#strangcbchavior

[despondcnts]

𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚜 : ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇʀ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇɴ ᴍᴇʀᴄᴇʀ 𝚕𝚘𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 : ʜᴏᴘᴇ ᴍᴇʀᴄᴇʀ's ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀɪᴀʟ sᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴇ  𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 : sᴜɴsᴇᴛ

rowan knew very little of the mercer family, only the very same as the public. whether that was by the mercer’s design or his own choice, he wasn’t too sure. however, as he listened on to the choir finish a sorrowful ballad, he became painfully aware how desperate he was for that to change. grief is a funny thing, in that it often comes with bouts of irony ; what didn’t matter to him before hope mercer’s death definitely piqued his interest now. with the choristers drawing out their very last note, rowan’s thoughts ended just as they did. he peered around the room, drawing in a breath and waiting for a cue that it was acceptable to exit the premises. in the very front row sat the family of the deceased and something within him swirled, a sense of... familiarity ? it wasn’t until she turned her head that he got view of her profile and a name pushed itself to the forefront of his mind : ren. hope mercer’s sister. rowan didn’t have many interactions with ren, because to be frank, he didn’t have all that many with hope. he never visited her home, or the places she loved to frequent. instead, he saw her in class and in the halls, which the same could be said for ren.

rowan stood with the crowd, following them down the walkway and out of the cathedral. the air outside smelled of a nearby campfire, and he wrinkled his nose in distaste. normally, it was a welcomed scent but on a day like today it felt... wrong. he craned his neck as to search among the faces for the one that stuck out to him most of all. ro wondered how close the two sisters were, and how ren was handling the passing. in a way, he hoped she needed an ear to listen just as much as he did. when rowan spotted her nearby, he found himself in a jog, waving her down. “hey, ren ! hold up !”  

[heartsfms]

despite lori being hope’s best friend, she had always had a bond with ren as well, having grown up alongside the mercer’s due to her close friendship with hope and the closeness of their families predating the children. the blonde watched in amusement as ren soliloquised her misery. “ so you’ve learned your lesson then : never help out another person in need, lest you run the risk of actually having to help them out and inconveniencing yourself for a few moments. ” she commented with a small giggle. she hadn’t spoken to ren as much as she would have liked in recent days, but she was here now. “ i’ll take a page out of your book, in future. ”

ren had a rule when it came to walking through the world. technically, she had a rule for everything, but the most important one was stay in your own lane. things got messy when she ventured past the three feet of personal bubble safety to 'get involved' in whatever issue someone else was having. usually, she only broke other people's rules, but today she made the cardinal mistake of offering to help someone, and now she was involved. disgusting. "the lesson of this parable is, " she muttered as she dropped the back of her head against the wall hard enough to smart, “being like jesus fuckin' christ guarantees you a spot in your very own personal hell."

[secondscns]

@strangcbchavior | AIYLA ŞAHIN

he didn't think he'd be seeing anyone else in the station at this hour, down to the night shift desk worker and a couple cops sipping coffee and pretending to file paperwork while they waited for something interesting to happen. he wasn't here on a call for the mercer case, but every traffic stop and drug bust had turned into asking if they knew anything about hope mercer and he was sick of it. sick with it, maybe. murder cases sit heavy in his gut so he had to make it an inconvenience to protect himself.

corvin was pulling at his tie to loosen it, sleeves already rolled up in preparation for abandoning work at the office and reading case files at home instead, when he saw her. his breath caught in his throat in the most literal way and he hated himself for the cliche.

"aiyla. not where i expected to see you again, is it?"

[heartsfms]

" oh really ? and why, pray tell, is that ? " the blonde questioned, an amused smile practically plastered permanently onto her lips. given everything going on lately, it was nice to be able to experience some tranquility and fun, even if short-lived. " oh of course, i know all about conflicts of interest, trust me. "

"you could," chasen shrugged his shoulders, far too smugly for someone in his current situation, "but it wouldn't get you very far." he leaned back against the wall behind him and let out a soft, little forlorn sigh, like the situation was completely out of his hands. "conflict of interest stuff, you understand."

[heartsfms]

" well, that makes one of us because i definitely am. " something she hadn't learned about herself until recently, but lorelai rhodes was definitely a drink your sorrows and problems away until you feel them no longer kind of girl. " oh absolutely he did. probably why so many people worshipped him, god knows i'd give anything to have perfect hair all of the time. " she commented, nodding her head along in agreement. it was disguised, sure, but lori knew what ren was really asking her here, the same thing she imagined everyone she crossed paths with from here on out would be asking her too, for at least the next few days before another 'suspect' gets name dropped. " tell me about it, why do you think i'm hiding out over here. " she had no interest in the judging glares from people pre-deciding she was guilty, and she refused to be the next theo in hope's murder case. " she didn't call me for help, or say anything relevant, if that's what you're wondering. if she did i would have told the cops. "

ren snorted and then smoothed her face out into a more neutral expression, one that would even make veronica mercer proud, "i'm not a 'drink your sorrows away' kind of girl, promise." she envied people who were so quick to throw away all semblance of self-control with such ease, but she would rather sit with this hollowness than throw caution to the wind. the corner of her mouth twitched into a small smirk as she tossed the weighty can into the trash to scandalize a priest later, "but you have to admit that he had hella good hair." she sat with the silence for a moment until her mouth opened without permission, "so, the chronicle...immaculate timing as usual." aka: were you really the last person to hear hope's voice before she was killed?

[heartsfms]

“ my office ? yeah, uh huh. because i’ve definitely got one of those. ” the look on lori’s face was one of undisguised confusion, but she’d never been one to pass up an opportunity, and she was also pretty nosey when it came to other peoples business, especially when it didn’t involve her. “ yeah, got it. we’ve been together all day.. but can i ask why ? ”

chasen didn’t make asking for favors a habit. the last thing he needed was to be in debt to someone in a town so small it didn't have an expressway to get the hell out of dodge—but some emergencies couldn’t be avoided. “if anyone asks,” he glanced over his shoulder, instinctively, and pursed his lips like he was about to get a root canal. “i was in your office discussing...business?" his nose scrunched as he contemplated the plausibility this impromptu scenario before continuing, "all day. got it?”  

[heartsfms]

" ren. " despite the not so close relationship the mercer sisters had, while hope was alive anyway, lori had never let that deter her from acting friendly towards the younger sister, and even though she knew that the two sisters had never been as close as lori and hope had been, lori still imagined the pang of losing a family member, an older sister, had to hurt, even deep down. " i'll hand it over when i know you aren't going to take it yourself. " she compromised, holding out the can to ren. " it's a little unfair to compare me to jesus. i would never wear those kind of sandals. "

not everyone had the luxury of being coached by veronica mercer their entire life. maybe, she should thank her mother for ensuring that she didn't look like she was spinning out when she couldn't form any other coherent thought than 'don't start screaming'. lori evidently didn't receive the same training. "i know you guys were close," clearly closer than sisters, "but you need to pull it together before my mom sees and blows a gasket." she held out her hand and gave lori her sternest look, "hand it over. i know jesus turned water into wine, but he could probably handle his booze being the son of god and all."