#i remember struggling with the ordering and placement of gifs when i was first starting out

[libramc]

🦋Astro Observations.

-by libramc.

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hi guys!! how have you been? I'm back with a new astro observations post! I'm going to talk about birth charts, synastry charts and asteroids in this post, as I haven't written an observations post in months. hope you guys find them interesting, and remember to take everything with a grain of salt as these are just things I've noticed from celebrities and people I know irl, therefore they may not apply to everyone. I'm also going to leave my masterlist at the end of the post if you want to take a look at the rest of my content <3 now let's go!!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧*:･ﾟ✧*✧･ﾟ:*

💜BIRTH CHART OBSERVATIONS💜

💜 ancient astrolgers affirm that it's recommended to cut your hair when a waxing moon is transiting the sign of leo, as it's supposed to grow thicker and healthier.

💜 taurus placements, especially taurus sun and mars, are the type of people to do something only if there's a reward for it. for example, they're the ones who'd help with the cleaning only if they get pocket money after. they value their efforts, and they don't want people to take them for granted.

💜 where you have aries in your chart, it's where you tend to be more assertive, it's where you feel more motivated to accept and win challenges. for example, people with an aries tenth house may be particularly driven to do well at work, to have a successful career and a good reputation.

💜 on the other hand, where you have libra in your chart is where you tend to compromise, where you put your ego aside to collaborate with others and think about the impact of your actions in the world. for instance, individuals with libra in the third house may tend to sugarcoat their words in order to get along with others, even if that means hiding their real thoughts.

💜 where you have capricorn in your chart is where you are determined to succeed, even though you may experience many hardships and challenges before reaching your goals. for example, a sagittarius rising with a capricorn 2nd house may have problems with finances, and as a result they'd do anything to earn more money and be financially stable.

💜 where you have scorpio in your chart indicates where you're going to have a major transformation; you're going to face many hardships at first, but then you're going to have your phoenix moment. people with scorpio in the 7th house, for example, may have a very troubled love life, they may have the tendency to attract manipulative or even abusive partners, but then once they overcome these hardships they'll literally start flourishing, they'll shine brighter than they ever did.

💜 people with mercury in the 11th house/ruler of the 11th house aspecting mercury tend to have more online friends than irl friends, or at least they find it easy to make bonds with others online.

💜 we generally tend to relate to artists whose moon makes aspects with our personal planets or neptune, especially with our venus or moon. for example, singer marina's leo moon is conjunct my natal leo venus and I can literally find myself in all of her songs.

💜 scorpio risings tend to suffer from headaches, vertigo and migraines due to the presence of aries in the 6th house of health. they may also have issues with their eyesight, skin and with their teeth, they may have to wear braces or glasses throughout their life, and they could suffer from acne for example.

💜 pisces placements, especially rising, moon and mars, may feel the urge to change their personalities as if they were clothes. they struggle to understand who they truly are, especially if the rest of chart has other mutable signs (sagittarius, virgo, gemini), and as a result they try to wear different masks as a way to find their real self.

💜 the degree of your north node in your birth chart can give you further information about what you're meant for in this lifetime, aside from the sign it falls in and its house. for example, if you have your north node in a leo degree (5°, 17°, 29°) you may be meant for fame, you may pursue a career that will allow you to express your creativity. or perhaps if you have the north node in a taurus degree (2°, 14°, 26°) you may be meant for wealth.

🦋SYNASTRY OBSERVATIONS🦋

🦋 we definitely all have that one celebrity we're obsessed with, the one we dream to marry and have a beautiful, fairytale-like love story with. well, chances are, you have 12th house synastry with that celebrity. the 12th house is ruled by pisces, the sign of dreams, of fairy-tales, but also the sign of deception. when we share 12th house synastry with someone, especially when the sun, the moon and venus are involved, we tend to idealize that person, we create their own version of them in our head and suddenly everything about their persona seems magical to us. that's why, when we look at certain celebrities, we may feel as if we were meant to be with them.

🦋 another reason we fall for people with whom we have 12th house synastry it's because this person will seem like the personification of our dreams to us. they'll seem like everything we've always desired, not only looks-wise but also for their personality, their demeanor, the way they approach the world. this placement usually indicates love at first sight, especially if the planets are placed in the 12th house conjunct the ascendant.

