m gone?”- “ The only thing I’m trying to steal is your heart, doll.” Sam smirked-  “ You’re not that talented a thief, Sam Lloyd.” “

“ “Psst!” Sam hissed at Evie from the doorway of an office.- “Sam! What are you doing?”- “Same thing you are. Snooping around.”- “You were supposed to stay with Jericho!”- “You should know by now, doll, that I never do what I’m supposed to do.”- “Never mind that. Did you find anything?”- “Not yet. I’ll look here. You look over there.” “

“ “ And then I said to him, ‘The pleasure was all yours.’ I said it just like that, too. I had the last word.” Evie said, recounting Sam Lloyd’s first visit to the museum.- “Sure ya did.” Theta laughed. “You shouldn’t let that Sam fella get under your skin.”- “Did I say he was under my skin?”- “No. I can see you’ve really let it go, Evil.” Theta said, and Henry smirked.- “It’s over. Finished. The bum’s rush to him ,”Evie said, brushing away the wind for effect.- “Good, because we’re here. And I’m pretty sure that password isn’t Sam or Lloyd.””

“ “What’s eating you?”- “Theta, take my purse. It’s got twenty bucks in it. You might need it to bail me out.”- “For the last time, what is it?”- “Sam Lloyd.” “

“ “Let’s dance.”- “With you? Just so you know, I left my money with Theta for safekeeping.””

“ “.. That Ida was a real tomato who was not hitting on all sixes..”- “ Beg you pardon?” Will said.- “ She was pretty gullible.” Sam explained.- “Because she started spending all her clams on seances with Mary and John. Anyway, the chin music was--”- “ The what?” Will asked.- “Gossip.” Sam said. “

“ “Sam! Sam Lloyd! I need you!”- “I knew you’d come around.”- “Take a shower, pal. I need you to help me into the Tombs.””

“ “ You have a steady fella?”- “ No fella can hold me for long.”- “That a challenge?”- “No. A statement of fact.”- “We’ll see.”- “You still owe me twenty bucks.”- “ You’re a lot more like me than you think, Evie O’Neill.”- “Ha!”- “What I meant to say is, you like me a lot more than you think.”- “Keep driving, Lloyd.””

“ “Bomb and revolution? Not my style. I’ve got my own mission.”- “What mission is that? Leading girls astray with stolen gems?”- “You ever hear of something called Project Buffalo?”- “Can’t say that I have.”- “Well, if you look for any information on it, you won’t find it. It was a secret government operation during the war.”- “Then how do you know about it?”- “My mother went to work on it. She took some kind of test--”- “A test? What..?”  (….)- “I’m going to find her. So now you know about me. What about you? How’d you end up with your uncle?”- “ I killed a man for insulting my honor.”- “Naturally. And?”- “And.. I robbed a five-and-dime. I can never have enough paste bracelets.”- “Who can? And?”- “And.. I accused the town golden boy of knocking up a chambermaid.”- “For fun?” (..) - “You’re on to me, Lloyd. I’m afraid I’ll have to kill you now. Be a honey and sit still while I strangle you.” Evie reached playfully for his throat and Sam jerked the wheel, making the car swerve and Evie scream.- “I’ll go quietly, sister,” Sam said, correcting their course. “Just don’t wreck us.” “

“ “Sorry. It’s just that… you’re not what I thought.”- “ That’s right. I’m a real sideshow act. How about it, Jericho? Would you like me to tell you your secrets? All the little lies you keep hidden from the world?”- “No!” Jericho jerked his hand away from Evie’s so quickly that he nearly lost his balance. Tears stung at the corners of Evie’s eyes and a lump rose in her throat. She wasn’t about to cry here, and so she ran from the library and shut herself in the bathroom.- “Nice work, Frederick,” Sam grumbled and went after her. Sam sat on the floor outside the bathroom door, hoping Evie could hear him. “Doll, I don’t care if you can read every secret I’ve got. I don’t even care if you keep me sitting outside this john all night. Well, my legs would care, but don’t mind them- they like to complain…. There is nothing wrong with you. I just want you to know that.” Silence. “Take your time, doll. You know where to find me. I’ll keep your seat worm.”- In the bathroom, Evie leaned her head against the door. “Thank you,” she whispered, though Sam was no longer there to hear it.”

“ “I’ll tell him it was my idea,” Sam said.- “Swell. I’ll tell him it was your idea, too.” Evie said.”

“ “ So her daughter kept up the taxes on Knowles’ End? Why?”- “That’s exactly what I said. See? We think alike.”- “ Will you come down from there, please? You’re making me dizzy.” Evie stopped the ladder abruptly and Sam leaped down.- “Aw, doll. You say the sweetest things.”- “Sam, I’m warning you. You might be the next victim.””

“ “What good is it to have this power and not use it?”- “ I salute your spunk, but I question your sanity,” Sam said.”

“ “Will, make her stop,” Jericho cautioned.- “ I’m with Frederick the Giant,” Sam chimed it. Will hesitated.- “ Just another moment. We’re close.”- Sam didn’t wait. “Hey, doll? Time to come up for air. Can you hear me?”- “I said just a moment!” Will snapped.”

“ Sam watched the two of them from the sidelines. Something had happened up in Brethren beyond their finding the pendant and escaping from the new faithful. And Sam didn’t like it.”

“ “ Wait a moment- what note? What are you talking about?”- “Can you tell me how evidence from a murder victim got into your museum?”- “I don’t know,” Will said softly. “I swear I don’t, Terrence.”- “And I suppose you don’t know how your cigarette lighter ended up at a murder scene, either?”- “ I- I lost it recently, and..”- “It was found at Mary White Blodgett’s house.”- “I took the shoe buckle,” Sam blurred out. “Found I out at the seaport and thought I could make a quick buck off it. There are creepy chumps who pay for that stuff.”- “Sam, don’t.” Evie warned.- He gave her a wan smile. “It’s okay, doll. Let’s call it even on that twenty bucks.” “

“ “Hiya, ladies,”- “Sam! Let go!”- “Seems like a bad idea.”- “I’m still amazed they let you out of the Tombs.”- “Chalk it up to my charm, sister. I did manage to make off with some handcuffs, though.” His smile suggested something naughty and Evie rolled her eyes. “Just wanted to let you know I’ll be gone for a few days,” he told her.- “I’ll wear a black veil and cry all night.” Theta and Mabel giggled and looked away.- “You’ll miss me. I know you will, sister.” He gave her one of those wolfish grins.- “Hey!” the conductor called. “ Get down from there!”- “Sam, you’re going to get in trouble!”- “Aw, baby, I thought you loved trouble.”- “Will you get down before you kill yourself?”- “Broken up about my well- being?”- “Get. Down.”- Sam leaped from the trolley, nearly upending a woman pushing a pram. “Sorry, ma’am.” He brushed his hands clean and shouted after them, “ One day, Evie O’Neill, you’re gonna fall head over heals for me!” - “ Don’t hold your breath!” Evie shouted back. Sam mimed an arrow through the heart and fell down. Evie laughed in spite of herself. “ Idiot.” - Theta eyebrows inched up. “That boy’s got it bad for you, Evil.”- Evie rolled her eyes. “Don’t kid yourself. It has nothing to do with me. That boy only wants what he can’t have.”- “Don’t we all?” “

           “ ..Pardon me, I.. Sam Lloyd.”- “Hiya, Baby Vamp. Miss me?” (..) - “Good-bye, Sam.”- “Aww, c’mon, doll. Let’s let bygones be bygones. Did I get mad when you told them I was… how’d ya put it again?”- “A liar, a cheat, and the sort of scum the other pond scum try to swim away from?”- “That was it. Great to see you again, Sheba. Say, why don’t we find some little corner and catch up over a sloe gin fizz?” “

“ “ See, the trouble with Nietzsche, besides his being a real killjoy, is that he thinks like a spoiled seven-year-old who doesn’t want to share his sandbox toys--” -  “Sam! Sam over here!” Evie blurted.- “ Well, if is isn’t the Queen of Sheba. Just the girl I’m looking for. Did Freddy tell you the news about our Diviners exhibit? I was thinking that--” - Evie threw her arms around Sam’s neck. “Sam, there you are! You’re late. Oh, but I don’t mind. How handsome you look!”- Sam’s brow furrowed. “Forgive me, Miss. I thought you were Evie O’Neill. Clearly I’ve mistaken you for someone else.”- Evie laughed too hard. “Oh, you! Always the comedian.” She slipped her arm through Sam’s, giving him a small pinch as she did. “Now, I’m late to the Whoopee Club, and I need you to escort me, won’t you? So long, Mabasie, darling! Let’s do this again soon!” Evie nodded at Jericho. “Lovely to see you again, Jericho.” (..) Outside the Bennington, Evie slipped free of Sam’s arm. “ On a second thought, it’s too chilly for a walk, and it looks like rain. I’d better grab a taxi here.”- Sam smirked. “What? And interrupt our cozy, heartfelt reunion?”- “Yes, I’m all broken up about it, too. But I’m sure I’ll recover.”- “ You remember the day we met in Penn Station?”- “ When you stole my twenty dollars? How could I forget?”- “ You told me then that you weren’t an actress. I think you pulled my leg on that one.”- “ I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Sam Lloyd.”- “ I’m sure you do. Don’t worry-- I won’t blow your cover. But I need something from you in return.”- “Have you given up petty theft in favor of blackmail now?”- “ This isn’t for me. It’s for your uncle. He’s gonna lose the museum, Evie, if we don’t pull a rabbit out of hat.” ”

“ Sam put his arm around Evie as she signed an autograph. “ Doesn’t she have beautiful penmanship?”- T. S. Woodhouse smirked. “Say, you two look cozy there. Anything the Daily News readers should know about? There were those rumors a few months ago that the two of you were an item.”- “No. We are not.” Evie said firmly.- “Now, that’s a fine way to talk to your fiancé, Lamb Chop!”- “Fiancé?” Woodhouse raised an eyebrow.- “He’s kidding on the square.” Evie said. - Sam gave her his best lovelorn look. “Why, I’ve been crazy about this kid since the day I first saw her in Penn Station.”- “Sam-” Evie warned through a tight smile.- “But who wouldn’t be? Just look at that face! “He pinched Evie’s cheek. She stepped down hard on his foot. (..) - “The Sweetheart Seer’s got a sweetheart?” a man joked.- “No, he’s not-”- “Now, honey blossom. Let’s not hide our love. Not anymore.”- “I’d like to hide my fist inside your gut,” Evie whispered low near his ear.- “ Miss! Your taxi!”- Sam practically pushed Evie into the backseat of the waiting automobile. “ You run along, sweetheart! Can’t have my little radio star catching a cold.”- “They’ll be dragging the river for your body tomorrow, Sam Lloyd.”- “Did she just say they’d drag the river for your body?” T. S. Woodhouse asked, his pencil poised above his open notebook. Sam sighed like a man deeply in love.- “She did, the little bearcat. It’s the only defense that poor, helpless  girl’s got against the animal pull of our love. Uh, you can quote me on that.”- “ Animal… pull… of our…. Love..” Woodhouse was still scribbling..”