🦋 asteroid aura (1488) depicts the way you appear to others. look at the house overlays and the aspects this asteroid makes in your synastry chart; you'll define the way your partner sees you and viceversa. for instance, if your partner's aura falls in the 8th house, they may seem extremely magnetic, sexy and mysterious to you.

🦋 look at the aspects that jupiter makes with pluto and mars; they'll show your sex life with this person. we generally prefer easy aspects (trine, sextile) for these placements, but even though hard aspects can be quite challenging, they bring way more attraction into the relationship, especially conjunctions.

🦋 when your partner's personal planets make contact with your saturn (or viceversa) it means you're dealing with a karmic relationship. this placement indicates that this person was meant to find you, they're a part of your karma and they're here in this lifetime to teach you a tough lesson that will make you grow mature. it could be painful, as you have to pay off your karmic debt, but once you overcome this hardship you're going to be a better, stronger person.

🦋 I feel like most people tend to overlook mercury in a synastry chart; don't get me wrong, venus, the moon and mars are just as important, but people seem to forget that mercury is the planet of communication, which is the foundation of a healthy and stable relationship. if your mercury makes a square or an opposition with your partner's personal planets (or viceversa), especially mars and the moon, there can be serious communication issues between you two. you may argue often, you could struggle to find a common ground to get along, turning your relationship into something pretty toxic.

and this is it for today's post! hope you guys enjoyed my observations :) oh and remember, if you're interested in getting your chart read by me, you can book a reading following my pinned post!! xx

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧*:･ﾟ✧*✧･ﾟ:*

- libramc xx

[honey-tea-and-cookies]

Hi pretty person! ^0^ How you doin?( >___<)

Could I pick your brain on having a 2nd house scorpio juno?

Arigato gozaimasu![^______^]

Hi gorgeous! I'm good thank you :). Absolutely you can!

Scorpio Juno

This gif reminded me of Scorpio Juno, so it's here <3

- So Juno is the asteroid of love, commitment and marriage. It talks about the kind of person your future spouse could be, a little on the relationship you guys might have, the marriage and also their Sun sign.

- First off, with your Juno being Scorpio, your future spouse could be a Scorpio Sun! Or they could have Scorpio somewhere else in their big 3

- Your relationship could teach each other many lessons, especially karmic lessons. I know that usually scares people, but it's honestly not a bad thing. It just means you are growing!

- You meeting your future spouse could be fate! Obviously everyone has free will, but if you believe in fate, that could resonate for you :)

- Your future spouse wants, more than anything, to be known and understood. I think trust will be MASSIVE in your relationship. Obviously trust is paramount in every relationship, but you might have to work quite hard to earn their trust at first. Once you have it though, you will learn everything about them and a lot of things will start to make sense

- This trust and intimacy is why the gif reminds me of Scorpio Juno. The emotion, and tenderness of the hug, and the protectiveness he's displaying for her. Very much ~developed Scorpio in love~ vibes <3

- Your future spouse may be someone who struggles to verbally say how they feel, so they opt to show you instead!

- I won't get into anything here, but that goes for NSFW stuff too 👀

- Your future spouse may be quite sarcastic, or have a dry sense of humour

- Your future spouse may be quite protective of you, or even possessive. Jealous, at times (be sure to establish strong and healthy boundaries, as well as communicate!!)

2nd House Juno

I chose this gif because it's the kind of date that 2nd House Juno would love <3

- You might have a lot of 2nd House synastry with your future spouse

- Your future spouse could have Taurus somewhere in their big 3, or a lot of 2nd House placements (though the latter is more likely)

- You guys might be financially comfortable, or even wealthy. There is more or less of an emphasis on material things. Which isn't bad!! Either you or your spouse's love language could be gift giving, or even physical touch

- You and your future spouse may be quite a physically attractive couple, wearing nice clothes or owning nice things

- Either you or your future spouse (or both) may be incredibly hard working when it comes to your career and handling finances

- You or your future spouse may show love through food! Making it for each other, remembering and ordering your favourites, picnic dates (like in the gif above), etc.

- Your marriage may make you feel very confident, and valuable. Of course you've always had value, but they may make you feel important and confident (as they should!)

- You and your future spouse my be quite affectionate, and show your love physically

- Once again I won't go into NSFW, but that applies here too

- Most importantly, your future spouse will be an incredibly stable and dependable person for you. Your marriage to them may act as a rock for you. They will always be there for you. They are VERY committed to your marriage.

This is everything I read for these placements! I hope you enjoyed and found this helpful. Thank you so much for asking this, and sending you lots of love <3

[lonelyridesinecto-one]

The Changing Seasons

Egon Spengler • She/Her Pronouns • SFW • GB!Reader

Requested by: Anon

Fuccckkk… Y/N thought as she drapes herself over the workbench trying to gather how she feels entirely before making a diagnosis.

Then the lovely alarm rang and Y/N rose to the occasion to join her boys on the call.

“Yo. Egon”

“What? I’m trying to calculate the entity’s arrival with our trap placement”

“Okay, cool but Y/N looks like she’s gonna pass out from standing” Pete points out and Egon immediately turned his attention seeing the ill look in her face as she leans against the wall struggling to keep her eyes open. “So how about I propose somethin’ because I remember how Ray was when he tried working a shift sick—-“

“Hey, I’m not sick. I’m tired” Y/N groans covering her eyes gripping her temples with her middle finger and thumb.

“Just. Peter help her take her proton pack off and Y/N take a seat” Egon states as Peter immediately went to do so before Egon went back to capturing the ghost.

The ghost didn’t take as long as any of them expected. Peter took care of collecting the trap as Egon went to his partner.

“You should’ve stayed back at the firehouse”

“Spengs, I’m fine. Just a headache…” Y/N frowns running her hand through her hair and keeping her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry I wasn’t much help”

“I don’t believe you are fine. You were like this when we did the study back at Colombia. First it was a headache and fatigue. Then you start developing more of the obvious cold or flu symptoms and inevitable end up having the flu because you overwork your body instead of taking it easy” Egon states as he gently brought his hands to her shoulders, slowly moving to her neck, and gently touching the sides of her neck only for Y/N to push him off almost immediately when he felt her lymph nodes. “You’re more frustrating than I am when you start to get sick. Let’s head back and then go home. Don’t make me have to duct tape you back to the bed like last time”

Y/N groans as last time she wouldn’t stop leaving the house sick as a dog that she collapsed on a job mid-stream and ended up getting burned. So Egon duct taped the sheets to the bed frame and made sure she was secured in it.

Hopefully he doesn’t have to do that this time.

Day 1

Egon started to collect a few files from his lab at the firehouse which lead to Peter coming downstairs to yell at him. Or well bug him.

“Ditching town?”

“No. Gathering a few things to work from home”

“Welll…you can’t catch ghosts from your loft apartment” Peter scoffs before flinching to the loud snore erupting from Y/N who made herself present on the couch in his lab. “I thought she was home”

“So did I. But as you can tell. I have to work from home in order for her to stay put. Which means we aren’t shifting until she’s at least well enough to stay home without me having to be there” Egon tells Peter as he groans for having to cover his friend while he had to take care of his girlfriend. But honestly he doesn’t mind. He just likes messing with the guy. “I told Ray about the records for the containment unit that need to be updated this week. But other than that. I’ll be on my way out”

“Don’t forget the burrito on your couch”

“Just give it a moment” Egon sighs as he started to head up the stairs which lead to Y/N emerging from the couch to follow after him even if she was slow following.

This is going to take forever.

Day 2

“Why can’t you sit still for five minutes?”

“If I sit still for too long. I’ll fall asleep”

“That is kind of the point. You need your sleep” Egon tells Y/N as he knew she just had to join him in their small lab in the apartment. Not that he minds, he just wishes she’d listen to him when it comes to her care. “I want you to be well, cold medicine and staying hydrated can only do so much but sleeping will have it all tie together. Besides. You’re usually sick for a while whenever the season changes. I don’t want you to suffer”

“Can I just…stay in here for a moment, and then go to the bed on the loft?” Y/N frowns as Egon sets his notes down for a moment walking passed his girlfriend to head into the kitchen to grab her a glass of water before letting her get comfy in the lab.

Didn’t take long for Egon to carry her to the bed and get her comfortable.