“ “.. Sam out as often as possible. Every night if you can. Now that Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald are in Europe, Americans are hungry for a modern couple to take their place. You two are it.” Evie burst into uncontrollable, nervous laughter. “Is something the matter, Miss O’Neill?”- “Everything’s jake.” Evie said in a somewhat strangled voice. “Could I make a telephone call, please?” “

“ “ Well, if it isn’t the future Mrs. Lloyd.”- “Daaarling. I’ve missed you.”- Then was a brief pause on the other end, then: “Uh- oh.”- “Hahahahahahaha. Oh, you! Darling, I simply must see you. Shatt we say luncheon at noon? The Algonquin?”- Another pause. “ Are you feeling okay, Sheba?”- “Now, don’t be late, dearest. We have so much to discuss, and you know that every moment away from you is like a torture. Adieu!” Evie hung up before Sam could say another word. “

“ “Is that so? Tell me why I shouldn’t fess up to the news boys.”- “Do you know how many calls the radio station got today about us? One thousand!”- “A.. thousand?”- “One-oh-oh-oh, brother. And they’re still calling! Mr. Phillips wants to put me on two nights a week. This is going to make me famous. More famous. You, too, I suppose.”- “I bet I’d be good at being famous.”- “How lucky for us all. The point is, if you tell them it was just a joke now, I’ll look like a joke, too. Nobody wants to back a joke. Makes people grumpy. There’s only one solution, I’m afraid. We’ve got to play out this hand for a bit.”- “Yeah? What do I get out of this deal, Baby Vamp?”- “I agree not to kill you,” Evie said around a mouthful of bread. She twirled the butter knife between her fingers.- “Your terms are generous.” “

“ Sam leaned forward and took both of Evie’s hands in his. He stared into her eyes as if she were the only woman in the world. Like a traitor, Evie’s stomach gave a slight hiccup. “ Help me with Project Buffalo and the Diviners exhibit. And I promise I’ll sell this romance so hard Valentino couldn’t’ve done better.” “ (..) “ Four weeks, huh?”- “Four weeks.”- “Done. We’ll have to make the chumps believe it. Moonlight strolls. Staring into each other’s eyes. Sharing the same straw in our egg cream. Dreadful pet names.”- “ Not Lamb Chop,” Evie protested. “That’s hideous.”- “You got it, Pork Chop.”- “ I will murder you in your sleep.”- Sam grinned. “Does that mean you’re sleeping beside me?”- “Not on your life, Lloyd.” Evie smirked. ” The act’s only good when the cameras are flashing.”- “ Well, then, guess I’d better make this look good now.” Sam kissed the back of Evie’s hand.”

“ “Hey, what’s that?” Sam came and stood beside Jericho.- “If I had to guess, I’d say probably none of your business,” Jericho said, glancing down at the page.- “ That’s my favourite kind of business...” “

“ T. S. Woodhouse’s pencil hovered over his notepad. “I’m sure we’re all dying to know how you two lovebirds first met.”- “Well-”Evie started.- “It was a moonlit night,” Sam interrupted. “A full moon, as I recall. Just the prettiest September moon you ever saw. I’d lost my dog-”- “Sparky.”- “Right. I was calling. ‘Here, boy, here, Sparky!”- “It was the most heartbreaking sound you ever heard,” Evie said. “I wanted to cry just hearing it. I still want to cry when I hear Sam’s voice.” Sam raised an eyebrow at Evie’s jibe. She smiled back. The smile was a challenge.” Go on, darling. Tell them the rest.” (..) “ Not that Sam minded what I looked like. He was just so surprised to be talking to a real girl. Girl don’t usually talk to you, do they, dear? Poor baby just never had a bit of luck with the female species. Why, it was almost as if dames were repulsed by you, weren’t they, darling? Didn’t you tell me they’d shrink from your touch?”- “ But you could see the good deep in my heart, couldn’t you, Pork Chop?”- “ Yes. I had to look with magnifying glass, but there it was.”- “ What does this have to do with a missing dog?” someone shouted. “

“  “ Dear little tiny man. You’re just five feet, three inches of pure joy. My own lucky leprechaun.”- Sam glowered. “I’m five-foot-ten.”- “ Are you?” Evie said in astonishment. “ Well, now, let’s see. I’m five-foot-two..” She swooped a hand across her head to Sam’s neck, putting Sam’s claim to the test. The crowd roared.- “Five- foot- nine.” Sam’s smile was strained.- “ Love these two. Put them on the radio together. They’d be funnier than Sam ‘n’ Henry, “ the reporter said.- “ Now, now, only one of us is on the radio. Isn’t that right, darling?” Evie said. She cut her eyes at Sam in warning.- “True.” Sam said. “Only one of us has enough hot air for two nights a week.” “

“ “There’s something defective about your objects, Sam. It’s just like when I tried to read the postcard in your jacket-”-  “You what? First you take my jacket, then you read my postcard? Why, you little--”- “ I was curious!”- “ That was my private property, sister!”- “YOU STOLE MY TWENTY DOLLARS!” “

“ Evie narrowed her eyes. “ I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth.”- “If I were the last man on earth it’d be because you drove the other poor suckers to early graves. Read.” “

“ “ I don’t see why I had to come.”- “Because you’re my darling fiancée. Everybody loves the Sweetheart Seer! Oh, and one more thing- if she asks, you’re converting to Judaism.”- “What? Sam!”- “Don’t worry. Everything’s jake, Baby Vamp. Just follow my led.”- “If that supposed to be reassuring, it’s not.” “

“ “You’re the elephant’s eyebrows, doll.”- “Someone has to look after you, Sam Lloyd.””

“ The truth was, he was enjoying their cooked-up romance a little too much. Whenever Evie looked at him from across whatever room they were working, he got a feeling in his stomach like they were sharing the most delicious secret. It was fun and exciting- the two of them against the world. He dreaded the countdown to the end of it. Was it too much to hope that he could change her mind along the way?”

“ “ What did you do, future Mrs. Lloyd?”- “ Good things come to those who wait.”- “That a promise?””

“ Sam had spent time traveling with a circus, but being with Evie was its own circus, a real trapeze act. He wanted to do something grand and ridiculous to prove himself to her- like go to Belmont and bet all his money on a horse. Hell, he wanted to buy her the damned horse and name it for her. It was stupid to let a girl get under his skin this way. But he didn’t feel like stopping it. “ What is it? Is there something on my face?”- “ Yeah. There’s a face on your face. It just so happens to be a really nice face.” “

“ “ Those shoes looks dangerous. Better take’ em off first.”-  “I love these shoes more than you, Sam.””

“ “That was close.”- “Yeah. Yeah, it was.” Neither of them moved. His hand still cupped her wrist gently.- “I- I suppose we can go now.” Evie said.- “Suppose so. “Sam answered. “”

“ “ You were supposed to meet me at the show, Sam! I’ve spent the last two hours worried that you were bleeding to death in a ditch,” Evie continued. “Now that I know you’re okay, I just want you to be bleeding to death in a ditch.”- “Aww, Lamb Chop, you missed me.”- “That’s what you just heard?”- “What can I say? I’m an optimist.”- “ The world is full of dead optimists. Sam, Sam, Sam!”- “ That’s me. Say, how much of that coffin varnish have you had, Sheba?” “

“ “Hey! What’s the big idea?”- “I’m saving you from yourself.”- “I don’t need any saving. What I needed was that drink. You didn’t even save me the olive.”- “ Okay. That’s fair. Abso-tive-ly fair. Let’s say the tables were turned. If I were about to walk off a cliff, what would you do?”- Evie pursed her lips. “ Push?”- “I don’t believe that.”- “You would on the way down.” “

“ “You wouldn’t believe the awful stuff I find out about people.”- “Why don’t you tell them the truth?”- “The truth doesn’t sell soap. Keep it light and happy and entertaining. Give ‘em hope, kid! “- “But that makes you no better than those phony con men on Forty- second Street. You’re the real McCoy, Sheba. You don’t need to fake it.”- Evie sat up, glaring. “I did not come to this party to hear a lecture from you, Sam Lloyd. You steal people’s wallets. Don’t act like you’re better than I am.”- “Me? Sure, I’m a thief and a con. But not you, kid. Unfortunately, you care. I know you.”- “No you don’t,” Evie said, lying back again. “You just think you do because you’re my pretend fiancé. But nobody really knows anybody. We’re all just a bunch of Pears soap ads walking around clean and neat, ready to wash away to silvers.”- “What’s real, then?”- “I dunno, anymore, Sam. I really don’t.” “

“ “Thanks anyway, kid.”- “I refuse to be beaten!”- “Nah, it’s jake, doll. I’ll… I’ll take you back to the party--”- “Sam! Stay! Good boy… Listen, Sam: Do you still have that photograph from Anna Polot.. Pala.. Anna Anna?”- “It’s just a picture of me with my mother.”- “I know. But it’s worth a try, isn’t it?”- “That’s my girl.”- “I am not your girl.” “

“ “ I got you. It’s okay. Did you get anything, doll?”- “You were at a table, and Rotke was asking if you could guess at the cards in her hand. But you couldn’t. I don’t understand. Why was she testing you?””

“ “ A castle castle?”- “No, Sam. A sand castle. Yes, of course, a castle castle. But here’s the strange part: I’ve seen this particular castle before, in my dreams.”- “And were you married to a handsome prince in that dream? Was there a scepter and a throne?”- “Ha, ha. Haaa. But I have seen it in my dreams. At least, I think I have. Or one like it.”- “Someday, I’m gonna buy you a castle, future Mrs. Lloyd.”- “ I don’t know what to think when you’re not horrible. It’s very confusing.” Evie slurred. Impulsively, she kissed Sam, then laid her head on his shoulder again. (..) “The room’s gone fuzzy. Does it look fuzzy to you, Sam?”- “I think one of us is drunk, Lamb Chop.”- “Must be the room.”- “It’s not the room.” (..)  “I’d imagined this evening going a whole lot differently,” Sam grunted as he tucked Evie in. Her mouth was open and a tiny snores escaped. “You are not a delicate sleeper, kid.” Sam planted a kiss on the pop of  Evie’s messy head. “Sweet dreams, Sheba.” “

“ “ You told him about Project Buffalo?”- “I- I.. it isn’t what you think, Sam.” (..)- “How could you do that? I told you : No reporters. You promised to keep it a secret between you and me, Evie. I trusted you.”- “Sam, could we talk about this later? I’ll explain everything, but.. People are watching.”- “Oh, sure. I see. Wouldn’t want to disappoint your adoring public… Well, I don’t care anymore, Evie. I’ve had enough. You know what? Maybe I’ll just blow this whole thing wide open. Tell you the truth, I’m tired of going to parties every night, anyway. I’m tired of playing your pretend fiancé. Tired of you. Just tired.”- “Sam.. please.”- “Come one. Let’s get this over with.”

“ “Sam? I said, are you excited about the wedding?”- “What fella wouldn’t be?” Sam said, looking away.”