When she settled and surprisingly fast falling asleep, Egon gently rests the back of his head to her forehead using his other hand to repeat the same action on himself. Only to sigh and go into the bathroom to grab one of the thermometer strips they have that sticks on one’s forehead. People mainly use them on babies but it still worked no matter who you put it on. Quickly reaching into his nightstand he took out a smaller notebook compared to the rest and started to take down her temp. He removed the sticker gently only for her to flip onto her stomach away from him.

“…You have a fever, and it’s going to become a cold” He whispers but talking to himself about Y/N. “Hopefully just a cold…”

Day 5

It’s quieter than usual… Egon thought as he enters the apartment after needing to run a few errands for Y/N. He ran out of the cold medicine the first two days, granted it was almost out but he should’ve prepared better.

When Egon met the top of the stairs, the bed was empty.

“…Y/N?” He approaches the bed finding that she had also taken the blanket with her. “Mmm…Honey?”

Checked the kitchen. The home lab. The closet, even Egon doesn’t understand why he checked there. Then called the firehouse to see if she managed to get there without him realizing, but mid conversation with Janine, he hung up and went into the bathroom finding Y/N on the cold tile wrapped in her blanket.

“Honey…” He knelt down beside her resting his hand on her shoulder only Y/N to rudely snap back into reality.

“EGON” Y/N snaps watching Egon retract immediately as she looks around realizing she zoned out awfully. “When huh. When did you get here”

“This is why sleep is important when you are sick. Do you remember why you came in here?”

“Uhhhh. Okay I thought I was going to throw up. But I was cold”

“Hence the blanket. But so you didn’t? You came in here…with your blanket because you were cold. Yet you didn’t throw up” Egon went under the sink to take out one of the few med kits in the apartment to grab the thermometer as Y/N pushed herself from the tub to sit up letting him stick the thing in her mouth. “That should be good but I’m still suggesting staying at home and getting more sleep before we even think about going back to work” He states taking out the thermometer after a respectfully amount of time. “It’s gone down. Medicine is working. This doesn’t seem to be as bad as other times.”

Y/N watches as Egon put away everything except the thermometer so he could clean it. He decided to set it down for now and help her back to her feet. Then eventually back to the bed. She immediately got comfortable as Egon went to grab what he retrieved in the first place.

“You’re too sweet…”

“Oh?” He sets the cold medicine on her nightstand along with a juice she liked that wouldn’t upset her stomach. “It’s what you do for the ones you love”

“…mmm I know, but I feel like such a burden..” She watches as Egon maneuvers to his side of the bed shedding his jacket and climbing into the bed beside her. “Egie…”

“I don’t care if I get sick, besides I’m always careful.” He got comfortable laying beside her as she instinctively covered her mouth and nose with her blanket. “And you’re not a burden. You overworked and got sick. You help me when I do the same exact thing. Even if I am more stubborn and have you watching me like a hawk while I sit in the lab eventually knocking out on the table. I want you to be comfortable and I do care how long you’re sick for since it could mean something else but I’m not going anywhere. I’m efficient. Precise.” Egon found himself rambling for a moment and noticed that Y/N had fallen asleep from laying there for too long. He gently pushes the hair out of the way of her beautiful face before kissing her forehead. “I’ll do anything to make sure you’re okay” he whispers.

Day 8

Y/N pulled all the sheets off the bed along with pillow cases when Egon came home to check up on her. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs watching a pile of sheets with legs starting to head down the stairs.

“Need a hand?”

“Holy shit” Y/N drops everything to meet Egon’s eyes with hers. “I think the tuning out things is just me because I don’t have symptoms anymore”

“I came in quietly thinking you were still asleep given that I didn’t come home last night after a rather disgusting case. So…no symptoms?”

“Nope. Just cleaning up after a disgusting week” Y/N laughs a little as her laugh was cut off short by Egon taking a risk pressing his lips against hers. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck humming contently as Egon parts with his arms finding their place around her waist. “Well…”

“I waited a week to do so. I deserve a kiss”

“Mhm…maybe a few more” She smiles kissing his lips once more, bringing her kisses to each cheek and once on his neck.

“Y/N…honey”

“Yes?” She pulls back just enough for Egon to scan her person carefully with his eyes checking every single feature.