“ “The time.. the time is now,” the soldier whispered fervently as he reached into his pocket for a revolver. All eyes were on Evie, who lifted her arm in a wave, blowing kisses to the crowd. The soldier raised the gun. It shook in his hand. “The time is now,” he moaned. Evie’s smile was still bright as she turned in the soldier’s direction. Her eyes saw the gun in his hand and couldn’t quite make sense of it, as if he might be holding a fish or an albatross. Sam was quicker. Time slowed and sharpened at once. Blood thrummed in his ears, blocking out the gasps of the stunned crowd. These people receded in Sam’s mind. There was only Evie, the man, and the gun. Sam wasn’t close enough to tackle the man before he could get a shot off. There was no time to think it through. Sam pushed Evie aside and thrust his hand toward the man with the gun.- “Don’t see me,” he growled. He poured every ounce of will into that one movement. Sam felt as if he’d been struck by a tuning fork. His body trembled from the effort. His knees buckled, but Sam held on. “Don’t. See. Me.” The soldier’s haunted eyes emptied of all consciousness, like a sleepwalker’s. Sam lunged forward and pried the revolver from the man’s grime- coated fingers. Several people closest to the man with the gun had also gone slack, heads cocked toward the sky, lost in some private reverie. But the rest of the sizable crowd watched it all. (..) Murmurs became shouts. People raced forward from everywhere at once.- “What’s happening? What is it?”- “Sam Lloyd is what happened! He saved Evie O’Neill’s life!”- “He’s a Diviner, too!”- “ He’s a Diviner! A Diviner! A Diviner!”- “Their Love is Diviner and Diviner!”- “Come on, Sam, put your arm around her!”- Evie had never seen Sam like this. Bewildered. Frightened. A little lost. (..) she understood this much: Sam had one it for her. He’s risked his life to save hers. Evie slipped her arm through his, anchoring him. No one could see her gently easing the tension from his fist. No one else could see her fingers gripping his, keeping him close. (..) Beside Evie, Sam trembled.- “I’ve got you.” Evie said. She reached over and wrapped his arm around her waist, letting him hold on to her as if she were a buoy. This pleased the people, who cheered and clapped and whistled. She could feel Sam’s pulse thumping.- “ He was going to shoot you,” he whispered, dazed. “I had to stop him.” (…) - “Leave him alone!”- “C’mon, Evie. Your fella is big news.”- “ He’s not your story right now!” ”

“ The note read, simply, “Roof. Now.” (..) - “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere.”- “Congratulations. You found me. How’s the party?”- “Oh, you know. Lots of hot air and silver gravy boats. Aren’t you cold?”- “Yes.”- “Do you want to go inside?”- “No.”- “Are you al right?”- “Sure.”- “Are you lying?” (..) “Why didn’t you tell me before, when you knew about me?”- “I needed it to be a secret until I found my mother.”- “But now it’s not a secret any longer.”- “No. I reckon it’s not.”- “ Why did you do that today?”- “You’re honestly asking me that?” Sam looked at Evie, and suddenly, she knew. Don’t see me was more than Sam’s Diviner power; it was his entire worldview. It was how he’d gotten along in life, keeping hidden, only letting people see what he wanted them to see. His whole life was a sleight of hand. And he’d risked it all. For her. - “I.. thank you for saving my life. I’m so sorry about what I said to Woody. I promise I thought I was helping you, Sam.” “

“Sam.” He turned his face to her. His mouth- why had she never noticed how perfect his mouth was? Impulsively, she kissed him once on those perfect lips and stood back, waiting. His expression was unreadable, and Evie’s stomach fluttered. He shook his hand.- “Evie. Don’t.”- “Why not? Because girls shouldn’t kiss first? Am I supposed to look up at you through fluttering lashes, all phony innocence, and wait for you to feel moved? I burned that rule book a while ago, Sam.”- “I don’t care about that. Just.. please don’t kiss me if you don’t mean it.”- “I mean it right now.”- “That’s always your answer, isn’t it? Don’t think about tomorrow.”- “Now is the only thing you can count on, Sam. It’s all we really get.”

“ “Happy Diviner New Year, I guess.” Evie said, a little breathless. - “To hell with it,” Sam said and wrapped Evie in his arms, kissing her fiercely.”

“ Her mind was on Sam. Theirs was supposed to be a pretend romance, nothing more. But then Sam had saved her life and she’d kissed him. She’d wanted to kiss him- that much was clear. (..) The deal with Sam was supposed to make Evie’s life easier. Instead, she was more confused than ever. “

“ “What’s the big idea, Sam? Why were you so rude to my friends?”- “ Those are not your friends. Your real friends are wondering where you are. Did you forget?” Evie’s blank expression told him that she had. “The Diviners exhibit party at the museum. It’s tonight. You’re the guest of honor.”- Evie bit her lip and rubbed at her forehead. “Honestly, Sam. I can’t tonight.”- “Why? You sick?” Sam pressed his lips to Evie’s forehead, and Evie’s stomach fluttered.- “No. But I.. it was a bad show, Sam. Very bad.”- “You’ll have a better show next time.”- “No. You don’t understand.”- “I understand that you promised, Evie.”- “I know. I know I did. And I’m sorry. Truly, I am. But I- I can’t.” (..) “You want me to go back to that museum? To talk about ghosts? You weren’t there in that house with that… that thing. You don’t know how it was! Ask Jericho. He knows. He understands what it was like.” (..) “ When I stand still, I see all of it. So I don’t stay still, and I certainly don’t go looking for more. And every night before bed, I pray for those pictures to go out of my head. When the prayers don’t work, I ask the gin to do it.”- “I’m sorry I’m not Jericho.” Sam said coolly.- “I’m sorry for everything.”- “That include last night?” Evie didn’t answer. (..) The comment about Jericho had hurt. Badly. He tried to swallow it down. “ Evie,” He said, taking gentle hold of her hand. “ The party can’t go on forever.” - Evie looked up at Sam, defiant but slightly pleading, too. Her voice was nearly a whisper. “ Why not?” She pulled her hand free of Sam’s grasp, and he let her go, watching as she ran headlong toward the hedonistic throng.”

“ Sam sat up. “I’m trying to understand all this--”- “Don’t strain,” Jericho muttered.” “

“ “Go home, Evie. We got enough trouble here.”- “Unhand me, fiancé!”- “I am not your fiancé. It was a publicity stunt, remember?”- “Right.” Evie said, nearly swallowing the word.- “Your engagement isn’t real?”- Jericho said.- “ I can assure you that the feelings Sam Sergei Lloyd Lubovitch has for any girl are nothin’ but an act.” “

“ “ I should come with you,” Jericho protested. “I’m bigger.”- “ Yeah. I know. I got eyes.” Sam sniped. “But if something goes really south with Ling and Henry, we need somebody who could drag them off to the showers. Or fight whatever comes in here.”- “I don’t like it.” Jericho said.- “I don’t like any of this, pal!” Sam yelled. “If you got a better idea, let me know.” Jericho didn’t have a better idea, but he resented being stuck at the museum instead of where the action was. That was always his role, and he was tired of it.- “Fine,” he grumbled.” “

“ “Sam. I don’t know what’s happening.”- “How drunk are you?”- “No. I mean.. I mean ‘bout any of this. About the dead and John Hobbes. Will. Rotke. Those cards we found. Project Buffalo. I need to tell you something, Sam. It’s about tonight and what happened at the show.”- Sam gestured to the dark  underground, his flashlight beam bouncing off the metal and earth. “You want to have this conversation now? Here?”- “Shhh, listen. This fella brought a comb for me to read. Sam, it was James’s comb,” Evie said, heeping one hand on his back to steady herself.” (..) “ I don’t know, Sam. I don’t know anything anymore. Like you and me, for instance.”- “There is no you and me. You made that pretty clear tonight. Listen, you asked me to play a part, and I did. From now on, I travel solo.”- “Now who’s lying? You forget. I read your personal effects. I know you.”- “You know bupkes.”- “I’ve seen you. The true you. I’ve held your secrets in my hands. You’re scared, Sam. You’re pretend you’re not, but you are. Just like the rest of us.” (…) He hated that Evie had unsettled him like this. That was the trouble with letting people in- once you’d taken off the armor, it was hard to put it back on. (..) “ You steal whatever you like and never think about what it costs anyone,” Evie said, eyes brimming with tears.- “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry. I got no defenses against girl tears.”- “You can’t have my tears, Sam Lloyd. I revoke them. But don’t go tellin’ me what I know. ‘Cause you don’t know.”- “I don’t even know what we’re arguing about anymore.” “

“ “Oh, for Pete’s sake.” Theta tugged the gloves free. - “Why couldn’t I have been a dream walker? Why’d it have to be object reading?”- “Come on, Sheba. You can do this.” Sam nudged her. (..) - “A ship. I’m on a ship.” Evie said. She gagged. “Seasick.”- “You okay?” Sam’s voice. - “You care.” Evie murmured.- “What?” Sam said.- “Nothing.” Evie mumbled. “ “

“ “Here,” Sam said, handing Evie the skull. “You can carry that. Merry Christmas. “- Evie’s mouth twisted in revulsion. “You’ve ruined the joy of the season for me forever.” “

“ “What kinda prayer do you say to get rid of a ghost?” Theta asked.- “I surely don’t know. But I expect a prayer of any kind is better than none.”( Memphis)- All of them bowed their heads except for Sam. “Sam?” Evie nudged him with an elbow.- “ Trust me: If God exists, he’ll know I’m faking it.” “

“ “Sam!” Sam said, hugging himself. “You’re welcome. Don’t mention it.” “

“ “Sam, I think we should tell them what we’ve found.”- “Nothing doing.”- “Either you do it or I will.”- “This is twice you’ve done this to me. Remind me never to tell you a secret again.”- “It’s not your secret anymore.”- “Fine.” “

               “  “ So what’s keeping this door open? How did it get left open? And why are these ghosts so powerful?” Ling pressed.- “We don’t know!” Evie, Sam and Henry said as one.” “

“ “ Oh, don’t worry- I’ll help you. But I’m not giving up my show. Nothin’ doing. Same old Uncle Will. Only looking out for himself.”- “ You’re one to talk, kid.” Sam snapped.- “ Says the thief.” Jericho said.- Sam smirked. “Pal, I’ve never pretended I wasn’t looking out for myself. And anyway, you should be happy now that coast is clear.” He jerked his head in Evie’s direction. Too late, he caught Mabel’s pained expression. Nice going, Lloyd. Great work. “Applesauce,” he muttered, feeling like a real heel. “ “

“ “ Well, if it isn’t the former future Mrs. Sam Lloyd.”- “Don’t start with me, Sam. Oh, and I see the Herald ran with your story last week.” With one gloved hand, Evie blocked out an imaginary headline in the air. “ ‘Wedding Not in the Cards for Sweetheart Seer and Hero- Diviner Sam Lloyd’ Hero- Diviner.” Evie rolled her eyes. “And how come you got a first and a last name?”- “What can I say? I lead a charmed life. Look, that’s all water under the bridge. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. Bigger than you and me. Can we agree on that?”- “ That depends. Will you be speaking in clichés on the primrose path of our glorious future?”- “Evie.”- “ Yes. Fine…. Say, why didn’t you needle Uncle Will and Sister Walker for more answers about Project Buffalo? They know more than they’re telling us.”- “ Exactly! You play much poker?”- “Not really.”-  “I can tell. We got us a poker game here.” “

“ “ Remember my informant on Project Buffalo?”- “ Your creepy man?”- “The same. Fella named Ben Arnold. This was sent to me at the museum, no return address.” Sam handed Evie a small, back- pages newspaper mention of a mysterious death. “He was found dead on an ash heap in Queens. He’s been strangled with piano wire.”- Exasperated, Evie handed the article back. “There’s no need for me to read it if you’re just going to narrate the whole thing, Sam.”- “ Okay. We gonna have this fight now?”- Evie kept her eyes straight ahead.“ What fight? I’m not fighting.”- “You’re the one who wanted that meshuga phony romance for publicity,” Sam reminded her. “ I’m just a fella who had the decency to end it.”- Evie stopped so fast Sam had to back up. “Decency? Decency? Says the fella out every night with a different girl! ‘Jilted Sam Lloyd Finds Comfort with Chorus Girls! Hard-Hearted Hannah Evie O’Neill Breaks Hero’s Heart.’ What a lot of hooey!”- Sam leaned against the light post like owned it. “ What do you care? It’s not like you want me, right?”- Evie drew in a sharp breath. “I- I.. don’t care!” she said with a toss of her head. “But it’s embarrassing. And you get to be ‘ poor Sam’ while I’m ‘fickle Evie.’ “ -  “Give the papers another few weeks, and they’ll flip the story to ‘ Poor Evie, Cad Sam.’ What am I supposed to do, sit at home and fog up the bathroom mirror with lonely sighs?”- “ Gee, can you do that? That’s a swell trick.” Evie said sarcastically. “What is it? Why are you making that face?”-  “ Incredible. You actually worked up a little angry spot in the corner of your mouth right there...”- Evie batted Sam’s finger away. “Good. It’ll make it easier for me to digest you.” “

“ “ Truce?”- “Truce. Should we tell the others that we’re still looking into Project Buffalo?”- “ Not till we find out what’s on those cards. For now, it’s our secret.”- “ And Woody’s.”- “ T. S. Woodhouse. How could I forget you told that rat reporter about Project Buffalo? Fine. Let the bum see what he can find. But that’s on you. I’m not paying him.”- “Fine.” “