“I’m just relieved I can finally kiss you” Egon kisses her forehead and parting from her slightly.

“You’ll get more once I put these in the laundry” she smiles picking up the pile and heading toward the washer dryer closet they have.

Then a loud sneeze erupted from behind Y/N as Egon takes a second.

“Dr. Egon Spengler I fucking told you so—-“

[the-virgoperspective]

astro observations pt. 1

making an astro notes post for the first time bc why not! this is all in good fun and not to be taken too seriously! these observations are drawn from personal experience and my own perspective so please take what resonates and leave what doesn’t!

🌷 gemini moons will tell the same story to the same people over and over again. they don’t mean to, they just forget who they’ve told what to who. also, these natives may over share when they are around new people due to them being so communicative. please be careful of what you share! some people will use what they know against you lovies, i’ve seen it 👀

🌷 i’ve noticed that a lot of water asc (cancer mainly) esp with earth placements are more likely to get piercings rather than tattoos. the piercings are usually in a hidden area, and if they do decide on a tatt, it may be hidden as well

🌷 while we’re on the topic of body art, fire and air asc are usually ones to get inked while earth and water asc are usually ones to get pierced. those with mutable dominance may have multiples of both, cardinal dom may have more tattoos, and fixed dom may have more piercings. for example, my mom (mutable dom) is a virgo sun, pisces moon, scorpio asc with both, while my bf (fixed dom) is a taurus sun, leo moon, cancer asc with just traegus piercings, and i (cardinal dom) am a virgo sun, cancer moon, aries asc with mainly tatts

🌷 pisces placements have a rep of being directionless and constantly daydreaming, which is definitely a thing, but not always true. pisceans are quite intelligent, (don’t forget they are the last of the zodiac and carry boundless amounts of wisdom), and it can be pretty easy for them to find their niche in what they want to do (career wise). they’re just directionless when it comes to simple shit

🌷 libra suns are soooo different from libra moon/asc. they don’t mind drama and they’re usually the ones to start it or be right in the middle of it! can be v confrontational and judgmental. also have a huge flair for the dramatic, and if anything falls out of place, they throw the biggest tantrums. one time my libra friend lost her phone and she duct taped her mouth shut so we wouldn’t hear her crying all night. they’re just extra for no reason, and i can’t lie, i love to watch the chaos unfold 😏

🌷 jupiter in 1st/sagittarius asc have some of the biggest and brightest smiles!! also may have a very goofy or signature laugh that is highly contagious. they usually end up with a lot of wrinkles at a certain point in life from smiling so much!

🌷 the degree your sign is in can posses qualities or traits relating to the ruler of that degree! and this applies to any placement! for example, if you have an aquarius asc in 13° degrees (an aries degree), you may relate to and/or show aries traits and behavior. i noticed in my own natal chart that my cancer moon is in 10° (a capricorn degree) and that i have always struggled with expressing and verbalizing my emotions, even to people that are close to me, out of fear of appearing weak and vulnerable. this theory on degrees was developed by Nikola Stojanovic and is considered to be the most widely used theory around the world

🌷 also if you are interested in or are studying astrology degrees, remembering the pattern is a piece of cake. the number of degrees correlate with the order of the zodiac, so 1° degree would be aries ruled, 2° degrees would be taurus ruled, 3° degrees would be gemini ruled, and so on and so forth. it follows that same order until it reaches 29° degrees (leo ruled) and stops!

🌷 capricorn midheavens can have the most difficult time figuring out what career path they want to pursue. there’s also this profound fear of failure and feelings of doubt on careers that they may want to try but are too afraid to do it. they usually have skills and passions in many areas which is why it’s so hard for them to pick one thing

🌷 the rumors aren’t true, virgo mercuries are not always truthful! in fact, they are some of the best liars, esp if they have water, gemini, or libra placements in their big six. they study people and are very observant and intelligent, and while they may tell you like it is, some have a way of using you after they found they have gained your trust

🌷 the most loyal people i’ve ever come to know were either leo or scorpio moons. some of the best family members, friends, or partners to have in your life! but they are very protective of themselves because their love and generosity has been taken advantage of in the past

🌷 cancer moon/moon in 4th has a rep of loving kids and wanting to be a parent but i can’t relate. i’ve just now started to like kids that aren’t literal newborns and i don’t plan on having kids myself until much later in life (or ever idk). the most ironic thing though, is that i actually work with kids, and prefer it over potentially having one of my own!

🌷 to piggyback off of the last observation, cancer moon/moon in 4th may lean towards tough love instead of constant nurturing and doting when dealing with kids. they know how awful the world is and have seen it firsthand, most likely during childhood, so they want their kids to be prepared to protect their hearts like they do. they’re also able to see them as people who deserve to be spoken to on the same level as anyone else. kids are very smart and retain a lot more than people give them credit for, and due to cancer moon/moon in 4th natives being so emotionally intelligent at a young age, it makes it easier for them to navigate dealing with children as adults. they may resonate with that overwhelming feeling that a lot of kids get when they’re sad or angry and are able to guide the child to process and express their emotions in a healthy and productive manner

i had so much fun making this omg!!! i hope you all liked these little tid bits. please don’t hesitate to tell me if something resonated with you or if i am unknowingly sharing false information! any criticism or correction is appreciated as long as it is constructive and you aren’t rude 😋

[forasecondtherewedwon]

Hi! First of all, THANK YOU for your perfect Beth/Benny fanfiction. I love them so much!!!! If it's possible, did you think you could do a drabble with a modern AU? Maybe a coffeeshop or wrong number could be interesting with them ♡

Shaibel’s

Pairing: Beth Harmon/Benny Watts Rating: T Chapter Count: 6/6

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Summary: Beth Harmon is almost the only person who plays chess at Mr. Shaibel's boardgame café, so when she comes in one afternoon to see a chessboard left out on a table, she's curious. When she realizes the half-played game covering its surface is staggeringly, beautifully complex, she's transfixed. She needs to know who started this game, and if they'll be back to finish it.

When the proprietor feels his unassuming coffee dive and chess den needs a refresh to keep up with the times, he asks his employees, Matt and Mike, for their youthful suggestions. The twins have been working there since high school and their affection for the shop is part of what caused them to attend college locally—they were able to stay on parttime. Now graduates, they still take on a few weekend and weeknight shifts in order to stay in touch with the place. Whenever they come in, they show their ideas for logos, paint colours, and social media banners to the boss, shaking their heads and smiling when he inevitably agrees to every idea, trusting them with the changes.

Well, those changes go ahead. There are fresh aprons for the staff members the proprietor tries his best to now refer to as ‘baristas,’ a wide array of boardgames (bought cheap, from vintage and second-hand stores) added to the chess sets, and a punny new name on the sign outside. Nevertheless, the shop’s regulars continue to call it the same thing they always have: Shaibel’s.

Beth Harmon isn’t so much a Shaibel’s regular as a Shaibel’s graduate. The proprietor, William, has never taught lessons—he’s no more open to offering instruction on the Sicilian Defence than on how to win a bidding war in Monopoly—except to her. She became his pupil when she first requested (demanded) to learn and retained that status through frequent follow-up visits, during which the ratio of chess pieces moved to words spoken by Mr. Shaibel held at around a hundred-to-one. Now working on her Bachelor’s in mathematics, Beth, like the twins, continues to drop by. One game turns into however many she can coax out of her former teacher. If he isn’t there, she’ll play Mike or Matt, but she doesn’t venture beyond those opponents. Chess is her break from the looser, more harrowing world of math. She likes coming home to her 64 squares and she likes doing it with a friendly face across the table.

Today, Beth walks in and notices something very disturbing while she’s waiting at the counter for her latte: someone’s left a chessboard out. No point asking the café side of the shop about it. They comprise the recent hires, the flakes, the temporaries. The loyal blood-sweat-and-tears staff handle the games. Frowning, Beth swipes away from Cleo’s Instagram (she’s a model and she’s gorgeous and… should Beth get bangs again?), slips her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, and grabs her mug straight from the barista’s hand as he proffers it. A to-go cup? Please. Not for Beth Harmon, not at Shaibel’s. When she comes in, it’s always for a game and a visit. Today, it’s those plus this mystery.

“Mike,” she calls. “Mike!”