“ “ Well, this had been fun. I’m headed that way. Plenty of pockets to pick this time of evening.”- “ Then I’m going the other way. Toward civilization.”- “ Always a pleasure, Lamb Chop.”- “Just remember, Sam Lubovitch Lloyd!”- “What?”- “You still owe me twenty bucks!” “

“ “Say, how come Memphis and Isaiah call you Sister?”- “ We know her. She was friends with our mama. She lives near us.” Isaiah said.- Sam tried out his most charming smile on Sister Walker. “So can I call you Sister, too?” - “You may call me Miss Walker.” “

“ If Evie read an object when Sam was near, she was somehow able to reach much deeper into the object’s past. “It’s almost as if your don’t see me routine has the opposite effect on my reading, Sam.”- “ I’ll send you a bill.” He joked.- “ I’ll deduct twenty clams.” “

“ “ Evie, since Sam seems to affect your reading ability, let’s see if you have any sway over his powers. Come sit close to him, if you would, please.” Sister Walker said. (..) She liked the way he smelled, like spicy aftershave and something else, something she could only describe as Sam. Sam squinted at her.- “You jake? You look funny.”- “I’m fine. Just.. don’t steal anything from me.”- “Here goes. Don’t see me.” Theta blinked and Sam’s shoulders sagged. She could see him losing confidence.- “Try again. Go all out.”- “You sure?” Sam said quietly.- “Yeah. Think about putting me right to sleep.”- “ Sam’s good at that.” Evie grumbled.” “

“ “Sam? Sam!”- “You’re already tried that little stunt, Evie.” She could hear Sam’s voice, but she couldn’t see him. (..) Other than Evie herself, only Memphis and Sister Walker were alert.- “I’m not pulling your leg, Sam. Honest!” Evie put out a hand and yelped when she touched something solid. He was right next to her. “Sam. You’re invisible!”- “I am?” (..)- “Twenty- two seconds,” Sister Walker said, clearly excited. “That’s how long you were invisible.”- “ Five seconds. That’s how long it’s gonna take me to give you a black eye.” Evie said.- Ling blinked. “Wh- what happened?”- “Sam went invisible. Unfortunately, he came back.” Evie told her.- Ling opened her notebook, excited. “Where- where did you go when you  disappeared? Do you feel strange in any way?”- “Sam is strange in every way.” Jericho said. (…) - “ Why doesn’t  Sam’s power affect you, Miss Walker?” Evie asked.- “Training. I suspect Memphis’s healing powers make him immune. As for you, Evie, it would appear that you and Sam share a special bond.”- “Swell.” “

“ “ Kinda funny when you think about it.”- “What’s that?” Will asked.- “ Me and Isaiah. Evie. Memphis. Ling. Henry. And-” Sam quickly stopped himself from saying Theta. “Us. We got a Jew, two Negroes, a half-Chinese-half-Irish girl. Coupla Catholics. Sounds  like the start of some really awful joke the stuffed shirts would tell behind closed doors.”- “What’s your point?” Ling asked.- “Well, people like to say we’re not true Americans, whatever that means. But we’re the ones with these powers.” Sam shrugged. “It’s just kinda funny is all.” He caught Sister Walker throwing a meaningful glance Will’s way. It was quick but noticeable.”

“ What about Sam?.. (..) And she’d be lying if she said she didn’t still carry a torch for him. Was it normal to have a crush in two boys at the same time?”

“ “ Mabel! Say, this is a nice surprise.”- “ Sam, could you steal me a movie camera?”- “ That is, without a doubt , the most interesting question I’ve been asked today. And considering the day involved talk about ghosts and the end of the world, that’s saying something.” “

“ “ Spooky spirit sketches.” Sam grumbled.- “ Nice alliteration.” Memphis said.- “Nice what?”- “ Alliteration. It’s when you repeat the same consonant  in phrase.”- “Huh. I was hoping it was something dirty.”- “Ignore him, Memphis.” Jericho said with a roll of his eyes. “We all do.” “

“ “ If I have to look through one more of these, I’m throwing myself off that balcony.” he moaned.- “Let me know if you need help,” Jericho said as he calmly restored Sam’s discarded book to its rightful place on the shelves. Memphis laughed. Those two. They were like squabbling brothers. Their arguments were better than going to the pictures.” “

“ The professor used to decorate for Christmas? That may be the most surprising thing I’ve learned today.”

“ You don’t get it, do you? You have the strongest  power, Memphis.”

“ “Do you think I’m selfish?”- Sam laughed. “ Is that a trick question?””

“ “.. Oh, I see. It only counts if everybody knows about it. Don’t you get enough attention?”… “ I’m an odd fella, but I know I’m an odd fella. What I can’t figure out is why you gotta make yourself crackers trying to be somebody you can’t ever be instead of just letting yourself be the one and only Evie O’Neill.” ”

“ Every time I go somewhere with you, Sam, I’m sure it’ll be the end of me. And my shoes.”

“ “Don’t see me.” The man went slack. Sam reached into his pocket and took out a chunk of cash.- “Sam!” Evie said, looking over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”- “We might need extra money for information.”- “That’s terrible!”- “Yeah? Say, when did you develop a conscience?”- “ About the time I started reading people’s secrets for a living,” Evie said, but she was laughing. “And I hate having a conscience. Very inconvenient.”- Sam unfolded the man’s money, lifted a twenty, and put the rest back in the man’s pocket. “Happy now, Sheba?”- Evie pursed her lips and looked toward the ship’s ceiling. “That depends. Are you sore about it, Sam?”- “Yes.”- She looped her arm through his. “Then I’m happy.”- Sam burst into laughter. “Okay, Lamb Chop. You win.” “

“ That was what he couldn’t tell her- that the end of their fake romance was really about saving himself. He’d gone goofy for her, and if she broke his heart, that would be the end of the best friendship he’d ever had. He couldn’t risk that.”

“ “Holy moly! You always drive that fast?”- “Slow is for chumps.”- “ Well, I’d like to be a live chump. Take it easy, will ya?” “

“ “ You kept those and I’m the bad guy?”- “ Sam, you steal from people all the time.”( Jericho)- “ Just like Robin Hood.”- “He gave to the poor.”- “So… I’m poor.”

“ “Okay if I fill Sam in?” Evie said.- “You’ll have to. Otherwise , he’ll never shut up.”( Jericho.”) “

“ “ Fours are unlucky. The word for four sounds like the word for death.” Ling said.- Sam looked from Ling to Jericho and back. “You know what? I’m gonna call you two the spooky twins.” “

“ “Evie and I broke in” Sam said.- “ Did anyone see you breaking in?”- “No. Why?”- Will let out of a deep breath. “Because .. because that was government office and you could be arrested.”- “ Still waiting for that answer.” Sam demanded.- “Yes, we all are.” Evie chimed in. “

“ Will paled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”- Sam snorted. “Why didn’t I tell you? Oh. That’s rich. You’re the ones who’ve been keeping secrets about us from us and telling us to trust you!” “

“ “Sam?” Evie asked.- “ Yeah, okay. I’m in. But for us.” Sam said.

“ “ The unwanted dead? I sure hope they stay put while we’re here.” Sam whispered to Evie.- “ Gotta hand it to you, Sheba, you sure know how to have fun.” Woody said, and popped his chewing gum. “

“ “ Baby Vamp, with your moxie and my good looks..”Sam spread his arms wide.- “So we’re half-doomed is what you’re telling me. Well. I suppose you can always just..” Evie wiggled her fingers.- “What, dry my nail varnish? Pretend I’m a bird? Play an imaginary piano?” Sam said.- “No! Do your don’t see me trick.”- “How come yours is a ‘gift’ and mine is a ‘trick’? I’m insulted.”- “Just make yourself useful, Sam.”- Woody laughed. “ Shame you two called off your engagement. You’re a perfect couple.” “

“ “ Hold still. I want to get a picture, Evie, lean it, will ya? “Woody urged, taking a long-snouted accordion camera from his reporter’s bag.- “ To the man who tried to kill her?” Sam said. ” Nothing doing.” ”

“ “I can’t believe we actually got thrown out of an asylum.” Sam said.- “ I prefer ‘firmly escorted from the premises’.” “

“ “ I’ll think of something.” Evie said.-” Yes, you will.  And that’s what I’m afraid of.” “

“ That’s how you behave like a human.” Evie whispered to Sam. “ Takes notes so you can remember.” “

“ “Stole it off Molly,” Sam said. “It’s the key to his room.”- “ So that’s why you were cozying up to her.”- “ That, and she’s a real tomato.”-  “Once again, Sam, I don’t know if I want to kiss or kill you.”- “ Better kiss me, then, to make sure.” Sam said, and winked.- “Come on, Romeo.” “

“ Dammit, Evie! Stay here. Lock yourself in. I’ll get her.” Sam said, and gave chase.”

“ “ They want me to be sorry ‘bout how I done Father Hanlon, but I ain’t. He shouldn’t tried to take Jimmy for ice cream.”-  “ Yeah? Why’s that?”- “I didn’t want him to do to Jimmy what he done to me.”( Conor)- “ What did Father Hanlon do to you?”- “He tol’ me nobody would believe me. His words against mine.” ( ..) - The full horror of it rose up from Sam’s stomach. “So, you tried to stop him from hurting anybody else?.. I understand. You’re not wicked, kid. Somebody is, but it ain’t you.” “

“ Me not want to be with you?  Are you kidding?”

“ I’m in an asylum. Being chase by ghosts. Evie is kissing me. He didn’t know which of those seemed the most far-fetched. “

“ “Kiss us, kiss us!” the ghosts demanded.- “Sorry. I only date one at a time.”

“ Yeah. You’re gonna hate me for this but.. “And with that, Sam pushed her out of the window. Sam heard her land with an “Oof” followed by angry “Saaam!”- “She’s okay,” Sam said, nodding. “You’re next.” “

“ Evie yanked him to safety by the edge of his shirt ripping it. “ Thanks. You owe me a shirt,” Sam said.- “ You owe me twenty dollars.””

“ We can sort this out later. Right now we gotta figure out how to get these ghosts to go away.” Sam said. “Who’s got ideas? “ No one spoke. “Don’t all jump in at once. Form an orderly line.”

“ “ Here you are: The thief. The fire starter. The object reader. The dream walkers. The clairvoyant. And the healer. Do you know who I am?”- “ The man in the stovepipe hat.” Evie whispered, frightened.- “I prefer the King Of Crows. After all, why be a man when you can be a king?” “

“ “ Let us play a game to see if you worthy of my largesse.”- “We’re not playing anything with you.” Said Sam.”

“ See, that’s your generation all over- you muck up everything and then expect us to fix your messes.” Sam growled.”

“ Sam ran after Evie, calling her name. She sank to her knees on the museum’s damp yard. Sam scooped her up and held her to him. “ Hey, hey, hey. Sheba. I’ve got you. I’ve got you. Listen, you and me and the others. We’ll see this thing through. All right? C’mon, Baby Vamp. Shake your head if you hear me.” (…) Sam cupped her face gently. “You. Me. All of us. No matter what.” Finally, Evie allowed a small nod, whether of agreement or defeat, Sam couldn’t be sure. But it was a start. He helped her to her feet. The others were in the yard now.”

“ Swell. We’re the only Diviners ghost service in town without a meeting place.” Sam said.”

“ “.. and me.. I mean I know you were possessed. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have… you know. And with such… enthusiasm.”- Evie blushed. “Right. I- I wasn’t in control.”- “Yeah. Just.. ghosts.”- “Ghosts.”- “Thought so.” Sam managed a weak smile. “Well, there’s still a little time left in this miserable night, and I know a speakeasy on Fifty- second where the dames are happy to see you at this hour.”- “Yes, wouldn’t want to disappoint your harem.”- “You know.. Never mind.” “

“ “ Sam, I don’t think you should go anywhere by yourself.”- “ Yeah? You offering to be my bodyguard, Lamb Chop? Gee, that’ll be kinda awkward on my dates, won’t it?”- “Fine. Get pinched by those creepy Shadow Men. See if I care.” (..) - “A what?”- “A noodge. A little prodding. I’m getting antsy here.”- “Fine. I’ll send him an urgent letter.. Noodge? Is that a real world?”- “ It’s Yiddish. Like… Ikh hob dikh lib.”- Evie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “What does that mean?”- Sam smiled. “Maybe one day I’ll tell you.”