She’s here at the wrong time. The right time to see the place busy, but the wrong time for not having to fight for her friend’s attention. The rebranding made Shaibel’s bizarrely trendy and many of the tables are occupied by coffee-drinkers and boardgame-players alike. She eyes a sloping Jenga tower nervously as she skirts around to grab her friend’s arm and rescue him from where he’s explaining Clue for at least the third time, judging by the tension of his arms, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Hey, what’s up the with chessboard?”

He turns and smiles in relief.

“Someone’s been playing.”

Beth blinks slowly and sips her coffee.

“I know, I know,” Mike hedges. “Obvious. But it wasn’t us!”

“But we’re the only ones who use the boards. I’m sure because whenever I haven’t been here in a while, I have to wipe the dust off.”

“Thanks a lot. Are you saying I’m a lazy employee?”

“I was under the impression that you and Matt picked up the slack from the less reverential members of the staff.” She pauses. “Where is Matt? Don’t you guys usually work the same shift?”

Her friend smiles.

“He’s in the bathroom trying to wash a coffee stain out of his shirt.” At Beth’s raised eyebrows, Mike elaborates. “He keeps trying to pick up the new barista and he caught her by surprise today.”

“So she threw coffee at him?”

“No, she just bumped into him.”

“Anticlimactic,” Beth decides.

“Tell that to Matt’s shirt.”

“But… about the chessboard?”

Mike nods and motions her towards that table, which happens to be empty. She figures people must assume someone’s coming back to finish their game. They sit. Doing a doubletake of the position of the pieces as they’ve been left, she wishes someone were coming back to finish it. She’d like to see who belongs to this setup. Whoever it is feels very nonchalant about allowing their bishop to be blocked from immediate usefulness and very confident in their pawns; these have been marched into extremely ambitious placement. The player is obviously either a genius or an amateur who’s misunderstood the value of the various pieces. Beth twists her mug on the table and shifts her gaze back to her friend.

“One guy,” he says.

“One guy played black and white?”

“Yeah. One great player.”

“At least I don’t have to worry that there are two of them lurking around here, pouncing on the chessboards when I’m not around,” Beth says wryly. “Who was this guy?”

“Thin guy. Blond. He got his coffee before he did all this—” Mike gestures to the stunner on the board between them. “—or else I would’ve listened for the name they called out.”

“And did you seem him do this?” She taps the board with her finger.

“Nah.”

She throws herself back in her chair with a sigh. Then, she remembers her coffee and her hand shoots out; she takes a quick gulp. Perfect, now she’ll be even more wired than she already is. Good thing it isn’t an espresso.

“I knew you’d ask,” Mike says sympathetically. “I wish I had something to tell you, but it was yesterday, Saturday. Busy. He was lucky to get a table.”

“You left this here since yesterday?”

“You already bullied me once for not dusting,” he reminds her. “I couldn’t just pack the set up. I mean it’s…”

“It’s fucking Vermeer,” Beth agrees with Mike’s expression of adoration.

They stare at the layout so long that Matt comes out with the brown splotch on his shirt. She waves him off, concentrating on the board, banishing him with the mumbled suggestion of calling her mother. Alma will know how to get the coffee stain out. She’s great with old-fashioned tricks like that. She’s great at fixing things and can tune her own piano, but, to her daughter’s perennial amusement, still struggles with Twitter. Beth assures her mother that she’s better off. Alma’s therapist agrees. No need to prod the corpse of her former depression by leaving her to mingle with the biggest bunch of assholes on the internet.

“Do you think he’ll come back?” She tries to ask casually, but Mike’s leaning forward with an eager look on his face.

“I mean, he’s got to, right? He left it out. He’s gotta finish.” Distantly, she hears Mike speak some more, but he doesn’t catch her attention again until, “Beth?”

She’s been staring at the board. Fixedly. Fingers intertwined and propping her chin up. She doesn’t know this guy, but she can’t just walk away for the game he’s laid out. Because he started the game, she moves black.

“You’re playing him?” Mike asks excitedly.

Beth shrugs—casually, just one shoulder—before sitting back again and cupping her mug in both hands, still studying the board. Her friend scrapes his chair away from the table and bounds over to his brother.

“Matt!” she hears him say. “Beth’s gonna play him!”

More than that, she thinks, swallowing the end of her latte and tucking a tip beneath the mug. Beth’s gonna win.

Continued on AO3!