“ He opened the door and hold out the rose. “Welcome.”- “Aww, Freddy, you shouldn’t have, “Sam said, taking the rose and threading it through the buttonhole of his coat. “This is so sudden! I don’t know what to say. Oh, okay. You’ve won me over, you big brute. The answer is yes.” With that, Sam jumped into Jericho’s arms.”

“ “ So this is where the party is. Sorry I missed it,” Sam said, barging through the doors. He gave Evie and Jericho a long sideways glance. Then he walked around the room as if studying it.”- “ Are you casing the joint, Sam?” Evie asked, annoyed by his interruption.- “ No. I’m having déjà vu.” Sam folded his arms and squinted at the meticulous of paintings of pinch-mouthed men.- “ Again?” Henry quipped, coming into the room along with Ling.- “Because you were here before,” Evie said. “I remember it from reading, your mother’s photograph. This is where she brought you when you were little. “ “

“ Evie sneaked out, closing the door quietly behind her. When she turned around, she yelped in surprise. Sam was a few feet away, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. “You startled me” she said.- Sam wasn’t his usual good-time, smirking self. In fact, he looked as if someone had run over his dog. “What is it about that guy?”- “ I don’t know what you mean.”- “ Come on, Evie. Don’t con a con man.” “

“ Maybe you’re the one who’s miserable. You’re certainly conceited.”- “At least I know how to make a girl laugh.”- “ And put her hair out.”- “You know, some girls like that hair- pulling.”- “Then remind me to shave my head bald.”- “Wait! Just answer me this: Does he make you happy?”- “If you must know, he makes me feel like I’m the only girl in the room.”- “That’s not the same thing.”- Why was he doing this to her? “Are you one of this fellas who only likes a girl if another fella wants her? Maybe you should ask yourself that question. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to dress for dinner.” She said moving past him.- Sam reached out and held her hand softly. “Evie..”- For just a minute, she was reminded of their fake romance. Except that the expression on his face seemed very real. Was it real? Was anything with Sam real?” “

“ “What do we do now?” Henry asked.- “ Nothing, that’s what.” Sam said, sinking down onto one of the beds. “We can’t read these cards, we can’t find any other Diviners. We can’t know about ourselves and what they did to us. And I can’t use that information to find my mother.” Sam buried his head in his hands. “Could you.. not look at me right now? Thanks.”-  Evie had never seen Sam like this. He was usually the one finding a way forward. It was a little scary to see him at such a loss. She reached for the mangled card.- Sam glanced up. “What are you doing?”- “ I’m going to try to read it.” Evie said, sitting beside Sam on the bed.- “You already told us you can’t read it.” Ling said.- “I couldn’t before. I still might not be able to do it. But we might. We already know that together we can strengthen one another’s energy and skills. With all of us working together, I might be able to break through.”- “You’ll be sick.”- Sam warned.- “So I’ll be sick.”- “Are you sure, doll? “ “

“ Sam” Evie whispered. “Can you help me see better?” Sam’s hand was on her shoulder. She could feel him. And then, all at once, she broke through layers of old memories to Rotke Wasserman. Rotke knew what was on the cards!”

“ I’ll help you to your room, doll.” Sam said, jumping up before Jericho could. It was petty on his part. He didn’t regret it.”

“ Wait a minute, he thought. I can. It was a risk. He wasn’t sure how much time he’d have. But Sam loved risks. He was a gambler, through and through. He grinned. “Why the hell not?”- “Don’t see me.” He said, cloaking himself. Hey, Jericho, he thought with a snort. I can do something you can’t do, pal. And then he let himself into the room. “

“ “When that son of a bitch wakes up, I’m gonna punch his lights out.”- “No, you’re not. That won’t solve anything.”- “It might.”- “ It won’t. And I’m perfectly all right.”- “Bushwa, you are! You’re still shaking.” Sam said.” Excuse my language.” “

“ “ She’s not going anywhere with you, pal. Not without the rest of us.”- “ I can speak for myself, Sam.””

“ “You.. you talked to my mother?” For all the reasons Sam had disliked Jericho, this one hurt the most. Why would she speak to these other fellas- like Jericho, of all people- and not to her own son.” “

“  He’d been thinking of Evie. Why couldn’t he just let go? Sam didn’t open up to many people. But there was something about Evie that drew him out and made him vulnerable. Sam had been up in an aeroplane with Barnstormin’ Belle. He’d flown on the trapeze and walked a wire with the circus. Most people thought that was bravery. But nothing was braver than letting somebody really know you, warts and all. Nothing was braver than trying to love and be loved.”

“ And Evie realized that Sam had been right- no matter how much she tried to make herself fit, eventually, the real, smart-mouthed Evie would come bursting out of the confining party cake with all of her opinions and wounds on display.”

“ “I need you to trust me on something.” Memphis said.- “Okay, pal.” Sam said. “You’re scaring me, but okay.” “

“ “You’re telling me not to lose hope because there are pirate pictures?”- “I’m trying here, Baby Vamp. When you’re facing evil, a good pirate picture doesn’t hurt.”- “What else?”- “ Nah. I’ve told you already.”- “Oh, please. Just one more.”- “Just one more, huh?”- “ Yeah. But make it a really good one.”- “A good one.”- “ Yes.”- “Okay.” Sam’s heart thudded against his ribs. He was dizzy. “Then how about this.” And with that, he leaned forward and kissed her. Evie put a hand to her lips and stared at Sam. “Um. You might say something here. Or slap me. Hoping it’s not that, though.” Sam joked, and swallowed hard.- “How do I know that’s real?” Evie said after she’d caught her breath.- “Let me prove it.” Sam kissed her again, longer this time. And for the first time that night, Evie did feel loved. Sam wasn’t telling her to act more like a “good girl.” he didn’t want her to be anybody but who she was. Why had she tortured herself by not letting him in?- “I’m still not convinced. You.. you might have to make your case more strongly.”- Sam’s grin was wolfish, but inside he was balloons and champagne, a full goddamn birthday party. “Sure thing, Lamb Chop.”- Evie put a finger to Sam’s lips and frowned. “ I believe I have made my feelings about that name plain.”- Sam licked up the length of her finger, drawing a grasp from here. “What can I say? I’m a naughty boy.”- “How naughty?”- “ Would you like to find out?”- Evie knew she could come back with a quip, but everything felt too real right now. She needed to be real with someone. “I would. But I’m afraid of what I’ll find out. I just need something that doesn’t feel like a lie.”- “Okay.” Sam swallowed hard, took a deep breath. “ Then here it is: All the times I say, ‘Don’t see me’? With you, I wish I had an opposite power: See me. See me, Evie. See all of me. There’s a fella who loves you right here. I’m not perfect. I’m handful. But you know what? So are you. There. Not sugarcoating it.”- “But.. what if I love you and you go away?“ Evie said, almost a whisper. - “ Sheba, I’m sitting across from you right now. Don’t you see that I’m not going anywhere?” And she knew he was being honest. There was such fear In the world. But love was everywhere if you looked. It was the best thing about humans. That they could stare into the abyss and still open up their hearts. A spit in the eye to fear. ”

“ “Wha-what’s the matter?”- “You’re not possessed by ghosts this time, are you?”- “Sam, honestly!”- “ Just checking.”- Evie kissed her way up the salty sweetness of his throat, to his ear, which she nibbled very softly, then whispered, “I am the Forgotten, forgotten no more.”- “Holy moly!” Sam jumped an Evie’s fell back against the pillow in a fit of laughter.- “Oh, Sam, your face!”- “Not amusing, Sheba.” Sam chided, but he was laughing, too.” “

“ Evie lifted Sam’s undershirt over his head and kissed the scar near his collarbone. “ Aerialist accident in the big tent.” Sam explained.- “ Mmm. Tell me later.” “

“ And then, suddenly, the whole night was too much. She was afraid. It was silly, wasn’t it? She’d been ruined by Jake Marlowe and Sarah Snow. They’d faced a street full of ghosts, and she was afraid of this, this joining of bodies, this step toward love? Her cynicism was leaving her. She was opening herself up to something more. It was somehow the scariest thing in the whole world. “ Could we.. could we just lie next to each other?” Evie said, eyes brimming with tears. “Just for a little while?”- “You’re killing me, Sheba.”- “Please? I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”- Sam lifted her chin. “ Hey. Don’t be sorry. It’s okay.” With that, he flipped onto his back and stared at the ceiling with great concentration. - “What are you doing?” Evie asked.- “Thinking of the least sexual thing I can imagine. Ghost bubbes. They’re making ghost borscht and talking about their bowel troubles. Jeepers. I might never make love again. This is traumatic.”- Evie burst out laughing. Then: “Sam. I changed my mind.”- “About..?”- “You know.” She reached under the covers and touched him, biting her lip at the surprise of what she felt.- Sam gasped. “You sure?” His voice was soft and a little breathy. Evie nodded. “You’re sure-sure?”- “Sh-shut up and k-kiss me, Sam.” “

“ He scribbled a quick note- gotta run an important errand. I’ll be back by ten. He wrote I love you, then scribbled it out. Too soon? Too soon. Instead, he addressed the note to “ Lamb Chop.” She’d be so annoyed. Grinning, he grabbed his fisherman’s cap and coat. “I love you,” he whispered quietly. “ Ikh hob dikh lib.” He kissed Evie’s head. She rustled in her sleep, turning away. “Fine. I see how it is. I just wasted my best Yiddish on you, “ Sam joked to himself. He loved her. Was in love with her. Had always loved her. And it seemed that she loved him too. It was funny how the world could change on a dime like that. One minute, you were some poor chump pining after a girl you thought didn’t feel the same way about you, and the next, you were lying together, arms entwined, chest to chest, so close you could feel her heartbeat under her soft skin. You were looking into her eyes and seeing your whole future written there.”

“ He had friends. He had a home in them. And Evie was home, too.”

“He’ll tell Evie everything. Let her know that he loved her. Let her know how much he loved her.”

“ Help me. Can’t you see this isn’t right? But the people liked the answer the men in dark suits had supplied; it absolved them of any responsibility, and they moved on with their busy lives. “

“ In her hotel room, Evie paced, stopping only when she realized she was acting just like Will. Where was Sam? He’d promised to be there by ten, and it was now nearly ten thirty.”

“ Lefty told Evie about the men who’d come and taken Sam away in the brown sedan. By the time he’d finished, Evie was more frightened than ever. She gave Lefty a dollar and asked him to keep what he knew quiet for his own protection. Sam’s hat sat in her hands. She could feel it wanting to whisper its messages to her. “ Show me where you are, Sam.” “

“My dear Mr. Phillips. You can’t fire me. I quit.”

“ I’m going to find Sam. Those Shadow Men took him. I know it. And I’m going to follow every clue until I hunt him down and get him back.”

            “ No! He is pos-i-tutely not dead! Besides, if anybody is going to have the pleasure of murdering Sam Lloyd, it ought to be me.”- Theta chuckled and shook her head. “You two. I don’t know whether to hope you get married or hope you never do.” “

“ “ Wait just a minute- when did this happen? Who arranged it?” Ling asked.- “Jericho and I did.” Evie said.- “Without asking the rest of us? Who died and made you boss?”- “My uncle Will.” Evie said through her teeth.” “

“ We have to save Sam. I won’t let him to be fed to that awful thing.”

“ My kingdom for a toothbrush, and some aspirin.”

“ “ Where the hell am I?”- “ Hello, Sam. Or do you prefer Sergei?”- “I’d prefer that you let me out of here.”

“ It had been ten years since he’d last seen her. Ten years since she’d kissed him good-bye and gone to work on Project Buffalo. She seemed smaller to him now that he was older. “Mama?”- “Sergei!” (..) There were more words, all in their native Russian: Are you hurt? Nyet. I love you. I love you, too, Mama. And: You got so big! Which made Sam laugh despite the circumstances, because mothers were mothers no matter what. He hadn’t been wrong. She was alive. All this time, alive. And these were the sons-of-bitches who’d destroyed their family, who’d kept them apart and lied about it, telling Sam’s father that Miriam had died of influenza back in 1918.- “Take her outta those chains.”- “I’m afraid I can’t do that… (..) “ Sam had never felt such blinding rage. He’d always wondered what would happen if he came face-to-face with the men who’d taken his mother. Wondered if he was capable of murder. Now he knew that he was.” “

“ “Easy, chump.”- “Who are you calling a chump?”- “Did I say chump? I meant champ. I get my vowels mixed up.” (..) Sergei. Be careful.- I do what I like, he thought, unsure if his mother could hear it.- Don’t be a pisher.- Yep. She could hear him.” “

“ “Mr. Adams. That was unnecessary.” Jake Marlowe said. - “Yeah. Make him say he’s sorry.” Sam goaded.- “ I’m sure he is.” Jake said with paternal disinterest.- Sam glared at Adams, who mouthed, I’m not sorry.” “

“ “Safe from what?” Sam repeated.”

“ Hey. Hey! Leave my mother alone! Okay, now? Now I’m mad. You made me mad. You listening to me, Mr. Heebie- Jeebies Adams and your friend, Jokes Jefferson? When I got up out of this chair, you will be sorry. Very sorry. I’m not kidding. You don’t want to fool around with me. I’m really, really mad.”

“ Fine for me or fine for the chair?… No, you don’t understand. I hate needles. A lot. I-”

“ He wanted out of his body. “ Please,” he whispered. “Please, don’t.” “

“ Split. Evie was just out of reach, and he was screaming at her to stop, to come back. Why? Sam wanted to follow that future to see where it led because it frightened him.”

“ You can also close doors. I’m just saying, some door are very good closed.”

“ “Evie. Nice hat.” Jericho said crisply.- “Thank you. I’m rather fond of it. And the person it belongs to.” “

“ We are. But first we’re going to rescue Sam.”

“ “ Can you hear me?”- “Yes. I’m Evie. I’m Sam’s friend. We’re trying to find him. We’re here to rescue him.”- “ It is hard for me with so much iron. They hold him below. Third door on right. You must go quickly.” “

“ “Sam?” she whispered into the darkened room.- “ Evie? Is that you?” Sam’s weak voice nearly wrecked Evie’s heart. He sounded sick. Broken. (..) His eyes were glassy, haunted. “Evie?”- “Sam! Oh Sam!” Evie ran over and unlatched the restraints, freeing him. She scooped him up in her arms. He fell against her chest, limp.- “ Baby Vamp, is that really you?”- “It’s really me. “ Evie said and kissed him gently on the lips. He stared into her eyes.- “Why do you look like a hobo?”- “I’ll explain later. Did he hurt you?”- “ Will you kiss me some more if I say yes?”- “I will kiss you as much as you like.” And with that, Evie kissed Sam deeply.- “Ew.” Isaiah said, embarrassed. He looked to Theta, who rolled her eyes.- “ Give ‘em a minute, kid.”  Sam pulled away. His shoulders shook, and it took Evie a second to realize that he was crying.- “Oh, Sam, Sam.” Evie threw her arms around him again.- “ I’m afraid this isn’t real,” he said between hiccupping sobs. “I’m afraid in a minute I’ll wake up and I’ll be here but you won’t be.”- “I’m here, Sam, and I promise I will never leave you again.” She wiped his cheeks with her scarf. He looked so sad and bruised by life it nearly killed her.- Sam cupped Evie’s face between his dry palms. “You’re real.”- “Yes.”- “ You’re here with me now.”- “ You bet-ski.” (…) - “Theta.” Sam said in wonder. He held both of her hands.- “Missed you, too, you little criminal.”- “Hi, Sam.” Isaiah waved.- “Hey, kid. You got taller.” “

“ “ Lamb Chop, what’s your plan getting out of here?”- “We don’t have a plan.” Isaiah said.- “We’re.. improvising!” Evie added.- “Oh, shit.” Sam said and buried his face in his hands.- “ Sam Lloyd, don’t make me regret coming to rescue you!”- “I’m just saying: A plan. A plan is helpful.”- “We didn’t have time to make a plan. Every bounty hunter and federal agent is out looking for us right now. We drove straight here from New York.”- “Will is dead. And Sister Walker got arrested for treason.” Isaiah said.- “Jake Marlowe declared the Diviners Public Enemy Number One at Sarah Snow’s memorial. There’s a bounty on our heads.”- “ And there’s a girl in Nebraska, another Diviner. That’s where we headed. To Bountiful.” Isaiah added. “ And I don’t know where Memphis is.”- “We got separated in Times Square.” Theta said. Sam’s eyes widened.- “So as you can see, we’ve been rather busy.” Evie said, how amazing how quickly her feelings for Sam could slip from wild love to extreme annoyance and back again. She hadn’t quite made it back again. (..) “Do you think you can walk?”- “ Yeah.” Sam said, wincing as he scooted to the edge of the bed. Evie helped him into his shoes. He grinned. “ Hey. My hat.”- Evie took it from her head and placed it on his. And just like that it was wild love again.” “

“ I’m sorry, Baby Vamp.” Sam laced his fingers with hers. “ I promise we’ll figure it out. We’ll save your brother and my ma.”

“ “Baby Doll’s right. I say it’s time we run away and join the circus.”- “ Oh, Sam, be serious.” Evie grumbled.- “I am serious!”- “Sam! Please.” “

“ “Can I pet the tiger?”( Isaiah)- “Sure you can. I wouldn’t recommend it, though.”

“ “ Look at you! Why, you’re a man now!”( Zarilda)- “Yeah. I suppose I am.” Sam said proudly.- Evie rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother.”

“ “ Sam, are you sure you should be doing that? After all you’ve been through?”- “Everything’s jake, Baby Vamp.” “

“ Evie held her breath as Sam straightened into a perfect handstand balancing atop Hasan’s palms, raised high above his head, and held that position longer than she thought possible. Then, with a perfect grace, Sam flipped backward in a somersault and landed on his feet. “Like riding a bicycle.” Sam said.- Theta applauded. “That was the berries, Sam! And here I thought I was the elephant’s eyebrows’ cause I can top-dance.”- “You are the elephant’s eyebrows, Theta.” Sam said.- “What about me?” Evie asked, throwing her arms around Sam’s neck.- “You’re the full elephant.”- Evie wrinkled her nose. “That was a compliment?”- “And how.” ”

“ “Where’d ya pick her up, Sam?”- “Would you believe a museum of the occult?” ”

“ “A… clown?”- “Best way I can think of to disappear.”- “It had to be clowns.” (..) Sam grinned and elbowed Theta, who tried not to laugh. - “How ‘bout that? Your outside finally matches your insides, Baby Doll.” Sam said.” - “This is pos-i-tutely the worst moment of my life.” “

“ Aw, I think you’re just about the cutest clown I’ve ever known.”

“ “Zenith. I’d almost rather have the Shadow Men take me.”- Sam got quiet. “Don’t say that.”- “Sam.. Sam! Oh, Sam. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.” She threw her arms around his neck and covered his face with kisses.- “Say. I like the way you apologize.”- “Don’t get used to it.” Evie said with a laugh. “I’m very rarely wrong, don’t you know. Oh, Sam. Won’t you tell me what’s eating you?” “

“ There had been a future without her. And that had frightened him the most. But how could he tell her that?”

“ “Would you mind apologizing to me again?”- “I am sorry, Sam.”- “ See, I don’t believe you’re sorry.”- “How about now?”- “The question is how sorry?” He wanted to hold her all day and all night.- “Very, very sorry.” “

“ He didn’t want her go. Ever. “Wait! You gonna apologize for that comment about Hattie?” Sam pointed to his lips. Evie grinned and kept walking.- “Not on your life, Sam Lloyd. You still owe me twenty clams.” Sam watched her go, fighting the urge to run after her and beg her to stay with him all night.”

“ “I’ve had worse.”- “Wish I’d known that before I kissed you.” “

“ The people watched the circus and Evie watched the people. Can’t you see? She thought. You are the whole circus.”

“ “How did he.. look?”- “Not.. good.”- “Well. That was very descriptive, Miss Knight. Thank You.” ( Evie, Theta) “

“ “ I wanted you to know that I’m not criminal. I.. I wanted you to know that you were a good mother, and that.. I love You.”- “Well, I appreciate that.”- The disappointment stung. Deep down, Evie had known her mother was who she was. She was never  going to sweep Evie into a warm, motherly hug and tell her daughter that she loved her no matter what. But knowing that didn’t stop Evie from wanting that elusive affection. Hoping for it. This time. (..) There were bare spots on the wall, and Evie realized that those were the places where the pictures of her had once been displayed. They were all gone. She had been erased from the family story. --- Evie cried the whole way back to the circus camp. (…) - “Aw, c’mon, Pork Chop. I was only teasing. Hey, Baby Vamp?” Evie did not break stride. The circus went blurry. She blinked but it only happened again. She didn’t know where she was going. The fields were loud with barkers enticing folks into tents. All these people. Did any of them feel truly loved?- “ Baby Vamp?” Sam had caught up to her outside the empty elephant cage. “Aw, Sheba. You’re crying.”- “You’re very observant.” She shot back, and then she couldn’t stop herself from sobbing. Sam pulled her to him and wrapped her in a hug.- “It’s okay, Doll. It’s okay.” He murmured and kissed the top of her head.- “What’s the matter?” Theta’s voice.- Evie was still crying and so didn’t know what Sam whispered to Theta over the top of her head. She only knew that now there were two sets of arms around her, holding her close, holding her up. She only knew that she had family after all.” “

“ Theta pulled Evie back to safety. The ghost pointed a bony finger at Evie. “You’ll be sorry. You’ll be sorry.”- “You’re the one who’ll be sorry.” Sam barked. He joined hands with Theta and Evie.” “

“ “ Hey. I hope I didn’t wake you. I had the strangest dream..”- “ A map. Gideon, Kansas. Mabel?” Evie asked.- “Okay. We might be spending too much time together.” Sam said.”

“ “I. Won’ t. Give. Up.” Evie whispered.”

“ Stop cellar. Sam Poor Sam. Lifting her up so all she could see was smoke and sky.”

“ Sam was frantic. “Memphis. Tell me you can heal her, pal. Please, please, tell me you can.” (..) Sam fell to his knees. There were tears in his eyes. “Memphis, I’m begging you.” (..) “What are you talking about? She’s dying!” Sam shouted.” “

“ You gotta get better, okay, Lamb Chop? I still owe you twenty clams. The Evie O’Neill I know would never let me go away with that.”

“ Sam wanted to stay all night by Evie’s bedside, but Mrs. Olson insisted it wasn’t proper for a young man to spend that night in a young lady’s room.”

“ “What’s the matter with your voice?”- “ Nothing. Just, I ate some bread and, uh, it.. it scratched my throat is all.”- “You sounded like you were gonna cry.”- “No. Naw. I don’t cry, kid.”- Sarah Beth bristled. “I keep telling you! I’m not a kid. I’m a lady.”- “Sure. Of course you are. Thank you for sitting with Evie. I’ll take over now, my lady.” “

“ Hey. Hey, Baby Vamp. It’s Sam. You remember me? The fella who’s goofy for you? I was just thinking about the first time I saw you in Penn Station. You were looking at yourself in the shop window, making sure your hat was on straight. I could see your reflection. You weren’t sure if you looked like a city girl or some rube from Ohio. My first thought seeing you.. well, my first thought was, That there is a bona fide mark, Sam Lloyd. Gonna level with you, Baby Vamp. Street smarts you did not yet have. But watching you bite your kisser and fix your hat, I thought, Why does a tomato like that doubt herself? Even then, I knew you were like the Fourth of July inside a person. And then I stole twenty bucks from you like a lousy bum. But that twenty bucks brought me back to you, so maybe I’m also a real smart bum.” Gently, Sa, brushed a curl back from Evie’s cool forehead. He was relived that at least she was no longer feverish. “ I know I got a reputation as a cake-eater and a con. I can’t keep you in pearls, and the only joint I can afford is a hash house. I never wanted my name in lights the way you did. Me? You know I operate like a shell game, don’t see me and all that jazz. But if that’s what you wanted, well, by golly, I’d be in the front row, cheering you on.” Sam cleared his throat, but his voice stayed thick. “I’m cheering you on right now, Baby Doll. I’m in that front row telling you you can do this, you can get stronger and stronger, and then you’re gonna rise up outta that bed and show us all that Evie O’Neill more. You got to, okay, honey? Because I can face just about anything the King  Of Crows throws at us. But I can’t do it without you. Ikh hob dikh lib. I love you, Evie. I love you. “

“ “How long have I..”- “Three days.” Ling said.- “.. eight hours and forty-two minutes.” Sam finished. Sam was there, kneeling beside her. How happy she was to see him. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days.” “

“ Sam leaned against the porch railing and grinned at Evie. “I heard the prettiest girl in the world was sitting on this porch in Nebraska.”- Henry batted his lashes. “Oh, gee. Thanks, Sam.”- Evie laughed. “I look pos-i-tutely a fright, Sam.” “

“ “A few more days, okay? I won’t almost lose you twice.” Sam said with such love that Evie was too undone to argue.- “ All right, Sam. You win. A few more days.” “

“ “I invented trouble. I know how it works. But hold on a minute. I want privacy for this next part anyhow.” Sam held Evie’s hand. “Don’t see us.” (..) He rolled a tractor nut between his grease- strained fingers. “Even seen one of these?”- Evie glanced at it. “Sure. In a picture of the crown jewels once.”- “Ha!” Sam laughed.- “What is it?”- “It’s a nut.”- “ A.. nut?”- “ Yeah. See, it, ah, it slips over a bolt like.. say, hold out your finger for a second, I’ll show you.” - Evie gave Sam a dubious look and put out her hand. “Sam Lloyd, don’t you get that struck on my finger!”- “Don’t worry. Plenty of grease on it.” Sam said. He slipped it easily on her ring finger. It was too big. “Like that.”- “And what does this nut do?”- “It joins two things together. And that makes things work. In union. Like, you know. A marriage.” Sam kept turning the nut around Evie’s finger slowly.- “Well. Now I know all about how nuts and bolts work. I’m practically an expert.” Evie want to remove the nut, and Sam covered her hand with his.- “ Don’t take it off just yet, will ya?”- “Sam?”- It seemed to Sam that he had never in his entire life been as nervous as he was just now. Or as sure. “Evie O’Neill, would you marry me?”-  Evie raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t we play these roles already? A few months ago?”- “ That was pretend. I mean on the level. Evie O’Neill, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Lamb Chop?”- Evie could scarcely catch her breath. “If you’re pulling my leg, Sam Lloyd, I swear on all things holy..” But this face didn’t have even a trace of a smirk. Evie beamed. “Well, I’m telling you right now that you’ll have to find me a better ring. I am pos-i-tutely not wearing this one.”- “Does that mean….? “- Evie laughed and threw her arms around Sam’s neck. “ Yes! Yes, Sam Lloyd. I will marry you!”- “Hot dog!” Sam lifted Evie up and twirled her around.- “ Ow!” She said and grabbed her side. “War wound.” - “ Sorry, Baby Vamp.” He said, putting her down gently. (…) “Listen, I’ll need to keep that twenty dollars I stole from you. For the ring.”- “Sam!” Evie rolled her eyes and laughed. “Oh, who cares?” She said and kissed him again.” “

“ “I can do it.” Evie said, wincing from the pain in her side.- “Lamb Chop. We just got engaged. I won’t lose you.” Sam said.” “

“ “Jericho. I’m sorry. I should have told you before..”- “ Yes. Probably. Congratulations, by the way.”- “ Thank you. I don’t suppose you could be happy for me, could you?”- “I’m not not-happy for you…. I will always regret what happened.. what I did.. at Hopeful Harbor.”- “I know. Your sweetheart-”- “Guadalupe.” Jericho said and smiled.- “Guadalupe.” Evie repeated. How was it possible to feel relief, happiness, and jealousy all in one go? “Do you love her?”- Jericho blushed.” I’d prefer to keep that to myself.”- “Right. Of course. Pos-i-tutely. Say, do you remember that Ferris wheel ride up in Brethren?”- “ Yes. It was a great view from up there.”- “Yes. A truly spectacular view.”- “Really clear night, as I recall.”- “ Yes. Lots of stars.”- “ A very.. nice evening. Well, before we were chased by a murderous religious cult and nearly killed.” Evie laughed and Jericho laughed and there they were again, all the things that kept them tethered still firmly between them. But perhaps the tethering had grown looser.- “If Sam’s right and they are all those other universes out there, perhaps in one, you and I have settled down with a pack of smart, unruly children.”- Jericho only smiled. He looked out at the unbroken line of rural Nebraska.” This is the only universe I really know anything about, Evie. And you are marrying Sam. And I have a sweetheart named Lupe. And we have a mighty big fight ahead of us, something more important than this.” He took a deep breath. “You and I weren’t meant to be.”- “ Except as friends?” Evie asked hopefully.- Jericho shook his head, gave a little laugh. And then he smiled at her. A real smile. He struck out his hand. “Sure.” Evie gave it a solid shake. It felt like a prelude to good-bye, somehow. Like putting away old things to make room for new.” “

“ But Evie knew: Something truly terrifying had happened to Sarah Beth Olson.”

“ “Who was it who went with me to rescue Sam?”- “ Me.”- “ That’s right. And now I’m going to help you. That’s how it works.”- “How what works?”-  Evie kissed Theta on the cheek. “This crackers little thing called friendship.” “

“ “ Here. Let’s stand in a circle.”- “If nothing else, we’ve really mastered facing one another in the round.” Sam said. Evie kicked him.” “

“ “I’m scared” Evie hadn’t meant to say it. It just crept out.- “ You’re telling the truth.” Ling said.- “Is that so unusual?”- “ Yes. You don’t always trust us.” “

“ They were part of one another. It was beyond telepathy; they were transcendence. They could feel one another’s heartbeats. It was as if they lived in one another’s skins. Jericho’s fingers wanted to move across the piano keys of Henry’s memory and the face of a beautiful boy in New Orleans. Theta’s anger and fear swirled inside Sam, but so did her joy at singing and dancing. Evie was Memphis on Lenox Avenue, a poem half-formed in his heart. Ling was Isaiah saying, “Listen. Listen!” while people talked around him, over him, ignoring him. Memphis felt a nagging pain in his legs and then a beauty of physics making sense as he became Ling and she him and they were all one being. Jericho could touch Theta’s firepower, borrow it, make it his. Isaiah reached into his brother’s healing with a mischievous joy- so that’s how it is! Somehow, they had gotten past shame and pride and fear to vulnerability. They weren’t just combining powers, they were connecting. Anticipating one another’s moves. Beating with one heart. It was like the most beautiful voice surrounding them, looping through them, promising that no one is ever alone because aloneness does not exist. All are connected.”

“ “I read her dolls. I know I shouldn’t have, but I had a bad feeling.”- “ Spare us the monologue. Skip to the end.” Theta said.” “

“”Where did Isaiah’s body go?” Henry asked quietly.- “Pal, I don’t know. I don’t know anything about what’s happening right now.” Sam said under his breath.” “

“ “My h-healing power f-for Isaiah.” Memphis said.- “Oh, that’s just terrific. That’s swell.” Sam said, angry.- Theta glared. “Stop it, Sam.”- “What are we supposed to do now? How are we supposed to heal the breach without a healer?”- “ He just lost his brother!” Theta shouted.“ “

“ “ If it comes to it, we can use our powers.” Sam said, reaching for Evie’s hand. She, in turn, reached for Henry’s.”

“ “What’s wrong with Memphis?” Marlowe asked.- “ He’s sick. So we shouldn’t do this.” Evie said.- “What’s the matter with him?”- “ Grief.”- “The loss of Isaiah is unfortunate. But we’ll still be able to carry on without him. The serum and the modifications I’ve made to the Eye should see to that.”- “You’re a real son-of-a-bitch.” Sam said.” (..)- “ I’ve had to make terrible sacrifices for progress.” Marlowe answered.- Henry clucked sympathetically. “I, too, hate it when my tea gets cold while I’m plotting destruction. Such a sacrifice.”-  Marlowe stared at Henry. “How would you like it if the whole world knew about you and those degenerate clubs you haunt in Greenwich Village?”- “ How would you like it if I used you for kindling?” Theta shot back.- “Your village didn’t like it much.” Mr. Jefferson interjected with a snort.- Evie jumped up from her seat and kicked Jefferson in the shins, hard. “That’s for Theta.” She kicked him again, higher up. “And.. and.. that’s for Theta, too.”- “You still got a good kick on you, Baby Vamp.” Sam said admiringly.- “Thanks, Evil.” Theta said.- “You and me.” Evie said back to her. “If they come for one of us, they come for all of us.”- “How sentimental.” Jefferson said in a strained voice. He’d gotten back to his feet with murder in his eyes. He moved toward Evie. Marlowe held him back with his hand.- “Your department can take over once we’ve secured the land of the dead.”- Jefferson eyes Evie. “You’re mine.”-  And Evie mouthed back a phrase for which she was certain her mother would still wash her mouth out with soap. Beside her, Sam grinned. “Oh, Baby Vamp. Let’s get married tomorrow. Promise?”- Evie softened. “ Promise.”

“ “I told you we’ve taken every precaution.” Marlowe, smug as usual.- “ In addition to being a lousy fella, you’re also a goddamned idiot.” Sam said. “

“Sam complained. “It hurt. A lot. I did not enjoy it. I would just like some recognition of my troubles.”- “ I will make you a swell little medal if we survive.” Evie said with a generous roll of her eyes.-  Sam nodded approvingly. “I like medals. I accept.”- “Evie. I don’t suppose you still have that feather Isaiah gave you?” Henry asked.- “It’s in my pocket. Why?”- “ I don’t know. But Ling often needs an object to find the dead in a dream.”- “ It might lead us to the King Of Crows.” Evie said, thinking aloud.- Henry gave a wan smile. “See? We don’t even need to be hooked up to that big gold spider for all of us to be on the trolley.” “

“ “Here they come. Look innocent.” - “ Good luck with that, Sam Lloyd.” - “Baby Vamp?” Sam was looking at her with such affection it nearly broke her. “ Ikh hob dikh lib.”- “ I love you, too, Sam.” Evie whispered.” “

“ “ Are you sure you’d like to destroy such a magnificent machine?” The King Of Crows said.- “ Let me think.” Sam posed with his finger across his lips, as if pondering a deep dilemma. He dropped the pose and thumbed his nose at the King Of Crows. “ Yeah. I’m sure.”- “Let’s go.” Evie said.” “

“ “ I’m going to help, James, even if it means I’ll be trapped here.” Evie said.- “Whither thou goest, I will go.” Sam said, taking Evie’s hand. Evie kissed Sam’s cheek.- “ Leave it to you to quote Shakespeare at a time like this.” - Sam looked to Memphis. “Don’t tell her.” “

“ Sam? Where’s Sam? Sam. Where are you?”

“ Anybody seen Sam?”

“Sam? Sam Lloyd? Please, please, please answer me-”- “I’m here, Lamb Chop.”- Tears sprang to Evie’s eyes. “Sam?”- “Didn’t I promise you I’d be here?”-  Evie ran the best she could, and it seemed to her that their kiss would be the kiss she would remember for the rest of her days. “I was afraid I’d lost you.”-  Sam brushed his lips softly across her forehead and nuzzled her neck. “You’d never let me die when I owed you twenty bucks.”- “Sam?”- “ Let me guess- shut up?”- “No. No, talk to me. Keep talking to me.”- “There’ll be time.” he said and kissed her again.- “We did it.” Evie whispered.- “Little Fox!” Miriam called. She limped toward Sam. Freed from the Eye, she held her son tightly for the first time in nearly a decade. Evie stepped back, but Miriam pulled her close. “ So you are the one my Sergei loves?” She said.- “Ma.” Sam said, embarrassed.” “

“ “So. When is the big day?”- “As soon as she’ll let me.” Sam said and kissed Evie’s hand, and it made Evie so happy she was afraid her happiness was a bird that might fly away.” “

“ Mrs. Sam Lloyd, Evie thought. And then, Evie Lloyd. And then, Mrs. Evie O’Neill Lloyd, like British royalty. It would look very dignified on her calling cards. She’d mail a bunch of them back to the girls in Zenith. The pettiness of this warmed her.- “What are you smiling about?” Sam asked.- “Oh, nothing.”- “Now I’m worried.” “

“ “So, uh, how are your powers?” Sam whispered.- Memphis shook his head slowly. “Just a little left. Enough to fix your bruise, maybe.”- “I said Don’t see me to a fella the other day and he looked right at me and said, ‘What do you mean, don’t see you?’ I guess my pickpocketing days are truly behind me.” Sam said.- “ I picked up this saltshaker, and do you know what it told me?” Evie said.- Ling swallowed a bit of sandwich. “What?”- Evie put the shaker back down.” Pos-i-tutely nothing.” No more dream walking. No bursting into flames. No ghosts.- “I don’t see so much anymore. Just little things here and there.” Isaiah said with a shrug. (..) The powers that Project Buffalo had forced on them were fading away. What remained was all they had been through together. They could still feel one another, still sense one another’s moods and hurts. What remained was friendship. Was remained was love. It was, they knew, their greatest power.” “

“ “Do you know what he’s saying?” Evie asked her friends.- “Beats me. I don’t speak German.” Theta said.- The Diviners kept their eyes on the Goldbergs, who, in turn, watched the radio as if it needed watching, as if it might become a monster they could not stop. (..) And though she didn’t know German, it made her uneasy all the same. She sensed the fury underneath it. Seeds of evil. Growing. Metastasizing. The chant repeated several times, and she began to pick out the words being shouted over and over again. “Heil Hitler. Heil Hitler. Heil Hitler.” “

               THE DIVINERS SERIES:

1.       The Diviners (2012)

2.       Lair Of Dreams (2015)

3.       Before The Devil Breaks You (2017)

4.       The King Of Crows (2020)

[i-dont-even-know-anymore921]

She stared at the field of daisies and wildflowers and wished she was a piece of tall grass that shook with each gentle breath of breeze which wandered by. Not many people knew this place existed. The paths through the field were solely traversed by her feet and the grass which grew there seemed only to know how to tickle at her ankles as she wandered under the puffed cloud sky. Sometimes when her world went black seemingly out of blue she walked the 45 minutes to her secret treasure just to watch the wind go by, to make crowns out of lavender and wish on dandelions and pretend the world didn’t exist. Evie Monroe felt a hope start a flickering flame in her heart as she took a deep breath, feeling the air turning cold in her nostrils.

She let the breeze take her, transport her to a world all her own, where the rain tasted of honey and peach and the grass grew wild in the fields next to her castle made of stone where she 56could smell the scent, not of the must moldering in the cracks in the mortar, but rather hopeful dreams and a promising future. Where the wooden pillars gave off the distinct aura of cinnamon sticks in a cup of hot cocoa and the blankets felt like a warm hug from her mother after her first day of Kindergarten.

She hadn’t had one of those warm hugs in years, and her mother always seemed to forget to pop a cinnamon stick into her cocoa. Her mother didn’t hate her, not by any means, but Evie was sure she didn’t love her.

“Good morning, sweet pea,” her mother would say, the southern drawl in her voice almost masking the hollowness which glared at her from sleep drenched eyes.

It was dark one night, as it usually is at 2 am, when Evie awoke with sweat-drenched skin and a horrific image on her mind. she threw the blankets off her, the cold air which rushed to hug her turned the sweat pooling around her midriff cold and clammy. She got up a little too fast and for a second the world went black and seemed to swing beneath her feet-- that happens to her sometimes; when she stands for too long or hasn’t eaten all day she has the tendency to just fall to the ground and faint. There are other times when her world goes black for other reasons. When she feels so alone and isolated that the world seems not more than shades of gray. That night it was the latter. Her heart felt heavy, like one of the concrete anchors her daddy used to make in the garage for his little fishing boat back when they lived in Texas and could drive down to the marina every weekend. He used to throw her into the bay, you weren’t supposed to be swimming there but no one ever said anything so they did it anyways, it was cleaner than going to the pool. She was sure that if she were thrown into the water right then she would sink to the bottom, forever entrapped between the wrecks and broken motors and swishing nets which swirled around the bottom of the bay.

She turned to her door, suddenly calm, her mind soothed by the journey she was about to take. The wood creaked under her feet, light and nimble, her years as a ballerina still ingrained in her toes. She turned towards her mother's door, careful as she opened it to keep the creaking as low as possible. Once inside she knelt to the ground just beside the door and curled her fingers into the black purse her mother carried. There she found what she was looking for. Cigarettes. She pulled one out of the cardboard container, smushed in at the edges from being thrown into her bag, and tucked it into her back pocket. She stood slowly, turning back to the door, and creeping back out to the hall.

She dashed down the hallway, her step built with purpose as she tiptoed down the stairs, only pausing for a moment to grab her daddy’s old suit jacket on her way out the door. She wrapped it around herself, not yet cold enough to put her arms properly in the sleeves. She slithered her hand into the inside pocket of the jacket and felt at the lighter that had long since gone dead. She rubbed her thumb over the small engravement on the back of the lighter. She pulled it out and as she trampled the grass that grew in the cracks of the pavement and stared at the words carved into the metal.

For a flame that lights like my inner fire

She wandered with a purpose, with a set in her step as stubborn as she was, she took herself along the path she had dozens of times before. She watched the roads turn from asphalt to gravel to dirt, walked along the side of the fenced in fields filled with horses and colts who stood still,heads hanging low, with the cool glow of the full moon illuminating their shiny coats. Finally, she wandered into the field where she had spent countless hours watching the clouds roll by with the wind, where she taught herself the waltz, and where she kissed the rough bark of the trees pretending they were Tommy Braden.

She sat on a rock covered in soft moss, a familiar cushion as she stared at the stars far above. Sometimes she tried counting the stars. She rarely got past 107. She pulled the cigarette out of her pocket and held it out in front of her. She stared at it. She never quite understood why people were so obsessed with them. They tasted weird and left a heavy feeling in the back of her throat but she did like the way they made her head buzz slightly and calmed her in a way her mother hadn’t been able to in years.

She took out her daddy’s lighter and gripped the cigarette between her lips. She flicked the flame to life and with an orange glow on her face inhaled the smoke. She held it there, feeling it in her lungs, the weight comforting as she sat in the cold night air. She let out her breath, heavy with smoke, and watched it evaporate into the moonlit sky. She kept smoking for a few minutes, allowing herself to sink into the routine of breathing in and out smoke. When it was halfway done she took the still burning cigarette and snuffed it out against the rock she sat on.

She tucked the half-burned cigarette in the back pocket of her jeans.

Saving it for a rainy day, she thought to herself as she stood up, ready to make her way back to her house. She let her thoughts wander through fields of daydreams as she walked home, her feet were lighter than a newborn as she stepped on stones made of stories and grass formed by forgotten dreams.

When she finally saw the first peaking glow of a streetlight far ahead she picked up the pace, her long journey tiring her to the point of near exhaustion. She nearly collapsed into her bed when she finally tiptoed up to her room and made her way under the covers, letting the sweet release of sleep sweep her away.

@jasper-the-friendly-ghost i hope you wike it

[thtdamfangirl4]

some archie facts for y’all

i probably should be doing homework or sleeping but nah ARCHIBALD Q PEMBERTON

his favorite Taylor Swift song is Cornelia Street

his ringtone for Nathaniel is Fireproof by One Direction

his ringtone for Octavius is Wannabe by the Spice Girls

his ringtone for Reginald is the audio of that video of the screeching grinch in yoga class

his favorite Bath and Body Works scent is Champagne Toast

he is super rich but still does not understand the concept of super expensive wine like please just go to wegmans for white wine

he, too, has a never-ending powerpoint proving that Larry is real

he’s like... weirdly good at cornhole

when ben was like 3 archie accidentally taught him the word “fuck” and he had to pay him $5 to pinky promise he wouldn’t say that word anymore (he of course says it anyway)

sometimes he wakes Nathaniel up in the middle of the night just to ask if cereal is a soup

he has beautiful handwriting

one time the bois were going out to a nice dinner (this was before he had confessed how he felt to nathaniel) and he saw nate dressed up in a suit and he looked so good that archie straight up pretended to throw up not six minutes after arriving at Octavius’s to meet before leaving because he couldn’t take it, he needed to go home, and of course Nate offered to go with him and he is immediately like NO NO I’LL BE FINE YOU HAVE TO GO and then he calls gigi and she comes over and they listen to taylor swift and talk about how hot nathaniel is and drink wine right out of the bottle

he makes and fills out a march madness style tournament bracket for every season of the bachelor/bachelorette

he was on step 23 of a 64-step plan to propose to Nathaniel when Nathaniel did it first

he has not one, not two, but three wedding binders, and he makes a fourth once he and Nate get engaged

he loves harry styles more than anything in the world but somehow Louis is still his favorite member of one direction. he’d die for him in an instant.

despite being hopelessly in love with nathaniel and basically impervious to all other people, he is still a raging bisexual. never forget.

if you try to talk to him while he’s watching pirates and the carribean: the curse of the black pearl, he will punch you in the throat (unless you’re nathaniel, in which case you can really get away with anything you want)

he plays the piano but cannot figure out the guitar

he sends shirtless selfies from bed and other thirst traps to Nathaniel on snapchat all day long but Nathaniel just sends back regular selfies and they affect Archie even more than his affect Nate lol

he reads Red, White, and Royal Blue for the first time and talks about nothing else for an entire month. he gets the bois and the gals to read it too. He reads it like every two months at least.

if you find him laying face down on the living room carpet while If I Could Fly by One Direction is playing on repeat, do not interact. he’s goin through something.

He has both Mamma Mia movies memorized word for word, complete with choreography

sometimes he remembers how poorly marilyn monroe was treated and he gets so angry that all he can do is rant and he has to smash something

he cannot pass by a face painting station at any festival, carnival, amusement park, or fundraiser without stopping and getting a giant butterfly on his face

he has 17 tabs of fanfiction open on his phone at any given moment

on their first wedding anniversary, nathaniel recreates the date Ben did for Leslie on their first anniversary on parks and rec, and Archie can’t stop crying and laughing and yes he is very impressed with Nate’s emerging scrapbook skills

after his kids are born, he can no longer listen to Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift without full on sobbing (ps he and evie use this song as their father-daughter dance at her wedding)

his favorite color is yellow but it’s also the shade of green of Nathaniel’s eyes

he thinks that the different colored m&ms taste different

he has an embroidered jean jacket like elton john’s and it’s his favorite thing in the world. octavius made it for him for his birthday one year.

i’ll give you more some other time but this is what’s come off the top of my head in the last half an hour. enjoy